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As Pfizer releases more than 80000 pages on its Covid-19 vaccine, claims about it flood social media: Here are the facts

Raju Das
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As Pfizer releases more than 80000 pages on its Covid-19 vaccine, claims about it flood social media: Here are the facts

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has started publishing documents related to its m-RNA Covid-19 vaccine and the trials of the vaccine. The first batch of over 80,000 pages of documents were released on May 2, triggering many information and mis-information being spread about the vaccine on social media.

While the over 80,000 pages of the document contain mostly raw data related to the vaccine and its trial, the company had also released a 53-page briefing document in December last year. According to this document, the efficacy of the BNT162b2 vaccine made by Pfizer is found to be 95%, which was already reported earlier. The document says that the vaccine is largely safe for population of all age groups, except some common side effects which go way with time.

In the clinical trial for the vaccine, 18198 participants had received the Pfizer vaccine, while 18325 participants had received placebo. This 95% efficacy is found a week after the second dose of the vaccine is taken. The efficacy is less before that, which is only 52% during the three weeks between the first and second dose.

The 95% efficacy rate is based on the finding that among the 18198 people who had received the vaccine, 8 among them had tested positive for Covid-19 a week after the second dose of the vaccine, compare to 162 people testing positive in the placebo group.

The Pfizer vaccine efficacy report

The vaccine efficacy (VE) is calculated on the basis positive cases found in both the vaccine group and the placebo group, and the formula for its calculation is- (placebo group positive – vaccine group positice)/ placebo group positive x 100%. Therefore, the VE for the Pfizer vaccine will be calculated as – (162-8)/162 x 100%, which is 95%.

The document also discusses adverse effects of the vaccine in detail, and it shows that majority of the recipients experienced some kinds of side effects of the doses. The most common solicited adverse reactions were injection site reactions (84.1%), fatigue (62.9%), headache (55.1%), muscle pain (38.3%), chills (31.9%), joint pain (23.6%), fever (14.2%). However, these effects were mild, and only maximum of 4.6% participants experienced severe adverse reactions.

However, the document notes that the occurrences of the severe adverse effects are not more than the rate of occurrence seen in general population, therefore they could not be linked to the vaccine.

Claims about the documents and the facts

After the documents regarding the Pfizer vaccines were released, several claims are being made about it, which have turned out to be false. The most common claim is that the document reveals that the actually vaccine efficacy of the Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine is 12%, not 95. However, this claim is completely false and baseless.

The 12% VE claim was first made by journalist Sonia Elijah on a substack post. Citing a para from page 42 of the FDA briefing document, she had calculated the VE to be 12%. The para referred to by her says, “Among 3410 total cases of suspected but unconfirmed COVID-19 in the overall study population, 1594 occurred in the vaccine group vs. 1816 in the placebo group.”

Taking 1594 and 1816 as positive cases in the vaccine group and the placebo group, she had calculated the VE as 12%, using the same formula shown above – (1816-1594)/1816 x 100%. However, this is a wrong calculation, because the numbers 1594 in vaccine group and 1816 in placebo does not represent positive Covid-19 cases in both the groups, as claimed by Elijah. These numbers actually refer to “suspected but unconfirmed” cases. This means, this shows number of people showing symptoms which are similar to Covid-19 symptoms, but the Covid-19 was not confirmed by PCR tests.

As Covid-19 symptoms include common symptoms like fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, muscle pain, sore throat, loss of taste/smell, diarrhea, and vomiting, mere occurrence of these symptoms does not confirm a positive Covid-19 case, unless they are confirmed by a test.

These symptoms in those participants could have been the result of any other cause or disease, or some of them could be just effects of the vaccine, as many people suffer from fever etc due to vaccines. The document nowhere mentions that the total 3410 cases both the groups had tested positive for Covid-19, they are only suspected but unconfirmed cases. Therefore, these numbers can’t be used to calculate the vaccine efficacy.

