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FIR against Assam Rifles personnel for preventing Manipur Police from chasing armed Kuki miscreants, unit calls it ‘fabricated attempt to malign their image’

OpIndia Staff
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FIR against Assam Rifles personnel for preventing Manipur Police from chasing armed Kuki miscreants, unit calls it ‘fabricated attempt to malign their image’

Manipur police have filed a first information report (FIR) against some Assam Rifles personnel for allegedly preventing them from chasing armed miscreants involved in the killing of three individuals in Kwakta on Saturday morning.

The FIR, a copy of which has been obtained by OpIndia, was filed on August 5, hours after an altercation between Manipur police and Assam Rifles men was extensively publicized on social media. The FIR has been filed under sections 166, 186, 189, 341, 353, 506 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code.

Manipur police personnel are seen in the video accusing Assam Rifles of interfering with their operation while chasing the armed Kuki miscreants. In the footage, an Assam Rifles officer is heard claiming that he is merely performing his job.

FIR filed against Assam Rifles

According to the FIR filed by the Manipur police, a squad led by the superintendent of police (SP) of Bishnupur and other officials had proceeded towards Pholjang road along Kwakta ward 8 to look for “Kuki militants” who may have been involved in the three killings (Meitei victims) earlier that day. According to the FIR, police personnel were conducting searches.

“On reaching the Kutub Wali Masjid located at Kwakta ward 8 along Pholjang road, the state police teams were stopped, and their way was blocked by the personnel of the 9 Assam Rifles by keeping and parking their Casper vehicle in the middle of the Kwakta Pholjang road, obstructing in discharging their law bound duty. As such the arrogant act of the personnel of 9th Assam Rifles gave a chance to the accused Kuki militants to escape freely to somewhere that is a free zone for them,” the FIR read.

Complaint mentioned in the FIR

According to the reports, three Meitei men were shot dead and their remains disfigured at their home in Bishnupur’s Kwakta Ward 8 at around 3 a.m. on Saturday (August 5). Following the murder, many Meitei organizations began demonstrating against the Assam Rifles, demanding that they leave Manipur.

Women’s organizations have accused the Assam Rifles of being prejudiced in their duties. They were also accused of employing excessive force when dealing with Meitei women demonstrators, according to the ladies.

In line with an order issued by the Manipur police on Monday (August 7), Assam Rifles soldiers were replaced with civil police and CRPF at a checkpoint in Moirang, between Bishnupur and Kangvai in Manipur. The order was issued by the auxiliary director general of police (law and order) without any explanation. The sequence, however, only applies to one checkpoint.

‘Assam Rifles was doing its job’

However, the Assam Rifles have called out fabricated attempts to malign their image amid the violence. It said that the unit has not moved out of the state as it is being claimed by people pushing the narrative. “Assam Rifles has been in Manipur since May and will continue to remain firm and resolute in actions to prevent any attempt that could result in furthering the violence,” the statement read.

“The Assam Rifles Battalion has acted strictly in accordance with the mandate of the united headquarters of strict enforcement of the buffer zone guidelines towards the aim of preventing violence between the two communities”, the statement read.

Earlier Manipur govt had questioned Assam Rifles, and asked how 718 Myanmar nationals entered India illegally

Earlier in July, the Manipur government had asked Assam Rifles authorities to push back 718 Myanmar nationals who entered India illegally. These illegal immigrants, including 301 children, entered India on July 22 and 23. The state government then expressed concerns over illegal immigrants entering India amidst ongoing Manipur violence.

The state government also pointed out that it had clearly informed Assam Rifles that, being Border Guarding Force, it has to take strict action to prevent any such infiltration of Myanmar nationals into Manipur without valid visas or travel documents. These instructions were given on behalf of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. The state added that such infiltration may have international ramifications amidst an ongoing law and order situation. 

The Assam Rifles and other paramilitary personnel are still stationed around the state in order to restore normalcy. Manipur is currently home to the CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force), BSF (Border Security Force), SSB (Sashastra Seema Bal), ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police), and Assam Rifles, as well as the Indian Army.

To restore normalcy, the forces are acting under a single interagency leadership led by Kuldiep Singh, Manipur’s security advisor. So far, at least 160 persons have died in violent ethnic clashes between Meiteis and Kukis.

Clashes erupted in Manipur on May 3 in Churachandpur town when Kuki organizations called for protests against a proposed change to the state’s reservation matrix that would grant the Meitei people scheduled tribal (ST) status. Violence swiftly overtook the state, displacing tens of thousands of people who fled burning houses and communities into jungles, frequently across state lines.

Does the CCP’s India operation have a Congress link? Huawei, Neville Roy Singham, Jairam Ramesh, and Rahul-Sonia’s MoU with China

Anurag
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Does the CCP’s India operation have a Congress link? Huawei, Neville Roy Singham, Jairam Ramesh, and Rahul-Sonia’s MoU with China

On 8th August, Bharatiya Janata Party’s Rajya Sabha MP Mahesh Jethmalani questioned if CCP’s India operations have a Congress link. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he pointed out that Neville Roy Singham, who is at the centre of the NewsClick controversy, served as Chief Technical Officer of Chinese telecom giant Huawei from 2001-2008.

