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Islamic terror groups like ISIS and Boko Haram using coronavirus epidemic to expand and consolidate their strength: Read details

OpIndia Staff
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Islamic terror groups like ISIS and Boko Haram using coronavirus epidemic to expand and consolidate their strength: Read details

At a time when the world is troubled by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the Islamic terrorist groups have rather seen it is a blessing in disguise to expand their reign of terror and consolidate their strength.

The Islamic terror groups such as Boko Haram and ISIS have used the coronavirus pandemic opportunity to increase their control over areas and also to inflict more terror, reports Forbes.

Boko Haram expands its control

Boko Harem is a Salafi-jihadist Muslim terror organisation founded in 2002 in Nigeria. On Saturday, terrorists associated with Boko Haram and its offshoot Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) killed at least 20 soldiers and 40 civilians in Nigeria’s Brono state. The attack came just days after terrorists killed at least 69 people in a raid on a village in a third area, Gubio. Boko Harem is notoriously known for inflicting terror in West African countries with great magnitude. Boko Haram is based in north-east Nigeria but is also active in neighbouring countries.

Forbes cites a report by Open Doors, an organization working on the topic of religious persecution, and mentions that the terrorist organisations, such as Boko Haram, have significantly expanded their territory. In its report, Open Doors stated that Boko Haram is now looking for expansion and eyeing targets of Sub-Saharan Africa.

On March 23, 2020, the Boko Haram has unleashed terror in north-central African country Chad, leaving at least 98 soldiers dead. Open Doors has suggested that the coronavirus lockdown may provide an opportunity for terror groups such as Boko Haram to further expand its territory.

The terrorist outfit, which is affiliated to Islamic State has a history of unleashing terror against individuals, groups that opposes Boko Haram’s ideologies or support western values. Boko Haram specifically targets Christians as they consider them “non-believers”.

Boko Haram targets women and girls, who are then subjected to physical and mental abuse, rape and sexual violence, forced labour and much more. Boko Haram and its affiliates including the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) are carrying out attacks on civilians and religious minorities throughout Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria. 

Islamic State regains its strength

Similarly, Islamic State also known as Daesh, a terror group which unleashed mass atrocities in Syria and Iraq in 2014, seems to have gained strength yet again. The ISIS had taken over control of many parts of Syria and Iraq and carried out atrocities especially against religious minorities.

Even after some military success against ISIS, news reports suggest that the fight is not yet over. On May 3, 2020, Nobel peace prize laureate and advocate for victims of sexual violence, Nadia Murad, warned international community that ISIS continues to remain a significant threat to Iraqis and the global community.

However, the radical Islamic terror groups have found enough time and resources to consolidate and grow during the pandemic when the world’s attention is diverted on coronavirus. These Islamic terrorist organizations depend heavily on ideology to expand reach.

Recently, Nigerian Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau had declared that coronavirus pandemic was brought about by “evil”, claiming that his version of Islam was an “anti-virus”. The IS also pushed propaganda calling on its members to attack the west and exploit its weakness amidst the coronavirus pandemic. These continuing propaganda campaigns promoting extreme ideologies and to expand its control may prove extremely dangerous in the long run. 

UN cautions against terror attacks during the pandemic

In April, the Secretary-General of United Nations (UN) Antonio Guterres had also cautioned the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) that the coronavirus pandemic will be threatening international peace and security as terrorists might use this opportunity to launch a bio-terror attack.

Terrorist outfits, he said, may see a window of opportunity to strike while the attention of most governments was turned towards the current coronavirus pandemic. “The weaknesses and lack of preparedness exposed by this pandemic,” the UN chief said, adding, “Provide a window onto how a bio-terrorist attack might unfold and may increase its risks”.

“Non-state groups,” he cautioned “could gain access to virulent strains that could pose similar devastation to societies around the globe”.

#HinduUnitedAgainstTerror Global campaign of online protests sees people participating from 100 cities across the world

OpIndia Staff
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#HinduUnitedAgainstTerror Global campaign of online protests sees people participating from 100 cities across the world

On Sunday, thousands of Hindus living across the world organised a global protest campaign in more than 100 cities against the brutal killing of Jammu and Kashmir Sarpanch Ajay Pandita by Islamic terrorists.

