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The Indian Express propaganda busted: Claims of Ayodhya land deals made close to Ram Mandir falls flat, reveals OpIndia Ground Report

राहुल पाण्डेय
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The Indian Express propaganda busted: Claims of Ayodhya land deals made close to Ram Mandir falls flat, reveals OpIndia Ground Report

On 24 December 2021, The Indian Express published a report titled: “Ayodhya: Kin of officials bought land from the trust under probe for illegal transfer of Dalit land”. In the name of ‘investigative journalism’, the report written by Shyamlal Yadav and Sandeep Singh had claimed that after the Supreme Court’s verdict, some officials, MLAs, ministers, and relatives of the government officials purchased land in Ayodhya within a 5-km radius of the Ram Mandir site, potentially creating a ‘conflict of interest.’

The Indian Express report published on December 24

The report said that at least 15 buyers of land around the Ram Mandir site included MLAs, bureaucrats who have or are serving in Ayodhya, and local revenue officials, or their close relatives. The report expressed doubts over these authorities, who are either serving or previously worked in Ayodhya and were in charge of verifying land transactions.

Excerpt from the report published by The Indian Express

The Indian Express did not present any evidence in this report that highlighted problems in the land transaction. The allegations The Indian Express levelled on the 15 beneficiaries it named in its report, were also refuted by the latter. The report, however, made it appear that the purchase of these properties was contentious, leading Hindus to conclude that looting in the name of the Ram temple occurred at Ayodhya.

The report specially mentioned that all the government officials in question had purchased land in Ayodhya within a 5-km radius of the Ram Mandir site. 

Following the report by The Indian Express, the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh ordered an inquiry into the same. We at OpIndia also tried to delve deeper into the case and the layers of deception spun by The Indian Express in the name of ‘investigative journalism’ started unbinding one by one as soon as we began probing the issue.

The report by The Indian Express mentioned- IAS MP Agarwal, IPS Deepak Kumar, SDM Piyush Chaudhary, DSP Arvind Chaurasia, Revenue Officer Purushottam Das Gupta, State Information Commissioner Harshvardhan Shahi, retired IAS officer Umadhar Dwivedi, Lekhpal Badri Upadhyay, Kanungo Sudhanshu Ranjan, Peshkar Dinesh Ojha, Ayodhya Mayor Rishikesh Upadhyay, BJP MLA from Gosainganj Indrapratap Tiwari Khabbu, BJP MLA from Ayodhya Ved Prakash Gupta and State OBC Commission member Balram Maurya, as the 15 beneficiaries who had purchased land in Ayodhya within a 5-km radius of the Ram Mandir site.

OpIndia found that The Indian Express’ first and most important claim that all these beneficiaries had purchased land within 5-km of the Ram Mandir site was only inaccurate. In fact, out of all the pieces of land that have been found a mention in The Indian Express report, only 5 plots are within 5-km of the Ram Mandir site. The rest of the plots are either located in other police station areas, or even in other districts.

OBC commission member Balram Maurya

Balram Maurya, a member of the State OBC Commission was named as one of the beneficiaries in the report by The Indian Express. It was alleged that Maurya bought a plot in Maheshpur. Here, it becomes imperative for The Indian Express to know that Maheshpur is in district Gonda outside the boundaries of district Ayodhya. As evident from the screenshot of the google map shared below, Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir site is 12 km away from Maheshpur, which is definitely much more than the 5 km radius claimed by The Indian Express. Moreover, the media house is probably unaware that the river Saryu flows between Ayodhya and this particular location. Also, in the midst of the two locations, there is a 1 km long bridge that has been built to connect the two places.

Keeping all the aforementioned information in mind, it is safe to assume that The Indian Express claims are too far fetched and devoid of facts.

Another beneficiary of illegal land purchase named by The Indian Express- Information Commissioner Harshvardhan Shahi

The report by The Indian Express further alleged that Uttar Pradesh Information Commissioner Harshvardhan Shahi acquired an illegal plot of land in the Sarairasi Manjha area in Ayodhya in the name of his son and wife. Again, the area- Sarairasi Manjha, which the report mentions is 14 km away from the Ram Mandir site in Ayodhya, contrary to the Indian Express’s claim of 5 km. Furthermore, this region is under a separate police jurisdiction than the Ram Mandir site in Ayodhya.

When we visited the Sarairasi Manjha area in Ayodhya we saw that the entire region is completely deserted. This is, in fact, the same village where many people had given up their lives defending the temple when Babur attacked Ayodhya, destroyed Ram Mandir and killed thousands of Sadhus.

Sarairasi Manjha area in Ayodhya

SDM Ayush Choudhary: third beneficiary of the ‘illegal land deal’ as claimed by The Indian Express

Again, The Indian Express claimed that SDM Ayush Chaudhary’s cousin Shobhita Rani had bought 2 different plots within 5 km of the Ramjanmabhoomi temple complex. OpIndia visited both these places. The first land purchased in May 2020 is in village Birauli, which is about 13 km from the Ram Mandir complex.

Image courtesy: Google Maps

The terrain is exceedingly rocky and covered in clumps. There’s a lot of dust on the road that leads to Birauli and connects two local markets namely Bilharghat and Masoudha.

The road leading to village Birauli

The second plot belonging to SDM Ayush Chaudhary’s cousin Shobhita Rani is situated in Malikpur village in Ayodhya. This plot is roughly 10 kilometres away from the Ram Mandir site. Both of these areas are likewise under different police jurisdiction than the Ram Mandir.

