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Reuters photojournalist Danish Siddiqui, who received international praise for Covid funeral pyre pics, killed by Taliban in Afghanistan

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Reuters photojournalist Danish Siddiqui, who received international praise for Covid funeral pyre pics, killed by Taliban in Afghanistan

Indian journalist Danish Siddiqui, who has been reporting from Afghanistan the past few days, was killed in Spin Boldak district, Kandahar, reports say. Danish Siddiqui was working with Reuters as a photo journalist.

Only on the 13th of July, Siddiqui had tweeted how he had narrowly escaped disaster after the Humvee he was traveling in was attacked by Taliban forces. He was traveling with Afghan forces, with whom he was attached to the past few days.

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.

Photograph captured by Danish Siddiqui for Reuters on April 23

The photographs were widely criticized for being insensitive.

Photograph captured by Danish Siddiqui for Reuters on April 22

However, he had also received international praise for the photographs.

Photograph captured by Danish Siddiqui for Reuters on April 28

Siddiqui was also awarded the Pulitzer as part of the Reuters team for the coverage of the Rohingya crisis. The Vice-President of Afghanistan, Amrullah Saleh, had stated on Thursday that they had been warned by Pakistan that any attempt to repel Taliban from the Spin Boldak area, where Siddiqui was killed, would incur action by the Pakistani Air Force.

With US withdrawal from the country, the Taliban has been capturing more and more area and is on the verge of taking complete control of Afghanistan.

Typing the word ‘semen’ as ‘semman’ had resulted in the acquittal of a POCSO accused, Madras HC reverses order, slams prosecution. Details

OpIndia Staff
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Typing the word ‘semen’ as ‘semman’ had resulted in the acquittal of a POCSO accused, Madras HC reverses order, slams prosecution. Details

An accused in a case of child sexual abuse under the POCSO Act was able to exploit a typo of the word ‘semen’ to secure acquittal in a trial court in Tamil Nadu, reported Bar and Bench.

The case pertains to the sexual abuse of a 2-year-old child in 2017 by her neighbour. The child’s mother had left the child with the accused to buy food from outside. On returning home, she found that the child was missing from the courtyard. The child was found by the mother weeping. She had later informed the mother that the neighbour had ‘kissed’ her in her private parts. The victim’s mother had also found white coloured semen on the underwear of the child’s vaginal area. She then called her husband, who was out of the station at that time.

He asked her to alarm other neighbours about the action of the accused. The victim was taken to the hospital two days after being subjected to sexual assault. It was only then that the doctor recorded the complaint of sexual assault and the police registered a case under Section 10 of the POCSO Act.

The accused was acquitted by the trial court on technical grounds

During the hearing in the trial Court in 2018, the judge held that the ‘medical evidence’ did not support the allegations of the sexual assault. While acquitting the accused on all charges, the trial court questioned the lack of a satisfactory explanation for the delay in registering the police complaint.

Surprisingly, the trial court misinterpreted an error made by a typist during the trial. The word ‘ semen’ was mistakingly written as ‘semman’ (red soil colour in Tamil). The accused exploited the technical error to suggest that no semen was found in the undergarments worn by the girl.

Observations made by the Madras High Court

When the victim’s parents filed an appeal against the trial Court’s decision at the Madras High Court, the latter noted that the onus to rebut the presumption of guilt lies with the accused and not the prosecution. The Court held that under Section 29 of the POCSO Act 2012, it is for the accused to defend himself once the prosecution proved the offence and the Court had drawn its presumption. This act stands in contrast to the general principle of criminal law, which says that a person is innocent until proven guilty.

Dismissing the objections raised by the trial court, the Madras High Court contended that people in rural areas often don’t have knowledge on how to proceed with such child sexual abuse cases. The Court stated, “The trial Courts also, sometimes not applying their minds and exercising their inherent or discretionary power either to direct for reinvestigation or summon relevant records and only they are searching for proof beyond reasonable doubt and taking advantage of the flaw in the investigation, giving the benefit of doubt to the accused. But cases like this, we cannot give much importance to the technical ground of proof.”

There is danger in writing English word in Tamil : Madras HC

The Court further added that no mother of a victim, especially an illiterate woman in rural areas, would immediately go to the police in such cases and the prosecution and court failed in their duties when they stressed on technicalities like delay in the complaint.

