Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said that Pakistan has asked the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a seven-billion-dollar bailout package, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given more than this for the PF package for J&K.
“Pakistan is requesting the IMF for a USD 7 billion bailout package. They could have asked India. PM Modi has given more than this in the PF package for J&K. They are in this condition because they domesticated snakes,” said Rajnath Singh while addressing a public rally in Jammu.
“We have done whatever we promised in the BJP election manifesto. We spoke about the abrogation of Article 370, and we did it as soon as we got the majority in centre. I feel pained by what Omar Abudullah said and did. He said that he won’t fight in elections till the J&K restores statehood, but now he is fighting from two constituencies. Parties like the PDP, NC, and Congress claim that they will give statehood to J&K. How will they? They do not have government in the centre. Without that, it is not possible. Politics should not be done to win in elections. It must be done to build a country,” Rajnath Singh said slamming J&K opposition parties.
“The defence minister of Pakistan has said that Article 370 can only be restored by NC and Congress. I want to ask NC and Congress if they are working as Pakistan’s proxy,” he pointed out.
He assured that J&K’s statehood will be restored if people get the BJP government formed in the valley. Adding to that, he said, “It is not just me speaking that PM Modi has himself assured on J&K’s statehood restoration. 61 per cent of voting has been recorded in J&K, in the first phase of assembly elections, and it happened because of the abrogation of Article 370.”
Singh on Sunday addressed three public meetings in Poonch, Rajouri, and Jammu during his election campaign in the Union Territory.
Jammu and Kashmir is voting for its 90-member assembly in three phases. The first phase of voting took place on September 18. Notably, a voter turnout of 61.13 pc was registered in the first phase of polling in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls, which were held on 24 constituencies in seven districts on September 18.
Voting for the second and third phases in J-K will be held on September 25 and October 1, respectively. Votes will be counted on October 8.
Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing an interesting contest with several political parties and independents in the fray. NCP and Congress have forged a pre poll alliance in the UT. These elections, the first since the abrogation of Article 370, are being held after nearly a decade in the Union Territory.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
On 21st September, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu announced that the state government would begin a cleansing process for all temples in the state. The announcement came amidst the ongoing Tirupati Laddu controversy, where animal fat like fish oil, beef fat and pig fat was found as an adulterant in the ghee supplied to the temple for Laddus.
Speaking to the media at the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) central office, CM Naidu said that decisions regarding necessary steps and their implementation are in progress. He added, “A decision will be made soon after consultations with Jeer Swamy, Kanchi Swamy, and other religious leaders in response to the Tirupati Laddoo controversy.” He reaffirmed that his government is committed to respect religious sentiments and vowed to take appropriate actions after consulting religious leaders.
Accusing the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) of being responsible for the controversy, CM Naidu stated that the party not only committed the crime but also engaged in diversionary politics.
He remarked, “How is it possible to get a kilogram of cow ghee at Rs 320?” and added that while making such decisions, the administration should have been careful, as Tirupati Temple is a world-famous sacred pilgrimage centre.
Tirupati Laddu Prasadam controversy
On 18 September Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu accused the previous YS Jagan Mohan Reddy administration of using animal fat in making laddus served at the renowned Hindu temple during his address at the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) legislative party meeting. “They (YSRC government) not only provided substandard food to the devotees, such as Anna Prasadam in Tirumala, but also used inferior quality ingredients to make Prasadam, which is offered to Lord Venkateswara. Instead of using pure ghee, they used animal fat,” he charged.
The chief minister further added, “Today, we are using pure ghee and cleansed the system in the temple. Quality of Prasadam and food have improved and steps are being taken to make further improvements.” His statement was eventually validated by the test findings. The conclusions drawn by the report revealed that there were residues of animal fat in the ghee used to prepare iconic Tirupati laddu prasadam. Furthermore, ingredients like soybean, sunflower, olive, rapeseed, linseed, wheat germ, maize germ, cotton seed, coconut, palm kernel fat, and palm oil were also used in making the laddus.
