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Ukraine invasion and the rise of Xenophobia against Russians: From calling out the leader to Wokes cancelling average Russians

Suyash
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Ukraine invasion and the rise of Xenophobia against Russians: From calling out the leader to Wokes cancelling average Russians

The Ukraine-Russia conflict in many ways is the first full-blown war in the woke world. Expanded social media canvas has ensured the polarization of strong opinions among populations across the globe. Select narratives, carefully constructed propaganda seeped into news and opinion pieces to 280-charactered tweets are all visibly a part of ‘hybrid warfare’ strategic affairs experts keep talking about. When Russia invaded Ukraine, it became as much a ‘national’ and ‘local’ news as it seeped its influence into conversations on WhatsApp groups, local newspapers prime time debates on national news channels.

‘Solidarity’ became the word of the season with people outpouring their sympathies for the war-torn Ukrainian people with tweets, posts, stories all decked in yellow-and-blue (colours of the Ukrainian National flag). While social media platforms have empowered the impressions of love, sympathy and solidarity, on the other hand, they have also served as means to amplify hate, rampant boycotts and all kinds of racial and social divides – often underlined by political self-posturing.

Ukrainian Protestors holding a racist poster calling for the death of Russian citizens and diaspora as ‘invaders’

Today, irrational rage against Russians has become a natural flip-side to the solidarity for Ukraine. Holding states and their heads responsible for their actions is one thing, but casual xenophobia escalates when woke expatriates make common citizens and diaspora pay while shifting the blame on them. While it starts from ‘deconstructing’ the mind of Putin as a warmonger, it ends up cancelling all-things-Russian. From International Policy to internet politics, institutionalised ‘sanctions’ against Russia have now been normalised to an extent to group-shame Russian students, players, artists all over the world.

With a move to combat Putin’s Ukrainian invasion, a Democratic representative from California, Eric Swalwell suggested that Russian students should be ‘kicked out‘ of US universities. “Frankly, I think closing their embassy in the United States, kicking every Russian student out of the United States should be on the table. Vladimir Putin needs to know every day that he is in Ukraine, there are more severe options that could come, “Swalwell suggested a move that will make Russian students pay for the ‘crimes’ for their President. Upon this bizarre move, Ruben Gallego, a member of the US Congress commented on Twitter, “These Russian students are the sons and daughters of the richest Russians. A strong message can be sent by sending them home.”

This comes as a gory categorization of Russian students studying in US Universities as ‘children of the rich’ while many of them could be self-paying, hard-working individuals on a student loan. Not just limited to Russians, but this generalization of students from Asian and African countries has crossed limits in the racial premises of western societies.

Moving forward in the annals of universities in Europe, the news of ‘cancelling’ Russian novelist and thinker Fyodor Dostoevsky in the University of Milan came. Paolo Nori, a professor at Milan’s State University decided to skip his teaching of Fyodor Dostoevsky to avoid ‘controversy’ amidst the current geopolitical scenario. The anti-Russian sentiment has moved on from targeting individuals to cancelling Russian thought. Ironically, after the Communist totalitarian regime in Russia discarded Dostoevsky for his pro-Tsarist stances, it was in the ‘Western democracies’ later who then heralded him as an icon of conservatism. Dostoevsky’s fate has gifted him a second cancellation today – this time by the woke West, years after his demise.

The rising Anti-Russian sentiment has not restricted itself to the educational and intellectual circles but has spread like fire in the arenas of culture, entertainment and sports. OpIndia reported yesterday on how calls are been given to bar Russian players from international leagues – more so by the international sports bodies themselves. The institutionalised politicization of sports has ensured that Russia and its players are banned in the FIFA and UEFA football tournaments by football governing bodies in Europe.

Daniel Medvedev, the Russian tennis player who fared well at the ATP 500 tournament is on the verge of losing his position as world number one. The call given by the International Olympics Committee to ban Russian players in international tournaments serves the body’s political posturing well, while it mars the lives of individual players who toil a lot to achieve where they are. Adding to this, Russian players have also started losing their brand deals which were signed much before the Russian invasion. The U.S. life insurance company, MassMutual pulled out an ad featuring hockey team Washington Capitals’ Russian captain Alexander Ovechkin. 

After already cancelling Russian players in the Champions League men’s final and Formula One’s Russian Grand Prix, Russian singers have now to face the brunt in the Eurovision singing contest as well. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has happily announced that Russia would no longer be allowed to participate in a leading annual singing contest hosted in the continent. UK’s Cultural Secretary was glad on Twitter about the decision to take ‘action’ and ‘kicking Russia’ out.

