On Wednesday, August 16, Gaurakshak Bittu Bajangi was produced before the Nuh district court in Haryana hours after he was arrested by the state police in connection with the anti-Hindu violence that erupted in Nuh on July 31.
He was arrested after a case was registered against him and 15-20 others at Thana Sadar, Nuh under the sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act.
#WATCH | Bittu Bajrangi produced before Nuh district court in Haryana.
He was arrested by Nuh Police yesterday after a case was registered against Bittu Bajrangi and 15-20 others in Thana Sadar Nuh under the Illegal Arms Act. pic.twitter.com/0IDHtMqZ5h
As per the details mentioned in the FIR obtained by OpIndia, Bittu Bajrangi and 15-20 others have been booked under section 148 (guilty of rioting, being armed with a deadly weapon or with anything which causes death), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of the offence committed in prosecution of common object), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 395 (punishment for dacoity), 397 (robbery, or dacoity, with an attempt to cause death or grievous hurt), 506 of the Indian Penal Code and sections 25, 54, and 59 of the Arms Act.
Bajrangi and his associates have reportedly been accused of possessing ‘deadly weapons’ like the Trishul and Talwar (swords) on the day of violence. The FIR filed by one of the police officials who were on duty at Nuh on the day of violence states that the organizers of the Jalabhishek Yatra were forbidden from bringing any weapons. Also, the peace committee had asked the organizers to not hold any weapons.
“On the day of Jalahishek Yatra, some 15-20 persons could be seen walking towards the Nalhar temple with Trishuls and swords in their hands. I was on duty. With some other officials, I tried to stop them and recover Trishuls and swords from their possession. But they raised slogans against the police. They also engaged in a small scuffle with the police,” a police official in the FIR said.
As per the FIR, the police recovered the ‘deadly weapons’ and placed them in the police vehicle. “Bajrangi and others then again raised slogans against the police, protested against the police, and illegally took away the Trishuls and swords placed in the government vehicle,” the complaint read.
Given this, the police indicatively called Trishul a ‘deadly weapon’ as it invoked section 148 IPC against Bajrangi and claimed that he and 15-20 others carried ‘weapons’ illegally in the Jalabhishek Yatra. The gaurakshak and his associates are also accused of robbery, obstructing a public servant from performing his duty, and causing deliberate hurt to the public servant.
Notably, Trishul holds huge importance in the Hindu culture as it holds the three gunas named satva, rajas, and tamas together. It further has special significance while worshipping Lord Shiva as it represents three aspects of consciousness – waking, dreaming, and sleeping. Reports mention that holding a trishul (trident) signifies that Shiva (the divinity) is above all the three states viz waking, dreaming, and sleeping and yet is the upholder of these three states.
Nuh Shobhayatra Attack
On 31st July, a mob of hundreds of Muslim rioters attacked Hindu devotees participating in the Brijmandal Jalabhishek Yatra in Nuh, Mewat of Haryana. At least six people were killed as a result of the riots.
During the investigation into the riots, OpIndia accessed over 25 FIRs and complaints that provided a clearer picture of what happened during the violence. Based on information available via FIRs, complaints, and witnesses, it appeared that the attack was pre-planned. OpIndia came across several videos posted two days before the Jalabhishek Yatra instigating Muslims against Hindus.
Muslims have claimed the riots happened because of Bajrang Dal activist and Gau Rakshak Monu Manesar. Old videos of Manesar were circulated to instigate Muslims saying he was going to Nuh on that day. The video that was mostly circulated was from October 2022. Detailed reports can be checked here.
Furthermore, a cyber crime police station was attacked in Nuh. Police officials were injured. Home guards were killed. The rioters first shot one of the Bajrang Dal activists Abhishek, then his throat was slit and his head was crushed leading to his death.
OpIndia’s complete coverage of the Mewat Shobha Yatra Attack can be checked here.
