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Islamic scholar Atiq ur Rehman wants Muslims to be ‘credited’ for not ‘completely destroying’ Hindu temple underneath the disputed Gyanvapi mosque

OpIndia Staff
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Islamic scholar Atiq ur Rehman wants Muslims to be ‘credited’ for not ‘completely destroying’ Hindu temple underneath the disputed Gyanvapi mosque

On Monday (29th January), Islamic scholar Atiq ur Rehman attempted to downplay the desecration of Hindu temples by Islamic invaders and claimed that the Muslim community should be credited for not destroying evidence of mosques being built atop Hindu temples.

During a panel discussion on the disputed Gynavapi masjid and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) report on News18, Rehman brazened out, “The Muslim side could have wiped off everything. Every sign of Mandir could have been wiped off but they kept it.”

“Why did they keep it? Because they were given an assurance that it wouldn’t be challenged. And they respected those artefacts,” he remarked.

“You should appreciate this fact instead of making an issue out of it. You should appreciate that they kept as they were historically very important monuments,” he further continued.

Journalist Anand Narasimhan intervened, “Why did they keep it since 1677 CE, sir? Did they keep it because it was a mosque or did they keep it as Swami Chinmayananda said that these were victory monuments.”

“Did they keep it because they wanted to show that it was a victory? These are victory monuments. Waqf Board has so many properties. Masjid could have been built anywhere? Why are they built on Ram Janmabhoomi, Krishna Janmabhoomi and so on,” he added.

Swami Chinmayananada on victory monuments

During an interview with Ram Madhav in 1993, the spiritual leader Swami Chinmayananda spoke about Ram Janmabhoomi and the disputed Babri Masjid.

He had said, “That building (Babri) is called by misnomer that it is a mosque. It is not. There were no minarets. They had not offered their prayers. Why did they build it? They broke down our Rama temple and built it there as a victory monument.”

In the context of Gyanvapi mosque, Swami Chinmayananda had added, “First let us have this Rama Temple. Afterwards, there are two more monuments which are built upon our Krishna’s birth place and Kashi Viswanath.”

Atiq ur Rehman concedes that Muslims cannot offer namaz at Gyanvapi

It must be mentioned that Atiq ur Rehman had conceded during the panel discussion that Muslims cannot offer Namaz at Gyanvapi Mosque as the mosque was built atop a Hindu temple.

Later, he resorted to mental gymnastics and began inquiring whether Hindus had the right to offer prayers at the mosque. At that point, journalist Anand Narasimhan informed him that the site was not ‘disputed’ for the Hindu community.

He added that even though the temple was defiled, the deity underneath had perennial rights. And as such, Hindus have the right to pray at the site given that the Hindu temple was not constructed atop a mosque.

Denial of ASI report

On 25th January, the report by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) report on the Gyanvapi Masjid was made public. It revealed the existence of a large Hindu temple structure underneath the disputed structure.

As expected, Muslim peitioners refused to believe the report and vowed to challenge it before the higher Judiciary. SM Yasin, Joint Secretary of Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee (AIMC) remarked, “It is our first and foremost responsibility to keep the mosque safe… ASI has given the report as per its reputation. This is a report and not a decision.”

He claimed, “The Gyanvapi mosque was built 600 years ago by a zamindar (landlord) of Jaunpur. It was renovated by Mughal emperor Akbar during his rule. Then the expansion and renovation of the Gyanvapi mosque was done by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. Muslims have been offering namaz for about 600 years ago…and will continue to do so in future too.”

Inscription of Aurangzeb’s order for mosque construction was erased

In the 850-page long detailed report, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has revealed that efforts were made to erase parts of the inscription of Aurangzeb’s order to make the mosque in place of the temple.

The inscription was found on a loose stone slab of sandstone recovered from the lower room of the south corridor. It contains Arabic and Persian scripts and the text says, Allahu Akbar, Bismillahi – Ar- Rahman-Ar-Rahim, and other such text. However, in the 6-line text on the slab, the lower two lines have been erased.

But the ASI had photographed the same slab earlier in 1965, in which all the text was intact. The report noted that the photograph of this stone inscription was recorded in ASI records in the year 1965-66. Which shows that the slab has been damaged after 1965.

According to the detailed ASI report, the erased inscription conveyed information about Aurangzeb’s order and mentioned the timeline, that is, in which year the construction of the now-existing structure took place and when expansions to the existing structure were carried out.  

As per the records, the construction of the mosque took place in 1676-77 CE. The mosque was later repaired with sahan in around 1792-93 CE. 

On comparing the two inscriptions, it was established that “attempt was made to erase last two lines of the inscription mentioning about the construction and expansion of the mosque.” 

