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Halting celebratory procession, pelting stones on Hindus and more: 6 incidents when Islamists displayed Hinduphobia during the festival of Holi

OpIndia Staff
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Halting celebratory procession, pelting stones on Hindus and more: 6 incidents when Islamists displayed Hinduphobia during the festival of Holi

The festival of Holi in many parts of India turned violent following the communal ferocity exhibited by the Islamists, who harbour deep contempt for the Indic faiths and believe in the supremacy of Islam. Several incidents of attack on Hindus were reported amid the joyous festival of colours, manifesting their clear hate against the Hindu community.

Reportedly, the festival of Holi this year appeared on Friday and happened to coincide with the Muslim festival Shab-e-Barat. While a few people belonging to the Hindu community celebrated Holi, the Muslims were seen visiting the nearby Mosques to offer Namaz. With loud DJ music being played in the background, the Namazis who usually make use of loudspeakers in the Mosques daily happened to object to the once-in-a-year celebrations of Holi.

Here are the recent six major episodes of attack on Hindus during the festival of Holi.

Uttarakhand: Muslims arrived to offer Namaz, attacked Hindus

The Uttarakhand Police on March 19 registered an FIR against Najar Hasan Ansari, Arbaz Ansari, and Mustakim for attacking a group of Hindus while they were playing Holi in the Laldhang area of Shyampura. According to the reports, the people from the Muslim community had arrived on the spot to offer Namaz and brutally attacked the Hindus with bricks. Laldhang’s BJP chief Alok Dwivedi lodged an official complaint against the Muslims and said that Hindus were attacked with stones and bricks while peacefully playing with the colours on the occasion of Holi.

The Muslim community has however blatantly lodged a cross-complaint saying that the Hindus allegedly attacked them while they were returning to their home after offering Namaz. The police have registered both the FIRs and are investigating the case.

Noida- Celebration of Holi interrupted, DJ ceased for Namaz

On Sunday (March 20), the people of the Hindu community were forcefully asked to stop the celebration of Holi by the Muslims who wanted to offer Namaz at the due hours. The Muslims accused the Hindu people of deliberately playing with colours during the Namaz hours and asked them to call off the Holi celebrations. As reported, the Hindu people refused to conclude the celebration following which the Muslims registered an official complaint to the Police.

Based on the complaint of the Muslim community, the Police ceased the DJ sound and directed the Hindus to discontinue the event. Reports mention that the DJ sound was returned to Hindus at night only after the Muslims finished observing the Shab-e-Barat. Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s Vinod Bansal tweeted the video of the incident and said that the Hindus were suppressed and Muslims were given priority by the Police. “The festival of Holi is being celebrated by suppressing the Hindus. Jihadis are given shelter, priority, and encouragement!! Are Hindus second class citizens for UP Police?”, he tweeted.

The UP Police however clarified that the Hindus were not stopped from playing Holi. “We had received complaints that people (Hindus) were forcefully throwing colours at the locals. We reached the spot and tried to pacify the matter. Later at 9 pm, we again received a complaint that they (Hindus) were playing heavy sounds on the DJ system and the locals were getting disturbed”, the Police said post action.

Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh: Hindus attacked for playing Holi in the areas surrounding a mosque

On Friday, the people from the Muslim community attacked two persons who were playing with the colours in the areas surrounding a mosque. The people from the community in Behari claimed that the two had allegedly thrown colors at the mosque in the city. The youths were allegedly dragged by the mob and were kicked, beaten with sticks while they were on their bike, heading home after playing Holi. The youths somehow saved their lives.

Himanshu Patel, Bareilly chief of the ‘Rashtriya Yogi Sena’ tweeted the video to Bareilly Police and said, “Muslim people surrounded and attacked two bike-riding Hindu brothers passing through the road, badly hit them. Police must take cognizance of the matter and take action against the culprits”

Tensions aroused further as more people from the Muslim community joined the argument and blocked the streets and the Nanital Highway. The video of the incident went viral over social media where people from the community could be seen pelting stones and disrupting the law and order of the city. The Police, further trying to control the situation carried out a baton charge and dispersed the crowd.

Amroha, Uttar Pradesh: Namazis pelt stones because Hindus were playing music

In the Amroha on March 18, the celebration of Holi was disrupted as the members of the Muslim community took offense to the DJ music being played by Hindus as a part of the Holi festival. They pelted stones at the Hindus dancing to the song made on CM Yogi Adityanath while celebrating Holi, in Mohalla Chhanga Darwaza of Amroha UP. Two Hindus- Adesh and Bunty were reportedly injured in the stone-pelting incident.

The video of the incident had gone viral over social media. In the video, many Muslims could be seen pelting stones from the roofs of two adjacent buildings. The stones were aimed at a building in the opposite direction which could not be seen in the video.

The Amroha Police later stated that they had identified the accused from the viral videos and had arrested 3 persons under relevant sections of the IPC.

Begusarai, Bihar: 300 Muslims united to attack Hindus with swords-

The Muslim community in Begusarai’s Rajour attacked the Hindu community with sharp swords and knives, severely injuring more than 20 Hindus. According to the reports, a petty fight between small children of the two communities led more than 300 Muslims to unite and attack the Hindus on the occasion of Holi. The Hindu organisation in Rajour revealed that the area is considered to be sensitive and now Hindus are feeling unsafe. “The Police also didn’t take action against them”, the organisation had said. The injured are reported serious and are being treated in the hospital.

Jharkhand: Islamists halt celebratory procession, pelt stones at Hindus

On March 18, the people of the Muslim community pelted stones at the Hindus during the celebration of Holi in Topchanchi, Dhanbad district of Jharkhand. According to the reports, the Islamists first disallowed Hindus celebrating Holi to pass through ‘their’ area and then resorted to stone-pelting when the latter resented. Police vehicles were also damaged by the stone-pelters. The police resorted to lathi-charge to bring the situation under control.

