The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) has raised concerns about the recent attacks and robbery at Hindu Temples across many states in the United States of America. The group’s official Twitter account has reported instances of daylight robbery by threatening the priests in the US states of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
#Alert: Multiple reports from NJ, PA & NY temples of groups of females entering during off-hours, masquerading as devotees or curious visitors. They then attempt to enter sanctum, encircle priest/staff, threaten & brandish knives. Multiple temples reporting large sum robberies. pic.twitter.com/uIRxkXbTJi
— Hindu American Foundation (@HinduAmerican) June 18, 2022
According to the US-based Hindu rights group, the recent robberies in Hindu temples across America have been motivated in a similar fashion. It has been reported that groups of females have entered the temples during unusual hours masquerading as devotees or curious visitors. In recent incidences, The females have entered the sanctum sanctorum of the temple to gherao the priest or temple staff and threaten them by brandishing knives.
Such instances have been reported in the states of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania amounting to large-sum of robberies. In the pictures attached by the Hindu American Foundation, two hijab-clad women wearing masks were caught in the CCTV footage inside a temple in New Jersey.
Concerning the recent events, the Foundation has called for increased security at Hindu Temples across the country. “Temples must prepare security protocols and staff/volunteers must be empowered to approach unknown visitors and ask for an introduction,” HAF suggests in the context of rising attacks on Hindu temples and growing Hinduphobia worldwide.
In 2019, a similar incident took place in Jersey City, NJ when Devendra Shukla, a 43-year-old priest at the Hindu Samaj Temple of Mahwah was attacked and racially abused in front of his daughter. Tulsi Gabbard, the former representative from Hawaii and a prominent Hindu politician in the US had confessed to having experienced Hinduphobia directly in each of her campaigns for the Congress.
Unfortunately, Hinduphobia is very real. I’ve experienced it directly in each of my campaigns for Congress & in this presidential race. Here’s just one example of what Hindus face every day in our country. Sadly, our political leaders & media not only tolerate it, but foment it. https://t.co/60MDtszQHf
“Unfortunately, Hinduphobia is very real. I’ve experienced it directly in each of my campaigns for Congress & in this presidential race. Sadly, our political leaders & media not only tolerate it, but foment it,” Gabbard had tweeted.
As the controversy over the remarks on Prophet Muhammad by ex-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma rages on, Islamic scholar Assim Alhakeem said it is 100% true when asked by a Twitter user if Prophet Muhammad married Aisha at the age of 6 and consummated the marriage at the age of 9.
A Twitter user by the name of Maulana Fayaz Uf Kani asked Alhakeem, “Salaam Alaikum sheikh @Assimalhakeem, its been said in India that Prophet Muhammad(S.A.W) married Aisha(R.A) at the age of 6 and consummated the marriage at the age of 9. is it true? Please clarify.” To which, Assim Alhakeem responded, “This is 100% true.”
The tweet from Assim Alhakeem.
The controversy began when the suspended BJP spokeswoman Nupur Sharma made comments on the Islamic Prophet during a debate show on the Gyanvapi dispute and the Shivling discovered in the compound during the court-ordered survey. Nupur Sharma has since then gotten several death threats from Islamists and radical fundamentalists all across the world.
In an earlier tweet made in 2016, Assim had again stated that Aisha was nine years of age when she came with the Prophet. He denied all other investigations and references quoting that Aisha was around 17 when she came with the Prophet.
The tweet
It is worth noting that Assim’s citation to Sahih al-Bukhari also states that Aisha was nine years old when Prophet Muhammad consummated the marriage. As per sunnah.com, the Sahih al-Bukhari says, “Narrated Aisha: that the Prophet (ﷺ) married her when she was six years old and he consummated his marriage when she was nine years old. Hisham said: I have been informed that Aisha remained with the Prophet (ﷺ) for nine years (i.e. till his death).”
