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Odisha govt continues its flipflop ahead of SC hearing on review petition seeking modification on stay of Rath Yatra

Sambit Nayak
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Odisha govt continues its flipflop ahead of SC hearing on review petition seeking modification on stay of Rath Yatra

After the 18th June Supreme Court order stopping centuries old Rath Yatra (or as we call it Ratha Jatra) in Puri, amidst ongoing pandemic, 4 review petitions have been listed for Monday hearing to reconsider the decision. Meanwhile, state government has changed its positions faster than players change shuttlecocks in a Men’s doubles Badminton match.

Here is a brief summary of events so far. After the MHA order on 7th May asking state government to decide on the fate of Rath Yatra, State government allowed chariot construction to begin and other Rath Yatra related rituals to go on. On 11th May, a previously unheard NGO, Odisha Vikas Parishad, filed a petition to stop Rath Yatra as the pandemic situation was still on rise. SC took up for hearing on 18th. Both GoI and GoO were respondents. GoI, through SG Tushar Mehta pleaded to allow some rituals. GoO, however, took a completely different stance.

SC – What is your position?
GoO – There will be a gathering of 10-12 lakhs people. It’s dangerous to allow such a large congregation.
SC- We agree. No Rath Yatra then.

After the court order, GoO convened a cabinet meeting on the same evening at 7:30 PM, in which they decided to abide by the court order.

The state erupted. People protested against this decision. Hashtags trended all over social media. Initially, some organized campaigns tried to counter and present the government stand, “It’s the court order. We have no option but to abide. It’s taken for everyone’s well being”. However, such organized campaigns could not withstand the organic outpouring. People all over the nation urged GoO to fix their blunder and allow Rath Yatra. Meanwhile, state BJP tagged along BJD and parroted the same tune. Many leaders gave statements on record supporting GoO’s stand.

It is not that both parties didn’t know what is coming. But they didn’t expect people to see through their duplicity. They really thought that they can ride this tide by making SC the proverbial scapegoat. But that was not to happen.

In the meantime, 8 review petitions were filed out of which, four are listed for Monday hearing.

The Review Petitions on Rath Yatra Listed For Monday Hearing

King of Puri, Gajapati Dibya Singh Deb, who by record of rights is the chief servitor of Prabhu Jagannatha, wrote a letter to CM asking him to intervene and reconsider the decision. He also mentioned that the original plan was to shut down Puri and allow only selected servitors to conduct the Jatra. Why then government never presented these facts to SC. The letter got widespread support. The servitors also expressed their deep anguish. Sensing that the matter is getting out of hands, both parties went into damage control mode. BJP “appealed” the CM to take note of King’s letter.

Sambit Patra, BJP’s MP candidate for Puri, has also filed a review petition. What is astonishing is, Puri’s current MP, BJD’s Pinaki Mishra, who also happens to be a very senior counsel in the SC, is completely mum on this matter.

GoO in a smart move clarified that, the 10-12 lakh congregation was about Rath Yatras that would have been conducted all over the state. After Puri king’s clarification, state government will take favourable action in SC, when the matter comes for hearing. Read it as an affirmative stance by GoO. This is really laughable as the initial affidavit was about Rath Yatra in Puri only. GoO, being administrative head of the state, could have stopped it elsewhere by an executive order.

Now that there is a glimmer of hope of things turning around, do not allow any political party or government to take credit. Remember, one of them tried to sabotage and the other was hand-in-glove. As we say in Odia, “Bhakta ra Bhagaban“, God belongs to the devotee. If at all we have a favourable order, it’s the unflinching devotion of crores of devotees, it’s the Maharanas who pulled double shifts and worked in scorching Sun to finish the Ratha in time, it’s the chitrakaras who finished the wood carvings and Chanduas (appliques) burning midnight oil, it’s the daitapatis who carried out the daily rituals despite the hostile orders and last but not the least, it’s Him. Jagata ra Natha, Jagannatha, Lord of the Universe.

Jai Jagannatha.

Incredible India tourism campaign ropes in Yoga Instructor Ira Trivedi whose tweets hurting Hindu sentiments had gone viral

OpIndia Staff
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Incredible India tourism campaign ropes in Yoga Instructor Ira Trivedi whose tweets hurting Hindu sentiments had gone viral

Incredible India, a tourism campaign launched by the Government of India, has decided to provide platform to Ira Trivedi in one of its webinars. The controversial Yoga instructor will address breathing techniques and Yoga asanas to strengthen immunity and respiratory strength. Earlier, Doordarshan was instructed to discontinue the re-run of one of her shows after her tweets hurting Hindu sentiments had gone viral on social media.

