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Love is blind: Three sisters in UP’s Rampur reportedly elope with a man they were all in love with

OpIndia Staff
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Love is blind: Three sisters in UP’s Rampur reportedly elope with a man they were all in love with

It is often heard that two girls had a crush on the same boy. However, it is rare to find that two sisters are in a love affair with the same boy without either of them having any problem with the other. It is even rarer to find three siblings head over heels in love with the same guy. But this strange occurrence is said to have taken place in Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur district where three sisters have allegedly eloped away with a man they were all madly in love with.

This curious love story of three women with one man came to light one week ago, when the trio absconded away from their home without informing their parents or other relatives. Panicked by the sudden disappearance of all three sisters at the same time, the relatives embarked on a silent search mission to ascertain their location and bring them back home.

The three real sisters went missing from their house about eight days ago. Since the disappearance of the three sisters, the family members have been searching for them in the nearby villages. The family members had also reached out to extended relatives and acquaintances to inquire about their whereabouts but no trace of the three sisters has been found yet.

While the lookout for the three sisters has been carried out discreetly, the word spread in the village and surrounding area of the disappearance of the three girls. This gave rise to various kinds of rumours and speculations among the villagers about the possible cause of their disappearance. One of the rumours that is gaining prominence is about the love affair of the three sisters with the same man.

Speculations are rife that all three sisters were besotted with the same man and they have possibly eloped away with him. It is also being reported that two of the three sisters are adults while one is minor. Fearing disgrace and ignominy, the family has so far remained muted about their disappearance and refrained from filing a complaint with the police. In a report published on Live Hindustan, station officer Ravindra Kumar confirmed that the family has not filed a complaint and that the police will take appropriate action if a complaint is filed in the case.

Nevertheless, Rampur Police has taken cognisance of the case and ordered the Azimnagar police station in charge to launch a probe into the matter.

One of the three sisters is divorced, the minor girl too insisted on staying with the man: Reports

A report published in Dainik Bhaskar says the eldest of the three sisters was the first to fall in love with the man. She then got married and moved to her in-laws’ place. Some months later, she got divorced from her husband and returned to her paternal home. Once back, she came to know that the man she was in love with was now dating her younger sister. Now both the sisters were having a love affair with the same man.

When he decided to elope with both the sisters who were also his lovers, the third sister, who is also a minor, decided she also wanted to join in. After this, the three sisters reportedly eloped away with the said man.

Islamists in Middle East call for boycott of Indian products over Assam violence, urge Muslim countries to take action

OpIndia Staff
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Islamists in Middle East call for boycott of Indian products over Assam violence, urge Muslim countries to take action

Islamists in the Middle East have initiated a targeted propaganda campaign over the violence that occurred in the Darrang district of Assam during an eviction drive. It is being alleged that the Indian Government is targeting Muslims in the country without paying sufficient attention to the facts of the matter.

Consequently, some are demanding the boycott of Hindus and others are urging Islamic countries to target India over the matter. Former ICESCO Director General, A. Altwaijri, accused Narendra Modi’s “Hindu Government” of abusing and persecuting Muslims “within the framework of a systematic policy, and in light of international silence and Islamic inaction.”

Source: Twitter

Another person with over twenty thousand followers on the platform said that Islamic countries should not sign agreements with India until the ‘killing of Muslims’ is stopped.

Source: Twitter

Abdul Rahman Al-Nassar used the violence at Darrang to spread similar propaganda against India. He said, “There are more than 3million Hindus in the Gulf, they bring tens of billions of dollars to India, and we treat them with respect, so why are our brothers in India being killed just because they are Muslims?”

Source: Twitter

Al-Mutairi, who has over 65,000 followers on Twitter, also said that Islamic countries should come together to take action against India. He said, “The frequent news about what is happening to Muslims in India requires action from all countries in the Islamic world and everyone who claims to support human rights.”

Source: Twitter

Calls for boycott of Indian products are being made by others as well.

Source: Twitter

Islamists in the Middle East engaging in spreading propaganda against India are conveniently ignoring the truth of the matter regarding the violence that occurred in Darrang. The lives that were lost occurred after a huge mob attacked the Police over the eviction drive.

