Day: November 26, 2021

Lucknow, November 26, 2021 (PPI-OT):Over 340 persons have been booked through 108 FIRs lodged under the provisions of the anti-conversion law that came into existence last year. According to the Uttar Pradesh Police data, 189 people were arrested and charge sheets were filed in 72 cases. At least 77 victims have given statements before a magistrate that they were forced to convert.

According to the police spokesman, a final report was filed in 11 cases, which included six cases in Bareilly police zone. In Shahjahanpur district, five persons were booked, including two Christians and two Dalits, under the anti-conversion law.

In one case registered in Moradabad, two men were booked but in the statement before the magistrate the woman had refuted the charges. The maximum number of FIRs – 28 – were registered in the Bareilly police zone. The maximum number of charge sheets in 18 cases were filed by the Meerut police zone.

Officials in the DGP headquarters said that all the district police chiefs and police commissioners have been instructed not to harass any individual accused in cases of anti-conversion law and act solely on evidence. “We have also directed senior police officers to supervise probe in pending cases,” said a senior police official. Meanwhile, the police said that as many as 31 accused booked under the anti-conversion laws were minors.

For more information, contact:
Kashmir Media Service
Phone: +92-51-4435548, +92-51-4435549
Fax: +92-51-4861736
Email: info@kmsnews.org
Website: www.kmsnews.org

Srinagar, November 26, 2021 (PPI-OT):In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), a conglomerate of regional political parties, has urged the Indian government to clear doubts on the Rambagh killing.

The PAGD spokesperson and CPI-M leader, Muhammad Yusuf Tarigami, addressing party workers in Kulgam, said that yet another incident happened at Rambagh in Srinagar on November 24 wherein certain doubts had been raised. The Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party government should come clean on it and bring facts to the fore before the public.

“PAGD stands for the judicial probe into the Hyderpora encounter in which four persons were killed,” Tarigami said. He said that a sense of insecurity was prevailing among the people and laws were being violated. “People are living under fear. The need is to ensure safeguarding the rights of all communities, regions, political parties, civil society and media,” Tarigami said. He added that all institutions should be allowed to function within the ambit of the law.

“The Indian government is arbitrarily invoking draconian laws, including Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Public Safety Act (PSA) to curb the voices of dissent. The jails in and outside Kashmir are filled with Kashmiris,” Tarigami deplored. He urged the Indian government to safeguard the rights of every citizen and instill a sense of security among the people. “Until and unless every citizen feels safe, peace will remain a distant dream,” Tarigami said.

For more information, contact:
Kashmir Media Service
Phone: +92-51-4435548, +92-51-4435549
Fax: +92-51-4861736
Email: info@kmsnews.org
Website: www.kmsnews.org

Srinagar, November 26, 2021 (PPI-OT):In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the High Court has dismissed an appeal against a special court’s order rejecting the bail of prominent martyred APHC leader and Tehreek-e-Hurriyat chief, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai’s two sons and their cousin. They were booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in May this year.

The prosecution case is that 33-year-old Mujahid Sehrai and his brother Rashid Sehrai, 35, were arrested along with other persons under the UAPA on May 16 this year after police registered an FIR at police station in Sogam against “unknown persons” for raising “anti-India slogans” and against the “sovereignty and integrity of India” while last rites of Sehrai were being performed at Tekipora Tulkhan village on May 6 this year.

This year on August 14, the Special Court for Trial of offenses under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Baramulla had dismissed bail of Sehrai’s sons in the case. They moved the Special Court in IIOJK for grant of bail which dismissed their plea on July 19. In the appeal before the High Court, the accused challenged the order rejecting their bail because there was no material on record before the Special Court to hold that an offense under Section 18 of the ULA (P) Act against them.

Their contention was also that at the time when the Special Court granted extension in the period of investigation and detention of accused beyond 90 days, they had already spent more than 90 days in custody and, as such, they were entitled to grant of default bail.

As during the pendency of the appeal, the investigation of the case was completed and the charge-sheet filed before the Special Court, counsel for the accused submitted that he would like to confine the appeal to the question of grant of bail on the ground of default in filing the charge sheet within 90 days only.

In response to the contention of counsel representing the accused, the Indian government said more time for the culmination of the investigation was taken as data of seized mobile phones from FSL and transaction details of account numbers of accused persons from the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU-IND) was not received when the Special Court dismissed the bail plea.

