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The exclusive story on how Ramasimhan’s movie on 1921 Malabar Genocide of Hindus is being stonewalled: Cuts by CBFC, threats by Islamists and more

Nupur J Sharma
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The exclusive story on how Ramasimhan’s movie on 1921 Malabar Genocide of Hindus is being stonewalled: Cuts by CBFC, threats by Islamists and more

The 1921 Malabar Genocide of Hindus by the Moplah Muslims was a dark chapter in the history of Hindus and the civilisational state of Bharat with an estimated over 10,000 Hindus being massacred by Moplah Muslims. The genocide was a direct consequence of the Khilafat movement that was espoused by none other than Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Ever since, the genocide of Hindus has been whitewashed, pushed under the rug or distorted to paint the aggressors as the ‘real’ victims. The Left has spent decades trying to push the narrative that the Malabar genocide was actually a “peasant uprising” where poor Muslims rose up against the evil Hindu landlords, demanding their legitimate rights. The killing, was a result of the oppression faced by Muslims and not a product of sectarian hate that the Islamists harboured.

The truth is, of course, far from it. In the book The Moplah Rebellion, 1921 written by Diwan Bahadur C. Gopalan Nair, he narrates how even before the Moplah massacre of Hindus, intermittently, there were times when Muslims went into a frenzy and slaughtered Hindus. He writes how the Muslims would sometimes go into their “Hal Ilakam” (Religious frenzy) and not only slaughter Hindus but also desecrate their temples. 

At that time, one MR TL Strange was sent as the special commissioner in Malabar to understand what the cause of these frenzied episodes are. In an 1852 report, Mr Strange categorically rejected the theory that the transgressions by the Muslims against Hindus were a result of a peasant uprising. The report also said that the Hindu landlords treated the peasants well and the violence against Hindus was a clear result of Islamic hate.  

Any attempt to change the established Left narrative about the Malabar Genocide of Hindus has been met with steep resistance, it was, therefore, expected that the upcoming movie by Ramasimhan (previously known as Ali Akbar) would meet the same fate. On June 27, news emerged that the censor committee of Kerala had denied a certificate to the upcoming Malayalam film ‘Puzha Muthal Puzha Vare’, revolving around the Malabar Genocide of Hindus, by filmmaker Ali Akbar aka Ramasimhan Aboobakker. What presumably made matters far worse for Ramasimhan, was that he had reconverted to Hinduism after being disillusioned by the conduct of Islamists in several cases, particularly, after the tragic death of CDS General Bipin Rawat.

“There was a movie that was being released on the Malabar Genocide of Hindus that glorified the murderers. The movie ‘Vaariyamkunnan’ was based on the life of Variamkunnath Kunhamed Haji and Ali Musaliar – the Jihadis responsible for carrying out genocide against thousands of Hindus in Kerala during the early 1920s. When this movie was announced, many people approached me to make a movie that represented the truth about what happened to the Hindus community. That is when I decided to make this film”, Ramasimhan said.

This movie by Ramasimhan is completely crowd-funded. “From Rs 50 onwards, people started giving me money to make this movie. I collected Rs 1.4 crores by people’s contribution”, he said.

It is pertinent to remember that Malayalam director Aashiq Abu had cast controversial Malayalam actor Prithviraj Sukumaran in his period film titled ‘Vaariyamkunnan’. After the outrage, it was reported that the movie was shelved. In June 2020, controversial Malayali actor Prithviraj Sukumaran took to Facebook to announce the new movie and hailed the Jihadists in his post. The actor, sharing the posters of the movie, said Variyam Kunnathu stood up against an empire that ruled a quarter of the world. The moviemakers were accused of whitewashing the crimes of Jihadists of the Moplah Hindu massacre under the garb of freedom of movement. Several people had raised objections against the movie, alleging that the movie was another attempt to absolve crimes by hailing a terrorist as someone who “rebelled” against the British.