Many concerts, performances of Russian artists, classical presentations including ballet performances have been cancelled en masse in Europe while taking political stances against the state of Russia. In Germany, The Munich Philharmonic – a classical band parted ways with its chief conductor Valery Gergiev over his alleged connections with Putin. Munich’s Mayor involved himself in issuing an ultimatum saying Gergiev would be ‘dismissed’ if ‘he failed to condemn Putin’s actions by Monday’. The case looks like a direct threat to an individual over his refusal to speak on a particular issue after characterising him based on his nationality.

Film companies including Warner Bros, Disney and Sony Pictures have halted the release of their films in Russian cinemas. Going ahead, The Ukrainian Film Academy has called for an international boycott of Russian cinema, including a ban on Russian films at international film festivals.

Gone are the days when ambassadors to a certain nation were sacked to send a political message to enemy countries. The woke world principles itself of making ordinary citizens ‘ambassadors’ for the acts of respective governments in their countries. When group blaming has become the norm, apart from the political and strategic isolation, the cultural, intellectual and societal boycotting attacks the individual more so than their leaders. While the Capitalist Hegemony of the West once sanctioned its Soviet counterpart, ordinary Russians have become part of this in the 21st century.

The Ukraine-Russia crisis has resulted in Xenophobia against Russia of the worst kind. It is an antidote to the idea of ‘solidarity’ where one group is hailed, and the other is demoralised while global leaders continue to solve the geopolitical puzzle.

‘Students already using Indian flag to escape from Ukraine, ask funds from Indian govt to pay our salaries’: Pakistani embassy tweets

OpIndia Staff
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‘Students already using Indian flag to escape from Ukraine, ask funds from Indian govt to pay our salaries’: Pakistani embassy tweets

Amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, while more than 2000 Pakistani nationals including 600 students are still stranded in Kyiv and other cities of Ukraine, the Pakistan Embassy in Algeria suggested that the country should ask for financial aid from India as it is failing to provide help to its nationals stranded in Ukraine.

“Embassies ordered to divert funds to Ukraine for evacuating Pakistani Nationals. Should we also start asking funds from India as Pakistan Nationals are using Indian flags to flee from Ukraine”, the Pakistan Embassy in Algeria tweeted. It also said that till date no Pakistani national was evacuated and nor did it have funds to pay salaries to its officials or to help Pakistani nationals stranded in Ukraine.

The embassy in Algeria stated that they have been asked by their government to divert funds so that students in Ukraine can be evacuated. They asserted that they do not have funds to even pay salaries to their staff members.

Screenshot of the tweet from Pakistan Embassy in Algeria

However, the tweet was later deleted after the Foreign Office of Pakistan stated that the social media accounts of Pakistan’s embassy in Algeria had been “hacked” and the posts did not belong to the mission.

“The Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts of the Embassy of Pakistan in Algeria have been hacked,” the FO spokesperson said on twitter. The tweet mentioned that all messages being posted through these accounts were not from Pakistan Embassy in Algeria.

Embassy staffers made students raise slogans, then asked them to get down from the bus, says video

The tweet by the Pakistan Embassy in Algeria had shared a video from a Pakistani news channel that revealed the ground reality of the Pakistani students in Ukraine. According to the clip, the Pakistani students in Ukraine were offered help by officials who asked them to raise pro-Pakistani slogans but were later abandoned. Speaking to the channel, a group of Pakistani students stranded in Ukraine stated that they have received no help from their embassy.

The students were made to sit inside the bus, raise slogans of ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ and were forced to get down after some time. The Pakistani students walked a long way and managed to reach near the Poland border in the severe cold weather. They claimed in the news clip that they had received no help from the Pakistan govt amid the conflict.

Here is the video clip of the Pakistani news channel that was shared by their Algerian embassy.

The video was later deleted from the official account of the Pakistan Embassy in Algeria. It is important to note that the Indian Tricolour has helped not only the Indian nationals but also the Pakistani nationals to cross various checkpoints in the war torn country. According to the reports, the students hailing from Pakistan and Turkey used the Indian national flag to save their lives amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Pakistan’s embassies have been complaining about lack of funds over alleged “hacked” tweets

Meanwhile, this is not the first time that Pakistan is facing such an embarrassing situation. Earlier in December 2021, the Pakistan embassy in Argentina posted a picture of PM Imran Khan and other senior officials on its official Instagram account, calling for the substitution of leadership in Islamabad for the revival of the country’s credibility and reliability.

another deleted pos from a Pakistani embassy

Argentina was reportedly in talks with Pakistan to buy its JF-17, a military-grade fighter jet that it co-produces with the help of China. Pakistan Embassy in Argentina later claimed that their account on Instagram was compromised and that the message calling for Imran Khan’s replacement was not sent by the embassy.

