On Tuesday, May 23, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended a community event in Sydney during his visit to Australia. The event was also attended by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Speaking at the event, PM Albanese called the Indian Prime Minister ‘The Boss’, the nickname of the celebrated American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen.
During his speech, the Australian Prime Minister mentioned Indian PM’s popularity and the reception he got and said that even the legendary rockstar Bruce Springsteen did not get the welcome that PM Modi got at the event in Sydney.
Speaking at the event, PM Albanese said, “The last time I saw someone on this stage was Bruce Springsteen and he did not get the welcome that Prime Minister Modi has got. Prime Minister Modi is the boss.”
#WATCH | "The last time I saw someone on this stage was Bruce Springsteen and he did not get the welcome that Prime Minister Modi has got. Prime Minister Modi is the boss," says Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the community event in Sydney pic.twitter.com/3nwrmjvDaR
Notably, the world-famous rockstar Bruce Springsteen has been called “The Boss” since the early 1970s when he took on the task of collecting his band’s nightly pay and distributing it amongst his bandmates. However, after seeing the reception that the Indian PM got in Australia, the Australian PM conceded that PM Modi is the actual boss.
PM Modi gets a grand welcome in Australia
Upon his arrival in Sydney, Prime Minister Modi was given a kind greeting by the Indian community. This is the Indian PM’s second visit to the country. People from the Indian diaspora greeted the PM with great joy and some of them also sang songs in his praise. “Suno suno oh duniyawalon Bharat ne bulaya hai, Modi ji ke navbharat ko aage aur badhana hai,” women could be heard singing. PM Modi seemed to enjoy the welcome and responded saying, “Waah, Waah” and also clapped for them.
The people further danced to the ‘Naatu Naatu’ song and also performed traditional Garba at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney to welcome Modi. The people from the Indian diaspora also reached Sydney on May 23 to listen to PM Modi speak on the Australia-India relationship and hired a privately chartered “Modi Airways” flight. The recreational aircraft also spelt ‘Welcome Modi’ in the sky before the community event in Sydney, Australia, the video of which went viral over social media platforms.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was greeted at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney Olympic Park with Vedic chanting and other traditional types of welcome as he arrived in the company of Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese to address Indian diaspora at a community event in the Australian city.
After a traditional welcome, PM Modi and Albanese greeted each other with a warm hug and walked into Sydney’s biggest stadium to reverberating cheers.
He was also welcomed in India traditions. Priests were present at the event and chanted prayers.
A cultural program was held at the Qudos Bank Arena. Various cultural performances were performed by various artists, Bharatnatyam, Garba and other dance forms were performed at the event.
Members of the Indian diaspora expressed their excitement at attending the event. Modi is visiting Australia for the first time in nine years. He has last visited the country in 2014.
An attendee Shashi Prabha said, “All of us are excited for PM Modi to arrive. That is the most important thing for us at the moment.”
Earlier, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that a chartered Qantas flight rebranded as “Modi Airways” was in Melbourne to bring fans to Sydney and “Modi Express” buses are being chartered from Queensland.
The plane full of Indians from across Australia arrived this morning in Sydney for the diaspora event.
According to ABC, PM Modi will address a rally which is expected to draw a crowd of up to 20,000 people who are hoping to catch a glimpse or listen to him. Prime Minister Modi had arrived in Sydney on Monday as part of the third and final leg of his three-nation visit after concluding his visit to Papua New Guinea. PM Modi was received by Australian High Commissioner to India Barry O’Farrell and other officials upon his arrival in Sydney.
Earlier today, he met different Sydney-based CEOs and highlighted “transformative reforms and initiatives” taken by his government and India’s credentials as one of the most preferred major economies for foreign investments in the world.
He also met certain prominent figures of the country including artists and those working in science, artificial intelligence, art and music.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
The third and last phase of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three-nation visit began shortly after he landed in Australia. PM Modi will be spending time in Australia till May 24 as a guest of the Australian government. During his three days there, he plans to meet with Anthony Albanese, his Australian counterpart, and take part in a celebration of Australia’s vibrant and diverse Indian diaspora.
Upon his arrival in Sydney, Prime Minister Modi was given a kind greeting by the Indian community. This is the Indian PM’s second visit to the country. People from the Indian diaspora greeted the PM with great joy and some of them also sang songs in his praise. “Suno suno oh duniyawalon Bharat ne bulaya hai, Modi ji ke navbharat ko aage aur badhana hai,” women could be heard singing. PM Modi seemed to enjoy the welcome and responded saying, “Waah, Waah” and also clapped for them.
Landed in Sydney to a warm welcome by the Indian community. Looking forward to various programmes over the next two days. pic.twitter.com/gE8obDI5eD
The people further danced to the ‘Naatu Naatu’ song and also performed traditional Garba at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney to welcome Modi. The people from the Indian diaspora also reached Sydney on May 23 to listen to PM Modi speak on the Australia-India relationship and hired a privately chartered “Modi Airways” flight. The recreational aircraft also spelt ‘Welcome Modi’ in the sky before the community event in Sydney, Australia, the video of which went viral over social media platforms.
#WATCH | ‘Welcome Modi’ spelt by a recreational aircraft’s contrails before the community event in Sydney, Australia. pic.twitter.com/d5KhGm6Nm8
For the ceremony at Olympic Park Arena, which will also be attended by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, over 170 persons of Indian descent took a chartered aircraft from Melbourne to Sydney.
Members of the Indian Australian Diaspora Foundation (IADF), wearing tricolour turbans and carrying Indian flags, boarded the plane dubbed “Modi Airways” by the Prime Minister’s supporters. According to an official statement by the Australian government, the IADF is hosting the Sydney event to honour Australia’s vibrant and diversified Indian population, which is a “core part” of the country’s multicultural culture.
