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Gujarat: Women’s group to hold rally in Ahmedabad in support of Nupur Sharma who is receiving death threats by Islamists

OpIndia Staff
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Gujarat: Women’s group to hold rally in Ahmedabad in support of Nupur Sharma who is receiving death threats by Islamists

Naari Gaurav Suraksha Samiti (Women Pride Protection Committee) will be holding a rally in Ahmedabad on Sunday, June 12, in support of Nupur Sharma.

Naari Gaurav Suraksha Samiti rally

As per a statement issued by the organisation, Nupur Sharma’s statements on Prophet Muhammad has allegedly hurt religious sentiments of some and an FIR has also been made on her. She had no intention to hurt anyone’s feelings and now with the FIR the matter is sub judice. Hence, as a civil society, we must let the law take its course, the statement said.

However, some people of particular faith have created a riots-like situation and under the garb of peaceful protests have taken to violence. ‘They have also called for Nupur Sharma’s beheading. Some have even demanded death sentence for her. The situation has escalated so bad that a civil war-like situation has emerged. This is very dangerous for the secular fabric of our nation,’ the statement read.

Adding that the Nupur Sharma incident is not about Hindu-Muslim but about the respect to constitution of India and also about the respect of woman of India. Hence, instead of waiting for the law to take its course, this kind of violence is condemnable. Hence the organisation is going to hold a silent protest calling for ‘Ruk Jao’ (stop) to the violence that has descended upon the streets of India. The peaceful rally will be held later on Sunday between 5 PM to 6 PM.

AltNews’ Mohammed Zubair triggered the abuse on Nupur Sharma

In last week of May 2022, during a debate on Times Now, Nupur Sharma made certain comments on Prophet Muhammad which have also been stated in the Islamic scriptures. Her comments were in response to the constant slew of mockery of the Shivling found inside the wuzukhana of the disputed Gyanvapi structure.

Soon after the debate, AtlNews cofounder Muhammed Zubair shared part of the clip on his social media handle and called for action against her. Subsequently, his rabid followers started giving death and rape threats to Nupur Sharma. Zubair and other Islamists like Washington Post Columnist Rana Ayyub and others then started tagging Middle Eastern countries authorities, in a bid to embarrass India on an international platform. They even asked the Middle Eastern countries to stop oil to India over Sharma’s statement.

The BJP had suspended Sharma and expelled party leader Naveen Jindal over the statements. However, the threats to their lives and lives of their loved ones continue. It has been over a week since then but riots have taken place after Friday namaz (Islamic prayer) in various parts of India. In fact, mainstream politicians have also asked for Nupur Sharma to be hanged publicly after some people in Belgavi hung an effigy of hers hanging from a crane right outside the mosque. The Taliban, when it came to power back in Afghanistan last year had started hanging dissenters publicly on crane like that.

‘Bulldozer action will continue unabated’: Yogi Adityanath assures strict action against rioters

OpIndia Staff
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‘Bulldozer action will continue unabated’: Yogi Adityanath assures strict action against rioters

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has assured strict action against the rioters and stated that in any situation, the talks between the communities will be maintained.

In a series of tweets, Yogi Adityanath, a day after violence over comments on Prophet Muhammad gripped Uttar Pradesh and the rest of the country, issued a public statement, vowing to take exemplary action against the rioters who had indulged in violence, vandalism and arson on Friday.

Yogi Adityanath said, “We are citizens of a democratic country. We have to maintain dialogue with all sides. Action against miscreants will also be continued along with maintaining constant communication with religious leaders/civil society.”

He added, “Action against miscreants should be such that it becomes an example for all elements who have anti-social thinking and no one can even think of spoiling the harmony.”

In the subsequent tweet, Yogi Adityanath said, “Those patronising the mafia will be dealt with sternly and not a single attempt to vitiate the atmosphere will be accepted. The conspirators/accused will be identified and arrested at the earliest. Legal action will be taken against such people under NSA or gangster act.”

