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Attorney General KK Venugopal grants sanction to initiate contempt proceedings against DO Politics’ Ajeet Bharti

OpIndia Staff
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Attorney General KK Venugopal grants sanction to initiate contempt proceedings against DO Politics’ Ajeet Bharti

Attorney General KK Venugopal has given his consent to initiate contempt proceedings against journalist Ajeet Bharti for a video where he is alleged to have made objectionable comments against the Judiciary. It is alleged that the video posted on the YouTube channel of his media initiative DO Politics had “scurrilous” “vituperative” and “highly derogatory” words against Supreme Court and its judges.

Earlier in July, Kritika Singh from Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, had written to the attorney general for sanction to initiate contempt proceedings against Ajeet Bharti, LawBeat had reported. The law graduate had alleged that the journalist maligned the reputation of the Courts using vile and obscene language. It is claimed that Bharti had leveled allegations of nepotism, rampant corruption and directing protests across the country.

Singh said in her letter, “The foundation of justice delivery system has always been so strong that it never allowed anyone to obstruct the way towards equal justice by publicly using abusive language against the Hon’ble Courts and its Hon’ble Judges. As a responsible citizen of this country and a student of law, I would be failing in my duty if I turned a blind eye to this grave attack on the integrity of my Hon’ble Supreme court and its Hon’ble judges.”

What the AG said while granting sanction for contempt proceedings against Ajeet Bharti

KK Venugopal said, “Whatever may be the motive behind the making of these scurrilous statements, it is obvious that the speaker who is quite educated would have known that the result would be to attract the contempt jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of India, particularly since he makes several references to the contempt power of the Court, clearly inviting the contempt jurisdiction, with all its attendant publicity, being invoked against him. There can be no doubt that the statements in question would lower the authority of the Court in the eyes of the public and obstructs the administration of justice.”

What the AG said while granting sanction for contempt proceedings against Ajeet Bharti
Source: Bar and Bench/Twitter

The allegations pertain to a video titled “Ajeet Bharti Roasts Supreme Court, High Courts” posted to the DO Politics channel on the 24th of June. In the video almost 24 minutes in length, Bharti is accused to have made objectionable comments against the Judiciary.

Aligarh: Here is what PM Modi said at the inauguration of Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh State University

OpIndia Staff
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Aligarh: Here is what PM Modi said at the inauguration of Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh State University

Wishing the people of Aligarh on the auspicious occasion of Radha Ashtami, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of a university named after Jat king Mahendra Pratap Singh on Tuesday.

The ceremony was followed by an inspection of exhibition models of the Aligarh node that is a part of the state’s industrial defence corridor.

“We must not forget our history”

Remembering the late BJP leader and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh, PM Modi went on to explain the importance of knowing our history.

“We have had several freedom fighters who at different stages proved their might and gave sacrifices for the nation. But it is unfortunate that the youth of the nation were not introduced to such icons post gaining independence,” said PM Modi expressing content that these mistakes are being rectified.

“As we celebrate Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav, honest efforts are being made to make the young generation aware of contributions of Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh and others in our independence struggle,” he said further. 

Praising the Jat leader on whose name the university is being built, PM Modi said, “The life of Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh gives us indomitable willpower, the vitality that we do to fulfil our dreams.”

UP is a ‘double-engine’ government

PM Modi also applauded UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for getting the state on the path of development and making it a go-to destination for investments. 

“Uttar Pradesh is benefitting greatly from the double-engine government at the state and Centre. There was a time when UP was considered a limitation and hindrance to India’s growth, but today due to dozens of projects being done in the state, UP has totally changed its image and is today fuelling India’s growth,” remarked PM Modi.

Taking a jibe at the state opposition, he further said, “There was a time when UP was infamous for its gunda-raj, mafia-raj and free run of gangsters, but under the Yogi government, all this has come to a stop. Gangsters, mafias and gundas are kept where they belong – behind bars.”

“India is now a defence exporter”

Emphasizing on the defence corridor PM Modi said, “The world is seeing that from grenade to riffles to fighter jets to drones, everything is being manufactured in India. Even after decades of gaining independence, India was seen as a defence importer, however, breaking the shackles we are now seen as defence exporters.” 

