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Pakistan Consulate in Canada quotes Rana Ayyub, Subramanian Swamy to further anti-India propaganda

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan Consulate in Canada quotes Rana Ayyub, Subramanian Swamy to further anti-India propaganda

On August 3, Pakistan Consulate General in Vancouver, Canada, went on a mission to reply to a Twitter post in favour of India. Interestingly, they used the likes of Rana Ayyub and Subramanian Swamy to paint a bad picture of India. Angry over the fact that they are not getting any support over the Kashmir issue and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to chair a United Nations Security Council meeting, Pakistan is throwing hissy fits all over the social media platform.

Pakistan talked about ‘declining democracy in India’ using Ayyub’s report

Replying to a post by Michael Rubin, Resident Scholar, AEI, who shared an article on how India has proved its critics wrong about Kashmir and abrogation of Article 370, the Pakistan consulate general replied that steady decline of democracy in India is impossible to deny. Pakistan is already angry since the day Home Minister Amit Shah announced the revocation of Article 370 from the valley. Any praises of India seems to irk the neighbour even further. Quoting a report by alleged journalist Rana Ayyub, the Pakistan Consulate said, “The steady decline of #India democracy is impossible to deny. No number of stories about economic growth can mask that reality.”

Source: Twitter

The report by Rana Ayubb published in Washington Post talked about the so-called decline of democracy since Narendra Modi became PM in 2014. She talked about the sedition case against Disha Ravi for her involvement in the Greta Thunberg Toolkit case, raids on director Anurag Kashyap and Actor Tapsee Pannu’s offices and houses, and some other similar cases where the government took action against the wrongdoers.

Ayyub was not delighted when athletes, sportspersons and film stars came in support of India when external forces were trying to demonise the nation’s image in the backdrop of farmers protests. She said, “Indian movie stars and athletes are often deployed to promote government policies and amplify propaganda. It helps cement their popularity. So when Thunberg, along with celebrities such as Rihanna and Meena Harris, tweeted in solidarity with the farmers’ protest, the entire powerful ecosystem of government supporters started attacking them for wanting to “destabilise” India” in her report.

Use of Subramanian Swamy’s interview to show India as anti-Muslim

The Consulate did not stop at using the report by Ayyub. While replying to Fabio Massimo Castaldo over his tweet about a letter he and his 15 colleagues had sent to Ursula VonDerLeyen and Josep Borrell of the European Commission over alleged violation of human rights in Jammu and Kashmir, the Consulate said, “Global censure and condemnation of violations of human rights in the #Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu, and #Kashmir  (IIOJK) continue.”

Source: Twitter

When a Twitter user Dinesh Kumar called out Pakistan for propagating a false narrative, the Consulate used clips from interviews of Subramanian Swamy where he talked about how the larger share of Muslims in any country’s population has the potential to cause unrest. Swamy had talked about CAA and said India had done right by not including Muslims in the list of beneficiaries. He said, “The law cannot be blamed for that [excluding Muslims]. This was the commitment we had made over several years, over several governments. We have completed the job.” Notably, CAA provides expedited citizenship to the religious persecuted minorities of three neighbouring countries that Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Hindus, Sikhs, and others are covered under the act but not Muslims as they are in the majority in these countries, negating the possibility of religious persecution.

Source: Twitter

Other misleading reports quoted by Pakistan

Pakistan quoted several other misleading reports. Some of them that caught the eye included a report by Pieter Friedrich where he compared CAA to Nuremberg Laws. Interestingly, Pieter Friedrich is a Khalistani asset, and he was under Indian Intelligence radar for a very long time, and his name also popped up in the Greta Thunberg toolkit case.

Source: Twitter

One Arun Krishnan questioned the audacity of Pakistan to comment on democracy. He said, “A declared Islamic state that has wiped out its minorities, and where NO minority can even hope to become a PM or President has the gall to lecture the world largest democracy.” In a reply, the Pakistani Consulate quoted Samanth Subramanian’s report, a London-based journalist who often criticises the Indian government like his left-leaning colleagues.

Source: Twitter

The report that the Pakistani Consulate quoted drew attention towards the false narrative revolving around Hindu supremacists, i.e. Hindu organisations, including RSS. The report revolves around CAA protests, demolition of the disputed structure in Ayodhya and several other topics but from the point of view of a left-leaning narrative that paints Hindus and the BJP-led government in bad picture.

As Tokyo Olympics marks the revival of hockey in India, read how Odisha’s Sundergarh district has become the ‘Cradle of Indian Hockey’

OpIndia Staff
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As Tokyo Olympics marks the revival of hockey in India, read how Odisha’s Sundergarh district has become the ‘Cradle of Indian Hockey’

The remarkable performance of the Indian Hockey Team, both men and women contingent, in the Tokyo Olympics 2020 has reignited a passion for the national sport in the minds of Indians. The entry of both men’s and women’s hockey teams into the Olympics semifinals has been an overwhelming feeling for most of the Indians as it comes after a hiatus of more than four decades.

