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Saffron flag, louspeaker on Maha Shivratri: Read what triggered Hazaribagh voilence as tensions were already brewing over minaret on govt school

OpIndia Staff
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Saffron flag, louspeaker on Maha Shivratri: Read what triggered Hazaribagh voilence as tensions were already brewing over minaret on govt school

On 26th February, a clash transpired between two communities on Maha Shivratri over tying a loudspeaker to an iron pillar in Pipratola located in Dumraon village of Ichak police station area in the Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand. Half a dozen people were injured in stone pelting. The miscreants set fire to 8 vehicles including a car, six bikes, a scooter and a bicycle. Police are conducting a search operation to nab the perpetrators. The situation is currently under control.

The loudspeaker might have triggered the violence but tension had been prevailing in the region for a long time. A loudspeaker was being tied to the iron post at New Sanatani Hindustan Chowk at about 8 am after which members of the Muslim community began to protest. Meanwhile, authorities were notified. Local police station in-charge Santosh Kumar reached the spot and talked to people from both the sides. It was agreed that the loudspeaker would be removed after Maha Shivratri.

People from the Muslim community began throwing stones from the roofs of their houses and the school grounds while the discussion was still in progress. People from the other side also did the same in retaliation which prompted the unrest. An automobile parked on the road was also toppled by the rioters who even pushed a bike into a well. At least six people were wounded due to the incident.

A few days ago, a saffron flag was hoisted after some people installed an iron pillar at the same site which resulted in a ruckus. They also protested and the matter reached the police station, however, it was not resolved. The conflict intensified on the sacred day of Maha Shivratri when Muslims objected to the loudspeakers. According to the police, prohibitory orders have been issued in accordance with section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which forbids carrying firearms, organizing processions and assembly of five or more individuals.

“In Ichak, there is a panchayat called Dumraon. There was a scuffle between two communities regarding the installation of loudspeakers and flags with respect to Maha Shivratri. There was an hour of scuffle and stone-pelting incident, but there was no major injury; nobody was hurt. Some vehicles and bikes were burnt. We are assessing that damage. We have CCTV footage of some areas over there. The police are investigating that,” informed Deputy Commissioner Hazaribagh Nancy Sahay.

“Security forces have been deployed since yesterday. Today, at 2 pm, there is a peace committee meeting. After that, we will assess the situation and decide how long we will depute the force and magistrates. As of now, we have not enforced any prohibitory order,” she added. Security personnel were stationed in the vicinity to uphold law and order after the incident.

The area had been experiencing tense atmosphere for approximately a year and a half. People from one community had constructed a minaret on the government school’s gate at the time. Cops were notified. Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) and the Circle Officer (CO) along with the entire police and local administration settled the matter over a mutual agreement. Disputes between the two sides have since occurred on new year, Ramnavami and Holi there.

Ranchi MP and Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth responded to the occurrence and blamed Bangladeshi infiltrators. He called on Chief Minister Hemant Soren to take decisive action to expel them. He asked that why do these incidents only take place in Jharkhand during Hindu festivals like Holi, Saraswati Puja, Ramnavami, and Maha Shivratri? This is due to intruders from Bangladesh who are determined to disrupt law and order, communal harmony and the state’s demographics, he added.

He asserted that such incidents are very rare in Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ruled states, be it Delhi, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra or Uttar Pradesh because such elements are identified and thrown out from there.

(With inputs from ANI)

Punjab: After a Minister was removed from non-existent department, now the state education department transfers employees based on a fake order

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab: After a Minister was removed from non-existent department, now the state education department transfers employees based on a fake order

The AAP government in Punjab has recently been making headlines for all the wrong reasons. About a week ago, the state government was in the news for relieving one of its cabinet ministers of the charge of a department that never existed. Now, another bizarre incident has come to light from the state in which several staff members in the state education department were transferred across districts based on a fake transfer order.

As per reports, 57 clerk-cum-data entry operators and sewadars in the Punjab education department were shifted based on fake transfer orders. Notably, instead of individual transfer orders addressed to each employee, the fake transfer was a combined one to all 57 employees. It was issued on 2nd February in the name of the Director of School Education (Secondary), which contained the list of all the employees. The list included names, other details and their new posting details. Reportedly, Several District Education Officers (DEOs) implemented the fake orders believing them to be authentic.

Notably, the order issued on 2nd February asked all the employees to report to their assigned stations at 9 am on 3rd February, which is not possible for most people unless the new office is in the same place. This caused confusion among employees listed in the order, and many of them started posting it on social media. The blunder was noticed only after the fake transfer order went viral on social media.

Upon noticing the mistake, the Director of General School Education (DGSE) issued an urgent letter to all the DEOs asking them not to act based on the fake orders. On 26th February, the Director confirmed that some DEOs and school heads had shifted some employees acting on the fake orders. The Director further instructed the DEOs and school heads not to consider any transfer orders unless they are officially communicated through designated email channels. He urged the officials to verify the authenticity of orders before acting on them.

Punjab government department that did not exist

On 21st February, the Punjab government informed through a gazette notification that the Department of Administrative Reforms which was allotted to MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal did not exist. Interestingly, it took more than 19 months for the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government in the state to realise that the department did not exist. The Department was allotted to Dhaliwal via a notification dated 23rd September 2024. Later, in an attempt to cover up the blunder, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann said that the department’s nomenclature had been changed.

