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Chief of Iran’s IRGC warns Israel, threatens to submerge it in the Mediterranean Sea

OpIndia Staff
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Chief of Iran’s IRGC warns Israel, threatens to submerge it in the Mediterranean Sea

The Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Hossein Salami, eulogized Qasem Soleimani, the deceased commander of the IRGC Quds Force, and threatened Israel in a speech on the 13th of February during a ceremony marking the 40th day since the death of the Iranian General. The IRGC is a special branch of the Iranian Armed Forces which is intended to protect the country’s Islamic republic political system as per its Constitution.

Salami told the gathering, “We have said to (the Israelis) many times: Do not count on America. America always arrives late, or it does not arrive at all. If you want to open such an account, take a good look at the sea because that is where your final place of residence will be.” The Commander-in-Chief went on to clarify that he was referring to the Mediterranean Sea.


Speaking of Soleimani, Salami said, “In Afghanistan, (Soleimani) was known better than the Afghans themselves. He was an angel of salvation. Wherever there were oppressed people, Qasem and his army were fighting there.” He continued, “When Qasem joined the fray of the war with the Zionists, the Palestinians had been fighting the Zionists with stones. He made it so that today, Gaza, the West Bank, and Northern Palestine have become a firing range and an endless eruption of fire.”

“He built such a great force that if the Zionists were to listen near their border today, they would hear the languages of the Pakistanis, the Iraqis, Lebanese, Iranians, Syrians, Afghans, Bahrainis, Yemenis, Hijazis, and others,” Salami said of Soleimani. “The enemy received a powerful slap (in Ayn Al-Asad Airbase), but the decisive slap continues until the Islamic nation expels the last of the American soldiers from the lands of Islam,” he stated.

Qasem Soleimani was killed in a recent strike by the United States of America. The killing of the IRGC General had led to a brief spell of tensions between the two countries with speculations rife that it could lead to a full-blown war between Iran and the USA. Iran responded to the killing of Soleimani with missile strikes at a base in Iraq that housed American troops. However, the threat of an all-out war appears to have been eliminated for now.

Read: Tension escalates: Iran fires 15 ballistic missiles at US bases in Iraq, says will back off if the US keeps silent

Salami’s comments against Israel were made in light of recent remarks made by Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Bennett. Bennett said that an agreement had been reached between the USA and Israel that the USA will counter Iran’s influence in Iraq while Israel will counter Iran’s influence in Syria. Salami said that under such circumstances, Iran will view both countries as responsible for any military action against it.

Note: The translation of Salami’s speech has been provided by Memri TV, an independent non-profit organization that provides translations from Middle Eastern Media.

50 aspiring Hajis from Bengaluru duped to the tune of ₹1.1 crore by a Mumbai based travel agency run by Muslims

OpIndia Staff
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50 aspiring Hajis from Bengaluru duped to the tune of ₹1.1 crore by a Mumbai based travel agency run by Muslims

A group of 50 aspiring Hajj Pilgrims has been duped by three persons running a travel agency to the tune of ₹1.1 crores. The three Muslim persons named Yusuf Hasanm, Ameed Hasan and Iqbal ran a travel agency named Asra Enterprises in Mumbai.

The story came to light when a victim, Noorulla Rhim Sab, filed a police complaint against the trio on February 7. Noorulla is a businessman and a resident of RT Nagar, Bengaluru. The cops booked the trio for cheating and criminal breach of trust.

Noorulla said that he had contacted the travel agency after finding their number online. The accused promised to take him and 49 of his relatives to a Hajj pilgrimage.

The accused had quoted ₹3.32 lac expense per head, following which Noorulla had sent ₹6 lac as advance to the travel agency in February 2019. He had also sent them 50 passports via courier. When Noorulla recently asked the travel agency to send him the visa and air tickets, he was told that he will get them in a few weeks. But instead of Visa and tickets, the agency returned the passports of the Hajj pilgrims through courier. After that, the accused persons went underground and switched off their cell phones.

The victim and his relatives had shelled out a total of ₹1.1 crores in between January and August 2019 to the travel agency in several instalments for their journey. According to the police, Noorulla had paid ₹6 lacs online and the remaining amount in cash. A case of cheating and criminal breach of trust against the three accused by the police.

