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‘China is committing cultural genocide in Tibet’: CTA President-in-exile urges UNHRC to discuss human rights violations in Chinese occupied regions

OpIndia Staff
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‘China is committing cultural genocide in Tibet’: CTA President-in-exile urges UNHRC to discuss human rights violations in Chinese occupied regions

After slamming China for its “expansionist policies” and issuing a warning to Nepal regarding Chinese combativeness, Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has now asked the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to hold a special session on “human right violations” by China in Tibet and other regions under it. Accusing China of committing “cultural genocide” in Tibet, President of the Tibetan government-in-exile, Lobsang Sangay, has issued a statement in which he has asked UNHRC to “act with a sense of urgency” to “unite and ensure that China fulfils its obligations under international laws including human rights obligations before it is too late”.

The Tibetian government based in Dharamshala, the district headquarters of Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, India, has urged the UN body to take appropriate decisive measures to protect fundamental freedoms in China occupied regions including Tibet, Hong Kong, and Xinjiang.

Central Tibetan Administration (CTA)

For the uninitiated, while the People’s Republic of China (PRC) claims that Tibet is an integral part of China, the Tibetan government-in-exile maintains that Tibet is an independent state under unlawful occupation. Prior to 1951, Tibet had a theocratic government of which the Dalai Lama was the supreme religious and political head. On 29 April 1959, Dalai Lama established the Tibetan exile administration in the north Indian hill station of Mussoorie. Named the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), this is the continuation of the government of independent Tibet. In May 1960, the CTA was moved to Dharamsala. The Tibetan people, both in and outside Tibet, look to the CTA as their sole and legitimate representative. Since 2012, Lobsang Sangay is the Sikyong or the President of the Tibetan-government-in-exile, officially known as Central Tibetan Administration.

In his statement on Sunday (June 28th), Lobsang Sangay said that in the last six decades and more, Tibetans within Tibet were suffering under the authoritarian rule of China. The Chinese government has stripped off Tibetans of their basic human rights and their inherent dignity of being human, he said.

China accused of torturing the Tibetans for decades

Sangay furthered that China has for decades tortured the Tibetans, and the act of cruelties which China has been imparting on the Tibetans “do not fall short of being categorised as cultural genocide”. Accusing China of carrying out unchecked human right violations in Tibet and other places under it, Sangay furthered: “The tortures, enforced disappearances, and destructions of monasteries carried out by the government of China against Tibetans are acts of crimes against humanity and do not fall short of being categorized as ‘cultural genocide’,” he added.

“The persecution and suppression via high-tech surveillance by China have forced 154 Tibetans from different walks of life in Tibet to self-immolate as a mark of peaceful protest against the Chinese authorities since 2009,” alleged Sangay.

The President of the Tibetan government-in-exile said that it is time to hold China accountable otherwise it will have an adverse global impact, similar to the Wuhan originated Covid-19 pandemic.

Quoting a recent demand by UN independent experts to examine the alleged human right violations in Tibet by China, Sangay said: “We strongly urge the UNHRC and the member states to hold a special session to evaluate the human rights violations being carried out by China and to establish a country mandate of UN Special Rapporteur on China to monitor, analyse and report annually on the human rights situation in Tibet and other occupied regions”.

President of the Tibetan government-in-exile speaks of China’s “five-finger” plan

Earlier, Lobsang Sangay had warned Nepal that China has been looking at occupying the entire sub-continent since the 1960s after the occupation of Tibet. Sangay said that what China did with Tibet, it is looking at emulating the same with Nepal. Speaking on Chinese combativeness, Sangay said that the Chinese leadership had stated that Beijing was looking to accomplish its ‘Five Finger’ plan, where Tibet was the palm, while Ladakh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, the five fingers.

Forget Sabarimala, look into regulating media instead: Kapil Sibal says media should not have right to freedom of speech and expression

OpIndia Staff
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Forget Sabarimala, look into regulating media instead: Kapil Sibal says media should not have right to freedom of speech and expression

Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal raised concerns regarding the independence of the Judiciary during an online seminar on Saturday. Apart from allegations that the Courts had become a tool of the government, Sibal argued that matters of national importance are not taken up while other matters of less import according to him are given credence.

