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OpIndia investigation: Tentacles of radical Islam, Pakistan, Khalistan in Houston anti-Modi protests ahead of ‘Howdy Modi’ event

Nupur J Sharma
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OpIndia investigation: Tentacles of radical Islam, Pakistan, Khalistan in Houston anti-Modi protests ahead of ‘Howdy Modi’ event

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Howdy, Modi” rally in Houston in the USA on September 22, which is expected to be a mega show with the US President Donald Trump also likely to attend, protests are being planned by some minority communities. Earlier, OpIndia had reported how the bus routes for the protesters to get to this protest rally were limited to 16 mosques in Houston and 1 Gurudwara that has Khalistani links.

This is the list of the religious institution from where protesters can take buses to the venue.

  1. Masjid Abu Bakr
  2. Maryam Islamic Center
  3. Masjid At-Taqwa
  4. Masjid Hamza (Mission Bend Islamic Center)
  5. Bear Creek Islamic Center/Masjid Al-Mustafa
  6. The Woodlands Mosque
  7. Islamic Center of Baytown
  8. MAS Katy Center
  9. Madrasah Islamiah
  10. Al-Noor Society of Houston
  11. Islamic Education Center
  12. Pearland Islamic Center
  13. Masjid al-Salam
  14. Sikh National Center
  15. Mishkah Center
  16. Cypress Masjid
  17. Bilal Masjid North

Few of these mosques are identified as promoting radical Islam by the Clarion Project, like the Islamic Education Center and Masjid At-Taqwa.

The Sikh organisers of the protest talked to Houston Chronicle, and from their comments, it is apparent that they are linked with the Khalistani movement. Jagdeep Singh, one of the Sikh organisers of the protest, is working towards the 2020 Punjab referendum, a Khalistani separatist campaign seeking to organise a referendum in Punjab in 2020 for forming an independent Khalistan. Hardam Singh Azad, chairman of the Sikh National Center, said “it’s a protest rally for freedom”, clearly indicating that the protest is being organised by separatists.

To follow the link more closely, OpIndia had its contact register for the event to see where the trail takes him.

The initial email after registration that our source got was to inform him that

Email from protest organisers

The email that starts with ‘Asaalaamu Aalaykum’ says that some ‘generous donors’ have arranged for luxury buses to and from the protest venue, which is the NSG stadium. The rest of the email asks the participants to be on time and that the buses will function on first come first serve basis. In fact, it even says that there will be a regular shuttle that would leave every 10 minutes and that no registration for it is required. The email, as one can see, is dated 20th September 2019.

However, till 17th September at least, there were several posts on social media that asked participants to carry water etc to the venue and there was no indication that any luxury arrangements had been done.

The initial flyer of bus routes that were floated had no indication of any donors arranging for luxury buses or even any ‘event partners’, so to speak.

Earlier flyer

The new flyer, however, that was floated along with the email had a completely revamped look and included several other details.

New flyer distributed along with the email

The new flyer had the information of free shuttle facility, free park and ride and also, the timings of the shuttles.

However, there was other additional information that was rather intriguing. The new flyer had names of a host of “Coalition partners” of the event.

It only stands to reason that perhaps, it is these ‘coalition partners’ who are ‘sponsoring’ the luxury buses to the event that is now being touted to ensure more people gather at the anti-Modi protest in Houston.

It thus becomes imperative to examine, one by one, who these purported ‘donors’ are.

The purported donors of ‘Howdy Modi’ protests with connections to Pakistan, including PTI

Following are the donors that have a distinctive connection with Pakistan, including, the ruling party of Pakistan, PTI.

1. HKSCA

The full form of the HKSCA acronym sheepishly mentioned in the new flyer is ‘Houston-Karachi Sister City Association’.

The stated goal of HKSCA

The stated goal of HKSCA is to increase cultural and educational exchange to improve understanding and promote interaction between the people of Houston and Karachi.

2. PAGH

The full form of PAGH is Pakistan Association of Greater Houston. The Pakistan Association of Greater Houston is a non-profit social organization created to sponsor and host charitable, social, and religious events for Pakistani Americans living in the greater Houston area. It also helps give a voice to the Pakistani community in civic matters, although we are not associated with any political parties.

While PAGH says it is not associated with any political party, it is deeply associated with Pakistan and hence, the deep-seated hatred for India is a natural product of their existence.

