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Karnataka: Two youths Haneef and Irshad arrested for poisoning Phalguni river in Belthangady, thousands of fish die

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka: Two youths Haneef and Irshad arrested for poisoning Phalguni river in Belthangady, thousands of fish die

In a shocking incident, thousands of fish have been killed in Karanataka after two youths poisoned the Phalguni River at Dadelu in Belthangady in Dakshina Kannada district.

According to the reports, on April 30, thousands of dead fish were found on the banks of the river in Nadthikkal village near Venur, Belthangady after two persons of the village had allegedly poisoned the river.  

The Phalguni river is not only the source of fresh water for the residents of the village but also the mainstay for several animals and birds, according to the villagers.

A disaster of massive scale has been averted in the village after it was found that the waterbody was poisoned. Two Muslims youths – Mohammad Hanif and Mohammad Irshad – are believed to behind the poisoning of the river.

The police have arrested the two accused and a case has been registered under IPC section 277 – Fouling water of public spring or reservoir. A team under Venur SI Lolakshara has been constituted to probe the incident. Meanwhile, the locals have demanded a detailed investigation of the incident.

Speaking to OpIndia, officials at Venur police station confirmed that they have arrested two in connection with the case. Further, they added that investigation is underway to know the real intentions behind the incident.

Bois Locker Room: Society and family are part of the solution to protect and safeguard women from predators and not the problem

K Bhattacharjee
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Bois Locker Room: Society and family are part of the solution to protect and safeguard women from predators and not the problem

Over the course of the past few days, a chain of events has been set in motion that has led to the suicide of a student of Class 12 in Gurugram. The circumstances of his suicide are still unclear as and therefore, we shall not engage in insensitive speculation regarding his death. One thing is however clear, the ‘Bois Locker Room’ did have individuals who are deeply troubled, to put it mildly and might need some time in juvenile homes for proper rehabilitation. Having said that, there are other pertinent issues regarding the whole affair that needs to be discussed honestly and with an open mind.

First things first, discussing ways to rape girls on social media platforms is not normal. The existence of such a ‘locker room’ only proves that such conduct is not tolerated in any sane society. That the involved individuals had to engage in such perverse discussion in private indicates that society does not have a very high tolerance level for such atrocious behaviour. Therefore, as horrific as the discussions were in themselves, we must not lose sight of the fact that it is a deviance and not the norm. A lot of inappropriate humour does flood male only spaces, as I am sure is the case in female only spaces, but overwhelmingly, the nature of humour involved is harmless and not capable of causing permanent damage to anyone. In this particular instance, however, the discussion was definitely not humour and was perverse beyond measure.

It is important that we remember the unique set of circumstances before us. Because society and social norms themselves are often held guilty for such crimes whenever they happen. But in reality, such crimes happen despite social norms and not because of them. Indian society does not approve of such conduct, by and large, and men who indulge in such violent delusions are neither encouraged nor tolerated in their midst. The collective outrage and unequivocal condemnation of the incident by all sections of society is indicative enough of that. Therefore, the solution to the menace is not undermining social institutions themselves but empowering them to deal with such conduct effectively.

There is another uncomfortable truth that needs to be discussed in this context. Overwhelmingly, the individuals who engage in such discussions are men. And it is a well known fact that the overwhelming percentage of violent crimes are committed by men. This is not due to social norms or how men are raised but due to the fact that men are biologically predisposed towards committing more violence than women. The greater physical strength of men also makes them more likely to use it in order to acquire what they seek. Thus, the greater threat of violence always comes from men. It is the same reason why the discussion between the young boys is infinitely more disturbing than the disgusting discussion among girls the same age in the ‘girls locker room’. Because the threat of thoughts transforming into real action is infinitely more real in the case of men.

Historically too, wars have been fought over women. It is true, however, that not all cultures are the same and such conduct is expressly prohibited in Hindu religion. Nevertheless, raping the women of the enemy side was extremely common throughout history. Even as late as the Second World War, German women were raped en masse by Allied Forces after Adolf Hitler was defeated. Even in the 1971 Indo-Pak War, hundreds and thousands of Bengali Hindu women were raped by Pakistani Soldiers. And even in wars since then, rapes have unfortunately been a prominent feature of them. Would these men have raped the women if they were ‘one of their own’? It is hard to tell but without a shadow of doubt, it can be said safely that the women were raped because they were seen as the ‘other’. Wars reflect circumstances when all social norms collapse and the victor gets to do as he pleases, which causes the gravest of human rights violations. Thus, quite evidently, undermining social norms may not be the most sensible way forward if we are to ensure the safety of the feminine gender.

