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Actor Sushant Singh Rajput commits suicide

OpIndia Staff
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Actor Sushant Singh Rajput commits suicide

Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput has reportedly committed suicide on Sunday, June 14, 2020.

He was found hanging at his Bandra home as per early reports.

Sushant Singh Rajput

34-year-old Sushant Singh Rajput rose to fame through television serial Pavitra Rishta and then moved on to Bollywood. He has acted in hit Bollywood films like Kai Po Chhe and MS Dhoni, a film based on cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s life. He also acted in 2018 movie Kedarnath and his last film was Chhichhore released in 2019. On June 9, his ex-manager Disha Salian too committed suicide by jumping off her 14th floor apartment in Mumbai’s Malad. No suicide note had been recovered from her and investigations are currently on.

This is a developing story. We shall update the story once more details are out.

“Coronavirus sleeps when your sleep and dies with your death”: Pakistani Maulana makes bizarre claims while attacking PM Imran Khan

OpIndia Staff
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“Coronavirus sleeps when your sleep and dies with your death”: Pakistani Maulana makes bizarre claims while attacking PM Imran Khan

In a bid to criticise Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and the Government, Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman made shocking comments about the Wuhan Coronavirus during a press conference held on Wednesday. A radical Islamic preacher and chief of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F), Rehman is a staunch critic of the current political dispensation in Pakistan.

During the press conference, he remarked, “Corpses are not handed over to the families. Give me one example of a person from worldwide who has contracted Coronavirus from a dead body. Doctors recommend patients to sleep well. When someone sleeps, the virus also sleeps along with him. It does not harm you then. If the virus sleeps when you sleep, then, the virus must die with your death.” His bizarre comments received affirmation from his supporters, standing behind the podium.

Video Courtesy: Dekhty Raho TV Official (Youtube)

Maulana criticise mishandling of the Coronavirus pandemic

Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman lambasted at Imran Khan for mishandling of the Coronavirus pandemic that has infected 1,39,230 people and caused 2,632 fatalities. He said that even though the Pakistani government claimed to have spent 25 lacs PKR on every Coronavirus patient, yet hefty fees to the tune of 8000 to 10000 PKR were charged for testing from the individuals directly. Fazal-ur-Rehman also criticised Imran Khan for ‘fear-mongering’ about the pandemic by suggesting that the deadly disease had no cure.

The Islamic preacher claimed that deaths caused due to heart and liver ailments in Pakistan were labelled as ‘Coronavirus-related deaths’ to create an atmosphere of fear. He also criticised the Imran Khan-led-government for not welcoming the Pakistanis stranded abroad, adding that they have been subjected to innumerable difficulties due to the Coronavirus outbreak. Amidst the pandemic, Fazal-ur-Rehman also advocated for reopening of schools, colleges, and universities and hit out at the Pakistani Government for hindering the education of students.

Rahman leads Azadi March to dethrone Imran Khan

Last year in October, the Islamic preacher took out an Azaadi March that sought to dethrone Imran Khan as the Pakistani Prime Minister. “The war has been announced and now [the party] cannot retreat. He [Prime Minister Imran] has ruined the economy, and a country with a devastated economy can’t survive,” he was quoted as saying. Reportedly, thousands of people, including Madrassa students, took part in the march. The anti-government movement was supported by leading opposition parties such as PPP (Pakistani Peoples Party) and PML-N (Pakistani Muslim League-Noon).

In their hate for Prime Minister Modi, Congress ends up admitting Rahul Gandhi is not very smart: Read how

OpIndia Staff
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In their hate for Prime Minister Modi, Congress ends up admitting Rahul Gandhi is not very smart: Read how

On Sunday, Twitter was flooded with tweets under the hashtag ‘#मोदी_ही_पप्पू_है‘. In 2018, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had admitted in Parliament that he may be ‘Pappu’ but he is ‘Congress’ as the House erupted with laughter with this confession.

Rahul Gandhi has often been referred to as ‘Pappu’ for not being too smart. Considering this, one would think that it was Aam Aadmi Party supporters trending the hashtag just to distract themselves from the mess Delhi is in with respect to coronavirus. But when one clicked on the hashtag, one saw it was Congress supporters who were taking pride in showing how their ‘Pappu’ is not smart. One really can’t make this all up.