However, reports claimed that the Department of Administrative Reforms did not have any staff. After being given the charge of the department, Dhaliwal kept asking the government to appoint a secretary but no such officer was posted. He was later informed that administrative reforms fell under the Governance Reforms Department.

Harvard University magazine capitulates to Soros-backed Sikh activists and removes article on Khalistani separatism, author refuses to make edits

Shraddha Pandey
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Harvard University magazine capitulates to Soros-backed Sikh activists and removes article on Khalistani separatism, author refuses to make edits

In yet another episode of Harvard University caving to extremists to escape their outrage, it removed an article from its quarterly magazine Harvard International Review (HIR) simply because it critiqued Khalistani secessionism. The article titled “A Thorn in the Maple: How the Khalistan Question is Reshaping India-Canada Relations”, was published on HIR’s website on 15th February 2025. However, on 26th February, the HIR pulled the critical piece following a barrage of complaints from pro-Khalistan Sikh readers, including one by Harvard’s Sikh chaplain.

Zyna Dhillon’s article on HIR’s website before withdrawal

What the now-withdrawn Harvard article discussed and why it offended the Khalistanis

In her article, Zyna Dhillon, a Staff Writer and Associate Editor at HIR argued that the Khalistani separatist movement lacked broader support as she wrote, “Much of the support for the Khalistan movement today comes from a growing segment of Canada’s Sikh diaspora. Note, however, that this support comes from only a minority of Canadian Sikhs, and while “there are many supporters of Khalistan in Canada, they do not represent the [Canadian] Sikh community as a whole.”

Harvard International Review removed the said article after backlash from pro-Khalistan elements

Although it is a known fact that most of the key Khalistani separatists have terror links including the slain Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, whose assassination resulted in an Indo-Canada diplomatic spat, Dhillon’s article presents more of a timeline of the rise of the Khalistani ‘movement’, how Canada became a safe haven for these anti-India elements due to Liberal Party’s vote-bank politics rather than supporting India’s stand or that of Canada.

The article makes mention of the bombing of Air India flight 182 also known as the Kanishka Bombing of 1985 by Khalistani terrorists which resulted in the loss of 329 lives, attacks on the Indian High Commission in Canada, and how Khalistanis have been staging anti-India protests and attacking Hindu temples across Canada.  

Not to forget, Nijjar, who was apparently killed in a gang war, was a wanted terrorist in India. There were multiple requests for his extradition by the Government of India, but Canada denied those requests. On 18th June 2023, he was killed outside a Gurdwara, where he served as president, in Surrey, BC. The same Gurdwara held a memorial for four Khalistani terrorists, including Talwinder Singh Parmar, the main accused in Canada’s deadliest terror attack—the Kanishka Bombing of 1985.

The Harvard Crimson reported that HIR editors Sydney C. Black and Elizabeth R. Place issued a statement saying that the article in question is “temporarily” withdrawn and that its author has been asked to make “necessary edits.”

“When we receive complaints about a published article, we review both the article and the critique. If we determine that any criticism may have merit, we temporarily remove the article from our website, to facilitate further research and a more detailed review,” Black and Place wrote adding that Dhillon’s article did not meet their standards for neutrality and was rather “opinionated style of journalism”.  

In their email to Dhillon, the Harvard International Review editors-in-chief asked her to make two edits: removing Indian government statistics on deaths caused by Sikh militants, and adding a sentence confirming whether Khalistan supporters had harassed Indian diplomats in Canada.

However, Zyna Dhillon refused to remove any part of the article or add more context to it as asked by the HIR editors in their email. In a statement, Dhillon said that making the alterations asked by the HIR editors to her article including the statement that “India defines terrorism broadly” — would have “actively pandered to the pro-Khalistan critics of the article.”

On 22nd February, the article was removed after Harpreet Singh, a Sikh chaplain at Harvard filed a four-page complaint with Harvard International Review alleging that Dhillon’s article presented uncorroborated data from the Indian government and downplaying global and Punjabi support for Khalistan. Singh labelled Dhillon’s argument as “a dangerous equivalency” that conflated “all Khalistan activism with ‘terrorism’.

Notably, in her now-removed article, Dhillon mentioned that according to the Indian government, 11,694 citizens and 1,784 security personnel lost their lives in terrorist attacks by Sikh militants during the Khalistan insurgency. To back this, Dhillon linked a Times of India report from 2015 which reported these figures based on an RTI response by the Indian Home Ministry to a Meerut-based activist.

Besides, there is ample evidence confirming that Khalistani extremists including Sikhs for Justice founder Gurpatwant Singh Pannun harassed Indian diplomats, and threatened them in 2023 during their protests outside the Indian consulate in Ottawa against Nijjar’s killing. They had also demanded the shutting down of the Indian High Commission in Ottawa. Moreover, Khalistani posters calling for the assassination of Indian Diplomats also emerged in Delta, Canada in September 2023.  

