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As ‘liberals’ paint The Wire cofounders Siddharth Varadarajan, Venu and staff as victims, here’s why Delhi Police raided their residences

Amit Kelkar
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As ‘liberals’ paint The Wire cofounders Siddharth Varadarajan, Venu and staff as victims, here’s why Delhi Police raided their residences

Delhi Police Monday raided the residences of The Wire co-founders Siddharth Varadarajan, MK Venu, and staffer Jahnavi Sen in connection with the FIR filed by Amit Malviya for the publication’s malicious reports against him.

And in no time, the left-liberal ecosystem came to their rescue, describing the raids as politically motivated against a publication known for its perennially and at times, unjustifiably critical reportage against the current dispensation. A concerted attempt to discredit the raids and paint them as vindictive action against the publication is underway on social media, where leftist ideologues are trying to project the searches as the Centre’s way of disciplining The Wire, Siddharth Varadarajan and other writers.

Source: Twitter
The Wire
Source: Twitter

While the objective of the left ecosystem was to evoke sympathy for The Wire, Siddharth Varadarajan, and others and paint them as victims of state repression, they conveniently downplayed the offences for which the Delhi Police conducted the raids.

The Wire
Source: Twitter
The Wire
Source: Twitter

The reasons behind Delhi Police’s raids against Siddharth Varadarajan, MK Venu, Jahnavi Sen

The raids were not for defamation as per some leftist ‘intellectuals’ but for consistently indulging in forgery, cheating, fraud, fabrication, and criminal conspiracy. In fact, there is no civil defamation case against The Wire, Varadarajan, and others involved in the case. They face a criminal case for forgery, fabrication, and hatching a criminal conspiracy. 

The left lobby’s protestations in support of Siddharth Varadarajan and company are ludicrous. Their assertion that Devesh Kumar misled them in their reportage on Meta stories is laughably absurd. Even if one were to presume that Siddharth Varadarajan and Jahnavi Sen were misled by Kumar for their original story, the subsequent forgery, fabrications and strident defence of their stance demonstrate the confidence and conviction of Varadarajan and other reporters in the original story and in allegations levelled by them.

In fact, even in face of contradictory evidence, and denial from independent experts, Varadarajan refused to budge and continued to place his faith in the Meta stories that have now been retracted by The Wire. 

The Wire and Siddharth Varadarajan rubbished the statement issued by Meta that unequivocally denounced the allegations levelled by The Wire that Amit Malviya has powers that enables him to remove Instagram posts that are not to his liking. The story was passionately rebutted on social media too, where users pointed out the loopholes in The Wire’s reportage.

However, Varadarajan and the company dug their heels in and refused to heed the online criticism. They came up with a fabricated email by Meta executive Andy Stone to make a case for the authenticity of their story. Even after Stone termed the email as fabricated and alerted The Wire that the email might be fabricated, Varadarajan persisted with the claim that Malviya enjoys privilege on Meta’s Instagram app, having the capability of removing critical posts against the BJP. 

If this was not enough, they verified fake Andy Stone’s email with fake DKIM, with forged verification of two external experts. It was only after independent researchers listed by The Wire as experts who verified the DKIM categorically refuted having done any such verification, did The Wire apologised and pulled down their Meta stories.

Besides all these inconsistencies, Varadarajan had also claimed the Wire internal computers had faulty data stamp due to TailOS. The question it raises is who accessed their computers to enable the forgery.

At one point during the course of the Meta vs The Wire saga, Siddharth Varadarajan also claimed to have met the Meta sources himself when social media users and domain experts raised questions about The Wire’s story.