Thus, it is important to realise that civilisation is a process and not the end. And one of the unintended consequences of civilisation is the domestication of Man. In the wild, or in times of War, the beastly nature of Man comes forward and he engages in behaviour that he normally wouldn’t in civilised society. And hence, it is of paramount significance that incidents such as the Boys Locker Room do not undermine our faith in society but strengthens it. It is individuals who have massively failed society in this instance, not empowered them. It is only now that their conduct has been exposed to the world that they will suffer the consequences.

It is true that society is not always in the right and tends to put curbs on individual behaviour but it remains the only medium through which the safety of women and children can be assured. There is true evil in this world and against the might of their forces, only the collective can mount an adequate defence and deploy sufficient safeguards. The most important institution in this regard is that of the Family. Only families are at a position where they can identify such mongrels at an early stage of their deterioration and take effective measures to prevent them from crossing the red line. True reformation can only be inspired by the family. An insane amount of problems could have been avoided had the families in question been more involved in the affairs of their children. And this is true for both genders, the boys and the girls.

Only an empowered cultured society and families will be capable of mitigating the dangers of modernity. Therefore, the solution is not to undermine such institutions but orient them towards a direction where it is incumbent upon them to take a more proactive role in the protection of women and children. In that regard, we have made good progress over the years. However, much more remains to be done. It is also important to note that the ‘Boys locker room’ occurred because society and families still haven’t learned yet how to react and deal with the great threat social media platforms pose to women and children.

Another aspect of nature that solidifies my belief is the fact that rape is extremely common in the animal world. It is philosophically debatable whether animals are capable of rape given the fact that ‘will’ and ‘consent’ are generally presumed to be unique capabilities only mankind is capable of. However, if we limit the definition to forced sexual interaction alone, it is not hard to find such occurrences in abundance in the animal kingdom.

I suffer from no delusions that rapes or sex crimes will ever disappear from the face of the Earth. They won’t and they will not cease to occur as long the human race exists. As long as humans exist, so will crimes. Heaven and Hell do exist and we can find both here on Earth itself. Thus, under such circumstances, it is easy to give in to despair in times such as the age we are living in. However, unlike certain sections of the population, I do believe that the institutions of family and society are parts of the solution and not the problem.

Watch: Security forces personnel ask Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Tanveer Malik if he wants to go to ‘Jannat’

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: Security forces personnel ask Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Tanveer Malik if he wants to go to ‘Jannat’

On Friday, security forces nabbed an Islamic terrorist belonging to Hizbul Mujahideen in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district. The arrested Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist identified as Tanveer Ahmed was seen pleading Indian Army soldiers.

In a video shared by ABP News journalist Vikas Bhaduaria, it can be seen that the Islamic terrorist sitting as security forces ask him whether he wants to go to ‘jannat’. (Note: Strong language, viewer discretion advised)

In the video, the Indian security personnel can be seen questioning the captured terrorist where one of them is asking if he wants to see ‘Jannat’ (heaven).

Malik is reportedly an associate of two active terrorists in Kashmir. One of his earlier terror associates was killed by security forces at the start of this year.

“Acting on intelligence inputs about the terrorist, a joint team of J&K Police’s special operations group, Army’s Rashtriya Rifles and CRPF’s 33 Bn launched a search operation and arrested him from Sheikhpura village in Gundana tehsil. One pistol and 10 rounds of ammunition were also recovered from his possession”, Jammu and Kashmir police was quoted as saying.

Hizbul Mujahideen commander killed

In a massive success to security forces of the country, Riyaz Naikoo – the top Hizb-ul-Mujahideen commander was killed by the Indian Armed Forces near a village near Pulwama on Wednesday.

According to the reports, the Islamic terrorist Riyaz Naikoo was trapped in a village during an overnight operation in Beighpora village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama. During the encounter last night, another unidentified terrorist was also killed by the security forces in the Awantipora area.

Riyaz Naikoo took over as the commander of Hizbul Mujahideen after the outfit’s poster boy and commander Burhan Wani was killed in a gunfight with the security forces in Kokarnag area in Anantnag district on July 8, 2016.

