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Swati Chaturvedi and her imaginary friends: An analysis of her predictions and ‘source’-based rumours

Nirwa Mehta
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Swati Chaturvedi and her imaginary friends: An analysis of her predictions and ‘source’-based rumours

‘Journalist’ Swati Chaturvedi is like an amusement park personified. When she’s not busy conjuring up fiction and passing them off as investigative journalism, she gives us glimpses into her psychotic tendencies through her tweets. On Monday, Chaturvedi took to Twitter to ‘predict’ that pretty soon we will hear of an assassination plot of PM Modi that was foiled.

Swati Chaturvedi’s now deleted tweet

For a country where two former Prime Ministers, including one in office, were assassinated, one would not take such threats seriously. This tweet of Chaturvedi could mean two things: 1. Chaturvedi is mocking security threat to PM Modi or 2. She might know something about the assassination plot which she fears may get foiled. The former is quite likely because she has made such jokes and ‘predictions’ in the past.

Swati Chaturvedi ‘predicts’

And while she is not mocking PM Modi’s security threat and the NSA Ajit Doval, she is busy making ‘predictions’ based on the inputs given by her sources, whom one suspects to be imaginary. One can deduce it by the outcome of those predictions. And if her ‘sources’ are not imaginary, one would have to deal with a different set of worries as one will have to wonder who are these sources giving her input on the assassination of the prime minister.

Shaheen Bagh women did not clear the protest site for days even as the coronavirus pandemic threatened. With zero disregard for public health and safety, the ‘protests’ continued for weeks after the Delhi elections. Ergo, if Chaturvedi is good at predicting stuff, I’m Madhuri Dikshit. But wait, what? Here are some of her ‘reports’. Vijay Rupani is currently the Chief Minister of Gujarat. Varun Gandhi is a BJP MP from Pilibhit. Amit Shah was the BJP President when the ‘prediction’ was made. He continued to hold the post till 2020. BJP leader JP Nadda was ‘working president’ in 2019 along with Shah and was elected to the top post in party in 2020. And no, Rajnath Singh wasn’t. He continues to be Defence Minister in Modi 2.0. And we all know how that turned out.

Swati Chaturvedi and her ‘sources’

And then there are ‘sources’. Or as some people call, voices in her head. Here is what some of her ‘sources’ have told her.

Starting with latest ‘source-based conspiracy’ ft. Vir Sanghvi, and no this is not a leaked tape. Swati’s ‘source’ had told her PM Modi will reach out to migrants and make an emotional appeal. Vir Sanghi also chirped in affirmative and added how PM Modi may blame the CMs for ‘harsh measures’. PM Modi announced a relief package of Rs 20 lakh crore, 10% of GDP. He stressed on self reliance. Perhaps the voice in Swati’s head needs some fine-tuning. This is such a no-brainer, you don’t even need to consult your imaginary friend to ‘predict’ this. This is also how I attribute my own outrageous ideas to non-existent people to escape liabilities of my words. Most Indians still waiting for this to come true. And the Schrödinger’s cat.

And while no one really should be taking Swati Chaturvedi seriously, she still continues to be a source of amusement.

Update July 2020:

UP-based notorious gangster Vikas Dubey was arrested from Ujjain on Thursday, 9th July. He was on the run for a week after he and his men killed 8 policemen, including a DSP, who had gone to arrest him earlier this week. On Wednesday evening, Swati had predicted, perhaps after talking to her ‘sources’ that Dubey had ran away to Nepal. Nepal and Ujjain are in separate directions.

Social media user Ankur Singh on Sunday pointed out Chaturvedi’s u-turn after Hardik Patel’s appointment as Gujarat Congress chief.

In 2015, Swati was of the opinion that Hardik Patel is planted by the RSS. She had said how Patel was symbol of ‘awful mutation of Hindutva’ in Gujarat. She also believed he was ‘Plan B’ of RSS’ anti-reservation movement. Four years down the line, She believes that Patel is an excellent choice for Congress to lead the party in the state. She believes he is one of the few people who can mobilise people on ground.

