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Protesting farmers attack convoy of BJP MP Naib Singh Saini in Haryana, vehicle hits a protestor but no casualties

OpIndia Staff
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Protesting farmers attack convoy of BJP MP Naib Singh Saini in Haryana, vehicle hits a protestor but no casualties

After the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, in which a mob of ‘farmers’ attacked a BJP convoy with stones and sticks leading to the death of 8 people, a similar incident has come to the fore from the Ambala district in Haryana on Thursday. In the incident, BJP MP from Kurukshetra Naib Singh Saini has alleged that the protesting ‘farmers’ attacked him as he was leaving an event at Naraingarh in Ambala.

The BJP MP further claimed that the protestors, who had gathered there in large numbers, also grabbed his driver by his throat and attacked him.

The BJP MP said that his car was left behind in the convoy when the protestors surrounded the car and launched an attack. He added that the protesting ‘farmers’ shouted out that the car belongs to an MP. They then ran and attack the car from behind.

Divulging further details, Naib Singh Saini said that when the protestors launched an attack on his car, his staff got out of the car through its rear window and pushed back the farmers’. He added that no one was injured in the incident.

In contrary to what the BJP MP revealed, the ‘farmers’ have yet again alleged that the BJP convoy carrying BJP MP Nayab Saini had hit them, injuring one of the people in the crowd.

According to reports, the injured farmer was identified as one Bawan Preet. Sources were quoted as saying that the farmer was admitted to a government hospital in Naraingarh and was discharged after primary treatment.

Lakhimpur Kheri incident and how Congress and the leftist ecosystem used the incident to malign BJP

Interestingly, during the Lakhimpur Kheri incident too, the ‘farmer’ mob had attacked a BJP convoy with stones and sticks, leaving 8 people dead. Reports suggested that the protesters went violent and pelted stones at BJP’s convey.

Video had emerged that showed that the protestors had attacked a vehicle after which the driver lost control and ended up running over farmers, after which the protesters not only burnt down two vehicles but also ambushed people. While four farmers had died in the incident, two BJP leaders, a journalist a driver was reportedly beaten to death by the protesters.

However, opposition and the entire left ecosystem had immediately started peddling similar lies, accusing the son of cabinet minister Ajay Mishra of being behind the attack. Journalist Vinod Kapri had shared a cropped image on Twitter to insinuate that the son of a BJP leader was driving the car that ran over farmers.

A video also did the rounds where it is claimed that it shows the son of cabinet minister Ajay Mishra running away from the scene after their car runs over ‘farmer protesters’.

The Congress and their friendly journalists had also shared the video to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

However, an investigation by Navbharat Times had revealed that the person in the video is not Aashish Mishra but BJP leader Sumit Jaiswal. 

Sumit Jaiswal had later claimed that the protesters attacked Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra’s convoy and not the other way round.

UP Police pastes notice outside union minister Ajay Mishra’s house asking his son Ashish Mishra to appear before it in Lakhimpur Kheri case

OpIndia Staff
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UP Police pastes notice outside union minister Ajay Mishra’s house asking his son Ashish Mishra to appear before it in Lakhimpur Kheri case

Uttar Pradesh Police today pasted a notice outside the resident of the Union Minister Ajay Kumar Mishra in Lakhimpur Kheri in UP, asking his son Ashish Mishra to appear before the police. Earlier, the UP police had named Ashish Mishra in the FIR filed in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case.

The notice asks Mishra to appear at the crime branch office at the reserve police lines, Janpad Kheri at 10 am on October 8. The notice states that Ashish Mishra has been booked under sections 147, 148, 149, 279, 338, 304A, 302, 120B of the Indian Penal Code in the case where eight lives were lost. He has been asked to personally appear before the police to produce material, written, oral and electronic evidence in his defense.

The notice was pasted after reports that Ashish Mishra is untraceable after the incident, while two persons have been arrested in the case. The two arrested persons have been identified as Luvkush Rana and Ashish Pandey, close aides of Ashish.

The farmers are insisting that Ashish Mishra was present at the spot when the incident happened, and some are even claiming that he was driving the car that hit two farmer protestors killing them. On the other hand, he and his father are saying that he was not even present at the spot on that day, so there is no question of him hitting the people with his car.