People from Indian diaspora wearing Indian tricolor turbans
On his three-day visit to Australia, PM Modi is set to meet with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese and take part in a celebration of the vibrant and diverse Indian diaspora there. Modi left Papua New Guinea for Sydney, where he spoke with James Marape about their bilateral relations and took stock of them. He also spoke on how to improve collaboration in fields including business, technology, healthcare, and climate change.
Following an invitation from his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida, he started his three-nation visit on Friday in Japan, where he attended three sessions of the G7 meeting.
The third in-person Quad Summit took place in Hiroshima, and Modi was there together with US President Joe Biden, Japanese PM Kishida, and Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese.
Sajjad Nomani, a prominent Islamic scholar and cleric, has been at the forefront of the ‘misleading campaign.’Bhagwa love trap’ conspiracy theory.
In recent times, a new menace of Islamist mobs attacking Hindu-Muslim couples has come to light. Multiple videos have surfaced on social media where these extremists are seen harassing, abusing, molesting and physically assaulting Hindu men and Muslim women under the garb of combating ‘Bhagwa Love Trap.’
It is based on a baseless theory about Hindu outfits, supposedly training Hindu youth to lure, and entrap Muslim women and turn them into non-Muslims.
While Islamists are not new to making outrageous claims without evidence, Sajjad Nomani (a member of the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board) has been at the helm of this dangerous affair.
His speeches and provocative remarks have added enough fuel to the fire of Islamism so much so that they have now translated into real-life incidents of attacks.
Sajjad Nomani and his speeches endorsing ‘Bhagwa love trap’
In one of his videos, he was heard saying, “8 lakh Muslim women have turned infidel and left Islam after meeting their Hindu partners. RSS has created a team of Hindu youths who are trained in Islamic teachings and Urdu…They are then instructed to lure Muslim women into a love trap.”
Sajjad Nomani claimed that such Hindu men are then rewarded with ₹2.5 lakhs, a house and a job, which is supposedly serving as an ‘incentive’ for the Hindu community at a time of high unemployment.
“Several Hindu youths are fixated on this mission but we are sleeping…Billions of funds have been allocated to take away our Faith,” he alleged. The AIMPLB member urged his fanatic followers to ‘wake up from their deep slumber and take action’.
Sajjad Nomani then used his conspiracy theory to discourage girl child education. “We send our daughters to schools and colleges but we do not know if they are learning science and maths or vulgarity and apostasy there,” he further claimed.
The Islamic cleric called upon the parents and brothers of Muslim girls to ‘follow them’ and see when they take out their burqa and put it inside their purses. “Our Faith is being robbed…How will we show our face to the Prophet on the day of Judgment?” he continued to peddle hysteria.
After fear-mongering about the ‘Bhagwa love trap’, he said, “My job was to make you aware. I did my part and now leave the fate of your children in the hands of Allah.”
In one video, Sajjad Nomani was seen discussing the marriages between Hindu-Muslim couples, without conversion, under the Special Marriage Act.
“The court displays the name of the couple on the board and gives a month for anyone to raise objections…After compiling the cases, I found that more than 8 lakh Muslim women have turned into infidels and left Islam with their Hindu partners,” he brazened it out.
“Only Allah knows when we will wake up from our slumber…Only He knows when we will stop imagining ourselves as the governor (wali) of Islam by reading Namaz on Fridays…” the cleric made his appeal.
While quoting the Quran, he said, “Subah ko aadmi Momin hoga aur shaam takKafir ban jayega…Shaam ko Momin hoga aur subah tak kafir ho jayega (He will be a practising Muslim until evening and then turn apostate by night or be a Muslim from evening to night and then Kafir by morning).”
Sajjad Nomani claimed that Muslims might also sell their Faith in exchange for quick money. “I do not know why are we so unaware… Is this a curse from Allah on us? Many of us send our daughters to schools, universities and colleges… And we do not take note of what they are learning there.”
#Video: Sajjad Nomani claimed, “As per my estimates, at least 5000 girls have run away with Hindus, married them and changed their religion to Hinduism."
And these are the children of those people, who are considered ‘religious’ in their neighbourhoods,” he said.
“As per my estimates, at least 5000 girls have run away with Hindus, married them and changed their religion to Hinduism. And these are the children of those people, who are considered ‘religious’ in their neighbourhoods,” he was heard claiming in another video.
“You have not indoctrinated them enough or taught them about Faith…You have instead sent them to schools and colleges, gave them mobile phones and allowed them to make friends,” he lamented.
Sajjad Nomani remarked, “On the other hand, there is a concerted effort to entrap as many Muslim girls as possible, destroy their Faith, have ‘fun’ with them and then discard them. This is their plan to destroy the lives of such girls.”
He claimed. “These girls are dumb…Their parents are ignorant and did not bother to inform them about such a conspiracy… I have been told that the organisation (hinting at the RSS) trains Hindu men for 2 months to be able to entrap such girls.”
“And by talking ‘smooth’, they can lure these girls into their trap. We are not doing anything about it…It is disheartening to see that you are not bothered that a daughter of this community ran away with a kafir (a derogatory term used for non-Muslims),” he continued with his provocation.
The cleric claimed, “You are going about your normal lives…And our Faith is being systematically destroyed. This is our last chance.” He lamented that Muslims in India today are somehow not concerned about ‘Ummah’ and are busy with their everyday lives.
Opindia found several videos wherein Sajjad Nomani was heard reiterating the conspiracy theory of Hindu men supposedly entrapping Muslim women and converting them to Hinduism.
Screengrab of Youtube videos where Sajjad Nomani is heard peddling the Bhagwa love trap theory
In another video, Sajjad Nomani was heard saying, “Some people are challenging us, saying they want to take our girls and make them daughters-in-law or turn them into infidels.”
