A day after radical Islamic organisation Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) led a violent Muslim mob to unleash riots on the streets of Bengaluru, the Islamist organisation has pushed the blame on the Bengaluru police for the horrific riots that has killed three people and injuring more than 60 police personnel.
According to Suvarna News, Elyas Muhammad Thumbe – the state president of the SDPI on Wednesday claimed that the inaction of the Bengaluru police to act on the person who had allegedly posted derogatory comments made Muslim angry, who then resorted to violence on the streets of Bengaluru.
Defending the actions of SDPI leaders and the Muslim mob, who torched two police stations, vehicles and also attacked the local Congress MLA, said that a group of Muslims had approached the local police to act against one person named as Naveen for making indecent comments on Facebook. However, Elyas claimed that the police made the Muslim members wait for two hours before acting on the complaint.
The SDPI leader claimed that the Muslim mob got angered by the delay in police action and descended on the streets to ‘protest’ against the local MLA. “The inefficiency of Bengaluru police and the communal posts made by Naveen are responsible for the entire incident,” said Elyas Muhammad Thumbe.
Amidst chants of ‘Allah Hu Akbar’ and ‘Nara e Taqbeer’, Muslim mob unleashed violence in Bengaluru
More than 60 police personnel were injured in the stone-pelting and the subsequent riots unleashed by the irate Muslim mobs. At least 10 vehicles, including Innovas of two DCPs, were damaged in front of the stations. The mob also set fire to the vehicles in front of the DJ Halli police station.
During the pre-planned attack, the Muslim mob, carrying petrol bombs and other weapons, also barged into the nearby police quarters and attacked the premises. The Muslim mob was seen raising Islamic slogans like ‘Allah-hu-Akbar’ and ‘Nara-e-Taqbeer’ outside the police station.
It was also reported that the journalists and cameraman belonging to the Suvarna news, an influential Kannada news network, was also attacked by the unruly mob.
SDPI behind violence in Bengaluru
The Bengaluru police have arrested SDPI local leader Muzammil Pasha and booked two other leaders for instigating riots in Bengaluru. The SDPI local leader Muzammil Pasha had visited the police station along with the mob to register a complaint against a person named Naveen over the alleged derogatory Facebook post.
Reportedly, the arrested SDPI leader addressed the mob outside the police station and also joined the Muslim mob which protested outside the residence of the Congress MLA. The SDPI leader, along with two other SDPI leaders, Jaffar and Khaleel Pasha is said to have instigated the Muslim mob to pelt stones and torch vehicles near the police station.
Bengaluru was yesterday convulsed with violent communal riots as members of Muslim community, offended over an allegedly derogatory social media post on Prophet Muhammad, went on a rampage in some parts of the city.
The communal conflagration that broke out in Bengaluru also saw pitched battle between the hoodlums and the police personnel who were deployed to contain the situation. The Bengaluru police fought with the protesters, who indulged in arson and vandalism, for six hours in the narrow streets of K G Halli and D J Halli.
Amidst the menacing chants of “Allahu Akbar” and “Naara e Taqbeer”, the rampaging Muslim mob burnt down a police station, attacked the residence of the Dalit Congress MLA’s residence after one of his relatives had allegedly made a derogatory Facebook post.
Over a 100 people had gathered around the residence of Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivasamurthy around 7:00 PM on Tuesday. Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivasamurthy represents Pulikeshinagar constituency which is reserved for the Scheduled Caste (SC). The Muslim mob, armed with sticks, iron rods, sharp metal objects and other weapons, went berserk and barged into the house of the MLA.
The angry Muslim pelted stones and began to torch vehicles, ATMs, shops near the locality while protesting against the alleged derogatory post made by one of the relatives of Dalit Congress MLA Akhanda Shrinivasamurthy. Social media posts of few people involved in the mob violence indicate that the riots could have been pre-planned as calls for the mobilisation of Muslims were allegedly made on social media platforms on Tuesday evening.
While the news reports from multiple sources confirmed that the Bengaluru riots were a handiwork of anarchist members of the Muslim community, a concerted attempt is being made by the secularists and liberals on the social media to whitewash the criminality of these hooligans who had wreaked havoc on the streets of Bengaluru.