Therefore, the claim that real VE of the Pfizer vaccine is 12%, not 95%, is incorrect and is based on wrong interpretation of data.

It is also notable that among the 3410 suspected cases, 409 cases in the vaccine group and 287 cases in the placebo group had occurred within the first 7 days of the first dose of the vaccine. The document says that it could be due to vaccine reactogenicity with symptoms similar to the Covid-19 symptoms. In simple terms, these symptoms could have caused by the vaccine, and not due to Covid-19.

Another interesting point is that these data on suspected but unconfirmed cases is not new, it was already mentioned in the briefing document released in December 2021, it is not something new revealed in the 80,000-page documents.

Similarly, there are claims that the new documents reveal the Pfizer vaccine to be dangerous and not safe. There are claims that the Pfizer has said in the documents that the vaccine is not safe during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Screenshots purportedly from the documents are being used to make these claims.

But these are also baseless claims, because the screenshot is from an old and British document and not from the Pfizer data. The document seen in the screenshot is from Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), issued in 2020. At that time the Covid-19 vaccine was new, and as with any new drug, the vaccine was also deemed unsafe during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

But subsequently MHRA has updated the guidelines, which does not prohibit the vaccine for women during pregnancy and lactation. It now says that there is limited data on the vaccine in pregnant women, but study on animals do not indicate harmful effects on pregnancy. It therefore says, “administration of the COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine BNT162b2 in pregnancy should only be considered when the potential benefits outweigh any potential risks for the mother and foetus.”

Tajinder Bagga has injuries on his back and shoulder after his arrest by the Punjab Police: Medical report

OpIndia Staff
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Tajinder Bagga has injuries on his back and shoulder after his arrest by the Punjab Police: Medical report

On Saturday, the medical report of BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga revealed that he has suffered several injuries on his back and shoulder after his arrest by the Punjab Police. The BJP leader has alleged that he sustained these injuries after the Punjab Police assaulted him during the course of his arrest.

According to the reports, the BJP leader reached home on Saturday morning and said that he would continue to fight the battle against the Punjab Police, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, and the Aam Aadmi Party. “Those who believe they can do anything with the help of Police, I want to tell them a BJP worker will not be scared of anyone”, he added thanking the Haryana and Delhi Police for supporting him in the case against the Punjab Police.

“This was an illegal detention. No local police officer was informed about this. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal can register 100 more FIRs against me if he wants to. We will keep fighting until he apologizes for what he said about Kashmiri Pandits,” the BJP leader emphasized on May 7.

Medical certificate of BJP leader Tajinder Bagga (Source- OdishTV)

After his arrival in Delhi, Bagga was taken for medical tests as part of due procedure, during which the report of the injuries suffered by him came out.

Earlier, in a high voltage drama on Friday, Tajinder Bagga was picked up by Punjab Police from his home without due process, which led to a case of kidnapping against Punjab Police.

Bagga immediately through his counsel moved to the Dwarka Court. His plea mentioned that he was being taken by some unknown persons. The Delhi Police, therefore, swung into action after the Court ordered his production. The Delhi Police informed the Haryana Police who stopped the Punjab police from taking Bagga to Punjab.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court further rejected the Punjab government’s request to keep Bagga in Haryana. After the Delhi police took custody of Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, the Punjab police reached the high court trying to stop the Delhi Police from taking him back to Delhi. Reportedly, the leader was asked to appear before the Metropolitan Magistrate Swayam Siddha Tripathi today. The Court directed the SHO Janakpuri to ensure Bagga’s safety and security.

Earlier, Punjab Police had registered an FIR against Tajinder Bagga for his criticism of Arvind Kejriwal after the Delhi CM mocked ‘The Kashmir Files’ movie during the budget session of the Delhi assembly calling it a jhoothi film. The film depicts the sufferings of the Kashmiri Hindus during the genocide they suffered in Kashmir in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Punjab court issues arrest warrant against BJP leader Tajinder Bagga for his remark against Arvind Kejriwal, asks police to produce him in court

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab court issues arrest warrant against BJP leader Tajinder Bagga for his remark against Arvind Kejriwal, asks police to produce him in court

A day after Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday rejected the Punjab government’s request to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga in Haryana, a local court in SAS Nagar, Punjab has ordered Punjab police to arrest the BJP leader and produce before the court.

