On October 3, The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) issued a press release and condemned the ban imposed on the Islamist outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) and its eight affiliate organisations by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, for five years. CPI (Maoist) called it a ‘draconian and anti-democratic’ decision by the GoI and deemed it as an “integral part of Hindutva agenda”. The organisation said, “Through imposing ban, the Brahmanic Hindutva BJP once again criminalised the Muslim community.”
CPI (Maoist) condemned ban on PFI.
Pointing out the National Investigation Agency (NIA) raids against PFI between September 25 and September 29 in multiple states, CPI (Maoist) claimed that the raids caused a lot of agony and discomfort among the members of PFI. The statement read, “NIA made searches in 11 States of the country in a gap of four days from 25th to 29th in which it arrested above 100 and detained above 250 persons belonging to the Popular Front of India (PFI). The raids caused a lot of agony and discomfort to the arrested persons and their family members.”
Ignoring the fact that members of PFI were planning terrorist attacks in India and investigation agencies found evidence against the organisation, CPI (Maoist) claimed that the action was taken as PFI “opposed Brahmanical Hindutva fascism”. They said, “The government logic for enforcing ban revolves around three reasons. One is that the PFI and its eight affiliate organisations are engaged in “violent terrorist activities”. The second is that PFI is establishing a reign of terror and disrupting the “peace” of the country. And the third is that the PFI is a threat to the national security of the nation. All these logics are only to outrightly curtail and decimate the forces opposing Brahmanical Hindutva fascism.”
Furthermore, CPI (Maoist) targeted the government over action against rioters, gangsters, and criminals who happened to be from the Muslim community. However, they completely missed the point that the action was taken against rioters, gangsters, and criminals irrespective of caste and religion.
The press note stated, “The fascist vigilante forces like Gau Rakshaks, Anti-Romeo squad, and Hate-speech mongers are getting legitimacy and support of the government. In the last eight years, in the name of Gau Rakshaks (Cow protection), fascist vigilante groups have lynched Muslims in broad daylight. The properties of Muslims are considered illegal and confiscated or razed through a bulldozer. Since it came to power, the BJP is consciously instigating ‘Islamic phobia”, and there is extreme ghettoisation of Muslims in India.”
CPI (Maoist) further claimed that the ban on PFI was an attempt by the BJP to gain political brownie points for the upcoming 2024 General Elections. The organisation further claimed that the ban on anti-India accounts on social media platforms was also done as those accounts were “critical of the BJP government”.
Ban on PFI by the government of India
The Popular Front of India (PFI), as well as any related or connected factions, were immediately banned on September 27 by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, by the provisions of Section 3’s sub-section (1) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, for a period of five years. This prohibition, however, was not enacted on the basis of cursory inquiry and conjecture. A series of events unfolded during investigations by agencies leading to the ban on PFI. Details of those events can be read here.
CPI (Maoist) is a banned organisation
Communist Party of India (Maoist), all its formations and front organisations are banned in India under UAPA. The organisation was banned in 2009 by the then UPA government following the merger of CPI-ML (People’s War Group) with the Marxist Coordination Committee.
Jashpur in Chhattisgarh is a major centre of Christian conversion. The first recorded incident of religious conversion of Hindus from the Scheduled Tribes category is in 1906. A memorial is also built in Khadkona in memory of the first lot of people of Korkotoli and Khadkona villages who became Christians. A total of 56 names are inscribed on it. It is reported that they were baptized on November 21, 1906.
There is a roadside board just before entering Khadkona village in Manora block. This board points to the road that leads to a place adjacent to the hill, which local Christians call ‘Saheb Kona’. There is an annual event here, in which converted Hindus participate. Regarding ‘Saheb Kona’, locals claim that for the first time through today’s Jharkhand, the missionaries came to this place through forests and mountains and conversion started in this area.
The cross at the entry point of the Khadkona village. Image Source: OpIndia
After travelling about 10 km from Asta, a path from the main road goes to Khadkona. The 7.3-km-long route to Khadakona is surrounded by farmlands and forests. The hills far away are also seen from the road. After a few kilometres on this road, there is a church adjacent to the road. Large wooden crosses are placed along the road at regular distances. At the entry point of the Khadkona village, there is a ‘Cross Chowk’. There are some houses around. There is a water tank. Also a public water hand pump.
A trail starting near the hand pump leads to a small hill. On this mound is the monument, on which the names of Hindus who converted in 1906 are recorded. The memorial was built on the completion of 100 years of conversion. There is a church as well. According to the plaque on the church, it was built by Father Patras Toppo in 1984.
A memorial built in 1906 in Korkotoli and Khadkona in memory of the people who were the first ones to become Christians. Image Source: OpIndia
When we reached Khadkona, there was silence at the Cross Chowk. But when we returned from the church, some people had gathered there. Martin, aged 68, is a resident of Khadkona. He is a farmer. He told OpIndia, “There are 39 households in the village, of which 30-32 families are Christians. Most of them are farmers.”