Well, the success of India’s hockey after decades of continued failure is an exciting tale in itself. Half a century ago, Indians were the world champion and dominated the world hockey scene, winning as many as eight gold medals, the last one coming in the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

Since then, the game had lost much of its popularity in the country owing to several reasons, one being the lack of support of the Indian Hockey team. With dwindling support for the sport, the players lost the motivation to win major titles. As years went by, nothing substantial was achieved.

However, the entry of the Odisha government to support the sport changed the story of hockey forever. The Odisha government-led by Naveen Patnaik, took an interest in reviving the country’s national game and gave the game a much-needed push to make the country a champion side as it was four decades ago. When nobody in the country showed any passion or interest to support its national sport, including Hockey India, it was the Odisha government-led by Naveen Patnaik that stepped in to save the sport.

Indian Hockey’s success is led by the Odisha government

In 2018, the Sahara Group abruptly ended its sponsorship deal with Hockey India. It was supposed to run until 2021, but the troubles faced by the company meant that it could no longer sponsor the team. After Sahara’s exit, the Odisha government took over the mantle of sponsorship of the Indian national hockey teams both in the junior and senior levels. The Odisha government invested around Rs.150 crore to support the national game and stepped in to sponsor the men’s and women’s hockey teams over the next five years.

This was the first time that a state government had come in to sponsor a national sporting team. 

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had then remembered how Hockey was an integral part of Odisha’s tribal and also a way of life in his state’s tribal region, adding that children learned to walk with hockey sticks in Odisha.

A few months later, the Odisha government joined hands with the Tata group to set up the Odisha Naval Tata Hockey High-Performance Centre (HPC) at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. The idea was to groom the future sporting talents in hockey and produce world-class sportspersons.

In 2017, the Odisha government also sponsored the Kalinga Lancers club that won the Hockey India League in January. A year later, Odisha also hosted Hockey World League in December 2018 at the Bhubaneswar’s Kalinga Stadium. The following year, the Naveen Patnaik-led government also hosted FIH Men’s Series Finals and Olympic Hockey Qualifiers 2019 and even the FIH Pro League in 2020.

In 2023, Bhubaneswar and Rourkela will again host the World Cup Hockey for Men for the second time. In Rourkela of Sundergarh district, the Patnaik government is building the country’s biggest hockey stadium with a seating capacity for 20,000 spectators that will be named after tribal leader Birsa Munda. To further strengthen the hockey ecosystem in Sundergarh, Odisha is also planning to lay a synthetic hockey turf in each of the 17 blocks of the district.

Sundegarh – the Hockey Capital of India

In the last few years, Odisha has emerged as the new home of Indian hockey, with the Sundergarh region as its epicentre. Located in the heartland of Maoist Red-corridor – Sundergarh has become the ‘Cradle of Indian Hockey’. The resource-rich region has produced five national captains of the Indian hockey team and over 60 international players.

It is believed that hockey was introduced in Sundergarh by the European missionaries who came to the tribal region in the 1860s. The European missionaries often organised hockey matches as part of their extracurricular activities. Thus, for centuries now, hockey has become an integral part of the life of tribals in the Chotanagpur Plateau, an area that includes southern Jharkhand, the Sundergarh region of Odisha and Jashipur of Chhattisgarh.

Some believe that the natural soil and rock in the limestone belt of Chotanagour plateau, with its abundance in calcium percentage, strengthens the bones of the people in this area and makes them energetic, making them perfect for playing hockey.

The sport is now a cultural identity for various tribes such as Orams, the Kharia, the Munda and the Bhuniya communities. Even aged people in these tribal villages can be seen playing hockey. The game introduced by Christian missionaries over centuries ago has now seeped into their culture.

Interestingly, there are many local customs and traditions attached to the sport. For example, the “Prem Bhoj” events are traditional celebrations in which the family of the groom contests against the team from the bride side in a hockey tournament. The winner takes home a Khasi (goat), chicken or eggs as a prize. The Goat Cup or the Khasi Cup has become a prominent cultural identity of tribes in Odisha recently.

After Sansarpur in Jalandhar, Punjab, Sundergarh is becoming the most important centre of Indian hockey lately. It has produced five national team captains — Dilip Tirkey, Ignace Tirkey and Prabodh Tirkey in the men’s team and Subhadra Pradhan and Jyoti Sunita Kulu in the women’s team. In addition, it has also produced more than 60 international hockey players, including Olympians Lazarus Barla, William Xalco, Birendra Lakra and Sunita Lakra. 

Three players from Sundergarh – one women hockey player (Deep Grace Ekka) and two men players (Amit Rohidas and Birendra Lakra) have made it to the Tokyo Olympics 2021.