Harvard chaplain Harpreet Singh, Sikh Coalition and its pro-Khalistani proclivities

Harpreet Singh serves as one of the chaplains at Harvard University and also a co-chair on the executive board of the US-based organisation Sikh Coalition. It is interesting to note that the Sikh Coalition receives funds from the Open Society Foundations (OSF). The OSF is an organisation of George Soros, who had earlier declared war on nationalists and nationalism, including Prime Minister Modi.

Source: Sikh Coalition website

While the Sikh Coalition claims that it “does not take an institutional position on Khalistan, but firmly believes that all people have a right to free speech and to lawfully advocate for their beliefs”, the Sikh Coalition has long been backing pro-Khalistan elements. This was also seen during the Farmers Protest against the Modi government’s three farm laws in 2020. The co-founder of Sikh Coalition Simran Jeet Singh who is a Soros Equality Fellow with the Open Society Foundations of George Soros has on many occasions targeted the Indian government.

Back in 2023, Simran Jeet Singh in a TIME magazine article accused the Modi government of ‘abusing’ fundamental human rights and imposing severe restrictions on the citizens including freedom of assembly and freedom of expression to nab Khalistani extremist Amritpal Singh whom he called a ‘Sikh activist’ fighting drugs menace in Punjab.

In addition, despite the fact that Khalistan extremist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun repeatedly issues threats to cause bomb blasts in India, the Sikh Coalition sees Pannun as just another ‘law-abiding’ Sikh citizen of the USA and advocates for protecting his ‘rights’.

Harvard’s capitulation to radical voices though disturbing, is not surprising

As Zyna Dhillon refused to make changes in her article, contending that the changes the HIR editors wanted her to make would have pandered to the offended Khalistanis and diluted her intent, the Harvard International Review, instead of backing the author decided to genuflect before the Khalistani extremists and removed the article. Harvard’s knee-jerk to Khalistan pressure has outraged many on social media. While Dhillon’s article remains accessible through archives, its erasure from HIR’s official platform demonstrates that all it takes to muzzle neutral voices presenting facts, is a slew of complaints from extremists masquerading as ‘activists’ and their pressure tactics.

It, however, is not surprising that Harvard is pandering to Khalistani extremists given it has a history of sympathising with Islamic extremists. Back in 2023, during a congressional hearing, Harvard’s then-president Claudine Gay could not muster a straightforward “yes” when asked if calling for the genocide of Jews violated university policy. Instead, Gay served up a word salad of ‘context’, making the varsity’s Jewish students wonder if their safety was of any importance to her. The backlash compelled Gay to backpedal with a belated apology that seemed more like damage control than genuine realisation. However, she later resigned amid mounting criticism.

Back then, a massive outrage had erupted over Harvard’s handling of antisemitism on campus, prompting many billionaires and philanthropists to halt donations to the varsity.

Fast forward to 2025, Havard is against prioritising placation over principles just because some Khalistan sympathisers are crying foul. Contrary to the assertions of those offended, Dhillon’s article simply detailed the Khalistani separatist movement’s bloody history of terrorism, attacks on Hindu temples, anti-India activities and how the Liberal Party’s appeasement politics has soured the Indo-Canada ties. Instead of standing by Dhillon’s reasoned critique, Harvard caved into pressure, citing nebulous ‘neutrality’ standards that somehow don’t apply when an extremist faction gets loud. Apparently, Harvard has a penchant to duck and cover instead of defending principles and freedom of expression when faced with anything; be it pro-Khalistan pushback or antisemitism, that might ruffle radical feathers.

Back in 2023, Harvard could not condemn calls for Jewish genocide without hemming and hawing and now the HIR cannot handle a takedown of Khalistani secessionism which has a violent, anti-India and anti-Hindu history.

India’s first transgender clinic, Mitr Clinic in Hyderabad, shuts down due to USAID fund freeze

OpIndia Staff
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India’s first transgender clinic, Mitr Clinic in Hyderabad, shuts down due to USAID fund freeze

India’s first comprehensive transgender clinic, Mitr Clinic in Hyderabad, has been forced to shut down following the Trump administration’s decision to freeze U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) funding. The clinic was closed after the new US president announced a 90-day freeze on all U.S. foreign assistance, including the allocation to the USAID.

Established in January 2021 through a partnership between USAID and Johns Hopkins University under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the Mitr Clinic provided various services to the transgender community. These services included general health care, guidance on hormone therapy, gender-changing procedures, mental health counselling, and HIV/STI treatment.

Mitr Clinic was operated under the USAID-funded Project ACCELERATE, and the program to fight AIDS has been severely hit due to a halt in funding. The clinic was also associated with a free transgender clinic at Hyderabad’s Osmania General Hospital. While Mitr Clinic was supported by other organisations too, USAID fund was crucial for its operations, and that’s why it was forced to shut down after the funding was stopped.

Notably, recently US Senator John Kennedy had questioned why US taxpayer money was given to a transgender clinic in India. In a speech, he had said, “USAID gave money to support electric vehicles in Vietnam with our taxpayers’ money. USAID gave money to a transgender clinic in India. I didn’t know that. I bet the American people didn’t know that. Musk also found that USD 1.5 million was given to Serbian LGBT organisations. They got the money to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in Serbian workplaces and business communities.”