Also, the Embassy of Pakistan in Belgrade, Serbia had gone rogue as it took to Twitter to call out the Pakistan government for not paying its dues for the last three months. The embassy has shared a rap twist to Imran Khan’s ‘Aap ne ghabrana nahi hai’ to taunt Pakistan’s cash-strapped Imran Khan government. This has happened in December 2021.

A lot of videos have surfaced on social media where Pakistani students are seen complaining that they are stranded in Ukraine and unable to get any help from their government. Earlier, news reports have surfaced highlighting that Pakistani students are using the Indian flag to escape from Ukraine, pretending to be Indian citizens.

Pakistan’s envoys to Ukraine and Poland have been seen saying that they doing their best to help the stranded students in Ukraine. As many countries, they are also asking the students to reach Poland for subsequent evacuation.

As India launches Operation Ganga to evacuate Indians from Ukraine, a reality check on how other nations are treating their citizens stuck in warzone

OpIndia Staff
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As India launches Operation Ganga to evacuate Indians from Ukraine, a reality check on how other nations are treating their citizens stuck in warzone

While the Indian government has stepped up its efforts to evacuate Indians, mostly students, from Ukraine, opposition parties and left-liberals still think it is not enough. As airspace over Ukraine is close, Indians are being evacuated through the neighbouring countries, and already thousands have been airlifted from Hungary, Poland and Romania after the Indians crossed to these countries via land borders.

Opposition parties like Congress and Shiv Sena are spreading videos of Indians stuck in Ukraine to allege that the Indian govt is not doing anything to rescue them. They are also claiming that India was very late in issuing advisories asking Indians to leave the country before Russia invaded it, and claiming that other counties issued such advisories much earlier, and are doing a better job at evacuating their citizens from Ukraine.

All these claims made by opposition politicians and left-liberals are baseless and untrue and based on a poor understanding of the ground situation in Ukraine. In fact, the Indian govt has launched a massive operation named Operation Ganga to airlift Indians from Ukraine, which is not matched by any other country.

Indian officials are present at land borders of other countries with Ukraine to receive the students fleeing the country and are evacuating them to India. The entire cost of the travel is being borne by govt of India. Both civilian and military planes are being used. Even after the students are landing in India, several state governments are arranging their journeys to their hometowns, free of cost.

This is in stark contrast to what other governments are doing. Here are a few examples of how some of the major nations are treating their citizens stuck in the warzone.

The USA

The United States of America, which had issued multiple advisories before the invasion to its citizens in Ukraine to leave the country, has flat out refused to evacuate them now. In an advisory issued on February 25, the US Embassy in Ukraine had said that “the U.S. government will not be able to evacuate U.S. citizens from Ukraine”.

They had advised the US citizens to depart from Ukraine using any commercial or other privately available ground transportation options. The Biden administration has not even made any arrangement for evacuating its citizens who are crossing into neighbouring countries to the west, and they are expected to make all arrangements for accommodation and travel themselves.

The US Embassy in Ukraine has only issued an advisory on what the US citizens do and carry while crossing the borders, and have asked them to book hotels in advance. It is notable that before the war started, the US govt didn’t evacuate any American citizen, they had only issued advisories and the people were expected to make arrangements to leave the country themselves.

The UK

Even before the Russian attack on Ukraine had begun, the UK govt had said that British nationals who choose to stay in Ukraine should not expect a military evacuation if the invasion takes place. The British govt had asked its citizens to leave the country immediately, warning that there will be no evacuation if the war takes place.

“British nationals should leave Ukraine immediately by any means possible and they should not expect, as they saw in the summer with Afghanistan, that there would be any possibility of a military evacuation,” junior defence minister James Heappey had said.

In fact, the British govt has said that the invasion has severely affected its ability to provide consular assistance in Ukraine.

The UK has also shifted its embassy from Kyiv to Lviv, a city near the Polish border. This means British citizens stuck in the war zone has no physical access to consular services and any other help they can get from the embassy. This means, if any British citizen has non-British family members or dependents, they much reach the Poland border to get Visa.

Two days ago, the British Home Secretary made a statement to Parliament on the measures taken by the govt, and it only includes supporting British nationals and their non-British family members to get UK Visas. However, to submit such an application, people will have to travel to Lviv or visa application centres in Poland, Moldova, Romania, and Hungary.

There was no mention of any travel arrangements made by the British govt for its citizens like the Indian govt has done.

China

While other nations including India had issued advisories to their citizens in Ukraine, the Chinese govt had not even done that. On February 24, the Chinese govt had advised its citizens leaving Kyiv to display signs of identification such as the Chinese flag, but had retracted that later. On 26th they said that the Chinese citizens must refrain from displaying signs of identification.

The Chinese govt started evacuating its citizens only on Monday, as per reports by Chinese media. In the first batch, 600 Chinese citizens were evacuated through the Moldova border.

