Home Blog Page 2293

‘I was morally obligated to apologise after the author took down his article’: Vivek Agnihotri explains why he tendered an apology to Delhi HC

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘I was morally obligated to apologise after the author took down his article’: Vivek Agnihotri explains why he tendered an apology to Delhi HC

On Tuesday, filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri released a statement in the 2018 Contempt-of-Court case to reveal that he respects the Indian judiciary and would never say or write anything that is unsubstantiated and which goes against the sanctity of the judiciary.

This is a day after the Delhi High Court discharged Agnihotri after he appeared in person and tendered an unconditional apology and reiterated his remorse over his remark made condemning S Justice S Muralidhar for granting bail to Urban Naxal Gautam Navlakha. Agnihotri on Monday, appeared physically before a division bench of Justice Siddharth Mridul and Justice Vikas Mahajan to tender his ‘unconditional apology and remorse.’

“Vivek Agnihotri, the alleged contemnor is present in the court in person and reiterates his remorse. He also tenders an unconditional apology for the allegedly offensive statement on Twitter. The affidavit also reflects the remorse expressed by him. For the sake of completeness, the relevant are extracted. He accordingly stands discharged,” said Justice Siddharth Mridul, as the bench accepted Agnihotri’s apology and cautioned him to remain careful in the future.

Releasing a statement on Tuesday, Agnihotri tried to explain the incident and claimed that a few ‘biased’ media reports and political parties had wrongly reported the incident against him. “5 years ago, Dristhikone published an article on Gautam Navalakha who was arrested on serious charges of threatening the integrity and sovereignty of India. I merely posted the article and cited the source and author. The Delhi High Court then issued a suo moto contempt of Court against Drishtikone, S Gurumurthy and myself.”

“The article was taken down by the author with an immediate apology, followed by S Gurumurthy unconditionally apologising to the Court. This left me with no locus standi and I was morally and intellectually obligated to apologise for sharing information from a source that had retracted the article and apologized. To project it otherwise, as a fight for justice and courage would be pretentious and misplaced. Playing to the gallery by turning this issue into what it is not, is an untruthful and sheer waste of creative energy,” Agnihotri said.

Last year, in May, the Delhi High Court sent fresh notices to filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri, scientist and political commentator Anand Ranganathan and Swarajya Magazine in a 2018 Contempt-of-Court case. In October 2018, The Delhi High Court initiated contempt proceedings against Economist S Gurumurthy over his article on Justice S Muralidhar, where he had questioned S Muralidhar’s credibility as the High Court judge in connection with granting bail to Gautam Navlakha, one of the accused in the Koregaon Bhima violence case. Agnihotri and Ranganathan, who had tweeted about the issue on similar lines, were slapped with charges of contempt later.

It all started when Senior Advocate Rajshekhar Rao wrote a letter to then Chief Justice Rajendra Menon, about an article written by S Gurumurthy alleging bias on the part of Justice Muralidhar for granting bail to Urban Naxal Gautam Navlakha in the Bhima Koregaon case. Gurumurthy penned the article “Why has Delhi High Court Justice Muralidhar’s relationship with Gautam Navlakha not been disclosed?” on Desh Kapur’s blog ‘Dhristikone’. The article was retweeted by Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri in a tweet, following which a contempt of court notice was sent to him as well.

Anand Ranganathan, who is a free speech absolutist, allegedly condemned this action by the High Court in a couple of Tweets. It was later known that the same charges had been levied against Dr Ranganathan as well.

To note, while Agnihotri mentioned in his statement on April 11 that economist S Gurumurthy had issued an unconditional apology in the case, the latter’s lawyer had informed earlier that he has not apologised in the case.

Agnihotri further indicated that he wanted to save his creative energy for creating awareness among the younger generation about the Indic civilization and India’s great history, philosophy, sacrifice, strength and achievements. “Entangling an individual in legal cases, discrediting them through fake news and consuming their time and energy in reacting all the time, thereby distracting them from their pursuit is not uncommon in our democracy,” he said.

Meanwhile, scientist and political commentator Anand Ranganathan, who was also made a party in the contempt case against Gurumurthy and Vivek Agnihotri, has agreed to appear in person before the bench during the next hearing which has been fixed for May 24.