Sundergarh now has three hockey academies which includes a sports hostel in Panposh, Rourkela, built in the year 1984 that provides training for talented youngsters. Later, two training centres and hostels were developed at Sundergarh by the Sports Authority of India and the Odisha government that helped players participate in the national championships.

These training centres and hostels of Sundergarh have produced more than 12,000 national hockey players, with around 10,000 of them earning their livelihoods through sports quota government jobs in Railways, PSUs, banks, Odisha police department and some even in the armed forces.

Gujarat: 3 Pakistani nationals became Indian citizens with fake documents in Ahmedabad

OpIndia Staff
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Gujarat: 3 Pakistani nationals became Indian citizens with fake documents in Ahmedabad

3 Pakistani nationals became Indian citizens with fake documents in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

According to a report by News18 Gujarati, all three have had their names entered in the voter list in the Naroda constituency. They were residing in the Kubernagar area of Ahmedabad and a complaint has been registered in Meghaninagar Police Station.

The 3 Pakistani nationals are Mahesh Parpiani, Suresh Parpiani, and Haresh Parpiani. According to Election Officer Chetan Gandhi, Election Commission got a written complaint about the trio obtaining Indian citizenship with help of fake documents. After investigation, it was found that they were not Indian citizens.

BBC says it will block people who believe biological men should not compete in female sports events, threatens to report cases to authorities

OpIndia Staff
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BBC says it will block people who believe biological men should not compete in female sports events, threatens to report cases to authorities

The official Twitter account of the British media BBC recently posted a tweet, warning users that it will block and report people to authorities who took objection to biological men competing in female sports.

The official BBC Sports Twitter account said in a post: “At BBC Sport, we want our platforms to be a respectful place for discussion, constructive criticism, debate and opinion. We know the vast majority of our followers want that too. So here’s our stance.”

“We will block people bringing hate to our comments sections. We will report the most serious cases to the relevant authorities. We will work to make our accounts kind and respectful places. We will keep growing our coverage of all sports, and keep covering issues and discussions around equality in sport,” the message said.

BBC also sought help from other Twitter users in identifying what it claimed “expressions of hate based on race, colour, gender, nationality, ethnicity, disability, religion, sexuality, sex, age or class” and urged them to flag the URL to the post in question by emailing [email protected].

“Together we will strive to make our social media accounts a safe space for everyone,” the message concluded.

BBC’s Sports Twitter account was at the receiving end of criticism online after it published an adulatory article on Laurel Hubbard, the first transgender woman, a biological male, to compete at the Olympics. In its article, besides showering praise on the athlete, the BBC also sought to make a case for allowing transgender to compete in various sports.

Following the criticism, the BBC posted the threat in reply to the initial tweet. While the BBC did not explicitly state what the threat was about, that it was posted below a tweet on Laurel Habbard makes reasons abundantly clear.

Laurel Hubbard’s participation at Olympics triggers debate about gender classification in sports

The article sparked a debate about gender classification in sport, with a legion of social media users terming it unjust on the part of women athletes to compete with Laurel Hubbard, the self-avowed female athlete who was born as a male.

One social media user said Hubbard was a cheat, who failed to qualify in men’s competition, and was now “shattering” records in female sports.

Another Twitter shared a GIF to claim Hubbard was a man, not a woman.

Yet another user quipped Hubbard will be the first man to compete against women.

A Twitter user said Hubbard made history by hacking Olympics weight classes. “As a male weightlifter in the 109kg+ class, you’re barred from competing w/ males in the 96-109kg and 81-96kg classes. To drop 2 weight classes, just ID as a woman and they’ll let you compete w/ 87kg females,” the user said.

Several others too criticised BBC for rationalising the participation of a biological man in women’s sports.

Laurel Hubbard becomes the first transgender woman to compete at an Olympics

Laurel Hubbard became the first openly transgender woman to compete at an Olympics on Monday. The weightlifter from New Zealand competed in the women’s 87kg-plus final but failed all three of her attempts in the “snatch”, ending her medal hopes.

Earlier in 2001, Hubbard was the national record holder and was lifting a total of 300kg in domestic men’s competitions. But, she abruptly quit her career at the age of 23 in 2001. For three decades of her life, Hubbard lived as a man before coming out as a transgender woman aged 33 in 2012, resuming her sports career.

Before the Tokyo Games commenced, a panel of scientists convened by the International Olympic Committee failed to agree on rules for when trans athletes were eligible to compete in female sports categories, leaving the organisations that govern individual sporting events to determine their own regulations.

Hubbard’s participation in Tokyo Olympics, however, was enabled by the IOC guidelines released in November 2015, which suggested that athletes who transitioned from male to female could compete in women’s categories without requiring surgery to remove their testes if their testosterone levels were kept below a certain level — 10 nanomoles per litre — for at least 12 months. The International Weightlifting Federation, the sport’s world governing body, abides by the IOC’s guidelines and based on this criterion, Hubbard qualified for competing in women’s sport at the Tokyo Olympics.

Nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar says media agency offered her ‘award’ for money, turns out the practice is not too uncommon

Jinit Jain
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Nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar says media agency offered her ‘award’ for money, turns out the practice is not too uncommon

Nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar recently took to Twitter to share that she has been approached by a media agency with an ‘offer’ to give her an award for being an inspiring woman. But there was a caveat to this magnanimity: a form to be filled and Rs 2.5 lakhs to be paid.

The assertion made by Rujuta shocked many people on Twitter, with a large number of folks expressing disbelief at the audacity with which media agencies approach people and demand a hefty amount in return for conferring awards on them.

However, there were many who were not surprised by Rujuta’s tweet. Cyber Safety Expert Akancha Srivastava, founder of Akancha Against Harassment, one of the country’s largest social impact foundations against cyber harassment, said she, too, had received a similar offer a few days ago.

On 28 July 2021, Akancha had tweeted that a large media organization had offered her an award and favorable coverage in TV and Print for what she claimed to be a “nominal” fee.

While the revelations made by Rujuta and Akancha have scandalized a host of people on the internet, not only because of the sheer brazenness of the media houses in accosting people and demanding money in lieu of awards but also because of their willingness to barter their integrity and honesty for money. However, as it turns, selling awards and recognition in exchange for money is not entirely a new phenomenon or a rare practice. And the responses to the tweet posted by Akancha only reaffirm the ubiquity of the sale of awards.

Several people responded that they had witnessed similar incidents of awards and recognition being put on sale by media organizations.

The rampancy of using money and prejudiced jury to fix awards

The rigging of awards goes unabated even in the news media industry. Besides money, other means are also employed to ensure that recognition is accorded to only certain news organizations that adhere to a particular narrative. Parameters to declare a channel as a winner are also nebulously changed so as to arrive at a predetermined conclusion. Individual bias is also used to fix such awards.

For instance, NDTV won the best English News Channel award in 2018, but the jury members that bestowed the award on the channel included Raghav Chadha, National Treasurer, Aam Aadmi Party who likes to give defamatory statements in his free time, and Sanjay Jha, a Congress loyalist.

Then in August 2019, an unknown company named NDTV the most trusted company. The ‘award’ was signed by one Hemant Kaushik, Chairman and CEO of USA TV News Channel, and the award was given by one ‘International Brand Consulting Corporation, USA’. But the obscurity of the company was not lost on social media users, who were quick to point out that the organization might be as shady as NDTV’s tax dealings.

Mamata Banerjee and her fans pride on an appreciation letter issued by a dubious organisation

Not just news organizations, but even politicians have relied on fake awards and dubious recognition to burnish their credentials. In August 2020, months before the West Bengal assembly elections, chief minister Mamata Banerjee and her fans on social media shared a letter of appreciation by one ‘UN-linked NGO’ UNWPA for the state government’s COVID-19 work. OpIndia later found out that the organization which sang paeans to Mamata Banerjee was not related to the International Organisation in any way. The name of the organization had mentioned ‘United Nation’ and not the United Nations.

In addition to discrepancies in its name, even the logo used by the organization was different from the UN’s actual logo. The website of the organization did not have any link, registration number, affiliation number, or certification that may prove that it is associated with the United Nations.

The prevalence of rigged award shows in Bollywood

The corrosive practice of ‘awarding’ those who agree to pay a predetermined fee is also rampant in Bollywood, with award shows being nothing more than pageantries of nepotism, where popular actors and their children are awarded to reinforce their stardom or grant them legitimacy in the industry. In many cases, awards are granted to artists who are associated with the organisations that sponsor the shows.

An element of coercion also forms a part of tactics used to influence awards in Bollywood. There have been reports about Bollywood actors and musicians boycotting award shows just because they or their proteges were denied awards. Even prominent industry stalwarts, including Ajay Devgn and Aamir Khan, have admitted to award shows being rigged.

Rahul Gandhi violates POCSO Act in Delhi minor rape case, NCPCR asks Twitter India to remove contentious tweet

OpIndia Staff
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Rahul Gandhi violates POCSO Act in Delhi minor rape case, NCPCR asks Twitter India to remove contentious tweet

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has issued a notice to Twitter India, calling for action against senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for violating POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act by posting pictures of the parents of a nine-year-old girl who was allegedly raped and murdered in Delhi.

In a letter to micro-blogging site Twitter, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chairperson Priyank Kanoongo has stated that he has received a complaint stating that the Gandhi-scion Rahul Gandhi had tweeted a photo of a minor girl victim’s family with a caption stating that they were the father and the mother of the victim child, thus disclosing the details of the minor victim.

Image Source: Twitter

The NCPCR informed Twitter that Section 74 of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 prohibits the disclosure of the identity of a child in any form of media and Section 23 of the POCSO Act, 2012 also stated that no information or photo of a child should be published in any form of media that revealed the identity of the child.