Note: The article has been updated with the latest ‘source-based’ conspiracy that turned out to be a dud.

Alert in North-east after African Swine Fever kills more than 14,000 pigs in Assam

OpIndia Staff
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Alert in North-east after African Swine Fever kills more than 14,000 pigs in Assam

Within 15 days of reports of the demise of thousands of pigs due to African Swine fever, the Assam government has again made a shocking revelation. The Assam government has announced that the deadly epidemic of African Swine Fever has killed more than 14,000 pigs in the state. The State government decided to cull the pigs on Monday.

Assam’s animal husbandry minister Atul Bora told ANI on Tuesday, “Till now, 14,465 pigs have died in 10 districts, due to African Swine Fever. The government is taking all possible steps to stop the spread of the disease. For prevention of the disease, we are advising farmers deep burial of dead pigs.”

The state’s Animal Husbandry department and Veterinary department director Pulin Das has told the news agency IANS that they have no intention to cull the pigs despite the advice of central government. He said, “We have told the central government in case of culling we will have to pay huge amounts to farmers and firm owners as compensation. Thus, for culling we need huge financial support from the central government.”

Kaziranga National Park took measure to avoid infection

In efforts to keep the infection at bay, the Kaziranga National Park authority has dug a 2 kilometres long and six-feet deep trench to protect wild boars from the African Swine Flu infection.

According to the 2019 census, Assam had over 21 lacs pigs, which the authorities say that may have increased to 30 lacs now.

After the ASF outbreak in Assam, all the North-East states have sounded high-alert and asked the people, especially those in animal husbandry business domesticating pigs are told to not bring pigs from other states.

Assam is the largest supplier of Pork with annual Pork business worth 8,000-10,000 crores.

What is African Swine Fever?

The African Swine Fever is a highly contagious hemorrhagic viral disease affecting domestic and wild pigs. This disease can be spread by live or dead pigs, domestic or wild, and pork products. Furthermore, transmission can also occur via contaminated feed and fomites (non-living objects) such as shoes, clothes, vehicles, knives, equipment, etc., due to the high environmental resistance of the ASF virus.

It is caused by a large DNA virus of the Asfarviridae family, which also infects ticks of the genus Ornithodoros. There’s no approved vaccine against African Swine Fever.

It is important to note that the African Swine Fever is different from the Swine Flu, which can transmit to humans. The African Swine Fever does not spread to humans and hence it poses no danger for human health. Although it will have a huge economic impact on pig farms in Assam.

Earlier Assam had banned Pork sale in affected areas, closes slaughterhouses

Earlier Minister Bora had informed that the ASF was reported in the Dhemaji, Sivsagar, Lakhimpur, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, and Biswanath districts. From 1964 on April 25, the death toll had reached 2262 in Assam in just three days.

The state of Assam banned the purchase and sale of pigs and pork in the affected areas, closed slaughterhouses, and also banned movements from pig farms.

West Bengal: Home Dept issues advisory, warns strict action against those circulating false news regarding the communal violence in Telinipara

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: Home Dept issues advisory, warns strict action against those circulating false news regarding the communal violence in Telinipara

The West Bengal Home Department on Monday warned of strict action against those who are posting and circulating fake information on social media in the context of the communal clash which erupted in Telinipara in West Bengal’s Hooghly district on Sunday.

Taking to twitter the State’s Home department said: “Last evening swift and strong action was taken in Telinipara against those who were trying to disturb peace. The situation was immediately brought under control. Telinipara is peaceful now”.

“Police will not allow any provocation and strict action will be taken against anyone who tries to create disturbance including those who are posting and circulating false information,” department wrote in its subsequent tweet.

Earlier in the day it was reported that thirty-seven people have been detained after a communal clash between two groups broke out in Telinipara in Hooghly district of West Bengal on Sunday night. A huge police team had to be posted in the tense Telinipara area to ensure peace. There has been no further incident in the last 24 hours.

