As many as eight illegal Bangladeshi immigrants were nabbed by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the police at Rajamahendravaram and Vijayawada railway stations in Andhra Pradesh on Friday. As per The Hindu, the eight who were travelling in batches of four had entered the country through drainage pipes on the Indo-Bangladesh border, revealed the investigation officer.
An investigation has been launched to ascertain facts about the drainage pipes along the international border as claimed by the arrested immigrants. Chances of gaining entry into India through some underground passages are also being explored.
The accused Mohammed Haasan (33), his brothers Hydar Ali Khan (37), Imdadil Khan (21) and another relative Syudullah Sheikh (25) were arrested while travelling in Howrah-Goa Vasco Da Gama express without passports. They confessed to having sneaked into the country illegally, informed a senior police official.
While the other batch of Shaik Saddam (25), Mohammed Ali Ameen (19), Mohammed Sakayath Hussain (37) and Khayyum Khan (25) arrested by sub-inspector L Viswanadh of RPF were heading to Chennai for work.
Information received through intelligence
The police had received information from the intelligence officials that some Bangladeshi nationals had gained illegal entry into India and were travelling in the Howrah-Chennai Mail and Howrah-Vascodagama Amaravati Express trains.
The Bangladeshi nationals confessed to crossing the borders after the restrictions imposed during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic were relaxed.
After gaining entry into the country, they reportedly settled in different parts of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and other States, and have been working as daily wagers at construction sites since then.
As per reports, the mobile phones used by these Bangladeshis were not Android devices. The seized mobile phones have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to trace the contacts of the illegal immigrants.
Additionally, the Vijayawada and Rajamahendravaram police have informed that the Ministry of External Affairs, Bangladesh Embassy and the Indian Embassy in Dhaka have been apprised of the arrests. Arrangements are being made to file petitions in the courts, seeking police custody of the immigrants.
Fake identity cards
In almost all the arrests made, the police said that while the illegal immigrants do not have passports, they do have fake identity cards such as Aadhar cards, PAN cards and voter IDs with fake addresses.
We reported similar cases from Uttar Pradesh where a crackdown led to the arrest of Rohingyas running a nexus in the country.
In June the Uttar Pradesh police arrested four Rohingya illegal immigrants- Hafiz Shamiullah, Azizul Rahman, Mohammad Ismail and Mufizur Rahman for running a sophisticated international human trafficking syndicate from inside the country. The police had said that the accused helped Rohingyas settled in Bangladesh to cross over to India with the help of forged documents such as Voter Id, Aadhar card, passports etc.
In another case, the Uttar Pradesh ATS had arrested two Rohingyas named Noor Alam and Amir Husain living in Ghaziabad with forged papers. ADG Law and Order Prashant Kumar revealed that the Rohingyas have begun to settle in various parts of Uttar Pradesh with forged ration cards, PAN cards and voter ID cards. As per the Aaj Tak report, the illegal migrants are being used as vote banks for which they are receiving financial aid too.
In a major setback to the micro-blogging site Twitter Inc., a French court has ordered Twitter to provide access to all of its details on its efforts to tackle racism, sexism and other forms of hate speech on the social network.
According to a Reuters report, several French social media activist groups had taken Twitter to court last year to know what it was doing to clamp down hateful content on its platform. The anti-discrimination activists had accused the social media giant of failing persistently for a very long time to block hateful comments from the site.
On Tuesday, the French court presided over by magistrate Fabrice Vert ruled in favour of the anti-discrimination activist group ordering Twitter to grant these activist groups full access to all documents relating to the company’s efforts to combat hate speech since May 2020.
In its ruling, the court said Twitter must hand over “all administrative, contractual, technical or commercial documents” detailing the efforts it had put into fighting “homophobic, racist and sexist discourse” on the site, as well as the offence of “condoning crimes against humanity”.