Amit Malviya’s FIR against The Wire 

The Wire retracted its Meta story after Amit Malviya moved to file a complaint against the publication. In his complaint addressed to the special commissioner of police (crime) Delhi, Amit Malviya said, “I am filing the present complaint against The Wire – an online news portal, Mr Siddharth Varadarajan Founding Editor of The Wire, Mr Sidharth Bhatia Founding Editor of The Wire, Mr MK Venu Founding Editor of The Wire, Ms Jahnavi Sen -the Deputy Editor and Executive News Producer at The Wire, Foundation for Independent Journalism the company that owns and publishes The Wire and other unknown persons. I am filing the present complaint for the offences of cheating, forgery for the purpose of cheating, forgery for the purpose of harming the reputation, using as genuine a forged document or electronic record, and defamation amongst other provisions of IPC.”

Amit Malviya added, “I say that this is not the first time that the Accused has published fake news. Recently, the Accused published a story on Tek Fog about a ‘superhuman app’ used by the BJP for SM interception. The said story was used by various national and international media to downgrade India and the thriving democracy of our country. However, subsequently, the Tek Fog story was taken down but The Wire as it was found to be false and fabricated, just as in the present case.”

‘Anti-Modi’ Australian activist Drew Pavlou alleges harassment by London Metropolitan Police at the behest of China. Here is all you need to know

OpIndia Staff
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‘Anti-Modi’ Australian activist Drew Pavlou alleges harassment by London Metropolitan Police at the behest of China. Here is all you need to know

Drew Pavlou, an Australian ‘human rights activist’, has now accused the London Metropolitan Police of working in cahoots with the Communist Party of China (CPC) and targeting him.

The 23-year-old hails from Brisbane and was a student at the University of Queensland. On Sunday (October 30), he levelled serious allegations about the integrity of the London Met Police.

“Message from my British lawyers showing London Met Police are “waiting on evidence from Beijing” before waiting to charge me,” he tweeted while sharing the screenshot of a Whatsapp conversation.

“The Met Police should explain to the House of Commons that they are allowing the Chinese government to essentially prosecute opponents in the UK,” he further added.

In another tweet, Drew Pavlou alleged that the police had threatened to issue an arrest warrant and directed him to return to London from Australia by October 18 this year. After he complied, the London Met Police indefinitely postponed his bail hearing.

“For context, London Met Police threatened to issue an arrest warrant in my name if I didn’t fly from Australia to London on October 18 to personally attend bail at Hammersmith Police Station. They waited until I landed in London on October 17 to indefinitely postpone this date,” he claimed.

The Background of the controversy

Drew Pavlou is a vocal critic of the Communist Party of China (CCP). In 2020, the Australian activist led a campaign to move the 2022 Winter Olympic Games from Beijing to elsewhere, citing the persecution of Tibetans, Uyghurs, and Taiwanese people.

“Don’t let Beijing 2022 become Berlin 1936. #MoveTheGames,” he tweeted in October 2020. Recently, he disrupted a speech by China’s Ambassador to Australia and raised awareness about the missing Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai.

On July 21 this year, he held a protest outside the Chinese Embassy in London for the oppression of Tibet, Taiwan, and Uyghur Muslims by the Communist Party of China (CPC).

He was arrested by the London Metropolitan police, not for trespassing on diplomatic premises as he expected, but for allegedly threatening to blow up the embassy.

Reportedly, the Chinese Embassy apprised the police of a mail received from an email ID ‘[email protected]’, threatening a bomb attack. Although Drew Pavlou has denied involvement in the matter, he alleged treatment at par with a ‘terror suspect.’

While speaking to Sky News, he stated, “(The Chinese govt) created a fake Drew Pavlou ProtonMail … including bomb threats in this email, they’ve sent it to the Chinese embassy…They ended up holding me incommunicado past midnight, so I was held for a total of 24 hours.”

“For a substantial amount of that time I was incommunicado, so I was held in secret. I was treated as a terror suspect, I was held in secret, I wasn’t allowed to talk to a lawyer, I wasn’t allowed to talk to anyone on the outside, I wasn’t allowed to talk to the Australian High Commission,” Drew Pavlou added.