He claimed that Muslim girls are somehow giving up on purdah and modesty, which he later uses to urge parents not to send their daughters to schools and colleges. “Teach women at home…Don’t send them anywhere and find a female teacher…” he added.
The cleric then went on to show his fundamentalist mindset when he said, “I swear on Allah that it is better to keep your daughters uneducated and illiterate instead of sending them to such colleges.”
Social media conspiracy theory translates to real-life attacks
Although he did not coin the term ‘Bhagwa love trap’, Sajjad Nomani was one of the prominent Islamic clerics who ‘mainstreamed’ the bogus claim of Hindu men deliberately entrapping Muslim women to take them away from ‘Deen.’
It also served as a useful tactic for the Islamists to counter 100s of documented cases of impersonation, identity fraud, and forced conversions to Islam (popularly known as Love Jihad).
The conspiracy theory soon took the form of a social media hashtag, which Islamists used to share videos of random hijab-wearing Muslim women and their male Hindu friends/ acquaintances and partners without their consent.
The posts are often accompanied by emotional messages and sought public help in identifying the couples.
Soon after, social media was rife with videos of Islamist mobs ambushing random Hindu-Muslim couples. This would then be followed by heated arguments, physical assault on the Hindu men, and even molestation of the Muslim women.
Multiple videos have now come to light where rabid Islamist mobs are seen openly harassing, abusing, and manhandling inter-faith couples. These videos have been reported from different cities/States of India.
The victims have been targeted on roads, restaurants, eateries, and even hotels. Based on local reports and social media videos, OpIndia has compiled a total of 30 cases where Hindu men and Muslim women were attacked by extremists under the pretext of the ‘Bhagwa love trap.’
The attacks were carried out under the pretext that a sinister plot was underway to convert Muslim women to Hinduism by luring them into a love trap – a conspiracy theory espoused by Sajjad Nomani in multiple videos.
Sending daughters to schools alone is Haram: Sajjad Nomani
In one of his videos, the member of the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board announced that sending girls to schools and colleges alone is forbidden (Haram) in Islam.
Sajjad Nomani also declared that those parents who send their daughters to educational institutes alone will be condemned to Hell (Jahannum). He added that Muslim girls should not be left unaccompanied, even if they wear a hijab.
He said that it does not matter even if the daughter is wearing a hijab and going to college, she is not to be left unaccompanied. While encouraging a new form of vigilantism, the cleric said, “If you are a father, a Muslim or a good person, it is Haram to be careless about your daughter.”
Indian Mullah Maulana Sajjad Nomani, listen how he is injecting fear in Muslims parents who have daughters going for Collages & Coaching Classes pic.twitter.com/emFnE3MMoq
The speech by Sajjad Nomani can be seen as an extension of his conspiracy theory about Hindu men entrapping Muslim women. Other than provocating his community to ‘do something’ against such men, he was seen advocating keeping Muslim women restricted to their homes.
Sajjad Nomani and his support for Mohammed Zubair and Asaduddin Owaisi
For someone who has been actively provoking Muslims to ‘take action’ against Hindu men for befriending Muslim women, it came as no surprise when Sajjad Nomani extended his support of Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair.
In a tweet in July last year, he said, “Thank you Ho’ble Judges of Supreme Court of India for passing such a speaking and landmark judgement on Zubair’s bail application.”
In the past, Opindia covered in detail how Alt News has been using its dubious fact-checking methods to shield radical Islamists. These include peddling systematic lies, doxxing, disputing obvious facts, whitewashing deplorable crimes and, of course, collaborating with global left-wing actors.
It was thus obvious that a radical cleric such as Sajjad Nomani would come to the rescue of one of his co-religionists, who has been actively working to further Islamist propaganda.
Thank you Ho'ble Judges of Supreme Court of India for passing such a speaking and landmark judgement on @zoo_bear's bail application.
Besides his support to Mohammed Zubair, Sajjad Nomani also backed AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi in the Uttar Pradesh polls. He had advised Owaisi to form strategic alliances and contest in only those constituencies where victory is certain.
Nomani had warned against the ‘possible division of the Muslim vote’ and heaped praises on the AIMIM chief. His unwavering support of Asaduddin Owaisi is not without any reason.
The Hyderabad-based leader has been a provocateur himself, threatening Hindu activist Kamlesh Tiwari (ultimately leading to his gory killing on accusations of blasphemy), and dog-whistling against ex-BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
Sajjad Nomani has been a fan of the brutal Islamist regime of the Taliban in the war-torn country of Afghanistan. After the Talibs managed to capture Kabul, he sent his congratulations from India.
“No one can defeat a community which is ready to die in its pursuit of power. Congratulations to the Taliban! I, as a Muslim from Hind, salute your courage, calibre, religious zeal and determination,” the cleric remarked.
“The whole world has witnessed this historic event. I want to extend my heartfelt greetings and love to the clerics (Ulemas)of Afghanistan and the leaders of Sunni Muslims, Shia Muslims, Hazaras and that of Northern Afghanistan,” he was heard saying.
Last year, India’s #Deobandi cleric Sajjad Nomani was openly glorifying #Taliban.
Will he be condemning Taliban’s evil law of banning female education?
At one side, they praise Ayesha ؓ as intellectual, & on other side they block Muslim women from mosques and universities. pic.twitter.com/faIgmB2WZ9
Sajjad Nomani peddles hysteria and plays victim card
In February 2018, the member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board stirred the hornet’s nest for fear-mongering about the possible ‘genocide’ of Indian Muslims along the lines of Rohingyas in Myanmar during a speech in Hyderabad.
Former UP Shia Waqf Board chief Waseem Rizvi filed a complaint against Sajjad Nomani for his speech, following which the Islamic cleric was booked on charges of sedition and hurting religious feelings.
