As Diwali celebrations continue across the country, social media users have been uploading videos and pictures of lighting firecrackers, apparently in Delhi, defying the ban imposed by the state government led by Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party. Users on Twitter used the hashtag #DhuaHuaKejriwal and shared photos and videos. Though the visuals shared seemed to be from Delhi, OpIndia could not verify the authenticity at the time.
One user wrote, “Reportedly Delhi was rocking today … Har Har Mahadev”
Twitter user Mayank Singh wrote, #CrackerBan my foot. @ArvindKejriwal give your gyan on parali & delhi vehicle pollution instead of 1 days #Diwali celebration.” Mayank tweeted a video bursting firecrackers with the hashtag #DhuaHuaKejriwal
National Secretary of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga also took to Twitter and wrote, “@ArvindKejriwal was saying that the children of Hindus would be sent to jail for 6 months for lighting sparklers, the children blew up Kejriwal’s”
. @ArvindKejriwal कह रहा था फुलझड़ी चलाने पे हिंदुओं के बच्चों को 6 महीने के लिए जेल भेजेगा, बच्चों ने धज्जियाँ उड़ा दी केजरीवाल की #DhuahuaKejriwal
Notably, the Delhi government banned the manufacturing, storage, sale, and use of all types of fireworks in the state, citing poor air quality following the festival celebrations. Gopal Rai, Delhi’s Environment Minister, said on October 19 that manufacturing, storing, and selling firecrackers in the national capital is a penal offence. He went on to say that anyone caught engaging in these activities might face a Rs 5,000 fine and a six-month prison sentence. Even purchase and bursting crackers on Diwali would have attracted a fine of Rs 200 and a six month jail term.
And while firecrackers do pollute the air, the major problem with Delhi’s poor air quality is not one day of bursting crackers but the stubble burning in neighbouring states, especially Punjab. The wind direction upon burning of stubble after the reaping that takes place around mid-October, brings the pollutants towards national capital which leads to severely polluted air quality around Diwali.
Earlier, a study conducted by IIT Delhi revealed that biomass burning contributes the most to the air pollution of the national capital, and the pollutants from Diwali firecrackers don’t even remain in the air for a day. According to the research, biomass burning during winter includes stubble burning and burning of firewood etc for heat.
On Monday (October 25), ‘Environment Canada’ along with Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment singled out the Hindu festival of Diwali for ‘high levels of air pollution’ in the Ontario province of Canada.
While blaming the decline in air quality on Diwali firecrackers, it said, “A special air quality statement is in place due to the possibility of deteriorating air quality as a result of fireworks for Diwali.”
“Light winds and stagnating weather conditions are expected to cause increasing levels of air pollution. Air quality may deteriorate locally if the smoke from fireworks remains at or descends to ground level,” Environment Canada added.
Environment Canada just re-released their earlier air quality advisory for Toronto and area, but this time makes no mention of blaming Diwali as the root cause. pic.twitter.com/7D8hGK280z
“If you or those in your care are exposed to firework smoke, especially those who are particularly sensitive to smoke, consider taking extra precautions to reduce your exposure,” it further cautioned. The contentious observation had raised fear of backlash among the local Hindus.
“That is my concern, is for the safety of our community. I think it was purely wrong timing and not properly presented with facts to support any argument that there will be a negative impact,” said Hindu Federation president Pandit Roopnauth Sharma.
He emphasised, “The person who made the statement didn’t do their due diligence or consider the impact of their statement.” However, by Monday (October 25) afternoon, the contentious observation was dropped from the advisory for residents of Toronto, Mississauga and Brampton without explanation.
Environment Canada retracts statement
The updated statement read, “A special air quality statement is in place as air quality is expected to deteriorate this evening due to meteorological conditions common at this time of year.”
It must be mentioned that Brampton and Mississauga and Brampton allow burning firecrackers on private property without the need for a permit on Diwali. However, the same rule does not apply to the city of Toronto, where a permit is mandatory.
Interestingly, in Brampton, firecrackers that travel only up to 3 metres are permitted. In Mississauga, only ‘low-hazard recreational fireworks’ can be used without permit.
On October 24, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the newly-elected Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak. In his message, he called PM Sunak an example of ‘living bridge’, that the UK Indians are.
He wrote, “Warmest congratulations Rishi Sunak! As you become UK PM, I look forward to working closely together on global issues and implementing Roadmap 2030. Special Diwali wishes to the ‘living bridge’ of UK Indians as we transform our historic ties into a modern partnership.”