Image courtesy: Google Maps

These plots were reputedly purchased in November 2019 in the name of an organisation run by Shobhita Rani. From October 2019 until October 2021, SDM Ayush Chaudhary was stationed in various parts of the Ayodhya district. He is currently assigned to the Kanpur district.

Sudhanshu Ranjan, (Kanoongo, Ganja village) and Badri Upadhyay (Lekhpal of Ganja village)

The Indian Express report further named Sudhanshu Ranjan, (Kanoongo, Ganja village) and Badri Upadhyay (Lekhpal of Ganja village) as the other two beneficiaries of the Ayodhya illegal land deal. The report read that Sudhanshu Ranjan purchased a plot of land in Ganja village in the name of his wife, Aditi in March 2021. Similarly, it accused Badri Upasdhyay of illegally acquiring a piece of land by Maharshi Ramayan Vidyapeeth Trust, in the same area at around the same time, in the name of his father- Vashisht Narayan.

To bust the claims made by the Indian Express, the OpIndia team visited this village also. Ganja village is also about 9 km away from the periphery of the Ram Mandir site, which is again in stark contrast to the 5-km radius claim made by the media house.

Distance between Ram Mandir and Ganja village os approx 9 km

The police station limit of this area is also different from that of the Ramjanmabhoomi. This place comes under a village near the Dabhasemar market on the Ayodhya-Prayagraj highway.

OpIndia visits the Ganja village

Circle officer Arvind Chaurasia named as another benefiaciary by The Indian Express

According to the Indian Express, Arvind Chaurasia’s relatives purchased land in Ayodhya’s Halkara Ka Purwa and Korkhana. These plots were purchased in the name of Chaurasia’s father-in-law Santosh Kumar and mother-in-law Ranjana in the months of June and September 2021, further claimed the media report. It may be noted that CO Arvind Chaurasia was posted as DSP in different areas of the Ayodhya district from July 2017 to August 2020.

OpIndia visited both these places. Like in previous cases, these two plots also fell in different police jurisdictions from the Ram Mandir site.

Moreover, the first plot in Halkara Ka Purwa is at a distance of almost 15 km from the Ram Mandir site, while the plot in Korkhana is about 7 km away. Halkara Ka Purwa is located on the Ayodhya-Azamgarh road, while the Korkhana is on the outer limits of the Ayodhya Cantt area.

DSP Arvind Chaurasia is now the DSP of Meerut Kotwali. It may be noted that the DSP on whom The Indian Express has raised fingers, was behind the crackdown on Haji Galla alias Haji Naeem, the kingpin of Meerut’s auto theft syndicate. Recently, the Meerut police seized Haji Galla’s luxurious bungalow worth Rs 4 crore 10 lakh on the orders of the district magistrate. Moreover, his eight big shops were also seized and all his bank accounts were frozen.

In addition, the Uttar Pradesh police at the behest of the Yogi government had launched an investigation into 32 junkyards in Meerut’s Sotiganj Kabadi Bazar which are believed to be associated with Haji Galla aka Haji Naeem. Reports suggest that the Meerut police invoked the Gangster Act against the notorious scrap dealers who have been aiding Haji Galla in his car breaking business in Meerut. Haji Galla was also rumoured to have received political support from the previous governments in Uttar Pradesh.

The Maharishi Ramayana Vidyapeeth Trust (MRVT), a religious body based in Ayodhya is under the scanner for allegedly buying large parcels of land from Dalit owners in violation of norms. A case is also pending against the trust in the revenue court (administrative), Ayodhya. Maharishi Ramayan Vidyapeeth Trust is accused of buying land in Manjha Barhata and Shahnawazpur villages from its Dalit owners.

In The Indian Express report, these parcels of land have been linked to IAS MP Agrawal, presently ADM Gorakhpur Purushottam Das Gupta, Gosainganj MLA Indrapratap Tiwari alias Khabbu, current DIG Aligarh IPS Deepak Kumar and retired IAS officer of UP cadre Umadhar Dwivedi.

OpIndia team visited Barhata Majha, which again The Indian Express had claimed to be within a 5-km radius of the Ram Mandir site in Ayodhya. Three large parcels here were encircled by high boundaries and large gates. These lands, according to locals, had been purchased by the commissioner’s and DIG’s relatives. According to the allegations, a plot that lies at a distance of around one and a half km from these three large plots belongs to the relative of BJP MLA from Gosaiganj Indra Pratap Tiwari alias Khabbu.

It may be noted that Indrapratap Tiwari is currently lodged in the Ayodhya jail in another case.

Since not all MRVT lands are disputed, it’s unclear until now whether these are the same plots that are in dispute regarding its purchase from Dalits.

MLA Ved Prakash Gupta and Mayor Rishikesh Upadhyay

The Indian Express report has meted out similar allegations against Ved Prakash Gupta, an MLA in Ayodhya and Rishikesh Upadhyay, the Mayor of Ayodhya. The accusations are that the BJP MLA Ved Prakash Gupta has acquired land in the name of his relatives in the Manjha Barhata village. Although this land is within a 5-kilometre radius of the Ram Mandir site, it was not purchased from the MRVT Trust. There are houses built on most of the land and the road conditions are not good. The MRVT Trust owns the majority of the land in this area, which is located near a dam built on the banks of the river.