The eviction drive was taking place after an agreement was reached with local Muslims. However, later, the Police was attacked by the mob, forcing them to retaliate in self-defense. Furthermore, a judicial inquiry has been initiated into the matter.

Britain doesn’t have enough truck drivers, and now it doesn’t have enough fuel. Read about the fuel crisis where army could get involved

Akshita Bhadauria
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Britain doesn’t have enough truck drivers, and now it doesn’t have enough fuel. Read about the fuel crisis where army could get involved

Several gas stations across England witnessed long queues of vehicles, rough scuffles and panic buying over the weekend. The British Petroleum on Sunday said that nearly a third of its petrol stations in the country had run out of the two main grades of fuel.

The Petrol Retailers Association also informed that up to 90 per cent of British fuel stations ran dry across major cities on Monday. 

Is UK running out of fuel?

Reportedly, as per the United Kingdom (UK) transport minister Grant Shapps, “There’s plenty of fuel, there’s no shortage of fuel within the country.”

However, there are not enough truck drivers to transport fuel from storage points to gas stations. The UK is facing a severe shortage of truck drivers due to the pandemic, an exodus of foreign workforce post-Brexit, an aging workforce and poor working conditions in the UK. 

The shortage of drivers has impacted the food supply chain as well which could result in price rises just ahead of Christmas.  

Pandemic adds to the Brexit woes

The coronavirus pandemic outbreak coincided with the UK’s exit from European Union (EU). The UK withdrew from EU at 23:00 hours on January 31, 2020. It was around similar time that the coronavirus pandemic, which is believed to have originated in China’s Wuhan province, was fast spreading across the world. With the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, many drivers decided to head back to their home countries. 

Moreover, Brexit led to the creation of new immigration policies, new bureaucracy and decline in the value of the pound against the euro. The changes have not just made working in the UK less attractive for EU nationals but are even causing a hindrance in their return. 

According to the Annual Population Survey, there were 16,000 fewer EU nationals working as Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) drivers in the year ending March 2021, than in the previous year. The UK had also lost 72,000 truck drivers between the second quarter of 2019 and the same period in 2021. 

The revised tax rules have also made it more expensive for drivers from other countries in Europe to work or be employed in the UK.

Shortage of qualified drivers

As per a Road Haulage Association (RHA) survey, there is a shortage of more than 100,000 qualified truck drivers in the UK. The pandemic also led to a huge backlog in HGV driver tests. 

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency of the government also informed that there were more than 54,000 applications pending for licenses.

The industry reportedly had warned the prime minister in June this year that there were 25,000 fewer candidates passing their test in 2020 than in 2019.

Involvement of army

To mitigate the shortage of truck drivers caused mainly due to the pandemic and Brexit, the government is planning to offer temporary visas to 5,000 foreign truck drivers and 5,500 poultry workers till Christmas to limit the disruption. 

Additionally, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson could consider calling in the British army to deliver fuel to petrol stations running dry across the country. However, Environment Secretary George Eustice asserted that the shortage of drivers was “not a huge problem”.

Around a million letters might also be sent to HGV drivers with a license to encourage them to return back to the industry apart from training 4000 new truck drivers. 

Appeal to not panic buy

“The only reason we don’t have petrol on forecourts is people are buying petrol when they don’t need it,” said Eustice. Transport minister Shapps also has appealed for calm holding panic buying by the citizens responsible for the current shortage. 

Shapps further alleged that the panic was manufactured by some hauliers’ association. “They’re desperate to have more European drivers undercutting British salaries,” said the transport minister. 

Meanwhile, Northern Ireland which has been less reliant on drivers from the European Union has been less affected by those workers being no longer available.

West Bengal: South Kolkata BJYM President Mukund Jha hospitalised after TMC goons brutally attack him during the Bhabanipur ruckus

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: South Kolkata BJYM President Mukund Jha hospitalised after TMC goons brutally attack him during the Bhabanipur ruckus

Mukund Jha, the President of BJYM South Kolkata was hospitalized with head injuries in West Bengal’s SSKM hospital on Monday, September 27, after he was brutally assaulted by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) goons during the attack on BJP national vice president Dilip Ghosh during the by-poll campaign at Bhabanipur constituency.