Notably, the Trump administration has announced plans to cut over 90% of USAID’s foreign aid contracts, amounting to a reduction of $60 billion in assistance worldwide. This decision aligns with efforts to decrease the size of the federal government, reduce government expenses, and eliminate programs perceived to advance a liberal agenda.

The funding freeze has also led to political turmoil in India. Indian authorities are investigating claims that USAID spent $21 million to influence Indian elections, based on a report from the Department of Government Efficiency led by Elon Musk. These allegations have intensified debates over foreign interference in India’s internal affairs.

Hate for Hindi, love for Urdu: Amid language politics of DMK, BJP questions MK Stalin’s Urdu promise

OpIndia Staff
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Hate for Hindi, love for Urdu: Amid language politics of DMK, BJP questions MK Stalin’s Urdu promise

BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya launched a scathing attack on Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday over the latter’s opposition to the three-language formula under the National Education Policy (NEP). Malviya shared news clippings from 2015 on X, to highlight that during the Namakku Naame campaign, Stalin promised the Muslims to make Urdu compulsory if his party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) came to power in the state.

Terming Stalin’s opposition to the three-language formula as ‘political opportunism’, Malviya wrote on X, “The glaring hypocrisy of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on language policy! His opposition to the three-language formula prescribed in the National Education Policy is nothing but political opportunism. In 2015, during his Namkku Naame campaign, M.K. Stalin assured the Muslim community that Urdu would be made compulsory in schools if the DMK were voted into power. He even promised to enact a law to enforce this! If the DMK is determined to undermine Indian languages- including Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, and Hindi-how is the imposition of Urdu acceptable? Young students in Tamil Nadu, who seek greater opportunities, deserve an answer”.

Malviya’s remarks came after Stalin reiterated his stand against Hindi saying that Tamil Nadu was prepared for ‘another language war’ if the Hindi imposition continued. The DMK has maintained its stand of rejecting Hindi as a medium of instruction in schools under the NEP and adhering to its two-language policy which includes Tamil and English. The party often refers to the anti-Hindi agitations of 1965 which were spearheaded by the Dravidian movement to resist the imposition of Hindi in the state.

On several instances, MK Stalin has promised to safeguard and promote the Urdu language. It is interesting how the animosity and alleged threats to the Tamil language and culture are all attributed to the Hindi language by the DMK but Urdu is openly promoted.

On Wednesday, Stalin clarified, in a letter addressed to party members, that the DMK does not oppose Hindi as long as it is not imposed on Tamil Nadu. He said that imposing Hindi on Tamil was offensive to their self-respect. “For those asking why DMK still opposes Hindi, my humble response to them as one among you is, because you still impose it on us,” Stalin reportedly wrote in the letter.

DMK led protests against Hindi

On 19th February, the DMK organized a major protest in Chennai against the BJP-led union government concerning the National Education Policy, the Trilingual Language System (Hindi imposition), and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Tamilnadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin participated in the protest. At the same time, DMK Alliance party leaders from MDMK Vaiko MP, Congress State President Selvaperunthagai, VCK President Thirumavalavan MP, Indian Union Muslim League National President Kader Mohideen, TMMK State Secretary Abdul Samad, Tamilaga Valurimai Party Chief Velmurugan MLA and other Alliance party leaders participated in the protest. Addressing the protestors, Udhayanidhi Stalin said that the people of Tamil Nadu would never accept the Trilingual language policy. He emphasized that the Tamil people would never be subjugated and that this was a matter of self-respect.

Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Education Minister has already clarified that the NEP never mandates Hindi, and schools in Tamil Nadu are free to choose any other Indian language as their third language under the NEP.

PM Modi hails Maha Kumbh as ‘Maha Yagna of Unity,’ praises participation of youths and calls it a case study in organising mega events

OpIndia Staff
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PM Modi hails Maha Kumbh as ‘Maha Yagna of Unity,’ praises participation of youths and calls it a case study in organising mega events

A day after the Maha Kumbh Mela concluded on the occasion of Shivaratri yesterday in Prayagraj, Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared his reflections on the mega event today in a blog post, describing it as a “mahayagna of unity” that symbolizes the country’s awakened consciousness and freedom from a colonial mindset. He highlighted the spiritual and cultural significance of the event, which saw an unprecedented participation of over 65 crore devotees over 45 days at the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj, marking it one of the largest gatherings in human history.

He wrote, “During the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, all the gods and goddesses gathered, saints and mahatmas gathered, children and old people gathered, women and youth gathered, and we witnessed the awakened consciousness of the country. This Maha Kumbh was a Maha Kumbh of unity, where the faith of 140 crore countrymen came together at one time through this one festival.”

The Prime Minister noted that the Kumbh Mela was a demonstration of India’s organizational capabilities, as the event was conducted smoothly without formal invitations, yet it attracted millions of devotees from across the world. He said that the successful planning and execution of the mega event could serve as a case study for policymakers and administrators, showcasing India’s ability to manage large-scale public gatherings with efficiency and discipline.

“Today, there is no comparison to such a huge event in the entire world, there is no other example like this,” PM Modi wrote.

