As 2021 draws to a close and we prepare ourselves to ring in the new year, it is an opportune time to reflect on the top stories of the year that we had covered at OpIndia. From the insidious demography changes taking place in Gujarat’s Bharuch to the grisly post-poll violence in West Bengal, from Congress toolkit to defame PM Modi to western media’s concerted attempt to denigrate India for its handling of the second wave of coronavirus outbreak, here are the top 15 stories covered by us, at OpIndia.
Creeping demography change and mass conversions in Gujarat’s Bharuch
In October 2021, while most of the mainstream media looked the other way, OpIndia reported about an insidious demography change creeping up in Gujarat’s Bharuch. Disturbed Areas Act was implemented in some areas but buyers in cahoots with local administrations exploited loopholes in the Act which led to the steady decline of the Hindu population from those regions.
The modus operandi involved Muslim buyers buying properties at a marked-up price from Hindu sellers and then forcing other Hindu residents in the area to sell their properties at discounted rates. The residents said that at first one or two Muslims would buy property at a high rate. Then the Hindus in the area get influenced and sell their homes. Later, when the demography changes, the remaining Hindus end up having to sell their property at lower rates because of the change in demography. Because of intimidation and threats, Hindus in the areas had put signs of homes and temples up for sale.
Besides brazen demography change, OpIndia also covered the rampant mass conversions taking place in the same district. The matter came to light in November 2021 after a case was registered at Amod Police Station Part A under Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act under sections 4, 5, 4-G along with Indian Penal Code section 120 (B), 153 (B) (C), 506(2), 153A (1), 295 (K), 466, 467, 468, 471, Atrocities Act section 3 (2) (5-a), 3 (2)(5) and Information Technology Act, 2000 section 84-C against nine accused.
The nine accused were: Shabbir Bakerywala (Amod), Samaj Bakerywala (Amod), Abdul Aziz Patel (Kankaria, Amod), Yusuf Patel (Kankaria, Amod), Ayub Barkat Patel (Kankaria, Amod), Hasan Tisli (Achhod, Amod), Fefdawala Haji Abdullah (Nabipur, currently, London, UK), Ismail Achhodwala alias Delawala (maulvi) (Achhod, Amod) and Ibrahim Patel (Kankaria, Amod).
As per the FIR filed, the accused had promised jobs and money to Hindu Vasava tribal families in the area and got them to convert to Islam in 2018. The complainant has accused them of a nationwide racket of religious conversion and alleged that they were given death threats if they complained against the religious conversion. The accused had threatened that they are well connected from Kashmir to Pakistan, the FIR states.
To know how the Disturbed Areas Act was exploited in Bharuch to effect a demography change and the pernicious religious conversions taking place, you can read the entire reports here and here.
Post-poll violence in West Bengal: Ritu gang-raped by TMC men for being a Hindu
2021 was also the year when a political party shed all its inhibitions in persecuting Hindus residents of the state on the belief that they supported an opposition political party. In West Bengal, after Mamata Banerjee-led TMC registered an emphatic victory, violence reigned supreme in the state, with TMC goons allegedly going on a rampage against BJP workers and Hindus who they perceived as supporters of the saffron party.
Violence, riots, arson, vandalism, assault, rapes and gang rapes were reported from across the state. One such poignant case was that of Ritu, who told OpIndia that she was gang-raped by TMC goons looking for ‘Hindu women’. In her interview with OpIndia Editor-in-Chief Nupur J Sharma, Ritu had narrated her ordeal and the helplessness the victims felt in the state due to police apathy.
After being gang-raped by TMC goons in front of her father, Ritu and her father were continuously harassed by the police, pressuring them to give a different version of the events and to get it on record. Ritu told us that she has even got threatening phone calls telling her that if she dares to go to the police, she will get raped by the police too.
You can read the detailed account of Ritu’s interview with OpIndia here.
The inauguration of Kashi Vishwanath Corridor
On the spiritual front, 2021 saw the materialisation of a longstanding demand for the much-needed rejuvenation of Kashi Vishwanath, one of the holiest Hindu pilgrim sites in the country. In December 2021, PM Modi inaugurated the imposing Kashi Vishwanath Corridor with great pomp and show, reinforcing his government’s commitment to reviving important Hindu spiritual centres that were ignored for decades, if not for centuries.