Explain the rationale behind employing moderators to scrutinize hate content: French court
The court also asked the micro-blogging site to explain the rationale behind employing moderators in France, who examine and process the posts that users flag as hateful. Interestingly, the court ruling to open up Twitter’s global operation to activists’ scrutiny is not just limited to France but across the world.
The court has given Twitter two months to comply with the ruling, to which Twitter responded by saying that it was studying the court order.
“Our absolute priority is to assure the security of people using our platform,” said Twitter, adding, “We commit to building a safer internet, to combatting online hate and to improving the serenity of public discourse.”
Meanwhile, the Union of French Jewish Students (UEJF), which had filed the case against Twitter alongside five other groups, have welcomed the judgement saying, “Twitter will finally have to take responsibility, stop equivocating and put ethics before profit and international expansion”.
Lately, social media giants have been criticised for not only doing far too little to address online abuse but have also accused of promoting accounts that incite violence, propagate hate speech against nationalists and conservative social media users.
However, several countries, including India, Nigeria have woken up to the arbitrary functioning of these big-tech companies and are trying to enforce new stricter laws to make social media companies accountable to domestic laws. For example, in India, the Modi government enforced a new set of IT rules to bring transparency in the functioning of social media companies. But, Twitter has failed to comply with the rules citing its own company policies.
Bishop Heber College Professor CJ Paul Chandramohan, accused of sexual harassment by five post-graduate students, was arrested by Trichy police on Wednesday.
According to the reports, the Trichy police arrested the controversial Tamil Professor from Bishop Heber College after several women had accused Paul Chadramohan of sexually assaulting them in the past.
Tamil Nadu | Bishop Heber College Professor C.J.Paul Chandramohan arrested by police on charges of sexual harassment: Trichy City Police
A few days earlier, five female students of Bishop Heber College in Tiruchirappalli had filed a complaint of sexual misconduct against Paul Chandramohan, the head of the Tamil department.
The Bishop Heber College, Trichy, is established and managed by the Tiruchirappalli – Thanjavur Diocese of the Church of South India.
In their five-page complaint lodged with the college’s principal, the five post-graduate students had said Paul Chandramohan sexually harassed them regularly by sitting in close proximity and cracking sexual jokes.
“During class hours, he sits extremely close to the girls and uses vulgar language and double meaning sexual innuendos, making the students despise him. He loosens the shirt and pants towards the end, making the students uncomfortable,” the complaint letter read.
The victim students also alleged that Paul Chandramohan engaged in various forms of sexual harassment, such as rubbing his legs against them. He even went on to say that he would ‘teach’ them about the kind of experience that lovers would have in an intimate setting in parks and such, the letter said.
The students also alleged that Paul Chandramohan would force them to visit his private chamber inside the college premises.
Students had accused Assistant Professor Nalini of aiding Paul Chandramohan to sexually harass them
According to the aggrieved students, Nalini, an assistant professor in the Tamil department, often forced them to wash their faces and apply makeup before visiting the head of the department in his chamber. In the letter, the students said that the sexual misconduct has forced them to discontinue from the institution.
Following the sexual harassment complaint, the college has constituted a committee headed by lawyer Jayanthirani. As a result, the college authorities have suspended Paul Chandramohan. The police have also started an investigation into the allegations.
Paul Chandramohan, who holds a PhD in Tamil Christian Literature, has served in the college for over 20 years.
The sexual harassment case in Bishop Heber college comes on the heels of a similar case of sexual harassment that had resurfaced from Loyola College, Chennai.
Shocked at the extent of atrocities being meted out at the Hindus and Mahadalits by the Islamists in the border areas of Bihar, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has submitted a memorandum to the Governor of Bihar, Phagu Chauhan, appraising him about growing Islamic Jihadi attacks on Hindus especially, Mahadalits in the state and urging demanding immediate action against the perpetrators. VHP’s national spokesperson Vinod Bansal took to Twitter to share details of their memorandum.