Ramasimhan (Ali Akbar) told OpIndia that from the very beginning, a regional officer called Parvati in the Kerala Censor Board was against the movie. “From the registration itself, she was against me”, he said. “It took around one and a half months to register the movie in the software e-pramaan. The software would keep saying it was under scrutiny. The moment I said I will approach the High Court, the registration went through. After that, they called for screening. But after the screening, without any notice, she suggested the movie to the Revision Committee, Mumbai”, he added.

According to Akbar, when he reached Mumbai, there was a 9 person hearing at the Revision Committee. There were Malayalis as well so the local context is not lost. The Revision Committee said that because the movie has a little bit of violence, the certificate that would be given to it would be an A certificate. The Review Committee also suggested some minor cuts that were accepted by Ramasimhab. He told OpIndia that the cuts suggested in this first review meeting were nothing major that altered the foundation of the story itself.

After this meeting, while Ramasimhan waited for the list of cuts that he had to make, he got a notice from the CBFC that another Revision Committee meeting was to be held. Ramasimhan was a little flummoxed because he did not understand the reason for a second revision. His contacts told him that the movie was passed by the first committee but after that, it could only be something “fishy” that led to a second meeting.

When he reached for the second Revision Committee meeting, Ramasimhan says that there were no Malayali members in the panel.

One of the first scenes that the CBFC censored in the movie was a scene where the Thuvur well incident was depicted. On the 25th of September 1921, on the barren hillside between Thuvoor and Karuvayakandi in North Kerala Chambrassery Imbichi Koithangal, one of the Khilafat leaders, held a rally with over 4,000 of his followers. During this meeting, more than 40 Hindus were caught hold of and taken to him with their hands tied behind their backs. 38 were murdered. 3 of the 38 were shot but the rest were beheaded and thrown in the Thuvoor well. 

Besides the Thuvoor well incident, there were several other scenes which were cut. For example, Akbar tells OpIndia that in the movie, there was one dialogue that spoke about the Al-Daula (Islamic State) that was established in Malabar by Kunjahammed Haji. According to several records, this was evidently an ‘independent area’ that the Islamists had established where they had even imposed Jizya on Hindus. One lady, who was a part of the censor board, asked Akbar questions about what he knew about Shariat and Islam, and then proceeded to cut that dialogue altogether.

Akbar told OpIndia that during the 1921 Genocide of Hindus, the carnage was rampant. There was the forcible conversion of Hindus, the deliberate slaughter of cows was rampant just to insult the faith of the Hindus, several thousand were beheaded and temples were razed to the ground. In the movie, he had scenes where he depicted the forcible conversion of Hindus and the temples being razed by Islamists, these scenes were also disallowed by the censor board. In another scene, without really showing the cow slaughter, he had alluded to cows being slaughtered by Islamists and that too was cut. 

Aside from such scenes, OpIndia was told that the censor board even told Ali Akbar to ensure that chants of “Allahu Akbar” and “Naara-e-Taqbeer” were not shown so frequently. 

Essentially, all the cuts in the movie would strip down the essence of the movie, which was to show the genocide of Hindus by Moplah Muslims in 1921. He suspects that the censor board was under the influence of the Kerala officer who, according to him, is a Communist wanting to peddle the communist narrative of the 1921 genocide being a “peasant uprising” against “landlords”. In fact, this is evidenced by the fact that when the movie referred to the family of the Hindus Kings of the area as “Lords”, the censor board insisted that it be changed to refer to them as “Landlords”.

The full list of cuts that Ramasimhan got, essentially would mean that he would have to show a movie on the genocide of Hindus without really showing how the Hindus were murdered and tortured, essentially, peddling the “peasant uprising” propaganda of the Leftists. Mr TG Mohandas uploaded the full list of cuts on Twitter as well.

“After these cuts, only goodness of the Muslims would be there, there would be nothing that would show the plight of Hindus who were murdered by the Moplah Muslims”, Ramasimhan told OpIndia.

Ramasimhan also said that among the many cuts that would change the character of the movie, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) during its Revising Committee meeting also was forcing him to use his Muslim name, Ali Akbar, as the Director of the movie. “I think they have a problem that a Muslim man converted to Hinduism and is making a movie on the Malabar genocide of Hindus”, he told OpIndia. “They don’t want this message going out”, he added.