Making an analogy between the famous locks of Aligarh and the defence corridor, PM Modi said that the city will now contribute towards the protection of India’s borders as well. He further announced a package of Rs 9000 crores for the development of BrahMos missile at the defence corridor’s Lucknow node.

Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh State University

Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh State University is being established over 92 acres of land in memory and honour of Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh, who was a freedom fighter, educationist and social reformer. 

The university is set to come up at the Lodha and Musepur Kareem Jarouli villages of Aligarh’s Kol tehsil. It will also provide affiliation to 395 colleges of the Aligarh division.

Who was Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh?

Born on 01 December 1886, Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh was born in a royal Jat family. He was the king of a small principality called Mursan in the Hathras district in western Uttar Pradesh and inherited his estate from his father Raja Ghanshyam Singh.

Raja Mahendra Pratap, however, was drawn to India’s freedom movement. Inspired by the speeches of nationalist Congress leaders such as Dadabhai Naoriji and Bal Gangadhar Tilak, he disregarded his family’s views and travelled to Kolkata (then Calcutta) to attend the Congress’s annual session in 1906. He later turned Swadeshi and vowed to fight the colonial rule.

In 1914, Raja Mahendra Pratap left India to seek global support against the British rule. He travelled to Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Turkey. 

A year later he reached Afghanistan and established the first ‘Government of India’ in exile in Kabul. This step earned Raja Mahendra Pratap great respect from a wide spectrum of Indian society.

He returned to India three decades later in 1946, met Mahatma Gandhi at Wardha Ashram and entered electoral politics a decade later. He breathed his last in 1979.

‘TMC trying to kill me’: Another bomb explodes outside BJP MP Arjun Singh’s residence in West Bengal

OpIndia Staff
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‘TMC trying to kill me’: Another bomb explodes outside BJP MP Arjun Singh’s residence in West Bengal

On September 14, a bomb reportedly exploded outside the residence of Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arjun Singh in West Bengal. The BJP MP has alleged that Trinamool Congress is trying to kill him. Notably, a few days ago, two bombs were hurled at his residence in Barrackpore. West Bengal Police said in a statement that the incident took place at around 9:10 AM on a vacant patch of land around 200 meters away from Singh’s residence. The Police has initiated a probe into the matter.

Arjun Singh shared CCTV footage of the incident and said, “The bombs were hurled in front of my house on September 8 and behind the house this morning. Criminals have no fear because they have the protection of TMC and West Bengal Police. The criminals are roaming around openly, the Police have become the ‘Daldas’ of the Trinamool. I was never afraid of such attacks, and I will not be afraid.”

In an earlier tweet on September 8, he said, “This morning, bombs were hurled at my home. Honourable Home Amit Shah ji enquired over phone. I thank him. I don’t expect impartial probe by West Bengal Police, demand for NIA probe. I had informed Jagdeep Dhankhar ji about conspiracy by an officer to kill me on instructions of WB govt.”

NIA took over September 8 case on Monday

On Monday, National Investigation Agency (NIA) took over the September 8 incident in which two bombs were hurled at his house, and the gate of the residence was partially damaged. Singh has claimed that TMC is trying to kill him, his family and acquaintances. He said, “This is nothing but a planned attack. The TMC is behind this… they are trying to kill my people and me. It’s goondaraaj (lawlessness) in Bengal.”

Arjun Singh told ANI, “NIA should investigate where such explosives are being sourced from. I have filed an FIR.” An NIA official was quoted by PTI saying, “We are investigating the matter. Our officers are there.” Pawan Singh, son of Arjun Singh and MLA from Bhatpara, alleged that his father was being targeted by the ruling party. He said, “The Police should take action and identify the culprits. But day after day, they are not doing anything. People are also watching this. Such things happen day by day, then the Police will exist only in name. No role of them will be there in the society.”

TMC refuted the claims

Sujhendu Sekhar Ray, MP TMC, said he should go to NIA as NIA is now looking into the matter. “Let him go to NIA and tell them whatever he wants to say,” he said. Partha Bhowmick, North 24 Parganas president, TMC, the area where Singh’s home is located, refuted the accusations and alleged that the blame should go to Singh himself and not anyone else.

The September 8 incident

On September 8, three bombs were hurled at Singh’s residence when he was away, but his family was at home. During the initial investigation, the WB Police found that one of the bombs was hurled at the gate of Singh’s house, and the second was hurled at the Central force barrack located on the other side of the resident.