According to the complaint, the tweets put out by Rahul Gandhi had shared certain personal details about the victim violating Section 23 of the POCSO Act, 2012, and Section 74 of Juvenile Justice Act,2015. Hence, the NCPCR asked Twitter to remove the tweets put out by Rahul Gandhi as it was deprivation and violation of child rights.

Earlier, Rahul Gandhi had visited the minor girl’s family on Wednesday and had tweeted a picture of the parents of the deceased minor girl. The victim, a nine-year-old Dalit girl, was allegedly raped, murdered and then allegedly cremated by the alleged perpetrators, who are now in police custody. 

Rahul Gandhi’s tweet

The four accused have been booked under sections related to rape, murder and threats, and under provisions of the POCSO Act and the SC/ST Act.

Meanwhile, BJP has accused the Congress leader of revealing the details of the minor victim and violating the POCSO Act and the Juvenile Justice Care and Protection of Children Act that prohibits revealing a minor’s identity. The saffron party had said they would urge the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights to take cognisance of the tweet.

Ram Mandir to open for devotees by December 2023, ground floor will be ready and Ram Lalla will be shifted to garbhagriha by then

OpIndia Staff
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Ram Mandir to open for devotees by December 2023, ground floor will be ready and Ram Lalla will be shifted to garbhagriha by then

According to reports, the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya will be ready for devotees by the end of the year 2023. According to sources in the Ram Mandir trust, the devotees will get the opportunity of a Darshan of Lord Ram by December 2023. However, it will take two more years for the completion of the entire temple complex.

The ground floor of the main temple, including the five mandapas and the garbhagriha, is targeted to be completed by the end of 2023. The laying of stone on the first floor of the temple will also be completed by then. Once the garbhagriha is ready, the idols Ram Lalla deity, which stayed under a tent for decades, will be shifted to the main temple from its current temporary location.

After the establishment of the idol, the temple is expected to be opened for devotees for darshan. However, the construction activities will continue, like carving on the stones and construction of the rest of the temple complex. “There is a difference in the completion of the temple and Darshan and we plan to open the area for visit of devotees by end of 2023,” an official of the trust said informing that the temple will open for devotees before it is completed.

The trust has said that the construction work of Ram Mandir is progressing according to the plan. In June it was reported that the foundation of the temple will be ready by October 2021. Construction work is going on in full swing, in two shifts of 12 hours each. The foundation will be made out of around 50 layers of compacted concrete, each around a foot thick. Around 50% of the work of filling the foundation with Roller Compacted Concrete had been completed by now.

After the foundation is ready, the construction of the temple will gain speed, as most of the stones are already ready. Around 4 lakh cubic feet of stone will be used in the Ram Mandir.

The construction of the entire temple campus will be fully completed by the end of 2025, according to office-bearers of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. The temple complex is expected to cover an area of 110 acres, much larger than the original area of around 67 acres, as the Trust is acquiring more land in the vicinity of the existing complex.

The entire project could cost around Rs 1000 crore by the time it is ready by 2025. The trust has already received much more amount in donations than that, as it has received around Rs 3000 crore so far.

UP CM to visit Ayodhya

As per reports, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will be visiting Ayodhya on August 05 to mark the first anniversary of the bhoomi pujan of the Ram temple. 

Yogi Adityanath along with taking stock of the progress, will also offer prayers and distribute food grains to beneficiaries there.

To commemorate this iconic day, Hindu saints have called upon the locals of Ayodhya and everyone across the county to light a diya (lamp) at their homes. Acharya Satyendra Das- a chief priest suggested that this historic day should be celebrated like a festival. 

Reports suggest that a grand aarti will be performed at the ghats of Sarayu and Shri Ram will be adorned with a new dress tomorrow. 

Delhi Dalit girl case: In their desperation to paint ‘upper-caste Brahmin priest’ as villain, they forgot Salim

Akshita Bhadauria
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Delhi Dalit girl case: In their desperation to paint ‘upper-caste Brahmin priest’ as villain, they forgot Salim

Crime, confusion and clashes. There has been absolutely no change in the left ecosystem’s template to give a communal colour to heinous crimes. 

Once again, in their desperation to turn a gruesome act of rape into a communal and casteist crime, the left has conveniently blacked out the name of an accused belonging to a “favourable minority”.

The alleged rape-murder of a 9-year-old Dalit girl

A 9-year-old Dalit girl of Southwest Delhi’s Old Nangal Village allegedly died under mysterious circumstances on Sunday evening. Reports suggest that the girl who lived opposite a crematorium had gone to get cold water from the crematorium’s water cooler at 5:30 pm. About half an hour later, the crematorium’s priest Radhey Shyam (55) and three workers Kuldeep Kumar (63), Laxmi Narain (48) and Mohd Salim (49), known to the family rushed to her home. 

They informed the girl’s parents that the minor got electrocuted while taking water from the cooler and lost her life. The girl’s mother who rushed to the spot claimed that the four (now accused and arrested) dissuaded her from filing a police complaint and urged her to complete the cremation. 