This is not the first time that Muslim men have been found cheating their own community members. Earlier, a Muslim businessman by the name Mohammed Mansoor Khan was nabbed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for running a multi-crore IMA Ponzi scam.

Did you know that only terrorists have hopes, dreams and passions?

Abhishek Banerjee
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Did you know that only terrorists have hopes, dreams and passions?

“… a young boy who dropped out from school after Class 12 would take the keys to his father’s Maruti car and drive it around the village……. He loved cricket. He kept wicket, batted well and perhaps that’s the reason he adored MS Dhoni…..” Who are we talking about here? That would be Adil Ahmad Dar, the terrorist who killed 40 CRPF jawans on Feb 14 in Pulwama last year.

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You can read the full HT article if you want to know more about how he did the dishes, helped his mom and bought her little trinkets as gifts. Seems like his life was lifted straight from those “Adarsh Baalak” posters we saw as kids. Except that he was a terrorist. But that’s really not a big deal, is it?

Oh and three members of his family have joined up with terrorist organizations. Nothing to see here folks. Focus on how this is an ordinary family that washes the dishes, buys gifts for each other and enjoys watching/playing cricket.

Oh and they named one of their new born sons after an illustrious uncle who joined the Lashkar e Toiba. But did you know about the time Adil Dar bought his mother gold earrings? Do you see the tears of joy and pride in his mother’s eyes?

Read: Hindustan Times tries to whitewash the Pulwama terrorist, only exposes his family further

“He has had little school education, and lives almost a Spartan life in his ancestral house. Marriage never figured in his scheme of things. There was parental pressure since he is the only son, but he would rather recite a UN memorandum than a nikaahnama (marriage deed). … But when he saw Mushaal, Malik says, it was love at first sight. “I decided there and then that if I were to marry ever, the girl would have to be her,” says Malik with a loving gaze for his bride.”

Now, what’s this? Extracts from the upcoming Chetan Bhagat novel, aptly released on Valentine’s Day?

Not exactly. This is from a 2010 article in Open Magazine, describing the love story of JKLF leader Yasin Malik, who is accused in murder of four Indian Air Force officers in 1990.

But that’s not very interesting, is it? You should read the entire Open article to find out all the little romantic ways in which the bashful Yasin wooed the lovely (and rich) Mushaal Malik of Pakistan. How her friends laughed and giggled at his poor dressing sense. How their love blossomed over MSN chat. I’m telling you : it’s just like a Chetan Bhagat novel, except that the lead character is a terrorist instead of an engineering nerd.

“I would say that he was proud, but not arrogant. He was delicate, but not weak. He was grave, but not severe.”

“Like most children of divorced parents, he felt a loss, for he was no longer as intimately involved with his father’s family.”

Now, what is this? The beginning of another novel about a child on a path of self discovery?

Not exactly. This is the Quint on the “death anniversary” of “father and husband” Osama bin Laden, publishing extracts from a book about his childhood and family.

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Isn’t it interesting that only terrorists seem to have hopes and dreams? That only they have relationships? Maybe not, but it sure seems like only their hopes and dreams matter.

Have you seen our media profile the lives of the soldiers who lost their lives in the Pulwama terrorist attack? Perhaps they also had real lives, real passions and stories that deserved to be told? Perhaps they also went through love and heartbreak, the trials of growing up, strict parents, broken homes. Times when they helped their mother with the dishes or saved up to buy her a gift?

Read: The Quint continues their ‘humanising’ project by whitewashing and creating sympathy wave for Hyderabad rape and murder accused

It seems like we never hear about that. Instead, the grieving families of the soldiers got phone calls from liberal media, perhaps asking something along these lines?

“Hello, I am a liberal journalist. Your caste was not completely clear from your son’s last name. So I got your registered home number from the CRPF. Now, if you are done with performing the last rites of your son, could you quickly confirm his caste so that I can do a headcount for my article? I have a deadline…”

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Families of dead terrorists are asked about their hopes and dreams.

Families of dead soldiers are asked about their caste.

That’s Indian liberalism in a nutshell for you, folks.

