The Uttar Pradesh Police on Sunday (3 September), arrested a man for allegedly issuing a death threat to Bagheshwar Dham’s Chief Priest Pandit Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, a police official said. The arrested accused has been identified as Anas Ansari who allegedly issued a threatening message to kill Dhirendra Shastri on Instagram.
Superintendent of police (rural) Raj Kumar Agarwal said, “We have arrested one Anas Ansari for issuing a death threat to Dhirendra Shastri in a post on the social media platform Instagram.”
Earlier in the day, a member of a local Hindu group filed an FIR in connection with the threatening message on the social media post at Hafizganj police station. This prompted the police to carry out the arrest of the accused Ansari.
Notably, Pandit Dhirendra Shastri has been on the hit list of many Islamists and anti-India elements. Evidently, in June, a man named Rajjan Khan reportedly entered Bageshwar Dham temple in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur with a desi pistol and ammunition.
Khan was found roaming with a gun in the ‘Parikrama Marg’ of the Bageshwar Dham temple. Though it was not clear why he had entered the temple with a gun, it caused panic among the devotees. Subsequently, some alert devotees called the police, and soon the gun-wielding man Khan was arrested.
Prior to that, in January, a threatening phone call was reportedly made to Lokesh Garg, who is a cousin of Dhirendra Shastri.
Over the phone call, the unknown caller inquired about Shashtri and explicitly issued a death threat against preacher Dhirendra Shastri before hanging up.
The spiritual leader of Bageshwar Dham, Pandit Dhirendra Krishna Shastri has been a vocal supporter of Hindu Rashtra and has been bringing awareness about the menace of forced conversions. Consequently, he has been asking Hindus to stay away from the conversion mafia. Seemingly, these reasons are claimed to be the reason for animosity among anti-India elements against the spiritual leader which subjected him to repeated threatening messages or phone calls.
On Friday, September 1, the Pathankot police in Punjab exposed eight fake Facebook accounts that attempted to honeytrap Indians and make them work against India. The fake social media accounts allegedly tried to trap the youngsters in the Pathankot region by showing them pornographic videos online.
The Police released a list of 8 fake social media accounts, which they said operated in the names of young women. The Police also asked the youth of Punjab to not fall for the fake accounts.
List of 8 fake Facebook accounts (Amar Ujala)
In the statement, the Pathankot Police stated that the area in which this usually happens is very sensitive due to its proximity to the Indo-Pakistan border and that there are some spy agencies who work to influence Indian youth against their own country.
“By trapping the youth of the country in pornographic videos and other types of traps, the agencies are trapping them in their clutches. The enemies of the country at large are misleading the Indian youth through social media,” the police said.
The SSP Pathankot Police also said that these fake accounts first send friend requests and then slowly start chatting. Later, they influence the users to share WhatsApp numbers and pornographic videos online and also save the record of the same. This recording is then used to blackmail the users for money.
The police warned the public that if a girl’s friend request shows up, they should be cautious. They said that it is not necessary that the girl sending the request might be the real girl; ‘she’ could also be a country’s enemy. Some of the fake accounts flagged by the Punjab Police are in the names of Aniya Rajput, Alina Gupta, Anaya Anaya, Dipa Kumari, Ishanika Ahir, Manpreet Preety, Neha Sharma, and Prisha Agarwal.
In Punjab, the Pakistani Intelligence Agency, ISI, has always tried to use diverse strategies to lure people into working against their country, particularly youths. “You should have control over your social media accounts. Be sure first of who is sending you friend requests, and who is calling you. Please avoid and block such fake social media accounts. Do not fall for any such trap,” the SSP Pathankot Police said in the statement.
Abandoned by their Muslim father years ago in their childhood, two brothers from Pauri’s Lansdowne have come of age and entered the fold of Sanatana Dharma. Ismail, 24, and Armaan, 20, raised by their Hindu mother in the Jaiharikhal village in Lansdowne, were welcomed back to the Hindu faith with due process of Vedic chanting, and havan rituals. They are now named Ankush and Aryan respectively.
