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Gujarat: Ghulam Mustafa rapes Hindu friend’s 3-year-old daughter, sparks massive protest demanding death penalty in Valsad, booked under POCSO

OpIndia Staff
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Gujarat: Ghulam Mustafa rapes Hindu friend’s 3-year-old daughter, sparks massive protest demanding death penalty in Valsad, booked under POCSO

A horrific case of crime against a minor has come to light from the Umargam area of Gujarat’s Valsad. A man named Ghulam Mustafa has been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for raping a 3-year-old girl who is the daughter of his close Hindu friend. The minor victim is said to be in critical condition and has been hospitalised. According to Police, the accused has been nabbed from Maharashtra’s Palghar as he was attempting to flee to his native place in Jharkhand. 

Superintendent of Police, Karanraj Vaghela said, “The offence has been registered under POCSO and BNS sections as per the complaint filed by the parents of the girl. The accused is a friend of the girl’s father.” 

The police investigation has revealed that the minor was sexually assaulted by the man in a chawl.

The incident took place in the Deodhar area of ​​Umargam taluk. The minor victim is a 3-year-old girl who hails from a Hindu family working in a chali in the Deohar area. As per reports, before committing the heinous crime, the accused Ghulam Mustafa intoxicated his Hindu friend by making him drink a lot.

In the meantime, his friend’s 3-year-old daughter was playing there. He took her to the bathroom where he started sexually assaulting her. Noticing that the girl was not around, her mother started searching for her. She then noticed Ghulam Mustafa committing the heinous act and screamed. The accused then fled the crime scene. Meanwhile, the minor victim was shifted to a local hospital for treatment.

Following the incident, her family filed a complaint at the Umargam police station on 27th August. The accused Ghulam Mustafa has been booked under the POCSO Act and other relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS).

The incident has sparked massive anger and protest in the Valsad region. Together with the Hindu organisations, people in large numbers gathered around the Umargam Police Station to demand swift action in the case and the immediate arrest of the accused. 

Police had to deploy several teams to pacify them and assured the protesters that the accused had been nabbed and would be brought back to the town by this afternoon. They, however, demanded swift justice and called for the death penalty for the accused.

The police conducted a medical examination of the victim at the Valsad Civil Hospital. Additionally, they have formed an SIT to probe the case. 

They later issued a statement stating that they nabbed the accused from Palghar district in Maharashtra while he was trying to flee to his native place in Jharkhand via train. 

A bandh (shutdown) has been called in the Umargam area. 

OpIndia tried to speak to PI Chaudhary of Umargam police station to get more information about the incident, but he asked to speak later, citing a busy schedule.

Several horrific cases of crime against minors have been reported in the last few days. On 20th August, massive outrage erupted in the state of Maharashtra, after the incident of rape of two toddler girls came to the fore from Badlapur region of Thane district. 

As per reports, two minor girls, aged 4, studying in Nursery class, were sexually assaulted by a school sweeper in the washroom of a well-known school named Adarsh Vidya Mandir in Badlapur near Mumbai.

Furthermore, protests in West Bengal and nationwide outrage continue as protesters demand Justice for the 31-year-old female trainee doctor who was raped and murdered in Kolkata’s RG Kar Hospital. 

Canada: Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal sponsors petition seeking new inquiry into 1985 Air India bombing, reviving debunked theories promoted by Khalistanis

OpIndia Staff
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Canada: Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal sponsors petition seeking new inquiry into 1985 Air India bombing, reviving debunked theories promoted by Khalistanis

Almost two decades ago two public inquiries determined that Khalistani terrorists in Canada orchestrated the 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182. Now, Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal has come forward to sponsor a petition pushing the Government of Canada to conduct a “fresh inquiry” into the bombing. The petition sponsored by Dhaliwal promotes controversial and debunked theories that falsely claimed Indian government agents were behind the bombing. The theory has been dismissed by multiple investigations, yet, it has sprung again scratching the wounds of the victims.

The bombing occurred on 23rd June 1985 killing 329 people. The plane had exploded over the Atlantic Ocean Most of them were Canadians. A second bomb was planted intended for another Air India flight. However, it prematurely exploded resulting in the death of two baggage handlers at Narita Airport in Japan. Both incidents were described by Canadian authorities as an act of terror orchestrated by a Canadian citizen and Khalistani terrorist Talwinder Singh Parmar.

Despite the findings of the previous inquiries, the new petition, which has been initiated by journalist Gurpreet Singh with the help of the office of MP Dhaliwal, has called for a new investigation. The petition has claimed that the agents of the Indian government might have orchestrated the bombing. The theory was thrown under the rug during investigations as there was no supporting evidence for it. However, when in September 2023, Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, accused Indian agents of being involved in the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil in Surrey BC, the old conspiracy theory resurfaced.

MP Sukh Dhaliwal under fire for sponsoring petition

Sukh Dhaliwal has been a long-time Liberal MP from Surrey-Newton. He acknowledged that he had sponsored the petition on 13th August on behalf of the members from his constituency. He, however, refused to express his personal opinion on the matter. He said, “This is their viewpoint, right? It’s a public viewpoint. All I’m doing is taking it forward.” He also refused to comment on if he agreed with the conclusion that Khalistani terrorist Parmar was behind the attack and not the Indian government agents.