The West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had tweeted yesterday claiming that flouting of COVID-19 guidelines was responsible for the incident. “Horrific visuals from Telinipara in Hooghly where people from a “certain” community turned violent last night. Criticising Mamata Banerjee for playing vote bank politics the BJP Bengal unit continued to write: “In WB, under Mamata Banerjee, ‘vote bank’ patronised by TMC has held the state to ransom, flouted Covid guidelines at will without any fear of law!”

Several houses were burnt during communal clash in Telinipara, Hooghly

Horrific images had emerged which showed houses, shops and vehicles gutted in fire and stone being pelted on the streets of Telinipara, Hoogly, West Bengal. According to reports, bombs were hurled and shops ransacked in the ensuing mayhem which started when some people from Wardibazar area tried to enter the Telinipara area on May 10, Sunday. There are claims that several people were attacked and their houses were burnt down by people from a “certain” community. The police have stated that the clashes started when members of one community called a group as ‘corona’.

Wardibazar reportedly had some coronavirus cases and several people in quarantine. So when 10-odd people from there headed to Telinipara, apparently to use a public toilet, locals objected and a clash broke out.

The police had fired 26 rounds of tear gas and ten rounds of rubber bullets to bring the situation under control. A number police personnel have been deployed in the area following the clashes.

Chandannagar Police Commissioner Humayun Kabir told news agency PTI, “Some people were addressed as ‘corona’. And it all started from there. After a verbal spat, one group blocked another from entering a community bathroom in the Victoria Jute Mills area of Telinipara, which led to the fight.”

“Bombs were hurled and shops ransacked, following which a huge team of police was sent there. We continued raids throughout the night and detained 37 people. Our raids are still on, said the police commissioner.

BJP alleges communal clash was pre-planned

While BJP MP Locket Chatterjee, who was not allowed into Telinipara by the WB police, claimed that the attack was pre-planned, Dilip Ghosh, the Bengal BJP chief and MP, said: “Bombs and guns were used and the clash turned communal, an example of law and order breakdown in Bengal. A fight against corona turned into a communal fight.”

Terrorists attack maternity clinic in Kabul, the Taliban denies responsibility

OpIndia Staff
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Terrorists attack maternity clinic in Kabul, the Taliban denies responsibility

On Tuesday, armed terrorists reportedly carried out an attack at a maternity clinic run by Doctors Without Borders (French: Medecins Sans Frontieres) at Dasht-e-Barchi Hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan. This resulted in a gun battle between the armed terrorists and the Afghan security and police forces.

Four people have been injured. A doctor who fled the hospital informed BBC that 140 people were stuck inside the hospital at the time of the attack. The area of Dashti Barchi, a Shia dominated area, has been the subject of Islamists attacks in the past as well.

According to German Press Agency, a security official informed that he heard explosion and gunshots, following the entry of military personnel in the hospital. Black smokes can be seen rising from the hospital in pictures of the terror attack.

A Spokesperson of the Afghan Interior Ministry, Marwa Amini, informed that “special forces” have been deployed in the area and that the situation has been brought under control. Another spokesperson Tareq Arian said that 80 women and infants were evacuated by the forces when the gunbattle between the armed group and security forces were on.

Taliban denies Responsibility

Moreover, information on the gunmen or the number of casualties has not been made available so far. It is not clear why the 100-bed hospital was attacked by the gunmen. Radical Islamist group Taliban has denied involvement in the attack. They have reportedly decided to not target urban centres but only Afghan security forces.

Islamic State attacks Gurdwara in Afghanistan

In March this year, armed terrorists and suicide bombers attacked a Gurudwara in the Shor Bazar area in Kabul. Armed terrorists and suicide bombers attacked a Gurudwara in the Shor Bazar area in Kabul. 25 people were reportedly been killed in the attack so far. The Islamic State (IS) had claimed responsibility for the attack. India condemned the cowardly attack and conveyed condolences to the families of the victims.