They humanize the terrorist. They dehumanize the innocent Indian who gets killed by a terrorist.

You have seen the liberals around in Delhi as well, taking selfies and glamorizing mothers who are willing to “sacrifice” their babies for their supposed “cause.” Hints of the same attitude. Meanwhile, anybody who tweets against them is labelled a Nazi and a Fascist.

Today is one year since the nation was shaken by the deadly terrorist attack in Pulwama. Remember how liberals celebrated it with cries of “How’s the Jaish?” One particular channel whose Deputy Editor did that is still out there, presumably speaking up for “Freedom of Expression.”

What kind of human being would choose Feb 14, 2020, to write not about the precious lives of the soldiers who were killed, but spinning tales about the hopes and dreams of the terrorist? Apparently, that’s our liberals.

I recently learned that there is a whole run-up to Valentine’s Day with cutesy, juvenile names such as Rose Day and Kiss Day. At least liberal media didn’t do a series of articles featuring awkward attempts by Adil Dar to meet up with girls at school or in the neighbourhood. We are thankful for small mercies.

Supreme Court issues contempt proceedings against telcos for failing to clear outstanding AGR dues

OpIndia Staff
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Supreme Court issues contempt proceedings against telcos for failing to clear outstanding AGR dues

On Friday, a Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court comprising of Justices Arun Mishra, S Abdul Nazeer, and M R Shah issued a contempt notice against telecom companies over non-payment of outstanding Associated Gross Revenue (AGR) to the Department of Telecommunication.

The Court also directed the presence of all Directors and the Managing Director of the telcos on the next date of hearing.


Ending a 14-year-long legal tussle last year in October, the Supreme Court had laid down on what constitutes AGR. The Court had directed Bharti Airtel, Tata Teleservices and Vodafone to clear their dues of ₹35586, ₹14,0000 and ₹50,000 crores respectively. It is important to mention that Jio had cleared its dues of ₹60 Crore.

The Supreme Court had observed that a desk officer from the Department of Telecommunication wrote a letter to the Attorney General and other authorities, saying that no coercive action should be taken against telcos for recovery of outstanding dues within the 90-day time-frame fixed by the apex court.

It drew the ire of the Constitutional Bench, especially Justice Arun Mishra. He said, “Call the desk officer here! This is not the way your Officer should behave. We will draw up contempt of court against everyone.”


The bench has also issued an order to the DoT to immediately withdraw its order staying the recovery of AGR dues ‘until further notice’. A contempt notice has also been issued against the concerned officer who had issued the DoT order.

Anguished by how the Supreme Court’s directive was flouted, he sighed, “Is there no law left in this country? I am literally anguished. I should not work in this country at all. I am saying this with some responsibility… This cannot happen in this country. We cannot function in this fashion. Let’s wind up the Supreme Court. It is better to leave this country. They can stay the order? There is so much money power..” The case had now been adjourned until March 17.

Earlier on January 16, the bench had dismissed review petitions filed by telcos seeking a review of the SC’s earlier order asking them to pay the AGR dues totalling up to ₹1.47 lakh crores by January 23.

Both Bharti Airtel and Vodafone had cited ‘irreparable damage’ to the telecom industry, owing to the hefty payment. Both these companies had filed petitions earlier this month, seeking modifications in the October 2019 order.

While Vodafone argued that it was not in a position to make payment upfront owing to financial constraints, Airtel said that the 90-day time frame was not sufficient to evaluate dues and make payment.

As per the latest report by PTI, stirred up after the SC’s remarks, the government has asked telcos to pay up dues before Friday midnight. PTI has cited a government order issuing to circle or zone-wise demand notices to telecom companies, asking them to pay up the dues before 11.59 pm Friday, that is today.

Coronavirus outbreak: Indian ports decide not to allow disembarkation of crew of ships coming from China

OpIndia Staff
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Coronavirus outbreak: Indian ports decide not to allow disembarkation of crew of ships coming from China

The Indian Port authorities have decided not to allow disembarkation of the crew of ships hailing mainly from China, Hong Kong, Macau and other eastern countries like Thailand and Singapore at all Indian ports, in order to avoid the deadly epidemic of coronavirus.