The mother of the brothers Sita Devi reportedly remained a Hindu even after marriage. Her husband, a Muslim, abandoned the family when Sita Devi’s four children were still very young. After this, Sita Devi returned with the children to her parents’ house. All four children including Ankush and Aryan (formerly Ismail and Armaan) were raised with Hindu traditions and values. They were never sent to the mosque.
Inspired with their upbringing, the two brothers decided to return into the fold of Sanatana Dharma. They discussed the decision with their mother and close friends. Upon their mother’s agreement, the duo on 3rd September became Hindus. Members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), and Hindu Yuva Vahini were also present at the Holy ceremony.
According to VHP’s former department head Manmohan Juyal, the family had put up a cartwheel cloth shop in Lansdowne and then opened a shop in Jaiharikhal. The family earns a living through this shop.
In a jolt to the US, Indonesia’s military commander has denied making any joint remarks with his US counterpart on a visit to Washington last week after the Pentagon issued a “joint” press statement blaming Moscow and Beijing.
In a press conference on Thursday, August 31, Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto stated that the US statement fails to reflect the nation’s positions and that Indonesia prefers friendly relationships with both Russia and China.
“There is no joint statement and no press conference. What is important for me to underline is that our relationship with China is very good. We respect each other, we already have a mutual understanding. I conveyed that in the US. We are close friends with China, we respect America, and we seek friendship with Russia,” Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto was quoted as saying.
The official went on to say that he plans to visit Beijing and Moscow in the future months and that he thinks Jakarta can act as a “bridge” between competing powers.
The Pentagon statement titled ‘United States DoD and Indonesia MoD Joint Press Statement’ and issued on August 24, says something else entirely. According to the report, both the United States and Indonesia “shared the view that the People’s Republic of China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea are inconsistent with international law.” It also “jointly” condemned Moscow’s activities in Ukraine, calling for a “complete and unconditional withdrawal” of the Russian military.
Despite noting Subianto’s discussions with Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin, Indonesia’s Defence Ministry made no mention of a joint statement with Washington and made no comments concerning Russia or China.
Meanwhile, Beijing also reacted quickly to the American statement, stating that the words had not been approved in advance by Indonesian officials. “We’re informed by the Indonesian side that what the US side described is not true. In fact, no such content can be found in the press release by the Indonesian side at the same meeting,” the Chinese embassy in Jakarta said and further slammed US efforts to create dissension and cause unrest.
During Subianto’s visit to the United States on August 24, the two countries agreed to strengthen military cooperation, including joint war drills and further US arms sales. The Pentagon also stated that it would assist Jakarta’s military modernization efforts, proposing “fighter aircraft upgrades, new multi-role fighter aircraft, and additional fixed and rotary wing transport aircraft,” among other things.
Last week, Indonesian officials announced an agreement with US arms company Lockheed Martin to purchase 24 Sikorsky S-70M Black Hawk transport helicopters, just after negotiating a huge contract with Boeing for two dozen F-15 fighter fighters. Jakarta is attempting to modernise its air fleet, which now uses systems from multiple countries, including US and Russian fighter jets.
On 28th August, an “independent” journalist named Kunal Purohit targeted India’s foreign policy and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an op-ed disguised as a report on Foreign Policy. The report began with chest-thumping on behalf of the French city Strasbourg’s plenary session of the European Parliament that, according to Purohit, was an “embarrassing blow” to PM Modi’s credibility. The resolution targeted India over Manipur violence and claimed there is intolerance towards minority communities in the country.