“So many people use pen names. So many artists and technicians use a different names. Why should they have a problem if I want to use Ali Akbar as the producer name but my Hindu name as the Director? They are supposed to review the movie, not decide on names”, he added. He told OpIndia that he had also submitted his conversion certificate to the censor board, however, they insisted that he use the name Ali Akbar as the Director and not Ramasimhan.  

“I am suspicious that it was Parvati from the Kerala Censor Board who told the Revision Committee of CBFC that these cuts should be there. I suspect some pressure from Islamist organisations like PFI as well”, he said. Since the Kerala Censor Board and the Revision Committee, both come under the central government, on being asked why he thinks his movie is being stonewalled, Ramasimhan said, “You have to remember that dialogue from The Kashmir Files – The government might be outs but the establishment is still theirs. Also, I think the central government is more interested in economic growth and in the process, they ignore important cultural issues”, he said.

Other roadblocks that Ramasimhan faced while making the movie on the 1921 genocide – threats, intimidation and clandestine stonewalling

Ramasimhan told OpIndia that it was not just the cuts by the Censor Board that were stonewalling the movie, He wanted to register a name for the Hindi version of the movie, however, that too proved to be difficult. Ramasimhan wanted to register the Hindi version of the name, “1921: Puzha Muthal Puzha Vare”, which essentially translates to “1921: Nadi Se Nadi Tak”. However, when he tried to register the name, it was already taken by someone else.

“I tried to register 20 different variations of the name, from Malabar Genocide to every variation one can think of, however, all had been registered by someone else. It was almost as if someone did not want me to find a name for the Hindi version of the movie”, he said. Ramasimhan suspects that someone is deliberately registering all possible names for the movie so he cannot register a Hindi name.

Ramasimhan further said that the Kerala state police and the Central Intelligence officers have approached him, informing him that he is under serious threat. “After the movie came into the news, and even when I was filming the movie, there were threats. The central agencies came to my house and told me to install 8 cameras for security purposes”, he said.

“Even when I was filming the movie, beyond the threats, the state tried to stonewall the movie by denying me permission to shoot”, said Ramasimhan. “They did not give me permission to shoot in public areas, I had to come to private areas and finish the shooting of the film”, he added. About the threats, Ramasimhan said that radical Islamists had threatened even the artists working in the movie, asking them to stop their association with the film. Eventually, Ramasimhan says that he made the set on his own property to finish the filming. “They did not even allow me to visit the area of the Thuvur well. Actually, the Thuvur well area is now purchased by these Muslims. They are still looking to create a Muslim caliphate in Malabar”.

Ramasimhan believes that given the threats he has received since he reconverted to Hinduism, he is a dead man walking. “They will finish me the day they get the change”, he said. “The only security I have is my Krishna”.

Ramasimhan, previously known as Ali Akbar, has now decided to approach the High Court to seek justice against the cuts imposed by the CBFC.

Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren’s MLA brother came to Delhi amid to purchase undergarments, he says, justifying his absence from Dumka amid sensational murders

OpIndia Staff
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Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren’s MLA brother came to Delhi amid to purchase undergarments, he says, justifying his absence from Dumka amid sensational murders

On being asked about the reason for his recent visit to New Delhi amidst the political crisis in Jharkhand, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha MLA and Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s brother Basant Soren said that he ran out of underwear and went to Delhi to buy some.

“I had run out of undergarments, so I went to Delhi to purchase them. I get them from there,” said Basant Soren when asked by reporters about the reason behind his recent Delhi visit.

This remark has sparked controversy, with several individuals on social media calling out Soren’s arrogance at a time when the state is in a political crisis and two adolescent girls had been brutally murdered in the state. Basant Soren could not be seen in his constituency after the brutal murders of two minor girls. Soren’s rationale for his absence from Dumka, which has still not recovered from the trauma of two successive killings of two minor girls within a fortnight, including a tribal, exposes Jharkhand’s political landscape.