Ramesh Ram, aged 25, was the only Hindu we met in this village. He told, “There are only 5 Hindu families left in the village. They hardly get any work.” As we were in talks, the villagers present there started questioning us. They were angry that we had shot church videos, and that we were asking questions about conversions and the activities of Christian missionaries. Some even made videos of us. As the situation started heating up, we returned from the village.
Villagers gathered at the Cross Chowk. The Saheb Konaseen on the right. Image Source: OpIndia
While returning, we headed on the road that led to the ‘Saheb Kona’. There we met Kalabel, aged 65, a resident from Korkotoli. She is studied up to the fourth standard. She is a farmer. She was drying her clothes in the open after bathing. Like Khadkona, Korkotoli is also a Christian-dominated village. Kalabel told us, “There are 35 households in my village. Of these, only 7 families are Hindus.”
She showed us the place where Christian missionaries reportedly had reached for the first time. She showed the waterfall, where her ancestors were baptized. She also showed us the cave through which the missionaries had escaped as the members of the royal family of Jashpur had arrived after knowing about the forced religious conversions. Now this place is a ‘pilgrimage site’ for Christians. A stage is also built here.
Kalabel told OpIndia, “Saheb people (proselitizers) used to come from Jharkhand and used to camp here. It was here that the people of the village were called. Earlier there was a dense forest here. A pilgrimage is held here every year on November 29. One-and-a-half million people gather. According to Kalabel, these converted Christians no longer benefit much from Christian missionaries. She said, “Only our ancestors who converted their religion were benefitted from the missionaries. We get the same benefit that the government gives.”
There are symbols of Christianity all over in Khadkona. Image Source: OpIndia
While we were shooting near the waterfall, the group of villagers who had stopped us from our work at the Cross Chowk were seen coming towards ‘Saheb Kona’. Seeing this, our local contact advised us to leave. He said, “You will go back. But we have to live here.” We left the trail and came to the main road.
On the way, some people also gathered near the church, where there was silence at the time of our arrival and the main gate of the church was found closed. They didn’t let us stop near the church. When we tried to click a photograph, we were forced to leave. It is also worth noting that it was difficult for us to get any external help had we been trapped in an adverse situation in Khadkona. Airtel and Vodafone’s mobile networks were not working in that area.
Khadkona or Korkotoli are not just villages. These places show us how Christian missionaries have infiltrated and expanded in remote forest areas. According to the 2011 census, about 22% of the Jashpur district’s population is Christian. According to local lawyer Ram Prakash Pandey, this number can be up to 30-40%.
These villages are symbols of an ecosystem that enjoys government patronage. On the strength of that protection, they have created such areas in democratic India, where the media cannot even ask questions. The roadside crosses mark their territories and indicate that there are only a few Hindus left here.
The Quint columnist who also identifies herself as an ‘activist’ today raised the ‘Dalit Christian’ bogey over what appears to be a neighbourly quarrel.
Shalin Maria Lawrence’s tweets
One Shalin Maria Lawrence today tweeted how her neighbour does not want her WiFi connection running through her house to reach Lawrence’s and accused her of messing around with cables. She then claimed her WiFi stopped working and her neighbour called up the service provider and got her box shifted. She then claimed that the service provider listened to the neighbour and disconnected her WiFi and left her without Internet for over a week.
Lawrence then claimed that this act of her neighbour is a ‘clear violation’ and she could file a case under the SC/ST atrocities act but cannot since she is a Christian Dalit and not covered under the Act.
Here is how Lawrence’s tweets are problematic.
She firstly invokes the neighbour’s caste, Brahmin, to ascribe motives to her actions upfront in what appears like a usual neighbourly quarrel. But what is more problematic is the casualness with which Lawrence has brought in the SC/ST Atrocities Act. It just shows how it is so easy for someone to get vindictive and file a case under the draconian laws sometimes just for a neighbourly quarrel.
Further, Lawrence claims she is a Christian Dalit. Which is also problematic. Dalits, who have shunned the faith they were born in, i.e. Hinduism, and converted to other faiths like Islam or Christianity, should not be identifying themselves as Dalits. They left the faith for a better social life and changed their name, relationship with society (where Church becomes pivot), food habits and even costumes and mannerisms. They erase their past baggage, so to say, and embrace new faith for better social status after conversion and hence are no longer socially backward.
They may be economically backward, but after converting to different faith, which promised them a caste-less society, they cannot continue to claim social handicap or backwardness after leaving the faith that handed them to social handicap to begin with. Earlier, Lawrence had suggested religious conversion as one of the methods to stop the growth of BJP in Tamil Nadu.