The National President of BJP Yuva Morcha Tejasvi Surya took to Twitter to apprise about the same. “TMC goons brutally attacked Sri Mukund Jha, President of @BJYM South Kolkata & our karyakartas at Bhawanipore today. CM Mamata Banerjee’s silence on such dreaded attacks is another blood soaked feather on her cap in successfully decimating democracy in Bengal”, Tweeted Surya sharing pictures of the injured Mukund Jha.

The TMC supporters had allegedly grabbed hold of Mukund Jha and injured him when Dilip Ghosh, yesterday, moved ahead with the rally towards the Harish Mukherjee road.

TMC workers attack BJP’s national VP Dilip Ghosh before Bhabanipur by-poll in West Bengal

On the last day of the campaign in West Bengal’s Bhabanipur Constituency, Trinamool Congress supporters clashed with BJP workers and attacked Dilip Ghosh, National Vice President of the Bharatiya Janata Party. According to reports, Dilip Ghosh was physically assaulted by TMC supporters during the attack while another BJP worker was seriously wounded.

Dilip Ghosh posted a tweet after the incident and expressed concerns about the safety of public representatives in West Bengal and claimed that the incident was a planned attack organized by the TMC workers.

The incident happened just before the Bhabanipur by-poll and the Election Commission of India sought a report from the West Bengal government over the Bhabanipur incident.

China: Apple and Tesla halt production amidst energy crisis. Here is what we know so far

OpIndia Staff
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China: Apple and Tesla halt production amidst energy crisis. Here is what we know so far

On Sunday (September 26), Apple Inc supplier Unimicron Technology Corp informed that production has been halted at 3 Chinese factories in order to comply with the new emission standards set by the Communist regime, reported Reuters. The development threatens to break supply chains at the peak season for the sale of electronic goods and items in the country.

Reportedly, China has tightened the ’emission standards’ for heavy industries, leading to a decline in production and impacting the economic growth of the country. Unimicron Technology Corp, a supplier to Apple Inc, has stopped production in its factories starting from September 26 midday to September 30 night. In a statement, it said that the decision was taken to comply with the ‘electricity limiting policy’ of China.

Foxconn affiliate Eson Precision Ind Co Ltd also halted its production in Kunshan city from September 26 onwards. Citing sources, Reuters reported that the impact of the decision has been ‘very small’ in its factory in Kunshan and other parts of China. Concraft Holding Co Ltd has also stopped production for 5 days in light of the new energy policy. Concraft supplies speaker components for Apples’ iPhone.

Supply-demand diparity of coal and its impact

Besides the new emission standards, the situation has been further aggravated due to the coal supply shortage, and its high prices. Reuters reported that the electricity demands of manufacturers such as Apple and Tesla had led to supply-demand disparity, thereby prompting the Chinese government to intervene and curb the use of coal. This culminated in long blackouts in Changchun city while shops in Northeastern China was forced to use candles and shut down malls.

Rising Coal prices in China since 2016, image via Reuters

In regions with freezing cold temperatures, the National Energy Administration (NEA) assured to provide basic power supply to keep houses warm. Reuters reported that the power crunch has been grim in Liaoning province, thereby prompting the State Grid Corp to impose powers cuts in both residential and industrial areas last week. Similarly, Huludao city residents have been directed to not use high electricity consuming products such as microwave ovens and water heaters during the peak period. In Harbin city, malls are forced to shut down before the dusk sets in at around 4 pm.

The ongoing power crunch in China has raised concerns of economic slowdown in the country with a hike in coal prices, restrictions on tech and property sectors. The industrial sector showed signs of recovery from the impact of the deadly Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic in China. However, the resultant ‘pickup’ of production activity led to high demand for coal supplies, the eventual government intervention and tightening of emission standards. China has set its energy goals for 2021 and had vowed to reduce energy consumption by 3% this year. However, only 10 out of 30 regions in Mainland China have been able to meet the goals.

Factors that influencued China’s energy curbs

Interstingly, total power generation for the month of August 2021 was 10.1% higher as compared to last year. It was even 15% higher for the same period in 2019. However, the increased production also led to high toxic emissions, surpassing China’s pre-pandemic levels. China which seeks to become carbon neutral in future-directed the factories to reduce production or bring down power usage in provinces such as Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Yunnan and Guangdong provinces. Notices were sent to heavy industries to limit power usage during peak periods (between 7 am-11 pm) or shut down production for 2-3 days each week. Owing to trade dispute with Australia, China was denied coal shipments, which further complicated the problem.