Pakistan

As opposed to the ‘developed’ nations mentioned above, the Pakistan govt has started to evacuate its citizens, although late. While earlier Pakistani citizens in Ukraine had complained that their govt is not helping them, the situation has changed in the last 3-4 days.

The Pakistan embassy is arranging accommodation facilities, and also providing transport facilities from Lviv to the borders. However, citizens have to reach Lviv on their own, as most countries are unable to provide transportation from Kyiv and other eastern cities due to the war.

According to the Pakistan govt, around 3000 Pakistani students were there in Ukraine, and now only 500-600 are left, and the rest have reached Pakistan or are in nearby countries like Poland and Romania.

However, due to the not-so-impressive reputation of Pakistan, some Pakistani citizens had used Indian flags on their vehicles to cross the check posts.

Other countries

Like the USA and UK, most other countries including Germany, France etc have asked their citizens to leave Ukraine, but have not made arrangements to evacuate them. The citizens are expected to make arrangements themselves to cross the border and then travel onward.

While Germany had evacuated its spy chief who was in Ukraine when the Russian invasion began, no such arrangements were made for the citizens. Federal Intelligence Service (BND) chief Bruno Kahl was in Ukraine for “urgent talks”, but as Russia had started the attack and the airspace was closed, he had taken the land route to leave the country.

These examples of other countries show that India is only the major country airlifting its citizens free of cost from the war-hit Ukraine. Most other countries have not made any such arrangements, and only asked their citizens to evacuate on their own.

The Indian effort

What the Indian govt is doing now after the Russian invasion of Ukraine is much more than what most major nations have done. Immediately after air services with Ukraine were suspended due to the war, India started arrangements for evacuating Indians through neighbouring countries of Poland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Moldova.

Indian embassies in those countries had set up offices at the land borders with Ukraine to receive the Indians and facilitate their onward journey to India. Govt of India has even sent cabinet ministers to those countries to oversee Operation Ganga. Aircraft of civilian airlines like Air India, Indigo, SpiceJet, and military transport planes of the Indian Air Force are being used in this massive operation, and all the costs are being borne by the govt.

So far, the Indian govt has evacuated over 6000 students from Ukraine via its neighbouring countries.

On the matter of rescuing Indians from Eastern Ukraine including capital Kyiv, it must be remembered that the entire easter part of the country is being attacked by Russian forces. Russia is bombing the cities in that part of Ukraine, mainly targeting military establishments which also have caused a substantial collateral damage.

Therefore, it has become very difficult to transport Indian students from eastern Ukraine to the borders on the west, through which they are being evacuated. It is literally a war-zone, everything included transport facilities are either down, or whatever facilities are running are being overwhelmed with number of people trying to flee the zone.

Given this scenario, students stuck in that part of Ukraine will face difficulties, and Modi government can’t be held responsible for that. And even Poland can’t be held responsible for the difficulties students are facing inside Ukraine, as one honourable member of parliament in India thinks.

New Zealand: Riots break out as police clamps down on demonstrators protesting against Covid restrictions

Jinit Jain
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New Zealand: Riots break out as police clamps down on demonstrators protesting against Covid restrictions

Chaos and violence swept Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, after police clashed with anti-vaccine mandate protesters outside the country’s parliament on Wednesday, using pepper spray and making several arrests as they moved to end the long-running protests against the coronavirus-induced restrictions.

Drawing inspiration from farmers’ protests in India, a large number of anti-restrictions protesters in New Zealand had camped outside the parliament building in Wellington, in opposition to what they called crippling coronavirus curbs enforced by the NZ government. However, unlike the Indian government that humoured the demands of the farmers and rescinded the three farm laws, the New Zealand government reportedly did not engage in discussions with the protesters and ordered police action against them, much in line with what the Trudeau government did against Truckers’ protests in Toronto, where emergency powers have been invoked to subdue demonstrations against compulsory vaccine mandates.

The New Zealand police on March 2 launched their biggest ever effort to drive out protesters, who have been camping close to the country’s parliament against the crippling coronavirus restrictions and anti-vaccine mandates imposed by the Jacinda Ardern government. The police, equipped with riot gear, moved in to flush out the protesters that have been peacefully protesting for over three weeks outside the New Zealand parliament, in a bid to convey their concerns to the legislators.

However, on Wednesday, the Jacinda Ardern government decided to quell the protests through heavy-handed means, ordering riot police to evict the protesters who have been staging demonstrations on the major thoroughfares of capital Wellington against what they argued as infringement of their individual rights. As police proceeded to clear the protest sites, clashes erupted between the demonstrators and the law enforcement officials.

The videos and images of the violent clashes between police and anti-vaccine mandate protesters soon made their way on social media websites as locals captured the brutality meted out on demonstrators by the riot police. Several tents erected just metres away from the parliament building, caught fire in the melee sending up smoke plumes before being doused by the police.