Mayor Rishikesh Upadhyay is accused of illegally purchasing Dalit land in the village Kazipur Chitawa, which falls in the Ayodhya district in Uttar Pradesh. Though the distance between Ram Mandir and this land is barely over 5 kilometres, this land is also not owned by the MRVT Trust.

Former Ayodhya DM refutes Indian Express report alleging illegal land purchase

A day after The Indian Express published a report, Anuj Jha, who was the DM of Ayodhya from February 21, 2019, to October 23, 2021, had issued a statement refuting the Ayodhya illegal land deal accusation meted out at a few past and present officers of Ayodhya and slammed the media for dragging his name into the controversy.

The now Director at Panchayati Raj has posted his statement on his official Twitter handle, slamming the media for running false/misleading reports about him as a beneficiary in the land sale by Maharshi Ramayan Vidyapeeth Trust in District.

Jha clarified that neither he nor his father has purchased land from the MRV Trust nor does he have any relationship with any of the Trust’s land purchasers. He added that his father had purchased 320 square meters of land at a different place in Ayodhya for residential purposes from a person who is not related to MRV Trust and the land didn’t belong to any person of scheduled castes. All rules have been duly followed in this transaction.

The former DM of Ayodhya confirmed that the issue has nothing to do with the Ram Janmabhoomi Trust. He added that during his tenure, he received a complaint against the MRV Trust over the alleged illegal transfer of land belonging to a scheduled caste person to their name in 1996. The incident was investigated, and he took action to cancel the land transfer and vest it in the state government. The relevant court was notified of the request to cancel the transfer. According to Jha, all of the actions expected from the District Administration in this situation were taken without any benefit to the MRV Trust.

Jha concluded his statement by urging the media outlet to retract the false article and offer his family an explanation.

The Indian Express report alleging illegal land dealings within 5-km radius of Ram Mandir site

It may be noted that a report published by The Indian Express had claimed that after the Supreme Court’s verdict, some officials, MLAs, ministers, and relatives of the government officials purchased land in Ayodhya within a 5-km radius of the Ram Mandir site. The report said that at least 15 buyers of land around the Ram Mandir site included MLAs, bureaucrats who have or are serving in Ayodhya, and local revenue officials, or their close relatives.

These officials are either serving or had served in Ayodhya and their job was to authenticate land transactions. They were aware that in the future land will be acquired for the construction of the Ram Mandir at a high acquisition rate. Besides, acquired land will have a high commercial value also.

Soon other media houses followed suit. Zee News also accused Anuj Jha of illegally acquiring land within a 1 Km radius of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir during his tenure.

Yogi Adityanath orders probe

Following the media reports, the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh ordered an inquiry into the same. Special Secretary Revenue, Radhey Shyam Mishra was expected to investigate the matter and the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister had ordered to submit the report to the government with relevant documents in the next 5-7 days.

China bans footballers from getting tattoos to set ‘good example for society’, mandates ‘ideological and political education’ activities

OpIndia Staff
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China bans footballers from getting tattoos to set ‘good example for society’, mandates ‘ideological and political education’ activities

China has now banned their national team football players from getting new tattoos. In fact, those with existing tattoos have been recommended to remove or cover up the tattoos themselves. This step is being taken reportedly to “set a good example for society”.

Reportedly, several football players from China in the recent years have started sporting tattoos. International defender Zhang Linpeng has also sported tattoos and he was asked by the Chinese authorities to cover up the tattoo or get it removed. He was asked to cover up the tattoo while playing for the national team and club side Guangzhou FC.

The General Administration of Sport of China (GAS) said in a statement headed “Suggestions for strengthening the management of football players” that the Chinese Football Association would set out disciplinary requirements for national team players.

“National teams at all levels will strictly implement the relevant requirements of the management measures… (and) fully demonstrate the positive spirit of Chinese football players and set a good example for society,” it said.

Saying that the national team and U23 players are required to either remove or cover up their tattoos, the GAS said that if there are special circumstances agreed by the team and the players, then at the least, the players are supposed to cover up the tattoos during training and the matches.

GAS had added that national teams should organise “ideological and political education activities” that would “strengthen the patriotic education” of players. Talking about the ideological and political education activities to be organised, the GAC said, “enhance the sense of mission, responsibility and honour, and create a national team capable of conquering and fighting well and with excellent style of play”.

China restricts video games for kids to up to 3 hours a week

Beijing recently curbed the gaming hours for minors as the notice released by China’s National Press and Publication Administration imposed limits on the time that children can spend on online gaming. Starting September 1 2021, the video game companies are ordained to restrict gaming time to three hours a week—from 8 PM to 9 PM on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Defending the restrictions, the National Press and Publication Administration said the online gaming has an impact on both the physical and mental health of minors.

In order to ensure that minors abide by the rule, the game companies will have to use a real name-based registration system that Tencent started using in 2018 to restrict playtime on Honor of Kings, a widely popular online game. 

However, at that time, the restrictions were not so rigorous as children up to the age of 12 could play one hour per day, and up to two hours a day for children in the age bracket between 13 to 18. The authorities were then concerned about exacerbating myopia among minors.

Siddhivinayak darshan case: 9 shopkeepers arrested for running online booking scam, 13 mobile phones seized

OpIndia Staff
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Siddhivinayak darshan case: 9 shopkeepers arrested for running online booking scam, 13 mobile phones seized

A month after it was unearthed that scammers were manipulating the booking system and charging people for darshan at the Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai, a total of 9 people were arrested in connection to the case, reported Mid Day.