Madhya Pradesh: Aishwarya, who was forced to become Aaysha by Irshad, returns home after seven years, files complaint

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Madhya Pradesh: Aishwarya, who was forced to become Aaysha by Irshad, returns home after seven years, files complaint

A new case of forced conversion has come to light in the state of Madhya Pradesh. On April 2, Aishwarya, who was converted to Aaysha, filed a complaint against Irshad and accused him of forced conversion. An FIR based on her complaint was filed at Badgoda Police Station, district Indore Dehat, under Sections 376, 376(2)(h), 506, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Section 3(2)(v) of the SC/ST Act and Sections 4 and 5 of the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 2021.

FIR copy. Source: Organiser

As per the complaint, Irshad and Aishwarya eloped in 2016, but they never got married. The couple has two children. Aishwarya complained that Irshad also forced her to sleep with his brother. The victim is from the Khandwa district, and Irshad took her to Indore. Her family said Hindu Jagran Manch, Khandwa, members made her return possible. Irshad is on the run following the complaint.

Aishwarya, who is now 24 years old, met Irshad in 2016. He was working as a driver when they met for the first time. On November 20, 2016, they eloped but never got married as per Hindu or Islamic rituals. Soon after, Irshad took Aishwarya to Mahow and started living as a couple. Aishwarya gave birth to a boy and a girl during that period.

FIR copy. Source: Organiser

In 2022, Irshad and his brother Mukeem forced her to convert and abused her for belonging to a lower cast. When Aishwarya refused, Irshad hurled casteist slurs and abused her. She alleged her brother-in-law Mukeem also raped her. They threatened if she refused to convert, they would keep raping her and threatened to kill her. She managed to escape and registered a complaint at Depalpur Police Station on April 1, 2023.

Speaking to Organiser, ASI Krishna Jadaon of Badgoda Police Station said the police arrested Mukeem, but Irshad was still on the run. Aishwarya has submitted her statement under Section 164 of CrPC at the court.

Irshad posed as a Hindu

Speaking to Organiser, Aishwarya said Irshad introduced himself as Shakti Chouhan before marriage and claimed he was from the (Naik) Banjara community. As Aishwarya thought he was a Dalit, she felt connected to him. Aishwarya did not inform her parents about him. At Mahow, she came to know his real identity. After that, when she tried returning home, he locked her up inside the home.

Aishwarya said in her statement that Irshad had physical relations with her from day one. After one year, she gave birth to a boy. Whenever she asked him to get married, he would say no one could separate them as they had a child. Aishwarya said they lived in a joint family with Irshad’s four brothers, who all are married. One of them has a Hindu wife. Being a Dalit, she was never accepted as a family member.

Sometime later, Irshad got her name changed to Aaysha Khatun. He also got her a new PAN card on which the fake name of her father was mentioned. A cleric was involved in the process of changing her name. Though her name was changed, Aishwarya refused to follow any Islamic rituals that angered Irshad’s family. She alleged they would not treat her well and refused to eat the food she cooked.

Fake father’s name on PAN card after changing her name. Source: Organiser

She was never allowed to follow Hinduism and was forced to wear a burqa while leaving home. Irshad also circumcised their son at a camp in 2017. She tried to stop him but could not. Irshad often used abusive language against Hindu Gods and Goddesses. He would abuse Aishwarya for doing Murti Puja. He kept telling her she was a child of a Kuffar and would remain a Kafir.

Physical relations during pregnancy

Aishwarya said in her statement Irshad would forcefully make physical relations with her even during pregnancy. He did not stop even in the ninth month. When she tried to stop him, he would say, “Let the child die, I will make another one”. If she ever denied physical relations, he would beat the children.

Victim approached Hindu Jagran Manch

Hindu Jagran Manch’s head Dr Anish Arjhare said in a statement that in 2022, the police tracked the couple. She was presented before the court, where she said she would live with Irshad.

HJM members were aware things were not right in her life. When Aishwarya escaped last month, she contacted an HJM member and told him about her ordeal after they rescued her and ensure her safe return to her parents.