‘Indian’ FarJi (Freelance Journo) @kunalpurohit writes a hit piece for @ForeignPolicy pejoratively calling Indian diplomacy ‘Tiger Warrior’. Seems his bosses only wanted a ‘sheep’ from India & FarJi is peddling for them
Good thing- his 1 article tells his agenda in 1 place
Purohit was visibly displeased by India’s reaction to the resolution as Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arundam Bagchi categorically said that it was an “interference in India’s internal affairs” and called it “unacceptable” as it “reflects a colonial mindset”. While India is right on its stand not to tolerate any foreign interference, sepoys of the colonial mindset like Purohit often get offended when they see how India’s foreign policy has changed dramatically since the PM Modi-led NDA government came to power in 2014.
Purohit went on to claim that the Modi government has a ‘Hindu nationalist’ agenda. He accused the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of propagating Hindu supremacy over other religions and claimed RSS wanted to convert India to a Hindu Rashtra or a Hindu nation. According to Purohit, because of such an agenda, there has been a so-called increase in hate crimes against religious minorities such as Christians and Muslims. Interestingly, OpIndia has covered hundreds, if not thousands, of reports that say otherwise. Instancing like a targetted attack on former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, murders of hundreds of Hindus, including Kanhaiya Lal, Umesh Kohle, Praveen Nettaru, Harsha, Kishan Bharwad, Rupesh Pandya, Mukesh Soni, Kamlesh Tiwari, Dhruv Tyagi Kapilgiri Maharaj, Sushilgiri Maharaj and Nilesh Telgade and many others scream in silence to tell the horrifying stories on the attack on Hindus. How can one forget the countless reports of grooming jihad where Hindu women are lured into relationships and marriage by Islamists while posing as Hindu men? The majority of the reports indicated they were tortured and even killed for refusing to accept Islam or conform to the supremacist ideas of Islam.
Moving on with Purohit’s report, he then targeted India’s Citizen Amendment Act (CAA), 2019, claiming it was against Muslims as it aimed to fast-track citizen applications of non-Muslim refugees from the neighbouring Muslim-majority countries of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh. What is perhaps wilfully missed by the likes of Purohit is that the CAA was passed by India not because it wishes to discriminate against Indian Citizens, since the law itself has nothing to do with Indian citizens (Hindus or Muslims) but to ensure that those non-Muslim being persecuted in neighbouring Islamic countries can be given refuge. It is an undisputed fact that in Islamic nations like Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, Hindus and other non-Muslim communities are persecuted on a regular basis, denied their religious freedom and identity and more. In such a scenario, there is a clear distinction between who is the victim and who is the aggressor. If the grouse is that CAA was not extended to Muslims of Islamic nations, the argument does not hold on the foundational principles of the law itself. The law was made so that those being persecuted in Islamic nations on the basis of their religious identity could be given refuge. To say that the community persecuting them should also be clubbed in the law is ludicrous, to say the least. Further, to claim that Muslims are being persecuted by Muslims in Muslim nations and therefore, a non-Muslim nation needs to accept the apparent victim Muslims is also an argument that does not hold merit.
After his tenuous arguments against CAA, Purohit then moved on to blame Hindus in Leicester (according to him, “newly arrived” ones”) for causing violence in the city in August last year. Citing a Daily Mail report, he claimed “Hindu nationalist “elements close to Mr Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party” were suspected to have played a key role in inciting them.” Interestingly, Leicester police debunked the Daily Mail report long back. OpIndia covered the anti-Hindu Leicester violence in detail and showed how the Islamists built the narrative to show Hindus initiated the attack, but the truth was completely opposite. Over coverage can be checked here.
He also piggybacked on the fake news spread by Daily Maverick that PM Modi refused to get off his aircraft on his arrival to Johannesburg for the BRICS summit to protest the South African government deputed a cabinet minister to receive him. He used the fake news despite South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s published it.
In just one report, it is evident that Purohit has an agenda against the Indian Government. While the world is praising India and India’s changed Foreign Policy, which is evident by the fact that many nations have requested India to intervene in the Russia-Ukraine war, Purohit is terming it worse in their own words. OpIndia decided to examine Purohit’s profile to examine his past reports and whether they similarly attacked India.
