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China upset over Modi govt’s vaccine diplomacy, blames India after Bangladesh rejects their vaccine

OpIndia Staff
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China upset over Modi govt’s vaccine diplomacy, blames India after Bangladesh rejects their vaccine

Days after Bangladesh rejected the Chinese coronavirus vaccine over the efficacy issues in favor of vaccines developed by Indian companies, the Communist Party of China has taken offense and has now blamed ‘India’s influence’ behind Bangladesh’s decision to dump their vaccine.

The Chinese government mouthpiece Global Times on Tuesday published an article blaming India for ‘meddling’ between the affairs of China and Bangladesh.

Article in Global Times

According to a Hindustan Times report, the Bangladesh government, amidst the questions over the Chinese vaccine’s efficacy, had rejected Sinovac’s CoronaVac vaccine and obtained India’s Covishield doses under the Modi government’s ‘Vaccine Maitri’ initiative. It is being said that Bangladesh had rejected the Chinese vaccine after Beijing had brazenly asked Dhaka to share costs of clinical trials of Sinovac manufactured drug in the country.

Since October 2020, the Chinese government was insisting Bangladesh on signing a contract to supply CoronaVac vaccines. However, one of the terms of the contract was that Dhaka had to share the expense of the clinical trials carried out by Sinovac. As Dhaka rejected the agreement, the Chinese company said that Bangladesh could not be an exception as Sinovac was putting the same conditions for other countries who intend to procure their vaccine.

Realizing the Chinese trap, Bangladesh turned towards its ally India and tied up with SII for a commercial supply of 30 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. Three million doses of commercial supplies have already been sent to Dhaka.

China blames India after Bangladesh rejects their vaccine

The Chinese government mouthpiece, blaming India for meddling behind Bangladesh’s decision to halt Sinovac vaccine trials in the country, claimed that sharing cost for clinical trials is normal and it was due to India’s ‘meddling’ that Bangladesh rejected SinoVac’s offer.

In its report, the Global Times claimed that the Bangladeshi government had earlier agreed that Sinovac conducted clinical trials on CoronaVac in Bangladesh in July and had planned to carry out the trials since August. 

However, the clinical trials were delayed until October due to the Indian government’s alleged interference between Bangladesh-China cooperation during the period, according to Global Times. As it got delayed, Sinovac had started trials in Brazil and Turkey and did not find external financial support for the clinical trials in Bangladesh. Hence, the company had to negotiate with the Bangladeshi government about sharing the cost to launch the clinical trials, the report claimed.

Quoting Feng Duojia, president of the China Vaccine Industry Association, the report said, “In international cooperative clinical trials, it is normal for partners to share the cost based on negotiations. Usually, vaccine producers will offer to donate vaccines, or transfer some technology or help the partners build production lines as compensation”.

The report further said that it was normal for international partners to reach cooperation after reaching agreements and normalising cooperation if an agreement is not reached. ‘No one should use this as an excuse to smear any of the partners’, the report said.

Global Times article whining about Bangladesh choosing Made In India vaccine

The Chinese government mouthpiece, holding India responsible for the humiliation meted out to them by Bangladesh, claimed that India was smearing China’s cooperation with South Asia countries in cooperation on the anti-epidemic fight.

“India always treats China as a simulated enemy that can affect its influence in South Asia and reduce South Asian countries’ reliance on India,” the report quoted an expert. The article also cited a Chinese expert Tian Guangqiang stating that India wants to ‘monopolize’ the vaccine market in South Asia and is using its influence in the region to market its vaccines.

India supplies free vaccines, facilitates commercial supply to Bangladesh

In contrast to the Chinese ‘transactional’ nature, India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, had lent a hand of help to Bangladesh by sending a gift of two million doses of Covishield vaccine to Dhaka on January 21 and also facilitated a commercial contract of 30 million doses with vaccine manufacturer SII.

In fact, the Indian gift to Bangladesh was in tune with PM Modi’s assurance to Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during the December 17, 2020, virtual summit. The two countries have been cooperating in the coronavirus vaccine field, including Phase III testing, distribution, co-production, and delivery in Bangladesh.

Not just Bangladesh, even Sri Lanka, and Nepal have expressed their fear against the Chinese vaccine to their Indian interlocutors. India has already sent over five million doses of the coronavirus vaccine to seven countries in the neighbourhood, the first being Bhutan on January 20 and the latest being Mauritius on January 22.