Drew Pavlou and his anti-Modi history

As early as 2019, the Australian activist had been at the forefront of leading disinformation campaigns about India. Under the pretext of protesting against the humanitarian Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), he made the false claim that Muslims are being killed on the streets by the Modi regime.

The archived version of the tweet can be accessed here.

In another tweet, Drew Pavlou was seen endorsing the ‘out of context’ tweet by fake news peddler CJ Werleman. He had sought the deportation of BJP MP Tejasvi Surya from Australia for speaking out against the historical atrocities committed by Islamic invaders in India.

“Whether CCP or BJP I will always oppose fascism. Kick Tejasvi Surya out of the country, deport him,” he said in a tweet this year. The archived version of the tweet can be accessed here.

Despite trying to internationally defame the Indian government, it is not PM Modi or BJP that is hounding the 23-year-old. As per his own testimony, his targeted harassment is the handiwork of the CPC, aided by the London Metropolitan Police.

Morbi tragedy: Read about Oreva group, the company behind the bridge’s renovation, that is under scanner

OpIndia Staff
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Morbi tragedy: Read about Oreva group, the company behind the bridge’s renovation, that is under scanner

The Morbi bridge catastrophe in Gujarat has jolted the entire country. So far, 143 individuals have died as a result of the disaster. Following the occurrence, the most pressing question is who is to blame for this tragic accident. The role of Oreva Group, which is in charge of bridge maintenance, is under scanner based on the early facts. Morbi Municipal Officer Sandeep Singh Jala has claimed that the company opened the bridge to the public, in a haste, without obtaining a fitness certificate.

According to reports, Oreva Group, a Gujarat-based electrical appliance manufacturer famed for its Ajanta clocks, was awarded the bridge renovation project after obtaining the government tender. Morbi Municipal Corporation and Ajanta Oreva Company signed the contract in March 2022, and it is valid until 2037. The bridge, widely known as ‘Jhulta Pul’ over the Machhu River, was closed for maintenance seven months ago and reopened on October 26, the day of the Gujarati New Year and the disaster occurred on Sunday (30 October 2022).

Who owns the Ajanta Oreva Group?

Late Odhavji Bhai R. Patel founded Ajanta Manufacturing Private Limited (Oreva Group) as a wall clock manufacturer. According to the firm’s LinkedIn page, the Oreva Ajanta Group has grown to become the “world’s largest watch manufacturing company.” The firm manufactures wall clocks under the popular Ajanta and Orpat brands. Started as a clock manufacturer, the Oreva group gradually diversified into new verticals. Its other businesses include water harvesting for farmers, energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs, and vitrified tiles. The Oreva Group has an estimated turnover of Rs 800 crore. Jaisukh Bhai is the company’s current supervisor.

No mention of construction business in Oreva Group’s website

According to the Free Press Journal, the Oreva group claims to employ over 6,000 people but makes no mention of its construction business on its website. Oreva, which is known in the business for its competitive pricing, offers its products through 55,000 channel partners around the country.

The company’s plant spread over 200 acres of land in Gujarat

Oreva Group operates one of India’s largest manufacturing plants in Samakhiyali, Kutch District, Gujarat, which spans across 200 acres of land. Oreva moved into LED Lighting Products after growing its CFLs and is now one of India’s top manufacturers. The company, a market leader in wall clocks, has also expanded into digital clocks and invested in e-bike technology.

Oreva Group accused of negligence

In the aftermath of the collapse of an over century-old suspension bridge over the Macchu river in Gujarat’s Morbi, the head of Morbi’s civic body claimed that the bridge was reopened without the permission of the authorities.

An official also claimed that the Oreva Group had been given a deadline of 8-12 months to finish the suspension bridge’s maintenance and cleaning. The company, Oreva Group, had allegedly opened the bridge to the public five months prior to its scheduled opening that too without taking the municipality’s ‘fitness certificate’ for the same.

