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8 lakh youths in North Korea volunteer to join military to fight against USA: North Korean media

OpIndia Staff
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8 lakh youths in North Korea volunteer to join military to fight against USA: North Korean media

On 17th March 2023, more than 8,00,000 youth league officials and students in North Korea showed their willingness to join the military forces to fight against the United States of America (USA). According to a report by North Korean media Rodong Sinmun, this was done in an exercise by North Korea to demonstrate “the practical will of action to use powerful physical force to exercise strict control over the enemies”.

This claim by North Korea came after the launch of its Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Thursday, 16th March 2023. This launch is seen as a response to the joint military exercises between the US and South Korea. 

According to reports, youths and students in Pyongyang and other regions of North Korea organized gatherings to volunteer for army service. It is also reported that the commanding officers and volunteers of the Paektusan Hero Youth Shock Brigade, as well as many other working youngsters, requested that they be given the opportunity to lead a great battle against the USA.

North Korea’s state news agency KCNA stated, “Under the grave situation in which the most unstable security environment is being created in the Korean peninsula due to the frantic, provocative and aggressive large-scale war drills conducted by the US and the south Korean puppet traitors against the DPRK, the Central Military Commission of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WK) saw to it that a launching drill of the ICBM Hwasong Pho-17 was conducted on March 16.”

It further said, “The launching drill of the strategic weapon serves as an occasion to give a strong warning to the enemies intentionally escalating the tension in the Korean peninsula while persistently resorting to irresponsible and reckless military threats in defiance of the DPRK’s severe warning, and give an understanding of the concern about the armed conflict which has come to a threatening reality, and to more clearly show the practical will of the Party and government of the DPRK to counterattack with overwhelming offensive measures anytime.”

Detailing the range and capabilities of the missile, the statement mentioned, “The ICBM Hwasongpho-17, launched at the Pyongyang International Airport, traveled up to a maximum altitude of 6,045km and flew a distance of 1,000.2 km for 4151s before accurately landing on the preset area in the open waters of the East Sea of Korea.”

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un personally supervised the launch of an ICBM unit during a drill. Senior members of the WK Central Committee and commanding officials from the Missile General Bureau were present, and Kim Jong-un himself saw the launch. The drill’s goal was to test North Korea’s nuclear war deterrent system’s reliance and operational preparedness under practical and mobile circumstances.

Delhi: Parts of a woman’s body including skull and hair found in a plastic bag at Sarai Kale Khan

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi: Parts of a woman’s body including skull and hair found in a plastic bag at Sarai Kale Khan

Delhi Police have found four mutilated body parts of a woman, including a bunch of hair and a skull, wrapped in plastic and abandoned close to a Metro construction site.

Police received information around 12 pm on Saturday at Sunlight Colony police station, regarding human body parts that were found at a construction site of the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project, near Sarai Kale Khan (Inter-State Bus Terminus) ISBT, in the area of the under-construction site of Rapid Metro.

The incident was discovered after some construction workers at the site complained of a putrid odour and one of them spotted the plastic bag. The decomposed body parts and hair were found once the bag was opened. Thereafter, the police were notified. According to the police, the bag included the head, wrist, fingers, bones, and a clump of hair.

An employee working at the construction site told ANI, “This afternoon a labourer had gone near the boundary of the construction site for some work. He saw a dead body with a severed head lying there. Some more body parts were lying in the polythene, after which he told the officials working at the site and informed the police. It seems that someone from outside has thrown these body parts inside the construction site.” 

Deputy commissioner of police (southeast) Rajesh Deo said, “The crime scene was inspected by the crime spot investigation team and forensic experts. The remains found have been sent to the AIIMS Trauma centre for further proceedings. A search is being made to establish the identity of the dead person.”

Police informed that CCTV cameras are also being searched. “Prime facie, it appears that the killer dumped the body parts at night. The CCTV cameras around the spot are being scanned for clues.”

Earlier on 16th March, two human legs and an arm were recovered in a drain in Noida. The police are trying to establish if these two incidents are linked in any way. “We are trying to connect if the body parts recovered from near Sarai Kale Khan were of the same body.”

“There is a strong possibility that the killer dumped the body parts at different places to mislead the police and ensure the deceased’s identity is not easily established,” police added. The Delhi Police has started a murder investigation under Indian Penal Code Section 302 and are working to identify the victim. 