Power generation in China between January 2019 and August 2021, image via Reuters

How tech giants are facing the brunt of China’s new policy?

Reuters reported that the power crunch in China has begun to affect tech manufacturers in the eastern and southeastern coasts of the country. Firms such as Tesla and Apple have been facing the brunt of it. About 30 Taiwanese firms with Chinese operations and 15 indigenous Chinese firms had mentioned power curbs hampering production activity in their exchange filings.

Industrial Output across various sectors, image via Reuters

Citing Morgan Stanley, Reuters emphasised that the impact is also visible in the aluminium and cement industries, where production capacity fell by 7% and 29% respectively. It is expected that the production of glass, paper, furniture, dyes and soymeal will also be affected. Economic analysts are now projecting a lower growth rate for China this year. The country’s GDP might fall by 1% if trends continue for a longer period, warned Morgan Stanley.

Financial services company, Nomura, decreased China’s GDP forecast from 8.2% to 7.7% for the full year. On September 24, it stated, “The power-supply shock in the world’s second-biggest economy and the biggest manufacturer will ripple through and impact global markets.” In the previous week, a meeting was held by Chinese coal producers to stall price-hike and meet demands.

From caretaker of 5000-year-old Shiv Temple to locals: Hindus in Darrang district in Assam bust lies around eviction drive violence

OpIndia Staff
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From caretaker of 5000-year-old Shiv Temple to locals: Hindus in Darrang district in Assam bust lies around eviction drive violence

As soon as the eviction drive conducted by the administration in Darrang district in Assam on September 23 turned violent, vested interests began demonising the state’s administration and police. Though the government had clarified that the police officers were forced to fire in retaliation after over 10,000 Muslim encroachers launched an attack on the police, the incident was exploited by the leftist media to spread the false narrative that the BJP government was conducting violence against Muslims in the state.

Amidst the blame game, an online YouTube channel named New India Junction approached the natives of Assam who divulged some lesser-known truths and dispelled the rumours being weaved around the clashes during the anti-encroachment drive in Assam’s Darrang district.

The ground report on the truth behind the Assam eviction drive by the YouTube channel- New India Junction

A resident of the district named Lakshedhar Nath told the channel that whatever happened on September 23 was nothing unusual and the people living in that particular area where the violence took place are known for engaging in killings and murders. 

A false narrative is being peddled that whatever is happening in Assam is to throw the Muslims out of the state. This is absolutely untrue. Facts are being distorted to malign the state administration, said Nath, adding that in reality, it was a Muslim gentleman who had brought the matter of illegal encroachment on government land in Assam to the attention of the High Court. He was the one who had appealed to the High Court, after which the latter took suo motu cognizance of the issue and asked the State government to act against the encroachers.

Similarly, another resident identified as one Rabindra Kumar Nath divulged how since the year 1975, illegal Bangladeshi immigrants have encroached more than 77,000 acres of land along with a 5,000 years old Shiva temple and a cave. He said that as a result of this encroachment the indigenous people have been completely devastated. These Bangladeshi immigrants have not only shattered the inherent culture of the Assamese but also ruined the economic structure.

‘Congress government brought the Bangladeshis and settled them here for votes’: The caretaker of the 5000-year-old Dholpur Shiv Temple

Prasenjit, the caretaker of the 5000-year-old Dholpur Shiv Temple, in the Garukhuti area near the Sipajhar town in Darrang district in Assam, where the incident occurred on September 23, also told the channel that people of the Hindu community have been settled in and around the temple area for years. Ahead of the 1983 Assam elections, the Congress government brought the Bangladeshis and settled them here for votes, rued the Shiv Temple caretaker.

Likewise, the Dholpur Shiv Temple secretary also informed how in the year 1980, only 36 families had inhabited the area. At that time the temple land was around 500 bighas said Dharma Kant Nath, adding that in 1981, the Bangladeshi immigrants forcefully took away half of the temple land. Later, in 1983-84, they took away most of it, lamented Dharma Kant Nath.

