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Dhaka: Bangladesh govt summons Indian High Commissioner, expresses concern over ‘unauthorised fencing of the border’ and alleged killings of Bangladeshi nationals

OpIndia Staff
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Dhaka: Bangladesh govt summons Indian High Commissioner, expresses concern over ‘unauthorised fencing of the border’ and alleged killings of Bangladeshi nationals

Amid the escalating tensions between India and Bangladesh regarding border fencing, the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry summoned the Indian Hugh Commissioner to Bangladesh, Pranay Verma on Sunday. According to reports, Verma was summoned to address border issues.

Responding to the summon, the Indian envoy visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office in Dhaka on Sunday afternoon. As per a press release by Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Government of Bangladesh expressed “deep concern“ over the recent activities of the Border Security Force (BSF) of India along the Bangladesh-India Border. This was conveyed by Foreign Secretary Ambassador Md. Jashim Uddin to High Commissioner of India Pranay Verma.

Bangladesh alleged that the barbed wire fencing and other activities along the border are ‘unauthorised’, saying they have caused tensions and disturbances. Jashim Uddin said that the construction of barbed wire fences without proper authorisation undermines the spirit of cooperation and friendly relations between the two neighbouring countries. The Bangladeshi official hoped that the upcoming BGB-BSF DG Level Talks would be able to discuss the matter at length.

Referring to the recent death of a Bangladesh citizen at Sunamganj in firing by BSF, the foreign secretary expressed deep concern and disappointment. He added that it is also a matter of grave concern that despite repeated firm commitments from the Indian authorities to pursue a non-lethal strategy, such incidents have been continuing.

The Bangladeshi foreign secretary called upon the government of India to advise all concerned authorities in India to refrain from any provocative actions that could escalate tensions along the shared border. He added that Bangladesh believes that such issues should be resolved through constructive dialogue, in accordance with existing bilateral agreements, and in a way that upholds peace and tranquillity along the border.

After the meeting, High Commissioner Pranay Verma expressed hope that the understanding between BSF and BGB will be implemented in a cooperative approach to maintain peace along the border. He told reporters, “We have an understanding with regard to fencing the border for security. Our two border guard enforcements – BSF and BGB – have been in communication in this regard.”

Verma said that he met the Foreign Secretary to discuss India’s commitment to ensuring a crime-free border and effectively addressing the challenges of smuggling and trafficking. He added, “I had a discussion with the foreign secretary. We discussed India’s commitment to addressing crimes along the border, the challenges of smuggling, movements of criminals and trafficking.”

This comes after, the Bangladesh government accused the Indian government of setting up fencing on the Indo-Bangladesh border in violation of a bilateral agreement between the two countries.

The Indian Border Security Force (BSF) has been carrying out fencing work along the India-Bangladesh border to address the issue of growing infiltration through the international border. However, the fencing work had to be halted on Tuesday after tensions mounted along the border as the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) opposed the fencing.

Delhi HC rejects plea against refusal of bail to terrorist Mohammad Heydaitullah who took ISIS oath to establish Sharia law in India

ANI
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Delhi HC rejects plea against refusal of bail to terrorist Mohammad Heydaitullah who took ISIS oath to establish Sharia law in India

The Delhi High Court has rejected a plea against the refusal of bail to Mohammad Heydaitullah, an alleged ISIS operative accused of disseminating ISIS ideology online, promoting enmity against Hindus, and transferring funds from his account to support the terrorist organization.

Heydaitullah, an MBA graduate from Jamia, is alleged to have taken oath (Bayath) to ISIS in 2018 and conspired to establish Sharia law in India under the ISIS banner.

A division bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Amit Sharma dismissed the appeal against the order passed by the special NIA court refusing bail to the appellant.

The Division bench said, “Under these circumstances, this Court is of the opinion that the impugned order does not warrant any interference.”

“In view of the above, the present appeal is dismissed and disposed of accordingly. Pending application(s), if any, are also disposed of,” the bench ordered on January 10, 2025.