Besides this, the Special Court said that the report relating to transactions made with the account number of Mujahid Ashraf Khan through NEFT-SBI Global Line Services and NEFT Western Unit Financial Services was still awaited.

Dismissing the appeal, a division bench of Justice Ali Muhammad Magrey and Justice Sanjay Dhar said, “So, it is a case where the Special Judge has meticulously applied his mind to the report of the Public Prosecutor and thereafter recorded a satisfaction that extension in the period of investigation and custody of the appellants and accused is necessary.”

The bench said that the order passed by the Special Judge was lucid and well-reasoned. The bench held that order by the Special Court whereby a period of detention of the accused had been extended beyond 90 days by a law saying the very basis for claiming default bail was knocked down.

“However, having regard to the fact that investigation of the case is complete and the charge sheet has already been laid before the Special Court, we leave it open to the appellants (accused) to approach the Special Court for grant of bail on merits given the changed circumstances.”

For more information, contact:
Kashmir Media Service
Phone: +92-51-4435548, +92-51-4435549
Fax: +92-51-4861736
Email: info@kmsnews.org
Website: www.kmsnews.org

New Delhi, November 26, 2021 (PPI-OT):An investigative report has revealed that coordinated efforts were made on social media through fake accounts to link the farmers’ protests to Khalistan movement, to stoke cultural tension and promote the claims of the Indian government viz a viz farmers.

The report titled ‘Analysis of the #RealSikh Influence Operation’ was prepared by The Centre for Information Resilience (CIR), which is a non-profit social enterprise dedicated to identifying, countering and exposing influence operations. The report was uploaded on its website on November 24.

“A coordinated influence operation on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram is using fake personas acting as influencers within the Sikh community to discredit the push for Sikh independence, label Sikh political interests as extremist, stoke cultural tensions within India and international communities, and promote Indian Government content,” noted the report.

The report exposed a network of 80 accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram which were supported by “a large network of authentic accounts which primarily identify as Hindu nationalists”. The report found that some of the fake network’s messaging included statements calling for action such as Indian “Nationalists shouldn’t remain watching silently” and that they “need to counter and expose them [the Khalistani movement for Sikh independence]” to “save India” from “Pakistan, Canada, UK, and US”.

The fake accounts, which claimed to be the real Sikhs, produced content such as texts and memes which are aimed to “delegitimise the farmer’s movement and shift the debate away from the farmer laws”. The narrative promoted by these accounts was similar to the statements made by some of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and mainstream news channels with regard to the farmer protests.

Commenting on his investigation, the author of the report and CIR’s director of investigations, Benjamin Strick said, “The network amplified its messaging on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram through a core network of accounts that used profile pictures stolen from celebrity social media accounts and used names common in Sikh communities to appear as legitimate members of the Sikh community.”

Before the publication of the report, the CIR shared the report with the Twitter and Meta authorities. The fake accounts identified in the report were suspended “violations of policies prohibiting platform manipulation and inauthentic behaviour”.

“Commenting on the report, CIR’s Co-Founder and Executive Director Adam Rutland, said, “The battle of narratives during the farmer’s protests in Delhi demonstrate that there is often more going on in social media than meets the eye. Today’s report clearly concerns indications of information warfare against minorities in India.”

The report also revealed that the fake accounts received a lot of traction on Twitter. Even public figures, verified accounts, humanitarians, and personalities have interacted and endorsed these accounts. The news outlets also embedded their tweets in their news reports.

“The fake network’s content was present as embedded links within articles on commentary and news blog sites including: Lately, Voice of India World, Asianetnews, IndiaTV, NewsCom. This is likely to have strengthened the legitimacy of the fake network’s content and increased its exposure,” noted the report.

For more information, contact:
Kashmir Media Service
Phone: +92-51-4435548, +92-51-4435549
Fax: +92-51-4861736
Email: info@kmsnews.org
Website: www.kmsnews.org

Srinagar, November 26, 2021 (PPI-OT):In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, complete shutdown is being observed for the second day running, today, against repeated incidents of civilian killings by Indian troops in staged encounters in the territory. Call for the strike was given by the illegally detained All Parties Hurriyat Conference Chairman, Masarrat Aalam Butt from New Delhi’s Tihar Jail. Shops and business establishments were closed and the vehicular movement on the roads was very thin.