In this light, Kapil Sibal argued that the Supreme Court should regulate media and social media and not spend time on matters such as the Sabarimala Verdict review. He considers it a matter of national importance for the Supreme Court to restrict and regulate the speech of individuals on social media. But the faith of Hindu devotees does not appear to be a cause of concern for him.

According to Kapil Sibal, the press cannot claim right to freedom of speech and expression because their speech is, apparently, ‘commercial speech’. He said, “Mainstream media is funded by politics, and it supports the prominent ones who are in power. This is completely contrary to concept of media’s responsibility. You must segregate ‘news’ from ‘views’.”

“The views of media are not ‘free speech’ but ‘commercial speech’. This cannot claim protection under Article 19(1)(a),” Kapil Sibal added. The freedom of press in India is implied in Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India which guarantees every citizen the right to freedom of speech and expression. According to the Congress leader, the press should not have this right.

The senior Congress aide said that the media and social media have “destroyed the concept of fair communication”. And therefore, he believes the Supreme Court should instead focus on curbing the freedom of expression of the press and social media instead of reviewing its Sabarimala verdict, which had caused completely avoidable strife in the country.

The claims made by Kapil Sibal is extremely dangerous for freedom of the press. It appears that the Congress party truly believes that the media should not have the right to freedom of speech and expression. This is far more dictatorial than the stand any political party has taken thus far. It appears that the Congress party of 2020 is dreaming of imposing the dark days of Emergency.

The war that the Congress party has launched against Republic TV and its Editor in Chief Arnab Goswami is evidence of that fact. The Maharashtra Government inflicted tremendous harassment on him and certain Congress leaders even wanted Republic TV and Arnab Goswami to be taken off air. Thus, Sibal’s statement claiming that the press is not entitled to freedom of speech and expression is consistent with how the party has behaved in recent times and in sync with its past.

It is also important to remember that the Congress party in its manifesto for the 2019 General Elections had promised to regulate social media and “Pass regulations to stop the spread of fake news and hate speech and punish those who misuse digital and social media.” Since it lost the actions terribly and is not in position to regulate social media, it appears that the Congress party wants the Judiciary to enforce the party’s poll promise.

Haryana: TikTok star found murdered in her own beauty parlour, family accuses ‘friend’ Arif

OpIndia Staff
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Haryana: TikTok star found murdered in her own beauty parlour, family accuses ‘friend’ Arif

In a shocking incident, a TikTok celebrity named Shivani, from Rohtak, Haryana, was brutally murdered by her friend and neighbour Arif, who after allegedly killing her, hid Shivani’s dead body in her own beauty parlour in TDI City in Kundli, Haryana. Shivani’s family alleged unrequited love and obsession as the motive of the crime. Based on Shivani’s father’s complaint, Rohtak police has filed a case against Arif and have been trying to catch him.

According to reports, when Shivani’s another friend and co-worker, Neeraj, opened the salon on June 28th morning, he smelt something unpleasant. On searching, he found Shivani’s dead body hidden inside a bed in one room. Reportedly, Neeraj, who use to also stay in the salon, had been sleeping on the same bed under which Shivani’s dead body was found. It was there for the last two days, but Neeraj only realised on June 28th morning after he got the foul smell.

TikTok star Shivani had over 1 lakh 75 thousand followers

Shivani, who had almost 1 lakh 75 thousand followers on the video-sharing app was found strangulated at her salon. Police confirmed that Sivani’s mobile phone was also missing. After her family found out that Shivani had been brutally murdered, they lodged a complaint against her friend and neighbour Arif.

Reportdely, a video has been posted from Shivani’s TikTok account merely 7 to 8 hours before her dead body was recovered from her salon.

Shivani’s family alleged unrequited love and obsession as the motive behind the murder

According to Shivani’s father Vinod, the accused Arif earlier lived in Piyau Maniyari where Shivani was currently living with her family in a rented apartment, had been obsessively hounding her for quite some time but she had spurned all his advances. He furthered that when Shivani stopped speaking to the accused, he started harassing her. For the last 15 days, Shivani and Arif had been regularly quarrelling over this, the family also revealed.