Earlier, the FIR registered by the police in the incident that took place on Saturday, had said that Ashish Mishra was sitting in the car that had hit the protesting farmers. The FIR lodged on the complaint of one Jagjit Singh had said that the act was “premeditated”, for which the “conspiracy was hatched” by the minister and his son.

In that Lakhimpur Kheri violence that has become a major political issue taken up by the Congress party, a total of eight persons were killed. Reported, a convoy of BJP workers were first attacked by the protesting farmers, after which a vehicle allegedly lost control and hit two farmers. This angered the protesters, who attacked the vehicle, torched it, and assaulted people in the car. This resulted in the death of two BJP workers, a journalist and the driver. In the violence, two more farmers were reported death.

Lakhimpur Kheri: Family of Shubham and Hariom call for action against Rakesh Tikait, open up about what happened when ‘terrorists’ went on a rampage

OpIndia Staff
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Lakhimpur Kheri: Family of Shubham and Hariom call for action against Rakesh Tikait, open up about what happened when ‘terrorists’ went on a rampage

The family members of Shubham Mishra and Hariom Mishra, who have died in Lakhimpur violence, have spoken against the protesters and opposition leaders who are trying to politicize the case. Pyara Hindustan, an Online News Channel, approached the families of both Shubham and Hariom to talk to them about the incident.

In a video published on October 6, the reporter talked to the family members of Shubham Mishra and locals who had come to pay their condolences. Anoop Mishra, paternal uncle of Shubham Mishra, while talking to the reporter, said that the ‘farmers’ protesting against the three laws were not farmers but terrorists.

He further added that the protesters pelted stones that led to the violent incident. He said that the claims that protesters were attacked by the BJP workers are false. He said, “The BJP workers did not attack anyone. It was the terrorists [protesters] who started pelting stones.”

Another uncle of Shubham said, “My son was going to receive the minister. The protesters pelted stones at their vehicles. The windshield of the vehicle got damaged, and the driver could not control the car that led to the accident in which some people were injured. After that, the protesters turned the vehicle upside down and beaten my son to death.”

He further said, “I haven’t used my mobile or seen any TV channel. Everyone is showing how my son died. I cannot take it anymore.” He further added it could not be farmer protests. He said that the protesters present at the scene were already in the mood to cause riots. “It was a plan to kill the Minister or the representative,” he alleged. “However, they could not succeed as the minister was stopped at the venue and asked not to leave because of the protests. There was some youth wearing black Khalistan-related clothes. They were Khalistanis only,” he said.

Another person present said that the real farmers do not indulge in such protests or acts. These are the terrorists and miscreants who have become a part of these protests and creating a nuisance. He further claimed that the protesters were not local, and people were brought from other states on that day. He questioned leaders like Akhilesh Yadav for showing sympathy for those who came from the outside and caused the incident. He said, “Why these leaders are not talking about our child who lost his life? Why are they showing sympathy for those who came from outside?”

The family has demanded strict action against those who killed Shubham. When Shubham’s uncle was asked if he agreed with the demand of the protesters, he said, “We are also farmers. They formed unions and creating trouble for us. Their protests have no meaning. Their protests have led to the death of our child. These protests should end.”

Hariom’s family members blamed opposition leaders for the violence

Hariom’s cousin Rajnikant Mishra said his brother was pulled out of the vehicle and beaten to death with batons. “My brother can never harm anyone. They must have come in front of my brother’s vehicle. There were injury marks of swords and batons on his body.” His brother further added that Hariom was not in the vehicle that hit the protesters, but he was in another car.

He said, “They did not care to find out if he hit anyone or not. These were not farmers. They were Khalistani terrorists. I saw them in the news today. They still have batons and swords. No one is taking action against them.” He further added that leaders like Akhilesh Yadav would not go to the actual farmers. “We have papers of our land here. We are the real farmers. Those who were protesting were not the real farmers. Akhilesh Yadav would not come to the real farmers but would meet the fake ones,” he said. 

Another cousin of Hariom said, “We are also farmers. We never attacked anyone with batons. Everyone in this village is a farmer. No one participated in the protests.” His family members further called Tikait “leader of the terrorists”. “Tikait is responsible for the deaths that happened that day. It is his responsibility. Action should be taken against him. He is leading the protests. Because of him, my brother died. I do not know why the government is not taking any action against him. If no action is taken, more like my brother will die,” said Rajnikant.