According to a report published by Reuters, over 60 people were arrested by the police in their initial efforts to end the protests. While many protesters packed up their tents and left after the New Zealand government deployed riot police to tackle them, there were many who refused to budge, resisting the police force for the protests they had participated in against stifling restrictions imposed by the government.

New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern defends heavy-handed measures adopted by police to evict protesters

Even as clashes erupted between demonstrators and New Zealand police, many social media users lambasted PM Jacinda Ardern for employing tyrannical measures against peaceful protesters. They alleged that Ardern did not care to talk to the protesters even once and went in with brute force to stamp out the demonstrations, which were also attended by women and children.

However, Ardern defended her government’s actions, deligitimising the protests by calling it an attack on the values cherished by the country. “It was an attack on our frontline police, it was an attack on our parliament, it was an attack on our values, and it was wrong,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told a news conference while adding that protesters were given ample opportunity to leave.

The protest had reportedly started as a stand against COVID-19 vaccine mandates but soon many groups joined in calling for an end to all pandemic restrictions. New Zealand, which was prematurely hailed by many as a model country to fight COVID-19 outbreak, recently found itself overwhelmed with soaring coronavirus cases, powered by the new highly infectious Omicron variant. As a consequence, the country imposed stringent anti-virus curbs, engendering resentment among a large section of the population, who took to streets to protest against them.

Russia-Ukraine war: Public hearings of ICJ to be held on 7th and 8th March 2022

OpIndia Staff
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Russia-Ukraine war: Public hearings of ICJ to be held on 7th and 8th March 2022

In another development regarding the ongoing Ukraine Russia crisis, the International Court of Justice has declared on 1st March 2022 that it will hold public hearings in this matter on 7th and 8th March 2022 in a hybrid format.

In its press release, the ICJ has said “The International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, will hold public hearings in the case concerning Allegations of Genocide under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Ukraine v. Russian Federation) on Monday 7 and Tuesday 8 March 2022, at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the seat of the Court.”

It has further said in this press release, “The hearings will be devoted to the request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by Ukraine. In view of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the hearings will be held in a hybrid format. Some members of the Court will attend the oral proceedings in person in the Great Hall of Justice while others will participate remotely by video link. Representatives of the Parties to the case will participate either in person or by video link.”

According to a report by ANI, earlier, while addressing an urgent communication to the external affairs minister of Russia, the ICJ president Judge JE Donoghue had said, “I call the attention of the Russian Federation to the need to act in such a way as will enable any order the Court may make on the request for provisional measures to have its appropriate effects.”

Ukraine Russia crisis

It is notable that the Russian forces have launched military operations in Ukraine on 24th February 2022. Russia took this step three days after recognizing Ukraine’s breakaway regions Donetsk and Luhansk as independent entities. On 28th February 2022, the negotiations between the two countries were held in the Gomel city of Belarus though Ukraine had earlier denied having any talks in Belarus citing its involvement in the Russian invasion. The next round of talks is scheduled for 2nd March 2022.

What would India do if China builds military establishment in Bdesh? Who is Abhay Kumar Singh, Putin’s MLA from Bihar, and what he said

OpIndia Staff
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What would India do if China builds military establishment in Bdesh? Who is Abhay Kumar Singh, Putin’s MLA from Bihar, and what he said

Abhay Kumar Singh, a native Indian serving as deputat (the equivalent of an MLA in India) in Putin’s government, has justified Russia’s military action against Ukraine. He said President Putin gave multiple chances to Ukraine to discuss the issues, but things did not work out. Comparing the situation between Russia and Ukraine with India and China, Singh said, “How would India react if China builds a military establishment in Bangladesh?”

‘NATO was created against Russia’

Singh added North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was formed against Russia. “It [NATO] was not dissolved even after the dissolution of Soviet Union, and it kept advancing closer to Russia. Ukraine is next to the Russian border, and they are calling NATO forces that are against the agreement between NATO and Russia. The President had to take steps to ensure our safety,” he said.

‘Ukraine soldiers are using civilians as shield’

Speaking about Putin’s address where he hinted using nuclear weapons, Singh said, “No one needs to be afraid of nuclear weapons. Our President has announced it, but we take action only if we are attacked by other nations.” Speaking to Aaj Tak, he said it is not a two-way war. “The Russian army’s movement in Ukraine is slow as we are ensuring the safety of the civilians.”

Singh alleged the Ukrainian armed forces have been using civilians as shield in the war zone. He said, “They [Ukrainian soldiers] are using the civilians in the shelter as a shield. This is why the Russian Army’s movement is slow.”

