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Zoho CEO rejects allegations of ‘ignoring south India’ in selecting AI Centres of Excellence, says committee with majority from south unanimously selected 3 institutions

OpIndia Staff
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Zoho CEO rejects allegations of ‘ignoring south India’ in selecting AI Centres of Excellence, says committee with majority from south unanimously selected 3 institutions

On 17th October, Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu appealed to people not to create a North-South divide while responding to a post slamming the centre for “excluding Bengaluru” as one of the places to set up the AI Centre Excellence. On 15th October, Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated AI Centres of Excellence at three prestigious institutions including IIT-Kanpur, IIT-Ropar, and a joint centre at IIT-Delhi and AIIMS. Bengaluru’s absence raised concerns among some sections about why the government did not choose the IT hub as one of the locations for an AI Centre of Excellence.

Padma Shri awardee and former Infosys Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Mohandas Pai expressed his reservation on social media and questioned Minister Pradhan and Union Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting, Electronics & Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnav. He accused the Centre of ignoring the south, especially Bengaluru. “Bengaluru voted for NDA (National Democratic Alliance) but all we get is stepmotherly treatment. Citizens here are very angry and upset at you folks repeatedly ignoring us in the South! Are we children of a lesser God here,” he charged.

Pai added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the PMO (Prime Minister’s Office) should step in and hand over their share to them. “What are our MPs doing? For voting NDA our state govt too is ignoring us. Not investing enough in Bengaluru,” he questioned while tagging BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) and NDA leaders including Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Minister Of Heavy Industries and Steel HD Kumaraswamy and National President of BJP Yuva Morcha and Lok Sabha MP from Bengaluru South Tejasvi Surya and Lok Sabha MP from Bangalore Central PC Mohan.

Controversial Congress spokesperson Lavanya Ballal Jain also attacked Tejasvi Surya and the Union Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Shobha Karandlaje for being “incapable of demanding anything from the union government.”

A Rahul Gandhi supporter alleged that the technologically advanced South has been overlooked. “Is this a way just to push more money of the diligent “taxpayers” into the northern BJP states,” she asked.

Another detractor declared that “the agenda of PM Modi and Union Minister of Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal is out.” He accused that they harbour deep envy for Bengaluru and Karnataka and that the entire south should unify and exit the GST (Goods and Services Tax) system.

“Complete rubbish. Even those IIT’ans have to come to Bengaluru to complete the work they start in those CoEs,” wrote Naresh, CEO of Kensaltensi (technology services company) and added, “Not including Bengaluru (India largest software exporter) is exactly the same as the UN security council not including India (world biggest democracy) as a permanent member,” tweeted Naresh, CEO of Kensaltensi.

Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu responds to the allegations

Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu, who co-chaired the panel responsible for determining the AI hub locations, took to the microblogging platform to refute the charges and explained that the committee was comprised of many members from the south. He also clarified that the decision-making was independent of government influence and that it was a unanimous decision. He further clarified that while several institutions from south India were shortlisted, the three selected institutions stood out in the end.

“The committee itself had plenty of us from the south (probably the majority). Most of us came from the private sector and the government did not tell us who we should select. We in the committee (again with so many of us from the south and so many from the private sector) made the selection based on a very thorough evaluation of actual projects done,” he highlighted.

“The responsibility for this decision on the AI Centres of Excellence should be with us in the committee and personally with me as co-chair,” he asserted and implored people not to bring in North-South politics into this choice regarding the development. He further informed, “IISc Bengaluru, IIT Chennai, NIT Calicut, IIT Hyderabad, and IIT Mumbai all presented very strong proposals but the ones we selected stood out in the end. The committee was unanimous in this decision. We stand by our judgment.”

In another tweet, Vembu added that southern institutions are part of the chosen consortiums. IISc Bengaluru and IIT Chennai, for example, are members of the AI CoE on Health, which is headed by the AIIMS consortium.

Meanwhile, Manish Gupta, Director at Google DeepMind who was also part of the selection committee backed Sridhar Vembu and said, “As a member of the committee that made the selections, I fully stand by our collective decisions. We made our decisions based on what we felt was good for India.

AI Centre Excellence

The Ministry of Education stated that the three AI-CoEs would concentrate on three important industries including sustainable cities, agriculture and healthcare. Each of these sectors will be driven by eminent universities in collaboration with startups and industry players. The initiative, which would cost a total of Rs 990 crore and take five years to accomplish, from FY 2023–24 to FY 2027–28, aims to improve India’s standing in the world of AI-driven research and innovation. The creation of these centres was announced under Paragraph 60 of the Budget Announcement for 2023–24, as part of the goal to “Make AI in India and Make AI work for India.”