When asked if the endorsement implies his support for the petition, he pointed out that as per Canadian parliamentary rules, MPs are allowed to sponsor petitions. Still, they are not required to endorse them. He said, “There is no obligation on the part of the House of Commons or any Member of Parliament.”

The petition requires at least signatures from 500 individuals within four months to be submitted to the Parliament. It will obligate the government to issue a response within 45 days. So far no comments have come from either Prime Minister’s office or Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc’s office on the matter.

Renewed tensions over old wounds

The 1985 bombing was the deadliest terrorist attack involving an aircraft before 9/11. The first inquiry into the matter was led by former Supreme Court Judge, Justice John Major. In 2010, the investigation concluded that Talwinder Singh Parmar was the key person who orchestrated the twin bombing. The second inquiry into the matter was conducted by former Ontario NDP premier Bob Rae in 2005. The inquiry suggested that the attack was a “cascading series of errors” by Canadian authorities, including the RCMP and CSIS. It concluded that Parmar was the mastermind of the attack.

In both inquiries, it was mentioned that the Government of India had sent multiple warnings to Canadian security agencies that Khalistani terrorists sitting in Canada were planning to target Air India flights as part of a broader campaign of terror. When Rae was asked about the latest petition sponsored by Dhaliwal, he said, “My report speaks for itself,” and declined to comment further on the matter.

The possibility of Indian agents behind the attack was dismissed by both CSIS and RCMP after a thorough investigation. They found no credible evidence to support the claims. However, pro-Khalistani members of the Sikh community have continued to assert that it was India that orchestrated the attack and not the local Sikhs.

Divided community and continued criticism

Notably, the Khalistani organisation World Sikh Organization has supported the calls for a new inquiry. In a statement, WSO said, “We believe that a full and transparent investigation into the possible role of the Indian government in the events leading up to the Air India bombing is necessary to ascertain the truth.”

On the other hand, victims’ families have condemned the call for another inquiry. Deepak Khandelwal lost his two sisters, 21-year-old Chandra and 19-year-old Manju in the attack. He said, “It’s so hurtful. It drives us crazy. Polling last year showed that 90 per cent of Canadians have little or no recognition of the Air India bombing. People are trying to fill that void and rewrite history. The government, by allowing this type of rhetoric to continue, is allowing people to promote hatred; they are asking for another terror attack.”

Bal Gupta lost his life Rama in the bombing. He condemned the demand focused on debunked theory and said, “It is deeply frustrating. It opens up old wounds all over again. It’s all garbage. It’s an attempt to gain publicity and support for terrorist activities.”

The families of the victims have called for respect for the findings of the past inquiries and urged the government of Canada to dismiss conspiracy theories as baseless and divisive.

Next step is banning polygamy, working to regulate inter-religion marriages, not looking at comprehensive UCC: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sharma

ANI
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Next step is banning polygamy, working to regulate inter-religion marriages, not looking at comprehensive UCC: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sharma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma on Wednesday said that the Assam government’s priority to focus on the marriage reigstration bill and its next step is to ban polygamy.

“Assam government is not decided on the whole UCC, we are focusing on the Muslim registration bill which we made compulsory, we have said that the registration of the marriage and divorce will be done by sub-registrar rather than ‘Kazi’. Our next step is banning polygamy which will be coming in anytime we are just waiting for any judicial comment on Uttarakhand UCC we are looking closely.

CM Himanta Biswa Sarma stressed that the Assam government’s “line of action” is different and they are looking at other issues.

“We are not looking to bring a comprehensive UCC because our line of acion is different. We are working against child marriage. We are working against the exploitation of women. Our stand is completely different.” Sarma said.

Sarma said that the Assam government has four to five agendas on which the government is working.

“Our next action will be banning polygamy. We are also working to regulate inter-religion marriages. Till next April there are four and five agendas.” Sarma said.

Earlier the Assam CM informed that the centre has directed UIDAI to issue Aadhaar cards to people who gave their biometrics between February 2019 to August 2024.

CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, addressing a press conference, thanked the centre for directing UIDAI, making the lives of 935682 people easier.

“The Centre stopped distribution of Aadhar cards to 935682 people in Assam. They gave Biometric between Feb 2019 and Aug 2024. There are many of them where no relation with NRC.” Sarma said.

Sarma further informed that the State government has been working for the past two years to ensure the release of the Aadhar card to the people.

“We formed a cabinet sub-committee to see the issue and discussed it with different organisations. We discussed this with the Government of India for the last 2 years. On 29/7/2024, the state government request the centre to release Aadhaar cards to those people. On 27/8/2024 the centre directed to UIDAI to issue Aadhaar cards to those people.” Sarma said.

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

From Chistis in Rajasthan to SP in UP and TMC in Bengal: The cost of political patronage of criminals will always be paid by the common man

Pragya Bakshi Sharma
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From Chistis in Rajasthan to SP in UP and TMC in Bengal: The cost of political patronage of criminals will always be paid by the common man

“As the king, so are the subjects,” goes the famous proverb. It stands true perhaps now more than in the times of kings and kingdoms. Over time, monarchy did not sit down well with its subjects and we witnessed uprisings across the world. In a largely democratic world order now, this proverb seems to stand more true.

Systemic violation of democratic values has led and continue to lead the institutionalisation of anti-social elements; all happening in the name of Opposition and dissent by political parties. The problem is not new but is becoming the new normal. Take the case of the Ajmer mass gangrape scandal of 1992.