Lawrence’s tweets, thus, just show how the conversion mafia have ruined the social fabric of our country and also how easy it is for some people with vested interest to misuse the laws if they want to be vindictive. Which is why it is problematic.
On October 1, journalist Mathew Samuel published an interview with Shweta Bhatt, wife of convicted ex-IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, where Shweta accused “activists” Teesta Setalvad and Rana Ayyub of making tall claims of helping Sanjiv but doing nothing in reality. During the interview, Samuel asked Shweta about the ongoing cases against her husband and how she was managing her day-to-day life. During the conversation, Samuel asked Shweta about the alleged support she has been getting from activists, but shockingly, Shweta denied getting any such support.
Samuel, who is apparently friends with Teesta Setalvad, asked Shweta that Teesta and Rana Ayyub had claimed that they were doing a lot of things in the Sanjiv Bhatt case. Shweta said, “None of them has done anything for Sanjiv’s case as far as these four years are concerned”. Sanjiv was arrested in 2018 and is currently serving life imprisonment in a case related to custodial death. “I don’t think they have even called us,” Shweta added.
Samuel, who was visibly shocked to hear the truth, said, “But they are saying on social media and in public that they are going to help you like a hell lot! They are making such kinds of statements. Rana even came to Kerala and claimed all these things, so did Teesta.”
Shweta replied, “They are not in touch with me at all. I am not in touch with them at all. They haven’t called me. They haven’t helped in any possible way. There is no connection between them and me at all. Nothing at all.”
When Samuel asked why these “activists” had been crying, Shweta said, “You should ask them. There has been no connection at all if we talk monetary-wise, not a single rupee even if we talk about morally, not a single phone call. Not even saying, ‘Shweta, how are you? Do you need any help? How are you coping?’ No courtesy call, nothing at all. I don’t remember talking to Rana Ayyub for ages.”
Samuel bluntly asked, “So they are lying?” to which Shweta agreed and said, “Yes, yes. They are not in contact with me at all.”
Samuel told Shweta how Teesta had been projecting as if she was helping Sanjiv a lot. She even claimed to have formed a team to provide the required support to Sanjiv. “I even get messages on WhatsApp regarding the same. I always refuse to sign.”
Shweta, who was visibly disgusted with her husband’s name being used by the “activists”, said, “Please confirm with me if anything comes across you. I am telling this not only to you but everyone in Kerala because I have a very special place for Kerala in my heart. I have never asked anything from Kerala. Why should people on behalf of us ask for anything from Kerala? This is just not done.”
Samuel then mentioned Enforcement Directorate’s action against Rana Ayyub. He said, “I am asking you all this because these guys are claiming they are the activists. I am a journalist, I am not an activist. I have never gone for an activist kind of program. But these guys always claim they did for this, they did for that. They are fighting against Modi and all these things. And you must be aware that ED confiscated more than crores of rupees from these ladies during Covid times.” Shweta again confirmed that she was not contacted by any of the two and said they did not even make a courtesy call to her.
Rana Ayyub had dismissed Sanjiv Bhatt’s claims about Gujarat Riots in her book
Rana Ayyub wrote a ‘fictional’ book on Gujarat Riots that she claimed to be based on facts and her undercover investigations. However, the tapes that she claims to have as proof were never released to the public.
In February 2011, Tehelka published tainted ex-IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt’s ‘testimony’ wherein he claimed he was present in the meeting with the then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi on February 27, 2002, where he had allegedly said that the Hindus must be allowed to vent their anger.
However, Ayyub dismissed Bhatt’s testimony. She wrote, “Many I knew and spoke to personally did not buy his argument, suggesting that no Chief Minister would jeopardize his political career by giving an order like that amidst dozens of top bureaucrats and officers. There were too many questions. Why did it take so long for Sanjiv Bhatt to come out and give this statement? In many years of reporting on Gujarat, I had never ever come across Sanjiv Bhatt or any accounts by him,” she mentioned.
Sanjiv Bhatt allegedly talked about an amorous relationship between ‘female journalist’ and ‘lawyer-activist’
In September 2017, disgraced cop Sanjiv Bhatt had taken to Facebook to allege that one ‘female journalist’ had an amorous relationship with an IPS officer investigating the Sohrabuddin encounter case as well as one ‘lawyer-activist’ who was fighting the 2002 riots victims’ cases.
While Bhatt had neither confirmed nor denied if the post was about Rana Ayyub, who wrote a book titled “Gujarat Files” which was supposed to be an exposé on the Sohrabuddin encounter case and 2002 riots, he had given enough hints to imply he has written about her.
Many had speculated that the ‘lawyer-activist’ he was speaking about was Mukul Sinha, who passed away after a battle with cancer.