The CoE for healthcare will be led by AIIMS and IIT Delhi, the CoE for agriculture by IIT Ropar, and the CoE for sustainable cities by IIT Kanpur. Dharmendra Pradhan spoke at the function and expressed optimism that the three AI-CoEs would become major international hubs for the common good. He voiced that the opening of these centres was a big step toward enhancing India’s standing in the international AI community. Pradhan pointed out that these CoEs will eventually become important components of international public policy and suppliers of solutions to the world given Bharat’s potential and zeal.

He complimented the apex committee, under the direction of Sridhar Vembu, for their painstaking work in putting the AI CoEs into practice at India’s best universities. Pradhan thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his vision of making India a hub for artificial intelligence. He declared these CoEs will significantly strengthen the nation’s startup ecosystem, fostering the emergence of a new generation of wealth and job creators as well as the establishment of new paradigms for the global public good.

Sridhar Vembu said that these projects will holistically benefit villages, cities, and the people of India. He emphasized the importance of nurturing the country’s talent pool to ensure they flourish and serve the nation in the coming decades. The CoEs will create companies, nurture talent, and generate opportunities for India’s talent pool, the Zoho CEO said.

During the event, a short video with the theme “Make AI in India and Make AI work for India,” was also screened. These three AI CoEs will be led by eminent academic institutions in association with business partners and startups to realize the “Viksit Bharat” goal. They will work on cutting-edge applications, scalable solutions, and multidisciplinary research in these fields. The objective of this project is to cultivate top-notch human resources in these vital disciplines and to galvanize an efficient AI ecosystem. An industry-heavy apex committee, co-chaired by Dr Sridhar Vembu, has been established to oversee the initiative’s implementation.

Supreme Court refuses to stay Nayab Singh govt’s oath taking ceremony in Haryana, warns the petitioner

OpIndia Staff
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Supreme Court refuses to stay Nayab Singh govt’s oath taking ceremony in Haryana, warns the petitioner

On Thursday, 17th October, the Supreme Court refused to halt the oath-taking ceremony of the BJP government in Haryana led by CM Nayab Singh Saini. A bench consisting of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justices JB Pardiwala, and Manoj Misra took serious note of the plea and stated that it may impose costs on the petitioner for filing such a plea. 

As per the inputs by Live Law, the petition was filed by one of the Congress leaders.

“Do you want us to stall the oath-taking of an elected government? We are putting you on guard. We will impose costs. Circulate the papers. We will see,” the CJI said as the plea was scheduled for an urgent hearing ahead of the event. “How can we restrain the elected government from taking oath,” the CJI asked.

The bench directed the petitioner to circulate three copies of the petition to the three judges and warned of a fine.

Nayab Singh Saini, the BJP leader, took oath as Haryana’s chief minister on Thursday, 17th September along with Ambala Cantt MLA Anil Vij, Israna MLA Krishan Lal Panwar, Badshahpur MLA Rao Narbir Singh, and others taking oaths as ministers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Health Minister and BJP National President JP Nadda, and other NDA alliance officials attended the oath-taking ceremony.

Overcoming all odds, including anti-incumbency, exit poll forecasts, and the three-term curse, the BJP staged a spectacular comeback in Haryana, forming government for the third time in a row, a state record. Apart from increasing its vote share to 40% from 36% in 2019, with 48 wins, the BJP has also won the most seats in the last three Assembly elections while Congress won 37 seats.

The Hindu ‘journalist’ Mahesh Langa passed sensitive information to opposition parties, industrial groups, and government officials, ED joins probe in the GST fraud case

OpIndia Staff
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The Hindu ‘journalist’ Mahesh Langa passed sensitive information to opposition parties, industrial groups, and government officials, ED joins probe in the GST fraud case

According to media reports, some government employees and police officers (bureaucracy) connected to ‘journalist’ Mahesh Langa of The Hindu have expressed concerns following his arrest in the GST fraud case. Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also got involved in the probe of the multi-crore scandal and the agency is still in the early stages of its investigation. A Times of India report stated that Mahesh Langa’s connection has also emerged with some government IAS-IPS officers, who used to pass him some sensitive information, which Langa used to deliver to opposition parties and some industrial groups.

There are concerns over possible money laundering after the Ahmedabad police crime branch discovered a complex network of illegal activities involving 220 fictitious companies. Additionally, the police discovered “sensitive” messages that were exchanged between Mahesh Langa, who is currently in custody for ten days in connection with the probe, and senior IAS and IPS officials. The necessity to sort through the web of shell corporations and follow the money trail might have prompted the ED’s entry.