Meanwhile, in the aftermath of the tragedy, the Gujarat government acted swiftly and appointed a 5-member committee to investigate the incident. At the same time, a criminal case has been registered against the contractor under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 114, 304 (culpable homicide) and 308 (attempt to culpable homicide).

Now, as per latest reports, as many as nine people have been arrested in connection with the Morbi bridge tragedy which claimed over 143 lives. The accused includes two managers of Oreva company, two ticket clerks along with two contractors and three security guards, whose job was to control the crowds, for negligence.

Nepal: Hindu procession attacked by an Islamist mob in Mahottari, several people including police officials injured

OpIndia Staff
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Nepal: Hindu procession attacked by an Islamist mob in Mahottari, several people including police officials injured

On Thursday, October 27, a Hindu procession allegedly came under attack from a Muslim mob. Reportedly, following a dispute over a flag hoisting, the procession came under attack. Police had to resort to lathicharge and tear gas to bring the situation under control. In the preceding violence, several people as well as police officials were left injured.

According to the reports, the Islamists pelted stones at the Hindu procession and also attacked the Police who reached the spot to control the situation. The Islamists were enraged over the Hindus who participated in the procession for hoisting and swaying the flag during the procession. The Police imposed a lathi charge to disperse the violent Islamist mob that launched an attack on several police officers on October 27.

Authorities are maintaining an enhanced security presence in several parts of Mahottari District, Madhesh Province, following the violence. Reportedly, in response to the recent violence, the officials have imposed an indefinite curfew and restrictions on public gatherings in the areas including Bhangaha, Dharmapur, Loharpatti, and Parariya. The restrictions, however, do not apply to people who provide essential services.

Rajesh Yadav, president of Hindu Samrat Sena, described the incident in detail on Sudarshan News channel. Rajesh Yadav who is severely injured and has a bandage tied around his head, said that Parariya is Muslim dominant area. He added that the incident of stone pelting began as soon as the procession arrived in the region. He further asserted that the stone pelters included both Islamist men and women. According to Rajesh, about 20 Hindus were left with serious head injuries as a result of stone pelting.

Rajesh informed the media that this is not the first time that Hindu processions in the area have been attacked by the Islamists. “Earlier also there have been many incidents when Hindu procession have been attacked. Some people who belong to my community are not willing to stand by me in this fight”, he added.

The incident happened on October 27 when the Hindus conducted a religious procession to immerse the idol of the Hindu Goddess in the Bhangaha area of Nepal’s Mahottari district. As the procession passed through a Muslim-dominated area in the city, the Islamists objected to the procession and also over the flag that had been hoisted amid the procession. The Islamists then began pelting stones at the procession, injuring several Hindus. They also attacked the Police who had reached the spot to control the situation.

One of the members of the Hindu Samrat Sena named Dheeraj Mandal spoke to OpIndia to reveal that Islamists had planned to murder the national president of the organization, Rajesh Yadav. He also shared a video with us in which a group of Islamists could be heard talking about Yadav. He also shared a few videos of the violence that happened on October 27 in which Islamist women could be seen pelting stones at Hindus from the roofs.

According to Dheeraj, the population of Muslims in his district has increased to about 15 percent. Dheeraj also accused the governance and administration of Nepal and said that in every case, the government favours the Muslim community. Regarding ‘Hindu Samrat Sena’, Mandal said that they have attained no support over the incident even from the people belonging to their community. Dheeraj Mandal has shared another video with OpIndia in which hundreds of Muslim youths can be seen running with sticks in their hands.

Dheeraj said that the video is from October 27. The Islamists, as could be seen in the video, shouted slogans and also held green flags in their hands. “On that day Muslims surrounded Hindus and all the preparations were made to kill our chief Rajesh. Had some local people not supported us, our leader would have been killed that day”, he added.