A senior police officer of the Barrackpore police commissionerate had said about the incident that though no one was injured in the attack, the gate and barrack were damaged. “We are looking into the CCTV footage to identify the criminals. The security of the MPA has also been tightened,” he added.

Jagdeep Dhankhar, Governor of West Bengal, condemned the attack and urged the Police to solve the case at the earliest. He had said, “Wanton violence in WB shows no sign of abating. Bomb explosions this morning outside the residence of Member Parliament @ArjunSinghWB is worrisome on law and order.”

How Priyanka Chopra’s 2019 Met Gala dress triggered a Mamata Banerjee meme and landed Kolkata’s Priyanka in jail

OpIndia Staff
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How Priyanka Chopra’s 2019 Met Gala dress triggered a Mamata Banerjee meme and landed Kolkata’s Priyanka in jail

Priyanka Chopra Jonas and her husband Nick Jonas were reportedly absent at the 2021 Met Gala event held last night. But the memories of Priyanka Chopra’s 2019 Met Gala dress still exist in countless memes. The dress had bizarre feather detailing along with an equally bizarre curly hairdo topped with a silver-straw crown and loud make-up complete with a bindi.

It was described by social media users with terms such as ‘witch dress’, ‘birds nest’ etc. The Met Gala 2019 dress worn by Priyanka Chopra had ended up triggering a meme uproar in India.

Dress causes meme-fest, makes TMC angry

As bizarre as the dress was, things got even more bizarre when a harmless meme over that dress shared by a Kolkata girl made some politicians very upset. As memes were flowing all over the internet, Kolkata’s Priyanka Sharma, a BJP Yuva Morcha member, had shared a meme that had Mamata Banerjee’s face in place of Priyanka Chopra.

BJYM member was jailed for Mamata meme

The West Bengal Chief Minister expressed her intolerance and disapproval for memes and jokes when amidst all the reactions over Priyanka Chopra’s Met Gala dress and memes, BJP youth activist Priyanka Sharma ended up getting arrested and jailed for her Met Gala themed Mamata Banerjee meme on social media.

The complaint was filed by TMC leader Vibhas Hazra against the BJYM convenor Priyanka Sharma for allegedly posting a morphed picture of Mamata Banerjee in Howrah. The meme that landed Priyanka Sharma in jail had superimposed Mamata’s face on Priyanka Chopra’s body. She was arrested on May 10 and produced in Howrah Court.

The copy of the complaint read that the act “broke the community guidelines” and it was being viewed as an issue of “violence”. “She not just tries to insult our Hon’ble Chief Minister, but she trying to insult the culture of our Bengal by her post on Facebook and which is Cyber Crime”, read the complaint.

The youth activist Sharma was booked under Section 500 of the IPC (defamation), and Sections 66A (offensive messages) and the non-bailable 67A (punishment for publishing or transmitting of material containing sexually explicit act, etc., in electronic form) of the Information Technology Act.

Sharma’s arrest was widely criticised. Though the Leftists and so-called ‘liberals’ kept mum because for them, human rights violations do not matter unless they can be used against the BJP, social media users and BJP leaders called out the arbitrary arrest by the Bengal state government.

Thousands of social media users ran the hashtag #iSupportPriyankaSharma and changed their DP to the same meme of Mamata Banerjee, challenging the WB government to arrest them too.

On May 14, 2019, the Supreme Court ordered the West Bengal government to release Sharma immediately. However, going against the SC order, the Bengal government delayed Sharma’s release and she was reportedly made to sign an apology letter. Speaking to the media, Sharma had stated that she did not do anything wrong therefore she would not apologise.

According to the TMC leaders, sharing memes with the CM’s photoshopped picture was a grave crime and disrespect to the Chief Minister of the state. Apparently, this is also not the first instance when the TMC leader had tried suppressing critics. Earlier, Tina Biswas, an author of a novel critical of WB CM Mamata Banerjee had alleged harassment during her book launch at Kolkata.

The Met Gala or the Costume Institute Gala is the annual fundraising gala thrown for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York and marks the opening of the Costume Institute’s annual fashion exhibit. This year’s Met gala 2021 theme was ‘American Independence’. The bizarre outfits are again becoming meme material all over the world.