State officials are worried about this move because they believe that the agency’s involvement could expand the investigation’s scope. A police officer stated, “We have shared details of the case with the ED and the Income Tax department, as the accused individuals have floated dummy firms possibly to launder money.” An enforcement case information report (ECIR) will probably be registered by the central agency.

According to insiders, Langa’s communications with bureaucrats and senior police officers caught the government’s top brass off guard. Some of the bureaucrats reportedly utilised the journalist’s network to pass on confidential material to opposition parties and corporations. A source aware of the situation disclosed, “Most of these babus and cops hold important positions in the state govt. We will scrutinise whether benefits were exchanged for trading this information since no articles related to the documents were published.”

On 14th October, officials were shocked to learn that Ahmedabad police commissioner G S Malik had personally questioned Langa a day earlier.  A source mentioned, “This is unusual in a GST fraud case. Malik is learnt to have grilled Langa over his information trade-offs with bureaucrats, top cops and businessmen.”

Meanwhile, on 17th October, the ED searched several cities in Gujarat as part of the investigation. According to reports, the raids occurred at roughly 23 locations in the cities of Rajkot, Junagadh, Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar, and Veraval following the filing of a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). After receiving a complaint from the Central GST regarding the scam involving shell companies set up to defraud the government through fictitious input tax credits and fraudulent transactions, the Ahmedabad Police Crime Branch filed the First Information Report in the case against a number of individuals and entities.

On 9th October, Langa and three other individuals were taken into custody and placed under 10-day police custody after 13 businesses and their owners were accused of committing an input tax credit (ITC) scam. The allegations were made in response to a complaint submitted by the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI). Manoj, Langa’s cousin, and Vinu Patel were the names on file for DA Enterprise, one of the companies that was the subject of the inquiry. Later, Langa’s wife took Patel’s place as a partner in the company. Four more people were taken into custody in relation to the case on 13th October.

‘Recklessly false’: North Carolina Lt. Governor Mark Robinson sues CNN over report claiming that he made offensive posts on a porn website a decade ago

OpIndia Staff
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‘Recklessly false’: North Carolina Lt. Governor Mark Robinson sues CNN over report claiming that he made offensive posts on a porn website a decade ago

On Wednesday, 16th October, Mark Robinson, North Carolina’s Lieutenant Governor and Republican candidate for governor, filed a $50 million defamation litigation against CNN stating that the network’s report that he identified himself as a “black Nazi” on a pornography internet site more than a decade ago and made other offensive comments was “recklessly false.” Robinson, an African-US lieutenant governor in North Carolina, filed a lawsuit in the Superior Court of Wake County, North Carolina, asserting that he never made such comments.

It described CNN’s September coverage as a “malicious hit job” based on unverifiable data and timed to undermine his chances in the state’s November 5th governor election, when he will face Democrat Josh Stein, the state’s attorney general. The suit was filed around four weeks after the report was published.

“CNN chose to publish despite knowing or recklessly disregarding that Lt. Gov. Robinson’s data including his name, date of birth, passwords, and the email address supposedly associated with the NudeAfrica account, were previously compromised by multiple data breaches,” the lawsuit read.

According to the CNN report published on 19th September, Robinson left statements on the message board over a decade ago in which, among other things, he referred to himself as a “black NAZI,” said he appreciated transgender pornography, and that he favored Hitler to then-President Barack Obama and called the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. worse than a maggot.

According to the network report, the details of Robinson’s message board account were matched to his other internet identities by comparing usernames, a known email address, and his complete name. According to CNN, the account holder mentioned characteristics that matched Robinson’s age, length of marriage, and other personal information. CNN also stated that it linked figures of speech that featured frequently in his public Twitter profile with those used in discussions by the account on the pornographic website. The CNN report added that Robinson had denied making those comments.

The report claimed that the comments were made between 2008 and 2012 on “Nude Africa,” a pornographic website that includes a message board. It claimed that many of Robinson’s comments were gratuitously sexual and lewd in nature. As per CNN, the comments were made using the name ‘minisoldr’, saying Robinson frequently uses this moniker online.

At a press conference on Tuesday, October 15th, Robinson described the lawsuit as a bid to fight back against one of the most significant instances of political interference in this state’s history. Former President Donald Trump has endorsed Robinson, and he is represented by Virginia attorney Jesse Binnall, who has previously represented Trump.

“CNN published the article despite harboring doubt over the veracity and verifiability of the supposedly supporting information and deliberately avoided the truth,” Robinson said.

