1965 war hero Abdul Hamid's name restored at UP school entrance after backlash
Ghazipur (UP), Feb 18 (PTI): Following protests by the family of 1965 war hero Abdul Hamid, education authorities in Ghazipur reinstated his name at the entrance of the government primary school in his native village, days after it was removed during recent paint work.
The school, located in Dhamupur village under Jakhanian tehsil, about 35 km from the district headquarters, was originally named after Param Vir Chakra awardee Abdul Hamid, who studied there during his childhood.
However, five days ago, after repainting the school, the Basic Education Department replaced his name with "PM Shri Composite School" at the main gate, sparking outrage.
Initially, education officials attempted to pacify the family by writing Hamid's name on a wall instead of restoring it at the entrance. However, Hamid's grandson, Jameel Ahmad, escalated the matter to higher authorities.
"Today (February 18), the name of the school was restored at the main entrance as 'Shaheed Veer Abdul Hamid PM Shri Composite School, Dhamupur, Jakhanian, Ghazipur district,'" Ahmad confirmed.
Hamid's family criticised the Basic Education Officer Hemant Rao for removing his name in the first place.
"It was an inexcusable mistake to erase the name of a war hero who sacrificed his life for the nation," Ahmad said.
Samajwadi Party president and former UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav slammed the BJP-led state government over the issue.
"It is extremely reprehensible and indecent that those who sacrificed their lives for the country are getting less importance than someone. Now all that remains is that some people change the name of the country from 'India' to 'BJP'," Yadav said on X.
"Those who neither played any role in getting independence nor in saving the independence, how can they know the importance of martyrs," he added.
ये बेहद निंदनीय और अशोभनीय है कि देश के लिए शहीद होने से अधिक महत्व किसी और को दिया जा रहा है। अब बस यही बाक़ी है कि कुछ लोग देश का नाम ‘भारत’ की जगह ‘भाजपा’ रख दें।
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) February 18, 2025
जिन्होंने न आज़ादी दिलाने में कोई भूमिका निभाई, न ही आज़ादी बचाने में वो शहीदों का महत्व क्या जानें।। pic.twitter.com/CY6Lvls6WL
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Deepfake video of Nirmala Sitharaman used to dupe Belagavi man in Rs 7.9 lakh scam
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): A 76-year-old man in Belagavi city was allegedly cheated of Rs 7.9 lakh in an online investment scam that used an AI-generated deepfake video misusing the name of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to lure investors, police said on Wednesday.
An online fraud case was registered at the cybercrime police station on May 1, they said.
According to Belagavi Police Commissioner Bhushan Gulabrao Borase, the victim, Prakash Gubbi, a senior citizen, stated in his complaint that in November last year, he came across a video on YouTube in which Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman appeared to endorse an investment scheme.
The video also mentioned a link in its description for making investments.
The victim clicked on the link, entered his details, and was later contacted on social media by a person identifying himself as Adarsh Anand, who persuaded him to invest, the officer told reporters.
Citing the complaint, the officer said the victim initially invested a small amount, after which the application began showing profits of USD 65,000.
When he attempted to withdraw the amount, the accused demanded a “customs duty” payment of Rs 4.2 lakh, claiming it was required to process the withdrawal.
The victim paid the amount, after which he was asked to pay an additional Rs 2 lakh. It was at this stage that he realised he had been cheated. In total, he lost around Rs 7.9 lakh in the fraud, the officer added.
A case has been registered under relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act, and police are investigating the matter, police said.
The commissioner cautioned the public not to trust such videos, stating that the finance minister does not endorse any such schemes.
He warned that such content is created using artificial intelligence and deepfake technology.
He further advised the public to remain vigilant, avoid offers that appear too good to be true on the internet, and invest only through legitimate, registered agencies or trusted channels.
Deepfake technology enables the creation of realistic videos, audio recordings, and images that can mislead viewers by superimposing one person’s likeness onto another, altering their words and actions. This can present a false narrative or spread misinformation.
