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‘Is it an Azaan concert here? Pull these loudspeakers down’: Raj Thackeray addresses mega rally, reiterates May 3 deadline to remove loudspeakers from mosques

OpIndia Staff
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‘Is it an Azaan concert here? Pull these loudspeakers down’: Raj Thackeray addresses mega rally, reiterates May 3 deadline to remove loudspeakers from mosques

On 1st May 2022, the foundation day of the Maharashtra state, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray addressed a public meeting at Aurangabad in Maharashtra. Raj Thackeray had declared this public meeting after he warned the government of Maharashtra to take down the loudspeakers on the mosques before 3rd May 2022, falling to which, he said that, his party workers would play Hanuman Chalisa on speakers in front of mosques with a volume double that of the Azaan.

Recalling the Hindu history of Maharashtra

Raj Thackeray started his speech with his well-known ‘salutation to all the Hindu brothers, sisters and mothers’. At the very beginning of his speech, he took his critics head-on. He said, “This is not about just Sambhaji Nagar (Aurangabad). All my next public meetings will be lined up in the Marathwada region. Then I will go to Vidarbha. I will also address the public meetings in Konkan, Khandesh, and western Maharashtra region.”

Raj Thackeray said, “Khadki is the original name of Sambhaji Nagar. Both our capitals are from here. One was Devgiri (of Yadavas) and the other is very near here, Paithan (of Satavahanas). We must not forget our history. I repeat what I had said earlier. The people who forget their history don’t have any geography left.”

At this juncture, there was some ruckus in the public meeting. Looking at this, Raj Thackeray said, “If someone does anything unsolicited, beat him at the very place. This is an MNS rally. If someone tries to disturb us, we will make a tripod of him.” Citing that the defeat of Devgiri was an inside job and that Alauddin Khilji secured the victory with an army much smaller army than one lakh as it was rumored, Raj Thackeray said that ‘one lakh army of Khilji’ was the first fake news in Maharashtra. He later praised Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, and gave a brief account of the great Maratha empire that went on to win Attak which is now in Pakistan near Peshawar. Citing Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar he said that the day a ghost called Shivaji grabs our minds, we will win the world.

Criticism of contemporary caste politics by NCP

Raj Thackeray said, “What kind of politics is going on here? Maharashtra gave certain thoughts to the nation. We gave socialism, we helped Buddhism to spread, communists were also here and Hindutva too. And political leaders use abusive language. Are we going to put this ideal before our kids? Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party stirred poison in people’s minds for the sake of his electoral benefits. This venom is injected into the kids going to school and college.”

He further said, “Sharad Pawar is an atheist. His photos while praying to gods and doing puja rituals were made viral after my speech. Don’t do drama, don’t act. Your own daughter said in parliament that her father is an atheist. Sharad Pawar asked me to read books by my grandfather Prabodhankar Keshav Seetaram Thackeray. I have read him thoroughly. But all Sharad Pawar does is cherry-pick. Sharad Pawar quotes my grandfather only when his quotes suit the caste politics of Sharad Pawar. My grandfather was a Hindu. He was not against Dharma but he was for social reforms needed in those days in Dharma. His writings have the contexts of those times.”

Slamming NCP and its caste politics, Raj Thackeray said, “These NCP people divided Maharashtra in caste politics over a book written by James Lane about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. They (NCP people) say that the British writer wrote false and derogatory things about respected Shivaji Maharaj and it was Shiv Shahir Babasaheb Purandare, a Brahmin, who gave such information to that writer. Sharad Pawar was in power for so many years. He was a union minister. Why didn’t he drag that writer to India? Why didn’t he ask him? Here is India Today’s interview of that writer James Lane. In this interview, he clearly said that Babasaheb Puranadare did not provide me with any information and I never talked to him. I have written stories that I knew from various other sources. I did not write history.”

Raj Thackeray further asked Sharad Pawar, “Why did you set Brahmins and Marathas in the state on a fight? Was Ramdas Swami Shivaji Maharaj’s guru or was it Saint Tukaram is not an issue. All of them were great. But are we going to see them with a caste lens? Will Ramdas Swami be seen as a Brahmin? Will Lokmanya Tilak who built Shivaji Maharaj’s Samadhi be seen as a Brahmin while the name of his first newspaper was Maratha? This caste politics will not be tolerated in Maharashtra anymore.”

Raj Thackeray also said that the recent public meetings of NCP are seen by people. “People of Maharashtra know what that Amol Mitkari has said about our Dharma. Even NCP president Sharad Pawar used to mention that this is Maharashtra is of Shahu-Phule-Ambedkar. Yes, I too say that it is their Maharashtra, but before them, it is of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. It seems that Sharad Pawar has an allergy to the word Hindu. It is only after my criticism that the NCP people are putting an idol of Shivaji Maharaj on their stage. Before that, they didn’t even put a picture of him on stage. They just take his name to mislead our Maratha brothers and sisters.”

Loudspeakers and Hanuman Chalisa

When MNS workers in the audience urged him for speaking about loudspeakers and Hanuman Chalisa, he said, “Yes, I am coming to that point. It is not now that I am speaking on this issue. I have spoken about it much earlier. Many others have talked about it too. All I have done is I gave an alternate solution to the problem. I don’t want riots in Maharashtra. I have neither intention nor any urge to disturb the harmonious nature of our state Maharashtra. But, if Uttar Pradesh can remove the loudspeakers, so can Maharashtra. Whatever you want to recite, do it inside your mosques. I repeat, the loudspeaker is a social issue, not a religious one. But, if you give a religious turn to this issue, we will have to answer it by our Dharma only. Don’t force us to take a harsh stand when we are actually not willing to take one.”

He further said, “All the loudspeakers are illegal. That machine needs permission from the local police station which none of the mosques has taken. Here, in Sambhaji Nagar, there are 600 mosques. All have loudspeakers. So is it an Azaan concert here? And so is the thing with the country. This is everywhere. Why should we suffer every time? You offer Namaz on the streets. Who gave you this right? I humbly request the government and the administration. Today is 1st May. Tomorrow is 2nd May. The day after that is the 3rd of May and Eid. I have nothing to do with their festival. I don’t want to disturb the festival. But I will not listen to you from the 4th of May. I request all Hindus, put on Hanuman Chalisa on speakers with double the volume of Azaan right in front of mosques. Loudspeaker doesn’t even fit into your religion.”