During the investigation, the Dadar police found that a group of flower sellers and shopkeepers who operated outside the temple sold illegal QR codes to devotees for darshan. The temple authorities had filed a complaint with the police, following which a case of registered. The Dadar police then carried out raids at the shops, located in the vicinity of the temple.

The cops confiscated the cell phones of 13 shopkeepers. During the raid, they matched the QR codes that were found in the mobile phones of the accused and matched it with the CCTV footage of the temple. The police had discovered that the shopkeeper who had booked the slot for darshan did not visit the temple while someone else did on the particular slot. As such, the police were able to identify and nab the 9 accused.

The apprehended men include Sanjay Keer, Niraj Barai, Chandan Kawali, Amit Kumar Gupta, Dilip Gupta, Deepak Upadhyay, Dinesh Gupta, Naresh Amganty, and Haridas Tiwari. They were booked under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 33 (Omission), 34 (common intention), 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating), and relevant provisions of the Bombay Police Act.

While speaking to Mid Day, a police officer explained that a devotee needs to book an online slot on the temple app for darshan. On doing so, a QR code is generated that he/she has to show at the temple entrance to gain access.

According to DCP Pranaya Ashok, the accused would book the darshan slots before others and then black-market the slots to the devotees who couldn’t manage to get any slot or came without their designated QR codes.“The accused took financial advantage by black marketing QR codes and also cheated the temple trust and devotees for which action has been taken against them,” he added.

The Background of the Siddhivinayak darshan scam

In November this year, a scam was exposed by a Mumbai-based doctor Amit Thadhani. In a Twitter thread, Thadhani explained how scammers were charging people as much as ₹300 for darshan at the temple, which otherwise was free.

Thadhani said he went to the temple with some relatives, where he was approached by a man who was standing outside one of the flower shops. The man told him that the darshan was only possible with prior online booking. He claimed he could get an online pass for them immediately for a fee.

Thadhani did not believe him at first, but when he downloaded the app and logged in with a newly created ID, it showed all slots were booked. The scammer told him that he could arrange darshan at Rs. 300 per person. They were a group of ten people. He further added that he would need five mobile phones to get the “booking” done for them as the app allowed only two people per phone.

He and the other four from the group gave them their mobile phones. The scammer, along with his sidekick, swung into action, and within minutes the booking was confirmed for all of them.

Thadhani had an idea how they were pulling off the scam. To confirm his theory, he kept the login of the person on his device. He added, “These people block all available slots in advance through various fake IDs. So no slots are available for genuine devotees.”

He added screenshots of the fake account in the thread and said, “This is the fake account through which the slot was blocked (obviously the person’s name isn’t really Siddhivinayak). So remember folks, if you’re not getting a slot for darshan at Siddhivinayak, chances are the local touts outside the temple have already blocked all of them.”

Petition filed in SC against alleged hate speeches against Muslims and Prophet Mohammad, seeks court-monitored probe

OpIndia Staff
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Petition filed in SC against alleged hate speeches against Muslims and Prophet Mohammad, seeks court-monitored probe

A writ petition has been filed in the Supreme Court demanding action against alleged instances of hate speeches against Muslims in the country. Islamic organisation Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind and religious activist Maulana Syed Mahmood Asad Madani have filed the petition at the apex court.

The petition alleges that there has been an increase in alleged hate speeches against Prophet Muhammad call for violence against Muslims in the country in recent years, and included some instances of such alleged hate speeches from 2018. The petitioners say that no action has been taken against anyone for such intances.

The petition mentions the recent controversial remarks made by Yati Narasinghanand Saraswati, alleged anti-Muslim slogans made at a rally in Jantar Mantar in August this year, the ongoing protests against weekly Friday Namaz on public grounds in Gurugram, protests in Tripura against attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, and other some speeches and remarks as examples of hate speech against Muslims in the country.

The plea also alleges that around 100 Muslims were arrested in Uttar Pradesh for protesting against the speech of Yati Narasinghanand Saraswati. The petitioners alleged that no action has been taken against the alleged hate speeches made in the ‘Dharm Sansad’ in Haridwar. They have also alleged that the law enforcement agencies are succumbing to non-state actors and are failing to protect the rights of the minorities.

“The above facts simply go on to demonstrate that through provocative and derogatory speeches of Indian citizenry, a religious community is attacked in order to compel them to abandon their religious practices. It is not a matter to be left to the administrative process in the country without holding them accountable. A considered judicial intervention of the Constitutional Court, by invoking under public law remedy, is required considering the present circumstances,” the plea said.

The petition further alleged that the derogatory speeches against Muslims have resulted in violence and even killing of Muslims, and accused the police of failing to act against anti-Muslim speeches. “Hate speech feeds into a system of political and social discrimination and has a cumulative effect on the dignity of a group/community and its members”, the petition said.

The petition makes three main demands, a report from govt of India on action taken against hate speeches against Muslims, particularly targeting Prophet Mohammad; the Constitution of an independent committee to compile all cases of hate speech in the country; and Court-monitored investigation and prosecution of hate crimes.

