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Gujarat: Karachi-bound ship from China detained at Kandla port over wrongly declaring cargo that could be used for launching ballistic missiles

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Gujarat: Karachi-bound ship from China detained at Kandla port over wrongly declaring cargo that could be used for launching ballistic missiles

Indian Customs officials on February 3 intercepted a ship bearing Hong Kong flag originating from China with Port Qasim in Karachi as destination for wrongly declaring an autoclave, which can be used for launching ballistic missiles as an industrial dryer. The ship is reportedly currently undergoing a detailed inspection at Kandla port in Gujarat.

As per reports, DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) team is currently examining the ship and is also sending a second team of nuclear scientists this week to check the large autoclave onboard. The ship had left Jiangyin Port on Yangtze river in China’s Jiangsu province on January 17, 2020 and was bound for Port Qasim in Karachi, Pakistan when it was intercepted at Kandla port on an intelligence tip off. Port Qasim is in Karachi, Sindh, where Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Supraco), responsible for Pakistan’s ballistic missile programme is based. If the second team upholds the findings of first, then the Customs will seize the cargo and charge the vessel and its owners for violations of Special Chemicals, Organisms, Materials, Equipment and Technologies (Scomet) export regulations.

As per reports, the DRDO team has inspected the 18×4-metre autoclave. An Autoclave is a pressure chamber which carries out various industrial and scientific processes. Prima facie, it can be used for civilian as well as military purposes. In 1989, Islamabad signed a deal with Beijing to purchase 34 solid fuel M-11 ballistic missiles. The M-11s can deliver 500 kg payload over 300 km area and are at the core of Pakistan’s ballistic missile capability. At around same time, Pakistan had also purchased 12-25 liquid fuel No-Dong ballistic missiles from North Korea. The No-Dong missiles can deliver 700-1000 kg payload over 1000-1300 km area.

Ku Wol San, 1999

In 1999, at the height of Kargil War between India and Pakistan, a North Korean ship Ku Wol San was seized at Kandla port in Gujarat. The Karachi-bound ship had wrongly declared missile components, metal casings and Scud missile manuals as water purification equipments.

Kerala: Two teachers sent on leave for distributing pamphlets with pictures of Maa Saraswati and Om on it

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala: Two teachers sent on leave for distributing pamphlets with pictures of Maa Saraswati and Om on it

Two teachers in Kerala have been sent on leave for distributing a brochure with a “Maths Prayer” and pictures of Goddess Saraswathi and “Om” among students. The actions sparked protests from parents and local teachers who demanded that the teachers be removed from the school. Around 80% of the students at the school are Muslims.

The pamphlet in question was distributed to students of the 5th standard from the Azhikode government UP school. It contained a Ganita Prarthana (Maths Prayer) which the kids were asked to recite daily to improve their understanding of the subject. The Parents Teachers Association (PTA) Meeting demanded that the teachers be removed from the school as well, following which the authorities decided to send them on leave.

“This is a public school. The allegation is that the teachers used religious symbols, which is against the rules”, said an official. “We need to protect the school. We want the support of everyone for the school. There was carelessness on the part of two teachers”, he said. Meanwhile, Rajalakshmi, the teacher who had composed the prayer, has lodged a police complaint claiming harassment and that she was threatened.

Read: Wayanad, Kerala: Major sex racket busted, scores of men suspected of sexually abusing and raping teen girl

It is now being reported that Campus Front of India, whose parent organisation is the Islamist Popular Front of India (PFI). They had organized demonstrations to build pressure on the school authorities to punish the teachers.


The PFI has been accused of involvement in the recent violence that erupted across the country against the Citizenship Amendment Act.

Read: The Hindu history and heritage of Kerala: The land of the Chera kingdom associated with Lord Parashurama

While the Uttar Pradesh police had in December, last year, exposed PFIs link to the violence during anti-CAA protest in the state, an explosive investigation by the Enforcement directorate had also exposed that PFI spent about 120 crores in a month to orchestrate the violent riots in the country. Numerous members of the PFI have been arrested across the country for their involvement in the said riots.