Purohit’s background as journalist
Purohit started his career as a journalist in 2007 with Hindustan Times in 2007. After two years, in July 2009, he briefly joined the Free Press Journal and joined HT Media as a special correspondent in June 2010.
Source: LinkedIn
After working in different organisations and a University, Purohit started working as a freelance journalist, and one of his major clients is South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong-based news portal.
Targetted reports on India’s fight against Covid-19
In June 2021, Purohit targetted PM Modi, claiming India was behind the race against Covid. Based on the “sources,” he claimed India waived conditions laid down to conduct trials in the country for Pfizer, but nothing like that happened. Pfizer’s vaccine, now accused of causing severe health conditions, never got a nod from the Indian government. The two primary vaccines India used were Covishild and the Made-in-India vaccine, Covaxin.
He also accused the Indian government of transferring the responsibility for buying vaccines to the states. He showed it as a move by the central government to wash its hands off the responsibility. However, in reality, non-BJP states were pressuring the government to allow them to do so. When they failed, the government took charge back into its own hands. After that, the vaccine drive ran smoothly, and India became one of the very few nations to administer COVID-19 vaccines in such a large number virtually without foreign assistance. It would not be an exaggeration to say such an achievement would have been a dream if COVID-19 had happened during UPA’s time.
Purohit blamed Hindus for Leicester violence
In October 2022, he wrote a report on the sidelines of Leicester violence, claiming the violence resulted from the Hindutva agenda. In the report, he accused Hindus of the violence. He did mention that 55 people were arrested by the police in September but failed to mention that they were NOT Hindus. The arrests were made on common assault, violent disorders and possession of offensive weapons.
In the report, he accused the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister of bulldozing the houses of Muslims, which is entirely false. CM Yogi Adityanath never discriminated against and bulldozed the homes of hardcore criminals. After he came to power, the law and order in the state improved significantly, building trust among investors, which the likes of Purohit often fail to see. Interestingly, Purohit seems to have skipped the fact that there have been no significant riots in UP since CM Yogi came to power.
He also accused Hindus of voicing against the anti-Hindu conference titled “Dismantling Global Hindutva“. He was furious because Hindus decided to speak against fake news peddlers and propagandists coming together to defame Hindus and Hindutva.
Purohit claimed to have met a 70+-year-old pro-BJP social media user with several Twitter accounts
In an X (formerly Twitter) thread where he promoted a link to the report, he claimed to have met a 70+-year-old man from London who operated several Twitter accounts to “expose Congress, liberals and anti-Hindu media”. Purohit wants everyone to expect a 70+-year-old fragile man to sit at the computer for hours operating several social media accounts and behave like a troll.
I asked him what he did: "I expose the Congress and the liberal, anti-Hindu media."
I worked for HT then, which he called the 'anti-Hindustan' Times.
He didn't get paid a dime, but he had links to the RSS (HSS in UK) and other Hindu organisations. He didn't want money.
According to OSINTWa_com, Purohit has a habit of quoting unnamed and “strange” sources.
Our man sure has gone to some journalism school. In the article, he has quoted 6 ‘sources’ from different continents. He doesn’t know what sources mean. Quoting shitloads of opinions of various people is not called ‘sources’.
Within the last month, he has spoken his heart out against “Hindutva” in different ways, but there has been not a single word against the Islamists attacking Hindu devotees in Nuh. We were not expecting any favourable words from Hindus, but the silence was indeed baffling, to say the least. Maybe because targeting Islamists was beyond his pay grade.
On 21st August, he came out in support of Kashmir Walla’s Peerzada Fahad Shah, who was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for promoting seditious content in his publication. In March this year, the NIA court in Jammu framed charges against him under sections 13 and 18 of the UAPA, IPC sections 121 and 153B and sections 35 (accepting foreign contribution in contravention of provisions of FCRA, or any order or rule therein) and 39 (violation of FCRA by a company tantamount to infringement by the persons in-charge or responsible for business of such company) of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act.