‘Not possible to take stones to rooftops in 10-15 mins’: Calcutta HC observes that Ram Navami violence in West Bengal was prima facie ‘pre-planned’

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘Not possible to take stones to rooftops in 10-15 mins’: Calcutta HC observes that Ram Navami violence in West Bengal was prima facie ‘pre-planned’

On Monday (April 10), the Calcutta High Court noted that the violence orchestrated on the occasion of Ram Navami was prima-facie ‘pre-planned.’ It made the observations while listening to a plea by BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari to transfer the probe in the case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

A 2-Judge Bench of Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya and Acting Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam heard the matter. “Internet suspension usually takes place when there has been an external danger or infiltration etc,” the court asked.

“But for a religious procession, we don’t understand why (internet was suspended). Sudden violence is when people are walking and there is an altercation etc. But your (State’s) reports prima facie show these (violence) were all pre-planned,” Acting Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam added.

“There are allegations of stones being hurled from rooftops. Obviously, it is not possible for anyone to take stones up to the rooftop within 10 to 15 minutes,” he further pointed out.

The court also noted that violence, which took place during Ram Navami, happened on a ‘large scale.’ Meanwhile, Advocate General (West Bengal) SN Mookherjee accused the Hindu devotees of being armed with lathis and swords.

The Judges observed that incidents of violence during religious festivals in West Bengal had become a commonplace affair. “It appears a regular feature now. I think all religions…suppose the other community, even they have religious processions…”Acting Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam added.

“Every year there are 7 to 8 incidents of violence and then petitions are filed, a probe by the central agency is sought,” he stated. The court also sought to know whether there was a need for sensitisation of the police or any incapability on their part.

Ram Navami violence in West Bengal

On March 30 this year, stones were pelted on a Ram Navami procession from the terraces of the buildings in the Shibpur area of Howrah. This led to a clash between the Hindu and Muslim groups, leading to violence and arson. Vehicles and shops were also torched during the attack.

Several disturbing videos of the incident went viral on social media. A large contingent of police was deployed to contain the law and order situation in the area. The cops conducted a flag march, fired tear gas shells and chased away the rioters.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had insinuated that violence occurs when Hindus take out Ram Navami processions through ‘Muslim areas’ and also attempted to give a clean chit to the Islamists by invoking their Faith and Ramzan.

Muslim groups in the UK are upset because Suella Braverman spoke about Pakistani grooming gangs without mincing words: details

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Muslim groups in the UK are upset because Suella Braverman spoke about Pakistani grooming gangs without mincing words: details

Numerous Muslim organisations from all around the UK wrote to Rishi Sunak to express their deep concern on what they called home secretary Suella Braverman’s “ill-considered and divisive statement”.

The home secretary has come under fire from Muslim organisations across the UK. “What’s clear is that we’ve seen a practise whereby vulnerable white English girls, sometimes in care, sometimes in difficult situations are being pursued and raped, drugged, and harmed by gangs of British Pakistani men who’ve worked child abuse rings or networks, it’s now down to the authorities to track these perpetrators down without fear or favour relentlessly and bring them to justice,” said Suella Braverman.

Braverman also stated that these crimes weren’t tackled in Labour-run areas for fear of being branded as racist.

One of the letters was signed by Dr Shahid Latif, chair of the British Pakistani Psychiatrists Association, who said that he wanted the statement to be withdrawn immediately. “There is simply no other option, and the prime minister ought to publicly distance himself from these remarks. He must understand that they only serve to polarise society further.” He further said, “In this country, Muslims are only recently no longer being associated with terrorism. As a result of such statements, when people think of child sexual exploitation, they immediately associate it with British Pakistanis, which is actually going back to the beginning and starting all over again.”

Muslim organisations in England, Wales, and Scotland described it as “an act of collective punishment for the reprehensible acts of a few,” while the Muslim Women’s Network, said Ms Braverman’s “approach…of demonising an entire community and lending credibility to far-right narratives undermines the need to ensure that all victims of child sexual abuse are protected and all perpetrators are brought to justice.”

On April 3, the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a new Grooming Gangs Taskforce to assist police forces in investigating the serious problem of Muslim grooming gangs in the country. As per the official statement from his office, the task force will have specialist officers to assist in the investigation to ensure the criminals behind grooming gangs will be brought to justice.