‘It is like a surgical strike’

Singh compared the current situation to a surgical strike. When asked how he could call it a surgical strike when the shelling has happened on civilian establishments like malls, Singh said, “We are only attacking the military establishments. If someone shoots at us using a civilian establishment, we have to answer it.”

‘Ukraine’s President has run away’

Singh blamed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the current situation and said, “Ukraine’s President is responsible for the situation. He came under the influence of the other countries and now have run away from the responsibilities.” He further said during discussions Russia has made its stand clear that the President of Ukraine had to step down as he was under the influence of other countries and speaking their language.

‘Ukraine wants to destabilize next government’

The Russian Deputat blamed Ukraine for conspiring to destabilize the future government. He said, “They must be questioned why they are distributing weapons to civilians? They are releasing criminals and handing over weapons to them as well. What are their intentions? It is clear they are preparing to destabilize the next government.”

Abhay Kumar Singh, an Indian serving as a lawmaker in Russia

Abhay Kumar Singh is a native of Patna, Bihar, currently serving as a deputat (equivalent to an MLA) in Kursk, Russia. Singh had joined United Russian Party, President Putin’s political party, in April 2017. However, his political inclination was visible on his Facebook profile from 2015. Singh had completed his education at Loyola High School in Patna. Singh had lost his father at the age of 13. He wanted to become a doctor, and destiny took him to Kursk to pursue a degree in medicine from Kursk State Medical University in 1991.

After acquiring his degree from Russia, he came back to India to practice as a doctor, but things did not work the way he intended. Soon after returning back to India, he decided to return to Kursk and started a pharmaceutical business. His association with political figures came to light in 2012 when then-Indian Ambassador to Russia, Ajai Malhotra, inaugurated Uralskiy Trade Centre, a mall owned by Singh in the heart of Kursk City.

While he continued to build relations with local Russians in Kursk, his Indian connection remained close to his heart. In 2015, on the first International Yoga Day, Singh organized a Yoga event in Kursk. After getting elected as Deputat in 2018, he had said, “India is my origin place, but Russia is my adopted place.” Singh further added as his family and friends are in India, he often tried to visit India.

Speaking to Sunday Guardian after being elected as Deputat, he had said, “My father passed away when I was just 13 years old. At that time only, I had decided to become a doctor. Hence, I came here. After graduating from the Kursk State Medical University, I went back to Patna to practice as a registered doctor there. But I came back here after some time and entered the pharmaceutical business. However, gradually, I entered politics.”

Initially, he felt awkward being the only Indian among the Russian lawmakers, but soon the awkwardness faded away as the fellow lawmakers always respected him for his position in the assembly. While talking about Indian politics, he said he liked Prime Minister Modi and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. He had said, “I am still interested in the political happenings in India, and I like Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar. I want relations between India and Russia to always stay warm as they have been. Everyone here still remembers the popular slogan ‘Hindi Russi Bhai Bhai’. That is the spirit that should govern our relations.”

Speaking about racism in Russia, Singh had told DNA in an interview that though Russia was a tough country for him and there was a language barrier, he was accepted by the locals quickly. He said, “There is a language problem, and Russia is a tough country. In other countries, people accept foreigners easily, but I am also an example of how Russia has accepted outsiders. Racism is a thing of the 1990s, it does not exist anymore.”

SC sentences criminal to life imprisonment in a 2004 murder case, realizes he has already been released after serving 15 years in prison

OpIndia Staff
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SC sentences criminal to life imprisonment in a 2004 murder case, realizes he has already been released after serving 15 years in prison

Last week, the Supreme Court convicted an accused in a murder case pending from the year 2004 only to realize that the lifer had already been released from jail in 2019. A bench of Justices Dinesh Maheshwari and Vikram Nath sentenced life imprisonment to Suresh Yadav who had killed his lover in 2004. The Court was informed that Yadav had already served 15 years 9 months and 27 days in prison and was released by the Chhattisgarh government.

The case dates back to the year 2004 when Yadav had murdered his lover on learning about her involvement with some other person. He had stabbed her 12 times with a sharp blade and laid open her lungs and liver. According to the reports, Yadav was convicted by the trial court in 2006 under section 302 of IPC. The court had also sentenced him to life imprisonment under sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act. Later the HC happened to uphold his conviction and the punishment after it re-examined the evidence on Yadav’s appeal in 2010.

He then moved to the Supreme Court in 2012 who admitted to having listed the appeal in August 2013. After that, the case was listed for hearing thrice but was adjourned every time due to reasonable circumstances. According to the reports, the Supreme Court forgot about the case for the next eight years.

As the apex court, last week decided to uphold the conviction and the punishment aligned by the trial court and the High Court, it was informed that Yadav had already served almost 16 years in prison and was released by the Chhattisgarh government who exercised the power of remission under section 432 of CPC.