विहिप का उच्चस्तरीय प्रतिनिधमंडल महामहिम राज्यपाल से मिलने के बाद पटना राजभवन के सामने पत्रकारों से बात करते हुए.. हमारा संकल्प ‘जिहादी मुक्त बिहार’। https://t.co/rNXLswhoF7pic.twitter.com/IazNeJRFOj
In the memorandum, the Hindu organisation drew the Governor’s attention towards the rampant atrocities against Hindus and Dalits in the Seemanchal region in Bihar. The VHP said that the incidents of forced conversion, temple discretion, cow slaughter and smuggling, rape of Hindu girls, kidnapping of brides and assault on Dalits have become common in Bihar.
In its statement, the Hindu outfit also alleged that the Bihar police have been extremely submissive to the jihadi elements and as such, their apathy shown in these cases emboldens the Muslims to plan continuous attacks on these oppressed Dalits. Highlighting the dominance and influence of Muslims in these regions, the statement read that in most cases the police does not register FIRs and even if it does, no action is taken against the Islamists.
The copy of the memorandum submitted by VHP to the Bihar Governor
The copy of the memorandum submitted by VHP to the Bihar Governor
Citing incidents of murders and gang-rapes of innocent Hindu Dalit girls and also the recent bomb blast in Darbhanga, the blast in a Madarsa in Banka district and the bomb blast in Araria, Hindu organisation rued that the way the local police and the administration are showing helplessness in the face of the growing Jihadi activities in the area is a very serious matter.
It further added that regions like Kishanganj, Araria, Purnia, Katihar, Darbhanga, Bhagalpur, Motihari’s Dhaka block, Bettiah, Bagaha and especially the border areas connected with India, Nepal and Bangladesh have become safe havens for Bangladeshi infiltrators and Rohingyas who are conspiring with members of Popular Front of India (PFI) to carry out the atrocities against Dalits in the regions.
The Hindu outfit raised concerns that the Muslims in Bihar are being able to carry out these crimes against Dalits in connivance with the administration and the local police and said that the police and administration apathy have forced the helpless Hindus to migrate from Bihar.
The high-level VHP delegation demanded an investigation by the terror probe agency NIA in the increasing incidents of bomb blasts in Bihar. It also demanded the setting up a state-level commission to investigate atrocities on the Scheduled Castes and enacting a stringent Gujarat-like law against love jihad and forced religious conversion cases.
Earlier in the day, VHP’s national spokesperson Vinod Bansal took to Twitter to share a press note saying that a high-level VHP delegation is going to meet the Governor of Bihar, Phagu Chauhan at 4 pm, Tuesday in Raj Bhawan at Patna and submit the memorandum.
A high level VHP delegation is going to meet the Governor of Bihar hon. Shri Phagu Chauhan at 4pm today in Raj Bhawan at Patna to appraise him about growing Islamic Jihadi attacks on Hindus especially, Mahadalits and persistent Bomb blasts in the state. pic.twitter.com/JxR9J6eVGV
Like any part of the country, Bihar has also been deeply affected by the systematic and coordinated attacks by Islamist extremists, who in their hate against Hindus, have waged a war in India.
Darbhanga bomb blast and its LeT link
In one such recent incident in the state, a blast had taken place on June 17 at Bihar’s Darbhanga railway station. A parcel on platform number one of Darbhanga railway station, which arrived in Darbhanga aboard Secunderabad-Darbhanga express, had reported exploded. Though no one was injured in the incident, the case was handed over to the NIA for investigation.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) re-registered the case and arrested two LeT terrorists- Mohammad Nasir Khan and Imran Malik, on June 30. Then on July 2, the NIA again arrested two terrorists of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, identified as Mohammed Salim Ahmed alias Haji Salim and Kafil alias Kafeel, for their alleged involvement in the Darbhanga railway station blast case.
NIA PP Chaya Mishra said, “A case has been lodged with NIA based on the documentary evidence against the accused. We will take the help of ED as it is also a case of money laundering. LeT Iqbal Kana from Pakistan is allegedly providing funds against the country. We also came to know that the accused had visited Pakistan for bomb-making training,” she added.