BJP leader Kapil Mishra, who launched the protest, said that the campaign is aimed at highlighting the unabated killing of Hindu leaders like Ajay Pandita and Islamic extremism in Kashmir and other parts of India. 

According to Kapil Mishra, these global protest has started from Auckland, New Zealand and will soon begin in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth in Australia. The movement will then start in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. By afternoon, the movement will reach India, Africa, Britain and other European countries.

The campaign will then move to America and Canada, Mishra said. Several cities in India will also participate in these protests on Sunday. The online protests are initiated by Kapil Mishra and supported by JKNow. The organisers have urged that all participants should protest from their homes and neighbourhoods and maintain social distancing norms during the protest. The protest will also be online on various social media platforms.

On the occasion, hundreds of Hindus took to social media to start an online campaign against the unabated killing of Hindus.

Hundreds of Hindus had assembled in Auckland, New Zealand to protest against the brutal killings of Ajay Pandita in Kashmir by Islamic terrorists.

Similar protests were held at Brisbane, Australia.

People across the world joined in. JKNow also reminded everyone about the atrocities on Kashmiri Hindus carried out by Islamists.

Ajay Pandita shot dead by terrorists

A Kashmiri Pandit Sarpanch was shot dead on Monday by terrorists in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir. The Congress Sarpanch of Lokbowan Larkipora, identified as Ajay Pandita, was fired upon by the terrorists who later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital.

According to the police sources, the sarpanch had gone to work in his orchard when he was attacked by the terrorists. The area has been cordoned off soon after the shooting.

Body bag controversy: Amid allegations of corruption, BMC cancels the contract, to place a new tender

OpIndia Staff
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Body bag controversy: Amid allegations of corruption, BMC cancels the contract, to place a new tender

On Friday, the Shiv Sena-run Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was reportedly forced to scrap its contract with an Aurangabad-based company named Vedant Innotech Private Limited over allegations of malpractices in the procurement of body bags.

On Thursday, activist Anjali Damania lambasted BMC on Twitter for procuring body bags from the company whose original business was metal casting with no experience in making body bags. She alleged that Vedant Innotech Private Limited sold each bag for ₹6,719 whereas the actual price of such bags ranged between ₹250 to ₹1200. As such, BMC was paying 9 to 10 times higher than the actual cost. Reportedly, 2200 body bags had been purchased by the BMC from the said company since April, thus costing the exchequer ₹1.15 crores.

Labelling the state of affairs as ‘disgusting’, Damania further alleged that one of the directors of Vedant Innotech Private Limited namely Satish Kalyankar was a member of the Censor Board. Anjali Damania further alleged that the body bags were available at ₹3800 in the United States whereas the BMC was purchasing the bags for ₹6,719. She alleged, “There is a scam all across, and when we exposed this BMC cancelled the contract.”

BJP demands answers from Shiv Sena

On June 11, BJP Secretary (Mumbai) Vivekanand Gupta tweeted that the body bags which cost around ₹600 were being sold for ₹6,719. Demanding answers from Uddhav Thackeray, he wrote, “Mrita deh par see ghee nikal, roti mein lagakar khana jesa kaam kiya hai.” The loose translation goes as, “It is like exploiting the dead and making money out of it.” Interestingly, his tweet preceded the tweet of Anjali Damania.

Clarification by the BMC

In a statement, the BMC had claimed that only Vedant Innotech Private Limited was found eligible during the tender, out of 10 companies, and as such the contract for the procurement of body bags was given to the said company. On being asked about the high pricing, BMC justified the move saying that they wanted ‘good quality bags’ for Coronavirus-infected corpses. The civic body said that the bags were impermeable, opaque, leak-proof and that they had finalised the bags as per the specifications of the Union Health Ministry.

Reportedly, the decision to cancel the order now has been made to ensure ‘competitive pricing.’ Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) P Velarasu remarked, “Last month, we had floated a tender in which ten bidders had participated and Vedant Innotech qualified. Now following the controversy we have decided to float fresh tenders on Saturday.”