150 police personnel injured, 2 in ICU as tractor rally turns violent on R-Day

OpIndia Staff
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150 police personnel injured, 2 in ICU as tractor rally turns violent on R-Day

As per the reports, over 150 police personnel have been injured after the tractor rally turned violent in Delhi after a large group of protestors entered the national capital from unauthorized routes on Republic Day. Most of the police personnel suffered injuries on the head and leg, along with lacerations on the forehead. However, reports suggest that two policemen were severely injured and currently fighting for their lives in the ICU at Lok Nayak and Sushruta Trauma Centre.

153 policemen were injured – Delhi Police

Anil Mittal, Additional PRO, Delhi Police, informed that 86 police personnel were injured, but the figure was later updated to 152. He said, “86 police personnel have been injured after clashes broke out with farmers. Most of them who sustained injuries were posted at Red Fort area, followed by Nangloi Chowk.” Later, it was confirmed that 41 police personnel were injured in the North district, 34 in East district, 27 in West district, 5 in Shahdara, 30 in Dwarka, 4 in South district and 12 in Outer-North.

Delhi Police PRO Eish Singhal said, “Protesters turned violent at some places. Many police personnel were injured & public properties also damaged. Police exercised restraint & used force only when needed. I appeal to protesters to return through the designated routes & maintain peace.”

The injured police personnel were rushed to different hospitals, including Sushruta Trauma Centre, Lady Hardinge Medical College, Lal Bahadur Shastri, and Lok Nayak. A senior doctor at Lok Nayak said that they had received 21 injured people, out of which 11 were police officers. “A 40-year-old policeman has suffered a critical head injury and is admitted to the ICU for observation. We performed a CT scan, and the report is normal. We will admit him for one more day,” he added.

The police officer who is in ICU at Sushruta Trauma Centre had sustained a head injury. A senior doctor said, “One policeman was admitted to the ICU after he sustained an injury on his head. He is in a state of shock.” 58 police personnel were treated at Sushruta Trauma Centre.

Police personnel pushed from high-rise wall at Red Fort

Later at night, a video of the clashes at Red Fort was shared by news agency ANI. In the video, several police personnel were seen being attacked by a large group of violent rioters who kept on pushing and assaulting till the policemen, trying to hang by the damaged barricades, were forced or pushed down the high rise wall. The protestors kept chasing and beating the police personnel to make them fall.

In another heartbreaking image, two police personnel were seen requesting the protestors with folded hands not to beat them. They were both sitting on the ground.

Home Ministry increased security, cases filed

3 FIRs have been registered in this regard in the Eastern District of Delhi. One case each has been registered in Dwarka and Shahdara districts. More FIRs are yet to be lodged in the case of beating of police officers, encroachment in Red Fort, vandalism, and violence. One ‘farmer’ who was trying to perform stunts with his tractor and drove into police barricading with high speed, was crushed to death when the tractor overturned. A section of the media spread rumors that he died from a police bullet. In a video, protestors were seen damaging Two vehicles of Delhi Police including a riot control vehicle were at Nangloi-Najafgarh Road.

The paramilitary forces have now been deployed along the Delhi borders. Union Home Minister Amit Shah met Delhi Police Commissioner, Union Home Secretary and Chief of IB to review the situation in the evening. The Union Home Ministry is closely monitoring the entire development. Home Ministry suspended internet services for few hours where clashes broke down. Additional companies of paramilitary forces were deployed to control the situation. A large number of personnel were deployed in ITO, Nangloi and Ghazipur. Ten CRPF companies and five other armed forces companies have left for Delhi.

Live TV vs edited upload: How NDTV’s Ravish Kumar gave leeway to rioting mob at Red Fort on Republic Day

OpIndia Staff
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Live TV vs edited upload: How NDTV’s Ravish Kumar gave leeway to rioting mob at Red Fort on Republic Day

Even as the violent mob of protestors unleashed mayhem on the streets of the national capital and attacked the police personnel on Republic Day, NDTV India Editor Ravish Kumar attempted to tone down the magnitude of the unbridled violence carried out by the rioters, who threw away Tricolour offered to place a Sikh flag on top of the flag pole at Red Fort.

On Tuesday, a violent mob descended on the streets of the national capital to protest against the three farm laws passed by the government when the rest of the country was celebrating the Republic Day. As usual, the protests suspected to be hijacked by the Khalistani elements and far-left ‘activists’ turned violent, leading to massive violence against police personnel that included damage to the public properties.