The court of Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Ravtesh Inderjeet Singh of Criminal Courts, SAS Nagar has issued an arrest warrant against BJP leader Tajinder Pal Bagga under IPC sections – 153A, 505, 506. The judge has also directed the Punjab police to produce him before the court.

Arrest warrant issued against Tajinder Bagga

The case against Tajinder Pal Bagga is scheduled to be heard on May 23.

The warrant comes just a day after a high drama in the national capital after the BJP leader was arrested by Punjab police for his remarks against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The reports indicate that 50 policemen in several cars came to arrest Tajinder Bagga from his residence.

The Delhi Police, with the intervention of the Haryana Police, had brought Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga back to Delhi after the Punjab police had picked up Bagga without any proper notice.

An FIR accusing the Punjab Police team of kidnapping Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga has also been registered by the Delhi Police.

Meanwhile, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had rejected the Punjab government’s request to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga in Haryana. After the Delhi police took custody of Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, the Punjab police reached the high court trying to stop the Delhi police from taking him back to Delhi.

A day later, the Punjab police again reached a lower court in SAS Nagar to obtain another warrant to arrest Tajinder Pal Bagga.

The firebrand BJP leader was arrested by Punjab Police on Friday morning for his criticism of Arvind Kejriwal after the Delhi CM mocked the movie – ‘The Kashmir Files’ during the budget session of the Delhi assembly, calling it a jhoothi film. 

Maharashtra: In the wee hours of the night, Islamists wave swords, bang at doors of locals for no apparent reason, five arrested for terrorizing people

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: In the wee hours of the night, Islamists wave swords, bang at doors of locals for no apparent reason, five arrested for terrorizing people

In the Thane district situated near Mumbai in Maharashtra, Islamists terrorized people by waving swords, knives, and axes in public on Friday night. Five persons, including a woman, have been arrested in the case. On Saturday 7th May 2022, a police official said that the incident took place in Dahisar Mori and Thakurpara villages of Thane district.

Some of the miscreants waving arms in public were caught by people. After this, the police reached the spot and arrested them.

An officer from the Sheel Daighar police station said that between as late as 12.15 and 3.45 AM on Friday night, the arrested accused roamed these areas with swords, axes, and knives in their hands and they terrorized local residents. They banged and knocked on the doors of several houses and threatened the residents for no reason. This caused panic among the people.

Finally, some villagers showed courage and caught the accused and handed them over to the police, who later arrested them. The arrested accused have been identified as Javed Salim Sheikh, Dilwar Farid Sheikh, Shahid Naseer Sheikh, Saad Ahmed and Maria Javed Khan. A case has been registered against all of them under sections 143 (unlawful assembly) 147 (rioting), 148 (armed with deadly weapons) 323 (intentional hurt), 504 (intentionally provoking with intent to provoke breach of peace), 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and various sections of the Arms Act.

According to the police, some more people are involved in the gang of these people, an attempt is being made to nab them. Their intention behind waving the weapon is also being ascertained.

The Thane district is the home to religiously sensitive places like Kalwa, Mumbra and Bhiwandi. Recently, an FIR had been registered against Popular Front of India (PFI) Mumbra President, Abdul Mateen Shekhani for organising an illegal gathering where he allegedly gave an inciting speech. Mumbra is a Muslim-dominated area of Thane rural in Maharashtra. The PFI leader was booked under IPC section 188 and sections 37(3) and 135 of the Maharashtra Police Act.

