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Maoist Milind Teltumbde says he was inspired by brother Anand Teltumbde to further activities of banned CPI(M): Details from the court order

OpIndia Staff
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Maoist Milind Teltumbde says he was inspired by brother Anand Teltumbde to further activities of banned CPI(M): Details from the court order

Earlier this week, the NIA court in Mumbai rejected the bail application filed by Anand Teltumbde, stating that the charges against him were prima facie true. The court cited his younger brother and wanted Maoist Milind Teltumbde’s confession, wherein he admitted that he was inspired by his elder brother, Anand Teltumbde, to further the activities of the banned organisation CPI(M).

“I find much substance in the submissions made by the learned Special Public Prosecutor(S.P.P) for the smile reason that the wanted accused is the best person to state as to by who conduct or activities he was being impressed and therefore, in my view, the statement made by the wanted accused that he was impressed by the applicant for furthering the activities of a banned terrorist organisation can be said to be relevant…” read the court order announced by Justice Kothalikar while dismissing the bail application moved by Anand Teltumbde.

Screenshot of relevant sections of the NIA Court order rejecting bail application of Urban Naxal Anand Teltumbde

A key witness in the case, who was in thick with Milind Teltumbde admitted that the wanted Maoist was inspired by his elder brother, Anand Teltumbde, and often showed photographs of the applicant and his daughters. As per another key witness, he had gone to Bhopal twice with Milind and at that time Milind had informed him that he would meet with his elder brother, i.e Anand Teltumbde. The key witness said there was no meeting with Anand in the first visit. But during the second visit, Milind had visited Anand’s place and met with him.

Screenshot of relevant sections of the NIA Court order rejecting bail application of Urban Naxal Anand Teltumbde

Yet another key witness confessed that Milind used to discuss the Elgar Parishad, Bhima Koregaon programme and about participation and support given by urban members of CPI(M) to use the said platform for spreading their own ideology under the guise of using the Elgar Parishad programme. He said Sanyukta Morcha, programmes were being organised in urban areas to spread negativity and hate speech against the established government.

In his deposition, the key witness said Milind had reportedly confessed to him that he was inspired by his brother Anand for the CPI(M) movement. The witnesses revealed that Milind used to visit urban areas such as Nagpur, Pune, Chandrapur, Bhopal, Indore, Katani, Amarkantak, Mandala, Dindori, Shahdol, etc. and during that time, he used to meet applicant Anand Teltumbde for seeking his guidance on expanding the CPI(M) movement in the jungle as well as urban areas.

Screenshot of relevant sections of the NIA Court order rejecting bail application of Urban Naxal Anand Teltumbde

The witness further added that Milind used to bring Maoist literature given to him by the applicant, who attended international conferences under the pretext of academic visits and used it to train the cadres.

“…the applicant used to attend international conferences under the guise of academic visits in the Philippines, Peru, Turkey and other countries and used to bring Maoist literature and videos in pen drive/memory card, related to their ideology, tactics, weapons used by them, period of attacks, planning of sudden attacks, the extension of zones and increasing members of recruitment for CPI(M) and that such foreign literature and videos were shown to the members of CPI(M) in training and classes after approval in the CCM meeting,” the S.P.P contended.

Urban naxals prove the mail correspondence between them were not fake as alleged by pliant media organisations

Earlier this year, far-left media houses supporting the Urban Naxals accused in the Bhima Koregaon case had claimed that the emails and other documents recovered from the electronic devices of the accused were fake. Quoting a report by a so-called Digital Forensics Firm in the USA, a Washington Post report had claimed that a study of the data recovered from the laptop of Rona Wilson, one of the accused, were planted, and the report was subsequently carried by several media houses in India.

The same claim was also used during court hearings by those accused in the case. But now, it has been found that they themselves are using those emails in their defence, admitting the mails were not fake.

The full order of the NIA Court in Mumbai has been made public, and it shows how the defendant had used the same emails that were claimed to be planted through malware. According to the court order, the defence lawyer had argued that in the mail dated 28/06/2014 from Anand Teltumbde to Rona Wilson, Teltumbde had requested to delete a sentence. This shows that the applicant does not support the Maoist ideology, the defence argument claimed.

Anand Teltumbde also claimed that emails exchanged between him and co­accused Hany Babu and Stan Swamy would reveal that there is nothing to implicate the accused.