On December 13, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated his dream project Shri Kashi Vishwanath Corridor. On an auspicious day, PM Modi started his address to the nation by bowing down to Baba Vishwanath, Mata Annapurna and Baba Kaal Bhairav, the Kotwal of Kashi Vishwanath. He said, “I went to ask permission from Baba Kaalbhairav as he is Kotwal of the city. Without his permission, no one can enter the city.” On the day, he also asked every Indian to take three vows that were Swachchta (cleanliness), Srijan (innovation) and Atmanirbharta (self-sufficiency).
During his address to the nation, PM Modi talked about the temples that had been lost during the time. He said, “The temples that were hidden by the waves of time are being renovated. The devotees can now pray in those temples as well.” He further said, “Vishwanath Dham is not only a building, but it is a symbol of Sanatan Sanskriti, it is a symbol of our ancient soul, it is a symbol of our culture and mobility.”
He said when devotees come to Kashi, they would not only do Darshan at the temple, but they would experience the stature of our history, culture and future. They would experience how ancient history is showing the path to the future.
PM said Kashi is the place where Maa Ganga changes her direction to touch the feet of Bhagwan Shiva. Now Maa Ganga would be happier, and it would fill Kashi’s atmosphere with the blessings of Maa Ganga. He said, “Shiva is everyone’s. Ganga belongs to everyone. With time, it had become difficult to worship Baba Vishwanath and Maa Ganga. There was a scarcity of roads and space. It was difficult for the elder and divyangs. Now, they will do Darshan with ease.”
The coverage of Kashi Vishwanath was among the top read stories on OpIndia in the year 2021. Readers can access the entire coverage of the hallowed Vishwanath Corridor here.
Bajrang Dal activist Rinku Sharma hacked to death for raising ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans and seeking donations for Ram Mandir
From a ground reporting perspective, OpIndia was at the vanguard covering stories that were advertently or inadvertently missed by mainstream media organisations. In February this year, a terrible tragedy befell on the Bajrang Dal activist Rinku Sharma, who was ruthlessly killed in Delhi’s Mangolpuri for raising ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans and being a part of the donation drive for the Ram Mandir. He was reportedly attacked by a group of 25–30 people. The police later arrested four accused in the case. They were identified as Mohammad Islam, Danish Naseeruddin, Dilshan and Dilshad Islam.
Rinku was actively involved in the fundraising campaign for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. As per various accounts, Rinku had gotten embroiled in an altercation with the accused during an awareness rally about the construction of Ram temple was carried out in the area in January 2021. However, the case was then settled with the intervention by the locals. Following this, Rinku had a dispute with the accused at a birthday party. He was then attacked on February 10 after the culprits barged into his house and stabbed him to death.
Rinku Sharma’s murder sparked a raging controversy with liberals dehumanising him and accusing him of instigating the accused and the Delhi Police coming out on record to claim that there was no ‘communal angle’ to his murder. As more evidence and videos emerged on social media that clearly showed that the case was not as cut and dry as the Delhi police were making it out to be with their statement. In addition to that, the family of the deceased, neighbours, friends had all asserted that Rinku Sharma was murdered by a mob of 15-20 Muslims after a clash that erupted during the Ram Mandir donation drive on Wednesday.
After widespread outrage, the Delhi Police had changed its tunes and asserted that they were ‘probing all angles’ related to the murder of Rinku Sharma. An eye-witness also asserted that ‘Allahu Akbar’ chants were raised by the accused inside the police station.
The entire archive of our reports on the dastardly attack against Rinku Sharma could be read here.
Sarai Kale Khan hate crime over interfaith marriage
Violence swept Delhi’s Sarai Kale Khan neighbourhood in March this year after the interfaith marriage took place between a Hindu man and a Muslim woman. A bloodthirsty mob of Muslims descended the locality where the Hindu man lived and indulged in riots and violence. It was reported that the mastermind of the violence was none other than a friend of a Muslim woman named Sabina.
Reportedly, the Muslim woman’s family members claimed that their daughter’s friend Sabina was amongst those who were most angry with the marriage. It is alleged that in her seething rage, she had hatched the conspiracy against the duo. She was also alleged to have been present during the riots, actively inciting the miscreants. After the incident, Sabina fled from the place and police had launched a search operation to arrest her.
