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BJP MP Nishikant Dubey raises issue of Chinese financing of NewsClick in Parliament, names Abhisar Sharma, Swati Chaturvedi and Rohini Singh

OpIndia Staff
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BJP MP Nishikant Dubey raises issue of Chinese financing of NewsClick in Parliament, names Abhisar Sharma, Swati Chaturvedi and Rohini Singh

On Monday (August 7), BJP MP Nishikant Dubey raised the issue of Chinese financing of leftist propaganda news outlet, NewsClick, in the Indian Parliament. He spoke about the recent revelations made by the American newspaper The New York Times in a detailed article on Saturday (August 5)

While citing the findings of the report in the Lok Sabha, Dubey said, “Chinese goods are being sold at Rahul Gandhi’s nafrat ki dukaan (hate shop)…The New York Times has published an interesting report…About ₹38 crores have been received by organisations such as NewsClick.”

“The report by the newspaper also reiterated the findings of the Enforcement Directorate…NewsClick is a part of the anti-India, tukde tukde gang. (Prabir) Purkayastha is the owner,” he stated.

The BJP leader said that funds accumulated by the NewsClick owner were routed to Maoists, Naxalites and propaganda artists such as (Abhisar) Sharma, Rohini Singh and Swati Chaturvedi. He added that the Chinese government is also spending money to create an anti-India narrative.

Nishikant Dubey also exposed the ties of the Congress party with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He accused the grand old party of being in talks with China during the infamous 2017 Dokhlam standoff.

“The Congress wants to create unrest in this nation through social media, journalists, and the Chinese government…I want to request the Indian government to investigate the funds received by the party and put the accused behind bars,” he was heard saying in the Lok Sabha.

NewsClick is financed by Chinese Communist Party supporter

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.

Screengrab of the news report by The New York Times

Neville Roy Singham, who holds strong ties with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is at the forefront of China’s smokeless war.

In its article, The New York Times stated, “Under the rule of Xi Jinping, China has expanded state media operations, teamed up with overseas outlets and cultivated foreign influencers. The goal is to disguise propaganda as independent content.”

It further added, “The result is a seemingly organic bloom of far-left groups that echo Chinese government talking points, echo one another, and are echoed in turn by the Chinese state media.”

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.

Islamists, Congress, and left-liberals share old video of Bittu Bajrangi claiming he played victim after police action in Nuh violence

OpIndia Staff
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Islamists, Congress, and left-liberals share old video of Bittu Bajrangi claiming he played victim after police action in Nuh violence

Amidst ongoing attempts to whitewash the crimes of Islamist rioters during the Nuh Jalabhishek Yatra Attack, the left-liberal section has launched a conspiracy against Gau Raksha Bajrang Force chief Bittu Bajrangi (Rajkumar). An old video of Bajrangi is being circulated on social media claiming he issued a statement crying as Haryana police are looking for him in the Nuh violence case.

Controversial journalist Sadaf Afreen said, “Bittu Bajrangi was instigating before the rally and using foul language. Now he is crying after the police action.”

Source: Twitter

Journalist Wasiuddin Siddiqui said, “This is Bittu Bajrangi, an associate of Monu Manesar. He is crying and making an appeal before arrest by police.”

Source: Twitter

Controversial former IAS Surya Pratap Singh wrote, “This is rioter Bittu Bajrangi. First video: He was calling himself the son-in-law of Mewat. Second video: He is crying after a call from the police. These rioters are powerful only if backed by police. Remove the police, and they are nothing.”

Source: Twitter

Twitter user Saba Khan said, “1) Faridabad-based cow vigilante Bittu Bajrangi’s video before attending Brij Mandal shobha yatra in Mewat. 2) Bittu Bajrangi after Haryana Police issued a statement of taking action against those guilty.”

Source: Twitter

Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee Minority Department’s president Mohammed Sameer said, “This rioter is crying. Now he understands he is being used for politics and power.”

Source: Twitter

The video was released in April 2022

Bittu Bajrangi released the video in April 2022. He was called by police over allegations of organizing a rally on Ram Navami without proper permission from all departments. Speaking to OpIndia, Bajrangi said he had most of the permissions and went to the police station to show the documents.

