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‘It’s not about Delhi, it’s about how Delhi has been destroying Bharat’: Vivek Agnihotri talks about his next movie Delhi Files

OpIndia Staff
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‘It’s not about Delhi, it’s about how Delhi has been destroying Bharat’: Vivek Agnihotri talks about his next movie Delhi Files

Film director Vivek Agnihotri said in Chennai on 17th April 2022 that his next film ‘The Delhi Files’ is not about Delhi, but it is about how Delhi has been destroying Bharat for so many years. Vivek Agnihotri said that ‘The Delhi Files’ will tell lots of truth about Tamil Nadu also. There is a lot of buzz about Vivek Agnihotri’s next project as his recent film ‘The Kashmir Files’ is based on the genocide of the Kashmiri Hindus in Kashmir by Islamic terrorists in 1990 and the subsequent exodus of the Kashmiri Hindus. This film has become a massive hit.

Vivek Agnihotri, in Chennai, said, “Delhi files will tell you lots of truth about Tamil Nadu also. It’s not about Delhi, it just showed how Delhi has been destroying ‘Bharat’ for so many years.”

He further said, “Who ruled the country in Delhi how they destroy everything right from Mughal kings to the British to modern times.” While talking to the news agency ANI, Vivek Agnihotri expressed his thoughts on his next film in detail.

Vivek Agnihotri further said, “History should be evidence&fact-based. It should not be narrative-based. In India, the problem is that a lot of people write history based on narrative or their political & the political agenda of India mostly has been the western secular agenda.”

Talking about the effects of demeaning the great Hindu civilization he said, “And therefore the great Hindu civilization is always ignored & it is made to believe that we’re weak people & everything we have learned is from western rulers or the invaders that’s why it is wrong.”

Talking about the massacre of Sikhs that took place in Delhi in 1984, Vivek Agnihotri said, “It’s (1984) is a dark chapter of Indian history. The way the entire Punjab terrorism situation was handled, was inhuman & it was purely from vote bank politics & that’s why terrorism was cultivated by the Congress party in Punjab.”

Vivek Agnihotri further said, “First, they (Congress) created it, then they destroyed it, then they killed lots of innocent people&they covered it up. To date, there has been no justice, what can be worse than that.”

Underlining the importance of telling the truth to the people, Vivek Agnihotri said, “But if history is taught to people, facts are told to people then people stand up & they seek justice & that’s when governments bend down.”

Vivek Agnihotri’s film ‘The Kashmir Files’, which was released on 11th March 2022, received a tremendous response not only in India but also abroad. The film created history by collecting 350 crore rupees at the box office. The actors like Anupam Kher, Pallavi Joshi, Mithun Chakraborty, and Darshan Kumar have acted in this film. The film narrated the pain of Kashmiri Pandits, who were forced to leave the Kashmir valley in 1990.

Watch: Jahangirpuri riots accused Ansar makes Pushpa ‘Jhukega Nahin’ signature move while being taken to court

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: Jahangirpuri riots accused Ansar makes Pushpa ‘Jhukega Nahin’ signature move while being taken to court

Jahangirpuri riots accused makes the Pushpa ‘Jhukega Nahi’ signature move while being taken to Rohini Court by Delhi Police.

In the video shared by news agency ANI, one can see one of the accused who is wearing a beige shirt and blue jeans is smiling as the police holds his hand while he’s being taken to the court. At around 18 seconds in the video, he makes the signature Pushpa film move where he moves his hand on his chin like Allu Arjun did.

You can see the above move in the video at around 3 seconds.

The accused who made the Pushpa move is identified as Ansar.

Jahangirpuri Hanuman Jayanti riots

On Saturday, April 16, on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti, when a procession was being taken out in New Delhi’s Jahangirpuri, a Muslim mob started pelting stones and attacking the procession. Subsequently, riots escalated and guns were fired too. One accused Mohammad Aslam, along with 13 others have been arrested. It is reported that Aslam was the one who shot at the policemen.