Following is the Facebook page of PAGH.

PAGH Facebook page

3. PTI USA LLC

And now, the clincher. Another purported donor of the anti-Modi protest ahead of Howdy Modi event in Houston is PTI USA LLC. 

PTI USA LLC

PTI is, of course, the ruling party of Pakistan and the party from which the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran ‘Taliban’ Khan hails from.

The purported donors of ‘Howdy Modi’ protests with links to Muslims and Radical Islam

1. Sound Vision

While the name sounds fairly generic, Sound Vision is rooted in Islam and is an organisation for Muslims. Sound Vision aims to produce content that helps build bridges of understanding among Muslims and their neighbours, with emphasis on youth.

One of the projects of Sound Vision is ‘freekashmir.org‘.

FreeKashmir.org powered by Sound Vision

The website, of course, peddled absolute lies and fabrications with hardly any proof to back its assertions. It is evident, that an organisation that works solely with Muslims and Islam, identifies with Pakistan’s cause for Kashmir owing to global Ummah. Pakistan has itself been talking about Islam and Muslims constantly while speaking about Kashmir.

2. EMGAGE

EMGAGE, on its website, says, “We are Emgage. We focus on programs based on community organizing and building strong relationships in order to drive voter registration and participation for the Muslim community in the United States. We seek to educate, empower, and engage Muslim Americans through educational events, voter initiatives, and leadership development in order to create a community of equitable, knowledgeable, and motivated citizens”.

While EMGAGE works exclusively for Muslims and Islam, it harbours a strong hatred for India and has peddled atrocious lies against India in the past.


EMGAGE, in its infinite dishonesty, compared the plight of Muslims in India to the plight of Uighur Muslims in China. While China has adopted a policy of putting Muslims in concentration camps, banned Azan and Islamic prayers, banned any manifestation of Islamic faith including keeping beard, hijab, burkha and even the Islamic cap worn by men, India has given equal rights to all its minorities. In fact, minorities get special rights via laws like RTI etc that even the majority Hindus don’t have access too.


The CEO of EMGAGE, Wa’el N. Alzayat is a Syrian American. He has proudly endorsed hateful Islamists like Linda Sarsour earlier.


One can, of course, recall what Linda Sarsour had said about Ayaan Hirsi Ali who talks about bringing reforms in Islam and shuns radicalism.

3. CAIR

One of the purported donors of the anti-Modi protest in Houston is the Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR).

CAIR has a shady past. Elected US Congresswoman by the name of Ilhan Omar referred to 9/11 terror attacks recently as “some people did something.” Incidentally, Ilhan Omar was speaking at an event organized by the Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR), which was an un-indicted co-conspirator in a case involving terror funding in Palestine.

Investigativeproject.org says about CAIR (and they do so with proof):

It offers a benign mission statement – “to enhance understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.” But a closer look at the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) raises a host of troubling questions about its history and purpose.

Born of an effort to scuttle hopes for a negotiated Middle East peace, CAIR was listed among organizations tied to the Muslim Brotherhood’s American network. Its founders emerged from a separate Islamic organization that two courts have found played a supporting role for the terrorist group Hamas.

The Washington, D.C.-based organization purports to be a “leading advocate for justice and mutual understanding” and claims to speak for the majority of American Muslims. However, after a careful review of the history, activities, statements, and causes of and by CAIR, it seems that its primary goals are to silence and de-legitimize its critics and redefine what it means to be a moderate Muslim. And when it comes to U.S. efforts to crack down on terrorists and their financiers, CAIR takes an almost visceral stand in opposition. This has the effect of undermining the legitimate security-related concerns and campaigns of the United States and its allies. These conclusions and the summary immediately below are based upon the evidence and examples that follow in this report; beginning with CAIR’s very founding

The full investigation on the radical Islam and terror links of CAIR can be read here.

The Khalistan link in ‘Howdy Modi’ protests: Sikhs for Justice

In July 2019, the Indian government banned Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) as a terror organisation. SFJ pushes for Sikh Referendum 2020 as part of its separatist agenda. The group’s primary objective is to establish an ‘independent and sovereign country’ in Punjab.