Notably, Chinese tech giant Huawei has been flagged by multiple governments across the world for alleged security issues over its links to the CCP, and is often cited as a company controlled by the Chinese government. Jethmalani said in 2006 that Congress leader Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh published a book, CHINDIA, where he “first extolled Huawei”. He added, “His lobbying for that entity’s interests continued at least till during his stint as Environment Minister in UPA 2.”

Furthermore, Jethmalani said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the presence of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi with the CCCP in 2008. “All this happened during Singhams stint with Huawei,” Jethmalani said.

He questioned, “Did either or both of them meet Singham during his employment with Huawei or anytime thereafter? And what were their links? Shouldn’t NIA investigate?”

The NewsClick controversy

On 5th August, The New York Times published a detailed article, revealing the ties of an American businessman with the Chinese government and his financial support to an Indian leftist propaganda outlet named NewsClick.

According to the US-based newspaper, a millionaire named Neville Roy Singham has been funding several news publications worldwide (including India) to peddle Chinese propaganda.

“What is less known, and is hidden amid a tangle of nonprofit groups and shell companies, is that Mr Singham works closely with the Chinese government media machine and is financing its propaganda worldwide,” the article stated.

The New York Times pointed out that Singham has successfully disseminated Chinese government talking points under the pretext of ‘progressive advocacy’ in countries such as India, Brazil, South Africa, and the United States.

During its investigation, the American newspaper found that Neville Roy Singham had financed an India-based leftist propaganda outlet named NewsClick. It noted that the news outlet had repeated the talking points of the CCP in the past. 

“In New Delhi, corporate filings show, Mr Singham’s network financed a news site, NewsClick, that sprinkled its coverage with Chinese government talking points. “China’s history continues to inspire the working classes,” one video said,” noted The New York Times.

OpIndia’s complete coverage of NewsClick controversy can be checked here.

Neville Sigham and Huawei

As per January 2022 report of New Lines Magazine, Chinese Recruitment platform Boss Zhipin, Singham worked with Huawei from 2011 to 2008 as a strategic technical consultant. While speaking to Fortune Magazine’s senior editor David Kirkpatrick, he profusely praised China. He said, “China is teaching the West that the world is better off with a dual system of both free-market adjustments and long-term planning.”

In October 2010, during the Fifth Agile Software Development Conference hosted by ThoughtWorks, Singham proclaimed how he influenced several Chinese companies via Agile in his opening speech. A press release by Thoughtworks for that conference read, “Roy pointed out that the promotion of Agile in China has had a deep influence on the top management of the enterprises and organizations, such as China Mobile, Huawei, Baidu, Alibaba and Nokia-Siemens, who have started paying close attention, so as to actively influence the development of Agile in the management and cultures of their organizations.”

Not only Huawei but other large Chinese companies were named by Singham, hinting at deep-rooted reach across platforms.

Jairam Ramesh’s book and praises for Huawei

Earlier in January this year (2023), Jethmalani urged Jairam Ramesh to come clean on his links to Chinese company Huawei. In a post on X, Jethmalani said, “Since 2005, Jairam Ramesh has been lobbying for Chinese telecom co Huawei’s activities in India (see below excerpts from his book). Huawei has been banned in several countries as a security threat. Jairam now questions GOI’s China stand. It behoves him to disclose his Huawei links.”

The screenshot that Jethmalani shared in his post was from Jairam Ramesh’s book that was released in 2005 titled “Making sense of Chindia: Reflections on China and India”. In the book, Jairam Ramesh mentioned his interest in China’s history, culture and other aspects. He talked about how competition and confrontations on several occasions did not make India and China natural enemies and discussed in detail how the relationship between India and China can be beneficial. Interestingly, Huawei found its mention four times in the 130-page book.

The first mention that Mahesh Jethmalani shared was from the chapter “The C-I-A Triangle”. Speaking about how India and America versus China needed to be clarified, he talked about how despite the America-India deals happening, there was an upsurge in business between India and China. He specifically mentioned Huawei and said, “Our foreign office is, no doubt, wary of China, and in January 2003, Mr Jaswant Singh set diplomacy aside and pooh-poohed Chinese statistics. The Chinese feel that India is unnecessarily obstructive in granting business visas and approving Chinese FDI and contracts won in public tenders. The Chinese networking major Huawei Technologies has a sizeable presence in Bangalore and wants to expand, much to the discomfiture of Indian security agencies.”

Later in the chapter titled ‘Vajpayee Goes to China’, Jairam Ramesh discussed then-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s China visit in view of bilateral and regional initiatives. He also talked about the discouragement Chinese companies, especially Huawei, saw in India even though it “already employed over 500 Indian engineers in Bangalore.”

In the Chapter Growing Ambivalence, he again mentioned that Huawei employed 500 Indian Engineers and expressed dismay that Indian security establishments had expressed concerns about the company. He wrote, “We seem to be prisoners of the old mindset when it comes to Chinese investments in India”.

Later, in the chapter FDI Revisionism, he mentioned the company with other Chinese companies and insinuated that China had expanded its global presence exponentially. He further insinuated that foreign companies were attracted to China because of the lobby against foreign investment in India.