On 20th August, 6 Islamists guilty of committing mass rapes of Hindu women in Ajmer were sentenced to life in jail. The crime, which came to be known as the largest sex scandal in the country, was committed in 1992 and a sliver of justice has been served 32 years later. Notably, the main accused, Farooq Chishti was the President of the Ajmer Youth Congress; Nafees Chishti was the Vice President of the Ajmer Indian National Congress and Anwar Chishti was the Joint Secretary of the Ajmer Indian National Congress.

The culprits had the protection of their name – the Chishtis, the Khadims of the Ajmer Sharif Dargah, which houses the tomb of their ancestor Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, a Sufi saint. The Congress party were leeched on to the Chishti family, who represent the obvious electoral vote bank. The result? State-enabled criminals institutionalised to walk free for 32 years after raping at least 250 girls and blackmailing them with their videos and photos.

In 2022, Gauhar Chishti, another Khadim of the Ajmer Dargah from the same line had threatened to behead those who insulted Prophet Mohammad. He managed to escape the police and fled to Hyderabad. He was arrested in July 2022 and acquitted on 16th July this year.

How do criminals become political representatives and get away with it? How do they find legal and political support to the extent that they do it again and again and again? When a State lets them, amongst many other corrupt factors. When Yogi Adityanath uses the term ‘Mafia raj’ and ‘Goondaraj’, it is not political, it is a fact; an ugly fact that continues to bob its head even today when the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh is out of power.

2nd June 1995, Mulayam Singh Yadav, the late Chief of Samajwadi Party was the CM of Uttar Pradesh. In the Mirabai Guest House in Lucknow, Mayawati was chairing a meeting of BSP MLAs to withdraw from the BSP-SP alliance in UP when Mulayam Singh sent over 200 goons. Casteist slogans were raised when the goons surrounded the room number 1 where Mayawati was, while the then Superintendent of Police OP Singh was seen smoking a cigarette.

Mayawati fell prey to mafia Mulayam’s goondas. She was abused, harassed and eyewitnesses say her saree was torn too. Mayawati never wore a saree ever since. How does a sitting woman politician come to be attacked by goons? Because these goons were deployed by the head of a state government and the entire law & order machinery was channelised towards the Lucknow Mirabai Guest House.

Because crime and criminals were institutionalised to the extent that the mafias continue to be emboldened today even with bulldozer action against them. The statement by current SP Chief and son of Mulayam Singh, Akhilesh Yadav trying to give clean chit to Ayodhya rape accused Moeed Khan is case in point.

Unfortunately, in the case of West Bengal, the use of criminal and anti-social elements for political muscle flexing is being made by a woman head of state. Who is to say that what happened with Abhaya was not a consequence of the institutionalised violence that Bengal has witnessed for decades? Political goons used in poll violence, giving position of power to anti-social elements for appeasement politics to the extent that cases like Sandeshkhali are allowed to happen right under the nose of Mamata Banerjee. And when the system and procedures are breached and violated like in Abhaya’s case, what else does it mean if not that criminal elements are being protected and by extension encouraged by the state machinery?

Just like the Chistis have reigned Ajmer freely for 32 years, just like SP’s top most goons have evaded justice for decades giving UP a bad name, the cadre that has been built under Didi’s reign in Bengal ready to kill at the snap of her fingers especially around elections shows how Bengal has been plunged into a perpetual state of violence.

And as long as crime and criminals continue to get a free and, moreover, thrive with political representatives at the helm of affairs, radical non-state actors will be institutionalised seeping into every social infrastructure till the concept of a state ceases to exist on ground and remains only in theory. The cost of such a politics will be paid by the common man as always, the innocents who will face the brunt of it all.

Maharashtra: NCPCR takes cognisance of minors raising ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ slogans against Ramgiri Maharaj over ‘blasphemy’, asks state to counsel them

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: NCPCR takes cognisance of minors raising ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ slogans against Ramgiri Maharaj over ‘blasphemy’, asks state to counsel them

In an update to the case regarding Ramgiri Maharaj who made alleged derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad last week in Maharashtra’s Nashik district, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has written to Thane IPS Ashutosh Dumbare. This is after several videos went viral on social media from the Mumbra region in which minors could be seen raising ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ slogans against Ramgiri Maharaj.

“The Commission came across a video on platform X wherein minors could be seen taking part in the protests against Ramgiri Maharaj. The children were seen shouting slogans for the beheading of Ramgiri Maharaj,” the NCPCR said in an official statement.

It further asked the administration to identify such children and produce them before the Child Welfare Committee. It also suggested organizing necessary counselling to be given to the children involved ensuring their psycho well-being and behaviour. The commission also stated that FIR be filed against all the perpetrators involved.

It is important to note that alleged derogatory comments by Ramgiri Maharaj sparked outrage amongst the Islamist community and led to massive protests in the state of Maharashtra and other parts of the country. The protestors demanded a beheading punishment for the Hindu saint. Several videos of the violent protests went viral on social media with the Islamists yelling slogans of ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’.

Protests happened in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nashik, Pune, Thane, Mumbai, Chhatarpur, etc. However, the one that happened in the Mumbra region of Thane was taken cognizance of by the NCPCR as several minor children could be seen raising beheading slogans against the Hindu saint.

Violent slogans were also raised outside the collector’s office in the Pune district where alleged minors could be seen raising slogans of ‘Allah Hu Akhbar’ and ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’.