As per reports, the health officer of Chennai port, S Senthilnathan said, “Disembarkation of the crew of ships from China, Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, and Singapore are not allowed in order to avoid any risk of coronavirus spreading here. This condition is applicable in all the Indian ports”.

He also said that the authorities are collecting pre-arrival health data, and the health data of the crew joining midway will also be collected. The ships will be allowed to berth but the crew will not be allowed to disembark regardless of their nationality and will not be allowed to dump their garbage, he added.

Senthilnathan said the major focus is the ships coming from Chinese ports with or without Chinese crew, ships that didn’t come from a Chinese port but have Chinse crew, and with one or more non-Chinese crew who had boarded the ship at a Chinese port. Once the ship is found to be coming from China, the health condition of the crew will be monitored continuously.

Earlier he said that an average of 20 cargo ships reaches Indian ports of Chennai and Kamrajar. Each ship has an average of 25 crew members, which means a total of 400 crew members reach Indian ports per month.

The panic of deadly coronavirus is increasing as the number of the infected population by the virus is accelerating. More than 30000 of human life is in danger only in the Wuhan province of China where the coronavirus epidemic first broke out. The World Health Organization issued guidelines earlier this year educating to avoid the spread of Coronavirus.

The Indian authorities have already evacuated many of their own students and citizens living in Wuhan. There were three cases of confirmed cases of coronavirus reported, of whom the first patient is recovered and is quarantined.

While AMU students demand release, Patiala House Court hands over radical Islamist Sharjeel Imam to Assam police

OpIndia Staff
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While AMU students demand release, Patiala House Court hands over radical Islamist Sharjeel Imam to Assam police

While Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) students levelled up their rants Thursday shouting ‘Azaadi’ slogans and demanding the release of the Shaheen Bagh mastermind, Sharjeel Imam, the Patiala House court has handed over the radical Islamist’s custody to Assam Police on the strength of the production warrant.

Imam will be produced before the CJM in Guwahati soon.

Earlier, a team of Assam Police led by Additional Superintendent of Police Nabaneet Mahanta had left for Delhi to take the former JNU student and a columnist with the left propaganda site The Wire, Sharjeel Imam into custody.

Imam was produced at Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) on February 13, after the direction of the court. On Wednesday, a Delhi court had allowed Delhi police to collect the voice samples of activist Sharjeel Imam.

The court of CMM Purushottam Pathak while allowing Delhi Police application noted the submission of Delhi Police that Imam has given “speeches against the government which were uploaded on social media” and it wanted to compare his voice with the voice in the video clip.

“Accused has made speeches and to make out an offence under section 124-A (sedition) IPC on ground that speech of the accused spread hatred; it has to be ascertained that the said speeches were made by the accused and for that purpose, it is appropriate that his voice should be compared,” police told the court.

Punishment under section 124-A of IPC ranges from imprisonment up to three years to a life term.

The court had on February 6 sent Imam, who was arrested from Bihar’s Jehanabad on January 28, to judicial custody.

It may be recalled the radical Islamist, Sharjeel Imam had been arrested by Delhi Police from Bihar’s Jehanabad, for his seditious statements inciting Muslims for a war against India.

“If we can organise 5 lakh people, it would be possible to permanently cut off Assam with rest of India…if not permanently, then at least for a few months… only then will the government hear our voice”, Imam had made a clarion call for Muslims to cut-off Assam from the rest of India.

The Delhi police interrogating radical Islamist Sharjeel Imam had made some shocking revelations. The police had said that investigations revealed that Sharjeel Imam had visited Shaheen Bagh on December 13 and 15 that is two days before and the day when the protest started at Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh area.

OpIndia in an exclusive expose on December 31st revealed that Sharjeel Imam was the mastermind of the Shaheen Bagh protests and had severely nefarious designs and Islamist bent of mind.

Read: Shaheen Bagh protests: Deep dive into how JNU ‘student’ and The Wire columnist Sharjeel Imam went from ‘let us burn Constitution’ to ‘saving it’

Earlier, reports had emerged that the police are looking into ShaheenBagh mastermind Sharjeel Imam’s links with radical Islamist outfit PFI and the Islamic Youth Federation. The PFI is suspected of funding violence in the recent spate of violence during the ongoing protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. The Enforcement Directorate has claimed that the PFI has spent around Rs. 120 crores to fuel riots across the country.