He said, “This video is from 13th April 2022. I organized a rally on the occasion of Ram Navmi. News channels from Faridabad played the video. There were some permission issues. I had permission from eight out of ten departments. I did not have permission from the fire department. I tried but could not get it as there was a Sunday in between. A police official called me to the police station claiming I organized a rally without permission.”

He added, “I got emotional thinking those who do religious work are being harassed, but those who killed Hindus were not caught.” He added that he went to the police station and showed the permissions he had received to date.

When asked if there were incidents of violence in his rally, Bittu Bajrangi said, “I have organized seven rallies to date. There has never been an incident of violence. Religious leaders and saints come from across the country for my rally. There have never been any incidents of violence or even a fight during my rally.” He said in the viral video, “Let people be happy by sharing my old video. I did not issue any video statement regarding Mewat violence.”

Haryana Ab Tak, the news channel that published the video in April 2022, also clarified that the video was published last year.

Haryana Ab Tak reporter said, “We published this video in 2022. It is not a recent video.”

OpIndia’s complete coverage on Nuh Mewat Jalabhishek Yatra Attack can be seen here.

Rahuri Love Jihad: NCPCR highlights lapses in police probe, says ‘they focusing more on cross case against Hindu activists’ to shield the accused

Siddhi Somani
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Rahuri Love Jihad: NCPCR highlights lapses in police probe, says ‘they focusing more on cross case against Hindu activists’ to shield the accused

On Sunday, August 6, the National Commission of Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) arrived in the Rahuri region of Ahmednagar to look into the dreadful case of Love Jihad that was reported recently from Umbre village. Three minor girls from Umbre, Rahuri complained that their tuition teacher Heena Pathan trained them to behave like Muslims while her ‘relative’ Avej Sheikh trapped them in a love affair and forced them to convert to Islam and wear the burqa.

NCPCR chief Priyank Kanoongo talked to the victim girls and the investigating police officials to confirm the event and revealed heavy lapses in the probe by the police. The chief of the Child Rights body alleged that the Ahmednagar police were trying to shield the accused by focusing more on the countercase filed against Hindus who offered help to the victims rather than on the love jihad case.

“Our primary investigation reveals that there are many loopholes in the police investigation. The investigating officers, even the Superintendent of Police (SP) of Ahmednagar police don’t know who the special juvenile police officer is. Police have not investigated the phones of the accused, they have not traced any information from the Instagram app that was used to trap the girls by the accused. The police have not even attained information about Heena Pathan who lured the girls as if she was operating some kind of racket,” the NCPCR chief said.

The NCPCR chief also, meanwhile, pressed for the need for the launch and implementation of the anti-conversion law in the state of Maharashtra since these rackets are being run like organised crime and are a clear case of human trafficking, he said.

“The state needs to implement anti-conversion law. Such incidents happen in the absence of stringent laws. The Police are focusing on the cross-case. The complaints of the girls were not heard initially. FIRs were filed 7-8 hours late. Why was the police waiting? Why were the girls not heard?”, Kanoongo stated.

OpIndia learned on ground that the Hindu activists who offered to help the girls were arrested in ‘false’ case

It is important to note that OpIndia had been on the ground to look into the case on August 3. The team learned that the Hindu activists who offered to help the victim girls were deliberately arrested by the police in an alleged false case.

Around 13 Hindu activists of 25 booked were arrested by the police alleging that they had created a ruckus in the Masjid and around the area. The FIR based on a complaint filed by one Salim Pathan also stated that the Hindus had pelted stones at his place of work and in the Masjid.

However, it was found that the 13 arrested individuals were not present in Umbre when the ruckus in and around the Masjid happened and that they were booked and arrested deliberately for helping the victim minor girls and belonging to local Hindu organizations.

One of the victim girls also confirmed the incident to OpIndia and said that the Hindu individuals were not at fault and had approached to help them. “The Hindu brothers had come to help us. They did nothing. But the Police charged them and arrested them. Why have they been arrested when not at all at fault? This is totally wrong,” one of the victim girls stated to OpIndia.