Notification by India banning SFJ

‘Sikhs for Justice’ is a UK based that group that is allegedly supported by ISI, Pakistan’s intelligence agency. The group had organized an event calling for a referendum for the separation Punjab from India at London’s Trafalgar Square last year in August. They had held what is known as the ‘London Declaration’ for the referendum in 2020. The group also had to face a large gathering of Indians who arranged a counter-protest, displaying support for India’s sovereignty.

The government had previously taken several steps to clamp down the Khalistani separatists. In September 2018 Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, SFJ’s legal advisor was banned from WhatsApp. The government had also successfully taken steps to limit his Facebook and Twitter reach.

Pannun is notorious for his numerous lawsuits against Sikh political leaders. Following the WhatsApp ban, he had also uploaded a video threatening the Punjab CM Amarinder Singh and insulted the Indian national flag. In 2017, the Punjab Government had filed a sedition case against him for putting up posters of the ‘referendum 2020’ supporting the Khalistan demand.

Pakistan’s close nexus with the Khalistani extremists was evident in December last year. Members of a Canada based Khalistani organisation had honoured Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and their Army Chief, General Bajwa for opening the Kartarpur Corridor.

Flyer by Khalistanis

One of the flyers by Sikhs for Justice regarding the anti-Modi protests names not only SJF but also Pannun rather clearly.

The City Court of Houston has also hilariously ‘summoned’ PM Modi. According to the Houston Chronicle, a local daily, the summons was issued Thursday on a civil complaint filed by two unnamed Kashmiris settled in the US through an organisation called the ‘Kashmir Khalistan Referendum Front’. Intelligence Agencies believe that SJF is behind the lawsuit.

Random groups to make it seem official

One donor mentioned in the flyer is ‘Stop Nazi Modi’. Interestingly, one cannot find much information about this group on the internet at all. All one finds is the event invitation for this anti-Modi protest itself.

There seem to be several such names inserted simply to make it appear as if the protest organised by Khalistanis, Pakistanis and Radical Islamists with links to terror groups like Hamas have wide acceptance among a varied group of individuals.

It is no surprise that terror group linked organisations, Islamists, Pakistanis and Khalistanis would protest against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He has not only taken a strong stand against Radical Islamism but also terror-exporting Pakistan with the surgical strike, Balakot airstrike and an all-out diplomatic offensive against Pakistan.

Romila Thapar’s fantasy fiction: Claims Yudhisthira of Mahabharata was inspired by Mauryan emperor Ashoka

Sanghamitra
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Romila Thapar’s fantasy fiction: Claims Yudhisthira of Mahabharata was inspired by Mauryan emperor Ashoka

It is amazing how the ’eminent historians’ whose writings and ideals have been dominating the Indian textbooks and mainstream thought-process have managed to fool us all these decades by claims and parallels that are not only completely imaginary but also the complete opposite of the real picture.

An old video of ‘historian’ Romila Thapar has been doing the rounds on social media where she discusses how Yudhisthira had wanted to renounce the king’s crown as described in Mahabharat’s ‘Shanti Parva’. She claims that some scholars think that Yudhisthira may have had the image of Ashoka in his mind. She also adds that Yudhisthira’s thought of ‘renouncing’ power and authority is a fundamental of Buddhism.


As many people from social media pointed it out, not only Romila’s claim is completely ignoring a few millennia between Mahabharata and Mauryan emperor Ashoka, but it also has many other flaws.

For example, Romila claims that the idea of renouncing power is fundamental to Buddhism. It is indeed a twisted narrative as Hindu scripture and teachings hold the idea of ‘Tyaga’ or renunciation at very high regard and there are numerous examples of  Kings renouncing power and spending lives in ‘Tapasya’.

Also, projecting Ashoka as the ideal of renunciation is also a flawed argument because Ashoka had, as per some claims, only expressed regret at the violence and futility of wars after the Kalinga war, he had never ‘renounced’ anything, instead, A young Ashoka had brutally executed his brothers (99 of them, as per claims), all the sons of his father emperor Bindusara, except the youngest, to ascend the throne of Magadha empire.

Yudhisthira had fought the war in Kurukshetra to establish Dharma and end Duryodhan’s brutal regime. The importance of duty over personal emotions forms the basis of the teachings of Mahabharata. Comparing that and claiming that it was probably inspired by Ashoka’s fierce quest to hold power and assertive rule for decades conquering one kingdom after other, is perhaps just a small glimpse of the twisted narratives that have been peddled by these so-called historians all these years.