As reported earlier, Saint Ramgiri Maharaj during a sermon in Panchale village of Nashik’s Sinnar region on Friday, 16th August, allegedly passed derogatory comments on Prophet Mohammed, enraging the entire Muslim community. The Hindu saint during the sermon indicated that several Islamists have disrespected women in the past because of the religious doctrine they follow. 

After this, several Islamists filed a police complaint against Ramgiri Maharaj in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nashik, Mumbai, and Pune, alleging that the Hindu saint had deliberately made such comments. Apart from Islamists, several political leaders like NCP’s Jitendra Awhad, AIMIM’s Imtiaz Jaleel, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi led by Prakash Ambedkar also commented on the matter criticizing Ramgiri Maharaj.

However, State CM Eknath Shinde made it clear that the state has a great tradition of saints and it is operating only due to the good, positive blessings of the Saints. He also stated that no one shall dare to even think of harming the saints in the state. 

Commenting on the current communal chaos, Ramgiri Maharaj stated to the media that he did not say anything to create a rift. “It was an hour-and-a-half sermon. A few parts of it were edited. I was talking about Bhishmacharya and Dharmaraj during the sermon. I was explaining what is Rajdharma and how should a king follow Rajdharma. I spoke giving an instance that injustice should not be tolerated. While raising this issue, the topic of Bangladesh came up,” he said.

Later Ramgiri Maharaj in the sermon stated that Hindus should stand together against the oppression of Hindus, atrocities that they usually face at the hands of Islamists. “I said that we should be organized against this, we should remain strong. No one should hate or envy. Don’t bother anyone. But if someone is harassing you, don’t bear it. What we said is written in the scriptures,” he said adding that nothing else could be said on this issue. “We are peace-loving people and our intentions are never to hurt anyone but to show society the truth,” he added.

Ramgiri Maharaj explained the context in which he said whatever he said. He confirmed that he made the statement in the wake of ongoing atrocities faced by Hindus in Bangladesh at the hands of Islamists. However, the Islamist community in India happened to ignore the context completely and is now deliberately targeting the Hindu saint by spreading his edited video from the one-and-a-half-hour-long sermon. 

Amid this, several Hindu organizations have extended support to Ramgiri Maharaj. The NCPCR has also taken cognizance of the event that involved minors. Further investigations into the case are underway.

Bangladesh: Journalist Rahanuma Sarah’s body recovered from Hatirjheel Lake; Sheikh Hasina’s son calls it an attack on FoE

OpIndia Staff
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Bangladesh: Journalist Rahanuma Sarah’s body recovered from Hatirjheel Lake; Sheikh Hasina’s son calls it an attack on FoE

The body of a female journalist was found in Hatirjheel Lake in the early hours of 28th August in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. She was identified as 32-year-old Sarah Rahanum a newsroom editor at Bengali language Gazi Television (GTV) and lived in Kallyanpur. She had spent three years as an employee of the media company. The report was verified by Inspector Bachchu Mia, who oversees the police outpost at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) and informed, “The incident has been reported to Hatirjheel police station.”

The body was seen floating in the lake, according to Mohammad Sagar, one of the pedestrians who carried it to the hospital. “I saw the woman floating in Hatirjheel Lake. Later, she was brought to DMCH, where doctors declared her dead.” According to her family members, she was murdered.

“It was nice having a friend like you. God bless you always. Hope, you’ll fulfil all your dreams soon. I know we had lots of planning together. Sorry, can’t fulfil our plans. May god bless you in every aspect of your life,” she wrote on her Facebook status on the night of 27th August and tagged a person named Fahim Faysal. “It is better to die than to live a life akin to death,” she declared in an earlier post. The body was kept at the DMCH morgue, per Inspector Bachchu Mia. According to the police, an inquiry will be undertaken to ascertain the reason behind her death.

Sayed Shubhra, Rahnuma’s spouse, claimed that they got married seven years ago following a romantic relationship but kept their families in the dark. There were no arguments between them. However, she had been longing to go her own way for a while. They intended to conclude their divorce at the registrar’s office, but the current situation of the nation prevented them from doing so. He was informed around 3 am that she had jumped into the waters of Hatirjheel Lake.

The deceased was the daughter of Noakhali Press Club President Bakhtiar Shikder. Rahanuma reportedly left her Segunbagicha office at 9:00 pm on 27th August and was found dead a few hours later. Her corpse was observed by locals floating beneath Hatirjheel’s first bridge at around 12:30 in the morning. She was pronounced dead at Dhaka Medical College Hospital at around 2:00 am after a group of people collected her body and brought her there.

Meanwhile, Sajeeb Wazed, the son of the ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina Wazeb who lives in the United States, called the incident “another brutal attack” on the freedom of expression in the country in a post he shared on X (formerly Twitter).

“Gazi TV is a secular news channel owned by Golam Dastagir Gazi who was arrested recently,” added Sajeeb Wazed. Bangladesh has been facing a severe political and economic crisis following the student protests as brutal violence, especially against the minority Hindu community grabbed international headlines.

DW allows Syracuse Uni professor Farhana Sultana to peddle anti-India claims about Bangladesh floods, then ends up fact-checking own propaganda

Shraddha Pandey
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DW allows Syracuse Uni professor Farhana Sultana to peddle anti-India claims about Bangladesh floods, then ends up fact-checking own propaganda

From passing off anti-Hindu pogroms in Bangladesh as “political revenge” and blaming India’s ‘Hindu nationalist government for the same to now blaming India for the devastating floods in Bangladesh, the Western media has been perpetually peddling false narratives against India in its reportage. On the 27th of August, the German public broadcaster DW News published a report on the Bangladesh floods which included a conversation with Farhana Sultana, a Bangladeshi professor at Syracuse University in New York.