Warmest congratulations @RishiSunak! As you become UK PM, I look forward to working closely together on global issues, and implementing Roadmap 2030. Special Diwali wishes to the ‘living bridge’ of UK Indians, as we transform our historic ties into a modern partnership.
The ‘Living Bridges’ of Meghalaya – the bridges that get stronger with time
Meghalaya has a vast and healthy ecosystem that contains dense forests. The Khasi tribe, which lives in and around those forests in the eastern parts of Meghalaya, are believed to be the creators of the living bridges or the living root bridges. The Khasi tribe is well known for its ability to nurture the ecosystem and self-sufficiency.
Living root bridges are one of many extraordinary legacies of Khasi. These bridges are pedestrian bridges made out of the roots of living trees, thus the name. These are used mainly for crossing rivers. These bridges form an essential connection between remote places and help the tribe members source raw materials like wood and water for sustainable survival in the dense forest.
#Meghalaya’s Living Root Bridges (jing kieng jri) are a well-thought work by Khasi community long before the availability of modern materials. The bridge has establlished the connectivity within villages and enhanced tourism. pic.twitter.com/ejneDSdrNp
This year, the living root bridges of Meghalaya were included in the preliminary list for UNESCO World Heritage Site status.
The process of creating Living Root Bridges
The living root bridges are the symbol of the relationship of the Khasi tribe with the forests. The entire structure of these bridges is made from tree branches, trunks and roots. The formation of the bridge begins with placing young pliable aerial roots of Ficus Elastica trees in hollowed-out trunks of the Areca Catechu tree, which is a type of palm tree.
The trunks provide essential nutrition and protection from the weather to the young roots. These trunks also provide a guidance system to the roots. Initially, a bamboo framework is placed alongside the entire structure to provide it basic support. Gradually more roots are included in the structure in different geometric shapes, such as stairs, handrails etc. Over time, as the aerial roots increase in strength and thickness, the trunks are no longer required.
With time, the tribe members add dead load to the bridge in the form of stones, timber planks, leaves, and soil. It helps not only to plug the gaps between the roots but also becomes a way to weight test the living root structure. With time, the humid climate in Meghalaya and the pedestrian movement along the bridge compact the soil and dead load.
It takes around 15 to 30 years for the roots to become strong enough that it no longer requires the bamboo framework to support the substantial weight. The bridges made out of concrete get weaker with time and use. On the other hand, these living root bridges get stronger and more resistant with time and use. The average span of these bridges varies from 15 feet to 250 feet. These bridges last for several centuries.
PM Modi used the term to describe the flourishing Indian diaspora
For hundreds of years, Indians have traveled to various parts of the world and have created thriving communities in several countries. Sunak’s parents were born in Kenya and Tanzania respectively. By mentioning ‘living bridges’, PM Modi meant that the descendants of Indians are the living, breathing, and flourishing representatives of India’s timeless culture and energy.
On Diwali night, communal clashes erupted in Vadodara’s Pani Gate locality. Local media reports suggest the clashes broke out over bursting of firecrackers on Diwali and petrol bombs were also hurled. Police has arrested one suspect from the general direction from which the petrol bomb was thrown.
As per the report, a mob also damaged a few shops there and set some on fire. The incident took place near the Muslim medical centre, a medical store, that is there in the area.
*VADODARA BREAKING*
વડોદરામાં દિવાળીની રાત્રે શાંતિ ડહોળવાનો પ્રયાસ
પાણીગેટ વિસ્તારમાં પથ્થરમારો, આગચંપી અને તોડફોડ
પાણીગેટનાં હરણખાના રોડ વિસ્તારમાં કોમી તોફાન
નજીવા વિવાદમાં બે જૂથો સામસામે આવી જતાં સ્થિતિ વણસી
Reports suggest that streetlights were turned off before violence broke out so that the culprits cannot be identified. The police reached the spot and brought things under control. Police is verifying CCTV footage and questioning eye witnesses to find out motivation behind it. Further investigation is currently underway.
Situation in this area had heated up earlier in August during the Ganesh Chaturthi as well. 13 people were detained after stones were pelted on the procession during Ganesh Visarjan. Similarly, such clashes took place in same area during Navratri as well.
