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Actress Adah Sharma faces online attack over The Kerala Story, clarifies the movie is not propaganda against any religion

OpIndia Staff
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Actress Adah Sharma faces online attack over The Kerala Story, clarifies the movie is not propaganda against any religion

Ever since the trailer of the much-awaited film The Kerala Story has been released, a section of people on social media are attacking the lead actress of the film — Adah Sharma. The film is based on the true stories of Hindu and Christian girls in Kerala who were first trapped into love jihad by Islamists in Kerala and later sent to Iraq and Syria to become ISIS terrorists.

In a video posted on her Twitter account, actress Adah Sharma clarified that the film is not propaganda and is also not against any religion rather it is against terror organizations.

“Our film is about the girls who have been drugged, brainwashed, raped, human trafficked, forcefully impregnated, and then again raped, sometimes by multiple people also, and the child delivered by such women is taken away from them and they are turned into suicide bombers,” Adah Sharma said.

She also added that “when people call The Kerala Story a political agenda, propaganda, etc, are diverting the issue and trivializing this. Our film is about life and death.”

Moreover, Adah hoped that the film spreads awareness among girls of all religions about the issue. She also urged people who still feel that the film is propaganda to watch it as it will be released on May 5th. “I am sure after watching all the facts, people will change their minds,” Sharma said.

Despite the clarifications and explanations, a section of people attacked the actress, for depicting the story of a Hindu girl being lured into converting to Islam and being made an ISIS bride in the film. 

One Arjun targeted the actress on Twitter and wrote, “Hello @adah_sharma. You are radicalized into believing the movie is true just like how ISIS radicalizes youth. None of the facts in the movie is true, your director failed to bring real evidence. This is propaganda & you are contributing to it by defending it.”

In reply to a tweet posted by Adah thanking people for their love and support for the film, one Sayuad Aamir urged his co-religionists to report against Adah for her ‘propaganda’ against Muslims and Islam, whenever she travels to any Islamic country.

“Remember Muslims, next time whenever she visits a Muslim country (Maldives, UAE, etc.), must report her false propaganda against Muslims and Islam to the authority there,” Sayyad Aamir wrote.

One Zoheb Saleem Shaikh who according to his Twitter bio is an office bearer in Mumbai Congress wrote, “Just like someone is making a living by taking the name of Muslims, in the same way, this flop actress has got the support of defaming Muslims to earn her livelihood. If there were no Muslims in India, all the Islamophobic would have died of hunger.”

Another Twitter user named Mateen Khan wrote, “You also want to be the future Kangana Ranaut and Payal Rohatgi.”

Who is Nimisha Fathima?

It is notable that The Kerala Story produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, and written-directed by Sudipto Sen with Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Sonia Balani, and Siddhi Idnani in the lead roles is based on true events and Adah Sharma’s character Shalini Unnikrishnan in the film is inspired from a nurse from Kerala named Nimisha Fathima

In July 2016, Nimisha Fathima fled to Afghanistan from Kerala along with her husband Bexin to wage a war against the United States in the ISIS-controlled Khorasan province and become ISIS jihadi.

After her marriage to an ISIS terrorist, Nimisha alias Fathima changed her identity to “Fathima Isa.” In Afghanistan, Fathima gave birth to a child shortly before her terrorist husband was killed.

Fathima was eventually forced to surrender to the Afghan government in 2019. Sonia Sebastian alias Ayisha, Merrin Jacob alias Mariyam, and Raffaela were named as the other women arrested along with her. In 2019 it was reported that the identity of Fathima and Bexin was verified after the photographs were shown to Nimisha Fathima’s mother and Bexin’s mother also identified her son.

According to reports, Nimisha, a dental student from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, married Christian Bexin from Palakkad without telling her mother Bindu Sampath. The couple eventually converted to Islam. Bindu had been advised by Nimisha that she would be visiting Sri Lanka to pursue religious studies.

People from Kerala brainwashed into joining ISIS

In 2019, it was reported that out of 900 ISIS terrorists to surrender in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar, there were 10 women and children from Kerala who belonged to the families of terrorists. 