As the protestors reached the Red Fort, they climbed the Mughal monument to hoist a Sikh flag. During the insurrection against the government by the rioters at the Red Fort, they even disrespected the Indian tricolour as they threw it away to place the ‘Nishana Sahib’ on top of the Red Fort’s flag pole.

Despite the violent insurrections by the so-called farmers against the state, the controversial news anchor Ravish Kumar appeared to be whitewashing the rioters’ crimes by carefully presenting their violent protests as a ‘peaceful movement’. In his show, Ravish Kumar seems to have played a mischief by removing the portion where the rioting mob admits to violence to ‘fight for rights’ from show uploaded on YouTube.

Here is the video where Ravish Kumar aired live video without reference to protesters attacking Delhi Police ruthlessly, who in fact had to jump into the moat adjacent to the mighty walls of the Red Fort.

In the video, one can see the NDTV employee asking the mob what brought them to the Red Fort. One person claims they were called by farmer leaders while other claimed they had come for to fight for their right.

In the video uploaded on YouTube, the portion where rioting mob is admitting they came to Red Fort to ‘fight for rights’ and were directed to go there was carefully removed. Instead, in a bid to appear more ‘neutral’, NDTV India inserted the clip of policemen falling into the ditch at Red Fort as mob continued to unleash violence against them.

Ravish Kumar tones down intense fury of the mob, says no damage to Red Fort

Ravish Kumar, continuing his act of absolving the rioters’ crimes, said that initially, the mob was peaceful at the Red Fort. However, the mob turned impatient by afternoon resulting in more tractors reaching the Red Fort premises. In the show, Ravish Kumar says that the protestors were not as violent as they are being depicted as they did not vandalise or destroy the Red Fort during their so-called protests.

Essentially, as per Ravish Kumar, ‘farmers‘ wielding swords, sieging the Red Fort while riding horses, deliberately trying to run over police to kill them, beating up a woman police officer, pushing police into a ditch head first – none of this is ‘aggressive behaviour’.

NDTV attempts to paint violent mobs in tractor rally as humanitarian

Not just that, the NDTV also tried to paint the violent mobs in tractor rally as humanitarian by claiming the rioters made way for the ambulance stuck in the commotion. As the rioters rampaged and created mayhem on the streets of Delhi, NDTV sought to condone their violent tendencies by attempting to project them as considerate and compassionate towards the sufferings of others.

An ambulance was snarled up in the traffic caused by the tractor rally in the national capital. But NDTV twisted the news to allege that ‘farmers’ made way for the ambulance stuck in the commotion.

Protesters resort to violence, vandalism and destruction amidst Tractor Rally

Thousands of farmers breached barricades and proceeded towards Delhi amid huge police presence as they kicked off their tractor rally on Republic Day. Chaos was unleashed on the streets leading to the national capital as farmers flouted the designated route and marched towards the Parliament and Red Fort.

The participants of the tractor rally also resorted to vandalism as they ran amok on the highways, attacking the trucks and breaking the barricades that were put up by the Delhi police to control their route. As disorder swept over the city’s borders, protesters were baton-charged and tear-gassed by the policemen on duty.

The upheaval was primarily caused after the protesters who were allowed to hold the “Kisaan Parade” between 12 to 5 PM, started the march much before the allotted time and veered away from the agreed-upon routes. The security personnel had tried in vain to convince the farmers to stick to the plan of holding the tractor parade after the conclusion of the Republic Day parade at Rajpath. But, their requests fell on deaf ears as the protesters ran riot, breaking barricades and vandalising vehicles on their way.

The rampant violence was the leitmotif of the Kisaan Parade carried out on Republic Day by the protesters opposing the newly introduced Farm Laws. But the tweet posted by NDTV, in essence, was a shoddy attempt by the media organization to discredit the reports of violence, vandalism, and stone-pelting that were witnessed in the wake of the tractor rally.

Khalistani supporters protests outside the Indian embassy in Washington DC, raise secessionist flags

OpIndia Staff
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Khalistani supporters protests outside the Indian embassy in Washington DC, raise secessionist flags

On January 26 (local time), supporters of the Khalistani secessionists came out in Washington DC to stand in solidarity with the violent mob running riots in Delhi in the name of farmer protests. The Khalistan supporters held a protest outside the Indian embassy in the capital of USA.