Another video has gone viral on social media when a Muslim man wearing blue shirt and a skullcap can be seen shooting at the procession before running away.

The riot accused in above video does not seem to be having any remorse for perpetrating violence.

Daredevil Gau Rakshaks save cows from smugglers, ram their vehicle into the truck carrying cows

OpIndia Staff
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Daredevil Gau Rakshaks save cows from smugglers, ram their vehicle into the truck carrying cows

An undated video of Gau rakshaks from Gujarat is making the rounds on social media platforms in which they are seen smashing their vehicle into a truck allegedly smuggling cows. The video was first shared by Twitter user 187999T, who goes by the name ‘Jai Sanatan’ on the social media platform.

In a minute-long video, a man could be heard speaking in Gujarati, and when they see the truck heading toward them, he says, “Is this the same truck?” As soon as the person sitting next to him confirmed yes, he increased the speed of his vehicle and drove towards the truck. The truck tried to go off-road to avoid the gau rakshaks but couldn’t succeed.

The video cuts at this point and resumes from the point where Gau Rakshaks were out of the vehicle and showed poorly loaded cows in the truck.

In our investigation, we found out that these Gau Rakshaks were from Pranin Foundation Agniveer, Surat. OpIndia tried to contact the Foundation, but their numbers were unreachable. We will update the story once we get more details about it.

Recently another video of cow smugglers had gone viral from Gurugram, in which they were seen throwing cows from their moving truck when chased by the police. 5 cow smugglers were arrested later after a dramatic chase on the highway in Gurugram.

Left Liberals rush to whitewash accused in Jahangirpuri violence, float ‘outsiders did it’, ‘tried to hoist flag on mosque’ etc theories

Dibakar Dutta
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Left Liberals rush to whitewash accused in Jahangirpuri violence, float ‘outsiders did it’, ‘tried to hoist flag on mosque’ etc theories

A day after Islamists pelted stones at Hanuman Jayanti procession in the Jahangarapuri area of Delhi, liberals took to social media to whitewash the perpetrators and contextualise the orgy of violence.

Initially, the cabal of liberal journalists made ‘appeals’ for peace when video footage showed men in skull caps, pelting stones and brandishing swords. This bought them enough time to create a counter-narrative that downplays the nature of the anti-Hindu violence and evokes sympathy for the perpetrators.

“Please maintain peace, Delhi”, former RJ Sayema posted a cryptic tweet on Saturday night.

Screengrab of the tweet by Sayema

“Stay calm Delhi. Stay peaceful,” alleged journalist Rohini Singh tweeted, suggesting as if the city had turned violent on its own.

Screengrab of the tweet by Rohini Singh

Meanwhile, liberals on social media began peddling conspiracy theories to shift the public discourse from the role of the Islamists in the Delhi violence to the Hindu community, which took out the ‘Shobha Yatra’ on Hanuman Jayanti.

Amit Pandey, who has bylines in Newslaundry, alleged that the Hindus who took out the procession not only pelted stones at the mosque but also tried to hoist a saffron flag atop the Islamic place of prayer. As mark of ‘evidence’, he had posted a video which showed a saffron cloth placed on the mosque’s boundary wall.

Screengrab of the tweet by Amit Pandey

Hindustan Times journalist Hemani Bhandari gave a new spin to the Jahangirpuri riots. Citing one Sajid Saifi, she claimed that the clashes began after Hindu worshippers forcibly entered the mosque and tried to hoist saffron flags.

Screengrab of the tweet by Hemani Bhandari

She also alleged the presence of ‘outsiders’ in the ‘Shobha Yatra’ by citing one resident named Wasim Qureshi. “Hindus and Muslims live in peace in this area. All these people were outsiders,” she tweeted quoting Qureshi.