In March 2020, 25 Sikhs were killed in an attack by Islamic State (IS) bombers on the Har Rai Sahib Gurudwara in Kabul. According to the IS, Abu Khalid Al-Hindi was one of the terrorists responsible for the bombing. On March 26, the IS publication Al Naba released a picture of Al-Hindi holding a Type 56 assault rifle and giving the traditional Tawhid one-finger salute.

The National Investigation Agency then stated that the Al-Hindi was Muhammad Muhsin, an engineering student from the Kasargod district of Kerala’s Thrikkarippur. The ISIS communique had stated that Al-Hindi wanted to avenge the ‘plight’ of Kashmiri Muslims.

In July 2022, it was reported that three men from Kerala identified as Midhilaj, Abdul, and Hamsa were sentenced to five years in prison for spreading ISIS ideology, recruiting youth for the terror outfit, and attempting to migrate to Syria. During 2016-17, these people were involved in recruiting people for ISIS from various areas of Kannur district in Kerala. Midhilaj and Abdul Razaq were arrested from Turkey when they were heading toward Syria.

Operation Devi Shakti, Operation Ganga, and Operation Kaveri: Three years, three successful rescue missions by the Modi govt

OpIndia Staff
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Operation Devi Shakti, Operation Ganga, and Operation Kaveri: Three years, three successful rescue missions by the Modi govt

In the last three years, PM Modi-led Indian government has launched three successful rescue operations to bring back Indian nationals from war-hit nations across the globe. The recent Operation Kaveri in Sudan, Operation Ganga in Ukraine, and Operation Devi Shakti in Afghanistan resulted in the evacuation of around 20,000 Indians combined.

Operation Kaveri

The government of India launched Operation Kaveri to evacuate Indians from war-hit Sudan. Under the ongoing Operation Kaveri, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan went to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to manage the evacuation. Minister of External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar regularly updated about the evacuation process on social media. Apart from Indian Nationals, foreign nationals were also evacuated by India.

The Indians were evacuated from Port Sudan to Jeddah after the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) agreed to extend their ceasefire amid ongoing violence in the capital Khartoum and the western Darfur region. Indians are being taken from Port Sudan to Jeddah on Navy ships and C-130J planes, from where they are being flown to India on C17 jet planes. On April 30, Dr S Jaishankar informed that 229 Indians reached Bengaluru. On April 29, 365 passengers reached India in one batch, and 231 reached home in another batch. In a tweet, Muraleedharan mentioned that around 2,100 Indians were scheduled for evacuation from battle-torn Sudan.

Operation Devi Shakti

Operation Devi Shakti was launched by the Modi government to bring back Indians stranded in Afghanistan after the Taliban took over the country in 2021. Apart from Indians, several foreign nationals were also rescued by India during the operation. The Indian Air Force and the Ministry of External Affairs carried out the operation Devi Shakti. They reached India on December 10. President of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, facilitated Sikhs at their arrival.

Earlier, at the end of October, Afghan Sikhs trapped in Jalalabad, Ghazni, and Kabul had requested the Sikh leaders and the Government of India to help them leave Afghanistan and reunite with their families. Back in August, Afghan Sikhs had brought three hand-written Swaroop of Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji from Afghanistan to India. They were received at the airport by Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Minister of State, Ministry of External Affairs V Muraleedharan. The Indian Air Force rescued Afghanistan Member of Parliament Narender Singh Khalsa, including 20 other Sikhs.

Operation Ganga

Operation Ganga was one of India’s biggest rescue operations. Under the operation, around 20,000 Indian nationals were rescued from war-hit Ukraine. Operation Ganga was launched on February 26 to evacuate nearly 20,000 Indian nationals who were stuck in Ukraine amid the conflict with Russia. Several special flights from Poland, Romania, and Hungary were organised to bring the students home. Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo, and SpiceJet had also joined the mission, operating multiple flights from Ukraine’s neighbouring countries to Delhi and Mumbai.