“Referring to Rohingya Muslims, Nomani said attempts are underway to make the situation of Indian Muslims like that of their Rohingya counterparts. He even said he had proof of arms, ammunition and training being given to all, even in the smallest of villages, to make Indian Muslims suffer,” Rizvi said.
Chairman of UP Shia Central Waqf board Waseem Rizvi filed complaint against AIMPLB spokesperson Maulana Sajjad Nomani accusing him of enticing Muslims against the country by comparing condition of community in India with that of Rohingya Muslims. Police yet to convert it intoFIR.
“This speech was widely broadcast by television channels, which had a mass impact,” he added. Sajjad Nomani has however cried foul and rejected the accusations.
Alleged support to Atiq Ahmed
Following the assassination of politician-gangster Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf in Prayagraj city of Uttar Pradesh, a purported video of Sajjad Nomani hailing the duo as ‘martyrs’ had gone viral on social media.
With a teary voice, the Islamic cleric led prayers and sought forgiveness for Atiq Ahmed and his brother. “Allah, give the strongest punishment to those who killed them,” he prayed thrice.
“They first killed the son, then the father and the uncle… I don’t know who else they are planning to eliminate,” he had lamented.
After the video went viral, the All India Muslim Personal Board distanced itself from the alleged remarks of Sajjad Nomani. It claimed that the cleric’s remarks should be considered as his personal comments and should not be attributed to the Board.
Sajjad Nomani supported farmers’ protests
At a time when so-called ‘farmers’ were protesting against the repeal of the farm laws, the Islamic cleric sought to exploit the opportunity to unite several warring factions against the Modi government.
While speaking at the Singhu border, he claimed that the violent demonstrations had brought new hope against ‘injustice’ perpetrated in the country. Sajjad Nomani remarked, “So many organisations have been, for years, trying to create awareness about the injustices in the country, and this movement has brought a new ray of hope from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.”
He added, “Thanks to you and your leadership, who realised that ‘enough is enough’ and decided to raise your voices, we have been reassured that the era of darkness in the country is ending and that justice is not very far away.”
Maulana Sajjad Nomani Sahab participated in farmers protest at Singhu Border and when Maulana wanted to go because of Namaz, the Sikh brothers provided a place for Namaz and the Namaz were offered there. This is the Gurdwara of Singhu Border.#FarmarProtestpic.twitter.com/vk783UGPgj
In his desperate attempt to forge an artificial ‘Muslim-Sikh unity’ under the pretext of supporting the farmers’ protests, Sajjad Nomani claimed, “On behalf of the Muslim society, I assure you that we are all standing behind you and support you, and request you to not lose hope and continue this fight.”
“The protest is not just a fight against the three laws, but a fight for freedom. The country that became independent after so much struggle, is being made a slave again, but India is not meant to be a slave,” he brazened it out.
A conspiracy theorist himself, the Islamic cleric went on to claim, “There is a conspiracy to divide this movement, but we should all remain united because India is a country of love and brotherhood.”
Sajjad Nomani and his activism against CAA and UCC
In January 2020, Sajjad Nomani declared ‘Bharat Band’ against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR).
It must be mentioned that the Citizenship Amendment Act was passed by the Indian Parliament to fast-track citizenship of religious minorities who fled from the neighbouring Islamic republics of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan and settled in India.
Similarly, the implementation of NRC and NPR is necessary to correctly identify illegal immigrants living in India and posing a threat to the country’s national security.
Given that a majority of such illegal immigrants are Muslims from Bangladesh, who came to India out of economic opportunity, the Islamic cleric (just like a true defender of Ummah) took it upon himself to oppose NRC and NPR.
He also advised the Muslim community to maintain ‘strategic silence’ against Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and wait for other communities to lead the protest.
“UCC is not practically possible. Strong voices of opposition are emerging from the Adivasi community. They have special rights (which will undo with the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code),” he claimed.
Sajjad Nomani alleged, “All privileges of the Adivasis, Lingyats, non-Muslims will be taken away.” He asked his co-religionists to wait and watch so that the matter doesn’t become a Hindu-Muslim affair’ and the pot still keeps boiling.
Sajjad Nomani and the implications of his hate speeches
The conspiracy theory of the ‘Bhagwa love trap’, as disseminated by the likes of Sajjad Nomani, is now endangering the lives of Hindu men who are seen with hijab/burqa-clad women in public spaces.
It must be mentioned that the police have not taken cognisance of all videos, which have surfaced on social media. Only a few incidents have so far made it to local reports and mainstream media.
In the absence of appropriate action by law enforcement authorities, the extremists are only likely to be emboldened. This becomes more alarming when analysed with the fact that the viral videos were shot by the perpetrators and not the victims.
It goes on to show that the Islamists have no fear of law and order despite being well aware that the videos could be used as evidence against them. Despite provoking his co-religionists for such a long time with his baseless claims of 5000 and 8 lakh conversions, no action has been taken against Sajjad Nomani.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is conducting a search into a sports-tech start-up operated by a former top NDTV executive in connection with its money laundering investigation against suspected conman Sanjay Prakash Rai ‘Sherpuria’.
The agency searched MyySports Pvt Ltd’s offices in Delhi NCR earlier this month and froze its fixed deposits totalling more than Rs 4.6 crore. The ED is looking into the business for allegedly storing Sherpuria’s cash; Saurav Banerjee, a former Co-CEO and CFO of the NDTV Group formed and oversees it.
Late last month, the Special Task Force of the Uttar Pradesh Police arrested Sherpuria for allegedly fabricating his access to the Prime Minister’s Office and deceptively misusing the PM’s name for private advantage.
