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No religious minority can freely practice its religion in Pakistan: India highlights Pakistan’s abysmal human rights record at UNHRC

OpIndia Staff
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No religious minority can freely practice its religion in Pakistan: India highlights Pakistan’s abysmal human rights record at UNHRC

On Saturday, India slammed Pakistan at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) over the issue of religious minorities and terrorism.

Exercising the Right to Reply, India’s representative Seema Pujani outlined the fact that religious minorities in Pakistan are faced with persecution merely for practicing their faith. 

“Pakistan’s representative has once again chosen to misuse this august forum for its malicious propaganda against India. No religious minority can freely live or practice its religion in Pakistan today. The Ahmadiya community continues to be persecuted by the state for simply practicing their faith,” Pujani said.

India raises the issue of forced disappearances 

Highlighting the issue of forced disappearances in Pakistan, India’s representative stated, “In the last decade, Pakistan’s own commission of inquiry on enforced disappearances has received 8,463 complaints. The Baloch people have borne the brunt of this cruel policy. Students, doctors, engineers, teachers, and community leaders are regularly disappeared by the state, never to return back.”

Pujani also underscored the condition and mistreatment of Christians in Pakistan. “Equally worse is the treatment of the Christian community. It is frequently targeted through draconian blasphemy laws. State institutions officially reserve sanitation jobs for Christians,” the Indian representative said. 

‘Non-Muslim underage girls are converted to Islam by a predatory state and an apathetic judiciary‘: India at UNHRC

Voicing concern about a “predatory state and an apathetic judiciary” in regard to the forced conversion of underage girls belonging to minority communities, the Indian diplomat said, “Underage girls from the community are converted to Islam abetted by a predatory state and an apathetic judiciary. In both the Hindu and Sikh communities, underage girls are forcibly converted, and their places of worship are frequently attacked. The state’s repression of people who wish to speak out against any of these heinous policies is incomparable. A bill, which proposes a five-year jail term for anyone who scandalizes or ridicules the military or the judiciary is currently on the table in Pakistan’s parliament.”

Pakistan’s misplaced priorities

Even at a time when Pakistan is hit by a multi-faceted crisis, the country remains fixated on India. Stressing Pakistan’s ‘obsession’ with India, Seema Pujani gave a piece of advice to Pakistani leadership and representatives to channelize their energies for the welfare of their citizens instead of peddling malicious propaganda against India.

“Pakistan’s obsession with India, while its population battle for their lives, livelihood, and freedom. is an indication of the state’s misplaced priorities. I would advise Pakistan’s leadership and officials to focus their energies on working for the benefit of their own population instead of baseless propaganda,” Pujani said. 

‘Pakistan has nurtured terrorists for decades’

The Indian diplomat further criticized Pakistan for aiding terrorism, stating, that Pakistan’s security agencies have fostered and protected UNSC-designated terrorists like Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar for decades.

“Pakistan actively lends its energies to aiding, hosting, and abetting international terrorists when it is not entirely focused on suppressing its own populace. It has the unique distinction of hosting the most number of UNSC-designated terrorists and terror organizations,” Pujani said.

The Indian diplomat also took the opportunity to remind the council of Pakistan’s history of supporting terrorism.

“Allow me to recall that Osama bin Laden lived next to Pakistan’s premier military academy. Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azar have been nurtured and sheltered by Pakistani security agencies for decades. These are but a few dreaded names from the annals of Pakistan’s history of supporting terrorism,” Pujani stated.

This comes after Hina Rabbani Khar, Pakistan’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs on Thursday expressed her ‘concern’ to a high-level panel via a video link from Islamabad over the “generous” supply of conventional and non-conventional weaponry to the largest country in the region. She claimed that this was seriously undermining South Asia’s strategic stability and jeopardizing Pakistan’s “national security”.

Without explicitly naming India Khar said, “The largest country in the region continues to be a beneficiary of nuclear exceptionalism, in violation of established non-proliferation norms and principles.” 

NCPCR seeks probe against AAP leader Atishi for using minors for furthering political agenda

OpIndia Staff
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NCPCR seeks probe against AAP leader Atishi for using minors for furthering political agenda

The Delhi Chief Secretary and Commissioner of Police have received a letter from the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) requesting an investigation and action against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Atishi for allegedly using children and posting their images on Twitter for political purposes.

The child rights organization said in its letter that it had received a complaint over Atishi’s social media posts in which pictures of underage children holding Manish Sisodia posters in schools were posted.

