doxxing – The Commune https://thecommunemag.com Mainstreaming Alternate Fri, 26 Apr 2024 11:11:09 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.5 https://thecommunemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/cropped-TC_SF-1-32x32.jpg doxxing – The Commune https://thecommunemag.com 32 32 Indian Student In Canada Faces Vicious Online Attack After False Accusations By Netizen On His Video, Sparks Social Media Storm https://thecommunemag.com/indian-student-in-canada-faces-vicious-online-attack-after-false-accusations-by-netizen-on-his-video-sparks-social-media-storm/ Fri, 26 Apr 2024 11:11:09 +0000 https://thecommunemag.com/?p=75348 In a harrowing turn of events, Mehul Prajapati, an Indian student living/studying in Canada (also an Instagrammer), found himself at the center of a relentless barrage of negativity and hate after false allegations surfaced on social media platforms, swiftly spreading to major news websites across the country. The Indian-origin “data scientist” faced termination from his job after posting […]

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In a harrowing turn of events, Mehul Prajapati, an Indian student living/studying in Canada (also an Instagrammer), found himself at the center of a relentless barrage of negativity and hate after false allegations surfaced on social media platforms, swiftly spreading to major news websites across the country.

The Indian-origin “data scientist” faced termination from his job after posting a video explaining how he accessed free food from food banks meant for students in Canada. Mehul Prajapati, allegedly employed at TD Bank in Canada, shared his method of saving “hundreds of bucks” monthly on groceries through these food banks. Prajapati displayed his weekly food haul, which included fruits, vegetables, bread, sauces, pasta, and canned goods. 

The video, originally posted on Instagram, gained traction after another user reposted it, criticizing Prajapati’s actions. This netizen ended up “doxxing” Prajapati over his “food bandit” actions and claimed he was a data scientist. The netizen with the handle “@Slatzism” wrote, ”This guy has a job as a bank data scientist for @TD_Canada, a position that averages $98,000 per year, and proudly uploaded this video showing how much “free food” he gets from charity food banks.” 

Tagging the supposed employer, the netizen later updated the post stating, “Update: the food bank bandit was fired.” The user also posted a screenshot of an email from the bank confirming that the “individual named in the video no longer works at TD“.

What Is The Truth?

Mehul Prajapati, 26, a student of a master’s degree at Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada, initially intended to offer insights into his life in Canada to assist fellow students but faced a barrage of hate and false allegations following the video’s circulation on platforms like X and Reddit.

Despite garnering only 4,000 views and three comments from his modest following on Instagram, the video was downloaded and shared by @Slatzism, tarnishing Prajapati’s reputation as a “thief” and “freeloader.” The ensuing backlash inundated him with hate messages,  some even threatening him to leave Canada. 

However, an exclusive interview with Moneycontrol revealed the truth. Prajapati was not exploiting government-run food banks meant for the underprivileged; instead, he was participating in a legitimate program offered by Wilfrid Laurier University. Collaborating with LSPIRG and Martin Luther University College, the initiative provided free groceries to students facing food insecurity.

Prajapati’s involvement in the program was misconstrued, fueling the online frenzy, despite his video solely referencing his college’s food assistance program. The program’s details were available on the college website, specifying eligibility criteria for students to access free groceries and essentials.

@Slatzism, a social media user, acted as the catalyst for Prajapati’s ordeal by amplifying misconceptions surrounding his video.

Even in the absence of verifiable evidence, @Slatzism’s actions triggered unwarranted repercussions. The individual behind the account located Prajapati’s Instagram and LinkedIn profiles, where TD Bank was listed, and went to great lengths by emailing the bank – Prajapati’s purported employer – with the intent of getting him “fired”.

Prajapati was never employed by the bank. He completed a 17-week internship at the bank as part of his college curriculum, which requires him to undertake two mandatory internships. His internship concluded in December 2023. Moneycontrol has verified the documents supporting his internship.

Contrary to @Slatzism’s claim of earning Canadian Dollars 98,000 (₹59 lakh) and being a bank employee, Prajapati was neither employed nor paid by TD Bank. Therefore, he was not terminated from his position. So, why did TD Bank inform @Slatzism that he “no longer works at TD”? Simply put, because he never worked there. The bank’s email did not mention termination; it only stated the factual information that he was not an employee. However, @Slatzism misinterpreted this, labeling Prajapati as a “food bank bandit” and spreading misinformation.

Speaking to Moneycontrol over the phone, Mehul shared the profound impact the incident had on his mental well-being.