The problem of Muslim grooming gangs in the UK

In recent years, there have been several reports of vulnerable young girls, especially minors, being exploited by organised grooming gangs across the country. In October last year, it was reported that Omar, Khalid, Jameel and 21 others were charged with raping a minor girl for four years in Bradford. These grooming gangs typically consist of Pakistani Muslim men, the reason why the mainstream media and even the authorities try to keep them hushed up. An independent inquiry into the matter revealed due to political unease, these cases were ignored by the authorities.

Besides the child sex abuse, the case also pertains to Grooming Jihad, a global issue that has become particularly stark in the UK, where Islamists prey on young girls and women, exploit their vulnerability and use rape as an instrument to inflict punishment.

In 2020, the police charged 32 men for over 150 sexual offences against eight underage teenage girls in West Yorkshire, United Kingdom.

The crimes were committed between 1999 and 2012 against the victims, who were aged between 13-16 years in the Kirklees, Bradford and Wakefield areas. Reportedly, several such victims were subjected to heinous crimes even after they turned adults.

Nearly 19,000 children were sexually abused in England in 2018-2019

According to the official figures, it is estimated that nearly 19,000 minors in England were sexually groomed in England in the last year, reported Dailymail. The local authorities in England identified around 18,700 suspected victims in 2018-19, up from 3,300 five years ago. The latest figures showed a sharp increase in the number of child grooming victims over the last five years.

The highest rates of child grooming victims in Britain were reported in areas including Birmingham, Lancashire and Bradford. One of the most horrific cases was of Charlene Downes who disappeared from Lancashire. She was feared to be groomed by Muslim gangs and murdered. Her body was allegedly minced into pieces and served as kebabs to customers at a takeaway restaurant in the area.

Congress support to BBC documentary targeting PM Narendra Modi was the straw that broke the camel’s back: Anil Antony on leaving the party

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Congress support to BBC documentary targeting PM Narendra Modi was the straw that broke the camel’s back: Anil Antony on leaving the party

On Monday, April 10, Anil K Antony, the son of former defence minister of India and veteran Congress leader AK Antony, joined OpIndia’s Editor-in-Chief Nupur Sharma for an interview on Twitter Spaces. Anil Antony had recently made headlines when he decided to quit Congress and join the BJP, even though his father disapproved of the move.

In a free-wheeling chat, Antony talked in detail about his decision to quit Congress, his displeasure with the direction in which the party is going, and how the shift in the ideological stand of Congress has made it a fringe party.

Anil Antony said that he is feeling quite relieved now following his exit from the grand old party and leaving the negativity behind. Antony’s disillusionment with the Congress party began when he tweeted, following the release of the controversial BBC documentary, that despite large differences with BJP, he thought that placing views of British state-sponsored BBC, a channel with a long history of prejudices sets a dangerous precedent.

Following his tweet, Antony shared that he faced a lot of pressure from the Congress party, particularly from the Kerala unit to backtrack. However, Antony refused to do so believing that BBC was trying to act against Indian interests with this documentary.

Calling out the BBC’s bias against India, Antony said that he was surprised to see his party colleagues getting so excited about the channel’s documentary on PM Modi and sharing it all over the place. Following this, Anil Antony shared his reservations about the documentary, however, his reservations did not go down well within the Congress party.

Several top leaders from Kerala and even from the center called up Antony and asked him to either delete the tweet or backtrack from his stand against the BBC documentary. However, the young leader refused to give in to the unreasonable demand and was subsequently the target of a coordinated cyberbullying campaign.

Anil Antony further shared that he was already unhappy with the direction in which the Congress party was going at that time. From a centrist party, the Congress move to the far left had left him feeling uncomfortable in the party. Under these circumstances, the campaign to demonise him online and the pressure from party leaders as well to take back a fairly innocuous tweet ended up being the straw that broke the camel’s back and Antony decided to resign and he left the party the very next day.

Highlighting BBC’s history of working against Indian interests and supporting Pakistan’s stand, particularly in border areas, Anil Antony expressed his surprise that Congress was supporting BBC when it works against Indian integrity.

Responding to Rahul Gandhi’s tweet linking Anil Antony to Gautam Adani, he called the tweet childish and said that it doesn’t suit someone who is being pushed as a PM candidate for the past two decades. He also added that the manner in which Rahul Gandhi treated veteran leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Himanta Biswa Sarma, and Kiran Kumar Reddy shows that Rahul is a bad judge of character.