Interestingly, her tweet was widely shared by the liberal cabal, including Sayema and Rohini Singh who had been asking ‘Delhi’ to keep calm until yesterday. They saw to it as as opportunity to tweak the narrative in favour of the perpetrators by portraying them as the victims.

Screengrab of the tweet

Indian Today Deputy Editor Chaiti Narula claimed that the stone-pelting began exactly at the spot where Hindu devotees were seen brandishing shotguns and pistols.

Screengrab of the tweet by Chaiti Narula

Leftist propaganda website NDTV went a step ahead and published a ground report of the main accused Ansar. Instead of focusing on his role in the Jahangirpuri riots, the channel attempted to create a sympathy wave for the accused.

NDTV interviewed a Hindu neighbour of Ansar named Kamlesh Gupta who claimed that the accused or his family has no history of violence. “Ansar and family have been living here for 12 years and they have never indulged in any kind of violence. They have always helped us,” the news channel quoted Gupta as saying.

Screengrab of the tweet by NDTV

Former Radio Jockey Sayema, who was asking ‘Delhi’ to maintain peace until yesterday, seized the opportunity to cast aspersions on the objectivity of the investigation. While retweeting the NDTV ‘ground report’ on Ansar, Sayema claimed that the ‘clean character’ of her co-religionist makes one question the nature of the police probe.

Screengrab of the tweet by Sayema

While Sayema and NDTV have been desperately trying to paint Ansar as an ‘innocent man with a clean track record’, the Jahangirpuri accused is in fact a serial offender with multiple criminal cases pending against him.

While speaking to news agency ANI, Delhi police informed, “He (Ansar) was found to be previously involved in 2 cases of assault & was also arrested repeatedly under preventive sections & booked 5 times under Gambling Act & Arms Act.”

While it is not a new phenomenon for the liberal cabal to paint aggressors as victims, the ‘usual suspects’ adopted a two-fold approach to whitewash the Jahangirpuri riots. First, they made vague appeals for peace without naming the perpetrators, thereby giving them enough time to create alternate theories and present them as the ‘post-truth’.

Later, when the misleading narrative was ready to be unleashed, they insinuated that the Hindu victims were apparently the provocateurs and also cast aspersions on the objectivity of the probe to paint the Islamists as the ‘perpetual victims.’

Jangipuri riots: Hindu face the brunt of Islamists during Hanuman Jayanti

On Saturday (April 16), a Hanuman Jayanti procession was attacked by Islamists in the Jahangarapuri area of Delhi. According to the FIR, the procession was moving peacefully. However, when it approached the Jama Masjid in C Block at 6 PM, a man named Ansar approached the procession with some of his companions and initiated an argument.

The dispute quickly escalated into stone-pelting, resulting in a stampede in the procession. According to the FIR, police attempted to take control of the situation, but a specific segment of the mob disregarded the orders and intensified the sloganeering and set ablaze some vehicles. The crowd kept pelting stones and glass bottles at the procession.

The mob also fired gunshots in which Sub Inspector Medha Lal Meena got injured after a bullet in his hand. Inspector Rajeev Ranjan, the key informant whose information was used to file the complaint, indicated that the entire programme was peaceful until some anti-social members interrupted the procession and began rioting.

A total of 14 accused were arrested in connection to the case:

  1. Zahid S/O Alfajuddin
  2. Anshar S/O Allauddin
  3. Shahjad S/O Ali Akbar
  4. Muktyar Ali S/O Samabul
  5. Md Ali Sheikh S/O Hasan
  6. Amir S/O Fazlurchaman
  7. Akshar S/O Sheikh Smaul
  8. Noor Alam S/O Hoshiyar Rehman
  9. Md Alsam alias Khodu S/O Smaul
  10. Zakir S/O Sheikh Rafiq
  11. Akran S/O Md. Shakil
  12. Imtiyaz S/O Md. Israil
  13. Md. Ali alias Jasmuddin S/O Israfil
  14. Ahir S/O Hanif Khan

The FIR has been registered under provisions 147 (Rioting), 148 (Armed rioting), 186 (Obstructing duty of public servant), 353 (Assault on public servant), 307 (Attempt to murder), 427 (damage to property), and 436 (Attack by explosives) of the Indian penal code along with section 27 of the Arms Act 1959.