Source: X
On 12th August, Purohit came out to support the anti-Hindu propaganda handle Hindutva Watch, which has predominantly propagated hate against Hindus. He specifically mentioned his founder in his tweet and said the handle might face a shutdown amid a crackdown by the Indian government. In short, Purohit wanted an anti-Hindu handle to run freely and propagate hate against Hindus. Our detailed reports on Hindutva Watch can be checked here.
Source: X
This is just tip of the iceberg of how Purohit has used his journalistic credentials to run propaganda against India, Hindus and BJP.
Punjab Police on Sunday launched a special cordon and search operation (CASO) at suspected hideouts of persons linked with Terrorist Lakhbir Singh alias Landa.
According to a statement from the Information and Public Relations Department, Punjab, the simultaneous raids were conducted from 6 am to 10 am on the directions of Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav, wherein, all the residential and other premises linked with at least 297 close associates of Lakhbir Landa, were thoroughly searched in all the 28 police districts in the state.
Special DGP Law and Order Arpit Shukla said, “All the CPs/SSPs were directed to depute strong police parties led by an Inspector or Sub-Inspector to make this operation successful. Police teams were also asked to round up suspicious persons during the operation.”
He said that as many as 150 parties of Punjab Police, involving at least 1,200 Police Personnel, carried out these raids across the state. The CASO was planned after the questioning of several persons in the recently busted modules backed by Lakhbir Landa, he added.
The Special DGP said, “Several persons have been detained for further verification and incriminating material has been seized from their possession, which is being further examined. During the operation, the Police teams conducted thorough searches at the houses and other premises linked with these criminals and also collected the data from Electronic devices, which will be sent for forensic examination.”
He said that the Police teams have also checked arms licenses and questioned people about the sourcing of ammunition, besides, gathering travel details of foreign-based family members, bank transactions from abroad, and Western Union and property details for further examination.
Pertinently, such raids help in infusing fear among the anti-social elements, whilst instilling a sense of safety and security among the common people.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party has been under fire after Udhayanidhi Stalin called for the eradication of Santan Dharma. The DMK leader had also hailed EVR Ramaswamy aka Periyar, an anti-Hindu activist revered by the Dravidian party.
Interestingly, India’s Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was opposed to Periyar for his anit-Hindu views and had even dubbed the latter as ‘lunatic.’ The Congress party today is in an alliance with the same DMK in Tamil Nadu, which swears by the ‘greatness’ of the anti-Hindu activist.
In a letter [pdf] to Madras Chief Minister Kumaraswami Kamaraj on November 5, 1957, PM Nehru stated, “I am much distressed by the anti-Brahmin campaign continuously carried on by E.V. Ramaswami Naicker.’ I wrote to you I think about this some time ago, and I was told that this matter was under consideration.”
Letter of PM Nehru to Kamaraj
“I find that Ramaswami Naicker is going on saying the same thing again and calling upon people at the right time to start stabbing and killing. What he says can only be said by a criminal or a lunatic,” he pointed out.
PM Nehru told the Madras Chief Minister, “I do not know him adequately to be able to decide what he is, but one thing is clear to me that this kind of thing has a very demoralizing effect on the country. All the anti-social and criminal elements imagine that they can act in this way also.”
The first Prime Minister of India was of the view that anti-Brahmin ‘activists’ such as Periyar should be placed in a mental asylum, meant for treatment of ‘perveted minds.’
Nehru wanted CM Kamaraj to stop Periyar’s hate campaign against Hindus
He had reiterated, “I suggest, therefore, to you that there should be no delay in dealing with this matter. Let him be put in a lunatic asylum and his perverted mind treated there. I do not understand anyone telling me that the law does not allow us to take action unless actual killing takes place.”
“The law is often very foolish but it is not quite so foolish as to permit a campaign of incitement to murder,” PM Nehru said in his letter dated November 5, 1957.