Jairam Ramesh and his China-love

Jairam Ramesh’s love for Chinese company Huawei made headlines in 2010. Not to forget, then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had expressed his displeasure over a statement he had made regarding Huawei’s investment in India.

On May 8, 2010, during his visit to China, then-Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh said that alarmist and paranoid policies of the Indian Home Ministry towards Chinese companies and projects were a threat to the ties between the two nations. He added to have faced opposition from a “suspicious” security and defence establishment over climate cooperation with the dragon. He questioned the allegedly “overly defensive” policies of the Home Ministry towards Chinese companies like Huawei as the company was facing an import ban for security reasons.

Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi’s MoU with CCP

 In 2008, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi signed an MoU with the Communist Party of China, which came under the radar for allegations to have well beyond nation-to-nation interests focused on the personal growth of the two political parties of neighbouring countries. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) also provided the two parties with the “opportunity to consult each other on important bilateral, regional and international developments”.

Interestingly, the MoU was signed by the then Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi. On the Chinese side, it was signed by none other than Xi Jinping himself, who was then the Chinese vice-president and standing committee member of the CPC’s politburo. The MoU was signed by his mother and party president Sonia Gandhi.

Before the signing of the MoU, then Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi had held a long meeting with Xi and other senior leaders of the Communist Party of China to discuss issues of mutual interest.

In 2008, Sonia Gandhi visited Beijing with Rahul, daughter Priyanka, son-in-law Robert Vadra and their two children to attend the opening of the Olympic Games. A year before, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi had also led a delegation of the Congress party to China.

The 2008 MoU between CCP and Congress came at a time when the Left parties in India had expressed a lack of trust in the UPA-1 government led by Congress. The India Today report suggests that even as China was aware of the political landscape in India, Xi Jinping went ahead and signed the pact with Congress as CCP wanted deeper ties with Congress, especially with the Gandhi family.

Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren summoned by Enforcement Directorate for questioning

OpIndia Staff
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Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren summoned by Enforcement Directorate for questioning

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning on the 14th of August. He has been asked to come next week to the agency’s office in the state capital, Ranchi. The Central investigation agency will question him in connection with the land scam case.

As per a report in Dainik Jagran, his name was mentioned in the statements of businessman Vishnu Agarwal and Revenue Sub-Inspector of Bargain Circle Bhanu Pratap Prasad. He will be questioned in connection with the land in Bariatu.

Currently, businessman Vishnu Agarwal is in ED custody in connection with the land scam case under the charges of money laundering. On the orders of a special ED court, he was sent to judicial custody on Tuesday, (1 August). Subsequently, on the next day, the ED got his custody for five days. Yesterday, ED sought additional custody for seven days after his initial remand period ended. However, the court granted custody for only four days and he is being currently interrogated by ED officials. 

During the interrogation, Vishnu Aggarwal, the director of Nucleus Mall, revealed the name of Chief Minister Hemant Soren.

However, some reports have highlighted that the Jharkhand CM Soren is under ED’s scanner in an illegal mining case. These reports claim that he has been called in connection with an alleged case of money laundering. Citing sources, the PTI report claimed that he has been asked to record his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). 

In November 2022, the ED officials questioned him for nearly nine and a half hours in connection with an alleged illegal mining case. Prior to his grilling by the agency, ED had arrested two of his close aides in connection with the case. Back then, ED claimed that it has “identified” proceeds of crime relating to illegal stone mining in the state to the tune of Rs 1,000 crores.

It is alleged that while he was overseeing the portfolio of the Mining Minister, he allocated a mining lease contract to himself. During a hearing in the Jharkhand High Court, the state government’s counsel, Advocate General Rajiv Ranjan, termed it a “mistake” and told the court that it had been “surrendered”.

Delhi anti-Hindu riots: Delhi Court frames charges against ex-AAP councillor Tahir Hussain, his brother, and eight others for acts of vandalism and arson

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi anti-Hindu riots: Delhi Court frames charges against ex-AAP councillor Tahir Hussain, his brother, and eight others for acts of vandalism and arson

On the 5th of August, a Delhi Court framed charges against former Aam Aadmi Party councillor Tahir Hussain, his brother Shah Alam, and eight others for allegedly committing acts of vandalism and arson in various shops in the Moonga Nagar area during the violence that erupted at the time of anti-Hindu Delhi riots in 2020. However, the court discharged three other accused in this case. 

The FIR was filed on the complaint of Irshad Ali who had alleged that his shop, Royal Mattress (owned by one Rekha Garg), was looted and burnt down by rioters. Later, the Police clubbed it with two more complaints by Mohd. Zahid and Gunjan Sachdeva as all three complaints were related to the same day, place, and time.

Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala of Delhi’s Karkardooma Court framed charges against the accused under Sections 148 (rioting with deadly weapon), 380 (theft in dwelling house), 427 (mischief), 435 (mischief by explosive substance), 436 (mischief by fire), and 450 (house trespass) of Indian Penal Code. Former AAP Councillor Tahir Hussain has additionally been charged with the offense of abetment.

The court order highlighted the reason for framing Tahir Hussain

The order stated that the facts mentioned in the statement of Irshad Ali, Md. Zahid, and Gunjan Sachdeva (the three complainants who filed FIRs in this case), show that all remaining accused persons except Tahir Hussain were part of the riotous mob, which indulged in a riot armed with deadly weapons in that area. 

