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HC dismisses application challenging plea seeking FIRs against Kapil Mishra, Anurag Thakur for ‘hate speech’ during Delhi anti-Hindu riots

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HC dismisses application challenging plea seeking FIRs against Kapil Mishra, Anurag Thakur for ‘hate speech’ during Delhi anti-Hindu riots

The Delhi High Court Thursday dismissed an impleadment application challenging the maintainability of a plea seeking the registration of an FIR against various BJP leaders for allegedly making hate speeches in order to provoke the 2020 Delhi anti-Hindu riots. The court stated that the intervention application would be declined and that it would not be kept pending in the future.

The court was hearing an intervention application on behalf of a lawyer in a pending case filed by Shaikh Mujtaba Farooq, who sought the registration of an FIR and investigation against BJP officials Anurag Thakur, Kapil Mishra, Parvesh Verma, and Abhay Verma.

According to Advocate Pavan Narang, who represents the lawyer who filed the application, petitioner Farooq lacks locus standi to file the plea since, according to a Supreme Court ruling, PILs filed by people who have not even gone to the police should be dismissed. The Delhi HC bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Anup Jairam Bhambhani, however, refused to entertain the impleadment application and posted the matter for further hearing on Monday, February 28th.

The court will continue to hear another bunch of pleas seeking independent SIT investigation into the 2020 Delhi anti-Hindu Riots.

Notably, the Supreme Court had in December last year asked the Delhi High Court to decide, “preferably within a period of three months”, a pending plea seeking registration of cases against BJP leaders Kapil Mishra, Anurag Thakur, Parvesh Verma and Abhay Verma in connection with the Northeast Delhi anti-Hindu riots perpetrated by Islamists between the 23rd and the 26th of February 2020.

It may be recalled that Delhi Police, which has been investigating the North-East Delhi’s anti-Hindu riots, had in July 2020 informed the Delhi High Court that they have not found any “actionable evidence” which indicated any role being played by any prominent political leader, including BJP leader Kapil Mishra and MP Anurag Thakur in “instigating and/or participating in the riots”.

BJP leader Kapil Mishra and MP Anurag Thakur wrongfully blamed for the Delhi riots

The anti-CAA protests in Delhi which began after the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) got a clear passage in December 2019, turned violent when mobs went rampaging on the streets of the national capital February 24, 2020, onward. Soon the leftist media and ‘liberals’ had tried to implicate BJP leader Kapil Mishra and MP Anurag Thakur in the Delhi riots claiming that their allegedly ‘provocative’ statements ahead of Delhi elections triggered the riots. Interestingly, the Left media completely refused to acknowledge that the charge sheets clearly mentioned how Muslim leaders and leftists had started hatching a plan for the violence as far back as the 5th of December 2019 and regular incidents of violence by Muslim mobs ensued in the run-up to the anti-Hindu Delhi riots.

Did you know: Ukraine had condemned India after the 1998 Nuclear tests

OpIndia Staff
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Did you know: Ukraine had condemned India after the 1998 Nuclear tests

As Russian troops carry out “special military operations” against Ukraine to “demilitarise” the country, the Ukrainian government is pleading with all major powers to intervene and stop the Russian advance.

With Ukraine facing a grave crisis, the Volodymyr Zelenskyy-led government has requested India to intervene and hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, given the special ties between the two countries.  

On Thursday, Ukrainian Ambassador to India Igor Polikha urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to play a more significant role in de-escalating the tensions with Russia as Modi and Putin share a mutual respect. Perhaps, Ukraine understands the hegemony of India and intends to utilise PM Modi’s goodwill to de-escalate the ongoing tensions.

However, Ukraine’s relationship with India was not at all rosy in the past as it is today. The ties between Ukraine and India has seen ups and downs, especially after India decided to go nuclear. It is important to remember that Ukraine was one of those countries that vehemently opposed India’s nuclear tests in 1998 and had condemned India’s actions at the security council following the 1998 nuclear test.