“Sherpuria received money from a number of businessmen in various forms on the promise of helping them with issues related to the government. These funds have been parked in various companies. One of these is MyySports. We have frozen two separate FDs of the company to ensure the funds are not diverted until the investigation is complete,” an ED official said.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for MyySports Pvt Ltd commented on the issue and said that the company was not at all aware of the alleged conman’s antecedents. It also said that it was shocked and surprised after knowing about Sherpuria’s arrest.
“Sherpuria’s family invested Rs 3.50 cr on the same terms as other investors in the latest round of funding in February 2023. Against the said investment, Compulsorily Convertible Preference Shares were allotted to the investors, including to Sherpuria’s family, on an arm’s length basis. The price at which the shares have been allotted to Sherpuria’s family is the same as that of shares allotted to other investors,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying.
“None of the directors or officers of the Company had any knowledge of any allegations now being made against Sherpuria. The company has no other dealings with him other than this investment,” he added stating that the company is co-operating with the investigation.
The company claims that MyySports is in the business of creating, managing, operating, and disseminating international digital platforms and multimedia content. MyySports was formed in December 2020 with an authorized capital of Rs 14 lakh and a paid up capital of Rs 8.54 lakh, according to paperwork submitted to the Registrar of Companies. In addition to Banerjee, who serves as the company’s managing director, there are six other directors.
Sherpuria was arrested by the UP STF last month on suspicion of defrauding entrepreneurs by falsely claiming to be connected to Cabinet members and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The UP STF move was conducted in response to a tip from ED, which had already started questioning the individual.
On May 21, 48-year-old Zulfikar, a native of village Kappur, district Palakkad, Kerala, died in Karachi jail. He was arrested by the Pakistani Coast Guard for illegally entering Pakistani waters. Reportedly, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) found his links to the Islamic terrorist organisation ISIS. He was living in UAE for several years and in 2018 he was in Abu Dhabi. He died in a Karachi hospital due to a lung-related ailment.
His family disowned him but will receive his body
As per reports, his wife and two children were living with him in UAE. However, his wife left him after learning about his connections to ISIS and came back to India. His parents and siblings also disowned him over links to the Islamic terrorist organisation.
However, after learning about his death, his family said they would receive his body if it is delivered to their home state. His father Abdul Hameed said it would not be possible for him to receive his body from Chandigarh Airport but would receive it if the government arrange transport to the home state. Zulfikar’s dead body will be handed over to Indian authorities by Pakistan at Attari-Wagha Border.
In a statement, his father said, “An inspector, who is an acquaintance of mine, works at the Special Branch. He called me to ask if we have any information about Zulfikar and I said no. He then claimed that somebody told him Zulfikar has returned. After some time, my son (Zulfikar’s brother) told me that he passed away.”
Zlfikar’s cousin was quoted by The News Minute as saying that they did not have any problem in collecting Zulfikar’s body. However, if his links with the terrorist organisation were proven, they would not have collected it. Zulfikar did not visit Palakkad since 2018.
As per reports, the Union Home Ministry has directed the Additional Chief Secretary of the Kerala Home Department to ensure the dead body is handed over to the relatives.
The links between Kerala natives with ISIS are making headlines for weeks because of the film The Kerala Story. The movie revolves around the lives of Hindu women who were lured to convert by Muslim men and then later sent to join the terrorist organisation ISIS. The film, which is inspired by real-life stories, has faced backlash from Islamists, communists, and liberals.
On Monday, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) launched an initiative named ‘BBC Verify’ to address the growing ‘threat of disinformation’ and build trust with audiences through transparency. The corporation which itself has a history of spreading fake news several times in the past, said that it wanted to show people not only what it knows but also how it knows what it knows.
“We’ve brought together forensic journalists and expert talent from across the BBC, including our analysis editor Ros Atkins and disinformation correspondent Marianna Spring and their teams. They’ll be fact-checking, verifying video, countering disinformation, analysing data and – crucially – explaining complex stories in the pursuit of truth,” the BBC said in the statement of its new brand release.
BBC News has unveiled BBC Verify to address the growing threat of disinformation and build trust with audiences through transparency.
BBC to use fake profiles to check social media working
Interestingly, BBC’s Disinformation Correspondent Marianna Spring also revealed that she had created fake social media profiles with names and computer-generated photos to check on the political polarization in the country and to just check how social media works. “I have some undercover accounts set up for BBC’s Americast podcast. These accounts help in understanding the polarization online and really what’s happening on the social media feeds and what is being recommended and pushed to us can affect all of us. They don’t provide us exhaustive insight but they can help us in understanding how social media really works,” Spring said while explaining the BBC verify strategies and tools.
Essentially, the BBC wants to “fact check” disinformation and understand polarisation by creating fake social media profiles which in itself is ‘misinformation’ and perhaps, could potentially end up worsening the polarisation that BBC aims to understand.
Fake profiles were created during US midterm elections 2022
The ‘undercover accounts’ created by Spring for BBC’s Americast podcast are Larry, the Faith and Flag conservative; Britney from the Populist Right; Gabriela, the less political Stressed Sideliner; Michael, the Democratic Mainstay; and Emma from the Progressive Left. These accounts are not new but were created during the US midterm elections in 2022. According to Spring, she reportedly had created these accounts to check what voters were recommended online at a turbulent time for US politics.
Spring then also revealed that her fake friends who were created based on the data from Pew Research Center, had been recommended and allegedly influenced by the social media platforms during the elections. For instance, Britney (Populist Right) had come across false claims on TikTok that Trump really won the 2020 election – sometimes referencing the raid on Mar-A-Lago and using violent rhetoric. The account has also been exposed to and recommended pages promoting false claims the election was rigged on Insta and Facebook.