While dismissing the appeal, the bench headed by Justice Prathiba M Singh noted, ” In the present case as has been highlighted previously, the Appellant admittedly in 2018 had taken an oath (Bayath) in the name of Abu Bakr al Baghdadi and Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi. Abu Bakr al Baghdadi is admittedly a well-known leader of ISIS and as per the chargesheet had declared the formation of a “caliphate” in June 2014.”

The High Court also took note of the WhatsApp chats which showed the intention of the appellant to join ISIS.

“ISIS had been declared to be a terrorist organisation and judicial notice can be taken of the fact that the world at large knows about the activities of ISIS. The aforesaid chats further reflect the intention of the Appellant to join ISIS (Dawlah) and was ready to perform Hijrah (travel) for the same.”

The bench noted, ” In two sets of chats as it is recorded it was the Appellant who is asking other persons to find a way to reach Dawlah and not the other way around as claimed by the learned Senior Counsel for the Appellant. As already noted, the Appellant is an educated person and was well aware of the nature of the activities of ISIS.”

“Moreover, it is not a case of passive support to a terrorist organisation, but rather the chats, as highlighted hereinabove, show that the Appellant was advocating Jihad in order to establish Khilafat (“Caliphate)”. By doing so the Appellant was also trying to recruit the individuals on these online groups for such acts,” the bench held.

The appellant Md. Heydaitullah had challenged the order of August 23, 2023, passed by a special NIA Judge in a case registered at P.S. NIA.

The appeal was opposed by Advocate Rahul Tyagi, the Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) for NIA.

As per the case of the prosecution, certain inputs were received regarding proscribed terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) running a campaign in cyberspace for radicalizing youths and carrying out terrorist activities in India and elsewhere.

It is alleged that one cyber identity by the name of Qasim Saini alias Qasim Khurasani along with his associates was actively involved in creating and disseminating ISIS-centric propaganda with the intention of motivating youths to take part in violent jihad.

The case of the prosecution is that the Appellant is a close associate of co-accused Basit Kalam Siddiqui and had conspired to establish Sharia law in India under the flag of ISIS by waging Jihad.

It is alleged that the Appellant was disseminating the ISIS ideology through cyberspace, and was spreading hatred against the Government of India by promoting enmity against Hindus on social media.

It is further alleged that the Appellant had transferred funds for the cause of ISIS from his bank account. Also, various incriminating materials have been found in the electronic devices recovered from the Appellant during the investigation.

The Appellant was arrested by the NIA on 22.10.2022 and was charge-sheeted by second supplementary chargesheet of April 2023 for the offences punishable under Sections 17, 18, 38, 39 of the UAPA and Sections 120-B/153-A and 153-B of the IPC.

Investigation revealed that the appellant was a member of many pro-ISIS groups. Once he received a message in the Telegram group voices of Al-Hol camp related to the donation of some money for Al-Hol Camp from telegram ID ‘umm_imara’.

In that message, umm_imara shared a bank account number of Canara Bank in which funds had to be sent. He further sent Rs. 15000 on 30.07.2020 through NEFT from his Yes Bank account.

The same transaction is reflected in his bank statement.

Further, during scrutiny of seized mobile data, it was found that the appellant was a member of Voices of Al-Hol Camp telegram I’d and he got motivated to donate funds for the cause of ISIS, NIA charge sheet reads.

It is further alleged that he while chatting on a telegram group Voice of Al Hol camp got a message to donate money to support women and children of ISIS fighters, from a telegram user @ umm_imara. The bank account details for depositing the money were shared on the said group. He as an ardent member of ISIS, decided to donate the sum of Rs 15000.

During investigations, he was questioned regarding the transfer of money from his bank account to the bank account shared on the telegram group Al Hol Camp to help the cause of ISIS.