Jahangirpuri violence mastermind Ansar was involved in mobilizing people from Jahangirpuri to Shaheen Bagh during anti-CAA protests, says Kapil Mishra

OpIndia Staff
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Jahangirpuri violence mastermind Ansar was involved in mobilizing people from Jahangirpuri to Shaheen Bagh during anti-CAA protests, says Kapil Mishra

The Delhi Police have arrested 14 people for rioting with swords and pelting stones at the Hanuman Jayanti Shobha Yatra taking place at Delhi’s Jahangirpuri on Saturday evening. One accused Ansar, who has been named as the main conspirator for instigating the violence on the procession, was reportedly involved in mobilizing crowds for the blockade at Shaheen Bagh during the Anti-CAA protests in February 2020, BJP leader Kapil Mishra has alleged.

Among the 14 accused arrested by Delhi Police, Ansar, the primary conspirator had also played a role in the anti-CAA protests in 2020. In a video released on his Twitter handle, BJP leader Kapil Mishra has alleged the connection between Ansar and others accused in the anti-CAA riots that broke in 2020 in Delhi. He said in the video, “In the Jihadi attack on the Hanuman Mandir Shobha Yatra, the Police have arrested the main conspirator Ansar with arms. Ansar and the other accused who have been arrested have a connection with the Delhi riots of 2020 and the Shaheen Bagh protests. This is the same Ansar who mobilized women from Jahangirpuri to Seelampur, Jaffrabad and Shaheen Bagh. He has connections with Taheer Hussain, Khalid Saifi and Umar Khalid.”

In the video, Mishra also requested that while the investigation of the ‘terrorist’ attack at Jahagirpuri is being carried out, the connections of the accused with the Delhi riots should also be probed.

Claims in Umar Khalid’s Bail denial order hint at the Shaheen Bagh protest connection

On March 31, 2022, Islamist Umar Khalid was denied bail while the Karkardooma court was cognizant of his involvement in the Delhi riots of 2020. The prosecution noted that while Khalid hatched a larger conspiracy for instigating violence in Delhi, he was also responsible for mobilizing women and children from Jahangirpuri to Jaffrabad via Shaheen Bagh in order to paint the protest being led by ‘women’. The prosecution while asserting that the protest was a pre-planned one that was given an ‘organic’ facade, intended attempts to stealthily transport people from Jahangirpuri, where stones were recently pelted at Hanuman Jayanti processions have been exposed.

In the Bail denial hearing, the court noted that two witnesses attested to the fact that Umar Khalid was demanding the involvement of Bangladeshi Muslims against CAA and NRC. The order mentions that On 23rd February 2020, the day when the violence at Shaheen Bagh started, three accused namely- Janhavi, Rahul Roy and Tabrej were involved in the clandestine transportation of a large number of people, mainly women and children from Jahangirpuri to Jafrabad via Shaheen Bagh. These women were then received by Natasha, Devangana and Gulfisha at Jafrabad who initially started stone pelting at police and others.

The role of Bangladeshi settlers in Jahangirpuri involved in the Hanuman Jayanti attack is being pondered over after sub-inspector Meda Lal has alleged that slogans were also raised in Bangla as the rioting took place.