Watch: Another video surfaces showing rioters in Jamia pelting stones against Delhi Police from inside the campus

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: Another video surfaces showing rioters in Jamia pelting stones against Delhi Police from inside the campus

Another CCTV footage from the night of December 15, 2019, when the ‘students’ of Jamia Millia Islamia University ran riots and the Delhi Police took action, has come to the fore, in which the rioters are seen indulging in stone-pelting against the law enforcement agency personnel.


The CCTV video accessed by Times Now vindicates Delhi Police’s stand as it shows several individuals hovering around the gate of Jamia Millia Islamia University and eagerly partaking in stone-pelting.

Earlier, a doctored video had surfaced in which Delhi Police personnel were seen barging into the library of the University and liberally raining batons on the masked ‘students’, who were pretending to be studying in the library. The Delhi Police had then claimed that the miscreants who entered the library were rioters trying to save themselves from police action.

Read: The curious case of selectively ‘leaked’ Jamia Millia Islamia library videos from anti-CAA riots

Another video emerged shortly afterwards which appeared to depict events that occurred prior to police action in the library. In the video, a ‘student’ with what looks like a stone in his hand was seen exhorting ‘students’ from outside enter the library and seek refuge to avoid violence that had ensued between the ‘students’ and the Police outside.

The videos that are now coming to the fore are decisively debunking the liberal propaganda of maligning Delhi Police and accusing them of needlessly employing brute force against the ‘peaceful protesters’. The videos prove beyond doubt that those who are projected as ‘students’ by the liberal camp are nothing but rioters and stone-pelters, unabashedly propagating violence and disrupting the law and order in Delhi.

Read: Watch: Jamia ‘students’ with stones in hand taking shelter in library before Police barged in during anti-CAA riots

Following the enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Act, things in the national capital, particularly in Jamia Nagar and Seelampur turned ugly, as demonstrators on the pretext of carrying out ‘peaceful protest’ against the legislation of the CAA, blatantly indulged in vandalism, arson and stone-pelting.

In order to curb the city’s descent into chaos, the Delhi Police entered the Jamia Millia Islamia University on December 15, 2019, to take control of the situation and flush out the protesters indulging in rioting and violence.

Despite menace of cross-border crimes, Bangladesh yet to give a nod to new anti-cut fence along Indo-Bangladesh border

OpIndia Staff
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Despite menace of cross-border crimes, Bangladesh yet to give a nod to new anti-cut fence along Indo-Bangladesh border

Bangladesh is yet to give a nod to an important project to erect an anti-cut steel fence along the Indo-Bangladesh Border to curb cross border crimes and killings. The single-row fence is to be erected by India but requires consent from the Border Guards Bangladesh. The fence is anti-cut, anti-climb and anti-rust and therefore, will help greatly in stopping criminals from either side to carry out cross-border crimes.

Cross border crimes is a great menace at the Indo-Bangladesh Border and claim lives regularly. As per official figures, 107 Indian smugglers or criminals and 135 Bangladeshi nationals have been killed in violent conflicts with the BSF at this border between 2010-19. During the same period, eleven BSF troops have been killed and 960 injured while thwarting these attempts in more than 1,890 incidents.

Read: Highest numbers of foreigners imprisoned in West Bengal, of the total foreigners in prisons, Bangladeshis top the list: NCRB report

“The BSF has made it amply clear to its counterpart BGB or Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) that our mandate is to ensure the sanctity of the border and criminals have no nationality. The BGB also agrees to this. If the nationality of those who get killed or injured in violent confrontations is at all to be considered, there are a considerable number of deaths of Indian nationals too,” Shubhendu Bhardwaj, spokesperson of the BSF, told PTI.

He added that the BSF had proposed erecting a new anti-cut fence in vulnerable regions of the border but a final nod has not been received from the BGP. The Home Ministry said that any concrete work related to this can only be done after the Bangladeshis have been taken on board. At the same time, a ‘pilot project’ of this new fence is already in operation along a 7 km stretch in Assam’s Silchar.