Mumbai police have arrested a 26-year-old alleged film editor and casting director, named Deepak Malakar, a resident of Bihar, for assaulting an 18-year-old college student after she refused physical intimacy. The perpetrator was apprehended in Surat, Gujarat where he reportedly fled to following the assault. The victim has reportedly suffered critical skull injuries, aaprt from injuries on her face. She was left to die in an injured state.
Malakar was arrested on 14 August three days after he left Mumbai after the incident which took place on 11 August. He had turned off his mobile, however, the Versova Police were able to track him down due to a transaction at an ATM kiosk in Surat. The victim lost consciousness after the brutal attack and he escaped after he presumed her dead.
The victim girl later regained consciousness and screamed for help. The student is presently recuperating in the hospital after spending two days in the intensive care unit. Malakar admitted to the police that he intended to murder her because she had turned down his advances and aimed to pursue a career in Hindi cinema, according to the police.
A police officer stated, “Malakar had switched off his mobile phone to evade arrest. However, the ATM withdrawal from his bank account helped us track down his location in Surat and apprehend him.” He befriended her last year on Facebook. He made a marriage proposal to her parents two months ago.
Police revealed, “They agreed and allowed him to stay in their 1-BHK flat, but the girl told him that she wanted to complete her studies and try her luck in Bollywood before marrying him. During his stay at her house, he tried to initiate physical relations with her, but she maintained a distance, which angered him.”
He took her to a friend’s flat in Versova village on 11 August under the guise of collecting his belongings and tried to rape her. He was staying there before he moved to her place. “When she resisted, he banged her head to the wall and rained blows on her face till she collapsed. Assuming that she was dead, he panicked, locked the flat from outside, and fled the city,” informed the policeman.
When the teenager regained consciousness an hour later, she cried for assistance after which neighbors rushed to her aid and dialed the police. Deputy Commissioner of Police (zone IX) Krishnakant Upadhaya assembled a squad to find the culprit that included senior inspector Ganesh Pawar of the Versova police, sub-inspectors Dnyaneshwar Jadhav and Nagesh Misal, and staff.
The cop disclosed, “The accused had switched off his phone, but was communicating with his friends by making calls from local booths and pedestrians’ phones in Surat. Finally, the ATM withdrawals helped us track down his location on Monday.”
He has been charged with violating Indian Penal Code sections 307 (attempt to murder), 342 (wrongful imprisonment), 354, and 354 (D) (outrage modesty). He remains to be held in police custody until 18 August.
A yet another unfortunate case of suspected suicide has come to the fore from Rajasthan’s Kota, India’s ‘coaching hub’. An 18-year-old boy reportedly committed suicide on Tuesday night, 15 August. According to the police, the reason for the suicide has not been ascertained.
The 18-year-old boy identified as Valmiki Jangid came to Kota a year ago in July 2022. He is a native of Bihar’s Gaya. He was studying in a coaching institute for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Mains examination for getting admission to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). He was staying in Kota’s Mahavir Nagar area since last year in a rented apartment.
Following the incident, Mahaveer Nagar police station informed the family of the deceased student Valmiki Jangid and stated that a post-mortem will be conducted once the family arrives here in Kota. However, police stated that they didn’t find a suicide note in his room.
SHO Paramjeet stated that the incident reportedly took place at around 10 pm on Monday night. However, the police received the information at 8 pm on Tuesday night.
As the 15th of August was a holiday, all the students were in their rooms. When a student in the adjacent room did not see Valmiki till 7 pm on Tuesday evening, he knocked on his door but he got no response. Subsequently, he informed the landlord, and after half an hour, the landlord got no response from inside the room when he knocked on the door. They then informed the police about it.
When they broke the door at around 8 pm in the presence of the police, Valmiki was found hanging from the window of the room. Afterward, the police conveyed the information to his family members.
Later, his father Vinod along with his relatives reached Kota at 10 am on Wednesday. Vinod retired as a Subedar from the Indian Army a year ago. He said that his son came to Kota at his own insistence and he had no desire to send his son to Kota. He added that on the evening of August 14, he spoke with his son twice over the phone but there was no hint of stress and his son did not say anything alarming.