Antony also called out Rahul Gandhi for his immaturity and his insistence on pushing the Adani issue even when senior allies like Sharad Pawar are saying that there is no point in pursuing this issue. Antony further said that people like him are leaving Congress because they want to do something meaningful in life instead of working for just one family.

During his candid interview, Anil Antony also touched upon several other issues plaguing the Congress party including Rahul Gandhi’s fixation with Adani, blunders during the 2019 campaign, the party’s minority appeasement, curtailing the freedom of expression of Hindus and targeting of Veer Savarkar among other things.

Bangladesh: 5-year-old Hindu girl lured with chocolates and raped by one Nuru Islam, accused absconding

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Bangladesh: 5-year-old Hindu girl lured with chocolates and raped by one Nuru Islam, accused absconding

On Monday, a police complaint was lodged against a person named Nuru Islam for brutally raping a five-year-old Hindu girl in Bangladesh. The incident is said to have happened at Taraganj in the Rangpur district of Bangladesh. The Police are investigating the case and have launched a manhunt to nab the accused who is absconding at present.

According to the reports, the five-year-old girl is the daughter of a man who drives an auto-rickshaw for survival, whereas the victim’s mother does odd labour jobs for money. The minor child was raped when both her parents were out for their jobs and the victim was all alone at her home.

The accused Nuru Islam stays in the neighbourhood of the victim. He happened to note that the girl was alone at her home and that her parents were out at their respective jobs. He then lured the girl and promised her to give her chocolates. He took her to his home and brutally raped her.

The incident however came to the fore when the other neighbours suddenly heard the girl crying and spotted blood around her body when they arrived at the location to look upon her. The child, who was lying in blood on the floor was taken to the local hospital by the neighbours. Meanwhile, her parents were also informed. The doctors at the local hospital declared her condition critical and referred her to the Rangpur Medical College and Hospital.

According to the local reports, the incident is said to have happened on April 8 evening at the Sayar Kamarpara shelter project in the Taraganj area. However, the complaint was lodged by the victim’s father on April 10. The victim is at the Rangpur Medical College and Hospital and is in critical condition.

The Police confirmed the incident and stated that the accused, Nuru Islam is absconding at present. “We have received a complaint and based on that we have begun the investigations into the case. But accused Nur Islam is absconding and we are trying our best to nab him,” stated Ajmal Hossain of Taraganj Police Station.

The locals responded to the incident by saying that they are now scared to leave their children alone at home while leaving for jobs. “We all are helpless and homeless. If we don’t work for a day, we can’t eat. All of us leave our children in shelters and go to work. Now we all are scared to do so after this incident,” one of the shelter residents was quoted as saying.

Washington DC: FM Nirmala Sitharaman busts fake claims by Western media over ‘violence on Muslims’, asks journalists to come and see reality

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Washington DC: FM Nirmala Sitharaman busts fake claims by Western media over ‘violence on Muslims’, asks journalists to come and see reality

On Monday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman refuted claims that there is ongoing violence against Muslims in India by pointing out that since 1947, the Muslim population in India has increased while minorities of all types have been ‘decimated’ in Pakistan.

She asserted that Muslims in India continue to live regular lives and questioned individuals who levelled accusations against the Indian government concerning whether the Muslim population had decreased or whether there had been an unusually high number of fatalities in any one group since 2014.

Additionally, Sitharaman made a point that law and order is a state issue and not the purview of the Indian government while delivering a speech at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington, DC. She extended an invitation to people who, in her view, shaped these notions without really bothering to come to India, explore the nation, and then support their argument.

The finance minister is in Washington for the spring sessions of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund as well as to preside over the second gathering of G20 finance ministers and governors of central banks.

Sitharaman was answering the questions posed by Peterson Institute president, Adam Posen. Posen happened to refer to the reports by Western Press and asked whether perceptions in Europe and the United States (US), about opposition legislators losing their status or Muslim minority being the target of violence, have impacted capital flows and investment in India.

“The answer lies with the investors coming to India and they are coming. As someone who has an interest in receiving investments, I would only say come and look what’s happening in India rather than listen to perceptions being built by people who haven’t visited on the ground and who produce reports,” she said.

