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Death of ASI Yunus Khan, his multiple wives, several children and “propaganda”: How these Muslims are the real ‘Islamophobics’

Nupur J Sharma
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Death of ASI Yunus Khan, his multiple wives, several children and “propaganda”: How these Muslims are the real ‘Islamophobics’

On the 10th of September, news emerged that ASI Yunus Khan, who was posted at the Delhi Crime Branch, had been found dead in his residence. There were no injury marks found on his body. When the body of the ASI was discovered, it was immediately sent for a post-mortem to ascertain the cause of death.

The body of Yunus Khan was found at the residence that he shared with his second wife and the three children he had with her. He fathered 7 children with his other wife.

News agency ANI tweeted these details without a word of opinion or a shred of value judgement.

“An ASI of Delhi Police, Yunus Khan, was found dead with no injury on his body at his residence on Mirdard Road. Body sent for post-mortem. Posted with Crime Branch, Kamla Market, Yunus is survived by 2 wives & 10 children”, tweeted ANI.

This tweet, by all accounts, was completely factual and also adhered to a standard practise by several media houses to indicate who survives the individual, who has been found dead.

ANI has in the past added this information with several such news items. Here are some examples.

Tweets by ANI
Tweets by ANI

The information of the kin that survives a deceased police officer or army official is added essentially to add an element of empathy – he served the nation, he laid his life down in the line of duty and he has left behind a family that you must remember. These men and women aren’t just names, aren’t just statistics of the several serving officers we lose, battling crime and terrorism, but real people – people whose families will grieve their absence forever.

The purpose of ANI’s tweet was perhaps precisely that. A police officer was found dead and people must remember that they leave a family behind. However, the tweet did not go down well with those who fancy themselves as the protectors of Islam and the Muslim community.

Mohammad Zubair, one of the founding propagandists of AltNews, who is out on bail, took umbrage to the tweet, claiming that ANI was spreading ‘propaganda’.

He claimed that ANI was far more interested in reporting about Yunus Khan’s multiple wives and children instead of plainly reporting about his death. Zubair basically insinuated that ANI was attempting to inspire hate against Khan by sliding in the information about his 2 wives and 10 children. Since Zubair and his co-religionists simply love to chart everything to Islamophobia and anti-Muslim propaganda, this tweet by ANI too, was bracketed in the same category.

With the innocuous tweet of a “fact-checker” taking umbrage with facts, several other trolls descended to cry “Islamophobia”. Here are just a couple of examples.

The argument that Zubair made was, of course, that some Hindus on Social Media were mocking the part about Khan being survived by 2 wives and 10 kids, and for the purpose of this article, let us concede that these Hindus are “Islamophobic“, though, a phobia is an irrational fear and the fear of a religion that espouses “sar tan se juda” slogans can hardly be called irrational.

One has to, however, wonder why Muslims themselves found this tweet problematic. It is a fact that Yunus Khan had 2 wives and 10 children. It is not a figment of ANI’s imagination. It is also a fact that polygamy is one of the essential tenets of Islam. In fact, one of the reasons that Muslims are opposed to the Uniform Civil Code is basically to preserve their right to marry multiple women. When the Supreme Court was set to hear pleas to ban Polygamy and Nikah Halala, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board had categorically stated that these are essential practices in Islam.

In their plea, the AIMPLB argued that Mohammedan law is founded essentially on the Holy Quran and the Hadith of the Prophet, and thus it cannot fall within the purview of the expression ‘laws in force’, as mentioned in Article 13 of the Constitution.  “personal laws do not derive their validity on the ground that they have been passed or made by a legislature or by other competent authority”, and that the “fundamental source of personal laws is their respective scriptural texts”, the board said to SC. This was in 2020.

In 2018, AIMPLB said, “First, the way Halala has been presented in the court is not in accordance with Shariat. This is a thought developed on the basis of media reports, which have no relation to reality. Second, we agree that marriage to four women is allowed in Islam and has Quranic sanctions, but there are certain conditions which need to be adhered to for polygamy which the courts need to be aware of and last when the court considers a live-in relationship as a legal relationship where a man can even have 12 partners then why the court does has a problem with a man having four wives?”