Rahuri Police arrest of 13 Hindu persons, comments zero on presence

Rahuri Police Inspector Dhananjay Jadhav was also reached by the team for a special comment on the case. Jadhav confirmed that “the 13 have been given bail but the investigation in the case is underway and the truth will soon come out.”

When asked whether the ‘allegations’ put forth by the 13 arrested, now bailed Hindu persons are true, Jadhav stated, “Democracy has given right and freedom to speak to everyone. Nobody can stop them from saying what they want to say. Police work as per the law. They were named in the FIR so we had to take action against them. That’s it.”

Further on specifically asking whether the 13 Hindu persons were actually present in Umbre when the ruckus around Masjid happened, the PI said, “Nothing can be commented on that now. Whether they were part of the mob who created a ruckus around the Masjid or not will be decided in and by the Court. It’s all the part of an ongoing investigation which cannot be revealed at present.”

Hindus were beaten, targeted for belonging to local Hindu organisations

Further, one of the 13 arrested individuals who have now been granted bail talked exclusively to OpIndia to state that the ruckus in and around the Masjid happened at 8:30 pm on July 26 and that they had reached from Rahuri to Umbre to help the girls and their parents are around 10:30 pm.

The Hindu activists were brutally beaten by the police before being taken into custody. They were deliberately targeted for belonging to a local Hindu organization. Notably, the action against Hindus was taken by the police based on an FIR filed by Salim Pathan who claimed that the Hindus had pelted stones at the Masjid. Salim Pathan himself is named as accused by the three girls in separate FIRs which say that they were trapped in a love affair and forced to convert their religion to Islam.

After the incident emerged, a huge rally of local Hindu organizations was organized in Rahuri which saw a massive presence of villagers and Hindus. BJP’s Nitesh Rane addressed the rally alleging the local police of ‘favouring’ the Muslims. He also raised voice against the forceful conversion imposed by Muslims and condemned the recent incident that took place in Umbre, Rahuri.

Minor girls were intoxicated, threatened, blackmailed, forced to convert to Islam

The minor girls said that one Avej Sheikh trapped them separately in a love affair and forced them to run away with him. He asked them for money and also threatened them to be in a relationship. He touched the girls inappropriately and obtained their photographs which he used to blackmail the girls to be in a physical relationship. In this, Avej’s friends Kaif, Sohail, his sister Alisha, uncles Salim Pathan, Altaf Sheikh and Shakir Sayyed helped him with money and other resources.

Meanwhile, the tuition teacher of the girls, Heena Pathan groomed the girls to behave like Muslims and asked them to stop wearing bangles and kumkum on their foreheads. She also fed one of the girls with milk that contained some toxic substance. Uncle Salim Pathan was ready to give Avej Rs 7 lacs and home if he would trap any of the girls and convert them to Islam.

The girls confirmed to OpIndia that around 7-8 girls were targeted by Avej and were threatened to be in relation with him at separate time intervals during the course of the last two years. All the accused persons in the case have now been arrested. However, the police are said to have destroyed the evidence and formatted the phones of the accused persons.

Further investigations into the case are underway.

Earlier detailed reports regarding this case can be read here, here and here.

‘Why Kannur airport doesn’t have as many flights as Goa airport?’ Congress spokesperson gets schooled by netizens after strange rant

OpIndia Staff
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‘Why Kannur airport doesn’t have as many flights as Goa airport?’ Congress spokesperson gets schooled by netizens after strange rant

On 5th August 2023, Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed took to Twitter to complain about the unavailability of flights to the Kannur airport in Kerala. She was schooled by the netizens about the operation of flights on various routes depending on passenger demand and occupancy levels.

Shama Mohamed tweeted, “Have to take a 2 am flight to Hyderabad & then a 6 am flight to Kannur from there because there are no Direct flights to Kannur from Delhi & the only airline which operates this route is Indigo. Kannur airport is 5 years old but we have hardly any direct flights and very few international flights (only operated by Indian aircraft). The new north Goa airport which is not even 2 years old has plenty of direct flights, many international flights! Why this step-motherly treatment at Kannur Airport Jyotiraditya Scindia?” Dr Shama Mohamed also shared a selfie with this post.