The Popular Front of India (PFI) as well as any related or connected factions were immediately banned on September 27 by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, by the provisions of Section 3’s sub-section (1) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, for a period of five years. This prohibition, however, was not enacted on the basis of cursory inquiry and conjecture. A series of events unfolded during investigations by agencies leading to the ban on PFI. Here is a chronology of events leading to the ban, based on a report by Dainik Bhaskar.
A WhatsApp forward to Police in Bihar
On June 10, 2022, Ekrar Ahmed, the Station House Officer (SHO) of Phulwari Sharif, Patna, received a leaflet over WhatsApp at his official mobile number. It read, “Shame on you, you should die! Mere meat-eating Muslims, when will you become real Muslims? When will you speak on the glory of the prophet? Muslims all over the world are raising their voice. When will you raise your voice? Will you just remain dead? Remember, tomorrow when Allah Ta’ala asks you a question, what will you answer and show your face to your Lord? Reach Jama Masjid Naya Tola on Namaz-e-Juma, 10/06/22 and prove Ishk-e-Rasool.”
Following this, an FIR was filed on June 11, 2022, in accordance with sections 153A, 295, 295A, 120B, and 34 of the IPC, based on the written statement of SHO Ekrar Ahmed. The SHO said that by spreading the document online, there was a plan to sow discord between the communities, ruin the ambience, and incite a riot.
Assassination plot of PM Modi
After filing the FIR, the police abandoned the matter and no further inquiry was conducted. On July 12, 2022, it was announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Patna and Deoghar. After agencies went on high alert, the police began looking into that booklet. Concerning this, the Ahmed Palace of Naya Tola of Phulwari Sharif was raided on the evening of July 10. Here begins the countdown to PFI being banned.
It was discovered that Athar Parvez and Mohammad Jalaluddin, a former sub-inspector from the Jharkhand Police, were running an organisation there. They used to instruct less educated and misled Muslim students to use weapons and to engage in terrorist action by bringing them into touch with them. Both were arrested on the same day.
Their statements resulted in the uncovering of anti-India documents. Their objective was not only to eliminate Prime Minister Narendra Modi but also the entire country’s system. These individuals also prepared a seven-page action plan for the plot to convert India into a Muslim nation. Mission 2047 was the name given to it. “By 2047, when the country would be celebrating 100 years of independence, India must be made an Islamic republic,” it was proclaimed. It is also mentioned in the plan that if 10% of Muslims embrace it, the majority will fall to their knees. So yet, no mention of PFI or SDPI had appeared in the case.
On the 13th of July, following the Prime Minister’s visit, Patna Police organizes a media briefing and announces the arrest of these two. During interrogation, Athar Parvez and Jalaluddin both open their mouths. On July 14, Armaan Malik is apprehended at Phulwari Sharif based on the statements by Parvez and Jalaluddin. It has also been revealed that the detained Jalaluddin was a member of the banned terrorist group SIMI and is now a member of PFI. During interrogation, it was discovered that they were associating former SIMI members with PFI. This is the point at which the probe needle turns towards the PFI.
Ghazwa-e-Hind
Meanwhile, another arrest happens on July 15th. Margub Ahmed Danish alias Tahir gets detained based on IB intel. The Ghazwa-e-Hind WhatsApp group and its worldwide links appear on his phone. The case piqued the interest of intelligence services, and the probe was accelerated. The ATS of several states, as well as major investigation agencies, convene, and the plans are steadily scrutinized from top to bottom.
On July 15, a special squad of Patna Police searches the SDPI’s office in Patna’s Sabzibagh locality. Evidence of PFI’s anti-national operations was unearthed here as well, and the scope rapidly expanded. After scanning the whole PFI network, their monitoring began in 20 states and over 100 cities.
PFI “India Vision 2047”
The majority of states, including Karnataka, Kerala, and Madhya Pradesh, found indications that PFI and SIMI were connected. Along with the Gulf nations, the subject of accepting donations from significant Muslim-owned enterprises in the nation was brought up.
Not only were raids conducted in Sabzibagh, but also in Phulwari Sharif, Exhibition Road, and ten other places. Raids also took place in Nalanda, Chhapra, Muzaffarpur, Madhubani, Darbhanga, East Champaran, Katihar, Araria, and Kishanganj in addition to Patna.
The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) apprehended Nooruddin Jangi from Lucknow on July 16 at the request of the Bihar Police. Jangi was also one of the 26 persons identified in the FIR.
Praveen Nettaru, the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha’s district secretary, was killed on July 26 in the Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka. The problem was serious since PFI had been charged for days with starting the Karnataka hijab case from scratch.
Following this, the investigation was intensified, and ten facilities in Bihar were raided on July 28. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted 10 raids in the districts of Patna, Darbhanga, East Champaran, Nalanda, and Madhubani to further analyze the case. Digital equipment and incriminating papers were discovered during raids on the residences of three suspects in Darbhanga, Nooruddin, Sanaullah, and Mustaqeem.