Thus, the defence side mentioned the emails multiple times seeking bail for Anand Teltumbde. By this, they themselves demolished the claim that the emails were planted on Rona Wilson’s computer, as the first mail they mentioned was recovered from that source only.

NIA court rejects bail application of Anand Teltumbde

A special NIA court in Mumbai dismissed the bail application filed by activist Anand Teltumbde, who was arrested in connection with Elgar Parishad-Maoist links. The court said the charges against him were prima facie true.

Special NIA Judge Kothalikar observed that Anand Teltumbde has failed in offering an explanation as to why his name appears as a convener on the book or pamphlet titled ‘Bhima Koregaon Shauryadin Prerana Abhiyan’, which was printed prior to the programme on December 31, 2017.

In its observation, the court said it did not find the accusation of Teltumbde’s involvement not “inherently improbable” or “wholly unbelievable”, and prima facie he was involved in furthering the activities of the banned organisation. The NIA had earlier claimed that Teltumbde was an active member of the proscribed group CPI(M) and propagated its activities.

“I do not find any merit in the argument proffered by the learned advocate for Teltumbde that he had no concern with the event of Elgar Parishad and that the allegations made against him are not prima facie true,” the judge said.

Rajasthan SDM kicks farmer demanding compensation for highway project land, scuffle breaks out between police and farmers: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Rajasthan SDM kicks farmer demanding compensation for highway project land, scuffle breaks out between police and farmers: Details

Social media websites are awash with a video of a farmer being kicked around by the SDM of the Jalore district in Rajasthan. 

In the video that has now gone viral, SDM Bhupendra Yadav could be seen kicking a protesting farmer named Narsingh Ram Chaudhary. Following this incident, a scuffle broke out between police personnel and farmers. 

With much difficulty, the police finally managed to pacify the angry villagers. At the heart of the controversy is the demands of compensation made by farmers for the construction of highway built under the Bharat Mala Project. 

The work on the expressway from Amritsar to Jamnagar started on Thursday (July 15, 2021). Meanwhile, the villagers reached the spot in Jalore and protested against the work.

When SDM Bhupendra Yadav reached the location to inspect it, a farmer sat in front of JCB in protest against the ongoing construction. The SDM moved towards another farmer asking him to stop obstructing government work. When one of the villagers tried to snatch a stick from the policeman, the SDM kicked him. After this incident, tempers ran high resulting in the clashes between villagers and police. 

In his defence, SDM Bhupendra Yadav said he reacted in his self-defence. He claims the villagers were going to assault him with sticks so he kicked one of them in defence. A case has been registered against the farmers for obstructing the government work at the Sanchore police station. Angry farmers held a panchayat in the village on the night after being kicked.

Offering an explanation on his clarification on the viral video, SDM Bhupendra Yadav said, “The farmers had tried to stop the work, because of which I had to visit the spot. Even as I was having a conversation with them, one of the farmers pulled a stick towards me. I kicked him to save myself from his attack.”

There has been no stay order on the construction work from the High Court. A report has also been given to the police station. Meanwhile, it is being reported that SDM Bhupendra Kumar Yadav has been transferred late night by the state government.

Why were the farmers protesting in Rajasthan? 

The market rate for the land in Rajasthan which is being acquired for constructing the expressway is about Rs 10 lakh per bigha. But for this land, the administration is providing compensation at the DLC rate – Rs 45000 per bigha. The farmers had moved the High Court two years ago regarding this. The matter was then transferred to a two-judge bench, but due to the ongoing pandemic, the hearing could not proceed till now.

It has being said that 90 percent of the farmers have not even not taken the compensation yet. On the other hand, the company awarded with the contract of building the expressway does not want to stop the work until a decision is taken by the court.

SDM is being fiercely trolled after the video surfaced. Former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia posted a tweet objecting to SDM’s behaviour and asked if that is how Rajasthan officials treat farmers. Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal has also called this incident of SDM kicking farmers as condemnable.

A day after the death of photo-journalist Danish Siddiqui, strange behaviour is noticed on his Twitter account

OpIndia Staff
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A day after the death of photo-journalist Danish Siddiqui, strange behaviour is noticed on his Twitter account

On Friday, award-winning Reuters photo-journalist was murdered by the Taliban as he was covering the conflict in Afghanistan. After his death, a strange phenomenon was noticed on his Twitter account.