News24 twists statement of Bihar police DGP about children being pushed into a life of crime when they run away from home: Read fact-check

OpIndia Staff
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News24 twists statement of Bihar police DGP about children being pushed into a life of crime when they run away from home: Read fact-check

On the 30th of December, Hindi news channel News24 reported a speech made by Bihar police DGP SK Singhal. In the tweet posted by News24, they reported that DGP SK Singhal had said in a speech that women who marry without the consent of their parents end up in the prostitution business. The statement reported by News24, however, was wildly misreported.

Tweet by News24

As can be seen, the tweet by News24 claims that DGP SK Singhal said, “मां-बाप की मर्जी से करें शादी, वरना वैश्यावृति में जाना पड़ सकता है”, which translated to “Marry with the consent of your parents, otherwise you might end up in prostitution”.

However, even a cursory listen to the video reveals how grossly incorrect News24’s reportage was about the speech made by DGP Singhal.

In the video, DGP Singhal says, “Another problem that has arisen is that for marriage, many girls run away from their homes without the permission of their parents. This leads to extremely tragic consequences. Many are murdered, whether it’s a boy or a girl. And many of the girls are pushed into prostitution and there is no direction in their life. Their life does not progress properly and they don’t know what they can or cannot do. And the tragic consequences of this are also borne by the family members and the parents of the child. I urge parents to constantly talk to their sons and daughters, give them a good upbringing, understand their feelings properly and keep them connected with the family with a lot of sensitivity”.

It is evident that DGP was talking about the consequences of boys and girls running away from their families and homes to elope without the parents knowing about their whereabouts. It is true that many girls are lured to elope and then end up being pushed into a life of crime, flesh trade or end up being a victim of crime themselves. In fact, the DGP also spoke about boys who run away from their families and end up being pushed into a directionless life of crime.

In the speech, the DGP in fact addressed the parents and did not blame the children. He said that the parents had to be more involved with their children and understand their feelings. He also said that constant lines of communication must be opened by the parents with their children to ensure that they don’t take any wrong steps that they might regret later.

A simple statement about saving children from a life of crime, becoming the victim of a crime or being pushed into flesh trade was twisted by News24 to insinuate that DGP Singhal spoke about how girls end up becoming prostitutes if they don’t marry with the consent of their parents. The insinuation was that rather evident – that the DGP was espousing traditional views of arranged marriage and that if the children get married to a partner of their choice, they become prostitutes. However, that is not remotely what the DGP had said.

At the time of publishing this report, News24 had not deleted/retracted their tweet and issued an apology for twisting the statement of DGP SK Singhal.

From prophecy of Indonesia returning to Hinduism to rants of Sharjeel Imam, #PoopyPantsBiden and Sabbah Haji: 10 most-read articles of 2021

OpIndia Staff
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From prophecy of Indonesia returning to Hinduism to rants of Sharjeel Imam, #PoopyPantsBiden and Sabbah Haji: 10 most-read articles of 2021

2021 has been a tumultuous year. With the pandemic raging, a country of 1.3 billion people rushing to get vaccinated and anti-India elements spreading terrorism, fake news, propaganda and Islamists, Khalistanis running rampage and holding the state hostage. OpIndia, on its part, tried to document as much as we could to ensure that our readers have the information that they deserve.

As we bid adieu to 2021, here is a list of the top 10 most read articles on OpIndia.

1. Rajasthan: Nafisa Atari, teacher who celebrated Pakistan’s victory against India in T20 World Cup, gets terminated

2021 was the year when India played miserably against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup. After India lost to Pakistan, there were several elements who feverishly celebrated India’s loss to Pakistan. Pakistan went as far as to say that it was a victory of Islam, thereby terming India as a “Kafir” nation.

The most read article on OpIndia in 2020 was about Nafisa Atari, a teacher who celebrated Pakistan’s victory against India.

Please click on the image to read the article

On October 25, a WhatsApp post of a teacher identified as Nafisa Atari, a teacher of Neerja Modi School, Udaipur, Rajasthan, started to get viral on social media platforms. In the post, Atari had shared an image of Pakistani players with the text, “Jeet gaye, we won”. Nafisa was heavily criticized for the post. The netizens questioned what she might be teaching in her class if she was openly supporting Pakistan.

After this, Nafisa was terminated from services. The notice in Hindi read, “Nafisa Atari, a teacher at Neerja Modi School, has been terminated from the school with immediate effect during the meeting of Sojatia Charitable Trust.” The trust runs the Neerja Modi School. The notice did not mention the reason for termination.

2. As daughter of first Indonesian president converts to Hinduism, read how a Hindu priest had prophesised that glory of Hinduism will return to the country

Sukmawati Sukarnoputri, the daughter of the first President of Indonesia, converted to Hinduism from Islam. She embraced Hinduism in a formal ceremony held on October 26th.

The conversion ceremony ‘Sudhi Wadani’ was conducted at the Bali Agung Singaraja at the Buleleng Regency in Singaraja city of Bali, the ancestral land of the family. Bali Agung Singaraja is a monument to her late father Sukarno, built near the home of her grandmother in North Bali. 

Her decision to convert to Hinduism was influenced by her grandmother Ida Ayu Nyoman Rai Srimben, who hailed from Bali. Sukmawati Sukarnoputri is the founder of the Indonesian National Party (Partai Nasional Indonesia-PNI).

On OpIndia, the report on her conversion and a report on an ancient prophesy comes in as the #2 most read in 2021.