Rahul Gandhi in Hyderabad but has no time to meet the bereaved family of brutally murdered Hindu man Nagaraju, says Congress leader Geeta Reddy

OpIndia Staff
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Rahul Gandhi in Hyderabad but has no time to meet the bereaved family of brutally murdered Hindu man Nagaraju, says Congress leader Geeta Reddy

Congress leader Geetha Reddy has confirmed that their senior leader Rahul Gandhi, who is on a two-day visit to Telangana, will not be able to take out time from his ‘busy schedule’ to meet the family of Nagaraju, the Hindi youth, who was brutally killed in full public view in Hyderabad over an inter-faith marriage with his Muslim wife.

The 25-year-old Billapuram Nagaraju, a resident of Marredpally, was stabbed to death by his wife’s family members at the Saroornagar Tehsildar’s office on Wednesday night.

Speaking outside the Gandhi Bhavan, the headquarters of the Indian National Congress Party in Nampally, Hyderabad, Telangana, where Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to meet his party workers, Geeta Reddy reportedly told the media persons that meeting the deceased’s family is “not in Rahul Gandhi’s schedule”. Besides his busy schedule, the Congress leader also cited Rahul Gandhi’s security concerns as one of the reasons why he would find it difficult to visit Nagaraju’s family.

When asked whether Rahul Gandhi would take some time out to meet the bereaved family of Nagaraju, the Congress leader Geeta Reddy reportedly told Times Now, “as it is his flight to Delhi is already booked, whether he would take that choice or whether he will go ahead is something that I cannot answer.”

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is on a two-day visit to Telangana, where he was scheduled to address a public meeting in Warangal on farmers’ issues.

Sharing a snippet of Geeta Reddy’s conversation with reporters posted by Times Now, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla chastised the Gandhi scion for being selective in his outrage. Hinting at Rahul Gandhi’s fracas over the 2020 Hathras incident, Poonawalla Tweeted, “Nagaraju killed by Muslim wife’s family Rahul Gandhi is in Hyderabad but Congress’ Geetha Reddy says Rahul won’t meet Nagaraju’s family Had it been “Nizam” & had it been in UP, he would have left his partying in Nepal to visit but sadly Nagaraju/Hindus don’t matter for INC.

It is pertinent to note here that recently, videos had gone viral wherein the Congress scion was presumably spotted partying in the neighbouring country of Nepal. The video came at a time Amethi MP Smriti Irani is visiting Wayanad, Rahul Gandhi’s constituency. Rahul Gandhi lost Amethi, the Gandhi family bastion, to Irani in 2019 elections.

It may be recalled, that Rahul Gandhi, who seems to have no time to visit the family of the Hindu youth B Nagaraju, had in 2020, overused the Hathras case to score political brownie points. Since the incident happened in a BJP ruled state, the brother-sister duo had embarked on a journey to Hathras to meet the victim’s family. When their motorcade was stopped owing to section 144 being imposed in that area, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi hopped out of their vehicle and started walking along with scores of Congress workers, shouting slogans against UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. 

While they were walking, they were again stopped by the police. Congress workers indulged in a scuffle with the police officials who were merely trying to do their job and ended up injuring a lady officer. Rahul Gandhi tried to show how he was being “manhandled” by the Uttar Pradesh police by falling to the ground after carefully selecting a clean spot.

Mac store owner describes encounter with drunk Hunter Biden: Here is why he ‘washed his hands’ after checking laptop with password ‘an*lf*ck69’

OpIndia Staff
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Mac store owner describes encounter with drunk Hunter Biden: Here is why he ‘washed his hands’ after checking laptop with password ‘an*lf*ck69’

John Paul Mac Isaac, the Delaware-based computer repairman who handed Hunter Biden’s laptop over to authorities, has revealed sensational details in his forthcoming book regarding his first encounter with US President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden.

The New York Post has obtained excerpts from John Paul Mac Isaac’s upcoming book – “American Injustice: My Battle to Expose the Truth,” which narrates what transpired on the night Isaac met Hunter Biden in April 2019.