In the past, Khalistani elements in the UK, USA, and Canada have been organizing protests to show solidarity with the secessionists in India. The Khalistan movement is supported and aided actively by Pakistan’s ISI.

The violent protests in Delhi

The farmer unions lodged outside Delhi with lakhs of farmers got permission for a tractor rally on January 26 with specified routes and time limit to maintain law and order on Republic Day. The conditions included route, a limited number of protestors on every tractor, starting rally only after R-Day Parade, no weapons, and so on. However, they broke all the promises that they made to Delhi Police in writing.

The protestors entered Delhi hours before they were scheduled to. They carried weapons, including swords and guns. Their tractors were modified to mow down the security forces. More than a hundred police personnel were injured. The agitated protestors assaulted women officers too. By noon, a group of protestors had reached Red Fort and hoisted an alien flag that is believed to be Nishan Sahib on Red Fort. A viral video showed a protestor throwing the national flag away that caused an uproar on social media. A similar call was made by Sikhs For Justice, a terrorist organization that wants a separate Sikh country named Khalistan. The protestors were cheered by Pakistan for hoisting ‘Khalistani’ flag on Red Fort.

Notably, the advocates of the farmer unions had promised Supreme Court that the rally would be peaceful. However, in the end, 250 children and performers had to stay hidden in the Red Fort premises as the hooligans had taken over the area. By night, a section of media was seen justifying the rioting that so-called protestors did in the national capital on Republic Day.

The deafening silence of the ‘lambs’ who egged the ‘protestors’ who turned into an unruly mob on Republic Day

Nirwa Mehta
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The deafening silence of the ‘lambs’ who egged the ‘protestors’ who turned into an unruly mob on Republic Day

Remember ‘Punjabi’ celebrities who extended the support to ‘farmers’? How singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh ‘won hearts’ and ‘broke the internet’ with his comebacks and very public spat with actor Kangana Ranaut? Since the ‘farmers’ blocked the roads at Delhi border, Dosanjh has been tweeting vociferously in their favour.

“Liberals” went crazy, hailing him as the new hero and even pegged him as next Punjab CM or even ‘Canada PM’. This even after he has openly extended support to Pakistan’s ISI backed Khalistan. In June 2020, a demand for an FIR against Diljit Dosanjh was raised after he was seen supporting Gurpatwant Pannu’s and Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) demand for Khalistan. Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu had urged Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh to order that FIR’s be filed in every police station of the state against singer Diljit Dosanjh and two others.

Another such ‘celebrity’ who has been very vocal to support ‘farmers’ has been singer-actor Harbhajan Mann. In fact, he even reached Delhi to participate in the tractor rally.

Another Punjabi singer JazzyB had also joined the ‘farmer’ protest at Tikri border earlier and sung at the concert there to extend support to the ‘farmers’.

He even tweeted yesterday his support to the tractor rally.

However, when the protesting mob charged towards the Red Fort and put it under siege, just few kms away from the official celebration of Republic Day, these celebrities, who egged the ‘farmers’ to ‘fight for rights’ went deafeningly quiet.

Diljit Dosanjh has only tweeted his wish for Republic Day, nothing more.

Diljit Dosanjh’s Twitter timeline

Similarly, Harbhajan Mann’s last tweet is of the rally where he referred to it as ‘historic peaceful farmers’ rally’. Prior to that, he had tweeted a picture of himself en route to Delhi to participate in the ‘peaceful rally’.

But the violence that was unleashed on Delhi cops, where the ‘farmers’ wielded swords, rode horses, deliberately tried to kill the policemen by trying to run tractors over them, pushed them into the ditch at Red Fort and went on to unfurl the Nishan Sahib flag at the flag mast. None of these celebrities have condemned such violence.

None of them have said a word on the violence.

Not a peep.

This national shame is on you.

The silence can be considered as condonation of the act.

The silence is deafening.

Nirbhaya protests, blaming the govt and other excuses: Here’s how liberals came out to defend the Red Fort siege and the accompanying violence

Jinit Jain
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Nirbhaya protests, blaming the govt and other excuses: Here’s how liberals came out to defend the Red Fort siege and the accompanying violence

The ongoing farmers’ agitation along the Delhi borders reached a crescendo today when the protesters ran riot on the streets of the national capital during their Tractor rally. 