The NIA, investigating the case, had established a money trail as these accused received Rs 4.6 lakh from the Pakistani handlers to carry out an attack in India.
Islamist mob attack Dalit colony and set it on fire in Purnia, Bihar
In May 2021, OpIndia reported how a Mahadalit colony in Majhuwa village under Baisi police station of Purnia district in Bihar was engulfed with raging conflagration on the night of May 19 (Wednesday) as Islamists in the region launched a brutal attack against the Dalit settlement. At least 13 Mahadalit houses were reduced to ashes, after a Muslim mob of 150 to 200 from three to four nearby villages, armed with weapons, surrounded the colony and set it on fire.
The mob brutally attacked the Dalits who tried to stop them from carrying out the destruction. Showing the least empathy towards the aged, children or the women, the Islamist mob dragged them out of their houses and brutally assaulted them with sharp weapons.
After the news of the incident spread, Vishwa Hindu Parishad members reached the spot to take stock of the situation. Disquieted by the atrocities meted out at the Dalits by the frenzied Islamists, the Hindu outfit issued a strong statement condemning the incident and demanding immediate action against the perpetrators.
In its statement, the Hindu outfit alleged inaction by the local administration and police. Drawing attention to how such incidents of atrocities towards Dalits in the hands of Muslims are becoming more and more common, VHP’s Union General Secretary Milind Parande wrote that Muslims are carrying out such atrocities with the tactile support of local administration.
VHP’s Prachar Pramukh of Purnia district, Vivek Lath, had told OpInda how the frenzied Muslim mob surrounded the colony from all sides and set the houses belonging to Dalits on fire. Besides, a Hindu temple, where these Dalits use to pray, was also set ablaze.
Similarly, last year, the members of the Hindu Sangharsh Samiti had alleged that Mahadalits were tortured in ward number 13 of Pipra Dewas Panchayat in Begusarai, Bihar. Speaking to OpIndia about their ordeal, a victim said that some local Muslim youths had hurled abuses and casteist slurs at them. They alleged that Hindu deities were also subjected to abuse by the anti-social elements of the Muslim community. The victim also added that when the accused were asked to not indulge in such behaviour, they surrounded their locality with weapons such as swords, batons, iron rods and spears and smashed a widow Munni Devi’s house with brickbats and bottles of liquor.
The oath taking ceremony of the new ministers after union cabinet expansion will be held at 6 PM later today. Prime Minister Modi’s office has sent the list of new cabinet ministers to the President of India for his assent.
Oath taking ceremony
The oath taking ceremony will take place at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi at 6 PM on July 7, 2021. BJP and ally leaders Jyotiraditya Scindia, Sarbananda Sonowal, Narayan Rane, Anupriya Patel, Ajay Bhat, Meenakshi Lekhi, Anurag Thakur, Bhupendra Yadav, Shobha Karandlaje are amongst the names speculated to be inducted.
As per some speculative media reports, 12 Ministers will belong to Scheduled Caste community, 8 Ministers from Scheduled Tribe community, and 27 Ministers from OBC community may be there in the new cabinet. The cabinet is also expected to have 11 women. There are some speculations that some existing ministers may also be dropped.
Problems and controversies seem to be mounting for former Mumbai Commissioner of Police Param Bir Singh as accusations of corruption and abuse of power keep surfacing against him. In an exclusive interview to Republic TV, serving officer S Nipunge has accused Singh of not just corruption but falsely trapping him in a case of suicide.
Nipunge is currently posted as ACP of Nashik rural area, as per the Republic TV report.
Param Bir Singh’s nexus at Bhiwandi
Nipunge accused Param Bir Singh of corruption when he was posted as ACP Bhiwandi Traffic, Thane a few years back. It is during this period that Nipunge tried to expose Singh’s illegal activities when he was not just transferred but also trapped in a false case of abetting suicide.