Hariom’s uncle, Chandrabhan Mishra, said, “The incident where they disrespected the National Flag and now this incident where people died, the government has not taken any action. If they let the protests keep happening like this, it will be very difficult in the future.” He further said, “Trust me, not even a single farmer went for the protests. Not even a single farmer went from the nearby villages as well.” He said those who killed Hariom were trained murders. “I don’t think everyone coming to the protests is a trained killer, but there are some who have been trained to attack.”

Chandrabhan said, “I went to see the body. His head was brutally smashed. There was nothing left on the backside of the head. If you have seen the videos, there were only 3-4 people who were beating him to the point where no life was left. There were sword injuries as well.”

A local present at Hariom’s house said, “It is the opposition parties that are behind these protests and violence. Our child has lost his life. No farmer keeps swords. They had swords and batons. They were not farmers.” He added, “The opposition parties are trying to defame the government. Rakesh Tikait is the leader. Opposition parties are funding his protests.”

In the end, Chandrabhan said, “I would like to ask Rakesh Tikait to visit the villages alone. He would understand how many farmers are with him. Just ask him to visit once alone.”

What happened in Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3?

On October 3, eight people lost their lives, including three BJP members in Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh, after protesting ‘farmers’ turned violent. BJP worker Shubham Mishra and his driver Hariom Mishra were also lynched to death at the site by the so-called ‘farmers’. Shubham’s father said in his complaint that Shubham’s gold chain, mobile and wallet were stolen by the protesters who had killed him. He also named Tajinder Singh Virk of Samajwadi Party and Kisan Union leader one of the foremost perpetrators. The government has announced 45 lakh compensation and a government job to the kin of all who had died in the incident.

UP ATS arrests close aide of Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui, says he carried out illegal conversions in the name of social work

OpIndia Staff
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UP ATS arrests close aide of Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui, says he carried out illegal conversions in the name of social work

The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad, probing the mass conversion racket, on Thursday arrested Sarfaraz Ali Zafri, a close aide of Islamic scholar Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui. The accused was arrested from the state’s Amroha district. According to reports, Zafri had been working very closely with Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui, accused of running India’s ‘biggest religious conversion syndicate’, and had been pushing several people into conversion since 2016.

The arrest was made after Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui, who is one of the biggest clerics from western UP, was arrested on charges of religious conversions by the state’s anti-terrorist squad last month.

IG, ATS, GK Goswamy revealed that they had received information about Sarfaraz Ali Zafri while interrogating Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui.

“Zafri used to work at Global Peace centre of Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui, who was arrested earlier. He was also member of Revert, Rehab, and Dawa WhatsApp Group through which his gang members spread religious hatred, induced people to adopt Islam by giving various kinds of inducements,” Goswamy said.

According to the ATS, Zafri is a Jamia Nagar resident who allegedly directed the activities of Kaleem’s Global Peace Centre, which was involved in religious conversion. According to the ATS, he also ran the Humanity for All organisation in New Delhi, which engaged in unlawful conversion under the pretext of social service.

Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui funded arrested Sarfaraz Ali Zafri, said Uttar Pradesh ATS

He lured potential converts by promising to assist them to find work, according to the report, which also stated that Kaleem used to fund Zafri. According to the police, he was also allegedly involved in obtaining foreign financing for unlawful conversion, as evidenced by data found from his cellphone.

Officials say those arrested so far have been charged under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2020, and the Indian Penal Code.

UP ATS conducts raids at premises of recently arrested Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui in Delhi

Yesterday, the Uttar Pradesh ATS had conducted massive raids at the premises of Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui who has been accused of running India’s ‘biggest religious conversion syndicate’. 

Two residential and two commercial properties of prime accused Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui and his associates were searched in connection with the probe. 

As per a press note issued by the ATS, incriminating evidence from desktops, tablets and documents has been seized from the raids conducted at several locations across the national capital.

Siddiqui’s residence as well as his organizations Global Peace Center and World Peace Organization located in Shaheen Bagh area of New Delhi were raided along with the residence of one Abdul Rahman.

Crores received through hawala

The UP ATS had initiated a massive investigative operation in June this year after the arrest of one Umar Gautam and his aide accused of mass conversions. 