It is also notable here that Ashoka’s ‘regret and desire to renounce power’ are also highly debated and a considerable number of scholars believe that the narrative was added later to project Ashoka as a ‘good’ king. Sanjeev Sanyal’s book ‘Ocean of Churn’ explains this from a very practical point of view.

The outrageous claims of Romila Thapar also have spawned memes and jokes on Twitter.


Romila Thapar and her supporters among the left-liberal cabal were outraged when the JNU administration had recently asked all emeritus professors above 75 years of age, including Romila, to submit their CVs. As per the cabal, Romila is too great a personality to be bothered with mundane administrative processes, despite getting the payments and the facilities that come with the post.

The fact that the process was in accordance to the Rule 32(g) of JNU, which says that after Professor Emeritus attains the age of 75 years, the EC will review the continuation of the status, was apparently too irrelevant for left-liberal senses of entitlement.

3100 people out of 4000 detained in Jammu and Kashmir since abrogation of Article 370 released already: Report

OpIndia Staff
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3100 people out of 4000 detained in Jammu and Kashmir since abrogation of Article 370 released already: Report

Since the abrogation of Article 370, around 4000 people have been detained in Jammu and Kashmir. According to a report in the Times of India, 3100 people out of the 4000 detained since August 5th have now been released. The 3100 releases have been made either in hours or days of their original detention. The Police has said that while most people were detained under Section 107 of CrPc, around 200-250 people were detained under PSA (Public Safety Act).

According to the report, DGP of Jammu and Kashmir Dilbag Singh has said that since the abrogation, several people who were threatening locals have been arrested. The police have been working tirelessly to counter terror in forms of threats issued orally, by posters or even physical violence stopping people from resuming their normal lives.

DGP Singh said that the Jammu and Kashmir police have arrested over 30 people recently who were threatening people and forcing them not to open their shops or market place for business, thereby disrupting peace in the valley.

In a conversation with the Times of India, DGP Singh said, “J&K police is watching activities of those terrorising locals from resuming normal lives, identifying the perpetrators and moving swiftly to arrest them. Around 30 arrests have been made from places like Srinagar, Ganderbal, Sopore, Shopian, Pulwama. We are taking strong legal action against these scare-mongers, including under PSA”.

Further, Singh said, “There is now a 100% relaxation in curbs (barring the mobile/internet shutdown) in the Valley. The situation is absolutely normal barring in a few sensitive areas including part of Srinagar downtown. For instance, there were zero incidents of violence recorded on Thursday. Even on a normal day in the Valley (prior to abrogation of J&K’s special status), there was never a day without some incident or the other. In 2016, during the protests against the killing of Burhan Wani, scores of violent incidents were recorded in a single day”.

Confirming to TOI, DGP said that while most politicians have been detained under Section 107 of CrPc, NC patriarch Farooq Abdullah has been detained under PSA. He said that he has not been detained under PSA for his actions but his statements that threaten to disrupt peace in the valley.

He also said that most stone pelters and troublemakers arrested under CrPc were subsequently released with bond and the active involvement of their community. In most of the cases where the detainees were released, no repeat-offenders have been reported so far.

Sharad Pawar unravelling? After saying ‘Pakistan is a happy place’ now claims ‘only Pulwama-like attack can save BJP in Maharashtra’

OpIndia Staff
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Sharad Pawar unravelling? After saying ‘Pakistan is a happy place’ now claims ‘only Pulwama-like attack can save BJP in Maharashtra’

After being almost being reduced to irrelevance in national politics, Sharad Pawar, the NCP supremo has been trying desperately to stay in news and ensure enough seats in the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections to keep his party afloat.

Speaking to the media at a press conference in Aurangabad on Friday, the NCP chief stated, “Before the Lok Sabha elections, there was an environment of anger and distress against PM Modi. However, the Pulwama attack against CRPF jawans changed the entire scenario. Now, people’s mind can be changed only with a Pulwama attack-like situation.”

Going further, as per a report in ANI, Pawar stated that after the Pulwama attack in February earlier this year, he had suspected that it might have been orchestrated. “I have worked in defence. I spoke to some officials at that time and suspected that the attack was deliberately orchestrated or Pakistan may be behind it,” claimed Pawar.

He added further that the Balakot airstrikes against Pakistan-based terror camps had boosted the popularity of the Modi government. But Modi’s popularity will not work in Maharashtra as the people are not satisfied with the Fadnavis government.