Justice Velmuragan opined that a delay on the part of the victim’s family in filing the case would be fatal to the case of the prosecution. He pointed out that the trial court misinterpreted the typographical error of ‘semman’ and attributed a wrong meaning to it. “Hence, there is (danger) in writing an English word in Tamil, which [can] totally turn the case of the prosecution and admittedly, the defence side has taken flimsy defence that P.W.1 has stated as “semman colour,” the Court observed.

Trial Court judge failed to understand the scope of POCSO Act, says Madras High Court

The High Court further contended that the trial court judge failed to understand the scope and objective of the POCSO Act. “In this case, the victim is an infant, aged below 3 years, she is not in a position to speak out the charges of crimes or atrocities, under such circumstances, the mother has spoken and no corroboration can be expected, since because the innocence of the mother and the inability of the victim child, the culprit cannot be escaped from the clutches of law,” the Court ruled. The Madras High Court emphasised that the lack of neighbour’s testimony or the lack of medical evidence was probable in a village setup or the delay caused in getting the victim examined.

Madras HC overturns culrpit’s acquittal

While overturning the Judgement of the trial court, the Madras High Court directed the accused to appear before it for sentencing. “Though the prosecution (has) not examined the Doctor, one who made an entry in the Accident Register and medical examination was not conducted on the victim child on the date of admission, the mere defect in the investigation is not fatal to the case of the prosecution and the second respondent / accused cannot be acquitted on the sole ground of defective investigation,” it concluded.

British MPs approve parliamentary motion to boycott the ‘Genocide Games’, the Winter Olympics to be hosted by China next year

OpIndia Staff
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British MPs approve parliamentary motion to boycott the ‘Genocide Games’, the Winter Olympics to be hosted by China next year

Fanning the calls to boycott Winter Olympics to be hosted by China in Beijing next year, the British Parliament voted unanimously to boycott what is being called the “Genocide Games.” The MPs, in an early Friday morning session, called on the British government to not send any representatives to the Olympics, members of the royal family, diplomats or any other VIPs.

While the move is not binding nor does it stop athletes from participating or competing, a diplomatic boycott of the games has been called for. The pressure on Prime Minister Boris Johnson has intensified to formally snub the Chinese government.

Highlighting China’s atrocities on Uyghurs- a Muslim minority in China, the proposal argued that an event should not be held in a “country whose government is credibly accused of mass atrocity crimes”.

It also recommended that the UK should decline invitations for its representatives to attend the Winter Olympics unless the Chinese government “ends the atrocities” on the ethnic population in the Xinjiang region. 

Despite the motion being non-binding on the government, it did receive support from across the House.

Conservative MPs call for a boycott

The motion was brought by Conservative MP Tim Loughton who is also a member of the global Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China. IPAC was formed by MPs around the world as a result of Beijing’s economic bullying of Australia.

Comparing China’s rule to Hitler’s regime, Conservative former leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith remarked that allowing China to go ahead with the Winter Olympics next year is akin to “appeasing Hitler”.

Smith in his speech said, “We have forgotten what happened when we appeased another ghastly dictatorship. Sixty million people died as a result of our failure when we appeased them and we are on the same course today. And this debate today about boycotting these Olympics is not just a token.”

“We know that China is sensitive when it gets global criticism, when people shine the torch on what goes on behind it. We know they react. Why do we know that? Because they sanction people like myself and many of my colleagues in this chamber and the European Parliament.” he added. 

‘Gap between rhetoric and action’

Labour MP Afzal Khan (Manchester Gorton) said, “Despite condemnation from all sides of the house, including the Government, there is still a gaping chasm between rhetoric and action.

“We cannot on the one hand recognise genocide and on the other send dignitaries and diplomats to the Beijing Olympics,” he said further. 

“Is it right to put the Queen in an uncomfortable position?”

Labour also asked if the government wanted the Queen to be in the “uncomfortable position” of “appearing to endorse a regime responsible for genocide”.

“Does he think it is right that the Prime Minister is set to put members of the royal family, and by association Her Majesty the Queen, in the uncomfortable position of appearing to endorse a regime that is responsible for genocide?” asked Shadow Foreign Office minister Stephen Kinnock.

