
High SIM card sales: Bellad hints at prospect of ‘digital war'

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


India Today
8 hours ago
- India Today
Special investigation: Shady madrasas mushrooming along Indo-Nepal border
A special investigation by India Today has unearthed a widespread network of unregulated and illegal madrasas operating on both sides of the Indo-Nepal border, raising serious concerns around illegal foreign funding, radical teachings, and internal investigation reveals how madrasas in Bihar and neighbouring Nepal are accepting money routed through illegal hawala channels — mostly from Gulf countries — and, in many instances, are reportedly involved in teaching content that promotes extremist what the India Today Special Investigation Team uncovered:BIHAR: FOREIGN FUNDING, RADICAL CONTENT, NO OVERSIGHT In Bihar, several madrasas along the Nepal border were found to be functioning without government recognition. These include institutions in Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, and remote locations like Bajpatti and Muzaffarpur's Jamia, Nuria Merajul Uloom, a teacher who has been with the madrasa for over two decades openly admitted to accepting funds via hawala. He was also open to the idea of using that money to create a separate faculty to indoctrinate students with jihadi narratives. "We will brainwash them step-by-step," he told the undercover Sitamarhi's Bajpatti region, another illegal madrasa — Madrasa Islamia Mehmoodia — was found operating out of a tin shed with no signage. Its administrator, Azruddin Dilkhush, spoke freely about receiving hawala money from Gulf countries via Nepal and disguising it as donation box collections. He also confirmed that fake Indian IDs could be used to enrol undocumented children, including those of Bangladeshi same pattern was found at Madrasa Islamia Darul Quran in Deema village, operating from a government community hall. Here, videos of controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik were shown to students, and a controversial textbook, Taaleem-ul-Islam, which refers to non-Muslims as "kafirs" (infidels), was being taught from Class 1 OPEN DOORS TO FOREIGN INFLUENCE, JIHADI MESSAGINGAcross the border in Nepal, the investigation found similar trends of foreign funding and radical influence. In Mahottari district, Mohammad Shahid Hussain of Madrasa Ahsania admitted on camera to accepting Gulf-funded hawala money. Shahid said people from countries like Lebanon and Pakistan came to deliver motivational speeches in local halls, targeting students and youth for ideological Dhanusha district, another madrasa run by Naimuddin was also found to be a willing participant in disseminating jihadi literature. He told undercover reporters that he would distribute books on jihad and mujahideen to children and that "preparing Muslims for jihad" was part of their ecosystem. However, he also admitted that due to the area being Hindu-majority, such teachings were conducted discreetly.- EndsMust Watch


Scroll.in
16 hours ago
- Scroll.in
India should stop deporting people to Bangladesh without due process, says human rights group
India should stop unlawfully deporting people to Bangladesh without due process, international non-governmental organisation Human Rights Watch said in a report released on Wednesday. The organisation said that the government should instead 'ensure everyone's access to procedural safeguards to protect against arbitrary detention and expulsion'. Since the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, the police in several states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party have been detaining Bengali-speaking persons – mostly Muslims – and asking them to prove that they are Indian citizens. Several persons have been forced into Bangladesh after they allegedly could not prove their Indian citizenship. In some cases, individuals who were mistakenly sent to Bangladesh returned to the country after state authorities in India proved that they were Indians. Indian authorities have not provided official data on the total number of expulsions till now. However, the Border Guards Bangladesh has alleged that over 1,500 persons have been forced into Bangladesh from May 7 to June 15. Elaine Person, the Asia director at Human Rights Watch, alleged that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in India was 'fueling discrimination by arbitrarily expelling Bengali Muslims from the country, including Indian citizens'. She added: 'The authorities' claims that they are managing irregular immigration are unconvincing given their disregard for due process rights, domestic guarantees, and international human rights standards.' Human Rights Watch said that India is bound by international treaties to protect human rights and 'to prevent deprivation of citizenship on the basis of race, color, descent, or national or ethnic origin'. Detaining and expelling people without due process violates these obligations, the NGO said. The group also urged authorities to prevent the use of excessive force, investigate abuses by security forces, and provide proper food, shelter and medical care for those detained. In May, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs directed the states and Union Territories to verify the credentials of persons suspected to be undocumented migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar. On July 19, the police in Gurugram detained at least 74 migrant workers on the suspicion that they were from Bangladesh, The Wire reported. Of these, 11 were from West Bengal and 63 from Assam.


News18
18 hours ago
- News18
Supreme Court Asks Delhi HC To Hear Case Against 'Udaipur Files' On Monday
A petition had been filed against the release of the film "Udaipur Files" for allegedly promoting communalism and vilifying the Muslim community. The Supreme Court on Friday urged the Delhi High Court to hear the petitions challenging the release of the film 'Udaipur Files' – which has been accused of promoting communalism – on Monday (July 28). The movie is based on the murder of Kanhaiya Lal, a tailor from Udaipur who was killed in June 2022. Islamic scholar Arshad Madani and Mohammed Javed, one of the accused in the murder case, moved the apex court against the release of the movie, saying it spreads hatred against Muslims and was deeply communal in nature. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymala Bagchi asked the petitioners to approach the Delhi High Court after the Central government allowed the movie release after certain modifications. 'First, go to HC and pursue, and then come here. Now the other side says he [movie producer] is satisfied with the central government order, and he does not want to pursue the case here. So you go to HC now. Why waste our time?" the bench said. This came after a petition seeking the release of the movie was filed by movie producers against a Delhi High Court order that stayed the release of the movie and asked the Central government to review it first. The Supreme Court allowed the government to review the film, and a panel appointed by the government asked producers to make certain changes before release. However, the government on Thursday told the Supreme Court that the film is 'crime-focused" and does not target any specific community. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said the dialogues are generic and references to terrorism are context-specific. The movie revolves around the accused in the case, Mohammad Riyaz and Mohammad Ghous, who allegedly murdered and beheaded Lal over a social media post he shared supporting a former BJP leader. The killing, carried out in broad daylight, had sparked national outrage. However, Madani had argued that the film unfairly extrapolates that crime to project an entire community as complicit or sympathetic to terrorism. The trial continues in the Special NIA Court, with hearings set to resume after the court's summer break. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.