After Union Law minister Kiren Rijiju slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for making anti-India comments in the UK, Congress leaders and supporters have started attacking him online. Several Congress leaders and workers replied to him on Twitter calling him a Rs 2 troll. This was led by Supriya Shrinate, Chairperson of Social Media and Digital Platforms of the Congress party.
While responding to a tweet by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju where he said that Rahul Gandhi is Pappu but foreigners don’t know it, she called him a 2 rupee troll and a pest. Kiren Rijiju has said, “People of India know Rahul Gandhi is Pappu but foreigners don’t know that he is actually Pappu. And it’s not necessary to react to his Foolish Statements but the problem is that his Anti-India statements are misused by the Anti-India Forces to tarnish the image of India.”
Quoting the tweet of Rijiju, she said “You are a ₹2 troll. @KirenRijiju Min of (Out) Law and (In) Justice You owe your existence and relevance to lying about Rahul Gandhi But you know what? The more pests like you lie about him – the clearer it becomes how he rattles the living daylights out of each one of you”.
You are a ₹2 troll @KirenRijiju Min of (Out) Law and (In) Justice
You owe your existence and relevance to lying about Rahul Gandhi
But you know what? The more pests like you lie about him – the clearer it becomes how he rattles the living daylights out of each one of you. https://t.co/DNeSEuLrv2
Kiren Rijiju was pointing to the speech that Rahul Gandhi gave at Cambridge recently where he alleged that democracy was in danger in India under the Narendra Modi government. Rahul Gandhi’s speech at Cambridge was criticized by media across the political spectrum. Kiren Rijiju also pointed to the fact that Rahul Gandhi’s unfounded and vacuous claims of minorities being second-class citizens in India were something that the western media and anti-India forces will use to further their agenda.
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also joined in attacking the minister, calling him an absolute disgrace. He supported Supriya’s comments, and retweeted her tweet with the comment “Absolute disgrace as a Minister”.
Notably, many other Congress trolls were seen in the comment section of Kiren Rijiju hurling similar abuses. Maskoor Usmani, a Congress leader from Bihar, said that a Rs2/Tweet troller prevails better sense of humour than the minister, and alleged that Rijiju was “shaming the world largest democracy by making such a statement on opposition leader.”
It doesn’t seem a minister of union government tweeting. Rs2/Tweet troller prevails better sense of humor than you!
You’re shaming the world largest democracy by making such a statement on opposition leader!
Several other Congress leaders made similar comments directed towards Kiren Rijiju.
Champu calling someone pappu, truly speaking you are the biggest pappu in our country right now. Nothing to do instead of rubbish comments, remarks & all. you got nothing to show to the people of India, what you have done as a minister of India.
Rahul Gandhi and his obsession with India not being a nation but rather a Union of States doesn’t seem to be fading. He repeated the same thing in his Cambridge talk which was questioned by an IRTS officer and a scholar of Public Policy at Cambridge.
The Georgian Dream ruling party has decided to withdraw its ‘Foreign Agents’ bill after widespread protests over the past 2 days in the country. Georgia saw two days of violent protests across the country over a bill that was called a Russian-inspired authoritarian shift by the opposition. The opposition also said that the bill imperiled hopes of the country joining the European Union.
The ruling Dream party said in a statement that it would “unconditionally withdraw the bill we supported, without any reservations”. It cited the need to reduce confrontation in society, while also denouncing lies told about the bill by the radical opposition.
The EU delegation to Georgia welcomed the announcement, saying it wanted to “encourage all political leaders in Georgia to resume pro-EU reforms, in an inclusive and constructive way”.
Earlier, thousands of protestors led by the opposition had gathered on the streets of Georgia to protest against the law that said that any organization that received more than 20 percent of its funding from abroad will be labeled as a “Foreign Agent”.
The introduction of the bill led to massive protests backed by the opposition outside the Georgian Parliament. The protests against the bill turned violent and Police had to use tear gas and water cannons to disperse the protestors. At least 50 Police officials were injured during the clashes. Many protestors were arrested.
From Rybar: ?? Right now, mass protests are taking place in Georgia after the country’s parliament passed the bill on “foreign agents” in the first reading. The law implies that non-profit organizations and the media receive the appropriate status if more than 20% of their… https://t.co/t6FEGSqZ6Ppic.twitter.com/FSx05TNqte
The ruling government officials said the bill was necessary to root out foreign influence and spies from Georgia’s political scene. They argued that the Georgians have the right to know who funds non-government organizations working in the country. However, the opposition said that it is a law to crush dissent.
Interestingly, the bill has deepened a rift between the ruling party Georgian Dream and Georgia’s President Salome Zourabichvili, a pro-EU woman who has moved away from the party since being elected with its support in 2018.
Aam Aadmi Party spokesperson Sanjay Singh recently made an absurd and unfounded assertion regarding the humanitarian relief that India provides to Afghanistan. He claimed that Indian govt didn’t take any action on drugs from Afghanistan seized at Mundra port in Gujarat.