Complete boycott of games

A coalition representing Uyghurs, Tibetans, residents of Hong Kong and others has been persuading participating nations to completely boycott the Winter Olympics. 

“This cannot be games as usual or business as usual; not for the IOC and not for the international community,” said Lhadon Tethong of the Tibet Action Institute in an exclusive interview to AP.

Discontent with the International Olympic Committee, Tethong had said, “People have worked to engage with the IOC in good faith to have them understand the issues directly from the mouths of those most impacted — the Uyghurs at the top of that list and the Tibetans and others.”

“It’s clear the IOC is completely uninterested in what the real impacts on the ground for people are,” he added.

On the other hand, China while denying the allegations of genocide also criticized “the politicization of sports”. China’s foreign ministry said any boycott is “doomed to failure.”

Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren pays tribute to Urban Naxal Stan Lourduswamy, compares him with Birsa Munda

OpIndia Staff
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Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren pays tribute to Urban Naxal Stan Lourduswamy, compares him with Birsa Munda

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren paid his tributes to Naxal sympathiser, and Elgar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon violence accused Stanislaus Lourduswamy, popularly known as Stan Swamy, saying his alleged sacrifices and “invaluable contribution” to society will always be remembered.

According to the reports, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren on Thursday attended a memorial service that was held to honour Stan Swamy, who was accused of conspiring with left-wing terrorists to create unrest in the entire country and to overpower the democratically elected government.

Paying his tributes, Hemant Soren compared the deceased Naxal sympathiser to tribal legend Birsa Munda to claim that Jharkhand never lagged behind when it comes to making sacrifices, whether it was Birsa Munda or Father Stan Swamy. The Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said people like Stan Swamy would be remembered for their “invaluable contribution to society”.

The Jharkhand CM even shared the images from the memorial service from his Twitter handle, praising the deceased Naxal sympathiser and violence accused Lourduswamy with the famous poem of Ravindranath Tagore.

Stan Lourduswamy, commonly known as Stan Swamy, was an undertrial prisoner in the Elgar-Parishad Bhima Koregaon violence case and died last week at a Mumbai private hospital due to age-related illness. He was 84.

Stan Swamy, an Indian Roman Catholic Jesuit priest, had been involved in anarchic activities for quite some time. However, his anti-India activities came to the fore after his role in the Elgar Parishad in 2018 surfaced during the investigation.

According to the NIA, Stan Swamy was a key conspirator in the Bhima Koregaon Elgar Parishad case of 2018, which witnessed violence, stone-pelting, and arson at Shaniwar Wada in Pune.

Hemant Soren wants people to draw inspiration from Naxal sympathiser Lourduswamy

Hemant Soren also said that the next generation “will draw inspiration from” the life of Stan Swamy, who, according to him, always remained sensitive to the cause of the Dalits, the deprived and the tribal society.

“Had a personal meeting with Father Stan Swamy. It was not known then that he has been drawing an indelible mark in his lifetime… His life was not easy. And he was not an ordinary person either. During his lifespan, he showed a way to the people and impressions of work done by people of such stature never fades,” Hemant Soren claimed while addressing a memorial meeting at Namkum to pay respect to Swamy.

Arch Bishop of Ranchi Theodore Mascarenhas, Auxiliary Bishop Telosfer Billung and several others had attended the event to pay respects to the deceased far-left ‘activist’, accused of plotting against his own country. Strangely, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has chosen to honour a Maoist sympathiser despite the fact that the state has been one of the worst affected regions due to Left-wing extremism.

This is not the first time that Hemant Soren has been extremely vocal about his open support from Naxal sympathiser Stan Swamy.

Earlier, following the death of Stan Swamy, Hemant Soren had tweeted in support of Stan Swamy by claiming that the central government should be held accountable for the “absolute apathy” towards him.

“Shocked to learn about the demise of Father Stan Swamy. He dedicated his life to working for tribal rights. I had strongly opposed his arrest & incarceration. The Union government should be answerable for absolute apathy and non-provision of timely medical services, leading to his death,” Soren had tweeted, inviting a massive uproar on the social media platform.