It is the most recent in a string of gruesome murders in which people are killed, their corpses are hacked off, and the body parts are left in various locations across the city.

The most infamous case is that of Shraddha Walker’s murder, last year, in which her live-in boyfriend Aaftab Poonawala, sliced her body into more than 30 pieces and dumped them in various locations.

In a similar case, last November, Poonam and her son Deepak were arrested by the Delhi Police Crime Branch for the murder of Anjan Das, Poonam’s husband, and Deepak’s father. The duo dismembered his body and subsequently disposed of the pieces in different places.

Deep Sidhu’s brother had denied association with Amritpal Singh a month go, had claimed he leads a different Waris Punjab De

OpIndia Staff
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Deep Sidhu’s brother had denied association with Amritpal Singh a month go, had claimed he leads a different Waris Punjab De

In a conversation with the Sunday Express on February 26, 2023, pro-Khalistani actor-turned-activist late Sandeep Singh alias Deep Sidhu’s brother 39-year-old Mandeep Singh Sidhu, had claimed that the organisation Waris Punjab De led by Amritpal Singh is different from the organisation started by Deep Sidhu. Mandeep said that the original Waris Punjab De, of which he is part, has nothing to do with the group that goes by the same name and led by Amritpal Singh. Deep Sidhu was killed in a road accident on February 15, 2022.

Amritpal Singh claimed to have taken over Waris Punjab De, an organisation founded by Deep Sidhu in 2021. However, Deep Sidhu’s family denied any links to Amritpal. The organisation’s presidency backed by Deep Sidhu’s family was given to Harnek Singh Uppal, alias Fauji, a Nawanshahr-based ex-serviceman. They failed to get traction and followers compared to Amritpal Singh, who rose to fame quickly.

Uppal said, “Deep’s family, including his mother and brother, were the real forces who stood behind him when Delhi Police booked Deep. After Deep’s death, Amritpal came from Dubai but did not even bother to meet his family or express condolences. The family was still in shock, and all of a sudden, a man came and took over their son’s dream project for Punjab. We decided to stand with the family and get a separate organisation registered. Using Sri Guru Granth Sahib as a shield in a personal case and indulging in violence can never be our way.”

During the conversation, Mandeep said his family does not believe in waging ‘war against the government for a separate homeland for Sikhs’. Mandeep practices as a lawyer at Ludhiana district courts. He is a patron of the Deep Sidhu Memorial Trust.

Both Waris Punjab De organisations use Deep Sidhu as their face. They call him the “source of inspiration” on social media. Not to forget, Mandeep attended a program organised by Amritpal Singh’s organisation on Deep Sidhu’s death anniversary. At that time, Mandeep said he attended the event only to pay respect to his brother.

Welcoming Mandeep from the stage, Amritpal said, “Today, Deep’s brother is among us. (It was) said that we have issues with them; we are against them, and them are against us. I have never uttered a word against anyone. Yes, differences are created when we do not sit together, but today he has come here, and I am thankful to him… tussi shaheed da parivaar ja ho, tussi jo hukam laonge saanu manzoor houga, assi peeche ni hatde… (you are family of our martyr, we will never disobey your orders).”

The two ‘Waris Punjab De’

Mandeep pointed out that he is part ‘Waris Punjab De’, registered at Fatehgarh Sahib. Amritpal Singh’s organisation is ‘Warris Panj-aab de’, registered at Moga. “People will slowly understand the difference,” he said.

Amritpal Singh’s organisation was making headlines because of the march he was conducting across Punjab. He was propagating himself as a Sikh leader for Khalistan, similar to that of Khalistani terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. The organisation faced strong criticism from all fractions when they used Shri Guru Granth Sahib as a shield while attacking Ajnala Police Station in Amritsar Rural on February 23 to get one of his aides Lovepreet Toofan free from police custody.

A memorial site for Deep Sidhu is being built under the supervision of Mandeep Singh. He said his organisation could not side with Amritpal’s organisation at any cost due to the ideological difference. He said, “My brother had launched Waris Punjab De with another ideology…not the one he (Amritpal) is now taking it to. Deep had said that talks are the (only) way, but Amritpal is asking youths to pick up weapons. He is misusing Deep’s name and portraying him as a separatist.”