Reacting to a tweet by his advisor and AAP member, Priyanka Kakkar, the Rajya Sabha MP has claimed, “In Adani’s Mundra port, heroin worth Rs 20,000 crore was recovered, but neither the ED nor the CBI had taken any action. India is being destroyed by Taliban’s drug trade.”
अडानी के मुंद्रा पोर्ट पर तालिबान से आई 20 हज़ार करोड़ की हेरोइन पकड़ी गई ED CBI की कोई कार्यवाही नही हुई। मोदी जी तालिबान भारत को हेरोइन से बर्बाद कर रहा है। आप तालिबान को गेहूँ और करोड़ों की सौग़ात दे रहे हैं। तालिबान से BJP और मोदी सरकार का क्या रिश्ता है? https://t.co/ltjOfvMgUR
“You (BJP government) are providing them (Afghanistan) with wheat and crores of rupees. What kind of relationship does the Modi administration have with the Taliban,” he alleged.
However, the allegations of the AAP leaders are completely false, as the Mundra drug haul is being seriously probed by the NIA. The probe agency has filed a charge sheet and then filed additional charge sheets, made several arrests, and the case is going on in the full swing. NIA has arrested both Indian and Afghan nationals in the case. Apart from a large number of people, several companies also have been named as accused in the charge sheets.
Mundra port drug haul case
In September of 2021, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) reportedly confiscated containers carrying around 3,000 kg heroine from Mundra Port, managed by the Adani Group, in Gujarat’s Kutch. The contraband, valued at an estimated Rs 9,000 crore, came from Afghanistan.
There were 7 Iranian citizens aboard the ship and it was loaded in an Iranian port. According to reports, Ashi Trading Firm, situated in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, imported the containers to Mundra Port from Afghanistan. The exporting entity was revealed to be Hasan Husain Ltd., based in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
The investigating agencies discovered that Pakistani drug traffickers transfer the drugs to Iran for further distribution through the Iranian port of Konarak.
પોરબંદરના ડ્રગ્સ કેસમાં તપાસમાં મોટા ખુલાસા, ઈરાનના કોનાર્ક પોર્ટ અને પાસેના બંદરોમાં થાય છે ડ્રગ્સની હેરાફેરી, ડ્રગ્સ કેસમાં પાકિસ્તાનની પણ સંડોવણી pic.twitter.com/Xb28IMNTE6
Machavaram Sudhakar, Chennai resident, and owner of the Ashi Trading Company, and his wife Govindaraju Durga Purna Vaisali, were taken into custody by the DRI.
Subsequent investigation found that a similar consignment had already been imported from Afghanistan in June of the same year by the Andhra firm that was designated as the official recipient of the drugs. The same exporter sent the shipment. The invoice was issued in the name of Kuldip Singh, a resident of Delhi’s Alipur.
Sudhakar informed DRI, “Business was established in August of last year, and the consignment came from Hasan Husain Ltd. in Afghanistan via their local representative Amit.”
Case handed over to NIA and UAPA invoked
The National Investigative Agency (NIA) took over the investigation of the case next month, in October, because of the gravity of the situation and its global implications.
According to the NIA, the heroin shipment came from Afghanistan and was sent as a package of ‘semi-processed talc stones.’ The consignment had come from Iran’s Bandar Abbas Port.
NIA takes over case of seizure of 2988.21 kgs of narcotics at Mundra Port, Gujarat pic.twitter.com/omr6xe3jaR
The investigation agency filed an FIR in response to the Ministry of Home Affairs directive. NIA conducted raids in Chennai, Coimbatore, Vijaywada, and at the premises of suspects involved in the import.
NIA invoked sections 120 B of IPC, section 8 (C), 23 of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) and section 17, 18 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 against accused Sudhakaran, his wife Govindaraju, Rajkumar Perumal and others.
More people arrested by NIA
In December, NIA arrested Afghan National Sobhan Aryanfar (28) who lived in Neb Sarai in South Delhi, in relation to the drug case.
NIA Arrests Another Afghan National in Mundra Port Drugs (Heroin) Seizure Case (RC 26/2021/NIA/DLI) pic.twitter.com/wdsauailQt
The agency informed, that he was a part of a drug trafficking ring that imported ‘semi-processed talc stones’ from Afghanistan while concealing the heroin inside.
In August of 2022, NIA made another significant arrest of a Delhi-based businessman, Kabir Talwar, also known as Harpreet Talwar. He is the owner of the Playboy club at the Samrat hotel in Delhi. Another businessman, Prince Sharma, was also arrested by the agency as part of the investigation.
Delhi based Kabir Talwar arrested by @NIA_India in the Mundra Port drug haul. He runs the playboy bar in Delhis samrat hotel! two key accused involved in smuggling of Heroin through import consignments from Afghanistan using maritime route, have been arrested today. pic.twitter.com/CJvhu5R3dU
NIA stated, that Talwar, an Indian drug lord, imported drugs, sold them to different peddlers, and then transferred the proceeds via hawala networks to people in Afghanistan who funded terrorist organizations.
NIA filed chargesheet
NIA filed its initial charge sheet against 16 people, on March 14, 2022. “During investigation it was established that the smuggling of narcotics was carried out earlier as well by the same set of accused persons,” it read.