2 million Indian users banned, 25% total accounts banned from India: Details of disclosures by Whatsapp in first compliance report under new IT rules

OpIndia Staff
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2 million Indian users banned, 25% total accounts banned from India: Details of disclosures by Whatsapp in first compliance report under new IT rules

Popular social media app Whatsapp says it has banned 2 million accounts citing the unauthorised use of automated or bulk messaging and spamming users.

In its first transparency report, the messaging platform, published under the new Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, said it had banned 20,11,000 accounts in this one-month period to try and prevent harmful behaviour.

The Facebook-owned messaging platform identified Indian accounts with a +91 country code of the mobile number used to register. In its report, WhatsApp shared that the global average is about 8 million accounts banned per month, adding that India alone accounts for 25 per cent of all the accounts banned in the world.

The first edition of Whatsapp’s intermediary guidelines report published on Thursday highlighted the company’s focus on preventing accounts from sending harmful or unwanted messages at scale. More than 95% of the accounts are banned because of unauthorized use of automated or bulk messaging, the company said on Thursday. The compliance report will be published every 30-45 days from now on.

The company also revealed the mechanism it has put in place to improve users’ experience while preventing its platform from being used for abuse and harassment.

“The abuse detection operates at three stages of an account’s lifestyle, at registration, during messaging, and in response to negative feedback, which we receive in the form of user reports and blocks. A team of analysts augments these systems to evaluate edge cases and help improve our effectiveness over time,” Whatsapp said in its report.

“In addition to the behavioural signals from accounts, we rely on available unencrypted information including user reports, profile photos, and group photos and descriptions, besides deploying advanced AI tools and resources to detect and prevent abuse on our platform,” it further added.

As per Whatsapp, it received a total of 345 requests during the period, which includes 70 accounts for queries, 204 appeals for the ban, out of which it took action on 63, 20 for other support, 43 for product support, and 8 for “safety issues”.

The messaging platform also added that the number of banned accounts has increased remarkably since 2019, stating that their system is sophisticated in catching accounts that attempt to send bulk or automated messages.

However, the platform did not disclose how many information requests it received from the government. It is worth noting that Whatsapp is fighting a case against the Indian government over the traceability clause in the new IT rules, which requires the platform to trace the first originator of a message within the country.

The report by Whatsapp came after the Indian government enforced new IT rules that mandated significant social media intermediaries, defined as any intermediary with more than 5 million users in India, to publish monthly compliance reports in compliance with the laws.

Assam govt cracks down on criminals, 15 killed in encounters so far: CM says ‘full operational liberty’ to police as long as they are within the law

OpIndia Staff
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Assam govt cracks down on criminals, 15 killed in encounters so far: CM says ‘full operational liberty’ to police as long as they are within the law

The Assam government has intensified the crackdown on hardened criminals and terrorists in the state soon after the new government took charge and Himanta Biswa Saram assumed power.

As per reports, about 23 such criminals have been shot in various encounters and conflicts since May 10. They were accused of rape, murder, dacoity, drug peddling, and cattle smuggling. The Assam police had so far neutralised 5 criminals, besides killing 10 terrorists during encounters. Although the Opposition and Assam Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has cried foul over these encounters, the Assam government has provided the police force with ‘full operational liberty’ as long as their actions are within the law.

Himanta Biswa Sarma minces no words

On Thursday (July 15), Himanta Biswa Sarma clarified, “As a leader of the House, I thank and congratulate the Assam police for its work as whole and especially in my tenure. I want to tell the DGP that do not torture innocent people. You have full operational liberty as long as you fight against the criminals as per the law. As the chief minister of the state and with full sense of responsibility, I want to say that we have zero tolerance towards cow smuggling, drug trade, human trafficking, crime against women and children, and all crimes will be dealt with heavily and firmly irrespective of religion and caste.”

He informed the State Assembly that 504 people had been arrested for cattle smuggling in the past 2 months and only four people sustained injuries during police encounters. Himanta Biswa Sarma further told that while sympathy was important, misplaced sympathies for criminals could be dangerous. The Assam government had also launched a ‘War on Drugs’ and arrested 1897 people in this regard in the past 2 months. About 15 people had been arrested under provisions meant for habitual drug offenders that allow for detention without trial.