According to the Code of Criminal Procedure, when any person is sentenced to punishment for an offence, the appropriate Government may, at any time, without conditions or upon any conditions, suspend the execution of his sentence or remit the whole or any part of the punishment to which he has been sentenced. However, the Supreme Court in its verdict affirmed that ‘dismissal of appeal shall not be of any adverse effect on such exercise of the power of remission by the Chhattisgarh government.

It is pertinent to note that there are about 73,000 cases pending before the Supreme Court and about 44 million in all the courts of India as of last year. A report by NITI Aayog in 2018, stated that cases that had been in the courts for more than 30 years were numbered at 65,695 in December 2018. By January this year, the number has risen to 1,05,560, accounting for 60% raise.

The Supreme Court has 193 working days in a year and has five vacations in its annual calendar. A summer break of 45 days, winter break of 15 days, Holi vacation of one week, five days break each for Dussehra and Diwali which accounts for a total of 193 working days. According to the reports, considering the rate of disposal of cases in Indian Courts, it would take more than 324 years to clear the entire backlog.

Kerala High Court upholds centre’s ban on MediaOne TV over its links with radical Islamist outfit Jamaat-e-Islami

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala High Court upholds centre’s ban on MediaOne TV over its links with radical Islamist outfit Jamaat-e-Islami

On Wednesday, the Kerala High Court upheld the ban imposed on the Malayalam TV channel MediaOne TV.

According to the reports, the division bench of Kerala High Court comprising Chief Justice S Manikumar and Justice Shaji P Chali upheld the single-judge order on the ban on Malayalam news channel MediaOne TV. The Kerala High Court refused to lift the ban on the channel imposed by the Union government, citing “security reasons”.

Madhyamam Broadcasting Limited, owned by the radical Islamist organisation Jamaat-e-Islami, which runs MediaOne TV, had approached the High Court after a single bench refused to lift the ban on the channel.

On February 8, a single-judge bench of Justice N Nagaresh had upheld the ban imposed by the Union Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry. The central government had refused to renew the transmission licence of the channel after the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) refused to give security clearance to the controversial channel, citing “security reasons”.

The single-judge bench had dismissed the petition after observing that material and intelligence reports supported the ban on the channel. The court observed that there were sufficient grounds for denying permission to renew the channel’s licence.

Passing the orders, Justice AN Nagaresh said he had gone through the files. “I find that the ministry has called for reports from various intelligence agencies. Based on those inputs, it was found that security clearance should not be renewed. There are inputs that justify the decision. Therefore, I am dismissing the petition,” said the judge.

MediaOne TV’s 10-year permission was to expire on September 29, 2021, and the company had applied for its renewal for another ten years in May last year. On December 29, 2021, the MHA denied security clearance citing “security reasons”. On January 31, the ministry had issued the order barring the channel’s transmission. Hours later, the channel had moved the High Court.

In 2020, the controversial channel with links to radical Islamic organisations faced a 48-hour ban in connection with its reporting of the Anti-Hindu Delhi riots that year.

J&K Students Association sues Turkey-based TRT World for publishing fake images of three Kashmiri students in Agra sedition case

OpIndia Staff
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J&K Students Association sues Turkey-based TRT World for publishing fake images of three Kashmiri students in Agra sedition case

On Monday, the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association sent a legal notice to Turkey’s state-run media outlet TRT World for publishing fake images of students in the Agra Sedition Case and claimed compensation amounting to Rs 1 crore. The legal notice read that the Turkey-based outlet TRT World had broadcast fake images of three Kashmiri students falsely claiming that were arrested in Agra for cheering in support of the Pakistan cricket team in a recent T-20 World Cup Match.

According to the reports, the legal notice by the association was sent through their lawyer Aamir Masoodi who said that the students have been exposed to high risk and loss of career, education and reputation. The Association said that the TRT World had not verified the facts regarding the case and had broadcasted fake images of three Kashmiri students who are at present studying in Karnataka.

National Spokesperson of the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association Nasir Khuehami in the statement claimed that the three students have no direct or indirect connection to the case. He added that TRT World through its ulterior motives had affected the lives of three innocent Kashmiri students and their families.

Seeking an unconditional apology to the students, Khuehami stated that the photographs published by TRT World were circulated continuously for over 24 hours and the consequences faced by the families and innocent students are huge. “TRT must tender an unconditional apology, failing which we shall proceed with defamation proceedings as advised by our legal team”, he said.

The notice read, “TRT World displayed the photographs of other three Kashmiri students namely Talib Majeed, Basit Ahmad Sofi, claiming that they were languishing in jail and are facing sedition charges for praising Pakistan. The claim is totally baseless, highly libellous, and concocted”.