“The Commission is in receipt of a complaint wherein it has been informed that Atishi Singh has uploaded images on their Twitter handle wherein minor children are seen holding posters for Manish Sisodia in schools,” the NCPCR said in a letter.

Manish Sisodia, a former minister in the Delhi government and leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), was detained by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for suspected irregularities in the formulation and application of the GNCTD excise policy. The commission further noted that the leader reportedly published the pictures in an effort to draw attention away from the CBI’s existing or upcoming inquiries against Manish Sisodia.

“It is alleged that the said images are uploaded by Atishi Singh in order to divert attention in the ongoing/pending investigation by CBI against Manish Sisodia in Delhi Liquor Policy Case in furtherance of their personal agenda. Further, the Commission also observes that the posts uploaded by Atishi Singh showing images of children clearly indicate misuse of the students studying in Schools in Delhi for personal agenda which may adversely affect the psychosocial behaviour of young children for the glorification of accused person in liquor scam,” the Commission said.

The authority further noted that Aam Aadmi Party members had set up booths in and around the school’s grounds and that they were using the kids to further their own political and personal agendas in support of the accused Manish Sisodia.

“Furthermore, it is also seen that Aam Aadmi Party workers have installed stalls in and around the school campus and the children are being used for their political campaigning and personal agenda favouring the accused Manish Sisodia. The Commission primarily observed that this action seems to be in violation of Section 75 and Section 83 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 and other relevant provisions of IPC,” it said.

The panel has ordered the Delhi Police to take the proper legal action in accordance with the Information Technology Act and the Juvenile Justice Act. The Commission determined that it is appropriate to file a complaint under Section 13(I)(j) of the CPCR Act of 2005 in light of the allegations made in the complaint and that there has been a prima facie violation of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act of 2015, the IPC, and the Information Technology Act.

“Therefore, in view of the sensitivity of the matter the Commission requests your good offices to investigate the matter urgently by lodging an FIR against Atishi Singh for misusing her position and power for her personal agenda by involving children, posting and using images of minors without their consent. Further, an Action Taken Report in this regard may be submitted within 3 days of receipt of his letter,” the Commission added.

NCPCR, a legislative agency established under Section 3 of the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005 is responsible for defending children’s rights and other relevant issues throughout the nation.

The Commission is also responsible for making sure that the Right to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act of 2009, the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act of 2012 are being properly and effectively implemented.

Rajasthan: Girl studying in 10th class ends her life owing to board exams pressure, wrote ‘can’t score more than 95%’ in suicide note

OpIndia Staff
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Rajasthan: Girl studying in 10th class ends her life owing to board exams pressure, wrote ‘can’t score more than 95%’ in suicide note

On Friday, March 3, a 10th-class girl student committed suicide in the Dausa district of Rajasthan leaving behind a suicide note. In the note, she stated that she was tense due to her 10th-class board exams and that she was unable to handle the pressure of scoring more than 95% in exams. The girl has been identified as Khushbu Meena (15) and was preparing for her board exams.

According to the reports, the girl was studying at her home in the Lalsaut area of Dausa with her brother who studies in class 4. She committed suicide by hanging herself with a rope when her parents were not at home. The girl left a short suicide note which read, “I am sorry Mummy and Pappa. I can’t do this. I feel pressured due to the 10th board exams. I won’t be able to score more than 95% in the exams. I love you Papa, Mummy, and Rishabh. I am so sorry.”

The incident is said to have happened when the girl’s mother had gone to the school to pay her son’s school fees. She returned home around 11 AM to find her daughter’s body. The local police were informed who arrived at the spot and investigated the matter. The girl was immediately shifted to the hospital where the doctors declared her dead.

Reports mention that Khushbu’s father, Basram Meena, is a school teacher and works at a government school in Jalore city of Rajasthan. He rushed to Dausa after learning about his daughter’s suicide. He said that he and his wife never pressured Khushbu for marks. “She was studious and so intelligent. We never thought she could do something like this,” her father said.

Meanwhile, Khushbu’s mother, who fainted at the hospital after the doctors confirmed her death said, “We never pressured her for studies. But she wanted to always rank first at the school. We are actually clueless thinking why she did what she did.”