A Twitter user pointed out that the famed tweet of Danish, where he had shared pictures of the funeral pyres of Hindus, said that the tweet was “unavailable”.

When one clicks on any of the replies to the tweet, Twitter says that the tweet by Danish Siddiqui is unavailable.

Danish Siddiqui censored by Twitter
Source: Twitter

Rajnish Sharma had accused Siddiqui of making fun of “our people’s death” and said that in the Court of God, everyone is held to account. After his tweet went viral following Siddiqui’s death, Sharma said that he was extremely anguished as he had to perform the funeral rites of his wife and father within the space of four days during the first wave.

Danish Siddiqui censored by Twitter
Source: Twitter

However, it is not just the funeral pyre tweet that seems to be unavailable. When one clicks on any of the tweet threads by Danish Siddiqui, the preceding tweets appear to be ‘unavailable’.

Tweet thread by Danish Siddiqui

When one clicks on the “Learn More” tag of the restricted tweet, the person is taken to the ‘Help‘ section of Twitter where explanations are provided for various labels. However, in this particular instance, it does not explain why the tweet was restricted.

Source: Twitter

On the face of it, it does appear that Twitter has censored the tweet in question. However, the explanation provided in its ‘help’ section does not adequately explain the ‘unavailable’ tag on the tweet. It could be an unintentional error that could be rectified before long. Especially, because all of his tweets seem to be ‘unavailable’ in a similar fashion.

It is entirely possible that his tweets being unavailable could just be a Twitter bug, or, Twitter is censoring the tweets because he was killed in a conflict zone. However, there seems to be no precedent for that to be done with a journalist’s account.

Danish Siddiqui was killed by the Taliban in Afghanistan during clashes with Afghan forces. He was on a reporting assignment to the war ravaged country, embedded with the Afghan security forces. He was killed in Spin Boldak district, Kandahar.

Siddiqui was at the centre of the controversy during the peak of the second wave of Covid-19 in India when insensitive photographs of funeral pyres were splashed across the media. The photographs were widely criticized for being insensitive. However, he had also received international praise for the photographs.

After the Taliban killed Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui, pictures of his family being sold on Getty for Rs 23,000 each

OpIndia Staff
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After the Taliban killed Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui, pictures of his family being sold on Getty for Rs 23,000 each

On Friday, the 16th of July, it was reported that Reuters photojournalist from India Danish Siddiqui was killed during an ambush on the Afghan forces by the Taliban in Afghanistan. He was travelling with Afghan forces in the Kandahar region near the Pakistan border when they were attacked by the Taliban. No sooner was the photo-journalist killed, than photographs of his grieving family and relatives started to sell like commodities on the stock image site, Getty Images.

The British-American media company Getty Images now hosts multiple images of the deceased Reuters journalist’s family members, relatives and his mourning father. The images are selling under the Editorial section for Rs 23,000 per piece on the stock image site, which is the standard price for a large version of editorial photographs on Getty Images. A smaller version of the same images can be downloaded for a lesser price.

Here are few images which were clicked on July 16, the day the journalist was killed by the Taliban during clashes at Spin Boldak district in Kandahar, Afghanistan. 

Image of Danish Siddiqui’s father selling for Rs 23,000 on Getty Image
Another image of Danish Siddiqui’s father and his relatives selling for Rs 23,000 on Getty Image

Image of Danish Siddiqui’s relatives and family members gathered at his residence after his death
A similar photo clicked outside the journalist’s residence being sold on Getty Image

When we looked at the list of the names associated with the images on Getty Images, we found out that Hindustan Times is the most significant contributor of such pictures on the website.

Another thing that is worth noting here is that the British-American media company is only selling images of Danish Siddiqui’s family clicked after his death. Amongst the 77 photographs present against his name under the Editorial section of Getty Image, none show his family before his death.

The Photographs of the family of Danish Siddiqui have appeared on the stock image site after several left-liberals had objected to social media users circulating the photograph of the deceased photojournalist. This had triggered more people to share the images, as the very same people were widely circulating the photographs of cremation of Covid-19 victims taken by Siddiqui.

Photographs of funeral pyres from India selling for Rs. 23,000 each on Stock image site Getty

Incidentally, when India was grappling with the worst second wave of Covid-19, the British-American media company Getty Images hosted multiple images of tragic funeral pyres, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hundreds of photographs showcasing the customary Hindu funeral pyre was also sold at the same price as the pictures of Danish Siddiqui’s family and relatives are being sold on the British-American media company site.

