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BBC documentary on PM Modi: Delhi Court issues fresh summons to BBC, Wikimedia Foundation and Internet Archive

OpIndia Staff
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BBC documentary on PM Modi: Delhi Court issues fresh summons to BBC, Wikimedia Foundation and Internet Archive

Delhi’s Rohini Court on Friday, 7 July issued fresh summons to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Wikimedia Foundation and U.S.-based digital library Internet Archive over the two-part documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

They were served the summons through the Department of Legal Affairs under the Union Ministry of Law and Justice in connection with a defamation lawsuit brought by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Binay Kumar Singh, who sought a restraining order to prevent the broadcast of the “India: The Modi Question” series.

The accused are foreign entities, therefore the notices must be served in accordance with the rules established by the Delhi High Court, as stated by additional district judge Ruchika Singla of the Rohini court.

Under the Hague Convention, the court had reserved its verdict on the point of delivery of notices on 26th May. After hearing the arguments, the court observed that the parties to the lawsuit are bound by the Hague Convention because all pertinent countries are signatories.

The judge ruled, “It is clear that as per the rules formulated under the Hague Convention and by the Government of India, the summons/notices in foreign countries can be effected only through the Department of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India, which has admittedly not been done in the present case.”

An objection was raised during the previous hearing of the case on 3rd May that the accused, who are foreign corporations with offices in the United States and the United Kingdom, could only be served in accordance with the approved procedure.

The attorneys for BBC and Wikimedia Foundation had informed the court that the defamation lawsuit against them was not properly served and that the latter lacked jurisdiction to hear the matter.

They claimed that in compliance with the Hague Convention, service on a foreign entity had to be made in conformity with the established procedures.

She further continued, “Hence, it is directed that the summons be issued afresh to the defendants on the filing of process fee within seven days to be served through the Department of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Law and Justice as per rules.”

The court also took note of a circular from the Delhi High Court, dated 13 September 2011, which made reference to an office memorandum from the Department of Legal Affairs (Judicial Section), Union Ministry of Law and Justice, dated August 18 of the same year.

It directed that the Hague Convention’s provisions apply to the service of summons or notices abroad. The court emphasised that these summonses or notices could only be delivered in line with the requirements of the ministry’s Department of Legal Affairs.

It also rejected the claim that because the defendants had previously retained solicitors who had been in court, service had already been made and thus the improper service defence was inadmissible at this time. It declared that the summons must be served on the defendant in keeping with the standard protocol and that this obligation cannot be waived by the counsel’s filing of the “vakalatnama.” The matter is now listed for further hearing on 18th November.

A civil defamation suit was filed by BJP functionary Binay Kumar Singh seeking a permanent injunction order to disallow the three organisations, BBC, Wikimedia Foundation, and Internet Archives from publishing the banned BBC documentary series on the 2002 Gujarat riots, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the state’s chief minister.

According to the lawsuit, the allegations made in the documentary against the Rashtriya Sawayamsevak Sangh and Vishva Hindu Parishad are made with the intention of defaming the organisations and those who work for them. The two-volume documentary series, per the BJP leader, who describes himself as an active volunteer for the RSS and VHP, is still easily accessible in the public domain on Wikimedia and Internet Archive.

In addition, he has asked the defendants to offer an unconditional apology to him, the RSS and the Vishva Hindu Parishad for the “libellous and defamatory content” that was published in the two-volume documentary series as well as pass a decree of damages of Rs 10,00,000 in favour of himself and against the former.

The Government of India had in January of this year invoked emergency laws to impose a ban on the BBC documentary.

Technical staff at Delhi government-run Lok Nayak Hospital working without salaries for 7 months, hospital says salary is under process

OpIndia Staff
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Technical staff at Delhi government-run Lok Nayak Hospital working without salaries for 7 months, hospital says salary is under process

The technical staff at Delhi government-run Lok Nayak Hospital has said that their salaries have not been paid for the past seven months. The 47 technical staff members manage operation theatres (OT), ventilators in Covid ICU wards, and patients administered anaesthesia before surgery. They claim that the hospital administration has not paid them since January this year.