Somebody signaled him that Azaan may soon start in a nearby mosque. At that time Raj Thackeray said, “I request the police of Sambhaji Nagar, wherever it is starting, turn it off right now. And if they don’t listen to the things told in a rightful manner, then I even don’t know what will be its consequences. Whosoever is the police officer, I request him to immediately switch off that loudspeaker. And if they don’t understand my requests, then let the things happen in whatever way they could take place. None of us should keep quiet. Wed will show them the power in the arms of Maharashtra. I request all Hindus in the country. Don’t give it a second thought. Pull these loudspeakers down. Pull the loudspeakers from all the religious places down. Yes, we will take down the loudspeakers from temples too, but only after taking them off from all these mosques. It is now or never. If these people don’t stop, take permission from police and start Hanuman Chalisa and solve this social issue for once and all.”

Significance of the venue chosen by Raj Thackeray

It is notable that the public meeting organized amidst the ongoing Azaan row in Maharashtra was held at the Marathwada Sanskrutik Mandal’s ground in Aurangabad where Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray had held such huge public meetings in the past. He had held a thanksgiving public meeting here after the people of Aurangabad voted Shiv Sena to power in the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation which was newly formed then. Balasaheb Thackeray had thanked the public with a ‘Sashtang Namaskar’ on the stage. Therefore, Hindus in Aurangabad have a special connection with this ground.

Aerial view of the Marathwada Sanskrutik Mandal’s ground in Aurangabad where the MNS public meeting was held. Image Source: ABP Majha

The ground has been a center for many Hindu-centric incidents in the political history of the city which is considered to be the tourism capital of the state and the main city driving the Marathwada region. The ground is just in front of the Khadakeshwar Mahadev temple which is the Gram Daivat of Khadki, that is, Aurangabad. Gulmandi in Aurangabad holds the same importance for Shiv Sena as Dadar does in Mumbai. Raj Thackeray’s public meeting place is not so far from this area.

Local MNS workers presented idols of Lord Shri Ram to Raj Thackeray. But, at the same time, Raj Thackeray did not forget to display that despite taking up the Hindutva issue, he has not forgotten his pro-Marathi agenda. In this public meeting, a poster of a film based on the life of Maharashtra Shahir Krushnarao Sable. The film will be directed by well-known Marathi film director Kedar Shinde and Marathi actor Ankush Choudhari will play the role of Shahir Sable. Shahir Sable is known as one of the important Marathi folk poets who triggered the United Maharashtra movement in 1956.

Gorakhnath temple attacker: Was ‘mental illness’ a well-planned alibi for a committed Jihadi

Nupur J Sharma
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Gorakhnath temple attacker: Was ‘mental illness’ a well-planned alibi for a committed Jihadi

It was not very long ago that I sat on a cold Sunday afternoon and read the book by Robert Verkaik, that detailed the life of Mohammed Emwazi – the most feared ISIS terrorist, the executioner famously known as Jihadi John. While reading the book, one would imagine the revelations resulting in shock and awe, after all, this was barbarity that the world had previously closed its eyes to. However, that is not the impact it had on the world.

Every page of the book, every event, and every witness testimony was more evidence that the patterns of Jihadi activity have remained the same over the centuries with only the organizations evolving. In the book, the author (who is a journalist) details how his peers and friends never suspected that Mohammed could be a terrorist or that he even had the tendency to unleash the kind of brutality that he did after joining ISIS. They said he hardly went to the mosque, was not very religious, and kept to himself most of the time.

His friends said that the first glimpse of his possibly extremist views was during a class 9 lecture on the Nazi genocide. He had reportedly muttered under his breath that the Jews deserved it. While his friends thought he was joking, Mohammed later told his friends that he meant it and that he hated Jews, whom he blamed for the plight of Muslims. The friend later revealed that if they ever walked past a house Mohammed thought was owned by a jew, he would simply shout obscenities, calling them “fucking pigs”.

Jihadi John became a phenomenon. The world knew his name. The world knew the horrors he was capable of and the horrors he inflicted on unsuspecting Kafirs. But was he alone? Was he the only one? If one has to be brutally honest, India sees and documents Jihadi Johns almost on a daily basis. Every day, we hear and report the brutality that Islamists are capable of and how Hindus are victimized. Their temples attacked. Their symbols of faith, desecrated. Their lives snuffed.

While we can cite thousands of examples, one recent incident in Uttar Pradesh deserves a special mention, given how the corporate English media simply glossed over the seriousness of what the investigators were unearthing, almost on a daily basis.

Ahmed Murtaza Abbasi, on the 3rd of April 2022, screamed Allahu Akbar and tried to enter the Gorakhnath Temple. Wielding a knife that he intended to use, Abbasi injured two cops in the tussle that followed. Several revelations came to the fore after he was apprehended and an investigation was launched. The most recent revelation is that Abbasi had taken an oath of allegiance to ISIS. Abbasi was active on all social media accounts – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Telegram, and so on and so forth and through these accounts, he was in touch with ISIS terrorists. He was also in touch with Mehandi Masood Vishwas who was arrested by the Bangalore police in 2014. From the bank accounts of the accused, 8.5 lakh Indian rupees were sent to different countries in Europe and America to help the terrorist activities of ISIS that it carries out through its supporters. With an intent to execute terrorist activities, the accused used to read the online articles and watch the videos on the internet related to weapons like the AK-47 rifle, M4 Carbine, and missile technology. 

Since 2013, Abbasi was involved with ISIS, therefore, by all accounts, he is a hardened terrorist who was merely looking for the right opportunity to unleash Jihad on Kafirs.

But what was the narrative in the media? Firstly, the corporate English media has hardly discussed this case with the seriousness it deserves. Those who did tried their best to allege that Abbasi was actually not a terrorist but merely mentally unstable. His father asserted the same, rather vehemently. Later, a doctor confirmed that Abbasi was mentally fit and there was no sign that he was unstable.