It may be noted, that the Himanta Biswa Sarma government has been conducting an eviction drive of illegal settlers on land belonging to the government or other organisations like temples. When the eviction party reached the place inhabited by Bengali speaking Muslims on Thursday, September 23, thousands of people clashed with the police, attacking them with stones, machetes, pointed bamboo sticks etc.

As the mob could not be dispersed even by using tear gas shells, and several policemen were injured in the attack, the police opened fire on the attackers.

According to the administration, the people living in the area were served notices to vacate the encroached land well in advance, and when they didn’t comply with the notices, the eviction drive was conducted.

Hours after an eviction drive in the Darrang district of Assam turned violent, video footage of frenzied illegal encroachers had surfaced on social media.

‘Peaceful eviction drive was agreed upon, who instigated?’: Assam CM on violence in Darrang

Clearing his government’s stance on the violence in Darrang, Assam, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma had the next day addressed the media. He said that the eviction drive was initiated with an agreed principle that landless will be provided 2 acres each as per land. “Peaceful drive was agreed upon, then who instigated the mob of illegal encroachers,” questioned the CM.

Calling eviction drive “urgent”, the Himanta Biswa Sarma said it was not done overnight and discussions were on for 4 months. “Congress delegation had met me and agreed on land allotment to landless. 27,000 acres of land has to be productively used. There was a temple, which was also encroached upon,” Biswa Sarma added.

“In Assam, no one trespasses on temple lands. These are self-restraining things that the people of Assam honour”, said the CM, asserting that one cannot demean the entire state based on a 30-second video. One needs to understand what had preceded and what followed before drawing any conclusion, told the CM to the media.

Gurugram: Maulvi molests a minor girl inside a mosque, booked under POCSO Act

OpIndia Staff
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Gurugram: Maulvi molests a minor girl inside a mosque, booked under POCSO Act

An FIR has been filed against a Muslim cleric for allegedly molesting a 9-year-old minor girl inside a mosque in Gurugram district’s Pataudi on September 27.

The incident came to light on Monday afternoon after the girl told her parents that she had been inappropriately touched by the maulvi in the mosque. Soon thereafter, a large group of villagers accosted the maulvi and roughed him up for allegedly molesting the girl. The video of the assault was apparently shot by one of the villagers who insisted that the girl was molested inside the mosque.

The video, which soon went viral on social media, shows a 35-year-old man, dressed in a white kurta, pyjama and a skull cap, being assaulted by a frenzied mob that had gathered around the mosque after the girl complained of mistreatment meted out on her by the maulvi. A police team rushed to the spot and dispersed the crowd to rescue the beleaguered maulvi.

Later on Monday evening, the victim’s mother filed a complaint against the maulvi. She said her daughter had gone to the mosque to deliver food. The main maulvi of the mosque was not present. The other maulvi held her daughter’s hand and dragged her towards him. He also kissed her, the woman alleged. Frightened by her ordeal, the girl ran to her family and narrated the incident to them.

The police have recorded the girl’s statement and slapped a case under Section 8 of the POCSO Act(Sexual Assault) against the maulvi.

Rising number of sexual assaults committed by maulvis inside mosques

Of late, there has been a rise of crimes of sexual nature committed inside mosques. Recently, a 47-year-old Muslim cleric was arrested in Delhi for raping a 10-year-old minor girl inside a mosque.

The girl had gone inside the mosque to fetch water at 10 PM. The cleric allegedly stopped her and then raped her. Once she reached home, she informed her parents who then approached the police. Following the incident coming to light, local people were agitated and hence police force was deployed outside the mosque. An FIR has been registered and the Delhi court has sent him to 14-day judicial custody.

Another such case was of a Muslim cleric in Rajasthan’s Bhiwadi who raped a minor girl inside a mosque and pushed her into the well to die. The incident came to the fore when the 14-year-old victim’s family approached the police station, seven days after the incident.

Speaking about the incident, Bhiwadi Circle officer Hariram Kumawat said that the accused maulvi, who hailed from Bisaru village in Punhana town of Nuh district, Haryana, lived in a mosque in Bhiwadi. The cleric allegedly took the 14-year-old minor from her house to the mosque on the night of April 1, where he raped her. At around 3:30 pm, when the family reached the mosque searching for their missing daughter, the Maulvi pushed the victim into the well.