The duo ran an organization named Islamic Dawah Centre (IDC), along with their other associates, to mass convert people into Islam through inducements such as marriage, job, money and mental pressure.

They have also been accused of targeting differently-abled children to convert and use them as human bombs. Moreover, the investigation has also revealed the illegal foreign funding received by Gautam and his accomplices. 

JKNC spokesperson Ifra Jan blames ‘RW social media influencers’ for Islamic terrorists killing Hindus and Sikhs in Kashmir, ‘clarifies’ later

OpIndia Staff
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JKNC spokesperson Ifra Jan blames ‘RW social media influencers’ for Islamic terrorists killing Hindus and Sikhs in Kashmir, ‘clarifies’ later

Jammu and Kashmir National Conference spokesperson and Kashmiri writer Ifra Jan in a series of tweets on the recent cold-blooded murder of civilians blamed the ‘low IQ right-wing social media influencers’ for the killings. Two teachers have been murdered by Islamic terrorists in Kashmir. According to reports, the terrorists separated the teachers of the school on religious lines, presumably sparing the Muslim teachers and killing 1 Hindu and 1 Sikh teacher.

Ifra in a Tweet said, “When Article 370 was abrogated, a group of usual low IQ, high decibel RW social media influencers went overboard to argue for forced demographic change, without realising what the repercussions of this alarm”. “The blood is on their hands as well,” Ifra concluded. 

Ifran Jan’s Tweet

Ifra’s tweet was in context to the multiple barbaric killings of locals in Srinagar in a span of just three days by the Islamic terrorist. 

While Makhan Lal Bindroo was shot dead at his pharmacy at Iqbal Park in Srinagar on Wednesday, Satinder Kaur and Deepak Chand were gunned down for being non-Muslims on Thursday. 

Despite Pakistan’s new terror outfit ‘The Resistance Front’ (TRF) taking full responsibility for the attacks, the apologists of Islamic terrorism have been finding ways to pin the blame of recent attacks on the right-wing. 

Why blaming ‘RW’ is flawed?

Not just Ifra, but every supporter of Article 370 has found reasons to criticize the abrogation of this unfair special status granted to the state. 

It is imperative to note that Article 370 and 35A were discriminatory in nature with laws such as the Right to Education, Prevention of Child Marriage, Untouchability Act and many others inapplicable to the residents of Jammu and Kashmir. 

Marginalised Hindu communities were denied citizenship, perhaps because the Kashmiri leadership feared “demographic shift” in the Muslim-dominated state.

However, one must not forget that the forced ‘demographic shift’ is not a thing of now but took place with the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from the valley. With the abrogation of Article 370, attempts are being made to ‘re-settle’ the natives who had to abandon their homes and families in the early 1990s. 

Moreover, Bindroo who was killed by the Islamist terrorists on Wednesday was one among few Kashmiri Pandit who had refused to leave the valley during the height of militancy in Jammu & Kashmir. 

Bindroo was not an ‘outsider’ who was sent by the right-wing government to forcefully change the demographics as claimed by the likes of Ifra but a resident of Kashmir who had stayed back despite the militancy and grew his business. 

Similarly, school principal Supinder Kaur and teacher Deepak Chand who were shot dead at point-blank were residents of Budgam in Kashmir and Patoli Mangotrian in Jammu respectively. 

Ifra Jan deletes the Tweet

After facing a huge backlash on social media, Ifra pulled down her Tweet once again blaming the right-wing for taking her Tweet out of context. 

Issuing a clarification, Ifra in a note said, “It has come to my notice that some people have taken objection to the older Tweet. Even though it was a part of a proper series of Tweet-on WHO set the alarm bells- the Kashmiri Muslim intellectuals or the ones cheering Abrogation. Since yesterday there is a spate of tweets blaming common Kashmiris for generating fear, without looking inwards.”

“I however withdrew it because it has hurt feelings of those who it has been presented to very selectively….As far as killings are concerned, the blood is on the hands of those who killed innocent people. Not common Kashmiris who are as horrified as all of you at this barbaric violence. Nothing, I repeat nothing justifies this madness,” the note read further.

Ironic, as Ifra in her previous tweet tried to justify the killings by accusing right-wing social media influencers of the same. The standalone tweet, irrespective of context or support of other tweets, clearly holds the ones cheering the abrogation responsible for the murder of one of their own by the Islamic terrorists.  