A 25-year-old man died on October 22 in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, after an LPG cylinder in a vehicle exploded in the communally sensitive Kottaimedu region. A Jamesha Mubin of Kottaipudur, near GM Nagar in Ukkadam, has been identified as the deceased who triggered the Coimbatore blast. There was an explosion at about 4 am in a Maruti car just opposite the Kottai Eswaran temple in the Ukkadam area of Coimbatore. Two gas cylinders, marbles, and nails were found.
The blast caused the vehicle, a Maruti 800 hatchback to shatter into pieces. Another unexploded LPG cylinder, steel balls, glass pebbles, and aluminium and iron nails were also recovered from the spot by police.
Reports are now emerging of the Intelligence Agencies confirming that the blast was not detonation by mistake, however, was a confirmed “Fidayeen attack” or terrorist attack. According to an exclusive report by News18, there have been several explosive items like Potassium nitrate, sulphate etc have been recovered from the house of Jamesha Mubin, the terrorist who was in the car that exploded.
Reported, on his phone display picture, Mubin had written, “if the news about my death reaches you, forgive my mistakes, hide my shortcomings, participate in Janaasa and pray for me” – according to News18 intelligence sources, this is a clear indication that Mubin was, in fact, a suicide bomber. In fact, the News18 source has said that Mubin’s plan was to detonate, probably when the Temple crowd was at its peak and that could be the reason why he had gone to the area at 4 AM.
Interestingly, the Intelligence Agencies have also confirmed that CCTV footage of Mubin was seen loading the cylinder in the car and that footage is being investigated. The News18 report also says that authorities believe that Mubin was “circumcised” and that the attack could have a link to ISIS. In the attack, the asbestos of the temple was damaged, however, no other damage was caused.
While the blast took place in the wee hours of Sunday morning, on Saturday night, at around 11:25 PM, 5 men were taking out gunny bags from the house of Mubin, as confirmed by the CCTV footage recovered by the police.
It is pertinent to note that before this information emerged about the Coimbatore blast, the DGP had given a different statement. “He is not affiliated with any organisation. There is no case against the deceased person, but he has links with a few people under NIA’s radar. We have identified the source of the cylinders and the car. This could not be a suicide attack. The explosion happened when the nails and ball bearing were in the car. Chemicals were in his home. We are going through his call history and contacting the people who were in touch with him,” the DGP said. “We have traced him within 12 hours of the incident. It is suspected that Jamesha was on his way to some other place in the car with materials used for making explosives. To evade police checks, he must have parked the vehicle in front of the temple where the blast occurred. We don’t know the full details of his plan. Further probe is on,” Sylendra Babu said. The DGP also said, “In 2019, the National Investigation Agency conducted searches at his house. We are investigating his background, links, and possible association with any organisation”.
Who is Jamesha Mubin – the Islamist who triggered the Coimbatore blast
Jamesha Mubin, who triggered the Coimbatore blast, used to work in his father’s scrap store in the city’s Town Hall district. Police have filed complaints under Sections 174 of the IPC and 3A of the Explosive Substances Act, and an investigation has commenced.
Rishi Sunak is now set to succeed Liz Truss as the new Prime Minister of UK. This move comes days after Truss announced her resignation as a result of a number of policy reversals, Cabinet reshuffles, and an open revolt against her. Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson had amassed huge support for himself setting stage for his own huge comeback to power, months after his abrupt resignation.
However, Sunak will now become the Prime Minister of UK, a first person of colour to hold the post. He would also be first person of Indian origin and a first Hindu person to do so. He will be third Prime Minister of UK in seven weeks.
Resignation by Liz Truss
United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Liz Truss resigned on Thursday 20th October 2022. She resigned from the Prime Ministerial post on the 45th day of joining the office. Truss made the statement outside Downing Street, following her near-complete loss of political power. Liz Truss announced her resignation following the collapse of the markets after her controversial economic policies. She also lost two important ministers, and lose the trust of nearly all of her own MPs. Truss will hold the record for the shortest tenure as prime minister of the UK.
On 5th September 2022, Mary Elizabeth Truss, serving as the Foreign Secretary since 2021, emerged victorious in her race with Rishi Sunak to become the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Liz Truss got over 57% of the votes compared to Sunak, who served as the Chancellor of the Exchequer in Boris Johnson’s administration before resigning, who could only get just over 42%.