Journalist Aman Chopra took to Twitter and wrote, “Remember a plane flew from Bhopal to Indore to pick up Nehru’s fav 555 brand Cigarettes and now this. Plane to buy undergarments from Delhi. Basant Soren, brother of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, is an MLA from Dumka, where murders are taking place continuously.”

An outraged social media user targeting Basant Soren wrote, “Ankita was burnt alive and killed by Shahrukh and he went to Delhi to buy underwear!”

In Dumka, there were two cold-blooded killings, and Basant Soren was nowhere to be found. First, a 17-year-old Hindu schoolgirl was set ablaze after being doused in petrol by a man named Shahrukh as she slept at home, apparently as retaliation for turning down Shahrukh’s romance proposal. Second, a 14-year-old Dalit girl was murdered and hanged on a tree miles from her home after being raped for several months.

Basant Soren visited the mourning relatives on Wednesday. Soren informed reporters that he had been to Delhi to buy underwear when asked by the media why he hadn’t been seen in Dumka for a few days. It is notable that similar remarks were made by Jharkhand chief minister and his brother Hemant Soren when asked about the murders. Hemant Soren had said that such incidents keep happening and there’s nothing new about them.

Notably, Dumka is a long-held stronghold of Hemant Soren and his family. The Chief Minister has tried to stop protests against such incidents in the past by imposing section 144 whenever he could. As per reports, Dumka is becoming a hub of such cases thanks to indoctrination by banned Jihadi organisations from Bangladesh.

LED lights removed from terrorist Yakub Memon’s grave after outrage, BJP’s Ram Kadam says Sharad Pawar and Uddhav should apologise

OpIndia Staff
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LED lights removed from terrorist Yakub Memon’s grave after outrage, BJP’s Ram Kadam says Sharad Pawar and Uddhav should apologise

A day after BJP leader Ram Kadam shared the images of ‘beautification’ done at the grave of terrorist Yakub Memon, alleging that it has been converted into a mazar, the LED lights have been removed.

ANI reported on Thursday, 8 September that the light arrangements at the grave site are being removed. Police presence was seen at the site. After the BJP leader highlighted the issue and stated that there are attempts underway to convert the convicted terrorist’s grave into a ‘mazar’, there was public outrage.

On September 7, BJP leader Ram Kadam had shared images of the grave of the Islamic terrorist at Mumbai’s Bada Qabrastan, saying that the terrorist’s grave was beautified when the MVA government was in power. He had added that the leaders of the MVA alliance parties, Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray and Rahul Gandhi should apologise to the people of India for allowing a convicted terrorist and traitor’s grave to be glorified.

Yakub Memon, the convicted terrorist in the 1993 Mumbai bombings case, was hung and his remains were buried in the Bada Qabrastan in South Mumbai. However, a shocking image emerged in which LED lighting and marble tiles have been put on Yakub Memon’s grave.

Terrorist Yakub Memon’s grave in Mumbai gets marble slabs and LED lights: BJP leader says attempts are underway to turn it into a Mazar

OpIndia Staff
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Terrorist Yakub Memon’s grave in Mumbai gets marble slabs and LED lights: BJP leader says attempts are underway to turn it into a Mazar

Yakub Memon, the convicted terrorist in the 1993 Mumbai bombings case, was hung and his remains were buried in a huge graveyard in South Mumbai. However, a shocking image has emerged in which LED lighting and marble tiles have been put on Yakub Memon’s grave.

Political commentary has also begun as soon as the images gained attention. The BJP claims that Memon’s grave was turned into a tomb while Uddhav Thackeray was the chief minister. Ram Kadam, a BJP leader, blamed the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi government for this, saying that Uddhav Thackeray, Sharad Pawar, and Rahul Gandhi should apologize to the people of Mumbai.

Who was Yakub Memon? 