After that, a laboratory report emerged, which showed that ghee used by the Tirupati temple contained beef fat, pig fat, fish oil, and various types of plant-based oil, and the content of dairy fat was very low. The test was conducted by National Dairy Development Board’s “Centre of Analysis and Learning in Livestock and Food” (CALF) laboratory on behalf of Tirumala Tirupathi Devastanam. TTD had decided to test the ghee after receiving multiple complaints about the deteriorating quality and taste of its famous laddus.
TTD has already started blacklisting the suppliers of ghee after the report came out.
Just a day after Hindu groups in Bangladesh apprehended attacks and harassment on Durga puja this year and made several demands with the interim govt, the harassment has already started. In Khulna, Islamists have threatened Hindu temples that they will not be allowed to organise Durga Puja if they don’t pay Tk 5 lakh.
Several Hindu temples in Khulna district has received anonymous letters threatening that they will not be allowed to celebrate Durga Puja if they don’t make the payment. The letters given to puja celebration committees associated with several temples said that if they don’t make the payment, there will be severe consequences.
The letter sent by post said that if they talk about this to administration or media, they will be beheaded. It also said that if the money is not paid, the recipient’s fate will be like what happened with Hanif’s project.
Notably, after the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government on August 5, Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbub Ul Alam Hanif’s house was looted for several days.
The Bengali letter mentioned in the top, “Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem”. After that it is addressed to “President/General Secretary”, with and underlined blank space to write the name of the temple by hand, followed by printed words “Puja Mandir”
The text of the letter said, “Listen, if you want to perform Durga Puja in 2024, you will have to pay a contribution of five lakh taka from each temple. Otherwise, you will not be able to organise puja in any way. As was done in Hanif’s project, your fate will be same. Keep all the money ready within a week. Give the money in a place in Kalinagar market as you will be told. Will inform you of the place later. If you tell these things to the administration, journalists or anyone else, remember that you will be cut like taro stem. Your family will also not be spared. Tell all other nearby temples secretly as we don’t know the names of all temples. There will be no benefit in the administration and the army tricking us, the money will have to be paid. In the name of Allah, if we don’t get money, we will cut you into pieces. We are watching you”
The letter is dated 7 September 2024.
The letters started coming to presidents and general secretaries of various Hindu temples and Puja Committees on Wednesday, raising concerns among the Hindu community in the Muslim-majority nation which has seen the rise of fundamental Islamists after the fall of Sheikh Hasina government.
The same computer-printed letter has been sent to various temples in yellow envelopes.
On Friday, four different temples in Khulna approached the Dakop police station, and accordingly, a general diary entry was made. Officer-in-Charge Sirajul Islam said, ‘GD was made from four temples on Friday regarding that flyer. We are investigating. Efforts are being made to protect the temple from our side. We are patrolling regularly from the police station along with the army team. The village police and union police officers are on round-the-clock patrol.
The general secretary of one of the temples said that after receiving the letter, they are very anxious and concerned about the matter. After receiving the letter on Wednesday, they held a meeting with the people in the area.
Many people in the meeting said that it would be better to not organise Puja this year. But at last, they decided to go with the rituals and celebrations together. After that, vigil in the area has been increased.
However, as per reports, some temple committees have decided to not organise Durga Puja due to the threat, while some others have decided to keep it low key.
Shekhar Chandra Goldar, President of the Kamarkhola Sarvajanin Durga Puja Celebration Committee of Dakop said that they have decided to not organise puja in view of the threat letter. He told Prothom Alo, ‘There was a discussion going on to do the puja on a very small scale instead of grandiose puja this year. But after receiving such letters, our members are no longer interested. This year we have to stop the puja.’
Vodafone Idea Limited has secured a deal worth USD 3.6 billion (Rs. 300 billion) with Nokia, Ericsson, and Samsung for the supply of network equipment over the next three years.
This agreement marks the first step in the company’s three-year capital expenditure plan of USD 6.6 billion (Rs. 550 billion), according to its official filing.
The investment will be used to expand Vodafone Idea’s 4G population coverage from 1.03 billion to 1.2 billion, and to launch 5G services in key markets, as well as increase capacity to meet data growth demands, the filing noted.
“The company has retained its long-standing partners, Nokia and Ericsson, and has also brought on Samsung as a new partner,” the statement read.
Vodafone Idea said that this contract will enable the company to leverage cutting-edge equipment to enhance customer experiences.