Mandeep added, “Violence and weapons are not our way. We are not waging any battle against the government. We will fight for the rights of Punjab, but there is a way to do that. In July last year, we got our group registered separately at Fatehgarh Sahib to make it clear to police and other authorities that we have nothing to do with Amritpal Singh’s group and its activities.” According to Mandeep, Amritpal sounds too extreme and violent in his speeches. “Youth like it, and he will get more followers,” he added.

Amritpal used Deep Sidhu’s official page without permission, claimed Mandeep

Speaking about how Amritpal allegedly took over the organisation, Mandeep said Amritpal’s group used Deep Sidhu’s official Facebook page just five days after the accident. “He took over the FB page of Waris Punjab De. They created a new logo of Waris Punjab De and posted from Deep’s page on February 20, 2022, that all his fans should follow that page,” Mandeep added. There were around 5 lakh followers on Deep Sidhu’s page when the post was added. It gave an impression that Amritpal was the authorised successor, but “it was done without our permission,” Mandeep claimed.

He said, “Amritpal claims he was in touch with my brother before his death, but we have no proof of that. His (Amritpal’s) number was blocked on Deep’s phone. Most of Deep’s close associates who were with him when he had floated Waris Punjab De said they did not know Amritpal and how he could be made the president (of the group), but then some others said Amritpal should be the president. However, as a family, we were not willing to make Amritpal the president of my brother’s venture. At the time, we were too (emotionally) shattered to get into all this and tell people that he was made the (organisation’s) head without the family’s consent.”

Though Mandeep says there is no proof of Deep’s association with Amritpal Singh, OpIndia accessed some Clubhouse recordings in which Amritpal organised one, and Deep was the speaker. Our report on Clubhouse recordings can be seen here.

NIA summoned Mandeep in a Republic Day violence case

When Deep Sidhu came under investigation agencies’ radar during the farmer protests, National Investigation Agency also sent a notice to Mandeep. He said, “Whatever happened on Republic Day was in the heat of the moment. Deep had not instigated violence; instead, he had gone there to bring protesters back from the Red Fort. Protesters had reached there two hours before him.”

Delhi Police arrested Deep Sidhu for his alleged role in the Republic Day violence on January 26, 2021, when a large group of protesters entered Delhi and created havoc under the guise of a Tractor Rally. They hoisted two alien flags on Red Fort. Later, Sidhu was granted bail in the case. Interestingly, when Deep was on the run from the police, he released a video message claiming he was being sidelined and framed in the matter, and he would soon expose the “leaders” in the farmer protests. He also claimed farmer union leaders instigated the protesters at Red Fort. He released no statement on that matter and later died in a road accident.

‘Public sentiments’ – Mandeep denied links to pro-Khalistan slogans

At the time of his cremation, pro-Khalistan slogans were raised in Ludhiana. Mandeep claimed those were “public sentiments” and family had nothing to do with it. He said, “Instead, we had asked for additional security. Deep…never said we need a separate country. Amritpal talks of a separate country for Sikhs, and that’s the difference between them and us”.

Mandeep said that the Ajnala violence was also a failure of the police and government. “This way, anyone can storm inside the police station and get anyone freed with pressure,” he said.

Amritpal Singh was declared a fugitive

On March 18, Punjab Police launched a massive crackdown on pro-Khalistan leader Amritpal Singh and his associates in Punjab. Security personnel from Central agencies, including CRPF in the state for the G20 summit, joined the operation with Punjab Police. The Police arrested 78 associates of Amritpal Singh during the operation. However, Singh was still on the run when this report was written. Punjab Police issued an advisory not to believe rumours on social media. Furthermore, internet services were shut in the state until March 19, 12 PM, and extended to March 20, 12 PM. Punjab Government imposed Section 144 in the state to ensure law and order.

‘We are a revival of the ancient enlightened Hindu civilisational nation’: Kailasa press office

OpIndia Staff
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‘We are a revival of the ancient enlightened Hindu civilisational nation’: Kailasa press office

Days after reports emerged that 30 US cities were conned into a ‘cultural partnership’ by the fictional country named ‘Kailasa’, the Press Secretary of Kailasa has said that it is a revival of the ancient enlightened Hindu civilisational nation. 