Earlier on July 5, Himanta Biswa Sarma directed the police chiefs of all stations in Assam to register a charge sheet within 6 months of lodging an FIR in cases of rape, murder, smuggling, and assault. He added, “Today, some people told me that multiple police shooting incidents have taken place in the last few days and if it is becoming a pattern to deal with criminals. I told them, yes. This should be the policing pattern from now on. If a rapist runs away, tries to snatch arms from the cops, they will have to fire, but not on the chest. The law says you can shoot at the legs. We want to transform the Assam Police into one of the best policing organisations in the country.”

Change in stance of Assam govt under Himanta Biswa Sarma

As per a report in India Today, Assam has witnessed one police encounter on every alternate day, ever since Himanta Biswa Sarma became the CM of the State. During these encounters, about 1300 people were arrested while several others were injured/killed. The change in the stance of the Assam government is reflected in the data under the administration of Sarbananda Sonowal. In just 2 months since May 2021, about 15 criminals have been neutralised so far. However, under the Sonowal administration in 2016, only 16 people were killed in the entire year.

India today has even quoted an anonymous police officer who informed that encounters were commonplace even during the Sonowal administration. “If you look at the year 2016 or 2017, some police firing, encounter incidents did occur. However, the operations were mostly conducted by the Assam Police against extremists. Back then, dealing with extremists was our top priority. Many extremists were killed and many injured in police operations. Some police firings also took place against criminals, but such instances were few,” he added.

Opposition, AHCR criticise govt move

The Opposition parties in Assam have criticised the Himanta-Biswa Sarma government for following the Yogi Adityanath model in UP and trying to merge the executive and judicial systems. AIUDF MLA Rafiqul Islam claimed that it was wrong for the cops to exercise ‘judicial power’ and kill people without determining their guilt in the case. He warned Himanta Biswa Sharma to ‘not follow Yogi ji’ or run the risk of sinking his own boat. “If illegal encounters are happening in Assam and some police personnel are acting under the chief minister’s instructions, then the Indian law will take action against them today or tomorrow, ” he claimed.

The Opposition has accused the BJP dispensation of high-handedness while Assam Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has asked the state government to initiate an inquiry into the police encounters.

Uttar Pradesh Govt’s ‘zero-tolerance policy’ showing positive results in the last 4 years

CM Yogi Adityanath of Uttar Pradesh has been the pioneer in a zero-tolerance policy towards crime and criminals. And it has given positive results to the state in the past four years. In March 2021, while hitting back at opposition parties over charges of a “deteriorating” law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath had revealed: “The result of the zero-tolerance policy has been that when compared to the figures of 2016-2017, there has been a fall of 65.72 % in cases of dacoity; 66.15 % in loot; 19.80 % in murder and 45.43 % in rape in UP,” he said at a press conference on the completion of four years of his government.

“While earlier no one wanted to come to the state because of a sense of insecurity, there is no fear now. Our government has also taken strict action against professional criminals, mafia elements, and others harming peace, and this has also set a norm in the country,” he said, adding: “To the government, a criminal is a criminal and it is also said that he does not belong to any caste or community.

Indian Army renovates the grave of Maqbool Sherwani: Read how the Kashmiri youth halted advancing Pakistani marauders in 1947

OpIndia Staff
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Indian Army renovates the grave of Maqbool Sherwani: Read how the Kashmiri youth halted advancing Pakistani marauders in 1947

In a moving gesture, the Indian Army on Thursday paid tributes at the renovated grave of Janab Maqbool Sherwani, a Kashmiri youth killed by Pakistani raiders in 1947 for blocking their advance towards Srinagar on Uri-Muzaffarabad highway.

According to the reports, the Indian army finished the renovation work of the grave of the martyr Maqbool Sherwani on July 15, which had been started in April 2021. The Army also held remembrance prayers for the revered martyr at his memorial, which is located in the old town, Baramulla.

In a statement, Defence PRO Col Emron Musavi said, “The work commenced in the month of April 2021 and now stands completed. On 15th July 2021 Indian Army organized remembrance prayers at the grave of Janab Maqbool Sherwani, and floral tributes were paid. The deeds of this valiant warrior will be remembered and revered by generations to come.”

Who was Maqbool Sherwani?