Yogi Adityanath assured that no bulldozers will be run over the houses of the poor and innocent but at the same time, no miscreant will be spared. He further tweeted, “Bulldozer action against criminals/mafias will continue unabated. No such action will be taken, even by mistake, against the residences of poor people. If a poor/helpless person has constructed a house in an unfit place for certain reasons, it will first be properly managed by the local administration.”

Yogi Adityanath further added, “The chaotic elements trying to ruin the peaceful atmosphere of the state will be very strictly dealt with. There should be no place for such people in a civilized society. Not a single innocent will be harmed and no guilty will be spared.”

It is notable that the Uttar Pradesh police and the administration have started the action against the rioters and bulldozers are running over the illegal properties of the miscreants involved in executing the violence after Friday Namaz.

Congress expels Haryana MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi from all party positions for cross voting in Rajya Sabha polls after Ajay Maken lost by 0.66 votes

OpIndia Staff
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Congress expels Haryana MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi from all party positions for cross voting in Rajya Sabha polls after Ajay Maken lost by 0.66 votes

Congress party has expelled its Haryana MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi from all posts with immediate effect for cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha elections from the state. Bishnoi has been removed from all positions from the party including the post of Special Invitee of the Congress Working Committee. It is notable that senior Congress leader Ajay Maken who had contested the Rajya Sabha elections from Haryana lost the election because of the cross-voting by Congress MLAs.

Congress general secretary KC Venugopal signed and published a press release on 11th June 2022 that said, “Hon’ble Congress President has expelled Shri Kuldeep Bishnoi from all his party positions including the post of Special Invitee of the Congress Working Committee, with immediate effect.”

After Ajay Maken lost the election, Kuldeep Bishnoi tweeted, “I know how to crush the hood. One should not leave the jungle fearing the snakes.”

Congress had appointed Udaybhan as the Haryana State Congress President in April 2022. Since then, Kuldeep Bishnoi was angry and did not attend any congress event. He had said that he will take his next political decision only after meeting Rahul Gandhi. Everyone including Congress leader Ajay Maken and the state in-charge Vivek Bansal insisted that he should participate in party activities but things did not work out.

Ajay Maken’s defeat in the Haryana Rajya Sabha election

In a setback to the Congress in Haryana, BJP’s Krishan Lal Panwar and party-backed independent candidate Kartikeya Sharma won two Rajya Sabha seats from Haryana. Congress had fielded veteran leader Ajay Maken from the state but he had to face the defeat. The voting for the seats took place on 10th June 2022 and the election commission declared the results late in the night. It was alleged that the pole rules were violated while voting and therefore the counting of votes started after a delay of more than seven hours. The results were announced at around two in the night.

In fact, 89 out of the total 90 members of the Haryana Assembly voted for the two Rajya Sabha seats on Friday. But when the counting of votes started after answering all the complaints, the final result was declared on the basis of the 88 votes as one vote was rejected. BJP candidate Krishan Lal Panwar got 36 votes, BJP-JJP-backed independent candidate Kartikeya Sharma got 23 votes and Ajay Maken of the Congress got 29 votes. Still, Ajay Maken was defeated. The answer to the question of how lies in the preferential voting system.

After one congress vote was rejected, 88 votes were left. 88 votes divided by the total number of candidates (3) is 29.34. So 29.34 was the ‘magic figure’ in this election and BJP candidate Krishan Lal Panwar got 36 votes which is 6.66 more than the magic figure. Haryana NDA-backed independent candidate Kartikeya Sharma got 23 first preference votes. However, he got second preference votes from all the 36 MLAs who had marked Panwar as first preference. On the other hand, the Congress MLAs didn’t mark any second preference and Ajay Maken was only their preference. And due to this preferential voting, Sharma got the extra 6.66 first preference votes from Panwar. So the total number of votes for Kartikeya Sharma surged to 29.66. Ajay Maken got 29 votes. He lost the election by a fractional margin of 0.66.

Notably, Congress has 31 MLAs in the house, but one their vote was cancelled, and one MLA Bishnoi cross voted in favour of BJP.