After the interfaith couple had tied the knot, Sabina had met and instigated many people against the duo. Not only this but it was also alleged that she had reportedly asked people to kill the couple as soon as the duo enter Sarai Kale Khan. The victim’s father said that after threats were issued against them, he decided to stay at his relative’s house. Despite this, the Muslim mob unleashed the attack on his colony. Police had named 8 people in this case, out of which 5 people were arrested. Three people, including Sabina, were absconding.
It was also reported that Sabina shared a close bond with almost all Muslim families in Sarai Kale Khan. She was notorious for inciting people in the name of religion. In the past, she had tried to give communal flair to what was just a petty squabble between two neighbours.
To access detailed reports about the entire incident, click here.
Fallout of farmers’ protests: Mukesh Murder ground report
One of the most defining events of the year 2021 was the farmers’ protests, which were launched under the pretext of opposition to the three farm laws passed by the Centre in September 2020 but had quickly spiralled into wanton violence, unwarranted rioting and grotesque killings. One such killing was that of Mukesh in Kasar village, a resident of a small hamlet perched close to the Tikri border protest site.
On June 16, 2021, Mukesh succumbed to burn injuries after fellow farmer protestors allegedly set him ablaze at the Tikri border protest site. Villagers had then alleged that Mukesh’s murder was a conspiracy to make him appear as a ‘martyr’ against the farm laws.
OpIndia visited the village and spoke to the decedent’s relatives about the unfortunate death. Mukesh’s widow, Renu, said she was informed about the godawful incident by her brother-in-law. She says her husband was in good spirits when he left the house on Wednesday evening at around 5 pm. Renu says her husband even told her to prepare food as he would be back soon. She had asked him to take his mobile phone along with him, but he refused, saying he is going to return soon.
Surmising about the sequence of events that led up to her husband’s brutal murder, Renu says, “He might have gone there. Those people would have offered him alcohol and when he was in an intoxicated state, they sprayed petrol on him and set him on fire. He has sustained severe burn injuries. With whom shall I live now? We have a small child, who will support him now?”
In conversation with OpIndia, the village head said he believed that Mukesh was attacked because of his caste, adding that he had evidence to prove Mukesh was targeted because he was a Brahmin. Kumar also told us that he thinks BKU leader Rakesh Tikait is the mastermind of the entire conspiracy. Kumar cited Tikait’s anti-Brahmin remarks he had made in December 2020 to back his claim. “When their leaders spew venom, those below them are expected to do the same thing. I strongly suspect a conspiracy behind the death of Mukesh, orchestrated by the protesters to defame the government,” the village head said.
The entire ground report of Mukesh’s murder can be accessed here.
A few weeks back, Punjab was rocked with two incidents of mob lynchings linked to sacrilege in mid-December. Two persons lost their lives in the two separate cases after angry mobs ruthlessly thrashed them to their deaths on the suspicion of committing sacrilege.
The first incident of mob lynching linked to sacrilege took place inside the sanctum sanctorum of Darbar Sahib on Saturday evening when regular prayers were going on. CCTV footage showed that suddenly a man entered the sanctum sanctorum and hit the holy Granth Sahib with a Kirpan. Reportedly, he had picked up the golden Kirpan from the sanctum sanctorum of the Gurudwara itself, which was placed near the holy Sikh Scripture. Soon after the incident, he was surrounded by people present at the temple, and later his dead body was placed near the SGPC main gate, which suggests that he was beaten to death by the staff in the office.
And within 24 hours, another man in Punjab was killed over allegations of sacrilege. The incident pertained to a Gurdwara in Nizampur village in the Kapurthala district of Punjab. A man was caught at the Gurudwara for allegedly committing sacrilege. As per reports, the crowd at the Gurudwara where the youth was caught did not let the Police detain the accused. Later it was reported that the youth was lynched to death by the crowd.
The reports of the Punjab sacrilege-related lynchings can be read here, and here.
OpIndia Exclusive: Masked Man reveals he got death threats by farmers to lie about Haryana Police
Earlier this year, a sensational controversy erupted after ‘farmer protesters’ paraded a masked man before the media who claimed that there was a sinister plot to eliminate four farmer leaders and cause disruption on the 26th of January. The masked man, in a press conference, claimed that his team was given weapons and alleged that the Haryana police were involved in the giant conspiracy.