They were deployed to look after ICU-admitted patients and also the patients admitted at the Covid-19 centre set-up in Ramlila Maidan. According to one of the OT technicians, the Delhi government hired them when they needed them most during the pandemic. However, the Delhi government does not acknowledge their services. 

“The Delhi government simply does not acknowledge our services while we continue to work tirelessly every day,” an OT Technician said.

The OT technician said that they worked during the most difficult times of Covid-19 and went on duty to look after ICU-admitted patients as well as those in Ramlila Maidan. “Most of us are now posted at Lok Nayak OT, but we have been working without pay for the past seven months.”

He added that despite the fact that the court ordered a stay in January, the technical staff did not receive their salaries yet. However, the administration has said that the interim salaries have been approved and the same is under process.

Speaking to Indian Express, Dr Suresh Kumar, medical director of Lok Nayak Hospital, said that soon after the Covid-19 pandemic was over the contracts of the 47 OT technicians were put on hold by the competent authority, after which they filed several lawsuits in court.

“We have now approved the interim salary, and it is being processed,” Dr Kumar said.

Maharashtra: BRS leader Qadir Maulana calls Aurangzeb his role model, Hindu activists deface KC Rao posters in Ahmednagar in protest

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: BRS leader Qadir Maulana calls Aurangzeb his role model, Hindu activists deface KC Rao posters in Ahmednagar in protest

Muslim leaders in Maharashtra are continuing to idolise Islamic Mughal tyrant Aurangzeb. On Monday, 3rd July 2023, Qadir Maulana of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar who recently quit the Nationalist Congress Party and joined the Bharat Rashtra Samiti of KC Rao said that Aurangzeb is his role model. He was speaking at a press conference of the BRS party held at the Subhedari Rest House in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city. On 7th July 2023, Hindu activists in Ahmednagar city of Maharashtra protested against this and tarnished the posters and hoardings of BRS president KC Rao. The Ahmednagar police detained the Hindu activist leading the protest.

Qadir’s statement evoked angry reactions from the state. Tushar Damgude, a Hindu activist and history enthusiast based in Pune, issued a warning regarding the potential consequences of the situation in Maharashtra. He emphasised that the controversy surrounding Qadir Maulana’s statement expressing admiration for Aurangzeb could ignite a strong reaction within the state. In a similar vein, Rahul Bhosale and Vaibhav Navgire of the Bharatiya Janata Party submitted a memorandum to both the Pune Municipal Corporation and the police commissioner to draw attention to the possible threat posed to peace and law and order in Maharashtra as a result of Qadir Maulana’s irresponsible statement.

On 7th July 2023, in Ahilyanagar, Hindu Rashtra Sena district president Sanjay Adole, city president Nikhil Dhangekar, Vishal Kate and other Hindu activists staged a massive protest and blackened the photo on hoardings of KC Rao. The police detained Sanjay Adole. BJP member Rahul Bhosale and Hindu Rashtra Sena district president Sanjay Adole demanded that a case be registered against Qadir Maulana and immediate action should be taken against him. The police released Sanjay Adole after brief detention and questioning.

In recent days, Maharashtra state has experienced heightened tension due to the controversy surrounding the Islamic tyrant Aurangzeb. Unfortunate incidents of violence have occurred in various locations, intensifying the already volatile situation. Additionally, there has been a political blame game surrounding this issue. In such a situation, Qadir Maulana, a prominent figure in the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, who recently switched his allegiance from the Nationalist Party to the BRS, expressed his admiration for Aurangzeb.