In order to counter the view that the protesting Muslims in Bengaluru are responsible for the widespread violence in the city, a vile and deliberately misleading narrative is being spun around to understate the delinquency of the riotous Muslims accountable for the communal strife.
In the wake of the riots that erupted in Bengaluru, a canard is being peddled in the media to extenuate the violent Muslim protesters from their participation in the violence. A video is of Muslims allegedly protecting a Hindu temple from ‘unruly mob’ is doing the rounds on the Internet.
At around 2 AM on the intervening night of 11th and 12th August, Congress National Secretary and social media in-charge Zakiya Khan shared a video wherein she claimed that Muslim youth formed a ‘human chain’ to ‘safeguard’ a temple from an intractable mob.
While the secularists and liberals hold forth on rioters having no religion, they do not necessarily feel apply the same standards while characterising those who allegedly save temples from rioters. A later video that emerged showed how someone could be heard asking the person recording the video to ‘hurry up and upload’.
In their bid to diminish the cruelties meted out by members of a particular religion, liberals whitewash their crimes committed during the riots by disassociating their religion with their depravity but when it comes to an act which appears to reinforce their commitment to secularism, they fall over themselves to link religion with their putative act of goodness.
The curious case of ‘human chains’
Day after the Delhi’s Anti-Hindu riots in February, media reports had emerged how Muslims formed human chains to ‘save temples’ in Delhi. In the article, Hindu Frontline claims that Hindus desecrated the mosques and Muslims were afraid that Hindus would then destroy a temple to blame the Muslims. Hence, to ‘protect’ temple from Hindus, Muslims formed a chain. “As a Hindu mob finished its destruction of the mazaar and poured into the lanes wreaking havoc, Muslims retaliated by pelting bricks back at them. In the melee, it was feared that the temple would be attacked either by the Hindus, in order to put the blame on Muslims angry at their mazaar being torched.” the report read.
Human chain at Shaheen Bagh in January 2020.
Similar such ‘human chains’ emerged while protesting against CAA and NRC as well. The CAA and NRC protests were also carried out mostly by Islamist organisation to protest against the citizenship law which would fast-track Indian citizenship to persecuted religious minorities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Similarly, the Muslim women at Shaheen Bagh had also formed a ‘human chain’ after an Aam Aadmi Party member opened fire at the road blocked by ‘protestors’.
Delhi’s Hauz Qazi where similar propaganda was peddled
A similar kind of trope was peddled during the communal violence that broke out in Delhi Hauz Qazi after a Hindu temple was desecrated in the area. A fabricated story, reinforcing ‘secularism’ and ‘bond of brotherhood’ was ran in the media, wherein Muslims were claimed to be helping the Hindus in ‘installing the idols’ and serving food.
As it turned out, the Hindu activists in the region rubbished the reports, claiming Muslims were serving foods only for ‘photo-ops’.
OpIndia had then spoken to Aviral Sharma, one such Hindu activist who was present at Hauz Qazi and was closely associated with the organisation of Hindu events in the area.
Aviral Sharma said that the event was organised by VHP and the money for the event came from donations by Hindus. The Muslims of Hauz Qazi did not pay any amount towards the Praan Pratishtha event and hence, reports that they ‘helped install new idols’ in the Durga Temple are outright lies.
Anti-Hindu riots in Delhi also witnessed attempts by media to sweep under the rug Muslim atrocities
Even in the aftermath of the vicious anti-Hindu riots in Delhi this year, media organisations made a beeline to publish stories that attempted to break the prevailing narrative that protesting Muslims instigated the riots in the national capital.
A report published in Outlook India said that Muslim neighbours in Delhi’s Babu Nagar area guarded a 39-year-old Hindu widow and her kids and ensured her safety. This report was in contrast to many other reports published by several media organisations, including OpIndia, which demonstrated that rioting Muslims had attacked colonies and places of Hindus through a co-ordinated and well-planned strategy. In fact, the charge-sheet into the Delhi riots lays bare the conspiracy hatched by Islamists to trigger communal clashes in the national capital.