Maqbool Sherwani, a brave Kashmiri young man, had laid his life to protect the lives of innocent people of his homeland. In November 1947, the tribal raiders, instigated by Pakistan, plundered, raped and murdered innocent people in Kashmir. As these raiders began their advance towards Srinagar, Maqbool Sherwani and his group of friends decided to halt their movement.

Maqbool Sherwani, fondly known as the lion of Baramulla, rode his motorcycle and found the raiders plundering the city. The hordes of 20,000 Pakistani tribesmen, known as kabailis, had plundered the beautiful city of Baramulla on October 26. The Pakistani raiders were hoping to capture the strategic Srinagar Airport as it was the only way Delhi could have deployed troops and logistics. Capturing the Srinagar airport meant cutting off the valley from the rest of India.

Anticipating their advance towards Srinagar, Sherwani visited several villagers and held public meetings to unify them to take on the raiders collectively. A few days later, Sherwani intercepted these raiders single-handedly. The Pakistani raiders were perplexed to see a local citizen on the deserted road, who asked him to guide them in the direction of Srinagar airport.

Maqbool Sherwani – “the Lion of Baramulla” halted Pakistani raiders’ advance towards Srinagar

Displaying his presence of mind, Sherwani misguided Pakistani raiders by convincing them to advance in the wrong direction. Maqbool Sherwani and his volunteers, comprising various communities with no military training, set up roadblocks and destroyed bridges, thus protecting the fastest access to Srinagar.

When these raiders realised that they were misled, they caught Maqbool Sherwani, tortured and killed him. The raiders had abducted Sherwani and brought him back to Baramulla to send a message. The barbaric Pakistani raiders mutilated his body and crucified him before firing 14 bullets at him.

Sherwani’s body was nailed to a plank and tied to two pillars of Khan Hotel, near Regina Cinema, which kept on hanging for several days. Finally, the Indian Army had to pull it down days after he was killed on November 7, 1947. The raiders had also pasted a note on his head that read – “He is a traitor, his punishment is death”.

However, the death of Sherwani did not go in vain. Kashmiris rose up against the Pakistani tribesmen with a greater intensity all over the valley. Most importantly, Sherwani’s brave act to keep Pakistani tribesmen away from Srinagar airport provided a buffer time for the Indian soldiers to reach Srinagar and save the airport and the city.

Reportedly, the memorial of Maqbool Sherwani was damaged during the beginning of the Pakistan-supported insurgency in the valley during the late 1980s. The Pakistani supported terrorists had set ablaze the memorial named after Maqbool Sherwani in 1988.

In remembrance of the brave Kashmiri youth, the Indian Army has named the Second Battalion of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry after Maqbool Sherwani, which is known as “Sherwani Paltan”.

Indo-Pakistan War of 1947–1948

The partition of India on communal lines and the creation of Pakistan in August 1947 had an impact on the Hindu-ruled but Muslim-majority Kashmir. As Kashmiris decided against joining the newly created Islamic country Pakistan, they faced the wrath of the Pakistan military, who joined hands with the local tribesmen to invade the Indian territory of Kashmir.

Pakistan attempted to invade the Kashmir Valley, however, it did it cowardly by masquerading as raids by tribal invaders. In reality, the raids were instigated by the Pakistani Army in operation – codenamed Operation Gulmarg under the leadership of senior Pakistan Army officers.

On October 22, thousands of tribal mercenaries and Pakistan soldiers entered the Kashmir Valley and over-ran the outposts defended by the Maharaja Hari Singh’s forces in Muzaffarabad and other places. The ultimate goal of the Pakistani Army was to capture Srinagar with the help of these tribesmen.

As they entered Kashmir valley, these tribesmen committed large-scale atrocities, who raped, murdered, looted the civilians, resulting in several deaths. The Indian troops launched a counter-attack to stop Pakistani invaders. By November 8, the Indian forces had secured Srinagar – the seat of the princely state.

They forced the Pakistani Army to Muzaffarabad by mid-November. The war continued with lower intensity till the end of 1948 when the then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru committed a huge blunder by taking the issue to the United Nations. Due to his actions, a ceasefire was announced, resulting in maintaining a status quo, with India losing nearly one-third of Kashmir to Pakistan, now known as the PoK.