What Shama Mohamed did not think is that private airlines operate more flights on the routes which have passenger demand, and flight frequency depends upon passenger footfalls. The government cannot make more flights available on a route just because some entitled politician was inconvenienced.

Netizens stepped in to explain the realities of the business to the Congress spokesperson.

Swathi Bellam replied, “Ma’am why a selfie for this post? Goa gets the second highest number of tourists after Kashi in India So they have plenty of flights Kannur is just one of 600 + districts in India Forget about the airport the place didn’t have good highway connectivity during your party rule.”

She also posted, “They can’t put a direct flight just because you fly once in a year. Flights will come when there is commercial potential.”

Shiva replied, “Please direct this tweet to airline operators as it is a commercial decision by them on where to fly. Airlines rely on passengers to survive, not a passenger.”

Sriram replied, “Guess what. Airlines operate flights based on demand and not on how long an airport has been open.”

Wingman posted, “Airlines are way ahead in the game! When route planners spot lucrative city pairs, they waste no time launching multiple connections. Profit is the name of the game for private operators!”

SK Kashyap replied, “It is a matter of demand and supply. That’s it. Airlines are not operated by Govt like railways. If the operator sees demand, someone will come up!”

Kannur, located in the coastal state of Kerala, India, is a city rich in cultural heritage and natural beauty. Known as the “Land of Looms and Lores,” it has a long history of traditional handloom weaving and vibrant folklore. However, airway connectivity to Kannur was never a prime route for airlines to directly connect it to various cities. There are two prime reasons for this.

One is that Kannur boasts a glorious maritime history as an ancient port city. Its strategic location on the Arabian Sea made it a significant trade hub for spices, textiles, and other commodities, connecting India to the rest of the world. The other reason is that Kannur has three airports within a distance of 280 kilometres.

The Calicut Airport at 122 kilometers, and Kochi Airport at 280 kilometers. Calicut and Kochi airports are at a few hours’ drive away from Kannur. Tagging the aviation minister for the number of flights operated by private players was a peculiar thing to do, because the government cannot force private airlines to operate on non-profitable routes.

Uttar Pradesh: Brother of Youtuber Farmani Naaz, who became famous for ‘Har Har Shambhu’ song, murdered in Muzaffarnagar

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Brother of Youtuber Farmani Naaz, who became famous for ‘Har Har Shambhu’ song, murdered in Muzaffarnagar

On Saturday (5th August), the cousin brother of controversial YouTuber and singer, Farmani Naaz, was brutally murdered by unknown assailants. The victim was identified as 18-year-old Khurshid, who was a labourer by occupation.

The incident took place in Mohammedpur Maafi village in the Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh. The area falls under the jurisdiction of the Ratanpuri Police Station area.

As per reports, Khurshid returned home after offering prayers at around 7:30 pm on Saturday. After completing his dinner, he went for a walk at around 7:45 PM.

When he reached Salva Road, three motorbike-borne assailants attacked him with a knife without any provocation. Khurshid was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, where he was declared dead on arrival.

The villagers and family members of the victim created a ruckus at the Khatauli hospital. In the meantime, a large contingent of police personnel was deployed to control the situation. The agitated villagers and family members were pacified by the police and sent back with an assurance that the accused would be caught soon.

Replying to a post on X (formerly Twitter), Muzaffarnagar Police said that a case under relevant sections was registered at Ratanpuri police station. At the same time, teams have been formed to trace the accused. An investigation into the matter is underway.

Last year, eight Naaz family members went to jail for a theft case. Khurshid was not named in that matter. OpIndia reached out to the concerned police station via telephone but failed to connect.

‘Har Har Shambhu’ song controversy

In August 2022, Farmani Naaz removed the song ‘Har Har Shambhu’ from her YouTube channel after the original singer and composer accused her of stealing and took legal action against her. Jitu Sharma was the original writer and composer, while Abhilipsa Panda was the singer.