She's come across false claims on TikTok that Trump really won the 2020 election – sometimes referencing the raid on Mar-A-Lago & using violent rhetoric. The account has also been exposed to & recommended pages promoting false claims the election was rigged on Insta and Facebook pic.twitter.com/P0pVgiagPm
Further, Michael (Democratic Mainstay) came across lots of content from the Democrat party. “His accounts have also been pushed memes like this one enjoying the investigation into Trump,” Spring tweeted.
Unsurprisingly as he follows them, Michael has come across lots of content from the Democrat party. His accounts have also been pushed memes like this one enjoying the investigation into Trump. pic.twitter.com/Q1YlH4eJKx
Ironically, the BBC indicated that it would continue to use these fake profiles to verify videos, counter disinformation and explain complex stories in the ‘pursuit of truth’. “This is a different way of doing our journalism. We’ve built a physical space in the London newsroom, with a studio that BBC Verify correspondents and experts will report from, transparently sharing their evidence-gathering with our audiences. They will contribute to News Online, radio and TV, including the News Channel and our life and breaking streaming operation, both in the UK and internationally,” the statement added.
The idea to launch BBC Verify seems to have emerged on May 3 when video footage showing two drones crashing into a dome of the Kremlin complex in Moscow appeared on social media. The BBC analyzed that it was difficult for people to believe whether the video was true or fake and that the consumers had a hard time trusting the reels in their news feeds. “Which is why we at the BBC thought of urgently beginning to show and share the work we do behind the scenes, to check and verify information and video content before it appears on the platforms,” BBC added.
BBC’s history of sharing fake news
Notably, the BBC has been criticized and accused of sharing fake news itself umpteen times in the past. There are countless reports, but here are the crucial ones. In 2021, as Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath marked the completion of four years of his government in the state, he highlighted the achievements of his government. However, the BBC didn’t agree with the claims made by the chief minister and tried to insinuate that Yogi Adityanath was making false claims about his government’s achievements.
British state-run media British Broadcasting Company (BBC), which has many a time outdone itself when it comes to peddling anti-Modi, anti-India rhetorics, published a report on its Hindi website trying to confute Yogi Adityanath’s claims. In its report headlined, “The truth of Yogi Adityanath’s four-year report card claims in UP”, BBC Hindi rolled out figures to refute Yogi’s claims. However, the UP Police took to Twitter to release the actual figures, which busted BBC’s propaganda against the Yogi Government.
राज्यों के अपराधों की समीक्षा का सर्वमान्य संकेतक NCRB के अनुसार भी अपराध की दर(Crime Rate) है न कि कुल अपराधों की संख्या का योग। NCRB 2019 के अनुसार क्राइम रेट के आधार पर कुल आईपीसी में उत्तर प्रदेश का देश में 25 वाँ स्थान है जो अधिकांश बड़े राज्यों से बेहतर है।#UPPolice (2/5) pic.twitter.com/JwkpdhZmQ3
Also, in 2021, when the Taliban took over the Afghanistan government, the BBC made sure that the world legitimises the Taliban. On September 8, 2021, BBC wrote a detailed profile on the cabinet ministers that were selected by the Taliban to lead the nation. 17 out of the 33 cabinet ministers were terrorists. The BBC conveniently left out this detail from their profile. The corporation simply forgot to mention that the selected ministers were on the US terror watch list. In fact, it did not even mention Pakistan or the ISI once in their profile.
In this detailed account of the Gallery of Monsters, this BBC article doesn't mention Pakistan or the ISI once. It's like discussing the recipe for gajjar-ka-halva without mentioning it has gajjar. https://t.co/7DkKnMKljk
Defamation suits fled against BBC for defaming PM Modi and India
BBC has time and again published fabricated reports on the Kashmir issue in India and also defamed PM Modi. It has published several discredited reports furthering the anti-India stance at the global level. Recently, in January, it published a documentary on the Gujarat riots and attempted to defame PM Modi, BJP, RSS and the VHP. The BBC through the documentary named ‘India: The Modi Question’ attempted to push a particular discredited narrative. The propaganda piece lacked objectivity and exposed the colonial mindset and the bias of the corporation.
The controversial documentary was banned by the government on January 24 this year. However, the links to the same were illegally made available by the BBC through the Wikipedia page and the Internet Archives. The illegal links were taken down from Internet Archives after the BJP leader filed a defamation suit against BBC, Wikipedia and Internet Archives. The links to the documentary on the BBC portal are yet to be taken down from the Wikipedia page, though inoperative.
The BBC during the recent hearing blatantly argued that it is a foreign entity and that the Delhi court did not have the jurisdiction to deal with the defamation case filed against it. Another defamation case has also been filed in the Delhi High Court against BBC for defaming India, its judiciary, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The lawsuit has been brought by the Gujarat-based NGO ‘Justice for Trial’.
Notably, though the documentary has been banned by the Indian government, the jurisdiction of this ban is limited in India, and the two-part documentary is legally available outside India.
BBC to also show ‘how it knows’ what it knows
The BBC who has history of sharing fake news and publishing propaganda online has now strangely launched a new brand to counter disinformation. It has also revealed that it would be using fake profiles on the social media to analyze the polarization online. This can be risky as each of the fake profiles created on the social media houses diverse ideologies which can ultimately influence and further the selective agenda at selective required time, of course with the aid of social media recommendations.
Further, the BBC also said that it would show its audiences not only what it knows but also how it knows what it knows. Disclosing the working tactics of one journalistic organization can also prove risky. This is because while one section of the social media users would know the ‘truth’ and start trusting the corporation, the other section who consists of the offenders, fake news spreaders and propagandists and that category of individuals, would know the internal investigative, journalistic workings and would plan their agendas accordingly, probably leaving no traces of evidences for people to know the truth.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his Australian visit in Sydney by meeting executives of top multinational companies in the country.