Planning to Ban PFI
Following the discovery of evidence of alleged PFI linkages in multiple states, an action plan was devised on August 4 during a visit to Bengaluru by Home Minister Amit Shah. He had gone there to take part in a program. Following the event, Amit Shah met with Karnataka CM Basava Raj Bommai and state Home Minister Araga Gyanendra.
It was resolved during this meeting to devise a strategy to outlaw PFI. After three days, on August 7th, a team was created to work on the strategy. Some key officials from Delhi and Karnataka, as well as intelligence personnel, were included in the action team. In addition, the Central Government created a list of officials from around the country who had previously been involved in the investigation of such sensitive cases.
The same squad fought PFI on three fronts, not only in Karnataka but throughout the country. The primary goal of the team was to compile such documents against PFI that could be utilised to counter its aspirations on both a national and international scale. The three fronts were mapping the network of PFI, finding out the sources of the funding, and revisiting and investigating the incidents having a PFI connection.
Series of raids across the length and breadth of the nation
On September 8, raids were carried out at 32 locations across 10 districts in Bihar. This encompassed Vaishali, Madhubani, Chhapra, Araria, Aurangabad, Kishanganj, Nalanda, and Jehanabad, in addition to Patna’s Phulwari Sharif. The residence of SDPI state general secretary Ehsan Parvez was also searched by the NIA. PFI District President Reyaz Ahmed’s home in Vaishali was also raided. The investigators interrogated Reyaz Ahmed’s relatives in Chapra. Raids were carried out at the home of SDPI state president Shamim Akhtar in the Khasganj neighbourhood of Nalanda’s Sohsarai police station area.
In a case involving the Popular Front of India’s (PFI) involvement in “anti-national activities,” the National Investigation Agency also conducted searches in Tamil Nadu’s Sivaganga district and Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district. During this time, significant material, including digital devices and papers, was discovered during searches of the suspects’ dwellings.
Following this, on September 22, the NIA and ED conducted major raids at 93 sites across 15 states. It was termed Operation Octopus. 106 members of PFI and its associated outfits were apprehended during the sweeping searches.
PFI announced bandh in numerous states, including Kerala, after raids in Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Odisha, and Rajasthan. Buses and cars were damaged, and there was widespread violence. This demonstrated that the roots of PFI were deep.
The ED stated in the remand note of PFI worker Shafiq Pythe, who was detained from Kozhikode, that a conspiracy was devised to assault the Prime Minister’s rally in Patna on July 12, with Shafiq Pythe sponsoring it. According to the investigative agency, the group reportedly set up a training camp to prepare assailants to assassinate the PM.
On September 27, the same routine was replicated, and 127 persons were detained. During operations on September 22 and 27, the NIA, ED, and state police made 278 arrests and gathered evidence. Meanwhile, the investigative authorities had gathered substantial evidence against PFI.
Under UAPA, the national government outlawed PFI for 5 years on September 28. This action was conducted against eight more organisations in addition to PFI. The Ministry of Home Affairs stated in its statement that proof of a terror nexus had been discovered against every organisation.
According to the government, the individuals of PFI and its linked groups acquired finances from India and overseas via banking channels, hawala, and charity, among other methods. It was all part of their premeditated criminal plot. Small sums from this fund were transferred to other accounts, establishing its legitimacy. However, it was used in nefarious, illegal, and terrorist activities.
PFI’s methods of transferring funds to bank accounts likewise do not correspond to the account holder’s profile. The actions that PFI claimed to have carried out using this fund were also not carried out. Following this, the Income Tax Department cancelled the registration of PFI and Rehab India Foundation.
Infiltration of RSS
OpIndia has reported on PFI’s efforts to infiltrate the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Around 50 members were being trained by PFI instructors. The UP STF got evidence from PFI operatives Mohd Faizan, Mohd Sufian, and Rehan’s WhatsApp and PC after they were nabbed in the early hours of Tuesday from Anchramau in Lucknow.
During questioning by intelligence officials, detainees Faizan, Sufiyan, and Rehan confessed that the main purpose of this PFI infiltration was to keep an eye on RSS operations and get classified information. The information was then to be transmitted to Islamic nations through their masters.
PFI had an extensive network spanning 23 states, and as a result, its roots were deepening across the nation. Even the security forces were ignorant of the dirty game being played under the garb of politics and the Jamaat. Phulwari was the starting point for the end of PFI. Following this, searches were conducted around the country, and after the discovery of the plan to make India an Islamic country, 8 groups associated with it, including PFI, was banned.
The ban on PFI was not unexpected. For its anti-national activities and affiliations with terror organisations like ISIS, it was already a banned organisation in Jharkhand. The NIA had also suggested a ban on the PFI in a report it had delivered to the Union minister of home affairs in 2017. States such as Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka also lobbied for the same.