Yakub Memon was convicted for the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts and was sentenced to death. In 2015, the death sentence was carried out after his mercy petition was rejected. He was buried on July 30, 2015, at Bada Cemetery in South Mumbai. Yakub was the only convict awarded the death penalty. An attempt is now being made to turn Yakub’s grave into a tomb. LED lights have reportedly been put on this marble-covered grave. It is guarded 24 hours a day.

It is notable here that Mohammad Abdul Rauf Memon, Yakub’s cousin, had filed a complaint with the LT Marg police in 2020, accusing the trustees of the Juma Masjid Board, under which the Bada Qabrastan is registered, of ‘selling’ the grave sites of the Memon family to another family. As per Waqf rule, grave sites cannot be sold, they are given to respective families only for maintenance.

It was said that the trustees of the graveyard sold Yakub Memon’s grave for Rs 5 lakh. So the question arises if Memon’s family holds ownership of the grave, and if not, why is the tomb being provided VIP treatment? The Burial Waqf Board has control over the Bada Kabrastan location, where Yakub Memon’s remains were buried.

A report by Times Now Navbharat claimed that their reporter had contacted the Qabrastan authorities who stated that the marble slabs and LED lights are a part of a general beautification drive and are not specific to the grave of Yakub Memon.

Congress’s ‘love’ for terrorist Yakub Memon 

Congress MLA Aslam Shaikh who had written the letter to then President Pranab Mukherjee seeking mercy for 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts convict Yakub Memon’s execution, was sworn in as a cabinet minister the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government led by Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray.

When AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi lamented the death sentence awarded to Yakub Memon

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, while addressing a rally in Nanded in 2019 had expressed remorse over not being able to save Yakub Memon since Muslims were not in power. He went on to call Muslims who voted BJP as ‘Chhakka’ referring to colloquial derogatory slang for transgender persons.

Afghan cricket fans demand ban on Pakistani cricketer Asif Ali for threatening Afghan bowler with his bat

OpIndia Staff
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Afghan cricket fans demand ban on Pakistani cricketer Asif Ali for threatening Afghan bowler with his bat

Afghanistan cricket fans are demanding the ICC (International Cricket Council), the world cricket governing body, takes cognisance of Pakistani cricketer Asif Ali’s conduct during Pakistan vs Afghanistan Asia Cup match and take action against him. In the visuals that have gone viral on social media, Ali can be seen threatening an Afghan bowler with his bat.

Afghan cricketer Aftab Alam demanded a ban for Asif Ali and said how he was doing this for the second time.

Afghan leader also pulled up Pakistani player and said that they should not bring terrorism into cricket.

Afghan netizens were trending hashtags like ‘WatchYourConductPakNCT’ and ‘ICCMakePakBehave’ after the threatening behaviour displayed by Asif Ali.

Afghan netizens also said that terrorism should not be brought on the field.

Many Afghan leaders took to Twitter demanding action against Asif Ali.

The Pakistani and Afghanistan fans got into violent clashes after the match was over on Wednesday. Through the match, as per viral videos, Pakistani fans kept hurling racial abuses towards Afghan fans. After Afghanistan lost the match, they lost their cool and beat up Pakistanis in and outside stadium.

In a nail-biting match, Pakistan’s Naseem Shah hit two back to back sixes in first two balls of final over leading the team to victory. During and after the match, Pakistani fans were seen taunting Afghanistan fans in the stadium which could be the reason why Afghanistan fans lost their cool.

Alt News’ Md Zubair ties himself in knots as he tries to defend himself after raising the ‘Khalistani’ bogey against Arshdeep

OpIndia Staff
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Alt News’ Md Zubair ties himself in knots as he tries to defend himself after raising the ‘Khalistani’ bogey against Arshdeep

On September 7, Alt News’ co-founder and alleged fact-checker Mohammed Zubair published a long thread to counter the FIR registered against him by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa for propagating that Indians called Indian Cricketer Arshdeep Singh a ‘Khalistani’. However, his attempts were flattened by the Twitter user The Hawk Eye.