The music was based on the famous song ‘Bhajman Radhe Radhe’ by Acyuti Gopi, a Krishna devotee. After Naaz released the song, she allegedly claimed that she was Har Har Har Shambu’s original singer.

Both Jitu and Abhilipsa called out Naaz for falsely claiming that the song was hers. Naaz was also slammed by Deoband Cleric, saying that singing a song praising Lord Shiva was haram in Islam and against Sharia.

Naaz’s family accused of running an iron theft syndicate

In November of that year, Naaz’s family members, including her brother Armaan were sent to jail for running an iron theft syndicate. According to reports, the Meerut police arrested eight members of the gang.

The syndicate was being operated by Farmani Naaz’s brother, father, brother-in-law and other members. The Meerut police recovered two quintals (200 kgs) of iron rods from the spot and also seized the vehicle that was used for the theft.

West Bengal: Police recover 12000 gelatin sticks, capable of large-scale explosion, from a house in Birbhum

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: Police recover 12000 gelatin sticks, capable of large-scale explosion, from a house in Birbhum

On Sunday (August 6), a large cache of explosives was recovered by the police near Radipur village in the Rampurhat subdivision in the Birbhum district of West Bengal.

As per reports, the cops raided an abandoned house based on a tipoff and found 12000 pieces of gelatin sticks packed in 60 boxes.

While speaking about the matter, a police official informed, “Upon receiving information from a source, the police of Rampurhat police station recovered approximately 12000 pieces of gelatin sticks in about 60 boxes from an abandoned house close to Radipur village under the jurisdiction of Rampurhat police station.”

The police have also registered a suo-motu case based on the complaint of the Investigating Officer (IO). In the meantime, the cops seized the house, where the large cache of explosives was found. The identity of the house owner is yet to be ascertained

Earlier in June this year, the West Bengal police recovered bomb-making material in 24 Parganas’ Bhangar. A total of seven bags filled with husk-like material were recovered. 

West Bengal has become a hub of crude bomb-making

The Trinamool Congress-ruled West Bengal has become the hub for the ‘crude bomb’ cottage industry and children in the poor and marginalised areas of the State are paying the price for it, reported Indian Express.

The newspaper interviewed the families of 24 victims, who had either lost their lives in crude bomb attacks or been gravely injured between 2021 and 2022. The incidents took place across 5 districts of West Bengal, namely, North 24 Parganas, Burdwan, Birbhum, Malda, and South 24 Parganas.

Bomb-making has become a profitable business due to the easy accessibility and procurement of raw materials. Crude bombs, such as the commonly used “Peto” and “Lal Sada,” are priced at an average of just over ₹150 in rural areas, making them a cost-effective choice for criminal activities.

Chandrayaan-3 gets busy clicking: Sends the first Moon photos after successfully entering Lunar orbit

ANI
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Chandrayaan-3 gets busy clicking: Sends the first Moon photos after successfully entering Lunar orbit

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Sunday put out the first images of the moon as captured by Chandrayaan-3, India’s third lunar mission.

Chandrayan-3 captured stunning lunar surface images after entering the Moon’s orbit on Saturday.

“The Moon, as viewed by #Chandrayaan3 spacecraft during Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) on August 5, 2023,” tweeted the Mission’s official Twitter handle.

The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, which covered about two-thirds of the distance to the Moon since its launch, successfully entered into the Lunar orbit on Saturday, according to ISRO.

The spacecraft, mounted on GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) heavy-lift launch vehicle, successfully lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota on July 14.

India became only the fourth country after the US, China, and Russia to land its spacecraft on the surface of the moon, demonstrating the country’s ability for a safe and soft landing on the lunar surface.

Upon landing, it will operate for one lunar day, which is approximately 14 Earth days. One day on the Moon is equal to 14 days on Earth.

The approved cost of Chandrayaan-3 is Rs 250 crore (Excluding Launch Vehicle Cost).

Chandrayaan-3’s development phase commenced in January 2020 with the launch initially planned in 2021. However, the Covid-19 pandemic brought an unforeseen delay to the mission’s progress.