The mother, however, cried foul and gathered around 200 villagers for forcefully cremating her daughter. The Delhi Police arrived at the location at 10:30 pm on Sunday and took the accused into custody.

ANI on Tuesday quoted DCP Ingit Pratap Singh as saying that basis the mother’s complaint, a case of rape had been registered. He also informed the POCSO Act, SC/ST Act & other relevant sections were added after the deceased’s mother alleged that her daughter was raped and casteist slurs were hurled at them.

While the accused are under arrest and an investigation is on, the cause of death has not yet been determined.

The toolkit of villainization 

On Wednesday, the entire opposition created an uproar demanding justice. From Rahul Gandhi rushing to meet the parents of the deceased to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal demanding capital punishment for the rape-accused, the case details have been missed completely. 

However, as ‘old habits die hard’, the left ecosystem once again pontified selectivity while talking of the accused. One of the accused- a Brahmin priest has been singled out by the left to give a crime under investigation a communal colour, thereby, creating disharmony. 

Leading the communal propaganda from the front is “award-winning” journalist Arfa Khanum Sherwani. 

Sherwani took to Twitter to assert that the only accused in the case is a Brahmin while missing out on the names of three others. “9 year old Dalit girl allegedly gang-raped, murdered and forcibly cremated at Delhi Cantt crematorium. The accused is said to be an upper caste Pujari. The sheer absence of outrage on my timeline gives away the story. Now tell me again we aren’t a Casteist society?” selectively Tweeted Arfa. 

Screenshot of Arfa’s Tweet

However, here’s the thing. Arfa has not only forgotten that there are four accused, she also skipped the detail that while one of them is indeed an upper caste pujari, another is one Mohammad Salim, who is one of her coreligionists.

The buck doesn’t stop there. Here is her own tweet from November 2019, soon after the brutal murder and rape of a Hyderabad girl wherein one of the accused was also one Muhammad Ali who allegedly suffocated the girl to her death.

Arfa’s tweet from November 2019

What is good for the goose should be good for the gander, but not when it comes to The Wire journalist. ‘Upper caste Pujari’ must be singled out (even if other accused is one Salim), but Mohammad Ali should not be. In her own words, she is not friend, but enemy of women.

Similarly, self-declared transparency activist and Congress fan Saket Gokhale Tweeted, “Shameful to see how Noida media is utterly silent on the rape & murder of the 9-year-old Dalit child in Delhi. Of course, not surprising because the Delhi Police comes under Amit Shah & his boi Rakesh Asthana. And then of course – the main accused is allegedly a Hindoo priest.”

Screenshot of Saket Gokhale’s Tweet

Embarrassing how a ‘transparency activist’ has blurred out facts to suit his narrative. Fortunately (or unfortunately) Gokhale’s false statement has not yet invited any official complaint against him.

Leftist propaganda outlet Newslaundry employee too made sure to highlight ‘priest’ in his Tweet while sharing an article. “9 yo Dalit girl was gang-raped, murdered and forcibly cremated in Delhi Cantt area. 4 men, including a priest, have been arrested for this horrible crime,” his Tweet read.

Screenshot of Meghnad’s Tweet

Andolanjeevi Kavita Krishnan was not far behind. “#Hathras now repeated in #Delhi. Support the ongoing struggle for justice for this child, raped and killed by a priest who then burnt her body in a crematorium to destroy evidence,” she Tweeted with no piece of evidence to support her claim. 

Screenshot of Kavita’s Tweet

Columnist and author Tavleen Singh too shared her two cents. “A 55-year-old priest participates in the gang rape and murder of a nine-year-old Dalit girl in Delhi. Does it not make headlines because of her caste or because we have become immune?” Tavleen Tweeted oblivious to the media coverage and case proceedings. 

Screenshot of Tavleen’s Tweet

Tavleen was claiming that the news did not make headlines even as all opposition politicians had made a beeline to meet the victim’s families and everything was being telecast live on television screens.

Name dictates narratives

The state of Rajasthan is topping the charts when it comes to crime against women. As per a report, a 30% increase in rape cases has been reported in the last 6 months in the state. What is surprising is neither Congress nor the left cabal thought of raising their voice or visiting the victims from these states.

However, what is not surprising is their selective outrage after vetting the name of the accused. Showing no sympathy or empathy towards the victim, the entire ecosystem has pinned down one of the accused because of his caste.

Deja vu? In a similar deplorable instance, the very same elite club discarded the ill-fate of the Kathua rape victim while harping upon crime being committed in a ‘devisthan‘. When the little girl in Kathua was raped and murdered, everyone suddenly felt ashamed as a Hindu because the heinous crime allegedly took place inside a temple.

If a crime takes place in name of Allah (example: Terrorist chants Allahu Akbar before blowing himself up), then terrorism has no religion. But if a man raping or murdering a child happens to be an ‘upper caste priest’, it is suddenly all about the caste and religious identity of the accused.