Sahih al-Bukhari quoted at sunnah.com
Sahih al-Bukhari, according to sunnah.com, is a compilation of hadith compiled by Imam Muhammad al-Bukhari. It is a compilation of Prophet Muhammad’s sayings and acts, commonly known as the Sunnah. It has around 7563 hadith (with repetitions) in 98 books. The collection is considered by the vast majority of Muslims to be one of the most genuine collections of the Prophet’s Sunnah.
Who is Assim Al-Hakeem?
Assim Al-Hakeem is one of the prominent leaders of the Islamic world. Hailing from Saudi Arabia, he conducts Islamic programs in both Arabic and English for TV and radio. He claims to teach the authentic sayings of the Quran and the Hadiths and often appears on Huda TV and Zakir Naik’s Peace TV. He holds a BA in Linguistics from King Abdul Aziz University and a diploma in Islamic Studies from Umm al-Qura University. He has been working as an Imam at a Jeddah mosque for the last 20 years.
“Religiophobia should not be a selective exercise involving only one or two religions but should apply equally to phobias against non-Abrahamic religions as well,” Indian Representative to the UN T S Tirumurti expressed sternly on Friday. Tirumurti was talking at the UN meeting of ambassadors to mark the first-ever International Day on Countering Hate Speech.
#WATCH | Religiophobia should not be a selective exercise involving only 1 or 2 religions but should apply equally to phobias against non-Abrahamic religions as well… There cannot be double standards on religiophobia: TS Tirumurti, India’s Permanent Rep to UN
Speaking at the UN, T S Tirumurti said that there can’t be double standards on religiophobia, and till phobias against non-Abrahamic religions are not addressed, such international days will never their objectives.
In the global UN conference titled ‘Role of education to address the root causes of hate speech and advance inclusion, non-discrimination, and peace,’ Tirumurti highlighted that today, the greatest bulwark against intolerance and hatred is by embracing the principles of democracy, where there are necessary checks and balances and where any aberration is addressed within the confines of the rule of law.
Developing further on Pluralism, Tirumurti argued that a society based on pluralism, “where every religion is respected, is a sine qua non of tolerance and harmony,” he stated. “Pluralistic tradition is recognised in the resolution piloted by the UAE and Egypt on the International Day of Human Fraternity,” he added.
“India has embraced both these principles – democracy and pluralism. And we call on all countries to adhere to these principles to ensure that intolerance is addressed within a Constitutional framework,” the Ambassador stated. “India’s multi-cultural edifice,” Tirumurti argued,” has, over centuries, made it a safe haven for all those who seek refuge in India, whether the Jewish community or Zoroastrians or Tibetans or from our own neighbourhood.”
“It is this underlying strength of our nation that has withstood radicalisation and terrorism over time. It is with this sense of history that India has continued to play a defining role to combat radicalisation and terrorism, and promote tolerance and inclusion,” Tirumurti added while representing India in the event organised by the Permanent Mission of Morocco and the United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention.
Abrahamic and non-Abrahamic religions
Abrahamic religions include the religions that worship the God of Abraham, and it includes Judaism, Christianity and Islam and few other smaller religions. While these three are different religions, Prophet Abraham is mentioned extensively in the holy books of all three religion like Bible and Quran. Both Jesus Christ and Prophet Mohammed are believed to be descendants of Abraham. Islam and Christianity, the two Abrahamic religions, are the largest religions in the world. Some smaller religions like Baha’i, Druze, Rastafarianism, and Samaritanism are also Abrahamic religions. All these religions are monotheistic and identify Abraham as a key figure in their history.
All other religions in the world are non-Abrahamic religions, which include the ancient religions like Hinduism and Buddhism. The non-Abrahamic religions include the Indian religions, Iranian religions and East Asian Religions.