The teachers at Khushbu’s school were also questioned about her death. They said that she was intelligent and would always score good marks in exams. School principal Vishram Gurjar also confirmed that she was intelligent but was not confident that she would score more than 95% in the exams. “We had relieved all the 10th class students on February 16 so that they could prepare well for the exams scheduled to start on March 16. We really feel sad that we lost such a bright student,” he was quoted as saying.

The Police have seized the suicide note and have begun the investigation into the case.

[This report can be triggering. Please note that suicide is preventable. If you or someone you know needs help, call any of these helplines: Aasra (Mumbai) 022-27546669, Sneha (Chennai) 044-24640050, Sumaitri (Delhi) 011-23389090, Cooj (Goa) 0832- 2252525, Jeevan (Jamshedpur) 065-76453841, Pratheeksha (Kochi) 048-42448830, Maithri (Kochi) 0484-2540530, Roshni (Hyderabad) 040-66202000, Lifeline 033-64643267 (Kolkata)]

Twitter was asked to restrict ‘Hindu nationalists’ associated with BJP based on fake TekFog database by TheWire: The web of deceit

OpIndia Staff
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Twitter was asked to restrict ‘Hindu nationalists’ associated with BJP based on fake TekFog database by TheWire: The web of deceit

A day after ‘Twitter Files’ revealed how the US-based Digital Forensic Research (DFR) Lab provided a list of Indian accounts, associated with Hindu nationalism and BJP to the Twitter Trust and Safety Team, it has accused leftist propaganda outlet The Wire of providing the misleading dataset.

In a Medium blog post (archive) on Friday (March 3), DFRLab informed that it had received a dataset of 40,000 Twitter accounts in 2021 from one of the reporters of The Wire but it failed to meet its ‘research standards’.

“The dataset was part of an investigation into alleged coordinated disinformation and online harassment in India, conducted in parallel with the Indian outlet The Wire,” it said.

Screengrab of the Medium blogpost by The Wire

“One of their reporters at the time collected the dataset and shared it with our team; he attributed the tweets to the BJP, but his analysis failed to meet our research standards. The DFRLab, therefore, decided not to publish that investigation, terminating our collaboration with The Wire in October 2021,” it further emphasised.

The US-based DFRLab claimed that despite being well aware that the dataset could not be linked to the BJP, it nonetheless provided the list to social media platforms (including Twitter) as part of ‘due diligence.’

“As neither our internal research staff nor Twitter could find a connection between this particular dataset and the BJP, we decided to not move forward with the research,” it said.

“We stand by that decision. The Wire eventually published its own investigation in early 2022 but later retracted it after losing confidence in their report’s accuracy,” DFRLab highlighted.

The Wire, Devesh Kumar, and the Tek Fog saga

While the Digital Forensic Research (DFR) Lab did not explicitly mention the name of the reporter, it is crystal clear from its statement that the said scribe is none other than Devesh Kumar.

When the same statement is analysed in the context of retraction of The Wire‘s own investigation, it also becomes evident that the story is related to Tek Fog (a non-existent app that the leftist propaganda outlet claimed was used by BJP to spread disinformation).

It must be mentioned that the ‘lead investigator’ of the Tek Fog story was Devesh Kumar, and even conducted an ‘Ask me Anything’ session on the matter along with DFRLab’s south Asia research analyst, Ayushman Kaul.

Devesh had stated that he ran a ‘parallel IT cell’ against the BJP from his home and he deployed some 40 servers on Amazon Web Services (AWS) for the task.

It is now clear that he fed the same list to the Digital Forensic Research Lab in the hopes of getting Hindu nationalists and BJP supporters censored on social media platforms.

Interestingly, Ayushman Kaul, who was an employee of DFRLab (April 2019-January 2022) at that time, worked in close coordination with Devesh Kumar. He had collaborated with The Wire on many tech-related projects, including the one on Tek Fog.

Kaul has contributed to multiple stories on The Wire such as ‘Tek Fog: An App With BJP Footprints for Cyber Troops to Automate Hate, Manipulate Trends’, and “Anonymous Complainant Targeting Zubair Tweet Linked to Tek Fog App, BJYM Leader in Gujarat”.

In fact, Devesh and Kaul, along with The Wire’s Naomi Barton, had claimed how Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair was ‘attacked’ online using Tek Fog. According to DFRLab, it stopped collaborating with The Wire in October 2021 after its story failed to meet its editorial standards.

Interestingly, this did not stop the leftist propaganda outlet from going ahead with its fake investigation and embarrassing itself in this process. Ayushman Kaul coincidentally also left the US-based organisation around the time The Wire retracted its stories.