Of course, there are some scholars who advocate legal modernism in Islam and say that the Quranic texts only allow polygamy in exceptional circumstances. In fact, the Supreme Court in 2015 said that Polygamy has no sanction in Islam. Now, whether the Supreme Court should get into what finds sanction in the Quran or not when an overwhelming majority of Muslims, Maulanas and authorities in Islam say it does, is the matter of a separate debate. What is established beyond a reasonable doubt is the fact that Polygamy is widely practised in the Muslim community, representatives of the Muslim community, like the AIMPLB, have said that it finds Quranic sanctions and the community, by and large, is against legal modernism or alternate interpretations of their practice, however, regressive they might be.

Once this is established, the reason for widespread embarrassment when this truth is pointed out becomes far more perplexing. Regardless of whether the Hindus are mocking this practice or not, why must a pious Muslim be ashamed of practises that he believes are ordained by the Quran? When Zubair says that pointing out a mere fact about a deceased individual is “propaganda” against Muslims, one has to wonder if a large section of the Muslim community is the greatest proponent of Islamophobia.

Are these Muslims, including Zubair, calling out ANI for their tweet actually Islamophobic, to an extent that a practice sanctioned by Islam, according to AIMPLB brings shame to them when mentioned in simple reportage? Do they want tenets held close by the Islamic community to never be spoken about because they are, in reality, embarrassed of the tenets of Islam and are, therefore, Islamophobic?

In fact, the term Islamophobia itself reveals the true intent of the Muslim Brotherhood in coining this term and the Muslim community happily furthering it. Islam as a religion has to be open to criticism and it is completely rational to be scared of certain aspects of Islam or even be amused by certain aspects because they are not in tune with the age we live in. One may want to fight “Muslimphobia” and if that is the aim, the phrase used has to be that and not Islamophobia. When one shuts down all criticism of Islam and even deems quoting the Hadiths as blasphemy and mentioning simple facts about a Muslim man having multiple wives and children as “propaganda”, one can safely argue that it is not the non-Muslim who is Islamophobic but those taking offence who are truly Islamophobic since they have a fundamental problem with their own texts being quoted. 

Canada: Swaminarayan Temple in Toronto vandalised, defaced with pro-Khalistan and anti-India slogans

OpIndia Staff
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Canada: Swaminarayan Temple in Toronto vandalised, defaced with pro-Khalistan and anti-India slogans

On Wednesday, in an unprovoked attack, some Khalistani terrorists defaced BAPS Swaminarayan Temple in Toronto with anti-India slogans. Several videos circulating on social media showed slogans of ‘Khalistan Zindabad, Hindustan Murdabad’ painted on the walls of the temple.

Indian High Commission in Ottawa, on Thursday, condemned the acts of vandalism at the BAPs Swaminarayan Temple and urged the Canadian authorities to take necessary action. 

“We strongly condemn defacing of BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir Toronto with anti-India graffiti. Have requested Canadian authorities to investigate the incident and take prompt action on perpetrators,” the High Commission of India in Ottawa Tweeted.

Patrick Brown, Mayor of Brampton voiced his disappointment with the vandalism. “This type of hatred has no place in Canada’s GTA. Let’s hope that the criminals involved are promptly brought to justice,” he tweeted.

Canadian MP Chandra Arya demands action against those targeting Hindu temples

According to Chandra Arya, a Canadian Member of Parliament, Hindu Canadians are rightfully concerned about the hate crime targeting Hindu temples. “Vandalism of Toronto BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir by Canadian Khalistani extremists should be condemned by all. This is not just an isolated event. Canadian Hindu temples have been targeted in the recent past by these kinds of hate crimes. Hindu Canadians are legitimately concerned,” Arya said in a tweet.