Congress supporters kept themselves busy posting memes mocking PM Modi, calling him a ‘Pappu’.

Congress supporters tweeted the video of slip of tongue by PM Modi while addressing US President Trump under the hashtag, conveniently forgetting the antics of their own ‘Pappu’.

This is a bit too rich and ironical coming from a Congress supporter.

Umm. Says the one trending ‘#मोदी_ही_पप्पू_है’ to mock PM Modi while their own party leader is nicknamed Pappu. This is just unreal. One can’t even figure out if this is a question or a statement.
Rahul Gandhi on seeing his supporters trend #मोदी_ही_पप्पू_है

Supreme Court refuses to stay investigation against journalist Vinod Dua in sedition case after urgent Sunday hearing

OpIndia Staff
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Supreme Court refuses to stay investigation against journalist Vinod Dua in sedition case after urgent Sunday hearing

In a huge setback to journalist Vinod Dua, the Supreme Court on Sunday refused to stay the ongoing investigation against the controversial journalist,

According to the reports, the Supreme Court bench comprising Justices UU Lalit, MM Shantanagoudar and Vineet Saran which had sat on a Sunday refused to stay the investigation against Vinod Dua and also ordered the Himachal Pradesh Police to give him 24 hours time to join the investigation. The bench added that police may interrogate Dua at his residence.

The Supreme Court also granted interim protection from arrest till July 6 to Vinod Dua in a sedition case filed against him in Shimla over his YouTube show.

The bench also asked for a status report on the probe by the State Government. The apex court also issued a notice to Union of India, Himachal Pradesh and also sought a detailed reply on journalist Vinod Dua’s petition. The Supreme Court has given two weeks notice for both the governments to file a response.

Supreme Court opens door for controversial journalist on Sunday

Earlier, the Supreme Court had made an exception by opening its doors on Sunday to hear a petition filed by controversial journalist Vinod Dua seeking quashing of the sedition case registered against him.

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.

Complaint against Dua for making false allegations

A case was been registered against Vinod Dua by a local BJP leader Ajay Shyam in Shimla for making false allegations against BJP, especially Prime Minister Modi on his YouTube show on March 30.

Controversial journalist Vinod Dua was charged under sections 124A (sedition), 268 (public nuisance), 501 (printing matter known to be defamatory) and 505 (statements conducive to public mischief).

On the basis of the complaint, the police in Shimla had summoned the journalist for questioning. The Himachal Pradesh police personnel had also visited his Delhi residence on Friday morning to serve the notice.

However, Dua had claimed that he was unable to visit Kumarsain police station because of his health, age and the lockdown protocol for travel and quarantine.

A similar complaint was also registered against in Delhi accusing him of misreporting the Delhi riots and also on charges of creating a public nuisance by false 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.

Delhi Police Cyber Cell arrests two more men for sharing morphed obscene images of co-convener of Delhi BJP IT cell

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi Police Cyber Cell arrests two more men for sharing morphed obscene images of co-convener of Delhi BJP IT cell

In an ongoing investigation on sharing morphed obscene images of a female BJP leader, the Delhi Cyber Cell Police have made two more arrests in connection to a complaint filed with Delhi police three months ago. News agency ANI reported that the arrests were made on the charges of circulating morphed obscene pictures of Apurva Singh, the co-convener of Delhi BJP’s IT cell.

Two-month long wait for the first arrest

In a tweet posted by Apurva Singh in May, she mentioned that she was being targeted for being a BJP supporter and party worker. She alleged that supporters of Congress party, Samajwadi party and Islamists were sharing morphed obscene images of her on different social media platforms. She alleged that supporters of opposition parties, especially those who belong to minority communities, are sharing pornographic images claiming that those were her private images. She also alleged online sexual abuse on social media platforms.

Singh mentioned that she filed the complaint on 19th March 2020 and she was disappointed to see so much delay in initiating the investigation. Many leaders and party members, including Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and National Commission for Women, came forward in support after her tweet. Only a day after her tweet, Delhi police arrested one Md Aasim from Delhi in connection to the case. DCP Cybercrime then reported in a tweet that they had made an arrest in the case, and 26 related posts have been removed from social media platforms.