During the court proceedings, it was found out that Irshad Ali’s shop was first vandalised by a mob. Later, seemingly after a gap of 30-40 minutes, a different mob gathered there and burnt his shop down, by then Ali had reached there as he had been informed about the incident by a man named Shyam Bihari Mittal (a public witness). 

Regarding this, Irshad stated that he reached the place of the incident when the second mob was setting the shop on fire. He identified Md. Shadab, Shah Alam, Riyasat Ali, Gulfam, Rashid Saifi and Arshad Qayyum. 

As per the court order dated 5th August, these accused had participated in a riot with other unidentified persons with a common object to vandalise and damage the properties in that area. The court noted that each complainant named those persons from this mob, whom they could see and identify in the mob. Therefore, each complainant did mention the names of all accused persons.

The court order read, “On the basis of observations and discussions, I find that a prima facie case for an offense punishable under sections 148/380/427/435/436/450 read with Section 149 IPC as well as under section 188 IPC is made out, against accused Mohd. Shadab, Shah Alam,  Riyasat Ali, Gulfam, Rashid Saifi, Mohd. Rihan aka Arshad Pradhan, Mohd. Abid, Arshad Qayyum and Irshad Ahmed.”

Witnesses testified that they saw Tahir Hussain instigating and guiding the mob from his roof

Further, the court rejected the written submissions of Tahir Hussain’s counsel that multiple FIRs have been filed against the accused, so he cannot be subjected to a fresh investigation by the police as one person can’t be tried more than once for the same offense. However, the court order categorically stated that other cases being registered against Tahir Hussain or other accused for different incidents of the same day, cannot be a ground to discharge them in this case.

The court order noted – According to the statement of Surender Sharma, at around 3:30 PM, Tahir Hussain was roaming around on the roof of his house. Tahir Hussain was pointing towards some shops on the opposite side of his house, which included the bakery of Md. Zahid. After which the rioters vandalised, looted, and set fire to the shops. 

The court also highlighted the statement given by one Shyam Bihari Mittal (the same public witness stated above). According to the court order –  Mittal mentioned that some people were pelting stones and throwing petrol bombs from the roof of Tahir Hussain’s house. Such evidence shows that this mob was instigated by Tahir Hussain to indulge in vandalism, loot, and arson in the properties and shops situated in that area. That mob consequently attacked the nearby properties including the three properties in question in this case.

In relation to framing charges on the AAP councillor, the court order added, “A prima facie case for an offence punishable under sections 148/380/427/435/436/450 read with S.109 IPC is made out against Tahir Hussain.”

The court added that all these accused persons are directed to be tried accordingly.

The case of vandalism at Royal Mattress is still unsolved

The court highlighted that the three accused persons namely Deepak aka Fauji Bhai, Mahak Singh aka Mintu, and Navneet aka Nammu were identified on the basis of a viral video that the InvestigatingOofficer didn’t collect, rather he got from Irshad who got it through social media. The court criticised the IO for not mentioning the key facts of the case in his first chargesheet. 

The court pointed out – It is also apparent that at the time of filing the first chargesheet in this case, IO had no clue about the culprits behind the vandalism and loot that took place at Royal Mattress. Still, IO kept mum over such a fact in the charge sheet. 

The court emphasised that when Irshad identified some culprits from a video, and IO got to know about the names of aforesaid three persons, the IO should have realised that this vandalism was done by a different mob, rather than the mob of other accused persons already charge-sheeted in this case.

When the viral video was sent to FSL, the FSL report stated that “it was observed that the files were found containing an audio-video recording of a display monitor. Hence, the authentication of the same could not be carried out.”

The court order noted – As the authenticity or absence of tampering of the video is not determined, the video becomes inadmissible as evidence. When the video becomes inadmissible, then any identification on the basis of such video cannot have any evidentiary value. Apart from identification from this video, there is no evidence regarding persons involved in the vandalism at Royal Mattress. 

In regard to framing the charges, the court order stated that accused Deepak aka Fauji Bhai, Mahak Singh aka Mintu, and Navneet aka Nammu are entitled to be discharged.

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The court clearly stated that none of the witnesses vouched that they saw the incident and the prosecution could not bring any admissible evidence that could establish the guilt of the three accused persons Deepak, Mahak, and Navneet in relation to the act of vandalism and loot at Royal Mattress. 

Yogi govt tables report on 1980 Moradabad riots which indicted Muslim League leaders and Congress CM VP Singh for the violence

OpIndia Staff
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Yogi govt tables report on 1980 Moradabad riots which indicted Muslim League leaders and Congress CM VP Singh for the violence

On Tuesday, August 8, the Uttar Pradesh government tabled an inquiry report into the 1980 Moradabad riots that saw the death of at least 83 people and left 112 others injured. Suresh Kumar Khanna, the State Parliamentary Affairs Minister, formally presented the report in the UP Assembly today.

Although the government has not yet released the specific contents of the report, sources have confirmed that the report stated that two Muslim League leaders had orchestrated the turmoil that took place in Moradabad between August and November 1980. It states that a group of criminals supported by Muslim League leaders were responsible for the massacre.