However, he later backtracked from his allegations, admitting that he lied in the press conference about an alleged attack against farmers. The person identified as Yogesh said that he spoke in the press conference against police officials after he was threatened by farmer leaders. Making a shocking disclosure, Singh said that the ‘farmer’ leader had warned of killing him if he did not make false conspiracy theories of attacks on farmers and blame Haryana police for the same.
Yogesh was strictly instructed to follow instructions issued to him. The ‘farmers’ also allegedly warned him that he had to face severe consequences if he failed in adhering to their commands. According to Yogesh, there were four more men along with him, who were detained by the protestors at the Singh border and one of them identified as Sagar.
The report of the incident can be accessed here.
In May 2021, a big controversy broke up after a toolkit allegedly prepared by the Congress party started doing the rounds on the internet. The four-page document that had gone viral on social media, gave a detailed description of how to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi, defame Hindus, get ‘tailored’ articles attacking the Indian government in international media, and generally fan an anti-Modi hatred among the masses.
The document titled ‘Cornering Narendra Modi & Covid Mismanagement’ highlighted how the ‘Kumbh Mela’ should be used to malign the Hindu festival and the ruling party. The “toolkit” suggested politicizing the congregation by repeatedly labelling it as a ‘super spreader’ to hint at BJP’s Hindu politics.
Besides, the toolkit also suggested Congress workers to target PM Cares Fund. The toolkit specified heckling any celebrity who donated to PM Cares Fund. It asked supporters to ‘aggressively question’ and use Congress social media department to ’embarrass’ celebrities who donate to PM CARES fund.
Though Congress denied having links to it, the entire content of the toolkit can be read here.
Poetic Justice Foundation-Greta Thunberg conspiracy to destablise India
Earlier in February, another controversy made national headlines after environmental activist Greta Thunberg accidentally exposed how anti-India forces were trying to create unrest in India under the pretext of supporting the farmers protest. Her multi-layered document named ‘Toolkit’ exposed several organizations, celebrities, and leaders for conspiring against India. One such name that popped up is the Poetic Justice Foundation.
Co-founded by Mo Dhaliwal, a Canadian resident and Khalistan supporter, and Anita Lal, another resident of Canada and Khalistan supporter, Poetic Justice Foundation started a campaign under the ‘Global Day of Action’ format.
According to the document accessed of the Poetic Justice Foundation campaign, it had a dedicated plan that went back as far as January 3, 2021. The group provided taglines, hashtags, tweet formats, posters, media kits, printable artwork and much more for the people who wanted to support them in the campaign. By January 20, they had sent the material and kits to everyone who had shown interest using their Google Form for the same.
Notwithstanding its links with Khalistani proponents, Poetic Justice Foundation(PJF) later distanced itself from the farmers’ protests, stating it had no links with the demonstrations.
The report of the entire controversy detailing how foreign-based organisations, celebrities were roped in to defame India could be read here.
NNMC inaction against illegal encroachment by Bangladeshis in Navi Mumbai
Another report that was among widely read on OpIndia was pertaining to the NNMC inaction against illegal encroachment made by Bangladeshis in Navi Mumbai. An official complaint and hundreds of reminders to act on it did not move the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation to take action against the illegal encroachments by Bangladeshi immigrants in Navi Mumbai’s Sanpada neighbourhood.
A Twitter user Krishna, concerned by the insidious settlement of Bangladeshi immigrants in Sanpada, filed an official complaint with Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation last year requesting them to clear the illegal encroachments. In his complaint, he shared pictures and visuals of slums and encroachments by Bangladeshis that cropped up at several locations in Sanpada.
According to the complainant, NNMC Abhijit Bangar took cognisance of the issue and roped in his team to address the concerns raised by him. However, every time he sought the status of the complaint he had made concerning illegal encroachment, he was assured that action would be taken in the matter. However, months after filing a complaint and after numerous follow-up emails and reminders with the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation, no action was taken against the encroachments made by Bangladeshi immigrants.
The detailed report on NNMC inaction against Bangladeshi encroachers could be read here.
Muslims attack Dalit families in Bihar’s Purnia
A Mahadalit colony in Majhuwa village under Baisi police station of Purnia district in Bihar was engulfed with raging conflagration on the night of May 19 as Islamists in the region launched a brutal attack against the Dalit settlement. At least 13 Mahadalit houses were reduced to ashes, after a Muslim mob of 150 to 200 from three to four nearby villages, armed with weapons, surrounded the colony and set it on fire.