Read: Pakistan training 40 Rohingya Muslims in Bangladesh after it fails to push terrorists from LoC, plans for them to infiltrate India

Security officials also said that the direction issued by the Union Government in 2011 (UPA Govt) to use nonlethal weapons to curb killings at the border is proving to be counterintuitive. “The criminals have been emboldened to attack a BSF patrol or troops as they know that the personnel will first use non-lethal weapons to disperse them and will use lethal weapons or regular rifles only when there is a very serious threat to their life,” an official said.

After essential medical supplies, Pakistan to make exception in trade ban to import insecticides from India to fight locust outbreak

OpIndia Staff
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After essential medical supplies, Pakistan to make exception in trade ban to import insecticides from India to fight locust outbreak

Pakistan may make a one-time exemption in its trade ban with India to import insecticides that can help fight the locust infestation, reported Dawn News.

The matter is likely to be discussed on Tuesday during the Federal Cabinet’s meeting that will be chaired by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. Gas pricing. power bill mandates to receive IMF’s next round of funds ($450 million) will also be discussed in the meeting. The proposal to create a National Commission on the Rights of Child (NCRC) will also be discussed.

The trade ban was imposed by Pakistan after India abrogated Article 370 and revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5 last year. Imran Khan also expelled the Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan.

Read: Karachi faces locust attack, Pakistani minister urges people to eat them in Biriyani

But, the Government regretted its decision immediately as Pakistan was reeling under a shortage of essential medical supplies. As such, the Imran Khan-led government had to import life-saving drugs from India.

The Punjab region of Pakistan has been worst-hit by the locust infestation, resulting in the destruction of crops. Imran Khan was forced to declare a national emergency. A National Action Plan worth ₹7.3 billion was approved to overcome the locust crisis. Minister Ismail Rahu made a bizarre request asking the citizens to rather add locusts to their biryanis, Kadhais and BBQs instead of getting scared of them.

Oversmart Rahul Gandhi tries to hide Congress’ misdeeds on women’s permanent commission, literally exposes that to everyone

OpIndia Staff
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Oversmart Rahul Gandhi tries to hide Congress’ misdeeds on women’s permanent commission, literally exposes that to everyone

The apex court of the country today dismissed the Centre’s submission against a 2010 Delhi high court order that had approved permanent commission for women officers. The court ordered the centre to ensure that women officers are given a permanent commission (PC) in the Army while also adding that the officers will be now eligible for command posting. Pulling up the government for opposition to the permanent commission to women officers citing physiological features, the Supreme Court stated that such mindset should change as it perpetuates “gender stereotypes”.

Upholding the Delhi HC’s judgment in 2010, a Bench of Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and Hemant Gupta stated that the time when women officers were seen merely as “adjuncts” of men officers was long past.

However, the historic judgment too was not spared by the former Congress president Rahul Gandhi who brazenly attempted to politicise the issue while trying to slam his political rivals-BJP. Painting the BJP in a bad light, Gandhi tweeted that the central government disrespected every Indian woman by fighting in the SC against the women Army officers deserving command posts and permanent service.


The Wayand MP proceeded to politicise the issue concerning permanent commission and command posts to women officers to score political brownie points. But it appears that he was seemingly unaware that it was the Congress government which appealed against the Delhi HC decision that granted these benefits to women in 2010. The Congress government, in its plea in Supreme Court, had demanded a stay of the implementation of the High Court judgement sought a review of its verdict.

In fact, when Gandhi was acquainted with this brutal reality by one of the Twitter users, instead of pulling down his tweet, he used the new feature available on Twitter and hid the mortifying response. Here is the hidden reply to Rahul’s tweet:

Veteran Rohit Agarwal shared an article from 2012 which stated that the Congress government, in its affidavit against the Delhi HC order, said that the women should not be granted permanent commission in the Army claiming the progress of the women army officers “was far from encouraging”.

Rahul Gandhi, being as smart as he is, hid the response by veteran Rohit Agarwal but instead, ended up making the response even more visible because the ‘hidden responses’ are rather visible and make readers curious. It is also interesting that clearly, Rahul Gandhi read the response and knew that he was being a hypocrite, but chose to try and hide the fact rather than rectify himself.