In Arnab Goswami v Antonia, Congress is not fairing to well: After questioning photocopy FIRs, Court throws out demand to ban Republic TV

OpIndia Staff
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In Arnab Goswami v Antonia, Congress is not fairing to well: After questioning photocopy FIRs, Court throws out demand to ban Republic TV

The Congress party isn’t faring too well in its fight against Arnab Goswami. After senior party leader Kapil Sibal was grilled by the Supreme Court for photocopied FIRs across numerous states in the country, the Bombay High Court has refused to grant the demand made by Congress party members to ban Republic TV from airing across television sets. The petition for the same was filed by Bhai jagtap, a member of the Legislative Council from the Congress party, and Suraj Thakur, state president of the Maharashtra Youth Congress in the said court.

Reportedly, a plea demanded that the Editor in Chief of Republic TV should “be banned from speaking on any television channel or online platform” and his channel Republic TV should be ”be banned from airing any program and/or be taken off the air”. The Bombay High Court has rejected this demand outright. Meanwhile, a petition was filed by one Mohammed Arif Jameel, an ‘RTI activist’ from Bengaluru, in the Karnataka High Court as well.

The petition states, “Respondent No 8 (Arnab) in utmost unethical, deplorable manner, belittling the profession of journalism in repeated attempt to paint the event of mob lynching at Palhar, Maharashtra into into an communal event demonising the common man to be at fear for his life at all times; The statements made promoting hatred are a punishable offence and an assault on our constitutional values including the right to life of an entire community.”

The petition before the Bombay High Court stated, “The Respondents Nos. 3 (Arnab Goswami) and 4 (Republic TV) intentionally engaged in outright lies to paint minority religions in a negative light. Repeated claims by the Respondent No. 3 such as “award wapsi gang-mombatti gang santo ke mob lynching par khamosh hai” (the award-returning, candlelight gang is silent on the mob lynching of Hindu saints), “mob lynching ko mazhab ke chashme se dekha jaata hai” (mob lynching is merely viewed through the lens of religion), and rhetoric questioning such as “kya gerua pehenna paap hai?” (is wearing saffron a sin?).”

The Bombay High Court has refused to grant the demand made by the petitioners and Arnab Goswami is free to air his views on Republic TV. However, it doesn’t appear that the party would give up its malicious pursuit against the editor-in-chief of Republic TV. Earlier, he was also forced to sit for an interrogation with the Mumbai Police for twelve hours.

Policeman tests positive for Coronavirus

One of the policemen who interrogated Arnab Goswami for over twelve hours in April last week has now tested positive for coronavirus, senior advocate Harish Salve informed the Supreme Court while arguing for the Republic TV chief seeking quashing of the fresh FIR against him. On April 27, 2020, Arnab Goswami was questioned by Mumbai Police for over 12 hours for questioning Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi’s silence over Palghar Sadhu lynching. He was questioned after the Congress party filed more than 150 FIRs against him in various states of the country. The Supreme Court had merged all the FIRs into one and transferred to Mumbai. A week later, a fresh FIR was filed by Raza Academy.

Over the Palghar incident, Arnab, during the hearing on quashing of FIR requested that the case be transferred to the CBI for further investigation since he has made serious allegations against the local police in Palghar incident. “It’s a union vs state problem and I have become a party to this. Of course I can go to Bombay High Court, my request is that the CBI can probe and file report,” Goswami said in the court.

Pakistanis triggered by Major Gaurav Arya’s Balochistan comment stage protest, ‘hang’ his effigy

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistanis triggered by Major Gaurav Arya’s Balochistan comment stage protest, ‘hang’ his effigy

Days after popular presenter of the ‘Patriot’ TV show and Indian Army veteran Major Gaurav Arya triggered Pakistanis by claiming that he is in touch with Baloch freedom fighters in Pakistan, some groups across the border have gone crazy. Unable to vent their frustration after hundreds of tweets, they have started hanging Major Arya’s effigies.

Some Pakistanis have taken to streets, raising slogans against India and have hung an effigy after the retd Major had revealed that he was in touch with Baloch activists in Pakistan and warned the Pakistanis of severe retaliation if they continue their terror activities in Kashmir.

