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Nagpur Riots of 1923: How it played in Dr K.B Hedgewar’s life and lead to the formation of RSS

Nivan
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Nagpur Riots of 1923: How it played in Dr K.B Hedgewar’s life and lead to the formation of RSS

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, in 1920, started the non-cooperation movement in India in an attempt to overthrow the British rule from the country. Coupled with the Khilafat movement that sought to support the caliphate during the first World War, Gandhi attempted to forge a utopian alliance of Hindus and Muslims in India by merging the two very different movements in the country. Both communities had very different motives and objectives, with the Hindus wanting to achieve ‘Poorna Swaraj’ while the Muslims wanted to support the Caliph of the Ottoman Empire. 

This alliance was destined to collapse since it was depending on a thin line of adhesive to sustain. During a Khilafat agitation in the Malabar region of South India, the protestors went rogue and attacked the local Hindu residents. Hindus were lynched, raped and murdered in the hands of murderous and red-eyed Moplas, blinded by extremism. This incident sparked communal tensions all over the country for the next couple of years. After the incidents of communal violence in the country, Gandhi called off the Non-cooperation movement in India. 

Before the non-cooperation movement, Dr Hedgewar (founder of RSS) was an active member of the Congress. He was deeply influenced by the literary works of Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Veer Savarkar. Hedgewar had in the past participated in the Anushilan Samiti movement that advocated armed revolution against the British government and was arrested several times for defiance against the British government. However, the delusion of ‘Hindu-Muslim unity’ of the Congress made him less keen on participating in the affairs of the party, and he ultimately left the party to start a new nation-building organisation in Nagpur (Ref: Dr Hedgewar, Founder of RSS by Rakesh Sinha).

In 1923, several members of the Hindu Mahasabha had led a procession on the streets of Nagpur during the auspicious occasion of Lakshmi Pooja. As the procession advanced with beating drums and intoxicating music, they happened to pass through an area with a mosque.

The local Muslim youth, angered by the bhajans, attacked the procession that was passing from the area in the front of the mosque. Several Hindus were injured and few succumbed to injuries due to the communal clash. What followed was a near-massacre of Hindus in Muslim majority areas of Nagpur and this led to the steps which Dr KB Hedgewar took next.

According to Dr Hedgewar, the disunity and lack of organisation amongst Hindus were the main reasons behind their suffering during riots. Unlike Muslims who act as one large unit, Hindus are divided into multiple sects, beliefs, castes and ideologies. This made Hindus most vulnerable to damage during communal clashes at that time. 

Despite enjoying majority status in Nagpur, Hindus were being lynched and attacked by Muslim mobs. There was no unity amongst the community to defend themselves from the rioters, but the Muslims managed to fund, protect and mobilise to attack Hindus.

The incident of 1923 made Dr Hedgewar think intensively about the condition of Hindus in Nagpur, and played a major role in his decision of founding the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in Nagpur to bring unity amongst Hindus. After founding RSS in 1925, Dr Hedgewar started shakhas in every locality of Nagpur and trained Hindus to act as one single entity.

Energetic Hindu youth were recruited to join the Sangh and participate in its activities. Hindus from all castes and creeds played various games together and practised self-defence in these shakhas regardless of their differences. By 1927, 16 shakhas were functioning in Nagpur within merely 2 years of foundation, with a membership of over 100 active Swayamsevaks. 

In 1927, Dr Hedgewar defied the symbolic practice of Islamic slavery by leading a procession of 100 Swayamsevaks through a lane with a mosque in it. While the Swayamsevaks danced to the tunes of Lord Ganesha, they were blocked by Muslim youth when they were passing through the Mahal locality of Nagpur. 

Infuriated by the audacity of the “Kaafirs” to dance and sing songs in the glory of their gods while passing by the mosque, the Muslim youth of Mahal tried to raid houses belonging to Hindus in the area. Which, to their surprise, was foiled when Swayamsevaks armed with lathis were ready to face the mob. The Muslim mob was routed and many had to flee the city for their safety. 

This act of defiance to Islamic slavery made RSS gain a commendable reputation in the eyes of local Nagpur residents and changed the fate of Hindus in Nagpur. Hindus were no longer disorganised and had acquired a disciplined structure in times of chaos and violence. Moreover, this gave Dr KB Hedgewar a sense of confidence which lead to him initiating the same organisational strategies in other parts of Maharashtra, and gradually all over India. 

Slowly, RSS shakhas spread to every corner of India, including Muslim majority areas such as Sindh, NWFP and East Bengal. Seva work was initiated by the Sangh in disaster-struck areas (such as floods, droughts, etc), making the reach of Sangh gain roots and percolate deep inside Indian society. 

After Dr Hedgevar breathed his last in 1940, Guru Golwalkar took the charge of Sarsanghchalak and continued the work of expanding RSS all over India. 

Construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya begins, the Mandir trust requests devotees to donate copper

OpIndia Staff
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Construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya begins, the Mandir trust requests devotees to donate copper

Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, the trust set up for the construction and management of Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir has taken to Twitter to inform that the construction of the Bhavya Ram Mandir, Bhoomi Pujan of which was successfully performed by PM Narendra Modi on August 5, has commenced. It said that engineers from the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) Roorkee, IIT Madras along with L&T are now testing the soil at the mandir site.