In response to an email by Washington Post’s ‘Morning Mix’ staff writer María Luisa Paúl, who according to Kailasa spokespersons asked several questions about the ‘country’, the Press Secretary office of ‘The Holy See of Hindusim’ stated that the United States of Kailasa is a “borderless service-oriented nation” and “operates through multiple entities and NGOs, temples, and monasteries in multiple countries.”

The Washington Post staff writer had queried about Kailasa, its population, cultural practices, and if it has any official language or anthem.

“Can you please tell me a little bit more about Kailasa: When was it founded? Where is it located? What is its population? Is it 100% Hindu? What are its cultural practices? Does it have an official language or anthem?,” the journalist asked as per Kailasa press office.

In response to these questions, the Kailasa press office stated, “We are a revival of the ancient enlightened Hindu civilisational nation and operate through a group of NGOs, recognised by the United Nations, operating from multiple countries across the world. It was established much in the spirit of a country like the Sovereign Order of Malta, a borderless service-oriented nation,” the press statement read.

Notably, this was recorded on video and shared from Nithyananda’s verified Twitter account.

On the question of how Kailasa operates as a nation, if elections are held there or if it has embassies in other countries, and if it provides passports, birth certificates, official documentation, etc, or if it allows visitors to the so-called country, the Kailasa spokeswoman stated that Kailasa operates through multiple entities and NGO, temples, and monasteries. 

“Like the Sovereign Order of Malta, Kailasa operates through multiple entities and NGOs, temples, and monasteries in multiple countries,” a spokesperson said.

On the recent controversy around the City of Newark and the United Nations, Kailasa spokesperson Vijayapriya Nithyananda said that these questions have already been answered.

‘Rape and cheating charges against Nithyananda are ‘absolutely false’, claims Kailasa press office

The allegations against the self-proclaimed godman, who is on the run after facing several rape and cheating charges in India, are “completely false,” according to a statement from the press office.

“All such allegations are entirely false. This has been attested to by numerous well-known human rights activists in independent reports and legal opinions. One of them is Mr. Geoffrey Robertson, a member of the renowned Queen’s Council from the UK, who says in this report about the persecution that it arises more generally from the media and state government officials demonising their leader and guru as a result of false sexual abuse allegations first leveled against him in 2010 and pursued in a manner that amounts to an abuse of process,” the Kailasa press statement reads.

The California (USA) Court found the Hindu Supreme Pontiff to be innocent on April 4, 2013. The false victim was fined nearly half a million dollars in fines when the court ruled in favor of SPH, the statement added.

The City of Newark got scammed by Kailasa

Notably, the City of Newark in New Jersey recently admitted that it got scammed when it signed an agreement to become the sister city of Kailasa after it found out that there is no such nation in reality. 

A delegation of this so-called country visited Newark earlier this year at the invitation of Mayor Ras Baraka for a cultural trade agreement. The deal was annulled by City Council a few days after the papers were signed.

The City Hall said in a statement, “Although this was a regrettable incident, the city of Newark remains committed to partnering with people from diverse cultures in order to enrich each other with connectivity, support, and mutual respect.”

Interestingly, according to the website of Kailasa, the fictional country has cultural partnerships with more than 30 US cities, including Richmond, Virginia, Dayton, Ohio, Buena Park, Florida, and others.

About ‘Kailasa’

‘Kailasa’ or ‘United States of Kailasa’ is a so-called independent Hindu nation established by Nithyananda, which is reportedly located off the coast of Ecuador. According to its website, it has its own passport, flag, and even a Bank named ‘Reserve Bank of Kailasa.’ Nithyananda even announced flights to his nation in December 2020. It is even offering free e-citizenship to people.

Uttarakhand: Demolition drive against illegal encroachments near Dehradun, over 700 illegal houses demolished

OpIndia Staff
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Uttarakhand: Demolition drive against illegal encroachments near Dehradun, over 700 illegal houses demolished

On Sunday, 19th March 2023, a drive to demolish illegal encroachments in the Vikasnagar area near Dehradun was initiated by the local administrative authorities. The settlement is situated near the Shakti Canal and the HydroPower Corporation has taken an initiative to vacate the area where more than 700 families had illegally settled and built houses.

The demolition drive will be carried out in phases and the first phase started on Sunday. A heavy police force was deployed in the area when the anti-encroachment drive was carried out. In the first phase, illegal occupation is being bulldozed in the Takrani area.