He said that it was very pleasing to see the participation of youths in the event in such large numbers, saying it sends a big message. This strengthens the belief that the young generation of India is the carrier of our values ​​and culture and understands the responsibility of taking it forward and is also determined and dedicated towards it, he added.

Saying that while the number of people who attended the event created a world record, he also noted the efforts to attach with the event emotionally who could not visit Prayagraj. PM Modi noted how people carried water from Triveni Sangam for those who could not attend, and how people returning from the Kumbh were welcomed in their villages.

The prime minister also narrated how the ancient tradition of the Kumbh Mela keeps up with the time. He said that on the intervals of 6 years of Ardh Kumbh, 12 years of Purna Kumbh and 144 years of Maha Kumbh, rituals and traditions are reviewed, outdated guidelines and traditions are discarded, modernity is accepted, and new traditions are created according to the times. 

“The Maha Kumbh held after 144 years has also given us the message of a new chapter in India’s development journey. This message is of a developed India,” he said.

PM Modi said that just like Krishna in his childhood had shown the entire universe in his mouth, the world have seen the huge form of India’s power in the Maha Kumbh. “Now we have to move forward with this self-confidence and dedication to fulfill the resolution of a developed India. This is one such power of India, about which our saints had awakened the spirit in every corner of the nation during the Bhakti movement,” he added.

PM Modi said that while remembering our ancestors and our sages with unconditional devotion, we should take new inspiration from this great Kumbh of unity and take new resolutions with us. He proposed, “Let us make the great mantra of unity our life mantra and dedicate ourselves to the service of God in the service of the nation and to the service of Shiva in the service of living beings.”

Modi lauded the Uttar Pradesh government, administration, and local residents for their dedicated efforts in ensuring the seamless execution of the event. He credited Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s leadership for making the arrangements exemplary, ensuring cleanliness, security, and proper management of facilities for the pilgrims.

The PM also reiterated the importance and his commitment to clean the rivers in India, including Ganga, saying that “cleanliness of our rivers is connected to our life journey.” He further added, “This Maha Kumbh of unity has inspired us to keep our rivers clean continuously, keep strengthening this campaign continuously.”

In his message, the Prime Minister also expressed deep gratitude to various contributors, including sanitation workers, security personnel, boatmen, drivers, and cooks, for their selfless service. He acknowledged their crucial role in making the experience smooth and spiritually fulfilling for millions of devotees.

Modi also sought forgiveness from the holy rivers and the people for any shortcomings in the arrangements. He emphasized that the Maha Kumbh Mela was not just a religious event but a reflection of India’s spiritual and cultural strength, reinforcing the ideals of unity and devotion.

Concluding his message, the PM announced that he will “soon visit Shri Somnath, the first of the twelve Jyotirlingas, to offer my resolve flower of devotion and pray for every Indian.” He concluded by saying that he is confident that like the uninterrupted flow of Maa Ganga, the flow of spiritual consciousness and unity of Maha Kumbh will continue to flow.

West Bengal: Calcutta HC quashes case against man charged with mocking Mamata Banerjee on YouTube

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: Calcutta HC quashes case against man charged with mocking Mamata Banerjee on YouTube

Criminal charges against a man who reportedly made fun of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and other political figures on YouTube have been dropped by the Calcutta High Court.

“After careful scrutiny of the materials available in the case diary, this court does not find any sufficient or cogent evidence or even prima facie case against the present petitioner. Mere filing of charge sheet without any material or shaky evidence would not suffice the purpose of continuing trial against the petitioner,” Justice Ajay Kumar Gupta pronounced.

He added, “Even if, for the sake of argument, if the proceeding is continued, the possibility of conviction of petitioner appears bleak and remote and as such the continuation of the criminal proceedings would put the accused to great oppression and prejudice. Therefore, the continuation of the criminal proceedings would not be justifiable and to secure the ends of justice, the proceeding is deserved to be quashed.“

The petitioner sought to prevent proceedings resulting from the complaint by filing a criminal revision application under Section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. According to the complaint, he and others planned to post demeaning videos of Mamata Banerjee and other leaders on YouTube in 2022.

The petitioner argued that he has been wrongfully implicated and maintained his innocence, saying he had nothing to do with the alleged act. He contended that the criminal procedures were started with malicious intent and with a hidden agenda to exact vengeance against him. He pleaded that permitting the procedures to move forward would constitute an abuse of the court system and cause him to endure excessive harassment.

It was also asserted that since the case featured disparaging words against the Chief Minister, the investigating officer mechanically filed the charge sheet without carrying out a proper investigation. The trial court took cognizance of the matter based solely on the charge sheet’s submission, without using judicial discretion or independently evaluating the contents, even though there was insufficient prima facie evidence.

The state’s attorney claimed that the inquiry had produced enough evidence to create a prima facie case against the petitioner in accordance with sections 153, 500, 501, 509, 505, and 120B of the Indian Penal Code. Additionally, it was stated that the petitioner actively participated in the YouTube broadcast of a speech and video that attacked the Chief Minister and other politicians with a specific goal of defaming them.

Despite the gravity of the accusations, especially in light of the 2021 assembly elections, the court noted that the investigating officer only used witness (Soheb Khan and Happy Khan) accounts under Section 161 of the CrPC when drafting the charge sheet and did not get any video footage as proof.