In another major revelation, the Delhi Police has said that they have found evidence of foreign funding in the bank account of Shaheen Bagh mastermind Sharjeel Imam. However, the Delhi police are yet not clear on who was funding it.

The crime branch has allegedly found several objectionable items in the laptop and mobile phone recovered from Sharjeel. Reportedly, his laptop had contained controversial posters pertaining to anti-CAA protests, written in Urdu and English. The same posters were distributed among students and mosques ahead of the anti-CAA riots that had occurred in Delhi in December.

Crime Branch officials had said that Sharjeel Imam is highly radicalized and wants to turn India into an Islamic state and had said that he was not remorseful.

Allegations by Leftists of goons holding saffron flags while allegedly molesting Gargi College students fall flat: Read details

Shashank Bharadwaj
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Allegations by Leftists of goons holding saffron flags while allegedly molesting Gargi College students fall flat: Read details

On February 6, students of all-women Gargi College, New Delhi had alleged that they were subjected to mass-molestation and sexual harassment at the college campus. The students had alleged that around 200-400 people entered the premises without showing any ID and indulged into mass molestation of girl students. Further, amidst all these allegations, an anonymous account on Instagram, claimed that the heinous act was done by BJP goons carrying Saffron flags, who were also chanting Jai Shree Ram at the college premises.

Many students had alleged that those men masturbated, groped and even followed some of them to the Green Park metro station.

Later, the post was taken down by the Instagram handle. The post was credited to a Twitter handle named @fuckbjp. However, the post made it to micro-blogging site Twitter after a user named Saumya Kulshreshtha tweeted the post of the anonymous Instagram handle.


As soon as the anonymous account uttered the magical words of ‘Saffron’, ‘BJP’ and ‘Jai Shree Ram’, the usual propagandists in the ‘liberal-secular’ media lapped it up and began to hurl accusation against the right-wing nationalists without even cross verifying the claims made by the anonymous account on the shameful incident that happened at Gargi college.

Soon left-wing media influencers, Islamist trolls spread the false propaganda to foul-mouth the BJP and RSS as they declared that it was the right-wing forces who were behind the incident.

Read: Gargi College harassment case: Delhi Police files FIR, initiates probe, college admits lax administration

Official Peeing Human, an undercover Aam Aadmi Party propagandist and a helper to controversial joker Kunal Kamra, wore his jury hat to accuse BJP and RSS of harassing girls in Gargi college.


Another troll, RJ Sayema also alleged that girls at Gargi college were groped and assaulted by a truck full of drunk middle-aged men who were ‘chanting Jai Shree Ram and wearing saffron’. However, apart from grammatical mistakes, her tweet had no evidence to back the claim.


Soon ultra-left wing elements and anti-India elements also peddled these unverified claims to get some brownie points on social media.


However, according to the Delhi Police, the evidence gathered by CCTV footage so far do not corroborate any claim that right-wingers or people wearing Saffron abused women at Gargi college.

According to Swarajya report by investigative journalist Swati Goel Sharma, the Delhi police have confirmed that so far not one CCTV footage has shown any of the accused holding Saffron flags or any kind of flags.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) South, Atul Thakur, speaking to Sharma, said investigations have not revealed that the accused are affiliated to any political party. “They all are either college students or their friends,” he added rejecting allegations that the alleged attackers were from BJP and RSS.

Ahead of president Trump’s India visit, four senators with a history of interfering in internal affairs of India write letter on Kashmir and CAA

OpIndia Staff
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Ahead of president Trump’s India visit, four senators with a history of interfering in internal affairs of India write letter on Kashmir and CAA

Four senators in the US have written to the Secretary Of State, Mike Pompeo, regarding the situation of Kashmir and the enactment of the CAA. The four US senators, two from the Democratic Party and two from the Republican Party have urged an assessment on the passing of the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAA) and the abrogation of article 370 and 35A by the Modi government.