As per his LinkedIn account, Kaul now works as a Senior Analyst at Logically. He joined the company in January 2022.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) later published a report citing the dubious Tek Fog allegation as an example of a lack of religious freedom in India

The revelations made by Twitter Files

On Thursday (March 2), a new tranche of ‘Twitter Files’ was released, which revealed how the US-based Digital Forensic Research (DFR) Lab flagged Twitter handles, allegedly associated with ‘Hindu nationalism’, and particularly with the BJP.

An analyst named Andy Carvin wrote to top Twitter executives on June 8, 2021, “Hi guys. Attached you will find… around 40k Twitter accounts that our researchers suspect are engaging in inauthentic behaviour… and Hindu nationalism more broadly.”

The DFR Lab analyst flagged over 40,000 accounts, claiming that they were paid employees/ unpaid volunteers of India’s largest party, namely, the BJP. Contrary to the wishes of the DFR Lab, the top Twitter executives refused to act on the flagged Twitter accounts. 

Opindia had found that at least 66 prominent and verified Indian Twitter handles were sent by US-funded Digital Forensic Research (DFR) Lab to the top executives of the social media giant.

Hathras conspiracy case: PFI member with Rs 25,000 bounty on his head arrested by UP STF

OpIndia Staff
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Hathras conspiracy case: PFI member with Rs 25,000 bounty on his head arrested by UP STF

On Friday, March 3, Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) arrested a member of the now-banned Islamist outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) from  Melattur in the Malappuram district of Kerala.

According to the police, the PFI member Kamal KP attempted to stir up unrest and incite protests in Hathras in 2020 after the death of a 19-year-old Dalit woman there. The UP STF had announced a reward of Rs 25,000 for information leading to Kamal KP’s arrest. 

Detailing Kamal KP’s suspected role, Additional Director General, Law and Order, Prashant Kumar said that a voice note was received from ‘journalist’ Siddique Kappan’s mobile phone during the investigation of STF.  The said voice note was sent to Kamal KP in which code word was used for calling a secret meeting. In this meeting, a conspiracy was hatched to instigate riots in Hathras. 

ADG Prashant Kumar also added that Kamal KP was a member of the PFI’s ‘hit squad’ and a mentor of one Anshad Badruddin who along with his aide Firoz Khan was apprehended with improvised explosive devices (IED) in Lucknow in 2021. Kamal KP was also among the top five members of the PFI. 

Notably, both Badruddin and Firoz Khan were natives of Kerala who arrived in Uttar Pradesh to execute multiple bomb blasts in Lucknow and other parts of UP.

ADG Kumar informed that Kamal KP will soon be presented before the court in Lucknow and police will take him on remand for further investigation. 

Earlier on Thursday, March 2, an SC-ST court in Uttar Pradesh acquitted three people accused in the Hathras case and held only one guilty. Out of the four accused, namely, Sandeep Sisodia (20), Ravi (35), Luv Kush (23), and Ramu (26), the court held that Sandeep was guilty of the crime and sentenced him to life imprisonment. 

Notably,  in April 2021, the UP police submitted a 5000-page charge sheet against Kerala-based ‘journalist’ Siddique Kappan and seven others for conspiring to create communal tension in Hathras. The UP Police arrested him on October 5, 2020 while he was proceeding to cover the Hathras case. Kappan however, was in February this year released from jail after Lucknow Sessions Court approved bail orders. Kappan, detained in October 2020 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), was released from the Lucknow jail cell on February 2 after serving more than two years behind bars.

The charge sheet was filed before the Additional District Judge’s Court in Mathura. Besides Siddique Kappan, radical Islamist outfit PFI members Masood Ahmed, Rauf Sharif, Anshad Badruddin, Atiqur Rahman, and Firoz Khan were also booked by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF). 

CPI leader arrested for molesting a minor in Kerala

ANI
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CPI leader arrested for molesting a minor in Kerala

A CPI leader was arrested for allegedly molesting a 14-year-old girl in Arthungal area of Alappuzha district, the police said.

Officials said that the accused, identified as Satheeesan, a CPI leader, was arrested by Arthungal police on the basis of a complaint lodged by the victim on Friday. A case has been registered under the POCSO Act against him.

The minor, in her complaint, has stated that she was molested on multiple occasions by the accused, they said.

According to police, the victim belongs to the scheduled caste community and revealed about the incident during a counselling session at the school.