Idols of Hindu gods buried in Gyanvapi cellars, blocked with debris

The ASI report stated that several artefacts related to the temple were deliberately kept hidden, they were found in cellars which were blocked by debris and walls. As per the ASI report, on the Eastern part of the complex, there are six cellars, three on southern side and three on the northern side on the both sides of the sealed area. There are two more cellars on the north, closer to the structure.

The cellars were made below the ground level when the pre-existing structure was modified and extended towards the east, the report states. The underground cellars were used for various purposes, however most of the cellars were found blocked, either completely or partially. For the study, ASI cleaned the cellars and removed a large amount of debris, recovering several signs of a pre-existing Hindu temple.

The most important artefacts were found in the southern cellars, S1, S2 and S3. ASI says that there are five entrances from S2 to S1, but all of them were blocked with lakhauri bricks and/ or stone blocks set in lime mortar. Similarly, all four entrances to S3 were blocked filling soil or keeping stones and architectural materials.

When the ASI teams entered cellar S3 by clearing the entrances, the found that the cellar was deliberately filled with soil and debris. Holes were make on the ceilings and soils and debris were dumped through that holes, blocking the cellar.

The report says that cellar S2 was used as a dumping place of large number of diverse things ranging from bamboos, to terracotta and metal pots, doors and windows, architectural members, etc. A number of architectural members were found stacked over the blocked entrances of the western wall.

When the debris was removed from the cellar, several things purposefully buried were exposed. This included a miniature temple, sculptures of Vishnu, Shaiva Dwarpala, Hanuman and other stone objects as well as terracotta figurines. “A miniature shrine with sculptural depiction of deities is another noteworthy find,” the ASI report says, talking about the miniature temple found in S2.

The report added that Shiva linga and Yonipatta in good numbers were doing in cellar S2 and the western wall area. It states that Two sculptures of Vishnu were also recorded from cellar S2, one of which is a complete image and another one is only the parikara part of an image depicting the figure of seated Vishnu.

Islamists, left-liberals continued to call ‘Shivling’ as fountain in wuzukhana

Soon after the discovery of a Shivling inside a wuzukhana of the disputed structure of Gyanvapi Masjid in May 2022, left-liberals and Islamists expectedly suffered a prolonged meltdown on social media.

They made casual ‘Hinduphobic’ remarks and mocked Hindu deities in an attempt to discredit the discovery of the Shivling inside the disputed structure of Gyanvapi masjid in Varanasi.

The usual suspects, who have a notorious past of chiding Hindus for being unapologetic and proud of culture and heritage, took to Twitter to mock Hindus for celebrating the presence of Shivling inside the disputed structure.

Some deliberately called it a ‘fountain’ while others compared Shivling to everyday objects.

Curious case of the missing Sorens: Did you know Jharkhand’s ‘missing’ CM Hemant Soren’s father had also gone missing after being held guilty in a murder case

OpIndia Staff
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Curious case of the missing Sorens: Did you know Jharkhand’s ‘missing’ CM Hemant Soren’s father had also gone missing after being held guilty in a murder case

On Monday, January 29, the media a abuzz with news that the Jharkhand CM and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Hemant Soren has gone missing and cannot be reached as ED wants to interrogate him in a money laundering case linked to the land scam case. As per reports, an ED team visited the Jharkhand CM’s residence and the Jharkhand Bhavan but could not find him. He was reportedly unreachable. The office of the CM reportedly said that they are not aware of the CM’s whereabouts.

Later in the day, reports emerged that the Jharkhand CM was probably in the National Capital Region, and his last location was traced to Gurgaon. It was also reported that he flew from Ranchi to Delhi in a chartered aircraft, which is currently parked at Delhi airport. However, the ED was still unable to reach or contact him.

The phones of several members of his team are reportedly switched off. His BMW car in Delhi has been seized by the ED. His driver has also been questioned but to no avail.

While the Enforcement Directorate is making every effort to find the ‘missing’ Jharkhand chief minister, it wouldn’t be incorrect to assume that Hemant Soren seems to have inherited this peculiar trait of going ‘missing’ from none other than his father Shibu Soren, popularly known as ‘Guruji’ in the state. Shibu Soren had reportedly also resorted to similar tactics almost two decades ago after he had been held guilty in a murder case.

In 2004, the sins of the past had finally caught up with a defiant Shibu Soren as the Jamtara court issued an arrest warrant against him in a 30-year-old murder case. A police team from Jharkhand reached Delhi to execute the arrest warrant against him in connection with the 1975 Chirudih massacre. It was then that Shibu Soren, the then Union Coal Minister, went missing trying to evade the arrest.