NIA Files Charge Sheet Against 16 Narco Traffickers in Seizure of 2998.21 kgs Narcotics Drugs at Mundra Port, Gujarat Case (RC-26/2021/NIA/DLI) pic.twitter.com/yiO1qMrf8V
The charge sheet contained the names of Sudhakar and his wife Govindaraju, Rajkumar Perumal, Afghan nationals Mohammad Akhlaqi, Said Hussaini, Fardin Amery, Sobhan Aryanfar, Alokozai Khan and Murtaza Hakimi. The agency also named Pradeep Kumar, a resident of Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh.
NIA filed supplement charge sheet
Three Afghan nationals were among the nine individuals named in a supplement chargesheet, the NIA issued in connection with the case, on 29 August of the same year. The people named were previously arrested by the agency.
NIA Files Supplementary Charge-Sheet against 9 Narcotics Traffickers in Mundra Drugs Seizure Case (RC-26/2021/NIA/DLI) pic.twitter.com/TkLDAhNL4A
“The accused charge sheeted today are members of an international drug smuggling network involved in trafficking of heroin from Afghanistan to India for distribution in Punjab, Delhi, Gujarat, UP and other states of India,” disclosed NIA in a statement.
Sarabjit Singh alias Setthi from Hoshiarpur (Punjab), Balwinder Singh and Jasvir Singh from Amritsar (Punjab), Jannat Gul Kaker, Shami Ullah and Mohammad Lal Kaker from Kanduz (Afghanistan), Mujahid Shinwari from Linghara (Afghanistan), and Imtiaz Ahmed and Imran Ahmed from Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, were named in the chargesheet.
NIA filed another chargesheet
In connection with the drug case, the NIA filed another additional charge sheet in February 2023, listing 15 people and seven companies as offenders.
NIA Files 2nd Supplementary Charge-sheet in Mundra Port Narcotics Seizure Case pic.twitter.com/TSsSKTyTjq
The second supplementary charge sheet was filed against Kabir Talwar alias Harpreet Singh Talwar, Prince Sharma, Rah Matullah Kakar, Ishwinder Singh, Jasbir Singh, Shaheenshah Zaheer, Sushanta Sarkar, Vityash Koser, Faridoon Amani, Abdul Salam Noorzai, Mohd Iqbal Awan, Mohammad Hussain Dad, Mohammad Hasan Shah, Machavaram Sudhakar, and Rajkumar Perumal.
Major revelations by the NIA
“The chargesheet was filed in the NIA Special Court, Ahmedabad, Gujarat. We have also charge sheeted seven companies, M/s Aashi Trading Co. (IEC- AOTPG6030R), India based company; M/s Jesus Christ Impex, India based firm/company; M/s Magent India, India based firm/company; M/s V/K Enterprises, India based firm/company; M/s Vyom Fashions (IEC- CXBPP7317K), India based company; M/s Hasan Husain Limited, Afghanistan based company and M/s Habib Shahab Talc & Marble Processing Company, Afghanistan based company,” said an NIA spokesperson.
“During the investigation, it has also emerged that an organized network of syndicate members was being run by foreign-based narcotic traders for importing the heroin-laden consignments into Indian ports (Mundra, Kolkatta) and its further delivery to various warehouses located at New Delhi,” he further stated.
According to complaints lodged by the NIA, money obtained from the sale of heroin was given to members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) so they could engage in terrorist activities in India.
He unveiled, “The India based network of Afghan nationals was responsible for hiring these warehouses and for processing/extracting and distributing the heroin once it reached New Delhi. The investigation established that funds generated through the sale proceeds of heroin were provided to operatives of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) for the furtherance of terrorist activities in India.”
As per the agency, Kabir Talwar visited Dubai, United Arab Emirates, frequently and knowingly took part in a plot to use the commercial marine route to bring heroin into India.
“He is running multiple trades in New Delhi, like clubs, retail showrooms, and import firms. These firms are opened by Kabir Talwar in the names of his employees, relatives, and friends, which are solely operated by him. These firms were used for importing narcotics, banned items, and receiving remittances in form of legitimate goods in lieu of his role in the smuggling cartel,” he disclosed.
He added, “Over a dozen such firms have been identified and investigated, including the charge-sheeted firm, M/s Magent India. This company was used to import and receive heroin disguised as semi-processed talc stone from Afghanistan to India.”
He unveiled, that additional research showed a systematic criminal plot, formed by the accused, to smuggle illegal consignments of heroin through international trade lines to India from Afghanistan. “While investigating forward and backward linkages of the crime, a well-oiled network of operatives involved in the import, facilitation, and transport of drug-laden consignments has been uncovered,” he conveyed.
Additionally, it was discovered that shipments were being imported through numerous fictitious or shell import proprietorship corporations set up in India by multiple accused.
Opposition’s baseless accusations on Adani Group
Not only AAP, but Congress and its workers had also blamed Gautam Adani, chairman of the Adani group, of using the port to smuggle the drugs. However, the case’s inquiry found no support for the unsubstantiated accusations.