FIR filed against LJP MP Prince Raj for rape, Chirag Paswan also accused of delaying complaint filing against cousin

OpIndia Staff
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FIR filed against LJP MP Prince Raj for rape, Chirag Paswan also accused of delaying complaint filing against cousin

On directions from a local court, the Delhi Police has registered an FIR against Prince Raj, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) MP from Samastipur, Bihar. The FIR under IPC provisions relating to rape, criminal conspiracy, destruction of evidence was registered on September 09 on the basis of a complaint filed by a woman three months ago.

LJP leader Chirag Paswan has also been named in the FIR for conspiring to delay action against his cousin Prince. Interestingly, Prince was one of the five LJP MPs who had rebelled against Chirag Paswan’s leadership in the party in June this year.

Reportedly, Prince had already filed an FIR of extortion against the complainant. “It has come to my knowledge that a woman has levelled some allegations against me. We had filed a complaint on February 10 itself and submitted all the evidence before the police,” he had then given a statement to the media. 

Reiterating his stand, Prince on June 17 had Tweeted saying, “I categorically deny any such claim or assertion that has been made against me. All such claims are blatantly false, fabricated, and are part of a larger criminal conspiracy to pressurize me professionally, and personally by threatening my reputation.”

Complainant accused Prince of rape and threatening 

The complainant, a former LJP officer-bearer claimed that she first met Prince last year in the party office and continued to stay in touch after that. Narrating the incident, the complainant alleged that in one of the meetings when she picked up a bottle of water, Prince gave her another glass of water instead. 

“After consuming it, I fell unconscious,” she said. “I regained consciousness and found my head on his shoulder. He told me I was unwell and then I returned home. I questioned him again as to what had happened with me, he then showed me a video recorded by him,” she said accusing Prince of rape.

The complainant also said that Prince ensured his face was not visible in the video and later proposed marriage. He also threatened her by making the video viral. She further said that Prince started visiting her at odd hours to establish a ‘physical relationship.’

“Chirag pressured to not file complaint”

The complainant has also alleged that when she informed party leader Chirag Paswan about the harassment he had sided with his cousin and had delayed the filing of the complaint. 

“On January 15, I went to meet Chirag and after all the discussion, he pressured me into not filing the case against Prince and said he was ready to resolve the matter… I left the party in February and when Prince came to know about the matter, he lodged an FIR against me,” alleged the woman. 

Actress Kangana Ranaut to play the role of Goddess Sita in an upcoming movie: Here is what we know so far

OpIndia Staff
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Actress Kangana Ranaut to play the role of Goddess Sita in an upcoming movie: Here is what we know so far

On Tuesday (September 14), actress Kangana Ranaut took to Instagram to inform that she has bagged the role of ‘Goddess Sita’ in the upcoming movie ‘The Incarnation- Sita.’

In her Instagram post, she wrote, “Glad to be on board for the title role with this immensely talented team of artists…With the blessings of Sita Ram…Jai Siya Ram.” The actress had also released the poster of the upcoming movie, which is being directed by Alaukik Desai and written by KV Vijayendra Prasad. ‘Sita The Incarnation’ will be released in 5 different languages, namely, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.

Instagram post of Kangana Ranaut

While speaking about the matter, producer Saloni Sharma said that she could not have been happier to work Kangana Ranaut in the upcoming period drama.“Kangana symbolizes the spirit and essence of the Indian woman – fearless, daunting and daring. It’s time we stepped in to celebrate equality in every respect,” she emphasised.

According to Alaukik Desai, his movie will change how Hindus perceive their ‘mythology.’ He pointed out, “Universe does help those who surrender to it with belief. What was a mirage, is now clear. A dream of a pious character never explored is now a reality. I am ecstatic to bring Kangana Ranaut on board as SITA. This pious journey will change the course of how we perceive our mythology. Thank you SS Studio for your immense support and belief.”

Kareena Kapoor had demanded 12 crores for ‘The Incarnation- Sita’ movie

Earlier, it was reported that Kareena Kapoor Khan had demanded ₹12 crores to play the role of Sita in the movie. “Bebo who usually asks in the Rs. 6-8 crores range for her films has quoted a sum of Rs. 12 crores which has put the producers in a jiffy. In fact, right now, they are reconsidering their decision and also taking the film to a younger actress, as well. But talks are on and Bebo remains the first choice,” a source had earlier stated.