This is not the first case in which Hindu temples have been targeted by extremists in Canada. In February this year, six Hindu temples were attacked in Toronto.

The attackers stole money from donation boxes as well as ornaments from the stolen idols. The attacks on the temples began on January 15, with an unsuccessful break-in at the Shri Hanuman Mandir in Brampton, a GTA town. The miscreants tried again and have since gone on a tirade.

Dumka murder: Victim’s family returns appointment letter by Jharkhand Govt for the job of a peon in a private company for victim’s sister

OpIndia Staff
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Dumka murder: Victim’s family returns appointment letter by Jharkhand Govt for the job of a peon in a private company for victim’s sister

On September 14, the family of Dumka Murder Case victim returned the appointment letter given to the victim’s elder sister by the Jharkhand government after they learned that the appointment letter was not for a government job but for an 11-month contract job of a peon in a private company.

The appointment letter was handed over by Jharkhand Mukti Morcha MLA Basant Soren, who came to console the family on September 11. The victim’s family has demanded justice for their daughter and a government job for the victim’s elder sister. Notably, the victim, who was a teenage Hindu girl, was burnt alive while sleeping in her home by Shahrukh Hussain and his friend for ignoring his advances.

As per reports, the family members said when they received the appointment letter, they did not notice what job it was for. As per their knowledge, the elder sister was supposed to get a job in the consumer forum. When they went to the consumer forum and inquired about the job, they discovered that the elder sister was not given a government job. She was appointed on an 11-month contract through outsourcing for a private company. The forum employees reportedly informed the father that they were not paid salaries for 7-8 months.

Learning what had happened to them, the victim’s father approached the district collector’s office and returned the appointment letter. The family has now demanded justice for the victim first. They urged for a death sentence for the accused. The family added after that, their elder daughter should be given a government job. Earlier on September 11, Basant Soren had tweeted that he had handed over the appointment letter to the victim’s sister.

Aaj Tak quoted Dumka District Collector Ravi Shankar Shukla saying the victim’s elder sister was still a minor, and once she attains the age of 18, the government will provide a data entry job in Dumka Library.

Dumka Murder Case

The 15-year-old minor was a resident of Dumka and was burnt alive by two accused named Shahrukh and Naeem. The accused allegedly poured petrol on her from the window of her bedroom when she was fast asleep. She was taken to the hospital shortly after the incident and on August 28, she succumbed to her burn injuries.

Assam: Tribal youth killed for refusing to convert to Christianity to marry girlfriend, cadres from 4 churches allegedly involved in lynching

OpIndia Staff
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Assam: Tribal youth killed for refusing to convert to Christianity to marry girlfriend, cadres from 4 churches allegedly involved in lynching

A 23-year-old youth in the Koilamari Balijan area in the Lakhimpur district of Assam, Biki Bishal, was found dead hanging by a tree on September 12. According to reports, the boy was lynched to death and later hung by a tree by a Christian mob for loving and trying to marry a Christian girl without converting to Christianity.

As per local reports, Bishal was dragged out of his house, allegedly by Christian cadres from four churches in the area and lynched to death.

Legal Rights Observatory, a human rights body, took cognisance of the matter and asked police and local authorities to take action in the matter.

Biki Bishal and the Christian girl in question were reportedly in love with each other and wanted to marry. The girl had also moved in with Biki in his house.

However, this did not sit well with the cadres of local churches who swarmed outside Bilshal’s house and threatened him with dire consequences. The mob took the girl away and gave the boy the option of either converting to Christianity or breaking up with the girl.

When Bishal turned down their offer of converting to Christianity, the enraged mob allegedly vandalised his house before hacking him to death. His body was later found hanging from a tree.

Reportedly, the police have lodged an FIR and started an investigation in the case.

The lynching of Biki Bishal comes days after a Tribal girl from Jharkhand’s Dumka district was found hanging from a tree. A 14-year-old tribal girl was raped and hanged from a tree by a certain Arman Ansari, sending shockwaves across the country.