The dreaded terrorist – Riyaz Naikoo is a top Hizbul Mujahideen commander. He had carried a reward of  Rs 12 lakh on his head. The killing of Riyaz Naikoo is a big blow to the local terror groups active in the area, especially Hizbul Mujahideen. Riyaz Naikoo is among the oldest surviving members of the Hizbul Mujahideen.

Hindus need to defend and promote their faith, even if that sounds ‘controversial’ to others

Maria Wirth
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Hindus need to defend and promote their faith, even if that sounds ‘controversial’ to others

Anchors at Indian TV channels are generally intelligent and capable. However, when the topic involves religion, they often lack common sense or courage.

Recently Rishabh Gulati, Managing Editor, NewsX, said that he wants to explore how to bring the Indian Muslims, who had been brainwashed into hard Wahhabi Islam, back to a softer Sufi version. Rishabh surely would know that all versions of Islam are based on Quran and he would also know that the stark division between believers, who are considered good, and unbelievers, who are considered bad, is fixed in this foundational text itself.

So why would he not rather explore how Muslims could be brought back to their ancient, benevolent Hindu Dharma? It would make far more sense. Why would he want a big part of Indians continue to believe blindly, albeit in a softer version, what the invaders violently enforced several centuries ago? Why is he so diffident about his own tradition which has contributed maximum knowledge to science and human civilisation in general?

The reason may be that over the last thousand years it was very dangerous to stand up for Hindu Dharma. So people tried to be diplomatic, made compromises, and did not mention and certainly not praise their Dharma, even if they greatly valued it. This attitude seems to have got deeply ingrained and is even in today’s generation present. The English education system also did its bit to cement this attitude and even made it worse, as it portrayed the indigenous tradition contrary to facts as inferior. Not wanting to be “controversial” is uppermost in the mind of many Hindus, when they deal with converts. They rather indulge them, than ask probing questions. 

This attitude is however in our times not helpful but dangerous. We have a window now, where we can be truthful and talk about the great advantage that Hindu Dharma has over Christianity and Islam. If we don’t use it, it may close again and then probably for a long time.

Most Hindus know, and if some still don’t know, it is urgent that they come to know, that both Christianity and Islam consider it as their divine duty to make their religion dominate the whole globe. Only then their God/Allah will be happy and start the Judgement Day proceedings, when the good believers are allowed to enter heaven. It has however not yet been clarified whether the Christian or Muslim believers have this privilege, as naturally only one “true religion” can be true. For Hindus of course it will be hell, both agree on this. 

Can any sane person believe that the Creator of this unimaginably vast universe will punish the majority of human beings ETERNALLY in hellfire because they did not accept that the truth about how we should live, was revealed only recently and only to one particular person on this earth which is already some billion years old?

There are other points which are not flattering for those two religions: Christianity and Islam are not based on reason, intuition or experience, but only on blind belief. One can never know if Jesus is really the son of God who was sent to earth to save us from the original sin and who declared that the way to the father goes only through him. 

Or we can never know if Allah really communicated via Gabriel with Prophet Mohamed and declared that he is the last prophet and all must follow what Mohammed said. 

These two religions make blind, unverifiable belief, which is not a healthy attitude, look like a virtue: ‘if you believe blindly what the padres or the mullahs tell you, you will be rewarded with eternal heaven after Judgment Day’, is promised. It is an effective method to keep people subdued on earth, waiting for heaven. And common people suspected this already in the dark ages. In Germany we have an old saying that the Pope makes people stupid (and the King makes them poor).

Unfortunately, only members of Christianity and Islam go all out to spread their religion with full zest and especially in the case of Christianity, with lots of money and a detailed strategy. Pious members of both religions do not hesitate to claim that their religion alone is true and all others are wrong and will not be accepted by the ‘true God’. They have nothing to support their claim, except that the founder of their religion allegedly said so. This claim of eternal damnation is meant to frighten people to fall in line. On the other hand, it makes them arrogant, believing “We are the chosen ones. We believe the right thing. Earth and heaven belong to us. All others are damned for eternity.”

Believing their clergy, they are on a mission to eradicate all other faiths. And how successful they have been! All ancient cultures were eradicated, except for the Indian culture.

In India those two religions have encountered the greatest resistance. Indian culture still stands but greatly diminished. Yet neither Christianity nor Islam has conceded defeat, on the contrary. They push harder than ever now by demonising Hindus to an unbelievable degree. Do they want the world to believe a false narrative that an “uprising of the oppressed Muslims against the demonic Hindus” is justified and must be supported?