There are several ports across the Indian coast line, yet drug smugglers only want to use Gujarat. The all important question being, do they consider it safer? #BJPGujaratDrugsModelpic.twitter.com/qJ8JudsYb0
In September 2021, the group released an official statement countering the vicious campaign against them.
Media statement on the malicious social media campaign against the Adani Group on the seizure of illegal drugs at Mundra Port. pic.twitter.com/z4gutdzKyK
The press release clearly stated, “The law empowers the Government of India’s component authorities such as the Customs and the DRI to open, examine and seize any unlawful cargo. No port operator across the country can examine a container. Their role is limited to running the port.”
Sanjay Singh’s groundless claims
Sanjay Singh made the remark notwithstanding the lack of evidence supporting any involvement on the part of the Adani Group or Gautam Adani.
Notably, he is a member of the political party which provides unfair perks to the illegal Rohingya immigrants settled in Delhi. Their leader and Okhla MLA Amanatullah Khan is a known Rohingya supporter.
In January 2020 it was reported how the party was systematically settling illegal Rohingya immigrants in Delhi. During Covid lockdown, Khan, a vocal advocate for the Muslim immigrants, discriminated against the poor Hindus because they didn’t vote for him.
In a viral video from Ahmedabad in December 2022, AAP supporters confessed that the party had given illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya Muslim immigrants excessive favours.
The reason the Member of Parliament has an issue with the help being delivered to Afghanistan by India is, that his party has a policy of elevating politics above everything, even the most noble of causes. The AAP leader and his party have a history of attacking Prime Minister Modi and the center administration over frivolous issues.
Their animosity towards the prime minister has transmogrified into a nonsensical resistance to every decision, irrespective of how positive, taken by his government.
On Wednesday, March 8, the assembler of Honda automobiles in Pakistan, Honda Atlas Cars announced a complete shutdown of its plant for the month of March due to supply chain disruptions.
In a notice issued to the Pakistan Stock Exchange, the car manufacturer stated that the decision was made since the company’s supply chain has been “severely disrupted”.
“Considering the current economic situation of Pakistan whereby the government resorted to stringent measures including restricting the opening of LCs (letter of credits) for import of CKD (completely knocked-down) kits, raw materials and halting foreign payments, the company’s supply chain has also been severely disrupted by such measures,” Honda Atlas Cars stated.
Since the company is not in a position to continue with its production, it will ultimately be forced to shut down its facility from March 9 to March 31.
It is notable that several companies in various sectors have stopped production in a cash-strapped Pakistan as they ran out of raw materials or foreign exchange and in some cases both. In February this year, Pak Suzuki Motor Company (PSMC), another prominent car manufacturer had announced to shut down its automobile plant from February 13 to February 17 due to a shortage of inventory.
Suzuki motorcycles, sedans, pickup trucks, vans, 4x4s, and other vehicles are locally assembled, produced, and marketed by PMSC along with any necessary replacement parts.
In January, PSMC announced that its plant would be temporarily shut down from January 2 to January 6 and again from January 16 to January 20 due to inventory shortages.
PSMC had to further extend the shut down till February 21. Due to restrictions placed by the State Bank of Pakistan on Letters of Credit (LCs) opening as a result of the continuing depreciation of the rupee, Pakistan’s automobile sector, which is heavily dependent on imports, is currently experiencing a crisis. As Pakistan’s reserves have drastically depleted, industries are experiencing operational challenges.
In December last year, Indus Motor Cars (IMC), the makers of Toyota vehicles in Pakistan had announced to halt production temporarily owing to a delay in import approvals from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).
Logistic services suffer amidst forex crisis in Pakistan
As Pakistan’s shattered economy struggles with a foreign exchange crisis, logistics companies serving the nation are being compelled to restrict their services.
Express logistics giant DHL said it was compelled to cease operations in Pakistan as of March 15 for locally billed imports and limit handling outbound shipments to a maximum of 70 kg until further notice due to the significant difficulty in completing currency transactions.
DHL claims that the restrictions have made it incredibly challenging for them to continue offering the full range of product offerings for shipments leaving Pakistan.
On February 27, Virgin Atlantic, a UK-based airline announced that it is suspending its connections between London Heathrow and Pakistan as part of a revised flying programme for 2023.
Lahore flights from London Heathrow (LHR/EGLL) will terminate on April 30 while Islamabad flights will end on July 9.
Skyrocketing car prices
In a country where even prices of essential food items like flour have witnessed a dramatic surge, rising prices of cars are not surprising at all. According to a recent report by Pakistan Business Forum (PBF), car costs in Pakistan have soared by a record-breaking 149%. According to PBF Vice President Ahmad Jawad, this increase is the result of the auto industry’s tendency to base prices on how the US dollar is performing against the Pakistani rupee.
China comes to Pakistan’s rescue
The country is still short of dollars to meet import and other foreign payment obligations. The foreign exchange reserves of the central bank currently total nearly $3.8 billion, hardly enough to meet a month’s worth of essential imports. However, China has stepped in to ‘rescue’ Pakistan as the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) loan inflow is expected to increase the State Bank of Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves as ICBC has approved an extension of a $1.3 billion loan for the country.