The legal notice further stated that the three students were all studying in Karnataka’s Hubbali under Prime Minister’s Special Scholarship Scheme (PMSSS). According to the reports, they were maliciously arrested in the year 2020 for raising objectionable slogans. “They were released, shifted to the mainstream and are living their normal life peacefully,” it added.

In October last year, the three students named Arsheed Yusuf, Inayat Altaf Sheikh and Showkat Ahmed Ganai were arrested for allegedly sharing anti-India messages on WhatsApp after Pakistan’s victory against India in the T-20 World Cup Cricket Match. All in their twenties, the three students were enrolled at Raja Balwant Singh Engineering College in Agra in Uttar Pradesh state under a special scholarship programme meant for students from the conflict torn region.

They are currently lodged at the Agra district jail. They have been charged with cyber terrorism, sedition, promoting enmity between different groups, and making statements likely to cause alarm to the public.

Congress funded by Russians? Plurals Party of Bihar resurrects a 1970s issue: Read how

OpIndia Staff
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Congress funded by Russians? Plurals Party of Bihar resurrects a 1970s issue: Read how

In a stunning accusation, the Bihar-based Plurals Party has questioned the silence of the Congress party over the ongoing Ukraine crisis, asking them whether the alleged Russian funding has forced them to be a mute spectator amidst the ongoing global turmoil.

Taking to Twitter, the Plurals Party said that the government’s dilemma over the Ukraine invasion is still understandable. However, the silence of the opposition, including the Congress, who pretend to be liberals, is absurd. “Is it intellectual and moral impoverishment or the effect of Russian funding for elections?” The Plurals Party questioned the opposition party, especially the Congress.

Tweet by The Plurals Party

It is pertinent to note that Plurals Party, co-founded by the London-return Pushpam Priya Choudhary, had suffered humiliating results in the 2020 Bihar elections. Following the results, Pushpam Priya Choudhary had suffered a meltdown and had resorted to accusations of EVM tampering. 

The tweet put out by the Plurals Party comes amidst the ongoing clashes between NATO-backed Ukraine and the Russian troops. Last Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin had announced limited military operations against Ukraine. In a televised address, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the special operation to be conducted in East Ukraine to “demilitarise” and “denazify” Ukraine.

Since then, the battle between the Russian troops and the NATO-backed Ukrainian forces has turned dangerous, resulting in massive damage to properties and loss of lives.

Amidst these clashes, the Indian government has taken a prudent stand to stay neutral and has repeatedly called both parties to adhere to UN Charter and international law while asking them to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states.

In the meantime, the Modi-led government is also making all efforts to evacuate the Indian citizens stranded in Ukraine. More than 18,000 Indian students were believed to be staying in Ukraine when the clashes began. The government swiftly launched “Operation Ganga” to evacuate its citizens, mostly students, and has been running several flights to bring back to India safely.

Even as the government is making all its efforts to bring back stranded Indians safely, the political blame-game back at home has not stopped. The opposition parties, especially the Congress party, have again resorted to politicising issues concerning the country’s security by repeatedly questioning the government over its stand on the Ukraine-Russia crisis.

Ever since the war broke out, the Gandhi-scion Rahul Gandhi has openly criticised the government’s approach in handling the issue and has been continuously attacking the Modi government’s evacuation process.

Congress party and the allegation of its nexus with the Soviets

The allegations of the Congress party’s nexus with the Russians is not a new one. For decades now, there have been rumours and allegations that the Congress party is one of the beneficiaries of the Soviet Union, especially during the Indira Gandhi rule in the 1970s.

According to reports and testimonials by former Soviet spies, during the cold war period, both CIA and KGB, the spy agencies of the US and USSR, respectively, carried out proxy civil wars in various countries and fought hard to establish their influence.

Vasili Mitrokhin, a KGB spy who later defected to the United Kingdom, had revealed many secret documents in his “Mitrokhin Archive”, in which he revealed that Joseph Stalin had a rather poor opinion of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India. He had disclosed that Stalin regarded Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi as “imperialist puppets”. However, the Soviets had a favourable opinion of Indira Gandhi, nicknamed Vano.

The KGB had managed to infiltrate deeper into the Indian government, revealed Mitrokhin, adding that Indira Gandhi was given 20 million rupees in exchange for crucial information. Mitrokhin had also claimed that at least seven cabinet ministers from the Congress party were elected due to Soviet funding during the regime of Indira Gandhi, while the defence minister during Nehru’s tenure – V Krishna Menon was also given Soviet backing.

Mitrokhin Archives said that due to Soviet backing and influence, former defence minister V. Krishna Menon purchased Soviet MiGs instead of British lightning aircraft after his election campaign got funded by KGB in 1962 and 1967.

The Congress party had denied all the allegations made by Soviet spy Mitrokhin.

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