He informed that he wanted to help the women and children of ISIS fighters, so he transferred the money. This itself proves that he is an ISIS sympathiser. It is also corroborated by witnesses, the agency said.

Senior Counsel appeared for the Appellant and submitted that there was no evidence connecting the Appellant to any terrorist organization including ISIS.

The only allegation, which is relied upon by the prosecution, is the remittance of Rs15,000 from the Yes Bank account of the Appellant to one Mohd. Unais, which is not sufficient to hold that the Appellant was either a member of any terrorist organization or had in any manner donated or contributed to any terrorist organization for furthering its cause.

It was further submitted that in the initial FIR of 29.06.2021, no accusations were made against the Appellant. It was only after the Appellant was arrested on 20 October 2022 that this banking transaction was relied upon and the Appellant was arrayed as a co-accused in the second supplementary chargesheet.

Counsel appearing on behalf of the Appellant also submitted that the Appellant had not made any direct remittance to the lady Afa Ibrahim and the witness Mohammad Unais, to whom the Appellant had transferred Rs. 15,000 on 30.07.2020, had made a second remittance of equivalent Maldivian Rufiyaa to Afa Ibrahim, on the same date.

Further, it was submitted that there is no material on record showing that Afa Ibrahim, belonged to ISIS or that she was running any telegram group, bearing Telegram ID “umm_imara”.

In the reply filed by the NIA, in respect of the telegram chats, it is recorded ” Further during investigations it emerged that one lady having Telegram account similar to “umm_imara” i.e “umm3imarah” and “ummimarah0” used to raise funds for ISIS on the name of charity work for Al-Hol Camp. This clearly establishes that the accused Md. Heydaitullah had intentionally provided funds for ISIS.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

While AAP is accused of worth crores of corruption, Delhi CM Atishi Marlena asks for donations worth 40 lakhs from people

OpIndia Staff
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While AAP is accused of worth crores of corruption, Delhi CM Atishi Marlena asks for donations worth 40 lakhs from people

Delhi Chief Minister Atishi Marlena on Sunday launched a crowdfunding campaign for her party ahead of the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections. Atishi, who is Aam Aadmi Party candidate from Kalkaji, asked people for worth 40 lakh donations on the basis of her party’s politics of ‘work and honesty’. She released an online link to receive donations.

”The AAP has always fought elections with the help of small donations from the common man which has helped it pursue the political of work and honesty”, she said.

It is interesting to see AAP launching a crowdfunding campaign for elections when some top leaders of the party including its national convenor and former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal were arrested last year on corruption charges.

Former Delhi CM and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal was arrested due to corruption charges relating to Delhi Liquor Policy Scam. He was later granted bail with conditions.

Former deputy Chief Minister of Delhi and one of the founding members of AAP, Manish Sisodia, was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection to the Delhi Excise Policy Scam in February 2023. He is currently out on bail.

Satyendar Jain was one of the key ministers of the Delhi government. In May 2022, he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection to a money laundering case. He was later released on bail.

AAP MLA from Okhla and prominent Muslim face of the party Amanatullah Khan, was arrested and sent to jail for a brief period in a case related to illegal recruitment and financial misappropriation as the chairman of Delhi Waqf Board.

Former AAP Minister in Punjab, Vijay Singla, was removed from the cabinet by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in May 2022. Singla was accused of corruption and arrested by Punjab Police.

These are only some of the names from the AAP who are facing corruption charges. Besides, Arvind Kejriwal is also accused of using around 45 crores of public money for renovating the Delhi CM official residence. Last year in December, the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi had ordered the Vigilance Department to conduct an investigation into luxury items at the Delhi CM’s official residence.