Kota Suicide menace: Alarming situation as the coaching hub witnessed 4 cases in 15 days and overall 22 in 8 months
This is unfortunately fourth such case of suspected suicide in a span of just 15 days. This year, as many as 22 coaching students have reportedly committed suicide in Kota, India’s coaching factory.
Earlier, on the 3rd of August, the body of Manjot Chhabra (18), a resident of UP’s Rampur district, was found under suspicious circumstances in the hostel room. His mouth was tied with polythene, and both hands were also tied with a rope. There were three notes on the wall of his room.
He was preparing for the NEET exam. Though it was considered a suspected case of suicide, his parents expressed suspicion of murder. They alleged that their child was killed. They argued that the body had polythene on his mouth and his hands were tied behind his back, so it cannot be a case of suicide.
It was deeply saddening to hear the grieving Harjot Singh Chabra Ji, the father of Manjot singh Chabra who was brutally murdered while he was living in Allen Hostel, Kota and preparing for NEET entrance exam. Rajasthan police and hostel authorities are deliberately saving the… pic.twitter.com/vnIlbZRqCO
While probing the case, the police registered a case of murder against 6 people including the classmate of the deceased student and the owner of the hostel.
A day later, on the 4th of August, Bhargav Mishra (17), a resident of Motihar in Bihar, reportedly committed suicide in his room at night. As per reports, he hanged himself from the water pipe in the cooler and committed suicide. He came to Kota 4 months back and was preparing for JEE.
Later, on 10 August, Manish Prajapati (17), a resident of Azamgarh, UP, reportedly committed suicide by hanging himself in the hostel. He came to Kota 6 months ago and was preparing for JEE. A few hours before the suicide, his father had gone to meet him.
A video recently went viral on social media, in which hordes of students can be seen rushing towards their examination centre. The visual was shared widely, with concerns as to how the rat race in Kota seemingly puts stress in the minds of vulnerable students. Reportedly showing the beeline of students over multiple floors of Allen Careers Institute in Kota, the video depicted the rush and the craze among Indian families for admission into IITs and medical colleges.
India has Lost So Many Precious Talents & Lives Because of Mindless Pursuit for Exams like IIT, UPSC. This is Scary!
There is one line in ‘Kota Factory’, a web series based on the struggles of students in this coaching hub, it goes like this, “Bache do sal me Kota se nikal jate hai, Kota salo tak bacho se nhi nikalta.”
In over-glorification and brainwashing/planting of the importance of IITs, the non-materialistic aspects of life go for a toss. The binary utopian and dystopian pictures based on the outcome of whether you got selected for IITs or not, fixate the centrality of a child’s life on it and failure is like looking into the abyss with no end in sight. Click here, to know more about the reasons that are leading to soaring student suicides in the city.
According to NCRB data, student suicides reached an all-time high in 2022. This unfortunate number rose by 4.5% as compared to 2021. According to an India Today report, in the last 12 years, more than 150 students have died by suicide in Kota.
On Wednesday, August 16, the Supreme Court ordered a status quo for ten days in connection with the ongoing demolition drive by the Agra Railways authorities to remove encroachments near the Shri Krishna Janmasthan in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh.
After Senior Advocate Prashanto Chandra Sen argued that the petition would become infructuous if the demolition work continued, a three-judge panel of Justices Aniruddha Bose, Sanjay Kumar, and SVN Bhatti issued this judgement on Wednesday granting interim relief to the residents of Nayi Basti area.
Supreme Court puts on hold for 10 days the demolition drive by Railway authorities to clear encroachment near Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura.
SC ordering status quo on demolition drive, also issues notice to Centre on plea against demolition and posts case after one week. pic.twitter.com/DILQDwtpYn
The counsel representing petitioner Yakub Shah claimed that the Railways authorities deliberately undertook the demolition drive on the day when all the courts in Uttar Pradesh were closed.