Speaking to Deutsche Welle, Farhana Sultana blamed a “dam breach” in India alleging that due to this, a “lot of floodwater came in without any warning” which impacted thousands of people overnight in eastern Bangladesh. She further claimed that more riverine water entered Bangladesh as India opened more dams and barrages upstream. Although Sultana also mentioned heavy monsoon rains as a reason for the floods in Bangladesh, her main focus remained on somehow blaming India for causing artificial floods in Bangladesh as some sort of revenge for ousting Sheikh Hasina.

While DW, notorious for its anti-India bias, not confronting Farhana Sultana over her baseless allegations against India would have not been surprising, however, in this case, it is, since DW’s own report establishes that India did not cause artificial flooding in the neighbouring country.

In its fact-check report, Deutsche Welle (DW) debunked many social media posts, mostly by India-hating Bangladeshis that sharing visuals of water being released from Srisailam Dam in Telangana with the false claim that it was from Dumbur Dam causing flooding in downstream Bangladesh.

Notably, India has twice debunked the allegation that flash floods occurred in Bangladesh because India opened the dam in Tripura. The Indian government clarified that the gates were not opened as claimed by anti-India elements and foreign media, but the automatic release of water due to heavy rainfall was observed. DW News factchecked many such misleading videos posted on social media falsely blaming India for the flooding in Bangladesh. However, on one hand, DW News debunked false such claims, on the other, it platformed a person notorious for her anti-India opinions allowing her to make unsubstantiated claims distorting public opinion about the floods in Bangladesh and needlessly villainising India.

Farhana Sultana also heaped praises on the Mohammed Yunus-led interim government in Bangladesh for handling the crisis caused by the floods. Interestingly, Mohammad Nahid Islam, Bangladesh’s Information and Broadcasting Affairs adviser had also resorted to playing the blame game to cover up the failure of Bangladesh’s early warning systems and claimed that India opened a dam without issuing any prior warning leaving no scope for Bangladesh to prepare. 

Indian government refuted false allegations against India over Bangladesh floods

On 22nd August, the Indian government issued an official statement clarifying that floods in Bangladesh have nothing to do with the opening of the Dumbur dam upstream of the Gumti River in Tripura. India rejected the allegations and described reports linking India with it as “factually incorrect”.

“We would like to point out that the catchment areas of Gumti River that flows through India and Bangladesh have witnessed heaviest rains of this year over the last few days. The flood in Bangladesh is primarily due to waters from these large catchments downstream of the dam. The Dumbur dam is located quite far from the border – over 120 Km upstream of Bangladesh. It is a low height (about 30m) dam that generates power that feeds into a grid and from which Bangladesh also draws 40MW power from Tripura. Along the about 120 Km river course we have three water level observation sites at Amarpur, Sonamura and Sonamura 2. Heavy rainfall has been continuing since 21 August in the whole of Tripura and adjoining districts of Bangladesh. In the event of heavy inflow, automatic releases have been observed,” the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said.

The MEA further informed that they were on time to time sending relevant data with Bangladesh. “Amarpur station is in part of a bilateral protocol under which we are transmitting realtime flood data to Bangladesh. Data showing rising trend has been supplied to Bangladesh upto 1500 hrs on 21 August 2024. At 1800 hrs, due to flooding, there was power outage leading to problems of communication. Still, we have tried to maintain communication through other means created for urgent transmission of data,” the MEA said.

CNN peddled the anti-India narrative to villainise India

Earlier in the day, OpIndia reported how CNN tried to pass off the blame for the Bangladesh floods on India giving legitimacy to the sinister anti-India narrative being peddled by a significant section of Bangladeshis. CNN brazened it out suggesting that India should “apologise” to Bangladesh for inundating its neighbour.

“Bangladesh has the best early warning systems, but there was no warning in this case”, because of which the Bangladeshis are blaming their neighbour for the flooding. She went further to suggest that India should issue an apology to Bangladesh saying, “India denies this…There has been no apology from India..”, the CNN reporter said.

Farhana Sultana: Professor of geography or professor of peddling anti-India lies?

It is pertinent to mention that Farhana Sultana has been peddling anti-India propaganda regarding the floods in Bangladesh. In a long thread posted on X, loaded with disinformation and sheer disdain for India, Farhana Sultana accused India of using “water as a weapon” against India for many years. On one hand, Sultana accused India of using water as a weapon against India on the other, she accused India of backing Sheikh Hasina who ruled Bangladesh for 15 long years.

She lauded a post by Sultan Mohammed Zakaria, which contained misleading videos of Indian dams to claim that India released water from the Dumbur Dam causing floods in Bangladesh. Interestingly, this very post, which Sultana called a “spot-on analysis” was debunked by DW News.

Alongside hatred for India, Sultana harbours disdain for Hindus as well, as evident from her whitewashing of the Islamist crimes against Hindus in Bangladesh. While there have been more than 250 attacks on Hindus, their houses and temples, Farhana Sultana accused India of creating “false hysteria” of Hindus under attack in Bangladesh.