He had written the letter to the Madras CM after Periyar organised a convention in Tanjavur to demand removal of constitutional provisions that guranteed Right to Freedom of Religion.
The Dravida Kazagham, under Periyar’s leadership, had called for the killing of Brahmins and the destruction of their residential properties on November 3, 1957.
Multiple references of Nehru calling for Periyar being sent to ‘lunatic asylum’
The letter by the Congress leader is produced on Page 387 of ‘Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru, Second Series, Volume 40.’
A book on Madras State’s fourth CM, C. N. Annadurai, written by PC Ganesan also makes reference of PM Nehru dubbing Periyar as ‘old and senile’ man who deserved to be in a lunatic asylum.
“The Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru considered it a sacrilegious act and in an outburst of anger remarked that “old and senile men like Periyar deserved a place more in a lunatic asylum than in public life,” it quoted PM Nehru as saying.
Periyar and his hate for Hindus
Periyar was a vehement advocate of anti-Hinduism, anti-Brahminism and a pro-British. Many EVR apologists today indulge in the propaganda that EVR never advocated racial hatred against Brahmins. However, EVR was explicit in his agenda.
The magazine Periyar edited published articles praising the ascendancy of Adolf Hitler and warned Brahmins in Tamil Nadu that they should learn from the plight of Jews in Nazi Germany and opt for course correction.
Periyar’s dislike for Brahmins was so deep-rooted in him that he was almost blinded by his intense hatred and anger directed at Brahmins. He reportedly used to tell his followers that if they ever encountered a Brahmin and a snake on the road, they should kill the Brahmin first.
He has, in his lifetime, spread numerous canards about the Ramayana. All his lies were directed towards slandering the God who is considered Maryada Purshottam by Hindus. His lies ranged from accusing Shri Rama of being casteist to claiming that he killed and mutilated women.
Periyar not only claimed that no ‘North Indian Brahmin’ died in the war against Ravana but further propagated that Lord Rama had married women other than Sita for his sexual pleasure. He had also claimed that Lankan King Ravana was, in fact, a Dravidian King from South India.
Periyar had also burnt pictures of Lord Rama, who is one of the most revered Hindu gods. This is not all, Periyar is notorious for organizing a procession in Salem in Tamil Nadu with big cutouts of “Ram”, “Sita” and “Hanuman” garlanded with slippers.
Apart from his hatred for Lord Rama, Periyar also broke statues of Lord Ganesha. In fact, all his deeds reflected the virtual hatred that he harboured towards Hindus and Brahmins.
Udhayanidhi Stalin and his objectionable remarks against Sanatan Dharma
On Saturday (September 2), the Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development of Tamil Nadu said, “Mosquitoes, dengue, flu, malaria, corona – we should not oppose these things. They’ve to be eradicated completely.”
“The same is the case with Santanam (Hinduism). Our first work should be to abolish/eradicate Sanatanam instead of opposing it. So, my appreciation to you all for giving an apt title to the meeting,” he stated.
Later, he went on a tirade against the Hindu civilisational religious philosophy on social media. While taking to X (formerly Twitter), Udhayanidhi Stalin wrote, “Sanatan Dharma is a principle that divides people in the name of caste and religion.”
“Uprooting Sanatan Dharma is upholding humanity and human equality…I spoke on behalf of the oppressed & marginalized, who suffer due to the Sanatan Dharma. I spoke on behalf of the oppressed & marginalized, who suffer due to the Sanatan Dharma,” he reiterated his sinister plan.
On 4th August, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that Vikram Lander had exceeded its mission objectives as it landed again on the moon’s surface after elevating itself by 40 centimeters and traveling to another location nearby.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission: ??Vikram soft-landed on ?, again!
Vikram Lander exceeded its mission objectives. It successfully underwent a hop experiment.