Pakistan-IMF meeting over bail-out fails
The talks for a much-needed bailout package between International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Pakistan failed earlier this month, posing a serious question about the country’s ability to repay international loans. Pakistan is in talks with the IMF on a $1.1 billion funding round, which is part of a $6.5 billion bailout package signed in 2019. While an IMF team was in Pakistan to discuss the deal, the talks collapsed as they failed to reach a staff-level agreement within the stipulated time. Following this, Shehbaz Sharif-led ruling coalition decided to significantly increase tax rates to meet with IMF’s conditions. Adding more to the troubles of Pakistan, IMF recently added a new condition for the much-needed bailout. Reuters cited the resident representative of the IMF as saying that the international financing body had directed Pakistan to assure that its balance of payments deficit is completely covered for the fiscal year that ends in June.
The World Health Organization dismissed its chief representative in the Western Pacific after a US-based news agency revealed that dozens of employees had accused him of partaking in racist, abusive, and unethical behaviour that may have jeopardised the U.N. health agency’s response to the coronavirus outbreak.
In a message to staff members on Wednesday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that Dr. Takeshi Kasai, director of West Pacific region headquartered in Manila, has been terminated from his position due to findings of misconduct in an internal inquiry. The removal of a regional director is unprecedented in WHO history.
“This has been an unprecedented and challenging journey for all of us,” Tedros wrote. He announced that voting will start the next month to choose a new regional director for the Western Pacific region.
Kasai harassed employees in Asia on a daily basis, according to a summary of an internal WHO inquiry that was delivered at a meeting of the agency’s executive board this week in Geneva. This harassment included “aggressive communication, public humiliation, (and) making racial comments.”
Leading WHO directors complained that Kasai had cultivated a “toxic culture” and that employees were scared of reprisals to the organization’s highest governing body. If they denounced him, it would indicate that WHO was not trusted.
According to the reports, the authorities also discovered Kasai had falsified at least one performance review of a subordinate. Kasai was fired as a result of an Associated Press investigation that was published in January 2022. The research showed that more than 30 unnamed WHO employees had complained in writing about the director to top WHO officials and members of the organization’s executive board.
The report was based on an internal complaint filed against Kasai in October last year, which described a “toxic atmosphere” with “a culture of systemic bullying and public ridiculing” at WHO’s Western Pacific headquarters in Manila, led by Dr. Takeshi Kasai.
The emergence of COVID-19 in several Pacific countries was attributed by Kasai to his employees’ “lack of capacity due to their inferior culture, race, and socioeconomic level,” according to records and documents. Kasai also made racial remarks towards his workers.
Employees said that Kasai’s authoritarian style led to the departure of more than 55 key staff in the past year and a half, most of whom have not been replaced.
Kasai reportedly unlawfully communicated secret COVID vaccination information with other WHO employees so that his native Japan might use targeted contributions to gain political advantage. Dr. Kasai is a Japanese national who spent time in his nation’s public health system prior to joining WHO, where he has worked for more than 15 years.
Days following the AP article, WHO director Tedros said to the staff in an August email that Kasai was “on leave” and another senior official was dispatched to replace him temporarily.
An AP investigation discovered top WHO management was informed of several exploitation accusations in 2019 but refused to act and even promoted one of the managers implicated. More than 80 outbreak responders working largely under WHO’s guidance sexually assaulted or exploited vulnerable women.
Sophie Harman, a professor of international politics at Queen Mary University of London commented on the matter and said, “What we need now is consistency in how WHO applies the rules on abuse. The survivors of sexual abuse and exploitation from (Congo) are still looking for justice; the WHO has to show them that they matter.”
On March 9, controversial aandolanjivi and professional PIL advocate Prashant Bhushan published a video [Archive link] on his Twitter account claiming Bill Gates admitted to promoting untested and dangerous Covid vaccines. He wrote, “Bill Gates talking about how he was uniquely qualified to promote the untested & dangerous Covid Vaccines! It would be funny if the man did not do so much damage to the world. But he is still feted in India. Indian Express recently invited him to deliver the Goenka lecture.”
Watch: Bill Gates talking about how he was uniquely qualified to promote the untested & dangerous Covid Vaccines! Would be funny if the man had not done so much damage to the world. But he is still feted in India. Indian Express recently invited him to deliver the Goenka lecture pic.twitter.com/PV6YlBkwc9
By the time we published this report, his Tweet was seen over 104,000 times, and the video was played over 32,000 times. Bhushan was not the only person to share the video. We found that many other Twitter users also shared the same video.
The clip showed the interviewer asking Bill Gates about his contribution to the world. When Gates said he made the most popular computer operating system, the interviewer said he did not create it but stole it from Gary Kildall for a couple of dollars. She then asked by what authority he spoke extensively about Covid vaccines.
When Bill Gates said he read about it and talked to professionals, she said it was becoming more evident that the medication he was promoting and made billions from, caused countless injuries, deaths, and side effects. She accused him of taking tech from other people, selling products full of bugs, causing damage, and profiting from it in a “spectacular way”. When she asked Gates if he could sleep at night, he left the interview abruptly.