There is however one great power on the side of Hindus. It is Truth, both on the relative level (truth is that Muslims are not oppressed in India) and on the absolute, spiritual level (Truth is one). 

Hindu Dharma is the best option for humanity. Nobody is forced to believe anything that does not make sense or cannot be experienced. Hindu Dharma is not a fixed, unverifiable ‘belief-system’. It is based on reason, intuition and experience. Its claims make sense and can be verified, like the most basic claim that the essence in all is one and the same – ‘sat-chit-ananda’ – blissful awareness behind the names and forms. 

But for people to know this, they need to be told, including those, whose forefathers have converted and who have been brainwashed into blind belief. If they knew and reflect on those insights, they might see that indeed Hindu Dharma is the best option. Therefore it would be so much better if Hindus went all out and informed others of the value of Hindu Dharma. 

Compare the Indian reluctance to project its wisdom with China. China has only few sages, but makes full use of them. It established already 15 years ago hundreds of Confucius institutes all over the world which are affiliated to colleges and universities. They teach Chinese language and promote Chinese culture to the Western world.

India is the cradle of civilization. It has so much knowledge, and millions of texts are not even translated into English. It has Sanskrit, the language which helps develop the brain, apart from being a perfect language; it has documentation of a number of great sages reaching back thousands of years, it has the deepest philosophy still expressed in a vibrant religion; a huge body of literature, amazing art, dance, music, sculpture, architecture, yoga, Ayurveda, delicious cuisine, incredible temples and yet Indians do little to propagate those treasures. “We are not like them”, many Hindus say, “we don’t advertise our religion and push them into accepting it, like the others”. 

The insights of the Vedic Rishis need not be pushed; they only need to be known. They result in a very beneficial mind-set, definitely far more beneficial than the divisive, narrow mind-set of the new-comer religions. Knowing that God is within gives inner strength, and knowing that God is also in others, including in animals and nature, makes people kind. This broad mind-set needs to dominate in the world, and it is Hindus who can lead the way. 

Bad people would still exist; they are there in every age, but normal, good people would not be indoctrinated en masse by their clergy into despising and even killing ‘unbelievers’ because they worship the Supreme Intelligence by other names. Looking at Muslims and Christian countries, such attitude also does not seem to make for a happy society. 

Meanwhile, especially in the West, many Christians and Muslims lost faith and say it openly. I am one of them and sometimes Hindus tell me: “It’s good that you write. You are an insider, you can do it. We can’t.” My reply is: “YOU need to speak up. Don’t wait for ex-Christians or ex-Muslims. Most of us, who lost faith, don’t bother about religion any longer. But YOU have been suffering for centuries, with millions killed, and the danger is real that it happens again. If someone is fully authorised to talk about those doctrines, and the harmful mind-set they produce, it is YOU, Indian Hindus. In fact you owe it to those millions who were massacred for being Hindus.”

Fortunately, in recent years more Hindus do speak up. Maybe soon a mainstream channel will have the courage to debate frankly what Muslims and Christians are taught about Hindu Kafirs and Heathen, and maybe more Christians and Muslims in India, who have lost faith in their religion, have the courage to say it openly. It surely would be a relief for them. Living a lie by pretending to be believers is painful. Hindus can help by being truthful, even if it means being “controversial”.

Jammu and Kashmir Top cop tweets photo of a martyred cop’s daughter, asks “Any award for this photograph?”

OpIndia Staff
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Jammu and Kashmir Top cop tweets photo of a martyred cop’s daughter, asks “Any award for this photograph?”

As the ecosystem grovelling over three photojournalists in the Jammu and Kashmir were declared the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for feature photography for their “striking images of life” which show people affected by operations of Indian security forces, brave Indian soldiers continue to lose their lives to terrorists, reports that don’t get any international award.

While the images made certain problematic assertions that eventually made the Indian army evil forces and the terrorists and stone pelters as common protestors, the Senior Superintendent of Police of Jammu and Kashmir Imtiyaz Hussain came up with a contradicting idea. He tweeted a photo of the grief-stricken young daughter of a cop killed by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.

He wrote, “This picture should haunt the conscience of humanity for times to come. An inconsolable daughter of a police martyred in 2017 in Kashmir. Any awards for this photograph?”