Just a few days back, as Hindus were being singled out, attacked, raped and looted in Bangladesh, Sultana accused Indians, ‘Hindutva fundamentalists’ and “MAGA” supporters of spreading lies about the anti-Hindu violence unleashed by Islamists.

Moreover, Syracuse University, wherein Farhana Sultana works as a professor of geography and environment had back in 2021 supported the sinister “Dismantling Global Hindutva”.

It is not surprising that DW News gave a platform to Sultana to further her anti-India narrative since the German public broadcaster itself was recently involved in downplaying the Islamist onslaught on Hindus in Bangladesh. OpIndia had reported how DW News recently published a video, whitewashing attacks on the Hindu community in the Islamic Republic by violent Muslim mobs and accused Indians of fuelling disinformation on social media.

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma accuses Jharkhand govt of spying on Champai Soren using state police, suspects phone tapping and honey-trapping

OpIndia Staff
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Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma accuses Jharkhand govt of spying on Champai Soren using state police, suspects phone tapping and honey-trapping

On Wednesday (28th August), Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma leveled ‘spying charges’ against Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren. He accused the JMM leader of putting his cabinet colleague and former CM Champai Soren under “surveillance”. CM Sarma said that it is “unprecedented” in the history of Independent India that a government kept a Former CM who is also a sitting Cabinet Minister under surveillance and was tracking his movement. 

The Assam Chief Minister added that he also suspects that Champai Soren’s phone was also tapped and there was possibly a scheme to ‘honey trap’ him.

Notably, CM Sarma addressed a press conference on Wednesday where he levelled serious charges of espionage against the JMM-Congress government in Jharkhand. He said that yesterday, two Jharkhand Special Branch officers were detained and they were handed over to the Delhi Police for spying on Champai Soren during his Delhi trip. 

(Video Courtesy – Himanta Biswa Sarma Youtube Channel)

Following this development, they came to know that the Jharkhand government was tracking Champai Soren’s movement and kept him under surveillance for five months. 

It is pertinent to note that Champai Soren is an estranged JMM leader who previously served as the state CM. Currently, he is a sitting cabinet Minister in the Hemant Soren government but will join the BJP on 30th August. Assam CM Sarma is BJP’s co-in-charge for poll-bound Jharkhand.

During the press conference, CM Sarma also informed that Champai Soren has filed an FIR against the JMM-Congress government under ‘spying charges’. As per reports, the Former Jharkhand CM has filed an FIR in Delhi accusing his current colleagues of putting him under surveillance and tracking his movements. 

According to the Assam CM, Jharkhand Special Branch (SB) officers trailed Champai Soren during his Delhi trips. But yesterday, the official staff of Champai Soren apprehended them inside the hotel premises and handed them over to the Delhi Police.

Sarma added that the two were taking photographs of Soren’s hotel room in the national capital. 

He further stated that the sub-inspectors told their interrogators that they flew to Delhi on the same flight that Soren boarded from Kolkata and stayed in a room close to that of the Jharkhand leader at the hotel in the national capital.

He added that the two initially said that they were journalists, but the Delhi Police found out that they are Sub-inspectors in the Jharkhand Police. 

Sarma stated that the detained Jharkhand Police officials admitted that they were working at the behest of a “senior person” holding a “constitutional post” in their state. He said that they mentioned the name of the ADGP Special branch, IG Prabhat Kumar stating that he entrusted them with this duty. 

The BJP leader added that he has the names and pictures of both officers. He, however, stressed that he don’t want to reveal their identity as they may be working in other operations like Naxal or others. He added that it wouldn’t be right to expose their cover.

Phone Tapping and possible Honey trap angle: Assam CM suspect there was a conspiracy to frame Champai Soren

The Assam Chief Minister said that when the duo were staying in the hotel, a woman was also spotted with them. He said that he suspected that there was a scheme to (honey) trap Champai Soren. He added that it is a serious issue as the two Jharkhand officers also admitted to the presence of a woman there. 

He said, “I suspect even his phone may have been tapped.”

Slamming the JMM-Cong government, Sarma said that they constantly talk about saving the Constitution but indulge in such things. He asked does the Indian Constitution permits to assault on someone’s privacy. Is Champai Soren a naxal or extremist? Such espionage can’t take place in any civilized country, the Assam Chief Minister added. Subsequently, he demanded a thorough inquiry into this incident. 

Slamming I.N.D.I. alliance parties, CM Sarma said, “You can understand the Politics of Congress and JMM parties, they don’t spare their esteemed colleague and those people tell us that they are protecting the constitution.”

He asserted, “This is not a security lapse, this is serious espionage, a government has kept their own minister under surveillance. It is a matter of surveillance”, adding that the veteran JMM leader was under surveillance for the last 5 months even when he had no association with the BJP.

Meanwhile, he said that both the Jharkhand officials are currently in the custody of Delhi Police. As per Assam CM, the duo has not been arrested as they are on-duty officers and further action will be taken by the Delhi Police as per the law and the findings of the investigation. 

Bangla Bandh on August 28: Bullet firing on a BJP leader’s vehicle, police lathi charge and more as people raise voices against TMC govt

OpIndia Staff
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Bangla Bandh on August 28: Bullet firing on a BJP leader’s vehicle, police lathi charge and more as people raise voices against TMC govt

On Wednesday, 28th August, the BJP leaders in the state of West Bengal called for a 12-hour strike a day after the Kolkata Police targeted the peaceful protestors and used water canons, tear gas shells, and resorted to lathi charges. The peaceful demonstrators at the Howrah Bridge area close to Santragachhi Railway station on the Kona Expressway were demanding the removal of CM Mamata Banerjee from her position given her failure to take action against the culprits in the Kolkata rape and murder case.