The Indian government had sent 4 Union Ministers, namely, Hardeep Singh Puri, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Kiren Rijiju, and General (Retd) VK Singh to Hungary, Romania and Moldova, Slovakia, and Poland, respectively, to coordinate Operation Ganga.

It must be mentioned that the Ukrainian airspace was closed for civilian aircraft from the day the war between Russia and Ukraine broke out. As such, the Indian embassy in Ukraine had to coordinate with the embassies of neighbouring countries in Poland, Romania, and Hungary to create safe evacuation channels. Under ‘Operation Ganga’, Indians were first taken in batches from Ukraine to bordering countries via buses/commutes arranged by the embassy. They were then airlifted to Delhi or Mumbai through chartered Air India flights.

Karnataka: Murder-accused Congress candidate, who is barred from his constituency by SC, gets praised by The Hindu for his virtual campaigning

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka: Murder-accused Congress candidate, who is barred from his constituency by SC, gets praised by The Hindu for his virtual campaigning

Former minister in Karnataka and Congress leader Vinay Kulkarni is contesting the upcoming state assembly election from the Dharwad constituency. Being accused and out on bail in connection with the murder of Zila Panchayat member Yogeesh Gowda, Vinay Kulkarni is barred from entering his constituency as per a Supreme Court order. However, media outlets like The Hindu have ignored the crime and lauded his virtual campaigning for the elections using Augmented Reality.

Vinay Kulkarni was detained on November 5, 2020, and while he was later given bail, a Supreme Court ruling presently prevents him from going to Dharwad. He had been identified by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as the primary accused in the case. The apex court’s restrictions are still in place.

Vinay Kulkarni was formerly the Minister for Mines and Geology in the Congress government. On April 6, the party unveiled its second list of 42 candidates. The murder-accused Vinay Kulkarni was the candidate from Dharwad in that list.

While detailing the election campaign methods deployed by the Congress leader in its report, all that The Hindu has said about the case is that “he was barred by the courts from entering the district in connection with a case.” The Hindu has completely ignored the murder case and focussed its report on the Augmented Reality tools used by the Congress leader, its reach, and 3-D models used for campaigning.

The 16th Karnataka state assembly election polling would be held on 10th May 2023. The results of the election will be declared on 13th May 2023. The 224-member assembly of the Karnataka state will complete its fifteenth term on 24th May 2023. At present, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has a total of 119 seats, while the Congress has a total of 75 and its ally JD(S) has a total of 28 seats.

Vinay Kulkarni is accused in Yogesh Gowda murder case

BJP worker Yogesh Gowda was hacked to death on June 15, 2016. Vinay Kulkarni, a Minister in the Siddaramaiah Congress cabinet, is alleged to have gotten Yogesh Gowda murdered for political reasons. Under the Siddaramaiah government, the Police had claimed that the murder was due to personal rivalry motivated by a land dispute.

When the BJP came to power in Karnataka, a party delegation met Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and demanded a CBI inquiry into the murder. Yediyurappa agreed and handed the case over to the CBI.

Before the CBI could investigate the case, Vinay Kulkarni got a stay on the investigation in the Dharwad bench of the High Court. The CBI then appealed against the order in the Supreme Court. The apex court lifted the stay paving the way for the CBI to resume the investigation into the murder. The court has also prohibited him from going to Dharwad.

USA: Texas man shoots dead five people ‘execution style’ after he was told to stop shooting as a baby was sleeping, remains on the run

OpIndia Staff
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USA: Texas man shoots dead five people ‘execution style’ after he was told to stop shooting as a baby was sleeping, remains on the run

In another mass shooting in the USA, a man shot dead five neighbours, including an 8-year-old kid, on Friday, 28th April 2023. Reportedly, he executed the massacre after several of them urged him to cease firing a semiautomatic rifle in his front yard in Cleveland Texas of USA since the noise was keeping their newborn awake. Notably, all the victims were shot above the neck in almost execution style.

There were 10 persons in the home at the time of the attack, five of whom survived. The deceased were named Sonia Argentina Guzman (25), Diana Velazquez Alvarado (21), Julisa Molina Rivera (31), Jose Jonathan Casarez (18), and Daniel Enrique Laso (8). The FBI said they all seemed to be residents of the home, but they did not constitute a single family. The shooter has been identified as 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza, who was reportedly drunk at the time of the incident.