Click on the image to read the article

Sabdapalon was a mystic priest in the Court of King Brawijaya V of the Majapahit Empire, the most powerful empire of Indonesia. When the kingdom fell to Islamic influences and Brawijaya V converted to Islam in 1478, Sabdapalon cursed the King. He vowed to return after 500 years at the time of natural disaster and political corruption. The mystic priest predicted to free the archipelago from the clutches of Islam and restore the glory of the Hindu Javanese religion. You can read the article about the return to Indonesia to Hinduism by clicking on the image above.

3. #PoopyPantsBiden trends on social media after rumours emerge of Joe Biden suffering a ‘bathroom accident’ at the Vatican

On the 31st of October 2021, #PoopyPantsBiden was trending on Twitter. The article explaining why that hashtag was trending became the 3rd most read article on OpIndia in 2021.

Click on the image to read the article

#PoopyPantsBiden was trending on social media after former Nevada Republican Party Chairman Amy Tarkanian claimed that there are rumours floating in Rome that US President Joe Biden had a “bathroom accident” during his meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican.

4. Meet Kashmiri educator Sabbah Haji, who does not think of herself Indian and picked up idea of ‘azaadi’ at 8

Kashmiri educator Sabbah Haji has been released on bail after she was arrested for referring to Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat as ‘war criminal’ in an Instagram post. OpIndia profiled the teacher who had celebrated the death of General Bipin Rawat.

Click on the picture to read the article

“I am now 28. Even today, each time I have to fill a form asking for my ‘nationality’, I hesitate before eventually writing ‘Indian’. That’s about 20 years of hesitating over the same point, because yes, even at 8, I knew something was rotten in the State of Jammu and Kashmir,” she had said in the 2010 article stating that young children pick up resentment against India from their family members. “No one in Kashmir drills their children with ‘Azaadi’ mantras and anti-establishment behaviour. Somewhere between infancy and childhood, I had picked up unwittingly on what most of my family and people felt. Just like that, it was part of me,” she had said.

5. Prashant Kishor reveals he had almost joined Congress party, says entire leadership responsible for losing 90% elections in 10 years

Election strategist Prashant Kishor appeared on the cover of the India Today magazine, which carried an exclusive interview of him. During the interview, Kishor revealed that when he was working with the Congress party, he was so close its affairs that he had almost joined the party.

A report on this became the 5th most read article on OpIndia in the year 2021.

Prashant Kishor had said that he has been in talks with the Congress leadership for the past two years but, post the Bengal election, it was a much more structured, intensive engagement. He said that he had almost joined the party, but didn’t as he realized that coming together would be counterproductive for both sides due to some issues. However, he didn’t mention the issues that stopped him from joining the Congress party.

He revealed while replying to the claim that he is attacking the party because he was supposed to advise the party on strategy and it didn’t work out. He said that nobody can advise the Gandhis or the Congress leadership on their own. Kishor said that the party asked him and he told them what he thought was right.

6. Viral rape video: Victim was trafficked by Bangladeshi TikTok ‘star’, all accused arrested in Bengaluru. Details

In May 2021, a viral video clip of a gang rape incident began doing the rounds on the internet on Wednesday (May 26). In the video footage, four men and a woman were seen brutally assaulting a victim and sexually torturing her. 

Click on the image to read the article

Initially, many social media handles had claimed that the victim in the video is the 25-year-old Nagaland girl Lovi Sumi, who had recently committed suicide in Jodhpur where she worked. However, police officials verified the identity with the family members of the deceased woman and confirmed that the woman in the viral video is not the Nagaland girl but a different woman and the culprits were Bangladeshis.

7. ‘You may be strip searched’: Pakistani cricketer shares boarding pass for USA flight with ‘SSSS’ stamped on it. Read what it means

Pakistani cricketer Umar Akmal took to Twitter in October 2021 to share pictures of himself and his boarding pass of his flight to the United States. Akmal said he is travelling to the United States for some personal meetings and urged his supporters to pray for his success.

Click on the image to read the article

Soon after he posted the picture of the boarding pass on Twitter, a social media user noticed Akmal’s boarding pass had “SSSS” printed on them. “You have been marked for extra screening on arrival and you gotta be there for a couple of hours at least—hope that went well,” the user tweeted. You can click on the image above to read the article explaining “SSSS”.

8. After cutting off ties with British Royal family, Meghan Markle to join the BJP

After Meghan Markle’s interview with Oprah Winfrey, OpIndia published a satire piece about Markle joining BJP.

Click on the image to read the article

9. New York based band ‘Brass Against’ issues apology after lead singer urinated on a fan’s face during performance

A New York based band Brass Against was forced to apologise after its lead singer urinated on the face of a fan at the Welcome to Rockville festival in Florida on the 11th of November.

Click on the image to read the article

In an apology on social media, the band said that lead singer Urista got ‘carried away’ and it wasn’t something their fans would see again at their shows. The band also said that what happened was “profoundly unexpected”.

10. When Delhi riots accused Sharjeel Imam explained why Indian Muslims have always celebrated Pakistan’s cricket match win against India

Following the defeat of India to Pakistan in the group stage match of the T20 World Cup 2021, an old Facebook post of riot accused and radical Islamist Sharjeel Imam surfaced on social media.

Click on the image to read the article

In a Facebook post dated June 17, 2017, Imam had confessed, “Several youngsters of our community have been celebrating the victory of Pakistan in the cricket match. When social media was not in existence, we would celebrate at our house or in our neighbourhood. On numerous occasions during childhood, I have participated in such celebrations.” 