BMC mayor Kishori Pedneka said that there would be no compromise on the quality of the body bags. She said that the BMC would procure the body bags, provided the suppliers met the given criteria. According to the Chairman of the BMC Health Committee, Amey Ghole, Vedanta was supplying body bags to various government departments such as the Navy. He reiterated that they got the products at a ‘reasonable rate.’

Vedant ‘not aware’ of the contract cancellation

Speaking to the Indian Express, Vedant director Satish Kalyankar said that he was not aware that the contract was cancelled. In his defence, Satish claimed that the company had been supplying disaster management materials to the defence forces and the NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) during floods and other calamities. He stated that the products of the company were approved by the central government and that everything was on their website. Satish further claimed that the company had patented the body bags as only Vedant use fluid absorbing pads that minimised the spread of Coronavirus infection.

Newly whitewashed Jamia walls defaced with ‘Free Safoora’ and ‘Free Sharjeel’ graffiti

OpIndia Staff
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Newly whitewashed Jamia walls defaced with ‘Free Safoora’ and ‘Free Sharjeel’ graffiti

The newly whitewashed walls of Jamia Millia Islamia were again defaced by miscreants and ‘Free Safoora’ and ‘Free Sharjeel’ was written across them.

The alleged incident happened on 12th June 2020.

Safoora Zargar, a former NSUI leader studying in Jamia is currently under arrest over investigation into the recent Delhi Riots. She is accused of inciting a mob which eventually snowballed into the violent riots. Imam is currently under investigation over his provocative speeches during the anti-CAA riots where he had incited Muslims of India to cut take to streets and block all roads including cutting off the entire Northeast India by blocking the Chickens Neck.

Earlier in February, Imam’s supporters had defaced the walls of Jamia and demanded his release.

SC makes an exception to sit on Sunday to hear Vinod Dua’s petition for quashing sedition case

OpIndia Staff
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SC makes an exception to sit on Sunday to hear Vinod Dua’s petition for quashing sedition case

The Supreme Court will open its doors on Sunday to hear a petition filed by controversial journalist Vinod Dua seeking quashing of a sedition case filed against him in Himachal Pradesh Police over a YouTube show. In a special hearing, a Supreme Court bench of justices UU Lalit, MM Shantanagoudar and Vineet Saran will hold special proceedings at 11 AM on Sunday. During the #MeToo movement, Vinod Dua was accused of stalking and sexually harassing a filmmaker.

Vinod Dua had approached the apex court on Saturday asking protection from coercive action, including arrest and sought the top court to take up his matter on an urgent basis as the case was related to the personal liberty of a person.

Addition to the quashing of FIR, Dua has also asked the apex court to issue a direction that FIRs against media persons with at least 10 years’ of experience should not be filed unless cleared by a committee constituted by every state government comprising the Chief Justice of the concerned High Court or a judge designated by him, the leader of the opposition and the home minister of the state.

“State governments who do not find a particular telecast to be in sync with their political ideologies register FIRs against persons of the media to harass and intimidate them so that they succumb to the line of the state or else face the music,” the petition stated.

Delhi court had stayed investigation

Earlier, the Delhi High Court had stayed an investigation into a case against Vindo Dua in connection with his show on YouTube. On Thursday, a Delhi court had also granted anticipatory bail to Dua in connection with a case registered against him for making defamatory remarks intending to create public nuisance through his YouTube show.

FIR against Vinod Dua

An FIR was filed against Dua in Delhi accusing him of misreporting the Delhi riots and also on charges of creating a public nuisance by false “contextual reporting”.

The Crime Branch of Delhi Police has registered an FIR against journalist Vinod Dua for circulating fake news through a YouTube video. The FIR was registered following a complaint by Delhi BJP spokesperson Naveen Kumar.

The complainant had alleged that Dua had tried to incite communal tension by asking people to step out in large numbers during the riots. He had also alleged that Dua misreported the Delhi riots and Anti-CAA protests while blaming the Prime Minister, Home Minister and BJP’s Kapil Mishra for the riots.