Lies about Muslims helping cremate a Hindu body amid coronavirus busted
Recently, another spurious report highlighted how Muslims in the neighbourhood helped bury a man who was ostracised by the Hindu neighbours because he was suspected to have died from coronavirus. The report was carried by Times of India, apparently, to showcase how members of Muslim community helped a deceased Hindu man in performing his final rites.
However, the claims made in the report were rubbished by the grieving family, who were traumatised by the falsehoods peddled in the TOI report. Vinod, the dead man’s younger brother, categorically refuted the assertions made in the article, saying some 5 Muslim men did visit their house in the evening but only one of them was their acquaintance. Vinod stated that they all expressed their condolences and provided the family with food packets before leaving.
Vinod went on to say that those men also attended the funeral and some of them asked if they could pick up the bier. Vinod assented to their request, completely oblivious to the fact that photos of them carrying the bier were clicked and will be used against them to portray that Muslims helped in the cremation of the Hindu man.
This is a typical modus operandi employed by liberals and secularists to airbrush the offences committed by members of the Muslim community by citing alleged acts of generosity by Muslims towards non-Muslims. They either concoct incidents, such as the case in Delhi’s Hauz Qazi or highlight stray incidents such as the human chain being formed by Muslims in Bengaluru, to sweep under the rug the transgressions committed by the members of the Muslim community. While their benevolent acts may or may not be well-intentioned, but such actions do not acquit them of their role in instigating and perpetuating violence.
Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai has stated that the people responsible for the riots and damages to property will be held accountable and the cost of damages will be recovered from them.
JUST IN: Damage inflicted in east Bengaluru violence will be recovered from property of rioters, as per Supreme Court guidelines, says Karnataka Home Minister @BSBommai. pic.twitter.com/PAzzSMzyFq
Earlier, BJP MP Tejasvi Surja had written to CM Yediyurappa requesting him to attach the properties of the rioters to recover damages, as the Yogi government had done in UP.
Violent Muslim mobs had run riots in Bengaluru’s KG Halli and DJ Halli areas on the evening of 11 August, torching dozens of vehicles and attacking two police stations. Over 60 policemen have been injured. The Muslim mob had also attacked the residence of Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy.
The rioting was reportedly planned after some Muslims had outraged against a Facebook post shared by the nephew of the MLA which was allegedly derogatory against their Prophet Muhammad.
On 11th August 2020, after shopping and purchases for Sri Krishna Janmashtami, Bengaluru was preparing for the next day. Since we need to rise early for Puja, and just as we were about to retire for the day, Bengaluru came into news all over the country. Just as televisions were switched on, flames were raging on Pulakeshinagar MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy’s residence.
Among shouts of Allah-hu-Akbar, a huge mob assembled were hurling stones at Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy’s home and setting it on fire. They also attacked Fire Engines that rushed to the spot. Thereafter they barged into KG Halli Police Station, the local Police station. Setting two vans parked there on fire, they began attacking the police station. Not stopping at that, the mob indulged in violence against the Cops and media too.
What was the provocation for this incident? What was the background? Who was the architect behind this mindless act? What were their objectives? Was it spontaneous or pre-planned?
The provocation
A post by Naveen, nephew (younger sister’s son) of Pulakeshinagar MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy of Indian National Congress. This post was about Prophet Mohammed that allegedly hurt religious sentiments. Thereafter, a mob gathered with Bottles filled with Petrol, Diesel, Kerosene and stones and at first arrived and attacked the Congress MLAs house.
Violence Intensifies
Thereafter, the fire engine that rushed to the spot was also attacked by the mob. They also set fire to the patrol vehicle belonging to KG Halli/DG Halli police station. Since they had to order for direct action, it was obvious that the police had to flee to save themselves. Policemen hiding was deemed a sign of fear on their part and the mob immediately attacked the police station. They indulged in wanton destruction of police station by incessant stoning. Did it stop at this? No, it was only the beginning.
There is an attempt from some quarters to drive the narrative of it being a spontaneous act. A simple question for those people – If their anger was against Congress MLA, whey were they asking names of people going on the streets and also attacking Police Station? Why are Police department targeted? Despite violence and destruction of properties everywhere, how is it that there was none in the residential areas of miscreants?
Let us look at the sequence of events
They attack Legislator’s house.