Manju Mandal, a female member of the Hindu Samrat Sena of Nepal also spoke to OpIndia on the matter. She said that Islamists launched an attack on Hindus and no cases have been registered against them. Instead, cases have been registered against Hindus only. She stated that the local administration has issued an arrest warrant in the name of Rajesh Yadav.

Delhi Police raids residences of ‘The Wire’ co-founders Siddharth Varadarajan, MK Venu, staffer Jahnavi Sen

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi Police raids residences of ‘The Wire’ co-founders Siddharth Varadarajan, MK Venu, staffer Jahnavi Sen

Delhi Police Monday raided the houses of ‘The Wire’ founders Siddharth Varadarajan, MK Venu, and staffer Jahnavi Sen in connection with the FIR filed against the publication for its malicious Meta reportage against BJP leader Amit Malviya.

Earlier last week, BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya filed a criminal complaint against The Wire and its editorial team for their now-withdrawn Meta reports against him. The complaint was filed with The Special Commissioner of Police – Crime, of the Delhi Police. Amit Malviya has said The Wire falsified papers in an effort to slander and damage his reputation.

“The police came at around 4.40 pm and left at 6 pm. They said they have come here on behalf of the Delhi Police Crime Branch for the FIR filed by Amit Malviya. They have taken my iPhone and iPad for cloning,” MK Venu was quoted as saying by Scroll. He confirmed that raids are underway at Varadarajan’s place too.

The searches are related to a series of now-retracted reports that claimed Meta had granted unprecedented powers to Malviya to remove Instagram posts that he did not like.

However, the allegations did not add up and were countered by several independent researchers who called out The Wire for relying on fabricated evidence to malign Amit Malviya and Meta. Though initially The Wire and its writers stridently defended their stance, in the face of mounting evidence to the contrary, they were forced to apologise and retract their Meta stories. They eventually also took down their stories on Tek Fog, an app that The Wire had claimed of having superpowers to manipulate social media trends.

Amit Malviya’s FIR against The Wire

Nevertheless, after The Wire retracted its Meta story, Amit Malviya moved to file a complaint against the publication. In his complaint addressed to the special commissioner of police (crime) Delhi, Amit Malviya said, “I am filing the present complaint against The Wire – an online news portal, Mr Siddharth Varadarajan Founding Editor of The Wire, Mr Sidharth Bhatia Founding Editor of The Wire, Mr MK Venu Founding Editor of The Wire, Ms Jahnavi Sen -the Deputy Editor and Executive News Producer at The Wire, Foundation for Independent Journalism the company that owns and publishes The Wire and other unknown persons. I am filing the present complaint for the offences of cheating, forgery for the purpose of cheating, forgery for the purpose of harming the reputation, using as genuine a forged document or electronic record, and defamation amongst other provisions of IPC.”

Amit Malviya added, “I say that this is not the first time that the Accused has published fake news. Recently, the Accused published a story on Tek Fog about a ‘superhuman app’ used by the BJP for SM interception. The said story was used by various national and international media to downgrade India and the thriving democracy of our country. However, subsequently, the Tek Fog story was taken down but The Wire as it was found to be false and fabricated, just as in the present case.”

Citing various pieces of evidence that emerged in the case that proved that The Wire had fabricated several emails and other documents to establish its allegation against Malviya, he said in the complaint, “it is evident that the Accused along with other unknown persons, maliciously fabricated internal emails of Meta so as to vindictively prove their point in order to cause reputational damage to the BJP and myself.”

He noted that after the Meta story was found to be fake, Wire issued an apology to its readers, but is yet to apologise to him. “Shockingly, until this date the accused persons have refrained from issuing an apology addressed to me. This is even despite the fact that their reports and fabricated material have maligned and tarnished my reputation,” he wrote.

“It is apparent that Accused along with other unknown persons entered into a conspiracy with the criminal intent to malign and tarnish my reputation and correspondingly belittle and tarnish the reputation of the BJP. As a part of the conspiracy, the Accused also fabricated and forged internal emails of a private limited company with a dishonest and fraudulent intention to hoodwink their readers and the public at large,” Malviya has written in the complaint.