“Hearing my phone notification would scare me. I stayed locked up at home for six days, worried about my safety and dealing with feeling alone and unsupported. Nobody seemed to want to hear my side; they just believed false things about me that ruined the reputation I worked 25 years to build, all in just a few moments,“ Mehul narrated.

Reflecting on his traumatic experience, Mehul expressed dismay at the ease with which misinformation spreads online. He lamented the lack of inquiry into his side of the story, emphasizing that crucial details were overlooked amidst the frenzy.

“This experience taught me a hard lesson: not everything you see on the internet is true. Often, the real story is very different from what people assume. This is the dark side of social media and the internet; it can either make you a hero or a zero in the click of a time,” he added.

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The post Indian Student In Canada Faces Vicious Online Attack After False Accusations By Netizen On His Video, Sparks Social Media Storm appeared first on The Commune.

]]> Dravidian Model: TN Police Goes All The Way To Bihar To Arrest Online Troll, He Was Earlier Targeted By Self-Styled Fact-Checker Zubair Rewarded By Stalin Govt https://thecommunemag.com/dravidian-model-tn-police-goes-all-the-way-to-bihar-to-arrest-online-troll-was-earlier-targeted-by-self-styled-fact-checker-zubair-rewarded-by-stalin-govt/ Thu, 14 Mar 2024 05:23:00 +0000 https://thecommunemag.com/?p=72012 In another dramatic action, Tamil Nadu Police landed up in Bihar to arrest a social media troll for posting a meme on DMK Minister of Youth Welfare and Sports Development of Tamil Nadu and son of Chief Minister MK Stalin. It is alleged that the police have arrested the brother of the person in question. […]

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In another dramatic action, Tamil Nadu Police landed up in Bihar to arrest a social media troll for posting a meme on DMK Minister of Youth Welfare and Sports Development of Tamil Nadu and son of Chief Minister MK Stalin. It is alleged that the police have arrested the brother of the person in question.

It is said that The Squint was facing arrest because he shared a morphed picture of Udhayanidhi Stalin handing over an award to alleged fact-checker Mohammed Zubair where the award was allegedly morphed into something else.

In January 2024, another Congressi handle @TeamSaath which is known for doxxing non-left handles critical of the Congress or the “minority” community, tagged DMK’s Udhayanidhi Stalin and alleged fact-checker Zubair on Squint’s post which was supposedly a meme on the former. They also tagged MK Stalin and TN police. 

Before that, AltNews in February 2024 came up with an article that claimed Squint was “harassing Hindu women” who were in a relationship with Muslim men. 

The Squint had only posted a funny meme which many said was in bad taste. 

This led to a case being filed against The Squint by TN Police. Zubair playing his role to the T even posted this where he seemed to be issuing veiled threats. He wrote, “What’s the use of deleting old controversial and doxxing tweets. All your tweets were archived. @TheSquind”

TN Police which seems to have their priorities jumbled landed up in Bihar and allegedly harassed the family members of The Squint. It is said that they arrested his brother who did not even have a social media presence.

AltNews has been known to doxx handles on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). During one such doxxing exercise, Sinha exposed a young boy who goes by the name The Squint (a wordplay on The Quint). This led to his profile being suspended by the then Twitter. 

Squint returned to the platform as The Squint (@squindneon) and was exposing anti-nationals and those who were indulging in love jihad. 

Following the arrest, DMK supporters such as rabid Dravidian Stockist DMK supporter with the X handle name “Surya Born To Win” rejoiced that TN Police landed up in Bihar. Going by his post, one can deduce that if making ugly memes was a crime, then the supporters of the DMK are criminals for all the kinds of nasty posts they make against Brahmins, Hindu Dharma, and politicians of the BJP.

The same Surya also noted why The Squint was trending – because the great TN Police was in Bihar looking for him

This rabid DMK supporter Surya Born To Win had called the north Indian states as “Cow belt states”. He also made racist comments by branding the people living in these states saying “Illiterate, communal bigots don’t want development”.

Surya Born To Win is close to the ruling DMK establishment and is known for spewing venom against Hindus and BJP supporters.

He has also spewed abuse on journalists critical of the DMK and casteist venom especially if the journalists happen to be from the Brahmin community.

It is noteworthy that Tamil Nadu Police went behind Manish Kashyap for a fake video. Manish Kashyap, a YouTuber from Bihar, imprisoned over a fake video alleging assault on Bihari migrants in Tamil Nadu, has been granted bail in all cases. He surrendered in March 2023, after his house was confiscated. Tamil Nadu Police detained him, but the Madras High Court quashed the detention order and dropped NSA charges. The video was found fabricated by Rakesh Ranjan Kumar. Bihar EOU filed four cases against Kashyap, while Tamil Nadu Police filed 13, naming him in six. Chief Justice Chandrachud questioned the necessity of the NSA against him. Kashyap awaits release pending formalities from Beur jail.