According to reports, Arif had gone to meet Shivani at her salon, ‘Touch and Care’ on June 26th, the day Shivani was murdered. Shivani had also told her sister, Shweta, on the phone that Arif had come to meet her in the salon and she was talking to him.

On the day of the murder (June 26th), when Shivani did not return home until late at night, Shivani’s sister Bharti, reportedly, received a Whatapp message from Shivani’s phone which read that she was in Haridwar, and would return on Tuesday. However, her dead body was found hidden in her own salon two days later. It is being alleged that Arif who had strangulated Shivani and hid her dead body in the salon itself, had sent the message to Shivani’s sister from her phone.

Shivani’s mother Geeta, confirmed that Arif was harassing Shivani for the last three years. She said that they had once lodged a complaint against Arif, after which the police had caught him and beaten him up and made him apologise to Shivani. The family alleged that Arif has now murdered Shivani to avenge that incident.

Another TikTok celebrity Siya Kakkar died by suicide, family demands detailed police investigation

Recently, another 16-year-old TikTok star, Siya Kakkar, who had an immense fan following on the popular social media app, died by suicide. The 16-year-old who has over 1.1 million followers on TikTok and almost 1,29,000 followers on Instagram was known for her dance videos. According to reports, the family has demanded a detailed police investigation into Siya Kakkar’s death.

Was brainwashed by anti-CAA videos, will identify other rioters involved in anti-Hindu Delhi riots: Gun-brandishing Shahrukh cracks

OpIndia Staff
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Was brainwashed by anti-CAA videos, will identify other rioters involved in anti-Hindu Delhi riots: Gun-brandishing Shahrukh cracks

Arrested on the charges of opening fire at the Delhi Police officials and inciting riots in the national capital, accused Shahrukh Pathan, whose image of brandishing a gun at the Delhi police personnel had symbolised the anti-Hindu riots in Delhi, had buckled under pressure, presumably on the realisation that he may face jail time for his criminal activities. Admitting to his crimes, Pathan, in his statement to the police, said that he is willing to cooperate with the law enforcement officials and identify the other accused from the protest footage and help in their arrest.

In his disclosure statement, Pathan claimed that he was brainwashed by the protests after watching a YouTube video on anti-CAA protests at Maujpur Chowk and thus decided to join the demonstrations. He joined the protests, pelted stones and fired at the police, his statement said.

“On February 22, 2020, I saw on YouTube that a protest against CAA had started at Maujpur Chowk and got excited. Two days later at around 11 am, I went to Maujpur Chowk, where two groups, pro-CAA and anti-CAA, started pelting stones at each other. I also started pelting stones, and I also had a pistol with me, which I pointed at police officers and fired. I can identify the other accused from the protest footage and help in their arrest. I made a mistake, please forgive me,” the statement read.

Shahrukh has been charged in two cases. He has been booked under rioting and under relevant sections for allegedly pointing a gun at head constable Deepak Dahiya during the riots on February 24. His name is also included in a charge sheet in connection with the Maujpur incident on February 24, where violence erupted between pro-CAA and anti-CAA groups and later spread to other parts of Northeast Delhi. Pathan was arrested from Uttar Pradesh in March and is currently held in judicial custody.

As per the present case, two policemen—Raman and Deepak and a passerby Rohit Shukla sustained injuries because of the violence that broke out at Maujpur Chowk on February 24. According to the charge sheet, constable Raman could not identify the rioters who injured him. Shukla identified Aatir, Gulfam and Osama through pictures, who were later arrested and sent to judicial custody. Another witness had identified Sajjad through CCTV footage but he has since then been untraceable, the charge sheet said.