Pawar further stated that he is working to bring ‘secular forces’ together to take on the BJP. He claimed that the Congress and the NCP have come together and they are trying to bring Bahujan Vikas Aghadi and Samajwadi Party for an alliance too. However, he did not explain that if he thinks the people are against the Fadnavis government, why does he need to bring all these parties into an alliance to contest against it.

Sharad Pawar-led NCP and Congress have both been losing powerful and influential leaders recently to the BJP. Many strong leaders like Congress’ Sachin Ahir, Harshvardhan Patil, and many NCP stalwarts, most notably Chhatrapati Udayanraje Bhonsale and Navi Mumbai leader Sandeep Naik had recently left the parties to join the BJP fold.

Sharad Pawar’s recent statements follow a strange pattern from being highly controversial, to incoherent and sometimes downright outrageous. In June, he had claimed that the airstrikes had happened in Kashmir, not Pakistan.

Back in March, he had claimed that he was the one who had suggested carrying out the airstrikes against Pakistan to the airforce. He had even claimed that PM Modi had nothing to do with the decision. It is notable here that as the Home Minister in 1993 during the Mumbai bomb blasts, Sharad Pawar had ‘invented’ the 13th blast just to show that Muslims were the victims too. In reality, there only 12 blasts.

Recently, addressing a special event for the minorities at the NCP headquarters, he had claimed that Pakistan is a happy, hospitable place and it is the BJP government who is spreading lies about it for political gains. Before 2019 elections, he had claimed that EVMs inside polling booths can be ‘controlled’ via towers in the surrounding areas.

Aarey activist from NGO Vanashakti threatens woman with ‘dire consequences’ for a Facebook post that supported Mumbai Metro

OpIndia Staff
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Aarey activist from NGO Vanashakti threatens woman with ‘dire consequences’ for a Facebook post that supported Mumbai Metro

A Marol woman was threatened by an Aarey ‘activist’ from NGO Vanashakti for writing a Facebook post that supported the Mumbai Metro Construction project. Vanashakti NGO is one of the petitioners in the ongoing Aarey hearing in the High Court, where ‘activists’ want Aarey land to be declared as a forest and to essentially, stall the metro construction project.

According to a report in DNA, Punita (who has requested that further information about her not be published) was threatened with ‘dire consequences’ if she did not take down her Facebook post supporting the construction of Mumbai Metro. Ultimately, Punita succumbed to the pressure and took the Facebook post down.

Punita has accused D Stalin of Vanashakti NGO of threatening her over the post which was later removed by her.

According to the DNA report, the girl who has been intimidated to take her post down has said, “When he [Stalin] read the post, he called me and threatened me. He also asked me to delete the post which later I did.” However, the ordeal didn’t end for Punita. “Despite talking to me and threatening me, he called one of my friends who is also an activist. In return, my friend called my family and told them that they could get into deep trouble. Your daughter shouldn’t have done that what she did, said the friend”.

The Marol resident has filed a complaint with MIDC police in Andheri and the police have confirmed that there was nothing defamatory in the Facebook post for which she was threatened and they will be looking into the matter.

NGO Vanashakti is opposed to the proposed car shed at Aarey Colony for the Colaba–Bandra-SEEPZ Metro-3 line, Metros are generally considered the most efficient mode of the mass-transit system and the government rightly says that it will cut down pollution in future. However, the ‘activists’ are not happy.

The campaign against the Metro project has been ridden with several lies and inaccuracies. it has almost become the professional demand of certain NGOs to stall development work by citing ‘environmental reasons’. Recently, Mumbai High Court imposed a fine of rupees one lakh on an NGO for filing a frivolous petition to stall development project in Navi Mumbai. The court noted that the PIL filed by Abhivyakti, the NGO, was motivated to somehow stall development work in Navi Mumbai.

Going by all the arguments, the court concluded that the initial claim of the petitioner that the wetland was created due to it being connected to Panvel creek was factually incorrect. After that, they had claimed that it was a pond created by rainwater, which was also proved false as water accumulated only during monsoon season. The court also noted that the land was privately owned which was acquired by the government for development. The court also notes that no pond was detected in satellite mapping done by ISRO.