After a similar tweet by Doordarshan prior to Yoga day 2019, screenshots of her tweets promoting beef and hurting Hindu sentiments had gone viral on social media. Netizens were outraged by the fact that her shows would air on a government-run channel despite her insulting the religious sentiments of the Hindu community.

Consequently, Ira Trivedi claimed that her tweets were taken out of context and reaffirmed her commitment towards the Hindu faith. However, the rerun of her shows were discontinued by Doordarshan. Ultimately, she had deactivated her Twitter account in an attempt to cover up her anti-Hindu views.

Following that incident a year ago, Ira Trivedi has now made a comeback on Incredible India. The Webinar is scheduled to be held at 11 AM on 22 June, which is being hosted by the digitalindia portal using the Zoom video conferencing platform.

Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani demands NIA probe under UAPA in Congress party’s agreement with Communist Party of China in 2008

OpIndia Staff
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Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani demands NIA probe under UAPA in Congress party’s agreement with Communist Party of China in 2008

Hours after an image from 2008 showing the Indian National Congress leaders signing an MoU with the Communist Party of China went viral on social media, senior advocate and BJP leader Mahesh Jethmalani has demanded a NIA probe into the agreement.

Posting the viral photograph from his Twitter account, Jethmalani said that the NIA must initiate an investigation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and secure the agreement signed by Rahul Gandhi on behalf of the Congress party with the ruling party in China.

The senior advocate said that the agreement signed in the presence of Sonia Gandhi and current Chinese premier Xi Jinping has possible sinister implications for the country’s security, and called for a probe by NIA into the agreement under the stringent UAPA. He also said that the NIA should secure the agreement.

The agreement signed by the Congress party with the China’s Communist Party has gained significance after the recent stand-off between India and China at the Galwan valley along the LAC in Ladakh. The agreement was signed between the two parties on 7th August in 2008 in Beijing for exchanging high-level information and co-operation between them. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) also provided the two parties with the “opportunity to consult each other on important bilateral, regional and international developments”.

At that time, Congress party was leading the UPA-I govt in India and Sonia Gandhi was the chairperson of the National Advisory Council, which acted as the super cabinet over the Manmohan Singh led govt. The agreement was signed by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Wang Jia Rui, Minister in the international department of the CPC, in the presence of Sonia Gandhi and the then Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping.

According to reports, Before the signing of the MoU, the then Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi had held a long meeting with Xi and other senior leaders of the Communist Party of China to discuss issues of mutual interest.

China’s psychological warfare goes beyond fake news about their casualties. Here is what they are trying to do

Nirwa Mehta
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China’s psychological warfare goes beyond fake news about their casualties. Here is what they are trying to do

In the time and age of social media, wars are not just limited to the battlefield. While the brave soldiers fight the enemy in flesh and blood, there are other ways the enemy tries to play the game of psychological warfare. Mainstream media has acted as a propaganda tool over the decades. However, with the advent of social media, the psyops have reached another level.

The current situation at Ladakh’s Galwan Valley where Indian troops fought back the Chinese aggression, has led to such psyops by the Chinese. In a very subtle way, the official Chinese state media as well as various anonymous accounts on social networking sites are nudging as if to send across a message that the Indians in China may have to worry should things escalate between the two countries. Not just that, the calls for economic boycott of the communist country products seems to have spooked the Dragon enough that they have resorted to ‘sources’ to plant seeds of doubt and fear in the minds of Indians who are already facing financial pinch because of the Wuhan coronavirus, the deadly pandemic which also originated from China.

Here is a look at some of the recent articles and tweets by Chinese state media.

“India needs China” reads the opinion piece

In this opinion piece, Chinese columnist subtly tries to remind India that China is ‘a giant neighbour’ which India ‘relies’ on to grow its economy. It asks India to not ‘fall prey’ to third country’s instigation and escalate issues. The editorial further warns India to “never fire up geopolitical tensions in Asia, particularly with China and Pakistan – the two countries with which India draws the longest border lines.” China’s close ties with Pakistan are not a secret. Is there a hidden message here?

Here is another China’s ‘main apni favourite hoon‘ moment where it pats itself on its back for self proclaimed superior military equipment which came with a warning about not to get influenced by Western countries.