‘Rohingyas and Bangladeshis responsible for all crimes here but nobody listens to us’: Say Jahangirpuri shopkeepers after the violence

OpIndia Staff
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‘Rohingyas and Bangladeshis responsible for all crimes here but nobody listens to us’: Say Jahangirpuri shopkeepers after the violence

Stone pelters attacked a Hanuman Jayanti procession in the Jahangirpuri area in Delhi on 16th April 2022, and several people including policemen were injured in the incident. Owners of small shops in the Jahangirpuri area were also targeted in the violence that followed the stone-pelting. The shop owners said that they are fed up with the criminal activities of the Rohingyas and Bangladeshi Muslims who are living in the surrounding area. The local owners of small businesses who were attacked by the mob of Muslims in this area held the Rohingyas and Bangladeshi Muslims responsible for the crimes that took place in the area.

In a video shared by Pradeep Bhandari on Twitter, a local owner of a small shop is seen informing about the atrocities caused by the rioters to the small businesses there. He said, “When they (rioters) attacked, they also vandalized the Indian flag. They pelted stones on the idol of Lord Hanuman. Then they marched ahead and reached here. They broke this shop of ours. We had nothing to do with them. But they came here and broke our shop. We are fed up with them. These are the Bangladeshi Muslims.”

He further said, “There is a vegetable market in the C-block area. Our daughters, sisters, and ladies go there to purchase the daily vegetables. These people try to tease them and sometimes they even molest them. Sometimes they even snatch their mobile phones. All sorts of requests and complaints have been done but nobody in India has listened to us yet. We are Indians. We live in India. Nobody is interested in listening to us. They are the outsiders. They, the Rohingyas have come from Bangladesh. Their every concern is heard carefully.”

Talking about the criminal acts in the Jahangirpuri area in which the Bangladeshi Muslims and the Rohingyas are involved, he said, “There is no single crime they do not commit. They sell charas, weed, etc. They are the thieves and they only are the miscreants. They are a big bunch of thugs. They are nomads. They are heard but we are never listened to in India.”

He added, “And this has been their way right from the beginning. When Hindu brothers took the Rathyatra processions with an idol of Lord Hanuman on the chariot, they pelted stones on that. This is the root cause of this violence. There was no prior fight as claimed by many others. All this argument is false. A minimum of 60 injured people including a policeman are admitted to the hospital.”

The shop owner said that they are facing the atrocities by the Rohingyas just because they are Hindus. He said, “We are beaten there. No Hindu lives in that area anymore. Bangladeshi Muslims live in that C-block area. The area earlier housed a lane full of Hindus. But all of them are expelled by the Muslims. They beat Hindus and expelled them out of the area. Afraid Hindus sold their houses and left that area. This is not the story of one day. This problem exists here for a long time. Our sisters and daughters cannot safely pass from that area.”

The shop owner also said that there is a Chor Bazar in the Jahangirpuri area where all these miscreants sell and buy the stolen items. He said, “They have surrounded the whole road by putting the scrap all over here and there. You go there on Sunday. There is a Sunday Bazar which is actually a Chor Bazar. Due to this violence, it may not take place this Sunday. But you come after a month. Every stolen item is sold in that market. These Bangladeshi Muslims and Rohingyas sell the same in front of the Kali mandir and earn.”

When the Hanuman Jayanti Shobhayatra was passing through the C block of the Jahangiurpuri, suddenly some people pelted stones on the process from the rooftops in the area. After the attack, the people in the process also started pelting stones at the attackers in retaliation and triggered communal violence in the process.

Palestinians pelt stones to block Jewish visitors at Temple Mount, Israeli Police enter the complex to clear obstructers

OpIndia Staff
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Palestinians pelt stones to block Jewish visitors at Temple Mount, Israeli Police enter the complex to clear obstructers

Israeli Police entered the Temple Mount complex on Sunday, April 17 to disperse and detain Palestinians who had pelted stones at Jewish visitors to stop them from entering the holy site in Jerusalem’s Old City. As per the Israeli Police, hundreds of Palestinians had gathered at the site to block the Jewish visitors. They pelted stones on buses carrying the Jewish visitors to the holy site to stop them from entering.

Hundreds of youths had stockpiled rocks along with iron bars and created makeshift barricades to prevent non-Muslims from entering the site. Most of them were masked, said the Police. Reports suggest that the stone-pelting resulted in injuries to some passengers inside the buses.