Addressing a press conference of the BRS party, Qadir Maulana said, “Aurangzeb was a good king. When Aurangzeb was king, he provided space for many temples. You don’t know who you are talking about. You don’t know any history. Aurangzeb never indulged in casteism. In Aurangzeb’s kingdom, the Ganga Jamuna system (syncretic culture) was in place. There was a power struggle then and it continues today. Aurangzeb was a king who ruled undivided India for more than 50 years. So of course I idolise Aurangzeb. He has ruled India and is certainly a role model. When he died, he had only enough money in his pocket for burial. I have never seen a leader like that in the world.”

He added, “The BJP is creating a situation of confusion in the country through mob lynching, through ED, income tax raids, etc. Attempts are being made to suppress other parties by intimidating people by bullying and using power. So people should think about which party is going to do development.”

On 6th July 2023, Qadir Maulana released a video and clarified that his remarks about Aurangzeb are his personal opinions and views. He said that BRS has nothing to do with that opinion, it is not a stand of BRS. He said that there are people with so many different points of view in Maharashtra and in BRS. He also regretted if Hindus were offended by his earlier statement.

In a debate on the Marathi TV news channel Jai Maharashtra News, Tushar Damgude said, “All Indians oppose Aurangzeb. It is not because Aurangzeb was illiterate or he was ugly-looking or anything like that. If you read Aurangzeb’s biography you will know that he calls himself a true servant of Islam. He would proudly say that he imposed a Ziziya tax on Hindus. He would proudly say that he demolished so many temples of Hindus, converted or killed so many Hindus, and allowed his men to rape so many Hindu women and daughters. Unfortunately, none of us can go back in time and change whatever he did. One cannot and should not hold any Muslim in current times responsible or guilty for that. But if someone glorifies this Aurangzeb who had a mentality of demolishing our temples, killing our people, and raping our women and daughters, by keeping status or stories in the social media or by making some statements, then it will not be tolerated in India. If these illicit heirs of Aurangzeb continue to appear in India, it must be remembered that soldiers of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj will also appear in this country.”

He added, “We will definitely fight these tendencies on the legal front. But I warn that wherever law enforcement agencies fail, we will make these perverts meet the fate of Osama Bin Laden. Aurangzeb cannot ever be a role model to any person, community, or political party. 2.25 lakh people in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar signed a petition to maintain the name of the city as Aurangabad. This is the number in tier 2 or tier 3 place. Imagine the volume of people adoring Aurangzeb in a city like Pune and Mumbai. Who will ponder a thought on this? It is unfortunate that some political parties resort to glorifying Aurangzeb to get Muslim votes and they are sure that they will get their votes in this manner because it is a fact that so many Muslims do idolise that tyrant.”

He further said, “I request the government of Maharashtra to identify such jihadi tendencies and take strict action against them just like a strict action is taken in Germany against those who support or idolise Hitler, consider him a role model, flag his symbols, or support holocausts. I demand that make it a punishable offence if someone flags Aurangzeb’s poster or any such symbol idolising him in Maharashtra at least. This will empower the police to take action against these people. I urge the home minister to instruct the police to take legal action against those who spread enmity between communities by sharing the status, stories, photos, and videos glorifying Aurangzeb. If this does not happen I will not let BRS raise any banner in that area of Pune where I live.”

Madhya Pradesh: Sidhi urination incident victim Dashmat Rawat seeks release of accused Pravesh Shukla, says Shukla has realised his mistake

OpIndia Staff
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Madhya Pradesh: Sidhi urination incident victim Dashmat Rawat seeks release of accused Pravesh Shukla, says Shukla has realised his mistake

Dashmat Rawat, the victim of the urination incident in Madhya Pradesh’s Sidhi district, has requested the state government to free the perpetrator Pravesh Shukla, asserting that Shukla has since realised his mistake.

“My demand to the government is that a mistake has been committed. Now Pravesh Shukla should be released. Whatever has happened in the past, he has realised his mistake,” he responded to the media when asked about the action taken on Pravesh Shukla.