Here is more of a reminder from Chinese state media on how much it contributes to Indian economy:

China reminding how much it contributes to Indian economy.

Chinese state media also tried to emotionally blackmail Indians by giving lessons on good vs evil.

China’s emotional blackmail

Speaking of emotional blackmail, here’s more.

China throws emotional ball

Now, call for boycotting Chinese products are being made on Twitter, as per this report and Chinese netizens are upset about these boycott calls on Twitter. However, Twitter is officially banned in China. It doesn’t really add up. So is Chinese state media accepting that despite Twitter ban, its own citizens are able to access Twitter via VPN and that the ban is ineffective? Global Times is English version of Chinese Communist Party’s mouthpiece, People’s Daily. We believe you, Global Times, we do.

Here are some more ‘warnings’ of economic implications of ‘nationalistic sentiments’ of Indians.

The Chinese really, really hate our nationalism.

Chinese hating on Indian nationalism

Who else doesn’t really like the nationalists and would rather identify themselves as ‘anti-nationals’? Hmm. Never mind.

Moving on, Chinese state media also claimed that an Indian student had made ‘offensive remarks’ on Chinese, which upset the Chinese people and he had then ‘apologised’.

“Indian student” was made to apologise for ‘hurting’ Chinese sentiments

See the veiled threat that many social media users who were ‘upset’ with this “Indian student’s offensive remarks” suggested that he be deported? Of course, they did.

Then there’s this ‘gentle reminder’ that listen, you nationalistic Indians, do not forget people from your country live and earn their living here.

But if you think this is owing to the recent violent face-off in Ladakh, you’re mistaken. China has been quite spooked about India becoming self reliant and not depending on China for goods.

Global Times on make in India calls

Amid coronavirus outbreak, the pandemic which initiated from China’s Wuhan province, Indians had called for self reliance and even then appealed for boycotting Chinese products and going vocal for local. China, clearly, has been quite upset.

That’s not it. China has also tried to use unofficial channels to plant ‘human’ stories and fake news.

Chinese propaganda

This now deleted tweet was shared by one Chinese sounding Twitter handle claiming that no Chinese PLA soldier was killed in the faceoff and China even tended to and helped Indian soldiers who were in their custody get medical attention. A video was shared to that effect. However, the video is two-and-a-half years old. China has consistently been evasive about its death toll in the recent conflict. While it had earlier admitted that its soldiers had died, it has now maintained that there have been no deaths, only injuries.

What is even more unfortunate for India is that many in Indian media and opposition parties like Congress are willing to believe the Chinese propaganda than the Indian government. That Congress and other Left parties as well as mainstream journalists regularly cast aspersions and show distrust in Indian government, they end up knowingly or unknowingly helping the Chinese.

China seems to be currently banking heavily on the lobby that hates PM Modi to succeed and Congress and other Modi haters seem to have taken the bait.

Sharjeel Imam’s inflammatory speech in Aligarh led to arson, firing at police and looting of Temple donation boxes, UP Govt tells Supreme Court

OpIndia Staff
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Sharjeel Imam’s inflammatory speech in Aligarh led to arson, firing at police and looting of Temple donation boxes, UP Govt tells Supreme Court

The Uttar Pradesh government has told the Supreme Court that due to the inflammatory speech made by JNU scholar Sharjeel imam at Aligarh on the 16th of January, widespread arson and looting ensued in the state. The statement was made in the affidavit filed by the government in connection to a plea filed by The Wire columnist requesting the consolidation of all FIRs against him in various states.

Opposing the plea, the Yogi government said that the FIR filed by UP Police could not be clubbed with the rest as his speech had a distinct local effect. The state government said that the speech by Sharjeel Imam led to large-scale arson, stone-pelting, firing at the Police and the looting of donation boxes in Temples over the next two months.

“On January 23, around 150-200 protesters, including AMU students, blocked the road and raised slogans of hatred. On January 31, more than 500 persons congregated, including AMU students, for an anti-CAA demonstration creating a tense situation. On February 23, more than 500-600 unknown persons pelted stones, looted donation boxes at temples, scuffled with temple priests, leading to conflict and tension,” the affidavit said.

“Again on February 23, more than one thousand persons in a pre-planned manner forcibly entered Kotwali Upkot and created a riotous situation by firing from illegal firearms. On February 24, a congregation raised hatred slogans and pelted stones at police and fired upon them with illegal weapons injuring several policemen and damaging public property,” it continued.