The report is believed to have said that no government official, employee, nor any member of the Hindu community, RSS, Jan Sangh or BJP was responsible for causing a commotion at the Eidgah and other locations, a fake narrative being peddled by the Congress and Islamists since the incident happened. The report, furthermore, is believed to have absolved the Uttar Pradesh Police from any blame.

Notably, the 496-page report was submitted by a one-member commission of Allahabad High Court Judge MP Saxena, who was appointed to investigate the incident and the reasons behind it, in November 1983, however, for so many years the report kept getting repositioned from one government department to the other. In the last 4 decades, the file has reportedly been suppressed at least 14 times on one pretext or the other. No subsequent governments released its content.

After Yogi Adityanath came to power in the state, his government decided to open the 43-year-old case. In May this year, the state cabinet decided to table the Justice M P Saxena Commission’s report in the assembly.

UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya addressed the matter before the media and pointed out that the report had been kept in wraps up until this point and that the current BJP-led government had brought it before the state Assembly.

Maurya emphasized that this revelation will provide the state’s and the country’s citizens with a chance to learn the truth about the 1980 Moradabad riots. “This report was hidden and it needs to be presented. This will help the citizens know the truth about the Moradabad Riots…One should welcome this report as it will bring out who does the riot, who supports it, and who fights against it…” Maurya was quoted as saying by ANI.

He continued by saying that the previous 15 Chief Ministers should be held responsible for delaying the presentation of the report to the Assembly.

Maurya pushed for truthfulness and the admission of facts. He stressed that it is crucial to identify individuals who encouraged and shielded the riots and said that the report provides this crucial information.

1980 Moradabad Riots

The 1980 Moradabad riots, which Muslim leader Syed Shahabuddin later compared the firing to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, commenced on 3 August, when a pig reportedly entered the Eidgah in Moradabad during the Eid namaz. The riots that started in Moradabad town, continued in Sambhal, Aligarh, Bareilly, Allahabad (now Prayagraj), and the rural areas of Moradabad until early 1981. 

Notably, when the riots happened, there was a Congress government in Uttar Pradesh under the leadership of Chief Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh. At the time, a Congress government, led by Indira Gandhi, was also in power at the Centre.

On the fateful day, of Aug 13, 1980, as many as 70,000 Muslims were reading Namaz on Eid in Moradabad. Police were engaged in security. As per various accounts, a pig suddenly entered the Eidgah from an adjacent Dalit slum. Notably, several scholars over the year have asserted that the pig was purposely pushed into the Eidgah by the Muslim League leaders to trigger the unrest.

The Muslims present at the Eidgah asked the police to intervene, but the latter refused. This enraged the  Muslim crowd at the Idgah soon turned into a mob, and indulged in mass looting and arson of the Dalit slums. The Muslim mobs beat up the policemen in different localities of the city. They burnt a PAC constable to death. Additional District Magistrate (ADM) DP Singh was lynched to death y the frenzied Muslim mob in front of the SP and DM of Moradabad.

In the evening, the Islamists attacked the Galshaheed police chowki (outpost), setting it on fire, killing two policemen and looting the arms. This was followed by violent reprisals by the police.

The blame game and cover-ups

The riots happened when Congress leader VP Singh was the chief minister. The then Union Minister Yogendra Makwana pinned the blame for the riots on the RSS, Jan Sangh and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The then Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi suggested that “foreign forces” (referring to Pakistan) and “communal parties” were behind the violence.

The Times of India editor Girilal Jain stated that the “anti-social elements” among the Muslims were partly responsible for the violence, and criticized the Muslim leaders for not admitting to the facts and instead blaming the RSS.

BJP veteran leader Lal Krishna Advani blamed the Muslim organizations for the violence.

Journalist and former BJP MP MJ Akbar wrote in his book Riot after Riot that the incident “was not a Hindu-Muslim riot but a calculated cold-blooded massacre of Muslims by a rabidly communal police force which tried to cover up its genocide by making it out to be a Hindu-Muslim riot.”

Economic and Political Weekly (EPW) correspondent Krishna Gandhi asserted that the “group of criminals supported by Muslim League leaders” were responsible for the massacres.

Amidst all the allegations and counter-allegations, Justice Saxena, a judge of the Allahabad HC, was appointed to investigate the riots. He had prepared his report on this and submitted it in May 1983, indicting Muslim League leaders and VP Singh for the violence but this report was not tabled by the subsequent Congress, Samajwadi Party or by the Bahujan Samajwadi Party government.

As US State Department spokesperson says they “will continue to raise rights concerns with India,” here is a look into United States’ human rights record

Pragya Bakshi Sharma
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As US State Department spokesperson says they “will continue to raise rights concerns with India,” here is a look into United States’ human rights record

The United States has yet again targeted India on human rights. State Department Spokesperson Mathew Miller on Tuesday, August 8, said, “We regularly raise human rights concerns with countries with which we engage, have done that in the past with India, and we will do so in the future.”

Miller was responding to a question based on a report by “The Voice of the Martyrs”, a Christian religious propaganda organisation.