Recently, a landmine blast had occurred in South Balochistan on May 8, which had left 6 Pakistani soldiers and a Major dead.

During a live debate on Republic TV, Major Arya had stated that he has the numbers of all senior leaders of the Baloch freedom struggle stored in his phone and he is in constant touch with them. He had added that if Pakistan doesn’t stop its designs in Kashmir, in a few years Pakistanis will have to apply for a visa to enter Balochistan.

Major Arya’s comments have frustrated many Pakistani leaders. He seems to have touched a raw nerve. He was even criticised by Pakistani media. Many Pakistani politicians including the CM of Balochistan Jam Kamal Khan, a Pakistani parliamentarian Sarfaraz Bugti and many other prominent figures had termed Major Arya’s statements as belligerent and had gone on to condemn it.

Maharashtra: Islamic clerics demand that govt should consult them before quarantining Muslim coronavirus patients

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: Islamic clerics demand that govt should consult them before quarantining Muslim coronavirus patients

With the number of coronavirus cases in Maharashtra steadily on the rise, the Nagpur branch secretary of an Islamic seminary- Jamia Arabia Islamia, Mohammad Abdul Aziz Khan, has written a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Speaker Nana Patole, asking them to counsel with the Muslim clerics and discussing with Maulvis before segregating and quarantining people belonging to Muslim community suspected of being infected by the novel coronavirus. Khan’s request that Muslim clerics should be consulted before isolating Muslim coronavirus patients comes on the heels of the large number of cases reported in Nagpur, especially from the minority-dominated localities of Satranjipura and Mominpura.

The letter further states that self-quarantine should be advocated instead of cordoning off the entire area. The Jamia Arabia Islamia secretary held that the government should heed to the views of Muslim clerics before taking any action in this regard. Khan wrote that before separating Muslim Coronavirus patients, some Muslim NGOs and religious leaders should be consulted, their views should be taken into consideration and the process should be taken forward with their trust.

He also wrote in the letter to the Maharashtra CM that sufficient provisions are not made by the state government to provide food supplies to those observing fasts during the month of Ramzan and exhorted him to take steps on this matter.

The audacity of the Muslim cleric from Nagpur to suggest the state government to consult Muslim clergies before fashioning a response to blunt the spread of the coronavirus comes amidst reports claiming Muslims to be the most affected community due to coronavirus outbreak in Maharashtra. As per a report published in the Indian Express, about 44 per cent of COVID-19 related deaths in Maharashtra have been recorded among Muslim community while Muslims only form 12 per cent of the state’s total population.

Read- As Muslim cases surge, Maharashtra ropes in Mosques and Imams to issue Coronavirus awareness messages in Urdu: Report

According to experts and epidemiologists, the disproportionate number of COVID-19 deaths among Muslims can be attributed to a range of factors, particularly to the continuance of Friday prayers in mosques till March 20 (officially), difficulties faced in implementing social distancing norms in the areas where the community resides, high population density and utter lack of sanitary and healthcare facilities in such regions.

Many cases in Maharashtra also emerged from the congregation organised by Tablighi Jamaat in Markaz Nizamuddin in mid-March. Many of those who had attended the Jamaat event had remained in the hiding, evading quarantine measures that could have played a crucial role in stemming the infection in the state.

Veiled threat issued by a Muslim cleric in Maharashtra

Earlier, A Muslim cleric had demanded special privileges for his fellow Muslim clerics on the account of Muslim holy month of Ramzan. Issuing a veiled threat to the Maharashtra Police, Mufti Hujefa Kasmi of Bhiwandi asked the police to not take any coercive action against Muslim clerics who are found violating the lockdown restrictions during the month of Ramzan. Kasmi had warned that police action against Muslim clerics during Ramzan will not be tolerated by the community members and could touch off a wave of violence.