Though peace prevailed after police intervention, a large police contingent had been deployed to avoid any further untoward incidents. Reports mention that the vehicles of CO Vikas Kumar Trivedi and Baghmara’s SDPO Nisha Murmu were damaged by the stone-pelters. The SDPO was also hurt in the incident.

Eight men, including two DMK workers and 4 juveniles, arrested in Tamil Nadu for raping a Dalit woman, had filmed the act and blackmailed her with the tape

OpIndia Staff
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Eight men, including two DMK workers and 4 juveniles, arrested in Tamil Nadu for raping a Dalit woman, had filmed the act and blackmailed her with the tape

In the Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu, a 22-year-old Dalit woman was gang-raped by eight men, including two DMK workers and four juveniles. On Monday, March 21, all eight were detained based on a complaint filed by the victim.

According to reports, the arrested were Hariharan (27), Junaith Ahamed (27), Praveen (21), Madasamy (37), and four other minor boys from Virudhunagar studying in Classes X, XI, and XII.

Hariharan, a DMK worker, made friends with the 22-year-old Dalit lady in Virudhunagar a few months ago. Hariharan later brought the woman to a remote location and raped her. The man allegedly then videotaped the act and shared it with his companions.

Following this, Hariharan and his associates blackmailed the survivor by threatening to leak the recording on social media if she did not comply with the sex in exchange, as they asked. 

Thereafter, they exploited the video as a ruse and began sexually assaulting her on many occasions over the previous two months.

The victim, who works for a private firm, contacted Madasamy, a driver with whom she was familiar. Madasamy received the tapes from the males under the guise of warning them. He then threatened and raped the victim using the videos. On Sunday, the victim filed a complaint with the women’s helpline (number 181), prompting the police to launch an investigation.

Based on the victim’s statement, the police filed a rape case against all eight persons under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Hariharan, Junaith Ahamed, Praveen, and Madasamy were taken before the Special Court judge and remanded in judicial custody for cases registered under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The other four juvenile boys were produced before a magistrate and sent to a correction home in Madurai. More information is anticipated as the investigation continues.

Besides all, DMK MP Kanimozhi expressed her sympathies for the incident stating, “Strict action must be taken irrespective of who has committed the heinous crime.” She noted that the only relief is that all of the suspects have been detained.

Inside Ericsson’s bribery and corruption network in war-torn Iraq, which includes its deals with ISIS terrorists: A comprehensive explainer

Suyash
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Inside Ericsson’s bribery and corruption network in war-torn Iraq, which includes its deals with ISIS terrorists: A comprehensive explainer

A storm has rocked the fate of Swedish Telecom giant Ericsson after an investigation revealed its deals with the terrorist group ISIS when it had gained control of Iraq in 2014. The company’s internal investigation has revealed that the company sought permission from ISIS to smuggle its equipment from alternative routes in Iraq and has also thrown light on corrupt deals of its subcontractors with Islamic State terrorists.

An investigation led by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) exposes Ericsson’s internal probe report in the company which talks in detail about its sustained role in Iraq despite the take over of ISIS. The report reveals that the tech giant minted ‘tens of millions of dollars’ through questionable payments in order to sustain its operations in the war-torn country. The internal investigation done by Ericsson documents its suspicious dealing through slush funds, corrupt dealings of its local subcontractors with terrorists and payoffs to independent executives who wielded its network in Iraq.

Ericsson’s global Corruption racket

In 2013, Ericsson, which is one of key players supported by the US in countering China’s globalist digital expansion dream, admitted that is undergoing an investigation led by the US Department of Justice over allegations of bribery and corruption in many parts of the world. The investigation revealed that Ericsson officials were involved in Bribery in over 5 countries including China, Kuwait, Vietnam, Indonesia and Djbouti which took place over a 17-year period. Another internal investigation in the company revealed that in 2019, the company examined the corruption practices of its employees in over 15 other countries. In the same year, the company entered in a USD 1 billion bribery settlement with the US Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

While Ericsson washed away its sins while signing the settlement with the US, the world was still unaware of its deeds in Iraq. The internal investigation by the company, which was recently exposed by ICIJ was not part of its settlement with the US in 2019. Reportedly, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, a high-powered New York law firm that defended Ericsson in the US probe, was tasked to prepare its controversial dealings with suspected terrorists in Iraq.

The Internal probe on Iraq

The leaked documents procured by ICIJ contain 73 pages from a 79-page report on Ericsson’s dealings in Iraq with summaries of 28 witness interviews and 22.5 million emails from 2011 to 2019. The report records how the company spread its cellular network in one of the most corrupt countries in the world unhinged by the ISIS takeover. The pattern of bribery and corruption rackets were so intertwined that the report could not conclude the beneficiaries of most payments worth millions of dollars.

Ericsson’s business in Iraq was based upon feeding local fixers who connected them to politicians in turn. The company also heavily relied on self-appointed subcontractors whose dealings with possible terrorists has seen the light of the day. The ICIJ report states that Ericsson’s operations in Iraq were marked by “sham contracts, inflated invoices, falsified financial statements and payments to “consultants” with nebulous job descriptions.” For example, Ericsson paid $1.2 million to a member of the powerful Barzani family for facilitation to the chairman of a mobile phone operator who also happened to be from the same family.

The ICIJ has pointed out that the internal review fails to pinpoint the actors involved in the payments made to terrorists, as alleged earlier. No interviews of officials responsible for moving Ericsson equipment through ISIS territory or those of subcontractors involved in direct operations in the ISIS-held city of Mosul were recorded. However, Ericsson’s payments in Iraq were also tied to business in Lebanon and Portugal, the documents have revealed.