According to the reports, Hunter Biden drove up to Isaac’s computer shop intoxicated after spending an evening at a cigar bar. Upon his arrival at the shop, he submitted three laptops. Isaac recalled Hunter Biden reeked of alcohol and slurred his words as he sought help to restore his laptops.

“One of the computers had a Beau Biden Foundation sticker covering the Apple logo, but I wasn’t sure at first whom I was talking to. I opened my customer relationship management software (CRM) and asked him for his first name. Hunter, he said. I then asked him for his last name. He paused and looked at me funny as if I were from another country and how dare I not know who he was?” the excerpts from Issac’s book read.

“The 13-inch 2015 MacBook Pro was in slightly better shape. It could boot up, but the keyboard was unresponsive. I pulled out an external keyboard and asked for permission to log in,” Issac wrote.

Isaac powered up one of the computers and asked Hunter for his password, that is when Hunter started laughing and told him that his password was “f–ked up”.

“Don’t be offended!” he said before announcing that it was “an*lf*ck69”. According to Issac, the inebriated condition of Hunter Biden made it difficult for him to understand his speech. My eyes widened a bit, and I told him that maybe it would be best if he tried to log in himself.

“Hey, you fixed it!” Hunter Biden stated. I asked if he had an external keyboard that he could use to get around the failure of his internal keyboard, and he just looked at me blankly.

The excerpt from John Paul Mac Isaac’s upcoming book as quoted by New York Post – “Here, you can borrow this one to perform the recovery yourself,” I told him. “That way I don’t have to check it in and bill you. Just bring it back when you’re done.”

“It would have been less work for me that way, and again, I felt bad for this guy”, Issac wrote in his book, adding that he was shocked at the sheer quantity of porn on Hunter’s laptop as he was recovering the files. As per Issac, he saw the picture of Hunter Biden wearing a red scarf and a jockstrap.

Interestingly, Isaac said he stumbled across a file labelled “incomepdf”, and when he clicked on it, he was shocked to see how much money Hunter Biden made per year.

“It was an email from January 16, 2017, saved as a PDF. At the top were the years 2013, 2014, and 2015. Next to each year was the amount of taxable income earned: $833,000+ in 2013, $847,000+ amended to $1,247,000+ in 2014, $2,478,000+ in 2015. I was blown away. All that money and this asshole couldn’t spring for a backup drive!” Isaac wrote according to the New York Post.

Hunter Biden, who submitted the laptops to Issac, did not return to collect the computers for more than a year. Finally, Isaac turned the laptop over to the FBI.

John Paul Mac Isaac reveals he had to flee after he was called a Russian stooge, sues CNN for $1 million

John Issac recently said that he was forced to flee his hometown and close his shop after media outlets began reporting on its contents.

The 45-year-old computer mechanic John Paul Mac Isaac told Fox News host Tucker Carlson that he had to flee from his home in Delaware ahead of the 2020 presidential election as several publications accused him of spreading ‘Russian disinformation.’

“I had to get out of town before the election,” he said, adding he had to close the shop in Delaware.

Mac Isaac also lashed out at the collusion by mainstream media outlets to accuse him of being a puppet of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“The collusion that took place in mid-October of 2020 was just astonishing to me. I couldn’t believe it, it was just a unilateral decision to all call this Russian disinformation without even deciding if there was going to be collateral damage, which there was,” he said to Tucker Carlson.

Further, Issac said, “Initially, people just assumed I was a hacker or a thief mainly because of Twitter labelling the material from the laptop as being hacked, and then banning the subject matter completely”.

Following a media trial against him, Mac Isaac is now suing House Intelligence Committee chair Adam Schiff, CNN, Politico and The Daily Beast for spreading the allegations and is seeking damages of at least $1 million as compensation for damaging his reputation.

Survey of disputed Gyanvapi Mosque structure: Muslims demand removal of court commissioner accusing him of partiality, court dismisses the plea

OpIndia Staff
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Survey of disputed Gyanvapi Mosque structure: Muslims demand removal of court commissioner accusing him of partiality, court dismisses the plea

There has been an uproar over the survey of several idols, including the Shringar Gouri idol located in the Kashi Vishwanath and the disputed structure of the Gyanvapi Mosque complex in Varanasi. Ever since the survey began on 6th May 2022, protests have continued.