“From the entire case records, this court does not find the mobile was sent for expert opinion to ascertain that the same gadget was used for broadcasting of alleged derogatory video or speech with sole intent to malign people and provoke breach of peace by endangering social harmony within the society. Furthermore, no data of video clips or speech was retrieved from the YouTube channel to substantiate at least prima facie allegations made by the complainant,” it observed.

Consequently, the court cited the absence of evidence in the charge sheet and dismissed the case against the petitioner, citing the Supreme Court’s well-established stance on such matters.

Saif Salim filed a complaint on 30th June 2022, claiming (inter alia) among other things that the petitioner had engaged in a criminal conspiracy with others on or before 29th June and mocked Mamata Banerjee and other leaders on the social media platform “YouTube” with the specific intent of discrediting them and stimulating a violation of peace by jeopardizing social harmony in the community.

Wikipedia co-founder asks Donald Trump and Elon Musk to investigate how deep state manipulated the platform: Read why Wikipedia isn’t free or fair

Rukma Rathore
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Wikipedia co-founder asks Donald Trump and Elon Musk to investigate how deep state manipulated the platform: Read why Wikipedia isn’t free or fair

Wikipedia attracted severe criticism after its dubious actions were exposed, particularly by OpIndia. Its co-founder, Larry Senger explicitly declared that the site has a strong leaning toward the left ideology. He has talked extensively about the same in many interviews and revealed how the platform shifts the balance scale, making the information erroneous, and inclined to suit the politics of the left. Senger left Wikipedia in 2002 and has been its vocal critic since 2004.

Now, Senger has requested President Donald Trump and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under Elon Musk to investigate Wikipedia in light of the disclosures which highlighted the billions of dollars allocated by the United States to advance a certain narrative worldwide. Senger requested Trump to issue an executive order implementing a rule to ensure that neither federal funds nor work hours of the staff could be utilized to update Wikipedia or finance such editing. “I voted for you,” he added.

Senger, in an earlier post, asked Musk to find out which US government agencies, if any, have staff members who are paid to edit, maintain, update, lobby and perform other tasks on Wikipedia. “Such operations should be defunded, if any. If there are none, we’d like to know. Agree,” he further remarked.

The inherent bias and duplicity of Wikipedia is widely recognized and has also been pointed out by Musk. He offered $1 billion to the platform to changed its name to “Dickipedia” in October 2023 and recently reiterated the proposal, declaring, “Offer still stands. Come on, do it,” in response to a social media post. Interestingly, the platform dubbed him as a perpetrator of “Authoritarianism.” Notably, Musk echoed similar intention in last November and conveyed, “True. Offer still stands,” when Doge Designer reshared the original post. He even reacted to a meme that mocked Wikipedia’s incessant appeals for donations. “Every time,” he wrote along with a smiley face.

Elon Musk previously urged people to quit giving money to Wikimedia Foundation, the parent organsiation of Wikipedia. Moreover, he shared a message from the “Libs of TikTok” account in late 2024 that slammed the platform’s spending on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives and outlined that 29% of its $177 million budget for 2023-2024 went towards such campaigns. He labeled the website “Wokepedia” at the time and told his followers to stop making donations until the management “restores balance” to its editorial practices.

OpIndia exposed Wikipedia

OpIndia’s dossier titled “Wikipedia’s War on India,” published last year, provided a detailed account of the site’s devious conduct and unveiled the blatant propagation of the leftist ideology and the circulation of disinformation to advance its political agenda, disguised as a commitment to free and fair information for the public. Facebook, another left-leaning website that has been charged with meddling in the United States elections and other similar cases of promoting the political interests of a specific ideology, blocked the report shortly after the media house uploaded it in order to limit its audience.

According to the research, Wikipedia hands over absolute authority to a small group of people known as “administrators.” There are just 435 active administrators globally who have the discretion to ban contributors, blacklist sources, ban editors and determine which alterations should be applied or removed from articles. The Wikimedia Foundation actively pays a large number of editors and administrators through their “editor retention program.” Additionally, many of them receive funding from the NGO (Non-governmental Organization) under the guise of “grants for projects.”

Wikipedia, like any other publishing firm, has a strong hierarchy with editors and administrators adhering to stringent editorial control policy. It asserts that it is an intermediary that relies on the collective wisdom without editorial or content intervention and depends on “reliable sources” while upholding an impartial viewpoint. However, information gathered by OpIndia demonstrated that the reality is drastically opposite of the claims.

Wikipedia repeatedly boasts to be a free-for-all online encyclopedia that relies on the “wisdom of the crowd” to provide universal “free knowledge” in all of its communications to project itself as a neutral, just and open platform. However, its strong ideological push has been deliberately and methodically fostered. Previous studies, such as the one conducted by Sengar already indicated how Wikipedia lacks objectivity. Three earlier studies are also cited in the research to support the valid argument.

According to research by David Rozado of the Manhattan Institute, which was published in June 2024, Wikipedia has a strong left bias. Its neutral point of view and reliability are the two internet regulations that are the subject of the critical research. The study arrived at the conclusion that editors make the decision about which sources are trustworthy enough to be referenced and which are not. People with leftist ideologies are perceived as dependable while those aligned with the right tend to be excluded. Thus, a neutral point of view simply illustrates that “reliable sources” are reflected extensively but not all viewpoints would be represented.