Bihar: Woman alleges ‘love jihad’, conversion pressure by Sikandar who had lured her away from her husband by pretending to be a Hindu

OpIndia Staff
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Bihar: Woman alleges ‘love jihad’, conversion pressure by Sikandar who had lured her away from her husband by pretending to be a Hindu

A 37-year-old woman from Darbhanga, Bihar, has come forward to narrate her ordeal about how a man named Sikandar lured her into a relationship under false pretences, exploited her trust, and pressured her for religious conversion. The woman, who left her husband two years ago for Sikandar, is now seeking justice with her three children in her hometown. She alleged that Sikandar pretended to be a Hindu, proposed marriage, and later abandoned her after 18 months of living together.

Meeting Sikandar on Instagram led to drastic life changes

According to a Dainik Bhaskar report, the victim got married in 2010 and has three children. Her husband is a daily wage worker who worked long hours. After marriage, they moved to Vapi and then to Ahmedabad, Gujarat. In 2020, as her children’s education was taking place online during the lockdown, her husband bought a mobile phone for them. During that time, she became active on Instagram, where she came into contact with Sikandar. He claimed to be a Hindu and expressed romantic feelings for her.

As Sikandar gained her trust over time, he proposed marriage and promised that he would take care of her and her children. Convinced by his assurances, the woman decided to leave her husband in 2022. She took her three children and went to live with Sikandar. Initially, they resided in Dharavi, Mumbai, and later relocated to Kharghar. The woman recalled being introduced to a woman named Rubina. Later, she realised that Rubina might have been complicit in Sikandar’s schemes.

A year and a half of exploitation and abandonment

After moving to Mumbai to live with Sikandar, she was allegedly subjected to physical exploitation. He repeatedly coerced her to convert to Islam. The victim released a video narrating her ordeal, in which she said, “He insisted that I accompany him to a Maulvi for religious conversion and said he’d only accept me after I changed my faith.”

Initially, she dismissed his demands, thinking he was joking. However, over time, his intentions became clear, especially in September 2024, when he suddenly disappeared. She filed a complaint at the Kharghar police station, accusing Sikandar of luring her through social media, promising marriage, exploiting her, and fleeing with her jewellery and documents.

Left destitute and fighting for justice

In a statement, she said, “I am a daughter of Bihar who has been deceived by Sikandar Azam. He took my money and jewellery, leaving me with nothing. I am on the streets with my children.” She also discovered that Sikandar was already married and had concealed his Muslim identity. As Sikandar did not return, the woman decided to come back to Darbhanga to live with her relatives.

Her family is trying to mediate with her estranged husband and his family to find a possible solution. Despite filing a complaint four months ago, she said no action has been taken against Sikandar.

On Joe Rogan Podcast, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg claims incumbent govt lost in India in 2024, though PM Modi led-alliance registered a historic win for 3rd time

OpIndia Staff
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On Joe Rogan Podcast, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg claims incumbent govt lost in India in 2024, though PM Modi led-alliance registered a historic win for 3rd time

On 10th January, Joe Rogan published a two-hour-long podcast with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, where they discussed several topics including content moderation, trust in governments, COVID-19, algorithms, government influence, and more. During the discussion, Zuckerberg surprisingly suggested that the incumbent Modi government in India lost during elections held in 2024.

While analysing the global loss of trust in governments triggered by their handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, Zuckerberg pointed out that pandemic policies and inconsistent governance had led to public dissatisfaction worldwide. According to him, this dissatisfaction affected electoral outcomes in several nations.

Referring to the elections held around the world in 2024, Zuckerberg said, “Incumbents basically lost every single one.” Interestingly, the only country that Zuckerberg specifically mentioned was India, where he suggested the incumbent government had also lost. However, this assertion is factually incorrect, as the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won a decisive victory in the 2024 general elections. This marked the third consecutive victory for the BJP-led alliance under PM Modi’s leadership, maintaining its hold on power with widespread public support.

Zuckerberg’s assertion highlights how sweeping generalisations can lead to inaccuracies, even during discussions about complex global phenomena. Notably, while Zuckerberg made this mistake, it is ironic that Meta, with its social media platforms, has played a significant role in shaping the political landscape in many countries, including India. The influence Meta exerts on a global audience is often reflected in the clashes between the company and governments over content moderation.