This is not the first gruesome murder to come to light from Dumka recently. Late last month, a teenage girl was burnt alive while sleeping in her home by Shahrukh Hussain and his friend for ignoring his advances. As per reports, DUmka is becoming a hub of such cases thanks to indoctrination by banned Jihadi organisations from Bangladesh.

Meet EPR: The rapper ‘winning hearts’ of Hindus over ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ rap who has a history of left ideology

Anurag
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Meet EPR: The rapper ‘winning hearts’ of Hindus over ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ rap who has a history of left ideology

A video of the rapper named EPR Iyer is making rounds on social media where he has raised the issue of Hindu tailor Kanhaiya Lal’s death and the death threats (sar tan se Juda) over the alleged blasphemy of Prophet Mohammad. The video is being shared widely by netizens with praises for the rapper.

EPR performed the rap during MTV India’s Hustle 2.0, a rap battle program. Titled ‘Religious Extremism,’ EPR talked about Kanhaiya Lal, a tailor by profession who was killed by people who entered his store on the pretext of getting clothes stitched. He mentioned the names Riyaz and Gaus Mohammed, the killers of Kanhaiya Lal, who have connections with Al Sufa, a terrorist group.

He also mentioned that Police did not follow up on the threats received by him properly; otherwise, Kanhaiya Lal’s death could have been prevented. Furthermore, the rap talked about how the ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ (beheading) threat was given to Kanhaiya Lal, and his killers stabbed him 26 times.

The video that is being shared on social media networks contains only the part where Kanhaiya Lal was discussed. Notably, EPR Iyer has a long history of performing rap songs that are either borderline or aggressively against nationalists, BJP, RSS, right-wing Hindus, and Prime Minister Modi. Even the recent rap, whose part is being widely shared on social media, balanced the act of discussing Kanhaiya Lal with “religious extremism” from other religions.

From the allegation that a Dalit man was killed for carrying a moustache to or the murder of a Dalit man allegedly for eating with the upper caste or interfaith marriage, he mentioned almost everything. He mentioned that violence has happened against all communities, including Sikhs, Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Tribals, and Buddhists, and questioned if it is ever going to stop.

There are some interesting aspects about a few claims made in the rap. It is obvious that it was impossible for EPR to mention particular cases that he had mentioned, but the case where he claimed a Dalit man was killed for carrying a moustache is most likely the case of murder of one Jitendrapal Meghwal from village Barwa, Rajasthan. There were rumours on social media following his murder that he was killed for his stylish moustache. However, Rajasthan Police categorically denied the claims and said he was killed because of personal animosity.

Another case that he mentioned where a Dalit man was allegedly killed for eating with upper caste men could be of one Ramesh Ram from Champawat, who was found dead in December 2021 after he attended a marriage. Though his family claimed he was murdered for eating in front of upper-caste men, the Police had said the reasons were unclear and could be revealed only after investigation. No further information on the case is available.

As EPR said, someone was killed by the family members of a girl for interfaith marriage, he could have been referring to the murder of Hindu man Nagaraju who was stabbed to death by his wife Sultana’s brothers. EPR conveniently decided not to mention the religion of the deceased and those who killed him.

Considering this, several netizens warned fellow Twitter users to be cautious before making anyone a hero for speaking up for Kanhaiya Lal.

On the other hand, others suggested that even if he ‘secularized’ the rap in the second part, it should be seen as a shift in the ‘Overton Window’.

EPR and his history of left-leaning raps

Santhanam Srinivasan Iyer, aka EPR Iyer (Emcee Poet Rapper), is an Indian rapper from Kolkata. The 33-year-old rapper was born in Tiruchirappalli, Tamilnadu, India. Soon after he finished his primary education, his family shifted to Kolkata. He graduated with a broadcast journalism degree from the NSHM Institute of Media and Communication in Kolkata.

EPR developed an interest in rapping during his college days in 2010. He formed a band named ‘!Banned’, which was later disbanded, and he formed another band ‘Underground Authority’ and still performs with it.