In 1998, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led Indian government decided to conduct five nuclear tests and had stunned the world. The nuclear tests – ‘Operation Shakti’ set India on a road that made not just a nuclear power but also assured the country’s long time security interests.  

Following the nuclear tests, the United Nations Security Council had passed a resolution 1172 that had demanded that India refrain from further nuclear tests and had called them to become parties to Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) treaties.

The resolution had asked India to immediately stop their nuclear-weapon development programmes, to cease the development of ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons and any further production of fissile material for nuclear weapons. Ukraine, which was not part of the UNSC, had issued a separate statement condemning India’s actions to acquire nuclear technology.

In addition to the UNSC resolution, more than 30 countries, including Ukraine, had stood against India’s security interests to express grave concern regarding India’s nuclear tests.

In a disarmament conference held on May 14, 1998, under the aegis of the United Nations, the 30 countries had expressed their regret over India’s decision to carry out nuclear tests, which according to them, violated the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).

Speaking at the conference, Mykola Maimeskul, the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations, had condemned the step taken by India, which endangered existing international arrangements for nuclear non-proliferation.

Today, as we speak, Ukraine faces a huge crisis with an imminent invasion by the Russians. Ukraine is desperate for powerful friends as its ally, the United States of America neither enjoys global hegemony anymore nor commands respect from the rest of the world. Twenty-two years after taking a stand that contradicts India’s security and strategic objectives, Ukraine today wants India to stand behind them and talk to Russians to end the humiliation being meted out upon them.

As they say, in international relations, there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies, only permanent interests. 

Hijab as ‘choice’: When 15 girls were left to die in a raging fire just because they were not ‘appropriately dressed’

OpIndia Staff
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Hijab as ‘choice’: When 15 girls were left to die in a raging fire just because they were not ‘appropriately dressed’

On March 11, 2002, 15 young girls were left to die in a fire at their school in Mecca. They could have escaped the fire but were not allowed to flee the burning building as they were not wearing proper ‘Islamic’ clothes. Saudi Arabia’s Religious Police prevented the Civil Defense Officers from entering the school to save the girls and stopped the girls from coming out of the building.

The incident not only shocked the country but sparked outrage across the world. The Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, also known as the Religious Police, was established in 1940. It was a Saudi Arabian government body that took radical shape in 1979 in the wake of the Iranian Revolution and the seizure of the Grand Mosque of Mecca by extremists.

The incident was the tipping point that widened the gap between the Religious Police or Hayaa and the people of Saudi Arabia. Since the incident, under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia has been gradually changing to a more moderate form of Islam as a part of Vision 2030 laid down by the Saudi administration.

The school fire and role of Religious Police in death of 15 girls

On March 11, 2002, a fire broke down at Intermediate School No 31 of Macca. Reportedly, it was caused by an unattended cigarette in a room located on the top floor, but some theories suggest it was caused due to an electric short circuit. The fire spread quickly across the three-storey building. There was a narrow staircase in the building to escape. The panicked students rushed towards the staircase that collapsed.

At the time of the incident, there were around 800 students and 50 teachers in the school. The building was an over-crowded rented property. During the investigation into the fire, the agencies found there were iron bars on the windows, making them impossible for anyone to use for escape. The building lacked alarms, emergency stairs or escape routes and fire extinguishers. In case of a disaster, like the one that happened in March 2002, the lack of safety measures had put everyone at risk.

Reports suggest that it was a residential building that was turned into a school in 1990. The building had small rooms, few washrooms and narrow staircases. There were no proper arrangements for students in the school. General Presidency for Girls’ Education was managing the school. When the incident happened, the male guard, who had locked the main door, was not present around the building.

By the time firefighters reached the school, the members of Religious Police were already present at the building. During that time, the members of Religious Police often roamed around the girls’ schools to “ensure” they wore proper Islamic dress. While the innocent girls and teachers were suffocating and screaming for help, the members of the Religious Police prevented rescuers from entering the building. They also stopped the victims from escaping the building.