“Moreover, the insights and expertise gained by these vendors in the Indian market over the last two years will help the company implement a more flexible and modular rollout plan, customising services for advanced technologies like 4G and 5G. The new equipment will also bring energy efficiency benefits, thereby reducing operational costs,” the company added.
Vodafone Idea stated that supplies from these new long-term agreements will begin in the upcoming quarter.
The company’s primary focus is to extend 4G coverage to 1.2 billion people across India, it said.
Following the recent equity raise of Rs. 240 billion and an additional Rs. 35 billion spent on spectrum acquisition during the June 2024 auction, the company has already implemented several “quick win” capital expenditure projects while finalising these long-term contracts.
These quick wins have primarily involved deploying additional spectrum at existing sites and establishing new ones.
“This has led to a 15 percent increase in capacity and expanded population coverage by 16 million, which is expected to be achieved by the end of September 2024,” it added.
Akshaya Moondra, CEO of Vodafone Idea Limited, said, “We are committed to investing in emerging network technologies to provide a best-in-class experience for our customers. We have initiated the investment cycle and are on the path of VIL 2.0. From here, VIL will stage a smart turnaround, enabling us to effectively participate in the industry’s growth opportunities. Nokia and Ericsson have been our partners since the beginning, and this is yet another milestone in that long-standing relationship. We are also excited to start our new partnership with Samsung and look forward to collaborating with all our partners as we transition into the 5G era.”
The company also noted that customer experiences have improved in certain regions where these rollouts have been completed.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
A new case of love jihad has come to light from Purnia district of Bihar. Here, 32-year-old Mohammad Ziarul, by changing his name, first trapped a Hindu girl in his trap and later married her. Ziarul introduced himself to the victim as Shankar Yadav. Ziarul had married 6 times before marrying the victim. There was also an attempt to convert the Hindu woman to Islam. After receiving the complaint on Wednesday (18th September, 2024), the police arrested the accused and sent him to jail.
According to media reports, the incident is from Sadar police station area of Purnia district. A Hindu victim has lodged a complaint with the police in the case. In the complaint, the woman told that she met Ziarul in December 2023. Ziarul used to work as a labourer then. He came to work in the victim’s house under the name Shankar Yadav. It was here that both of them met, which later turned into a conversation. Within a few days, Ziarul trapped the girl.
During their meetings, Mohammad Ziarul said that he was a bachelor. He married the victim on 7th February 2024. After this, he had physical relations with the victim several times. From the month of August, the victim started suspecting Ziarul’s actions. He started pressurising the victim to wear a burqa.
Along with this, Ziarul also started advising the woman to keep fasts during Ramzaan and read namaz etc. Whenever there was azan, Ziarul would raise his hands for prayer. He started talking mostly in Urdu words. Ziarul also started beating the victim on every small thing. Sometimes, he also used to give advice to the girl about accepting Islam. To turn her doubt into belief, the victim searched for Ziarul, who had become Shankar Yadav. During that, she found his native village, which is in Barsauni police station area of Purnia.
When she reached Ziarul’s village, she came to know for the first time that her husband was a Muslim. It was here that it was also revealed that Ziarul was already married. He already had a total of 6 wives, out of which he had divorced 2. Ziarul had married the victim for the 7th time. After his secret was revealed, Ziarul also threatened to kill the victim. Meanwhile, the victim’s family also came to know about Ziarul’s misdeeds.
The victim’s family then together beat up the accused. As soon as the matter came to light, Hindu organizations also started demanding action. On 18th September, the victim lodged a complaint against Ziarul with the police. On 19th September (Thursday), the police arrested the accused and sent him to jail. A fake Aadhar card in the name of Shankar Yadav was also recovered from Ziarul. During the arrest, a thread like Kalawa was found tied to his hand. Investigation of the case and other necessary legal action is underway.
Terming the Quad as a “force of Global Good” the Quad leaders made a number of announcements to address the development priorities of the Indo-Pacific region and of the global community as a whole.
US President Joe Biden on September 21 hosted Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Wilmington, Delaware, for the fourth Quad Leaders’ Summit. To take the Quad agenda forward, the Quad Leaders adopted the Quad Wilmington Declaration.