Source: Twitter

Zubair claimed that the FIR was registered against him for “calling out hate”. Zubair tried to counter Sirsa’s allegations by saying that he tweeted an hour after Arshdeep dropped the catch. He targeted a famous Twitter handle, MrSinha_ alleging he also used the term ‘Khalistani’. Interestingly, Sinha did not call Arshdeep a ‘Khalistani’, which was the actual controversy.

Source: Twitter

Sinha had pointed out that Kings XI Punjab’s official handle was cheering for the Pakistani team, but he did not call Arshdeep a Khalistani anywhere. There was a web archive link to the tweet, but the archive link said that the particular link was not archived. Sinha also countered Zubair and said he was not referring to Arshdeep but Kings XI’s Twitter handle. The misleading tweet by Zubair led to a troll attack on Sinha. 

He further claimed that the abuses with the word Khalistani were thrown toward Arshdeep by both Indians and Pakistanis. However, Hawkeye specifically pointed out how the word Khalistani trended after his Tweet. He said, “Reiterating. K-word was NOT trending before you amplified within 45 minutes by picking random handles because Right Wing handles you are citing now didn’t get a space in your collage! And why skipping data of Google trend, Wiki page alteration and two Pak influencers and Dunya channel who initiated it?”

The Hawk Eye published a few screenshots with the tweet. In the first screenshot, it was clear that before Zubair’s tweet, there were less than 500 tweets using the word Khalistani. However, within an hour of his tweet, it jumped to over 1,000 and kept rising and finally reached over 16,000 by 3:30 PM the next day.

As per the Google Trends Map, Pakistan’s contribution to the whole controversy of propagating the word Khalistani was 46%. UAE 20%, India 17%, and Qatar 7%.

It is also noteworthy that journalist of Pakistani origin WS Khan had tweeted that Arshdeep could be a part of the Pakistan-backed Khalistani movement just 3 minutes after he dropped the catch. Also, Pakistani influencer Osama who goes by the handle ashaqueens had said Arshdeep should support the Khalistani movement as he could not go to India after dropping the catch. The tweet was made 12 minutes after the catch was dropped.

Another important aspect of the whole controversy is that Zubair had intentionally searched the word “Khalistani”, which is evident by the fact that all his screenshots have that particular word in bold. It only happens when you are taking screenshots of the tweets from the search results on Twitter.

Arshdeep’s Wikipedia page was vandalized

It is noteworthy that someone using a Pakistani IP address had vandalized the Wikipedia page of Arshdeep Singh. Though it was reverted back, the screenshots of the changed page made it to social media, and it was propagated as if someone from India had done that. IT Ministry has initiated an enquiry into the matter and called Wikipedia’s India officials for an explanation. 

Chairs fly as cricket fans choose violence after Afghanistan lost to Pakistan in Asia Cup match, watch viral videos

OpIndia Staff
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Chairs fly as cricket fans choose violence after Afghanistan lost to Pakistan in Asia Cup match, watch viral videos

Violence scenes emerged from Sharjah after Afghanistan lost to Pakistan in the Asia Cup match on Wednesday, 7th September, 2022. Reports have emerged that Pakistani cricket fans got into an argument with Afghan cricket fans in the stadium, after which Afghan fans hit back and beat up the Pakistani fans mercilessly.

One can see in first video that clashes had erupted outside the stadium where after initial heated verbal exchange, things got quite violent. In subsequent video, one can see Pakistani fans taunting Afghanistan fans inside the stadium. After Afghanistan lost to Pakistan, it seems, the fans also lost their cool at the taunting and retaliated by throwing chairs at Pakistani fans.

More videos from outside the stadium show fans clashing. Many are wearing Afghanistan flag to show the support for their country.

Mohsin Dawar, member of National Assembly from North Waziristan in Pakistan, tweeted that these clashes were because of Pakistan’s ‘strategic depth policy’ and ‘interventionist misadventures in Afghanistan’.

He also said that Pakistanis using cricket match as an excuse to hurl racist abuses towards Afghan fans was ‘shameless’.

In a nail-biting match, Pakistan’s Naseem Shah hit two back to back sixes in first two balls of final over leading the team to victory. During and after the match, Pakistani fans were seen taunting Afghanistan fans in the stadium which could be the reason why Afghanistan fans lost their cool.