The reason behind such an inhumane act was that the girls were not wearing abayas and headscarves or hijab. According to the al-Eqtisadiah daily, a witness saw the members of Religious Police allegedly beating the girls who tried to escape the building. They also stopped men from approaching women as it was “sinful to approach the girls.” The Father of one of the deceased girls alleged that the guard of the school refused to open the main gate of the school.

The rescuers lost precious time to save the girls who trampled over each other while trying to escape. By the time regular police arrived and intervened to let the firefighters enter the building, 15 students were already dead, and over 50 were injured.

The action of the Religious Police sparked outrage across the country and on the international platform. In the investigation, the government agencies found the educational authorities maintaining the school was responsible for incompetent fire safety measures in the building. Though there were eyewitnesses and Civil Defense Officers who saw Religious Police preventing rescuers from entering the building, their role in the death of 15 students was dismissed by the government.

The outrage, however, forced the Saudi government to scrape the General Presidency for Girls’ Education. The autonomous government agency that was created in 1960 and managed by conservative clerics was replaced by the Ministry of Education. Notably, boys’ schools were already under the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia.

The downfall of Religious Police

Religious Police is hardly seen in public places in current times. Once feared by most of the public, Religious Police was infamous for detaining, beating up and assaulting those who did not follow Islamic Laws, especially women. They used to patrol public areas to enforce dress codes. They would not allow men and women to be at the same place.

After the 2002 incident, they slowly lost their powers, and by 2016, the government stripped them off most authority. They could not detain, pursue or question any “suspect”. As per the regulations, they were asked to act kindly and gently with the public. They could only report the incident to law enforcement officers and not take any action against anyone.

The Saudi administration has removed many restrictions on women in recent years, such as they can now drive alone, gender segregation is no longer required and more and mandatory burqa orders have been removed, as long as women wear ‘decent’ attires. The country is now moving towards becoming a more open society, but the black spots like the incident of March 2002  would keep haunting them for a long time.

Ukraine President Zelenskyy offers weapons to civilians, says anyone can take arms and defend the country

OpIndia Staff
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Ukraine President Zelenskyy offers weapons to civilians, says anyone can take arms and defend the country

As Russian airstrikes and artillery bombardment overwhelms Ukrainian military installations, Ukraine President Volodymir Zelenskyy has asked civilians to take up arms to defend the country. In a tweet, Zelenskyy has said that they will provide weapons to anyone who wants to fight and has asked people to be ready to support Ukraine in city squares.

In another tweet, Zelenskyy stated that his government will lift sanctions against any citizens who take up arms in defence of the country as part of the territorial defense.

Earlier, Ukraine has announced the severance of all ties with Russia. Almost all major cities of Ukraine are now under massive Russian attack. However, Russia has stated that they are using precision weapons to target only military installations and they will not harm citizens.

Before Russia invaded, President Putin had asked Ukrainian soldiers to lay down weapons and go home to their families.

From being concerned about India’s judicial process as Russia started a war to Ukranian Ambassador’s speech: How UN is losing its significance

OpIndia Staff
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From being concerned about India’s judicial process as Russia started a war to Ukranian Ambassador’s speech: How UN is losing its significance

Ending weeks of speculation, Russian forces started attacking Ukraine today morning. The invasion was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in an early morning speech on TV warning other nations against interfering in Russian operations in Ukraine. Putin said that Russia has no plan to occupy Ukraine, but added that the response will be instant if anyone tried to stop the Russian military.

Shortly afterwards, Ukrainian military bases were bombed using cruise and ballistic missiles. Reportedly, all air force bases in Ukraine have been destroyed by the Russian bombing. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said that Putin has launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and announced that martial law has been imposed in the country.

Amid this invasion, the Ukrainian Ambassador to the United Nations delivered a strongly worded speech, directly addressing the Russian ambassador. During an emergency meeting of the Security Council, Ukrainian ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya told his Russian counterpart Vasily Nebenzya that war criminals go straight to hell.