The Uttar Pradesh government contended that the consolidation of FIRs filed against Sharjeel Imam in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Assam, Manipur and Uttar Pradesh would cause great harm to the investigation that is underway to deduce the consequences of his speech and its links with the events that followed. The Supreme Court has adjourned the hearing in the matter.

‘It is my karma, not an insult, that I am privileged’: Sonam Kapoor defends nepotism in her Father’s Day message

OpIndia Staff
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‘It is my karma, not an insult, that I am privileged’: Sonam Kapoor defends nepotism in her Father’s Day message

Even as the raging debate over the issue of nepotism in the movie industry continues, Bollywood entertainer Sonam Kapoor on Sunday took to Twitter to defend nepotism in the industry and went on to claim that it was her karma and a privilege to be the daughter of her father Anil Kapoor.

On the occasion of Fathers’ Day, the actress posted a tweet indirectly confessing that she was a product of nepotism in the Bollywood as she claimed that she was her father’s daughter and she is an actress because of her father Anil Kapoor. Calling herself to be privileged, Sonam Kapoor asserted that charges of nepotism against her are not an insult but ‘karma’.

“That’s not an insult, my father has worked very hard to give me all of this. And it is my karma where I’m born and to whom I’m born. I’m proud,” said Sonam Kapoor shielding herself after she was accused of being a ‘starkid’ and a product of nepotism rather than herself earning the spot based on the merit.

Image Source: Sonam Kapoor

The angry rants by Sonam Kapoor come at the backdrop of a recent controversy she had stoked after trying to disregard the charges of nepotism in the country, which were made against a group of producers, directors, starkids following the death of Sushant Singh Rajput. Netizens had posed tough questions to Sonam Kapoor for trying to defend nepotism even after the death of the actor.

Sonam Kapoor was also one of the many entertainers in the industry who was blamed for the death of Sushant Singh Rajput, who died by suicide on last Sunday. The fans had outraged against producers, directors and star kids, who they referred to as ‘insiders’, for bullying outsiders and shunting them out without giving them any due.

Following that, social media users demanded accountability from the actor, who then disabled the comment section on her Instagram posts. Later, social media users began to send direct messages to Sonam Kapoor’s account instead. 

On Sunday, as she confessed and glorified that phenomenon of ‘nepotism’ in the cinema industry, the actress also posted screenshots of the social media posts, in which she had allegedly claimed of receiving hate from various social media users.

The actress also shared screenshots of those messages on Instagram Stories, where people allegedly abused her and also wishing death upon her future children.

In her post, Sonam Kapoor shared a few screenshots of the alleged abuse she received. She wrote, “Yes I’ve switched off my comments section and my parents’ comment section because I don’t want my 64 year old parents to go through this. They did nothing wrong to deserve this. And I’m not doing it out of fear you morons I’m doing it out of common sense to preserve my mental health and my parents.”

Responding to another comment, Sonam Kapoor said, “Also people wishing death on my future children. And on my family. That video you’ve been spouting was 7 years old. When he had one film out I didn’t know him, like he didn’t say anything about me till now..also please go and watch the episodes where my fellow actors have maybe said much worse about me, but I have taken it in the spirit the show was meant to be. in jest.”

While some of the abuses came from Islamists, Sonam Kapoor invoked Hindu philosophy and Dharma to state that Karma was the biggest leveller. “Bullying, misguided vengeance, and the need to further your own agenda not caring about the collateral damage. This is all your karma. May god and the universe forgive you,” the actress tweeted.

“Karma is the biggest leveller. We are where we are because of our karmas and we are born and go through what we go through because of our karmas. Everyone who is spouting hate it’s your karma. All of you are in my prayers. I thank god everyday for where I am and whom I’m born too. If you really knew what Hindu philosophy and dharma is about you wouldn’t be so foolish. You are just damaging yourself and quality of life,” she wrote.

The fantasy world of ‘defence expert’ Ajai Shukla: A “non-existent” India-China border, confused perception of Chinese control and vile abuses

OpIndia Staff
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The fantasy world of ‘defence expert’ Ajai Shukla: A “non-existent” India-China border, confused perception of Chinese control and vile abuses

During the recent conflict between India and China in Ladakh, a certain ‘defence expert’ made the headlines for his apocalyptic declarations on social media. Ajai Shukla, known to be a Congress sympathiser, spread quite a panic among India citizens with his sermons that gave people the impression that it was only moments before China marched firmly into Indian territory and claim the entirety of Ladakh for itself.