The deceased were from Honduras, who had moved into the house earlier in the week, while Oropeza is a Mexican national.

On Friday night, when the assailant Francisco Oropeza came out of his house and began firing shots into his yard, several of the victims came out to confront him and said they were attempting to keep a baby sleeping inside. “The neighbors walked over and said … ‘Hey man, can you not do that, we’ve got an infant in here trying to sleep’ or whatever,” San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said.

Both parties then went back to their houses. Later, Oropeza topped off his with an AR-15-style weapon, exited his driveway onto the street, entered the home of the occupants, and began firing. The shooting was reported around 10.30 pm local time. Oropeza’s home had received calls from the police a few prior times due to concerns about the noise he was creating while shooting his rifle in his yard.

Witnesses said that Oropeza had been drinking and shooting rounds in his yard when the neighbours asked him to stop shooting. Taking offence at that request, he proceeded to kill them using his automatic weapon. Police said that Oropeza was caught on video walking up to the front door of the house.

At about 11:30 pm, authorities got a complaint regarding harassment from Cleveland, a city 45 miles north of Houston. When they arrived, they discovered numerous victims who had been shot. Two men and three women, including an 8-year-old kid, were among the deceased. In the bedroom, two female victims were found laying on top of two living kids. Unharmed but coated in blood, three juveniles were discovered. They were sent to a neighbourhood hospital. A total of 10 people were inside the home at the time of the shooting.

According to San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers, police were still seeking the perpetrator Francisco Oropeza who shot the neighbours late on Friday night inside their home with an AR-15-style gun. 18 hours after the assault, sheriff’s officers and FBI agents remained looking for the culprit, 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza, in a nearby forested area, according to Capers.

However, police reportedly recovered the murder weapon, Oropeza’s cell phone, and clothes.

Capers further said, “We are tracking him with dogs and men on horseback and drones in the air. Law enforcement had found an abandoned cellphone and some discarded clothing in the search area.”

“An extensive manhunt for Oropeza has not yielded his location. If you have any tips or information, please call our office immediately at 936-653-4367. You can remain anonymous,” the sheriff’s office posted on its Facebook page. “Oropeza is considered armed and dangerous, do not approach or attempt to apprehend. Contact local authorities immediately,” the added.

According to people in the area, hearing gunshots is a normal thing there. “It’s a normal thing people do around here, especially on Fridays after work. They get home and start drinking in their backyards and shooting out there,” said a resident Rene Arevalo Sr., who said he heard gunshots around midnight but didn’t think anything of it. Oropeza was also known for regularly shooting, and police had visited at least once earlier over complaints about the same.

San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said that firing a gun on your own property can be illegal, but he did not say whether Oropeza had previously broken the law.

Wrestlers from one academy backed by a Congress leader protesting, they should go to police and court, not Jantar Mantar: WFI president Brij Bhushan

OpIndia Staff
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Wrestlers from one academy backed by a Congress leader protesting, they should go to police and court, not Jantar Mantar: WFI president Brij Bhushan

Amid the wrestlers’ protest at Jantar Mantar, the Bharatiya Janata Party MP and president of the Wrestling Federation of India Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has come forward in his own defence. He said that the charges against him are levelled by only a small group of wrestlers linked to a Congress leader, and the majority of the wrestlers in the country support him. He also faulted the wrestlers protesting against him for not going to the police and holding protests at Jantar Mantar in Delhi instead.

“90% of the athletes & guardians of Haryana trust the Wrestling Federation of India. A few families & the girls who have levelled allegations belonged to the same Mahadev Wrestling Academy. The patron of the academy is Deepender Singh Hooda,” Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh stated while talking to the media. Deepender Singh Hooda is a Congress leader and currently a member of Rajya Sabha.

“They are also attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The individuals speaking against him and those present around are railway employees. It should be investigated,” he remarked.