The BJP won eight of the 16 Rajya Sabha seats up for grabs in four states, namely Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Karnataka, thus bolstering its stronghold in the Upper House of the Parliament. With five seats, Congress emerged second. MVA alliance members Shiv Sena and NCP, as well as a BJP-backed Independent candidate from Haryana, bagged the remaining seats.

Viral video of kids urinating on photo of Nupur Sharma: What it tells us about patriarchy and the prevalence of rape culture

Sneha
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Viral video of kids urinating on photo of Nupur Sharma: What it tells us about patriarchy and the prevalence of rape culture

Former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma has been the target of an incredible amount of hate over the past 2 weeks. Ever since Nupur appeared on a TV debate on the Times Now news channel over the issue of Shivling inside the disputed Gyanvapi structure, she has been facing a torrent of abuse and threats.

Even though she has apologized for her comments on Prophet Muhammad, and even got suspended from BJP, the abuse is showing no signs of stopping any time soon. The country saw widespread protests against her from Islamists on Friday, 10th June, after the afternoon Namaz. At some places, they hanged her effigy to remind her what they want to do to her, at some places they burnt her effigy, while at other places they demanded that she should be hanged in person.

Among all these protests, a video has gone viral on social media on Saturday, which shows a bunch of kids publicly urinating on Nupur Sharma’s photo to mark their ‘protest’ if it can be called that. In the video, two kids are urinating on Nupur’s photo while being surrounded by several other kids cheering them on. The location of the viral video couldn’t be ascertained but evident from the target of this ‘protest’, it is quite recent.

Re-inforcing patriarchy through this ‘urination protest’

The act of urinating on Nupur’s photo was performed with just one desire, to humiliate her. To show this woman her ‘aukaat’ for daring to say something which was unpalatable to these Islamists. Growing up in a highly patriarchal society, these kids have learned from childhood that it is totally normal to piss on a woman’s face if she has dared to make you angry.

FIRs for comments on Prophet Muhammad have been registered against Nupur Sharma and Naveen Kumar Jindal, both were suspended from the party on the same day, and both are facing the same real threat to their lives right now, but with one difference. We did not see Naveen Jindal’s effigy hanging from cables, we did not see YouTube influencers making mock-beheading videos featuring Jindal, and we obviously did not see boys urinating on Jindal’s poster.

Even though threats to Jindal’s life are all too real, and he is trying his best to at least save his family from the imminent attack by moving them around, the Islamists are only interested in taking his life, not in humiliating him like they want to do to Nupur.

That is because apart from the “crime of blasphemy”, Nupur has committed another crime, to be born a woman in a highly patriarchal society. It is not enough to wait for the legal proceedings in the case to finish, no, she should be punished, and it should be done publicly because her punishment will not be over till they haven’t added public humiliation to the mix.

Promoting ‘rape culture’ by making the penis a tool to humiliate women

As mentioned earlier, the Islamists up in arms against Nupur Sharma don’t just want to see her getting punished, they want to see her humiliated before that punishment as well. This mindset that a woman should be humiliated for what she said contributes a lot to the ‘rape culture’ because, in these patriarchal societies, a woman’s dignity is tied to her vagina. If a woman gets raped, she is the one who faces more humiliation than the rapist, so if they want to humiliate a woman, that is their “go-to” move.

By cheering on these kids for urinating on her face on the poster, these boys have also been told now that their penis is a tool to humiliate a woman. They can just bring it out anywhere and use it to hit back at a woman who angers them at any time.

Some people will say these are just kids having fun and we should not read too much into it, but the foundation of the youth is laid in childhood itself. Kids will not stay kids forever, they will grow up, and how they turn out in their youth will depend on all these little lessons they will accumulate along the way. Further, as the recent Hyderabad gang rape case by minors told us, sometimes we don’t even have to wait till their youth to see the result of these lessons.

