NCP leader, rationalists on Hindu right-wing 'hit-list': ATS
Mumbai, Aug 31: In shocking revelations, an NCP leader and other leading rationalists were on the hit-list of the recently arrested Hindu right-wing activists in connection with the Palghar arms seizure case, the Maharashtra ATS told a Mumbai court on Friday.
They are -- Thane Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislator Jitendra Awhad, Pune-based rationalist Mukta Dabholkar, daughter of the slain anti-superstition campaigner Narendra Dabholkar, All India Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti President Shyam Manav and activist Ritu Raje.
The disclosure was made by the state Anti Terrorist Squad in the Sessions Court while seeking extension of remand of one of the accused arrested in the Palghar arms haul case, Avinash Pawar.
When the judge sought details of the investigations case diary on Pawar so far, the ATS made the revelations of the alleged hit-list prepared by the right-wing groups targeting these personalities.
Pawar, an employee of a government-owned shipping company, was nabbed in Mumbai on August 24. Prior to this, his associates Vaibhav Raut, Sharad Kalaskar, Sudhanva Gondhalekar, and Shrikant Pangarkar were arrested in different parts of the state.
The ATS further said Pawar, whose custody was finally extended till September 4, had carried out a recce of some of the targets, and had acquired training in weapons from an unnamed location outside the state.
On August 10, in a major swoop, the ATS had raided a bungalow and other premises in Nala Sopara, Palghar, around 90 km north of Mumbai, and unearthed a mini-factory manufacturing bombs, weapons and other materials meant for carrying out terror strikes in Mumbai, Pune, Solapur and Satara.
The five arrested persons were said to be linked to various Hindu right-wing groups like the Sanatan Sansthan, Shri Shivpratisthan Hindustan and Hindu Janjagruti Samiti, which have strongly denied the allegations.
The ATS is also probing the links of these arrested-accused with the killings of Dabholkar, Govind Pansare, M.M. Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh.
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.
Operation Sindoor: Zubair exposes fake news after India’s strikes on Pakistan
New Delhi: India launched “Operation Sindoor” early Wednesday morning, targeting nine terror launchpads in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). According to reports, 24 missile strikes were carried out in response to the recent terror attack in Pahalgam. The operation reportedly killed around 70 terrorists.
Soon after the strikes, a flood of videos and photos began circulating on social media and TV channels. However, many of these turned out to be false or misleading.
Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of Alt News, has been fact-checking these claims since early morning. He confirmed that many of the videos shared online were actually from other global conflicts, such as those involving Israel, Gaza, and Iran. Some videos were even taken from video games and falsely shared as real footage of the Indian attack.
Pakistan also claimed that it shot down two Indian aircraft. Zubair clarified that this claim is false and that only drones were downed, not manned aircraft.
News Channel Republic TV, aired videos claiming to show the strikes. Zubair revealed that the footage in question was both old and edited, and not a real-time video of the current incident.
Several social media users have shared videos showing explosions in Gaza, falsely claiming they depict Wednesday’s Israeli attack. However, Zubair has traced the original sources of these clips and confirmed that they are unrelated to the recent Indian operation.
Zubair’s efforts to counter misinformation have been widely appreciated on social media. Some users went as far as suggesting he deserves the Bharat Ratna for his work. Others noted that the kind of fact-checking done by Alt News could cost the government up to ₹100 crore if done officially.