Set fire to Police Van
Vandalise and attempt Set fire to Police Station
Lock up DCP who went there to pacify the mob (As informed to media by Minister A Ashoka)
Setting DCP’s car on fire
Fearing reprisals and police reinforcements arriving, attack police Quarters
Erect Barricades to block roads
Continuous stoning
Another attempt to vandalise KG Halli Police Station
What was the basic trigger? A Facebook post – Seriously? All this violence for a Facebook post? It is here that it takes a different turn.
Anger against Ram Mandir Bhumi Puja?
This suspicion is based on the audio tape aired by Times Now on 10th August 2020. The excerpt of the conversation – “they have begun the process of establishing a Hindu Nation. Dear Muslims brothers and sister, come and let us all stand up together. Let us stop Narendra Modi from hoisting the national flag on August 15th. We have to learn our lessons from the Khalistani Sikhs who are pushing for a separate statehood by conducting referendum 2020. Similarly, let us also work for a separate Muslim state. Allah Hafiz”.
An audio of 10th August inciting Muslim community becoming viral, and indulging in violence in Bengaluru on 11th August for a trivial reason makes things obvious. Not just the Congress, there are other big players behind this.
SDPI’s role?
It is very clear from whatever transpired that some leader indeed had good two-timing skill. Subsequent to lodging a formal complaint, Muzammil Pasha of SDPI, along with Jaffer and another person makes a typical political speech to the people gathered, beseeching that the nation knows them to be peace-lovers, peace should be maintained.
Was assembling huge mob of goons at 11 pm part of the one-point agenda of maintaining peace? FIR lodged by police against Muzammil Pasha and Ayaz would reveal the answers to this question. At the time of writing this, along with Pasha, more than 140 people have been detained in connection with this violent incident
Money involved?
This suspicion arises from some CCTV footages, where around 10:45pm, a person arrives on a bike and appear to be paying 3 rioters. What makes this suspicion stronger is that he calls out to specific set of people among the stone pelters.
It is pertinent to note at this stage is connection to the Kerala Gold smuggling case. It has been confirmed that a huge share of smuggled gold was being used to fund PFI activities. There have been allegations that it was also used to fuel Anti-CAA protests and violence in Bengaluru.
The circumstantial evidence of this sleaze money being used in last evening’s violence are too glaring to be ignored. It definitely calls for an investigation to establish or rule out such aspects.
Despite all these, if anyone still thinks this violence was spontaneous, and the result of a trivial Facebook post, one has to be very naïve and needs to view the world a bit more intelligently.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has written to the Central Board of Film Certification complaining against its “undue negative portrayal” in the movie Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, which is scheduled for a release on Netflix today.
IAF shoots letter to censor board objecting to its ‘undue negative portrayal’ in movie Gunjan Saxena
As per a report in ANI, the Indian Air Force in its letter to the censor board, Netflix and Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, states that initially, Dharma Productions had agreed to represent Indian Air Force (IAF) with authenticity and make all efforts to ensure that the film helps to inspire the next generation of IAF officers. However, when the trailer of the movie was released, it was observed that “certain scenes and dialogues in the movie and its trailer, which was forwarded to this office for viewing, have been found to portray the IAF in an undue negative light.”
Dharma’s movie ‘Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl’ is a biopic which tells the story of our country’s first Air Force woman pilot Gunjan Saxena who had participated in the Kargil war in 1999.
IAF says Dharma Productions has mispresented the organisation
IAF, in the letter to the censor board has objected to the portrayal of the institution in the movie. Where several scenes appear to convey that there is extreme gender bias, misogyny and even harassment of women in the IAF.
“In the aim to glorify the screen character of ‘Ex-Fit Lt Gunjan Saxena’, M/s Dharma Productions presented some situations that are misleading and portray an inappropriate work culture especially against women in the IAF.”
In the communique, IAF furthered that as a service, it has ensured that the organisation is gender neutral and has always provided an equal opportunity to both male and women personnel.
Karan Johar’s Dharma productions was already informed about IAF’s objections
Annexing the summary of the scenes and dialogues of the script, which IAF considered objectionable due to the presentation of incorrect gender bias, India Air Force stated that Karan Johar-owned Dharma Productions was “informed about the objectionable portion of the movie and was advised to delete/modify the same. However, the production house has not deleted the scenes but it proposed a media plan in the run-up to the release and insert a disclaimer in the movie.”