On command, it fired the engines, elevated itself by about 40 cm as expected and landed safely at a distance of 30 – 40 cm away.… pic.twitter.com/T63t3MVUvI
In a tweet, ISRO wrote, “Vikram soft-landed on the moon, again! Vikram Lander exceeded its mission objectives. It successfully underwent a hop experiment. On command, it fired the engines, elevated itself by about 40 cm as expected, and landed safely at a 30–40 cm distance.”
“Importance?: This ‘kick-start’ enthuses future sample return and human missions! All systems performed normally and are healthy. Deployed Ramp, ChaSTE and ILSA were folded back and redeployed successfully after the experiment,” ISRO added.
As per ISRO’s statement, the command station sent a command to fire the engines, resulting in an elevation of around 40 cm, as expected. The Lander landed at a distance of 30-40 cm away from its original position. Such experiments hold utmost importance as they kick-started future sample returns and human missions that India hopes to achieve in the next decade. All the systems in Vikram Lander performed nominally and are healthy. After the experiment, the Deployed Ramp, ChaSTE and ILSA were folded back and redeployed successfully.
Chandrayaan-3 soft-landed on the south pole of the Moon on 23rd August. Currently, Vikram Lander and Rover are in sleep mode. Initially, ISRO expected that the Lander and the rover would last up to one lunar day, which is equivalent to 14 Earth days. However, recent developments indicate that ISRO has been trying to help the Lander and rover survive the harsh moon night that lasts 14-odd days. If it succeeds, the payload can continue to perform scientific experiments for another lunar day. Notably, during the lunar night, the temperature falls below -200 degrees Celsius, and the system can get jammed due to freezing temperatures.
After massive flooding, the Nevada desert celebration of Burning Man in the United States has fallen into mayhem, with one person dead and around 70000 others stranded. The person died during the event, but local authorities have yet to identify the person or provide the alleged cause of death.
According to the reports, following severe flooding, tens of thousands of participants are still stuck at the event site in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada state in the Western region of the United States.
On Saturday, organizers prohibited car access and advised people still trying to reach the festival to turn around and go home.
The gate and airport in and out of Black Rock City remain closed. Ingress and egress are halted until further notice. No driving is permitted except emergency vehicles. If you are in BRC, conserve food and water, and shelter in a warm space. More updates to come. Stay safe!
After being instructed to shelter in place and conserve food, drink, and other resources, revelers were forced to struggle through filthy soil, many barefoot or carrying plastic bags on their feet. According to the US Bureau of Land Management, which manages the festival region, the event began on August 27 and was set to end on Monday.
Despite these obstacles, festival organizers have stated that they intend to proceed with the festival’s finale – the burning of a 40-foot effigy. Weather permitting, the event will get underway at approximately 9.30 p.m. PDT (Pacific Daylight Time) on Monday, September 4.
US President Joe Biden has been updated on the plight of over 70,000 individuals stranded in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert after rainfall on Sunday turned the area into a sea of sticky filth.
In a statement, the White House said administration officials are monitoring the situation and communicating with state and local officials.
False claims of Ebola outbreak
Meanwhile, some reports also claimed that there was an ‘Ebola outbreak’ at the festival. However, the local police and the authorities have denied the claims and said that massive misinformation was being spread amid the mayhem.
It's literally confirmed. Burning Man is quarantined due to Ebola. Holy fuck. pic.twitter.com/8q8H2KhxQn
“We have heard no information of any participants with Ebola. I can confirm the event entrance was closed for the year because unusual rainfall caused muddy conditions where there was a full stop on vehicles, and not for an Ebola outbreak,” confirmed the Bureau of Land Management (which oversees the Black Rock Desert site) officer.
?NOW CONFIRMED ? NO Ebola outbreak at Burning Man conspiracy theorist incorrect on that one. People are just getting sick / injured from the extremely alkaline dust / mud from the lake bed#BurningMan#BurningMan2023pic.twitter.com/55SgVQQi3G
Reports mention that the Burning Man festival sees tens of thousands of people gather in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert to create Black Rock City, a temporary metropolis dedicated to community, art, self-expression, and self-resilience.