Sikhs celebrate Bandi Chhor Diwas, which falls on the day of Diwali, the Hindu festival which commemorates return of Bhagwan Ram from Lanka along with Maa Sita and his brother Lakshman after slaying Lankan demon king Ravan. Diwali not only holds utmost importance in Hinduism, but it is an important festival for Sikhs as well. Historical documents reveal how Sikh Gurus and leaders have celebrated the festival for centuries. This day is also celebrated as Bandi Chhor Diwas, which literally translates to “The day of prisoner release”.
The history of Bandi Chhor Diwas
Bandi Chhor Diwas is linked to Shri Guru Hargobind Singh Ji, who was the sixth Sikh Guru. Shri Guru Hargobind Singh Ji was only eleven years old when he had to take over as Sikh Guru after his father, Shri Guru Arjan Singh Ji, was killed by the Mughals. As per the Sikh records, the Mughals did not like some verses in Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji as they claimed they were against Islam. They asked Guru Arjan Ji to remove those verses, but he denied it and was assassinated by the Mughals.
After taking over as Sixth Sikh Guru in 1606, Shri Guri Hargobind Singh Ji decided to concentrate on ‘Shakti’ with ‘Bhakti’. He called for the formation of the Sikh army to fight against the atrocities of the Mughals. It is said that at the young age of 11, he used to keep two swords with him named Meeri and Peeri. Meeri word came from Meer, which means the ruler and Peeri word came from Peer, which means religious leader or saint.
In 1612, Mughal ruler Jahangir captured Guru Hargobind Singh Ji. He was kept in prison in Gwalior. In that prison, there were 52 Hindu Kings and Princes with him. During that time, Jahangir fell ill, and despite all the efforts, his health did not get better. Sufi Saint Mian Mir advised him to release Guru Hargobind Singh Ji, to which he obliged.
However, Guru Hargobind Singh Ji said he would leave the prison only if all the 52 kings and princes would get freedom with him. Jahangir was not ready to accept the condition. He gave Guru Hargobind Singh Ji a counteroffer and said he would let go of those Kings and Princes who could hold his ‘Palla’ piece of cloth he would be wearing while leaving the prison. Guru Hargobind Singh Ji agreed.
He got a special cloth stitched that had the Palla long enough to let all 52 kings and princes hold it comfortably. On the day of release, Guru Hargobind Singh Ji instructed them to hold his Palla and follow him out of prison. Jahangir, who got defeated in his own challenge, could not do anything.
When Guru Hargobind Singh Ji reached Amritsar with the Kings and Princes, the people of Amritsar welcomed him by lighting Diyas. That was the day of Diwali. Since then, Sikhs have celebrated the day as Bandi Chhor Diwas.
Sikhs have a history of celebrating Diwali
In the last few decades, there have been attempts to create a pit between Sikhs and Hindus by propagating the narrative that Sikhs do not celebrate Diwali, which is not true. Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji was in Assam on the day of Diwali, and he gave a sermon to the people of Assam on that day. Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji rewrote Ramayana.
Sikh Scholar and historian Puneet Sahani tweeted several pieces of documental evidence to show how Diwali was considered an important festival. In a handwritten letter by Guru Teg Bahadur Singh Ji, he asked his congregation of Pak Pattan to visit him for Diwali!
Then here’s letter by Guru Hargobind’s grandson, Guru Gobind Singh Ji himself. Dated 5 Oct 1699, or AFTER formation of Khalsa. He too is asking congregation of Naushera Pannuan to visit him for DIWALI 🪔. NOT some #BandiChorrDivas. You know better than Dashmesh Pita, again? pic.twitter.com/cAMpUOVRXN
In a letter dated October 5, 1699, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, grandson of Guru Hargobind Singh Ji, asked the congregation of Naushera Pannuan to visit him for Diwali.
Attempt to separate Sikhs from Hindus
There have been many Khalistani elements to create a divide between Sikhs and Hindus trying to distance the Sikh community from their Hindu roots. Sikhism is an Indic faith and the fact is that until Guru Arjan Dev Singh Ji, the fifth Sikh Nanak (Guru), had the leadership in his hands, Sikhism was never regarded as a separate faith from Hinduism. Till then, Sikhism was not treated as a distinct religion but just a separate sect.
Under the leadership of the first five Gurus, Sikhism emphasized universal selflessness and brotherhood. Till then, the Sikhs had not taken up arms. It was the atrocities and barbarism of the Islamic invaders, which had compelled the Sikhs to take up arms. In fact, it was under the leadership of the sixth Sikh guru, Guru Arjan Dev Singh Ji’s son Guru Hargobind Singh Ji that the Sikh community became militarized.