He asked the wrestlers to approach the police and the court and assured that he will respect the decision of the court. “You don’t get justice from Jantar Mantar. If you want justice, you have to go to the police, court. They never did that until now. All they did was hurl abuses. We will accept whatever the court decides,” the WFI president said.

“Akhilesh Yadav knows the truth. We know each other since childhood. 80% of the wrestlers in Uttar Pradesh belong to families with Samajwadi Party ideology. They call me ‘Netaji’. They know how their Netaji is,” he responded when questioned about SP chief Akhilesh Yadav’s absence from Jantar Mantar even when several opposition leaders including Priyanka Vadra Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal visited there.

In a recent interview, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh said, “I am content with the decision of the honourable court. The wrestlers have been raising their demands for so many days and they were protesting for the same. They went to the court and the court also took cognizance. The Supreme Court has ordered that an FIR should be registered and the matter be investigated. I am totally content with the decision. I will cooperate in the investigation wherever necessary.”

“Their demand changes every now and then. You should consider the agitation right from the beginning. At that time they demanded that the WFI president should resign. After that, they brought up the issue of sexual harassment. After that, they demanded that the government should conduct an inquiry,” he continued.

The WFI supremo further commented, “The government formed two committees. the inquiry was completed. They did not wait for the report of the probe by the committees and started a sit-in protest on some other issue. Then they reached the Supreme Court. If they will be satisfied just with my resignation, I will send it to you, and show the resignation to them.”

“Even if I resign, they will say that he is not favouring anybody by resigning, as anyways his term was already over. You tell them to start their practice and stop this protest, I send my resignation to you. If you are asking me to resign, I can resign, but not as a criminal,” he emphasised.

Anti-Modi slogans including “Modi Teri Kabar Khudegi, Aaj Nahi To Kal Khudegi” (Modi you will be buried, tomorrow if not today) were recently heard at the protesting event in the presence of several wrestlers including Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, Sangeeta Phogat.

Several top wrestlers including Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and Vinesh Phogat, returned to Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on April 23 after their initial protest in January, to demonstrate against WFI head Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra and former Indian cricket captain Kapil Dev have come forward in support of the wrestlers, whereas, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president and former track and field athlete, PT Usha slammed them. “Indian Olympic Association is having a committee for sexual harassment, instead of going to the streets they (protesting wrestlers) could have come to us earlier but they didn’t come to IOA. It isn’t good for sports not only for wrestlers. They should also have some discipline,” she voiced.

Yogeshwar Dutt, a former wrestler who served on a standing committee that first looked into the allegations asserted that without a complaint, police cannot take any action. He added that the wrestlers need to have brought up the issue sooner.

The Delhi Police filed two FIR on Friday night in relation to the allegations that named the six-time member of parliament as an offender, hours after the Supreme Court heard the matter.

The IOA had established a seven-person committee headed by M C Mary Kom to probe the accusations before the wrestlers made the decision to withdraw their protest. Vinod Tomar, the Wrestling Federation’s Additional Secretary, had also been suspended by the Union Sports Ministry.

The Guardian publishes anti-Semitic, Nazi propaganda-inspired cartoon, retracts after outrage. Here is the backstory

Dibakar Dutta
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The Guardian publishes anti-Semitic, Nazi propaganda-inspired cartoon, retracts after outrage. Here is the backstory

On Saturday (April 29), the British daily The Guardian courted controversy after it published a vile, anti-Semitic cartoon depicting the resignation of former banker Richard Sharp from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

The cartoon, which was drawn by one Martin Rowson, featured the former BBC Chairman walking out of the office with a box of octopuses/squids. The disturbing artwork also had a swine in the background, an animal whose consumption is strictly prohibited in Judaism.

Anti-Semitism of The Guardian called out on social media

It must be mentioned that Richard Sharp is a Jew by Faith who proactively supports Israel and as such the cartoon targeting the ex-BBC Chair was clearly directed towards his religious beliefs.

During the Nazi era, propaganda material depicting the Jewish community as ‘squids’, and ‘octopuses’ and controlling global affairs of the world, was in wide circulation.