Subramanian Swamy claims Modi and Shah planning to do a ‘Haren Pandya’ on him, issues veiled threat against PM

OpIndia Staff
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Subramanian Swamy claims Modi and Shah planning to do a ‘Haren Pandya’ on him, issues veiled threat against PM

On Monday, former BJP Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy took to Twitter to repeat the same lies that the biased sections of the media and self-styled ‘activists’ have been peddling for years about Narendra Modi and former Gujarat Home Minister Haren Pandya.

In his Tweet, which reeked of sheer hatred for Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, the disgruntled BJP leader claimed that the two wanted to “are planning a Haren Pandya” on him. He also issued a veiled warning to the two, vowing to avenge if any kind of harm comes to him.

“I hope Modi & Shah are not planning a Haren Pandeya on me. If so I may have to alert my friends. Remember I give as good as I get. The duo has even bluffed those in the highest authority in RSS,” Tweeted Swamy.

When a Twitter user going by the handle @ginger_bread_s lashed out at Swamy questioning him whether he was genuinely accusing Modi and Shah of killing Haren Pandeya, Swamy responded with, what appeared to be clearly an afterthought, “Haren Pandeya’s sidelining from the BJP.”

Given Subramanian Swamy’s hate for Narendra Modi in recent years, after being kept out of a ministerial post, his brazen lie comes as no surprise. It is consistent with the alarmist narrative generated about Narendra Modi and his government by the leftist media and so-called secularists. Just that, Swamy should be informed that the deception he has employed to attack Modi is a stale one that has long back not only been busted but, in fact, also rejected by the Supreme Court. 

Haren Pandya was a former BJP minister in the Gujarat government. He resigned from the Cabinet in August 2002, was denied a ticket in the Assembly elections in December 2002, and was assassinated on March 26, 2003. Since then, biassed sections of the media and self-proclaimed secularists have been claiming that Modi and Shah were behind his murder.

In fact, OpIndia published a report in 2018 detailing how the leftist media and BJP detractors attempted to spread misinformation that Amit Shah and/or Modi killed Pandya. We provided evidence to dispel this fallacy and expose the biased segment of the media.

Supreme Court restores conviction of the 12 accused in Haren Pandya murder case

In fact, in 2019, the Supreme Court also restored the conviction and sentenced the 12 people accused of murdering former Gujarat Home Minister Haren Pandya in 2003. The CBI had claimed that this was done to avenge the 2002 communal riots in the state. In 2011, when the Gujarat HC acquitted the murderers, the CBI had filed an appeal questioning the acquittal of the Gujarat High Court as erroneous. On January 31, 2019, the Supreme Court reserved the verdict on the appeals.

Mumbai: Police arrest 28-year-old food delivery executive for raping a dog in a Powai mall

OpIndia Staff
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Mumbai: Police arrest 28-year-old food delivery executive for raping a dog in a Powai mall

On October 29, Mumbai Police arrested a 28-year-old food delivery man identified as Akash for allegedly having sexual intercourse with a dog inside a mall. He was arrested after 61-year-old animal activist and member of MGO Bombay Animal Rights Minu Sheth filed a complaint in the matter.

Sheth regularly feeds the victim dog. On October 29, he received a video of the accused having sexual intercourse with the six-month-old dog on Hira Panna Mall’s premises. The video was sent by Vijay Mohnani, president of Bombay Animal Rights, who asked Sheth to file a complaint in the matter.

The dog was fed by both Sheth and the staff of a bar and restaurant located in the mall. As per reports, the accused had been raping the dog for several days. A delivery executive saw him indulge in the act and made a video that was then forwarded to his colleagues and others, from where it eventually reached Mohnani.