While the report alleges ten of its former and current employees for violating the company’s code of conduct by indulging in bribery, fraud, money laundering and obstruction of the investigation, the company itself ‘gifted’ its clients with expensive artwork, clothes, iPads, watches, etc. Among the tainted employees, Ericsson’s account manager for Korek Telecom, Elie Moubarak reportedly asked for a donation of USD 50,000 from the militant Kurdistani Peshmerga forces for ‘fighting the ISIS’. Ericsson’s company executive in charge of the Middle East and Africa also endorsed the donation justifying it as getting mileage from Sirwan Barzani, leader of the Kurdish forces and also the then chairman of Korek Telecom.

Both Ibrahim and Moubarak were later promoted by the company to higher positions later in time. In conclusion, the report says that Ericsson’s sales in Iraq totaled about $1.9 billion from 2011 to 2018.

Operations in 2014 Iraq

In 2014, when the terrorist outfit Islamic State of Iraq and Syria started occupying parts of Iraq, it became a challenge for multinational companies like Ericsson to sustain their operations in the country. Amidst the war when ISIS was pillaging homes and beheading civilian hostages, two Ericsson employees from Iraq’s Mosul requested the company to stop operations. However, the senior regional executives rejected the plea since halting operations would mean losses in millions.

A month after the ISIS takeover, Ericsson asked its local telecom partner Asiacell to seek permission from ISIS for continuing its operations in the Mosul region for a collaborated project called Peroza. This led to the kidnapping of a crew chief and a subcontractor by gun-toting ISIS terrorists. The internal investigation did not rule out the possibility of the company financing terrorism through its subcontractors, although no company employee was found directly involved.

To continue its operations in Iraq, Ericsson continued rolling out money to local sales agents, contractors and middlemen, while distancing itself from the dirty business of securing contracts and doing business in developing countries, the ICIJ report suggests.

The company’s sales agent Jawhar Surchi, through his company Al-Awsat Telecommunication Services, secured contacts for Ericsson in the country and became a channel for its suspicious payments between local beneficiaries. Among the fictitious payments included USD 10.5 million to an Al-Awsat-linked company and USD 27 million for consultancy services. To win the Peroza project which involved upgrading local network systems, Ericsson gave a ‘commission’ of USD 500,000 to telecom company Asiacell through Al-Aswat.

In a Washington Post Interview, Surchi confessed that he told internal investigators of Ericsson that his close contacts to people in power, including Prime Ministers allowed him to pull strings for Ericsson. He said that he did many favours for Ericsson by helping it win contracts in extreme times.

Direct connections with ISIS

Affan, an engineer conducting tests of cell towers at Ericsson-Asiacell joint Peroza Project delivered a letter on behalf of the company to an office where ISIS had set up operations. In an interview with the ICIJ, Affan has detailed how the company sustained itself in Iraq under the observation of ISIS. According to Affan, the letter sought permission from the terrorist group to continue its operations in the Mosul region.

While Affan worked for Ericsson’s local subcontractor called Orbitel Telecommunications, he confessed that he was asked to deliver the letter in person. He reported that three companies in the region including Ericsson continued to work under the ISIS regime, even after several of his colleagues were detained. Later, Affan was called by an ISIS terrorist for a meet at a bridge overpass and was kidnapped by some men in scarves hiding their identity. While One assailant forced him to call a senior Ericsson manager in the northern city of Sulaymaniyah, he then threatened to blow up Ericsson’s offices while demanding millions of dollars.

The kidnapping of Affan and the demand for money by ISIS has been confirmed in the internal investigation of Ericsson. He informed that when he was kidnapped Ericsson abandoned him and stopped answering his calls. Reportedly, an Ericsson manager said Asiacell that “arrangements should be made to obtain the release of the hostage and to let Ericsson continue the work in Mosul.” When asked about the continued sustenance of such companies in Iraq, employers like Affan have said in multiple interviews that before ISIS, companies paid protection money to terrorists to prevent attacks on their equipment and to allow workers to do their jobs.

The Speedway

For the expansion of the Peroza network, Ericsson and Aircell needed to construct cell towers and transport their equipment from areas in northern Iraq to the central region of the country. By taking an alternative longer route called the ‘Speedway’ in the report, Ericsson avoided Iraqi customs checkpoints. However, through the ‘perilous’ Speedway, ISIS terrorists had set up checkpoints for attacking and kidnapping travellers. The report states that by transporting through areas controlled by militias, including ISIS, “it cannot be excluded” that Cargo Iraq – the transportation company hired by Ericsson “engaged in facilitation payments (to official Customs officers), bribery and potential illicit financing of terrorism to carry out its transportation operations.”

Light Blue depicts the alternative route ‘Speedway’ used by Ericsson despite ISIS threat for transportation. Dark Blue line depects normal route lined with government customs checkpoints. Credits: AWOWM

Reportedly, Ericsson paid USD 22,000 per truck to carry three loads on a single day through the Speedway. While the owner of Cargo Iraq denied paying to ISIS, the internal investigation suspects that Asiacell has engaged in smuggling and potential illegitimate payments directly and through Ericsson.

What lies ahead

After the expose of its suspicious tradings with ISIS by the ICIJ and other media, Ericsson Iraq issued a statement on February 15 stating that it remains committed to transparency. “Ericsson takes any allegation of impropriety extremely seriously and welcomes any new facts brought to light as a result. We reiterate our commitment to investigate and take action as appropriate to address any new information, in line with our Code of Business Ethics and under the terms of our 2019 Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA), with US authorities,” the statement said.

After the leak of its internal investigation related to Iraq, The U.S. Department of Justice, on March 2, held the company guilty of failing to disclose its wrongdoings in Iraq before the 2019 criminal settlement on its global-level briberies was signed. It was the US, in its rivalry over telecom networks with Chinese company Huawei, that it favoured western companies like Ericsson to spread their wings and penetrate the developing nations.

Investor shares of Ericsson fell about 9% in Nasdaq Stock Market while CEO Börje Ekholm tried to calm the storm by admitting the embarrassment during a conference call with investors, financial analysts and journalists. The day after Ekholm’s admission that the company might have paid ISIS, Ericsson’s share value dropped to $4.4 billion. However, he maintained that the investigation could not identify any Ericsson employee who was directly involved in financing the terrorists in Iraq.