As a result, the court concluded that the petition was filed to stop development in Navi Mumbai. The court said that the petitioners had used Google images of the area obtained during monsoon to raise the boogie of the environment being damaged.

India receives its first ‘acceptance’ Rafale jet from Dassault Aviation in France

OpIndia Staff
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India receives its first ‘acceptance’ Rafale jet from Dassault Aviation in France

The Indian Air Force received its first ‘acceptance’ Rafale fighter jet from the Dassault Aviations in France yesterday. The tail number of India’s first Rafale jet is RB-01, that stands for the name of Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria, who played a pivotal role in sealing the combat aircraft deal between India and France.


The aircraft was flown by Deputy Air Force Chief Air Marshal VR Chaudhary for around one hour. The formal handing over ceremony is scheduled to happen on October 8.

The multi-role combat aircraft aims to add teeth to the capabilities of the Indian Air Force. It is hailed as 4+ generation aircraft and its capabilities comprise air-defence or air-superiority, can be sent on reconnaissance missions and provide close air support. It can also handle air-to-ground precision strikes, hold nuclear and conventional warheads, carry out anti-ship attacks and allows re-fuelling between two Rafale aircraft without having to wait for mid-air refuelling tankers.

The Dassault Aviation is expected to hand over 4-5 Rafale jets by March-April 2020 following which they will be flown to India and officially inducted in the Indian Air Force.

India had inked an inter-governmental agreement with France in September 2016 for procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets at a cost of around Rs 58,000 crore.

15-year-old boy from Bihar duped by fake Kaun Banega Crorepati call, loses Rs 3 lakh

OpIndia Staff
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15-year-old boy from Bihar duped by fake Kaun Banega Crorepati call, loses Rs 3 lakh

A 15-year-old schoolboy, residing in Nalasopara in Palghar district of Mumbai fell prey to a Kaun Banega Crorepati fake call and was duped of Rs 3 lakhs. A case of cheating has been registered at Nalasopara police station.

The victim, Manish Jha, originally hailing from Darbhanga in Bihar was on his way to his relative’s house in Nalasopara with his mother when he received the first call on August 1. The caller claimed to be a part of the popular game show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’, a popular TV show on Sony Entertainment Television hosted by Indian film industry superstar, Amitabh Bachchan.

He told Jha that he had won Rs 25 lakh in a lucky draw and asked him to deposit a processing fee of Rs 20,000 in a bank account. The teenager could not contain himself and convinced his mother to deposit the money, said a police officer.

After the amount was deposited, Jha received another call from the same number and the ‘KBC representative’ told him to deposit another Rs 2.8 lakh. Jha once again convinced his mother to give the money.

However, after not receiving the cash reward for the next one month, Jha and his mother got worried. On September 1, Jha called the number from which he had received the call, but it was unreachable. Jha and his mother realized that they had been conned and approached the Nalasopara police.

The police are examining the details of the bank account in which the Jhas had deposited the money in an attempt to get some lead in the case.

This is not the first instance where a viewer has fallen prey to a ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ scam. Last year too, a car mechanic from Bengaluru lost over Rs 1 lakh to a ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ scam over a period of 10 days after he deposited the money into multiple bank accounts handled by fraudsters. He too was duped by a caller who claimed of being a KBC representative and convinced the mechanic that he had won Rs 35 lakh in a lucky draw.

During the show the host Amitabh Bachchan regularly urges the viewers to not pay any money for the show, saying that the show does not require any deposit to be made to participate or to win prize money. But still some people fall prey to such scams.

Shocking CCTV footage show domestic violence allegedly by retired HC Judge, his wife and son against daughter-in-law

OpIndia Staff
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Shocking CCTV footage show domestic violence allegedly by retired HC Judge, his wife and son against daughter-in-law

In a shocking CCTV footage that has emerged online, retired Hyderabad High Court Justice Nooty Ramamohana Rao, his wife and his son are seen allegedly assaulting their daughter-in-law, Sindhu Sharma. In April this year, the victim Sindhu Sharma had levelled allegations of domestic violence against her in-laws saying that she was beaten up for dowry.

Sindhu had alleged that Justice (Retd) Ramamohana Rao, his wife Nooty Durga Jaya Lakshmi and her husband Nooty Vasista had physically assaulted her demanding dowry.

