India abstains on UNGA resolution calling for de-escalation, peaceful resolution of Ukraine war
United Nations, Feb 24 (PTI): India abstained on a UN General Assembly draft resolution that called for a de-escalation, an early cessation of hostilities and a peaceful resolution of the war against Ukraine.
The 193-member UN General Assembly voted Monday on the draft resolution ‘Advancing a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine’ tabled by Ukraine and its European allies.
The resolution, that was adopted with 93 votes in favour, 65 abstentions and 18 votes against, called for a “de-escalation, an early cessation of hostilities and a peaceful resolution of the war against Ukraine, marked by enormous destruction and human suffering, including among the civilian population, in line with the Charter of the United Nations and international law”.
India was among the 65 UN Member States that abstained on the resolution. As the resolution was adopted, the UNGA hall broke into applause with Member States welcoming the adoption of the text.
The resolution comes on the third anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres stressing that the war in Ukraine stands as a “grave threat” not only to the peace and security of Europe but also to the very foundations and core principles of the United Nations.
The US also tabled a brief rival resolution ‘The path to peace’ that mourns the tragic loss of life throughout the “Russian Federation-Ukraine” conflict. A draft amendment tabled by France sought to replace “the Russian Federation-Ukraine conflict” in the US-tabled text with “the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation”.
The resolution, as amended, was adopted with 93 votes in favour, 8 against and 73 abstentions. India abstained on the US-tabled resolution.
In proposing the American draft resolution, Ambassador Dorothy Shea, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim at the US Mission to the UN, said multiple UNGA resolutions have demanded that Russia withdraw its forces from Ukraine but those resolutions have failed to stop the war.
“It has now dragged on for far too long, and at far too terrible a cost to the people in Ukraine, in Russia, and beyond,” she said.
Shea said as the world marks the third anniversary of the conflict, the need is for a resolution “marking the commitment from all UN Member States to bring a durable end to the war” and added that the US draft resolution “makes this very point. Our draft implores a swift end to the conflict and further urges a lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia.”
The UNGA resolution by Ukraine reiterated the urgent need to end the war this year, and to redouble diplomatic efforts to reduce the risks of further escalation and achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine, consistent with the Charter, including its principles of sovereign equality and territorial integrity of States.
It recalled the need for full implementation of its relevant resolutions adopted in response to the aggression against Ukraine, in particular its demand that Russia immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders, and its demand for an immediate cessation of the hostilities by Russia against Ukraine, in particular of any attacks against civilians and civilian objects.
It emphasised the need to ensure accountability for the most serious crimes under international law committed on the territory of Ukraine through appropriate, fair and independent investigations and prosecutions at the national or international level, and ensure justice for all victims and the prevention of future crimes.
The resolution reiterated its call for the complete exchange of prisoners of war, the release of all unlawfully detained persons and the return of all internees and of civilians forcibly transferred and deported, including children and also reiterated its call for the immediate cessation of attacks against critical energy infrastructure, which increase the risk of a nuclear accident or incident.
Noting that more than 12,600 civilians have been killed and many more injured in the three years of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Guterres reaffirmed the “urgent need for a just, sustainable and comprehensive peace – one that fully upholds Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders, in accordance with the UN Charter, international law, and resolutions of the General Assembly”.
Declaring that “enough is enough”, Guterres said that after three years of death and destruction, “I once again call for urgent de-escalation and an immediate end to the hostilities.”
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Gurugram Police arrest BJP Yuva Morcha member for spreading fake murder story on social media
New Delhi: Gurugram Police have arrested BJP Yuva Morcha member Hariom Mishra, for allegedly spreading a fabricated and communally sensitive story on social media about the murder of a college student in Gurugram.
Mishra who is also known as Shaurya Mishra had shared a collage of four photographs on his X handle earlier this month. He claimed that a 24-year-old college student, identified as Nikita Agarwal, had been murdered by her classmate Arif Khan in Gurugram. In the post, he alleged that the woman was blackmailed, forced into prostitution, gangraped, and eventually killed. He also claimed that Arif dumped her body in a forest. The claims were presented as being based on police sources.
The post went viral and garnering over 1.5 lakh views, and was amplified by several right-wing social media handles across X, Facebook and Instagram. A verification of the claims revealed that no such incident had taken place in Gurugram. A search of credible news reports showed no record of any such murder. The police said this news would have inevitably attracted media attention if it were true.
On December 11, Gurugram Police publicly refuted the claims through their official X handle. They stated that the information which was being circulated was completely false. The police warned that legal action would be taken against those spreading misinformation. Despite the warning, Mishra neither deleted the post nor issued any clarification.
Police in Gurugram confirmed Mishra's arrest on December 16. The police said a FIR was filed after he continued to spread false information about the alleged murder of a Hindu woman by Muslim man. Police said Mishra, a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Kaushambi district, is now being investigated.
Gurugram Police spokesperson Sandeep Singh told The Print that the accused had deliberately misrepresented facts and used objectionable content to spread hatred along religious lines. “Such posts can create serious disturbances in society, and the police take these matters very seriously,” he said.
A reverse image search conducted by fact-checkers at Alt News, revealed that the photographs used in the viral post were unrelated to the claims, while two of the images were traced to a Pinterest account belonging to influencer Maulik Chopra and another image was sourced from an Instagram post by influencer Shivam Thakur featuring a woman named Deepanshi Rawat. The fourth image was found on an unrelated Instagram page. The images depicted different individuals and had no connection to any crime.
Police said they are also investigating Mishra’s motive behind sharing the false and provocative content.
