Gulf News in its editorial, calls for action against "preachers of hate" in the Indian media
The story was first published by newslaundry.com (read the original post by clicking here.)
Dubai-based Gulf News, a leading daily newspaper, printed an editorial yesterday saying that "toxic" Indian TV news channels should not be allowed to "spread Islamophobia and vitiate atmosphere".
Headlined "Stop Indian media from exporting hate to Gulf", the piece said there have been several instances of Indian expats in the UAE being "terminated by employers after they posted abusive content on social media" or "called out for hatred and religious discrimination".
Last month, prominent Arab personalities had reacted to racism and bigotry displayed by Indians living in the Middle East.
The piece continued: "But the bigger question is why long-term residents who are familiar with local laws and sensitivities are posting such abusive content on social media? The culprit is Indian media, specifically some news channels which are exporting the narrative of hate against Muslims from India to the Gulf countries."
The piece said it's "well-known" that "popular channels twist news and build fake narratives to target Muslims in India". For example, "media watchdogs have pointed out fake news of Muslims spitting on fruits to spread Coronavirus. This fake news was repeated on some news channels until people actually started believing it...This hateful content on prime time reaches Gulf countries, including the UAE where these channels are widely available."
Newslaundry had reported on this specific form of prejudice, of the coronavirus-positive Muslim fruit vendor. Channels like TV9 Bharatvarsh lent legitimacy to such rumours by broadcasting misleading segments, coining terms like “corona criminals” for Muslim vendors.
Gulf News urged authorities in the UAE to "take action" against channels that are "preachers of hate", specifically Republic TV, Zee News, India TV, Aaj Tak, ABP and Times Now. "They must not be allowed to vitiate the social atmosphere of Gulf countries where tens of millions of diverse ethnicities and religious background work and live peacefully."
Following the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi, and the subsequent spike in coronavirus cases, sections of the India media lost no time in spreading communal hatred, conspiracy theories, and fake news. It's part of how several TV news channels participate in a cycle of misinformation and hate.
The story was first published by newslaundry.com (read the original post by clicking here.)
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Karnataka Police busts gang of robbers, seize over 17 kg stolen gold
Davangere (PTI): The Karnataka police have busted a six-member gang of robbers and recovered 17.7 kg of stolen gold, officials said.
The gold was stolen from the Nyamati branch of the State Bank of India in Davangere on October 28, 2024.
Police said the stolen locker with gold ornaments was recovered from a well in Usalampatti town of Madurai district in neighbouring Tamil Nadu.
The accused have been identified as Vijaykumar, 30, his brother Ajaykumar, 28, Abhisheka, 23, Chandru, 23, Manjunath, 32, and Paramananda, 30, police said.
During the investigation, police busted another gang of bank robbers from Kakrala in the Budaun district of Uttar Pradesh who executed several bank heists in south India.
"Vijaykumar and Ajaykumar are brothers while Paramanda is the husband of their sister. All three are originally from Tamil Nadu but have had a sweets business in Nyamati for many years. The other three accused, Abhisheka, Chandru and Manjunath are from Nyamati," police said in a statement.
Initially, police concluded the involvement of the Kakrala gang in the robbery.
"There are about five to six gangs of bank offenders in Kakrala and neighbouring towns who have been committing bank thefts and robberies across the country, especially in south India for the past decade, including the gold theft from the SBI branch at Rayaparathy, Warangal in November 2024," police said.
The modus operandi of the Kakrala gang had striking similarities with the Nyamati bank theft as it usually targeted banks surrounded by large fields.
Further, the entry through the window, usage of gas cutters, decamping with the DVR and completely avoiding usage of mobile phones were all part of their mode of operation.
From November 2024 to February 2024, the investigation teams conducted several operations in difficult terrains across various states across India mainly Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh to apprehend these gang members, police said.
Based on inputs from these operations, the team was successful in apprehending five members of the Kakrala gang earlier this month, they added.
They were Guddu Kalia, Aslam, Hazarath Ali, Kamruddin and Babu Sahan.
The Kakrala gang members were absconding in several property offence cases in Karnataka between 2014 and 2024, notable ones being the 15 kg gold heist from Karnataka Grameen Bank, Hosahalli Branch in November 2022 and the 4 kg gold heist from Karnataka Grameen Bank, Bevuru Branch, police said.
This was the first time these offenders had been arrested by Karnataka Police and interrogation with these offenders led to the fresh detection of various property offences that had happened in recent times in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