Indian authorities continued to enforce strict restrictions in Srinagar and other areas of the Kashmir valley. Internet service was also suspended in almost all parts of Srinagar and Pulwama districts immediately after the killing of three youth by Indian troops in a fake encounter in Rambagh area of Srinagar.

However, hundreds of people flouting restrictions came out of their houses and offered funeral prayers in absentia for the martyred youth identified as Mehran Ahmad, Manzoor Ahmad and Arafat in Nawa Kadal and other areas of Srinagar. After the funeral prayers, the mourners staged pro-freedom and anti-India protests. Indian police used brute force against the protesters, injuring several of them.

Meanwhile, eyewitnesses as well as locals refuted the police claim and said the youth were dragged out of a car by Indian troops in Rambagh area of Srinagar, and killed on road in full view of the public. The videos of the scene also confirmed that the youth were pushed out of the car and shot dead.

An eyewitness added that one of the three youth tried to run into a nearby alley, but the troops went after him and brought him back and killed him on the road. APHC Chairman Massarat Aalam Butt and other Hurriyat leaders, organizations and human rights activists in their statements while strongly condemning the fake encounter killing demanded a probe by the International Court of Justice.

They asked India not to forget the reality that the freedom movements could not be suppressed through such brutal tactics. Peoples Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti also punctured the police claim and said that the firing was one sided and that police version was far from the ground realities.

For more information, contact:
Kashmir Media Service
Phone: +92-51-4435548, +92-51-4435549
Fax: +92-51-4861736
Email: info@kmsnews.org
Website: www.kmsnews.org

Jammu, November 26, 2021 (PPI-OT):In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred a youth in Poonch district. The youth was martyred by Indian troops during a continued violent military operation in Bhimber Gali, area of the district.

The operation was going on till last reports came in. Pertinently, Indian military operations have been going on in Surankote, Mendhar, and Thanamandi and nearby areas of the Line of Control (LoC) for over one month.

For more information, contact:
Kashmir Media Service
Phone: +92-51-4435548, +92-51-4435549
Fax: +92-51-4861736
Email: info@kmsnews.org
Website: www.kmsnews.org

Srinagar, November 26, 2021 (PPI-OT):In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the National Conference has said that the statements of the Indian ministers regarding the situation and development of the territory are misleading and against the ground realities.

National Conference members of the Indian parliament, Muhammad Akbar Lone and Hasnain Masoodi, in their joint statement in Srinagar, objected to Indian Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitaraman’s claims of a “changed ground situation” as “a bundle of lies to whitewash the devastating impact” of the abrogation of Kashmir’s special status. They pointed out that the footprint of Indian forces increased in Kashmir despite claims of normalcy and development.

They questioned, “Why have bunkers, night raids and civilian killings returned to haunt people?”. “How has the unemployment ratio skyrocketed to an all-time high of 21.6 percent? Why are people associated with manufacturing, horticulture, tourism and trade in the throes of a profound crisis?”

They said which yardstick had Sitharaman employed to gauge the development and growth parameters in IIOJK. “A simple fact check,” the MPs said, “will reveal how badly Jammu and Kashmir is doing on all developmental indices.”

The claims of the Modi-led Indian government, the MPs said, are akin to rubbing salt into the wounds of the people of Kashmir, who are being denied democracy and not trusted with a popular government, whose democratic rights have been crippled, whose exclusive rights over the land, jobs and natural resources stand liquidated.

They maintained that the Indian minister’s gloating on Kashmir was belied by the prevailing ground situation in the occupied territory. They said Indian ministers have been outlandishly lying to whitewash the devastating outcome of its August 5, 2019 unilateral and undemocratic decisions.

“The major causality of the abrogation of Articles 370, 35A has been the freedom of press,” they said, adding that by denying press freedom, New Delhi is only peddling its lies to white wash the aftermath of the Himalayan blunder it committed on August 5, 2019. They also criticised the Media Policy 2020, saying the same has taken away the basic principle of a free press and systematically stifled all forms of dissent in IIOJK. Cautioning the Indian government against misconstruing the situation in the occupied territory, the MPs demanded the return of Article 370.

For more information, contact:
Kashmir Media Service
Phone: +92-51-4435548, +92-51-4435549
Fax: +92-51-4861736
Email: info@kmsnews.org
Website: www.kmsnews.org