Ajai Shukla also worked hard to maintain the pretence that only Indians had suffered casualties and only Indians were captured even though it was definitely not the case. The statement made by the Army itself had stated that there had been casualties on the Chinese side as well but that was summarily ignored by Ajai Shukla.

Moreover, Ajai Shukla emphasised that certain Indian troops had been ‘captured’ by the Chinese. But since then, it has become evident that the Indian Army had taken some PLA men as well. It has been confirmed by the Indian media as well as Union Minister General V.K. Singh. The retired General also said that Indian troops had managed to eliminate more than double the number of martyrs on the Indian side. However, on the social media feed of Ajai Shukla, it was all doom and gloom and the sentiment of imminent dawn of the apocalypse.

As it turns out, Ajai Shukla was not always so apocalyptic about the prospect of confrontation with the Chinese. A short clip of his views on Chinese incursions during the UPA regime has now gone viral on social media. In the video clip, he can be heard saying during the UPA era that the border between India and China had not yet been actually decided and it is something that has been under negotiations since the 1962 War.

“The Border has not yet been decided yet. This border is being decided for the past 50-60 years and it will be settled at some point in the future. But right now, it cannot be said.. Only an Indian can say that China has transgressed into our territory but from the perspective of China, they had not entered our territory,” Ajai Shukla said. These words were presumably from the time when China intruded into India territory in 2013.

The second part of the viral video shows what Ajai Shukla said about the current conflict. He says that Chinese troops have entered Indian territory, erected posts and have settled there. Thus, comparing his stance from the UPA era with current times, it appears that with the election of Narendra Modi as Prime Minister, the border between India and China magically air dropped itself into his brain.

But it is more likely that he was going out of his way to defend the UPA Government and is now going out of his way to attack the Modi government so that the Congress party could benefit from it. And it turns out a lot has changed about his views with regards to China since the days of the UPA regime.

Another significant change is that in 2013, in a column for the Business Standard, Ajai Shukla had freely admitted that “Since the 1962 war, China has extended its control over the entire Galwan River and Chip Chap River valleys in Ladakh.” However, in 2020, China’s presence in Galwan Valley became an incursion into ‘new areas’.

Along expected lines, people on social media were outraged by his conduct, convinced that he is a ‘Congress stooge’. During the outrage, it was also revealed that Ajai Shukla can be quite abusive, crossing all limits of decency. A screenshot of a tweet that has gone viral shows the individual using extremely vile language for the women of the family it was addressed to.

Considering the drastic change in the views of Ajai Shukla, it appears more than likely that his panic stricken assessment of the situation at Ladakh is driven by his politically partisan worldview. But as people have discovered to their great dismay of late, the internet never forgets. And before long, his partisan reporting on the whole matter has been revealed to the public at large.

It is important to note that independent media reports have confirmed multiple Chinese casualties during the recent clash. It was also confirmed that the Chinese post that was constructed on the Indian side of the LAC was demolished by the Indian troops during the said clash.

Kashmir: Four terrorists killed by security forces in Kulgam and Zadibal, medicines and arms from Pakistan recovered

OpIndia Staff
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Kashmir: Four terrorists killed by security forces in Kulgam and Zadibal, medicines and arms from Pakistan recovered

Kulgam Police, Army and CRPF initiated an anti-terror operation in Lakadpora of Kulgam yesterday. The operation was concluded after the armed forces neutralized a terrorist affiliated to Jaish-e-Mohammed. He was active in South Kashmir from the last few years. Another terrorist managed to escape from the scene. They recovered an AK-47 rifle and an M4 US-made rifle from the Kulgam encounter site.

Zadibal encounter

In another operation, joint troops of CRPF Valley QAT (Quick Action Team), 115 Bn, 28Bn CRPF and J&K Police launched a cordon and search operation at Zadibal area of Srinagar. Three terrorists were cornered by the security forces in a house. The terrorists fired at the security forces after which exchange of fire underwent for a few hours.

Vijay Kumar, Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, informed the media that after learning about the terrorists’ identity, they called their parents to appeal to them to surrender. The terrorists did not listen to the family members and continued firing on security forces. IG added to the statement that one of the terrorists was involved in an attack on two BSF jawans last month.