EPR has a long history of left-leaning raps. In an interview with Telegraph India, he said if he had not been brought up in Kolkata, he would not have been ‘political’. He said, “I don’t think I would be this political if I grew up somewhere else.” OpIndia scrolled through some of his raps. He released a solo album named ‘Protest poetry’ in 2020 that had 17 tracks based on “social issues”.

‘Chawkidar Chor’ jibe on PM Modi

In track 6 titled ‘Abki Baar Kaun’, EPR used ‘Chowkidar Chor’ jibe against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a derogatory slogan that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has extensively used and later apologised in court for the same. He targeted BJP for “using” Abhinandan in political posters and claimed the government was not serious about inflation. He used phrase ‘Abki Bar Kaun Abki bar Kaun, Apna Chor Apna Chowkidar Kaun?’ throughout the rap targeting PM Modi. Though towards the end he targeted all leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Amit Shah, Mamata Banerjee and others, the prime target in the rap were either PM Modi or BJP.

Praised Gauri Lankesh

In one of his raps titled ‘Ekla Cholo Re’, he profusely praised left-leaning journalist Gauri Lankesh. while doing that, he claimed Gauri Lankesh was killed using the same weapon another activist Kalburgi was killed. However, it was rumoured that the same weapon was used but the SIT had denied the same.

Accused the government of delayed vaccination, farmer deaths and more

In yet another rap song titled ‘Reggae Hindustan’ EPR blamed government for the delayed vaccination of Covid-19. The rap was released in June 2021. Notably, by that time India had already administered 2.96 crore doses of the Covid-19 vaccine and in the next few months, India had achieved its target of vaccinating all eligible individuals. The propaganda that India was behind the target was busted by the government several times but the likes of EPR kept on using it for personal gains.

EPR also alleged the government was ‘not feeding the poor’ and spending money on statues. Interestingly, he might be away from the news reports as the government of India had ensured free ration to 80 crore Indians throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. He also alleged ‘Andolanjivis’, Greta, Riana and others were targeted for raising their voices but in reality, they were part of a larger conspiracy to defame India on the international platform. Their propaganda was busted when Greta Thunberg accidentally released the toolkit they had been using during farmer protests.

The anti-CAA-NRC rap

The rap titled ‘We Inna Hindustan’ was released weeks after the violent clash between Delhi Police and anti-CAA protesters in Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia where Delhi Police had to use lathi charge to disperse the crowd that was pelting stones at them. EPR mentioned CAA and NRC in such a way that they looked linked which is not true. The NRC draft has not been even released by the government two years after the said protests. He also mentioned the suspension of alleged comedian Kunal Kamra from the flying list after he hackled Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami in a flight but the rap was in favour of Kamra.

UP: Najakat Ali arrested 7 years after absconding from police custody, had disguised himself as a Hindu Sadhu to evade arrest

OpIndia Staff
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UP: Najakat Ali arrested 7 years after absconding from police custody, had disguised himself as a Hindu Sadhu to evade arrest

On Tuesday, the Meerut Special Task Force arrested a notorious impersonator named Najakat Ali from the western part of Uttar Pradesh, seven years after he had absconded from police custody. The accused had given money to the police constables seven years ago who helped him to flee from custody. The Meerut STF arrested the accused on Tuesday from the city Goal Market area.

According to the reports, the accused was interrogated after he was arrested on September 13. He confessed during police interrogation that he had bribed the police constables with the help of his criminal friend Sakir to flee from custody seven years ago. After that, he posed himself as Surendra Sharma and traveled to many cities including Agra, Varanasi, Unnao, Bareilly, and Delhi with his girlfriend. He settled in Delhi in the year 2020 for a few months and began running a hotel business.

Further, during these seven years, he also purchased a luxurious flat at Anubhav Apartment in Rohini, Delhi, in the name of his wife, Nasreen. While Police kept on looking for him for these many years, he confessed to having stayed as a Hindu priest in the temple of Prayagraj as well.