In the same defamation action, Robinson also sued a Greensboro punk rock band singer who claimed in a music video and an interview with a media outlet that Robinson visited and purchased movies from a porn business where the singer once worked in the 1990s and early 2000s. Louis Love Money, the other named defendant, published the video and spoke with other media outlets prior to the CNN discovery.

“Lt. Gov. Robinson was not spending hours at the video store, five nights a week. He was not renting or previewing videos, and he did not purchase ‘bootleg’ or other videos from Defendant Money,” the lawsuit read denying allegations.

The lawsuit, which seeks at least $50 million in damages, states that the attempt against Robinson appears to be a coordinated attack aimed at derailing his campaign for governor. It presents no evidence that the network or Money conspired with outside entities to produce what Robinson claims are fraudulent assertions.

Reportedly, the comments appearing under Robinson’s name on the Nude Africa website site have been removed. However, the profile page mentioned in CNN report remains on the website, and  “mark robinson” is listed as the account holder’s name, as verified by Poliltico.

From Nazis to Khalistanis, how Canada has been a safe haven for criminals, terrorists and extremists under Justin Trudeau govt

Shraddha Pandey
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From Nazis to Khalistanis, how Canada has been a safe haven for criminals, terrorists and extremists under Justin Trudeau govt

Amidst the outrage over Chinese interference in the last two elections and governance, the Trudeau government has resorted to deflection by mindlessly blaming India for the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar even as there is zero evidence of any Indian involvement. Canada was quick to ask Indian diplomats to leave as India strongly dismissed the “preposterous” allegations levelled against Indian diplomats and recalled the Indian High Commissioner. While the Trudeau government’s sympathy for a Khalistani terrorist may be shocking for some, Canada has a history of backing even Nazis.

Back in 2018, the Trudeau government expelled four Russian diplomats and denied entry to three more after Russia exposed the Nazi connection of the then Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland. As Globe and Mail and other Canadian media publications reported that Chrystia Freeland knew for almost two decades that her maternal grandfather was a Nazi collaborator, Freeland accused Russia of spreading ‘disinformation’ and an attempt to ‘destabilise’ Canadian democracy.

“American officials have publicly said, and even Angela Merkel has publicly said, that there were efforts on the Russian side to destabilize Western democracies, and I think it shouldn’t come as a surprise if these same efforts were used against Canada,” Freeland told the media back then.

While Freeland’s office denied that Chomiak ever collaborated with Nazi Germany, however, there is ample evidence proving that the Liberal Party leader’s grandfather was indeed a Nazi collaborator and it was not in any form a ‘Russian propaganda’ even though Trudeau government punished Russian diplomats for the Nazi history of Freeland’s family.

Chrystia Freeland’s grandfather, Mykhailo Chomiak, worked for German military intelligence during the war as the editor of a prominent Ukrainian publication that celebrated Hitler and promoted severe antisemitism. This newspaper was a key tool in spreading Nazi propaganda and also whitewashing the Holocaust. Following the war, Chomiak and his family entered Canada as postwar immigrants to Canada, along with hundreds of other Ukrainian Nazi collaborators and former SS [Schutzstaffel] members. Chomiak landed in Alberta and continued to work for Nazi causes.

Source: Espritedecorps

According to the Ukraine Archival Records held by the Province of Alberta, Chomiak edited the Nazi-affiliated newspaper Krakivski Visti. This newspaper was printed on a press seized from a Jewish owner. Notably, Chrystia Freeland had helped edit a scholarly article titled: “Krakivski visti and the Jews, 1943”  by her uncle John Paul Himka in 1996. It is, thus clear that Freeland was long aware of her grandfather’s Nazi history. However, she never cared to reveal it publicly and later dismissed it all as Russian ‘propaganda’ as some media outlets began digging up Chomiak’s life and times as a Nazi collaborator.

A 1941 issue of Krakivski Visti (Source: Internet Archive)

Freeland’s audacity to blame Russia and get Russian diplomats expelled for some allegedly pro-Russia websites publishing articles about Chomiak’s Nazi history based on now-publicly available records is astonishing. The Trudeau government being true to its ‘liberal’ element, sided with the Nazis and expelled Russian diplomats saying that Russia was trying to ‘destabilise’ Canadian democracy, much like how it is accusing Indian diplomats of posing a “threat to Canadian citizens on Canadian soil”, completely disregarding that Nijjar was a Khalistani terrorist whose citizenship remains questionable to this day.