This year, the Quad announced executing tangible projects that benefit partner countries across the Indo-Pacific–including in the Pacific, Southeast Asia, and the Indian Ocean Region.
These include ‘Quad Cancer Moonshot’, a groundbreaking partnership to save lives in the Indo-Pacific region by combating cervical cancer.
Another initiative announced was the ‘Maritime Initiative for Training in the Indo-Pacific’ (MAITRI) to enable Indo-Pacific partners to maximise tools provided through IPMDA (Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness). It aims to support the concept of open science for space-based monitoring of extreme weather events and climate impact.
The leaders pledged a collective Quad effort to boost energy efficiency, including the deployment and manufacturing of high-efficiency, affordable cooling systems in the Indo-Pacific region.
An announcement was made for the first ‘Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission’ in 2025 to improve interoperability and advance maritime safety and the ‘Quad Ports of the Future Partnership,’ which will harness the Quad’s collective expertise to support sustainable and resilient port infrastructure development across the Indo-Pacific.
Quad leaders also announced ‘Quad Principles for Development and Deployment of Digital Public Infrastructure’ in the region and beyond.
The leaders also announced a “Semiconductor Supply Chains Contingency Network Memorandum of Cooperation” to enhance the resilience of Quad’s semiconductor supply chains.
India also announced the establishment of a space-based web portal for Mauritius to support the concept of open science for space-based monitoring of extreme weather events and climate impact.
It announced a new sub-category under the Quad STEM Fellowship for students of the Indo-Pacific region to pursue a four-year bachelor’s level engineering programme at a Government of India-funded technical institute.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 5 lakh scholarship for Indo-Pacific students at the Quad leaders summit. This initiative will enable 50 recipients to pursue a four-year undergraduate engineering programme at a Government of India-funded technical institution.
Prime Minister Modi reaffirmed India’s commitment to the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad).
During PM Modi’s address to the Quad Leaders’ Summit held in Delaware, he described the grouping comprising of Australia, India, US and Japan as “Quick Unified Assistance Delivery,” and said that the regional body “is here to stay”.
During his three-day visit to the United States, PM Modi held bilateral talks with the Quad leaders- President of the US Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida.
While Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida extended support to PM Modi for his initiative to organise Voice of Global South Summits, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese termed India a “predominant power in the Indian Ocean”.
The Quad governments said they intend to work with their respective legislatures to deepen interparliamentary exchanges, and encourage other stakeholders to deepen engagement with Quad counterparts.
US Members of Congress announced the creation of a bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Quad Caucus.
In the coming months, Quad Commerce and Industry ministers will meet for the first time.
Quad Leaders also welcomed the leaders of the Quad Development Finance Institutions and Agencies deciding to meet to explore future investments by the four countries in the Indo-Pacific, including in health security, food security, clean energy, and quality infrastructure.
This builds on a previous meeting in 2022 between the heads of the Export Finance Australia, the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific, India Export-Import Bank, Japan Bank for International Cooperation, and US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC).
In response to the current clade I mpox outbreak, as well as the ongoing clade II mpox outbreak, the Quad said it plans to coordinate efforts to promote equitable access to safe, effective, quality-assured mpox vaccines, including where appropriate expanding vaccine manufacturing in low and middle-income countries.
In 2023, Quad partners announced the first-ever Open RAN deployment in the Pacific, in Palau, to support a secure, resilient, and interconnected telecommunications ecosystem. Since then, the Quad has committed approximately USD 20 million to this effort. Building on this initiative, the Quad announces an expansion of Open RAN collaboration to deliver trusted technology solutions.
The Quad plans to expand support for ongoing Open RAN field trials and the Asia Open RAN Academy (AORA) in the Philippines, building on the initial USD 8 million in support that the United States and Japan pledged earlier this year.
In addition, the United States plans to invest over USD 7 million to support the global expansion of AORA, including through establishing a first-of-its-kind Open RAN workforce training initiative at scale in South Asia, in partnership with Indian institutions.
Quad partners also welcome the opportunity to explore additional Open RAN projects in Southeast Asia.