In fact, the bigger coincidence is that then too, Hindustan Times was the largest contributor of pyre photographs from Delhi on Getty Images. The news agency had uploaded almost 330 images in 30 days. The photographs were taken by several photographers associated with the media house, including Amal KS, Raj K Raj, Sakib Ali, Mohd Zakir and others.

Reuters’ Danish Siddiqui shares picture of a burning ghat in India multiple times, receives acclamation

However, Reuters, for which Danish Siddiqui worked, was one of the western media houses which drew immense pleasure from the death of Indians, especially Hindus during the devastating second wave of the pandemic. One photograph that we saw splashed all over social media, Twitter, Facebook or even family groups on WhatsApp then, was one that had an aerial view of a burning ghat in India by Reuters. It was taken by Danish Siddiqui.

Sharing this picture multiple times on Twitter, Danish Siddiqui had written, “As India posted world record of COVID cases funeral pyres of people, who died due to the coronavirus disease were pictured at a crematorium ground in New Delhi, April 22, 2021”. He had also thanked people for complimenting his work.

Besides that picture, Danish Siddiqui had clicked many such pictures, which are hosted on Alamy, the British owned stock photography agency similar to Getty Images. Multiple media hoses had used those photographs with their reports on Covid-19 deaths in India during the second wave.

A picture of an Indian funeral pyre clicked by Danish Siddiqui available on Alamy
Another picture of an Indian funeral pyre clicked by Danish Siddiqui available on Alamy

Despite being a clear breach of privacy of the family of the Covid-19 victims, without whose knowledge and permission Danish Siddiqui had clicked those pictures, the Reuters journalist had received international praise for these photographs.

Urban Naxal Anand Teltumbde uses the same emails as his defence that leftist media had claimed were ‘planted’ uwing malware: Full story

OpIndia Staff
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Urban Naxal Anand Teltumbde uses the same emails as his defence that leftist media had claimed were ‘planted’ uwing malware: Full story

Earlier this year, far-left media houses supporting the Urban Naxals accused in the Bhima Koregaon case had claimed that the emails and other documents recovered from the electronic devices of the accused were fake. Quoting a report by a so-called Digital Forensics Firm in the USA, a Washington Post report had claimed that a study of the data recovered from the laptop of Rona Wilson, one of the accused, were planted, and the report was subsequently carried by several media houses in India.

The same claim was also used during court hearings by those accused in the case. But now, it has been found that they themselves are using those emails in their defence, admitting the mails were not fake.

On July 12, a special NIA court had rejected the bail application of Dalit Activist Anand Teltumbde, saying that the charges against him are prima facie true. The court rejected the defence argument that he had no direct link with the even of Elgar Parishad, as his name was mentioned on the invitation card for the event, and he had gone to the location where the event was held.

The full order of the NIA Court in Mumbai has been made public, and it shows how the defendant had used the same emails that was claimed to be planted through malware. According to the court order, the defence lawyer had argued that in the mail dated 28/06/2014 from Anand Teltumbde to Rona Wilson, Teltumbde had requested to delete a sentence. This shows that the applicant does not support the Maoist ideology, the defence argument claimed.

Anand Teltumbde also claimed that mails exchanged between him and co­accused Hany Babu and Stan Swamy would reveal that there is nothing to implicate the accused.

Thus, the defence side mentioned the emails multiple times seeking bail for Anand Teltumbde. By this, they themselves demolished the claim that the mails were planted on Rona Wilson’s computer, as the first mail they mentioned was recovered from that source only.

According to the prosecution, in the email dated 28 June 2014 to Wilson, Teltumbde had requested to delete some portion from the press statement, which relates to ‘Inciting Dalit Militancy as well as Revolutionary Resurgence under Maoist Leadership’.

The prosecution has cited several email exchanges of Teltumbde with known Maoists and Maoist sympathisers, and the defendant has not argued that those are fake and planted emails. They have either use the same emails as defence argument, or said that the contents in those emails are incriminatory.

This make it clear that the emails and other documents seized from the computer of Rona Wilson and other accused are genuine, and they were not doctored or planted as alleged that leftist media houses.