Both Satheesan and the girl’s family were known to each other and the accused was the president of SC community co-operative society, said the police.

The accused CPI leader was produced before court and has been sent on police remand, they added.

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

Foxconn announces investment in Karnataka, expected to generate over 1 lakh jobs

OpIndia Staff
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Foxconn announces investment in Karnataka, expected to generate over 1 lakh jobs

In a big boost to India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat ambitions, Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) has announced a major investment in Karnataka that will generate over one lakh jobs, according to an official statement on Friday.

As much as 300 acres of land has been identified for this purpose near the Bengaluru International Airport in Doddaballapura and Devanahalli taluks. A team from Foxconn — led by Young Liu, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, and comprising 16 senior leaders — was in Bengaluru on Friday.

They were welcomed at the airport by C N Ashwath Narayan, Minister for Higher Education, IT and Biotechnology, Science and Technology and Skill Development.

The visit began with a walkthrough of the world-class new terminal 2, recently inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, followed by a detailed presentation by senior executives from Bengaluru Airport International Limited (BIAL) on cargo infrastructure and facilities at the airport. The team then proceeded to the site view of the proposed area.

Chief Minister and Young Liu discussed Foxconn’s investment plans and Bommai assured full support for the project. The electronics manufacturing project is expected to generate more than 1,00,000 employment opportunities in the next 10 years within the state, the CM said.

Foxconn is the world’s largest electronics manufacturer, with total revenue exceeding New Taiwan dollar 6 trillion in 2022. As of last year, it ranks 20th in the Fortune Global 500.

The company has 173 campuses and offices in 24 countries or regions around the world. The primary product segments for the company include Smart Consumer Electronics, such as smartphones, TVs, game consoles, Cloud and Networking Products which comprised servers, and communication networks; computing products such as computers, tablets, and components and others such as connectors, mechanical parts, services, etc.

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

Congress leader Sandeep Dixit urges Delhi LG to file a case against Arvind Kejriwal under IPC section 420

ANI
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Congress leader Sandeep Dixit urges Delhi LG to file a case against Arvind Kejriwal under IPC section 420

Congress leader Sandeep Dixit has requested Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena to register a case under IPC section 420 against Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal for allegedly spreading “misinformation” for political gains.

After meeting the Lieutenant Governor on Friday, the son of former Delhi CM Sheila Dixit, Sandeep Dixit tweeted that he has requested an inquiry into the matter. “Met LG Delhi and requested him to institute an inquiry into all the various allegations of corruption that @ArvindKejriwal @msisodia and their media and party lapdogs have been spreading about me in last 8 years and either prosecute me or prove them as liars,” he tweeted.

Sandeep Dixit has alleged that CM Kejriwal has issued advertisements by sharing wrong data related to PWD schemes, which is directly a case of IPC section 420.

“Arvind Kejriwal repeatedly claims to save the government money in construction work like flyovers, he then issues false advertisements. But the data suggest that the claims made by Arvind Kejriwal in the advertisements are a lie,” he said.

Sandeep Dixit also accused CM Kejriwal of “misusing” funds received at the NGO from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

“The NGO in which Arvind Kejriwal used to work, the money received under UNDP was misused by Arvind Kejriwal. He later returned a lump sum of Rs 50 lakh, only after the money was demanded from him. This is a matter of sheer corruption and an inquiry should be done against Kejriwal on the matter,” he further said.

Sandeep Dixit also demanded an inquiry against himself on the allegations made by Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia.

Further attacking the AAP National convenor, Sandeep Dixit said, “Arvind Kejriwal also tarnished the image of my mother and former Delhi CM late Sheila Dixit, for political gains. For defaming me, Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia said that the electronic power meter-making company is Sandeep Dixit’s which is a lie.”

“Kejriwal lied that the orange-coloured cluster buses are owned by me. He also lied that the company installing water meters under Delhi Jal Board is also owned by me, which is also a lie,” he added.

Levelling these allegations, Sandeep Dixit has pleaded with the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi to investigate it. He has stated that if it is found that Arvind Kejriwal deliberately tried to discredit Sandeep Dixit and his late mother Sheila Dixit, then an FIR should be filed against the Delhi CM.

It is pertinent to note that these allegations have surfaced just when AAP is facing a streak of corruption allegations.

Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, who headed 18 departments in the cabinet, was arrested on February 26 by the CBI in connection with the Delhi excise policy case. Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain is also in jail for months in an alleged money laundering case. Following this, both ministers stepped down from their posts. 