The clip made it look like Gates was uncomfortable with the questions and left the interview. However, upon research, we found that the video was originally posted on TikTok by a user, bdti989. Though the video has been deleted [Archive Link], its title read, “How dangerous AI can be”. The video is an AI-generated video, and all the content was superimposed on the original interview.
Prashant Bhushan and his love for fake news
This is not the first time that the senior lawyer has shared fake or misleading news via his Twitter handle. Back in 2021, Bhushan claimed that the Covid-19 virus is dying a natural death. He advocated that financial resources allocated towards Covid-19 vaccines in Union Budget 2021 ought to be relocated to migrant workers and farmers because Covid-19 was “naturally dying down” in the country.
In October 2022, Bhushan was at it again, he shared a video from his Twitter handle claiming that BJP used Hindus dressed as Muslims to win elections. He shared a video as proof of this claim, saying that a BJP MLA confessed to doing the same. The “BJP MLA” turned out to be Aam Aadmi Party leader Yatin Oza.
Bill Gates interview with ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corporation journalist Sarah Ferguson conducted the interview with Gates. It was aired on January 31, 2023 (local time) during her current affairs show on 7/30. During the interview, Sarah asked about Covid-19 conspiracy theories, Elon Musk buying Twitter, AI, climate change, renewable energy, Gates association with Jeffery Epstein and his pledge to donate almost all his wealth.
In the interview, no question that has been represented in the viral video clip was asked.
Verdict: The video shared by Prashant Bhushan is fake.
On Wednesday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was criticised by the son of Rajasthan Minister Vishvendra Singh for his comments against India in the United Kingdom. Rajasthan Tourism Minister’s son, Anirudh who is believed to be close to Congress leader and former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot said, “Rahul Gandhi has gone bonkers. Who insults one’s own country in another country’s Parliament? Or perhaps he considers Italy his homeland.”
Anirudh Singh tweeted, tagging a news article, that quoted Rahul as claiming that “Mikes in our Parliament are silenced” during an event in London held in the Grand Committee Room of the British House of Commons. Singh is close to Sachin Pilot, who had rebelled against the Gehlot govt in 2020.
Screenshot of the tweet shared by BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla
Gandhi said during a speech at a London event that the foundations of Indian democracy were under “brutal attack,” and he grieved that democratic nations throughout the globe, such as the US and Europe, had not taken note. “Can he not speak all this garbage in India? Or he genetically prefers European soil?” Anirudh tweeted.
He also called Gandhi anti-national and said, “Who badmouths one’s own country on an international platform? It’s as anti-national as it can get. He is anti-national. This is ridiculous.” He, while exclusively talking to Times Now, also praised the Modi-led government and said that the Indian democracy today is far stronger than it has ever been. “Our PM is not an authoritarian. He is a democratically elected PM and by saying things against India, Gandhi questioned the integrity of the PM as well. This is an absolute attack on India,” he noted.
As #RahulGandhi questions India abroad, now Rajasthan Minister’s son slams the Congress leader, saying ‘who insults own country abroad?’
Rahul Gandhi is anti-national: #AnirudhSingh (Rajasthan Minister’s son) speaks to TIMES NOW.
Reportedly, there was no immediate reaction from the Minister over the matter. Anirudh also retweeted BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla’s tweet in which the latter mocked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for giving improper answers during an interview in London.
Screenshot of the tweet shared by BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla
The BJP spokesperson backed Singh’s comments and tweeted, “Not just BJP but even Congress leaders are now calling out Rahul Gandhi for his betrayal of Bharat. Hopefully, now Congress leaders will realize that seeking foreign intervention into our internal affairs is nothing short of BHARAT SE DHOKHA.”
Not just BJP but even Congress leaders are now calling out Rahul Gandhi for his betrayal of Bharat
Anirudh Singh, the son of Congress leader and Rajasthan minister Vishvendra Singh, took to Twitter to allege that Rahul Gandhi had resorted to “insulting” India on foreign soil.… https://t.co/mpp6fHTSpmpic.twitter.com/O8BS2AE2b2
Vishvendra Singh was one of the most well-known Congress MLAs who revolted with Pilot against the Gehlot administration in 2020. He was still the tourist minister at the time, but the Congress leadership had him removed for trying to organize a protest in support of Pilot’s failed uprising. Later, he was reinstated as a minister after Congress leadership managed to pacify some of the rebels.
A suspected spy pigeon was seized by Marine Police in Odisha on Wednesday, 2 days after it was caught from a fishing boat in the Jagtsinghshpur district. The bird was caught by fishermen of a trawler named Sarathi on March 6.
The suspected ‘flying agent’ was found with a tiny spy camera and a chip that appeared like a GPS device, tied to its legs. The bird was captured by the fisherman when it sat on the trawler which was anchored. Immediately after capturing the pigeon, the alert fishermen covered the spy camera on its leg with black tape. The fishermen later handed it over to the marine police after reaching Paradip Fishing Harbour yesterday.
The fishermen say that something was written on the body of the bird in a foreign language that couldn’t be understood. The message was written in blue and red colour.