The picture Imtiyaz Hussain tweeted is of Zohra who was 5 years old when her father Abdul Rashid was killed due to Pakistan Sponsored terrorism in 2017. Rashid was an Assistant sub-inspector in Jammu and the Kashmir police. The photographs of Zohra had gone viral at that time, but they were not considered worthy of any photography award as noted by Imtiyaz Hussain, because they do not fit the narrative.

The picture tweeted by Hussain went viral on social media but unfortunately failed to grab the sympathy from the left lobby which is still busy in normalizing Pakistan sponsored terrorism and putting different allegations on the armed forces.

Pulitzer Prize for glorifying Terrorism

The featured photos that won the so-called prestigious Pulitzer Prize did best to glorify the Pakistan sponsored terrorism in Kashmir valley, maligning the image of India with some problematic assertions like ‘India occupied Kashmir’. Announcing the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in Feature Photography section, the official Pulitzer website referred to Kashmir as an ‘independent” state and a “contested territory of India”, adding that Kashmir’s “independence” was revoked by India through a “communications blackout”.

One of the photos that won the Pulitzer Prize showed a placard raised by a man that read “We dream of Independent Kashmir”, and echoed Pakistan’s stance over Kashmir by describing the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir as “Indian controlled Kashmir”.

Another award winning photo showed a large number of masked protesters with the Pakistani flag in the background. The photo was clicked by Dar Yasin, captioned India’s Jammu and Kashmir as “Indian controlled Kashmir”.

In another picture, a Kashmiri stone-pelter attacking a convoy vehicle of the police is shamefully normalized as a “protester” who is merely throwing stones during a protest in “Indian controlled Kashmir”. It may be that a stone is seen in the hand of the person in the Pulitzer winning photo, and the website mentions this fact in the caption of the photo, but still labels him as a protester and not as a rioter or attacker.

Left-wing terrorists have indoctrinated tribals against Hinduism: Report reveals ‘Ultra left’ connection to Palghar Sadhus’ lynching case

OpIndia Staff
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Left-wing terrorists have indoctrinated tribals against Hinduism: Report reveals ‘Ultra left’ connection to Palghar Sadhus’ lynching case

An investigation conducted by Times Now has disclosed an “Ultra-leftist” link to the brutal mob lynching of two Hindu Sadhus of Juna Akhada outside Gadakchinchle village in Palghar district of Maharashtra last month.

The report claims that the brutal murder of the Hindu sadhus wasn’t an act of spontaneity but was a part of a broader conspiracy to eliminate the Hindu saints as against the state government’s unusual urgency to declare the incident as an issue concerning the law and order in the district.

The FIR into the murder of the Hindus sadhus, accessed by Times Now, says that the prime accused in the case, who happens to be a CPI(M) gram panchayat member allegedly gathered a mob armed with rods and stones to kill the sadhus. 

“The modus operandi by cutting trees and placing boulders to obstruct movement is also a common stratagem used by Naxalites against their preys,” the FIR mentions.

Leftists brainwashed Tribals against Hinduism

The report also mentions that the Gadakchinchle village in Palghar district is a leftist bastion and some of the villagers had alleged that the Tribal inhabitants of the village were routinely ‘brainwashed’ by the leftists.

“The youth in the village are being misled by the supporters of Leftist ideology. Whatsapp and social media are rife with messages saying ‘Tribals are not Hindus’,” said Chhagan Wavare, one of the village residents.

“Young and impressionable minds are being moulded. Activities are carried out to leave a lasting influence on such people,” Wavare said while alleging people in Javahar Taluk in Palghar were made to believe that Lord Ram was not their God but Ravan is. “Such misguided notions are being planted in young minds,” he added.

Palghar Mob Lynching incident

On 16th April 2020, two Sadhus associated with the Juna Akhara, 70-year-old Kalpavrishka Giri Maharaj, and 35-year-old Sushil Giri Maharaj along with their driver 30-year-old Nilesh Telgadewere were on their way from Mumbai to Gujarat to give Samadhi to another Sadhu. At Gadakchinchale village, a wild and frenzied crowd of over more than 100 people attacked them. The villagers allegedly deemed them as thieves and started attacking them. The police claim that their team which had rushed to the spot to rescue the 70-year-old man also came under the attack of the violent mob.

But later videos emerged which completely debunked the claim of police, as it was seen that the sadhus were in the custody of the police, but the police personnel handed them over to the mob. The mob then proceeded them to beat them to death in front of the policemen.