Earlier, OpIndia reported how Zuckerberg exposed the Biden administration’s censorship regime during the same podcast. He stated, “These people from the Biden administration would call up our team and scream at them and curse.”

The Meta founder added that while he had no call recordings, the emails were available for public access. “It just got to this point where we were like, no, we are not gonna take down things that are true. That is ridiculous,” he said.

Notably, BJP-led NDA alliance won 293 seats, way beyond the majority mark of 272, while opposition INDI Alliance managed to get only 234 seats, way short of the majority number. Perhaps Mark Zuckerberg is unaware of what happened in Indian elections.

Greenland PM Múte Egede to talk to Donald Trump, says the island wants to be independent, not part of Denmark or the USA

OpIndia Staff
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Greenland PM Múte Egede to talk to Donald Trump, says the island wants to be independent, not part of Denmark or the USA

After US President-elect Donald Trump has expressed his desire to acquire Greenland, Prime Minister of Greenland has responded by agreeing to hold talks with him. PM Múte Egede has, however, clarified that he has no intention of ceding the Greenlandic territory to the United States of America. He said that he wants to talk with Trump regarding the future of the Arctic Island.

Although geographically Greenland is part of the continent of North America, administratively it is a semi-autonomous territory of the European nation Denmark. Greenland is also part of the Overseas Countries and Territories of the European Union. However, the people of Greenland wish to be an independent nation and don’t want to remain a colony of Denmark.

Addressing the media on Friday in Copenhagen, Denmark, Egede made his stand clear by saying that the people of Greenland want to remain Greenlandic. “We don’t want to be Danes. We don’t want to be Americans. We want to be Greenlandic, of course. It’s the Greenlandic people who decide their future”, he said. “ We have a desire for independence, a desire to be the master of our own house…this is something everyone should respect”, he added.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who was also present at the press conference, supported Egede’s statement and said that island will remain independent and will not be sold in future. Greenland has a population of about 57,000. The mineral-rich country was a Danish colony till 1953. In 2009, it acquired the right to seek independence through a referendum. It is now a self-governing territory of Denmark.

As per a report by Axios, Denmark has also sent a message to Donald Trump’s team expressing willingness to meet and talk about boosting security in Greenland or increasing the U.S. military presence on the island, without becoming a part of the USA. The Danish government made it clear that Greenland is not for sale, but is willing to discuss any US request regarding the island, including increasing military presence.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said earlier this week that she had asked for a meeting with Trump. The Danish govt wants to convince Trump that his security concerns in the Arctic can be resolved without merging Greenland with the USA.

Donald Trump who is set to take oath as 47th US President on January 20, has said that the acquisition of Greenland was an ‘absolute necessity’ for national security for the US. In his post on Truth Social in December last year, Trump announced that Ken Howery, co-founder of PayPal, would serve as the ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark. “For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity”, he wrote.

This is not the first time Trump has expressed his desire to acquire Greenland. He had expressed a similar intention back in 2019 when he said that he would purchase Greenland from Denmark. At that time also, Trump’s statement met with a similar response from the Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen who said that the country was not for sale and Greenland does not even belong to Denmark, it belongs to itself.

American magazine attacks Elon Musk for raising the issue of grooming gangs in the UK, resorts to his character assasination to shield Labour Party

Dibakar Dutta
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American magazine attacks Elon Musk for raising the issue of grooming gangs in the UK, resorts to his character assasination to shield Labour Party

American magazine attacks Elon Musk for raising the issue of grooming gangs in the UK, resorts to his character assassination to shield Labour Party

American magazine ‘The New Yorker’ is aghast at Elon Musk for highlighting the prevalence of grooming gangs in the United Kingdom.

In the hopes of shielding the incumbent Labour government in the UK from further scrutiny, the magazine published a hit piece targeting the Tesla CEO on Thursday (9th January).