Media quotes sources to claim Yediyurappa may resign, Karnataka CM denies

OpIndia Staff
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Media quotes sources to claim Yediyurappa may resign, Karnataka CM denies

A day after Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, rumours began to spread about the possible resignation of the heavyweight BJP leader.

On Saturday (July 17), several media publications had erroneously claimed that BJP leader BS Yediyurappa offered to resign as the Chief Minister of Karnataka. While attributing the reports to unknown sources, media houses alleged that Yediyurappa had cited health concerns behind his decision to resign. India TV, which made such claims, wrote, “Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Saturday offered to resign on health grounds. According to reports, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accepted the resignation of the Karnataka chief minister.”

Screengrab of the article by India TV

ABP News also made such dubious claims. “Sources have informed ABP News that CM BS Yediyurappa has presented the proposal to resign citing age and health-related reasons. He will continue to deny the reports till the development is finalised, they added,” it wrote.

Screengrab of the news report by ABP News

BS Yediyurappa clears the air surrounding his resignation

While speaking to reporters at the Karnataka Bhavan, the CM said, “Not at all. Not at all…There is no truth in the rumour…Yesterday, I met the Prime Minister and discussed in detail about the development of the State. I will again come back to Delhi in the first week of next month and discuss in detail. There is no value for that news (regarding change of guard in the State).”

BS Yediurappa has been at the forefront of backlash from his own party members including Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, Tourism Minister CP Yogeshwar and AH Vishwanath. They have accused the CM of corruption and allowing interference by his son Vijayendra in the administrative affairs of the State. They have demanded his resignation, while flouting warnings of disciplinary action. In his defence, he expressed his willingness to resign whenever the party asks him to quit.

Tamil Nadu: Hindu groups intensify protests against the demolition of seven temples in Coimbatore, including one 100-year-old temple

OpIndia Staff
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Tamil Nadu: Hindu groups intensify protests against the demolition of seven temples in Coimbatore, including one 100-year-old temple

Days after the Coimbatore city corporation demolished seven Hindu temples on the lake bund of Muthannankulam, several devotees, Hindu activists, took to the streets of Coimbatore to protests against the demolition drive of Hindu temples.

According to the reports, Hindu activists members of Hindu Munnani protested outside the corporation office at Town Hall in Coimbatore on Friday to condemn the civic body for the demolition drive.

On Tuesday, the Coimbatore City Corporation had demolished seven temples, including a 100-year-old temple, along the Muthanankulam bund in the city. The corporation had claimed that the temples were built on the encroached land along the northern bund of the tank.

Condemning the demolition, Hindu Munnani state president Kadeswara Subramaniam said, “When P V Narasimha Rao was the Prime Minister, an Act was passed in Parliament prohibiting demolition of temples older than 75 years. But the Coimbatore corporation demolished temples that were centuries-old. We strongly condemn the demolition”.

The Hindu activist also added that several government offices, including the Tirupur collector’s office, are on temple lands, hence those buildings should be removed from the lands.

“The Hindu religious and charitable endowment (HR&CE) minister has been saying that the department will retrieve temple lands and protect temples. He should reveal information regarding,” Subramaniam said.

Hindu Munnai state secretary JS Kishorekumar accused the Coimbatore corporation of deliberately targeting temples in the name of removing encroachments and claimed that temples as old as 150 years old were demolished in the city.

Earlier, Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) had also condemned the demolition of temples and protested in Gandhi Park in Coimbatore.

Demolition drive of temples in Coimbatore

On Tuesday, several Coimbatore civic body officials landed near Muthanankulam bund to carry out demolition drives of seven temples. In the presence of officials, earthmovers demolished Amman Kovil, Bannari Amman Kovil, Angala Parameswari, Karupparayan Kovil, Muneeswaran Kovil and a few other temples. 

Six of the remaining idols present inside these temples were given away to the public, while officials took away one idol to keep at the corporation office. Last year, the corporation had also moved nearly 2,400 families from the tank bund after demolishing their houses, citing encroachment of the lake.

They were provided with alternative housing by the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board.

The demolition of seven temples, especially a 100-year-old, had fueled massive outrage on social media platforms. Netizens had accused MK Stalin-led DMK government of attacking century-old Hindu temples in Tamil Nadu.