Since the disclosure, the company is making heavy losses in the market. New York investor David Nyy has filed a lawsuit against the company’s top officials in the New York Federal Court over the company’s potential deals with ISIS. On March 21, Ericsson’s chairman revealed that a “comprehensive review was underway following the company’s potential payments to the Islamic State in Iraq.”

With doubtful dealings with ISIS in war-torn Iraq, Continuing sustenance in the developing country through bribery and corruption, and while all of this being done by putting its employees at risk, Ericsson’s Iraq innings is the darkest chapter in its global shenanigans.

Is Rahul Gandhi a conspiracy against Congress or is he just truly gifted: Here are some facts from all the states in India

Shwetank Bhushan
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Is Rahul Gandhi a conspiracy against Congress or is he just truly gifted: Here are some facts from all the states in India

The dust finally settles on all the five states’ elections with a terrible Congress beating in all five. The fraudsters masquerading as intellectuals are done with weaving fake narratives. One more time they have been checkmated by the sheer brilliance of their beloved leader. 

The call for ‘Congress-Mukt-Bharat’ could have been given by Narendra Modi, but it is Rahul Gandhi who took it to heart. Who is Modi to have any say about Congress? If somebody must achieve a ‘Congress-Mukt-Bharat’, it must be Rahul Gandhi himself. And so, election after elections, this brave warrior marches on his political conquest with his single-minded pursuit of annihilating the party he leads, Congress. Even his worst critics admire his uncanny ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. 

It was December 2017 when Rahul Gandhi was elevated as Congress President. The fraudsters told us that Congress took this gamble expecting electoral triumph in Gujarat and being able to retain Himachal. They had no clue what was to hit them in the coming years. Most stunning of Congress leadership years was about to commence.

2017 Gujrat election was a tough one for BJP for a multitude of reasons – over 20 years of anti-incumbency, Patidar agitation, and the biggest was disruptive reforms of Demonetization and GST, that were not taken too kindly by huge business communities of Gujarat. Once the results were out, BJP easily retained Gujarat and Himachal gave BJP a two-thirds majority. 

Prince had opened his account of the most charismatic political innings with two boundaries off first two balls. He was just getting warmed up.

He did resign the post of party president after the 2019 debacle but has kept the reign of the party in his hand and is all set to take the formal charge whenever he feels like it, no matter what happens in CWC.

To be able to truly appreciate the grandeur of his sparkling performances, let’s take a tour of the pan-Indian political landscape to examine the accelerated evaporation of Congress from the electoral matrix.

NORTHEAST

The ever-so beautiful area of ‘Seven Sisters’ has always been Congress’s political citadel. The contest in this area has typically been between a dominant Congress and a host of regional parties in different states. It needed some exceptional effort to wipe itself out and that’s what Rahul Gandhi could achieve within a remarkably short period of time. 

It all started with Rahul Gandhi managing to force the party’s man Friday in Assam, Himanta Biswa Sharma out of the party to archrival BJP. And he achieves it through very personal humiliation to Himanta. This was the same Himanta Biswa Sharma who was instrumental in pulling the 2006 and 2011 elections in favour of Congress against all odds. The rest is history, as they say. Congress not only managed to lose Assam, Himanta vowed to defeat Congress from the entirety of the North-East. 

Manipur has been Congress’s citadel till 2017. In 2017, Congress once again emerged as the single largest party, just two short of the majority. But such was Rahul’s masterly manoeuvres that BJP managed to form the government. In five years, BJP managed a clean sweep, and Rahul’s Congress managed to gift away even the opposition space to regional parties. 

In Tripura, Congress with almost 40% vote share was always in neck and neck fight with the Left, till Rahul Gandhi took the control of the party and led it to open in-fighting within the state unit. As a result, in 2018, the Left was finally decimated by BJP and Congress managed to bring its vote share down to below 2% without opening its account. The same performance was repeated in Nagaland, where Congress managed to draw a blank down from the second position in the previous election. The same story Meghalaya. These were performances that left both supporters and critics gasping for breath. 

Congress always ruled Arunachal Pradesh till 2019, always winning most decisively in all assembly elections. And yet, under Rahul Gandhi, it was routed so badly by rival BJP that it landed in 4th place. The story of Rahul’s spark is no different in Mizoram.

Congress’s quick and complete degeneration under the regenerative leadership of Rahul Gandhi from the North-East is perhaps the most underrated and untold political story of recent years. 

NORTH

Nowhere the leadership of Rahul Gandhi has been proven as intuitive and decisive as in the state of Punjab. This was one state that was supposed to be a cakewalk for Congress till a few months back. Chief Minister Captain Amrinder Singh seemed in complete control of the state politically reaping benefits from Farmers’ agitation. That was till Rahul intervened with one of the most bizarre interventions by openly backing his archrival, a political joker and turncoat Navjot Singh Sidhu for the post of PCC chief. Sidhu continued to embarrass Captain politically, forcing Captain to resign and quit the party. Rahul could not even muster up the courage to make Sidhu the Chief Minister, who was questioned for his shenanigans vis-a-vis Pakistan. Rahul then went on to appoint a most corrupt guy, Channi as CM just months before the elections. The results, were a complete route for ruling Congress, with both Channi and Sidhu losing elections and a landslide for AAP. Rarely has one witnessed such comical handover of the elections ever.

Congress’s extinction from Uttar Pradesh is a long story and Congress was already in a bad shape when Rahul took reigns. Even in UP, under Priyanka Gandhi, who is proving to be even more inspirational than her brother, Congress could manage to completely wipe itself out of political considerations bring its seat down to 2 and vote share down to 2%. In their traditional bastions, Amethi and Rae Bareli, Congress could not open its account. Rahul himself has moved to Kerala, even Sonia Gandhi won’t dare to contest Raebareli.  