Mykhailo Chomiak, back row on the right, socializing with Nazi officers and Ukrainian colleagues in Krakow, 1943 (Source: TheBreach)

Trudeau government honouring Nazi World War II veteran

In September 2023, the Canadian House of Commons gave a standing ovation to Yaroslav Hunka, a World War II veteran, without disclosing the fact that Hunka was a member of a SS unit established in 1943 by the Nazis. Notably, SS was the main paramilitary group under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany and was primarily responsible for running Holocaust operations. While in his 2011 blog, Hunka described his days serving as a member of the SS 14th Waffen Grenadier Division as the “happiest days” of his life, Liberal MP Anthony Rota, introduced Yaroslav Hunka, a World War II veteran who fought for “Ukrainian independence” against Russian aggressors, in the Canadian House of Commons. A detailed OpIndia report on the major embarrassment Canada faced for honouring a Nazi troop, the history of the Ukrainian First Division and how Canada benefitted from admitting war criminals can be read here.

From Nazis to Islamists and Khalistanis, Canada has been a safe haven for criminals and terrorists

In addition to siding with the Nazis, Canada has also been a safe haven for Islamic terrorists. Back in the 1990s, Canada housed Algerian terrorist Ahmed Ressam, who later executed the foiled plot to bomb Los Angeles International Airport in late December 1999. Ressam sought political asylum in Canada claiming that a fake terrorism case was brought up against him and was subjected to torture in Algeria. Ressam not only managed to stay in Canada but also went to Afghanistan to complete his terror training, and return to Canada via Pakistan  South Korea, and Los Angeles, and plan to blow up the Los Angeles Airport. Fortunately, he was arrested while on his way to execute the bomb blast.

Now, Canada under Justin Trudeau has turned into a safe haven for Khalistani terrorists who directly challenge the territorial integrity of India and want to separate Punjab from India. Not a day goes by when Khalistani separatists not raise anti-India protests, burn Indian flags, and slander the Indian Prime Minister and Indian diplomats with impunity since the Canadian Prime Minister shields the anti-India elements in the garb of protecting their freedom of expression and right to protest. In reality, political gains are the main reason behind the Liberal Party blindly backing Khalistani terrorists even at the cost of destroying ties with an important ally like India.

The latest diplomatic spat with India and Canada can be called the second phase of the absurd but outrageous allegations first levelled against India months after Nijjar’s killing, Justin Trudeau, notorious for mollycoddling Khalistani terrorists and allowing their anti-India and anti-Hindu activities on Canadian soil unchecked for his political gains, accused the Indian government of assassinating the Khalistani terrorist. Historically, Canada has been a Nazi-sympathiser, a safe haven for Islamists and Khalistanis yet the Trudeau government has the audacity to blame the Modi government in India for its own policy of importing terrorists.

Justin Trudeau’s explicit backing of the Khalistani terrorists has driven the India-Canada bilateral to the rock bottom. From allying with pro-Khalistan leader Jagmeet Singh’s NDP to mollycoddling Khalistani extremists, Trudeau has desperately tried to appease his anti-India votebank while also deflecting domestic attention from the NSICOP report exposing how the Liberal Party benefitted from Chinese interference in the last two federal elections in Canada. Governments changed, and Prime Ministers changed, however, Canadian leadership’s support for Nazis, Islamists and Khalistanis at the cost of straining ties with other countries has been a shameless constant.

Hindus attacked in another Durga Visarjan procession, Jitesh Kumar and Rajan Patel stabbed with sharp weapons by Angur Alam and others in UP’s Deoria

OpIndia Staff
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Hindus attacked in another Durga Visarjan procession, Jitesh Kumar and Rajan Patel stabbed with sharp weapons by Angur Alam and others in UP’s Deoria

Another incident of violence during the Visarjana of Goddess Durga idol has emerged from Uttar Pradesh. The immersion ceremony for the idol of Maa Durga in Majhauli Raj Nagar at Nadavar Ghat in Salempur, Deoria, took a violent turn late Wednesday, 16th October night. As the idol was being brought to the ghat in a procession from Majhauli, an altercation broke out near Majhauli Main Chowk following which one of the individuals belonging to the specific community attacked two youths from the procession.

As per reports, when the procession reached Majhauli main square, some youths in the area got into an argument with two Hindu youths who were dancing in the procession. The argument turned into a physical fight, and the attackers stabbed the two Hindu youths with sharp weapons. Both the youths were seriously injured in this incident. 

The incident sparked massive outrage in the Hindu community who stopped the procession and began demanding justice for the two victims. The police reached the spot after receiving information about the incident and calmed the situation. After this, the procession continued and the idol of Goddess Durga was immersed under police protection.

As per the reports, what exactly provoked the accused belonging to the specific community to attack Hindus with sharp weapons is yet unknown, but it is believed that some altercation happened between the local youths earlier as a result of which the accused along with some of his associates attacked the procession participants.