Another instance where TN Police prioritised filing cases and arresting netizens and journalists is the case of journalist Abhijit Majumder. The police went all the way to a Noida-based media house looking for Abhijit without issuing any summons. This incident stems from a piece Abhijit had written earlier in September 2023 for FirstPost, where he analysed the political ramifications of a controversial speech delivered by Udhayanidhi Stalin, the son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin.

Here are some other recent instances where the Tamil Nadu police have been actively pursuing individuals critical of the ruling DMK:

  • The Commune and its directors faced legal action for reporting on the confrontation between Podu Deekshitars of the Chidambaram Nataraja Temple and HR&CE officials.
  • Tamil Nadu BJP State Secretary SG Suryah was taken into custody under non-bailable sections for his comments regarding Madurai CPI-M MP Su Venkatesan concerning a sanitation worker’s tragic death during drain cleaning in Pennadam town, Cuddalore district.
  • An AIADMK IT wing member was apprehended under non-bailable sections for sharing a video meme that humorously referenced MK Stalin’s video statement on Senthilbalaji’s arrest. The meme did not contain derogatory content.
  • A Pro-BJP Twitter user was arrested for sharing an old article and allegedly misattributing DMK to an illegal liquor-producing gang in Tiruppur, following the recent hooch tragedy in Marakkanam.
  • Vice President of Tamil Nadu BJP’s Industrial Cell, Selva Kumar, was arrested for criticizing DMK Minister Senthilbalaji.
  • The admin of Voice of Savukku Shankar X handle was arrested for a video meme targeting CM MK Stalin and DMK Minister PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan regarding the “eligible household” clause in the monthly assistance scheme for women.
  • The DMK government traveled to Gujarat to arrest BJP cadre John Ravi, who had made satirical social media posts about CM MK Stalin and his late father, Karunanidhi.
  • A member of TTV Dhinakaran’s AMMK was arrested for posting a meme mocking the Tamil Nadu sports ministry led by Udhayanidhi Stalin.
  • Political commentator Kishore K Swamy was detained for posts critical of MK Stalin related to monsoon preparations. Previously, he had been subjected to the Goondas Act for criticizing DMK leaders Karunanidhi, Stalin, and Annadurai.
  • DMK critic YouTuber-turned-BJP cadre Karthik Gopinath was arrested for raising funds for temples in Siruvachur, Perambalur district, which had been vandalized by miscreants.
  • BJP supporter and political analyst Krishna Kumar Murugan was arrested in connection with alleged ‘defamatory’ posters caricaturing MK Stalin.
  • YouTuber Maridhas was taken into custody for a video discussing Tablighi Jamaat and a tweet related to the late Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat.
  • Naam Tamilar functionary Ganesh Kumar alias Nila Kannan was apprehended for posting an image of the late DMK leader Karunanidhi being served food by three different women.
  • A critic of the DMK, Badri Seshadri, was arrested for his comments in an interview on a YouTube channel regarding the Manipur issue, during which he made remarks about the Chief Justice of India.
  • TN BJP Functionary Pravin Raj was arrested in the wee hours of 1 October 2023 for his posts targeting the ruling party and the Congress.
  • N Muthuramalingam, the State Propaganda Secretary of South India Forward Bloc, was arrested for expressing his views on Facebook regarding the release of terrorists convicted in the 1998 Coimbatore serial blasts case. Muthuramalingam had criticized Dravidian parties for considering the release of 36 prisoners, including those convicted for life in the Coimbatore terror attack, leading to his arrest.
  • BJP IT Wing & Social Media State Secretary Trichy Pugal Machendran was arrested in January 2024 for sharing a Facebook post regarding the president of the All India Jihad Committee, Palani Baba, also known as Ahmed Ali on his death anniversary. Pugal’s statement allegedly celebrates the death of the president of the All India Jihad Committee Palani Baba, referred to as a “poisonous influence”. 

Many on social media condemned the arrest of Squint Neon saying that instead of arresting those who are involved in drug smuggling, the DMK is abusing the official machinery to target critics.

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The post Dravidian Model: TN Police Goes All The Way To Bihar To Arrest Online Troll, He Was Earlier Targeted By Self-Styled Fact-Checker Zubair Rewarded By Stalin Govt appeared first on The Commune.

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