Quad partners will also explore collaborating with the Tuvalu Telecommunications Corporation to ensure the country’s readiness for nationwide 5G deployment.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan on Sunday said that the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams board was “altered for political gain” by the previous government after CM Chandrababu Naidu alleged that YSRCP govt used ‘animal fat’ in Laddu Prasadam given at Tirumala Temple in Tirupati.
The Janasena Party chief statement comes as he started 11 days ‘Prayaschitta Diksha’ at Sri Dasavatara Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Guntur as penance.
“Prasadam distribution has been ongoing for more than 100 years. But under YSRCP’s rule, TTD board was altered for political gain. The Sri Venkateswara Trust was established, leading to various scams. Worship protocols were changed, and over 300 temples were desecrated,” Kalyan said.
Kalyan further alleged that Ayodhya received ‘contaminated’ laddus from TTD during the YSCRP regime.
“I question whether authorities are following protocols in all temples. Fish oil, beef tallow, and pork fat have been found in prasadam. Even Ayodhya received contaminated laddus from TTD during the YSRCP regime,” Kalyan said.
“During the YSRCP regime, 219 temples were destroyed. I questioned the vandalism of these temples. We will not tolerate this, and strict action will be taken. What has the TTD board done in the past five years? Hindu devotees must speak out. What was once sacred has been desecrated. The guilty must face punishment,” Kalyan said.
“As I undertake this 11-day penance ritual, I apologize to Lord Venkateswara. We shouldn’t remain silent when Hindu temples are desecrated. If this happened in mosques or churches, the nation would erupt,” he said.
Earlier in a post on X, Pawan Kalyan announced that he will fast for 11 days to seek forgiveness from lord Balaji.
“I am deeply hurt on a personal level by the malicious attempts made to infuse impurity in the prasad of Sri Tirupati Balaji Dham, the center of our culture, faith, belief and devotion, and to tell you the truth, I feel cheated from within. Right now, I am taking a vow to seek forgiveness from the Lord and am taking a vow to fast for eleven days. In the latter part of the eleven-day Atonement Initiation, on October 1 and 2, I will go to Tirupati and have a personal darshan of the Lord and beg for forgiveness and then my Atonement Initiation will be completed in front of the Lord,” Pawan Kalyan tweeted on X.
The row comes days after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu claimed that substandard ingredients, including animal fat, were used in the preparation of Tirupati laddus, a sweet offered at the Sri Venkateswara temple in Tirupati, during the previous Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) government.
On 20th September, just a day before United States President Joe Biden hosted the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, in his hometown Wilmington in Delaware, National Security Council officials met a delegation of American Sikhs in Washington DC at the White House. As per reports, these officials reaffirmed the commitment of the United States government to protect them from any act of so-called transnational repression. The pro-Khalistani Sikh organisations in the US and other countries often claim that the Indian government uses its influence to suppress their voices on foreign soil.
The organisations, whose officials met with the US National Security Council officials, included the American Sikh Caucus Committee, Sikh Coalition, and Sikh American Legal Defence and Education Fund (SALDEF). These organisations are known for their pro-Khalistani separatist agendas. In a post on X, Pritpal Singh of the American Sikh Caucus Committee wrote, “Thankful to US officials for their vigilance in protecting Sikh Americans. We will hold them to their assurances to do more in safeguarding our community. Freedom and justice must prevail.”
Thankful to U.S. officials for their vigilance in protecting Sikh Americans. We will hold them to their assurances to do more in safeguarding our community. Freedom and justice must prevail.https://t.co/4YnNZagTRl
The meeting occurred at a time when a lawsuit had been filed by Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, founder of the Khalistani organisation Sikhs For Justice, in connection with the alleged attempt to assassinate him. The US court has summoned the Government of India and its top security officials, including NSA Ajit Doval.
Notably, a member of the American House of Representatives, Adam Schiff, introduced the Transnational Repression Reporting Act of 2024, which would require the Attorney General and other relevant federal agencies to report cases of alleged transnational repression against people in the US.
While introducing the act, Schiff said, “With transnational repression on the rise, the American people deserve to know if foreign governments are working to intimidate, harass, harm or kill individuals within the United States whom they view as hostile to their regimes.” In a press release issued by his office, Kiran Kaur Gill, executive director of SALDEF, was quoted as saying, “The Transnational Repression Reporting Act is a major step forward in protecting the freedom of speech and civil rights of Americans.”