‘Comedian’ Munawar Faruqui mocks singer Justin Bieber’s facial paralysis, had earlier made fun of victims of the Godhra train burning tragedy

OpIndia Staff
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‘Comedian’ Munawar Faruqui mocks singer Justin Bieber’s facial paralysis, had earlier made fun of victims of the Godhra train burning tragedy

‘Comedian’ Munawar Faruqui recently took to Twitter to make fun of singer Justin Bieber after he revealed he is diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a form of partial face paralysis. The singer said the right side of his face has been paralysed and because of it he cannot smile or blink.

However, Bieber’s medical condition did not stop Faruqui from making fun of the singer while also taking a dig at India’s Right.

“Dear Justin Bieber, I can totally understand. Even here in India, right side not working properly,” Faruqui tweeted a day after Islamists, regarded as the ideological partners of India’s Left, went on a rampage in multiples cities and towns across the country, issuing death threats to Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal for their comments on Prophet Muhammad.

Munawar Faruqui Justin

Law and order situation across the country had deteriorated on Friday as Islamists ran riot, indulging in violent protests, vandalism and arson against what they perceived as an insult to their Prophet.

Justin Bieber takes to Instagram to reveal he is suffering from facial paralysis

Earlier yesterday, Bieber took to his Instagram and shared a video explaining about his illness. He said, “I have this syndrome called Ramsay Hunt syndrome and it is from this virus that attacks the nerves in my ear and my facial nerves and has caused my face to have paralysis. As you can see, this eye is not blinking, I can’t smile on this side of my face, this nostril will not move.”

“So, there’s full paralysis on this side of my face. So for those who are frustrated by my cancellations of the next shows, I’m just physically, obviously, not capable of doing them. This is pretty serious, as you can see,” he added.

Munawar Faruqui had mocked Hindu victims of the Godhra train burning incident, insulted Hindu Gods

It is worth noting that this is not the first time that Faruqui has been insensitive in cracking his reprehensible jokes. He had made jokes about the horrifying 2002 Godhra train burning incident, when several Hindus, including women and children, were set ablaze alive by a Muslim mob.

During a show in April 2020, Munawar Faruqui mocked the 2002 Godhra carnage where 58 Hindus returning from Ayodhya were burnt alive by a Muslim mob. In a part of the clip that had gone viral on social media, one can hear him refer to the carnage as a fictional film ‘directed’ by Amit Shah and ‘produced’ by RSS.

“I was watching The Burning Train on TV. My father came and told me not to watch such nonsense and turned off the channel. I was like, ‘why so?’ He was like this is the video of Godhra kaand. And this is a news channel. I thought it is a movie directed by Amit Shah, and produced by RSS… I don’t know…,” he said. Munawar Faruqui then referred to the news about the 2002 Godhra carnage as a ‘cartoon’.

Faruqui had also mocked Hindu Gods during his ‘comedy’ gigs, which would have been called ‘blasphemy’ and elicited shouts of ‘sar tan se juda’ had he pulled off a similar kind of stunts with Islam and its Prophet. Recently, Islamists around the country have hit the streets, baying for the blood of former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma and dishing out death threats to her for making comments on Prophet Muhammad derived from authentic and reliable Islamic Hadiths.

Jharkhand Congress MLA Irfan Ansari demands ₹50 lakh and government job for kins of the rioters killed in Ranchi, questions role of city SP

OpIndia Staff
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Jharkhand Congress MLA Irfan Ansari demands ₹50 lakh and government job for kins of the rioters killed in Ranchi, questions role of city SP

Jharkhand Congress MLA Irfan Ansari has criticised the Ranchi police for combating the rioting Muslim mob demanding arrest of former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma. Two rioters have been killed and several others injured in police firing in Ranchi yesterday after the protest against Nupur Sharma turned violent. The MLA also demanded compensation and govt for the victims of police action and their families.

Violent protests by Muslims against Nupur Sharma broke out in several places across the country on Friday after Namaz. The protests had turned most violent in Ranchi in Jharkhand. Vehicles were torched and vandalized and stone-pelting occurred during the protests Police were attacked. The rioters had also attacked police in Ranchi, and some of them had opened fire. The police had retaliated with return fire, and several rioters were shot. Two of them, Mudassir alias Kaifi and Sahil, died today morning, while reportedly ten more are injured.