On Saturday (October 1), the Firozabad police arrested a man for impersonating a cop and extorting money from local residents.
As per reports, the accused was identified as Mukesh Yadav. A resident of Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, Mukesh forged his identity in order to avoid paying tax at toll plazas.
Source: Twitter
On being asked about his identity fraud, the accused informed, “I was never inducted into the police force of the State. I wear this uniform and keep the ID of an inspector to avoid paying toll tax.”
Mukhesh conceded that he did not know how to legally join the police force. “Yes, I impersonated as a cop to save toll tax,” he was heard as saying.
In a statement, the Firozabad police said that the accused was nabbed from the Ushayani bypass at about 9:30 pm on Saturday (October 1). They informed that Mukesh, the son of Ramkishan Yadav, was caught extorting money from people.
The police have so far recovered a brown coloured purse, 2 Aadhar Cards, 2 Pan Cards, one driving licence, one identity card, and 3 ATM cards. They have also seized cash worth ₹2200, a pair of cell phones and passport-size photos.
On Monday, October 3, ANI reported a ‘bomb threat’ onboard an Iranian passenger jet flying over Indian airspace. According to initial reports, the passenger airliner was flying from Iran to China.
After the trigger was pressed, the IAF scrambled its Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets from Punjab and Jodhpur airbases to intercept the plane. The passenger airplane has now left Indian airspace and is now en route to China, said security agencies monitoring the plane.
‘Bomb threat’ onboard Iranian passenger jet over Indian airspace, with final destination in China, triggers alert, IAF jets scrambled. The passenger jet is now moving towards China. Security agencies monitoring the plane: Sources pic.twitter.com/5Up2fHURxW
ANI further informed that the plane was on its way from Tehran, Iran, to Guangzhou in China. Mahan Air contacted the Delhi airport Air Traffic Control after the airline received a bomb threat, requesting an immediate landing in Delhi.
On way from Tehran, Iran to Guangzhou in China, Mahan Air contacted Delhi airport ATC after the airline received a bomb threat for an immediate landing at Delhi. Delhi ATC suggested the aircraft to go to Jaipur but the aircraft pilot refused & left Indian airspace: ATC sources
The Indian Air Force immediately dispatched Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter fighters from air bases in Punjab and Jodhpur to intercept the plane that was moving towards the New Delhi airspace.
Meanwhile, the Delhi ATC did not grant permission to the plane to land in Delhi and instead suggested the aircraft should go to Jaipur but the aircraft pilot refused and left the Indian airspace, according to sources.
Though the nature of the threat onboard the aircraft still remains unknown, after clearance, the aircraft was allowed to continue flying toward China. The flight’s movements, however, are being closely tracked by Indian authorities, the report added.
The much-hyped, mega-budget movie Adipurush, starring Prabhas, Kriti Shanon and Saif Ali Khan is a retelling of the Ramayana. After a short teaser was released yesterday October 2, social media was rife with discussions about the first visuals from the movie. However, unexpectedly, they were mostly negative.
The 1.46-minute teaser, though loaded with a lot of VFX and pleasant visuals of natural landscapes, dropped a lot of unpleasant scenes that made the audience question the logic behind the budget of over 500 crores for making a movie that has all the regular monsters and skeletal demons Hollywood used to portray 10 years back.
Popular YouTuber Deeksha Sharma has said in her review that Prabhas has a weird plastic expression on his face and lacks the ‘Godlike’ charm and calmness that is associated with Vishnu Avatars in Hinduism. She even cited the examples of Saurabh Raj Jain as Krishna in Star Plus’ Mahabharat, Nitesh Bharadwaj in the DD Mahabharat, Arun Govil as Ram in Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan, and the short but stunning transformation of Ram Charan’s character in RRR.
Sharma pointed out that Lord Ram is the calm, steady, benevolent warrior in the minds of the Indian audience but Prabhas lacks all that. Rather the makers of the movie seem to have invested all their money and focus on giving Prabhas the ‘six pack look’.
Sharma’s review has gathered more than 450,000 views in just 5 hours.
One Twitter user asked why are the makers of Adipurush trying to make Ravan look like ‘Rizwan’. Pointing at the beard and comical expression adorned by Saif Ali Khan in the teaser, he stated that Saif rather looks like Allauddin Khilji.
Among the plethora of misplaced, odd, cheap Hollywood horror movie-inspired visuals were some shots of Ravan’s army. Curiously, Ravan seems to have an army of skeletal, rotten demons, looking like a cross between Dementors from Harry Potter and the wights, the skeletal animated zombies from Game of Thrones. These ones can fly, though.