The senators, Chris Van Hollen, Todd Young, Dick Durbin, and Lindsey Graham in their letter, accused the Modi government of imposing the longest internet shutdown that has affected the livelihood of 7 million people on medical, educational and business. The letter further asks the Secretary of State to investigate the number of detentions and the number of people who could go ‘stateless’ due to CAA.

This letter comes after President Trump accepted Prime Minister Modi’s invitation to visit India, later this month. The President, on Tuesday, said that the relationship between the Trump administration and the Modi government will be a fruitful one.

The letter goes like this –

Dear Secretary Pompeo,

We write as longtime friends of India regarding some of the troubling actions taken by the current government. More than six months after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government unilaterally revoked the autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir, the government continues to block most internet in the region. India has now imposed the longest-ever internet shut down by a democracy, disrupting access to medical care, business, and education for seven million people. Hundreds of Kashmiris remain in “preventive detention,” including key political figures.

These actions have severe consequences. That is why, in the Fiscal Year 2020 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs appropriations report, the Congress urged the Indian government to:

(1)    fully restore telecommunications and internet services;

(2)    lift its lockdown and curfew; and

(3)    release individuals detained pursuant to the Indian government’s revocation of Article 370 of the Indian constitution.

In addition, the Indian government has taken other troubling steps that threaten the rights of certain religious minorities and the secular character of the state. This includes the passage of the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act, which is being challenged in India’s Supreme Court. 

Therefore, we respectfully request an assessment of the following items within 30 days:

(1)    the number of individuals detained by the Indian Government for political purposes due to India’s revocation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution with respect to Jammu and Kashmir, including an assessment, to the extent practicable, of whether detainees endure torture or other forms of mistreatment;

(2)    the government of India’s restrictions on communications in Jammu and Kashmir, including access to the internet and cellular telephone services;

(3)    the level of access to Jammu and Kashmir the Indian government grants to independent observers, foreign diplomats and consular agents, foreign journalists, international organizations, and representatives of nongovernmental organizations;

(4)    restrictions on religious freedom in Jammu and Kashmir; and,

(5)    the number of individuals—including the number of religious, ethnic and other minorities—at risk of statelessness, arbitrary deprivation or denial of nationality, expulsion or arbitrary detention pursuant to the Government of India’s latest National Register of Citizens list, and any excessive use of force by Indian authorities against demonstrators opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act.

Repeated Offenders

Interestingly, the four senators are not expressing their supposedly genuine concern in India’s affairs for the first time. All of them have had a history in expressing views that have been contrary to their administration’s stance with India as well as with what India has said as well.

For example, in October 2019, Senator Chris Van Hollen, who is a member of the Democratic Party, claimed that he was denied permission by the Indian government to visit Kashmir to take stock of the situation. He was one of 50 Congress members who had expressed “concern” about Kashmir but was told by the Indian government that it’s not the right time. He had also met the foreign minister of Pakistan who had spoken about Kashmir to the senator.

Read- Read 10 bizarre anti-Hindu, anti-India comments made in written submissions by ‘Hindus’ to US House Foreign Affairs’ Committee

Senator Dick Dubin from the Democratic party has been a key opponent to the S-386 Bill which sought to end country caps for job-based green cards. Almost 77 percent of nearly 400,000 people waiting in the employment-based green card category are Indians. The Indian Ambassador to the US Harshvardhan Shringla had met Dubin to explain to him the importance of S-386 bill.

Senator Todd Young, alongside senators Van Hollen and Lindsey Graham had written a letter on Kashmir last year in September, asking the US president to intervene and safeguard human rights of the people in Kashmir. They had accused the Modi government of imprisoning individuals under the Public Safety Act.

Senator Lindsay Graham also labelled India “the worst” due to the high tariffs imposed on American products. In an interview to CBS, he said “When you look at the world tariff regime, 67 per cent of all the tariffs in the world disadvantage America. There’s a higher tariff on American products in the country in which we do business with. India’s the worst”. These comments came during the trade disputes between New Delhi and Washington.

Therefore, there is no surprise to see the same elected individuals make repeated appeals to the US administration to actively interfere despite New Delhi’s position that it is India’s internal matter. Now that the president is visiting India, these requests on dubious humanitarian grounds are back again.