Liberals want us to believe that Muslims were drooling over Trump and Modi in the Gujarat event

OpIndia Staff
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Liberals want us to believe that Muslims were drooling over Trump and Modi in the Gujarat event

Propagandists have come up with a novel way of attacking the Modi government over the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic. It is now being alleged that the ‘Namaste Trump’ event is to be held responsible for the high number of cases that is being observed in Ahmedabad. Of course, the individuals spreading the malicious lie is well aware that there is not a shred of truth in the allegations but when the objective is to gain political mileage by hook or by crook, truth is often sacrificed at the altar of misinformation.

It is important to remember here that Donald Trump was on an official visit to India on the 24th and 25th of February. The US President addressed the Namaste Trump event on the 24th of February. The first Coronavirus cases were reported from Gujarat on the 19th of March when two individuals had tested positive. And in both these cases were not cases of local transmission, the individuals had returned from abroad recently. One had returned from Saudi Arabia and the other from London. What is more, one case was in Rajkot and the other from Surat. Thus, first cases of Coronavirus was reported from Gujarat 25 days after the Trump event and they were not even in Ahmedabad. And yet, the propaganda persists.

In Ahmedabad district, outside of the city or municipal corporation limits, the first case was linked to travel from abroad as well. It was a person who had returned from the United Kingdom on the 17th of March. He was tested on the 19th and his results came back the following day. He was discharged on the 10th of April. Thus, it’s quite clear that the first cases in the state are linked to travel from abroad and not to the Trump event in Ahmedabad at all. Furthermore, it is to be expected that the US Government takes the security and health of its President very seriously and it is simply not credible to claim that he would travel in the company of anyone who had tested positive for the Wuhan Coronavirus.

As it is, the attempt to link the Coronavirus crisis in Ahmedabad to the Trump event is a blatant effort to whitewash the crimes of the Tablighi Jamaat. We at OpIndia have extensively documented the manner in which propagandists have gone to great lengths to absolve the Islamic Missionary organisation of its sins. This is another such attempt, perhaps the most audacious of the lot. Because the surge in Coronavirus cases is linked directly to the Markaz Nizamuddin event in Delhi.

On the 5th of April, principal secretary, health, Jayanti Ravi told media persons, “Yesterday, we found three cases linked to Tablighi congregation. Apart from that, Ahmedabad has reported ten positive cases which were detected in the hotspot zones or those areas where Muslim brothers and sisters live in the majority. There is a big possibility that these cases are directly or indirectly connected to the Nizamuddin event.” Later, the same day, Director General of Police, Shivanand Jha, said that 126 individuals who had attended the Jamaat event had been traced, out of which 6 had tested positive for the virus.

This was at a time when Ahmedabad had only 53 positive cases of the Coronavirus. The civic authorities had put five residential societies in Jamalpur, Dariapur, Rakhial and Danilimbda, all reported to be Muslim majority areas, under cluster containment. Thus, unless liberals want us to believe that Jamaatis and Muslims were there in huge numbers at the Namaste Trump event on the 24th of February cheering for two world leaders that have been branded as ‘Islamophobic, it’s simply ridiculous to claim that the Namaste Trump event is responsible for the spread of the virus.

Furthermore, if the Namaste Trump event were indeed the source of the spread, the surge in Coronavirus cases in Ahmedabad would have been observed in the second week of March, not in April, given the fact that the virus has a two week incubation period. The purpose of such claims is not to spread the truth, the sole objective is to bury the facts beneath a coffin of lies. Recently, Udar Mahurkar said that around 60% of the affected and dead in Ahmedabad due to the virus are from the Muslim community. Therefore, to still tie the crisis to the Namaste Trump vent is sheer lunacy and a desperate attempt to cover up the sins of the Tablighi Jamaat.

In the midst of all of this, members of the Tablighi Jamaat have been up to their usual tricks. Tablighi Jamaat attendees at Ahmedabad’s Sola Civil Hospital created a ruckus in the first week of April and refused to take medicines or injections claiming that the government wants to kill them. Ultimately, a Muslim doctor had to be summoned in order to gain the confidence of the Jamaatis. It is also pertinent to mention that Ahmedabad is not the only city which has seen a surge following the debacle at Markaz Nizamuddin. Every state has had to bear the brunt of the transgressions of the Tablighi Jamaat.