The 1975 Chirudih Massacre in which Shibu Soren, father of Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, was named as the fourth accused

On the evening of January 23, 1975, 10 people were murdered, nine of them Muslims, in a massacre in the hamlet of Chirudih in Dumka district (now in Jamtara district, in Jharkhand). The incident happened after a violent clash erupted between two mobs, one of tribals led by Soren and the other of non-tribals under the banner of the CPI. Soren was accused of inciting the mob to kill ‘dikus’ or outsiders following a movement launched by the JMM chief to drive them away.

The FIR on the incident, registered in the Narainpur police station, named 69 accused and Shibu Soren’s name appeared fourth in the list of names of the accused.

Reportedly, Lakhindra Soren, one of the accused, in his dying declaration recorded by the magistrate on February 7, 1975, at Jamtara Sadar hospital, declared, “Shibu Soren told us that since Muslims were burning the houses of tribals we should first kill the Muslims.”

On December 26, 1979, a chargesheet against all of the accused was filed following the examination of forty witnesses. Soren was chosen to be an MP in 1980. The case continued for the following six years.

Judicial procedures against the fifty-nine accused were initiated on September 1, 1986. The judicial magistrate revoked the bail for Soren and the nine other absentees since they did not appear in court, and they were ordered to surrender by September 6.

Arrest warrants were issued for them as a result of their inability to comply with the court’s order.

In April and June 2004, the court repeatedly summoned all the accused. Finally, the court declared Soren an “absconder” and ordered his arrest.

Two officers of SP rank were sent to Delhi to arrest Soren, but Sibhu Soren went ‘missing’. He reportedly did not even turn up in Rajya Sabha, where he was to take questions. The police team from Ranchi then visited Soren’s house and pasted a copy of the arrest warrant outside and met the then Delhi Police Commissioner K K Paul. There was even a rumour that the minister was “surrendering” in the city, but the teams of both Jharkhand and Delhi police did not find any trace of Soren.

Soren later sent in his resignation through a party delegation to the Prime Minister’s office.

Like father like Son

Now, history seems to be repeating itself, as Shibu Soren’s son Hemant Soren is reportedly gone missing as the ED has been trying to close in on him in connection with a major land scam case. Soren has already skipped 9 ED summons. The current summon to him is the 10th summon by the probe agency. As reported by ANI, the ED had written to Jharkhand CM asking him to provide a date for questioning on January 29 or 31, or else the agency itself will go to him for questioning, in connection with a money-laundering case linked to an alleged land scam.

Interestingly, following the sudden disappearance of the Jharkhand CM, veteran journalist and the senior adviser to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Kanchan Gupta, also took to X to draw parallels to a similar situation involving Shibu Soren, who too had gone ‘missing’ when investigating agencies were closing in on him.

“Lik father, like son. Absconding Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren leaves behind ‘benami’ BMW car (and Rs 36 lakh in loose change) at his Delhi residence. In early-1990s his father Shibu Soren had done the Houdini trick, leaving behind superexpensive Dalmatians at his MP bungalow in Delhi. The dogs were taken into care by TN Chaturvedi,” Kanchan Gupta posted.

India says notice issued to French journalist Vanessa Dougnac “not related to her work”, has “violated visa rules”

OpIndia Staff
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India says notice issued to French journalist Vanessa Dougnac “not related to her work”, has “violated visa rules”

Reports quoting Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said that the subject of French journalist Vanessa Dougnac‘s visa violation was discussed with the French side both before and during President Emmanuel Macron’s visit.

As per reports, the government has said that the notice issued to the journalist was “not related to her work” and clarified that she had “violated visa rules”.

The same was conveyed by India to the French delegation during bilateral talks. This comes exactly a week after a notice was issued to Dougnac reportedly asking why her OCI card should not be withdrawn.

As per a report by The Print, the notice was issued over her “malicious” work which has created a “biased negative perception” of India and over alleged violation of visa rules.

The Foreigners Registration Office (FRRO) notice of the MHA was issued to her on 18th January. A response was sought from her by 2nd February.

Dougnac has also cooperated with relevant authorities, reports claim. Moreover, Kwatra said that France appreciated India’s “frame of reference” to look at the case through a lens of rules compliance.

“People are free to do what they are accredited to do in a given space. But here I think the principal issue is whether the person is compliant with the rules and regulations of the state under which they come,” he reportedly said.

Meanwhile, a group of 30 foreign correspondents residing in India signed an open letter to MHA expressing their “deep concern” for Dougnac.

“Ms Dougnac, who has lived in India for more than two decades and is highly regarded as a senior journalist covering South Asia, has cooperated with the relevant authorities in an effort to remove any misunderstanding,” the letter read.