The vicious piece was titled ‘Elon Musk’s latest terrifying foray into British politics.’ For the unversed, Elon Musk had raised the issue of police complicity in aggravating the menace of grooming gangs targeting white girls in the United Kingdom.

The Background of the controversy

Musk had also launched a scathing attack on Britain’s current Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who was the Director of Public Prosecutions at the Crown Prosecution Service between 2008 and 2013.

Starmer was responsible for approving police requests to charge suspects in serious crimes like rape. Musk said that when the “rape gangs” were exploiting young girls, Starmer headed the CPS and allowed the crimes to take place. 

On 3rd January, he tweeted, “Starmer was complicit in the RAPE OF BRITAIN when he was head of Crown Prosecution for 6 years. Starmer must go and he must face charges for his complicity in the worst mass crime in the history of Britain.”

His scathing comments came against the backdrop of the denial of a government-led inquiry into Oldham grooming gangs.

Meanwhile, Starmer commented on the issue and claimed that Musk was spreading lies and misinformation. “Those that are spreading lies and misinformation as far and as wide as possible, they are not interested in victims, they are interested in themselves,” he said.

“Child sexual exploitation is utterly sick, utterly sick, and for many, many years, too many victims have been completely let down. Let down by perverse ideas about community relations or by the idea that institutions must be protected above all else, and they’ve not been listened to, and they’ve not been heard,” he added.

The New Yorker jumps in to attack Elon Musk

At the very onset, the American magazine made outlandish claims about the Tesla CEO. It accused Musk of ‘weaponising a national scandal’ and ‘making calls to overthrow a government.’

The New Yorker fixated on the ‘non-recent’ and ‘complicated’ nature of the story of Oldham grooming gangs to suggest that Musk had no in-depth knowledge about the issue at hand.

It also attempted to pass off Pakistani perpetrators as ‘men of South Asian descent.’ Thereafter, the New Yorker began to dissect different tweets of Musk to deviate public discourse from the grooming gangs to his ideology.

While accusing the Tesla CEO of ‘amplifying anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim tropes’, it attempted to pass off the systematic cover-up of grooming gangs in the UK as some form of divine failure.

“…Musk has suggested that a mighty woke coverup has been at work, rather than acknowledging the truth, which is sadder and harder to bear: that these crimes took place in plain sight, that many of the girls—poor, desperately vulnerable, often young teens and even pre-teens—were regarded as sex workers or sluts, rather than children, and that almost no one cared,” the article claimed.

The New Yorker was shrewd enough to not point out how the law enforcement authorities did not act against the grooming gangs for fear of not being labelled ‘racist.’

It did not highlight how the predominantly ‘Pakistani and Muslim origin’ of these heinous criminals prevented lawmakers and police alike to not burst the bubble of ‘diversity and multiculturalism’ and thus causing injustice to the actual victims.

The American magazine instead attacked Elon Musk for his alleged ‘crassness and ignorance’ and for daring to speak on decade-old cases of child sexual exploitation in ‘deindustrialized English towns.’

The New Yorker alleged that the billionaire entrepreneur was not seeking the ‘truth’ but wanted ‘disorder and proof of his power’ instead.

“But the hard graft of protecting vulnerable children, or prosecuting rapists, or enacting legislative change, is not what Musk is after,” it brazened out.

It also attacked the Conservative Party for not conducting a national inquiry into the grooming gangs in the past 14 years so that the magazine could avoid questioning the incumbent Labour Party government.

The grooming gangs of the United Kingdom

Investigations into cases of child sexual abuse in the UK revealed that grooming gangs comprising mostly British-Pakistani men have been sexually exploiting children across cities in the country. In 2023, former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak established a task force led by the National Crime Agency to address the grave threat posed by these gangs.