It informed that the construction of the Mandir, which will be done adhering to India’s ancient and traditional construction techniques, is expected to be completed in the next 36-40 months.

It said that the construction will be done in a way to sustain earthquakes, storms and other natural calamities. Iron won’t be used in the construction of the Mandir, informed the trust overlooking the construction of the Bhavya Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.

Ram Mandir Trust asks devotees to donate copper

The trust has asked devotees across India to donate copper wires and 2″ copper rods for the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Champat Rai, general secretary of the trust, addressing a press conference on August 19 said that the temple would be constructed in such a way that it would stand for at least 1,000 years.

“Copper strips have the ability to stay safe even during an earthquake. To begin with, we need (around) 10,000 such strips – at least 18 inches long, 3 mm in depth, 30 mm wide. We will ask the community to send these strips; names of their villages, temples, or mohallas can be carved on them. This will be evidence of the country’s contribution,” Champat Rai said.

Rai furthered that the donated copper is expected to give the temple more durability.

“The stone that will be used in the construction will be such that air, sun and water decay will not happen for at least 1,000 years. The construction company L&T has got the best people; IIT Chennai has been consulted for testing the strength of the soil, and the Central Building Research Institute will make sure the building is earthquake-resistant,” Rai told reporters in New Delhi Wednesday.

He added that the Ram Mandir will be constructed using only stone, and no iron at all. “Mandir will be made of stone and plain concreting will be done. Drawings are still being finalised and so are the carvings,” informed the general secretary of the trust.

Carved stones ready for the Mandir

Even though the construction of the Ram Mandir is starting now, preparation for the same has been going o for the same for the last three decades. At the Ram Mandir Karyashala (workshop) in Ayodhya run by VHP, stones for the Mandir are being carved by artisans for the last 30 years, which began shortly after the Silanyash of the Mandir was done in 1989.

Stones brought in Rajasthan have been used to carve various parts of the Mandir. According to people working in the Karyashala, stones for the first floor is ready, and the work on the rest is going on. As the plan for the temple has been changed to make it bigger than initially planed, more stones will be required.

Apart from carved stones, the Karyashala is also filled with almost several lakhs of bricks donated by devotees over the last 3 decades.

Hayat Baloch: Dragged and murdered by the Pakistani establishment, with 8 bullets fired point black

Hakeem Baloch
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Hayat Baloch: Dragged and murdered by the Pakistani establishment, with 8 bullets fired point black

On 13th of August 2020, once again the Baloch social media activist started criticising and protesting against the Pakistani paramilitary forces and condemned the killing of another innocent and non-combatant Baloch student Hayat Baloch. 

Hayat Baloch an educated young Baloch man of Turbat, Balochistan. Went to his hometown because of the COVID-19 and he was planning once the pandemic ends he will sit in for CSS exams. Unfortunately Hayat Baloch a student of Master’s from Karachi University did not know that the state forces have different ideas about his future and life. 

According to reports on 13th of August 2020 on the evening of so-called Pakistan’s Independence Day, Pakistani paramilitary forces (FC) were attacked in Turbat with an IED blast, in response to which FC personnel did what they normally do. They went for the innocent non-combatant civilians and this Hayat Baloch became their target.

He was working along with his father on their Palm fields, when personnel of the frontier corps grabbed him, blindfolded him and dragged him towards the road. His family, his mother and father were crying and requesting them to please spare their son. He is innocent and he has nothing to do with anything. But the personnel of oppressive forces did not listen to them. They brutally attacked Hayat first and then they fired 8 bullets on his body. 

Mother and father of Hayat Baloch crying over the body of their son (Image credit: newsintervention.com)
Mother and father of Hayat Baloch crying over the body of their son (Image credit: newsintervention.com)

News of Hayat’s murder came out within minutes and people of the area displayed extreme anger against this action of paramilitary forces. That is why one of the FC personnel was arrested by the police, personnel named Naik Shahidi Ullah is under police custody and the whole tragic killing is being portrayed as an act of an individual. However, in reality, everyone in Balochistan knows that the FC sepoy or any other Military personnel only follow the orders of their commanding officers. 

Since the brutal murder of Hayat Mirza, Baloch people have been protesting across Balochistan and demanding justice for Hayat Baloch. According to the protesters that this murder was not the action of an individual but was a part of the state policy, which orders the killing of Baloch youths mercilessly and keeping them away from education and from their struggle. 

In the last two decades, abduction or murder of any activist or sympathiser of the Baloch National cause became very normal in Balochistan. Thousands of people were killed because they believed in the freedom of Balochistan. Over 40 thousands people are still missing because of their political views which differ from the views of the occupier (Pakistan). 

Surprisingly Hayat Baloch was not a sympathiser nor a supporter of any of the political and human rights campaigns or activities. He wanted to finish his education and get a good job to help his family and live a normal life, but he was not aware that the society where he belongs to is still occupied and even his dreams are not free and he has no right to think any differently than the occupier wants all the slaves to think.

Reading from Hayat’s friends and colleagues stories he even many times said that “I am scared to talk or take part in any demonstrations or protest”. This simply shows Hayat has different hopes for his future. 