Anti-incumbency was palpable in Uttarakhand with BJP changing three CMs in five years. This was one state, where no incumbent government has ever come back to power since its inception. Yet, Rahul could manage just that. Here Rahul Gandhi engaged his CM candidate Harish Rawat more for creating chaos in neighbouring Punjab. Rather than addressing issues of the Garhwal region, where the Party flunked badly. Rawat also ludicrously promised a Muslim University in a state that is known as ‘Devbhoomi’. All these tomfooleries fell flat on its face giving Rahul Gandhi another feather in his cap.

State leadership in Haryana has desisted Congress’s collapse. However, with the ageing Hooda and the imbecilic elevation of electorally inutile Surjewala, Rahul should achieve the goal by the next election. In Delhi, in a tacit understanding with AAP, Congress decided to shift its votes to AAP and stop BJP. That happened but then this shift is now permanent. How enigmatic for a party that ruled Delhi for 15 years on a trot. Only a leader with a vision as bright as Rahul Gandhi could have achieved this.

WEST

Under Rahul Gandhi, Congress has been able to push itself to fourth position electorally in Maharashtra becoming a junior partner to its own offspring NCP. And post 2019 in a most sacrilegious post-poll alliance, it did manage to be part of a Maha-corrupt Maha-Aghadi government, which is always in limelight for only bad reasons. Congress remains trivial in running affairs of the state but an equal party to share the blame for its antics. It may very well find itself to be politically inconsequential in a very short time.

Congress emerged as the single largest party in Goa in 2017, yet BJP manoeuvred to form the Govt after a hilarious set of events. Under Rahul, Congress received a serious drubbing against all odds and by next election should concede its political space to AAP.

EAST

In Bihar, Congress was already reduced to a small player for decades with less than 10% vote share, being a junior partner to RJD. Rahul displayed his innovative leadership by appointing Alpesh Thakor and Shaktisinh Gohil of Gujarat in important political positions related to Bihar. These leaders then started a campaign against North Indians in Gujarat, which was played by RJD to fuel sentiments against PM Modi. As a result, while RJD could win a high percentage of seats, Congress performed so poorly that it gave BJP-JDU the lead to form the government. In coming elections, RJD might even ditch Congress that could find itself being reduced to rubbles like in UP.

In Jharkhand, though the party continue to be on the downside, it could piggyback on JMM for some more time. One of the rare instances when Rahul phenomenon could not obliterate its ally. 

In Bengal, Rahul Gandhi with a stroke of political genius formed an unthinkable alliance with the Communists, while fighting them in Kerala simultaneously. Congress achieved absolutely cypher in Bengal, yes, they most unexpectedly lost even in Kerala. Congress’s extinction from West Bengal is now complete, kudos to Rahul. In Odisha, Congress doesn’t have any MP since 2009 and under Rahul, it has even ceded the main opposition space to BJP.

SOUTH

Since the 70s, between Communists-led LDF and Congress-led UDF, Kerala had always voted the incumbent out. Till 2021, when Rahul did the impossible by forging an alliance with the Left in WB and letting LDF come back. With Rahul himself coming to Muslim majority Waynad, now Congress is set to become the junior partner of the Indian Muslim League in UDF. The non-communist Hindus will have no choice to embrace BJP, completing Congress’s extinction from Kerala.

2018 Karnataka election followed a year of flirtations between Congress and JDS to keep BJP out of power. After an emotional and tearful breakup, BJP resumed its duty of power and sanity prevailed. With a waning JDS, Rahul could still make Congress weaker by fueling the rift between PCC chief Sivakumar and Legislative Party leader Siddaramaiah. 

Since Congress engineered a bitter division of the State of Andhra Pradesh in 2013, creating the state of Telangana, Congress has handed over both the states to TDP and TRS respectively. The Congress Party’s exit as a political force in Tamil Nadu was completed in the late 60s, with K Kamraj exiting Indira-led Congress. Poor Rahul has nothing left to do. But yes, one must never forget, how magnificently he managed an exit from Puducherry against all odds.

However, the real trouble Rahul Gandhi is facing are the states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh, which has no regional parties to replace Congress. Yet, one can’t blame Rahul for his lack of effort.

In Madhya Pradesh, Digvijay Singh and Kamalnath are becoming inconsequential with age. The only hope for the Party was Jyotiraditya Scindhia, who has already crossed over to BJP after being snubbed by Rahul. In Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, Chief Ministers Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Baghel face challengers within the Party. With elections due in these two states next year, Rahul Gandhi is certain to weave his magic to ensure defeat. Complete decimation of the party is still unlikely without the absence of other regional parties, but who knows, he might even have a few more hidden tricks up his sleeve.

In the days to come, we expect him to continue his glorious political path of shoot and scoot, venomous muckraking and spouting innuendos against the PM and philosophical gibberish suitable only for political memes. He would continue to sideline any leader with substance, elevating sycophants and demotivating the rank and file of party cadre. He knows that the compliant cabal would continue to cheer for his coming of age despite Congress continuing to degenerate, losing state after state.

Is there a method in this madness? Is Rahul truly gifted or there is a concerted effort to destroy Congress from the political landscape? It appears if everything happens as per plan, he might retire to some seaside villa in Italy or Bangkok. The question is what happens to all the real estate belonging to Congress?

This article has been co-authored by Rajneesh (@rajneeshisback)

Ukraine: Authorities detain a social media user for sharing military locations on TikTok

OpIndia Staff
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Ukraine: Authorities detain a social media user for sharing military locations on TikTok

On March 21 (Local Time), The Security Service of Ukraine published a video in which an arrested man was shown. As per the description, the man had uploaded a video on TikTok that allegedly leaked out the location of the Ukrainian Army in Kyiv. The video was uploaded on February 24. The video showed a shopping centre close to which Ukrainian soldiers were camping in their vehicles.