Arms and medicines from Pakistan recovered

During the press conference, IG Kashmir Vijay Kumar informed that they had recovered an AK-47, an M4 carbine and a pistol from the terrorist associated with Jaish-e-Mohammad in Kulgam. Some medicines from Pakistan were also recovered. Yesterday, the security forces shot down a drone from which an M4 rifle was also recovered. M4 is a commonly used weapon by Jaish-e-Mohammad.

A terrorist that goes by the name ‘Ali Bhai’ was mentioned in the Kathua incident intercepts. On cross-checking records, the security forces found out that a terrorist named Furkan was active in Pulwama. There is a possibility that the M4 rifle might have been brought for Furkan by the Pakistani drone.

Kumar said that as they were local terrorists, they asked some prominent people to request them to surrender, but they did not budge. They threw a hand grenade towards the security forces when they were asked to surrender. Later they were killed by the security forces. This is the first time that four chiefs of main terrorist outfits Ansar Ghazwat-ul Hind, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba were killed in four months. Kumar congratulated forces on this achievement as loss of leadership has a deep impact on these groups’ functioning.

Nepal starts radio warfare, anti-India songs heard on Nepali radio stations in Uttarakhand villages on the border

OpIndia Staff
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Nepal starts radio warfare, anti-India songs heard on Nepali radio stations in Uttarakhand villages on the border

Nepal has started radio warfare in bordering villages of Uttarakhand. The residents of these villages can catch Nepali Radio stations that are now playing anti-India songs from the last few months. These songs mainly state that areas like Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura in Uttarakhand are part of Nepal and India should return them. Nepal has recently included these areas in its new map. These songs are played several times between shows, including news bulletins. Along with anti-India sentiment, these songs also taunt Nepalese politicians for “not doing enough” to take control of the land that “belongs” to Nepal.

Locals raised concerns on increasing anti-India propaganda

In a report, TOI shared statements of several residents living on bordering villages. Babita Sanwal, a school teacher in Dharchula, district Pithoragarh, said that she was a regular listener of Darchula FM of Nepal. But now she has stopped listening to Nepalese radio since they started playing anti-India songs. The lyrics of one song she shared were “Hamrai ho tyo Kalapani, Lipulekha, Limpiyadhura… Utha, jaga, veer Nepali (Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura are ours… Wake up, brave people).”

Another Nepalese song popular on such FM channels says, “Lipulekh and Kalapani should be ours, it’s our land that has been stolen”. As per the reports, these songs are not new and have been making rounds from almost a year and a half. However, they have resurfaced with increased frequency recently, and they were premiered on Youtube and other platforms between March and June. Some of Nepal’s FM channels who broadcast such content are Kalapani Radio, Lok Darpan, Mallikarjun Radio, Naya Nepal, Darchula Radio, and many more. These channels are easily accessible by the villages on India’s side.

Shalu Datal, a resident of Dantu village, talked to Hindustan Times and claimed that these channels play anti-India speeches between the songs too. “Some old channels like Mallikarjun Radio and a website named annapurna.online are also broadcasting reports depicting Kalapani as Nepalese territory,” she said.

A local trader from Dharchula, Krishna Garbiyal, was a regular listener of news on these radio stations. He stopped listening to these channels when they started broadcasting such content. Some songs even stated that Shillong and Darjeeling were part of Nepal.

Chief secretary of Uttarakhand, N S Napalchyal, said, “The state government and even the central government should start its own community radios in the area to give a clear picture to locals about the present scenario.” He hails from the Dharchula area of Pithoragarh. Madan Kaushik, a state government spokesperson, stated it is a genuine concern and the government is focusing on setting up community radios.

Nepalese Radio denied propaganda

An RJ from Nepalese Radio Manju Tinkari said in a statement that they do not exaggerate or underplay anything. They mainly concentrate on news bulletins as they have happened. The listeners dictate song requests and they just oblige to them. A senior Nepalese official stated such anti-India songs are not common in Nepal. He said that they might be prevalent in the areas along the border.