Sitharaman remarked that developing markets carry the burden of being reminded of their status as emerging markets, asked for assistance or prompted to play a positive role, while also receiving advice from others. “India has the second largest Muslim population in the world and the population is only growing in numbers. If there is a perception or if there is in reality that their lives are difficult or made difficult with the support of the state, which is implied in most of these write-ups, I will ask will this happen in India in the sense would Muslim population be growing than what it was in 1947?” she said disapproving the implication that the moderator had made.

The Minister then compared the situation with Pakistan to showcase the sharper contrasts. “As opposed to Pakistan, which was formed at the same time…Pakistan declared itself an Islamic country but said minorities will be protected. Every minority has been dwindling in its number or if I may use the word, which is harsher, decimated in Pakistan,” she said. She also stated that even some Muslim sects had been decimated in Pakistan.

However, all strands of Muslims were being protected in India, she said. “Violence prevails against Mohajirs, Shia, and every other group you can name which is not accepted by the mainstream Sunnis in Pakistan. In India all strands of Muslims are doing their business, their children are being educated, and they are being given fellowships by the government,” Sitharaman said.

She also stated that maintaining peace and order is a state responsibility rather than one of the Government of India. “Each province has its elected government. They take care of the law and order in those states. Across the board in India, if violence is happening to make Muslims get affected, in itself is a fallacy as a statement. It cannot be so; each province and police are different,” the Minister noted adding that those reports claiming violence against Muslims in India have ‘no clue of the law and order systems’ in India.

Rajasthan: Sachin Pilot to go ahead with his fast against corruption despite appeals from Congres leaders

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Rajasthan: Sachin Pilot to go ahead with his fast against corruption despite appeals from Congres leaders

Congress leader Sachin Pilot will go ahead with his 1-day hunger strike against his own party’s government for inaction against corruption cases in Rajasthan.

As per reports, the demonstration will commence from 11:00 am onwards on Tuesday (April 11) at Shaheed Smarak in Jaipur. Meanwhile, the supporters of Sachin Pilot have begun gathering at the site.

The development comes amidst appeals from Congress leadership to not indulge in anti-party activities.

In a statement on Monday (April 10) night, Rajasthan Congress leader Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said, “Shri. Sachin Pilot’s day-long fast tomorrow is against the party interests and is anti-party activity.”

“If there is any issue with his own government, it can be discussed in the party forums instead of in the media and public. I have been an AICC in-charge for the last 5 months and Pilot-ji has never discussed this issue with me,” he emphasised.

I am in touch with him and I still appeal for calm dialogue since he is an indisputable asset to the Congress party,” Randhawa further appealed.

Earlier, Sachin Pilot had accused the Ashok Gehlot government of not taking any action against Vasundhara Raje over corruption cases. He said that only a few months are left for the assembly elections, and therefore the Congress party needed to approach the voters with evidence of actions taken against corruption.

Caste discrimination case against Indian origin CISCO engineers in USA dismissed after no evidence was found: details

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Caste discrimination case against Indian origin CISCO engineers in USA dismissed after no evidence was found: details

On Monday (April 10), the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) voluntarily dismissed its infamous ‘caste discrimination’ case against two Indian-origin Cisco Systems Inc. engineers in the Superior Court.

The case was filed against Sundar Iyer and one Ramana Kompella in June 2020 for supposedly discriminating against a ‘self-identifying Dalit’. CRD, an agency of the California state government, had allegedly made false claims about Hinduism, besides depicting people of Indian origin as ‘xenophobic.’

This was despite the fact that the alleged victim was recruited by Iyer at a generous package with millions in stock grants. The Indian-origin engineer had also hired at least one more ‘self-identifying Dalit’ who held a leadership position at Cisco Sytems Inc.

Citing court filings, Hindu American Foundation (HAF) noted that California Civil Rights Department was well aware of the diversity in the company and the particular Division where Sundar Iyer worked.

It also came to light that the ‘self-identifying Dalit’ was working in the American company for 8 long years at the time of filing the complaint. CRD could not find any evidence against the two Cisco Systems engineers that constituted harassment.

According to HAF, the agency of the California State government ignored the fact that Sundar Iyer publicly identified as ‘agnostic’ for over 20 years. CRD went on to falsely identify him as a ‘Hindu’ and relied upon malicious ‘reports’ published by Thenmozi Soundarajan-run-Equallity Labs.