After throwing her into the well, Maulana Zafru fled with his family. People who had gathered there took the girl out safely from the well and approached the police to register a case against the Maulana.

Note: Earlier version of the report included video of a maulvi confessing to raping a 9-year-old child. However, that video is of another maulvi confessing to raping a child. Error is regretted.

From broken CCTV cameras to pre-mediated conspiracy and more: What Delhi HC said about 2020 anti-Hindu riots

OpIndia Staff
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From broken CCTV cameras to pre-mediated conspiracy and more: What Delhi HC said about 2020 anti-Hindu riots

On September 28, while dismissing the bail plea of one Mohammad Ibrahim in Head Constable Ratan Lal Murder Case during the North East Delhi riots, the Delhi HC said that the evidence confirmed the existence of a pre-planned and pre-meditated conspiracy to disturb law and order in the city.

Excerpt from the court order denying bail plea of Mohammad Ibrahim in Ratan Lal murder case

The court said, “The riots which shook the National Capital of the country in February 2020 evidently did not take place in a spur of the moment, and the conduct of the protestors who are present in the video footage which has been placed on record by the prosecution visibly portrays that it was a calculated attempt to dislocate the functioning of the Government as well as to disrupt the normal life of the people in the city.”

The court further added that the CCTV cameras were destroyed systematically that confirmed the existence of a pre-planned and pre-meditated conspiracy to disturb law and order in the city. The court said, “This is also evident from the fact that innumerable rioters ruthlessly act that in descended with sticks, dandas, bats etc., upon a hopelessly outnumbered cohort of police officials.”

The court was hearing the bail plea of the accused in the Head Constable Ratan Lal Murder Case during the anti-Hindu Delhi riots of 2020. The court observed that the liberty of an individual cannot be misused in a way that it “threatens the fabric of society by attempting to destabilise it or cause hurt to others.”

Justice Subramonium Prasad said, “This Court has previously opined on the importance of personal liberty in a democratic polity, but it is to be categorically noted that individual liberty cannot be misused in a manner that threatens the very fabric of civilised society by attempting to destabilise it and cause hurt to other persons.”

The case against Ibrahim

Mohammad Ibrahim was seen in several CCTV footage wearing a black Nehru jacket, salwar kurta and a skull cap. The prosecution submitted three video pieces of evidence to prove that the assault on Head Constable Ratan Lal was pre-meditated. The court said that the riots in Delhi were not something that could have happened in the spur of the moment.

While denying the bail, the court said though he was not seen on the crime scene, he was part of the mob. He consciously travelled over 1.5 KM away from his locality. He was carrying a sword that could only be used to cause damage. The court said, “In light of this, the footage of the Petitioner with the sword is quite egregious, and is therefore sufficient to keep the Petitioner in custody.”

The order was reserved last month after hearing arguments of several advocates who appeared for the accused. For the prosecution, ASG SV Raju and Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad appeared in the case. Ibrahim’s bail plea was part of orders reserved in 11 bail applications. Notably, the court granted bail to other accused named Shahnawaz and Mohd Ayyub in the case but rejected the applications of Sadiq and Irshad Ali. Five others accused Mohd. Arif, Shadab Ahmad, Furkan, Suvaleen and Tabassum were granted bail earlier this month.

The murder of head constable Ratan Lal

On February 24, a mob of Islamists and other protesters carrying danda, lathies, baseball bats, iron rods and stones gathered at the main Wazirabad road at around 1 PM. They soon turned violent, after which the police used mild force and gas shells to disperse the crowd. According to the constable present at the scene, the protesters started beating the police personnel. DCP Shahdara, ACP Gokulpuri, and Head Constable Rattan Lal were also attacked by the mob. They both fell on the road and sustained serious injuries. They were rushed to the hospital, where Head Constable Ratan Lal was pronounced brought dead.

Irshad Ali was denied bail as he was seen holding a danda and provoking the crowd in CCTC footage. The court said, “The clinching evidence that tilts this Court to prolong the incarceration of the Petitioner is his presence in the Vishal Chaudhry video wherein he is clearly identified at the Scene of Crime, using a stick to beat uniformed police officials who are present around him.”