But did we really need a doctor to ascertain that fact? I mean, let’s face it. If someone is willing to blow himself up in the name of God, he has got to be mentally unstable to some extent. But medically, can we say that he was following the word of God because he was of unsound mind? Abbasi was planning to make an app to help ISIS Jihadis. He was an IIT graduate, a fact that was screamed from the rooftops by NDTV and had worked with major conglomerates like Reliance Industries and Essar Petrochemicals.

He had maintained communication with ISIS since 2013, had taken an oath of allegiance, and had meticulously planned how he wants to contribute to Jihad. He had, according to the police, also donated upwards of Rs 8.5 lakhs to ISIS. Can someone of an unsound mind earn enough to donate Rs 8.5 lakh? Can they work on an app? Can they sustain communication over years, actually, close to a decade? Can they show the commitment to sustain his allegiance to a cause, no matter how violent?

The answer is pretty obvious save for those who wish to whitewash Jihadi activity.

In fact, given that the mental illness trope came from his father, we cannot rule out the possibility that it was a carefully crafted ruse to save Abbasi after he unleashes violence against Kafirs. We have seen the complicity of family members and logically speaking, it is a little bit of a stretch to assume that the family had no idea about Abbasi’s leanings.

I started this article by talking about Jihadi John and how nobody, his friends mainly cited in the book, suspected that he could be a barbaric executioner for ISIS. However, it is a known fact that Mohammed Emwazi’s mother knew that it was him who was Jihadi John. Let us also not forget that Osama Bin Laden’s daughters wrote all his public statements. And the family of Abbasi were no fools. He was from a well-to-do family who sent him to a premier institution and was doing pretty well for themselves. According to reports, his father was the legal advisor to several big companies and his uncle was an accomplished doctor who owned a hospital.

There are several resources available that indicate to parents how they can identify if their children are radical Jihadis. They will isolate themselves, talk in terms of a scripted speech, get angry at what is going on around them, talk about perceived injustice and how Muslims are being wronged, and so on and so forth. Are we to assume that Abbasi never spoke about his hatred for Kafirs in front of his family? Or that they never discussed how Muslims are being wronged and how ISIS is providing a promised, sacred land for Muslims? Think about it, is it really possible that the parents did not know? Is it really possible that his educated, accomplished family did not realize or endorse what Abbasi was up to?

It is foolish to assume that the family of a Jihadi was not as radicalized as the Jihadi himself until we have evidence to prove that they were innocent. It sounds brutal and almost ill-mannered to assume that the family must be held culpable for what their son did, but we also need to understand that these are not normal problematic traits that kids may develop over time. This is a life decision that the family ought to know about.

It is therefore hardly surprising that the father would peddle the ‘he is mentally unstable’ trope to try and save his son. I would not be surprised if this was a coached response either, though we have no evidence to support that theory. What is troubling, however, is how willing the media is to peddle excuses for Jihadis and their wet dreams of world dominion.

It is a rather convenient excuse to say that the Jihadi was mentally unstable as if he was turned into a radical Jihadi without his explicit consent. The aim of peddling such nonsense is often rather simple, so simple in fact, that it almost escapes our attention. The moment you say that a man was mentally unstable, the immediate assumption of the public is that he was lured and deceived into becoming a Jihadi – that he is actually not a dangerous man, but a misguided one.

His accomplished father went as far as to say that he harbored thoughts of suicide and he could have gone to the Gorakhnath temple to do just that. Normal people, as sad as it is, commit suicide by hanging themselves or slitting their wrists. They don’t exactly make a calculated decision to travel to a temple, shouting Allahu Akbar (after being in touch with a terrorist organization for years) and then trying to blow themselves up.

The family, the probably complicit family of Abbasi, and the media want the world to dismiss this as just another mentally unstable, educated boy indulging in some ill-advised conduct, but the truth is far from it. Abbasi seems to be our very own Jihadi John, just like the several hundred we document on a daily basis.

Maharashtra: An angry Raj Thackeray slams Sharad Pawar during his Aurangabad rally for caste politics in the state

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: An angry Raj Thackeray slams Sharad Pawar during his Aurangabad rally for caste politics in the state

On the foundation day of Maharashtra on the 1st of May 2022, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS)chief Raj Thackeray tore into NCP chief Sharad Pawar while addressing a public meeting at Aurangabad in Maharashtra. During his public meeting, he slammed NCP president Sharad Pawar for introducing venomous caste politics in Maharashtra.

Addressing the meeting, Raj Thackeray said, “What kind of politics is going on here? Maharashtra gave certain thoughts to the nation. We gave socialism, we helped Buddhism to spread, communists were also here and Hindutva too. And now political leaders use abusive language. Are we going to put this ideal before our kids? Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party stirred poison in people’s minds for the sake of his electoral benefits. This venom is injected into the kids going to school and college.”

Attacking Sharad Pawar over his religious photo-ops, the MNS chief said, “Sharad Pawar is an atheist. His photos while praying to gods and doing puja rituals were made viral after my speech. Don’t do drama, don’t act. Your own daughter said in parliament that her father is an atheist. Do I need to give any separate proof?”

Furthermore, Raj Thackeray said, “Sharad Pawar asked me to read books by my grandfather Prabodhankar Keshav Seetaram Thackeray. I have read them thoroughly, but all Sharad Pawar does is cherry-pick. Sharad Pawar quotes my grandfather only when his quotes suit the caste politics of Sharad Pawar. My grandfather was a Hindu. He was not against Dharma but he was for social reforms needed in those days of Dharma. His writings were in the context of those times.”

Continuing his attack on Sharad Pawar and his party, Thackeray said, “These NCP people divided Maharashtra along caste lines over a book written by James Lane about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. They (NCP people) say that the British writer wrote false and derogatory things about respected Shivaji Maharaj and it was Shiv Shahir Babasaheb Purandare, a Brahmin, who gave such information to that writer. Sharad Pawar was in power for so many years, he was a union minister, why didn’t he drag that writer to India? Why didn’t he ask him? Here is India Today’s interview of that writer James Lane. In this interview, he clearly said that Babasaheb Puranadare did not provide him with any information and he never talked to him. He said he has written stories that he knew from various other sources, he did not write history.”