Delhi High Court rejects Shahrukh Pathan’s bail plea

The statement from Shahrukh comes on the heels of the Delhi High Court’s refusal to grant a reprieve to the accused. Last week, the Delhi High Court denied granting relief to Shahrukh Pathan—and observed that while Pathan intended to become a hero but he will now have to face the consequences of taking up arms against the Delhi police. Justice Suresh Kumar Kait said he was not disposed to grant relief to Shahrukh Pathan, after which his counsel withdrew the plea.

The court dismissed the plea as withdrawn. The advocate representing Shahrukh had sought bail for his client on the grounds that he had to take care of his ailing 76-year-old father who is not well and has no one to look after him. Justice Kait then said, “While committing an offence, you forget everyone. Now you are thinking about your aged and ailing parents.

Unmasking Care India: A Board member with accusations of involvement in fraud, soliciting funds in the name of GoI and funding evangelical organisations

OpIndia Staff
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Unmasking Care India: A Board member with accusations of involvement in fraud, soliciting funds in the name of GoI and funding evangelical organisations

‘Civil Society’ organisations often use the veneer of humanitarian efforts and charity to engage in wholesale fraud. As much as NGOs and foundations would like to claim otherwise, too many of them engage in behaviour that cannot be deemed ‘civil’. We have reported extensively on such organisations, In this report, we shall discuss the background of one such organisation, Care India.

Recently, Smriti Irani had hit out at one of the top functionaries of Care India, Neera Saggi, for soliciting donations in the name of the Government of India. As it turns out, Care India is not the legal name of the organisation even though that is the name it advertises itself as. The actual legal name of the organisation is CARE India Solutions for Sustainable Development.

The tweet by Smriti Irani

Carre India also claims to work with state governments and in projects involving the central government. According to its website, it has been supporting the Bihar government in the health sector for the past 10 years and is also helping them deal with the Coronavirus crisis. It was also hired by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as the central training agency for Integrated Child Development Services-Common Application Software (ICDS-CAS), which is a scheme in partnership between the GoI and states.

As evidenced by Smriti Irani’s tweet above, functionaries in the NGO are known to use their work with governments to then solicit funds. Given the nature of the organisation and their work, it is perhaps a necessity to investigate its background.

Neera Saggi

The Neera Saggi mentioned above is in a soup of her own. She is accused of involvement in the multi-crore IL&FS fraud. An audit discovered that transactions worth over Rs. 6000 crores undertaken by IL&FS Financial Services Limited (IFIN) were in violation of governance norms. It was soon after the scam came to light after several of its subsidiaries defaulted on huge loans. The debt of the entire group was upwards of Rs. 90,000 crores.

Neera Saggi was the director at the IFIN between 2015 and July 2016. She claimed that she was innocent of the allegations levelled against the directors as she had separated ways with the firm in 2016. However, that is contrary to the findings of the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO). An interim order by NCLT, Mumbai in July 2019 records the findings of the SFIO.

The order states, “With regard to proposed Respondent No. 336, Neera Saggi, SFIO has stated in its complaint before the Special Court at Mumbai that the independent Directors and CFO of the company are appointed with the objective to help the company in improving corporate credibility and governance standard but they ignored al alarming indicators and failed to save the interest of the company and its stakeholders by not raising of these issues in the Board Meetings and remained a mute spectator.”

Excerpt from the relevant Interim Order

“It is revealed that in connivance with each other, the Independent Directors, Directors, CFO of the IFIN, group CFO abused their positions and used various modus operandi to continue lending from IFIN to group entities, by causing wrongful loss to IFIN & its stakeholders such as investors and creditors whose money it was misusing for fraudulent lending, which ultimately resulted in the ultimate loss to the company, and its creditors,” the order added.

It concluded, “Investigation further revealed that the Audit Committee members and the Independent Directors, Director, CFO of the IFIN and group CFO of the IL & FS were aware of the stressed asset portfolio, the modus operandi used for granting loans to group companies of existing defaulting borrowers in order to prevent their being classified as NPA.”