The case of Hayat Baloch after receiving such an overwhelming response and support from the masses. Now the frontier corps officials are trying their best to throw all the burden on the shoulder of one person and to close this chapter as soon as possible. To ensure that the family of Hayat Mirza remains silent and not speak against the FC brutality the Inspector General of Frontier Corps Balochistan Major General Fayyaz Hussain Shah visited the house of Hayat Mirza.

This is one of the rarest things that happens in Balochistan when the FC or Army Major or General visit any victims or their families. Many believe that FC has already provided their scapegoat to police and now visiting the house of the victim’s family is simply an attempt to make sure that this case should not get any more attention. 

The case of Hayat Baloch simply leaves a message to all of the Baloch youths whether you are speaking or not. Whether you are doing anything or not. Whether you are ignoring all the injustices or not. You are still in a dangerous condition because of your surname (Baloch). I hope all the educated and knowledgeable youth of Balochistan will not forget this inhuman treatment of Pakistani state and keep demanding justice for Hayat Mirza and thousands of other Hayat Baloch.

Curious case of ‘United Nations’ NGO appreciating ‘Kingdom of Mamata Banerjee’ for their Covid-19 work. Here is what we know

Anurag
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Curious case of ‘United Nations’ NGO appreciating ‘Kingdom of Mamata Banerjee’ for their Covid-19 work. Here is what we know

It was a moment of honour for the West Bengal government that a Japan-based non-profit organization associated with the ‘United Nation’ took notice of their work amid coronavirus pandemic and sent a letter of appreciation to the minister of state, Nirmal Maji. This piece of good news, a moment of pride of West Bengal which hailed ‘kingdom’ of Mamata Banerjee, was shared All India Trinamool Congress on its official Twitter handle.

This tweet has now been deleted. Here is the screenshot of this tweet.

Now deleted AITC tweet

TMC shared the letter by United Nation World Peace Association Peace Humanitarian Mission and wrote “We are extremely proud to share that the visionary leadership of @MamataOfficial & GoWB’s COVID management has been internationally applauded. @DrNirmalMajhi1 received this appreciation letter from the prestigious UNWPA.”.

Letter from “United Nation” affiliated organisation

It was covered by several news portals including Times of India, Deccan Herald and Outlook and many others.

In fact, news agency PTI referred to the UNWPA as a ‘UN-linked NGO’, a claim that was carried by several outlets.

‘UN-linked body’ hails Mamata Banerjee

As usual, no one found the dubious letter hailing Mamata’s ‘kingdom’ weird.

The letter was widely shared by TMC and Mamata fans on social media.

One “Mamataism” (like Islamism, Marxism, etc) was also found celebrating this feat. It appears that the state government is looking at some appreciation for its virus work after having received flak earlier, where it has jailed journalists for criticism.

UNWPA lauds Mamata Banerjee’s kingdom and ‘passed a bow’

As proud Indians, we, too, were extremely thrilled that an Indian state got this recognition. However, there were a few things that were a bit off in the letter. To begin with, why is this NGO writing to ‘Labour Minister’ and not ‘Heath Minister’ or Chief Minister for lauding efforts to curb the Chinese coronavirus. This, especially when Mamata Banerjee is the Chief Minister and Minister-in-charge, Health & Family Welfare Department, Government of West Bengal.

Secondly, the English. Half the sentences don’t make sense, other half are grammatically incorrect. “Men are feckless and trying to set back back in their normalize life,” the letter reads. What does it even mean? The NGO then identifies itself as a ‘well related and well connected” organisation of “United Nation”. Now, UN, the intergovernmental organisation is “United Nations” and not “United Nation”. So one would assume that the NGO would not really get little details like these wrong, right?

“We are the world family gravely effected due to this outbreak and watching helpless human face daily. During this in nut shell human are in frightful situation,” the letter reads which again makes no sense. Firstly of all, it is ‘affected’. Second of all, just what exactly are you trying to say?

The letter explains how through their ‘representative’ they heard about the ‘humanitarian’ chief minister of the state and were aware of the graceful contribution towards the society during the pandemic.

And then, towards the end, the ‘well-connected organisation of United Nation’ claims that it will ‘defiantly’ (definitely?) ‘place out foot step’ in ‘your kingdom’. They also invited Mamata Banerjee to Japan and said they are eagerly awaiting that ‘shine morning’. They also ‘passed a bow’ to Dr Nirmal for the wonderful work in the kingdom.

As one can see, there are multiple issues with the letter other than the fact that it is a badly written/translated copy and that they referred to West Bengal as ‘kingdom’. This, obviously, got us curious. We tried to figure out what exactly is this organisation ‘linked with UN’ and lauding Mamata Banerjee and her ‘kingdom’.

What is ‘UN-linked NGO’ UNWPA

OpIndia team dug through the Internet wearing the Sherlock hat to figure out the drone-boy-esque dubious NGO. This is what we found:

The PTI copy claims that the ‘NGO’ that hailed Mamata Banerjee’s ‘kingdom’ is “a non-profit organisation registered with the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs civil society”.