On Monday (October 24), ‘journalist’ Rana Ayyub was slammed by her co-religionists for participating in the Hindu festival of Diwali.
Ayyub uploaded a video on her official Instagram handle, wherein a saree-clad woman was seen applying tilak on her forehead. She wrote, “Away from home, in Chicago, celebrating Diwali with a beautiful family that made me their own. Happy Diwali India, let us fight the evil that seeks to divide us.”
While anticipating backlash from rabid Islamists and extremist co-religionists, she turned off the comment section of her Instagram post. After all, she had not forgotten the wrath of her co-religionists for wishing quick recovery to ‘Gustaak-e-Rasool’ Salman Rushdie.
This was in stark contrast to her recent posts on the social media platform. Rana Ayyub had anticipated that her co-religionists, who despise non-Muslim festivals, would not stand the idea of her partaking in Diwali festivities. She is smart enough to not embarrass herself in front of her liberal friends
For instance, she had recently clicked a picture with tennis legend Martina Navratilova but kept the comment section open on purpose. The idea was to suggest that she was only being trolled and criticised by right-wing handles and not her co-religionists.
Islamists slam Rana Ayyub by reuploading video on Twitter
Rana Ayyub’s attempt to safeguard the image of the extremists, whom she had been harbouring for years, proved futile as the Instagram video was re-shared on Twitter. She was lambasted for not being a ‘true Muslim’ and committing the sin of idolatry (shirk).
“Aren’t we making her Muslim Icon by Highlighting her Liberalism, Indirectly we are making her Benchmark…Ignoring such ppl is Beneficial for the community,” wrote one Rais Mohammed.
Aren’t we making her Muslim Icon by Highlighting her Liberalism, Indirectly we are making her Benchmark…Ignoring such ppl is Beneficial for the community
Another Islamist stated, “I usually don’t comment on religious matters but I know the basics of Islam and this is unacceptable, as simple as that. We as Indian Muslims need to know there is a line between diluting your faith to please others and standing firm on your faith while respecting others.”
I usually don’t comment on religious matters but I know the basics of Islam and this is unacceptable, as simple as that. We as Indian Muslims need to know there is a line between diluting your faith to please others and standing firm on your faith while respecting others.
“I have said it before and here it is again quite evident that the mixture of cultures and religions is being put forward as actual Islam from the subcontinent. This is the same nonsense that the likes of Zakir khan, Javid Akhter and others proudly claim as Ganga-Jamuna tehzeeb,” tweeted Ahmad Subzar.
I have said it before and here it is again quite evident that the mixture of cultures and religions is being put forward as actual Islam from the subcontinent. This is the same nonsense that the likes of Zakir khan, Javid Akhter and others proudly claim as Ganga-Jamuna tehzeeb.
Recently she had published a propaganda piece in ‘The Washington Post’ wherein she demonized the Hindu community and her home country of India.
It is notable here that while Rana tries to pretend that things like online trolling and ‘hatred’ are crimes exclusive to the Hindu ‘Right Wing’, the reality is quite different, as is visible in these reactions.
Vania Sheikh, a BDS student of the Swami Vivekananda Subharti University, tried to end her life on Friday last week by jumping off the fourth floor of the university. Sheikh was grievously injured and rushed to the hospital, where she remained critical after injuring her spinal cord and sustaining head injuries.
Then, 48 hours after she attempted to commit suicide, Sheikh died in the hospital, succumbing to the injuries she suffered from the fall. Initial reports suggested that a fellow student named Siddhant Pawar was involved in the death of Vania.
Her death, however, created an online furore, with many social media users deliberately giving a communal spin to the issue, alleging that a Hindu man was responsible for the death of the Muslim woman, even though there was no clarity as to why Vania took the extreme step of ending her life.
Several social media users alleged that the woman was specifically targeted because she was a Muslim.