Chandrayaan-3 is the ISRO’s follow-up attempt after the Chandrayaan-2 mission faced challenges during its soft landing on the lunar surface in 2019 and was eventually deemed to have failed its core mission objectives.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Expert Committee report says that the Assam assembly has the authority to enact a law banning polygamy in the state: Himanta Biswa Sarma

OpIndia Staff
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Expert Committee report says that the Assam assembly has the authority to enact a law banning polygamy in the state: Himanta Biswa Sarma

An expert committee formed by the Assam government has said in its report that the assembly has the legislative competence to enact a law prohibiting polygamy in the state. This was informed by Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma after the four-member committee led by Justice (Retired) Rumi Phookan handed over the report of the committee to him.

Assam govt had formed the committee in May this year to examine the legal authority of the state legislature to implement a law prohibiting polygamy. Apart from justice Rumi Phookan, the other members of the committee were Advocate General Debajit Saikia, Additional Advocate General Nalin Kohli and lawyer Nekibur Zaman.

While the committee was asked to submit its report by July 13, later the term was extended by one month till August 12. Accordingly, the committee met the CM today and handed over the report. CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the report states that the legislature has the authority to enact such a law, with some conditions.

The CM revealed the same while addressing a press conference on the preparations for ‘Meri Mati Mera Desh’ campaign on the occasion of Independence Day. He said that he has not read the report because he received just two hours ago before attending the press conference, but he was given a summary of the report.

The committee has decided that while the state assembly can enact a law banning polygamy, the bill will have to be assented to by the president of India. In general, the bills passed by legislative assemblies are assented by the respective governor, while the president gives assent to bills passed by the parliament.

Apart from it, the assembly will have to amend some laws regarding to the age of marriage. The committee said that there is a conflict between minimum age for marriage between Muslim Personal Law and the POCSO Act. Moreover, the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, 1935 also does not mention a minimum age. Therefore, the state govt may have to introduce the minimum age in the state act to make it compatible with the POCSO Act.

The CM said that the govt is considering whether the bill be introduced in the upcoming autumn session in September or the Budget session next year. The autumn session will last only 3-4 days, and the legislators will be needed to be given enough time to study the bill, and this will be considered before deciding when the bill will be tabled, Sarma said.

However, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma confirmed that the bill will be finalised in this year itself. He said that there not much opposition to the bill from political parties, and the only apprehension of the govt regarding the matter was whether the state govt has the authority to bring such a law.

Uttarakhand: Minister Ganesh Joshi refutes claims that he had asked for land for a mosque, asks Police to register FIR for a viral letter saying it is fake

OpIndia Staff
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Uttarakhand: Minister Ganesh Joshi refutes claims that he had asked for land for a mosque, asks Police to register FIR for a viral letter saying it is fake

Recently, a controversy erupted in Dehradun around the construction of a Mosque in Dalanwala’s MDDA Colony. It all started when a purported letter started doing rounds on the internet, relying on which, several media houses carried out reports regarding the same. According to the purported viral letter, it was claimed that BJP leader Ganesh Joshi had directed the concerned authorities in 2009 to allocate land for the construction of a mosque in the Dalanwala area.   

Subsequently, several social media users protested against this purported decision of allocating land for the construction of the Mosque in this MDDA colony. 

Alleged letter by Ganesh Joshi allocating land for mosque, which is fake as per Joshi

Now, Cabinet Minister Ganesh Joshi has taken cognizance of these reports and the said letter doing rounds regarding the allotment of a plot for the Mosque is fake. Apparently, he has written a letter to Banshidhar Tiwari, Vice President of the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) over this issue. In his letter dated 5th August, Joshi claimed that the viral letter signed under his name asking for plot allotment for the Mosque in Dalanwala area is fake. 

Further, he has instructed the official to cancel the actions that may have been taken in accordance with that viral letter, which he has termed to be fake. He has also asked the MDDA official to register an FIR against the unknown person who produced or initiated this fake letter.  