Mid-Day quoted Mohnani as saying, “I am deeply hurt by this accident, this is the second such incident in the Powai area.” He added that last year a similar incident came to light where a dog named Nuri was raped by a person who not only raped the dog but also inserted a stick in the private parts of the animal.

Mohnani said, “The dog has been medically examined and has swelling in her private parts. She has been admitted to the hospital for treatment. She is very scared; I have a request to Mumbaikars to help her. Not with treatment expenses, but by adopting her.”

Dog behaviourist and trainer Niharika Gandhi said, “These delivery boys come to our doorstep, enter our safe circle, and this is what they are capable of. There has to be a verification of character. Do these companies check for prior police records? We have lost 23 dogs this year to hit-and-runs due to commercial vehicles and private cars. It’s a sad situation.”

A case was registered against the accused under Section 377 (unnatural sexual offenses) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the prevention of cruelty to Animal Act, 1960. The accused was sent to police remand by Bandra court on October 31.

Morbi tragedy: Did the bridge collapse because of overcapacity? Or were there other reasons? Here is what experts say

Meghalsinh Parmar
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Morbi tragedy: Did the bridge collapse because of overcapacity? Or were there other reasons? Here is what experts say

On Sunday, October 30, 2022, over 100 people lost their lives after the cable bridge across Machhu river snapped and those who were on the bridge fell in water. Laughter turned to screams of horror as many drowned instantly. The rescue operations are still on. The video captured moments before the tragedy struck has been viral on social media.

As can be seen, just seconds before the cables snapped, some of the tourists were seen jumping on the suspension bridge. Earlier videos of the same bridge have also shown people jumping on the bridge. This has led to lot of speculation on social media.

OpIndia reached out to experts in engineering to understand what could have gone wrong. The experts are of the opinion that it is quite unlikely the bridge collapsed due to over capacity and it is likely that the material used was of low quality which could have led to the tragedy.

Dr Devanshu Pandit, Ahmedabad based construction specialist, said that the suspension bridge is held by two cables held together by tower. It appears that one of these two cables failed which could have led to the disaster. He also said that it is possible the cables might be old and which is why they could have weakened and snapped leading to this tragedy.

Many people on social media speculated that there is a chance the bridge collapsed due to overcapacity. However, the experts say this does not seem very likely as bridges are build to withstand much higher weight. Hence, there is a higher chance that this was because of material or joint failure.

Former PWD chief engineer MM Jeevani also held similar viewpoint. Speaking to OpIndia, he said that such construction is distributed as weight per square metres. Hence, the weight of these people cannot be considered too high. Hence, it seems the bridge collapsed, not due to overcapacity but because the suspenders broke.

He further said that till the investigation report is out it will be not be fair to give judgements. However, initial visuals and reports do raise a few questions. Safety of any structure depends on its design. In this case, the design was old. Further, one must see whether the design that was originally made was followed in its totality. Next, if any private agency was given contract for renovation and strengthening the bridge, did any government agency conduct any form of safety audit? All these aspects should be checked, he said.

As of now, the state government has formed a committee to look into the tragedy. Once the investigation is over one will be able to know more.

‘Madarsas will lose the sense of purpose’: Darul Uloom Deoband turns down the govt proposal to modernise education in madarsas

OpIndia Staff
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‘Madarsas will lose the sense of purpose’: Darul Uloom Deoband turns down the govt proposal to modernise education in madarsas

Darul Uloom Deoband, the biggest Islamic seminary in India, has turned down the government’s proposal to modernise education in madarsas. 

Citing that any change in the present ‘nizam of education’ will have a deleterious impact on the institution, the Islamic clerics of Darul Uloom Deoband said it renders the purpose of madarsas meaningless. 

“Some ignorant people are advocating the idea of fundamental changes in the curriculum of madarsas and gradually shifting to modern education. There is no need to be influenced by such people and we have to maintain the old `nizam of education’. We unanimously reject the idea of modernisation of the madarsa curriculum,” said Maulana Mufti Abul Kasim Nomani, mohtamim (vice chancellor) of Darul Uloom of Deoband.