The affidavit stated that the women in the army cannot be accorded with a permanent commission as the majority of the army’s junior commissioned officers (JCOs) and other ranks came from rural India and were not yet ready to accept a woman as their leader in combat situations. The affidavit also said that the woman officers must be excluded from combat not only for the time being but “as a matter of policy for all times”.

However, unbeknownst of his own party’s stand on the issue, Rahul pompously tried to project the BJP as a misogynist party that sought to sustain gender stereotypes in the Army.

In fact, it is pertinent to note that the petitioners, in this case, women army officers, were represented by none other than the BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi. “The court has rejected all those misleading statements. Now women will get equal rights in the Army like men. The judgement has paved the way for women officers to hold command posts,” Lekhi said while hailing the judgment.

‘Unofficial’ Kabaddi team that went to Pakistan to be quizzed by authorities on return to India

OpIndia Staff
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‘Unofficial’ Kabaddi team that went to Pakistan to be quizzed by authorities on return to India

The ‘unofficial’ Kabaddi team that went to Pakistan to play World Kabaddi Championship is set to be quizzed on their return to India on Monday. The Indian team lost to Pakistan in the finals on Sunday by 41-43. A contingent of Indian players reached Lahore on Saturday (February 8) via the Attari border to participate in the championship in the neighbouring country.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan took to Twitter on Monday to congratulate the Pakistan team for defeating India’s “unofficial Kabaddi team”.


To participate in a sports event abroad, the national federation must write to the Sports Ministry which in turn needs to communicate with the Ministry of External Affairs (for political clearance) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (for security clearance). The Sports Ministry and Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) had made it clear that India did not send any “official” team to Pakistan.

Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju said, “Playing in the name of the country and using flag needs to be investigated. There is no permission for going to Pakistan. Anybody can go anywhere, but using India’s name is an issue.” The administrator of AKFI, Justice SP Garg (retd), warned that legal action would be taken against the defaulters.

Earlier, the Government extradited cricket bookie Sanjeev Chawla accused in 2000 match-fixing scandal, to India from the United Kingdom. The Delhi Police Crime Branch intercepted a conversation between blacklisted bookie Sanjeev Chawla and Hansie Cronje, in which it was learnt that the South African captain had accepted money to lose matches.

Fact-check: No, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation did not mention birth place of Muslim child as ‘Pakistan’ instead of ‘Ahmedabad’

OpIndia Staff
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Fact-check: No, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation did not mention birth place of Muslim child as ‘Pakistan’ instead of ‘Ahmedabad’

On Monday, social media was abuzz with reports that a Muslim child born in 2018 had his birthplace as ‘Pakistan’ instead of Ahmedabad. A video was shared by one Mohammad Asif Khan who claimed that a Muslim kid’s birth place is mentioned as Pakistan instead of Ahmedabad.


Similar video was shared by one “Revler urf Hit Stoner” on Twitter with similar claims.


Both shared BBC Gujarati video wherein the mother of the child is saying that they are afraid with impending NRC, Pakistan in the birth certificate may send them to Pakistan for real.

There are multiple things wrong with the video.

Birth certificate screenshot from BBC video

As seen above, the address mentions birthplace as Ahmedabad only. ‘Pakistan Railway Crossing’ is a landmark for the locality. The railway crossing in Vatva, Ahmedabad, is informally known as ‘Pakistan railway crossing’ as it is near a Muslim dominated area. However, as seen in the above image, the address of the birth place of the child is Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

Secondly, as per February 13 report of Times of India, Amdavad Municipal Corporation has changed the birth certificate and updated their online records as well.

As per the report, the 18-month-old Mohammad Uzerkhan now has updated birth certificate which does not mention the landmark which was informally known as Pakistan railway crossing.

Thirdly, BBC video talks about the fears the family has because of applicability of Citizenship Amendment Act. CAA is not even applicable to Indian citizens. As seen above, the child’s birth certificate states Ahmedabad, Gujarat as birthplace. Shockingly, instead of explaining to the parents that the birthplace in the certificate really does not mention Pakistan as birthplace, BBC continued to spread fake news.