Hope you enjoyed reading the top 10 articles and we hope you, our readers, would continue to support us in 2022.

Women empowerment, Congress style: Sexual harassment accused rewarded with AICC secretary post for 3 states. Read details

OpIndia Staff
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Women empowerment, Congress style: Sexual harassment accused rewarded with AICC secretary post for 3 states. Read details

While Priyanka Gandhi Vadra screams about women empowerment and chants “Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hu”, the Congress party has rehabilitated a Congress worker accused of sexual harassment. Congress last week reinstated Ranajit Mukherjee, accused of sexual harassment, and made him the secretary of the three key states- Tripura, Nagaland and Sikkim. Mukherjee was removed from party posts last year after he was accused of harassing a party colleague and displaying “predatory behaviour” against another woman.

On the 23rd of December, Congress had appointed three AICC secretaries. Congress had appointed Ranajit Mukherjee, Szarita Laitphang and Tajinder Pal Singh Bittu as AICC secretaries. Of the three, Mukherjee has been accused of sexual harassment.

With months left for the all-important Uttar Pradesh state assembly elections, almost all political parties that are entering the fray have launched political campaigns to woo their prospective voters. While the BJP has centred its campaign around developmental work and its Hindutva roots, other political parties such as Samajwadi Party are still relying on the old hack of caste dynamics to stop CM Yogi Adityanath from returning to power. 

The Congress party, which was once the focal point of the Indian political arena, however, is struggling to mount a reasonable campaign to provide a credible alternative to the voters in Uttar Pradesh. Rahul Gandhi, like always, is on a wild goose chase, trying to revive the political fortunes of a party that seems to be irredeemably consigned to the fringes of Indian politics. Similarly, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, too, appears to be complimenting her brother in ensuring that Congress remains out of contention in the upcoming UP assembly elections.

Clutching on to straws, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had first come up with the “Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon” slogan to try and contest on the plank of women empowerment. Soon, she made a ludicrous statement that showed how out of depth she really was. Priyanka Vadra, perhaps with the aim of mobilising women voters behind the Congress party, proclaimed that LPG cylinders and toilets are not women empowerment.

While Priyanka did not consider moves to empower women as women empowerment, it is interesting that now Congress has abandoned the plank completely and reinstated a leader accused of sexual harassment and predatory behaviour.

What were the allegations against Ranajit Mukherjee

It was only last year that Ranajit Mukherjee had resigned from his post as AICC secretary after Rajya Sabha member Rajeev Gowda, chairman of the party’s research department undertook an internal investigation on the accusations of sexual harassment against him.

Mukherjee was also a part of the party’s research department and his resignation was accepted after the allegations had surfaced.

During the 2018 Rajasthan Assembly Elections, a woman from the NSUI had submitted a written complaint against Mukherjee and another colleague from the Congress research department had also alleged that Mukherjee was indulging in predatory behaviour.

Though he has shown a pattern of misconduct with women, the Congress party has reinstated Mukherjee. In fact, the reinstatement of Mukherjee comes even as the investigation into his sexual misconduct has not reached its conclusion.

Pakistan Hindu Council invites 250 devotees to the Teri temple which was rebuilt after being destroyed by Islamists

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan Hindu Council invites 250 devotees to the Teri temple which was rebuilt after being destroyed by Islamists

A group of 250 Hindu devotees from India, the UAE and the US are scheduled to visit a century-old shrine of Paramhans Ji Maharaaj in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province which was vandalised by radical Islamist outfit Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl on December 30 last year.

The temple is dedicated to a saint Shri Param Hans Dayal Ji Maharaj who was laid to rest in 1919 at Teri village in Karak district. A temple was constructed here in 1920.

Pakistani newspaper Dawn has said that Pakistan Hindu Council (PHC) has invited Hindus across the globe to encourage “faith tourism”. PHC representing Hindu minorities in Pakistan is headed by Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani who is also a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan.

According to the report, Hindu devotees will arrive in Peshawar on January 1 from where they will carry onward journey to Teri village. PHC has arranged the programme in collaboration with Pakistan International Airlines.

Earlier in November as many as 54 Hindus from India, Canada, Singapore, Australia, and Spain had paid a visit to the Teri temple. They were led by Shri Satguru Ji Maharaaj Ji, the fifth successor of Paramhans Ji Maharaaj.

Hindu council celebrated Diwali at shrine with Chief Justice of Pakistan

On November 8 PHC had organized a function to celebrate Diwali at this century-old shrine. The outfit had invited Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Gulzar Ahmad to participate in the Diwali as part of thanksgiving. This was the first-ever celebration at this temple after it was vandalised by Islamists and renovated on the order of the court.

Temple restored on the order of the court

On December 30th last year, the temple was vandalised by a mob led by local clerics belonging to the Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl. On the orders of the Chief Justice of Pakistan, the Teri temple was restored to its original condition.

A three-judge SC bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed, had also ordered the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to recover Rs 33 million from 123 identified accused when Advocate General for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Shumail Butt said that Rs 33 million (USD 1,94,161) was spent on restoration of the temple.

However, Islamists had forced Hindus in Pakistan to pay their fine and the PHC had paid fine for 11 Muslim clerics in the name of the ‘goodwill gesture’ to increase interfaith harmony between the Hindu and Muslim communities. The remaining accused also started pressurizing Hindus to cough up their fine.