Sadiq was denied bail as he participated actively in the riots and pelted stones on the police officials. The court said, “The fact that he actively participated and pelted stones at the Police Officials at the Scene of Crime justifies the invocation of Section 149 IPC read with Section 302 IPC in the instant case.”

Congress social media head posts morphed image of PM Modi, Twitter doesn’t mark it ‘manipulated media’, fact-checkers let it go

OpIndia Staff
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Congress social media head posts morphed image of PM Modi, Twitter doesn’t mark it ‘manipulated media’, fact-checkers let it go

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after coming back from his 3-day trip to the USA for bilateral meetings and for the UNGA summit, went straight to monitor the construction of the new Central Vista. In an attempt to mock PM Modi, Congress took to Twitter to post morphed images of him walking the construction site of Central Vista.

Rohan Gupta, ‘Chairman’ of the Social Media Department of Congress posted a morphed image where he showed that a cameraman was lying down on the floor and clicking a picture of PM Modi walking across the construction site of Central Vista. The image was clearly morphed, made to show that PM Modi was taking an update on the Central Vista project as a publicity stunt.

Rohan Gupta posted this image with the caption, “Photographer of the Month”.

Interestingly, this clearly morphed image was not marked as ‘manipulated media’ by social media giant Twitter. If one recalls, On 19 May 2021, Congress shot off an email to Twitter, asking the social media behemoth to permanently suspend Twitter accounts of BJP leaders JP Nadda, Sambit Patra, Smriti Irani, BL Santosh and many other functionaries for sharing a toolkit, which they claimed was prepared by the Congress party to sully the reputation of the Modi government amidst the raging COVID-19 outbreak. 

The email was sent a day after the BJP leaders had exposed a toolkit that entailed point-by-point instructions for the Congress workers for attacking the Modi government. From maligning the Kumbh Mela and describing it as ‘super spreader’ to using international media and ‘friendly’ journalists to defame PM Modi, to blocking beds and hoarding other essential supplies for favourable social media PR, the content of the toolkit included a range of directives for the loyal Congress leaders and supporters to be followed to paint PM Modi and his government’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak in a bad light.

Twitter, within a day, had marked the Toolkit images as ‘manipulated media’ clearly telling people that they thought the image of the toolkit was fake. It is pertinent to note that Twitter had no proof to allege that the toolkit was fake, except the word of Congress itself.

While Twitter was more than happy to oblige Congress and become a part of their Toolkit, the social media giant has failed to take action against Congress functionaries sharing patently morphed images, like the one shared by Rohan Gupta.

Further, not only has Twitter not bothered to mark the fake image as ‘manipulated media’, but the usual “fact-checkers” who claim that they uphold the truth, have conveniently missed taking action against this post. BoomLive and AltNews, the self-proclaimed fact-checkers who often give covering fire to Islamists focussed on “fact-checking” a different fake image instead of the one shared by Congress.

BoomLive, while ignoring this fake image by Congress, “fact-checked” a clearly fake post where it was claimed that the New York Times praised PM Modi after his visit to the USA.

Fact-checking the image, BoomLive came to the conclusion that the New York Times post was created as a satire.

Fact Check by BoomLive

AltNews, on the other hand, focus on “fact-checking” random videos of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, which were authentic, but according to them, were used to “show he was disrespected”. Essentially, AltNews wrote a cock-and-bull “fact check” in an attempt to prove that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were respectful of Manmohan Singh and disprove the video evidence to the contrary that has been available for years.

The fact-check was done by Mohammad Zubair, the AltNews co-founder who is being investigated under POCSO for bullying and doxxing a minor girl.

Fact-check by AltNews

While BoomLive focussed on proving that an image praising PM Modi was satire, AltNews focussed on proving that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi never disrespected former PM Manmohan Singh. In doing so, they clearly did not bother “fact-checking” an obvious morphed image posted by Congress itself because their fact-checking is meant to serve the purpose either of Islamists or political parties that oppose BJP, PM Modi, or those elements who work against the cause of India itself.

In fact, even Shekhar Gupta’s The Print attempted to ‘fact-check’ the New York Times satire by claiming that the image was ‘viral’, when it actually was not.