Seven of the injured visitors were taken to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in the city by the Magen David Adom ambulance service.

As per Red Crescent, around 17 Palestinians also sustained injuries after the clash with the Israeli Police on Sunday morning. Some of them have been shifted to the hospital. Around nine Palestinians were arrested by the Police during the clash.

In a statement, the Police said its officers were pushing the Palestinians away from the site to allow visitors. Alongside the visits, freedom of worship will continue to be fully preserved for the worshipers on the Temple Mount. The Israel Police will continue to act against lawbreakers and rioters.” Later, visuals showed Jewish visitors touring the site.

During the weeklong Passover holiday, many Jews make a traditional pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Notably, Non-Muslims are allowed to visit the Temple Mount only during certain hours. They are not allowed to pray at the site. For Jews, it is the holiest site in Judaism. While for Muslims, it is the third-holiest site in Islam.

This year, Passover happened during the month of Ramzan. During the holy month for Muslims, the Old City sees a higher number of clashes between Muslims and non-Muslims. Also, the city is holy for the Christians who make a pilgrimage during Easter. The authorities had seen three holidays of different faiths falling during the same week as a possibility of violence.

Hamas banner at Temple Mount

A group of Palestinians also hung a banner of the terror group Hamas on Temple Mount. The banner read, “Hamas calls for a general mobilization and the repulsion of the herd of settlers threatening to invade al-Aqsa.”

Earlier, a violent clash took place between Israeli Police and Palestinians at Al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday. Around 158 Palestinians were reportedly injured, mostly due to tear gas inhalation. The Palestinians had pelted stones and used fireworks against the armed Police, and in retaliation, the Police used force and tear gas shells.

The Police had raided the mosque to clear it of the stockpiled stones. Dozens of arrests were made during the raid. It took six hours to clear the premises and the afternoon prayers were peaceful, with around 50,000 Muslims taking part in the prayers. Last year in May, a similar Police crackdown at the mosque triggered an 11-day war in Gaza.

Jahangirpuri violence: Md Aslam who fired at the Delhi Police Sub-Inspector arrested along with 13 others, pistol recovered

OpIndia Staff
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Jahangirpuri violence: Md Aslam who fired at the Delhi Police Sub-Inspector arrested along with 13 others, pistol recovered

The Delhi Police has so far arrested 14 persons who allegedly engaged in violence targeting the Hanuman Jayanti procession in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri. Md. Aslam, a 21-year-old youth, who is accused of shooting a Delhi Police sub-inspector is also among the arrested.

Police have also recovered a pistol from Md Aslam which he reportedly used during the incident on Saturday evening. Aslam is a resident of a slum cluster in Jahangirpuri’s CD Park.”One of the accused persons, identified as Md. Aslam opened fire that hit a sub-inspector of the Delhi Police. The pistol used by the accused during the commission of crime has been recovered from his possession,” DCP (Northwest) Usha Rangnani said.

According to sources, Md Aslam is a “repeat offender.” Aslam was also charged in another case under sections 324/188/506/34 of the Indian Penal Code in 2020.

All the 14 accused in the case who have been arrested are:

  1. Zahid S/O Alfajuddin
  2. Anshar S/O Allauddin
  3. Shahjad S/O Ali Akbar
  4. Muktyar Ali S/O Samabul
  5. Md Ali Sheikh S/O Hasan
  6. Amir S/O Fazlurchaman
  7. Akshar S/O Sheikh Smaul
  8. Noor Alam S/O Hoshiyar Rehman
  9. Md Alsam alias Khodu S/O Smaul
  10. Zakir S/O Sheikh Rafiq
  11. Akran S/O Md. Shakil
  12. Imtiyaz S/O Md. Israil
  13. Md. Ali alias Jasmuddin S/O Israfil
  14. Ahir S/O Hanif Khan

Anshar, one of the detained suspects, residing in Jahangirpuri’s C block, is allegedly the area’s Muslim leader. When the procession arrived near the Masjid, he is said to have started an argument, and when the discourse turned heated, the procession came under a violent attack.