The attacked individuals have been identified as Jitesh Kumar and Rajan Patel and they have been taken to the hospital for treatment. The accused meanwhile were believed to have fled from the spot after executing the attack. However, the police nabbed one of the accused and are making all efforts to nab the other accused.

According to police, the attack was the result of personal enmity between the two groups. “There was a dispute between some youths over an old personal dispute. In relation to which a case has been registered and the accused has been taken into custody, action is being taken as per the rules,” Deoria police said.

SDM Divya Mittal said that Rajan Patel was critically injured but now his condition is stable. The arrested main accused has been identified as Angur Alam, who was arrested after the complaint filed by the injured. The other accused are absconding.

The police conducted a flag march in Deoria on 16th October and ensured that peace was maintained. At present the situation in the city is under control.

This comes days after a clash broke out between two communities during the immersion of the Devi Durga idol in Rehua Mansoor village in the Hardi police station area of Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday after Muslims objected to DJ music played in the procession. One person was shot dead during the violence while several others were injured from stone pelting. The deceased was later identified as 22-year-old Ram Gopal Mishra, who was part of the idol immersion group. Mishra was rushed to the medical college hospital after the firing, but he died there during treatment.

As per reports, the incident took place at Rehua Mansoor village on Sunday evening, when the idol of Maa Durga was taken out for immersion. When the procession heading towards Gauriya Ghat was passing in front of a mosque in the Maharajganj area chanting religious slogans, Muslims gathered near the mosque and asked the procession to stop the DJ music.

This led to an argument between the two sides, and amid the chaos, some people started pelting stones at the procession and the idols. The Hindus asked the police present to arrest the culprits, but in the meantime, more people from the Muslim community arrived there.

It is believed that during the turmoil, Mishra climbed onto the roof of one Abdul Hamid’s house and replaced an already flying green flag with a saffron one, while cries of ‘Jai Maa Durga’ and ‘Jai Hanuman’ roared in the air.

Amid the mayhem caused by the stone pelting, some miscreant opened fire. As per reporters, someone from Abdul Hamid’s residence in the area fired shots. Ram Gopal Mishra, son of Kailash Nath of Rehua Mansoor village was shot from a close range. He was shifted to the Medical College in Bahraich, but he succumbed to injuries during treatment.

Hyderabad: Salman Salim who vandalised Secunderabad temple was inspired by fugitive Zakir Naik’s videos, he was radicalised and hated idoltary

OpIndia Staff
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Hyderabad: Salman Salim who vandalised Secunderabad temple was inspired by fugitive Zakir Naik’s videos, he was radicalised and hated idoltary

The man who was arrested on October 16th for vandalising an idol of Muthyalamma temple in Telangana’s Kurmaguda region in Hyderabad was identified as Salman Salim Thakur, a 30-year-old Mumbai resident. The Secunderabad police, who have been interrogating the accused said that he was self-radicalised after being motivated by videos of fugitive Islamic hate preacher Zakir Naik and became hostile toward Hindus.

Salman, as per the police, has also been involved in similar vandalism incidents in Mumbai in 2022.

The Hyderabad Police unveiled that he became self-radicalized as a result of watching social media videos featuring hardline Islamists including Zakir Naik and other controversial Muslim preachers.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (north zone) S Rashmi Perumal informed, “He started watching videos of Islamic religious preachers, like that of Zakir Naik and others, on Facebook and YouTube. He developed a radical bent of mind and hatred towards the idolatry practised by people of other faiths.”

He’s already been linked to similar incidents in Mumbai in September 2022, when he attacked locals after breaking into a Ganesh pandal while wearing shoes and Vasai-Virar in August 2024 of this year. He was in Hyderabad for a month-long course on personality development.

“Salman came to Hyderabad in early October this year to attend a month-long personality development workshop conducted by popular Mumbai-based motivational speaker Munawar Zama, his associate Md Kafeel Ahmed, and their followers at Hotel Metropolis, in Regimental Bazar. Zama is the owner of English House Academy,” the senior official disclosed. The hotel’s property was unlawfully rented for the purpose of the course without official authorization.

Extremists vandalise Hindu temple, desecrate idol of the deity in Telangana

On the morning of 14th October, Secunderabad witnessed a spike in tensions when Salman broke into the Muthyalamma temple’s sanctum sanctorum and damaged the idol of Goddess Durga. Some of the devotees who were at the temple then thrashed him. Afterwards, the police apprehended him and brought him to a hospital, where he is being treated for internal injuries at the moment.