Fact-check by The Print

While the satire image of New York Times was clearly not viral, the ‘satire’ image posted by Rohan Gupta was shared by several anti-Modi, anti-India elements to mock the Prime Minister, and yet, BoomLive and The Print chose to “fact-check” the NYT image instead of this one, while POCSO accused Mohammad Zubair chose to eulogise Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

Rohan Gupta, the habitual offender

Earlier in 2017, Rohan Gupta had posted a fake ‘survey’ predicting poll results, which showed Congress set to sweep the assembly elections that were underway in Gujarat at the time.

Parindu Bhagat, in charge of Gujarat election legal cell, on behalf of BJP leaders had filed a complaint about Rohit Gupta, tweeting an exit poll for the Gujarat Assembly Elections. This ‘exit poll’ showed Congress getting 65+ seats out of a total of 89 constituencies, in the first phase of the Gujarat election. BJP was pegged to get 22 seats while others were pitted to get 2 seats.

Rohan Gupta’s act of posting an exit poll violated the Election Commission’s notification which banned the publishing of exit polls till the second phase of voting concluded. Not to mention, that the survey was entirely fake. Rohan Gupta had been booked for the same by the Crime Branch on the instructions of the Election Commission, according to Times of India. That case still appears to be pending.

It is pertinent to note that the IT cell head Rohan Gupta is the son of Congress leader Rajkumar Gupta.

Viral video: UP IAS officer Md Iftikharuddin seen promoting conversions, hailing ‘spreading Islam all over the world’

OpIndia Staff
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Viral video: UP IAS officer Md Iftikharuddin seen promoting conversions, hailing ‘spreading Islam all over the world’

An undated video has emerged on social media platforms in which senior IAS officer Mohammad Iftikharuddin was seen holding sermons, telling people that Islam needs to be spread all over the world. Bhupesh Awasthi, National Vice President of Math Mandir Coordination Committee, levelled the allegations against the IAS officer and said that Iftikharuddin holds meetings at his official residence to fan Islamist sentiments and promote conversions.

A probe has been initiated by Kanpur Police in the case.

Notably, Mohammad Iftikharuddin is currently serving as the Chairman of Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation. A series of three videos have gone viral on social media in which Iftikharuddin was seen telling people the benefits of converting to Islam.

The videos seem to have been recorded in a well-furnished house. Awasthi alleged that it was a government residence. Iftikharuddin could be seen sitting on a chair while addressing the people who were sitting on the floor. He added, “– declare to the people of the world that the sovereignty and authority of Allah are to be established in the whole world.”

In another video, Iftikharuddin was seen sitting on the floor with other listeners while the Maulvi was giving Islamic lessons. He said that Allah had given Uttar Pradesh as a centre to them from where they could spread their word in the whole country and the whole world. After that, he narrated a shocking and derogatory story.

He said, “Recently, a man from Punjab converted to Islam. When I asked him the reason behind conversion, he said the death of his sister. When I asked for details, he said that when his sister died, she was burnt. Her clothes burnt off and she was naked. People were seeing the naked dead body of my sister. I could not bear that and come out. I thought the same would happen to me. People would watch me naked. The thought of such a thing happening in future made me convert to Islam.”

Police initiated probe

Reports suggest that Somendra Meena, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Kanpur (East), would probe the case. In a tweet, Police Commissionerate Kanpur Nagar said, “The investigation of the viral video of IAS officer Mohd Iftikharuddin taken at Kanpur Commissioner’s residence has been entrusted to ADCP East, Police Commissionerate Kanpur Nagar. It is being investigated whether the video is authentic and if there is any crime in it,” tweeted Police Commissionerate Kanpur Nagar.

Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said in a statement that the matter is serious. He said, “This is a serious matter. If there is anything like this, it will be taken seriously.”

Bhupesh Awasthi’s statement

OpIndia reached out to Bhupesh Awasthi to learn more about the case. He said that he had received the video on September 25. “As the videos had derogatory comments against Hinduism and the IAS officer was propagating conversion to Islam, I have written to the Chief Minister to probe the case. I have requested him to investigate if the video is authentic, and in case if it is authentic, then strict action should be taken against the IAS officer,” he added. Awasthi said that Iftikharuddin is currently serving in Lucknow and has served in many important posts in the past; hence the videos should be probed.

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