Rochdale, Rotherham, Oxford, Telford, Leeds, Birmingham, Norwich, Burnley, High Wycombe, Leicester, Dewsbury, Middlesbrough, Peterborough, Bristol, Halifax, Newcastle, Huddersfield, and Hull are some of the regions in the United Kingdom where the Islamist grooming gangs sexually exploited children. Last year in November, twenty men were found guilty of raping young girls in the UK and were sentenced to over 219 years in prison.

In 2022, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse published its final report, in which it described the sexual abuse of children as an “epidemic that leaves tens of thousands of victims in its poisonous wake”. The inquiry looked into child abuse by organised groups following multiple convictions of sexual offences against children across the UK between 2010-2014.

Professor Alexis Jay, who led the inquiry and uncovered the massive scale of grooming gangs in the UK, has said that she felt “frustrated” that none of the 20 recommendations put forward by the inquiry had been implemented more than two years after its conclusion.

At least 16 people killed in the California wildfires covering over 35,000 acres of land, Donald Trump says “incompetent pols have no idea how to put them out”

ANI
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At least 16 people killed in the California wildfires covering over 35,000 acres of land, Donald Trump says “incompetent pols have no idea how to put them out”

US President-elect Donald Trump expressed anger as the southern Californian fires continued to rage on. Calling it “one of the worst catastrophes” in the history of the US, he lashed out over the inability of authorities to put out the fires.

Donald Trump shared his views on Truth Social.

“The fires are still raging in L.A. The incompetent pols have no idea how to put them out. Thousands of magnificent houses are gone, and many more will soon be lost. There is death all over the place. This is one of the worst catastrophes in the history of our Country. They just can’t put out the fires. What’s wrong with them?”, the President-elect wrote.

According to the New York Post citing officials, at least 16 people have been killed in the wildfires.

Nearly 2,00,000 have been displaced due to the raging fires. As many as 10,000 structures along with entire residential neighbourhoods have been destroyed.

As per the New York Post, while the Sunset fire has been contained, the Hurst fire has burnt 771 acres of land, the Kenneth fire has burnt 959 acres, the Eaton fire has burnt 13,690 acres, and the most destructive impact has been of the Palisades fire which has burnt 19,978 acres of land.

At least 35,000 acres of land have burned down, an area about two-and-a-half times the size of Manhattan.

On Sunday (local time), California’s Governor, Gavin Newsom warned people against falling for misinformation regarding the Southern Californian wildfires.

In a post on X, he said, “A lot of misinformation out there. Just launched a new site to ensure the public has access to fact-based data around the Southern CA wildfires. The TRUTH: – CA did NOT cut our firefighting budget. We have nearly doubled the size of our firefighting army and built the world’s largest aerial firefighting fleet. – CA has INCREASED forest management ten-fold since we took office. – California will NOT allow for looting.”

The New York Post, citing a report by AccuWeather noted that the devastating fires in Los Angeles could cause more than USD 50 billion in damages, making them the most costly in state’s history.

AAP MLA Mohinder Goyal summoned by Delhi Police over fake documents linked to Bangladeshis

OpIndia Staff
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AAP MLA Mohinder Goyal summoned by Delhi Police over fake documents linked to Bangladeshis

On 11th January, South Delhi Police sent a notice to Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Rithala constituency, Mohinder Goyal, and his staff in connection with a case involving illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. Notably, the illegal Bangladeshis were in possession of counterfeit documents that bore Goyal’s signature and seal. These Bangladeshi nationals have been accused of staying unlawfully in the city.

Police asked Goyal to appear for questioning at the South Delhi office, where senior officers would interrogate him about the case. The summons were issued amidst heightened action against illegal immigrants in the city. Recently, Delhi Police detained five Bangladeshi nationals, including a woman and two children, and deported them earlier this month.

Verification drive in slum areas

Verification drives are being conducted in several parts of the city that are densely populated and have notable slum dwellers, to identify illegal residents. During such drives by Dwarka Police, under Deputy Commissioner of Police Ankit Kumar’s leadership, over 500 individuals were screened, leading to the arrest of individuals whose documents were deemed fraudulent. All of them were found to be Bangladeshi nationals living illegally in the national capital.