Anti-Semitic propaganda during the Nazi era in Germany
Anti-Semitic cartoons, images via Twitter/ @Beccah2Fois

Popular Jewish handles on social media were aghast at the anti-Semitic cartoon published by The Guardian. Head of policy at the Community Security Trust (CST), Dave Rich, pointed out the history behind the ugly depiction of Jewish people as animals.

“The problem is that a squid or octopus is also a common antisemitic motif, used to depict a supposed Jewish conspiracy with its tentacles wrapped around whatever parts of society the Jews supposedly control. Especially money. Are those gold coins in the box with Sharp’s squid?” he said.

Editor of ‘The Jewish Chronicle, Stephen Pollard, wrote, “It takes a lot to shock me. And I am well aware of the Guardian’s and especially Rowson’s form. But I still find it genuinely shocking that not a single person looked at this and said, no, we can’t run this. To me that’s the real issue.”

Even the former Mayor of London, Sajid Javid, was forced to tweet, “Today’s Guardian cartoon wouldn’t have looked out of place in a Nazi newspaper. Guardian really should have known better.”

The Guardian retracts controversial cartoon

Following social media outrage, The Guardian had no choice but to retract its despicable ‘Nazi-inspired’ cartoon. In a statement, it said, “The cartoon that was posted here today did not meet our editorial standards, and we have decided to remove it from our website.”

The British daily however did not cite any apology for its actions.

Screengrab of The Guardian statement

Meanwhile, cartoonist Martin Rowson blamed his anti-Semitic cartoon on ‘carlessness’ and ‘thoughtlessness.’ He had said, “I screwed up pretty badly with a Graun toon today & many people are understandably very upset. I genuinely apologise, unconditionally.”

Events leading upto the resignation of Richard Sharp

On Friday (April 28), former BBC Chairman Richard Sharp resigned from his post after being found guilty of quid pro quo. It was earlier revealed that he helped former Prime Minister Boris Johnson secure a loan of £800,000 (₹8.03 crores).

A regular donor to the Conservative Party, Sharp had reportedly introduced a ‘friend’ named Sam Blyth to Britain’s Cabinet Secretary and Head of Civil Service, Simon Case.

Interestingly, Sam Blyth is a multi-millionaire businessman, who proposed to serve as the credit guarantor for the loan sanctioned to Boris Johnson, his distant cousin. The said meeting took place in late 2020 when Johnson was Britain’s Prime Minister.

Soon after, in January 2021, the name of Richard Sharp was recommended for the Chairperson of the BBC for a four-year term by the same Johnson administration. Sharp was appointed for the position the following month.

According to The Sunday Times, the £8,00,000 loan was finalised only in February 2021 (the same month as the appointment of Richard Sharp). Soon after, the BBC Chair was investigated for a possible ‘conflict of interest.’

Punjab: Dal Khalsa raises pro-Khalistan slogans at Akal Takht

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab: Dal Khalsa raises pro-Khalistan slogans at Akal Takht

On April 29, members of the pro-Khalistan outfit Dal Khalsa gathered at Akal Takht in Amritsar, Punjab, and demanded the formation of Khalistan. They raised slogans such as ‘Akal Takht to aai awaz, Punjab banega Khalistan’ (Voice is being raised from Akal Takht, Punjab will become Khalistan). Notably, pro-Khalistanis celebrate April 29 as Khalistan Declaration Day. Last year, Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), a pro-Khalistani political party headed by Sangrur MP Simranjit Singh Mann, celebrated Khalistan Declaration Day outside Golden Temple near the clock tower.

The members of Dal Khalsa held placards with the messages “Khalistan is our birthright” and “The living dream of Khalistan” written in Punjabi. They were wearing t-shirts with the logo of Khalistan. Some of them had portraits of Khalistani terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale portrait printed on the t-shirts.

Speaking to D5 Channel Punjabi, a member of Dal Khalsa said that on April 29, 1986, the Declaration of Khalistan was moved by Sikh leadership. Since then, the organisation has been celebrating the day in one way or another. He also claimed that in 1947, Sikhs were promised a sovereign nation, but India did not fulfil its promise.