Prakash Behera, a fisherman, said, “The trawler was anchored near Ramchandi lighthouse in Konark when the pigeon perched on it. We found a GPS chip and camera fitted to the leg of the pigeon. The Marine Police have taken the bird into custody. We have never seen such a pigeon attached with a camera and GPS device.”
Behera added that he was feeding the bird after its capture till it was handed over to the police.
The pigeon was found with something that looked like a camera and a GPS device attached to its legs
Paradip ASP Nimai Charan Sethi while talking to ANI said that the devices attached to the pigeon couldn’t be verified. The police said that the pigeon with all the material before a cyber expert to find out the truth.
Jagatsinghpur Superintendent of Police Rahul PR while speaking about the incident said “Our veterinarians will examine the bird. We will seek the help of the State Forensic Science Laboratory for examining the devices attached to its legs. It appears that the devices are a camera and a microchip”.
It is to be noted that several such incidents have happened in the past. On one occasion a pigeon that had the tag Jabaz Khan managed to escape and fly toward the neighboring country.
A B.Ed student was shot dead in Bhagalpur of Bihar when he was making a video of a gunfight between two groups. The incident took place on 8th March 2023 in the Rajendra Nagar area of Navgachhiya in Bhagalpur. The youth Ashish was shot in the chest while shooting a video of the scuffle between two groups of local corporators and their goons. He was immediately taken to the hospital but he died during the treatment.
According to reports, the incident took place in Rajendra Colony under the Navgachhiya police station area where Ashish was shot when he was observing the fight between two groups from the terrace of a building. A video of the incident, taken by a person standing near Ashish, has gone viral, which shows that a stray bullet from the gunfight below hit the student and he fell down immediately. The person making the video is seen dropping his phone and screaming ‘Ashish, Ashish’, after seeing the youth falling down.
Disturbing Visual- होली पर बिहार के नवगछिया में दो गुटों के बीच हुई फ़ायरिंग में छत पर खड़े शख्स की मौत, पूरी वारदात का Live वीडियो देखिए. pic.twitter.com/aLd4YgZCG0
After being shot, the student was brought to Navgachhia Sub-Divisional Hospital for treatment. After first aid, he was referred to Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital in Bhagalpur for better treatment. The doctors there declared the student dead.
Ashish’s brother Sachin said that there was a fight between two groups in the street near his house. In the meantime, they went to the terrace to see the scuffle. His brother was also with him. As soon as the two groups clashed, a group opened fire. Ashish was shot in the chest by a bullet fired by someone from the people involved in the fight. Ashish was a second-year student at the Barari teachers’ training college. His father Pradeep Pandit owns a hardware shop in Navgachhiya
According to a report by Prabhat Khabar, Lal Singh, brother of Manish Singh who is a councilor of ward number 10, was badly beaten up by Navgachhiya Municipal Council chairman Preeti Kumari’s husband W Yadav, his brother Pappu Yadav, a gunner, and many other unidentified people. Councillor Manish Singh also reached the spot to rescue his brother. Amid the assault, W Yadav and his associates started firing from the rifles they were carrying, turning the scuffle into a gunfight. They also fired in the air, which resulted in Ashish getting hit on the terrace.
The police are investigating the incident and analysing the video. In the video, the incident of Ashish being shot after the firing is captured. The police have started the process of post-mortem and raids are underway to arrest the accused. Navgachhiya SP Sushant Kumar Saroj said, “The incident has been reported. A video related to this has also surfaced. It is being investigated. Whoever is guilty will not be spared at any cost. Also, a team has been deployed to arrest the accused.”
The deadlock between the Congress-led Rajasthan government and the widows of Pulwama martyrs, which entered its 5th day today, has turned murkier. The National Commission for Women (NCW) Thursday (March 9) took cognisance of the video that went viral on social media on March 4, showing Rajasthan cops, working at the behest of the Congress govt, assaulting the widows of 2019 Pulwama attack martyrs.
Taking to Twitter, NCW wrote that it has taken cognizance and Chairman Rekha Sharma has written to DGP Rajasthan to personally investigate the case. The NCW has also directed the DGP to initiate an investigation into the women’s complaints of harassment and assault against police officers. It has also directed the police to submit a detailed ATR to them.
@NCWIndia has taken cognizance. Chairperson @sharmarekha has written to DGP Rajasthan to personally look into the matter and conduct an inquiry into allegations of mistreatment and assault levelled by the women against police officials. Detailed ATR must be apprised to NCW. https://t.co/NjE89AnoOF
The video which was widely shared on Twitter was first shared by BJP Rajya Sabha member Kirori Lal Meena on March 4. The BJP leader, notably, has been at the forefront to help the widows of the Pulwama martyrs to get their due compensation promised by the Congress govt in Rajasthan. He had accompanied the widows of the 2019 Pulwama attack martyrs to the protest site.
In the video, a huge group of Rajasthan police, mostly female officers, can be seen manhandling and dragging three women protesting against the unfulfilled promises made by the Ashok Gehlot Govt. The cops first asked the women sitting in protest to move to one corner of the street. The cops then forcefully dragged and picked up the protestors and threw them in a police van, while the women continued to resist and protest.