On Tuesday PM Modi met Paul Schroder, Chief Executive Officer of AustralianSuper, a superannuation fund headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria. Prime Minister highlighted India’s credentials as one of the most preferred major economies for foreign investments in the world and invited AustralianSuper to partner with India.
Schroder is responsible for the leadership and strategic development of the fund and the provision of advice to the board. After his meeting with PM Modi, Schroder said, “Ours was the most impressive meeting. The Prime Minister is the most impressive person who understands business and who is very encouraging as well.”
“The Prime Minister talked about his dreams about India and is really ethic which is a very powerful message,” he said, adding, “AustralianSuper does invest in India of course and in particular in the Indian infrastructure fund and we have had a very good experience investing in India.”
Prime Minister Modi highlighted India’s credentials as one of the most preferred major economies for foreign investments in the world and invited AustralianSuper to partner with India, according to a statement from the ministry of external affairs.
Prime Minister Modi is on a three-day visit to the country to attend a bilateral meeting with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese. Modi arrived in Sydney on Monday and was welcomed by Australian High Commissioner to India Barry O’Farrell and other officials. He was greeted by the members of the Indian diaspora who chanted “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Vande Mataram”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday also met the executive chairman of Fortescue Future Industries, an Australia-based green energy and technology firm. John Andrew Henry Forrest AO, nicknamed Twiggy, is best known as the former CEO (and current non-executive chairman) of Fortescue Metals Group (FMG) and has other interests in the mining industry and in cattle stations.
Prime Minister Modi also interacted with Gina Rinehart, Executive Chairman of Hancock Prospecting. Georgina Hope Rinehart AO is an Australian billionaire mining magnate and businesswoman. Rinehart is the Executive Chairman of Hancock Prospecting, a privately owned mineral exploration and extraction company founded by her father, Lang Hancock.
Meanwhile, at the bilateral meeting to be held between PM Modi and Australian PM Anthony Albanese later this afternoon, the leaders will discuss trade and investment, including efforts to boost trade between the two countries through a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement and work to strengthen people-to-people links, renewable energy, and defence and security cooperation, said the official statement released by the Australian government.
PM Modi arrived in Sydney on Monday and was welcomed by Australian High Commissioner to India Barry O’Farrell and other officials. He was greeted by the members of the Indian diaspora who chanted “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Vande Mataram.”
In an exclusive interview with ‘The Australian’ newspaper, PM Modi said that he wants to elevate relations with Australia to the “next level,” which would entail deeper defence ties to support the creation of an “open and free” Indo-Pacific. “The Indo-Pacific faces a number of challenges such as climate change, natural disasters, terrorism, security of the sea lanes of communication, piracy, illegal fishing among others,” PM Modi told Cameron Stewart in an exclusive interview.
Calling his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese a “dear friend,” Prime Minister Modi said that the bilateral relationship between New Delhi and Canberra was being nourished by the fast-growing Indian diaspora residing there.
“Our people-to-people contacts remain a strong pillar of our partnership. The Indian diaspora in Australia has increased over the past years,” PM Modi said. “We have progressed significantly in the areas of defence, security. investment, education, water, climate change and renewable energy, sports, science, health, culture, among others” Prime Minister Modi told ‘The Australian’ newspaper.
Last year, on December 29, India and Australia implemented an economic cooperation and trade agreement (ECTA).
Notably, India-Australia bilateral trade exceeded USD 31 billion last financial year. Before emplaning for Australia, PM Modi visited Papua New Guinea where he co-chaired the third summit of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) jointly with his counterpart James Marape.
Earlier, he visited Japan where he attended the summit of the G7 advanced economies and held bilateral meetings with several world leaders. The Quad Summit was also held on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a three-day visit to Australia on Tuesday met the Executive Chairman of Fortescue Future Industries, an Australia-based Green energy and technology firm.
John Andrew Henry Forrest AO, nicknamed Twiggy, is an Australian businessman. He is best known as the former CEO (and current non-executive chairman) of Fortescue Metals Group (FMG) and has other interests in the mining industry and in cattle stations. According to the Financial Review, Forrest was the richest person in Australia in 2008.
The Prime Minister also met Paul Schroder, CEO of Australian Super, in Sydney. He was appointed Chief Executive of Australian Super on October 1, 2021, and is responsible for the leadership and strategic development of the fund as well as the provision of advice to the board.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Sydney as part of the third and final leg of his three-nation visit after concluding his visit to Papua New Guinea. PM Modi was received by Australian High Commissioner to India Barry O’Farrell and other officials upon his arrival in Sydney.
During his visit, PM Modi will hold a bilateral meeting with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese.
At their bilateral meeting, the leaders will discuss trade and investment, including efforts to boost trade between the two countries through a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement and work to strengthen people-to-people links, renewable energy, and defence and security cooperation, said the official statement released by the Australian government.
Members of the Indian diaspora also welcomed PM Modi as they chanted slogans of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Vande Mataram”.
During the visit, the Prime Ministers will attend a community event in Sydney to celebrate Australia’s dynamic and diverse Indian diaspora, a core part of our multicultural community,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, Australian PM Albanese said he looks forward to visiting India in September in New Delhi for the G20 Leaders’ Summit, the world’s premier forum for economic cooperation.
Describing the relationship between India and Australia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the high degree of mutual trust between the two nations has naturally translated into greater cooperation over time, especially on defence and security matters.
In an exclusive interview with ‘The Australian’ newspaper, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he wants to elevate relations with Australia to the “next level,” which would entail deeper defence ties to support the creation of an “open and free” Indo-Pacific.