The map of the Coronavirus cases in Ahmedabad also show that most cases are from Muslim dominated areas. On the 7th of April, it was announced that the Walled City in Ahmedabad had been declared a buffer zone and thye Nehru Bridge, one of the five bridges over the Sabarmati River had been shut for traffic. It was announced that everyone entering and exiting the Walled City will be screened. The Walled City is a Muslim dominated area. More importantly, as one can see, the clusters on the right side of the river are Muslim-dominated too.

Ahmedabad map of coronavirus positive cases

Moreover, Ahmedabad administration had decided to publish name and addresses of those who have tested positive for coronavirus so that anyone else who has come in contact with the infected person can take precautionary measures and self-isolate. A random sampling of the list issued by Amdavad Municipal Corporation shows how most of the patients were Muslims.

Random samples of list of coronavirus positive cases issued by Amdavad Municipal Corporation (image courtesy: deshgujarat.com)

As can be seen above, in first list dated 6th April, except for patient no. 1, all 10 others are Muslims. In list 2 dated 9th April, except for patient no. 2 and 3, 19 others are Muslims. In list no. 3 dated 7th April, patient no. 8, 9, 10, 12 and 13 are Hindus, rest 9 are Muslims. However, soon after, people started protesting with the publishing of names and Corporation did away with naming the patients. From 10th April onward, the patients were just given codes and not names. However, going by the trend on random samples, it would not be too far off to say that an overwhelming coronavirus positive patients till at least mid-April were Muslims.

Under such circumstances, the attempt to link the crisis in Ahmedabad to the Namaste Trump event only goes on to show the lack of integrity of the individuals perpetuating the hoax. For all the reasons mentioned above, it is preposterous and utterly ridiculous to even make such a claim. And if it was indeed the Namaste Trump event that triggered the coronavirus pandemic in Ahmedabad, then one can safely assume that the overwhelming Muslim population in Ahmedabad loves Prime Minister Modi and US President Donald Trump and well, this is indeed Achhe Din!

MLC elections: Uddhav Thackeray lists family assets worth Rs 143 crores in his maiden election affidavit

OpIndia Staff
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MLC elections: Uddhav Thackeray lists family assets worth Rs 143 crores in his maiden election affidavit

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray yesterday filed his nominations for the forthcoming Maharashtra Legislative Council(MLC) elections and disclosed in his affidavit that his family have assets worth Rs 143.26 crores.

Notably, it is the first time that the Shiv Sena supremo has filed for nominations in an election. His son Aaditya Thackeray, had filed his nominations last year when he contested and won the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections from the Worli seat.

In the affidavit, mandatory for the candidates to submit while filing their nomination, Uddhav Thackeray has declared family assets worth Rs 143 crores. As per reports, the movable assets of the Thackeray family are worth 61.8 crores while immovable assets are at 81.3 crores

Besides, the Maharashtra CM has also revealed details of his salary, interest, dividend, and capital gain as a source of his income. Liabilities of about Rs 15.50 crores, including a loan amount of Rs 4.06 crores, were also mentioned in his maiden affidavit submitted before the Election Commission.

The affidavit submitted by the Shiv Sena supremo also provided details about the sources of income of his family members, including his wife, Rashmi Thackeray, who is also the editor of Shiv Sena party mouthpiece ‘Saamana’. The affidavit pegs Maharashtra CM’s personal assets at Rs 76.59 crores, out of which Rs 52.44 crores are immovable while Rs 24.14 crores are movable.

Interestingly, the Maharashtra CM has stated that he does not own a single vehicle.

Assets declared by former CM Devendra Fadnavis

The declaration of assets possessed by Uddhav Thackeray in his maiden election affidavit has sparked a comparison between the assets held by the current Maharashtra CM with the predecessor.