As per the reports, the Bangla Bandh has been called from 6 am to 6 pm as another protest against the police personnel who attacked the protesting individuals approaching the state secretariat ‘Nabbana’ yesterday. As per the reports, the police action injured several students. Meanwhile the enraged demonstrators also at Santragachhi reportedly clashed with the police. Police claimed on Tuesday, 27th August that they began lathi charges and tear gas canons only after agitators breached barricades in several areas and allegedly attacked security personnel. Chaos is said to have developed when the student organization ‘Paschim Banga Chhatra Samaj’ and the dissident State government employees’ platform ‘Sangrami Joutha Mancha’ launched their ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ rally from various locations.

Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, asserted that police used “brutal repression” against peaceful protesters and warned to halt West Bengal if the “brutalities” by the State administration continued. “Police are using water cannons on peaceful protestors in Santragachi, bursting tear gas shells on students at Howrah Bridge, and lathi charging them on College Street. Please put an end to these brutalities immediately,” the senior BJP leader told reporters. Adhikari went on to say, “If the police repression is not stopped immediately, We (BJP) will stall West Bengal tomorrow.”

Accordingly, the BJP launched a 12-hour strike today. Notably, amid the ‘Bangla Bandh’ strike, several BJP leaders or persons associated with the party are facing attack at the hands of the TMC goons. In an early update, BJP leaders took to X to share the visuals of the bullet-riddled windshield of BJP’s Priyangu Pandey’s car, alleging that an assassination attempt was carried out by members of the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress dispensation against their party’s prominent leader amid the strike.

BJP leader Arjun Singh shared a video of the attack and asserted that the attack took place in the presence of a senior Bengal police officer. “This morning, criminals backed by TMC leaders hurled bombs and fired bullets on the SUV targeting BJP worker Priyangu Pandey while he was on the way to my office for a party program. Fortunately, Priyangu has received no injury but his driver Ravi Verma, and another party worker Ravi Singh have received bullet injuries. Ravi Singh is critical and has been referred to a hospital in Kolkata. This attack was done in a planned manner with a nexus of criminals and Police,” Singh alleged.

Arjun Singh also confirmed to the media that seven bullets were fired at the vehicle in an alleged assassination bid. He also said that the attack was carried out in the presence of the ACP. Leader of the Opposition in Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari also shared the video and said that the “toxic cocktail of Police & TMC Goons won’t be able to scare BJP.”

Meanwhile, the police recovered empty bomb shells from near the spot where BJP leader Priyangu Pandey was attacked in Bhatpara of North 24 Parganas. In another development, BJP leader Locket Chatterjee was detained by police while participating in a protest at Kolkata’s Bata Chowk. The protest was organized following the BJP’s call for a 12-hour ‘Bharat Bandh.’

Chatterjee commented on the detention, stating, “Nothing will change; the more they detain, the more people will join the protest. This reflects public anger. The police can detain people but cannot stifle the idea behind the protest.”

Police have also detained BJP Councillor Sajal Ghosh from his residence. He was peacefully appealing to all to support the Bangla Bandh. The video of the leader’s detention is making rounds on social media.

The Police are also said to have lathi-charged the fired tear gas shells on peaceful demonstrators at Reyapara; Nandigram Block II. Several people who supported the Bandh provoked the Mamata Banerjee-led administration to resort to lathi charges as alleged by BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari. Adhikari shared the video of the incident on X and warned, “Mamata Banerjee remember this, the more you apply force the more BJP will be on course, demanding #JusticeForRGKar and your resignation.”

He shared this as he walked with BJP Karyakartas at Nandigram in support of the state-wide Bandh. He stated that the “Bandh called by BJP is to protest against the state-sponsored efforts to derail the RG Kar investigation & protect the perpetrators of the heinous crime and the incessant lathi charge and use of brute force, tear gas & water canons on the agitators who were marching peacefully yesterday during the Nabanna Abhiyan of the Paschim Banga Chhatra Samaj.”

Another video regarding the Bandh was shared on social media by one of the local journalists. He stated that the BJP leaders were beaten by miscreants for imposing a state-wide bandh and indicated that the protestors didn’t deserve the assault. “Bandh culture has gone from #Bengal. Here people are beating @BJP4Bengal workers for imposing Bangla Bandh and creating problems for common people,” Spandan Gain posted on X.

The miscreants in the video could be seen assaulting the BJP workers holding the party flag high. The BJP workers could be seen beaten for allegedly protesting against the police action on Tuesday, 27th August.

It is important to note that ‘Bangla Bandh’, the strike called by the BJP has received mass support from all over the state with people keeping their businesses closed and demanding the removal of Mamata Banerjee for her failure to give justice to the horrific Kolkata rape-murder case.

As a part of the Bandh, the BJP leaders have shut down Howrah Maidan Metro Station, Konnagar Station and Bongaon Station. All shops are closed in proximity. BJP Leader Koustav Bagchi has also blocked the Barrackpore rail Station demanding the removal of the Mamata administration. The video of the leader raising slogans against the TMC govt is making rounds on social media.