The HydroPower Corporation administration had issued notices to 48 illegal occupants to vacate the land within 24 hours. As soon as 24 hours were over, the demolition action started. Similarly, illegal encroachments from Dakpathar to Dhalipur will be removed in a phased manner. The corporation, police, and administration had prepared a concrete action plan to remove the encroachments.

Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (UJVNL – that is Uttarakhand Hydro Power Corporation Limited) and the local tehsil office formed a joint team that demarcated the illegal properties to be demolished. There are hundreds of illegal constructions between Dakpatthar and Dhalipur along the Shakti Canal. They will also be demolished and the space will be vacated to install a solar power plant along the canal.

Some of the people illegally occupying the place have vacated their illegal properties themselves. However, there are many families residing in the area who have refused to vacate the place. The HydroPower Corporation authorities have clarified that the costs of demolishing the illegal constructions will be recovered from the illegal occupants.

It is notable that the Uttarakhand state government has undertaken a demolition drive against illegal constructions and encroachments in the last few days. On Monday, 13th March 2023, in a major crackdown, the Uttarakhand government rolled bulldozers over illegal Mazars which were built by encroachment on the reserved forest land. This came after Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami directed the state authorities to clear forest land of encroachment.

The government authorities demolished 26 Mazars that were illegally constructed on the government’s forest land. The authorities conducted a survey and identified around 1400 religious structures built illegally on government land. As per reports, some of the illegal Mazars did not even contain any human remains.

Bihar: Anti-national content found in the phone of Nasir Waja of Kashmir who was arrested in Katihar for doing recce

OpIndia Staff
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Bihar: Anti-national content found in the phone of Nasir Waja of Kashmir who was arrested in Katihar for doing recce

Nasir Yusuf Waja, the son of a notorious terrorist Yusuf Waja who was killed in Kashmir, was detained on 15th March 2023 in Katihar of Bihar. He is now sent to jail under the charges of involving in anti-national activities. Since his arrest, security agencies and Bihar Police teams had been interrogating Nasir Waja. During interrogation, it has been revealed that he was involved in anti-national activities.

Nasir Waja, who was caught in suspicious movements near Shaheed Chowk in Katihar, was questioned by RAW, IB, Army Intelligence, and Bihar Police. Initially, he was not cooperating in the interrogation, police said. He was later strictly interrogated. His mobile phone was also scanned.

Several suspicious chats, photographs, and videos were found in Nasir’s phone, which revealed his involvement in anti-national activities. After this, the police registered a case against Nasir for waging war against the country (Section 121, 121A) and sent him to jail. Police said that the matter is being investigated in detail. Efforts are on to find out the motives behind his arrival in Bihar and further planning.

Nasir Waja, son of terrorist Yusuf Waja, was arrested by the police on the night of March 15. The police were informed that the suspect had been roaming around the Nagar police station area and Shaheed Chowk for several hours. Locals found it suspicious and informed the police. After this, the police detained him and started questioning him. During this, the police came to know that he is a resident of Kashmir.

Nasir Waja’s father was a terrorist named Yusuf Waja who was killed in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir. Nasir then moved to Finland. He returned to India in 2021. From Katihar, he was trying to go to Bengal but before that the police caught him.

Congress’ Supriya Shrinate argues how RaGa gets more RTs and Likes than Modi on Twitter, here is what is silly beyond the obvious

Nirwa Mehta
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Congress’ Supriya Shrinate argues how RaGa gets more RTs and Likes than Modi on Twitter, here is what is silly beyond the obvious

Congress leader Supriya Shrinate at the India Today Conclave while debating with BJP’s Amit Malviya argued that Rahul Gandhi has more popular than PM Narendra Modi as his social media presence draws more engagement in form of retweets (RT) and Likes. Shrinate said that if ones sees average likes and retweets of the BJP leaders and Congress leaders, including their official party accounts, Congress fares much ahead.

Netizens were quick to mock the statements. The actual data, obviously, proves otherwise. As per social media analysis website Social Blade, one can see how PM Modi’s popularity is way higher than Rahul Gandhi’s.

Social Blade for @narendramodi

As one can see, PM Modi’s average new followers every day is anything between 13,000 to 26,000 and averages at around 19,000 daily.

Rahul Gandhi’s Social Blade

On the other hand, Rahul Gandhi averages at 5,600 new followers every day. More or less about 25% of PM Modi’s. So, clearly, the comparison itself is flawed and one could say delusional.