There were a few main things that caught our eye in the letter. First was the striking resemblance of the logo of this particular organization with the logo of the United Nations. UNWPA’s logo seems to be created by just adding an origami bird and Japanese cherry blossom flowers (because Japanese NGO?) on the top of the United Nations logo.

United Nations logo (left), UNWPA logo (right)

See the uncanny resemblance between the two? Easy to get fooled. (But really, how did an official certificate/letter with that English not raise the red flags?).

Second, the name of the organization has the United Nation and not the United Nations. This small difference in the name often gets unnoticed by anyone who reads the name or sees the acronym of the name of the organization. It is one of the proofs that UNWPA is not directly associated with the said International Organisation.

The website of the organisation does not have any link, registration number, affiliation number or certification that may prove that it is associated with the United Nations (and not United Nation, we don’t know what in the world United Nation is) in any way.

UNWPA website and social media accounts

For any organization that is trying to place its bets on an international level, having a functional website is the utmost important part of the mission as it helps in connecting with the people across the globe. Well, half the links on the website were dead. Like the Twitter address.

UNWPA website Twitter handle

As per the website, the Twitter handle of this ‘NGO’ is @UnitedNationWo1

Twitter account does not exist

So we looked at the Twitter account tagged by TMC officials for this website.

TMC and others had tagged @Unwpa_wpa Twitter account that has 13 followers.

UNWPA has 13 followers

Interestingly, TMC’s post in which they shared the letter of appreciation, tagged the twitter handle of the organization with an error.

The twitter handle of the organization seems to be accessed by someone in the Philippines as a couple of tweets from the handle were personally directed to the airlines and Broadband service provider in the Philippines.

UNWPA has ‘important works to do’

This tweet to telecom company in Philippines says how the person handling social media had ‘important works to do’. Like appreciating ‘kingdoms’ perhaps.

Moving on, when we clicked on the link of Facebook page mentioned on the website, the first thing we noticed was a different URL (unitednationsworldpeaceassociation.jp) for the organization mentioned on the Facebook Page. The Facebook page has less than 700 followers.

Facebook account with less than 700 likes

Now this link on Facebook opens a completely different website in Japanese.

Japanese website from Facebook page

So in a ‘nut shell’, website mentioned on ‘letter’ leads to one website, which leads to a non-existent Twitter page. The Facebook link in the same website mentions a completely different website as official website. Just make up your mind!

This ‘NGO’ also has a Facebook ‘profile’ – through which it adds ‘friends’ in the list.

Facebook profile of the ‘organisation’

Amusingly, the profile has more ‘friends’ than the ‘likes’ the Facebook page has.

India Ambassador H. E. Pinky Dutta

On the website mentioned in the letter to West Bengal government, there is one section wherein they mention their ‘ambassadors’ to various countries.

India’s ambassador is one Her Excellency Pinky Dutta.

Pinky Dutta on Website

Of course, we got curious about H. E. Pinky Dutta. When we looked her up we found her Facebook profile, where she identifies herself as “Priya Dutta”.

Priya Dutta Facebook profile

Priya Dutta alias Pinky Dutta identifies herself as a freelance journalist and also various other things.

Dutta has been critical of the central government and had recently put up a post criticising the Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan in Ayodhya.

Priya Dutta being critical of Ram Mandir Bhumi Pujan

She also believes that the BJP opposed the Independence movement of India.

Priya Dutta on Independence Day

When Home Minister Amit Shah tested positive for coronavirus, Dutta had taken to Facebook to claim that it is ‘Ram Leela’.

In May this year, she had given a talk at a TMC event. “Popular human rights worker respected Priya Dutta will be live at 11 on 19th May,” the banner read.

Pinky Dutta’s Facebook post

This is Priya Dutta alias Pinky Dutta, Ambassador of the dubious ‘organisation’ that has awarded the ‘Kingdom’ of Mamata Banerjee.

Which brings us back to the letter. Is it genuine? Did Mamata Banerjee govt really won the ‘prestigious’ award?

Did Mamata Banerjee govt get any award from ‘UN-linked NGO’ for Coronavirus

Here’s the twist.

Yes and no. Let us explain.

OpIndia reached out to the UNWPA to enquire whether such a letter was issued.

Letter denying.

At around 4:30 AM, UNWPA replied stating that the letter shared by AITC and subsequently reported widely in media is fake.

However, here’s the twist.

Two hours later said they wrote the letter

Little over two hours later, the organisation replied again. This time claiming that while they (in Japan) did not write the letter, the India office, possibly run by H. E. Pinky Dutta alias Priya Dutta might have issued the same.

To conclude, yes, Mamata Banerjee’s ‘kingdom’ did get a ‘certificate’ hailing efforts in coronavirus containment. However, the poorly written letter was not issued by the Japan organisation but by its India representative, Her Excellency Pinky Dutta alias Priya Dutta who is anti-Modi and quite pro-Mamata Banerjee. Also, the organisation is not linked to the United Nations as it is made to believe.

Note: This article is co-authored by Anurag and Nirwa Mehta.