Reiterating India’s stand at the UN on the Islamophobia resolution
On March 15, Ambassador TS Tirumurti, while talking about a resolution for an International Day to combat ‘Islamophobia’ said, “Religiophobias are not restricted to Abrahamic religions only. While India condemns all acts motivated by antisemitism, Christianophobia or Islamophobia, there is clear evidence that over decades such religion-centric phobias have, in fact, affected the followers of non-Abrahamic religions as well.”
Tirumurti argued that this has contributed to the emergence of contemporary forms of religiophobia – “especially anti-Hindu, anti-Buddhist and anti-Sikh phobias.” Ambassador Tirumurti said, “Hinduism has more than 1.2 billion followers, Buddhism more than 535 million and Sikhism had more than 30 million spread out around the world. It is time that we acknowledged the prevalence of religiophobia, rather than single out just one.”
Call for recognition of hatred against Dharmic religions at the United Nations
In January 2022, Tirumurti TS Tirumurti pointed out how phobias against three Abrahamic religions, namely, Islam, Christianity and Judaism was recognised by the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy but the emergence of religiophobia against Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs is not being fully recognised, at the global forum.
“The emergence of contemporary forms of religiophobia, especially anti-Hindu, anti-Buddhist and anti-Sikh phobias is a matter of serious concern and needs the attention of the UN and all Member States to address this threat,” The ambassador had argued while speaking at the International Counter-Terrorism Conference.
Days after dreaded terror organisation Al Qaeda issued threats of terror attacks in India over ex-BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s comments on Prophet Muhammad on a debate in Times Now, Islamic State has claimed that they carried out terror attack on a Gurudwara in Kabul, Afghanistan, as reaction to her statements.
Surprising, not the terror attack, but the reason behind it. Because this is not the first time the Islamists in Afghanistan have attacked Gurudwaras and targeted Sikhs. Much so because in October 2021, soon after Islamist group Taliban took over Afghanistan, they had asked Sikhs to either leave or convert to Islam if they want to live. In the recent attack, it appears like Nupur Sharma and her remarks on Prophet Muhammad were just an excuse to carry out terror attack on religious minorities in Afghanistan and put the blame on Sharma.
It is worth noting that Nupur Sharma’s comments have been deliberately highlighted and given a disproportionate focus by a certain gang after AltNews cofounder Muhammad Zubair dog-whistled and called what was written in the Islamic scriptures ‘hate speech’. Soon after AltNews’ Zubair tweeted the Times Now clip, Nupur started getting death threats and rape threats. There have been bounty announced on her head, some by Islamic religious heads and some even by politicians.
Islamist mobs took to streets for two consecutive weeks after Friday namaz, pelting stones, running riots, even after Sharma had apologised and withdrawn her statements and she was suspended from the BJP. An effigy was hanged outside Belgavi mosque in Karnataka of Nupur, sending a message that this fate awaits anyone who does ‘gustakhi’.
Nupur Sharma’s effigy at Fort Road in Belagavi (Image source: Deccan Herald)
In Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, they’ve hung corpses of dissenters in such public places to send a message. That this happened in a secular India and no action has been taken against those baying for Nupur’s blood says a lot about the street power of the ‘minority community’.
The Middle Easter Islamic countries, too, jumped into the arena and started condemning her statement while demanding action against her while Zubair and his co-religionist ‘influencers’ like financial fraud accused Washington Post columnist Rana Ayyub and others egged more countries to ‘condemn’ it and thereby embarrass India. They chose ‘Ummah’ (community) over India as they cheered foreign countries’ intervention in what should have been India’s internal matter.
What is interesting is that Nupur’s comments were just one of the various ‘controversial’ and ‘needless’ comments on Indian television news channel debates that run into hundreds per month, and it remains a mystery why one comment as picked up to kick an international storm in the Islamic world. Due to this, various analysts have suspected some sort of ‘toolkit modus operandi’ in effect.