‘Abba Jaan’ activism takes weird turn for Rana Ayyub, ‘Dalit thinker’ accuses her father of debauchery only to say sorry

OpIndia Staff
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‘Abba Jaan’ activism takes weird turn for Rana Ayyub, ‘Dalit thinker’ accuses her father of debauchery only to say sorry

Twitter account identifying itself as ‘Dalit thinker’ Dr Mukesh Harane, who currently lives in Germany, on Tuesday took to Twitter to ask about wellbeing of journalist Rana Ayyub’s father. He was responding to a tweet by Ayyub on the ‘Abba Jaan’ activism where some people on Twitter are sharing stories about their fathers (Abba Jaan) after UP CM Yogi Adityanath said that in previous state government, the ration hardly reached the ones who needed owing to appeasement policies of previous regime.

Ayyub tweeted how her ‘AbbaJaan’ is not afraid of anyone’s ‘Abba’ (father).

To that, Dr Harane said how he fondly remembers her father, Waqif Saheb, whom he met years ago in Berlin once.

Mukesh Harane’s tweet

Dr Harane said that Ayyub’s father got so drunk he kept calling up prostitutes throughout the night. “He was indeed a fearless man,” he said. He asked about his wellbeing and said that he sends his regards.

However, Rana was quite upset about the tweet.

Rana Ayyub and her brother’s tweet

The Ayyub siblings were upset about Dr Harane’s comments and Rana dared Dr Harane to not delete his tweet. The siblings also referred to the Dalit activist as a ‘rat’. Ayyub also said she is filing a complaint against Dr Harane.

However, in subsequent tweets, he clarified that he mistook Rana Ayyub for someone else, and it was not her father he met in Berlin but some other Waqif who was from Peshawar, Pakistan.

Dr Harane’s subsequent tweets

In subsequent tweet, he said that he got confused about identities and said that the person he mistook for her father was someone else from Pakistan. He said that he is learning to use Twitter in his late 60s and was looking for meeting his old friends. He apologised and said that he is a reputed doctor practicing in Germany.

Dr Mukesh Harane Twitter profile

As per Dr Harane’s Twitter profile, he is a ‘Dalit thinker’ and a homeopathy doctor and sexologist based in Heidelberg, Germany.

However, a reverse search of the image shows that the image is actually of General (Retd) Daya Rathnayake of Sri Lanka. While Rana could have ignored the comments thrown at her, she ended up amplifying the same by retweeting a tweet by someone who had less than 200 followers at the time of this report.

This is not the first time Rana Ayyub has been subjected to muck being thrown at her.

In September 2017, disgraced cop Sanjiv Bhatt had taken to Facebook to allege that one ‘female journalist’ had an amorous relationship with one IPS officer investigating the Sohrabuddin encounter case as well as one ‘lawyer-activist’ who was fighting the 2002 riots victims’ cases.

Sanjiv Bhatt’s Facebook post from a few years back

While Bhatt had neither confirmed nor denied if the post was about Rana Ayyub, who wrote a book titled “Gujarat Files” which was supposed to be an exposé on Sohrabuddin encounter case and 2002 riots, he had given enough hints to imply he has written about her.

Sanjiv Bhatt’s comment

Many had speculated that the ‘lawyer-activist’ he was speaking about was likely Mukul Sinha, who passed away after fighting his battle with cancer.

Back then, neither Ayyub nor Mukul Sinha’s son Pratik Sinha, who runs propaganda website Alt News, had fact-checked Bhatt’s claims. Neither did Bhatt apologise like possibly fake account masquerading as ‘Dalit thinker’ Dr Harane.

Maharashtra: 12-year-old booked under POCSO for raping a 5-year-old girl in Palghar district

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: 12-year-old booked under POCSO for raping a 5-year-old girl in Palghar district

A case under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code(IPC) and POCSO Act has been filed against a 12-year-old boy in Boisar area of Palghar district for allegedly raping of a 5-year-old minor girl.

According to local police, the incident of rape came to light after the victim suddenly felt pangs of pain inside her stomach following which her family took her to a nearby hospital for treatment. During her treatment, the doctor in the hospital confirmed that the girl had been raped.

The victim subsequently narrated the ordeal after on her mother’s insistence. A police complaint was filed in Boisar police station against the accused, a 12-year-old minor on Monday night.