There is also a hilariously copy-pasted scene of Saif as Ravan riding a giant, monster bat. Social media users were quick to point out that it was a rather stupid attempt to recreate the Night King character from Game of Thrones where he rides a skeletal zombie dragon.
Dozens of users have pointed out that it looks less like a movie and more like a new online fantasy game. Similarities of setups with Temple Run 4 were also pointed out.
Overall, the teaser of the mega-budget movie looks very disappointing. Sita, the strong, virtuous, brave princess of Mithila has been depicted as a mere damsel in distress. Prabhas, who now has a pan-Indian fan base after Baahubali movies, looks rather expressionless and bland. Saif Ali Khan has stupid, comical expressions totally unbefitting of a mighty, ‘Mahagyani’ king who ruled over even Devas and got blessings from Lord Shiva to gain his powers.
Some of the basic things On Raut missed in Mega project:
1.Simplicity,Calmness of Ram 2.VFX 3. Ravan's look & Hairstyle 4.Vaanar Sena's 5. Basic screen tone. A complete dark tone giving a sense of Fear & Horror movies 6. Main characters are not even looking like a real human
A movie that attempts to retell the story of the Ramayana, with the scale of human emotions, and overwhelming popularity in multiple countries, should have been made with better care and finesse.
With China’s persecution of Tibetans escalating over time, representatives of Tibetan communities in Europe have urged the Chinese government to stop, with immediate effect, atrocities like the colonial-style boarding schools, repression through their Zero-Covid Policy, and bulk DNA collection of Tibetans.
Presidents, Vice-Presidents, and representatives from Tibetan communities across Europe gathered in Milan for the Tibetan communities’ third General Meeting on October 1st and 2nd, 2022.
During the discussion, Tibetan activists focused on the three aforementioned new tactics used by the Chinese authorities to commit atrocities against Tibetans.
The resolution passed at the third General Meeting of Tibetan communities in Milan
The resolution signed by representatives from various Tibetan communities across Europe
A resolution passed at the meeting voiced concern about the Chinese government’s colonial-style boarding school system in Tibet.
The activists worried how almost a million Tibetan children, some as young as four years old, are forcibly separated from their parents and sent to “boarding schools” where they are forced to learn Chinese and are subjected to “patriotic education” aimed at total Sinicization of Tibetan language, culture, and identity, ultimately leading to the annihilation of the centuries-old Tibetan civilization.
They further said that they were appalled by recent videos and reports from Tibet in which the Chinese government, under the guise of the Zero-Covid Policy, is forcibly detaining Tibetans in “quarantine centres” regardless of whether they test Covid-positive or negative, and are fed rotten food. These Tibetans are deprived of basic amenities, forcing a few Tibetans to commit suicide, demonstrating the total repression of Tibetans in Tibet.
The activists also expressed concern about reports of the Chinese government’s mass DNA collection of over one million Tibetans, including men, women, children, and Buddhist monks, between June 2016 and July 2022 as part of a high-tech surveillance mechanism to continue Tibetan oppression in Tibet.
They urged the international community, especially European governments, parliamentarians, the European Union, and the United Nations, to put pressure on China to stop committing crimes against humanity and to press the Chinese government to comply with its international obligations.
The press release read, “WE, therefore, UNEQUIVOCALLY CONDEMN the acts of repression by the Chinese government against the Tibetans and CALL UPON the Chinese Government to STOP WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT the colonial-style boarding schools, repression through Zero-Covid Policy and the mass DNA collection of Tibetans; CALL UPON the Chinese Government to respect and implement its own constitutional provisions and international obligations guaranteeing social, cultural and economic rights including right to language, religious freedom, autonomy to the Tibetan people; CALL UPON the International Community including the national governments of the European countries, parliamentarians, the European Union as well as the United Nations to press China to STOP WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT the above acts of crimes against humanity being perpetuated by the Chinese government and to press the government to comply with its international obligations; And thereby WE UNDERTAKE to create awareness about the worsening situation in Tibet especially on the above three critical matters of concern within our jurisdictions as well as advocate and mobilise support for Tibet.”
China extends DNA sample collection to Tibet under ‘crime detection’ program
It may be recalled that on September 6, OpIndia reported how in accordance with the persecution of Uyghur Muslims in China, Xi Jinping’s communist government had been collecting DNA samples from residents of Tibet, without their consent, under the pretext of crime detection.
The blatant violation of human rights is not limited to the adult population but has been extended to even kindergarten children. Reportedly, the DNA collection drive began in 2019 as part of a policing campaign and involved inspection, investigation, and mediation.
According to a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW), DNA was collected from residents in at least 7 villages, 2 townships, 2 towns, 2 counties, and one prefecture of the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR). Besides, two government tenders were floated to create local DNA databases.
The report noted that the residents of Tibet, forcibly occupied and annexed by China 70 years ago, could not decline to provide their DNA samples.