The letter was signed largely by French and Western media including The New York Times, Le Monde, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and more.

Cypher Case: Former Pakistan PM and cricketer Imran Khan sentenced to 10 years jail

ANI
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Cypher Case: Former Pakistan PM and cricketer Imran Khan sentenced to 10 years jail

A Pakistan court has sentenced former prime minister Imran Khan and former Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi to jail for 10 years each in a case involving leaking of state secrets, local media reported on Tuesday.

A special court established under the Official Secrets Act sentenced Pakistan Tehreeke-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Khan and former Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi handed out the 10-year jail sentence in the cypher case, Dawn reported.

The verdict was announced by special court Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain during the hearing held at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.
The special court had begun the cipher trial afresh last month at the Adiala district jail after Imran and Qureshi were indicted for a second time in the case on December 13, Dawn News reported.

The former premier and Qureshi, who is also behind bars, were first indicted in the case in October. Both had pleaded not guilty. The IHC had termed the government’s notification for a jail trial “erroneous” and scrapped the entire proceedings.

Taking to social media platform X, Khan said, “This is not a trial but a fixed match whose outcome was predetermined by the characters and planners of the London Plan and their seals. That is why I already know the decision of this case.”

He added, “Remember that Cipher is a case which has been declared null and void twice by the Islamabad High Court and ordered to be re-tried because both times the case was tried to be run in violation of the constitution and the law. Then the Supreme Court has also given me bail in this case because the whole building of this case has been built on lies, bullying, conspiracy and deceit.”

The former Pakistan PM also alleged that “these people want to provoke you by giving me a harsh sentence in this case so that you go out on the streets and protest, then add your unknowns to it and do another false flag operation in the style of May 9 to get those results. Attempts should be made which could not be achieved by the earlier false flag operation. Second, they want you people to stay at home on February 8, disappointed and angry.”

He urged, “My Pakistanis! This is your war and this is your test that you have to take revenge for every injustice by your vote on February 8 while remaining peaceful. Innocent Pakistanis imprisoned in jails for the last 8 months will get justice and release now only with your vote. I believe that just as you broke the chains of fear yesterday, you will come out in millions on election day and defeat the planners of the London plan by the power of your vote and tell them that we There are no sheep that can be driven with a stick. I believe that February 8 will be our day of victory. God willing.”

Earlier this month, Pakistan’s caretaker federal government challenged the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) decision to declare its notification regarding the jail trial of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader in the cypher case as null and void.

It reported that the government filed a petition in the apex court to overturn the High Court’s decision saying that the High Court did not evaluate the facts of the case properly.

It contended that the IHC did not have the authority to declare a special court formed to hold cypher trial of the former premier invalid.
As per Geo News, in November last year, the IHC nullified the notification for conducting PTI founder Imran Khan’s jail trial in the cypher case registered on charges of leaking state secrets.

An IHC division bench, comprising Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz, announced the verdict on November 21, 2023 on Imran’s intra-court appeal against a single-member bench’s decision to approve his jail trial in the cypher case under the Official Secrets Act, 1923.

Earlier, allowing Khan’s intra-court appeal, the division bench declared the law ministry’s notification “to be without lawful authority and no legal effect”.

The IHC stated in the three-page short order that the jail trial can be conducted in “exceptional circumstances”.

“In exceptional circumstances and where it is conducive to justice, a trial can be conducted in jail in a manner that fulfills the requirements of an open trial or a trial in camera, provided it is in accordance with the procedure provided by law.

“The court also declared that the November 15 notification issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice after the caretaker cabinet’s approval of the jail trial “cannot be given retrospective effect”.

Geo News reported that Imran’s cypher trial was started afresh, but the IHC declared all the proceedings in the cypher case conducted by a special court after December 14, 2023, invalid.

Last week, state defence counsels had been appointed due to the previously appointed ones who had agreed to conduct cross-examinations not appearing in the next two court hearings.

Imran had said the trial was nothing less than a “joke” because the prosecution and defence team both belonged to the government.
The cypher case involves a diplomatic document that the Federal Investigation Agency alleges was never returned by Imran Khan, with the PTI asserting the document contained a threat from the United States to remove Imran as prime minister.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

‘Assault to convert Kafir not bad as per Quran’: Taha Razi rapes, assaults a Hindu girl under false pretences, justifies violence citing Islamic verses

OpIndia Staff
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‘Assault to convert Kafir not bad as per Quran’: Taha Razi rapes, assaults a Hindu girl under false pretences, justifies violence citing Islamic verses

In a novel case of Love jihad reported from the city of Banglore, a Hindu girl named Neha (name changed) was brutally assaulted, raped, and also tortured before forceful conversion to Islam. The girl filed a police complaint in Banglore on 28th January confirming that the accused, Taha Razi hid his original identity and posed as a Hindu to trap her in a love affair.