Police had declared Rs 50000 reward for information leading to his arrest

Brijesh Kumar Singh, Additional Superintendent of Police of STF Meerut said that on September 26, 2015, Najakat Ali alias Pappu Tantrik was brought to the Court for an appearance in the case of murder. “He escaped from police protection seven years ago. He confessed that he used to pay money to the police constables then. Whatever amount they asked for was provided to them. We had declared Rs 50000 reward for anyone who would provide us with information about him. On September 13 this yeat he had gone to the Goal Market area to meet his brother. The Police arrested him from there”, ASP Brajesh Kumar Singh added.

Singh also added that the accused had obtained his bachelor’s degree from Chaudhary Charan Singh University in the year 1998-99. “After his education he went on to do many businesses like that of a vegetable vendor, property dealer, etc. He also has worked for a Azad News TV channel in the past. Later from 2007 to 2012, he acted as the councilor of Mohalla Rashidnagar. That was the first time he had gone to jail”, Singh said.

Accused duped innocent people of crores of rupees

The ASP also stated that he was a thug and has deceptively looted several on the pretext of providing them spiritual advices. Reports mention that after Najakat Ali was released on bail, he posed himself as a tantrik and began looting innocent people. He also earned crores of rupees from the people on the pretext of doubling their initial investments. The incident came to light in the year 2007 when a person named Ramkumar lodged an FIR against the notorious tantrik. The complainant mentioned that the accused had looted him for Rs 50000.

Later many similar cases emerged reflecting the notorious intentions of the accused. He had looted a person in Hisar, Haryana for Rs 4 lakhs. Also in the year 2008, Sepoy Irfan had registered a complaint against Najakat Ali for obstructing some government work. In the year 2013, a case of cheating of 5 lakhs was registered against the accused in Rajasthan. In the year 2013, Najakat Ali was arrested after a complaint of murder of a person named Bilal was filed against him. Singh said that the accused met Sakir who was a rape accused inside the jail.

Najakat Ali concealed identity, traveled to many cities after he escaped from the police custody

According to the reports, Najakat Ali managed to get Sakir out on bail. On 26 September 2015, when Najakat Ali was brought to court, he bribed the police constables with the help of Sakir and fled from the spot. Sakir later took him to the house of Rajendra Prasad, a resident of Phool Bagh Colony. Sakir later also helped him flee to Agra and many other cities including Varanasi, Unnao, Bareilly, Delhi, and Hisar, where the accused survived with a concealed identity.

During the COVID times, the accused was stuck in the state of West Bengal. He with the help of his girlfriend also filed a fake FIR against the family members of Bilal whom he had murdered in the year 2013. Najakat during the interrogation further confirmed that he arrived in Delhi in 2020 and posed himself as Sanjay Sharma. He purchased a luxurious flat for his wife and also bought two expensive cars. However, the hotel business which he had started in Delhi was in the name of Surendra Sharma.

He said that he used to meet his wife every 15 days and used to call her from different contact numbers. The Police during the arrest of the accused recovered Rs 750 from him. UP STF, Meerut SOG, Surveillance team had been searching for Najakat for seven years. The Police also had declared a reward of Rs 50000 to anyone who would provide them with information about the accused. The accused has been arrested an the Police are looking toward fulfilling the legal proceedings in the case.

Netizens accuse AAP MLA and Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan of meeting Khalistani leaders in Canada: Here’s what we know

OpIndia Staff
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Netizens accuse AAP MLA and Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan of meeting Khalistani leaders in Canada: Here’s what we know

On September 14, netizens shared photographs of Aam Aadmi Party MLA and Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan with a Khalistani leader identified as Harjit Singh Bajwa from Canada.

In the posts shared on social media platforms, it has been alleged that Sandhwan met Bajwa during a fundraiser dinner organized in Canada. Bajwa is also President of a Gurudwara in Montreal, and the said dinner was allegedly organised by him.