Raj Thackeray further asked Sharad Pawar, “Why did you set Brahmins and Marathas in the state on the path of a fight? Was Ramdas Swami Shivaji Maharaj’s guru or was it Saint Tukaram is not an issue, all of them were great. But are we going to see them with a caste lens? Will Ramdas Swami be seen as a Brahmin? Will Lokmanya Tilak who built Shivaji Maharaj’s Samadhi be seen as a Brahmin while the name of his first newspaper was Maratha? This caste politics will not be tolerated in Maharashtra anymore.”

Raj Thackeray also said that the recent public meetings of NCP have been noticed by the people. “People of Maharashtra know what that Amol Mitkari has said about our Dharma. Even NCP president Sharad Pawar used to mention that this is Maharashtra of Shahu-Phule-Ambedkar. Yes, I too say that it is their Maharashtra, but before them, it is of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. It seems that Sharad Pawar has an allergy to the word Hindu. It is only after my criticism that the NCP people are putting an idol of Shivaji Maharaj on their stage. Before that, they didn’t even put a picture of him on stage. They just take his name to mislead our Maratha brothers and sisters.”

Raj Thackeray has been on a warpath with the ruling Maha Vikas Agadi alliance, of which Sharad Pawar’s NCP is the major partner, in recent days over the issue of loudspeakers in mosques, and the deadline he gave to the government expires on the upcoming Eid.

‘Inaccurate, conspiracy theories’ – Wikipedia continues to attack the movie ‘The Kashmir Files’

Anurag
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‘Inaccurate, conspiracy theories’ – Wikipedia continues to attack the movie ‘The Kashmir Files’

On May 1, filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri lashed out at Wikipedia for the continuous attack on the film ‘The Kashmir Files‘. In the recent edits, Wikipedia has called the film inaccurate and alleged that incidents mentioned in the film are largely associated with “conspiracy theories”. It reads, “The film presents a fictional storyline centred around an exodus of Kashmiri Hindus in the disputed region of Kashmir. It depicts the early 1990s exodus to be a genocide, a notion that is widely considered inaccurate and associated with conspiracy theories.”

Agnihotri, in a tweet, said, “Dear Wikipedia, You forgot to add ‘Islamophobia… propaganda… sanghi… bigot… etc.’. You are failing your Secular credentials. Hurry, edit more.”

The references used by Wikipedia

In the initial paragraph, Wikipedia mentioned nine links as references. OpIndia checked all the nine links to see if they say anything about conspiracy theories, and the film is inaccurate.

Source: Wikipedia

It cited a BBC report from March 15 titled ‘Kashmir Files: Vivek Agnihotri’s film exposes India’s new fault lines‘ by Meryl Sebastian. The report dismissed the tireless work of Agnihotri and his team for the film by stating, “The film’s director, Vivek Agnihotri, who is also seen as a BJP supporter, has been accused of inaccuracies in his work.” Using this report, Wikipedia tried to depict that the movie was fiction.

The next report cited by Wikipedia is by Al Jazeera titled Kashmir Files, ‘hailed by Modi, triggers anti-Muslim hate speech’. The report mentions dubious journalist Rana Ayyub and The Wire journalist Kaushik Raj. The report made it look as if The Kashmir Files was propagating hate against Muslims. Interestingly, no one in the report bothered to point out what atrocities were faced by the Kashmiri Pandits during the exodus. The report suggested that the film was along the lines of the alleged divisive politics of the BJP-led Central government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The next link cited was from Britannica, where it mentioned that the region is “disputed” between India and Pakistan. It is a well-known fact that the whole Kashmir valley belongs to India. Pakistan occupied a part of it and continued to do so. In the past decades, Pakistan has tried to paint a bad picture of India by claiming its right in Kashmir and failed miserably every time. By saying that it is disputed land, Wikipedia has played into the hands of Pakistani propaganda.

The next five links marked as ‘Ref 15’ by The New Indian Express, The Hindu, News Laundry, Scroll, and Kashmir Digits were used to whitewash the genocide of Kashmiri Hindus. The excuse these reports gave was that the official figure was 219, which could not be considered “genocide”. It is interesting that when Hindus were killed, they wanted to rely completely on the official data, which was next to impossible to maintain provided the situation in the valley. However, when the victims are Muslims, they always say the official figures are underreported.

The next citation was from a research paper by Alexander Evans titled ‘A departure from history: Kashmiri Pandits, 1990-2001‘. This paper was used by Wikipedia to say the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits was linked to conspiracy theories. The paper reads, “The two conspiracy theories already described are not evidence-based. As Sumantra Bose observes, those Rashtriya Swamy Sevak publications’ claims that large numbers of Hindu shrines were destroyed and Pandits murdered are largely false, to the extent that many of the shrines remain untouched and many of the casualties remain unsubstantiated.

Equally, it is important to note that some incidents did take place. Leading KPs were targeted—some attacked, some murdered—but almost always as political targets (e.g., as integrationist politicians, judges and policemen). From the murder of Tika Lal Taploo, President of the Kashmir Bharatiya Janata Party, on September 14 1989, to the murder on November 4 1989, of Nil Kanth Ganjoo, a former high court judge, those attacked could be considered targeted for either political or communal reasons (or a combination of the two): Taploo was a Hindu politician, while Ganjoo had previously sentenced Maqbool Butt, a well-known activist for Kashmiri independence, to death.”

Source: A departure from history: Kashmiri Pandits, 1990-2001 by Alexander Evans

Now there are two parts that need mention. First, because Tika Lal Taploo and Nil Kanth Ganjoo were a politician and former judges, their killing was dismissed as part of the genocide. How convenient that was! The paper further talked about how the number of Kashmiri Pandits was less in the valley than mentioned as per the official data. Also, it said, according to their estimate, there were “161,000 Hindus in Kashmir division in 1990. Not all of these would be KPs”. While that is true and not all could be Kashmiri Pandits, does that mean the rest of the Hindus did not leave the valley? Even today, the Hindus who have migrated to the Kashmir valley are being killed by terrorists. This year has seen multiple such incidents.