“Bhiwandi houses many godowns which resulted in multi-axle vehicles traversing the area. Subsequently, these vehicles were barred from entering during the daytime. However, when I was posted there I noticed perpetual traffic jams in the area and began investigating the matter. While taking statements of the driver, I got to know that they were made to pay some amount against a false receipt. I was soon asked by DCP to stop taking these statements as it might irk the CP (Param Bir Singh) and I would be transferred. After three days I received my transfer order,” Nipunge narrated.
False case of suicide
Nipunge then said that Param Bir Singh was already rattled by then and accused him in a case of suicide of a female constable Subhadra Pawar in 2017 to “fix him”.
“The female constable had an affair with another constable who was fooling around with her. She came to me as my sister and the constable belonged to my village. I asked her to file a complaint. Soon after, she was found dead. Surprisingly, I was named accused in the case just because I had a conversation with her,” narrated Nipunge.
He further revealed that the constable’s death by suicide made it to the news first and then was the post-mortem done. Nipunge who has access to the photos of suicide asserts that it was a case of murder and not suicide. He accused Param Bir Singh of having a nexus and portraying murders as suicide with the help of it.
Nipunge in a shocking revelation said, “Dr Gadge who conducted the female constable’s post-mortem and declared it suicide by hanging was the same who made Mansukh Hiren’s post-mortem report and had declared death by drowning.”
He said everytime a controversial suicide case comes to the fore- be it of Sushant Singh Rajput, Isha Salin, Mansukh Hiren or this constable, one can find Singh involved.
After being denied bail and facing suspension, Nipunge claims to have done a sting operation on Singh’s ‘right-hand man’ Kale after his release who reportedly has been caught on camera saying that whoever comes in Parambir Singh’s way will land in trouble an is ‘cleared off’ so he should not mess with Parambir Singh.
Nipunge who says he has submitted these videos along with the complaint revealed that Kale confessed about Singh’s corruption, involvement in illegal activities, and his nexus during the conversation.
When asked why he took so long to file a complaint, Nipunge said that his arrest and suspension had adverse effects on his family. His elder daughter slipped into depression and his mother also expired. When he was released, Singh was still in Thane and no officer could go against him.
Nipunge also accused Singh of giving officers a posting of desire by accepting bribes. “He has been involved in illegal activities more than performing fundamental duties,” the serving officer concluded.
While Nipunge has sent his complaint to the Chief Minister, Home Minister, Nashik police station and DG, an FIR is yet to be registered.
Singh was transferred from the post of Mumbai police commissioner following the Ambani bomb scare case in February this year. As the case got murkier, Singh wrote a letter against former home minister Anil Deshmukh, alleging that the home minister had asked police officials to collect Rs 100 crores every month from Mumbai’s business owners.
Calcutta High Court judge Justice Kausik Chanda on Wednesday recused himself from hearing the election petition filed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee challenging the election of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari from Nandigram in recently concluded state assembly elections. He is the third judge hailing from West Bengal to recuse himself from cases involving the TMC.
Earlier, Supreme Court judge Justice Aniruddha Bose recused himself from hearing the appeal by the West Bengal government in the Narada scam hearing. Prior to him, Justice Indira Banerjee had recused herself from hearing a petition, which sought for an independent SIT/CBI probe in the killing of two BJP workers in West Bengal.
However, Justice Chanda has imposed a cost of Rs 5 lakh on Mamata Banerjee for the manner in which application for his recusal was moved.
Justice Chanda said that when the case had first come up before him on June 18, no request was made for his recusal. However, after the hearing, All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) party leaders shared photos and details of his alleged association with BJP and put out a number of tweets to that effect. Subsequently, a plea was made before the Chief Justice on the administrative side for reallocation of the case.
He said that every person has political inclination and it is preposterous to think that a judge will not be able to do his duty without sense of detachment. Justice Chanda said that the applicant has taken too sombre a view of integrity of judge and that he is unable to convince himself that there is a conflict of interest.