Central Tibetan Administration (CTA)
For the uninitiated, while the People’s Republic of China (PRC) claims that Tibet is an integral part of China, the Tibetan government-in-exile maintains that Tibet is an independent state under unlawful occupation. Prior to 1951, Tibet had a theocratic government of which the Dalai Lama was the supreme religious and political head. On 29 April 1959, Dalai Lama established the Tibetan exile administration in the north Indian hill station of Mussoorie. Named the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), this is the continuation of the government of independent Tibet. In May 1960, the CTA was moved to Dharamsala. The Tibetan people, both in and outside Tibet, look to the CTA as their sole and legitimate representative. Since 2012, Lobsang Sangay is the Sikyong or the President of the Tibetan government-in-exile.
In his statement on June 28th, Lobsang Sangay said that in the last six decades and more, Tibetans within Tibet have been suffering under the authoritarian rule of China. The Chinese government has stripped Tibetans of their basic human rights and their inherent dignity of being human, he said.
A year after lawyer Urooj Rahman and her accomplice pleaded guilty to arson attack during the George Floyd Protests in Brooklyn, her lawyers have now blamed the act on alcohol and unprocessed trauma as a Muslim in post 9/11 America.
As per reports, Rahman accepted a new plea deal in June this year and is now pushing for a reduced sentence. On September 9, her lawyers filed in Brooklyn Federal Court that she was in a highly intoxicated state after consuming vodka on an empty stomach.
They suggested that Rahman and her accomplice Colinford Mattis set a police van on fire on May 30, 2020, near the 88th Precinct stationhouse in Fort Greene, to express their anger toward cops who are prejudiced against the African-American community.
Havent seen a filing this amazing in a while.
Urooj Rahman is attorney who blew up police car w Molotov cocktail during Summer of Riots 2020. She’s been convicted and is awaiting sentencing…
“Tossing the Molotov cocktail was a way of expressing anger at those police officers around the country for whom black lives did not matter…It was an act of protest intended to avoid exposing others to harm,” Rahman’s lawyers claimed.
Besides, her lawyers also pinned the blame on a number of mitigating factors such as abusive relationships, witnessing injustices in the USA and abroad, and the trauma of being a Muslim in post-9/11 America.
They also cited her exposure to injustices to low-income tenants, who are on the brink of eviction, and the plight of refugees in Athens and Instanbul to rationalise her act of tossing a Molotov cocktail on a police van.
Citing her therapy sessions and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, Rahman’s lawyers also alleged that the arson attack was “a marked deviation from her otherwise exemplary life.”
Reportedly, the prosecutors junked the list of excuses and sought a strict sentence against Urooj Rahman and Colinford Mattis. They pointed out how the duo was equipped with 2 explosives, one of which was handed to a passerby.
According to Patrick Lynch, the head of the Police Benevolent Association, Rahman does not deserve mercy. ” He emphasised, “She remains committed to a violent anti-police ideology and continues to baselessly smear police officers in her bid for a lighter sentence. She must receive the heaviest sentence the law allows.”
The Background of the Case
On May 25, 2020, a 46-year-old African-American man, George Floyd was murdered by a white police officer Derek Chauvin, who knelt on the former’s neck for 7 long minutes until his body became unresponsive.
A shopkeeper had called the cops on Floyd for allegedly trying to pass a ‘potential counterfeit bill’. Despite the victim complaining about not being able to breathe, coupled with verbal protest from onlookers, the said officer was unmoved.
On being taken to the Hennepin County Medical Center, Floyd was pronounced dead. After Floyd’s death, violent protests have broken out in several US cities. In a viral video, Urooj Rahman was seen throwing a lit Bud light beer bottle filled with gasoline into the broken window of a police car.
Two far-left attorneys who rioted for BLM in Brooklyn have pleaded guilty to a terrorist firebomb attack. Urooj Rahman threw a firebomb into a police car, tried to distribute more firebombs to others, then fled in a getaway van driven by Colinford Mattis. https://t.co/Xei98fvqfApic.twitter.com/gSlGs8V3iR
She was accompanied by Colinford Mattis, a graduate of Princeton University and the New York School of Law. The duo was stopped and arrested by another patrol car a few blocks away after they were caught committing the said crime.
The cops found materials to make more Molotov cocktails inside the car. The police also discovered gasoline, lighter, and bottles filled with toilet paper. In October last year, Rahman along with Colinsford pleaded guilty to her crime.
In total, she spent 28 days behind bars before posting a $2,50,000 bail. Although Rahman was initially facing up to 10 years in prison, she accepted a new plea deal that is likely to reduce her sentence to 18-24 months.
She has confessed to conspiring to commit arson and making/possessing unregistered explosives. Urooj Rahman is due to be sentenced the following month.