Harman Singh, executive director of the Sikh Coalition, said, “We are deeply grateful to Congressman Schiff for proposing this legislation and taking the continuing threat of all transnational repression, including India’s recent targeting of Sikhs, seriously.” One of the directors of the Sikh Assembly of America, Swaranjit Singh Khalsa, said, “India must be made accountable for transnational repression of Sikhs and this bill helps combat the oppression and intimidation Sikhs are facing in America.”
American Sikh Caucus Committee
The American Sikh Caucus Committee appears to be an active secessionist organisation that propagates the demand for Khalistan and has been active since at least 2015. One of its main members, Pritpal Singh, has been seen frequently engaging with Pakistani leaders, as evidenced by his Facebook posts.
In February 2020, he shared a photograph of himself sitting next to Naemul Haq, a PTI veteran leader who passed away that month. The photograph was from 2019. In his post, Pritpal wrote, “On the passing of Naemul Haq, Pakistan has lost a great leader and Sikhs a dear friend.”
Source: FB
In another post from 2019, he shared a post by journalist Azmi Gill where the Governor of Punjab (Pakistan), Ch Mohammad Sarwer, met the Pakistani community in the Bay Area, San Francisco, California. Pritpal Singh was present at that meeting, raising serious concerns about his circle of “friends” and associates.
Source: FB
In January 2024, he openly propagated the demand for Khalistan while replying to the Hindu American Foundation. He wrote, “Just like the Hindu American Foundation has the right to advocate for a society’s segregation-based caste system (वर्णाश्रम), Sikhs also have the right to champion the cause of a Free Punjab and the establishment of Khalistan.”
Just like the @HinduAmerican Foundation has the right to advocate for a society’s segregation based Caste System(वर्णाश्रम), Sikhs also have the right to champion the cause of a Free Punjab and the establishment of Khalistan. In America, where freedom of belief is paramount, let…
In June 2024, he shared the now-banned Al Jazeera documentary on Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder. He wrote, “How India silences critics in the US and Canada. In July 2022, Canadian law enforcement warned Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh activist, that his life was at risk. Despite the threat, he continued his advocacy for Khalistan. Tragically, Nijjar was assassinated in June 2023 by Indian agents. The Al Jazeera documentary highlights a chilling instance of transnational repression.”
Source: X
After the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Pritpal claimed that FBI approached him and informed about the possible threat to his life. Speaking to The Intercept, he said, “I was visited by two FBI special agents in late June who told me that they had received information that there was a threat against my life. They did not tell us specifically where the threat was coming from, but they said that I should be careful.”
Sikh Coalition
Though the Sikh Coalition clearly claims that they do not take any organisational position on Khalistan, the organisation has repeatedly worked against the Government of India and spread misinformation about how the GoI is functioning under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Interestingly, they also share quotes from members of the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), an organisation known for its links to terrorist organisations.
In February 2021, an ad was featured during the Super Bowl about the farmer protests in India. Super Bowl ads are extremely expensive, which raised questions about who funded the ad. The 32-second national ad cost around USD 5.5 million, and regional ads, which this ad on the farmer protests was, cost no less than USD 10,000.
According to reports, the ad was created by Indian-American Raj Sodhi-Layne along with a couple of her friends, and it was she who signed the contract for airtime with CBS. Sodhi-Layne worked with the Sikh Institute Fresno (SIF), which partnered with the Sikh Coalition in the US.
The Sikh Coalition was listed by the SIF as a valid resource for legal aid for Sikh. As it turned out, the Sikh Coalition receives funds from the Open Society Foundations (OSF). The OSF is an organisation of George Soros, who had earlier declared war on nationalists and nationalism, including Prime Minister Modi.
Its website states, “Most of the Sikh Coalition’s funding comes from generous individual donations within the community. The Sikh Coalition relies on your financial support to sustain its initiatives and broaden its services.”
“In addition, each year the Sikh Coalition proudly receives multiple competitive grants from private, non-Sikh foundations, including Open Society Foundations, the Proteus Fund, New York Foundation, and Emergent Fund,” it adds.