The Air Force opined that a mere media plan and disclaimer would not be adequate to prevent the presentation of incorrect facts about the IAF. “In view of the above, the issue of grant of NOC for the release of the movie will be considered after deleting or suitably modifying the scenes in order to cater to the observations mentioned,” the Air Force stated.
It is notable here that Gunjan Saxena was a woman IAF pilot who had played an important role during rescue operations of some injured soldiers in the Kargil war in 1999.
Note: The article earlier mentioned Gunjan Saxena had been awarded the Shourya Chakra for Kargil War. However, later these claims were found to be untrue. The article is updated.
Within hours of its premiere on YouTube, the Sadak 2 trailer got over 1.3 million dislikes, making it one of the most disliked tailer on the video streaming site. The film Sadak 2 releases on Disney Hotstar VIP on August 28.
Sadak 2 trailer gets over 1.3 million dislikes
As against 1.3 million dislikes, the trailer got less than 1 lakh ‘likes’.
Earlier in the day, the VHP sought legal action against the Mahesh Bhatt film for hurting Hindu sentiments. The movie starring Sanjay Dutt, Alia Bhatt and Aditya Roy Kapur, revolves around the protagonist’s encounter with a “fake Sadhu”. Basically Alia’s character in the movie is out to expose a fake guru and his ashram. Sanjay Dutt’s character will help Alia in ‘exposing’ the Baba.
Notably, last month, at the time of its release, the poster of Sadak 2 had run into controversy. A complaint was filed before a court in Muzaffarpur in Bihar against the filmmakers for hurting Hindu sentiments.
However, the trailer does not seem to have gone down too well for the audience.
Fans upset over Sushant Singh Rajput’s death
Many fans of Sushant Singh Rajput who smell a foul play in the actor’s untimely death in June this year left angry comments. Following his death, many had blamed the nepotism prevalent in Bollywood for pushing the talented actor over the edge. Further, Mahesh Bhatt came under fire over allegations that Sushant’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty was hugely influenced by Bhatt who ‘guided’ her in her relationship with the deceased actor.
The Muslim mob violence in Bengaluru, which has injured more than 60 police personnel and killed three rioters in the police firing, has exposed the Congress Party, the main opposition party in the state as most of the party leaders of the state Congress leaders have embraced silence failing to condemn the incident despite the fact that the Muslim mobs had attacked one of its own MLAs.
The reason behind the silence of the Congress party to condemn the incident is because the radical Islamist organisation – Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), which is accused of orchestrating riots, is in a direct fight with the Congress over minority votes.
The SDPI which has some presence in Karnataka has contested in the elections against the Congress in the past and has now emerged as a competitor for the Congress party in a number of assembly seats. Due to its radical Islamic ideology, the SDPI has managed to gain some popularity, threatening Congress’s earlier hold over the Muslim votes. The fringer parties such as SDPI have managed to influence Muslim voters, taking a chunk of traditional Muslim votes from the Congress party.
The Congress, which has been put in a tough situation, seems to be still comprehending to react as if it condemns the violence unleashed by the Muslim mob, it fears a backlash and might end up in helping the SDPI which is already closing in on minority votes. If it does not condemn, the majority community might move further away from the Congress.
Hence, most of the Congress leaders have chosen to remain silent. State Congress leaders like Siddaramaiah and dozens of other leaders have not reacted to the incident since last night. Meanwhile, leaders like DK Shivakumar, Dinesh Gundurao and Priyank Kharge have so far tweeted doing a balancing act by holding blame both on the person who allegedly posted a derogatory post and also the Muslim mob.
I condemn the violence that has happened in Bengaluru. No one must take law into their own hands.
The Government must take strict and exemplary action against the person who made the derogatory social media post as well as those who indulged in rioting and arson. pic.twitter.com/Adhl152LPt
The leaders of the Congress party are not ready to speak up against SDPI’s communal politics and have maintained a tight-lip over the entire issue.