Radio warfare is nothing new for India. Pakistan has been indulging in such tactics both on radio and television alongside the border for a long time. India has countered such propaganda in the past. However, as of now, the local administration has shown ignorance towards the propaganda. Pithoragarh Superintendent of Police Preeti Priyadarshini said in her statement that the intelligence units had not shared any intel on such propaganda. Dharchula Circle Officer V K Acharya said, “Our intelligence units have not yet spoken about any such anti-India propaganda by Nepal.” The local leaders are, however, urging for strong action. A leader from Vyas Valley Ashok Nabiyal said that the intelligence agencies, alongside the border, need to take cognizance of the situation and take immediate action to counter the propaganda.

Several Chinese troops were either dead or seriously injured: Read what transpired on the intervening night of 15th and 16th June in Ladakh standoff

OpIndia Staff
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Several Chinese troops were either dead or seriously injured: Read what transpired on the intervening night of 15th and 16th June in Ladakh standoff

A lot of details regarding the recent clash between Indian and Chinese troops at Galwan Valley in Ladakh have remained hidden beneath a shroud of secrecy. However, with the passage of time, more details are emerging with regards to what exactly transpired on that night. A report by news agency ANI on June 15, talks were to be held between two countries near the Y junction of Shyok and Galwan rivers in eastern Ladakh centres.

Indian security forces, including 16 Bihar Regiment, were asked to ensure that the Chinese pos was removed by them. Hence, a small patrol party was sent to convey the same message to the Chinese. The ANI report says that the 10-12 Chinese troops manning the post were asked by the Indian troops to go away as the same was agreed upon during senior level military talks. When Chinese refused to do so, the Indian troops returned to the unit to update on the development.

Following this, Commander Officer of the 16 Bihar Infantry Battalion controlling the area Colonel B Santosh Babu visited the site with a team of 35 men. A report by India Today’s Shiv Aroor says that on his arrival, he observed that the PLA men posted there were not the ones who usually patrolled the area but new troops who had been transferred there at short notice. It is believed that these men were sent in from a PLA exercise in Tibet in the second half of May.

Aroor’s report states that during the earlier held talks, the Chinese observation post which was set up on the vertex of Galwan River was proven to be on the Indian side and hence an agreement was reached to dismantle it. The Chinese dismantled the post a few days later. In fact, Aroor reports that Colonel B Santosh Babu even held talks with his Chinese counterpart the day after it was dismantled. However, on 14th June, the observation post was again set up by the Chinese.

Hence, Colonel Santosh Babu, at around 5 PM on June 15, again went up to the camp with a team. ANI report states that Chinese had called in for reinforcements and built up troops on higher ground. They had also stocked up on stones and weapons ready to launch an attack on Indian troops.

These new troops were belligerent and misbehaved with Colonel Babu which angered the troops. But as the CO, he maintained his calm. As the argument became heated one, the Indian side started uprooting the tents and equipments. This is when the Chinese started attacking Indians. It was during this bout of stone pelting that one of the stones hit that took lives of Colonel Babu and Havildar Pilani of 16 Bihar Regiment. ANI report suggests that after the CO was martyred, the Indian side lost their cool and attacked the Chinese ferociously despite being heavily outnumbered.

Indian side had about 100 men while Chinese had over 350 people on location including the ones on higher ground pelting stones on Indian troops. The fight went on for several hours till late in the night till. During the course of the fight, several Chinese as well as Indian soldiers dropped into the river. Several Chinese troops were either dead or seriously injured.

Quoting sources, ANI states that the next morning when the situation was relatively calm, the Indian troops returned the dead bodies of Chinese troops which were lying in the open.

Significantly, Shiv Aroor reported that 16 Chinese bodies including that of 5 officers were handed over to them by the Indian Army following a brawl. However, the men the journalist spoke to insisted that it wasn’t a prisoner exchange and both sides had taken care and provided treatment to the men in their custody. 10 men of the Indian Army were taken by the Chinese during the Galwan Valley clash, Aroor reports.

“It was not a captivity situation. We were providing medical treatment to their men. And they were treating our men,” a top Army official told India Today. Union Minister General V.K. Singh also said on Saturday during an interview that India had taken PLA troops during the Galwan Valley clash as well but asserted that these things are not spoken of as they are of no consequence. He said that while 20 Indian soldiers were martyred, China had lost more than double that number.

However, soon after, the Chinese have reinforced their positions near the location and have their offensive forces ready. Lieutenant General level talks are scheduled in coming days between Indian and Chinese side to defuse the situation further on PP-14, PP-15 and PP-17A. However, despite being heavily outnumbered, the 16 Bihar Regiment soldiers managed to uproot the Chinese position at the Patrolling Point 14.

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