In July 2023, the Sikh Coalition spoke about press freedom in India and quoted a report by NPR. The report referenced the World Press Freedom Index, which is compiled by Reporters Without Borders. Interestingly, OpIndia has already reported that such rankings are based on baseless allegations, dubious statistics, and outdated reports.
On 21st September, Sikh Coalition quoted Rasheed Ahmed of IAMC who said that “Modi’s upcoming New York rally is a critical moment to continue to push back against his legacy of democratic backsliding, human rights abuses, transnational repression, and more.”
Rasheed Ahmed, ED of @IAMCouncil , argues that Modi's upcoming New York rally is a critical moment to continue to push back against his legacy of democratic backsliding, human rights abuses, transnational repression, and more.
Sikh American Legal Defence and Education Fund (SALDEF)
The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) is also careful about not directly siding with Khalistani propaganda. However, its social media posts suggest that the organisation is a Khalistani sympathiser. In September 2023, they shared a post on Facebook targeting the Government of India for its crackdown on Khalistani separatist leader turned politician Amritpal Singh and the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of Nijjar’s murder. In a post, they wrote, “Less than two years after the Farmers’ Protest ended, the Amritpal Singh manhunt began, and now we learn of the Indian government’s alleged involvement in the murder of Harry Singh Nijjar.”
In February 2024, they released a report titled “Virtually Vulnerable” in association with Equality Labs, Hindus for Human Rights, and IAMC, all of which are anti-India organisations, with two having proven links to terrorist organisations. In the report, they claimed that whenever the Indian state wants to silence Sikh voices, they label them as “Khalistanis,” which is completely false. They cited examples of Amritpal Singh, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, and pro-Khalistani Sikhs who supported the controversial anti-caste bill SB403, which was based on a report by Equality Labs. There is evidence that all these individuals are directly or indirectly linked to the Khalistani movement.
NEW REPORT: "Virtually Vulnerable" by SALDEF reveals how online platforms FUEL the silencing of Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims & Dalits in India.
Threats, harassment & manipulation – it's time to hold platforms accountable.
The Sikh Assembly of America is a secessionist organisation. In its mission statement, the organisation acknowledges the Sikh Right for Self-Determination, in other words, the demand for Khalistan. The statement reads, “Through education and advocacy of acknowledgment of Sikh History, Sikh Narrative, Sikh Right for Self-determination under United Nations Charter (Sikh Homeland – ‘Punjab’), and community engagement, we aim to raise awareness about Sikhism, dispel misconceptions, combat discrimination, curb disinformation, and prejudice.”
The organisation appears to be a newly formed entity. It openly shares posts on social media supporting Khalistani terrorists, including Hardeep Singh Nijjar and Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
In one of the most recent posts, the organisation discussed the Transnational Repression Reporting Act of 2024 and claimed that “the US will hold India accountable for transnational repression on Sikhs, and this bill will help to combat the oppression and intimidation Sikhs are facing in America.”
Furthermore, it specifically pointed out that the Sikh demand for Khalistan was highlighted in the bill. Interestingly, sponsors of the bill include Congressmen Dan Goldman, James McGovern, and Eric Swalwell, and Congresswomen Barbara Lee, Ilhan Omar, and Eleanor Holmes Norton.
In another post, they mentioned Khalistani terrorists Avtar Singh Khanda (UK) and Hardeep Singh Nijjar. “The authoritarian Government of India has since increased its surveillance and repression of Sikhs and Khalistan activists residing outside its territorial boundaries and has been on a mission to silence its political and religious dissidents,” the organisation noted.
US officials meeting pro-Khalistani organisations is a bad optics on the United States government. In the long run, the US has to step up and support India in controlling anti-India rhetoric spreading quickly on its land.
A video went viral on social media on Monday (16 September 2024) from Balrampur district of Uttar Pradesh. In this video, a Muslim mob raised pro-Palestinian slogans at the pandal of Lord Ganesha in the Muslim-dominated Utraula market. A person caught by the police during the agitation was also freed by some people in the crowd. OpIndia had prominently reported this incident just a few hours after the incident. Now, the Balrampur police has registered an FIR and arrested 16 anti-social elements of the Muslim community involved in this incident. The investigation of the case is still going on.