Left backed Christian missionaries also under the radar

According to an investigation carried out by Zee News, Palghar was one of the regions strongly impacted by rampant conversions. The report said that the region has become a battleground for political and religious supremacy with active support from Christian missionaries.

The Christian missionaries enjoy massive support from the Left-wing groups and are involved in the conversion of tribals in the region. These Christian groups face stiff resistance from the Hindu religious outfits. In recent years, Palghar and the surrounding areas have become a big flashpoint between the Christian missionaries and the Hindu outfits over religious conversions, the report said.

Singapore court sends Indian-origin man to jail for verbally abusing policemen and health workers

OpIndia Staff
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Singapore court sends Indian-origin man to jail for verbally abusing policemen and health workers

A court in Singapore has reportedly sentenced a 53-year-old Indian-origin man named Ravi Sinathamby Subramaniam, with a past history of intimidating public servants, to 7 months imprisonment for verbally abusing police and health officers, amidst the Coronavirus outbreak.

Ravi has allegedly been involved in public brawls for over a decade. As per reports, he recently got into a verbal altercation with the police at a convenience store. Ravi allegedly hurled expletives at the cops, refused to cooperate, and create a nuisance at the store. As such, he was arrested.

Four days later, Ravi reportedly threatened to break the face of health officials when they pointed out that his face mask did not cover his mouth and nose. “The next time I see you, I will break your face”, he was quoted as saying. Deputy Public Prosecutor Timotheus Koh informed the Court that he had even threatened to attack his brother with chopper and boiling water.

The prosecution had demanded a 10 months’ jail term, highlighting how he continued to be a “menace to the society.” They argued that a harsher punishment to Ravi would send a clear message to the society that attacking “frontline workers would not be tolerated”.

While handing down a 7 months’ imprisonment, the Judge directed to organise counselling sessions for the accused and necessary treatment plans to improve his social behaviour. Ravi later apologised and claimed he misbehaved under the influence of alcohol.

Indian Government’s move to protect frontline workers

In a significant measure to stop the attacks against the healthcare workers in the country, the Modi Government has brought an ordinance last month to end violence against health workers. Amidst the ongoing assaults on the frontline health workers, policemen during the ongoing coronavirus lockdown, the central government has brought in a timely ordinance to deter the unruly mob. The new ordinance has provisions to punish the assaulters with imprisonment from 6 months to 7 years.

Aarogya Setu replies to French ethical hacker who flagged privacy issues, clarifies no personal data compromised

OpIndia Staff
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Aarogya Setu replies to French ethical hacker who flagged privacy issues, clarifies no personal data compromised

On Tuesday, a French ethical hacker named Elliot Alderson took to Twitter to claim that the privacy of 90 million Indians is at stake, owing to a “security issue” in the Aarogya Setu app. He informed that he was contacted by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and the IT Ministry regarding the issue. In his Twitter thread, Anderson further cautioned that he would wait for a limited time before disclosing the matter to the general public.

The app which is available in 11 languages determines the location of the person and informs whether he is in proximity to a Coronavirus positive patient. Aarogya Setu app also contains a list of helpline numbers for every State in India. A chatbot within the app helps resolve user queries and educate about the symptoms of the Chinese virus.

Response of Aarogya Setu

On Wednesday, a day after allegations of security issues surfaced, the official Twitter handle of Aarogya Setu replied to charges of privacy concerns on Twitter. It clarified that the app fetches the location of a user, as mentioned in its privacy policy, only during registration, self-assessment, and voluntary contact tracing. The app further reiterated that the data of a user’s location is stored in a secure, encrypted manner.

On charges of giving users the power to use ‘scripts’ to harvest Coronavirus data by altering the radius, Aarogya Setu emphasised that the radius parameters are fixed and cannot be changed beyond 10 km. On the allegation that data from multiple locations can be fetched by changing the latitude or longitude, the app administrators said that it is not a security threat, as it is same as someone calling to people at different locations and asking the data in those locations. All this data is already in the public domain, and it does not compromise on any personal data. They also mentioned that API calls for data go through a Web Application Firewall, and bulk API calls is not possible to harvest data automatically.

Moreover, they stated that the ethical hacker did not provide any evidence that proves that a user’s personal information has been compromised. The app also urged people to highlight any vulnerabilities that come to their notice at their official email address.