Pakistan and Afghanistan fans clashed during 2019 World Cup

During 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, a fight broke out between Pakistan and Afghanistan fans after a plane was spotted carrying a slogan ‘Justice for Balochistan’ flying over them.

The match was being played at Headingley Cricket Ground in Leeds.

It was an unauthorized plane that had flown over them. Pakistan government has been under fire for atrocities over Baloch people who are regularly being persecuted and they have been demanding independence from Pakistan. Baloch activists were campaigning during the Cricket World Cup using posters and banners to attract the attention of the world towards atrocities of Pakistan government in Balochistan province.

NIA declares cash reward for information on fugitive terrorist Harpreet Singh, accused in Ludhiana Court bomb blast case

OpIndia Staff
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NIA declares cash reward for information on fugitive terrorist Harpreet Singh, accused in Ludhiana Court bomb blast case

National Investigation Agency has declared a cash reward of Rs 10 lakhs for any information on fugitive terrorist Harpreet Singh. The NIA issued a press release on 7th August 2022 announcing the bounty on Harpreet Singh, who is wanted by the agency in a case related to a conspiracy hatched by the International Sikh Youth Federation for causing a blast in the Ludhiana Court complex in 2021. He is currently in Malaysia.

On 23rd December 2021, an explosion took place inside the court complex in Ludhiana, Punjab. Two persons lost their lives in this blast. The explosion in the district court resulted in up to six injuries. Gagandeep Singh, a former police chief constable, was killed while activating the explosives in the court’s restroom. The investigation of the case was handed over to the NIA.

The National Investigation Agency said in its statement, “Harpreet Singh aka Happy Malaysia is wanted by the National Investigation Agency in connection with a case related to the conspiracy hatched by International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) for causing a blast in Ludhiana court complex on 23/12/2021. Harpreet Singh aka Happy Malaysia is presently residing in Malaysia and is associated with the ISYF.”

The investigation agency provided phone numbers and email addresses along with a request for any information on the fugitive accused. The NIA published the landline phone numbers of its Delhi and Chandigarh offices, as well as WhatsApp numbers and email addresses, in order to communicate case-related information. The agency said that any information regarding Harpreet Singh can be sent to given phone numbers and email addresses.

The Special Task Force of the Punjab police apprehended Dilbagh Singh, the primary suspect, and his three other aides in Amritsar. According to the STF, three IEDs were transported from Pakistan through drones, one of which was used in the Ludhiana incident.

Earlier in April 2022, NIA had announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh for any information regarding the blast. That reward for general information regarding individuals involved in the terror attack, and had not named anyone specifically.

As Rahul Gandhi embarks on ‘container yatra’, here’s a throwback to the time he celebrated his birthday midair on an aeroplane

OpIndia Staff
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As Rahul Gandhi embarks on ‘container yatra’, here’s a throwback to the time he celebrated his birthday midair on an aeroplane

On Wednesday, 7 September 2022, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi embarked on ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, a 150-day-long political campaign that would entail zigzagging 3,750 km across the expanse of the country, from Kanyakumari in the south to Kashmir in the north. 

During this march, Rahul Gandhi is reportedly going to sleep, pee, poop, and live in containers, something which is billed by the Congress supporters and loyalists as a testament to their leader’s unassuming demeanour.  

However, as Rahul Gandhi embarks on the ‘container yatra’, it is worth noting that he, as a child, had the privilege of celebrating his birthday midair in an aeroplane. Back in 1977, Rahul Gandhi celebrated his birthday with Indira Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and other family members in an extravagant manner on a plane. 

In the old monochromatic picture, Rahul Gandhi can be seen shyly smiling in a corner with his chin resting on his hand, with his sister Priyanka Gandhi sitting beside her and a birthday cake in the middle of the table. His mother Sonia Gandhi and grandmother Indira Gandhi also feature in the photo taken inside the aeroplane. 