This just shows that these ‘concerned citizens’ and politicians are not really concerned about the crime. Not that a little girl lost her life, but they just want to further a narrative that paints a ‘Hindu priest’ in bad light probably because ‘Salims’ are already bad, eh?

INS Vikrant reincarnated: India’s first indigenously built aircraft carrier begins sea trials. Details

OpIndia Staff
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INS Vikrant reincarnated: India’s first indigenously built aircraft carrier begins sea trials. Details

On August 4, the much-awaited sea trials of Made-in-India aircraft carrier (IAC) started. The carrier would be reincarnated as INS Vikrant. The Indian Navy said that India had joined a selected group of countries with the capability to indigenously design, build and integrate a state-of-the-art aircraft carrier.

Indian Navy’s Spokesperson said in a tweet, “Proud & historic day for India as the reincarnated #Vikrant sails for her maiden sea trials today, in the 50th year of her illustrious predecessor’s key role in victory in the #1971war. Largest & most complex warship ever to be designed & built in India. Many more will follow.”

ANI quoted Navy officials saying, “With the building of Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC), India joins a select group of nations having niche capability to indigenously design, build & integrate a state of art Aircraft Carrier.”

IAC-1 was built at the Cochin Shipyard with a total cost of around Rs.23,000 crores. It would become fully operational after flight trials of MH-60R multi-role helicopters, MiG-29K supersonic fighter and indigenously built Advanced Light helicopters (ALHs) by mid-2023.

The IAC-1 was first sanctioned by the government of India in January 2003. The basin trials of the carrier were completed in 2020, which are necessary to be done before the sea trials. At the moment, India has only one aircraft carrier, i.e. INS Vikramaditya. It was inducted into the Indian Navy in 2013 from Russia at the cost of $2.33 billion. 45 MiG 29Ks were bought at the cost of $2 billion to operate from the carrier.

During sea trials, INS Vikrant will undergo a series of rigorous tests to ensure its hull, mechanical parts and electrical equipment work perfectly under different circumstances.

The old INS Vikrant and its role in the 1971 war

INS Vikrant was the first aircraft carrier of India. It was acquired from the United Kingdom in 1961. The carrier was decommissioned in 1997. During its long and glorious service to the nation, INS Vikrant played an important role in the 1971 war.

When the 1971 war started knocking on the door, the Indian forces started to mobilize their resources to face a potential war. Initially, it was believed that INS Vikrant would not be able to join the action as the ship and aircraft were in bad shape. However, in July 1971, the squadron was ordered to move to madras with six aircraft. Vikrant had already been sailed to the east coast to avoid attack by the enemies.

Soon it was conveyed to the officers on the ship that though there were limitations in operating, INS Vikrant would form a nucleus of the Eastern Fleet. By mid-October, there were 18 Sea-Hawks on board going through intense training for the potential war.

When hostilities were declared in December, Vikrant sailed in the midnight of December 3. The Sea-Hawks provided strike force during the day. During the 1971 war, the Sea-Hawks destroyed enemy fighters, gunboats and river crafts. They also destroyed Chittagong harbour that had a warehouse and merchant ships.

Sea-Hawks also destroyed several buildings in Chittagong, including a large building close to a civil hospital that housed several Pakistani military personnel. The hospital was not harmed during the attack.

How PNS Ghazi was fooled during the 1971 war

During the 1971 Indo-Pak war, Pakistani submarine PNS Ghazi was sunk with 90 men aboard. The sinking of Ghazi played a significant role to alter the course of the war. INS Vikrant had created a Naval blockage causing the isolation of East Pakistan. Frustrated, Pakistan sent its best submarine in the inventory PNS Ghazi to “handle” Vikrant. The aim was to destroy INS Vikrant and lay mines on India’s Eastern seaboard. However, Ghazi was an ageing submarine that was facing regular equipment failures. Though there were objections against sending Ghazi, it was sailed out in November 1971.

To fool Ghazi, India had a plan. They sent INS Rajput, an aging WWII destroyer, to pretend to be INS Vikrant. It was supposed to be sent to Vishakapatnam for decommissioning but was diverted out of the Vizag port for another mission. To lure Ghazi, the Indian Navy intentionally breached security and sent a private Telegram from an alleged sailor who asked for the welfare of his seriously ill mother. The Pakistanis took the bait and started towards Vizag coast, unaware of the fact that they were late by over ten days.

On December 2, INS Rajput sailed on and returned to Vishakapatnam on December 3. It again sailed out with a pilot on board before midnight of December 3 and proceeded along a narrow entrance channel. During its journey, the Captain realized the Pakistani submarine might have to wait for them outside the harbour. He immediately ordered to stop the engines and disembarked the pilot.