Instead of condemning the riots, Irfan Ansari – the Congress MLA from Jamtara in Jharkhand – has raised questions on the police. Condemning the police over the firing, he demanded action on the SP of Ranchi City. Moreover, he also demanded compensation of ₹50 lakh and a government job for a family member of the rioters killed in the firing.

The Congress MLA said that he was against the appointment of the SP from the beginning, and asked who ordered firing on the protesters.

Irfan Ansari tweeted, “The Ranchi incident brought shame to the state. The job of the police is to protect, not to shoot. The working style of the City SP in Ranchi has not been up to the mark. There is a deep-rooted hatred and discrimination in him. Even after my refusal, how he was posted in Ranchi is a matter to give a thought upon. At whose behest was the order to open fire on the protesters given? City SP has already been under suspicion, and today’s incident is the result of the same. I convey my deepest condolences to the deceased and demand the Hon’ble Chief Minister for a Government job as well as 50 lakh compensation for the deceased’s family.”

The two rioters who died in police firing in Ranchi are identified as Mudassir alias Kaifi and Mohammad Sahil. The police were forced to open fire as the rioters pelted stones at them and broke the vehicles. According to some reports, there was firing from rioters as well.

Violent protests broke out in several states on Friday (June 10, 2022) over comment on Prophet Mohammed by BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma in a TV debate. These protests, which turned into riots, were held in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Karnataka.

In Karnataka, an effigy of Nupur Sharma was hanged near a dargah on Fort Road in the Belagavi district. The effigy was removed by the police on the complaint of BJP and Hindu leaders. Hindu organizations have demanded strict action against those who do so. According to DCP Belagavi, the police have registered a case in this regard and have launched a search for the accused.

Protests against Nupur Sharma were held in several parts of Maharashtra. Around 2,000 women protesters demanded the hanging of Nupur Sharma at Panvel near Navi Mumbai. In the Vashi area of New Mumbai, a mob raised slogans against Nupur Sharma. Similar demonstrations were held in Thane, Aurangabad, Pune, Solapur, Nandurbar, Bhandara, Chandrapur, and Latur.

In West Bengal, a road was blocked by extremist Muslim protesters in their so-called protest against Nupur Sharma in Howrah. This led to a long jam on the National Highway. During this time, tires were torched on the road. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asked the Islamist protestors to go to Delhi and protest.

A crowd of around 1,500 protesters gathered at Delhi’s Jama Masjid without permission. After this, the protesters started creating a ruckus, but the police brought the situation under control within about 15 minutes. Police have registered a case for gathering without permission.

Tamil Nadu: State BJP chief K. Annamalai warns DMK government for threatening Hindu seers, says ‘bad time has started’

OpIndia Staff
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Tamil Nadu: State BJP chief K. Annamalai warns DMK government for threatening Hindu seers, says ‘bad time has started’

Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party head Annamalai has slammed Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments (HR and CE) Minister PK Sekar Babu for threatening the Madurai Adheenam and challenged the DMK government to harm it.

Sri La Sri Harihara Sri Gnanasambanda Desika Swamigal of the Madurai Adheeam stated at a meeting organized by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in Madurai that the government does not interfere in the functioning of churches or mosques, but the government interferes in the functioning of our temples through the HR&CE department. He demanded that the HR and CE department be disbanded, claiming that they had transformed temples into a haven for robbers and plunderers.

The seer said “Temples should ideally be given to us (Adheenams). Even if they don’t give them to us, a judge with a panel of lawyers should administer the temples. The panel will also consult pontiffs and local people. This is how temples should be managed.”

In response to his remarks, Sekar Babu stated that the CM has requested that he maintain a cordial relationship with the Adheenams and refrain from interfering in their affairs. “I am toning down the response because of the advice given by the Chief Minister. We can also pounce and hit you back. We’re refraining from doing so as it wouldn’t augur well. He should not see us holding back as fear. We also know how to pounce,” Sekar Babu said.