Wikipedia is not a source of authentic information

Wikipedia itself says it is not a reliable source of information. As per Wikipedia, and we are not changing the words, “Wikipedia is not a reliable source for academic writing or research. Nevertheless, Wikipedia is increasingly used by people in the academic community, from first-year students to distinguished professors, as an easily accessible tertiary source for information about anything and everything and as a quick “ready reference” to get a sense of a concept or idea.”

It is noteworthy that anyone, literally anyone, can create, edit, vandalise and delete content on Wikipedia. It is up to senior editors of the website to allow or revert the change. In many cases, the editors or high-ranking contributors themselves make decisions that could be otherwise deemed unethical in the field of academia. With the recent chain of events revolving around The Kashmir Files and the deletion of profiles of celebrated journalists and authors, it is clear that Wikipedia holds no authentication when it comes to unbiased and genuine content.

Vivek Agnihotri says his page on Wikipedia has been vandalised for years

Speaking to OpIndia, Vivek Agnihotri said, “It is a political strategy. What they [Wikipedia editors] do is they cite those websites and newspapers that run anti-India propaganda. Also, they remove anything positive from the Wikipedia entries. They have vandalised my page on Wikipedia for many years.”

He added, “They have a trained mafia of professionals to suppress pro-India, India First and nationalist voices on the platform. They primarily target those voices that can reach to masses. People who give lectures in prominent universities and often visit foreign nations to give lectures have become their prime target. Their aim now is to stop the film from getting nominated for Oscars. They are using words like Right Wing, nationalists and Islamophobia as they are looked upon in a negative sense in the US. It is their strategy, and I believe it will continue till nationalists stand together against them.”

IPL: Delhi’s playoffs hopes shrink further as Mohsin Khan blows them away to hand another win to Lucknow

OpIndia Staff
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IPL: Delhi’s playoffs hopes shrink further as Mohsin Khan blows them away to hand another win to Lucknow

Youngster Mohsin Khan’s excellent spell of 4 for 16 turned out to be the difference as Lucknow Super Giants moved to 2nd in the table condemning Delhi Capitals to their 5th loss in the IPL. While Lucknow is now sitting pretty on 14 points almost assured of a playoff spot, Delhi needs to win at least 4 of their next 5 games to join them in the final 4.

Mohsin accounted for the dangerous David Warner, explosive Indian wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant, big-hitting Rovman Powell, and the dangerous Shardul Thakur in a top-class 4 overs spell that pretty much assured victory to Lucknow. Few lusty blows from Axar Patel in the company of Kuldeep Yadav did reduce the margin of defeat for Delhi to just 6 runs, but Lucknow pretty much clinched the win when Mohsin dismissed a rampaging Powell for 35 off 21 balls.

Chasing a mammoth 196 for the win, Delhi didn’t get off to the best of starts losing their 2 explosive openers Prithvi Shaw and David Warner within the first 3 overs for just 13. However, World T20 hero Mitchell Marsh in the company of skipper Rishabh Pant brought the chase back on track with a breathtaking 60 runs partnership off just 25 balls.

Once Marsh was dismissed by Gowtham, followed quickly by Lalit Yadav’s dismissal by Ravi Bishnoi, Delhi needed Rishabh Pant or Rovman Powell to see them through but both of them were dismissed by Mohsin Khan after they threatened to take the game away from Lucknow.

KL Rahul continues his IPL love affair

Earlier in the day, Lucknow Super Giants put up an impressive 195 on the board in their 20 overs thanks to their skipper KL Rahul. He continued his impressive form in the IPL with 51 balls 77 and in the company of Quinton de Kock and Deepak Hooda, guided Lucknow to a huge first innings score.

KL Rahul continued his excellent form in the IPL (Image source: Firstpost)

Lucknow needs just 1 more win in their last 4 games to clinch the playoff spot in their first-ever season, to join fellow newcomers Gujarat Titans. They will have a chance to do that on Saturday against a struggling Kolkata Knight Riders while Delhi will try to get their campaign back on track against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday.

How Barjinder Singh Parwana instigated Sikhs for Patiala violence against the ‘Khalistan Murdabad March’: Details

OpIndia Staff
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How Barjinder Singh Parwana instigated Sikhs for Patiala violence against the ‘Khalistan Murdabad March’: Details

On May 1, Punjab Police arrested Sikh leader Barjinder Singh Parwana for instigating Sikhs against the ‘Khalistan Murdabad March’ in Patiala. His call allegedly led to the Patiala violence, where the famous Maa Kali Mandir in Patiala was attacked by Nihang Sikhs. Notably, Parwana had urged Sikhs from different parts of Punjab to gather in Patiala against the march.

Parwana regularly instigated Sikhs to gather in Patiala on April 29

Sikh leader Barjinder Singh Parwana had been instigating Sikhs against the ‘Khalistan Murdabad March’ that was scheduled for April 29 in Patiala. He had uploaded multiple videos on his Facebook account where he urged armed Sikhs to gather in Patiala on April 29.

On April 24, he said he was getting calls from people living in Moga, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Karnal, Rajpura, etc., telling him they were prepared for April 29. He said, “You all must stay prepared for April 29. I will confirm everything later. We may have to take a step before April 29. It is your religious duty. Do you understand by being fully prepared? If you have any baton or any other weapon, bring it.” Instead of calling out the state government, he said, “Though SSP has promised nothing will happen, there might be pressure on the from the centre. You know they are making an issue of Hindu-Sikh. We are fighting for our rights.”

On April 27, in a video, he questioned his followers if everyone was ready for April 29. He said, “Are you ready for April 29? Will you all come in large numbers, or will it be like the visit to the SSP office? Do you have the guts to come out of your house? Or the Sikhs of Patiala are only good for opening shops and earning money? We all will gather at Gurudwara Dukhniwaran Sahib Patiala.”