Anonymous funding and a phony publisher

The Wikimedia Foundation and the Tides Foundation donate money to one another but they record it as “anonymous” contributions since they do not have to provide information when the amount is donor-directed. The Wikimedia Foundation has enough dough to sustain Wikipedia for decades, even if it does not receive any further assistance from private or corporate donations. There are a few reasons why the Wikimedia Foundation keeps receiving grants and donations much in excess of what it requires to maintain Wikipedia.

First, millions have been allocated by the Wikimedia Foundation to support its own commercial endeavors. Second, the website employs the money it obtains to contribute to left-leaning groups to preserve Wikipedia and assert that the site would cease to exist in the absence of the aid which is a complete lie. All of this takes place under the guise of maintaining “knowledge free” and as the research reveled, Wikimedia utilizes it to circumvent the law, particularly in India.

More than $5 million from Amazon, $2 million from Google.org, $2 million from George Soros, $2 million from Musk Foundation, $1 million from Facebook, $50,000 from the Rothschild Foundation were listed as significant supporters of the Tide Foundation-run endowment fund on the Wikimedia endowment fund page.

More importantly, an intermediate is by definition not expected to stick to a particular editorial stance. It is only intended to serve as a forum for the general public to express their opinions. That isn’t the case with Wikipedia, though. First of all, not everyone is able to express their opinions on Wikipedia. Second, the articles are biased, one-sided and follow a particular ideology since only a tiny number of editors and administrators have the last word over what content is included in any given article.

Lastly, the Wikimedia Foundation hires a few of these so-called “volunteers” to promote its commercial and ideological agendas. Editors and administrators who receive direct compensation from the organisation regularly introduce bias into the sources that are permitted to be cited in Wikipedia articles. Considering these facts, Wikipedia does not fit under the intermediary group, rather, it falls into the publisher category.

Anti-India propagandist and gross violation of the country’s laws

A number of anti-Hindu and anti-India organizations and entites acquire money and donations from the Tides Foundation and the Wikimedia Foundation. They have provided funding to Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR), a group founded in 2019 by the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) and the Organization for Minorities of India (OFMI), two Islamist advocacy groups with ties to jihadis and Khalistanis.

The Association for India’s Development (AID), which has backed Arvind Kejriwal’s non-governmental organization, supported Naxal Binayak Sen and has ties to separatists also got money from the Tides Foundation. Additionally, Tides Foundation, Ford Foundation, Oxfam, the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, European Commission for Humanitarian Organizations and other notable outfits are listed as partners of the Aman Public Charitable Trust (AMAN).

The Tides Foundation which has been involved with a number of groups that work towards left-leaning goals, such as anti-Hindu and anti-Indian narratives, has allocated funds to AMAN. The NewsClick-China funding controversy (Chinese companies supported the media house in order to subvert Indian sovereignty) has links to the trust. Prabir Purkayastha, the founder of NewsClick, was detained on suspicion of accepting over Rs 80 crore from Chinese businesses.

Delhi Police identified Dilip Simeon, the Chairman of the Aman Public Charitable Trust, in the NewsClick FIR (First Information Report) for his role in efforts to discredit the 2019 Indian General Elections. The Alliance India, which is headed by DY Qureshi has also collaborated with the Tides Foundation. The research also revealed the connections between the relentless attacks on the Adani Group, George Soros and the OCCRP (Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project).

The Wikimedia Foundation aides Arts+Feminism, which incited violence in India by disseminating false information about Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Additionally, it gives money to Whose Knowledge, which is linked to Black Lunch Table and Equality Labs. Black Lunch Table is also separately funded. Notably, Whose Knowledge partners with Art+Feminism, Equality Labs, and CIS (Centre for Internet and Society) all of which are supported by the Wikimedia Foundation. Access Now is also aided by the Wikimedia Foundation. Seema Chisti is on the Board of the NGO.

Seema Chisti, editor of TheWire and wife of late Sitaram Yechury, serves as an advisor at the National Foundation for India, which, along with the Tides Foundation and the Ford Foundation, donates to AMAN. P Sainath and Dhanya Rajendran of The News Minute are additional advisors. The two have played significant roles in the NewsClick-China funding issue. OpIndia also discovered that, in addition to CIS-India funding, the Wikimedia Foundation compensates notorious persons like “ArtWhoring” for working together to promote initiatives like “Know The Wiki.”

On the other hand, Wikipedia’s owner, the Wikimedia Foundation is not present in India. According to its statement in the BBC documentary controversy, Indian courts lack jurisdiction over it because it is a foreign entity. It has continuously provided funds to organizations and persons in India that pursue its own commercial and ideological goals, even though it has no physical presence in the country. India is a regular source of funding for the Wikimedia Foundation. The donation is legal because it originates from private citizens.

However, the organization invests millions of dollars in India in addition to receiving donations from the country. At the same time, it disregarded Indian laws. It maintains a strict editorial approach on Wikipedia while maintaining its position as an intermediary rather than a publisher. The publisher aggressively undermines Indian interests without follwoing Indian laws, either financially or editorially.