As the navigational aids of Rajput were switched off, it was difficult for Ghazi to locate the carrier. As soon as it came to periscope depth to establish Rajput’s position, the carrier started to increase its speed to maximum. By the time Ghazi realized a destroyer was approaching at high speed, it was too late and had to go into a steep dive.

Though Pakistan maintains Ghazi was destroyed because of miscalculation in determining the mines they had laid down at seabed, the Indian version tells a whole other story. The Captain of Destroyer Rajput saw the disturbance of water that was caused by the sudden dive and launched two depth charges. As a result, the Ghazi was struck, leading to its hard-hit at the seabed.

The storage where mines and torpedoes were kept caught fire, and the submarine blew up. There is also a possibility that the detonation of the charges in the submarine triggered a nearby torpedo tube that led to the destruction of the submarine.

Delhi: Cop bullies residents for protesting against mazar built on Azadpur flyover, cleric claims it was built even before the flyover existed

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi: Cop bullies residents for protesting against mazar built on Azadpur flyover, cleric claims it was built even before the flyover existed

On August 2, O News published a video from the Azadpur flyover in Delhi where SHO Adarsh Nagar was seen bullying a Hindu man for raising his voice against a mazar on the flyover. When he was questioned on his authority, the police officer also threatened the man with legal action. The Hindu man was later grabbed by the Police and taken away in a van.

The reporter of O News had gone to check on a mazar on a flyover in Delhi. Recently, photographs on this mazar have gone viral on social media, alleging this mazar was encroaching the road. Sikandar, who manages the mazar, claims that this mazar was built before 1950, and his grandfather and father also managed the mazar. He added that there is a mazar under the flyover with the grave of a Pir baba, and the one that is above the flyover was built later around 1982-83. When that reporter told him that the flyover didn’t exist in 1982, he said that it was built when the construction of the flyover had started, which according to him had started in 1982. He further claimed that no construction had taken place since 2009.

It may be noted that while Sikandar claimed that the mazar was built on the flyover in around 1982-83, the fact is that the flyover was opened to traffic only in 2009. And the construction for the flyover didn’t start in 1982 as he is claiming. The flyover was built to ease traffic movement during the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

People have a complaint of heavy traffic jams due to the allegedly illegal construction, but the administration has failed to take any action. Those who are opposing the mazar claimed that this mazar is not as old as it has been claimed. The reporter talked to a Hindu activist who identified himself as Vijay Gadaria. He said that he saw this mazar for the first time around 10-12 years ago, he also said that it has been built on an encroached space on the flyover.

While Vijay was having an argument with Sikandar over the legality of worshipping mazar in Islam, SHO Adarsh Nagar, CP Bharadwaj, intervened and tried to stop Vijay. He asked Vijay, “Who gave you the right to pressurize Indian citizens like this. If you want to take any action, take the legal recourse.” He further added that as per the Supreme Court ruling, the Government Of Delhi had enacted a religious committee to take action on such complaints. “If this gentleman has any problem, he should submit an application to the Delhi government,” he added.

Police pushed everyone away

Vijay got irked by the SHO’s statement and asked for his views on the temple levelled in the Chandni Chowk area recently. SHO Bharadwaj asked him to talk in the constitutional arrangement. “You cannot bully any religious person like this,” he said and warned him of legal action. Then he grabbed Vijay and asked the Police personnel to take him to the station. The cameraman who was shooting the scene was pushed away.

The cameraman was heard saying, “Why am I being punished?” hinting that he was hit by the police personnel who were trying to push him away. In the shaky video afterwards, Vijay could be seen dragged away by the Police and put in a van. At that moment, the SHO shouted to inform that he is detaining Vijay under some sections of the IPC. When the reporter questioned SHO of his actions, he said that people are regularly coming here and causing trouble to the individual. “It is not right to bully an individual. We have to maintain law and order,” he claimed.

On asked why Sikander was allowed to tell his side of the story but not others, SHO got irked and said, “This is not the way. They have to take legal recourse.” He further told the reporter not to create a law and order issue. “You are not expected to raise such sensitive issue on a roadside,” SHO said.

Another Hindu man told the reporter that if it had been Muslims, the situation would have been different. “We were Hindus that too less in numbers thus they pushed us away. Had it been a group of Muslims, the same Delhi Police would have folded their hands and asked them to do whatever they want,” he said.

Vijay Gadaria was kept in detention for a day before he was released yesterday. Following the incident, the Hindu youth activists have vowed to take steps the get the mazar removed. Vijay said that they will take legal action against the mazar built on the Azadpur flyover. Other youths also threatened to bring it down if the authorities and courts do not remove it.

Reaction from Netizens

The mazar on the flyover and the action by SHO is being criticized on social media platforms. Several netizens raised voice against the SHO and demanded action by the administration.

This is not the first time such illegal religious structures have popped up on roadsides and on government land. In March 2021, Moradabad’s Tahir was found building mazar in Sundarlal’s land, claimed ‘pir baba ordered in dream’.

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