Anshar S/O Allauddin

There were eight to 10 rounds of gunshots from the side of the mob, according to Medha Lal Meena, the sub-inspector who was injured by a bullet. However, he confirmed that no police firing happened in retaliation. Senior officers from the nearby station were on the site, attempting to figure out what was going on.

Locals allege that Jahangirpuri, notably C Block and H2 jhuggis, is a hotbed for illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in Delhi. The special cell and crime branch of the Delhi Police are investigating the case. Ten investigation teams have been constituted to look into the issue.

To avert any unanticipated occurrences, more troops have been deployed in the regions surrounding Jahangirpuri. Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister, talked with the Delhi Police Commissioner and instructed him to keep a close eye on the region’s law and order situation.

Karnataka: Enraged over ‘objectionable social media post’, mob pelts stones at police station, Hanuman temple and hospital in Hubli

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka: Enraged over ‘objectionable social media post’, mob pelts stones at police station, Hanuman temple and hospital in Hubli

Amidst cases of stone-pelting outbreaks on Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti Shobha Yatras emerging from Delhi’s Jahangirpuri to Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool, news has come of similar attacks at multiple locations from Karnataka’s Hubli. Reportedly, an enraged mob resorted to pelting stones at the old Hubli police station after supposed inaction from the police over an ‘objectionable’ WhatsApp status on Saturday night.

On Saturday night, a mob had gathered outside the Old Hubli Police station demanding action against a person who put an ‘objectionable social media post’. A case was earlier registered against that person and he was subsequently arrested. But the mob still gathered at the police station, they turned violent and started pelting stones at the police station and police vehicles. After this, reportedly the mob also pelted stones at a nearby Hanuman temple and a hospital.

Police Commissioner Labhu Ram informed that four policemen including one inspector were injured during the violence. He noted that Section 144 has been imposed in Hubli and the situation is under control. The police had to exercise lathi-charge to control the situation and tear gas shells were used to disperse the mob.

“A mob gathered outside the police station tried to damage police vehicles. Mob also pelted stones at police officers,” Police Commissioner Labhu Ram said. Reportedly, 6 cases have been registered against the attackers while forty people are arrested in the stone-pelting violence case. While the investigation is underway, more details are awaited in the case.

To further bring the situation under control, Section 144 has been imposed on the entire city of Hubli. The Police Commissioner stated that the investigation is underway and a case has been registered. 

India gives a befitting reply to New York Times over its report alleging India is stalling WHO’s efforts to make the global Covid death toll public

OpIndia Staff
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India gives a befitting reply to New York Times over its report alleging India is stalling WHO’s efforts to make the global Covid death toll public

On April 16, India gave a befitting reply to The New York Times accusing India of stalling World Health Organization (WHO) efforts to make the global Covid death toll public. The NYT report also cast aspersions on Covid deaths data reported by the Indian government.

In a press release, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said that India had regular and in-depth technical exchanges with WHO over the issue of the Covid death toll. The ministry raised concerns over the methodology used by the study to calculate the estimated number of deaths that might have actually occurred across the world. The ministry said that the analysis used the figures collected from the Tier-1 set of countries and used a mathematical modelling process for Tier-II countries including India. It added that India does not just question the result of the analysis but the methodology itself.

It further read that on several occasions, India shared its concerns with other member states via formal communications and issued six letters to WHO, once in November 2021, twice in December 2021, and again in January, February and March 2022. Four virtual meetings were also held over the issue. “During these exchanges, specific queries have been raised by India along with other member states, e.g. China, Iran, Bangladesh, Syria, Ethiopia and Egypt regarding the methodology, and use of unofficial sets of data,” it read.