Police mentioned that this is an ongoing investigation and further updates will follow. 

Protesters in USA attempt to replicate the success of CHAZ, Police dismantle autonomous zone in Asheville, North Carolina

OpIndia Staff
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Protesters in USA attempt to replicate the success of CHAZ, Police dismantle autonomous zone in Asheville, North Carolina

The attempt by Antifa to create autonomous zones in the United States has unleashed a spate of anarchy across the country. Many left-leaning organizations have taken control of the protests to spread their agenda in the background of ongoing #BlackLivesMatter protests in America and other nations after the killing of George Floyd.

Statues across countries are being demolished, riots are taking place in many locations and anti-social elements are looting high-end stores and grocery shops while using the protests as cover.

Autonomous zone of Asheville demolished

Recently, videos appeared on Twitter from different accounts that showed how the police demolished the autonomous zone of Antifa in Asheville, North Carolina. They took stern action before Antifa could take complete control of the particular zone. As soon as the police came to know about the creation of an autonomous zone, they reached the scene and dismantled everything in minutes.

However, it is not an isolated incident. Protesters are taking over public places in many cities of the US and putting up tents over one demand or the other. The first one to come up was in Seattle that called itself the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ). Soon after it came into existence, it was taken over by a ‘warlord’.

Meanwhile, the protesters of CHAZ have been making attempts to grow their own food but their obvious lack of expertise in farming has ended up making them a laughing stock.

What is an autonomous zone?

In simple terms, an autonomous zone or Permanent Autonomous Zone (PAZ) is an area in a country where people do not follow the law of the land. Any establishment government or a religious body does not govern them. Most of the governments do not recognize these autonomous zones either. Antifa, that is a leftist extremist organisation, is trying to create autonomous zones across the United States.

There is a striking similarity between how Antifa is behaving in the US and how protesters organized large scale anti-CAA-NRC protests in India. There is an Indian Chapter of Antifa as well, but it was not pro-active during the anti-CAA protests. However, in the last few months, the organisation has started spreading hate-filled comments about India on Social media.

America: 27-year-old African-American man Rayshard Brooks shot dead by Atlanta Police, protests erupt

OpIndia Staff
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America: 27-year-old African-American man Rayshard Brooks shot dead by Atlanta Police, protests erupt

Days after the brutal killing of George Floyd in Minnesota by a white police officer, 27-year-old African-American man Rayshard Brooks was shot at and killed by Atlanta Police officer at Wendy’s on June 12.

As per Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), the Atlanta Police Department arrived at the Wendy’s at 125 University Avenue after receiving a complaint of a man asleep in his vehicle in the drive-thru.

A sobriety test was conducted where Brooks failed. When police tried to take him into custody, he resisted. In the struggle between the law enforcement officers and Brooks that followed, Brooks was tased.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which is investigating the shooting, said the deadly confrontation started after they received a complaint accusing Brooks of sleeping in a car blocking the restaurant’s drive-thru lane.

However, according to the lawyer representing the deceased, Brooks was the father of a young daughter who was celebrating her birthday on Saturday, died from a police bullet.

Reportedly, the videos shot by a bystanders show Brooks struggling with two officers on the ground outside the Wendy’s before breaking free and running across the parking lot with what appears to be a police taser in his hand.

Police chief resigns

Meanwhile, the Atlanta police chief resigned on Saturday after the incident at Wendy’s. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced that she had accepted the resignation of Police Chief Erika Shields.

The Mayor said it was Shields’ own decision to step aside as police chief but would remain with the city in an undetermined role.

Protests against killing of Rayshard Brooks

The protesters have now hit the streets to protest against the killing of Brooks in Atlanta. The protesters have shut down a major highway in Atlanta on Saturday and set fire to a restaurant where the incident happened.

Hundreds of people chanted Brooks’ name outside the Wendy’ and they also carried placards with the deceased name on them and demanded justice. A group protesting the death of George Floyd also joined a group gathered to protest the death of Rayshard Brooks.

The death of Rayshard Brooks comes at the backdrop of the death of another African-American man George Floyd, which has led to severe protests against the cops in the United States accusing them of in-discrimination and racism against black people.

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.

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