At the meeting held in New York almost an hour after the address by Putin, the Ukrainian Ambassador blasted the Russian Ambassador for launching the attack on his country. He said that less than an hour ago he was planning confirm from the Russian envoy that Russia will not attack Ukraine today, but that has become useless now.

“So when I was coming here an hour ago, I was intending to ask the Russian ambassador to confirm on the record that the Russian troops will not start firing at Ukrainians today. It became useless 48 minutes ago. Because about 48 minutes ago your president declared a war on Ukraine,” he said.

At present Russia is the President of the UN Security Council, and Sergiy Kyslytsya asked Russia to leave the position if it is not able to protect Ukraine from the invasion by Russia. “If you are not in the position to give an affirmative answer, the Russian Federation ought to relinquish responsibilities of the President of the Security Council, pass these responsibilities onto a legitimate member of the Security Council, a member that is respectful of the charter,” he said.

He also appealed the members of the UNSC to convene an emergency meeting immediately and consider all necessary decisions to stop the war. “Because it is too late my dear colleagues to speak about de-escalation, too late. The Russian President declared war,” the ambassador said.

He also asked the Russian envoy whether he should play the video of Putin’s address. He reiterated his demand that Russia should step down from the presidency of UNSC and asked Vasily Nebenzya to call Putin to end the war. He told Nebenzya, “There is no purgatory for war criminals, they go straight to hell ambassador.”

In response, Vasily Nebenzya said that Russia is only aggressive towards the government in Kyiv and not against general Ukrainians. The Russian ambassador further said, “I am sure the ppl of Ukraine will be happy when they are liberated from the regime that occupied them”.

The Ukrainian Ambassador also told the media that it’s a historical embarrassment that the UN failed to prevent the war against Ukraine by Russia.

After the video of the Ukrainian Ambassador’s speech at the UNSC appeared on social media, netizens reacted by reminding how the United Nations have yet again failed to stop a war. They noted that while the United Nations Security Council is responsible for ensuring that sovereign nations are not invaded by hostile nations, Russia is actually a permanent member of the UNSC, and its president for the current month.

As the five permanent members of UNSC have veto power, it means that any resolution against Russia will not be passed. This means, the most important UN body at this moment has become lame duck. Netizens remarked that Putin will take full advantage of this situation.

“The UN was created to prevent wars exactly like this. What a mockery that Russia presided over the Security Council to justify what the Security Council was founded to prevent,” remarked American author Ben Rhodes, who was former Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications and Speechwriting under President Barack Obama.

Journalist Siobhan Kennedy noted the irony that the very moment the UNSC meeting chaired by Russia had started, Putin had launched his invasion of Ukraine.

Washington Post journalist Paul Sonne tweeted that it is “perhaps one of the most powerless moments for the United Nations Security Council”, as it can’t take any action against its permanent member Russia.

Avi Yemini from Rebel News kept it short and simple, “The UN is the most useless body in the world”.

It may be noted that United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had made a personal appeal to Russia to not invade Ukraine. He had appealed to Putin to stop the Russian troops from entering Ukraine, but that appeal proved to be futile.

As the United Nations failed to stop yet another global crisis, it is found in meddling in affairs that it has no business to be interfering. At a time when Russia was mobilising its troops along the Ukraine border, the UN was busy in inferring in a legal investigation in India against so-called journalist Rana Ayyub.

Rana Ayyub had collected a large amount in donations in the name of helping victims of flood and covid, but she herself had admitted that she could not spend the amount. There were multiple irregularities in her fundraising campaign, and as a result, ED had attached her property worth Rs 1.77 crore.

This was just a regular fraud probe against a citizen, but the UN had made it a global issue by claiming that it was a “relentless misogynistic and sectarian attacks online against journalist Rana Ayyub”, and had called for an investigation. The official Twitter handle of UN Geneva had called the legal action against Rana Ayyub “judicial harassment”.

Similarly, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) has also become heavily biased towards Islamists, and as a result, has become a defunct body. It was found to be taking Pakistan’s line on Kashmir and had condemned the deportation of illegal Rohingya refugees by India. In fact, the USA has already quit UNHRC calling it a “cesspool of political bias”.