The name Burning Man is sometimes used to describe the global community of artists, makers, and organizers who collaborate to create art, host events, and initiate local initiatives, the majority of which revolve around the annual Black Rock City gathering and its mission.
In the current scenario, it seems that the participants and other stranded people are facing issues with establishing communication with their respective families given the disturbed networks in the region. Also, the stranded people are forced to face problems related to washrooms.
According to the reports, the weather prevented cleaning crews from emptying thousands of portable toilets. Many such posts have been shared on social media.
Reportedly, the flooding, filth, and confinement have not stopped many of the 70,000-plus burners from enjoying themselves. They’ve kept dancing to the ever-present, bass-heavy house music blaring across the desert, practicing yoga, and stopping by each other’s camps to drink, socialize, and talk about how to make Burning Man better.
On Saturday, September 2, former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain was granted bail in one of the cases (FIR 88 of 2020 registered at Dalaypur PS) filed against him pertaining to the 2020 anti-Hindu Delhi riots. However, Hussain will continue to be in judicial custody in other FIRs registered against him which include the case filed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for attempting to commit a large conspiracy during the anti-Hindu Delhi riots.
Delhi Court grants bail to former Aam Aadmi Party Councillor Tahir Hussain in a Delhi riots case [FIR 88 of 2020 registered at Dayalpur police station]
While granting bail, Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Pulastya Pramachala directed Hussain to pay a personal bond of Rs 1,00,000 each with one surety of the same amount. He was directed not to leave India without the court’s permission.
The FIR pertains to the brutal murder of a Hindu victim identified as Ajay Goswami Gautam. Goswami was shot on February 25, 2020, in the Khajuri Khas area during the anti-Hindu Delhi riots. Delhi Police had booked Hussain for offences of attempt to murder, rioting and criminal conspiracy under Sections 307, 120B, and 149 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Muslim rioters, mainly Tanvir and Gulfam, had opened fire from the terrace of Tahir Hussain’s building on the 25th of February 2020. The firing was done against Hindus and in the process, Ajay Goswami was killed.
Notably, in July this year, Hussain was granted bail in 5 cases registered against him concerning the anti-Hindu Delhi riots. A total of 11 FIRs have been registered against the riots accused.
The Delhi’s Karkardooma Court said that the incident linked to which the first information report (FIR) was registered occurred at a time and place that was proximate to two other incidents in which Hussain was already granted bail by the Delhi HC on 12th July this year.
“In that situation, even though a bail order may not be a precedent for another case, in the aforesaid peculiar situation, bail granted to the applicant by a court higher in hierarchy to this court, does create a material change in the circumstances in favour of the applicant,” said the Court in its order on 2nd September.
The court also noticed that many witnesses are common in all the FIRs and the High Court had appreciated the merits in the previous two cases while granting bail to Hussain. “In that situation for this court, there may not be a reason to take a different view. This material change in the circumstance in itself becomes a ground to grant bail to the accused/applicant in this case as well. Hence, the application is allowed.”
Notably, in March this year, a Delhi court framed murder and conspiracy charges against Tahir Hussain for the murder of Intelligence Bureau official Ankit Sharma during the 2020 anti-Hindu Delhi riots, the ex-AAP councillor was, however, granted bail on Wednesday (July 12) by the Delhi High Court.
Role of Tahir Hussain in the Delhi Riots
OpIndia had earlier reported how Tahir Hussain confessed in a disclosure statement that he chose his house as a launchpad for the riots. Given that his house was a high-rise building and was under construction at that time, it was easy to collect stones and bricks without raising any suspicion.
While gearing up for the riots and collecting ammunition to teach Hindus a lesson, Tahir Hussain instructed his supporters to be “ready for anything and in every manner” and also ensure that all the CCTV cameras in the area were broken (so the evidence of the riots could not be captured).