The bandh, which began at 6 am, has further seen deserted streets in Kolkata, Siliguri, and Medinipur, with shops and marketplaces remaining closed. Reportedly, clashes are believed to have happened in the Maldah region of the state between the BJP workers and the TMC goons in the presence of the police.

The BJP leaders have called for the strike after the police personnel attacked the protesting individuals yesterday at the state secretariat ‘Nabbana’. As per the reports, the police action injured several students. Meanwhile the enraged demonstrators also at Santragachhi reportedly clashed with the police. The student organization ‘Paschim Banga Chhatra Samaj’ and the dissident State government employees’ platform ‘Sangrami Joutha Mancha’ launched their ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ rally from various locations demanding the removal of Mamata Banerjee from the CM post given her failure to provide justice to the 31-year-old doctor who was brutally raped and murdered in Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College on 9th August.

RG Kar Medical College Rape and Murder Case

On 9th August, a semi-nude, brutalized body of a female PG trainee doctor was found inside the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. It is a government-run hospital. The gruesome murder of a PG doctor at her own workplace soon became a nationwide issue, especially with the people reacting strongly to the Bengal govt, and the hospital’s initial attempts to cover up the case. The victim’s family narrated that they were initially told their daughter had committed suicide.

The doctor had dinner with four of her coworkers at 2:30 am that night after seeing Neeraj Chopra’s javelin throw event during the Paris Olympics. Afterward, she went to the seminar hall to relax. The main accused in the case, Sanjay Roy, had access to every department as he worked at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital police outpost. He was not affiliated with the institution but often went there. CCTV evidence shows him entering the premises where the doctor was discovered, which led to his arrest on 10th August. He returned home after committing the horrifying act and slept in late. Roy also cleaned the outfit he wore to remove any evidence. The police recovered his bloodstained shoes during a search.

The Doctor was brutally tortured before she was suffocated to death, according to the post-mortem report. The four-page report stated that she had been strangled and that “perverted sexuality” and “genital torture” had resulted in serious wounds in her private parts.

According to sources, the Doctor’s head was slammed against a wall or the floor resulting in severe injuries, and her mouth and nose were squeezed shut to stop the victim from shouting. The accused had reportedly beaten her up as she attempted to defend herself and resist. He then raped and killed her. According to the autopsy, the girl’s hands and face had cuts on them. Shards of glass from her spectacles broke and got into her eyes following an intense blow. The initial postmortem report ruled out suicide and stated that the trainee doctor had been sexually assaulted before being murdered.

The Bandh organized by BJP continues statewide today till 6 pm.

Bihar: ‘Minorities under attack’ narrative falls flat as man who inserted chilli powder in rectum of a ‘thief’ turns out to be a Muslim

OpIndia Staff
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Bihar: ‘Minorities under attack’ narrative falls flat as man who inserted chilli powder in rectum of a ‘thief’ turns out to be a Muslim

On Monday (26th August), a video that was said to be recorded somewhere in Bihar’s Araria district started doing rounds on social media. In the viral video, some miscreants could be seen assaulting a man after tying his hands behind his back and stripping his pants. Later, they start pouring and stuffing red chilli power into his rectum while paying no heed to his mercy appeal. 

The viral video triggered an outrage on social media. Sharing the video, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and others alleged ‘Taliban Raj in Bihar’ and ‘oppression of minorities’ in the state. However, the Police arrested the main accused in this case who has been identified as Mohammad Sifat, debunking the oppression of minorities angle. Additionally, efforts are underway to identify and arrest the other accused seen in the video. 

According to reports, it was found that the said video was from Islamnagar under the Araria police station area. Some people caught a 30-year-old youth on suspicion of motorbike theft. After assaulting him, they tied his hands behind his back with a rope. After this, they poured red chilli powder into his anus while the youth kept screaming and begging for mercy. After the miscreants stuffed red chilli powder in his anus, the victim was made to wear his pants.

In the viral video, some people can be heard asking to hand him over to the Police. But, it made no difference to the accused. One of the accused said, “If we hand him over to the Police, they will spare him.”

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav shared the video and alleged that Taliban rule is underway in Bihar. He wrote, “Taliban rule in Bihar! BJP/NDA is happily in power in Bihar, hence the casteist media is silent. We and our party talk about the rights and share of Dalits, backward and minorities, hence the casteists always see our rule as jungle raj.”

The Police took cognizance of the video as it started doing rounds on social media. Based on the video footage, they registered an FIR at Araria police station against the accused under sections 109 and 117 (4) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS). Subsequently, they arrested the main accused Mohammad Sifat on Tuesday (27th August). The arrested accused is a resident of Araria.

Sharing the details of Sifat’s arrest, BJP leader Hari Manjhi took a dig at Tejashwi Yadav stating that now RJD-Congress people will be left speechless because the accused is a Muslim. Slamming the I.N.D.I. Alliance parties, he added, “The truth is that RJD and Congress encourage such goons in the name of Muslim appeasement.”

After nabbing Mohammad Sifat, the Police are making efforts to identify and arrest other accused seen in the video. According to reports, the man who was subjected to the inhuman act in the video is a resident of the Simraha police station area, Araria. It is said that several cases of theft have been registered against him. 

In the recent incident, he was subjected to the inhuman act after he was accused of attempting to steal a bike. The police kept him at the Police station for about half an hour but released him afterward as they received no written complaint against him. 

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