The girl also stated that the accused justified his act of violence by quoting several verses from the Quran that read, “If a Muslim has to take strict action against a Kaffir and butparast (idol worshipper) to get him to the right track and get converted then this abuse or assault will not be considered bad.”

The case has been exclusively covered by the Organizer. As per the report, Neha belongs to Odisha, and the accused, Taha is from Bihar. The duo are believed to have met during an internship in Hyderabad. The accused introduced himself as Taha to Neha but hid his surname. On being asked about his full name, the accused smartly said that his family had a tradition of not employing the surnames.

The accused then made the girl believe that he was a Hindu. He used to visit temples, read Bhagwad Gita, respect the fasts held by the girls, and exclusively worship Lord Krishna. He then proposed to her and immediately introduced her to his mother. As per Neha, the mother of the accused liked her and referred to her as ‘beta’. The accused also showed respect towards Ramayana and Mahabharata.

The accused showed love by taking care of her health, packing lunch for her during the internship, and also by accompanying her to temples every Monday. This continued for six years until Neha discovered that the man she had begun loving was actually a Muslim.

Neha recovered the ‘driving license’ of the accused while they were on a trek. She confronted the accused as she saw the identity card after it accidentally fell from his pocket during the trek. The accused then confessed the truth and said that he had hidden his identity fearing that she would leave him. He then convinced her that he followed Sanatan Dharma and also read the Bhagwad Gita. He also said that he was ready to convert to Hinduism if his religion mattered to her so much.

Neha however refused to keep ties with him after knowing the truth. She began distancing herself from the accused. The accused then convinced her saying, “My family is a modern family, we live in an all-Hindu colony and my great-grandfather had to convert to Islam under pressure, my family believes in Hindu Dharma. I am not a Muslim and will never force you for anything. I have already accepted you as my wife. Have you ever seen my mother and sister wearing burqa? We are modern. I will never force you to convert.”

The girl happened to fall for him and told her family about Taha. The family of the girl then severed all ties with her given her love affair with a Muslim individual who had deceptively hidden his identity.

The accused and the victim girl then relocated to Banglore and began living together. They bought a new home and decided to settle in the city. However, the horror began here as the accused began assaulting the victim and justifying it by giving reference to the Quran.

As per the report, the accused began following Islam and criticizing Hinduism. He showed his hatred towards the Modi government and the Yogi government and said that the duo played politics of religion. He also said that creating Ram Mandir by demolishing Babri ‘Mosque’ was not a good move. He claimed that Islam is the latest version of Sanatan Dharma and that everybody in this world must follow Islam.

He suddenly began using derogatory language for Hindu Gods and said that they were not worth worshipping. He forced Neha to follow Islam and watch videos of Zakir Naik to understand Islam. On questioning, he would sexually and physically assault the victim.

He later said that his family had fixed his arranged marriage to a Muslim girl and that he would marry her if Neha continued to refuse to convert to Islam. He blackmailed the girl and indicated that she had no place to go after her family severed all ties with her. He then assaulted Neha, kicked her in her stomach, and sexually abused her.

He further justified his act of violence by saying, “In Quran, it is mentioned that if a Muslim has to take strict action against a Kaffir and butparast (idol worshipper) to get him to the right track and get converted then this abuse or assault will not be considered bad.”

“Having me in life is the greatest bliss Allah gave you, understand this and follow the right path. Why would I worship Krishna or any deity they were all human beings. Hindus are foolish as they worship the sun, moon, trees, water, and anything. When a kaffir takes a wrong path.. we the Muslims are directed by Allah to show them the right path. Even if this involved force then be it,” he added.

The accused continued to assault Neha for days and forced her to convert to Islam. He said that his father would teach her to offer Namaz and that she could easily understand Islam by watching Zakir Naik’s videos. Fed up by the mental and physical torture, the victim agreed to convert to Islam.

However, she managed to reach out to the police and file an official complaint against the accused. The complaint has been filed in Banglore but the Police have asked the Bihar Police to look into the matter. Further investigations in the case are underway.

 

Chhattisgarh: School headmaster in Bilaspur makes people pledge they won’t worship Hindu Gods, arrested for hurting religious sentiments

OpIndia Staff
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Chhattisgarh: School headmaster in Bilaspur makes people pledge they won’t worship Hindu Gods, arrested for hurting religious sentiments

The headmaster of a school in Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur district was detained on Sunday (28th January) on allegations of inciting religious hatred after delivering a speech to students and a group of about 15 people urging them not to believe in Hindu Gods.