After the video went viral, the Balrampur police had registered a case against unknown accused in Utraula police station under sections 170, 126 and 135 of the Indian Penal Code (BNS). The accused were identified by collecting several evidences, including CCTV and other video footage. A total of 16 accused were identified in the first phase. On Friday (September 20), the police raided and arrested all of them. All the accused were challaned under sections for disturbing peace in the area.
Most of the accused arrested for frenzied sloganeering at the Ganesh pandal are residents of Balrampur district. Their names are Mohammad Zaid, Mohammad Irfan, Shahbaz Alam, Zaid Khan, Mohammad Hussain, Aqib Ali, Mohammad Salman, Mohammad Ashraf, Sabir Ali, Ghulam Bakhtiar, Mohammad Afzal, Mohammad Majid, Qasim Ali, Mahfooz Raza, Zaid Ansari, and Qutubuddin.
The person who freed the suspect is not yet identified
In this incident, two videos went viral simultaneously. In the first video, the crowd taking out a religious procession was raising slogans like, “If you want to stay in India, then you have to say Khwaja Khwaja” in support of Palestine in front of Lord Ganesha’s pandal. During this, Islamic fundamentalists also raised slogans like “Palestine’s Muslim Zindabad”, “Masjid-e-Aqsa Zindabad”.
चौंकाने वाला और शर्मनाक! बलरामपुर के उतरौला बाजार में बारावफात के जुलूस के दौरान गणेश पंडाल के सामने कट्टरपंथियों ने बेहद आपत्तिजनक नारे लगाए। इससे भी बदतर यह है कि पुलिस को रोका गया और इन कानून तोड़ने वालों को सपा नेता ने बचाया! यह हमारी परंपराओं, कानून और व्यवस्था पर हमला है।… pic.twitter.com/ihN1Y0chdW
In another video, some people freed a suspect caught by the inspector of Utraula police station. In the viral video, the inspector was heard saying, “Why should we let him go?” Yet, in the end, the people in the crowd were successful in their plans to free the suspect. At present, the police have not revealed the identity of the person who freed the suspect from the inspector. Additional SP of Balrampur has said in his statement that investigation and other legal action is going on in the case.
A major tragedy was averted on Sunday after a 5-litre empty gas cylinder was found on the railway track in the Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh. Soon after spotting the cylinder on the track, the loco pilot promptly applied the brake to avert the incident.
The incident occurred near Prempur railway station at around 5.50 am today in the morning.
According to Indian Railway officials, the loco pilots of the goods train reported a 5-liter empty gas cylinder on the track, following which the driver halted the train.
As soon as the information was received about the incident, the officials of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) promptly arrived at the scene, and are investigating the incident.
Police personnel are inspecting the spot where the gas cylinder was found as a goods train was about to pass through, at Prempur Station earlier today.
The statement from CPRO of North Central Railway said, “A goods train going from Kanpur towards Prayagraj was stopped using the emergency brakes after the driver spotted a gas cylinder lying on the tracks, at Prempur Station at 5:50 am today (September 22). Railway IOW (Inspector of work), security, and other teams examined the cylinder and removed it from the tracks. Upon inspection, it was found that the 5-litre cylinder was empty. Directions have been given to investigate the matter.”
Earlier, on September 16, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath instructed police officials to heighten vigilance and take strict action against those involved in alleged conspiracies to sabotage railway tracks or cause railway accidents.
This statement follows an incident in Kanpur on September 15, where a major tragedy was narrowly avoided. A damaged gas cylinder, along with other ‘objectionable’ materials, was found near the railway track where the Kalindi Express had halted, triggering an alarm. The train, which was travelling from Prayagraj to Bhiwani in Haryana, came to a stop after the train driver spotted the cylinder and applied emergency brakes.
The incident occurred around 8 pm near Munderi village, between Barrajpur and Bilhaur stations. According to Assistant Commissioner of Police Harish Chander, the driver noticed the cylinder around 8:30 p.m. and immediately stopped the train.
“The cylinder rolled off to the side, and the train halted,” said Chander.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