“Yes, I agree. He is a Pandit of our village. We demand from the government to release him,” he answered when highlighted that he was making the demand in spite of the culprit’s degrading behaviour. He added that he had no further demands for the government, except from building a road in his hamlet.

On 5 July, police arrested the accused for peeing on Dashmat Rawat who is a tribal community member. A video of the occurrence went viral on social media on 4 July, prompting the police to file a complaint and apprehend the former. Meanwhile, the state police investigating the case mentioned that the footage was one-year-old.

In addition to being charged appropriately under the Indian Penal Code and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, action has been taken against Pravesh Shukla who is presently incarcerated, under the strict National Security Act (NSA). Furthermore, a reportedly illegal component of his Sidhi residence was torn down.

The urination instance has sparked a political debate in Madhya Pradesh, where assembly elections are scheduled towards the end of the year. The Congress has claimed that Pravesh Shukla is connected to a local Bharatiya Janata Party legislator while the party has denied any ties to him.

On Thursday, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan apologised to the victim and bathed his feet at his official residence in Bhopal. However, the opposition party dismissed the CM’s action as mere drama.

Dashmat Rawat also received financial support from the state government in the amount of Rs 5 lakh and another Rs 1.5 lakh for the construction of his home.

The Madhya Pradesh unit of the Akhil Bharatiya Brahmin Samaj, a Brahmin organisation, challenged the demolition of a portion of the accused’s home on Friday, arguing that while his conduct was despicable, his family members could not be punished for the same. They informed that they will move the High Court against the administration’s action.

‘Now China is changing. The Chinese want to contact me’: Dalai Lama says he is open to talks with China over problems of Tibetans

ANI
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‘Now China is changing. The Chinese want to contact me’: Dalai Lama says he is open to talks with China over problems of Tibetans

Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama said that he is open for talks with China over the problems of Tibetans and the Chinese, “officially or unofficially” wanted to contact him.

“I am always open to talk. Now China also realises that the spirit of Tibetan people is very strong. So, in order to deal with Tibetan problems they want to contact me. I am also ready”, he said. The Dalai Lama made the remarks while to speaking to reporters in Dharamshala before embarking on a visit to Delhi and Ladakh.

Responding to a question on whether he wishes to resume talks with China, he said, “We are not seeking independence, we have decided since many years that we remain the part of People’s Republic of China…Now China is changing. The Chinese, officially or unofficially want to contact me”.

On July 6, Dalai Lama celebrated his 88th birthday and visited the Main Tibetan Temple courtyard in Dharamshala, adjacent to his residence. While addressing the gathering during the celebrations the Dalai Lama said that he has not been angry with anyone, not even those Chinese leaders who have adopted a harsh attitude towards Tibet, according to the official statement released on Dalai Lama’s website.

“I was born in Tibet and I bear this name Dalai Lama, but in addition to working for the cause of Tibet, I’ve been working for the welfare of all sentient beings. I’ve done whatever I could without losing hope or allowing my determination to flag,” the Tibetan spiritual leader said.

“I’m angry with no one, not even those Chinese leaders who have adopted a harsh attitude towards Tibet. Indeed, China has historically been a Buddhist country as witnessed by the many temples and monasteries I saw when I visited that land,” he added.

In his remarks, Dalai Lama said knowledge of Tibetan culture and religion can benefit the world at large. He said, “I believe there is knowledge within Tibetan culture and religion that can benefit the world at large. However, I also respect all other religious traditions because they encourage their followers to cultivate love and compassion.”

He further said, “According to indications in my own dreams and other predictions, I expect to live to be more than 100 years old. I’ve served others until now and I’m determined to continue to do so. Please pray for my long life on that basis.”

Earlier in April, Dalai Lama called for a focus on wisdom and compassion as he highlighted the situation in Tibet by giving his own example and stressed upon looking at the current situation from a broader perspective.