Twitter user The Hawk Eye, who carries out online investigation, had pointed out how the trigger behind the Middle Eastern countries ‘condemning’ India was an Arabic hashtag which seemed to have started by a Muslim Brotherhood inspired organisation based in Turkey. This showed that the Ummah worked in perfect synchronisation and coordination to help Islamists play victim by holding the State on ransom.
It appears that now the terrorist groups are part of this ‘toolkit gang’ too. First Al Qaida, then ISIS, and now issuing statements about Nupur Sharma’s comments hint how terrorists with automated weapons could be working in tandem with moderates with keyboards and internet.
What Nupur Sharma said was not said for the first time in history, but the kind of reaction it has been getting does raise suspicions that there is definitely more to it than what meets the eye.
The Islamic State terrorists have become creative and are now putting the blame of carrying out attack on the Gurudwara in Kabul on ex-BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s statements on Prophet Muhammad. A report in Tribune says that on the Telegram channel of one of the affiliates of local branch of the terror group Islamic State claimed that the said terror attack was in response to Nupur Sharma’s statements on Prophet Muhammad a month back. At least two people died and seven sustained injuries in the terror attack in the Taliban-ruled country.
However, this is not the first time the terrorists have targeted the Sikh places of worship. In March 2020, armed terrorists had attacked a Gurudwara in Shor Bazar Area of Afghanistan killing Twenty-eight people. The Islamic State had claimed responsibility for the attack. The terrorist ‘Abu Khalid al-Hindi’ was identified as an Indian National who was responsible for the attack in order to avenge the supposed ‘plight of Muslims in Kashmir’.
In October 2021, Taliban, having ousted the elected government, forcibly entered a Gurudwara and threatened the worshippers. Sikh community had back then urged India to raise an SOS. The Taliban back then had targeted the same Gurudwara Karte Parwan in Kabul, Afghanistan, that was attacked yesterday. Back in October 2021, there were no ‘provocation’ like Nupur Sharma’s remarks on Prophet Muhammad.
Soon after Taliban took over Afghanistan on 15th August 2021, panic and fear swept across the country. Later in October 2021, the Sikhs in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan were given two options to stay alive, either to leave the country or convert to Islam. Sikhs have been living in miserable conditions in Afghanistan even before or without the Taliban, and the Afghanistan government had failed to protect them. Most of the Sikh homes were captured by the powerful warlords in the 1990s. In August 2021, after the takeover of the country by the Taliban, a large number of Sikhs were evacuated to India by the Indian govt.
Biden stood up almost immediately with the help of the people around and said, “I am good”. When asked what happened, President Biden said, “I got my foot caught up.” Reports suggest his foot got caught up in the tow cages before he could steady himself. He asked to remove the toe cages. In a statement, the White House official said President Biden did not require medical attention. The official said, “As the President said, his foot got caught on the pedal while dismounting and he is fine. No medical attention needed. The President looks forward to spending the rest of the day with his family.”
Biden and first lady Jill Biden marked their 45 marriage anniversary on Friday. Reuters quoted an unnamed White House official speaking, “As the president said, his foot got caught on the pedal while dismounting, and he is fine. The president looks forward to spending the rest of the day with his family.”
On June 18, Saharanpur Police in Uttar Pradesh arrested five fake army aspirants for allegedly conspiring to provoke Army aspirants to create a law and order issue in the state against the newly launched Agnipath Scheme for recruitment in the Armed Forces. One of the arrested conspirators is 26-years-old Parag Panwar, district president of Congress’ student wing, National Students’ Union of India (NSUI). Apart from Panwar, 34-years-old Sandeep is associated with Samajwadi Party. He was a member of Zila Panchayat.
Three others, 26-years-old Mohit Chaudhary, 28-years-old Saurabh Kumar and 26-years old Uday have also been arrested by the Police who have political links. The Police said in a statement that these aspirants were above the prescribed age limit for Army recruitments. No one of them was preparing for the recruitment into the armed forces, and all of them had an affiliation to different political parties.