‘Criminal? He’s a birthday boy!’: Senior Mumbai police inspector seen celebrating birthday of a history-sheeter in viral video

OpIndia Staff
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‘Criminal? He’s a birthday boy!’: Senior Mumbai police inspector seen celebrating birthday of a history-sheeter in viral video

When was the last time a bunch of people including a police official gathered around you to sing and clap for your birthday? Well, history-sheeter Danish Sheikh got lucky with the senior inspector of Jogeshwari police station participating in his birthday celebrations. 

However, this did not end well for Mahendra Nerlekar- the Mumbai police officer who has now been transferred to the West Control Room as punishment for taking part in a birthday cake-cutting ceremony of a criminal.

The action was initiated after the video of the celebration went viral where Nerlekar was seen feeding cake to the history-sheeter Danish Sheikh. The short video clip reached the Zonal DCP Maheshwar Reddy and other senior officers following which immediate action was taken. 

The video was shared by Mumbai BJP leader Kirit Somaiya after which several people mocked the incident. Taking a jibe at the sorry state of Mumbai police and Maharashtra government, Somaiya Tweeted, “Birthday of MAFIA Don celebrated at Jogeshwari police station. Thackeray Sarkar’s Police Crime Branch, Sachin Vaze involve in VASOOLI. Mumbai police takes SUPARI to kill Mansukh Hiran. Home Minister Maharashtra & Commissioner of Police accuses each other of taking Haptas Bribe.”

Inquiry initiated against Nerlekar 

Commenting on the incident, a police officer said, “Nerlekar attended the birthday cake cutting in uniform and both he and Shaikh, were captured feeding cake to each other in the housing society’s office.”

The video is reportedly from two weeks ago which went viral only recently. Mumbai Police spokesperson DCP S Chaitanya informed a departmental inquiry has been initiated against Nerlekar. 

Nerlekar justifies his actions

Claiming this to be an old video, Nerlekar as per media reports said, “It is an old video. I had gone to that housing society to see some demolition work going on, but some senior citizens there insisted that I visit the society office. I went there, but I was not aware that Danish was also present there with a cake.”

Additionally, Shaikh, a history-sheeter has been booked in several criminal offences including rioting and attempt to murder. He was arrested by the Jogeshwari police in 2018. 

The police in Maharashtra do seem to have a thing about birthday celebrations of criminals. In an earlier incident in October 2020, cops at the Vasai Visar police station were seen cutting cake and celebrating the birthday of history-sheeter. Before that, in 2019, two police sub-inspectors and three constables were suspended for celebrating the birthday of a history-sheeter. The cops were reportedly celebrating the birthday of a criminal named Ayaan Khan alias Ulla.

Watch: Pro-Pakistan slogans raised in Samajwadi Party rally at Agra in presence of District President Wajid Nisar

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: Pro-Pakistan slogans raised in Samajwadi Party rally at Agra in presence of District President Wajid Nisar

On Thursday, pro-Pakistan slogans were allegedly raised by Samajwadi Party workers during a party rally organised in Agra.

According to the reports, the Samajwadi Party had organised state-wide protests against rising fuel prices and the alleged large scale “fraud” in the recently concluded Panchayat elections in the state.

A video has gone viral in which people present at the Samajwadi Party’s rally were heard raising ‘Pakistan Zindabad slogans. The slogans were raised when Samajwadi Party cadres were returning after the protests against the BJP government.

In the video, a man in a red shirt can be heard raising “Pakistan zindabad” slogans. SP’s Agra district president Wajid Nisar was also present at the rally during the incident.

As the video of the incident viral, Nisar admitted that pro-Pakistan slogans were raised during the rally. However, he claimed that some outsiders had raised such objectionable slogans to malign the party’s image. The Samajwadi Party leader also claimed that he has filed a written complaint with the police and urged strict legal action against the accused.

Reportedly, a person named Pankaj Singh is being accused of raising slogans. However, Singh has denied the charge and said that he only raised slogans in support of Mulayam Singh, Akhilesh Yadav and the Samajwadi Party.

“I am a Thakur. Why would I raise Pakistan Zindabad slogans?” Singh asked.

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh police have taken cognizance of the incident and have initiated a probe.

BJP, Hindu organisations slam Samajwadi Party for pro-Pakistan slogans

Following the incident, BJP and various Hindu organisations attacked the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party, asking whether Samajwadi Party was operating from Pakistan.