Ratanlal Sarovar, 60, delivered the speech on 22nd January at Mohtarai village, under the jurisdiction of Ratanpur police station, on the day of the Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha in Ayodhya. He addressed the assembled village residents, named a number of Hindu Gods and purportedly pledged not to worship them. Instead, he encouraged the gathering to practice Buddhism.

A video of the speech was subsequently released on YouTube, and a Hindu activist Rupesh Shukla filed a complaint with the local police. Shukla said that the speech hurt the feelings of Sanatan Dharma practitioners.

“In his statement, Sarovar told us he was asking people to follow the teachings of B R Ambedkar and that he is a Hindu, but believes in the teachings of Ambedkar,” a police officer said.

Notably, the district’s school administration is said to have suspended Sarovar after the event. He is currently in judicial custody.

“Based on the complaint, an FIR has been registered against him under IPC sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class),” said Ratanpur police station in charge, inspector Devesh Singh Rathore.

Kerala: 15 members of banned Islamist outfit PFI convicted for the murder of OBC BJP leader Ranjith Sreenivasan

ANI
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Kerala: 15 members of banned Islamist outfit PFI convicted for the murder of OBC BJP leader Ranjith Sreenivasan

All 15 accused in the murder of BJP leader Ranjith Sreenivasan in Alappuzha in December 2021 were found guilty by the court on Saturday.

The Additional Sessions Court on Saturday convicted 15 SDPI (Social Democratic Party of India) – PFI (Popular Front of India) workers for the murder of BJP leader Ranjith Sreenivasan in Alappuzha.

The quantum of punishment will be pronounced on Monday.

The first eight accused, namely Nizam, Ajmal, Anoop, Muhammad Aslam, Salam Ponnad, Abdul Salam, Safaruddin and Manshad, were found guilty of murder.

The verdict was delivered by the Additional District Sessions Court I, Mavelikkara.

Ranjith Sreenivasan, the BJP OBC Morcha state secretary, was brutally attacked and killed in his home on December 19, 2021, in front of his family, allegedly by activists affiliated with the PFI and the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI).

INS Sumitra rescues 19 Pakistan sailors kidnapped by Somali pirates, 2nd successful anti-piracy operation by the Indian Navy in the last 24 hours

OpIndia Staff
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INS Sumitra rescues 19 Pakistan sailors kidnapped by Somali pirates, 2nd successful anti-piracy operation by the Indian Navy in the last 24 hours

On Monday, January 30, the Indian Navy warship INS Sumitra successfully rescued a hijacked fishing vessel Al Naeemi and the 19 crew members onboard, all Pakistani nationals. The Pakistani vessel was hijacked by 11 Somali pirates, around 800 miles off the coast of Kochi, along the East Coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden.

This rescue operation occurred within 36 hours after INS Sumitra, which was deployed on anti-piracy operations, rescued another Iranian fishing vessel FV Iman with 17 crew members on board. In a total of 36 hours, INS Sumitra rescued two hijacked fishing vessels along with 36 crew, 17 Iranian and 19 Pakistani, in the southern Arabian Sea.

The Indian Navy took to social media to inform about both the anti-piracy operation successfully thwarted by INS Sumitra, the indigenous offshore patrol vessel of the Indian Navy, deployed for anti-piracy and maritime security operations in the east of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden. 

“#INSSumitra Carries out 2nd Successful #AntiPiracy Ops – Rescuing 19 Crew members & Vessel from Somali Pirates. Having thwarted the Piracy attempt on FV Iman, the warship has carried out another successful anti-piracy ops off the East Coast of Somalia, rescuing Fishing Vessel Al Naeemi and her Crew (19 Pakistani Nationals) from 11 Somali Pirates. #INSSumitra, post rescuing MV Iman, was again pressed into action to locate & intercept another Iranian flagged FV which had been boarded by pirates and her Crew taken hostage. Responding swiftly to the developing situation Sumitra intercepted the FV on PM 29 Jan 24 & through coercive posturing & effective deployment of her integral helo & boats compelled the safe release of the crew and the vessel. This rescue of hijacked Vessels, through swift, persistent and relentless efforts by Mission Deployed #IndianNavy warship in the Southern Arabian Sea approx 850 nm West of Kochi, also prevents misuse of Fishing Vessels as Mother Ships for further acts of Piracy on Merchant Vessels,” said the Indian Navy in a long statement and also shared pictures of the operation.

Notably, only on January 29, Sunday, INS Sumitra had responded to a distress call regarding the hijacking of FV Iman and safely rescued the crew members and arrested the hijackers.