Addressing the gathering on the second day at the Global Buddhist Summit 2023 in New Delhi, the Dalai Lama had said, “I can also share with you that by engaging in this kind of inner development and particularly focusing on Wisdom and compassion. It really can help increase our courage as well. For example: in the case of my dealing with the current struggle and situation of Tibet, if you think just only about it from a narrow-angle, you can lose your hope.”

“But if you look at this crisis and look at this current situation from the broader perspective of the courage that cultivation and compassion give you, then you can have a much more resilient mind. So, even in your daily life, there might be problems which may seem enormous and unbearable. Still, if you have the courage, you will be in a much stronger position to turn adversities into opportunities,” he added.

The Dalai Lama had earlier too said that majority of people in China realise that he is not seeking “independence” within China but meaningful autonomy and preservation of Tibetan Buddhist culture.

Last year he had told reporters in Jammu during a visit to Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh that “Not Chinese people, but some Chinese hardliners consider me a separatist. Now, more and more Chinese are realising that Dalai Lama not seeking independence but within China meaningful autonomy and to preserve Tibetan Buddhist culture.”

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

“It doesn’t undermine our reputation of being human rights defenders:” White House on decision to supply cluster munitions to Ukraine

OpIndia Staff
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“It doesn’t undermine our reputation of being human rights defenders:” White House on decision to supply cluster munitions to Ukraine

In a massive development, the United States of America will provide cluster munitions to Ukraine as part of the $800 million aid package in Ukraine’s fight against Russia. The announcement was made by US NSA Jake Sullivan on Friday afternoon (local time). Cluster munitions are banned by over 100 countries across the world.

This comes following Ukraine’s request for the same a few weeks ago, according to Sullivan, even as human rights concerns loom over the issue. A cluster munition is a large weapon containing multiple explosive submunitions inside it thereby forming a cluster of weapons. It is the opposite of the high-precision weapons currently used by most countries, which allow attacking only the intended target minimising collateral damage. Instead of a specific target, cluster bombs attack a large area, and therefore there is a high probability of civilian damage.

“We recognise the cluster munitions create a risk of civilian harm from unexploded ordnance. This is why we’ve deferred the decision for as long as we could. But there is also a massive risk of civilian harm if Russian troops and tanks roll over Ukrainian positions and take more Ukrainian territory and subjugate more Ukrainian civilians because Ukraine does not have enough artillery. That is intolerable to us,” Sullivan said.

Cluster munitions are banned by more than 100 countries including key US allies. The bomblets pose long-term harm to anyone who comes into contact with them.

US President Joe Biden defended his decision in an interview with US media, saying, “It was a very difficult decision on my part. And I discussed this with our allies, discussed this with our friends up on the hill. And we are in a situation where Ukraine continues to be brutally attacked across the board by munitions by these cluster munitions which have dud rates that are very very high.”

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed the package by USA, calling it “a timely, broad and much-needed defense aid package from the United States.”

In a tweet, he said that they are “grateful to the American people and President Joseph Biden for decisive steps that bring Ukraine closer to victory over the enemy, and democracy to victory over dictatorship.” He added, “the expansion of Ukraine’s defense capabilities will provide new tools for the de-occupation of our land and bringing peace closer.”

What are cluster munitions?

Cluster munitions or cluster bombs can be fired from the air and ground. They scatter over a large area around the size of a football field. Depending on the size of the weapon, from a dozen to 600 bomblets can be released at a time.

They are known to kill and injure large numbers of civilians owing to their wide coverage leading to indiscriminate killing, and a dud rate of bombs that fail to explode posing dangers for years even after the conflict ends. The US last used cluster munitions in Iraq in 2003.

The Convention on Cluster Munitions is an international treaty of more than 100 nations. It prohibits all use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions. It was adopted on 30 May 2008 and signed on 3 December 2008 and entered into force on 1 August 2008. At present, it has 111 state parties and 11 signatories.