As protesters veered away from the pre-decided route, the police forces charged them with batons and fired teargas to try to disperse the crowds. The demonstrators resorted to vandalism, destroying vehicles on their march into Delhi. Social media platforms were awash with shocking visuals of lumpen protesters vandalising DTC buses at ITO area.

Scores of rampaging demonstrators breached the police barricades around the capital and stormed the grounds of Delhi’s historic Red Fort as tumultuous and violent scenes cast a pal over the country’s Republic Day celebrations. The protesting demonstrators also waved a Sikh flag alongside the Indian flag at the historic monument. 

Left-leaning liberals defend the vandalism and violence by ‘farmers’

As protesters held the Red Fort at siege and unfurled a religious flag at the site, the usual suspects went on an overdrive to justify the anarchy that was unravelling on the 71st Republic Day of the world’s largest democracy during the tractor rally.

Propagandist Akash Banerjee attempted to defend the violence that erupted in Delhi and pinned the blame of the same on the government. In a snarky tweet, Banerjee implied that the protests couldn’t remain peaceful because the government did not cave into the demands of the protesters.

Another left-liberal preemptively moved to disassociate the ruckus by the ‘farmers’ in tractor rally with the storming of the US Capitol Hill a couple of weeks back. 

Rohini Singh came to the defense of the riotous ‘farmers’ mob, making an absurd comparison with the protests that swept the national capital in the aftermath of the Nirbhaya rape case. Singh stated that the demonstrators had then entered the Rashtrapati Bhavan but the TV anchors had then not outraged over the protests. 

Another undistinguished liberal, Nikhil Taneja, had no quarrel with how the protesters vandalised and ran riot in Delhi. Instead, he painted the government as the oppressor and held them responsible for the disorder. 

Liberals draw false equivalence between Ram Mandir Tableau and hoisting of Sikh flag at Red Fort

Some of the left-leaning liberals made a ridiculous comparison of the unfurling of a religious flag at the Red Fort with the Uttar Pradesh government’s Ram Mandir Tableau in the Republic Day parade to defend the desecration of the Red Fort by the protesters. 

Newslaundry journalist Manisha Pande also defended the defilement of the Red Fort, saying that the Indian flag was not disrespected when the protesters hoisted the Sikh religious flags at the iconic monument. 

Journalist Harinder Baweja was upset that people were condemning the illegal unfurling of Nishan Sahib flag at the Red Fort and not the Ram Mandir Tableau by the Uttar Pradesh government. According to her, the UP government’s Ram Mandir Tableau in R-Day parade was as condemnable as the unlawful hoisting of a religious flag at the Red Fort. 

Similarly, another lesser-know liberal who goes by the name of Neha Dixit, supported the hoisting of a religious flag by an unruly mob at Red Fort. She stated that since the government could display Ram Mandir Tableau at the R-Day parade, protesting vandals could also unfurl Nishan Saheb flag on Red Fort.

The entire saga of the Red Fort siege laid bare the innate tendencies of the liberal intelligentsia. It demonstrated that the liberal opposition to mob violence and vandalism is not absolute. Rather, it is convenient and flexible, based on the identities of the ‘victims’ and the ‘oppressors’. Since the protesters here were protesting against the Modi government, liberals had no qualms with the violence perpetrated by them.

Not only did liberals had no problems with the protesters going on a rampage in the national capital, they even unapologetically defended their vandalism and tried to legitimise the violence as a fallout of government’s refusal to agree with the protesters’ demands.

Meanwhile, 83 policemen were injured during the violence that ensued. And even more horrifying was the fact that hundreds of children/artists who had participated in the Republic Day celebrations were stranded at the Red Fort when the monument was held at siege. They were crying and terrified before they were rescued by the Delhi Police.

Hundreds of children, artists for Republic Day were stuck at Red Fort crying, terrified by the mob: Reports

OpIndia Staff
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Hundreds of children, artists for Republic Day were stuck at Red Fort crying, terrified by the mob: Reports

Around 200 artists of Republic Day parade were stranded since 12:00 PM near Red Fort. They were rescued by Delhi Police late evening, reports say.

According to Vikas Bhaduria of ABP news, 250 artists/children who participated in the Republic Day parade got stuck at Red Fort. The so-called farmers protesting against the recently passed farm laws had blocked the exit point.