The Muslim side accused the court commissioner of favouritism and demanded his removal but the Varanasi Civil court dismissed this plea and the court commissioner will continue the survey and videography on 7th May 2022.

The dismissed petition

In the petition to change the court commissioner, the Muslim side said, “The boundaries of the disputed property are not clearly demarked. In spite of that, the survey and videography were initiated by the commission. There is a double barricading around the Gyanvapi mosque. Only security personnel go inside that. The petitioners have not clearly mentioned it in their letter and the honourable court has not passed any order for the commission to go inside the mosque crossing the barricades.”

The dismissed petition

It further said, “The court commissioner insisted to go inside the mosque crossing the barricades even after 6:40 PM that is after the sunset. No such orders are given by the honourable court. The court commissioner advocates Ajay Kumar Mishra appointed by the honourable court did not do his duty impartially. We don’t expect him to be impartial in the future as well. He is working under the pressure of the petitioners and their lawyers and he is surveying and video graphing the places on which we have furnished him a written complaint on 6th May 2022. Those who were supposed to be present there on our behalf were not allowed by the commissioner to be present there.”

The dismissed petition

The plea further said, “The court commissioner tried to dig in the west side of the barricading with his fingers, and considering all these things we don’t trust his intentions and working. He is not doing an impartial survey and he will not do it in the future as well. Therefore, we request the honourable court to remove advocate Ajay Kumar Mishra and appoint some other impartial unbiased court commissioner in this case so that the justice is ensured.”

According to the latest reports, the Varanasi Civil Court (Senior Division) dismissed this plea and allowed the court commissioner to do the survey and the videography of the remaining areas of the disputed structure.

Maharashtra: Nurani mosque in Mumbai’s Bandra and Cemetery mosque in Santacruz booked for violating SC order on use of loudspeaker

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: Nurani mosque in Mumbai’s Bandra and Cemetery mosque in Santacruz booked for violating SC order on use of loudspeaker

The Mumbai Police on Saturday booked two mosques in the Bandra and Link Road area of Mumbai for not complying with the Supreme Court orders regarding the usage of loudspeakers. The Nurani mosque in Bandra and Cemetery mosque in Santacruz were caught using loudspeakers between 10 pm to 6 am and violating the decibel limit while playing the speakers between 6 am to 10 pm.

The Supreme Court in the year 2005 had issued an order in which it had banned the usage of loudspeakers from 10 pm to 6 am in public places. However, it had said that if a loudspeaker is playing from 6 am to 10 pm, it is mandatory to follow the decibel rules. The court had then considered the serious effects of noise pollution on the health of the people living in the nearby areas.

The action by Mumbai Police comes a day after it granted permission to 950 out of 1140 Mosques to use the loudspeaker for prayers. The Police said that it had permitted the religious places to use loudspeakers only after verifying the credentials of the applicants and the purpose and that the Mosques in the city had assured to follow the Apex court and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) guidelines.

As reported, the Mumbai Police received applications from 1,140 mosques across the city to seek permission to use loudspeakers for reciting Azaan. The applications started coming in the past two weeks, especially after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray raked up the issue and called upon the state government to pull down loudspeakers from atop the mosques across the state.

Thackeray in his Aurangabad rally on May 1 had warned that if the loudspeakers were not taken down from atop the mosques from May 4, his party workers would play Hanuman Chalisa on loudspeakers in front of the mosques. Reportedly, many of the MNS workers played Hanuman Chalisa during the morning Azaan time in Mumbai, Nashik, Pune, and other parts of Maharashtra. They were detained by the Police on the charges of disturbing peace and harmony.

In the current case the management of the Nurani mosque in Bandra and Cemetery mosque in Santacruz have been charged under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 37 (1), (3), 135 of the Maharashtra Police Act. An offence has also been registered under Section 33 (R) (3) of the Law and Noise Prohibition Rules.