Justice Chanda said that while he has no personal inclination to hear out the petitioner’s case, he also does not mind hearing it out as it is his constitutional duty to hear out cases assigned to him by the Chief Justice. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had sought his recusal from the case on the ground that he was an active member of the Bharatiya Janata Party before he became a judge of the Calcutta High Court. On Wednesday, he said that he would like to recuse himself from the case.
“The aforesaid chronology of events clearly suggest that a deliberate and conscious attempt was made to influence my decision before the recusal application was placed before the court for judicial consideration on . The calculated psychological offensive and vilification for recusal need to be firmly repulsed and a costs of Rs. 5 lakh is imposed upon the petitioner,” the court ordered. The costs shall be deposited with the Bar Council of West Bengal within two weeks same shall be used for families of lawyers who have succumbed to COVID-19.
“Since the two persons involved in this case belong to the highest echelons of the State politics, in the name of shaming the judiciary, some opportunists have already emerged. These trouble mongers will try to keep the controversy alive and create newer controversies. The trial of the case before this Bench will be a tool for them. It will be contrary to the interest of justice if such unwarranted problems continue. The hearing of the case should proceed seamlessly like any other litigation before this court,” the court said.
SC Judges Aniruddha Bose and Indrani Banerjee recuse themselves from case related to TMC leaders
On June 22, 2021, Justice Aniruddha Bose recused himself from hearing the appeal by the West Bengal government challenging the June 9 order of the Calcutta High Court on Narada sting. The High Court had refused to take her and Law Minister Moloy Ghatak’s reply affidavits on record in the transfer petition by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). In its June 9 order, the High Court said, “They (CM, law minister, and state) have waited for the arguments in the case to be substantially completed before seeking to place on record their pleadings in response.”
Prior to that, on June 11, 2021, Justice Indira Banerjee had recused herself from hearing a petition, which sought for an independent SIT/CBI probe in the killing of two BJP workers in West Bengal. The petition was filed by Biswajit Sarkar, the brother of deceased Avijit Sarkar who was killed by Trinamool Congress goons. The plea came up before a 2-Judge Bench of Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice MR Shah.
Both the judges, Justice Aniruddha Bose and Justice Indira Banerjee hail from West Bengal.
The United States and its NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) allies have agreed to leave Afghanistan after almost two decades. Joe Biden has even set the deadline of September 11 to mark the return of US troops from the war-torn country. In return, the US government has asked the Taliban to prevent the resurgence of terror organizations such as Al-Qaeda. The departure of American forces has given rise to fears of civil war and the Taliban taking over the country.
While the future of Afghanistan remains shrouded in obscurity, China has stepped in to fill the vacuum. The Chinese authorities are in talks with officials in Kabul to persuade them to officially join the ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). According to the Daily Beast, the Communist regime in China is planning to build a motorway connecting Kabul and Peshawar. If the project is to materialize, it will mark Afghanistan’s official joining of $62 billion CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor).
China has been trying to include Afghanistan in BRI for the past 5 years but has failed due to US interference. Given that the US forces are heading back home, it has provided a fertile ground for the Chinese government to take the deal to fruition.
While speaking about the matter to the Daily Beast, a source informed, “There has been continuous engagement between the Afghan government and the Chinese for the past few years… (but) that made the US suspicious of president Ashraf Ghani government. Ghani needs an ally with resources, clout, and ability to provide military support to his government.”
According to the source, the investment by the Chinese authorities will help generate jobs in the war-torn nation. He said that many people will welcome such economic activities, given that there are limited modes of employment. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian confirmed that the country was in talks with ‘third parties’ such as Afghanistan.
Why is China interested in Afghanistan?
With expansionist plans in mind, China hopes to use the Belt and Road Initiative to connect Asia with Europe and Africa. Through a network of roads and maritime channels across 60 countries, the Communist-run nation has the agenda to establish its influence over the globe. Afghanistan serves as China’s gateway to Europe, Middle East, and Central Asia. As such, the Chinese authorities are more than eager to offer loans, build targeted infrastructure projects and set foot in the Islamic Republic.