Fake news peddler Sanjay Hegde amongst two advocates who will act as ‘interlocutors’ to convince Shaheen Bagh protesters to shift to another site

OpIndia Staff
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Fake news peddler Sanjay Hegde amongst two advocates who will act as ‘interlocutors’ to convince Shaheen Bagh protesters to shift to another site

On Monday, a 2-Judge Bench of the Supreme Court comprising of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and KM Joseph directed senior advocates, Sadhana Ramachandran and Sanjay Hegde, to act as interlocutors and convince the Shaheen Bagh protestors to relocate to an alternative place, reported Bar and Bench. The Court granted permission to the two lawyers to choose a third interlocutor of their choice.

The order came at the backdrop of two petitions filed in the apex court, seeking clearance of Shaheen Bagh area and the Kalindi Kunj Road. The first petition had been filed by lawyer and activist, Amit Sahni while the other one had been filed by BJP leader Nand Kishore Garg.

The Bench has directed the two Senior Counsels to submit a report on the outcome of the mediation process by February 24, the day when the next hearing in the case is to be held. The Delhi police have also been asked to provide an alternative site to the protestors who have been demonstrating against the CAA for the past 2 months.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, however, pointed out that Sanjay Hedge is against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and that it was also the case with the Shaheen Bagh protestors.

It is notable here that lawyer Sanjay Hegde has been caught spreading fake news several times. After Twitter suspended his account, he had even stated that he will take Twitter to the international court.

Justice Kaul noted, “One section of the society holds one point of view, its fine, they want to voice it in a form of like a social build-up, its acceptable but the limited question is the place which it can be done,”

Justice Joseph added, “We aren’t saying people don’t have the right to protest even after the law is under challenge before this court but road can’t be blocked.

On February 10, the apex court observed that there must be a designated site to carry out such protests and raised concerns about whether public inconvenience can be caused by blocking roads indefinitely. A Bench headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde also took suo motu cognisance over the death of a 4-month-old in Shaheen Bagh.

Bihar: Kanhaiya Kumar’s supporter thrash a man after he allegedly hurled slippers at Kumar

OpIndia Staff
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Bihar: Kanhaiya Kumar’s supporter thrash a man after he allegedly hurled slippers at Kumar

The former JNUSU president and CPI leader, Kanhaiya Kumar, known for all the wrong reasons to hog limelight, came under attack yet again while he was in Lakhisarai for ongoing ‘Jan Gan Man Yatra’ protest Bihar against the Citizenship Amendment Act, NRC and NPR.

Kumar was at the Gandhi Maidaan in Lakhisarai to address the gathering when one of the demonstrators flung slippers at the CPI leader. This was the ninth instance of articles being hurled at Kanhaiya. As per reports, there was a scene of bedlam when Kumar arrived at Gandhi Maidan for his meeting. Amidst the uproar and commotion, a young man hurled slippers at the podium, directed towards Kumar.

Soon after the man tossed his slippers at the stage, enraged Kanhaiya’s supporters got hold of him and started raining blows on him. The police present on the spot swiftly acted and took the accused youth into custody, rescuing him from the clutches of the furious mob bent on beating him. The injured man was subsequently taken to Sardar hospital for treatment.

Read: Research scholar attacks PhD quality of Kanhaiya Kumar, accuses him of publishing paper in ‘predatory journal’

Undeterred by the mob attack unleashed on him, the man who hurled slippers at Kanhaiya Kumar called the CPI leader a traitor who is desirous of inciting riots in the country. He also added that the ideology of the Left will never work and that Kumar will not be spared by them at any cost.

This is 9th such attack on Kanhaiya who is on a month-long protest march ‘Jan Gan Man Yatra’ across Bihar against CAA, NRC and NPR. The yatra started on January 30 from Bettiah, Bihar and is expected to end on February 29 in Patna. Earlier, Kanhaiya’s convoy was welcomed with shoes in Katihar while in Jamui, his convoy was greeted with engine oil and eggs. In Arrah, a few days back, protesters showed black flags and pelted stones at Kumar’s convoy.

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