Given the recent revelations of Wikipedia’s shady operations, it would now be intriguing to see the Trump administration’s actions on the contentious website.

Social media users use wedding video to claim that Devadasi system continues in some places: Here is the truth behind the viral video

OpIndia Staff
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Social media users use wedding video to claim that Devadasi system continues in some places: Here is the truth behind the viral video

A video is being circulated with the claim that it depicts the implementation of the ancient ‘Devadasi’ ritual. The video showing the wedding of a couple is being used to claim that this shows a Dalit woman forced to marry a Brahmin under the Devadasi system.

Several social media users posted the video which has a voiceover explaining what the Devadasi system was. It claimed that minor girls were married off to gods in temples, and that is why they were called Devadasis, which means Desi or Servants of the God. It claims that priests in the temple used to exploit such girls, including sexual exploitation, and thus it became legal prostitution.

The voiceover says that while the system was stopped by the initiative of several organisations, it is still practices in several places in Karnataka. While the audio does not claim it directly, it is implied that the video shows a Devadasi marriage.

X user Seema Budh posted the video saying, “Until 1950, Brahmins used the daughters of poor Dalits by making them Devadasis. But why were Hindus not in danger at that time.”

Several other users shared the video with the same or similar text.

However, the fact is that the video does not show a Devadas marriage, it is the video of wedding of Malayalam television actors Kris Venugopal and Divya Sreedhar, which took place in 2024. The couple met while working on the TV serial “Patharamattu” and married in October 2024.

Kris Venugopal is a Malayalam actor, voice artist, and author, and have acted in several movies and TV shows. Divya Sreedhar is a prominent actress in Malayalam TV serials. Despite the look with long white beards, Kris Venugopal is not a Brahmin priest from a temple, and his marriage with Divya was not a Devadasi marriage.

Notably, after the visuals of the wedding went viral last year, the couple was trolled online for the perceived age-difference between them. People claimed that Kris Venugopal is 60 years old and he married a 40-year-old woman. Responding to these claims, Divya had clarified that Kris is 49 while she is 40, so there was an age difference of 9 years, not 20 years as claimed by many including some media reports.

This was Divya’s second marriage and she also has two children from her first marriage.

Maharashtra government cancels appointments of around 500 doctors after they refrained from joining public healthcare system

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra government cancels appointments of around 500 doctors after they refrained from joining public healthcare system

After around 500 specialist doctors in Maharashtra refrained from joining government jobs, the state government was compelled to cancel their appointments. The Maharashtra government had rolled out positions for specialist doctors including gynecologists, pediatricians, and anesthetists, to improve the state’s public healthcare system in rural and tribal areas. However, the government had to cancel all the appointments after the specialist doctors reportedly did not join the services despite receiving appointment orders on June 20, 2024.

Over 400 appointments were cancelled by the state government through an order on 5th February and another 60 appointments were cancelled in two subsequent orders. The government will now consider candidates on the waiting list to fill the vacancies.

What factors discourage doctors from joining government jobs

According to reports, the state government issued a recruitment advertisement for Medical Officers (Group-A) on 31st January 2024 to fill the vacancies in public hospitals. Appointment orders were sent out after completing the selection process and the selected candidates were expected to join within the stipulated time frame.

However, the doctors did not join within the time frame. The incident has again highlighted the problem of doctors preferring private practice to serving in government hospitals. However, doctors are not entirely to be blamed for this situation. Poor infrastructure in government hospitals and unsatisfactory pay grades form part of the problem. In such a situation, governments face the challenge of keeping critical departments like emergency care, gynecology and anesthesia.

In Maharashtra, the salaries for Medical Officers (Group-A) are between Rs 56,100 and Rs 1,77,500 per month, averaging Rs 95,935. On the other hand, in private practice, a specialist can earn around 1.53 lakhs per month making it a preferable option among doctors. Besides, prolonged government recruitment processes also add to the problem.

“By the time appointment letters were issued, many of us had already joined private hospitals, “one of the selected candidates was quoted by Indian Express as saying.

“Many selected candidates hesitate to join due to the heavy workload, inadequate infrastructure, and lower salaries compared to private hospitals,” a senior health department official reportedly said. A doctor who declined his appointment blamed the poor working conditions in government hospitals for the problem. “Leaving these positions vacant is not an option. The hiring process must be streamlined to avoid such delays”, another senior official reportedly said.

Government needs to address systemic issues

A survey conducted by Jan Arogya Abhiyan in 2021 reportedly found that 22 out of 38 rural hospitals in Maharashtra stopped conducting Cesarean section because of a lack of specialists. In 17 districts, even routine surgeries were unavailable. 46.68 % of vacancies for senior doctors were reported by state-run medical colleges in 2022.

“Without specialists, rural hospitals turn into referral centres, forcing patients to travel long distances”, said Dr Abhay Shukla, a public health expert. “To add skilled doctors in government hospitals, Maharashtra must address systemic issues-offering competitive salaries better incentives and improved working conditions. Without these changes, vacancies will persist, leaving millions without access to essential healthcare, ” he added.

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