Akash Tomar, Senior Superintendent of Police, Saharanpur, said, “Rampur Maniharan police has arrested five fake army candidates. Two of them are office bearers of different political outfits, and the remaining three are members of political parties. These five were provoking the armed forces aspirants to agitate and protest. One of the accused, Parag Panwar, is the district president of a political party. Sandeep Chaudhary was a member of Zila Panchayat.”
All five were sent to jail by the Police, and further investigation into the matter is underway.
Agnipath Scheme protests turned violent
On Tuesday (June 14), the Indian government, along with the chiefs of the three armed forces, launched the Agnipath scheme for the recruitment of youth in the armed forces. The new recruits under the scheme will henceforth be known as ‘Agniveer’.
Soon after, a lot of misinformation and apprehension were being spread against the scheme and its utility, resulting in protests across the country. Alleged army aspirants took to the streets and destroyed public property under the pretext of peaceful protests and demonstrations. While demanding a rollback of the government scheme, they vandalized public property, burnt trains, and brought life to a standstill across the various Indian States.
The Pakistan Cricket Board has suspended former fast bowler and one of its national-level coaches Nadeem Iqbal, pending an inquiry into alleged sexual harassment charges. Nadeem Iqbal was a coach in the Southern Punjab region, and the complaint, which was brought to the PCB’s attention last week, is connected to a sexual harassment claim by a female cricketer. An ongoing police inquiry is also underway in this case.
Nadeem Iqbal has been suspended by the PCB over a pending charge of sexual harassment ? https://t.co/TsUCdGsHTB
The victim alleged in a police complaint that she attended the PCB women’s tryouts in Multan a few years ago when Nadeem was one of the coaches. She leveled allegations against the former cricketer in a video message saying, “He got close to me with promises of selecting me for the women’s team and also getting me employment on the board. But over time he kept on sexually molesting me and also involved his friends. He also had me videotaped and later kept on blackmailing me.”
A PCB official acknowledged that an investigation had been launched into the situation to see if Nadeem had broken any of the board’s rules of service. The PCB official said, “Obviously we can’t carry out any criminal investigation that is for the police to do but our inquiry will find out if he was in breach of his terms of the contract with us.”
This is not the first such allegation in Pakistan Cricket. Earlier, officials of the private Multan Cricket Club were accused of sexual harassment by five young female players in 2014. Officials of a well-known cricket club linked with the district association sought sexual favors in exchange for selection in the squad, the cricketers had informed the media. Yasir Shah, Pakistan’s Test leg-spinner, was also accused of assisting a friend in sexually abusing a young girl and then threatening her last year. The complainant eventually withdrew the accusations against Yasir, but a case against his companion is still underway in court.
Nadeem Iqbal comes from the same region as Waqar Younis, with whom he played domestic cricket in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Few thought Iqbal had a brighter future than Waqar at one point in time. However, he never made it to the international cricket stage. In March 2004, Iqbal announced his retirement from professional cricket. He took 258 wickets in 80 first-class matches and 65 wickets in 49 List A matches throughout his first-class career. Previous PCB management selected Iqbal as a coach for the Southern Punjab zone. Despite being on the board’s payroll, Nadeem Iqbal had not participated in any of the PCB’s several coaching programs in the previous two years.
Bihar is marked as the most affected state in the recent protests against the Agnipath scheme announced by the central government to provide the youth of the country with an opportunity to connect with the nation’s Armed Forces. While the protests brought some swathes of the country to a standstill, incriminating details about the demonstrations reveal how the protests may well have been planned in advance.
A sub-inspector who was injured while stopping the nuisance in the Buxar district, in his statement, described the incident as an attack by a hired mob. Meanwhile, a video went viral on social media, in which a youth protesting against the Agnipath scheme was seen to be unaware of the very scheme he was supposed to oppose. When asked, he told that he was called there by one Manish Bhaiya.