हाल के दिनों की गंभीर वारदातों में से ये एक है …दोषियों पर सख्त कार्रवाई होनी चाहिए ! https://t.co/TYjyUOCkR7
ज़कात के पैसे को आर्गेनाइज तरीके से इकट्ठा करके हमने, स्कूल, कालेज, मेडिकल कॉलेज, इंजीनियरिंग कालेज और युनिवर्सिटी बनाई होती तो वानिया आज ज़िंदा होती…..😢 #JusticeforVaniapic.twitter.com/PImZnG7SSL
The venom spilled through TV channels is causing Psychological stress, physical abuse, sexual harassment, rape and killings. Muslim Girls are Targets.#JusticeForVaniaShaikhpic.twitter.com/nsC48wnTTZ
Alishan Jafri, an Islamist masquerading as a ‘journalist’ and who has written for ‘The Wire’, also partook in the controversy to give a communal colour to the unfortunate death of Vania.
Source: Twitter
Imran Pratapgarhi, a Congress leader who is known for his inflammatory rhetorics, said BJP-ruled states have turned into graveyards for daughters, conveniently missing out on the alarmingly high criminal incidents against women reported in Rajasthan, a Congress-governed state.
Source: Twitter
Others alleged that Siddhant Pawar physically harassed Vania and assaulted her when she resisted.
Source: Twitter
Ashok Swain, an inveterate fake news peddler, also communalised the incident, saying that a Muslim woman jumped from the library building after being molested and threatened by a Hindu male classmate.
Source: Twitter
Meerut police debunks communal propaganda
However, the findings of the Meerut Police put paid to the malicious rumours and speculations fanned by the communal elements on social media. In its clarification, the Meerut police said that a case was filed at the concerned police station and an investigation was launched into the matter.
The investigation revealed that the two, Vania and Siddhant, were in a relationship but were facing personal strife for some time. The decedent girl, in connivance with one of her male friends, took a ‘loyalty test’ of the accused Siddhant, the police said. In a fit of rage that loyalty was questioned, the accused slapped the girl in front of others. Ashamed and embarrassed at the unfortunate turn of events, Vania committed suicide, the police said. Reports said they are also probing role of staff of college who failed to report the incident to police and they got to know about it only from social media.
Days after The Wire retracted its reports on the Meta story and ordered an “internal inquiry” into the fiasco, the leftist propaganda website also quietly pulled down its months-old reportage on Tek Fog, an app it claimed was used by the BJP to manipulate trends and automatically spew hate online.
Relying on an August 2020 tweet and some ‘source’, The Wire had claimed that the BJP was using one software named Tek Fog, led by BJP leader Devang Dave, that had unprecedented powers of manipulating online trends and churning out hate to attack its detractors. Even though Dave vigorously rejected the allegations in an email to Wire, they still proceeded to publish the story.
In the report published in January 2022, Wire claimed that the so-called Tek Fog app allowed BJP to ‘hijack’ the Twitter trends, allowed managing multiple WhatsApp accounts and direct online harassment of anti-BJP journalists. The report claimed that the app could bypass all kinds of security features that major social media platforms have. According to The Wire, Tek Fog had some kind of superpower that granted it capabilities that even the NSA of the USA did not have. The Wire alleged that hacking top apps like Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp etc child’s play using Tek Fog, and all security features of those platforms vanish with this magical piece of software.
However, within days, OpIndia punctured holes in The Wire’s report on Tek Fog, highlighting how the leftist propaganda website’s claims on a superpower app did not add up and how the app may be a figment of their fecund imagination. The entire rebuttal can be read here. But it took a span of 10 months and the Meta fiasco that led The Wire, too, withdraw its Tek Fog stories too pending an “internal inquiry”. Incidentally, Devesh Kumar, The Wire staffer who co-authored Meta stories, had also co-authored the Tek Fog stories.
On October 23, 2022, The Wire retracted its stories on Tek Fog, with links to the Tek Fog stories on its website flashing a message. Here’s the screenshot of the message on one of the reports pulled down by The Wire.
Source: The Wire
While the withdrawal of the Meta and Tek Fog stories is a face-saving attempt by The Wire to pretend that they are transparent and concerned about journalistic ethos, the original lie peddled by them travelled far and wide, finding its way on global platforms and prejudiced organisations that used it to the hilt to tarnish India’s reputation.
How dubious international organisations and leftist media outlets helped spread the lie of Tek Fog
Freedom House, a dubious Human Rights ‘watchdog’ that supported violent protests against a law that gave citizenship rights to persecuted minorities like Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists and Christians from Islamic states neighbouring India, dropped the country from ‘free’ to ‘partly free’ in 2021. In 2022, too, the organisation maintained India as ‘partly free’, leaning on prejudiced reports and unfounded allegations, including The Wire’s story on Tek Fog, to claim that members of the BJP used it to shape public narratives and manipulate social media opinions.