The Foreign Funding of Care India

As has been mentioned above, the actual legal name of Care India is ‘CARE India Solutions for Sustainable Development’. In its submissions to the Home Ministry, Care India revealed that it had secured Rs. 153,99,47,426.00 as donations for social purposes and Rs. 3,49,83,017.00 for educational purposes. A significant amount of its donations came from CARE organisations abroad. Other prominent donors were Amazon Development Centre India Private Limited and United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

USAID donated Rs. 2,47,24,054.00 to Care India in 2018-19 and Amazon Development Centre contributed Rs. 29,19,281.00. The total contribution from foreign sources during the financial year was Rs. 157,49,30,443.00 and as a transfer from a local source was Rs. 6,66,49,693.00. When this amount is added to the carried forward foreign contribution at the beginning of the year and the interest in income, its total foreign contribution amounts to Rs. 222,40,70,098.00.

Source: Ministry of Home Affairs

Care India funds Evangelical Organisations

One of the organisations that Care India diverted its funds to is the Evangelical Social Action Forum. On its website, it does not advertise its missionary activities, however, the ‘Evangelical’ in its name is obviously a giant red flag. The organisation has received huge donations from Care India. It operates in Kerala. It received upwards of Rs. 52 lakhs from Care India in 2018-19.

Its website states, “Based on the conviction that the command of Jesus Christ, “Love your neighbour as yourself’’ has a social dimension, they brainstormed for several months on how to translate their conviction into action. Coupled together with their mustard seed-like faith and their conviction resulted in the birth of Evangelical Social Action Forum (ESAF) in 1992 to serve the poor and the marginalised and create opportunities for their holistic development.”

The website also states. “The story of ESAF is akin to the growth of a mustard seed. A humble beginning that flourishes to be impactful and providing shelter to many. The seeds were sown in the early 1990s. Burning issues of the day like unemployment of the educated youth and abject poverty in the rural households made a few members of the Kerala Evangelical Graduates’ Fellowship (EGF) think radically about the relevance of their faith in addressing the social problems around them.”

Source: Ministry of Home Affairs

Other top functionaries of Care India

Other top functionaries of Care India apart from Neera Saggi include Yamini Aiyar, the daughter of senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar. She is a Board Member at the organisation. Her father is, of course, known to make horrendous remarks against the BJP and Prime Minister Modi and is infamous for allegedly asking for Pakistan’s help in defeating Narendra Modi in one of his visits to the country.

Apart from her, there is Shyam Divan who happens to be a senior Supreme Court advocate and works primarily on civil litigation across banking, securities law, arbitration, administrative law and environmental law. Gautam Chikermane, the Vice President of Observer Research Foundation, also sits on its board.

Nepal PM Oli accuses India of trying to topple his govt, connects it to new political map which illegally includes parts of Indian territory

OpIndia Staff
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Nepal PM Oli accuses India of trying to topple his govt, connects it to new political map which illegally includes parts of Indian territory

Prime Minister of Nepal KP Sharma Oli blamed India of conspiring to topple his government on Sunday. He was addressing a meeting held in Kathmandu on the birth anniversary of late communist leader Madan Bhandari. Oli is facing criticism from the public and from inside the ruling Nepal Communist Party over mismanagement during the Chinese coronavirus pandemic and land grabbing by China.

New map irked India, claims Oli

Oli said during his address that India is trying to bring down the government because his government published the new map of Nepal that depicts Indian territories of Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura as part of Nepalese territory. He said (in Nepalese), “A conspiracy is being hatched to remove me for releasing the country’s new map and getting it adopted through Parliament. In light of these discussions, the media reports from New Delhi, embassy’s activities and meetings in different hotels in Kathmandu, it’s not difficult to understand how people are openly active to topple me.”

Oli added, “Nepal’s nationalism is not so weak that someone can dream of removing the country’s prime minister for publishing the new map and making it part of the Constitution…It is unthinkable.”

As per a report by WION, Oli’s position as PM of Nepal is on shaky grounds as rival factions want Oli out. As per the report, former Nepal PM and communist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal has been demanding his resignation as he wants to be the PM again. As per the report, he whipped up the ‘national pride’ in Nepal to hide his poor management of Chinese coronavirus and took an adverse position against India. And while it worked for a while, the move did not help him longer, especially after China encroached over Nepal’s land near the Nepal-Tibet border.