Ifra for now is busy retweeting her clarification note.

Hindus, Sikh teacher killed in Kashmir, this is how ‘liberals’ still managed not to condemn Islamic terrorists unequivocally

Nirwa Mehta
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Hindus, Sikh teacher killed in Kashmir, this is how ‘liberals’ still managed not to condemn Islamic terrorists unequivocally

In an extremely brutal attack, two teachers, a Hindu and a Sikh, were killed by Islamic terrorists in Kashmir. The teachers had asked students to attend 15th August function in schools. As per reports, the teachers present were segregated on basis of their religions and presumably Muslim teachers were allowed to go. The Hindu and Sikh teacher were dragged outside and shot at point blank range. The terrorists then fled.

This attack comes in less than 48 hours of killing of Makhan Lal Bindroo, the Kashmiri Pandit who stood his ground and refused to leave Kashmir even during the heights of Islamic terror in 1990s.

But then, there are a few who would rather blame the ‘Hindu nationalist right wing’ for crime committed by Pakistan-backed Islamic terrorists than condemn the terrorists for who they are.

Here is Jammu Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) spokesperson Ifra Jan on assassination of Bindroo.

The actual condemnation of Bindroo’s assassination comes after bringing context to other crimes taking place in the country. Jan essentially means, because ‘minorities’ in rest of the country are feeling ‘unsafe’, when a Hindu, a minority in Jammu & Kashmir, is killed, it is because rest of the country ‘other minorities’ are ‘dehumanised’.

To put things in perspective, the Islamists and liberals have been dehumanising anyone who not only supports the BJP or Narendra Modi, but even does not hate on them like they do. They have regularly given context to murders of Hindus and attacks on them just because they do not hate on Modi.

Hence, for Jan to mouth platitudes, it hardly comes as a surprise.

Ifra’s now deleted tweet

After the teachers were shot dead in Srinagar school today, she again brought ‘context’ to their assassination. However, she later deleted the tweet claiming it was part of a thread of tweets (which also seem to have been deleted now). Jan added more clarification, without justifying the targeted killing of Hindus and Sikhs in Kashmir by Muslim terrorists of Kashmir.

She claimed that she does not justify the act (does not specify the Islamist act of terror) and that it does deserve ‘utmost condemnation’, followed by a silent ‘but’ (there’s always a but before condemnations), those who abrogated Article 370 and cheered that the state was part of India was part of Union of India without any terms and conditions attached, are to be blamed for it.

Because how dare you want to celebrate India’s Independence Day in an Indian territory? Wouldn’t seeing the Indian national flag on Indian territory trigger people within the country enough to go kill fellow citizens? How dare you illuminate the clock tower at Lal Chowk in Indian tricolour and celebrate Janamashtami, a Hindu festival. Why wouldn’t it upset people who live there? And why shouldn’t they then shoot you down?

So, Islamic terrorists backed, nurtured, trained and supported by Pakistan kill Indians, especially Hindus, but Hindus are to be blamed.

‘Independent journalist’ with bylines in The Wire, Caravan and other propaganda outlets would rather remind everyone who ‘runs’ the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir than say it in as many words that Islamic terrorists killed Hindus. Why really is it that hard? Isn’t being independent journalist all about speaking truth to power and calling a spade a spade and reporting hard facts? Does not seem so.

Remember when Reuters photo journalist Danish Siddiqui was killed by Islamist group Taliban in Afghanistan, but these very people blamed ‘Hindu right wing’ and said how Taliban was at least better as they ‘said sorry’. Sorry for identifying, targeting, killing and Indian journalist and then mutilating his body. But hey, at least they said sorry.

You see, those ruling Delhi can’t quite just right click and edit the ‘aasmani kitab’ to remove parts which these terrorists use to justify their act. And obviously people blame Delhi. ‘Bhakts’ have been criticising, attacking Modi-Shah even for Bengal violence, but how about looking inside your own dark soul once a while?

Legitimate target

And then there are those who’d cheer for the Hindu’s assassination as he was a ‘legitimate target’. The above anonymous account, likely from Pakistan, is sorry for the Sikh teacher, but well, Deepak, described by Khalistan sympathiser ‘journalist’ Amaan Bali as ‘another teacher’, deserved to die.