Earlier in 1997, the shrine was first attacked and severely damaged. PHC had approached the Supreme court in 2015 seeking help to restore the holy place and restart the annual pilgrimage to the place.

Former World #1 Tennis player Jimmy Connors bats for India-made Covaxin to be approved in the US: Here’s what he said

OpIndia Staff
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Former World #1 Tennis player Jimmy Connors bats for India-made Covaxin to be approved in the US: Here’s what he said

On Friday (December 31), former Tennis player Jimmy Connors made an appeal to allow India’s indigenous Covid-19 vaccine ‘Covaxin’ in the United States. Connors is the former No.1 who has won 107 titles, 8 grand slams between 1972 to 1996.

In a tweet, he wrote, “CNN, Fox News, FDA – You always talk about Pfizer, J&J, Moderna vaccines – may be a nod to Covaxin. #ocgn – an opportunity to have an option- a choice- allow Covaxin to get in the game – I’m not Dr but the others have had a chance – why not Covaxin!!!”

Screengrab of the tweet by Jimmy Connors

Jimmy Connors has been a strong advocate for the inclusion of Covaxin in the list of approved vaccines by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States. On December 17, the American tennis star remarked that there was no talk of India’s indigenous vaccine, despite being better than the other alternatives in the market.

A few days later, he tweeted, “There is another vaccine #covaxin that is available— gives people another option – should check it out- #Fauci #fda #variants I’m no Doctor— but always like to keep my options open- #choices.” Connors had made a similar appeal on the occasion of Christmas (December 25) as well.

Screengrab of the tweets by Jimmy Connors

Covaxin approval by WHO, UK and DGCI and a smear campaign

Covaxin is an indigenous COVID-19 vaccine that is developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with ICMR, and the National Institute of Virology (NIV). According to the website of Bharat Biotech, Covaxin has been developed using “Whole-Virion Inactivated Vero Cell-derived platform technology”. Despite smear vaccine to deride India’s achievement and stir vaccine hesitancy, about 15.59 crores of Covaxin have been administered as of December 31, 2021.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on November 3 granted the Emergency Use Listing status to Covaxin after the Technical Advisory Group of WHO recommended the same. In a tweet thread, WHO said the Technical Advisory Group (TAG), an independent advisory committee of the World Health Organisation (WHO), has recommended Emergency Use Listing (EUL) status for Covaxin, the Covid-19 vaccine manufactured by India’s Bharat Biotech.

On November 22, the United Kingdom recognised India’s indigenous Coronavirus vaccine Covaxin as valid in the country. In a statement released by the UK government, it said, “From 4 am on Monday 22 November, the government will recognise vaccines on the World Health Organization’s Emergency Use Listing (WHO EUL). As a result, Sinovac, Sinopharm Beijing and Covaxin will be added to our list of approved vaccines for inbound travel, benefitting more fully vaccinated people from countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia and India.”

Recently, the Drugs Controller General of India had approved the Covid vaccine Covaxin for minors aged 12 to 18. According to reports, DCGI had granted emergency use approval for Bharat Biotech to use the made-in-India vaccine to people in the age group 12 years to 18 years.

Yogi Adityanath opens up about what made him join politics, confident of getting no less than 350 seats in upcoming UP elections

OpIndia Staff
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Yogi Adityanath opens up about what made him join politics, confident of getting no less than 350 seats in upcoming UP elections

Yogi Adityanath has been one of the most successful Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh in terms of fighting the organised mafia, restoring law and order and also developing the state. At the ‘Destination Uttar Pradesh’ conclave, Yogi Adityanath spoke to Times of India and opened up about what made him join politics after he was appointed the successor of Goraksh Peeth in 1994.

Speaking to TOI, Yogi Adityanath narrated two incidents from 1994 and 1995 that shaped him and led him to join politics. He said that it was 1994-1995 when there was a well-known family from Gorakhpur who had two big havelis. Those havelis had been allocated, unilaterally, to the mafia by the Uttar Pradesh government and administration. When Yogi Adityanath met the family, he saw that they had torn down the two havelis. On being asked why, the family said that they tore down their property because, in this way, they would at least be able to retain the land. Had they not demolished the buildings, they would have been left with nothing since the mafia would have taken the havelis and the land over.

The other incident that Yogi Adityanath narrated related to a minister in Uttar Pradesh. While Yogi Adityanath did not name the minister, he said that one day, he got a call from a rich family who said that their property was being occupied by a minister. When Yogi reached there, he saw that the belongings of the individual were being thrown out of the house and that several people were standing around, but doing nothing. When Yogi Adityanath asked the people how they could do this given that the owner had not sold his property to them, the mafia simply waved some papers in his face. It was at that point in time that Yogi Adityanath says that he told the crowd to beat them up.

These two incidents and several incidents like these, Yogi Adityanath says, shaped his political career and compelled him to join politics. He says that now, nobody can afford to do such activity in Uttar Pradesh anymore and that they know if they illegally occupy any property they will face the bulldozer.

Further, talking about allegations of how his crackdown on the mafia was ‘one sided’, Yogi Adityanath said that the mafia is mafia and cannot be linked to caste, religion, creed or politics and that they are the worst enemy of the society – worse than coronavirus.

Saying that he is unfazed by the UP elections being a referendum on his work, Yogi Adityanath said that he is confident that BJP would get over 350 seats in the upcoming assembly elections.

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