Now, the emergence of CCTV footage showing violence being meted out to Sindhu by his in-laws family corroborate her allegations of domestic violence against the 3 family members. “My husband used to beat me up habitually and make demands for dowry. Like in all other abusive marriage, I patiently endured the excesses. One night my in-laws and my husband had gone for a movie. When they returned in the night, my husband came upstairs in the room where I was sleeping and started hitting me, saying I was responsible for him not getting promotions in his job,” Sindhu said to the News Minute.


A CCTV camera installed at the home captured a series of video unravelling the brutal onslaught that Sindhu endured that night. In one of the videos, four family members are seen animatedly arguing over some issue. In an instance, the younger man can be seen vigorously pushing his wife and hitting her. He then shoves her on the couch. As the woman tries to get up and respond to the young man, the old man stops the woman by holding her arm and decks her back onto couch. He is seen aggressively pushing and strangling her.

During this, a toddler is seen in the video, clutching at her mother’s leg who is being assaulted by the two men in the video frame. At this juncture, another woman enters the room and then they pull the younger woman off the couch onto the floor. The woman’s other child who comes in the room is reprimanded by the young man and sent back in the other room.

Several other videos from the house’s CCTV camera illustrating in horrific details the atrocities meted out to the survivor have surfaced, strengthening Sindhu’s allegations that she was continuously tortured and physically abused by her in-laws family.

Sindhu alleges that when the assault intensified, she called for help. However, far from helping her, the in-laws barged into the room and started assaulting her, she claims. Sindhu asserted that later even the househelp joined in to beat her. As she was grievously injured, the family rushed her to hospital in the car. According to Sindhu, she was verbally and physically assaulted in the car as well while she was being transported to Apollo Hospital in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad.

Sindhu asserted that the Judge’s primary concern on reaching the hospital was to stop her from narrating her ordeal to others. “He kept shouting at them that I am mentally unstable and I need sedatives to stabilise me. My clothes were torn so the hospital staff gave me a bedsheet to cover myself,” Sindhu said.

Disregarding her father-in-law’s demands, the hospital authorities helped Sindhu to file a medico-legal case. Sindhu had scratches over her chest on the left side, cuts over her left breast and upper lip, and contusions over her right shoulder and her right forearm.

After being discharged from the hospital, Sindhu went to her parents’ house and filed a case against the retired judge, his wife, son and their househelp at the Central Crime Station in Hyderabad under sections 498A (cruelty by husband and relatives), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 406 (criminal breach of trust) of the Indian Penal Code and Dowry Prohibition Act.

Several other videos from the house’s CCTV camera have illustrated in horrific details the atrocities meted out to the woman, strengthening her allegations that she was continuously tortured and physically abused by the retired HC judge, his wife and their son.

ACP K Sreedevi, Assistant Commissioner of Police said that they were planning to obtain magistrate orders to obtain the CCTV footage from the house, but as the videos have surfaced now, they have decided to submit the same at the court and proceed with the investigation. Sindhu said that she had accessed the videos in April, but decided to release them only now, after her husband filed for divorce.

Shahid Afridi in denial mode, shields Pakistan’s terrorism while blaming India and IPL for cricketers refusing to tour Pakistan

OpIndia Staff
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Shahid Afridi in denial mode, shields Pakistan’s terrorism while blaming India and IPL for cricketers refusing to tour Pakistan

Former Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi has held India and IPL responsible for the International cricketers refusing to tour Pakistan citing security concerns. Afridi asserted that IPL franchisees are exerting pressure on the players to shun playing in Pakistan and its T20 league or else they won’t be granted any contracts in the subsequent editions of the Indian Premier League(IPL). Afridi made this comments after 10 Srilankan cricketers opted out of a tour of Pakistan citing security reasons.


“I had a chat with many Sri Lankan players who wanted to play in Pakistan and in the Pakistan Super League but they confided in to me that they are being pressurised by India and IPL to not play in Pakistan or else they won’t be awarded IPL contracts,” Afridi said.

Instead of raising the issue of terrorism and deteriorating security in Pakistan, that is the reason why it is internationally banished from hosting any ICC cricketing event, Shahid Afridi proceeds to insinuate that India and IPL franchisees are coercing the cricketers to stop playing in Pakistan. In fact, out of all the 10 players of the Sri Lankan team that opted out of Pakistan tour citing security concern, only Lasith Malinga is the one who currently has an IPL contract, none of the others as of now have an IPL contract signed by them.