The United Nations and other bodies associated with have been utterly unable to prevent any wars or conflicts, and has been shown to act only at those who threaten the status quo of the global order. Despite repeated violations of human rights and regular threats to invade Taiwan, the UN is unable to take any action against China. But when terrorists are killed or legal actions are taken against fraudsters in India, the UN and its affiliates become active to condemn India.

Ukraine requests PM Modi to intervene and hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end military operation

OpIndia Staff
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Ukraine requests PM Modi to intervene and hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end military operation

As Ukraine faces a grave crisis following the Russian ‘military operation’, Ukraine’s Ambassador to India Igor Polikha has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin given the special ties between the two countries.

According to the reports, Ukrainian Ambassador Igor Polikha said India has a special relationship with Russia, and New Delhi can play a more active role in managing the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis.

“India is a powerful global player. We are asking, pleading for the support of India. In case of aggression of a totalitarian regime, India should play its global role. Modiji is one of the most powerful global leaders of the world. We know that India has a special privileged strategic partnership with Russia. We don’t know how many world leaders Putin may listen to. But the status of Modiji makes me hopeful that in the case of his strong voice Putin should at least think over. We are expecting a much more favourable attitude of the Indian government at this crisis situation,” Igor Polikha stated to the media in Delhi.

“We urge PM Narendra Modi to immediately contact Russian President Vladimir Putin and our President Volodymyr Zelensky,” the Ukrainian Ambassador requested the Indian government to intervene and negotiate a truce between Russia and Ukraine.

This comes at a day when Russian President Vladimir Putin has launched a ‘military operation’ against Ukraine.

Russian troops enters Ukraine, martial law in place

On Thursday, 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 does not plan to occupy 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 entered the country from neighbouring Belarus. The Russian forces crossed Belarus to enter Ukraine from the North, said Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs. The Northern border forces in Ukraine have come under attack by Russian troops.

The Russian troops allegedly launched attacks on border units, border patrols, and checkpoints using artillery, heavy equipment, and small arms.

Earlier in the day, large explosions were heard in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Several cities, airports, roads are hit by the rockets as Russian troops take control of East Ukrainian cities.

During his address declaring military action against Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin had urged the Ukrainian soldiers to lay down arms. He said those who followed his demand would be allowed to leave the battle zone and return to their families.

Pakistani minister says Imran Khan will still meet Putin in Moscow but in private, earlier reports said he is returning home without the meeting

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistani minister says Imran Khan will still meet Putin in Moscow but in private, earlier reports said he is returning home without the meeting

Pakistan has denied reports that Prime Minister Imran Khan is curtailing his Moscow visit and returning to Pakistan after Russia launched an attack on Ukraine. Pakistani Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Hussain Chaudhry has said that the visit is going ahead as scheduled, and he will meet Putin today. “Speculations about PM @mranKhanPTI visit are misplaced. The Visit is proceeding and PM will return to Pakistan tonight as per schedule,” he tweeted.

While Imran Khan is going ahead with meeting Putin, his scheduled media interaction has been cancelled. Later, minister Fawad Hussain also tweeted an update that Imran Khan has left the hotel to meet president Putin.

Earlier it was reported that hours after landing up in Moscow, the Pakistani Prime Minister has decided to call off his visit to Russia after Putin declared war on Ukraine.

While Russia’s military operation had just kicked off in Ukraine, Imran Khan after reaching Moscow said that he was “excited” to be in Moscow at this juncture. Imran Khan was to visit Moscow and meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday during the two-day visit which was touted to be ‘historic’. This is the first visit to Moscow by a Pakistani leader in more than 20 years.

As soon as he landed in Russia, Khan told a Russian official, “What a time I have come so much excitement,” even as tensions between Russia and Ukraine were escalating amid clouds of imminent war. Subsequently, the United States of America informed Pakistan about its position on the Russia-Ukraine crisis and within hours, Khan decided to call off the rest of the tour.