One of the major challenges faced by the Chinese regime is the lack of political stability in the region. Without a prolonged period of peace, its infrastructure projects could be at risk. While speaking to the Daily Beast, South Asian affairs expert Michael Kugelman informed, “China could well bring the Taliban on board with BRI. The insurgents have said they will support development projects if they serve Afghan national interests. The Taliban isn’t the only challenge to overcome. There are many sources of violence, both anti- and pro-state, in Afghanistan. So China will still face an extremely insecure environment, even if it gets Taliban buy-in for its projects.”
Of late, China has been vocal against the United States about its decision to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan. China’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, remarked, “Despite the significant progress made in international counter-terrorism cooperation, the world remains confronted with tangible threats of terrorism. ISIS is very active in Iraq and Syria, and the withdrawal of foreign troops has led to a sharp deterioration in the security situation in Afghanistan, with terrorist forces such as Al Qaeda, ISIS, and the East Turkestan Islamic Movement waxing strong and wreaking havoc.”
BRI- A tool of subversion and building influence
Belt and Road Initiative is a programme envisioned by Chinese Premier Xi Jinping, wherein it provides infrastructure loans to poor countries and takes control of their local resources. The scheme focuses on building airports, roads, seaports in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. On failing to repay back the loan, China takes permanent control of the host country’s resources.
Time and again, the USA had warned countries like Pakistan of China’s dept-trap diplomacy. Former Vice-President Mike Pence had said that China’s seizure of Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port is a strategic development in expanding China’s naval outreach. Sri Lanka had to hand over its strategic port of Hambantota on a 99-year lease to China after it found it difficult to repay loans taken under the former PM Rajapaksa. This also raised concerns for India, as Hambantota can be used by China to eye Southern Parts of our country.
All the military projects undertaken by China and Pakistan are designated as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which is a $1 trillion chain of infrastructure development programs stretching across some 70 countries. China is investing $62 billion in developing China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. The US and other economic watchdogs have also warned countries getting involved with China’s BRI, as being China’s aim of spreading its neo-colonial tentacles. A similar fate was witnessed by Greece after it handed one of their busiest Port Piraeus to China.
In a crackdown against LGBTQ awareness groups and rights, Tencent’s WeChat social media platform on Tuesday evening blocked and wiped all past content of the accounts LGBT+ groups on campuses of China’s top universities.
The message when the users tried to access their accounts read: “In response to related complaints, all content has been blocked for violating the ‘Regulations on the Management of Internet User Official Account Information Services,’ and all usage of the account has been suspended.”
The on-campus LGBTQ clubs in major universities have never been officially recognised. Hence they continued to operate unofficially for years under the radar, posting content online and carrying out certain activities when possible amidst periodic crackdowns.
However, as per reports, late Tuesday evening, users unexpectedly found that not just social media accounts for most such groups but even gender-related academic research associations had been wiped off completely from the web. No reason was given for the current suspension of accounts. It is a known fact that civil society accounts are often shut down in China amidst crackdowns on activism.
These LGBTQ groups served different purposes which offered space for gaining knowledge on LGBTQ issues, organizing weekly volunteer-led online support groups and Q&A sessions, research and a space for sharing gender-related academic research.
Groups and supporters react to the suspension
A WeChat user reacting to the incident said, “I can’t accept these accounts being disappeared like this – they helped so many people like me.” He said that this clean-up action is tantamount to outright discrimination and persecution of China’s sexual minorities.
“It’s very painful seeing this,” remarked Fan Popo, a Chinese filmmaker now based in Berlin. Popo has worked with a number of the groups for his documentaries on LGBTQ issues (“The VaChina Monologues,” “Mama Rainbow”).
“It’s such a shame that even the very limited space they had is now not even allowed. It’s such a shame for the students involved who are so passionate, because in recent years they have definitely faced ever stronger pressure from the universities, the government and social media censor, but still insist on doing their work,” added Popo.