Subsequently, the Russian army found that video and used the location information for a missile attack. In its statement, the Security Agencies said that the person knowingly or unknowingly shared the information with the Russians, and the matter is under investigation. They further appealed to the citizens not to share videos of the Ukrainian army’s movement on social media as it could lead to such incidents.

The TikTok War

The social media platform TikTok has become one of the top platforms being used by the Ukrainians to show the impact of Russia’s military action on the country. On several occasions, it was reported that the videos and posts shared by Ukrainians on TikTok made it possible for the country to attract more support. However, experts believe such victories on social media platforms will not have any substantial impact on the ground.

It is evident that Ukrainians uploaded the videos to gain sympathy and support from the world, but now it is backfiring as Russian forces are allegedly using the same videos to plan missile attacks.

Russia launches ‘military operations’ against Ukraine

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced limited military operations against Ukraine. In a televised address, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the special operation to be conducted in East Ukraine.

Putin had added explicitly that Moscow did not plan on occupying Ukraine. He said the military action he announced would seek to “demilitarise” and “denazify” Ukraine and came in response to threats from Ukraine.

According to Ukraine’s border guard agency, the Russian military had entered the country from neighbouring Belarus. But soon, as Ukraine resisted the incoming Russian forces, Moscow opened multiple fronts in a bid to force Zelenskyy onto the negotiation table. However, 4 weeks into the invasion, Ukraine is defiantly holding out against the Russian forces, with the fight now shifting to important trade and commerce centres in Ukraine from the barren and desolate borders.

Former R&AW chief AS Dulat toes Congress propaganda; whitewashes genocide of Kashmiri Hindus by calling ‘The Kashmir Files’ a propaganda movie

OpIndia Staff
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Former R&AW chief AS Dulat toes Congress propaganda; whitewashes genocide of Kashmiri Hindus by calling ‘The Kashmir Files’ a propaganda movie

Continuing to Congress propaganda, former Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) chief AS Dulat whitewashed the genocide and exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley, stating that the popular perception of the migration of Kashmiri Hindus differed from the reality.

Speaking on Vivek Agnihotri’s The Kashmir Files, Dulat said the movie had evoked polarising recollections of those times. He stated that he has not watched the movie and had no plans to do so. “I don’t see propaganda. And it is a propaganda movie,” he said.

When asked about Jagmohan, the governor of Jammu and Kashmir, he stated that while he was governor till August 1989, the environment had altered beyond recognition by the time he returned the following January. “The Kashmir that he came back to after four or five months, it was totally different from the Kashmir he had left. He was quite shaken himself,” he stated.

“When these killings started, he didn’t want the pandits to bear the brunt of it. So once they started leaving, he was quite happy,” Dulat stated implying that when the Kashmiri pandit migration from Kashmir began, Jagmohan was relieved.

“It was a natural reaction. If they are leaving, ‘Good.’ There was no way that we could provide any protection to them because things were so bad,” he further added.

According to Dulat, the pandit migration began immediately after the killings in 1990. The more affluent members of the community proceeded to Delhi, while those who had nowhere else to go resorted to camps established up in Jammu. To soften the blow, Dulat mentioned that Kashmiri Muslims who could afford it also departed for places like Delhi. They returned when the situation appeared to be improving.

Dulat said that many pandits who chose to remain behind were “protected by Muslims.” Also, he claimed that the pandits too stayed behind in the valley.

According to Dulat, if Pandits returned, their neighbours and friends would endeavour to protect them. However, he maintained that establishing distinct colonies for them is the incorrect way to go about it. “If you built a separate colony for them, they would be targeted,” he argued.

From extolling ISI to promoting Congress propaganda on Kandahar hijacking: Controversial utterances made by Dulat in past

It is worth noting that Dulat has often been accused of being a dove who supported and furthered Congress propaganda on Kashmir and Pakistan. Back in 2015, Dulat fuelled the Congress propaganda on the Kandahar hijacking of IC-814 in 1999, which led to the release of three terrorists, including JeM chief Masood Azhar, alleging that it was “goof up” on India’s part to not have immobilised the aeroplane when it was grounded in Amritsar.

This assertion is a part of the Congress propaganda to malign the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, which was then at the Centre. Ever since the hijacking took place, the Congress party had been using it to attack the BJP government, notwithstanding numerous terror attacks that took place when Congress was at the Centre, including the ghastly 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in 2008.

Besides, Dulat had also heaped praises on Pakistan’s secret intelligence agency ISI, extolling it to be the world’s best intelligence agency.

West Bengal: Mob torches houses in Birbhum following the murder of TMC leader Bhadu Sheikh, 8 burnt alive

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: Mob torches houses in Birbhum following the murder of TMC leader Bhadu Sheikh, 8 burnt alive

On Tuesday (March 22) night, at least 8 people were charred to death after unidentified miscreants set a dozen houses on fire. The incident took place in the Rampurhat area in the Birbhum district of West Bengal.

ANI reported that 7 dead bodies were recovered from a single house, which was then sent to the Rampurhat medical college hospital. As per a report published by India Today, the miscreants locked the houses from outside before setting them ablaze, thereby leaving no scope for the occupants to vacate.

On receiving information about the arson attack, a team of fire officials, local police, forensic experts and the Birbhum district magistrate reached the crime spot. Journalist Pooja Mehta reported that the cause of the fire breakout is yet to be ascertained.

She informed that a Special Investigation Team (SIT), comprising of ADG CID Gyanwant Singh, ADG Western Zone Sanjay Singh and DIG CID (Operations) Meeraj Khalid, has been constituted to probe the incident. Journalist Pooja Mehta added that Officer-in-Charge (OC) and the Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) has been suspended.

The aftermath of the arson attack in Birbhum, image via Aaj Tak Bangla

Arson attack in West Bengal meant to avenge the murder of a TMC leader, party refutes claims: Reports

The Times of India reported that the incident took place in the aftermath of the killing of a Trinamool Congress (TMC) functionary named Bhadu Sheikh. The deceased was a panchayat member who has allegedly attacked with crude bombs while he was sitting at a shop on National Highway-60 on Monday (March 21).