The police said the accused will be taken into custody on Tuesday and sent to a juvenile remand home after the investigation in response to the complaint lodged late at night.

Earlier this week, a 31-year-old man was arrested for allegedly raping a mentally-challenged girl in Palghar district, police said.

Of late, there have a spike in cases of sexual offence involving minors. This is a second such incident in a matter of a few weeks when minors are being charged with serious sections of POCSO Act.

Minor boy sent to juvenile home after his 16-year-old porn addict sister got pregnant by forcing him to have sex with her

Earlier last month, a shocking incident had come to light from the city of Mumbai, sullying the beautiful relation between a brother and a sister. A 16-year-old girl, who was found to be 5 months pregnant after being addicted to porn movies, said her 13-year-old minor brother was responsible for her pregnancy as she had forced him to have sex with her.

The matter came to the fore after the underage girl admitted to a hospital in Mumbai was found to be 5 months into her pregnancy. This set off alarm bells among the hospital staff and the police were informed about the case. When the Mumbai police inquired about her pregnancy, the girl held her younger brother responsible for it. 

According to the girl’s statement, she was addicted to watching porn movies on her mobile. She said she often showed her younger brother pornographic content when they both slept under their bed in their small house. She supposedly then coerced her brother and started having sex with him against his consent. The police officials believed during one of these encounters, the girl may have had become pregnant.

No, Harsh Mandar, ‘Allah’ does not appear in Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji over 1000 times, ‘Hari’, ‘Prabhu’ and ‘Ram’ do

OpIndia Staff
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No, Harsh Mandar, ‘Allah’ does not appear in Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji over 1000 times, ‘Hari’, ‘Prabhu’ and ‘Ram’ do

On September 13, while targeting Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over his use of the word ‘abba jaan’, so-called activist Harsh Mander made an overzealous remark and claimed that the word ‘Allah’ appears over 1,000 times in Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, the Holy book of Sikhs that is considered to be the living Guru.

Screenshot of Tweet by Harsh Mander where he claimed Allah comes in Guru Granth Sahib Ji for over 1,000 times

Upon little research, a number of references were found that are linked to the use of words that describe God in Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Before we move ahead, it is important to understand a little about Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Notably, Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is considered to be the Supreme Spiritual Authority and Head of the Sikh religion.

As Guru Granth Sahib Ji is considered to be the “living Guru” of the Sikhs, Granth Sahib Ji is treated with the utmost respect by all Sikhs. Guru Granth Sahib Ji has a collection of devotional hymns and poems that emphasises the importance of meditation on the True Guru or God. The book contains moral and ethical rules for the spiritual salvation of the soul and its unity with God.

It is the only scripture in this world that not only has works of the founders but also writings from spiritual leaders of other faiths. Though the verses include works of Sikh Gurus predominantly, Bhagats, Bhatts, Pirs, and Gursikhs are included in the Holy book. Thus, God is referred to by many names across Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.

Has God been referred to as Allah in Guru Granth Sahib Ji?

Yes, there are verses like “ਬਾਬਾ ਅਲਹੁ ਅਗਮ ਅਪਾਰੁ” written by Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji that means “O Baba, the Lord Allah is Inaccessible and Infinite” where the word ‘Allah‘ has been used to refer God. In verse written by Baba Farid, it says, “ਭਿਜਉ ਸਿਜਉ ਕੰਬਲੀ ਅਲਹੁ ਵਰਸਉ ਮੇਹੁ” that means, “No matter if my blanket is soaked, Allah’s rain should continue.” As such, the word ‘Allah’ has been used 12 times in the verses by Baba Farid and 18 times by Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Guru Arjan Dev Ji and Sant Kabir.

Allah as a word in Guru Granth Sahib Ji refers to God, and it is not the only word that has been used in the Holy book. Hari, which refers to Bhagwan Vishnu in Hindu scriptures, has been used as the word for God 8,344 times in Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Similarly, Ram has been mentioned 2,533 times, Prabhu 1,371 times, Gopal 491 times and so on.

Harsh Mander was right on the fact that ‘Allah’ has been used in Guru Granth Sahib Ji, but it was not about Islam but the word has been used to describe God similar to Hari. Also, while Mander said he was told by his grandfather that it comes over 1,000 times. However, in reality, the word ‘Allah’ has been used only a few times in the Holy Book.