Jammu and Kashmir administration clarifies there is no cow slaughter ban ahead of Bakra-Eid, media had misreported its order

OpIndia Staff
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Jammu and Kashmir administration clarifies there is no cow slaughter ban ahead of Bakra-Eid, media had misreported its order

After several media houses had reported that Jammu and Kashmir administration has written a letter to authorities asking them to implement the ban on slaughter of bovine animals ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, sparking an uproar among the residents, it issued a clarification saying there was no ban on slaughter of animals on the upcoming Muslim festival. 

G.L. Sharma, Director Planning of Animal, Sheep Husbandry and Fisheries Departments, said the earlier communication by the administration was “misconstrued”. 

“It was not an order, (but) a letter. The letter was sent to enforcement agencies to enforce the laws of the Animal Welfare Board. This is not a ban on slaughter and sacrifice,” Sharma said.

Sharma further added the letter issued should not be viewed as a “ban order” but laws to ensure safe ferrying of animals into J&K, identification of pregnant and sick animals. This is also to ensure no overloading kills the animals, he stated.

Jammu and Kashmir administration had banned illegal slaughter, media spreads fake news

The hasty clarification came after media houses wrongly reported a letter from the Jammu and Kashmir administration asking authorities to enforce a ban on the illegal slaughter of cows, calves and camels ahead of Bakra-Eid stirred quite a flutter. Yesterday, it was reported that the Jammu and Kashmir govt has enforced a ban on the illegal slaughter of cows, calves and camels ahead of the Eid-ul-Adha festival in Jammu and Kashmir.

In a directive, the Director of Jammu and Kashmir Animal, Sheep Husbandry and Fisheries Department has asked the officials to stop the illegal killing of cows, camels and other animals on the occasion of Bakra-Eid and asked them to take strict action against offenders who violate the order.

The letter said, “In this regard, large numbers of sacrificial animals are likely to be slaughtered in the UT of J&K during Bakra Eid festival scheduled from 21-23 July, 2021 & the Animal Welfare Board of India, in view of animal welfare, has requested for implementation of all precautionary measures to strictly implement the Animal Welfare Laws viz. Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960; Transport of Animal Welfare Rules, 1978; Transport of Animals (Amendment) Rules, 2001; Slaughter House Rules, 2001; Municipal Laws & Food Safety & Standards Authority of India directions for slaughtering of animals (under which camels cannot be slaughtered) during the festival.”

The letter instructed all the departments concerned “to take all preventive measures as per the provisions of acts and rules to stop illegal killing of animals and to take stringent action against the offenders”.

This makes it clear that there was no ban ordered by the administration, only the authorities were asked to ensure rules and regulations regarding animal slaughter are followed as the number of slaughters increases during the Islamic festival.

However, several media houses like Outlook and several others had wrongly reported the letter saying that the J&K administration has banned the slaughter of cows in the UT. As a result of this wrong reporting, the administration has issued the clarification.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of goats are sacrificed in Jammu and Kashmir, majority of which are slaughtered in capital Srinagar. According to some estimates, approximately Rs 500 crores worth of animals are sacrificed in Jammu and Kashmir alone. Besides goats, sheep, oxen and other animals are sacrificed by the Muslim residents of the Union Territory. 

It is worth noting that traditional Kashmiris prefer mutton over beef. Even before the participation, when the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir was ruled by the Dogra rulers, the slaughter of bovines and the sale of beef had been banned in the region.

US-based Christian NGO spreading communal disharmony: MP HC asks State govt, NCPCR to respond to the complaint filed. Read details

OpIndia Staff
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US-based Christian NGO spreading communal disharmony: MP HC asks State govt, NCPCR to respond to the complaint filed. Read details

The Jabalpur High Court has issued notice to the Government of Madhya Pradesh and the National Commission for Protection Of Child Rights (NCPCR) asking for its response to the petition filed by Legal Rights Protection Forum, seeking legal action against a US-based Christian NGO named ‘Persecution Relief’ for defaming India Internationally by falsely imparting communal colour to incidents of murders and suicides.

The court, while hearing a plea filed by the President of Legal Rights Protection Forum (LRPF)- Ayyalasomayajula Sai Santosh, an NGO working in the field of law, asked the Govt of MP and NCPCR to respond within 6 weeks.

Legal Rights Protection Forum (LRPF) took to Twitter to inform the same.