The United States, India, Pakistan, China and Russia are not signatories of the treaty. Even though a non-signatory, India acknowledges the humanitarian concerns associated with cluster munitions, but views them as legitimate weapons. There is no history of India using cluster bombs in any conflict.

Human Rights concerns

The White House said they do not believe the decision undermines their reputation as human rights defenders. “We don’t believe it undermines our reputation of being human right defenders. We have to remember what is happening in Ukraine…it is defending its freedom and we are making sure it is able to do that,” said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

The Biden administration’s decision has yet again raised serious questions on the United States which has often used human rights as an excuse to meddle in the internal affairs of many sovereign nations including India.

Former US President Barack Obama last month in an interview with the US media drew ire at home and abroad by virtue-signalling India about its “human rights record”. While the White House distanced itself from the statements, Indian Foreign Minister Nirmala Sitharaman highlighted that 6 Muslim countries were bombed under Obama’s Presidency.

Decision draws criticism

The United Nations cited the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) to oppose the Biden administration’s decision. Human rights groups too have reportedly “sharply criticised the President’s decision”. The US is not a party to the convention.

Earlier, Germany had opposed the same when initial reports on the US decision were doing rounds. German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said it opposes the decision as one of the 111 states party to the CCM.

Was ready to become a suicide bomber: Father of Ghaziabad Hindu victim whom Rahil groomed to accept Islam

OpIndia Staff
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Was ready to become a suicide bomber: Father of Ghaziabad Hindu victim whom Rahil groomed to accept Islam

Days after the Ghaziabad police busted a conversion racket wherein Islamists were luring young children to convert to Islam through online games, another case of conversion has come to the fore from the Khoda colony of Ghaziabad. On Saturday, July 8, the Ghaziabad police arrested a youth named Rahil who posed as Rahul Agarwal to brainwash a Hindu girl to convert and follow the practices of Islam.

The Ghaziabad police said on Twitter that along with accused Rahil, they had also detained his associates Mohammad Museer and Abdullah Ahmed for their alleged involvement in the crime.

The action was taken based on a complaint lodged by the victim’s father, who revealed how Rahil befriend his daughter and then attempted to convert her to Islam. Notably, Rahul, who himself was a convert, was running the conversion racket along with his accomplices since 2017.

According to the police, Rahil has been carrying out his nefarious plan to indoctrinate Hindu girls towards Sharia since 2017. He first befriended his prey by posing as Rahul Agarwal, his former name before he himself converted to Islam. He then utilised his charm to ensnare the Hindu girls in a romantic relationship. Later, when the girls fell in love with him, he indoctrinated them in the name of Islam. He brainwashed them and eventually coerced them into embracing Islam.

The father of the victim told the police that his daughter and the accused worked in the same office in Noida. Utilising the same modus operandi, Rahil posed as Rahul Agarwal to befriend the girl. He persuaded the girl that he was hopelessly in love with her and that he could not survive without her. On several occasions, he expressed his desire to marry her.

The accused revealed his real identity in front of her in January this year after he was convinced that she was also deeply in love with him. He played the victim in front of the girl by lamenting how his family was opposed to their marriage as they belonged to different communities. He pleaded with her to convert to Islam, to which she agreed.

Was ready to become a suicide bomber: Father of Ghaziabad conversion victim reveals

The victim’s father went on to say that because of his daughter’s prolonged strange behaviour, he had started to question her. When he confronted her, she admitted that she had been studying the Islamic law of Sharia. 

According to the father, the woman was brainwashed to the extent that she started following practices of Islam including wearing a burqa and offering Namaz five times. 

He further lamented that his daughter had become radicalised to the extent that she wouldn’t even shy away from killing a person who objected to the ideology and did not convert to Islam. He said that her fanaticism reached a level, where she even started expressing her keenness to become a suicide bomber to wage jihad so that she could attain ‘martyrdom.’

Fearful that his daughter would choose the path of terrorism, the father reported Rahil aka Rahul Agarwal to the police, based on which, the Ghaziabad police arrested the accused and started investigating the case.