Parwana used parts of Shastra Naam Mala written by Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji in praise of different weapons. In Shastra Naam Mala, Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji had called Kripan (sword), Khanda, Khadag (sword), Tupak (gun), Tabar (hatched), Teer (arrow), Saif (sword), Sarohi and Saihathi as Sikhs’ Peers (seniors) (ਅਸ ਕ੍ਰਿਪਾਨ ਖੰਡੋ ਖੜਗ ਤੁਪਕ ਤਬਰ ਅਰੁ ਤੀਰ ॥ ਸੈਫ ਸਰੋਹੀ ਸੈਹਥੀ ਯਹੈ ਹਮਾਰੈ ਪੀਰ ॥). Parwana, after narrating a few lines from it, said, “These peers will help us that day,” and hinted at what kind of weapons they should bring.

He further claimed SSP Nanak Singh had promised him that the march would not happen at any cost.

Parwana had threatened those who spoke against Bhindranwale

On April 23, Parwana had gone to meet former SSP Patiala Nanak Singh. After the meeting, Parwana spoke to the press and said, “SSP Nanak Singh has promised us that he would not let the ‘Khalistan Murdabad March’ happen. We believe he would stick to his words and would not anyone speak against Khalistan.”

Parwana added, “Those people [Hindu group] have a problem with Gurpatwant Singh Pannu. They are free to go to the US and deal with him on a personal level. Why are they adamant about taking ‘Khalistan Murdabad March’? Khalistan is close to our hearts. It is linked to our religious matters. We cannot allow anyone to say ‘Khalistan Murdabad’. It is unacceptable. If Nanak Singh failed to control them, we know what we have to do, and we will do it.”

He also praised actor and Khalistan sympathiser Deep Sidhu who was killed in a road accident. He said, “There are many people here who are clean shaved. Take example of Deep Sidhu. Did he has ‘kesh’? No. But he showed the path to countless Sikhs. We do not need Sikh leaders who are sitting blindfolded in their deras. When required, these young Sikhs will take charge.”

Parwana was missing from the march

Parwana instigated Sikhs not only from Patiala but also from cities across Punjab and Haryana. Many Sikhs had travelled to Patiala on his call on April 29. However, when the day came, Parwana himself was missing from the Gurudwara where he had asked everyone to meet. He was missing during the clash between Hindus and Sikhs.

As per reports, he came to the protest site after the clash. Stayed there for some time and then left on a bike. Interestingly, when he was leaving, Parwana had covered his face.

Shiromani Akali Dal came in support of Parwana

Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) General Secretary Karnail Singh Panjoli said, “I condemn the Punjab administration and Police for registering a case against Barjinder Singh Parwana. I believe the FIR has been registered against Parwana to hide the incapability and failure of the Punjab government.”

He further added that Parwana had given a memorandum to SSP Patiala in which he had mentioned when Sikhs were not taking out any procession on Khalistan Day why they were being challenged by Harish Singla, but the Police did not take any action against Singla.

“Parwana had said in his memorandum that if the Khalistan Murdabad March was held, Sikhs would oppose it. I believe it was SSP’s duty to arrest Singla and keep him in custody till April 29 evening.”

He also denied any attack on Temple though there were videos showing Nihang and other Sikhs attacking Temple and shops outside temples.

‘He should have been arrested earlier’ Hindu leaders

Speaking to OpIndia, Pawan Gupta, President of Shiv Sena Hindustan, said the attack on Temple was an attack on the Hindu community. He said, “If they wanted to oppose the Khalistan Murdabad Rally, they should have dealt with the organizers. What was the objective of attacking the Temple? By attacking our Temple, they attacked the Hindu community. Now the Police are saying that the accused has been arrested and the remaining will be arrested soon. The district administration had assured us after the sit-in protest that the culprits of the violence would be arrested in 48 hours. However, they should have been apprehended earlier.”

Jai Bhagwan Goyal, BJP leader and President of Hindu United Front, said, “Gurpatwant Singh Pannu had urged the pro-Khalistani elements to celebrate Khalistan Day. No one took cognizance of the issue though they were aware of the announcement. However, when Harish Singla protested and organized a march against it, they took action against him. Notably, he organized the protest outside his office. The local Police were there. Some people from the other side reached to disturb the program, but they were shooed away.

Later, they gathered in large numbers and attacked the Temple. It was to show the Hindus that if we opposed Khalistan, they would attack our temples. Arya Samaj Chowk is three KM away from Kali Maa Mandir. What was the objective of attacking the Temple that was 3 KM away from the protest site.”

He added, “First 100-150 people came, but they were pushed back by Kali Maa Mandir devotees. Then they came with 1000-1500 Sikhs. What were the security agencies doing? It seems they allowed everything to happen. If they had taken action against the accused earlier and put them in preventive custody, the violence could have been avoided.

Now they have removed SSP and IG. What was the objective of removing them? The violence has already taken place. They have slapped Singla with sedition. Are we anti-Nationals if we raise slogans against Khalistan and those who want to break India?”

It seems what Kumar Vishwas had said that they took support from Khalistan, and now they are returning the favour by supporting the Khalistan movement.

The arrest of Barjinder Singh Parwana

Punjab Police arrested Parwana from Mohali airport on May 1. A day before the arrest, Punjab Police constituted twenty teams to arrest all accused in the Patiala Violence case. Inspector General Mukhwinder Singh Chinna, during a press conference, said, “It is a big achievement for the Police. Another accused, Shankar Bharadwaj, an associate of Harish Singla, was arrested. One more Sikh radical was arrested by the Police for his involvement in the violence.” Gaggi Pandit, another accused in the matter, has been arrested for spreading hate speech.

Parwana’s history of provoking Sikhs

Barjinder Singh Parwana has a history of provoking Sikhs to pick arms. Chief of Damdami Taksal Jatha Rajpura, Kathavachak Barjinder Singh Parwana, is known for his firebrand image and often publishes videos and statements favouring Sikh militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Last year he made headlines after getting arrested based on the complaint of Shiv Sena leader Sudhir Suri.

Parwana had released a statement supporting Daljit Singh Kashmir and others who are accused of lunching of Army Man in a Gurudwara in Gurdaspur.