The petition filed before the court by Advocate Gautam Jha on behalf of LRPF stated: “That hiding behind the cloaks of the freedom of Speech and Expression guaranteed by Article 19 of the Constitution of India, the ‘Persecution Relief’ which is a US-based Organisation is spreading hatred and communal divide in India and is actively involved in tarnishing the image of India in International Platforms, forums and in front of International Organizations.”

Christian NGO ‘Persecution Relief’ includes many false POCSO cases in its Annual report

It read that on February 3, 2021, the US-based NGO issued its Annual Report alleging ‘persecution of Christians’ in India and to validate the claims it cited incidents of crime in India and shared it with various US-based evangelical organisations. They, however, added a communal twist to the incidents, and labelled Indians as ‘religious fanatics.’ 

The petition also states that there are many false POCSO cases registered and those falsely accused are still languishing in Jail.

Christian NGO had caused irreparable damage to the prestige and reputation of India: LRPF to MP HC

More importantly, ‘Persecution Relief’ had joined hands with the US-based Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations (FIACONA) and this report, tarnishing the image and reputation of India, was included in the annual US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) report.

The petitioner contended that the statements made and allegations levelled in the contentious Annual Report of NGO against the Indian Government, various State Governments and other institutions in the country, are of an extremely serious nature, unsubstantiated and baseless. Legal Rights Protection Forum wrote in its petition that the Christian NGO had caused irreparable damage to the prestige and reputation of India on the global platform through its contentious report.

Alleging that there is an attempt to spread communal disharmony and disintegrate India, the petitioner has pleaded before the MP High Court to direct a thorough police investigation into the activities of the NGO ‘Persecution Relief’.

The petition also stated that despite several complaints and requests no action has been taken to date either by the Madhya Pradesh police or by any Child Welfare Committees (CWC) against NGO ‘Persecution Relief.

LRPF requested the court to direct police to invoke IPC Sections 124A (Sedition), 295A (acts intended to outrage reli­gious feelings), 505(1)(a) & (b), 505(2), 505(3) of IPC, against the Christian NGO’s chief Shibhu Thomas.

NCPCR to take action against Christian NGO Persecution Relief

Pertinently, on March 6, the Chairman of the National Commission for Protection Of Child Rights (NCPCR), Priyank Kanoongo, informed that the statutory body will take action against the Christian NGO ‘Persecution Relief’ for dishonouring India in the International forums.

Earlier, Legal Rights Protection Forum (LRPF) had also asked Union Home Minister Amit Shah to crackdown on ‘Persecution Relief’.

LRPF Working President A S Santhosh had emphasised that while the mainstream media and police officials ruled out the communal angle in 8 such incidents covered by Persecution relief, the Christian NGO however alleged ‘religious angle’. The most bizarre example was that of a pastor who died of electrocution in Rajasthan. The case too was dubbed as an example of ‘Christian persecution’, Santhosh said.

Uroosa Rana, Munawwar Rana’s daughter, says UP Congress Chief Ajay Kumar Lallu misbehaved with her when she went to meet Priyanka Gandhi

OpIndia Staff
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Uroosa Rana, Munawwar Rana’s daughter, says UP Congress Chief Ajay Kumar Lallu misbehaved with her when she went to meet Priyanka Gandhi

Uttar Pradesh Congress leader Uroosa Rana accused Uttar Pradesh Congress party chief Ajay Kumar Lallu of misbehaving with her when she went to meet Priyanka Gandhi Vadra at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

According to the reports, Uroosa Rana, the daughter of controversial poet Munnawar Rana, said that she had gone to meet Priyanka Gandhi during a protest, however, UP Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu misbehaved with her and asked her to go away.

“Before the dharna, when I went to greet Priyanka Gandhi, Lallu misbehaved with me and asked me to go away,” Uroosa Rana.

Uroosa Rana, who is the vice-president of the central zone of the Congress’s women wing, claimed that Lallu sought her help during the protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) last year. She also added that she was “hurt” by the humiliating treatment meted out to her on Friday.

However, Lallu rejected Rana’s allegations and denied that any such thing happened. He said Rana was removed from the place that was reserved only for Priyanka Gandhi.

“Urusa is a party office-bearer, and there is no question of misbehaving with her. I myself introduced her to Priyanka Gandhi,” he said.

Gandhi-scion Priyanka Gandhi, who is also the in-charge of the Uttar Pradesh Congress, is currently touring the state ahead of the assembly elections scheduled to be held in 2022.

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