“India believes that these challenges can be addressed only through shared efforts,” he said, adding that he wanted India and Australia to press forward to realise the “true potential” of closer defence and security ties.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
On May 22, the Jabalpur Bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court dismissed the second Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed to stop Bageshwar Dham’s religious event in the state. The event is scheduled for May 23 and May 24 at Rani Durgavati Mahavidyalay Ground, village Linga in Paraswada of district Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh.
हमारे सरकार कहते है प्रभु श्री राम जी वन गए तो बन गए…उसी वन के हृदय बनवासी भाई-बहनो के निमित पूज्य सरकार दो दिवसीय श्रीराम कथा सुनाने बालाघाट पहुँच रहे है….23-24 मई पूज्य सरकार के मुख़ारविन्द से राम के वन की संपूर्ण गाथा सुनिए सिर्फ़ बागेश्वर धाम सरकार के यूट्यूब/फ़ेसबुक पर…. pic.twitter.com/EfpfS2QCSA
— Bageshwar Dham Sarkar (Official) (@bageshwardham) May 22, 2023
During the hearing, Justice Vivek Agarwal warned the advocate of contempt of court if he continued to argue with the bench inappropriately. The advocate appearing for the “Tribal” organisation claimed that organising such an event would hurt the religious sentiments of the tribals. When Justice Vivek Agarwal asked him to explain the traditions of the ‘Bada Dev Bhagwan Sthal’ (Religious place of Tribals) of the area and how tribals’ sentiments would be hurt. The advocate read a paragraph from the petition that was vague with no detailed information on the local traditions.
Justice Vivek interrupted the advocate and explained his question in Hindi and English so that the counsel could understand. Confused by the question, the advocate could not provide any detail of the primitive traditions and said they do not have a problem if the event was held at another place. Justice Vivek said, “You are not answering my question. Who are you to decide where the event will take place and where it cannot take place?”
The advocate got agitated and said, “I am trying to explain it through Constitution but you are not listening to me.” Justice Vivek warned him to talk properly. Advocate said, “You are not listening to me. ‘Kuch bhi bole ja rahe hain’ (You are saying whatever you want)” to the judge.
Justice Vivek did not take the advocate’s tone lightly and asked to issue a contempt notice against him. The advocate continued to speak inappropriately and said, “I am trying to mention the provisions under Article 51 but you are not ready to listen.” He further asked the judge to listen to his argument first.
Justice Vivek again warned him of contempt if he continued to speak to the bench in an appropriate manner after which the advocate apologised. The advocate’s associate came and asked him to calm down. Justice Vivek, who was visibly angry at the way the advocate behaved, said, “First answer my questions then we will read the constitution. Don’t try to be over-smart. If you try to argue inappropriately, I will send you directly to jail from here.
Your practice will be finished.” He added, “You think that by behaving inappropriately (in the court) you will gain TRP). But you forget the day we send you to jail, your practice will be over”. “You are trained to behave inappropriately,” he added.
Interestingly, the advocate who submitted the PIL did not read the previous judgment that was given by Justice Vivek Agarwal on May 18 where he had dismissed a similar plea. When the advocate failed to explain the judgment, Justice Vivek pointed out it looked like a “sponsored PIL”. The PIL was dismissed on the ground that the advocate was not fully prepared. The advocate tried to argue that the event was scheduled for May 23 and May 24 to which the judge replied that he should have thought this before.
‘No need to take permission from Gram Sabha for events’
Earlier, on May 18, Justice Vivek Agarwal-led Jabalpur Bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court dismissed a PIL filed on behalf of Adivasi Vikas Parishad’s Dinesh Kumar Dhruve by Advocate Prahlad Choudhary. In the PIL, the petitioner argued that as the area was tribal, such events would affect them.
Justice Vivek asked to explain how it would affect the tribals, the counsel cited PESA Act and claimed permission of Gram Sabha was necessary for such events. He also argued that all the tribals in the area were against the event.
‘Bageshwar Dham events in view of upcoming elections’
Advocate Choudhary also argued that Madhya Pradesh Assembly Elections are scheduled in late 2023 and Bharatiya Janata Party is using Bageshwar Dham events to lure voters. He claimed that there has been a spike in invitations to Pandit Dhirendra Shastri Bageshwar Dham Maharaj to hold ‘Katha’ events across the state by BJP leaders. Furthermore, he claimed that such events cost crores that only political parties such as BJP can afford. Justice Vivek categorically asked him not to make political comments and pointed out that the article he was referring to was not listed in the documents.
Advocate Chaudhary launched an attack on Bageshwar Dham events claiming it promotes Hindutva and thus affects the social structure of the region. He claimed the leaders were using the stage for propagating religious disharmony.
Justice Vivek called out the advocate for filing a “sponsored” PIL. He said if such permissions were required, Gram Sabha should have approached the court, not some organisation. He added that there was no valid argument on how the event would affect the tribals.
Advocate Jahnvi Pandit argued for the state. She said that in PESA Act, the permission of Gram Sabha was not required. Furthermore, she pointed out the PIL looked sponsored. The state and local administration permitted looking into the law and order situation.
Series of attacks on Pandit Dhirendra Shastri Bageshwar Dham Maharaj
In the last few months, videos of Pandit Dhirendra Shastri Bageshwar Dham Maharaj have gone viral on social media, particularly for the reason of him being a firebrand Kathavachak promoting Hinduism. Lakhs of devotees attend his ‘Katha’ events. Recently, attempts were made to stop an event in Bihar by the state government. Reacting to the series of attacks against him, Pandit Dhirendra Shastri gave the example that when the elephant goes out on a round in the village, people feed it bananas, puris and various other dishes. Children worship the elephant as Ganesha. At the same time, stray dogs start barking at the elephant. In such a situation, if the elephant starts responding to the dogs, then people will call the elephant crazy. Therefore, the elephant keeps moving forward on its way ignoring those dogs.