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

‘Nalayak… Nakkata,’: Bageshwar Dham Mahant Dhirendra Shastri schools a ‘journalist’ working for Barkha Dutt’s The Mojo Story, video goes viral

OpIndia Staff
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‘Nalayak… Nakkata,’: Bageshwar Dham Mahant Dhirendra Shastri schools a ‘journalist’ working for Barkha Dutt’s The Mojo Story, video goes viral

On Thursday, March 2, a video went viral on social media wherein Bageshwar Dham Mahant Dhirendra Shastri is seen schooling a person who identifies himself as a Delhi-based ‘journalist’ working for ‘Barkha Dutt’s Mojo Story.’

The video started with the ‘journalist’ passing some remarks in the middle of a sermon being delivered by Bageshwar Dham Sarkar Pandit Dhirendra Krishna Shastri. His voice, however, was not clear because he spoke without a microphone. Bageshwar Sarkar, irritated on being interrupted, summoned the ‘journalist’ to the stage. The man introduced himself as Harshit Sharma, a journalist, and said he had come from Delhi and was associated with The Mojo Story, Barkha Dutt’s news agency.

At this point, Pandit Dhirendra Krishna Shastri pulled out an article written by this alleged journalist, which left him speechless for a brief period of time. The ‘journalist,’ however, quickly gathered himself and started folding his hands and apologising. Sharma initially claimed that he travelled from Delhi to cover the story. Afterwards, he said that he had come to question Shastri about the girl’s death in the Chhatarpur. At this point, Peethadhishwar Dhirendra Krishna Shastri of Bageshwar Dham schooled the ‘journalist’ in his own unique way, using terms like Nakkata (shameless), Nalayak (useless), and Thathri (a very lean person).

Notably, at the beginning of the video, Sharma is heard passing some remarks. Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, in his customary way, responded, “Sita Ram japo. Tujhe bolne ka tameez hi nahi hai…toro bhi batade ki langot kyo diloy?” (Am I your servant? Sitaram should be petitioned and chanted. You lack the courtesy to speak. You call your uncle (relative), and I will inform them that you are mannerless. “You’re a mole that was planted here), Dhirendra Krishna Shastri said, summoning him to the stage.

After the journalist went up on the stage, Dhirendra Krishna Shastri sought to know who asked him to interrupt his sermon. The journalist stated he did it of his own volition. Then Peethadhishwar of Bageshwar Dham questioned again, this time more firmly, whose orders was he following.

After that, Dhirendra Krishna Shastri showed the journalist two papers and asked whether he could tell what was written on them. Shastri went on to say that the answer to everything the journalist wanted to ask was written on those sheets of paper. He then asked the ‘journalist’ to introduce himself, to which he replied that he worked for Barkha Dutt’a The Mojo story.

Dhirendra Krishna Shastri then stated that he had never heard of The Mojo story. He, however, turned two papers towards the journalist in which he claimed to have already professed whatever was happening at that point in time. Dhirendra Krishna Shastri started reading out what he had written on those sheets of paper.

“Someone will show up to question you. He will misbehave. He’s completely worthless. There’s no need to interact with him. He does, however, require some disciplining. He will be a member of team Mojo. You need not provide him with any information,” Shastri read.

After this, Shastri produced the second sheet. Following that, the journalist attempted to ask him questions, but here, Dhirendra Krishna Shastri paused and declared that he knows everything. The journalist then inquired about the death of the woman featured in his story and mocked Shastri by asking whether the illness of any person coming to him can be cured solely by his miracles or if they also need to see the doctor.

“Why don’t you tell worshippers that they need medical care along with your blessing,” the ‘journalist’ said.

Dhirendra Krishna Shastri responded by reading out from the other piece of paper. “Yaha pareshan vyakti aa sakte. Chinta na kare. Duva aur dava aur krupa, sabki aavashakta hai. (Worried people can come here. Don’t worry. Blessing, medicine, well wishes, all are needed)”

Throughout the video, The Mojo Story ‘journalist’ can be seen holding his ears and constantly apologising at the demand of Mahant Dhirendra Shastri.

The controversy around Bageshwar Dham

Bageshwar Dham and its Mahant Dhirendra Krishna Shastri were in news recently. Notably, the entire row started some days ago when Mahant Dhirendra of Bageshwar Dham travelled to Nagpur for Ramkatha. Reportedly, Dhirendra Shastri brought 300 people back into Hinduism fold during a Gharwapsi program on Christmas last year.