Goyal’s past controversies

This is not the first time Goyal’s name has appeared in controversies. In 2024, Shahbad Dairy Police registered a case against him for allegedly abusing and obstructing an MCD licensing inspector from performing his duties. The inspector said in his complaint that Goyal threatened him and obstructed the sealing of unauthorised factories during an official property survey in Narela.

Action against illegal Bangladeshis intensifies

In recent weeks, Delhi Police have intensified efforts to identify and deport Bangladeshi nationals living illegally in Delhi. Earlier this week, nine Bangladeshi citizens were detained by Central District Police. They were sent to a detention centre in Sarai Rohilla, awaiting deportation. Between 1st and 5th January 2025, district police conducted a special operation targeting illegal immigrants, marking a significant step in addressing unauthorised residents in the city. Reportedly, five Bangladeshi’s were deproted earlier this month as well.

The development has occurred during a time when the national capital is gearing up for Assembly Polls scheduled next month. Notably, the I.N.D.I. Alliance is defunct in Delhi, as AAP and Congress are not contesting the elections together. The issue of illegal immigrants has become a matter of mudslinging between the political parties in the national capital. While AAP has accused BJP of giving flats to illegals, the BJP has accused AAP of systematically settling illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in the city.

Uttar Pradesh: Moradabad Police arrest Asif for rape, forced abortion and attempted conversion of Hindu woman

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Moradabad Police arrest Asif for rape, forced abortion and attempted conversion of Hindu woman

On 11th January, Moradabad Police arrested a man named Asif following a complaint from a Hindu woman who accused him of raping her, forcing multiple abortions, and coercing her into religious conversion. Based on the woman’s complaint, an FIR was filed against Asif and eight members of his family under various charges, including provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act.

Allegations of deceit and abuse spanning four years

In her complaint, the victim told police that she is a resident of the Katghar area. She met Asif, a resident of Imlakh village, around four years ago. After some time, Asif expressed a desire to marry her. However, she declined the proposal, stating they belonged to different religious backgrounds. Despite her refusal, Asif continued to pursue her for marriage and eventually convinced her over time. The victim stated that Asif promised genuine commitment.

To prove his commitment, Asif took the victim to Haridwar and pretended to convert to Hinduism to gain her trust. After this, he allegedly raped her under the pretext of marriage multiple times. The victim revealed in her complaint that whenever she urged him to formalise their relationship, he would evade the discussion and make excuses.

Forced abortions and renewed pregnancy

During their relationship, the victim became pregnant on multiple occasions. Each time, Asif reportedly coerced her into terminating the pregnancy. She told police that he used emotional manipulation and threats to ensure she complied with his demands.

When the victim became pregnant again, she confronted Asif about her condition on 20th December. In response to her demand for marriage, he insulted her and used abusive language. He once again demanded an abortion, but the victim refused. Angered by her refusal to terminate the pregnancy, Asif allegedly physically assaulted her and revealed that all his actions were part of a deliberate plan to trap her.

Family accused of collusion and harassment

The victim further stated in her complaint that Asif’s family members, including his mother Rukhsana, uncle Qasim, brother Imran, Qasim’s wife Sanno, brother-in-law Mohammed Umar, and another relative Nasir, were involved in the plan. She alleged that the family supported Asif in his actions and actively harassed her. She accused them of pressuring her to convert to Islam and threatening to kill her if she resisted their demands.

Police action and legal proceedings

The Katghar police have registered a case against Asif and eight of his family members. Charges include rape, assault, criminal intimidation, and violation of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act.

Circle Officer Katghar confirmed the developments, stating, “We have taken the allegations very seriously. The case includes all relevant sections of the law, including provisions under the anti-conversion act. On Saturday, a team led by SSI Satendra Singh Ujjwal arrested Asif. He was presented before the court and has been sent to judicial custody.”

Further investigation into the case is underway.

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