OpIndia looked into Bajwa’s activities. We noticed that Bajwa is a known Khalistani leader in Canada. He uses his position to propagate Khalistani ideology and incites Sikhs into demanding a separate nation, Khalistan.

A video of Bajwa from August 15, 2022, also went viral on social media, where he was seen raising ‘Khalistan Zindabad’ slogans in front of the Indian Consulate. The crowd present there also burnt the Indian National flag in his presence.

In another video shared by Gurudwara Guru Nanak Darbar, LaSalle, on June 4, 2020, Bajwa talked about former Chief Minister of Punjab Amarinder Singh’s remarks about Khalistan. In his address, Bajwa extended his support for designated Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannu of Sikhs For Justice and said no one could stop Referendum 2020 from happening in India.

Harjit Singh regularly shares posts related to Khalistan on his social media accounts. On September 6, he shared a video on Referendum 2020 to urge people to vote in favour of Khalistan on September 18 in Brampton, Canada.

On September 9, he shared a video of OMNI Punjab where he could be seen with Khalistan supporters demanding a separate nation. The ‘protest’ took place outside Indian Consulate in Ontario, Canada.

In the past as well, Bajwa has openly shared videos and posts supporting the Khalistan movement. OpIndia could not verify if and when Sandhwan met Bajwa.

AAP accused of courting pro-Khalistani elements

It is noteworthy to mention this is not the first time that AAP has been accused of aligning with pro-Khalistan elements. In the run-up to the Punjab elections, former AAP member Kumar Vishwas had levelled explosive allegations against AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, whom he accused of hobnobbing with Khalistanis and seeking their support in elections. 

Speaking about the deep-rooted separatism in Kejriwal’s mind, Vishwas had said, “He even made dangerous statements in front of me that everyone knows in Punjab. One day when I asked him about referendum 2020 that was being funded by ISI and other elements across the world, he told me not to worry and said, “Either I will become Chief Minister of the state or I will become first Prime Minister of an independent nation (Khalistan).”

Gul Panag had made similar allegations

In 2018, similar allegations were made by actress Gul Panag 2018. Referring to Khalistani supporters in Punjab as K Gang, she had said, “Poorly calculated flirtation that was. One I warned against. Repeatedly. It’s because they didn’t ‘get’ or ‘understand’ Punjab. I thought the K gang had electoral weightage. All of us from Punjab knew better. But alas!”

Anti-India outfit SFJ claimed Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP used Khalistani votes and funds to win Punjab

Earlier this year, following AAP’s victory in Punjab elections, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the chief of the anti-India outfit SFJ, alleged that the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP had used Khalistan votes and funds to win Punjab.

Khalistani terrorist Pannun had further added that it is an open secret that AAP has been heavily funded and supported by pro-Khalistan Sikhs from the USA, Canada, the UK, the EU and Australia. 

BMW denies Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann’s claim that it has decided to set up a new manufacturing plant in Punjab

OpIndia Staff
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BMW denies Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann’s claim that it has decided to set up a new manufacturing plant in Punjab

A day after the Punjab government announced that German luxury car maker BMW has decided to set up an automobile part manufacturing plant in the state, the company has denied taking any such decision. In a press release issued today, BMW said, “BMW Group India has no plans for setting up additional manufacturing operations in Punjab.”

The company said that “BMW Group is firmly committed to its Indian operations with its manufacturing plant in Chennai, a parts warehouse in Pune, a training centre in Gurgaon NCR and a well-developed dealer network across major metropolitans of the country,” and it has no plans to make additional investment for a new plant in Punjab.

The company also said in its press release, “Along with cars and motorcycles, BMW Group’s activities in India comprise of financial services for its premium clientele. BMW India and BMW India Financial Services are 100% subsidiaries of the BMW Group and are headquartered in Gurgaon (National Capital Region).”