The children had to stay hidden near the Red Fort before police could rescue them. Delhi Police could only rescue them in late evening. The reports suggest that they were scared because of the hooligans outside and were crying.

Rajan Tiwari, Vice-President BJP Delhi, condemned the incident and said that he was shattered to learn about the children. He also thanked Delhi police for rescuing the children.

There is limited information on the incident, and we will update this space as we more information pours in.

Here is how the Uttarakhand Youth Congress celebrated the Red Fort siege, incited violence by spreading fake news about protester death

OpIndia Staff
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Here is how the Uttarakhand Youth Congress celebrated the Red Fort siege, incited violence by spreading fake news about protester death

The Uttarakhand unit of the Indian Youth Congress, the youth wing of the Congress party, appears to be celebrating the siege of the Red Fort on Republic Day. The protesting mob had forcefully made their way into the Red Fort and hoisted the Sikh Flag, widely interpreted as the Khalistan Flag.

The Uttarakhand Youth Congress shared a photograph from the Red Fort earlier today after the protesting mob breached its premises.

Uttarakhand Youth Congress celebrated the breaching of the Red Fort premises
They celebrated the breaching of the Red Fort premises

Not merely that, the Uttarakhand Youth Congress also openly spread fake news at a critical juncture and attempted to fan sentiments falsely claiming that a farmer had been murdered by the Delhi Police.

Uttarakhand Youth Congress spreads fake news
They spread fake news

In reality, the farmer had died after a tractor had overturned. “One person died after a tractor overturned at Delhi’s DDU Marg on Tuesday during the violent protest in the borders and several parts of the National Capital,” India Today report on the matter.

Earlier, propagandist-in-chief Rajdeep Sardesai spread fake news about it and it appears that the Uttarakhand Youth Congress spread the same fake news. They also appeared to be inciting violence. Sharing the photograph of the dead body, the Uttarakhand Youth Congress asked, “Can these photographs ever be forgotten?”

Uttarakhand Youth Congress incites violence
They incited violence

It is important to mention here that the Congress party was celebrating the violence on Republic Day and calling it the ‘power of a republic’. Rahul Gandhi, too, attempted to use the violence to further his personal political agenda and called for a repeal of the farm laws. But even after all that, the party tried to paint Khalistani Deep Sidhu as a BJP leader to whitewash the violence witnessed on Republic Day.

Here is how Congress and trolls tried to paint a Khalistani accused of spearheading the Red Fort siege as a ‘sanghi’

OpIndia Staff
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Here is how Congress and trolls tried to paint a Khalistani accused of spearheading the Red Fort siege as a ‘sanghi’

One of the most disturbing images that came out of the Republic Day insurrection was the hoisting of the flag at Red Fort. While there appears to be consensus that it was the Sikh Flag that was raised, it was interpreted by many to be the flag of Khalistan.

Now, according to some of the farmer leaders, the ones responsible for the hoisting of the flag at Red Fort were Deep Sidhu and his gang of supporters. Boota Singh Burjgill, President BKU (Dakaunda), told The Print, “Deep Sidhu and his group hoisted the flags at the Red Fort. They have been trying to create trouble in the movement from day one. We are following the parade route we had announced.”

Satnam Singh Pannu, secretary of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, said, “We were in favour of parading on the Ring Road while others unions were against it. We paraded on the ring road today & are now back at Singhu. We had no plan to go to the Red Fort nor did we join those who went.”

Deep Sidhu is a Khalistani supporters who has been involved in the current protests against the newly passed farm laws from the very beginning. For a time, he even became popular with the media but ruined his chances after he gave an interview to Barkha Dutt, where he refused to condemn Khalistani terrorist Bhindranwale.

He had shot to media fame after a video had gone viral on social media where he was seen claiming that the farmers protests will be the defining moment of the geopolitics of not just India but also for the entire South Asia.

Referring to OpIndia, Barkha Dutt confronted Sidhu on reports that claimed that the actor was a Khalistan supporter. However, she was left disappointed when Sidhu, instead of condemning Bhindranwale, hailed him as a revolutionary who fought for a strong federal structure. Despite Barkha Dutt’s repeated insistence, Deep Sidhu did not budge from his stand.

Some on social media, however, after the role of Deep Sidhu in today’s events became evident, have attempted to falsely brand him a ‘BJP supporter’. In reality, Sidhu had clarified during his interview with Barkha Dutt that he had only campaigned for Sunny Deol because he shared a very good personal relationship with the actor and he was not associated with any political party.