On multiple occasions, he had called for killing those who do sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib Ji or other Sikh symbols. In many photographs, he could be seen proudly donning a massive tattoo of Khalistani terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party serves beef to Hindu invitees at Iftar event in Sylhet, organiser claims ‘gaffe in haste’

OpIndia Staff
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Bangladesh Nationalist Party serves beef to Hindu invitees at Iftar event in Sylhet, organiser claims ‘gaffe in haste’

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has courted controversy for serving beef (gorur mangsho) to 20-odd Hindu party members, who were invited to an Iftar party held on Thursday (April 28) evening.

The event was organised by the Sylhet unit of BNP at the Kushiara International Convention Hall in Chondipul in Dakshin Surma in the Sylhet district. As per reports, the attendees confirmed that the meals were kept in front of each chair even before the start of the Iftar party.

The dishes included beef curry, chole, onion fritters, dates and potato cutlet (aloo chop). A total of 20 Hindu party members and leaders were invited to the event. Besides, several non-Muslim journalists were also present to cover the Iftar party. However, no alternate arrangements were made for them.

Instead, they were also served beef curry like the Muslim members of the party. As a result, the Hindu invitees didn’t eat the served meal. Several Hindu leaders of the BNP expressed their discontentment during the event. Many labelled the treatment meted out to them as ‘downright communal.’ Some party members also took to Facebook to display their angst.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader, Montu Nath, wrote, “You guys (Muslims) enjoyed your Iftar while the Sanatan Dharma followers stood there as spectators. There was no arrangement for food to be served to non-Muslims during the BNP event in Sylhet.”

“Were the arrangements not made because we don’t observe fast during Ramzan or step out of our houses after having our meals.. I don’t know if there has been a change in the definition of ‘harmony’ and coexistence. We are the followers of erstwhile President Ziaur Rahman and we are here to stay,” he added.

Montu Nath said that the party could have tasked the party’s non-Muslim members to make alternate arrangements on their own. “It would have saved us from embarrassment in front of our friends, family and juniors… We were left there to swallow only air as Iftar feast,” he concluded.

A similar message was shared on Facebook by another Hindu leader of BNP, Konok Kanti Das.

Screengrab of the Facebook post by Konok Kanti Das

In his defence, BNP secretary (Sylhet) Miftah Siddiqui claimed that the incident was unintentional. “This gaffe took place while organising the event in haste. It was not deliberate. I express grief over the mishappenings,” he said.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), in cahoots with the radical Jamaat-e-Islaami, have been involved in attacks against Hindus in Bangladesh. During the 2021 Durga Puja violence, Bangladeshi Minister M Hasan Mahmud blamed BNP and pro-Pakistani elements for the outbreak of communal violence in the country.

Bangladesh hotel manager arrested for serving beef to Hindu customers

A hotel manager named Manzoor Ahmed was arrested in Bangladesh and sent to police custody for serving beef to Hindu customers, despite instructions to the contrary. The incident took place on Wednesday (April 27) in the New Chaktai area, which falls under the jurisdiction of Bakalia police station, in the Chittagong district of Bangladesh.

As per a report in Chattogram Pratidin, a Hindu man named Supan Pal had gone to a restaurant named ”Dubai Restro and Biriyani House’ to celebrate his birthday party. He was accompanied by 12 of his friends.

Given that it was a Muslim-owned restaurant, Supan had made it clear to the waiters to not serve them beef. As such, he had ordered chicken biriyani for his friends. Halfway through their dinner, Supan’s friend Suman Pal (45) realized that they were served beef by the restaurant.

Supan solicited the truth from the waiter by asking him a trick question. “On inquiring whether the meat was fresh, the waiter informed that the restaurant owner had slaughtered a cow in the morning and as such the meat was fresh. It was then we realized that the restaurant fooled us (hurt our Faith) by serving beef with chicken,” he added.

When Supan and his friends confronted the restaurant manager Mohammed Manzoor Ahmed (45), they were treated with indignation. A case was filed by Suman against Manzoor, waiters Mohammed Kareem (35), and Mohammed Babu (27) at the Bakalia police station.

While Kareem and Babu have been absconding since the incident, the police have arrested Mohammed Manzoor Ahmed. He was produced before a local court, following which Manzoor was remanded to police custody.

Arvind Kejriwal promises freebies to Gujaratis as he is ‘imandar’, here is what happened in Punjab recently

OpIndia Staff
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Arvind Kejriwal promises freebies to Gujaratis as he is ‘imandar’, here is what happened in Punjab recently

Despite repeated failures in delivery, Arvind Kejriwal has continued to promise freebies in every new state he approaches. This time he has promised freebies in Gujarat, where assembly elections will be held in December this year. Interestingly, he had made similar promises for Punjab, but after the Aam Aadmi Party won in Punjab, its government miserably failed to deliver the same.

While addressing Aam Admi Party’s workers at the Gujarat Adivasi Sammelan organized by the party’s Gujarat unit, Arvind Kejriwal said on 1st May 2022, “Today, there is free electricity in Delhi. People are getting free electricity for 24 hours. How do the people of Delhi get free electricity for 24 hours? Because in Delhi there is an honest government. I am not involved in corruption and I don’t allow anyone else to. I saved the money on everything. I stopped the bribery that took place in every little thing. It saved so much money. I freed the electricity using those funds.”

He further said, “The BJP leaders abuse me saying that Kejriwal is giving everything for free. I am doing this because I am honest, ‘imandar’. You people are dishonest. Therefore you are not doing this. Now, there is only one parameter to check if the leader is honest. The leader who gives for free is honest. And the one who does not give free electricity is dishonest.”

Arvind Kejriwal also tried to adopt PM Modi’s style of interacting with the audience, asking them certain questions, and getting the answers aloud. He asked, “Isn’t it the only parameter? Shouldn’t Gujarat’s people get electricity for free? Do they want free electricity or they do not? Do Gujaratis want 24-hour electricity or they do not? Which party will do that?” People did not raise their voices to answer his questions as they usually do with Narendra Modi. This attempt by Arvind Kejriwal miserably failed.

Promising freebies took the Aam Aadmi Party to power in Punjab. Soon after that, on March 24, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann sought Rs 50,000 crore per year for two years from the Centre as financial aid claiming the financial health of the state is very poor. Mann informed PM about the financial condition of the state and told him that there is debt worth Rs 3 lakh crores. Further, he demanded a special package for Punjab worth Rs 50,000 crores for two years to improve the state’s financial condition. 