BMW statement denying agreeing to set up a new plant in Punjab

BMW’s denial comes after the Punjab government had claimed in a statement that during his ongoing Germany visit, CM Bhagwant Mann has secured an investment from BMW as the company has agreed to set up its auto part manufacturing unit in the state. It was claimed that a decision for this investment was taken during Mann’s visit to BMW headquarters in Munich today.

The Punjab govt claimed that after Mann ‘showcased the Punjab government’s exemplary work to promote industry in the state’, BMW group agreed to set up its auto component unit in state. The statement added that it will be the second plant of BMW in India, after the existing one in Chennai.

CM Bhagwant Mann had said that the BMW unit will give a major boost to the industrial growth of Punjab and create jobs. The CM also invited BMW to collaborate with the state in the e-mobility sector.

Kanpur: Mazaar obstructing widening of highway demolished in heavy police presence

OpIndia Staff
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Kanpur: Mazaar obstructing widening of highway demolished in heavy police presence

A Mazaar between Chaubepur and Shivrajpur in Kanpur was bulldozed by the Kanpur police and administration on Wednesday as part of the widening of GT Road from Aligarh to Kanpur. The Mazaar was blocking the widening of the highway and therefore it needed to be demolished.

The construction of the six-lane highway connecting Aligarh and Kanpur is progressing quickly. The NHAI plans to finish the work by October 2023. The Mazaar at Mariani village, located between Chaubepur and Shivrajpur, was becoming an impediment to construction. The administration had been attempting to remove it for two months, but the residents of the village were protesting.

On Wednesday, the patron of the religious place was called under the leadership of Bilhaur SDM Alka Lamba. After this, the Mazaar was removed peacefully. During this a heavy police force was present. The SDM said that law and order have not deteriorated in any way regarding the removal of the Mazaar.

A commotion erupted two months ago during the NHAI’s effort to demolish the Mazaar. The work on widening GT Road was then halted. According to locals, the Mazaar was constructed over a fifty-year period. This time, the administration had everything planned in advance by having a meeting. ASP Outer Vijendra Dwivedi and SDM Alka Lamba met with the patron and devised a plan to demolish the Mazaar.

The Punjab link to drugs seizure off the Gujarat Coast: Contraband worth Rs 200 crores ordered from Amritsar Jail

OpIndia Staff
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The Punjab link to drugs seizure off the Gujarat Coast: Contraband worth Rs 200 crores ordered from Amritsar Jail

A joint operation by the Indian Coast Guard and Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad caught a Pakistani fish trawler carrying 40 kgs of drugs worth Rs 200 crores off the Gujarat coast on Wednesday. 

Six Pakistani nationals present on the trawler were also arrested, an ATS official said. 

“The joint team of the Coast Guard and ATS intercepted the fishing boat carrying heroin near Jakhau harbour in Kutch district,” the official said.

The drugs were reportedly meant to be transported to Punjab after being offloaded on the Gujarat coast. Acting on a specific tip-off, the joint team of ATS and Coast Guard intercepted the boat that left Pakistan and caught six Pakistani nationals with 40 kg of heroin. The Coast Guard team is expected to reach the Jakhau coast later in the day.

The Punjab connection to drug seizures off the Gujarat coast

As per reports, the contraband caught is linked to jails in Amritsar, Ferozepur, and Faridkot in Punjab. The drugs seized today were reportedly ordered by a Nigerian national named Chief lodged in Amritsar Jail and Meraj Rahmani imprisoned in Kapurthala Jail.

It is worth noting that this is not the first time that ATS has unearthed Punjab links to the drugs seized off the Gujarat coast. While Arvind Kejriwal had asked that drugs transported from Gujarat to Punjab need to be investigated, he did not mention that the orders were placed from inside jails in Punjab. 

Earlier in July this year, officials caught 75 kg of drugs worth Rs 375 crores, ordered by one Bagga Khan imprisoned in Faridkot jail. 

Similarly, last year, Coast Guard caught 146 kg of drugs worth Rs 730 crores ordered by a person named Bhola shooter lodged in Ferozepur jail.

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