During the probe, the police found several videos of fugitive Islamic preacher Zakir Naik and Islamic speeches on Rahil’s mobile phone. Zakir Naik was declared a fugitive by the Government of India. He was banned by Indian Govt in 2015.

It may be recalled that last month, the Ghaziabad police busted a case of the conversion of children through the gaming app “Fortnite.” The police explained the sinister approach the Islamists utilised to manipulate and coerce children to convert to Islam through online games. The police confirmed that four teenagers who were converted through the online gaming app were asked to read verses of the Quran to win the games.

A team was formed to investigate the matter after filing an FIR under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). First, a Maulavi in Ghaziabad and then Shahnawaz Khan were arrested.

Bengal panchayat polls violence: At least eight killed amidst widespread violence in the state, poll booths vandalised

OpIndia Staff
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Bengal panchayat polls violence: At least eight killed amidst widespread violence in the state, poll booths vandalised

Tensions have gripped Bengal yet again amid ongoing panchayat polls in the state. Violent clashes have resulted in at least eight deaths and left many injured. Earlier on Saturday, July 8, polling began amid heavy security from Central Reserve Police Forces (CRPF).

Governor CV Ananda Bose has taken stock of the situation on the ground amid rampant violence largely in Coochbehar, Murshidabad, and North 24 Paraganas districts.

He said, “I have been in the field right from the morning…People requested me, stopped my motorcade on the way. They told me about the murders happening around them, told me about the goons not allowing them to go to the polling booths…It should cause concern to all of us. This is the most sacred day for democracy…Election must be through ballots and not bullets..”

A polling booth Baravita Primary School in Sitai at Coochbehar was vandalised and ballot papers were set ablaze. Wooden chairs and tables were toppled and set on fire, torn ballot papers could be seen lying around the room filled with smoke.

In another incident ahead of the polls, a house in Murshidabad was vandalised and set on fire a day before polling on Friday as TMC and Congress workers traded blows.

House in Murshidabad vandalised (Source: ANI)

The Trinamool Congress has alleged that three of its party workers have been killed in Rejinagarm, Tufanganj, and Khargram. On the other hand, polling agent of a BJP candidate has also been killed in an attack by hooligans, on a polling booth in Falimari gram panchayat of Cooch Behar. The candidate is admitted to a hospital after sustaining injuries even as voting has been suspended at the booth.

The BJP candidate Maya Barman said, “TMC goons hurled a bomb at my agent and killed him. They also attacked me.”

In Kholakhali, the BJP has said that the TMC is looting ballots openly. Bengal BJP President Dr Sukanta Majumdar shared a video on Twitter showing the same at booth No. 44 and 45 in Kholakhali.

The booth agent of an independent candidate has also been killed in Pirgachha of North 24 Parganas district following which protests were staged by the villagers alleging that the husband of TMC candidate Munna Bibi is behind the murder.

A 52-year-old TMC worker, Sateshuddin Sheikh was killed in Khargram, Murshidabad. A Congress worker named Phoolchand was killed in the same area during the nomination process for the Panchayat election.

TMC worker Sateshuddin Sheikh killed in Khargram.

Residents of Nandigram Block 1 of Purba Medinipur district boycotted the election owing to no security presence and accused the TMC of capturing booths. A voter, Govind said, “There is no Central force here. Booth capturing keeps happening here by TMC. They do bogus voting even in the name of the deceased. We won’t allow voting here unless Central forces come here…”

The panchayat elections are a precursor to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections for the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress in the state which has come under heavy fire for the decaying law & order situation.

Voting on a total of 63,229 gram panchayat seats; 9,730 panchayat samiti seats; and 928 zilla parishad seats is underway. The counting of votes will be on 11th July.