Further, Rahul Gandhi is an MP from Wayanad who often tweets political tweets taking a jibe on the ruling dispensation. Narendra Modi is the Prime Minister of the country and since assuming the chair he has been posting official updates which are mostly about new government schemes, his new speeches, rallies so on and so forth.

When he was in the opposition prior to 2014, the tone of his tweets were different and obviously in past nine years the platforms have evolved and social media users’ behaviour has changed along with algorithms. Further, Narendra Modi’s tweets are more like formal communication. He is sharing information and providing updates, not making low IQ political jibes on opponents.

A better comparison to gauge their popularity would be the virality of the comments they make in their speeches. For example, PM Modi’s comments at India Today conclave where he took a swipe at opposition leaders went viral and more of his supporters were praising him than criticising him. On the other hand, Rahul Gandhi’s press conference where Jairam Ramesh tutored him to not turn into a joke, was viral but for complete opposite reason. It was so embarrassing for Congress that they could not even come out and defend it or deploy their minions to ‘fact-check’ the claims.

Further, Congress leaders should ideally stay quiet on online popularity. Firstly they dismissed PM Modi’s online presence prior to 2014 and result was for all to see. Once they woke up from slumber, they ended up deploying bots to increase Rahul Gandhi’s online popularity. There have been reports dating back to 2017 that a high increase in the metrics of Rahul Gandhi’s twitter account was a result of Russia, Kazakhstan and Indonesia based bots engaging with his tweets. 

Later, it was revealed how ‘fake girls’ were found pushing Rahul Gandhi’s content.

Blast from the past tweet of Rahul Gandhi

When Rahul Gandhi’s Twitter account was known as ‘OfficeOfRG’, lot of Twitter accounts with girl profile pictures used to confess their love for Rahul Gandhi. Under the tweet where Rahul Gandhi is seen doing poetry about LPG rate hike, a girl named Sunidhi Rajput is seen professing her romantic feelings for the Congress Vice-President. Except, this was a random image someone had taken off the Internet and was posing as ‘Sunidhi Rajput’.

‘Sunidhi Rajput’

This particular twitter account was created this September and the picture of the girl seems to have been sourced from a website called unomatch.com/desiindiangirlspics. Political analyst Ankur Singh had pointed out more such tweets of ‘fake girls’ who increased Rahul Gandhi’s online popularity.

In fact, to make things more embarrassing for Rahul Gandhi and Congress, when the senior MP had claimed that Twitter was ‘restricting’ his reach and reducing his follower count on behest of the Narendra Modi government, Twitter had pointed out that the decrease in his follower count was because of Twitter cleaning up bots.

Amritpal Singh’s father Tarsem Singh defends his son, says, ‘he is keeping the youth off drugs’

OpIndia Staff
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Amritpal Singh’s father Tarsem Singh defends his son, says, ‘he is keeping the youth off drugs’

Tarsem Singh, Amritpal Singh’s father, has stated that the family is currently unaware of Amritpal’s whereabouts and that he has been missing for some time. He claimed, that the Punjab Police searched their residence for three to four hours without uncovering anything illegal.

He said, “We don’t have correct information about him. We don’t know if he is arrested or not. Police conducted searches for three-four hours at our house. They didn’t find anything illegal. The police should have arrested him when he left the house in the morning.”

According to Tarsem, the family has been approached by the police regarding Amritpal’s surrender. He claimed that the police intervention was unwarranted because his son was assisting the youngsters in quitting drugs. He accused the police of not taking strong action against criminals and drug dealers. 

“We are concerned that something may happen to him. Police are after Amritpal but doing nothing against drug smugglers. Amritpal came to Punjab just a few months back. What were they doing about the crime before he came,” he questioned.

“Amritpal is working against drugs. It is the reason that there is political pressure to arrest him. This action against Amritpal is unjustified. There are drugs in every home. But there is no focus on that issue. If someone is trying to end the drug menace, he is being stopped,” he alleged.

“Isn’t selling drugs anti-national,” he asked when confronted about his son’s anti-national activities. He opined that his son’s attempt to resume ‘Khalsa Vaheer’ from Muktsar district is also a reason behind the crackdown. Amritpal Singh commenced ‘Khalsa Vaheer’, a religious procession, last year, with the aim to baptise the Sikh youth.