“We’ve communicated to Pakistan our position regarding Russia’s further renewed invasion of Ukraine and we have briefed them on our efforts to pursue diplomacy over war,” Price had reportedly told media about Khan’s visit to Moscow.

Before meeting with Putin, Khan had paid floral tribute at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, dedicated to Soviet soldiers killed in World War II.

It should be noted here that Pakistan has been a longstanding NATO ally while its relationship with Russia has been growing under the increasing Chinese influence.

Amritdhari Sikh girl asked to remove turban in Mount Carmel school, Bengaluru, after Muslim students protested over hijab: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Amritdhari Sikh girl asked to remove turban in Mount Carmel school, Bengaluru, after Muslim students protested over hijab: Details

Amid the ongoing hijab row in colleges in Karnataka, a 17-year-old Amritdhari (baptised) Sikh girl was asked by the college authorities to remove her turban after Muslim students protested.

According to reports, the authorities of Mount Carmel college in Bengaluru asked a 17-year-old Amritdhari (baptised) Sikh girl to remove her turban and follow the uniform dress code as per the February 10 interim order of the Karnataka High Court. The High Court had asked the students not to wear any religious dresses, including saffron shawls and hijab inside classrooms.

The Sikh student, who is also the president of the students’ association in Mount Carmel PU College, was politely asked to remove her turban for the first time on February 16, to which she refused. Later, the college spoke to her parents, stating they understood the importance of the turban for a Sikh but were bound by the high court order.

The girl’s family said that the college never discriminated against the Sikh girl and has always been very considerate and polite.

The college authorities have said that they have no issues with the girl wearing the turban so far. They added that when the college reopened on February 16, they informed all students about the high court order.

The Deputy Director of Pre-university education (north) said that he found a group of Muslim girls who demanded that no girls should be allowed to wear their religious symbols, and therefore, the Sikh girl also should not be allowed to wear the turban.

As Muslim girls demanded that the Sikh girl not be allowed to wear the turban, the college authorities spoke to the girl’s father and later mailed him asking them to abide by it.

The father responded to the mail, saying that the turban is an integral part of their life.

“We did not want to interfere, but the other girls have been insisting on uniformity, and hence we sent the mail,” a Mount Carmel PU College spokesperson said, adding that they never sent the girl out or are forcing anybody, but the college is just telling them that they need uniformity in the four walls of the classrooms as per the HC order.

“In our letter to the father, we have specifically mentioned that we believe in an inclusive society and respect all religious practices. According to the vision and mission of the college, we follow inter-religious harmony and have an active inter-religious association,” the Times of India quoted the college as saying.

Responding to the latest controversy, G Sriram, the Deputy Director of pre-university education (north), said that the High Court order does not say anything about turbans.

The girl’s father, Gurcharan Singh, said he told the college authorities his daughter would not remove her turban. He added that he had written to the college saying that the high court order did not mention turban. Gurcharan Singh has approached senior Supreme Court advocate HS Phoolka to seek his opinion on the matter.

Was a BSP worker burnt alive in Gorakhpur? UP police initiate action against Twitter users spreading fake news: Here is the truth

OpIndia Staff
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Was a BSP worker burnt alive in Gorakhpur? UP police initiate action against Twitter users spreading fake news: Here is the truth

On February 24, while replying to a post spreading fake news about Gorakhpur, UP Police Fact Check said the incident mentioned in the post was not from Uttar Pradesh but from Bihar. UP Police further added that Gorakhpur Police has registered a case against the user for spreading fake news, and an investigation has been initiated. They further urged everyone not to spread fake news.

Gorakhpur Police, in a post, said, “No such incident took place. Gorakhpur Police dismisses such misleading posts. Action has been initiated against those who are spreading fake news on social media under relevant Sections.”