While speaking about the matter, HAF Director Suhag A Shukla stated, “It’s over folks. @CalDFEH lawsuit against two Indian American engineers @cisco who were presumed to discriminate based on caste as they were Indian & Hindu is DISMISSED.”

“The nightmare endured is beyond imaginable & a cautionary tale for what awaits in California over caste,” she further added. During the course of the case, it came to light that the alleged victim knew Iyer for over 20 years since their time in IIT.

It must be mentioned that the ‘caste discrimination’ case against the two Cisco Systems engineers was used by ‘activists’ to pass resolutions to add ‘caste’ to non-discrimination policies at different places.

Meet Jas Oberoi, Canada-based columnist, who used to write for NewsLaundry, known for pushing anti-India, anti-Hindu, pro-Khalistani propaganda

Amit Kelkar
-
0
Meet Jas Oberoi, Canada-based columnist, who used to write for NewsLaundry, known for pushing anti-India, anti-Hindu, pro-Khalistani propaganda

Jas Oberoi, aka iJasOberoi, on Twitter and Instagram, is a commentator, researcher, panellist, and freelance Columnist, at least as per his bio on the social media platforms. But who is the real face behind the online identity? Jas Oberoi is an alias used by Jaspreet Oberoi, who lives in British Columbia in Maple Ridge. Oberoi is the director of Artificial Intelligence at Synthesis Health, and he has been working for a long time with the company 1QBit.

Source: LinkedIn

1QBit is a name associated with many companies, including Microsoft, that means directly or indirectly, being head of AI, there is a possibility Oberoi might have influenced data and research at the companies he was associated with. In today’s time, data is more valuable than gold. When a person with expertise in data and analytics, it gets much easier to influence many audiences online. He has been doing this in his anti-India, anti-Hindu and pro-Khalistani posts.

His 1QBit profile reads, “He has 6+ years of experience in identifying and formulating data-driven quantum and classical solutions for businesses in finance, retail, healthcare and more. Jas’s undergraduate and postgraduate study focused on electronics and computer engineering with interests in combinatorial optimisation, machine learning and big data.”

Source: 1QBit

Interestingly, Oberoi keeps his “activism” and professional life separate. Despite being a regular contributor to portals like Newslaundry, there is no mention of him being a columnist on his LinkedIn profile.

He also writes for a propaganda network Baaz News. His bio on Baaz reads, “Jaspreet Oberoi was born and raised in Patiala, Punjab, and currently lives in Vancouver, Canada. He is a columnist focused on socio-political issues concerning India and Canada.” If you notice, Baaz, too has made sure to keep his activism and professional life separate.

Jas’s SS of post about article on Baaz News. Source: Twitter.

Baaz News’s Twitter account was withheld in India as it was allegedly spreading misinformation during crackdown on Amritpal Singh

Source: Twitter

Oberoi has a long history of spreading propaganda. From pro-Khalistan stand to anti-India and anti-Hindu jibes, he is all over the spectrum.

The curious love for ‘Gau Mutra’ and cow jibes

It is unclear what kind of pleasure liberals get from the ‘Gau Mutra’ jibe associated with the language used by Islamic terrorists. Like others, Oberoi is known for using cow dung, cow urine and beef jibes whenever he can.

When netizens questioned pizza parties being held at farmer protests, it irked Oberoi so much that they called them “cow piss drinkers”. Replying to a report by News18 in December 2020, he wrote, “How are those cow piss drinkers netizens? You News18 quoted few Sanghi handles to run your own propaganda against the farmers. Try journalism next time, it won’t hurt your sorry a**.”

Source: Twitter

When France was under attack by Islamists, and there were calls to boycott its brands, many Indians came out supporting the country. Author Shefali Vaidya urged her followers to support French brands. Agitated by France’s support in India, Oberoi replied to Vaidya and wrote, “Please listen to Shefali Vaidya and wholeheartedly support the French delicacies like the dishes made from Cow’s tongue, brain, udders, brain etc.” It was uncalled for him to target Hindus directly by bringing beef into the discussion.

Source: Twitter

In January 2020, while replying to a now-deleted tweet, he used the phrase “moot peeni quam” for Hindus claiming the community proudly drink cow pee which is called ‘moot’ in Punjabi.