“The Madurai Adheenam has been continuously speaking like a politician, which the HR&CE Department won’t allow. Madurai Adheenam is trying to portray as if all the Adheenams are against this government. He doesn’t have the right to say that we can’t interfere in temples. If he keeps indulging in such talks we also know how to respond in kind,” he further stated.

Following this, TN BJP head K Annamalai warned that if the Tamil Nadu government harasses Adheenam in any manner, serious repercussions will follow. He said, “The only job for Sekar Babu is to go to every place and threaten the spiritual seers of this land. In the latest incident, he is threatening the Madurai Adheenam.”

“We dare you to lay your finger on Madurai Adheenam and see. Just touch and see. We’re waiting for it,” Annamalai further said. “Brother Sekar Babu should have at least been cautious after seeing the photo of the two. If he is not prudent even then, it means that his bad time has started,” Annamalai warned.

West Bengal: Hindu girl detained after Muslim Mob pelt stones at police chowk over her post asking rioters to migrate to Islamic countries

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: Hindu girl detained after Muslim Mob pelt stones at police chowk over her post asking rioters to migrate to Islamic countries

On Friday (June 10), a frenzied mob of Muslim men ambushed the Beladanga police station in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal.

As per reports, they hurled stones and bricks at the police station and demanded the arrest of a Hindu girl named Aishwani, who had asked rioters in the State to migrate to nearby Islamic countries. The girl was subsequently detained by the police.

Forced by circumstances, the cops had to fire tear gas shells to disperse the violent mob and pacify the situation. The police have not yet issued any statement in connection to the events that unfolded on Friday evening.

As per a report by ABP Ananda, the Muslim mob vandalised the house of the Hindu girl and a dozen other buildings located in her neighbourhood. A youth had also sustained head injuries during the attack.

In visuals shared by the news channel, broken pieces of glass and bricks were spotted outside the targeted building. The residents in the area are said to be in a state of fear and panic. They have sought protection from the police and demanded the arrest of the culprits.

The police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the accused and are now trying to ascertain their identity through CCTV footage.

The Background of the Controversy

The Hindu girl, Aishwani, was dismayed at the orgy of violence, and vandalism orchestrated by the Islamists in West Bengal under the garb of blasphemy.

In a Facebook post, Aishwani had written, “O ra rager mathai bhangchur na kore desh chera gelao toh pare (Instead of vandalising properties, they can also avail the option of leaving this country.)”

Screengrab of the Facebook post of Aishwani

A user named Subhhrakanti Mukerjee responded to her post by saying that Islamists would not leave the country until they destroy it completely. Aishwani replied, “Sesh hoye gela toh emnitao doshi nirdoshi protekkei beriya jeta hobe (If the country is destroyed, then, everyone will eventually have to leave the land).”

She further added, “Tar cheya borong Islamic er mote toh ata munafikder desh, ekhane theka chole gelai pare tader Islamic desh e ( Since Islamists believe that this is a nation of infidels, they can go to their Islamic countries instead.)”

Following outrage over her politically incorrect remarks, Aishwani was forced to tender an apology. “Sorry, it was a mistake to utter those words. If anyone is hurt by my statement, then, please forgive me.”

Screengrab of the Facebook post of Aishwani

Thereafter, the Islamists attacked her house and intimidated the police into arresting her. She will soon be produced before a local court.

Islamists hold the State of West Bengal to ransom

On Thursday (June 9), a mob of frenzied protestors blocked the National Highway connecting Howrah and Kolkata, thereby resulting in traffic woes and public inconvenience. The demonstration comes days after the BJP suspended its spokesperson Nupur Sharma over alleged ‘blasphemous’ remarks against Prophet Muhammad.

The protestors, dressed in skull caps and lungi, created a ruckus on NH116. They yelled Islamist slogans and burnt tyres. In videos that have now surfaced on social media, dark smoke could be seen engulfing the skies.

Reportedly, the blockade began from Nibra (Kona Expressway-NH16 junction) at around 10:30 am and ended at 9:30 pm. Located at about 12 km from the second Howrah bridge, it extended up to the AJC Bose Road in Kolkata.