DRDO scientist attracted to Pakistani agent ‘Zara’, revealed missile secrets to her: Maharashtra ATS

OpIndia Staff
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DRDO scientist attracted to Pakistani agent ‘Zara’, revealed missile secrets to her: Maharashtra ATS

According to the charge sheet filed by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the Maharashtra police, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) scientist Pradeep Kurulkar was attracted to the Pakistani intelligence agent who went under the alias ‘Zara Dasgupta’ and talked to her regarding Indian missile systems and other confidential defence initiatives.

The charge sheet was brought up in a courtroom last week against the accused who served as the director of one of the DRDO’s Pune labs.

Kurulkar is presently in judicial custody after being apprehended on May 3 for violating the Official Secrets Act. He was removed from his post two weeks before the arrest. The charge sheet stated that both Pradeep Kurulkar and Zara Dasgupta communicated over voice and video conversations as well as WhatsApp.

She identified as a software engineer residing in the United Kingdom and became friends with him by sending explicit messages and videos. Her IP address was traced to Pakistan during the inquiry, the ATS proclaimed in the charge sheet.

‘Zara’ tried to obtain sensitive and confidential information about the Brahmos Launcher, Drone, Unified Command Vehicle (UCV), Agni Missile Launcher, and Military Bridging System, among other things. The charge sheet unveiled, “Kurulkar, who was attracted to her, stored the classified and sensitive information of DRDO on his personal phone and then allegedly shared it with Zara.”

He reportedly discussed a number of programmes with her. The two were in touch from June 2022 to December 2022.

He barred her phone number in February 2023 just before the DRDO launched an internal investigation into his activities which were discovered to be suspicious. He soon received a WhatsApp message asking, “Why you blocked my number,” from another unidentified Indian number.

The charge sheet noted that despite being aware that he was not supposed to divulge his personal or professional schedules or locations with anyone, the chat records showed that he did so with her.

The 59-year-old was charged with violations of the Official Secrets Act (of 1923) sections 3 (spying) and 5 (wrongful transmission of information). A complaint from a DRDO vigilance and security office employee in Delhi resulted in the arrest.

UP: ATS arrests Mohammad Tariq for spreading ISIS ideology on social media platforms

OpIndia Staff
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UP: ATS arrests Mohammad Tariq for spreading ISIS ideology on social media platforms

On Thursday, July 6, Uttar Pradesh Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) arrested a youth named Mohammad Tariq, who was spreading the ideology of ISIS on multiple social media platforms. Mohammad Tariq was arrested by the UP ATS after multiple rounds of questioning at its office in Lucknow. 

The Gujarat ATS informed the UP ATS that Mohammad Tariq was spreading ISIS ideology across multiple social media platforms. The UP ATS began tracking Tariq and collected all the details about his activities on various social media platforms based on the information provided by the Gujarat ATS.

Tariq was later summoned to the ATS office in Lucknow via a notice for interrogation. During interrogation, Tariq admitted that he was spreading ISIS ideology and enticing young people on social media to join him. Following that, on July 6, the ATS arrested Tariq and will present him in court to seek police custody remand.

Recently, two men from Bengaluru and Kashmir were detained by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) for supporting terrorism on social media. These individuals desired to join terrorist organisations and rule India according to Sharia law. They were prepared to give their lives in retaliation for the Jihad.

NIA busts Ghazwa-e-Hind module

Earlier on 2nd July, NIA conducted raids in Bihar, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh in connection with ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’, a radicalised module being run by Pakistan-based suspects.

The agency searched one place in Darbhanga, two in Patna in Bihar, one in Surat (Gujarat), and one in Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh). The raids were conducted at the premises of these suspects across three states. Incriminating material, including digital devices (mobile phones, memory cards), SIM cards and documents, were seized during the raids, said the NIA.

The case came to light after the arrest of Marghoob Ahmad Danish alias Tahir, of Phulwarisharif area of Patna district, by the Bihar Police, which registered it on 14th July, last year. The NIA took over the case and re-registered it on 22nd July last year, and Marghoob was charge-sheeted on 6th January this year under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

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