SDPI behind violence in Bengaluru
The Bengaluru police have arrested SDPI local leader Muzammil Pasha and booked two other leaders for instigating riots in Bengaluru. The SDPI local leader Muzammil Pasha had visited the police station along with the mob to register a complaint against a person named Naveen over the alleged derogatory Facebook post.
Reportedly, the arrested SDPI leader addressed the mob outside the police station and also joined the Muslim mob which protested outside the residence of the Congress MLA. The SDPI leader, along with two other SDPI leaders, Jaffar and Khaleel Pasha is said to have instigated the Muslim mob to pelt stones and torch vehicles near the police station.
A Muslim mob, amidst chants of ‘Allah Hu Akbar’ and ‘Nara e Taqbeer’, went on a rampage and unleashed violence in KG Halli and DJ Halli areas of Bengaluru on Tuesday evening over a Facebook post that was allegedly derogatory to Prophet Mohammad.
Slamming the rioters who caused extensive damages to properties, Bengaluru South MP (BJP) Tejasvi Surya has written to the Karanataka CM BS Yediyurappa, asking him to take a cue from the Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath and similarly attach the properties of the rioters and recover the losses caused to public property from them.
I request Sri @BSYBJP to confiscate and attach properties of the rioters and compensate losses to public property in same way as Sri @myogiadityanath govt did in UP.
Bengaluru is known for its peace and harmonious society.
The BJP MP took to Twitter to share his letter in which he urged Yediyurappa to follow the example of the government of Uttar Pradesh led by Yogi Adityanath, which he said would ensure that such incidents are not repeated in future.
Tejasvi Surya asks Karnataka CM to take a cue from Yogi Adityanath
Recollecting how Uttar Pradesh CM attached properties of the rioters involved in arson, put up hoardings of the persons accused of violence and in Lucknow alone, issued recovery notices worth Rs 1.55 crores to 50 people, Tejasvi Surya said that the rioters who resorted to vandalism in KG Halli and DJ Halli in Bengaluru on the evening of August 11, should also be dealt with sternly.
The letter written by BJP MP Tejasvi Surya to Karnataka CM
According to reports, a mob comprising of over 100 Muslims had gathered around the residence of Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivasamurthy around 7:00 PM on Tuesday after one of his relatives had shared a Facebook post which was allegedly derogatory to Prophet Mohammad.
The Muslim mob, armed with sticks, iron rods, sharp metal objects and other weapons, went berserk and barged into the house of the MLA. They pelted stones and torched vehicles, ATMs, shops near the locality.
Amidst chants of ‘Allah Hu Akbar’ and ‘Nara e Taqbeer’, Muslim mob burns down police station, more than 60 police personnel injured
More than 60 police personnel were injured in the stone-pelting and the subsequent riots unleashed by the irate Muslim mobs. At least 10 vehicles, including Innovas of two DCPs, were damaged in front of the stations. The mob also set fire to the vehicles in front of the DJ Halli police station.
During the pre-planned attack, the Muslim mob, carrying petrol bombs and other weapons, also barged into the nearby police quarters and attacked the premises. The Muslim mob was seen raising Islamic slogans like ‘Allah-hu-Akbar’ and ‘Nara-e-Taqbeer’ outside the police station.
It was also reported that the journalists and cameraman belonging to the Suvarna news, an influential Kannada news network, were also attacked by the unruly mob.
Yogi Adityanath had taken tough measures to combat the anti-CAA Muslim rioters
For the uninitiated, similar scenes of violence had erupted when Muslims mobs had taken to the streets during the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) beginning in December last year. UP CM Yogi Adityanath has been very clear about his intentions from the very first day when the riots took place in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
He had announced tough measures to combat the riots and had promised to seize the property of every rioter and use its funds to repair the damaged public property. The Uttar Pradesh government had also identified at least 498 properties to seize them, which belonged to rioters who vandalized public properties in the state during the so-called anti-CAA protest.
In Lucknow alone, the Uttar Pradesh government had issued recovery notices worth Rs 1.55 crores to 57 rioters under the provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Recovery of Damages to Public and Private Property Ordinance, 2020.
The Lucknow administration had put up large hoardings displaying the names and addresses of the rioters who are required to pay damages. A lot of outrage was registered by opposition parties, especially by the ‘secular-liberal’ gang.