ये लो इनको ये नही पता कि ये यहाँ क्यों आये है. अग्निपथ योजना क्या है ?
People on social media started tagging their friends named Manish and asking them if they are the same one.
Image Source: Twitter
Manish Yadav alias Manish Bhaiya is the President of the Patna University Students Union
Amidst all the claims being made on social media, OpIndia took an initiative to find out more about Manish Bhaiya. The youth seen in the viral video was protesting with a flag in his hand. We found that it is a flag of the Jan Adhikar Party. Moreover, we traced the location of the protest site in that video and it came out to be Patna. In the full version of the viral video, the protestor tells that Manish Bhaiya is protesting at some nearby distance and that he is related to the Jan Adhikar Party. The video was made by a local news channel called ITV.
More research revealed that this video is from the protests that took place on Friday 17th March 2022. The Jan Adhikar Party’s protest in Patna on this day was led by Patna University Students’ Union President and Jan Adhikar Party’s Yuva Morcha functionary Manish Yadav. OpIndia spoke to Manish Yadav, who led the protests. Manish said, “I don’t know the boy who is seen in the viral video, but that day the protests led by me took place at Dak Bungalow Chauraha Patna. The boy may have come with an acquaintance of mine.”
Manish Yadav admitted that the video footage was from the same protest that he led. Manish Yadav had also given a 72-hour ultimatum to the central government to withdraw the Agnipath scheme during the protest in Patna on Friday.
In Bihar, another leader named Manish Yadav of Jan Adhikar Party of Saharsa district also admitted that the Manish Bhaiya the boy is talking about in the viral video is Patna University’s Student Union President and his own party leader Manish Yadav.
‘Team Saath’, a malicious troll account on Twitter that routinely indulges in targeted harassment of people who do not conform to its views, has made a hit list of celebrities for taking a nationalist stand.
Earlier today, the troll account that often works as a mouthpiece for Islamists and targets accounts for voicing nationalist views took to Twitter to unleash an online mob of Islamists and extremists against celebrities that it claimed are working for the BJP government.
“After the grand success of @sachin_rt , @akshaykumar and @NSaina, the BJP government presents @TandonRaveena and @venkateshprasad as the new saviors of India,” the Twitter account of ‘Team Saath’, which has over 54,000 followers, including the likes of Rohini Singh, Sushant Singh, Swati Chaturvedi, Swara Bhasker and other such ‘eminent’ leftist ideologues, tweeted.
Source: Twitter
‘Team Saath’ lets loose Islamists against celebrities voicing nationalist causes
No sooner did the ‘Team Saath’ put out a list of celebrities who have been assertive and unapologetic about their Hindu identity and linked them to the BJP than its toxic troll army unleashed its harassment and began attacking the personalities for subscribing to an ideology that did not jibe with theirs.
“Cricketers and Bollywood stars have proven to be some of the most over-rated human beings in the world. All show but rotten from the inside out. Jitna sarr pe chadaoge utna inka gandagi bahar aayega,” tweeted one Pramit who identifies himself as a reviewer.
Source: Twitter
Another Islamist, Shirin Khan, who is based out of the US as per her Twitter bio and has over 15,000 followers, responded that Raveena Tandon is not new.
Source: Twitter
Venkatesh Prasad slams ‘Team Saath’ for targeting people for speaking up against injustice; netizens join in to call out ‘Team Saath’
However, many others pointed out the glaring irony of trolling and harassing celebrities online while being an initiative that stood against online trolling and targeted harassment.
Venkatesh Prasad, one of the cricketers mentioned in Team Saath’s tweet, called out the inherent hypocrisy of the account in indulging in targeted harassment while professing to be against it. The former cricketer also slammed the account, asserting that if speaking up for injustice means supporting the BJP or saviours of India, then its IQ needs some serious work.