Source: Twitter

Pro-Khalistani nature of Jas Oberoi

Showing his separatist pro-Khalistan nature, in March 2023, after Punjab Police and central agencies launched a crackdown on Amritpal Singh, he wrote, “People who vote for BJP in the name of Hindu Rashtra are asking those, who don’t vote in the name of Khalistan, to prove their patriotism. Isn’t India incredible?”

Source: Twitter

Lashing out at gangster in prison Lawrence Bishnoi for speaking against Khalistani during an interview with ABP News, he wrote, “In today’s India if you want to whitewash your crime, you just have to say few things: I’m a nationalist, I want to serve Gau Mata, I hate Pakistan, I hate Khalistan.” He showed his love for Khalistan, Pakistan, and of course, hate for cows.

Source: Twitter

In November 2017, he came out in support of Jagtar Singh Johal, who the Punjab Police arrested for alleged links with the Khalistani terrorist organisation Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF). The same organisation claimed responsibility for three major arsons spread across Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.

Source: Twitter

In 2020, he exploited a netizen’s father’s death to spread propaganda against Ram Mandir. In 2017, Jas Oberoi exhibited an egregious display of bigotry when asked the BJP spokesperson Tajinder Singh Bagga to give up Sikhism for merely expressing his support for a Hindu festival. In 2019, he used a debunked lie to demand a ban on BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Following the security lapse during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Punjab visit in January 2022, Jas Oberoi downplayed the matter and claimed it to be a political theatre amid upcoming elections. In an article on Baaz News, he raised doubts about whether or not SPG got clearance from local agencies for the route. Notably, Chief Minister of Punjab Bhagwant Mann recently initiated disciplinary action in the matter after over a year of the incident.

In April 2021, Jaspreet declared the Indian Government Covid-19 management a disaster. He claimed that PM Modi-led government was looking for vaccines from companies like Sputnik, Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson and Johnson. He also claimed India’s vaccine export to other nations created a major domestic supply issue. Such claims were proven untrue in the long run. Contrary to his claims, India categorically denied approval for the Pfizer vaccine. As per April 10, 2023 data, India has administered over 220,66,23,500 doses of Covid vaccine. Though Covid-19 is still a concern, not only normal life but also the economy in the country is coming back strongly on the right track.

In March 2021, he claimed that Hindus were increasingly organising Tiranga Yatras in Western countries, making Sikhs uncomfortable. For those who are unaware, there is a large population of pro-Khalistani Sikhs in Western countries, including Australia, Canada, the United States, The United Kingdom and others. Amid the large population of pro-Khalistani and anti-India elements in these countries, farmer protests in India fueled violence and protests. For months, anti-India sentiments grew in these countries, and Khalistanis took advantage of the situation and organised protests against India. Indian national flags were burnt and desecrated, and Indian establishments came under attack. The moment anyone supported the Indian government became a target of these elements. During that time, Indian Hindus organised multiple peaceful Tiranga rallies to show they had a say in those countries. These rallies were peaceful, and hardly any provocation happened from the pro-India side. However, in his article, Jaspreet tried to portray it as if Indians, especially Hindus, living in Western countries launched a violent attack on Sikhs under the guise of these rallies.

In February 2021, Oberoi came out in support of the international toolkit gang that was exposed because of a tweet by Greta Thunberg where she accidentally posted a link to the well-planned toolkit against the Indian Government amid ongoing farmer protest. Oberoi claimed the “vile BJP IT cell” got exposed after they attacked the international figures who supported the farmers in India. Maybe he thinks Mia Khalifa is an “international figure” with whom protesters would like to get associated. Pro-Khalistani Mo Dhaliwal, Indian so-called activists and many national and international players were involved in campaigns against India that got exposed because of the Toolkit tweet. Oberoi was also vocal in support of Disha Ravi, one of the brains behind the toolkit.

Jaspreet is married to former Punjabi actress Avi Randhawa, known for Ashke (2018) and Sardarji (2015). While Jaspreet propagates his propaganda on social media using an alias, his wife has so far steered clear of inviting any controversy. Jaspreet’s personal profile on Instagram is locked. However, his Instagram handle iJasOberoi is full of hate-filled posts.

1...2,2922,2932,294...7,640Page 2,293 of 7,640