The mob brutally attacked the Dalits who tried to stop them from carrying out the destruction. Showing the least empathy towards the aged, children or the women, the Islamist mob dragged them out of their houses and brutally assaulted them with sharp weapons.
In the attack, an elderly retired watchman namely Mewa Lal Rai (70), was lynched to death. A pregnant lady named Laxmi Devi was mercilessly assaulted by the rampaging mob. She sustained critical injuries on her head but managed to flee the spot.
The reason behind the said incident of ransacking, assault and arson by the Muslim mob was the grudges the Muslims held towards the Dalits residing in the predominantly Muslim-majority area. For months leading to the incident, the Muslims had been agitating and asking the Dalits to vacate the land claiming it belongs to them. However, according to the Dalits, the land on which their houses were made was government land, belonging to the PWD Department. They had been resolutely opposing the rowdy behaviour of the Muslims and refusing to vacate their houses, following which they were targeted and attacked.
The complete report of the condemnable incident could be read here.
While 2021 laid bare the low journalistic ethic followed by a lot of mainstream Indian media channels, it also saw depths to which the western media organisations sunk in order to defame India. In May 2021, as India was battling a ferocious bout of the second wave of coronavirus outbreak, western media organisations perversely started obsessing over tragic images of human catastrophe caused due to the Wuhan Coronavirus infection.
With an intention to draw more eyeballs and sensationalise covid deaths in the country, publications such as The Washington Post, Deutsche Welle (DW) News, The New York Times, and other publications indulged in tragedy porn, placing unwarranted focus on traumatising images of desolate cremation grounds, burning funeral pyres and overwhelmed hospitals, so as to allege that India had bungled up in handling the COVID-19 outbreak.
Here’s the comprehensive archive of articles that illustrate western media’s sordid attempts to monetise a tragedy and exploit it to promote anti-India propaganda.
Kejriwal government in Delhi exaggerated oxygen demand by 4 times: SC panel
Another issue covered by OpIndia that was widely read by our readers was regarding Kejriwal’s treachery in demanding more oxygen supply than Delhi needed in the midst of a raging second wave of coronavirus outbreak.
The audit team appointed by the Supreme Court found out that the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government exaggerated the oxygen requirement in the national capital by more than four times during the April 25-May 10 peak period of the Covid-19 second wave. The panel exposed the Delhi government’s claims of oxygen shortage in the national capital, saying that the Delhi government had inflated the oxygen requirement in Delhi by more than four times during the second wave of the pandemic even as the country was facing it tough to source liquid medical oxygen (LMO).
The audit committee also informed the Supreme Court that the supply of excess oxygen to the national capital could have caused supply constraints shortage for at least 12 states who needed it.
“There was a gross discrepancy (about four times). The actual oxygen consumption claimed by the Delhi government (1,140MT) was about four times higher than the calculated consumption as per the formula based on bed capacity (289 MT),” the SC-appointed oxygen audit committee said in its report.
The complete findings of the SC-appointed panel into the Delhi government’s inflated demand for oxygen can be read here.
GoI removes the word ‘Halal’ from its Red Meat Manual
In January 2021, the government of India, in a welcome move, removed the word ‘Halal’ from its Red Meat Manual issued by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).
The move came after a controversy broke out over the issue of the Red Meat Manual which gave an impression that it promoted and was imposing the Halal method of slaughter in India.
However, the Centre reacted to the controversy and removed the word ‘Halal’ from its Red Meat Manual. APEDA had then said that there is no condition imposed by the government of India and that the govt does not mandate that only Halal Meat has to be exported. However, it was the requirement of the majority of countries importing the meat. APEDA further clarified that Halal Certification agencies were accredited directly by the respective importing counties and no govt agency had a role in it.
Essentially the government of India said that in their Red Meat Manual, the standards for Halal slaughter were mentioned not because the government mandates that meat be slaughtered only by the Halal method, but because the importing countries required that the meat be slaughtered in this specific manner. Since most meat importing countries were Islamic countries, it stood to reason that those countries would demand that their meat be slaughtered only by the Halal method.
The article about the removal of the ‘Halal’ word from the Red Meat Manual and what it meant could be read here.