“Your handle calls itself Against Troll and harassment. Well, if irony had a face. Oops..Sorry you don’t have a face. If speaking up for injustice means BJP government or saviour of India, well your IQ needs some serious work. Just intolerance towards others expressing their POV,” Prasad tweeted.
Your handle calls itself Against Troll and harassment. Well, if irony had a face. Oops..Sorry you don’t have a face. If speaking up for injustice means BJP government or saviour of India, well your IQ needs some serious work. Just intolerance towards others expressing their POV https://t.co/EuVrEvIRqd
SAATH (Stand Against Abuse Troll Harassment) – But they are the ones trolling a minimum of 5 respectable people in this one single tweet!!! https://t.co/8QMPEIZIAI
When one of the Twitter users asked ‘Team Saath’ to speak about the violence meted out on Kashmiri Hindus, the Islamist account was quick to pass the buck and take a dig at actor Anupam Kher and director Vivek Agnihotri instead.
Source: Twitter
Modus Operandi of the Islamist organisation and its past antecedents
Notably, this is not the first time that ‘Team Saath’ has indulged in targeted harassment of dissenting voices. Earlier too, ‘Team Saath’ has used its Twitter account to paint celebrities that stand for Dharma as BJP supporters and let loose their social media army against them.
In fact, ‘Team Saath’ has been notorious for misusing Twitter for online bullying and targeted harassment of individuals whose political views do not align with theirs. ‘Team Saath’ Official is the go-to Twitter account for left-liberals and rabid Islamists to silence nationalist voices in the country. Not just celebrities, but even influential Twitter accounts, are subjected to targeted harassment by ‘Team Saath’ and its army of brainwashed Islamists.
The account had earlier tried unsuccessfully to deplatform a popular Twitter user named Saffron Sniper. In a tweet, ‘Team Saath’ Official wrote, “A compulsive abuser, a regular harasser and a persistent stalker have been suspended.” However, when the Twitter account of Saffron Sniper was restored, the troll account was quick to delete the tweet.
Investigative journalist Vijay Patel reveals ‘Team Saath’ is owned and operated by a bunch of radicalised Muslims
According to Investigative journalist and political observer Vijay Patel, ‘Team Saath’ belongs to a boy based out of Imphal, Manipur. Most of the members of the group, Patel says, are radicalised Muslims, with many of them studying in Jamia Millia Islamia and other universities in New Delhi.
Patel had also shared screenshots of the social media posts made by Team Saath’s account owner where he had spewed venom against the BJP government, PM Modi, and RSS.
‘Team Saath’ and its links with actor Sushant Singh
However, as per speculations on social media, actor Sushant Singh is inextricably linked to the account ‘Team Saath’, with rumour mills claiming that he is the founder of the troll account meant for targeting and browbeating nationalistic voices into silence.
Singh also boasts of his support to ‘Team Saath’ by mentioning it in his Twitter bio, raising suspicions that the account is indeed operated by him.
Source: Twitter
However, a tweet by ‘Team Saath’ clarified that Sushant Singh is not the founder of the group and is rather ‘The Goodwill Ambassador’. The account, the tweet said, is run by one ‘The Linguist’, who, according to Vijay Patel, is an inveterate Islamist harbouring pathological hatred for PM Modi.
Sushant Singh and his penchant for fake news
Sushant Singh may not be the founder of the group but he shares the same characteristics as embodied by the group. Aversion to facts, peddling fake news and pushing propaganda are chief among them.
Sushant Singh has been caught out several times for peddling fake news on the micro-blogging site. He had earlier shared a picture of a deceased elderly man and passed it off as that of a farmer protestor. He had claimed that the ‘farmer’ died at the Haryana-Delhi border during the farmer protests.
Interestingly, it was an old picture of a man, which was first shared on the Facebook page ‘Gareeb Jatt’ in September 2018 i.e. 2 years before the farmer protests began. He was also caught sharing fake news pertaining to the release of suspended police cop Davinder Singh, who was arrested last year for his alleged ties with the terrorists.