Who are the ‘Hindu IT Cell’ because of whom Rana Ayyub and her American friends are losing their cool

OpIndia Staff
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Who are the ‘Hindu IT Cell’ because of whom Rana Ayyub and her American friends are losing their cool

The conglomeration of liberal ‘journalists’ on social media appear to have found their new enemy. It is the ‘Hindu IT Cell’. From Rana Ayyub to Siddharth Varadarajan of The Wire, the rage against the group is quite extreme.

And the outrage was only to be expected. It is based on the complaint filed by one of the group’s members that an FIR has been registered against Ayyub and her fundraising campaign. However, despite so much discussion about the group, there is very little that is known about the ‘Hindu IT Cell’.

Siddarth Varadarajan, for instance, was so enraged by the group that he appears to have forgotten that the FCRA laws apply to individuals also.

Rana Ayyub, too, accused the group of ‘hate and propaganda’ while defending herself from the allegations of fraud against her fundraiser.

Statement by Rana Ayyub

But what is the ‘Hindu IT Cell’? Who are the people behind the group? What is their aim? These are the questions we will seek to provide an answer to here.

What is ‘Hindu IT Cell’?

In the summertime of 2020, with India locked down to decrease the spread of the Covid pandemic, the Narendra Modi government decided to bring some happiness into Indian homes: It got Doordarshan to replay two popular 1990s TV shows based on the Hindu epics Mahabharata and Ramayana. 

The minister for information and broadcasting, Prakash Javadekar, declared the state broadcaster was doing so on popular demand. 

As soon as Mahabharat and Ramayan started playing on Doordarshan, it became the most viewed program. On 16th April at 9 PM, the telecast of Ramayan created a word record. It managed to bag 77 million viewers in a single day. In fact, The first episode had crashed Doordarshan’s website and became the top searched item on Google India. It trended at the top on social media platform.

As was expected, the cabal went into a tizzy. There were deliberate attacks on Hindu sentiments and deities on social media. And while individuals on social media outraged and expressed rage, on ground, there was hardly any impact. It was then that Ramesh Solanki and Vikas Pandey, with 10 other men with the same ideology, decided to come together as “concerned Hindu volunteers” to protect the Gods. Through the internet. Using the force of law. In May 2020, they declared themselves as the “Hindu IT Cell”.

They vowed that those deliberately spewing venom against Hindus would be taken to task legally. Based on this motto, Hindu IT Cell has been working since its inception. The objective is to file legal complaints and pursue the case with the police to take action against social media users who have made “anti-Hindu” remarks. To do so, they work with a team of lawyers and “cyber volunteers” who are determined to impose a cost on hate speech. 

Essentially, the Hindu IT Cell initiates its network of cyber volunteers to track down and identify those indulging in hate speech and then appropriate legal action is taken as per the law by taking the refuge of local police.

Who are the people behind the group?

Ramesh Solanki joined the Shiv Sena in 1998 and was associated with its IT cell for years. He left in 2019 when the Sena allied with their onetime ideological rivals, the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party, to form the government in Maharashtra. 

He is a well-known Hindu Activist and a known leader across India who actively voices out for Hindu causes. He has played a vital role in the ban of TikTok from India and has spearheaded the demand for reforms in IT rules.

Vikas Pandey, another co-founder of Hindu IT Cell is a known Social Media Activist and Software Architect who is knowing for running successful social media campaigns in the 2014 general election where BJP got a landslide. Recently as a founder of a Hindu IT cell, he has got an FIR registered against journalist Rana Ayyub for allegedly duping funds in the name of COVID relief. 

The Hindu IT Cell has alleged that Ayyub had illegally collected money through the online platform Ketto “in the name of charity”, adding that the journalist also received foreign funds without the government’s approval. The group alleged that a portion of the funds has still not been spent on beneficiaries, which the complainant claims to have confirmed with the online platform.

The charges against Ayyub were under section 4 (punishment for money laundering) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and section 66D of the Information Technology Act (punishment for cheating by personation by using computer resources). Sections 403 (dishonest misappropriation of property), 406 (punishment for criminal breach of trust), 418 (cheating), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Indian Penal Code were also included in the FIR.

While Ayyub has claimed innocence, it is up to investigative agencies and the Courts to deliver the final verdict.

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