Mahesh Bhatt plants a paid article praising himself after finding himself at the centre of nepotism debate in Bollywood

OpIndia Staff
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Mahesh Bhatt plants a paid article praising himself after finding himself at the centre of nepotism debate in Bollywood

In a desperate act, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, who is at the centre of the ongoing controversy over allegations of nepotism the movie industry, has now resorted to paid promotions to boost his image.

On Thursday, the Bollywood filmmaker, whose image has taken a hit following the raging debate of nepotism in the industry after the death of Sushant Singh Rajput, got caught on social media after he allegedly planted paid articles that praised and crediting him for the success of various Bollywood stars.

In a sponsored article published in the Hindustan Times titled, “Mahesh Bhatt has given wings to many young dreams in Bollywood”, the writer has glorified Mahesh Bhatt, claiming that the director-cum-producer had spotted several talents and gave breakthroughs to them.

Interestingly, the paid article comes a day after the Supreme Court ordered a CBI probe into the death of 34-year-old actor.

Image Source: Hindustan Times

The paid article, perhaps planted by Mahesh Bhatt himself, hails him for encouraging and providing an opportunity for lots of young talents like Kunal Kemmu, Anupam Kher, Sonali Bendre, Arijit Singh, Kumar Sanu and others, who went on to become accomplished actors in the future.

“He (Mahesh Bhatt) has often said in interviews that he feels he is “blessed to discover new talent and watch them bloom”. In an era when more and more confident, young people are coming to Mumbai to chase their Bollywood dream; Bhatt’s efforts come as a whiff of fresh air in the merciless, cut-throat environment,” read the sponsored article.

Mahesh Bhatt credits himself for success of actors, musicians

In an act of narcissism, evident through such planted paid stories on the media, Mahesh Bhatt credits himself for providing a platform to Anupam Kher in the movie ‘Saaransh’. The article also cites how Anupam Kher had once credited Bhatt for his success in the movie industry.

Further, the HT report credits Mahesh Bhatt for finding talents such as John Abraham, who was also launched by Mahesh Bhatt. The story goes on to say that Bhatt saw a junior Sanjay Dutt in Abraham and called the actor personally to offer the lead role in the film.

“He is credited with bringing in raw talent, who went on to become highly successful actors,” the HT sponsored story read.

The HT report, in its mission to promote Mahesh Bhatt and his latest movie ‘Sadak 2’, also claimed that Bhatt had a good ear for great music, who offered the right platform to several singers, who shot to stardom. Expectedly, Mahesh Bhatt also claims credit for even singer Kumar Sanu’s success.

Arijit Singh, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan came to spotlight due to Mahesh Bhatt

Not just Kumar Sanu, Mahesh Bhatt also unearthed talent in the form of Arijit Singh. The HT report says that Bhatt was instrumental in spotting the singing prowess of Arijit Singh, who apparently got his first big breakthrough in Aashiqui 2.

The most bizarre claim made by Hindustan Times paid promotional article is that Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan came into the spotlight only after he sang the song Mann ki Lagan in Bhatt’s movie ‘Paap’.

The report pitching for Bhatt’s new movie ‘Sadak 2’, said that his movies on their own have explored unchartered territories, which many other filmmakers steer clear of. 

“His body of work has been loved by the audience and critics alike. They offered many established actors a new lease of life in their careers,” read the HT report praising Mahesh Bhatt for introducing talents actors such as Sanjay Dutt, Aamir Khan, Juhi Chawla, Paresh Rawal and music composer duo Nadeen Shravan, who all vowed their success to Mahesh Bhatt.  

Charges of nepotism against Mahesh Bhatt

The sudden and untimely demise of actor Sushant Singh Rajput has opened a can of worms and sparked a debate over nepotism in the cinema industry. Many celebrities have opened up on how the big and influential families in Bollywood have been propagating it over the years.

One such name which came out in the public domain was Mahesh Bhatt, who was accused of deliberately sidelining talented actors and instead promoting his own kids and other actors connected to the bigwigs of the industry. Many blamed filmmakers such as Mahesh Bhatt, Karan Johar for their favouritism in the industry, which according to a few resulted in the death of Sushant Singh Rajput.

Following the actor’s death, the veteran filmmaker was summoned for questioning by the Mumbai Police along with several other Bollywood directors and producers.

Recently, the National Commission of Women had summoned Mahesh Bhatt over his alleged with modelling firm, which is accused in a sexual abuse case.

Democratic vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris says Coronavirus is a racist virus during her speech accepting her nomination

OpIndia Staff
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Democratic vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris says Coronavirus is a racist virus during her speech accepting her nomination

On the third day of the virtual Democratic National Convention 2020, Kamala Harris officially accepted her nomination for the Vice President post. She said, “On that day, she [Harris’s mother] probably could have never imagined that I would be standing before you now speaking these words: I accept your nomination for Vice President of the United States of America.”

Kamala Harris started her speech by saying that this week marks the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment that gave women of the United States the right to vote. She narrated the story of her mother Shyamala Gopalan Harris, who came to the US when she was 19. She talked about how her parents fell in love during the march for justice in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. While mentioning the support she got from her family, and how proud her mother would be to see her standing there, Harris accepted her nomination for the post of Vice President.