No comments from India

India’s Ministry of External Affairs has not released any statement or remarks over Oli’s allegations. A few days back, MEA released a report that rejected Nepal’s claims on the three said locations. India described the new map of Nepal as an “artificial enlargement of territorial claims” and said that Nepal should create a positive atmosphere for talks to resolve border issues.

Alleged land-grabbing by China

While fissures are emerging between India and Nepal, China has allegedly encroached 64 hectares of land in Nepal. The Chinese Army had asked the villagers on the Nepal-China border to move somewhere else. Some pillars distinguished between the lands of Nepal and China. Those pillars are missing from the border as well. China also changed the path of rivers acting as natural borders between the countries and allegedly increased its territory. On 24th June Nepali Congress passed a resolution in parliament to urge the government to take back land invaded by the Chinese army.

Nepalese actions against India

In the last few months, Nepal has caused enough trouble for India. The problems between the two nations are not limited to the map row. Nepalese police opened fire on the Indian side and killed one farmer while injuring three. There were reports that Nepal’s radio stations are playing anti-India songs across borders.

During the meeting of the Nepal Communist Party’s standing committee, the majority of the members showed support for Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda.” Oli skipped the session that took place on Friday.

90-year-old Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani ‘quits’ Hurriyat after being ‘sidelined’ by Pakistan

OpIndia Staff
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90-year-old Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani ‘quits’ Hurriyat after being ‘sidelined’ by Pakistan

Syed Ali Geelani, a separatist leader in Jammu and Kashmir, has reportedly resigned from the Hurriyat Conference, a conglomerate of separatist groups in the Valley. In an audio message shared by journalist Aditya Raj Kaul, the 90-year-old Geelani could be heard saying, “Keeping in mind the present circumstances, I have decided to step away from the Hurriyat Conference.”

The separatist leader, who is believed to be on the payroll of Pakistan and its intelligence agency ISI, has also written a detailed two-page letter highlighting the reasons behind his resignation from the Hurriyat Conference. As per the letter, Geelani was sidelined by the Pakistani chapter of Hurriyat in the key-decision making process for the past 2 years. Besides, he revealed that his colleagues also began to maintain distance from him.

Syed Ali Shah Geelani

Earlier in February, there were reports that Geelani’s health has been deteriorating and amid rumours of his death, the security in the valley was increased.

Syed Ali Shah Geelani is considered as the senior-most Hurriyat leader, which itself is sponsored by Pakistan. Geelani was previously a member of Jamaat-e-Islami Kashmir but later on founded his own party by the name of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat. He has served as the Chairman of the All Parties Hurriyet (Freedom) Conference, a conglomerate of separatist parties in Jammu and Kashmir.

Geelani became an MLA from Sopore constituency first in 1972 and went on to become MLA for two more terms.

Geelani is over 90 years old.

Rape accused Hizbul terrorist killed in encounter, J and K police say Doda is now terrorism free

OpIndia Staff
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Rape accused Hizbul terrorist killed in encounter, J and K police say Doda is now terrorism free

On Monday, Dilbag Singh, the Director-General of Police (DGP) in Jammu and Kashmir, informed that the Doda district has been freed of terrorism after Hizbul Mujahideen commander Masood and two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists were killed, in an encounter with security forces the Khulchohar area in Anantnag.

As per reports, Masood was wanted in a rape case in Doda and was absconding ever since he committed the crime. Later, he joined terror-outfit Hizbul Mujahideen and began operating from Kashmir. “Doda district in Jammu Zone becomes totally militancy free once again as Masood was a last surviving terrorist of the Doda District,” DGP Dilbag Singh was quoted as saying.

The Encounter

Two pistols, one AK-47 and ammunition were recovered from the terrorists. The Army confirmed that three terrorists were eliminated during the cordon and search operation, abbreviated as CASO. On the basis of a tip-off about the hideout of the terrorists, a joint team of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, the 19 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) of the Indian Army and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) tightened the cordon in the Runipora Khulchohar area. The terrorists then fired shots at the security personnel, following which a gunfight ensued between the two sides.