“As he was a popular leader, the mob attacked some of the houses of the opposition gang at the village of Bhadu Sheikh. Police have so far arrested one person for the murder of Sheikh,” the report stated. TOI pointed out that the fire service was initially obstructed from extinguishing the fire after they reached the crime scene.

As per a report in The Week, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has alleged that a dozen houses were set on fire to avenge the murder of Bhadu Sheikh.

Screengrab of the news report by The Week

“CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty alleged the violence was a result of internal rivalries in the TMC. However, Anubrata Mandal, district president of the TMC, denied there was any murder or violence and claimed the fire was triggered by a short circuit,” the report added.

Similarly, a report published in the Indian Express said the arson attack was in response to the murder of Bhadu Sheikh. It is learned that family members of Fatik Sheikh and Chhota Lalon Sheikh have been burnt to death. Fatik and Chhota Lalon are accused of killing Bhadu Sheikh, deputy chief of the Trinamool Congress (TMC)-controlled Barshal village panchayat.

Meanwhile, the BJP said that the arson attack in the Birbhum district of West Bengal was reminiscent of CPI(M)-era mass killings and demanded imposition of the President’s rule in the State.

Russia bans Facebook and Instagram after court finds parent company Meta ‘extremist’

OpIndia Staff
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Russia bans Facebook and Instagram after court finds parent company Meta ‘extremist’

A Russian court has banned Facebook and Instagram in the country, labeling its parent company Meta as “extremist”. Russia had approached the court to declare Meta an extremist organization after it eased its hate speech policies to allow calls for violence against Russians on Facebook and Instagram.

Access to Facebook and Instagram was already restricted in Russia after the company’s decision to allow hate speech against Russian soldiers and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Meta had later clarified that they do not allow calls for assassinations of heads of state, and relaxation in their rules is only for speech against Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Nick Clegg, President, Global Affairs, for Meta had tweeted out a statement saying that the relaxed hate speech rules will apply only to the people in Ukraine. He had tried to claim that this will not be used against ordinary Russians and they will not support any Russophobia.

However, the court in Moscow didn’t buy Meta’s arguments. The court concluded that Facebook and Instagram, highly popular among Russians, were carrying out extremist activities. However, the court decided not to ban Meta’s Whatsapp service noting that it is a means of communication, and not a source of information.

“The activities of Meta are directed against Russia and its armed forces. We ask that Meta be banned and that this decision be enforced immediately,” Igor Kovalevsky, a spokesperson for Russia’s FSB security service, reportedly told the court.

Kovalevsky further said in the court ,“The use of Meta’s products by individuals and legal entities should not be considered as participation in extremist activities. Individuals will not be held liable for using Meta’s services.”

Facebook and Instagram may not be the last western social media giants to get banned from Russia during the course of the ongoing war with Ukraine. Last week, Russian communications watchdog had accused Google and its subsidiary YouTube of terrorist activities asking them to stop broadcasting anti-Russian videos.

Gang-rape in Shahdol: MP government demolishes accused Shadab Usmani’s house with bulldozers

OpIndia Staff
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Gang-rape in Shahdol: MP government demolishes accused Shadab Usmani’s house with bulldozers

On Tuesday, March 22, the house of a gang-rape accused, Shadab Usmani, was demolished by the Madhya Pradesh government authorities on the directives of CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Usmani, along with his friends, Rajesh Singh and Sonu George, gang-raped a 28-year-old woman in Madhya Pradesh’s Shahdol district on Saturday last week, police said.

The victim was admitted to the hospital following the brutality meted out on her by the three accused. Unfortunately, however, the victim could not be saved as she succumbed to her injuries during her treatment.

Three days after the incident, the Madhya Pradesh government ordered the demolition of the house of the main accused, Shadab Usmani, who along with his two friends gang-raped the woman. The local police and the district administration officials on Tuesday reached Usmani’s house with a couple of bulldozers and razed down his house located in Javara locality in Shahdol district.

Talking about the demolition, Shahdol district collector Vandana Vadya said,” The house of main accused Shadab Usmani was demolished today. While two other accused involved in the case were living a rented accommodation.”

Usmani was reportedly in love with the woman for the past one-and-a-half years and had taken her to picnic on Saturday to a spot in the Kshirsagar area, around 20 km from the district headquarters Shahdol.

“After reaching Kshirsagar, Usmani called his two friends over to the spot and consumed alcohol. They then took turns to rape the woman. The victim was force-fed a poisonous substance, which led to her death in the hospital,” a senior police officer was quoted as saying by IANS.

Following the incident, Usmani fled from the spot while his two friends dropped the victim outside the district hospital. On reaching the hospital, the two tried to pass it off as a case of excessive consumption of alcohol. One of the accused, the police said, even called up the family of the victim and informed them that the woman had consumed alcohol and was in critical condition.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan government apes Yogi Adityanath regime, demolishes houses of culprits to instill fear among offenders

The practice of demolishing the house of culprits in order to discourage others from committing serious offences has of late been adopted by Shivraj Singh Chouhan government after it was effectively used by Yogi Adityanath in Uttar Pradesh, where its use had dramatically brought down the crime rate in a state that had been chronically plagued with issues concerning law and order before the BJP government came to power in 2017.

With a view to engendering fear of irreparable consequences for one’s criminal inclinations, the Madhya Pradesh government, too, have aped the Yogi Adityanath regime by razing down residences of felons accused of committing serious offences.

Recently, after violence swept Madhya Pradesh’s Raisen district, the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government swung into action, taking strict action against the people involved in the violence. After receiving the instructions from the government, the local district administration got into action mode and demolished the illegal homes and shops of the culprits.

Similarly, in another case of rape of a minor girl in Sheopur, the government demolished the illegal houses of the accused Mohsin, Riyaz and Sehwaj.