Accounts deleted
The accounts that have been deleted include: Tsinghua University’s unofficial LGBTQ club Purple, Peking University’s unofficial LGBTQ club Colorsworld; Fudan University’s Zhiheshe; Wuhan University’s Gender Equality Research Association; Nanjing University’s Same Sky Association for Gender Equality; Xi’An Academy of Fine Art’s Olive Tree Group; Renmin University of China’s Sex and Gender Research Society, and similar research-oriented groups at Huazhong University of Science and Technology and East China Normal University, among numerous others located across China.
China and homosexuality
Homosexuality is legal in China but was classified as a mental disorder until 2001. However, same sex marriage is not recognised. Social stigma and pressure make it difficult for people to coming out. Earlier this year, a court upheld a university’s description of homosexuality as ‘psychological disorder’. Further, last year, China’s Pride festival was also cancelled after organisers cited safety concerns.
China’s clampdown on ‘gay content’
It is imperative to note that companies can face financial and other consequences for failing to comply with China’s strict censorship standards.
Foreign films featuring gay content have also been censored in China regularly, with the Beijing International Film Festival abruptly canceling the screening of “Call Me By Your Name,” and all references to Queen singer Freddie Mercury’s sexual identity and AIDS cut from “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
In 2018, a Weibo campaign to “clean up” gay-themed posts on its platform as part of a sweep against pornographic, violent or illegal content sparked a huge controversy forcing the social media giant to change its policy.
In 2019, Weibo had to back down from its decision to shut down a prominent community for lesbian and bisexual women called “les” after millions came out in support of the group.
We reported how certain sections from the recently aired popular sitcom ‘Friends: The Reunion’ was censored for carrying gay content, hinting at China’s censorship being at an all-time high.
Kitty Kumaramangalam, the wife of former Union Minister PR Kumaramangalam, was found murdered on Tuesday at her residence in New Delhi.
According to the reports, the 67-year-old Kitty Kumaramangalam was found dead at her house in South Delhi’s Vasant Vihar. The police suspect that she might have been suffocated to death with a pillow.
At around 9 PM on Tuesday, when Kumaramangalam was alone at her home with her house help, a washerman who had worked in the neighbourhood for years, stormed into the house with two others with an intent to rob the place, police said. One of the accused, 24-year-old Raju Lakhan, the washerman, tied the house help in a room and suffocated Kumaramangalam to death, the Delhi Police added.
As per reports, the accused laundry man Raju had worked in the A Block colony for years and visited Kumaramangalam’s residence almost every day.
“We received a call about the incident at around 11 pm from her domestic help Manju. She informed that at around 9 pm, Raju, who came earlier also, came to their home and she opened the door for him. But after entering, he overpowered her and dragged her to another room,” DCP (South-West district) Ingit Pratap Singh said.
Raju allegedly held the domestic help hostage in a room while his two accomplices went and attacked Kitty.
According to the complainant Manju, Raju and his two associates entered the house and attacked Kitty. Then they dragged her to another room, where they suffocated her to death by using a pillow. After that, they looted some money, jewellery and ran away from the house. Manju said she managed to untie her hands and then inform her neighbours about the incident, who rushed in and untied her.
The Delhi Police have now admitted Manju to a nearby hospital. Meanwhile, they have also informed the deceased son, who lives in Bengaluru. Several teams have been formed to probe the murder, said Singh. The Delhi Police have arrested the accused Raju and launched a search for the other two accused.
Kitty Kumaramangalam was a Supreme Court lawyer. Her husband, Congress leader PR Kumaramangalam, served as Union Minister of State, Parliamentary Affairs and Law, Justice and Company Affairs between 1991 and 92, and again as Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Minister between 1992 and 93 in PV Narasimha Rao’s government. He later joined BJP and served as the country’s Power Minister in 1998.
PR Kumaramangalam, who was Lok Sabha MP from Salem and later from Tiruchirapalli during his long political career, had expired in the year 2000.