After the Katha concluded, Shyam Manav, the national convenor of the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti, accused Dhirendra Krishna Shastri of promoting ‘superstition’. Shyam Manav has also filed an FIR against Shastri.

Later, in a video shared on the official Instagram page of Bageshwar Dham, Dhirnedra Shastri addressing the Nagpur controversy said that he is being targeted since he started raising the issue of Gharwapsi. He also asked Shyam Manav if he has ever questioned people of other religions over the alleged superstitions. 

Barkha Dutt’s Mojo caught peddling fake news

Notably, Barkha Dutt’s The Mojo Story has often been caught peddling fake and malicious news. In fact, in 2021, the UP Police registered case against 8 Twitter handles including Barkha Dutt’s The Mojo Story for sharing fake news on the Unnao case.

The FIR stated that the mentioned Twitter handles had spread false information that the girls were raped, which was denied in the post-mortem reports. These handles further spread the fake information that Unnao Police performed the last rites of the two deceased girls without the family’s consent.

Similarly, Mojo, the media venture of ‘journalist’ Barkha Dutt, in 2020, used two years old photographs to claim that they represented the then situation in Kashmir. The photo, which actually showed a scene from Shopian, was claimed to be from the Kathua district. Ahmer Khan, the photographer, has called out Barkha Dutt and her media venture on Twitter. Barkha Dutt, in her response, had accepted the mistake of Mojo Story.

After organising Iftar party, Banaras Hindu University bans Holi celebrations on campus, students defy with ‘Kapda Faad Holi’

OpIndia Staff
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After organising Iftar party, Banaras Hindu University bans Holi celebrations on campus, students defy with ‘Kapda Faad Holi’

While the entire country, and the Hindu community across the world, have geared up to celebrate Holi, Banaras Hindu University at Varanasi has courted a massive controversy by banning it on the campus. The festival of colours is a major Hindu festival and the decision by the university administration has triggered massive outrage among the students and on social media. People also pointed out that the same Banaras Hindu University had organised an Iftar party last year.

On 28th February 2023, the Banaras Hindu University at Varanasi issued an order prohibiting students from celebrating Holi inside the campus. The university administration said that action will be taken against those who defy this order. However, on Thursday, 3rd March 2023, students defied the ban and celebrated Holi on campus and in individual hostels.

In a circular issued on 28th February 2023, the university’s chief proctor Professor Abhimanyu Singh said, “All the teachers, staff and students of Kashi Hindu University campus are informed that playing Holi, making noise, playing music in public places on the campus is completely prohibited. In this regard, all directors, faculty heads, and administrative patrons are requested to take administrative action against those who do so. Make the students aware of this fact and ensure necessary action in such a situation.”

However, BHU students celebrated Holi on campus on Thursday and defied this order. According to reports, the students celebrated the festival by playing music on DJ systems, throwing colours, tearing clothes, and pushing each other in water and mud. Film songs, folk songs and Bhojpuri songs were played at high volume. Students of the Faculty of Visual Arts celebrated Holi in a pool filled with water, while at Madhuban, male students tore shirts and kurtas of each other. Amid the fun, they also protested against the admin, and the celebrations were more intense due to the ban order.

ABVP president Abhay Singh said, “It is an inappropriate order. BHU is among the top institutions in the country with a sprawling campus. If students are not allowed to play Holi here, where will they?”

Several tweets posted on Twitter show the BHU students celebrating Holi despite the ban order.

It is notable that on 26th April 2022, BHU Vice-Chancellor Professor Sudhir Jain organized an Iftar party on the campus, triggering protests from students. In the Muslim month of Ramzan, an Iftar party was organized on the campus of Women’s College, where the Vice-Chancellor and several professors had participated, and fasting professors joined the students to open their fast.

Following the party, the students of the Banaras Hindu University held protests outside the residence of Vice-Chancellor Professor Sudhir Jain. They demanded an apology from the VC as they held banners and raised slogans against the Islamisation of the Banaras Hindu University.

However, the university had defended the decision, saying that this happens every year.

Protesting students had alleged that it was an attempt at Islamisation of the University. Now, the BHU administration issued an order not to celebrate the Hindu festival Holi on campus, further reinforcing the believe that the university is becoming anti-Hindu. However, the students ignored the threats of action and defied the ban by celebrating Holi.

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