President Ram Nath Kovind confers Padma awards for 2022: Learn more about the recipients

OpIndia Staff
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President Ram Nath Kovind confers Padma awards for 2022: Learn more about the recipients

At the Civil Investiture Ceremony conducted at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday, President Ram Nath Kovind conferred the Padma awards for the year 2022. The Padma Awards, instituted in 1954, are one of India’s highest civilian honours. The award is given in three categories. Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri. These awards are intended to reward accomplishments in all professions or disciplines where public service is a factor.

The recipients of the Padma awards 2022 include Radhey Shyam Khemka (Posthumous), General Bipin Rawat (Posthumous), Ghulam Nabi Azad, Gurmeet Bawa (Posthumous), N. Chandrasekharan, Devendra Jhajharia, Rashid Khan, Dr Cyrus Poonawalla, Swami Sivananda, and Professor Vishwa Murti Shastri.

Here is a rundown of some of the most notable recipients who were awarded this year.

CDS General Bipin Rawat (posthumously)

General Bipin Rawat (Posthumous) was awarded the Padma Vibhushan by President Ram Nath Kovind for his service to the nation. He was a highly decorated 4 star General of the Indian Army. General Rawat was instrumental in initiating revolutionary changes in the Indian Armed Forces as the first Chief of Defence Staff, and Secretary, Department of Military Affairs. His daughters were the ones who accepted the honours on his behalf.

Padma Awards 2022
CDS General Bipin Rawat

Radhey Shyam Khemka (posthumously)

President Ram Nath Kovind awarded Radhey Shyam Khemka (posthumously) the Padma Vibhushan for his work in the fields of Literature and Education. He was the president of the Gita Press and a highly reputed publisher. By writing, translating, and publishing old books into regional languages, he brought Sanatan literature to people across the country.

Padma Awards 2022
Radhey Shyam Khemka

Ghulam Nabi Azad

Congress politician and former Rajya Sabha MP Ghulam Nabi Azad was awarded the Padma Bhushan for Public Affairs. Azad has held numerous key roles in his distinguished public life as a senior political leader and social worker. He was the Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir from 2005 to 2008, In addition, he served as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir before becoming minister for Health & Family Welfare in 2009. He was the leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha till 2021.

Padma Awards 2022
Ghulam Nabi Azad

N Chandrasekaran

N Chandrasekaran was awarded the Padma Bhushan by President Ram Nath Kovind for his contributions to trade and industry. He is the Chairman of the Board of Tata Sons Private Limited, the holding company and promoter of all Tata Group enterprises, and one of the country’s greatest industrial leaders.

Padma Awards 2022
N Chandrasekharan

Rashid Khan

Ustad Rashid Khan was awarded the Padma Bhushan for his contributions to the field of art. He is an Indian classical musician from the Rampur-Sahaswan Gharana who specializes in the usage of Sargams and Sargam Taankari.

Padma Awards 2022
Rashid Khan

Dr Cyrus Soli Poonawalla

Dr Cyrus Soli Poonawalla has been awarded the Padma Bhushan for his contributions to trade and industry. Dr Poonawalla is the Chairman of the Cyrus Poonawalla Group, holding the company of Serum Institute of India, India’s leading biotech firm and the world’s largest vaccine maker. The company’s manufacturing of Covid vaccines at a large scale helped India deal with the pandemic during the last 2 years.

Padma Awards 2022
Cyrus Poonawalla

Swami Sivananda

125 years old Swami Sivananda was awarded the Padma Shri by President Ram Nath Kovind for his contributions to Yoga. He has been assisting leprosy-affected individuals in Puri for the past 50 years, dedicating his life to human welfare. His healthy and long life, which began in 1896, has piqued the interest of national and international organisations.

Padma Awards 2022
Swami Sivananda

When he went to accept the award, his modesty won the hearts of social media users. His videos of thanks went popular on social media, and numerous individuals praised him for his generosity.

Najma Akhtar

Padma Shri for Literature and Education has been given to Prof Najma Akhtar. She is Jamia Millia Islamia’s first female vice-chancellor in its almost century-long history. She is recognised as an outstanding educational administrator and institution builder.

Padma Awards 2022
Najma Akhtar

Avani Lekhara

Avani Lekhara has been awarded the Padma Shri for her contributions to the field of sports. She is the first Indian woman to win two Paralympic medals in the same Games, as well as the first Indian woman to earn Paralympic gold.

Padma Awards 2022
Avani Lekhara

Faisal Ali Dar

Padma Shri was awarded to Faisal Ali Dar for his contributions to sports. He is the founder and Chief Martial Arts Coach of Ali’s Sports Academy, as well as the National Kickboxing Coach of India. He is well-known for his efforts to improve the sporting environment in the Kashmir valley.

Faisal Ali Dar

Vandana Kataria

Vandana Kataria was awarded the Padma Shri by President Ram Nath Kovind for her contributions to sports. She is an Indian hockey player, who was the top scorer for India at the 2013 Women’s Hockey Junior World Cup. She was one of the stars of the Indian team that made the semifinals of the Tokyo Olympics.

Vandana Kataria

Durga Bai Vyam

Padma Shri was awarded to Durga Bai Vyam for her contributions to the field of art. She is a Madhya Pradesh based Pardhan Gond artist. She has worked tirelessly to revitalize indigenous art. Her paintings are largely inspired by her tribe’s culture and traditions, as well as its mythologies.

Durga Bai Vyam

Devendra Jhajharia

Devendra Jhajharia was awarded the Padma Bhushan at the ceremony for his contribution to the field of sports.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi with the medal winners of the Rio Paralympics-2016, in New Delhi on September 22, 2016.

Jhajharia is the first Indian Paralympian to win 2 Gold medals at the Paralympics, winning gold medals in Athens 2004 and Rio 2016 games. He became India’s most decorated Paralympian by adding a Silver medal to his collection in the Tokyo games.

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