Likewise, other organisations that have been pathologically averse to India, especially after Modi became the prime minister, cited the Tek Fog story as one of the examples to lower India’s ranking on their farcical indexes. For example, the Reporters Without Borders (RSF)’s Press Freedom Index 2022 downgraded India from 142 rank last year to 150th this year, placing it even below despotic and dictatorial regimes like that of UAE and Hong Kong, where advances against members of the press are a given.
A report published in HW English cited the Tek Fog story by The Wire to highlight how it has played a part in downgrading India’s ranking from 142 last year to 150 in 2022. In fact, The Wire itself preened on its ‘investigation’ on Tek Fog, which is now suspected to be a case of pure fraud, when they reported on India’s downgrade on the Press Freedom Index earlier this year.
Source: The Wire
India’s supposed plunge on the ‘democracy index’ and the ‘Press Freedom Index’ has been repeated ad-nauseam both by Indian politicians and other commentators on global platforms, who want to prove India is living under some dystopian dictatorship, and only white masters from the west can come and rescue the poor brown people being oppressed by an evil regime headed by PM Modi.
The Washington Post, Bloomberg, and Wikipedia peddled The Wire’s claims on Tek Fog that are now suspected of being pure fraud
Not just these two indices, the Tek Fog fiction was cited by several other global platforms to paint a negative picture of India, such as the Washington Post, Bloomberg, and others, who amplified The Wire’s scarcely credible claims that the BJP used an app to manipulate social media trends and firehose its detractors with hate online. The list is indicative but it gives a window into how the lie was spread far and wide by the nexus of leftist global organisations.
Tim Culpan and Andy Mukherjee, two columnists with Bloomberg, had co-authored an opinion article based on the Wire story on Tek Fog, which was published by several media houses. They had made claims not even made by Wire about the so-called app. They claimed that it was a browser-based application, and it was very powerful.
Making more outlandish claims about the app that does not exist, they had written, “Tek Fog is a military-grade PSYOP – psychological operations – weapon.” A capability like this has so far been available only to state actors for use against enemy populations, they had further said quoting a security researcher.
The Wire’s Tek Fog fabrications have also been used as a citation and proof on multiple articles on Wikipedia that paint India in a bad light. Such articles argue how freedom and democracy standards in India are falling and how the Modi government is solely responsible for it. For example, a Wikipedia article titled “Freedom of the press in India” cites The Wire to make this point.
Source: Wikipedia
It is worth noting that Wikipedia is still misunderstood as a neutral platform by millions of unsuspecting netizens around the world, while in reality it has been taken over by ideologues belonging to the leftist camp, who amplify lies and propaganda by the leftist outfits and publications. Wikipedia has domination of left-leaning editors and thus, several pages on Wikipedia are biased, with the information added catering to the whims and fancies of the left-leaning editors.
The co-founder of Wikipedia, Larry Sanger, who is no longer involved with Wikipedia had gone on the record to talk about the bias of the online encyclopedia. Sanger had written that it has long forgotten its original policy of aiming to present information from a neutral point of view, and nowadays the crowd-sourced online encyclopedia “can be counted on” to cover politics with a “liberal point of view”.
The Wire’s Tek Fog story is a perfect example of what the Nazi minister of propaganda Goebbels had famously reported having proposed: “If a lie is repeated a thousand times, it becomes the truth.” The Wire might have withdrawn its article, for now, but the intended lie and propaganda have become part of history and continues to be cited on various global platforms, some of which are listed above.
How The Editor’s Guild of India promoted The Wire’s lies
Apart from the damages that The Wire’s propaganda article has caused to India’s reputation, let us also remind the Editor’s Guild of India that they had issued a ‘brave’ letter condemning the imagined attack on journalists as conjured up by the wire back in January 2022.
The Editors Guild of India condemns the continuing online harassment of women journalists, which includes targeted and organised online trolling as well as threats of sexual abuse. pic.twitter.com/xt7abHyofi
Will they now retract the condemnation and instead write another letter condemning the wire? It is anybody’s guess what The Editor’s Guild of India will do after The Wire is exposed for its fake and prejudiced reportage.
However, the Tek Fog episode serves as a cautionary tale for Indians, given that the is just one propaganda article by one leftist outlet causing such extensive damage to India’s reputation globally. Readers can guess just how much damage has been done over the years by the entire mesh of leftist publications.