Covid-19 is racist

While talking about President Donald Trump’s leadership, she said that it has cost lives and livelihoods. She pointed out the current situation in America because of the Covid-19 pandemic and said that the nation is grieving the loss of life, jobs, opportunities and normalcy and certainty. Continuing her speech, she called Covid-19 a racist virus.

She said, “And while this virus touches us all, let’s be honest, it is not an equal opportunity offender. Black, Latino and Indigenous people are suffering and dying disproportionately. This is not a coincidence. It is the effect of structural racism. Of inequities in education and technology, health care and housing, job security and transportation. The injustice in reproductive and maternal health care. In the excessive use of force by police. And in our broader criminal justice system. This virus has no eyes, and yet it knows exactly how we see each other—and how we treat each other.”

Racism in America and George Floyd

Harris added that there is no vaccine for racism and the people of the US have to work on finding a way to end racism. In her speech, she specifically mentioned the name of George Floyd whose killing in May 2020 resulted in protests in the US and other parts of the world. The protests soon turned into violent riots in the US and some other parts of the world, resulting in loss of billions of dollars and lives. A worldwide campaign on #BlackLivesMatter was started as a result of Floyd’s killing.

Harris urged people to choose Joe Biden as the President

She further praised Joe Biden for his role as the Vice President and a single father. Harris said,” In this election, we have a chance to change the course of history. We’re all in this fight. You, me, and Joe—together.” She ended her speech by saying, “Years from now, this moment will have passed. And our children and our grandchildren will look in our eyes and ask us: Where were you when the stakes were so high? They will ask us, what was it like? And we will tell them. We will tell them, not just how we felt. We will tell them what we did.”

Pre-partition Hanuman Mandir razed to the ground in Pakistan: Here is how builder took advantage of lockdown to demolish Temple

OpIndia Staff
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Pre-partition Hanuman Mandir razed to the ground in Pakistan: Here is how builder took advantage of lockdown to demolish Temple

A pre-partition Hanuman Mandir in Pakistan’s Lyari district was demolished by a builder on Monday. The next day, the narrow thoroughfare on Fida Hussain Sheikh Road in Lyari where the temple stood until Monday was flooded by dozens of Hindu families after they heard that the Hanuman Mandir had been razed the previous evening. The Karachi Police sealed the construction site after the temple was razed, reports a Pakistan daily, The Express Tribune.

According to the report, Lyari’s assistant commissioner Abdul Karim Memon who reached the site with the police informed that a probe has been initiated and the site, where a residential building is to be erected, has been sealed so that an inquiry can be conducted.

A resident Hindu named Heera Lal, while speaking to the media, expressed grief as well as his anger as he informed that the Hindus in the area had been given assurance by the builder that the temple will not be harmed. The resident, who was one amongst the 18 Hindu families living near the temple, added that the demolition had taken place late on Sunday evening.

Builder took advantage of the lockdown in Pakistan to raze the Hanuman temple

Another onlooker Mohammad Irshad Baloch said: “It is an injustice as a place of worship has been destroyed. It was an old temple. We have been seeing it since we were children.”

A resident who opined that the builder had taken advantage of the lockdown said: “No one was allowed to visit the temple during the lockdown. The builder exploited the situation and demolished our place of worship while we could not visit it, lamented one Harish while demanding that the temple be restored immediately.

He, too, claimed the builder had promised the area’s Hindu residents that the temple would not be demolished, adding that all the families living around it were even assured of alternative housing.

Similarly several Hindus living in the area, who collected near the temple site, after the news of the demolition spread, voiced their disappointment as well as their acrimony on their place of worship being destroyed.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Mohan Lal, a Hindu activist, accused the builder of threatening members of the minority community who had assembled at the site and highlighted the temple’s demolition.

“We tried to enter the temple but were denied entry by the builder,” he narrated, adding that the man had deceived the residents living there. “We will not allow anyone to demolish our places of worship in this manner,” he added.

According to the report, the builder could not be reached for his comment on the matter.

Hardline Islamists impeded construction of Sri Krishna temple in Islamabad

Last month, the construction of a new Sri Krishna temple in Islamabad was halted after radical extremists razed the boundary wall of the temple to the ground. Videos of radical extremist dismantling the temporary boundary wall and speaking to the camera in an agitated manner had gone viral on social media.

The hardline-radical Islamists in Pakistan had earlier opposed the construction of Hindu temple in Pakistan claiming that it was contrary to the idea of Pakistan, which is Islam. Terming it to be against Pakistan’s ideologies, the Islamic fundamentalists had attacked the Imran Khan government for granting funds to the construction of a Hindu temple in Islamabad. The Islamic leaders claimed that building a temple on the taxes of Muslims could not be tolerated in Pakistan.

Congress era NSA with links to George Soros insinuates India’s domestic policy should be decided by the USA

OpIndia Staff
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Congress era NSA with links to George Soros insinuates India’s domestic policy should be decided by the USA

Shivshankar Menon, India’s former National Security Advisor under the Manmohan Singh government has written an article in Foreignaffairs.com, a USA-based publication, on the India-US relationship under the Modi and Trump administrations.

As NSA, Menon was cited as one of Manmohan Singh’s most trusted men and had also gained the confidence of many UPA ministers.