Tell me again how ‘liberals’ are all about inclusivity when Sukhvinder Kaur is identified as Sikh but Deepak is ‘another teacher’ who are ‘shot dead’, not that they were shot dead by Islamist terrorists. When they were lined up, identified and killed specifically because they were non-Muslims.

No political tourism in Kashmir

Five people have been killed by Pakistan-backed Islamist terrorists in Kashmir in just two days. In less than 48 hours. These were obviously targeted killings. But, no one from any of the political parties like Congress, Samajwadi Party, Aam Aadmi Party want to go to Kashmir to express solidarity with them? Priyanka Gandhi left for Lakhimpur Kheri within hours of ‘farmer’ mob attacking a BJP convoy leading to death of eight people. She went to express solidarity with the ‘farmers’, not the BJP workers who were killed by the mob. Because, as this Congress leader said, the BJP workers deserved it.

Rahul Gandhi, too, had rushed there, as did Akhilesh Yadav. In poll-bound Uttar Pradesh it was a political stunt to ‘express solidarity’. Rahul Gandhi, instead, invoked abrogation of Article 370 too.

No one rushed to Jammu & Kashmir stand by the victims of Islamist terror.

Because that’s how true liberals in India are.

‘Bhindranwale is a saint for some’: Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait on Sikh man seen with Khalistani t-shirt in Lakhimpur Kheri

OpIndia Staff
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‘Bhindranwale is a saint for some’: Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait on Sikh man seen with Khalistani t-shirt in Lakhimpur Kheri

Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait has stirred a controversy with his remark on Khalistani terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Speaking to the media, the ‘farmer’ leader said that there are some people who consider Bhindranwale a ‘saint’.

In a short video that is being widely shared on social media, one of the reporters raised the question of terrorists being supported by the protestors in Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh. Rakesh Tikait initially remarked, “a child was seen sporting a t-shirt carrying the picture of someone”. When reports pointed out that it was the picture of Bhindranwale, Tikait further responded by saying, “some people consider Bhindranwale a saint while the government believes him to be a terrorist”.

It may be noted that the BKU leader’s sudden change of stance- from giving provocative statements trying to foment trouble to suddenly be seen with the Uttar Pradesh Police in a press conference where the police were announcing Rs 45 lakh compensation for those killed in the violence, had not gone down well with the Congress Party and its loyalists who have grabbed on to the Lakhimpur Kheri incident with both hands to malign the Yogi government in the state ahead of the upcoming UP Assembly polls.

Sikh Man is seen with Bhindranwale t-shirt during farmer protests in Lakhimpur Kheri

On the 3rd of October, purported farmer protesters threw stones at the BJP convoy. A vehicle in the convoy ran over some of the protesters, allegedly after losing control, and killed two people. Following this the protesters attacked the convoy, killing four people and torching vehicles. Two more farmers were also killed in the violence. A total of eight persons were killed in the conflict, including four protestors, three BJP members, and a driver who was part of the BJP convoy.

While the protesting farmers claimed that the union minister Ajay Kumar Mishra’s son was at the wheel of the vehicle that collided killing the protestors, the minister has said that his son was not even present at the time of the incident.

An individual was spotted wearing a Bhindranwale t-shirt in several photographs while a violent mob attacked BJP members with batons and called for their deaths. The presence of Khalistani sympathisers sparked several doubts about the movement, including whether or not the violence was pre-planned.

Additionally, a WhatsApp group named ‘Lalkar’ was created just before the Lakhimpur incident. The admin of the group was a former member of Babbar Khalsa, a banned Khalistani organisation.

CJI led SC bench corrects suo motu case to PIL in Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, asks UP government to file report by Friday

OpIndia Staff
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CJI led SC bench corrects suo motu case to PIL in Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, asks UP government to file report by Friday

A Bench comprising Chief Justice Of India NV Ramana, Justice Surya Kant and Justice Hima Kohli of the Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Uttar Pradesh Government to file a status report by Friday regarding the investigation in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence.

The court passed the order while taking up a PIL in the case, and said that the status report should mention details of the accused and whether or not they have been arrested. It is notable that that case was earlier registered as a suo motu case and later changed to PIL. Today the court had clarified that it had asked the registry to file a PIL, but due to miscommunication, it was registered as a suo motu case.