National Coordinator of Digital Communications and Social Media of the Congress party, Gaurav Pandhi, claimed that it was “BJP’s sinister plan” and it was “BJP’s Deep Sidhu” who attempted to hold the Red Fort at siege.

Congress claims Khalistani Deep Sidhu is a BJP member
Source: Twitter

Others with an-anti BJP political stance are also falsely claiming that Deep Sidhu is a BJP member.

Source: Twitter

Such attempts come after the Congress party celebrated the violence at the national capital on Republic Day and called it a demonstration of the ‘power of a republic’. Rahul Gandhi, meanwhile, has also attempted to use the Republic Day insurrection to further his personal political agenda and demand a repeal of the farm laws.

Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that it was the Congress party which helped propel Deep Sidhu as a ‘farmer leader’.

Thus, quite clearly, an attempt is being made to whitewash the role of farmer leaders in the current spate of violence that erupted at the national capital. Farmer unions, too, appear to focus all the blame on Deep Sidhu so that they can absolve themselves of their role in the violence that transpired.

Rajdeep Sardesai lies twice, says ‘farmer’ was killed because the police shot him in the head: Here is the truth

OpIndia Staff
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Rajdeep Sardesai lies twice, says ‘farmer’ was killed because the police shot him in the head: Here is the truth

While the anti-farm law protestors unleashed havoc on the streets of the National Capital on 71st Republic Day, several journalists and intellectuals came forward to whitewash their acts. Senior journalist at India Today, Rajdeep Sardesai tried to pull off a similar stunt by sharing fake news about a ‘farmer’ dying in police firing.

While being fully aware that his tweet can potentially aggravate the sensitive law and order situation in Delhi, Rajdeep tweeted, “One person, 45-year-old Navneet killed allegedly in police firing at ITO.” In a bid to pump up emotions, he added, “Farmers tell me: the ‘sacrifice’ will not go in vain.” To further sensationalise the matter, he tweeted a picture of the deceased’s body covered in the Indian tricolour.

Screengrab of the deleted tweet by Rajdeep Sardesai

However, Rajdeep’s own news network had reported that the man died after his tractor had overturned. “One person died after a tractor overturned at Delhi’s DDU Marg on Tuesday during the violent protest in the borders and several parts of the National Capital,” the India Today report said.

Screengrab of the India Today report

On being called out on social media, Rajdeep Sardesai quietly deleted the tweet without tendering any apology. In this way, those who had shared the fake news once would live under the false impression that it was indeed a case of police firing.

While Rajdeep Sardesai deleted his tweet spreading fake news, Rajdeep had even spread this dangerous narrative on Television on India Today, adding extra spice to the news. Rajdeep went on television and said that the farmer was “shot in the head”. He claimed that Navneet Singh was driving the tractor and he was “shot in the head” and suffered a bullet injury that resulted in his death.

Video footage of the incident

Journalist Anurag Shrivastav had also shared the video of the incident which took the life of the victim. In the footage shared by him, several protestors could be seen driving their tractors at an extreme speed. At 13 seconds in the video, it could be seen that a tractor had overturned on the other side of the road. Contrary to Rajdeep’s claims, who tried to portray the police in a bad light, it was seen that the cops immediately rushed to the victim’s rescue. They also attempted to carry his body away, anticipating an explosion in the damaged vehicle.

‘Farmers’ resort to violence and vandalism

The worst fears came alive on Tuesday morning when ‘protestors’ from Punjab unleashed mayhem on the streets of Delhi. In a video shared by news agency ANI, two such protestors were seen laying siege on a police water cannon vehicle in Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar in the national Capital. The vehicle was gheraoed by protestors from all sides, who have been marching both on foot as well as tractor from the Singhu border. 

In a shocking incident, an anti-farm law protestor was seen brandishing his sword and attempting to inflict severe injuries at police personnel. While the cops used sticks to defend themselves against the onslaught of violence, an aged ‘farmer’ pulled out his sword to attack a police official. Following the intervention of other protestors, the ‘farmer’ was forced to retreat.

In a video uploaded by Sudarshan news, one so-called ‘farmer’ was seen vandalizing a truck. The protestor, wielding a stick in his hand, destroyed the glass pane of a truck that was parked on the road as a mark of protest against the historic farm laws. The so-called protestors were also seen attacking buses.

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