Rajasthan police reach News18 editor Aman Chopra’s residence despite Rajasthan HC order not to take coercive action, UP police escort them away

OpIndia Staff
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Rajasthan police reach News18 editor Aman Chopra’s residence despite Rajasthan HC order not to take coercive action, UP police escort them away

At least ten Rajasthan police officials had assembled outside journalist Aman Chopra’s residence in Uttar Pradesh’s Noida to arrest him for his coverage of temples’ demolition in Alwar on his TV debate show. This development came moments after the Rajasthan High Court had passed an order saying that no coercive action should be taken against Aman Chopra in these FIRs.

OpIndia has accessed information that the Rajasthan police officials had entered the housing society in Noida where News18 journalist Aman Chopra resides. They reportedly entered his apartment to arrest him in a case filed against him for raising temples’ demolition in Alwar on his TV debate show.

Besides Rajasthan police, Uttar Pradesh police have also reached near the journalist’s residence, perhaps to provide protection to Aman Chopra against multiple FIRs that have been registered at the Bundi police station in Rajasthan and the Bichhiwada police station in Dungarpur.

Court warrant issued against Aman Chopra

The Rajasthan police had arrived at the residence of Aman Chopra to arrest him in the case based on a warrant issued by a magistrate court in Dungarpur. The warrant read that a case has been registered against the journalist under the IPC sections 153A, 295A, 124A and other provisions of the IT act.

Several cases were registered against News18 Hindi editor News18 on April 24 over charges of promoting communal discord and conspiring to incite riots, serious sections of sedition have also been added against Chopra.

According to sources, the Rajasthan Police pasted the arrest warrant at the door of Aman Chopra’s apartment and was then escorted by the Uttar Pradesh police to the police station, without arresting the journalist.

This is being seen as a classic intimidatory tactic by the Rajasthan police despite the fact that the High Court had stayed the FIRs and barred police from taking any coercive action against Aman Chopra.

Earlier on May 1, a team from the Rajasthan police had shown up at Chopra’s office in Noida, however, they could not meet the journalist.

During his show on the demolition of temples in Alwar, Aman Chopra brought up the anti-encroachment drive held in Jahangirpuri recently and wondered whether the action in Alwar was a retaliation for the drive-in Jahangirpuri. Following the show, a coordinated hashtag was run on social media urging authorities to arrest Chopra for trying to link the two drives, this prompted the authorities to register cases against him.

Following demands by Congress party supporters and a few Congress-aligned journalists, the Ashok Gehlot-led government seems to have sent a large contingent of the police force to arrest journalist Aman Chopra.

Taliban supreme leader issues decree making ‘head-to-toe’ burqa mandatory for women

OpIndia Staff
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Taliban supreme leader issues decree making ‘head-to-toe’ burqa mandatory for women

Taliban chief and Afghanistan’s supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has issued a decree making an all-covering burqa mandatory for women in Afghanistan. The decree by Akhundzada was released by Taliban authorities at a function in Kabul.

“They should wear a chador (head-to-toe burqa) as it is traditional and respectful”, the decree said. This is just the latest step in taking away women’s rights ever since the Taliban came back to power in Afghanistan in August last year.

Taliban 2.0, just like Taliban 1.0

Even though the Taliban had tried to pretend that they will be more progressive in their new avatar, they quickly gave up all pretense and began cracking down on the female population in the country. Many commentators were trying to push the theory that this new Taliban will be more moderate and respect women’s rights, however, the Taliban has returned to its strict policies from the 90s stripping away the rights of the local population.

From cracking down on girls’ education in the country, to stopping women from flying alone, the Taliban has continued to oppress women in the country. The general disdain for the women under the Taliban rule can be seen in all spheres of society.

The latest decree will make the lives of the women even worse in Afghanistan as they will be required to wear the oppressive all-covering chador at all times in public.

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