“In light of the Voice of the Martyrs, persecution.com reports on Christian persecution in India, and President Biden’s upcoming trip to India. What will President Biden be asking of Indian Prime Minister Modi regarding Christian persecution, who has failed to protect Christians from persecution in the wake of their anti-conversion laws?” the reporter asked.

To this, Miller replied, “So we regularly raise human rights concerns with countries with which we engage. Done that so in the past with India, and will do so in the future.”

The reporter with his keen and malafide intentions to target India over the issue, further asked if President Biden had been dealing with the so-called “issue of Christian persecution there?”

“Well, we have made very clear that we oppose persecution of religious groups. I have made it clear from this podium on a number of occasions. We have made very clear that we oppose the persecution of Christians and we oppose the persecution of any religious group, no matter where it takes place in the world,” the State Department Spokesperson said.

What is “The Voice of the Martyrs”

The Voice of the Martyrs is a Christian religious propaganda organisation that spreads Christianity through conversions in the most vulnerable areas around the world like areas hit by natural calamity, poverty etc. The organisation uses “Christian persecution” as a cover for its conversion activities. The organisation has, in tandem with the USCIRF, also targeted India over anti-conversion laws.

The United States is in the habit of releasing reports on “religious freedom and human rights violations” in India. Here is a list of the number of times America has meddled in India’s internal affairs:

22 June 2023: Barack Obama virtue-signals India on human rights

Former US President Barack Obama, who has a notorious record as a potential war criminal, suggested that the Indian Prime Minister must be told by the Biden administration about protecting the “Muslim minority in a majority Hindu India.” He also hinted at another “partition” if India, under the Modi government, did not mend its ways.

20 March 2023: US says it will continue to urge India to uphold human rights

The United States, on the release of 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, said it will “continue to strongly urge India to uphold its human rights obligations and commitments.” The report made the baseless charge that India in 2021 experienced significant human rights violations.

14 April 2022: Antony Blinken says “US monitoring cases of rights abuse in India”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had in April last year said that the US is monitoring some recent “concerning developments in India, including a rise in human rights abuses by some government, police, and prison officials.” He was met with a strong rebuttal from External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. “Look, people are entitled to have views about us but we are also equally entitled to have views about their views and about the interests, and the lobbies and the vote banks which drive that. So, whenever there is a discussion, I can tell you that we will not be reticent about speaking out,” EAM had said.

Moreover, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has released several supercilious reports preaching human rights and religious freedom to India. This is rich coming from a country which is built on the graves of Native Americans.

The controversial statement from the US comes a month ahead of US President Joe Biden’s visit to India on 7th September for the G-20 summit.

America and its history of human rights violation

America is a country built at the cost of lakhs and crores of Native Americans, also called Indians, who were subjected to severe atrocities and genocide. At the root of this is deep-entrenched racism. Brown and black people have been deemed inferior by white supremacists, a social ill which continues to prevail in American society.

According to a poll by Washington Post-IPSOS, a significant number of Black Americans believe racism will worsen in their lifetime. Recently, protests had erupted across the United States after a black man named George Floyd was shot dead by a police officer in Minnesota.

In 2021, hate crimes in the United States surged 11.6%. The FBI reportedly said that 64.5% of victims were targeted for their race, or ethnicity while 14.1% were targeted for their religion. An Indian student was shot dead while he was working at a fuel station in Ohio in April this year.

According to the FBI’s 2018 Hate Crime Statistics Report, 14 offenses were recorded against Hindus in the US along with 12 reported incidents. In January this year, Shri Omkarnath Temple in Brazos Valley, Texas was robbed triggering insecurity among the resident Hindus of the area.

In January 2019, a Swaminarayan temple was vandalised in Kentucky where attackers wrote a threat on the walls with black spray paint. The threat read, “Jesus is the only lord” with a sign of the cross.

On 17 September 2022, a man identified as 27-year-old Sukhpal Singh of Douglaston was arrested by the New York Police in the Tulsi Mandir desecration case that took place on August 16. The accused, along with his associates, had vandalised the Gandhi statue placed at a temple premised located in South Richmond Hill.

In a statement, the Police said, “On 9/17 an arrest was made, but our job is not done yet. We are following up on additional leads to bring EVERYONE responsible to justice for our Hindu community. The perpetrator was charged with felony Criminal Mischief as a hate crime.”

America became a hub of slavery starting in 1619 when a ship with 20 captives was brought to Virginia from Africa. Interracial marriages were prohibited in the US till as recently as 2000. The Declaration of Independence did not extend any rights to the captives despite the words “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights.”

According to a report by the US Institute of Diplomacy and Human Rights (UIDHR), Article 2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is the most violated human right in the United States. Article 2 of UDHR states, “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.”

As per the report, rampant racism, anti-semitism, and poor standard of living & economic opportunities for non-whites means the US is in violation of Article 2 of UIDHR.

Women’s rights too have suffered a blow in the US after the Supreme Court last year overturned the 1973 ruling which established the constitutional right to an abortion in the country.

Justice Samuel Alito backed by 5 other justices, including Chief Justice John Roberts wrote, “We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled. The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision, including the one on which the defenders of Roe and Casey now chiefly rely, the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.”

The US has an impeccable track record of rights violations not only in its own country but also in foreign land. Take for example its military offensive in at least seven Muslim-majority nations.