In the article, the former NSA has implied that India’s domestic policies should be made in a way that the USA, or rather, a particular set of politicians in the USA approve of.

In the article titled “League of Nationalists: How Trump and Modi Refashioned US-Indian Relationship” in the current issue of Foreign Affairs, Menon has written that Trump and Modi go along well because they both, like Israel’s Netanyahu, Saudi Arabia’s Mohammad Bin Salman and Brazil’s Bolsonaro, view foreign policy as a ‘give and get favours’ relationship.

Menon also says that Modi and Trump go along well because, like Trump, Modi had “resorted to ultranationalism to compensate for his divisive domestic agenda”.

Fromer NSA peddles blatant lies against India

The former NSA’s article is mostly about how Trump (and his friends) are bad people who do bad things. He writes baout a number of changes in India’s policy and trade relationship with the USA, but fails to explain how exactly they have been ‘bad’ for either countries. Most of the issues he has mentioned, are discussed because they have been ‘changes’, steering away from old conventions and old dynamics of ‘strong USA and weak India’.

In order to make his point, Menon has resorted to blatant lies against India and the policies of the Modi government, to the extent of undermining India’s national interests and belittling India’s sovereignty to ‘appease’ a certain group of politicians.

Shivshankar Menon’s article in Foreign Affairs

In the same article, Menon has resorted to blatant lies. He has written that under Modi, India has “excluded Muslim immigrants from the path to citizenship”. This is in reference to the CAA, where India had shortened the number of years required for religiously persecuted minority refugees from its three Islamic neighbours, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh to apply for an Indian citizenship.

The blatant lie that it takes away the ‘right of Muslims’ and endangers their citizenship, or even restricts Muslims from applying for Indian citizenship was peddled by a large group od ‘secular-liberals’ including the Congress, and other opposition parties in India, a number of leftist NGOs, Pakistan, UK’s Labour Party and a section of democrats in the USA.

The CAA neither concerns exiting Indian citizens, regardless of their religion, nor it affects the usual process of applying for citizenship for non-Indians, regardless of their religion. What Menon, a former NSA, has written, is a big, fat, shameless lie.

Menon’s lie on Kashmir

The second part of Menon’s lies concerns Jammu and Kashmir, where India had last year abrogated the discriminatory, misogynist, anti-Dalit and anti-minority Article 370 and brought all the residents of the erstwhile Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir under the ambit of the Indian constitution, with all the rights and benefits that the Indian constitution grants to its citizens, regardless of their gender, birth, religion and sexual orientation.

Why exactly a former NSA serving under the then UPA government harbours the views that an Indian state should be governed by a set of sectarian laws dictated by the Muslim majority of that region and its residents should not enjoy the rights and benefits granted by the constitution of India is a big mystery. May be Menon himself, or the people who appointed him as the NSA should answer that question.

Menon wants USA to interfere in India’s domestic policies?

The reason why he has written a long article on ‘Bad-Trump bad-Modi’ is explained on the later lines. Menon has explicitly mentioned that Trump has never ‘objected’ to Modi’s domestic policy. He has given a “free pass” to Modi’s divisive domestic agenda and it was only a few Democrat leaders, like Pramila Jayapal, and Ro Khanna who had spoken against Modi’s policy.

Why does a former NSA think that India’s democratically elected government should need the permission, evaluation and approval of the USA before deciding on its domestic policies is another large question mark.

Pramila Jayapal, and some other politicians, were among those who had tried to pressurise India through various channels against its domestic policy decisions of CAA and abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. India’s current foreign minister S Jaiashankar had refused to meet a delegation of USA politicians where Jayapal was a part, over the same issue.

India, under the Modi government, has steadfastly refused to bow down to foreign politicians. The UK Labour Party had also passed a resolution against India’s decisions in Kashmir. India, under Modi, has made it clear that it will not let foreign powers decide its policies. Perhaps a strong, independent India that refuses to bend to a certain group of lobbyists and their masters, is not a favourable idea for some.

Shivshankar Menon is the board member of a George Soros organisation

Shivshankar Menon, who served as the National Security Advisor (NSA) of India from January 2010 to May 2014 under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, currently sits on the Board of Trustees of Crisis Group along with George Soros.

For the uninitiated, George Soros, the so-called ‘progressive philanthropist’, who through his network of NGOs and funding agencies works to interfere in internal matters of other nations, influence elections and change governments, has stated that his organisation intends to fight ‘nationalism’ in India.

At Davos, in his speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF), Soros had committed $1 billion towards fighting nationalism and nationalists. George Soros claimed that the “biggest and most frightening setback” was in India and accused Narendra Modi of “creating a Hindu nationalist state.

In India, Soros’ organisation Open Society Foundation has been working through a number of NGOs and so-called ‘intellectuals’. These organizations are extensively involved in shaping the mainstream narrative and they often engage in ‘judicial activism’ that seeks to use the Courts in order to undermine Indian national interests. Harsh Mander is the Chairman of the OSF’s Human Rights Initiative Advisory Board.

Some of OSF-supported HRLN’s efforts have been involved in include the campaign against ISKCON’s Akshaya Patra, a campaign against Indian sedition laws, and it has been providing free legal aid to Rohingya Muslims in India. It has also been engaging in activism for the implementation of the RTE Act that works against Hindu-run institutions. Furthermore, it is also linked to a plethora of organizations across the country that seeks to undermine India’s territorial integrity.