The ministry said that the ‘one size fits all’ approach may work in smaller countries, but it may not be applicable to India, which has a population of over 1.3 billion. “The model gives two highly different sets of excess mortality estimates when using the data from Tier I countries and when using unverified data from 18 Indian states. Such wide variation in estimates raises concerns about the validity and accuracy of such a modelling exercise,” it read.

The Ministry added that if the model is accurate and reliable, it should be authenticated by running it for all Tier-1 countries. “India has asserted that if the model is accurate and reliable, it should be authenticated by running it for all Tier I countries and the result of such exercise may be shared with all member states,” the press release added.

The ministry also raised concerns over the inverse relationship between monthly temperature and average deaths as it has no scientific backing to establish such a particular empirical relationship. Mentioning the variety of climatic and seasonal conditions across Indian states as well as within states, the Ministry said, “India is a country of continental proportions. Climatic and seasonal conditions vary vastly across different states and even within a state therefore, all states have widely varied seasonal patterns. Thus, estimating national level mortality based on these 18 states’ data is statistically unproven.”

It added that the modelling for Tier II countries is based on the Global Health Estimate 2019, which itself is just an estimate. The ministry raised the question of how previous sets of estimates could be based on the present modelling exercise while disregarding the data available in the country. It also noted that while GHE 2019 was used for India, for Tier 1 countries, their own historical datasets were used. The historical data of India was ignored despite the fact that the country has a robust system of data collection and management.

The ministry pointed out that India had no age-sex death distribution, but WHO determined standard patterns for age and sex for all countries with reported data of 61 countries. It generalized the available data to other countries, including India. “Based on this approach, India’s age-sex distribution of predicted deaths was extrapolated based on the age-sex distribution of deaths reported by four countries (Costa Rica, Israel, Paraguay and Tunisia),” the Ministry added.

It further read that WHO used a combination of binary variables such as income instead of realistic graded variables. WHO conveyed it was found to be most accurate for predicting excess mortality but did not provide any detailed justification on how these variables were found to be most accurate.

In India, the test positivity rate was never uniform at any given time. However, it was not considered for modelling purposes. “Further, India has undertaken COVID-19 testing at a much faster rate than what WHO had advised. India has maintained molecular testing as the preferred testing method and used Rapid Antigen for screening purposes only. Whether these factors have been used in the model for India is still unanswered,” the Ministry said.

While WHO had agreed with India’s point of view about the subjective approach such as school closing, workplace closing, cancelling of public events etc. as it was impossible to quantify various measures of containment in such a manner for a country like India. However, it was still used for this study.

The Ministry said during interactions with WHO, India highlighted the fluctuations in official reports from Tier 1 countries like USA, France and Germany. “Further, the inclusion of a country like Iraq which is undergoing a complex extended emergency under Tier I countries raises doubts on WHO’s assessment in the categorization of countries as Tier I/II and its assertion on quality of mortality reporting from these countries,” it said. India is yet to receive any satisfactory response from WHO.

The Ministry said India is open to collaboration with WHO over such data sets that would be helpful for the policy-making point of view. However, India also demanded in-depth clarity on methodology and clear proof of the validity of such data.

The Ministry said while NYT could obtain the alleged figures of excess Covid-19 mortality in India, it was “unable to learn the estimates for other countries.”

NYT blatant lies about India’s Covid-19 mortality rate

On April 16, NYT published a report titled “India Is Stalling the W.H.O.’s Efforts to Make Global Covid Death Toll Public”, asserting that India was not letting WHO publish estimated data of actual deaths that happened across the world. Notably, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has also used the same report to target Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the centre.

Rahul Gandhi used NYT report to target Modi govt. Source: Twitter

The report suggested India saw over 4 million Covid-19 deaths, which was 8-times higher than the official number. Blaming the Modi government for the delay, NYT asserted that it was a sensitive issue for the Indian government as it was criticized for Covid-19 management.

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