Last year, experts from the United Nations urged the US government to shut down the Guantanamo Bay detention centre in Cuba. They had called it an “ugly chapter of relentless human rights violations”, adding, “20 years of arbitrary detention without trial accompanied by torture or ill-treatment is unacceptable.”

Moreover, the country is dealing with a growing challenge of substance abuse. In 18 months, nine people have died and 150 have overdosed on a fatal combination of fentanyl-laced with an animal sedative called “tranq”.

The United States of America is entwined in a slew of problems exclusive to its society. Recent statements by its own officials suggest that the US cannot afford to teach or preach to anyone, much less India, about human rights and the like.

“Each of our countries is imperfect. I don’t think the United States can or should be in a position where it lectures any other country,” this was said by a top official in the White House, Kurt Campbell last month.

Islamist violence over Nupur Sharma’s remark: Ranchi Police initiate action against rioters, seek warrants against 39

OpIndia Staff
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Islamist violence over Nupur Sharma’s remark: Ranchi Police initiate action against rioters, seek warrants against 39

The Jharkhand police, investigating the clashes that erupted in Ranchi on Friday, June 10, 2022, over the alleged ‘blasphemous’ comments by Nupur Sharma, have arrested one and approached the court seeking arrest warrants against 39 accused, holding them responsible for the violence.

Meanwhile, various Muslim organisations have taken offence to the police action against the rioters. In a meeting held after reports on the aforementioned news emerged, members of various Muslim outfits decided that the people of the Muslim community will keep shops and businesses closed on August 12 in protest against the police action. 

Calling the action ‘one-sided’, the people associated with these organisations said that they had not expected such actions from CM Hemant Soren and his Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) government. Notably, Soren leads an alliance government of his party Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal.

They lamented that the Hemant administration and the “secular” coalition administration had ignored incidents that led to minorities’ constitutional rights being violated.

In the meeting, the Hemant government was urged to halt the ‘unilateral’ police action in the Ranchi violence case until a thorough high-level investigation had been conducted.

Additionally, organizations called for the adoption of laws to prevent mob lynchings and to guarantee the safety of minorities in the state.

2022 Islamist violence in Ranchi over Nupur Sharma’s remark

Notably, the police action has come a year after Islamist mobs ran riots in the Jharkhand capital of Ranchi, resorting to stone-pelting, arson, and vandalism over the innocuous comment on Prophet Muhammad by the ex-BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma. The violent protest had broken out in the city on Friday, 10th June, and gathered pace after the Friday Namaz.

After the Friday prayers, the protests grew in intensity and resulted in stone-pelting and vandalism. Several vehicles were torched. As per reports, the rioters also opened fire deliberating the police to use lathicharge and fire in the air to try and bring the situation under control.

During the violence, a local Police officer was also injured along with several other police personnel. At least two rioters succumbed to their injuries. The rioters who died due to bullet injuries were identified as Mudassir alias Kaifi and Sahil.

Following the violence, a curfew has been imposed in the violence-hit areas in Ranchi. The internet service had been suspended and Section 144 had been imposed.

The police had registered 25 FIRs against “thousands” of people in the aftermath of violent protests by Islamists in the Jharkhand capital of Ranchi. Subsequently, more than two dozen people were arrested at that time.

As the investigation into the incident began, the police revealed that the Islamists who ran amok on the streets of Ranchi in Jharkhand on June 10, used a WhatsApp group named ‘Wasseypur gang’ to mobilise the rampaging mob. 

CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat had close ties to Neville Roy Singham, accused of spreading Chinese propaganda and funding NewsClick, email exchanges reveal

Jinit Jain
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CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat had close ties to Neville Roy Singham, accused of spreading Chinese propaganda and funding NewsClick, email exchanges reveal

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Prakash Karat had close ties with ThoughtWorks founder Neville Roy Singham, a purported email correspondence between the two revealed. The email exchange comes on the heels of a New York Times investigation that said Neville Roy Singham used his network of nonprofits and funded media organisations such as NewsClick to promote Chinese talking points.

In the purported email exchanges dated 1 January 2021, Singham lavishes praises on China for allegedly regulating internet monopolies, de-coupling fintech firms, and openly affirming that Capital cannot challenge socialism and they cannot be allowed political space to subvert society. Singham also presses for greater cooperation with Prakash for better coverage of events, presumably linked to communism, in countries like India, Brazil, and South Africa for a wider audience in China.

Prakash replies in the affirmative, acknowledging that the steps taken by China against ANT and Alibaba were significant.

“The Gauncha piece on the CPI(M) was pretty detailed. It is good to see this type of coverage there, at a time when anti-China feelings are whipped up in the media here since the border problem,” writes Prakash, referring to a glowing account of his party in Chinese publication Gauncha at a time when India and China were in a border standoff in the Eastern Ladakh following the Galwan clashes months ago.

“Am sending you the PDF file of the current issue of People’s Democracy. If you want, I shall put you on the mailing list,” Prakash writes in his email response to Singham.