Facebook removes hundreds of pro-Trump QAnon groups ahead of US elections, limits their reach

OpIndia Staff
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Facebook removes hundreds of pro-Trump QAnon groups ahead of US elections, limits their reach

On Wednesday, the social media giant Facebook in a controversial decision removed around 800 QAnon groups for posts that allegedly ‘celebrated violence’ and showed ‘intent to use weapons’ or try to attract followers with ‘patterns of violent behaviour’.

According to the reports, Facebook has also imposed restrictions on 1,950 more public and private QAnon accounts. These accounts will not be recommended to users and will be harder to find in Facebook searches as well. 

QAnon is a collective term for groups of activists and right-wing conspiracy theorists, who are often known for supporting United States President Donald Trump ever since he announced to contest for the US presidential elections of 2016. The internet activists have made serious allegations stating that key Democrats are part of a child-sex racketing and ran a paedophile ring out of a restaurant basement in Washington DC.

The movement centres on posting anonymous information using the nickname Q, who claims to be a high-ranking official in the Trump administration. The movement began in secret corners of the internet, has now entered mainstream politics recently.

The conspiracy theorists had once asserted that Democratic and Hollywood elites worship the devil, eat children, and they have already been executed after secret military tribunals and replaced by actors. 

New QAnon groups have been created

Removing these accounts, Facebook said that some of these followers have formed new groups with code words, hence tracking them down would be an ongoing task. Facebook said that thousands of its users belong to one or more QAnon group, but declined to give more information. 

Facebook has been under increasing pressure to check the spread of fake news and conspiracy theories, leading to the 2020 presidential elections.

Previously, Twitter had also removed thousands of QAnon accounts from its network. Even Google had blocked QAnon-related videos from YouTube for violating its guidelines. Earlier, the FBI has identified QAnon as a potential domestic terror threat, and that some of its followers have been charged with murder and kidnapping.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump reacted to banning of QAnon accounts on Facebook, said that he did not know much about the QAnon groups, but said that they held a favourable view of him. “I don’t know much about the movement, other than I understand they like me very much,” he said.

Trump ‘cancels’ Goodyear, calls for boycott of its tyres after company policy banning MAGA attire goes viral, the company distances itself from the policy

OpIndia Staff
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Trump ‘cancels’ Goodyear, calls for boycott of its tyres after company policy banning MAGA attire goes viral, the company distances itself from the policy

In the politically charged environment in the USA ahead of the Presidential elections, US-based Tyre maker Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company had to face major embarrassment after President Donald Trump called for its boycott. “Don’t buy GOODYEAR TIRES”, tweeted President Trump after a slide from the company went viral banning MAGA branded attire. MAGA, or Make America Great Again, is a slogan popularized by Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign.

Sharply criticising the Ohio headquartered company for allegedly banning merchandise carrying the MAGA slogan, he justified the call for boycotting Goodyear tyres and buying better tyres for far less as the Radical Left Democrats do the same. “Two can play the same game, and we have to start playing it now”, the POTUS declared.

President Trump’s tweet came after an employee of the company posted a slide displayed at a plant of the company, which listed MAGA hats under the unacceptable category. According to the employee, the slide was displayed by an area manager kiat the Topeka plant of the company, who had said that the slide came from the corporate office in Akron, Ohio. The slide displayed items under two categories, acceptable and unacceptable.

Under acceptable, it listed Black Lives Matter (BLM), and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride. While under unacceptable, the slide listed: Blue Lives Matter, All Lives Matter, MAGA Attire, Political Affiliated Slogans or Material. The employee took a photo of the slide and posted the same on social media, after which it went viral.

After the tweet of President Trump, the company went into damage control mode and issued a statement distancing itself from the slide. The company claimed that the visual in question was not created or distributed by Goodyear corporate, nor was its part of a diversity training class. The company said, “a widely circulated image sparked a strong reaction, and we wanted to take the opportunity to provide some context to the visual and our policies”.

“To be clear on our longstanding corporate policy, Goodyear has zero tolerance for any forms of harassment or discrimination. To enable a work environment free of those, we ask that associates refrain from workplace expressions in support of political campaigning for any candidate or political party, as well as similar forms of advocacy that fall outside the scope of racial justice and equity issues,” the statement added. Goodyear also clarified that it is not anti-police, as some were claiming after seeing the slide.

In the current election campaign, President Trump is speaking against what he calls the left-wing “cancel culture”, the practice of the left-liberals to punish people for not allying with their political ideology. “One of their political weapons is ‘cancel culture’ — driving people from their jobs, shaming dissenters and demanding total submission from anyone who disagrees. This is the very definition of totalitarianism, and it is completely alien to our culture and our values, and it has absolutely no place in the United States of America,” Donald Trump had said during a speech a few weeks ago. Therefore, by calling for the boycott, Trump sought to pay back the left in their own coin.

President Trump in the Beast

It is interesting to note that the Presidential Limousine used by the US President, known as the Beast, uses custom-made tyres made by Goodyear.

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