He claimed that many people do not understand the concept of Khalistan, which means pure, and it is the right of the Sikhs to have their own land. He claimed that the narrative against Khalistan has been set by the Indian government (Delhi state), and those who support the central government often write against Khalistan, setting a wrong narrative about their demands. He further insinuated that the demand for Khalistan is a “conflict between Punjab and India”, suggesting that the state of Punjab is not part of India.

In a statement, Paramjit Singh Mand, Spokesperson of Dal Khalsa, said, “We have prayed to continue our movement for Khalistan. We appeal to the international community to take cognisance of the human rights violations being carried out by India against the Khalistan movement. The international community should intervene and press India to let the people have the right to self-determination.” He claimed India wants to solve the political problem in Punjab using armed forces. Calling India a “neighbour”, he said, “We want to tell India that it should behave like a good neighbour. We are ready to sit and talk like good neighbours. We do not want violence.”

He further claimed that the people of Kashmir and Nagaland should also have the right to self-determination. Notably, banned Khalistani terrorist organisation Sikhs For Justice’s chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannu has tried to instigate different states to demand “self-determination” and form separate countries.

Gujarat: Ahmedabad police arrest Ansar and Irshad for running a sextortion racket

OpIndia Staff
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Gujarat: Ahmedabad police arrest Ansar and Irshad for running a sextortion racket

Two individuals were arrested by Ahmedabad police from Bharatpur in Rajasthan in a sextortion case where a 37-year-old resident of Chandlodia committed suicide after succumbing to blackmail by the arrested culprits. The arrested individuals have been identified as Ansar Hussein Mev and Irshad Mev.

The deceased had already paid the culprits more than Rs 8 lakh for sextortion, but their subsequent demands forced him to take his own life since he was unable to pay huge amounts. Ansar Hussein Mev, a 33-year-old Bharatpur resident, and Irshad Mev, a Haryana native residing in Bharatpur, were both taken into custody by Ahmedabad police.

In this sextortion case, the accused were found using a fake female identity on Facebook to befriend male victims. Once the friend request is accepted, the conversation would move to Whatsapp, where the scam would take place. The accused, actually a male, would use a pre-recorded video clip of a woman undressing to lure the victim into doing the same. The victim would then be threatened with the circulation of the video and police and CBI cases, and money would be extorted from them. The scam would culminate with the accused claiming that the fake female identity had committed suicide.

The accused threatened the victim that if he did not pay the money, he would go to jail. On April 21, the victim hung himself in his gallery with a nylon rope after paying Rs 8,60,600 in order to stop the sextortion.

Following the mobile locations of the accused, it was found that they were present in the Bharatpur area. A team led by PSI A J Sadhu was deployed to apprehend the suspects. During the investigation, the police discovered chats between the accused and the deceased victim on one of the suspect’s phones, along with several nude videos of different women, as well as screen recordings. This evidence has been instrumental in the ongoing investigation into the case.

Ansar and Irshad would create fake female social media IDs to interact with the victims. after recording their video screens, they would pose as police officers, CBI officials, or YouTubers to intimidate people into paying them significant amounts of money. To avoid being caught, they used dummy SIM cards. Additionally, one of the accused who is still absconding, was deployed for recruiting individuals in need of money to buy SIM cards and open bank accounts, promising them a commission of 10 to 20 percent of the deposits. This was the modus operandi of the sextortion racket.

The operation to arrest them was carried out under the supervision of Zone-I ACP G S Syan, DCP Sector-I Lavina Sinha, and Additional Commissioner of Police Neeraj Badgujar. The accused are currently being questioned by the police on the whereabouts of their accomplices and specifics of other people they may have scammed.

Police Inspector J B Agrawat said, “The sextortionists, based in Bharatpur and the adjoining Haryana border, have been extorting money from vulnerable people in Ahmedabad. Our team sent to Surat after locating the accused using mobile towers has been successful in nabbing the culprits. More arrests will be made soon as there are other aides who are absconding.”