Image source: ANI

In a post on Sunday, the Indian Navy spokesperson said, “A swift response by the Indian Navy’s mission-deployed warship ensures the safe release of the hijacked vessel and crew. INS Sumitra, on anti-piracy operations along the East coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden, responded to a distress message regarding the hijacking of an Iranian-flagged Fishing Vessel (FV) Iman. The FV had been boarded by pirates, and the crew had been taken as hostages.

After that, the fishing vessel was sanitized and released for onward transit, the Navy added.

Image source: ANI

“The pirates have been disarmed and asked to move towards Somalia. The INS Sumitra has now moved out of the area. The ALH Dhruv choppers on board the warship had encircled the hijacked vessel to issue warnings to the pirates on board it,” said defence officials.

Image source: ANI

The development came as the Iran-backed Houthis launched fresh attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea, especially those that were linked to Israel. They have threatened to attack any vessel they believe is either going to or coming from Israel. While earlier they attacked vessels directly linked to Israel, now they have started to attack any ship using that route.

On Friday, January 26, the British oil tanker MV Merlin Luanda was struck by a missile launched by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Following this, the British oil tanker made a distressed call to the Indian Navy which in turn deployed its guided missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam to rescue lives at the high sea.

Earlier in January, INS Visakhapatnam addressed a distress call from the Marshall Island-flagged MV Genco Picardy. It was hit by a drone attack on the night of 17th January 17. INS Visakhapatnam has been currently on an anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden. It promptly acknowledged the distress call by MV Genco Picardy. Subsequently, the destroyer intercepted the vessels at midnight on 18th January 2024, to provide immediate assistance.

Previously, the Houthis had attacked an oil tanker that had Indians aboard. On 24th December 2023, an oil tanker that had 25 Indians onboard was hit by a drone attack by the Houthis in the Red Sea. 

SP leader ST Hasan goes on another rant, says Muslims will not follow UCC, but Sharia and Quran, will also protest against CAA: Details

OpIndia Staff
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SP leader ST Hasan goes on another rant, says Muslims will not follow UCC, but Sharia and Quran, will also protest against CAA: Details

On 29th January, Samajwadi Party leader Syed Tufail Hasan (ST Hasan) said he would prefer the Quran over the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). He also protested against the Citizen Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) saying that implementing CAA is the first step to bringing NRC and it is not acceptable and will be protested.

Will follow the Quran, not UCC

Speaking on the Uniform Civil Code, ST Hasan said that even if UCC gets implemented in the country, they [Muslims] will follow the Quran and not the law, if the law has anything which goes against Shariat. He said, “If UCC has different laws from Quran and Hadis we will not accept it. We are followers of the Quran and Hadis. We will go to any extent if our religion is attacked.”

He said that if there was anything which was against Sharia or the Quran in the UCC, Muslims would follow the Quran and Sharia, not the Uniform Civil Code.

‘They will bring NRC next and it is not acceptable’

On 28th January, Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Shantanu Thakur said CAA would be implemented in the next seven days across the country. His statement stirred a police battle as CAA was opposed heavily when it was passed by the Parliament in 2019 leading to anti-Hindu riots in Delhi in February 2020.

Replying to Thakur’s statement, ST Hasan said first the government will bring CAA then they will bring NRC. “It is not acceptable to us. We will protest against it,” he said.”

CAA was passed by the parliament in December 2019 with 125 votes in its favour and 99 against. On 12th December, then-President of India Ramnath Kovind signed the bill and it became a law. The main aim of the law is to give citizenship to religious prosecuted Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and Jains in neighbouring Muslim countries that are Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Though CAA has nothing to do with Indian Muslims or Muslims seeking Indian citizenship, opposition leaders and left-liberals projected as if it was a way to strip Indian Muslims of their citizenship. As a result, protests broke across the country leading to anti-Hindu riots in Delhi in February 2020.

Furthermore, it was claimed that NRC will be linked to CAA and Indian Muslims will be treated as aliens in the country. Interestingly, the government of India has yet to table a draft for NRC.

Notably, four states that are Kerala, Punjab, Rajasthan and West Bengal have introduced resolutions against CAA claiming it was anti-Muslim. At that time, Rajasthan was under Congress’s rule. As now BJP is now in power, the state government may take back the resolution against CAA.

ST Hasan has a history of making controversial statements

ST Hasan has a long history of being surrounded by controversies. In June 2023, he opposed UCC and categorically said that Muslims will only follow the Quran. In a statement, he said, “Why does anyone have a problem if we apply Sharia law to ourselves?” He added, ““India is a land of unity is diversity. Our country is a bouquet of colourful flowers. When our country gained independence, Dr Ambedkar wrote that every person is free to practice and preach their religion. This is written in our constitution. Why is anyone bothered if we want to live our life as per Sharia.”