Instead of acting against the mob that had brought traffic to a near halt in Howrah, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asked them to disrupt public life in other states instead.

She remarked, “Why should we suffer due to communal politics of some with an aim for narrow political gains? Go protest in UP, Gujarat…states where BJP is in power. But they are not in power in Bengal, so don’t do this for publicity in here.”

On Friday (June 10), the Islamists disrupted the vehicular movement in the Park Circus area in Kolkata. Following the Friday prayers (Jumma Namaz), Islamists began gathering on the road and demonstrating against the remarks made by BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma. 

Similar scenes were seen in Kolkata’s twin city Howrah, where Muslim mobs resorted to violence and vandalism. They burnt down vehicles and police booths during the violent protests.

Complaints against LiveLaw for misreporting HC proceedings in Kerala Gold Smuggling Case; prime accused had named CM Vijayan in the case

OpIndia Staff
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Complaints against LiveLaw for misreporting HC proceedings in Kerala Gold Smuggling Case; prime accused had named CM Vijayan in the case

Multiple complaints have been registered with the Registrar General of the Kerala High Court against the legal news portal LiveLaw for misrepresenting the proceedings of the High Court.

Kerala BJP leader Prasanth Sivan and Advocate Syamkumar P.H have lodged separate complaints alleging that the misreporting by LiveLaw amounted to contempt of court.

The complaints have argued that LiveLaw published a misleading headline for a report on the bail application of Swapna Suresh ’closed’ by the Kerala High Court, which they asserted amounted to contempt of court.

The matter pertains to the high-profile case of Swapna Suresh, the prime accused in the Kerala Gold smuggling case of 2020. On Thursday this week, the Kerala HC closed the bail application of Suresh and Sarith, accused in the Kerala Gold Smuggling case that involved the smuggling of gold from the UAE through diplomatic baggage.

Suresh had moved the court after an FIR was filed against her, on the complaint of Kerala MLA and Ex-Minister K. T. Jaleel, who accused her of spreading rumours and attempting to incite people to riot over her statement indicting Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan and his family and Jaleel.

Suresh had levelled serious allegations against the chief minister in her bail application as well. In her bail application, Suresh said a person came to her office on behalf of the Chief Minister to pressurise her to withdraw her statement. The application further said that Shaji Kiran, the person who visited her is close to Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, the state secretary of CPIM and is one of the Directors of Gospel for Asia, an organisation of K.P Yohannan. Furthermore, the application said Kiran is the person “who is handling the investment of the Chief Minister as well as Kodiyeri Balakrishnan abroad”.

The Kerala High Court ‘closed’ the bail application after the public prosecutor argued that Sarith is not an accused in the case and all the offences are bailable offences. “Recording the above submission, the anticipatory bail application is closed”, the High Court’s order said.

Complaints are filed against LiveLaw for misreporting closure of bail application of Swapna Suresh by Kerala HC

However, the legal news portal LiveLaw reported the said order and the proceedings with a headline: “BREAKING| Kerala High Court Dismisses Pre-Arrest Bail Plea Moved By Swapna Suresh, Sarith For Raising Allegations Against CM” (emphasis added).

The complaints filed against LiveLaw say the reason cited in the headline for the alleged dismissal is totally false, misleading and therefore amounts to criminal contempt of court.

The complaints say the bail application was not dismissed but closed. “More importantly, the reason mentioned in the headline, that the case was dismissed ‘for raising allegations against CM’ is totally false”, a copy of the complaint accessed by OpIndia says.

It further pointed out that the body of the report published by LiveLaw does not mention the alleged reason cited in the headline. “Moreover, the report does not quote any oral remark by the Hon’ble Judge that may give even a semblance of credibility to the headline. In any case, there was no such remark by the Judge during the hearing,” the complaint said.

The complainants have accused LiveLaw of deliberately framing the false headline with a malafide intention to mislead what transpired in the Court of Justice Viju Abraham. “Live Law has published the fake news to mislead the public about the proceedings of the Hon’ble High Court, to help a particular political party and its leaders. Such deliberate misreporting amounts to interference with the administration of justice and criminal contempt of the Hon’ble Court,” says the complaint.