116 terrorists neutralised this year

As per reports, the number of terrorists that have been neutralised in the Kashmir Valley has risen to 116 this year. The slain terrorists also include 7 top commanders of different terrorist organisations. As a matter of fact, this joint military operation is the 13th encounter conducted in June and has killed over 40 terrorists.

Tral has been a hub of Hizbul Mujahideen since 1989 was also freed from the clutches of terrorism this year. One of the top commanders of Hizbul Mujahideen, namely, Riyaz Naikoo, was also eliminated this year. Reportedly, the terror outfit primarily targets security personnel.

Pakistan: Five dead as militants attack Karachi Stock Exchange

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan: Five dead as militants attack Karachi Stock Exchange

At least five people have reportedly lost their lives as militants attack Karachi stock Exchange in Pakistan’s Karachi. As per reports, people from inside the building are being evacuated. As per reports, three militants seem to have been eliminated.

Disclaimer: Graphic visuals, reader discretion advised.

As per reports, at least one security guard is injured inside the building.

As per Pakistani journalists, the militants were armed with grenades as well.

In one of the earlier videos, one could hear the gunshots from the Karachi Stock Exchange.

Note: Strong language.

More videos show bloodstained staircases even as the security personnel take stock of the situation.

This is a breaking story. More details awaited.

Democracy isn’t going anywhere. If you think it is in danger, contest elections: Manoj Bajpayee gives befitting reply to The Wire’s journalist

OpIndia Staff
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Democracy isn’t going anywhere. If you think it is in danger, contest elections: Manoj Bajpayee gives befitting reply to The Wire’s journalist

In a recent interview with The Wire journalist Arfa Khanum Sherwani, actor Manoj Bajpayee shut down the former when she tried to put words in his mouth, peddle her agenda and stir controversy. When Arfa insinuated whether or not India would remain a democratic country in the future, Bajpayee said, “I am not an expert. But, I believe that nothing will happen to the democracy of India. I am hopeful. I don’t know why people are afraid.”

While the journalist was expecting the actor to make a positive affirmation to her beliefs and opinions, Bajpayee chose to do otherwise. “There is an election every 4-5 years in the country. Whoever is afraid (that democracy will cease to exist) can contest elections against the government.” In the hopes that the actor would say something of her liking, Arfa pestered, “Javed Jaffri told me in an interview that actors steer clear of politics and those with opinions do not get work in Bollywood. Is this true?” Bajpayee replied, “I don’t think so.”

Displaying a clear disdain for the movie ‘Padmavat’, Arfa inquired whether movies in Bollywood are created with a sinister purpose to defame a ‘particular community.’ The actor stated, “I watched Padmavat and felt that we are necessarily stoking a controversy. Take the example of the movie, Mughal-e-Azam. Is there anything historically true about the movie? No, it wasn’t. When I watched the film, I had no problem.”

Recounting his experience of watching the movie ‘Uri’, based on India’s surgical strike against Pakistan, Manoj Bajpayee conceded that he got emotional watching the last rites of the character who played brother in law of actor Vicky Kaushal in the movie. “I was so engrossed in the film that I had tears. I even called Vicky and appreciated the film.” Interestingly, the same news portal mocked the film Uri as filled with ‘toxic, hyper-nationalism.’

Arfa Khanum Sherwani and art of fearmongering

The Wire journalist Arfa Khanum Sherwani has been regularly indulging in fear mongering, especially claiming that the democracy as we know it in India is dead and we are heading towards what she likes to call ‘Nazi Germany‘. During the anti-CAA protests, where scores of Islamists and ‘liberals’ protested against granting Indian citizenship to persecuted religious minorities from three neighbouring Islamic countries of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, Arfa was found suggesting protesting Muslims to adopt more of an ‘inclusive strategy’ and avoid using their Muslim identity so that they could garner more support. Amid the coronavirus outbreak, she was also found defending the Tablighi Jamaat, a Muslim evangelical event which emerged as the initial hotspots for coronavirus outbreak in India.

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