The misleading post alleged BSP supporter was burnt alive in Gorakhpur

Several Twitter users published fake news on social media that a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) worker was burnt alive in Gorakhpur for not voting for BJP. In the now-taken-down post, Twitter user Vikram Singh Badalpur had written, “Today, a BSP worker was burnt alive in Gorakhpur, and Police is trying to cover up the issue. His fault was only that when a BJP leader asked him whom he would vote, he said he would vote for BSP. The incident took place in village Narayanpur, Gorakhpur Grameen.” Twitter took down the post as it violated Twitter Rules.

Now-taken-down post with fake news. Twitter took down the post as it violated Twitter Rules. Source: Twitter

Vikram was not the only person who shared the post. At least six other posts were live on Twitter by the time this report was published. Gorakhpur Police has warned two of them as well for not spreading the fake news.

Source: Twitter
Source: Twitter
Source: Twitter

The reality behind the image posted with fake news

The image that was posted with the fake news was not from Gorakhpur but from Bihar. A Janata Dal-United (JDU) leader was killed and burnt in Samstipur, Bihar. His burnt body was recovered by the Police from a house located in a secluded place near Budhi Gandak river in village Vasudevpur, Kalyanpur Police station area. He was identified as 34-year-old JDU leader Mohammad Khaleel Alam Rizvi. The incident took place in village Hudiya, Mushrigharari police station area. A misleading video was made viral in the incident to give it a communal colour but the propaganda was busted by the Bihar Police during the investigation.

OpIndia tried to reach out to the Gagaha Police station under which Narayanpur village falls but could not connect.

Delhi HC orders Audrey Truschke to take down defamatory tweets against Vikram Sampath: TheWire, Sharjeel Imam and more, what happened in court

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi HC orders Audrey Truschke to take down defamatory tweets against Vikram Sampath: TheWire, Sharjeel Imam and more, what happened in court

The Delhi High Court has ordered controversial Historian Audrey Truschke to take down her defamatory tweets against Indian Historian and Author Vikram Sampath within 48 hours. On Thursday, the Delhi High Court was hearing an application by Sampath seeking to take down tweets against him by Audrey Truschke and others accusing him of alleged plagiarism.

Lawyer Raghav Awasthi arguing on behalf of Vikram Sampath stated that the barrage of online attacks on Vikram Sampath has continued while the news tweets against Sampath also directly attack the authority of the court. The Delhi High Court on February 18, had passed an interim order restraining Audrey Truschke, Jo Chopra and Ananya Chakravarti from publishing defamatory online content against Sampath.

During the hearing, Awasthi pointed out that the letter written by Audrey Truschke, Jo Chopra and Ananya Chakravarti to The Royal Historical Society, London of which Vikram Sampath is the member. The letter was written by the professor trio accusing Vikram Sampath of plagiarism concerning his speech at the India Foundation Journal in 2017. Advocate Jawahar Raja alleged that Vikram’s published speech is, in reality, a (research) paper and that Janaki Bakhale (whom Vikram Sampath has quoted in his article) has also objected the same.

While dismissing the claims that the objections of Bakhale is an independent matter, the Judge stated, “I hold the view that the said documents which advocate Raghav Awasthi has brought on record be allowed to be placed on record as the suit is in early stages.”

Further, Awasthi argued before the court that the letter written by Truschke which is submitted to a third person adds that there is a case of ‘potential plagiarism’. Pointing this out, Lawyer Awasthi argued that “From plagiarism, they have now come to potential plagiarism.”

Raghav Awasthi also took a dig at Audrey Truschke’s mention of ‘The Wire’ in her letter while alleging that they have published terrorist Sharjeel Imam as a columnist. While giving its final decision, the judge announced that the court would be ordering Audrey Truschke to take down tweets against Sampath.”

When the opposing lawyer Jawahar Raja objected to the decision stating it is a case of free speech, the court said, “Vikram Sampath has made a prima-facie case! You are not even Dr Audrey’s lawyer! Why do you want to argue this at all? It doesn’t even directly affect you! This puts apprehensions in our minds! You want to sensationalise!”

Closing the matter, The Delhi High Court reiterated its stand that it has already restrained Truschke and others from posting the letter & email or any other defamatory content concerning Vikram Sampath.

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