In the videos of the incident that went viral, the idol of the Goddess could be seen vandalized. Also, the outer area of the temple could be seen destroyed and vandalized.

A First Information Report (FIR) was lodged against him by the authorities under pertinent sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS). The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Hindu organizations, and local citizens launched an extensive protest in response to the instance.

Notably, Zakir Naik who is infamous for his radical views and inflammatory speeches has been a fugitive since 2016 and is facing money laundering charges in India. He then became a permanent resident of Malaysia. His sermons and lectures have influenced several young people to become radicals. Many others have attempted to join terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State as a result of his teachings including an assailant involved in the Dhaka cafe bombing in 2016. He is an admirer of terrorist Osama bin Laden and propagates that non-Muslims should be treated as inferiors according to the Sharia Law in Islamic countries.

Communal tension under control in Tripura after Shiva Temple vandalised by ‘unknown miscreants’, leading to attempts to attack under-construction mosque

OpIndia Staff
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Communal tension under control in Tripura after Shiva Temple vandalised by ‘unknown miscreants’, leading to attempts to attack under-construction mosque

On Tuesday, October 15, communal clashes flared up in the Pekucherra area in North Tripura district after some unidentified miscreants vandalised a Shive Temple in the vicinity late on Monday (October 14) night.

Angered by the incident, the next day, members of the Hindu community staged protests and allegedly tried to attack an under-construction structure at a mosque complex in the area in retaliation, however, police thwarted the attempt.

Following the incident, the state government suspended internet services across North Tripura for the next 72 hours. Restrictions on public movement were also imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita till Thursday noon.

“Due to communal tension in parts of North Tripura district, I, Dr Pradeep Kumar Chakravarty, Secretary to the Government of Tripura, Home Department, hereby issue this notification under Section 52 of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885. The following media types are prohibited for 72 hours from 1700 hours on 15/10/2024 throughout the entire North Tripura district: I. SMS messages of all mobile service providers. II. Mobile internet/data services of all mobile service providers. III. All press messages. Violation of this notification will be punishable under Section 223 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and relevant provisions of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, and the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules, 2017,” the order read.

On Wednesday (October 16), the police, however, confirmed that the situation in the area was under control.

“We visited the area today as well. Seven peace meetings were held since yesterday with members of both communities in different parts of the district. There have been no further flare-ups,” Avinash Rai, Dhalai Superintendent of Police, was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

Tensions were already high in the area following a communal clash related to a Durga Puja subscription dispute. The situation further deteriorated on Tuesday due to vandalism at a temple, intensifying the unrest in the Hindu community.

Muslim mob in Tripura goes berserk after claiming assault from Durga Puja organisers for refusing to pay chanda

On Sunday (6th October), violent clashes broke out in the Kadamtala block area of North Tripura after a Muslim mob attacked Hindu houses and members of a local club over the collection of paid subscriptions (chanda) for Durga Puja.

During the orgy of violence, the Muslim mob vandalised two homes and a beauty parlour. In visuals that have surfaced on social media, scared Hindu residents were seen narrating their ordeal and showcasing the extent of damage caused to their property.

An arson attack was also carried out in the Kadamtala Bazar area. Muslim mobs, armed with machetes, terrorised Hindus and looted shops in the market area. One man was brutally killed and 17 others were injured during the onslaught on the Hindu community.

The attack triggered retaliatory measures, prompting the law enforcement authorities to intervene.

Saharanpur: Md Ashif poses as Ashish to trap a Hindu woman, assaults, forces her to convert to Islam threatening to make pictures viral, arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Saharanpur: Md Ashif poses as Ashish to trap a Hindu woman, assaults, forces her to convert to Islam threatening to make pictures viral, arrested

On Wednesday, 16th October, the Uttar Pradesh Police in Saharanpur arrested an individual for cheating a Hindu woman and establishing sexual relations with her. The accused identified as Mohammad Ashif posed as a Hindu and introduced himself as Ashish to the woman. He also shot derogatory videos of the woman and threatened to make them viral as he forced her to convert her religion to Islam. The woman on 14th October then filed a police complaint and demanded strict action against the accused.

“On 14th October, a woman submitted an application in the Nakur police station in which she said that she had known a person for 8 to10 months. That person deceived the girl by telling the name of another community and made physical relations with the girl and now that boy is threatening to make the girl’s video viral. In this regard, a case has been registered at Nakur police station. The police got the victim medically examined and recorded her statement. Also, the accused has been taken into custody by the police and he is being questioned,” SP Rural Saharanpur Sagar Jain said.