One of the major poll promises of AAP was freebies to the Punjab people. AAP chief and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had promised 24-hour free electricity supply to everyone in Punjab. He had also promised Rs 1000 monthly financial aid to all women above the age of 18 years in Punjab. He had also promised to renovate all schools and hospitals in Punjab and establish ‘Pind Clinics’ along the lines of Mohalla Clinics where everyone will be treated free of cost. Soon after swearing-in, Mann had announced 25,000 government jobs, which will also come from the state exchequer.

However, after having made these promises of freebies, Mann has claimed the state is under tremendous debt and sought the Centre’s help. This led to speculation that should the Aam Aadmi Party-led government in Punjab fail to fulfil the freebie promises, they might put the blame squarely on the Central government, a strategy Arvind Kejriwal has used quite often. As Gujarat will undergo elections probably in the month of December when the term of the current assembly concludes, Arvind Kejriwal has started promising freebies to the state where people are known for their firm belief in the inherent entrepreneurial attitude more than getting freebies from the government.

Ex-Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan defends his wife Bushra Bibi’s friend who is accused of escaping Pakistan with a $90,000 purse

OpIndia Staff
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Ex-Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan defends his wife Bushra Bibi’s friend who is accused of escaping Pakistan with a $90,000 purse

On Sunday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman and former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan defended Farah Khan, a close friend of his wife Bushra Bibi, calling the corruption case against her a political vendetta against him. Imran said, “She is absolutely innocent. I want her to have the opportunity [to defend herself]. A proper hearing should be conducted.”

His comments come just days after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) opened an investigation against her for reportedly having ‘illegal assets beyond known sources of income, money laundering, and maintaining various accounts in the name of businesses.’

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) said in a statement that a significant movement of Pakistani Rupees 847 million was identified in Farah Khan’s account during the last three years, which did not match her claimed account profile.

During a press conference in Islamabad, Imran responded to a question about Farah by saying, “I’d like to ask the NAB to show me the case you’ve launched against Farah Khan. Is there even a case here?”

“First they (NAB) say she has wealth beyond known sources of income. This only applies to public officeholders. Was she ever an MNA or a public office holder? She has been working in real estate for the past 20 years,” added Imran. He stated that the only reason for such a case against Farah Khan is because she is connected to Imran Khan.

Who is Farah Khan?

Farah khan is a close friend of Imran Khan’s 3rd wife Bushra Bibi. Farah Khan allegedly fled the country on April 3 to Dubai, fearing political unrest that included Imran Khan’s dismissal as Prime Minister.

Farah Khan’s photo with her handbag, which apparently costs USD 90,000, went viral on Twitter in Pakistan shortly after she left. Farah Khan was photographed on a plane with a purple-colored designer purse, which sparked outrage.

Miftah Ismail, a leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and a former Foreign Minister of Pakistan, held a news conference, publicly stating that Farah’s bag in the photo cost $90,000. Farah Khan was accused by Ismail and former Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi of receiving money for the transfer of civil servants in the Punjab province.

Opposition parties in Pakistan have claimed that Farah Khan got a hefty sum of money in exchange for transferring and posting government officers according to their preferences. Some opposition politicians calculated that Farah Khan took 6 billion Pakistani rupees ($32 million) as part of her fraud, which they dubbed the “mother of all scandals.”

When Imran Khan dissolved the legislature the next day, Farah Khan escaped Pakistan, according to Geo News. When she arrived in Abu Dhabi, she supposedly went to Bushra Bibi’s sister’s house for an Iftar feast.

Assam: Coal Mafia mastermind Abdul Ahad Choudhury killed in an encounter in Hailakandi after he fled from police custody

OpIndia Staff
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Assam: Coal Mafia mastermind Abdul Ahad Choudhury killed in an encounter in Hailakandi after he fled from police custody

A Coal Mafia mastermind named Abdul Ahad Choudhury, who was responsible for the illegal transportation of coal in the Barak Valley of Assam, was killed in an encounter with Police at Sunday Midnight around 1:30 AM. Choudhury was absconding while fleeing from police custody on Saturday and was killed in a skirmish with Assam Police in the Lakhinagar area of Assam’s Hailakandi district.

As reported by East Mojo, Lala police in Umednagar, Assam seized a truck illegally ferrying coal. A suo moto case under Sections 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way), 379 (theft), 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC and Section 3 (mischief causing damage to public property) of The Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act was registered by the Assam Police on Saturday. During the investigation, Abdul Ahad Choudhury was found with 24.90 tons of coal inside the truck coming from Meghalaya.

Choudhury was a resident of the Karimganj district in Assam. Gaurav Upadhyay, SP, Hailakandi district informed that the police had nabbed accused Abdul Choudhury into custody on Saturday morning and had taken him for a medical check-up. However, he managed to escape from custody while he being taken to the hospital. “The police had arrested Abdul Ahad Choudhury in the morning of Saturday and he fled from police custody as the police team had taken him to the hospital for medical check-up,” SP Upadhyay said.

After the escape, the police launched an operation to nab him again. The SP informed that they had set up a checking point in the Lakhinagar area on the basis of secret information. When Abdul Ahad Choudhury arrived at the spot, he saw the cops and and started firing on them. The police returned fire and eventually the smuggler was shot. SP Upadhyay said, “Chaudhury was armed and was riding on a motorcycle behind someone. When he saw the checking point, he opened fire. We retaliated and rushed him to the hospital after he sustained bullet injuries where the doctors declared him brought dead.”

The CBI, in 2020 had filed a case to investigate the illegal coal trade from Meghalaya to Bangladesh via Barak Valley in South Assam in which Choudhury was found suspect. The police arrested him in 2018 regarding the case after a diary containing details of the case was recovered from his house. The diary contained names of some high-profile political leaders and police officials who were allegedly paid by Abdul every month for running the clandestine business of “black diamonds”. A written statement of payment to 17 high-profile officers of Rs 3,51 crore was found in this diary.

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