In June 2021, he claimed that deaths due to COVID-19 were the result of BJP messing with Sharia laws. While people were dying of the consequences of the disease, the SP leader found it to be the best time to make it about politics. He claimed the BJP passed the CAA which was against Muslims and it resulted in havoc as if God was punishing the people of India for “BJP’s wrongdoings”.

In May 2023, he made a bizarre statement claiming the government was spying on him because an “objectionable movie” started playing on his CCTV monitor. He said, “Suddenly an ‘objectionable film’ which cannot be watched with the family started playing on the CCTV monitor here, I tried to stop it, don’t know where the technology is heading. This TV you are seeing is also being monitored from somewhere else.”

In 2019, when the central government passed a law against triple talaq, ST Hasan went on a rant and said it was better to give “triple talaq” to the wife rather than setting them on fire. Earlier, he had once compared actresses to prostitutes.

Lord Ram was murderer, used to live with 1000 women and drink: Old video of DMK leader’s vitriolic Hinduphobic tirade goes viral

OpIndia Staff
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Lord Ram was murderer, used to live with 1000 women and drink: Old video of DMK leader’s vitriolic Hinduphobic tirade goes viral

A two-week-old video of Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (DMK) leader Uma Ilakkiya abusing Lord Ram has gone viral on social media.

Uma Ilakkiya is an anchor with DMK mouthpiece, Kalaignar Seithigal. She is also the Deputy General Secretary of the Dravidar Kazhagam Thamizhar Peravai.

While speaking at an event on 13th January this year, she was heard saying, “As per Valmiki Ramayanam, Rama was said to have lived with several thousands of women in the palace, making merry with drinks.”

“He had no courage to live so he committed suicide by drowning in the Sarayu river with his people…He was a murderer – he killed Vaali by hiding himself, and he beheaded Sambhukan when he was meditating without even enquiring the reason,” she brazened out.

Uma Ilakkiya further claimed, “He doubted his own wife and sent her to the forest, what will you show as an example of this Ram?” The DMK leader shamed the women who wanted to give birth on the day of Ram Mandir Pran Prathistha.

She continued, “When we say we want to name our children after a leader, we do it because we want the child to be like the leader. Some women want to give birth on that particular day, it is so startling. Why do they want to be associated with Rama? What kind of an example is he?”

Uma Ilakkiya compares Akshadai to Vaaikiarisi, makes anti-Brahmin remarks

Ahead of Ram Mandir Pran Prathistha, Hindu devotees went door to door distributing Akshadai (rice mixed with turmeric powder). Uma Ilakkiya claimed that the gesture was reminiscent of ‘Vaaikiarisi’ wherein rice grains are offered to the dead during the funeral.

“Along with the invitation they have given a few grains of rice mixed with turmeric powder. I immediately thought of something – were they planning to give “vaaikiarisi” to the entire country? For a temple being inaugurated there (in Ayodhya), why are they giving this yellow rice here? In the end that is all there is for you – this is what Modi and Amit Shah are trying to say symbolically,” she ranted.

The DMK leader also went on a tirade against Brahmins besides making derogatory remarks about Lord Ram. “Whether they are planning to bring in a Ram Rajya or a Hindurashtra, it is going to be a Brahmin Rajy,” she was heard saying.

Uma Ilakkiya cited anti-Hindu activist Periyar and claimed, “Schools will not be ours, courts are already like how Periyar said even if we bring in the laws, the ones sitting in courts will be Brahmins. Even temples will leave our hands.”

Udhayanidhi Stalin and his objectionable remarks against Sanatan Dharma

This is not the first time that a DMK leader has made objectionable remarks about Hinduism (Sanatan Dharma).

In September 2023, Udhyanidhi Stalin compared Sanatan Dharma with malaria and Covid-19 and called for the eradication of the 5000-year-old religion.

“Mosquitoes, dengue, flu, malaria, corona – we should not oppose these things. They’ve to be eradicated completely. The same is the case with Santanam (Hinduism). Our first work should be to abolish/eradicate Sanatanam instead of opposing it. So, my appreciation to you all for giving an apt title to the meeting,” he was heard saying.

Later, he went on a tirade against the Hindu civilisational religious philosophy on social media. While taking to X (formerly Twitter), Udhayanidhi Stalin wrote, “Sanatan Dharma is a principle that divides people in the name of caste and religion.”

“Uprooting Sanatan Dharma is upholding humanity and human equality…I spoke on behalf of the oppressed & marginalized, who suffer due to the Sanatan Dharma. I spoke on behalf of the oppressed & marginalized, who suffer due to the Sanatan Dharma,” he reiterated his sinister plan.

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