आज तीनों वीरांगनाओं के साथ राज्यपाल महोदय @KalrajMishra जी को ज्ञापन देने राजभवन गया था। ज्ञापन सौंपने के बाद वीरांगनाएं मुख्यमंत्री जी से मिलने के लिए मुख्यमंत्री आवास की ओर पहुँची तो पुलिस ने उनके साथ अभद्रता व मारपीट की। 1/2 pic.twitter.com/OyG5DKFVRs
— Dr.Kirodi Lal Meena (@DrKirodilalBJP) March 4, 2023
According to reports, the women were protesting against the unfulfilled promises on part of the state government and were on their way to meet CM Ashok Gehlot when they were dragged and thrashed by Rajasthan cops. Reports said that some women protesters were injured during the face-off while a few of them had fallen sick.
‘Beaten, stripped and pricked with a pin’: Manju Jat, the wife of Rohitash Lamba, who died in the Pulwama terror attack narrates her ordeal
Manju Jat, the wife of Rohitash Lamba, who died in the Pulwama terror attack, was injured in police action and was taken to hospital. In a subsequent video that went viral, she could be seen crying and explaining how they were manhandled and thrashed by the Rajasthan cops. “Why were we attacked? We were there to raise our demands,” she broke down.
वीडियो में बिलखती हुई वीरांगना को देखिए, यह देशसेवा में प्राणों की आहुति देने वाले स्वर्गीय रोहिताश लांबा जी की पत्नी श्रीमती मंजू जाट हैं, जो पुलिस की बर्बर पिटाई के बाद SMS अस्पताल में भर्ती है। अब आप आंखों को नम करके सोचिए कि प्रदेश में सत्ता में कैसे पत्थर-दिल लोग बैठे हैं! pic.twitter.com/Q5gso5pppT
— Dr.Kirodi Lal Meena (@DrKirodilalBJP) March 4, 2023
Manju Jat also wrote to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot alleging that the police beat her up, stripped her clothes and even pricked her with a pin. She alleged that the police threw her as if she was a gunny bag when she was going to meet the Chief Minister.
“Unable to bear the torture by the police, I am on an infinite hunger strike since March 4 and the Chief Minister will be responsible if something happens to me,” she said.
Meanwhile, Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra has also written to Ashok Gehlot, asking him to look into the matter. Mishra said that the four war widows have sent a letter to him seeking permission for euthanasia, as he urged the Chief Minister to ensure that the right action is taken.
Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has shared a video of CRPF jawan Rohitash Lamba’s widow Manju, saying that Gehlot should stop this ‘dictator-like’ behaviour.
शहीद रोहिताश लंबा जी की वीरांगना श्रीमती मंजू जाट ने सीएम को लिखे पत्र में बताया है कि पुलिस ने उन्हें पीटा, कपड़े उतारे और आलपिन चुभाई।
— Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (@gssjodhpur) March 8, 2023
Referring to Manju’s allegations of police brutality, Shekhawat said that instead of taking the necessary action, the Chief Minister is issuing statements on Twitter to blame her. “The government should break the fast of the widows of Pulwama martyrs. Gehlot ji, this dictatorship will not work,” Shekhawat said.
Meanwhile, a four-member BJP delegation on Wednesday met Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra and sought his intervention in fulfilling the demands of the widows of three CRPF jawans martyred in the 2019 Pulwama terror attack.
The delegation was led by Deputy Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore and included former minister Arun Chaturvedi and MLAs Ashok Lahoti and Ramlal Sharma.
Submitting a memorandum to Mishra, the delegation sought his intervention in the matter. Later, the governor wrote to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and asked him to resolve the issue after considering the rules.
The wives of the three slain forces personnel had earlier staged a dharna at the Shahid Smarak over the non-fulfilment of promises that the state government made to them after the attack.
“When my husband became a shaheed (martyr), the ministers who visited us, the media, we all saw them praising him. We thought that we will send our children too to fight for our country. But with folded hands, we say that we will not send our kids…Nobody is with us today. The government doesn’t listen to us, instead uses police to disperse us. Why do they call us Veerangana when our voices are not heard,” Manju told Indian Express on March 3.
Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot accuses BJP of using Pulwama martyrs’ wives for political mileage
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday targeted the BJP, saying some of its leaders were disrespecting the widows of martyrs and using them to gain political mileage.
Without directly naming BJP Rajya Sabha MP Kirodi Lal Meena, who has been sitting on a dharna with the widows of the martyrs, Gehlot said in a statement, “Some BJP leaders are disrespecting the wives of the martyrs by using them to gain political mileage. This has never been the tradition in Rajasthan. I condemn it.”
The widows’ demands include installing statues of the slain jawans, giving jobs to their family members on compassionate grounds and construction of roads in their villages.
Pulwama terror attack
On February 14, 2019, a convoy of vehicles carrying Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel to Srinagar via National Highway 44 came under a suicide bombing attack.
22-year-old Adil Ahmad Dar, a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist from Kakapora in Jammu and Kashmir, rammed his explosive-laden vehicle into a bus carrying the CRPF personnel. 40 jawans were martyred in the attack.