But, the magnificence of birthday celebrations on an aeroplane does not come as a surprise, especially in light of reports that said former PM Rajiv Gandhi routinely employed Indian military assets for his personal use. 

Allegations of Rajiv Gandhi using military assets for personal use

In 2019, a massive controversy broke out after Prime Minister Modi raked up Rajiv Gandhi’s infamous holiday in Lakshwadeep, at a remote, uninhabited island called Bangaram. 

Addressing a massive rally organised at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi, PM Modi made a shocking revelation that when Rajiv Gandhi was prime minister of India, an aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy was used for a vacation of the Gandhi family.

Commander VK Jaitley, who was posted on the INS Viraat, said he was witness to Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi “using INS Viraat for travel to celebrate their holidays at Bangaram island.” He also testified that considerable resources were used for the holiday and that the Navy staff were used as personal staff for the Gandhis during these vacations.

Former Naval Commander, Harinder Sikka, also made sensational claims after the controversy broke out. He said that the 1987 vacation of Rajiv Gandhi using INS Viraat was not a one-off. In fact, he had been doing it consistently since 1985 every year using Naval warships. Says that ship logs will prove everything.

Rahul Gandhi embarks on ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, to live, pee, poop, and sleep for 150 days in a ‘container’

For the next 150 days, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will sleep in a container during the 3,750 km journey from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, touted among Congress loyalists and sympathisers circles as a ‘masterstroke’ to take on the Modi juggernaut in the 2024 general elections.

As the inordinately long journey commences, pertinent questions about lodging and accommodation of senior political leaders participating in the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ have surfaced. However, the party has clarified that the Gandhi scion will not stay in any hotel and complete the entire journey living in a container.

As per reports, Rahul Gandhi would call the containers his abode for the next 150 days. Sleeping beds, toilets, air-conditioners, and other ‘basic facilities have been installed in containers to assist the leaders participating in the Yatra. About 60 such containers have been prepared and sent to a village in Kanyakumari, where a temporary village is set up where all the containers are housed. The container will be placed in a new position every day in the shape of a village for night rest.

‘Gujarat is best in terms of peace and safety’: DGP Ashish Bhatia after NCRB report showed decline in serious crime in the state

OpIndia Staff
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‘Gujarat is best in terms of peace and safety’: DGP Ashish Bhatia after NCRB report showed decline in serious crime in the state

Gujarat’s Director General of Police Ashish Bhatia has lauded the state after it was ranked at the top position in the latest report of the National Crime Record Bureau. He said that Gujarat is the best state in the country in terms of peace and safety. He made this statement during a media interaction about the recent report of the National Crime Record Bureau 2021. According to this NCRB report, the crime rate for most serious offences in the state is on the decline.

The latest report of NCRB states that the crime rate for serious offences like murder, attempt to murder, rape, kidnapping, and loot in Gujarat has dropped to 11.9 % against the national average of around 30.2%. Referring to this performance, DGP Ashish Bhatia said, “Gujarat ranks 32nd in the country in the serious crime categories. Delhi, which comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), has a crime rate of 57%, Haryana 43.3 %, Bihar 35.4%, Maharashtra 35.1%, Madhya Pradesh 30.7%, Uttar Pradesh 22.7% and Punjab 20.8 % for such crimes.”

According to DGP Bhatia, excellent patrolling, evidence collecting, a vast network of CCTV cameras, and the use of new sections of GUJCTOC (Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime Act, 2015) have all contributed to the reduction of severe crimes. DGP Ashish Bhatia added, “The formation of SHE teams for welfare and protection of senior citizens has also proved to be of great help in bringing down the crime rate.”

According to the data, Gujarat has a crime rate of 21.7% for burglaries, housebreaks, and robberies. In 2017, it was 35.5 percent. In comparison, the country’s crime rate for theft, burglary stealing, and looting is 55.8%. In comparison to Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat has a lower rate of property-related crimes. The national rate of crime against women and children is 64.5%, compared to Gujarat’s rate of 22.1%, which is substantially lower. Gujarat has a crime against children rate of 21.6%, whereas the national average is 33.6%.

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