Chief Justice Nuthalapati Venkata Ramana said, “Two advocates wrote a letter to the court on Tuesday, we directed our Registry to register the letter as PIL but due to miscommunication, they registered it as a suo motu matter.”

Two senior lawyers of Uttar Pradesh Shiv Kumar Tripathi and C S Panda on Tuesday had written a letter to the CJI requesting a court-monitored inquiry into the incident. They also urged CJI to treat their letter as PIL.

Violence had flared up in Lakhimpur Kheri on Sunday (October 3) during farmers’ protest leading to the death of eight people including four farmers whereas two BJP workers, a journalist and a driver were also murdered in the incident.

The court directed the government to take the best care of the mother of deceased Lovepreet Singh who is said to be unwell due to shock. Nevertheless, the family of Lovepreet Singh in a statement has said the government and the local administration have extended all kinds of support and they don’t want anybody to use them for political gains.

Advocate General of Uttar Pradesh Garima Prasad said that the entire incident was unfortunate. The state government has formed SIT and as well as a judicial probe has been ordered.

Following the incident, FIR was lodged at Tikunia police station under sections 302 (murder), 304-A (causing death due to reckless driving), 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 147 (punishment for rioting), 279 (rash driving endangering human life), 338 (causing grievous hurt to any person by doing any act so rashly or negligently as to endanger human life).

Notably, Ashish Mishra, son of Union minister of state for home Ajay Kumar Mishra Teni, was booked by Uttar Pradesh police in the case. He was accused of mowing down protesters, causing the deaths of four. However, the minister has clarified that his son was not involved in the incident as he was not present at the spot. The minister had also met the Union Minister of Home and Affairs Amit Shah on Wednesday and clarified his position. However, farmers insist that they saw Ashish Mishra at the spot during the incident.

Subramanian Swamy changes Twitter bio after he was dropped from BJP’s National Executive Council along with Varun, Maneka Gandhi: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Subramanian Swamy changes Twitter bio after he was dropped from BJP’s National Executive Council along with Varun, Maneka Gandhi: Details

Hours after BJP announced the list of new National Executive Committee members, party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy dropped the words BJP National Executive member from the bio of his Twitter account after realising that his name does not feature in the list.

Swami’s Twitter bio had earlier read, ‘Rajya Sabha MP, Fmr. Union Cabinet Minister, Harvard Ph.D in Economics; Professor, BJP National Exec. member, I give as good as I get’. But now it says ‘Fmr. Former Union Cabinet Minister, Harvard Ph.D in Economics; former Professor, I give as good as I get’, dropping the words ‘BJP National Exec. Member’.

Subramanian Swamy also the URL of party website bjp.org from Twitter bio, and replaced it with vhsindia.org, the website of his Virat Hindustan Sangam.

In the newly formed National Executive Committee with 80 members announced today by BJP, prominent names of existing members like Subramanian Swamy, Maneka Gandhi, Varun Gandhi, Chaudhary Birendra Singh and SS Ahluwalia.

Subramaniam Swamy has never been happy during the Modi government as he was not included in the union cabinet. As a result, he has become a critic of the government, despite being a senior leader of the party. In recent times, the distance between Swamy and the party has increased, as he has been at loggerheads with the BJP government over a number of issues.

Recently, Delhi BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga had sent a defamation notice to him over some allegations Swamy had made against him.

Last month, Karnataka CM had called Subramaniam Swamy a ‘freelance politician’, saying he specialises in speaking against his own party. His comments had come after Swamy had shared fake data related to petrol prices in India by invoking the Ramayana. Earlier he had floated conspiracy theories, claiming that the siege of the Red Fort on Republic Day was a PMO plot. He had also launched an anti-vaccine tirade in response to the Modi government’s Covid-19 vaccination drive.

Varun Gandhi, another leader dropped from the National Executive Committee of BJP, is also criticising the govt on farm laws in recent days. Today he had posted a tweet saying that innocent farmers were killed in Lakhimpur Khetri, despite the fact that 4 persons were killed by the ‘farmers’ in the violence.

Varun Gandhi’s mother Maneka Gandhi had already lost favour with the government and she was dropped from the second Modi government in 2019. And today she was dropped from the national executive when it was reconstituted.