“Today in Agra, slogans of Pakistan Zindabad were raised in a rally against the BJP under the leadership of Samajwadi Party city president Wajid Nisar. Is Samajwadi Party operating from Pakistan?” the saffron party said in a tweet.

Hindu Jagran Manch has also condemned the incident, accusing Samajwadi Party of carrying out activities against the country’s interest. The Hindu activist group will be protesting on Friday, demanding sedition charges against the Samajwadi Party leaders for raising such anti-India slogans.

Interestingly, the raising of pro-Pakistan slogans by Samajwadi Party workers comes just days after former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had courted a controversy by speaking against the state police’ action against Al Qaeda suspects. 

Reacting to the arrests of two Al-Qaeda terror suspects from Kakori, the SP supremo had said, “I can’t trust the actions of the Uttar Pradesh police and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government in the state.”

Racial violence in South Africa: Zulu King Misuzulu KaZwelithini calls for peace, asks his people to stop attacking Indians

OpIndia Staff
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Racial violence in South Africa: Zulu King Misuzulu KaZwelithini calls for peace, asks his people to stop attacking Indians

Zulu King Misuzulu KaZwelithini while giving a live address on television asked fellow Zulus to end violence against Indians with ‘immediate effect.’ On Wednesday, KaZwelithini addressed Zulus giving a call for peace as the riots and unbridled violence against the Indian diaspora in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa, entered the sixth day. 

“Our Indian brothers are our neighbours and we have the second biggest population of Indians in KwaZulu-Natal outside of India and through that, we have had certain people who have come to us to say thank you to the Zulu nation and to the Zulu royal family that you are living with our Indian brothers in peace,” appealed the king. 

Expressing his displeasure over the turn of events, KaZwelithini said that violence is “not the right way of expressing and it creates a picture of people who have lost their dignity.”

The Zulu King highlighted that he had not expected his “own people (would be) so complicit” in burning down South Africa”. “I must appeal to all of us to take a great step back and consider the damage that is being done by our own actions,” KaZwelithini said.

KaZwelithini added that he fully understands the depression born of poverty and joblessness but also pointed out that the violence and arson would further affect the poor people as significant supply chains of medicine and food have been affected due to the ongoing pandemic.

Calling this an act that brought ‘much disgrace’ to the Zulu people, the Zulu King urged them to “embrace the Indians” because they share the land with them. 

South Africa continues to burn

As violent protests, riots, and arson engulfed South Africa, the city of Durban especially has been witnessing an unprecedented amount of damages caused due to continuous looting and rioting.

We reported earlier that according to eThekwini Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda, around 45,000 businesses have been deemed out of commission, and it is estimated that properties worth R16 billion (around 8225 crores) have been looted or destroyed during the riots that include damage to infrastructure and equipment.

Schools and warehouses were also burnt with visuals of gallons of milk flowing like a river on the roads going viral on social media.

It is also reported that what. started as a protest, soon turned into racial violence against the Indian community in South Africa. However, despite the continuous attack on the Indian community, the Indians came out to hand over bread to anyone who needs it.

What started the riots?

Last week, former President Jacob Zuma was arrested in contempt of court charges after he had failed to appear for a corruption hearing. The arrest of Jacob Zuma sent his supporters into a violent rage, as they rioted, indulged in arson and rampant loot in several parts of South Africa. Protests got converted into arson, looting, and other criminal activities. Despite the government’s announcement of the deployment of SA National Defence Forces, the arson and looting continued on July 13 and July 14.

Several reports have emerged where the rioters and looters are targeting people of Indian descent. It is believed that the locals are using corruption accused Gupta Brothers as an excuse to target the Indian community. In a desperate attempt to protect their businesses from looting, Indians have now stepped up their fight against the arsonists and looters. Visuals had emerged where the Indian community retaliated and shot at the looters.

Members of the Indian community were seen armed with guns and artillery to ward off rioters, looters, and arsonists. Willem Petzer, the Chairman of Taxpayers Union of South Africa, tweeted, “I have to say, after watching everything that happened today, I am looking at the Durban Indian community in a whole different light. These guys showed us they are willing to go all the way to defend their communities when they are threatened, whatever it takes.”

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