As per reports, the incident is believed to have happened in the Nakur region of Saharanpur area of Uttar Pradesh. The woman in the complaint mentioned that she came in contact with the accused 8-10 months ago. The accused managed to get the woman’s phone number and began talking to her. He then forced the woman to talk to him following which he gave indications he was in ‘love’ with her. He then forcefully established sexual relations with her.

However, when the woman learned that the accused belonged to another religion she stopped talking to him. She learned that the accused had lied to her saying that he was Ashish and that he belonged to the Hindu religion. Following this the accused threatened the woman to convert her religion. He also threatened the woman saying that he would make her derogatory photos that he had shot, viral, if she failed to comply.

The woman in the complaint said that on 14th October, she was dragged by the accused and one Mohsin into the shop named Malik Computers where the accused persons assaulted her and threatened to convert to Islam. She said that 8 months ago Mohsin, the owner of Malik Computers introduced her to the accused saying that he was a renowned businessman. This is when the victim had gone to the computer shop for some online exam.

It is believed that the accused Ashif then obtained the number of the woman from the computer shop and trapped her into a relationship to further force her to convert to Islam. As per the reports, several women from the Saharanpur area go to Malik computers to take online exams. The phone numbers of the girls are then given to Muslim men by Mohsin to trap them in a relationship leading to conversion.

In the given case, the accused Ashif has been arrested. He is being interrogated by the police. Probe underway.

Bahraich violence: First named accused Danish aka Zaheer Khan arrested, was trying to flee to Nepal after brutally killing Ram Gopal Mishra

OpIndia Staff
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Bahraich violence: First named accused Danish aka Zaheer Khan arrested, was trying to flee to Nepal after brutally killing Ram Gopal Mishra

Five days after a violent Islamist mob brutally murdered 22-year-old Ram Gopal Mishra, police apprehended the first named accused in the case. The individual, identified as Raja aka Mohammad Danish aka Zaheer/Sahir Khan, is accused of being involved in the murder of Ram Gopal Mishra. According to reports, Zaheer Khan was trying to flee to Nepal when he was apprehended near the Raji crossing in Mahsi block of the district.

The other five accused are still absconding, said police. 

SHO Kamal Shankar stated that the police have secured custody remand of Danish, also known as Sahir, for questioning. Meanwhile, raids are being conducted at various locations to locate the main accused, Sarfaraz, along with other suspects.

Notably, the Bahraich police have registered 11 FIRs so far wherein 6 named and 1,304 unidentified people have been accused. They registered a case of unlawful assembly and murder against 10 individuals in connection with the killing of Ram Gopal Mishra. Among these, 6 individuals were named while 4 remained unidentified. Raja aka Mohammad Danish aka Sahir/Zaheer Khan was one of the named accused in the murder of Ram Gopal Mishra.

Mishra was participating in the Durga idol immersion procession that was passing through the Rehua Mansoor village in the Hardi police station area of Bahraich, when Abdul Hamid and other Muslims, mercilessly killed him.

The FIR of the murder of Ram Gopal Mishra was filed based on the complaint submitted by his brother Hari Milan, who had confirmed that around 4 pm, his brother Ram Gopal went to Maharajganj market to watch the immersion of a Durga idol.

“Here, a group of 10 people, including four identified as Abdul Hamid, Rinku alias Sarfaraz, Faheem, Raja alias Sahir Khan (all residents of Rehuwa Mansoor) caught my brother Ram Gopal, dragged him into the house, shot him, and inflicted multiple blows with a sword, which resulted in his immediate death,” said Hari Milan in his FIR to the police.

“I, along with my brothers Rajan and Kishan, identified the above-mentioned individuals, but we could not identify the four unknown persons,” he said.

Besides, the Bahraich police also arrested 55 people in connection with the violence that broke out during the Durga idol immersion procession on Sunday. They are being identified from CCTV footage.

The mobile internet and broadband remained suspended in Bharaich’s Mahsi Tehsil after the clashes as senior police and civic administration officials remained on the ground to maintain the law and order situation.

Meanwhile, the Yogi Adityanath government has taken significant action in the case and suspended Circle Officer (CO) Mahsi Rupendra Gaur. Gaur was reportedly removed from his position following his order to lathi-charge the participants in the procession, which escalated the crowd’s violence.

CO Ravi Khokhar, who was previously posted in Rampur, has been appointed as the new CO for Mahsi and has officially taken charge.

In response to the situation in Bahraich, which shares an international border with Nepal, the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) has heightened its vigilance along the border. A senior officer noted that the SSB has communicated with their counterparts across the border to monitor and control the “unnecessary” movement of people. This action is part of efforts to maintain security and order following recent violent incidents in the area.

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