Some prominent new names in the committee include Jyotiraditya Scindia, Smriti Irani, Mansukh Mandaviya, Meenakshi Lekhi, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Manoj Tiwari, Anurag Thakur, Swapan Dasgupta etc.

The 80 member committee includes prominent BJP leaders like PM Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Rajnath Singh and most other senior leaders of the party.

Fact-check: is Amazon selling Bhindranwale and Khalistan t-shirts in India?

OpIndia Staff
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Fact-check: is Amazon selling Bhindranwale and Khalistan t-shirts in India?

Amidst ongoing farmer protests and the latest incident of violence in Lakhimpur Kheri, the presence of Khalistani terrorists and sympathizers in India have become a matter of concern. Recently, a Sikh youth was seen wearing a t-shirt with a portrait of Khalistan terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.

Around these concerns, some social media posts have claimed that the e-commerce platform Amazon is selling Bhindranwale and Khalistan t-shirts in India. OpIndia dug into the claims, and here is what we have found.

Screenshot of the tweet showing Bhindranwale t-shirt by Punjabi Clothing Co.
Another tweet with a link to an Amazon US store that sells Bhindranwale merchandise.

Does Amazon India sell Bhindranwale t-Shirts?

As a matter of fact, the website does not sell any product with Bhindranwale or Khalistani markings. When we searched Bhindranwale on Amazon.in, we found only books related to the Khalistani terrorist. We will discuss the books later in the report.

The same goes with Khalistan, Jarnail Singh and related keywords. We did not find any product that specifically pointed towards any sign that Amazon India sells such products in India.

We only found books related to Bhindranwale on Amazon’s Indian store.

The case is different in other countries

So what about the screenshots that were made to the social media platform? These screenshots were of the products that are available on the Amazon US website and stores in other countries. It has to be noted that the products that are available in Indian stores are different from the Amazon store in the US or other locations as they cater for the local sellers on priority to ensure faster deliveries.

Very few products from US stores are available for shipping in India, and Bhindranwale or Khalistan related products are not among them. The brand Punjabi Clothing Co. not only sells Bhindranwale t-shirt but it also sells “Never Forget 1984” merchandise on Amazon US.

Bhindranwale and Khalistani merchandise available on Amazon US store. Source: Amazon US

Other products related to Bhindranwale, Khalistan etc. include, but not limited to, Khalistani flags, posters and more.

Bhindranwale and Khalistani merchandise available on Amazon US store. Source: Amazon US
Bhindranwale and Khalistani merchandise available on Amazon US store. Source: Amazon US

Websites that sell Khalistan or Bhindranwale linked products in India

Though Amazon, Flipkart and similar e-commerce giants do not sell such products in India, some websites openly sell t-shirts with Bhindranwale portraits. Such websites include Punjabi Adda and Desert Cart. Punjabi Adda is run by one 1669 Studios that operates from Punjab.

On the other hand, Desert Cart is a UAE based company that offers products related to Bhindranwale and Khalistan to be imported from the US to India.

US based websites that sell Bhindranwale merchandise outside India

There are countless websites that sell Bhindranwale and Khalistan related merchandise outside India. These websites include, but not limited to, Red Bubble, Zazzle and Tee Public.

Screenshot of Redbubble with T-shirts of Bhindranwale. Source: Redbubble
Screenshot of some of the T-shirts available on Zazzle related to Khalistan. Source: Zazzle
Tee Public has a large collection of merchandise related to the Terrorist Bhindranwale and Khalistan. Source: Teepublic

The books related to Bhindranwale on Amazon India

There are several books that are available on Bhindranwale on Amazon India. We noticed at least four books in the Indian store that refer to Bhindranwale as a “Sant”. In case these books are removed from Amazon, there will always be a chance that they will be available on other platforms or in book shops. Another problem is, it is quite easy to get books, mugs, posters and other material printed and distributed without any problem in most parts of the country, especially in Punjab, where a section of the Sikh community still sees Bhindranwale as a ‘sant’.

Notably, farmer union leader Rakesh Tikait had recently sided with the young Sikh man wearing a Bhindranwale t-shirt during the Lakhimpur incident. He categorically denied condemning the Sikh youth and said while government think of Bhindranwale as a terrorist, some people see him as a saint.

Verdict: No, Amazon India does not sell Bhindranwale or Khalistan related products in India. The screenshots being shared on social media platforms are from Amazon US and other locations.

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