The letter dated 5th of August, 2023, states, “It has come to notice from the viral letter attached in various dailies and social media posts, that I have made a request to allocate a plot for the construction of a mosque in MDDA Colony, Dalanwala, Dehradun.” 

Going ahead, the BJP leader categorically stated in his 5th August letter that he has never used the kind of letter pad that is seen in that viral letter claimed to be signed under this name.

The 5th August letter further reads, the said viral letter appears to be from 2008-09, and at that time the undersigned was MLA from the Rajpur constituency. However, even back then when he was an MLA, he never used such a letter pad, on which Uttarakhand Government was written. At that time he used to have a letter pad with the serial number issued by the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly, a format of which was also included in his letter. 

After highlighting the reasons why the said viral letter claimed to be signed under his name is fake, in the letter, Minister Joshi said, “Therefore, it is expected from you to cancel the actions taken in this matter considering the viral letter as my genuine letter, and making sure to take action on priority to register an FIR on your behalf against the unknown person who used such a letter pad in his name or fabricated and initiated this issue.”  

Italy: 2 dead and 30 missing after two boats carrying migrants from Africa sank near Italy’s Lampedusa island

OpIndia Staff
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Italy: 2 dead and 30 missing after two boats carrying migrants from Africa sank near Italy’s Lampedusa island

On Sunday, the 6th of August, the Italian coastguard stated that it has recovered two bodies and rescued 57 migrants off the southern island of Lampedusa after two reported cases of shipwrecks. According to the United Nations’ migration agency, citing survivors’ accounts, more than 30 migrants are still missing.

International Organization for Migration (IOM) cultural mediations spoke to the survivors. According to the survivors, two migrant boats had set off from the Tunisian city of Sfax’s port, reported Italy’s ANSA news agency. One of them was ferrying 48 migrants while the other had 42 migrants onboard. Both the rickety iron boats went down in stormy weather on Saturday while they were on their way to Europe. 

The ANSA reported that the victims have been identified as a woman from Ivory Coast and her 18-month-old child. The Italian coastguard rescued the migrants nearly 46 kilometers southwest of Lampedusa Island. 

The local media reports have claimed that a migrant boat crashed against rocks when it was near the Lampedusa coast on Friday. Since then, around 20 migrants had been stuck on Lampedusa’s Ponente rocks, however, the Italian coastguards were unable to reach them via sea or helicopter.

An NGO group known by the name Open Arms shared details about the migration problems faced in Italy. Taking to X (Twitter), they pointed out that after sailing for more than two days in rough seas, they were finally able to disembark 195 rescued sea migrants in the southern Italian port of Brindisi. 

The shipwreck incident comes in the wake of a stated policy of the Italian government which has drawn irk from several quarters. As per the policy, the Italian government has mandated to assign far-away ports to charity ships so that rescued migrants will not disembark at nearby Lampedusa or Sicily ports. This is done to spread migrant arrivals across the country. 

As per a report in Reuters, the NGOs have criticised this decision stating that this increases their navigation costs, increases the chances of shipwrecks, and prolong the misery of migrant survivors. 

According to reports, more than 2,000 migrants have reached Lampedusa in recent days. They have been rescued at sea by Italian patrol boats and non-governmental organization (NGO) groups.

Following the incident of two back-to-back shipwrecks, the Italian authorities in Agrigento have launched an investigation into this matter. 

Agrigento’s chief of police Emanuele Ricifari stated that the traffickers would have known rough seas were forecast in the region and such individuals are crazy criminals. 

He said, “Whoever allowed them or forced them, to leave with this sea is an unscrupulous criminal lunatic.” 

He added, “Rough seas are forecast for the next few days. Let’s hope they stop. It’s sending them to slaughter with this sea.”

These shipwrecks come after the tragic boat disaster which was reported in June, this year. Back then, at least 78 migrants died and around hundreds were missing when a  Greek boat capsized in the Mediterranean. 

Despite tragic incidents of shipwrecks, Italy is witnessing a significant increase in sea migration. According to the latest data from the interior ministry, approximately 92,000 arrivals have been recorded so far this year. This is in contrast to the figure of more than 42,600 arrivals during the same period in 2022.

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