Bhiwandi building collapse: Death toll rises to 4 as rescue operation continues

OpIndia Staff
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Bhiwandi building collapse: Death toll rises to 4 as rescue operation continues

The death toll from the collapse of a three-storey structure in the Thane district of Maharashtra has risen to 4 while twelve others have been left injured. On Sunday, April 30, a man was rescued from the debris after spending over 20 hours buried underneath the debris.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Target Disaster Response Force (TDRF) pulled the individual, named Sunil Pisa, from the rubble on Sunday morning at 8 a.m. He was then sent to the Indira Gandhi Memorial (IGM) Hospital in Bhiwandi.

The rescue operation is being carried out since the unfortunate incident at 1:45 pm on Saturday, April 29. Teams of police, Target Disaster Response Force (TDRF), and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed for rescuing people trapped under the debris.

14 people have been rescued so far, including two brothers named Premraj Mahato alias Chiku (7) and Prince Kumar (5). However, they lost their mother Lalita (26) in the mishap. Several people are still feared to be trapped under the debris. Local officials stated that the area has been cordoned off.

On Saturday night, Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde visited the IGM hospital to meet the injured and instructed the hospital to provide medical treatment at government expense after he visited the incident site earlier. He also announced ₹5 lakh assistance to each of the kin of the deceased.

“Any questions related to redevelopment will be proposed & decided soon. I have given instructions to Collector & concerned officers that they must survey those buildings which are dangerous & can collapse anytime during monsoon season,” he added.

“Bhiwandi Municipal Commissioner was instructed to submit the proposal to the government right away because collective redevelopment is the only method for handling such incidents. Before the upcoming monsoon, an NDRF team should be stationed in Thane so that relief efforts can begin right away in the event of a similar accident, which frequently occurs in Bhiwandi. The District Collector also received instructions in this regard,” the Maharashtra CM mentioned in a tweet.

“Shiv Sena Thane Rural District Chief Prakash Patil, Bhiwandi Municipal Corporation Commissioner Vijay Kumar Mhasal, Thane Collector Ashok Shingare, and all other medical professionals, doctors, and police personnel were present at the event,” he noted.

The CM also gave the administration instructions that the NDRF, the police, the fire brigade, and other rescue teams should conduct the rescue operations properly and that the injured should be transported to hospitals where treatment should begin right away.

India becomes the largest supplier of refined fuels to Europe, overtakes Saudi Arabia

ANI
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India becomes the largest supplier of refined fuels to Europe, overtakes Saudi Arabia

India has become Europe’s largest supplier of refined fuels this month while simultaneously buying record amounts of Russian crude, according to data from analytics firm Kpler.

Europe’s reliance on Indian crude oil products has grown since the ban on Russian oil. Europe’s refined fuel imports from India are set to surge above 360,000 barrels a day, edging just ahead of those of Saudi Arabia, Kpler’s data show. The development is a double-edged sword for the European Union. On the one hand, the EU needs alternative sources of diesel now that it has cut off direct flows from Russia, which was previously its top supplier. However, it ultimately boosts demand for Moscow’s barrels, and means extra freight costs.

It also means that more competition for Europe’s oil refiners which can’t access cheap Russian crude, and it comes amid wider market scrutiny about where the region’s diesel imports are coming from.

Russian crude oil arrivals to India are expected to surpass 2 million barrels a day in April, representing almost 44 per cent of the nation’s overall oil imports, according to Kpler data.

Russia emerged as a major supplier to India for the first time in 2022-23 (FY23) after it started giving oil at discounted rates amid the Ukraine war. Despite concerns raised by the West to India’s imports from Russia during the war. India has taken a strong stand and said that it looks at all options to achieve energy security.

Russia was the largest exporter of crude oil to India by value in February in spite of the western price cap of USD 60 per barrel, according to the data from the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Crude imports from Russia in February stood at USD 3.35 billion, followed by Saudi Arabia at USD 2.30 billion and Iraq at USD 2.03 billion.

The price cap kept by the western countries was designed to limit Russian oil revenues while keeping the oil itself flowing to avoid a global price shock.

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

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