In yet another purported email correspondence between the two, as shared by Zee News journalist Sudhir Chaudhary, Singham goes into raptures about China, asserting that China has been changing quickly in response to the ‘new global conjuncture. He further adds that while China wants to downplay the ANT group IPO internationally, the announcement of investigations into Alibaba Group is a strong sign that China wants to curtail the ‘influence of ‘Capital to destabilise the country’.

He then talks about the outpouring of support for Chairman Mao and cites the Chinese media organisation Gauncha and its coverage around the 127th anniversary of Mao Zedong. Singham, who is accused of propagating Chinese state propaganda, then states that Gauncha ran a long piece on CPI(M) in reference to Mao Zedong’s birth anniversary.

“I am working to build a new media team here in Shanghai to focus on building bridges with the global progressive forces. They are in the beginning stages of working with global editors to create a new different monthly digest of the important and popular stories being discussed in China on Weibo, WeChat and in Guancha. We hope this will be valuable to important leaders such as yourself,” writes Singham, concluding his email, a language indicative of how China usually masquerades propaganda, roping in businessmen, tech moguls, politicians, journalists and others to do its bidding.

NewsClick team, Editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha introduced to Chinese handlers by Neville Roy Singham

Earlier today, another trove of purported email exchanges between NewsClick Editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha and Neville Roy Singham revealed that the latter introduced the NewsClick team to a bunch of Chinese handlers for publishing a favourable 3-series reports on China’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak.

Among Indians introduced by Neville Roy Singham to his larger team, who worked with Tricontinental, one of the nonprofits that the New York Times said was involved in pushing Chinese talking points, were Prabir Purkayastha, Srujana, Prasanth, and Vijay Prashad. 

Apparently, Vijay Prashad is the same man who is one of the contributors at People’s Dispatch and the Executive Director at Neville Roy Singham’s Tricontinental. Prashad also has close ties with Urban Naxal P Sainath, whose propaganda portal PARI recently removed references to Singham after his connection with the Chinese propaganda arm had come to the arm. 

In his email, Singham clearly highlights how he intends to leverage his network to push a positive image of China in dealing with COVID-19.

“We are working together on a three-part series of articles on China and the handling of the coronavirus They will be originally syndicated by Globetrotter. Then all three will be assembled into a TriContinental publication. The first is almost done (final editing by Globetrotter),” Singham wrote in an email addressed to his team based out of China, the United States and the NewsClick team in India.

Like a loyal footsoldier, the Editor-in-chief of NewsClick, Prabir Purkayastha, seeks more information, including the number of tests conducted and the number of people who turned positive, to help Singham and Tricontinental in their attempt to propagate narrative that favoured China and to draw a contrast with countries like the United States and India, which he claimed were unable to ramp up kit production and equipment procurement despite having a larger lead time.

NewsClick financed by Chinese Communist Party supporter Neville Roy Singham, reveals NYT investigation

On Saturday (August 5), The New York Times published a detailed article, revealing the ties of an American businessman with the Chinese government and his financial support to an Indian leftist propaganda outlet named NewsClick.

According to the US-based newspaper, a millionaire named Neville Roy Singham is funding several news publications across the world (including India) to peddle Chinese propaganda.

“What is less known, and is hidden amid a tangle of nonprofit groups and shell companies, is that Mr Singham works closely with the Chinese government media machine and is financing its propaganda worldwide,” the article stated.

The New York Times pointed out that Singham has been successful in disseminating Chinese government talking points under the pretext of ‘progressive advocacy’ in countries such as India, Brazil, South Africa and the United States.

During its investigation, the American newspaper found that Neville Roy Singham had financed an India-based leftist propaganda outlet named NewsClick. It noted that the news outlet had repeated the talking points of the CCP in the past. 

“In New Delhi, corporate filings show, Mr Singham’s network financed a news site, NewsClick, that sprinkled its coverage with Chinese government talking points. “China’s history continues to inspire the working classes,” one video said,” noted The New York Times.

Indian Youth Congress President Srinivas detained for trying to do ‘Sansad Gherao’, failed to do a runner this time

OpIndia Staff
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Indian Youth Congress President Srinivas detained for trying to do ‘Sansad Gherao’, failed to do a runner this time

On Tuesday, August 8, Indian Youth Congress (IYC) president Srinivas BV and several others were detained by the police for trying to do ‘Sansad Gherao’. The protest started at Jantar Mantar for a ‘Sansad Gherao’ agitation with posters where the IYC members raised slogans against the Central government. Videos of the protest went viral on social media. In one of the videos, Srinivas was seen being taken away by the police from the protest site. Unfortunately for Srinivas, he failed to do a runner this time.

Srinivas had earlier escaped detention during protest

In June 2022, a video featuring Srinivas went viral on social media where he literally ran away to evade police arrest during a ruckus caused by Congress supporters outside the Enforcement Directorate offices in Delhi. The Congress workers were protesting in support of Rahul Gandhi who was called by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for financial fraud.

In the video, as a policeman moved in to greet him after he arrived at the ED office in his SUV, the Congress leader made a run for it to avoid getting detained. Ironically, earlier in the day, while talking to a reporter Srinivas was saying how he is never afraid of the police, and that the Congress party workers will definitely take out a march in support of Rahul Gandhi who is under the scanner of ED for financial fraud. However, faced with the first policeman he saw, Srinivas decided to make a run for it.

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