However, the Kashmiri Pandit community in the US have expressed happiness and confidence in the Modi government for their move to abrogate article 370 and 35A.

Sonia, Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi may soon lose ‘informal’ airport privileges that should have ended when SPG was withdrawn: Read details

OpIndia Staff
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Sonia, Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi may soon lose ‘informal’ airport privileges that should have ended when SPG was withdrawn: Read details

Three months after the Gandhi family was stripped of the Special Protection Group (SPG) security, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra may well have to stand in queue and go through the regular airport security drill like any other flyer, without special privileges at the airport, says a report authored by senior journalist R Rajagopalan in Rediff.

Earlier, Gandhis were accorded with special status as their car drove up to the staircase of the aircraft, bypassing the security check and boarding process.

The report states that the airport privileges should have ended when the trio was delisted from the SPG protection but the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security and Airports Authority of India were informally asked to allow the earlier practice to continue. However, the matter came to the fore when a vehicle of a former SPG protectee recently rammed into another car near the aircraft, the airport security threatened to file an FIR.

Read: SPG Amendment Bill:Amit Shah asks why Gandhis secretive about their trips, says bill amended several times to benefit 1 family

The issue was resolved with the CRPF backing off. However, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security decided to ask the CRPF to ensure that their protectees give in themselves to the security drill.

The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security brought to the attention of the Home Ministry that while Union Ministers, the Chief Justice of India, former Prime Ministers and members submit themselves to regular security drills before boarding aircraft, the special privileges granted to Gandhi family was engendering security and legal issues.

According to the report, If the Home Minister of India, Amit Shah agrees to the proposal tabled by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, the Gandhi trio will have to go through the airport security check and stand in the queue alongside fellow passengers to board their flights.

Read: Here are the possible reasons why Rahul, Sonia and Priyanka Gandhi lost their SPG cover

Last year, the central government replaced the SPG category status of the Gandhi family with Z-plus security citing a report by intelligence agencies who had conducted a detailed review of threat perception of the Gandhis and had advised downgrading of security protection accorded to them from SPG cover to ‘Z-plus security. The Congress had then accused the BJP of perpetuating vendetta politics to which Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched an offensive against the Congress party referring to the number of instances SPG cover was flouted by the Gandhi family members.

Communist leader mocks memorial of Pulwama martyrs, calls it ‘reminder of incompetence’

OpIndia Staff
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Communist leader mocks memorial of Pulwama martyrs, calls it ‘reminder of incompetence’

While the nation mourns the 40 slain soldiers who were killed in the ghastly suicide bomb attack in Pulwama a year ago on 14 February 2019, some politicians see the incident only as a tool for blame games and political goal scoring.

Md Salim, CPI(M) politburo member and a former Rajya Sabha MP, has objected to the memorial column to be inaugurated at CRPF’s Lethpora camp today. The memorial is to have the names of all the 40 CRPF cadre who had lost their lives in the attack, along with their photographs, with the CRPF motto ‘Seva Aur Nishtha’ carved along with.

Md Salim, via Twitter

Salim stated, “We don’t need a memorial to remind us of our incompetence. The only thing we need to know is how 80kg of RDX got past the international borders to the ‘most militarised zone on earth’ & exploded in Pulwama”.

He is not alone, he is one of the many leaders from the opposition who had cast aspersions on the attack, ignoring the tragic loss of lives of brave soldiers and had sought to score political goals, the blatant Hinduphobic video of the suicide bomber where he had vowed to kill “cow piss drinkers” and other details.

Read: Pulwama attack: Justice doesn’t give a tiny rat’s furry posterior about the sensibility of elites who go where the money takes them

Congress prince Rahul Gandhi too, had used the ghastly attack as a tool to further his narrow political goals, by repeating Pakistan PM Imran Khan’s lines and insinuating that the attack may have been a false flag operation. It is notable here that terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammad had claimed the responsibility for the attack.

It is also notable here that the armed forces have hunted down and killed or arrested the conspirators of the attack, including the people who provided the vehicle, to others involved directly or indirectly. It is, however, not understood, why political leaders assume that details of a high-profile enquiry into matters of national security will be discussed in public by the government.

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