NIA gets custody of woman LeT terrorist from Kolkata, was in touch with Pakistani handlers though WhatsApp

OpIndia Staff
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NIA gets custody of woman LeT terrorist from Kolkata, was in touch with Pakistani handlers though WhatsApp

National Investigation Agency (NIA) has got custody 22-year-old Lashkar-e-Taiba handler Tania Parveen from Kolkata, West Bengal. She was reportedly in touch with several Pakistani handlers though various Pakistani SIM cards and other channels like WhatsApp. NIA has now taken 10 day custody of Praveen where a team of anti-terror probe agency will question her at the Kolkata office. She was arrested in March and was lodged in Dumdum central jail.

It is believed that she will reveal a lot of information about the Pakistan-based banned terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba. Tania Parveen was arrested on 20th March 2020 and was sent to 14-day police custody. It is believed that Tania Parveen is originally a Bangladeshi national who illegally crossed the border and came to India 10 years back. She studied MA in a Kolkata-based college and was influenced by terror outfit through social media. As per reports, she then got in touch with LeT members and also made calls to people in Pakistan.

Several Pakistani SIM cards were found in her possession and she was part of various WhatsApp groups which also exchanged videos of LeT training and literature. A senior police officer had told Indian Express that she was traced through her social media. As per the police officer, she had influenced men as well as several young girls in Bengal to join the terror outfit.

As per reports, Tania Parveen was also in touch with Hafiz Saeed, the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind. Reportedly, she has been actively involved with Lashkar-e-Taiba and has also given provocative speeches. Reportedly, she even received money through hawala network for terror activities. Tania wanted to establish an Islamic country in India and took inspiration from ISIS.

India rejects new Nepal map including Indian territories, says this artificial enlargement is not based on historical facts and is not tenable.

OpIndia Staff
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India rejects new Nepal map including Indian territories, says this artificial enlargement is not based on historical facts and is not tenable.

The Ministry of External Affairs has responded to the passing of the constitutional amendment bill in Nepal’s Parliament to update the country’s political map including the areas that come under the Indian regime. The Ministry said that artificial enlargement of the map is not based on historical facts, hence it is not tenable.

The Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava stated, “We have noted that the House of Representatives of Nepal has passed a constitution amendment bill for changing the map of Nepal to include parts of Indian territory. We have already made our position clear on this matter.”

He further added, “This artificial enlargement of claims is not based on historical facts or evidence and is not tenable. It is also violative of our current understanding to hold talks on the outstanding boundary issue.”

Nepal passed amendment bill including Indian areas of Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani in the updated map

Nepal’s lower house of parliament on Saturday passed an amendment to update the country’s map including Indian areas of Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh, and Kalapani in the constitution of the country. The bill was supported by all the 258 lawmakers present and voting.

The move came on the heels of the endorsement extended by Nepal’s House of Representatives on June 10 to have a proposal seeking consideration of the constitution amendment bill for change of country’s map following a long discussion.

Nepal had earlier offered India to have diplomatic discussions to resolve the territorial disputes between the two countries. India, in her defense, claimed that it already cleared her position on the matter and it deeply values its civilizational, cultural and friendly relations with Nepal.

India’s foreign exchange reserves see a significant surge, cross half-a-trillion USD mark for the first time

OpIndia Staff
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India’s foreign exchange reserves see a significant surge, cross half-a-trillion USD mark for the first time

In a recent press release, Reserve Bank of India informed that foreign currency assets had seen a rise of 8.22 billion dollars. It is a significant part of overall reserves RBI has. This is for the first time that India’s foreign exchange reserves have crossed the half-a-trillion US Dollar mark. By the end of the first week of June, i.e., 5th June 2020, India had 501.70 billion dollars in foreign exchange reserves.

In the previous week, the reserves rose by 3.44 billion dollars and touched 493.48 billion dollars mark. On the other hand, the value of the gold reserve has continued to decline. By 5th June, gold reserves declined by 329 million dollars and stood at 32.352 billion dollars. The exclusive drawing rights of India with the International Monetary Fund have gone up by 10 million dollars and currently stands at 1.44 billion dollars. The reserve position of India rose by 120 million dollars and now stands at 4.28 billion dollars.