World Bank praises Aarogya Setu app

The Aarogya Setu app developed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology through Public-Private partnership has earned praise from the World Bank for successfully using digital technologies in monitoring the transmission of the Wuhan Coronavirus.

In the South Economic Focus report of the World Bank released on April 12, it observed, “Digital technologies can also be used to monitor the spread of COVID-19. Such initiatives, largely voluntary, have been successful in helping combat the pandemic in East Asia.” The report, citing the example of India’s indigenous app, stated that innovative solutions technology can help track the deadly virus in a region that comprises of tech-savvy but poor and uneducated households.

Rajasthan HC stays FIR against BJP leader Amit Malviya for allegedly mocking Raul Gandhi

OpIndia Staff
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Rajasthan HC stays FIR against BJP leader Amit Malviya for allegedly mocking Raul Gandhi

The Rajasthan High Court on Wednesday stayed an FIR registered against BJP leader Amit Malviya, who is also in-charge of BJP’s National Information & Technology wing, for allegedly mocking Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Twitter, reports Live Law.

FIR for mocking Rahul Gandhi

According to the reports, Amit Malviya was accused of mocking the Congress leaders, in response to a comment made by Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi, which had hailed Gandhi-scion Rahul Gandhi of giving prompt caution leading to the timely arrangement of health infrastructure in the Bhilwara city of Rajasthan, to battle the deadly coronavirus pandemic.

“Sonia Gandhi claims Bhilwara tested 22 lakh people due to Rahul’s warning! Wherever there is Rahul, can exaggeration and maths blunder be behind?,” Malviya had tweeted.

Amit Malviya’s tweet mocking Rahul Gandhi

In the aftermath of the tweet, the local police in the Hanumangarh Town had registered a FIR against Malviya and the party president JP Nadda. A Congress worker Manoj Kumar Saini had registered the complaint.

The court has directed the Hanumangarh police that the effect and operation of the FIR along with entire proceedings pursuant thereto shall remain stayed.

“Effect and operation of the FIR No.216/2020 registered with Police Station Hanumangarh Town, Hanumangarh along with entire proceedings pursuant thereto qua the present petitioner shall remain stayed,” Justice Mathur ordered.

Malviya’s counsel had argued that he had merely re-tweeted the contents of the article news item published in The Print Magazine and such no case was made out against the Petitioner.

FIR against JP Nadda also stayed by the Rajasthan High Court

Earlier on Tuesday, the Rajasthan High Court had stayed an FIR lodged against national BJP president JP Nadda in connection with the case.

BJP President JP Nadda had moved the High Court, seeking the quashing of the FIR and stating that he had no role in the Malviya’s tweet.

Directing the Hanumangarh police that stayed the FIR, the Rajasthan High Court had issued a notice to the Congress worker and the state government for making Nadda a party in the case and also sought a reply in six weeks.

Delhi Commission for Women asks Delhi Police to take action against online trolls for “outraging modesty” of Safoora Zargar

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi Commission for Women asks Delhi Police to take action against online trolls for “outraging modesty” of Safoora Zargar

The Delhi Commission for Women(DCW) has taken a suo moto cognisance of the online attacks and abuses hurled on Jamia Millia Islamia student Safoora Zargar, arrested MPhil student and a member of Jamia Coordination Committee, who is pregnant and is currently under arrest for the alleged violence during the anti-CAA protests in the national capital.

DCW chief Swati Maliwal has written a letter to the Delhi Police seeking information on the FIR filed in connection with the online abuse and attacks on Zargar, identities of the accused and those arrested and measures taken to remove the posts outraging her modesty from the social media and asked the police to respond by May 10.

Safoora Zargar arrest

Zargar was arrested by the Delhi Police last month for allegedly leading the anti-CAA protests at the Jaffrabad metro station of Delhi in February 2020. She has been booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

She was subjected to a barrage of insults and criticism on Twitter, with many raising aspersions on her dignity and character. Disparaging remarks were made against the legitimacy of her marriage and pregnancy.

Taking cognisance of the online attack against Zargar, the DCW issued notice to the Delhi Police that read, “It is stated that a vilification campaign is being run against her and her unborn child on social media and misogynistic comments are being made. It instated that several comments outraging her dignity and threatening her family have also been made.” The DCW has urged the police to bring to book the perpetrators who have unleashed the online assault against the apprehended Jamia Millia student.

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