Shahid Afridi has a knack of lying and thus it is difficult to believe his claim that Sri Lankan players have privately confessed to him of being pressurised by India and IPL franchisees. The former Pakistani cricketer has himself admitted to lying about many things including his age in his recently published autobiography. Besides, Afridi also conveniently hides the fact that Sri Lankan cricketers have pulled out of the tour because of the worsening security situation in Pakistan due to their continued and sustained support to terrorism.

Shahid Afridi is not the only cricketer to blame IPL for Sri Lankan cricketers opting out of the upcoming tour. A few days ago Pakistani federal minister of science and technology Chaudhry Fawad Hussain had made the same allegations. The minister said that the same on Twitter hours after a prankster had sent a message to him on WhatsApp that the decision by Sri Lankan players was taken after the IPL authorities threatened them that they’ll be thrown out of IPL if they go to Pakistan.

Sri Lanka is set to tour Pakistan almost after a decade of the terrorist attack on the touring Sri Lankan team that left many senior Sri Lankan squad members then critically injured. As many as 10 current Sri Lankan cricketers have pulled out from the Pakistan tour citing security concern. They are- Lasith Malinga, Thisara Perera, Angelo Mathews, Niroshan Dickwella, Kusal Perera, Dhananjaya de Silva, Akila Dananjaya, Suranga Lakmal, Dinesh Chandimal And Dimuth Karunaraten.

The Sri Lankan team in March 2009 came under attack as terrorists started indiscriminately firing on the bus carrying the Sri Lankan team when it was on its way to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore ahead of the third day of the second Test against Pakistan. Eminent cricketer Kumar Sangakkara was one of the 5 cricketers who received shrapnel wounds in the attack.


However, despite most members of the team opting out, the Sri Lankan cricket board has still decided to go ahead with the tour and fulfil the commitments made to the Pakistan Cricket Board as they prepare to send an inexperienced squad comprising of new players.

Sri Lanka cricket team is scheduled to play three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 matches in Pakistan between Sept. 27 and Oct. 9. This will be Sri Lanka’s first tour in Pakistan since 2009.

Find your spine in Mamata’s purse, Telegraph

Editorial Desk
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Find your spine in Mamata’s purse, Telegraph

The Telegraph, the far-left propaganda website, is at its usual worst again. In a report on the Battle of Jadavpur titled, ironically enough, “Babull at Jadavpur University”, the newspaper concluded that the Union Minister was equally responsible for the violence at Jadavpur despite the fact that he was a victim of unprovoked violence.

That the report refers to Babul Supriyo as ‘Babull’, as if it is supposed to be clever, is trivializing of a matter that’s extremely serious. The least any media outlet is expected to do since they don’t even bother staying true to facts anymore is that they treat serious issues seriously. But they appear to have abandoned their pursuit of it as well.

The Telegraph, it appears taking a dig at the BJP leader is more important than adhering to conventional norms of journalistic integrity. If a media outlet isn’t even competent enough to gauge the severity of the matter at hand, then one wonders if they are competent enough at anything at all.

People need to understand at this point that The Telegraph is more of an advocacy group than an actuam media organization. During the elections, its editor had claimed in an article removing Narendra Modi from power was the only hope for India’s redemption. This is not how a news organization functions or is supposed to function.

The editor’s inherent biases tend to flow into its pages. For instance, the alleged newspaper equated the abrogation of Article 370 with ‘Partition‘. The Partition was a very dark episode in Indian history, a genocide of Hindus occurred at the time. Hindu women were raped brutally in front of their families. Children were left orphans. Blood flowed in the streets like water. And The Telegraph thought it was clever to equate the integration of Jammu & Kashmir with the rest of India to it. And it was all after ignoring the fact that the state has been far more peaceful than it has ever been in decades.

On another occasion, the newspaper portrayed activists demonstrating in favour of the abrogation of Article 370 as those protesting against it. When a newspaper has such terrible editors, its content will is fated to suffer.

If The Telegraph concerned itself more with journalistic integrity and chose to ally itself more with Truth instead of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), its standards will without a doubt improve drastically. But it appears the editors of the newspaper will be more willing to accompany Frodo Baggins to Mordor than that. In the meantime, journalism will continue to suffer. Perhaps, The Telegraph can find its spine in Mamata Banerjee’s purse.

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