Police and paramilitary forces have launched a major operation against the ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief and Khalistan supporter Amritpal Singh since yesterday. The law enforcement officials have been stationed in his village of Jallupur Khera in the Amritsar district. Authorities declared him a fugitive and initiated a massive manhunt to nab the radical Sikh leader. His supporters and close aides are also being apprehended by the security forces.

Gujarat: Khalistani organisation SFJ issues threats to random mobile subscribers, challenges local police

OpIndia Staff
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Gujarat: Khalistani organisation SFJ issues threats to random mobile subscribers, challenges local police

On March 17, the banned pro-Khalistani terrorist organisation Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) called random mobile subscribers in Gujarat and issued threats. As per the Times of India report, the pre-recorded message threatened to “teach a lesson” to the country’s top leaders. They also challenged the Gujarat police in their messages.

Police sources were quoted by the media house as saying that the pre-recorded message was in the voice of Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, chief of SFJ. In the message, SFJ blamed the leaders of the union government for the “murders of Sikh farmers” who revolted against the now-repealed Agriculture laws in 2020-21. According to the recording, they “will not forgive the administration for those deaths”.

Earlier, SFJ used a SIM box to issue threats. So far, local police have been able to bust only one SIM box. Police said around eight additional SIM box rackets are being operated in the region. For those unaware, a SIM box converts international Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls into local GSM calls.

Earlier, on March 8, thousands of people received pre-recorded messages via calls and WhatsApp. In that call, Pannu threatened to invade the Narendra Modi cricket stadium during the India-Australia test match. On March 12, it was reported that the Crime Branch’s Cyber Cell unit of Gujarat Police arrested two persons who allegedly belonged to a pro-Khalistani group from Madhya Pradesh suspected to be backed by Sikhs For Justice (SFJ). Chaitanya Mandlik, DCP, Crime Branch, Gujarat Police, had said that following the threats that the Crime Branch was tracking the accused’s location.

53% of journalists lost jobs, over 50% of media houses shut down in Afghanistan after the takeover by Taliban, hailed for organising a press conference

OpIndia Staff
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53% of journalists lost jobs, over 50% of media houses shut down in Afghanistan after the takeover by Taliban, hailed for organising a press conference

On Saturday (March 18), the Afghanistan National Journalists Union (ANJU) published a report, highlighting that 53% of journalists in the country lost their jobs after the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban.

The report also pointed out that over 50% of media outlets had shut down operations since August 2021, primarily due to financial losses. In a statement, ANJU member Masroor Lutfi said, “Most media employees have left Afghanistan. The media community is facing several problems.”

He further added, “It faces economic difficulties, and restrictions have been placed on the media’s activities in Afghanistan. Besides this, the suspension or closure of the protective laws of the media community is a big challenge.”

ANJU published the damming report on the occasion of National Journalists’ Day in Afghanistan on March 18. Several journalists in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan have raised concerns about their deteriorating economic condition and lack of access to information.

A journalist named Mustafa Shahriar told Tolo News, “We ask government officials and related officials to pay serious attention to the problems of journalists and ensure their safety.”

Another journalist, Raqib Fayaz, lamented, “Twenty-seven of Hoot, the Journalist’s Day, is celebrated when the lack of information access continues to be considered a difficulty and this community is still dealing with major economic issues.”

When Indian liberals were ‘salivating’ over press conference by the Taliban

Shortly after taking over Afghanistan by force in August 2021, the Islamist outfit Taliban held a press conference in Kabul. The left-liberal ecosystem in India was so “impressed” by the press conference that they used it to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A series of tweets popped up on the micro-blogging platform, shaming PM Modi for not holding a press conference since he assumed office in 2014.

Tweet by alleged comedian Aditi. Source: Twitter
Tweet by alleged activist Gurmeher Kaur. Source: Twitter
Tweet by Michael Kugelman. Source: Twitter
Tweet by alleged journalist Richa Singh. Source: Twitter

For Indian ‘liberals’, the Taliban is better than the Indian Prime Minister because they held a press conference.

Prime Minister Modi since he came to power first in 2014 has been interacting with the people of India through his radio programme Mann Ki Baat. He regularly posts updates on social media sites as well. However, since he ‘has not held press conference’, the Taliban is better.

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