He further added, “The present curriculum of education in madarsa is the real objective of the madarsas and if we move away from the present curriculum then the Islamic schools will go astray and lose sense of purpose.”

The refusal to embrace modern education comes in the wake of PM Modi and the Centre’s efforts to revamp the education system of madarsas and bring them on par with other institutes. PM Modi has staunchly advocated for the modernisation of Islamic schools, saying that Muslim children should hold Quran in one hand and a laptop/computer in the other.

Earlier yesterday, i.e on October 30, Darul Uloom had organised a conference of Muslim clerics and caretakers of 4,500 madarsas at Deoband, Saharanpur. The conference was held at Masjid Rashidiya in Deoband. The conference was convened by Kul Hind Rabta Madrasa-e-Islamic (All India coordination committee of madarsas), an organisation controlling a network of 4,500 madarsas across the country.

The Islamic clerics of Darul Uloom opposed the government’s move for changes in the syllabus of madarsas imparting Islamic religious education and denounced their attempt to impart modern secular education in madarsas. 

“Retaining the present education system and syllabus is a must. The madarsas will lose the true sense of purpose if the present education curriculum of madarsas is modernised,” said Maulana Mufti Abul Kasim Nomani.

Nomani further said, “If any organisation stops to work as per its stated goals and objectives, then it is reduced to a mere structure. That is why we should keep working ceaselessly to fulfil our goals.”

The Islamic clerics, however, called for teaching school subjects in madarsas along with an Islamic curriculum for children up to Class 5. Maulana Nomani directed madarsa managers to arrange primary education for the children along with Islamic religious education. He asked them to include subjects like Maths, Science, English, History, and local languages in the curriculum up to Class 5.

He also asked madarsas to seek approval from the government for teaching the said subjects at the primary level.

The conference of madarsas at Darul Uloom Deoband was organised to discuss the situation in the wake of a survey of private unrecognised madarsas across the state. Darul Uloom Deoband has also been found to be an unrecognised madarsa. It was the third such meeting of Muslim clerics since the commencement of the survey of madarsas began in early September. Officially, the Islamic seminary said the agenda of the conference was to discuss the issues facing Islamic schools and to discuss the measures for improving the education standards and the infrastructure.

Telangana: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind organises get-together event for ‘non-Muslim’ girls, Police denies permission after VHP intervenes

OpIndia Staff
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Telangana: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind organises get-together event for ‘non-Muslim’ girls, Police denies permission after VHP intervenes

On Sunday, an Islamist outfit named Jamaat-e-Islami Hind organised a grand event inviting all the non-Muslim girls and women in the Karimnagar area of Telangana. However, the Telangana Police refused to grant permission for the event after the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) intervened in the matter.

According to the reports, the event was organised by the Islamist organisation in Karimnagar, Telangana. The members of the organisation wanted all the non-Muslim women to participate in the get-together. The organisation also made public the invitation card for the event which went viral over social media.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) took cognizance of the incident and requested the Karimnagar Police to take appropriate action against the Islamist organization. They also requested the Karimnagar police commissioner to deny permission for the event and warned of serious consequences if the get-together would take place.

Notably, to avoid any untoward incident or communal clash, a large number of the police force was deployed at the venue on Sunday. The event was slated to take place at Shalimar Function Hall near Kashmir Gadda in Karimnagar. Tension has been prevailing in the area ever since the news of the event went viral on social media.

Vutukuru Radhakrishna Reddy, president of the gau raksha wing of VHP stated that the Islamist organisation named Jamaat-e-Islami Hind was trying to trap Hindu girls as part of ‘love jihad’. “The proposed program hurts the self-respect of Hindus,” Reddy said.

Reddy also demanded that the police should take stringent action against the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind members. Meanwhile, he also appealed to all the Hindu girls and asked them not to attend such events at any cost.

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