When the court stated that there is no law that allows such public display of names and photographs of rioters, the Yogi government had on March 14 passed an ordinance named the ‘Uttar Pradesh Recovery of Damage to Public Properties Ordinance, 2020’, thereby providing the authorization to the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh to recover the damages incurred from the accused individuals.
A claim recovery tribunal was also set up as per the ordinance to oversee damages recovery and appeals.
On 10th August 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Submarine optical fibre cable network connectivity to the Andaman and Nicobar islands via video conference. The mammoth project of laying down 2300 KM of optical fibre cable was started in December 2018 during PM Modi’s visit to the Islands.
Laying the massive length of cable on the seafloor was not an easy task. It involved extensive engineering works, specialised machinery and a lot of skills.
Laying cables at the seafloor at Andaman
Though India is leading the way in providing fast mobile internet services at cheap rates, the residents of Andaman and Nicobar Islands had to wait for a long time for the services. With this project, the residents and tourists on the Islands will be able to enjoy high-speed internet services.
Workers with diving equipments working at the sea floor
Some facts about the OFC project
The project covers 2,313 Kms of Under Sea cable between Chennai and Port Blair and nearby areas.
Northern Endeavour: One of the ships hired for the project
The total cost of the project is Rs. 1,224 Crore.
BSNL completed the project in less than the projected 24-month period.
Divers working underwater
Andaman and Nicobar Islands will be able to receive high-speed 4G mobile internet services.
This project will boost Digital Services like Tele-education, TeleHealth, eGovernance Services and tourism on the islands.
Submarine OFC laying KT Responder had arrived in Andaman in January
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are strategic in terms of sea route for trade. These Islands are only 100 KM away from Indonesia. From the security point of view, Andaman and Nicobar Islands make it easier to keep a check on the International waters.
The OFC at the sea floor near Andaman and Nicobar Islands
The Indian government is developing ports to enable large ships to use these islands as halt point. High-speed internet will help in providing better services at the ports.
Challenges associated with undersea optical fibre cable projects
Under-sea fibre cable connectivity is not something that is new for those who are familiar with the field. There are hundreds of projects across the world connecting continents via fibre cable. These submarine cable networks are used for high-speed data transfer from server locations to every part of the world. Though the networks have notable benefits, there is no denying that these projects come with the challenges of their own.
Engineers and workers on board the OFC laying ship
While laying down the fibre cable, the engineers working on the project have to be highly skilled not only in the technology but also have to be comfortable with working in deep waters. They have to wear special diving suits while laying down the cables to ensure they can work for a longer duration.
During monsoon season, the sea between Chennai and Andaman and Nicobar Islands experience high tides. It is next to impossible to continue working in such a condition where tides can go as high as several meters. The engineers have to factor in the damage that these tidal waves can cause to the cable and the protective structure while designing them.
Some portion of the OFC also runs under ground
The uneven seabed is another challenge that the engineers have to work on while laying down the wires. The seabed is not like a road. It is uneven, and the depth can differ after every few meters making the project more challenging.
Sea animals, seawater and sea plants are all enemies of such structures. They can damage the wires extensively, and thus while designing the wires and the outer cover, the engineers have to make it rustproof and strong to enhance durability.
The OFC laying project in progress
It is essential to monitor data transfer all the time so that if there is a problem or breakage in the structure, it can be rectified. Keep in mind that the newly inaugurated structure is around 2300 KM in length. That means to ensure proper monitoring; it has to be equipped with sensors that can detect the problem at a certain point and provide a precise location of the problem for repairs. It increases the cost of the project substantially.
The dependence of upcoming projects on the OFC network
The government is upgrading the Port Blair airport, and several projects are on the final stages in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. A port is also being developed that will allow international ships to halt. With the high-speed internet, it will be easier for the government to provide better services at airports, ports etc.
Tourists at Andaman and Nicobar Islands often complained about the lack of high-speed internet services. With the new OFC network, tourists will find it easier to communicate with their loved ones and spend longer time enjoying holidays at the Islands.
Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt’s first home production, Sadak 2, which also marks the return of her father Mahesh Bhatt as a director after 20 years, has garnered a lot of controversies, even before its release. Reportedly, Vishwa Hindu Parishad is now seeking action against filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt’s directorial venture which is yet to release on the OTT platform Hotstar. VHP leader Vijay Shankar Tiwari has called out the film on Twitter by alleging that it ‘hurts religious sentiments’. He has claimed that the film is portraying Hindus in the bad light and that the centre needs to take action against the makers of the film.
महेश भट्ट के निर्देशन बनी फिल्म सड़क सड़क में एक बार फिर हिन्दू आस्था को अपमानित किया गया है जिसे हाटस्टार में दिखाया जाएगा,फिल्म केवल नेपोटिज्म के प्रोडक्ट्स भरे पड़े हैं, जिन्हें महेश भट्ट आगे बढ़ा रहे हैं। केन्द्र सरकार इस पर कार्यवाही करे।
The movie starring Sanjay Dutt, Alia Bhatt and Aditya Roy Kapur, revolves around the protagonist’s encounter with a “fake Sadhu”. Basically Alia’s character in the movie is out to expose a fake guru and his ashram. Sanjay Dutt’s character will help Alia in ‘exposing’ the Baba.
This movie, like many other Bollywood movies which glorify Islam and make fun of Hindu culture, has portrayed a Hindu Sadhu in a bad light. This has particularly irked the Hindus, who have collectively demanded a boycott of the film for its demeaning portrayal of Hindu sadhus and saints.
It is pertinent to note here, that last month, when the poster of the movie was released, then too, the movie had run into controversy. In a complaint filed before a court in Muzaffarpur in Bihar, the filmmakers Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt, besides actor Alia Bhatt, were accused of “hurting Hindu sentiments” through the poster. The complainant had taken exception to the use of an image of Kailash Mansarovar (which is a place of pilgrimage for the Hindus) in the poster of Sadak 2, which is said to be a sequel to the 1991 film that originally starred Sanjay with Pooja Bhatt.
VHP leader Vijay Shankar Tiwari also highlighted in another tweet that how this Mahesh Bhatt’s film endorses nepotism. Tiwari wrote in Hindi: “सुनील दत्त के बेटे हैं संजय दत्त, महेश भट्ट की बेटियाँ हैं पूजा और आलिया, सिद्धार्थ रॉय कपूर के भाई हैं आदित्य, इन सबकी फिल्म है सड़क-2, जो आज रिलीज हुई है,अब महेश भट्ट को बताना होगा कि तुम्हारा और तुम्हारी फिल्म का हश्र खान ब्रदर्स जैसा ही होगा।यही है नेपोटिज्म है।” roughly traslated as “Sanjay Dutt is the son of Sunil Dutt, Alia and Pooja are the daughters of Mahesh Bhatt, Aditya Roy Kapur is the brother of Siddharth Roy Kapur. They all have acted in Sadak 2, which was released today. Now, it’s time to tell Mahesh Bhatt that he and his film will meet the same fate as Khan brothers. This is nepotism.”
सुनील दत्त के बेटे हैं संजय दत्त, महेश भट्ट की बेटियाँ हैं पूजा और आलिया, सिद्धार्थ रॉय कपूर के भाई हैं आदित्य, इन सबकी फिल्म है सड़क-2, जो आज रिलीज हुई है,अब महेश भट्ट को बताना होगा कि तुम्हारा और तुम्हारी फिल्म का हश्र खान ब्रदर्स जैसा ही होगा।यही है नेपोटिज्म है।
Amid the raging debate about nepotism and favouritism in Bollywood, which was reignited after the untimely demise of the young actor Sushant Singh Rajput, a section of angry netizens uninstalled Disney+ Hotstar, the OTT app that is all set to premiere the comeback film of director Mahesh Bhatt, Sadak 2. On Monday, the angry social media users trended the hashtag #UninstallHotstar on Twitter, urging people to boycott the Bhatt family’s project.
Mahesh Bhatt’s alleged closeness with Sushant’s girlfriend, Rhea Chakraborty, who has now been charged with abetment to suicide in an FIR filed by the late actor’s father, is also believed to be one of the reasons of netizens’ wrath.
Amidst all of this, Alia Bhatt has turned off the comments section of her social media accounts including Instagram and Twitter. Sadak 2 will release on Disney+ Hotstar on August 28.