Contending that LiveLaw is being used to build and propagate fake narratives about the judicial proceedings and demanding action against them, the complaint says, “If you look at who owns and runs the website Live Law, the malafide reason for such deliberate misreporting will become clear.”

This is not the first time that LiveLaw is being accused of misrepresenting judicial proceedings. Earlier, Justice Arun Mishra, while speaking from the Bench of the Supreme Court, had castigated the “lopsided” and “incorrect” reporting by LiveLaw and Bar and Bench while chastising ‘PIL Activist’ Prashant Bhushan for taking matters of the Court to the media and making improper tweets on social media.

Srinagar police initiate probe against Caravan Magazine’s reporter Shahid Tantray for giving targets to terrorists with his reporting

OpIndia Staff
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Srinagar police initiate probe against Caravan Magazine’s reporter Shahid Tantray for giving targets to terrorists with his reporting

On June 8, the Srinagar police took to its official Twitter handle to confirm that a probe has been initiated against a reporter of the Caravan magazine, Shahid Tantray, for his mischievous article ‘False Flags’ published on the far-left website on June 1, 2022. It said that the investigation was initiated based on complaints received from many prominent persons in Kashmir.

Sharing the development, the police tweeted, “A complaint has been received from many prominent persons against one reporter namely Shahid Tantray for his article “False Flags” in Caravan. It is alleged that the article names them in a mischievous manner which is akin to giving targets to terror groups and puts them in danger.”

The police used the example of Kashmir-based journalist Shujaat Bukhari to emphasize how shoddy and reckless journalism had previously resulted in the assassination of several notable figures, including the ‘Rising Kashmir’ writer. It said that the police had started investigating why the prominent personalities, who filed the complaint, were named in Shahid Tantray’s article ‘False Flags’.

“In past, many prominent personalities like Shujaat Bukhari have been targeted & killed due to similar articles focussed on certain personalities in blogs like Kashmir Fight etc. Inquiry into allegations & reasons for naming these persons has started led by a DySP rank officer,” the Srinagar police wrote in its subsequent Tweet.

On June 1, 2022, the far-left ‘news’ website Caravan Magazine published an article targeting the Indian Army deployed in Kashmir and some prominent BJP leaders and army officials. The article titled “False Flags: The Indian Army’s secretive role in hyper-nationalist protests in Kashmir” by Shahid Tantray inferred that the Indian Army was utilizing ‘power brokers’ in the valley to organize phoney anti-terrorism candle protests in order to portray themselves as nationalists and garner media attention.

The article was published in The Caravan on June 1, 2022

The author had also shared the report from his official Twitter handle. He Tweeted, “The Indian Army’s secretive role in hyper-nationalist protests in Kashmir as they try to establish a new generation of politicians, power brokers in the valley, tied indivisibly with the BJP’s vision for the region. I report.”

In the article, the author named Colonel Sanjay Bhalay, from the 125th battalion of the territorial army, a “politician belonging to BJP, retired civil servants and a couple of people who sat on the fence between journalism and hyper-nationalist bombast” and claimed that they pretend to stage nationalism protests in Kashmir merely for the media.

After the article was published, many prominent people named in the article lodged a complaint with the Jammu and Kashmir police alleging that the manner in which the author had ‘mischievously’ used their names was akin to giving targets to terror groups and putting them in danger. The Srinagar police said that “On the basis of this complaint, an inquiry has been started to find out the real reasons why these personalities were specifically named in the article.” 

The Caravan ‘journalist’ Shahid Tantray claims J&K police is harassing him and his family

Meanwhile, after the statement of the Srinagar police, Tantray accused the Jammu and Kashmir Police of issuing threats and consistently harassing him and his family for more than four months because of his reporting.

Tantray said the UT police have been pursuing him since he visited Srinagar in January on reporting assignments commissioned by The Caravan and outlined the months of ‘harassment’ in a long statement released by him on Wednesday, June 8.

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