According to the affidavit submitted by former Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis in October 2019 while filing for his nominations for the Maharashtra legislative assembly elections, the BJP leader had declared that the assets owned by him amounted to a paltry Rs 3.86 crores, out of which Rs 3.78 crores were categorised under immovable assets. Further, Fadnavis reported having Rs 17,500 “cash-in-hand” and bank deposits of Rs 8,29,665.

Devendra Fadnavis’ wife, Amruta Fadnavis owned immovable assets worth Rs 99.3 lakhs, the affidavit mentioned. In addition, Amruta also owned shares worth Rs 2.33 crores and deposits of Rs 3,37,025 in her bank accounts.

Personal data of top celebrities including Madonna, Lady Gaga, Priyanka Chopra breached after law firm representing them faces ransomware attack

OpIndia Staff
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Personal data of top celebrities including Madonna, Lady Gaga, Priyanka Chopra breached after law firm representing them faces ransomware attack

A giant media and entertainment law firm in the United States which represents the mega-celebrities like Madonna, Nicki Minaj, Priyanka Chopra, Sofia Vergara, and Bruce Springsteen has alleged a data breach. The law firm has informed that the hackers have gained access to the personal data of these celebrities by using a ransomware attack tool.

As per reports, a total of 756 GB data have been stolen by hackers from New-York based firm. The data includes useful information like contracts, nondisclosure agreements, phone numbers and email addresses, and personal correspondence. The law firm named Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks has allegedly experienced a ransomware attack that apparently involved the REvil malware.

Other celebrities whose sensitive personal data has been breached include Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey, Jessica Simpson, Naomi Campbell, Robert De Niro, Sofia Vergara, Spike Lee, the Osbournes (Ozzy, Sharon, and Kelly), and many more.

The top companies who are a client of this law firm include Discovery, EMI Music Group, Facebook, HBO, Imax, MTV, NBA Entertainment, Playboy Enterprises, Samsung Electronics, Sony Corp., Spotify, Tribeca Film Festival, Universal Music Group, and Vice Media Group, among others.

Following the attack, the website of Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks has effectively gone online, as at present it only displays the logo of the firm without any other content or link.

Hackers posted about the attack on darknet

According to a report by Variety, the hackers posted evidence of the data theft via a forum on the dark web, the part of the internet where users can engage in secret transactions and hide their identities using encryption. Emsisoft, a cybersecurity software and consulting company specializing in ransomware, found the post of the hackers informing about the exploit. According to cyber security experts at Emsisoft, the data released by the hackers so far “is simply a warning shot.” The implicit threat is that if the firm doesn’t pay the cybercriminals, the group will publish whatever other data they managed to steal, probably in instalments, they said.

Data stolen can be used for extortion

As per global cybersecurity firm Sophos, in such Ransomware attacks, cybercriminals use the threat of releasing the stolen data as leverage to extort payment. REvil, also known as Sodin or Sodinokibi is not just operating on the old-school ransomware model of “Scramble your files and offer to sell you back the decryption key”.

According to Sophos, the original criminal plot behind ransomware was that if you don’t have reliable back-ups that you could restore quickly, then you may have a choice to pay up to decrypt all your scrambled files and get your business in the process again.

Before scrambling all files as a tactic of grabbing attention, the hackers will silently upload the troves of so-called Acetrophy data that they used to blackmail anyone who is not willing to pay up or can be said that financial extortion is no longer just a “kidnap ransom” to get files back.

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Sophos in a statement said, “Indeed, the REvil crew has already followed through on its threats to embarrass victims who don’t pay.” It further added, “Given that ransomware, crooks are no longer just keeping you away from your data but also threatening to put the rest of the world in touch with it, prevention is very much better than cure.”

Another worrying report of global mailing equipment company Pitney Bowes had also faced a data breach attack by Maze Ransomware.

Mentioning it Sophos said, “Maze is another cybercrime gang that goes in for huge ransoms and threatens to expose stolen data, infamously demanding about $6,000,000 last year from cable and wire manufacturer Southwire.”

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