Sanjeev Sanyal, Principal Economic Adviser in the Ministry of Finance, said in a tweet that demand suppression is going to push INR to appreciate after an initial capital outflow. He added in a linked tweet that as India has opened its doors to the economy to remove demand suppression and push up credit growth, imports and foreign capital inflows will revive.

Forex exchange reserves have seen steady growth since September last year

The Forex reserve in India has seen a steady spike since Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a corporate tax cut in September 2019. There has been a sharp decline in crude oil prices in the global market in the last few months that also helped India in improving foreign exchange reserves.

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath hails courage of constable Vatan Pawar who caught cow smugglers despite being stabbed thrice

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath hails courage of constable Vatan Pawar who caught cow smugglers despite being stabbed thrice

On Saturday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath praised the valiant act of police constable Vatan Pawar who caught illegal cow smugglers in a village near Saharanpur despite being severely injured after getting stabbed thrice.

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath took to Twitter to heap praises on the valour of Uttar Pradesh police constable Vatan Pawar.

In his tweet in Hindi posted from the official handle of UP CM, Yogi Adityanath said, “Policeman Shri Vatan Pawar Ji posted in Saharanpur has shown indomitable courage and unwavering dedication in discharge of his responsibilities and his conduct is highly appreciated. I pray to Prabhu Shri Ram for his speedy recovery”.

Earlier, Uttar Pradesh ADG Law & Order Prashant Kumar had also hailed the courageous act of Vatan Pawar and saluted the bravery of the police constable. The senior police officer also said that he conveyed his best wishes to the constable for his speedy recovery.

Cow smugglers attack cops, injured Vatan Kumar

On May 21, the Uttar Pradesh police, after receiving a tip-off regarding illegal cow slaughter, had reached Ghana Khandi village of Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh. As police tried to catch the illegal smugglers, they fired at the police to escape from the spot.

Despite smugglers firing at the police, Vatan Kumar caught hold of one of the smugglers. The constable was attacked with a knife three times. Later, the UP cops fired in self-defence, injuring one of the smugglers. The accused name Virasat was later taken to the hospital where he was declared brought dead.

The injured constable Pawar was shifted to Dehradun’s Jolly Grant hospital where he is currently undergoing treatment.

Tablighi Jamaat chief Maulana Saad sneaks out of his hideout, offers namaaz in Abu Bakr mosque

OpIndia Staff
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Tablighi Jamaat chief Maulana Saad sneaks out of his hideout, offers namaaz in Abu Bakr mosque

After remaining untraceable for two months, the preacher of Tablighi Jamaat, Maulana Saad Khandalvi finally came out of his hideout to offer namaaz in Delhi’s Zakir Nagar. According to Delhi police, Maulana Saad sneaked out on Friday to offer prayers at the Abu Bakr mosque in Delhi’s Zakir Nagar.

Maulana Saad is booked under several charges for purportedly organizing religious congregation when the coronavirus cases were reported in different parts of the country. Despite repeated government orders, he flouted every safety norm risking the lives of thousands including foreigners.

Maulana Saad is yet to submit his COVID-19 report issued from a laboratory of a government hospital. The Crime branch is still awaiting the reports as Maulana has revealed that he is in self-quarantine and will be interrogated once his report is submitted.

Delhi Police Crime branch had sent a notice to Maulana Saad under Section 91 of CrPC in which he was asked to provide some documents while the response on the notice was ‘unsatisfactory’, the crime branch slapped a second notice to the religious preacher with 36 questions at his farmhouse in Shamli near Delhi.

Charges against Maulana Saad

The Chief of the orthodox religious sect has been on the radar of leading probe agencies after the religious congregation in March. On March 31, the Delhi police had registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Maulana Saad under the Epidemics Act 1897 for allowing religious congregation in the month of March, despite repeated warnings from the center and the state government. On Wednesday, the Tablighi Jamaat Chief was booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 304 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

On April 16, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had registered a money laundering case against the Maulana Saad and nine others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) based on predicate offense that was registered by Delhi police. The agency is investigating the trust and the transactions of the trust that belonged to the Tablighi Jamaat chief.

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