“When we approached this court, all courts in Uttar Pradesh were closed. Taking advantage of this, the authorities have bulldozed over 100 houses. There are some 200 houses in the area. Only 70-80 are left. The whole thing will become infructuous,” the counsel representing the petitioner argued.
Following that, the court stayed the demolition drive for ten days and issued a notice to the Centre on the pleas against demolition and posted the case after a week.
Yakub Shah, a local resident, had filed a writ petition under Article 32, requesting an urgent hearing. He claimed that the demolition was carried out in a Muslim-populated area.
After advocate Prashanto Chandra Sen requested an urgent hearing in the matter on Monday, a bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud decided to list the petition on Wednesday, August 16.
This comes after the Railways authorities launched a demolition drive to clear illegal construction in the Nayi Basti area near Shri Krishna Janmasthan in Mathura and reportedly razed down around 135 houses. It is notable that the Nayi Basti area is situated along the railway track in the backyard of Shri Krishna Janmasthan.
The action by Railways authorities came after a notice was issued by them to the Nayi Basti residents to vacate the land belonging to the Railways department.
As reported earlier, some residents of Nayi Basti claimed that the demolition drive was conducted to cause ‘panic’ and ‘fear’ even as the railways stated that a notice was issued to the Basti residents a month prior to the demolition drive.
The Railways stated that the land on which the homes of Nayi Basti have been illegally built belongs to the railway board and that the site must be cleared for the construction of a special rail route between Mathura and Vrindavan.
In frightening but unsurprising development from across the border, the Islamists targeted the Christians in Jaranwala of the Faisalabad district in Pakistan, over blasphemy charges. The majority Muslim community attacked the minority Christian community and vandalised churches in the neighbourhood after a Christian citizen, Saleem Masih, was accused of committing blasphemy against Quran.
President Bishop of Pakistan named Azad Marshall took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to express his fear and helplessness over the predicament of Christians in Pakistan following the incident. “Words fail me as I write this. We, Bishops, Priests and lay people are deeply pained and distressed at the Jaranwala incident in the Faisalabad District in Pakistan. A church building is being burnt as I type this message,” he tweeted.
He further added, “Bibles have been desecrated and Christians have been tortured and harassed having been falsely accused of violating the Holy Quran. We cry out for justice and action from law enforcement and those who dispense justice and the safety of all citizens to intervene immediately and assure us that our lives are valuable in our own homeland that has just celebrated independence and freedom.”
Words fail me as I write this. We, Bishops, Priests and lay people are deeply pained and distressed at the Jaranwala incident in the Faisalabad District in Pakistan. A church building is being burnt as I type this message. Bibles have been desecrated and Christians have been… pic.twitter.com/xruE83NPXL
A social media user commented, “This is the real face of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a country of extremists and terrorists. A local Christian family in Jaranwala, Faisalabad, Punjab has been accused of blasphemy by local Muslims. Now local Muslims have attacked a church and are destroying it.”
This is the real face of Islamic Republic of #Pakistan, a country of extremists and terrorists.
Several shocking videos of the occurrence are making the rounds on social media where furious Muslims can be seen assaulting the already marginalised minority. A news media account even claimed that the latter are escaping from their houses in an effort to save their lives from the bloodthirsty crowd. It added that the situation in the neighbourhood continued to be tense.
There is a palpable fear of burning Christian residences on the pretext of blasphemy by the enraged Muslim throng. Police are present on the spot, however, the state of affairs is highly volatile. Notably, mosques had made the announcement which ended up infuriating the Muslims.
توہین قرآن پہ مسیحی بستی کو جلانے کا خدشہ
فیصل آباد کی تحصیل جڑانوالہ میں سلیم مسیح پہ قرآن کی توہین کا الزام
مسیحی بستی کو جلائے جانے کا خدشہ پولیس موقع پہ موجود ،،،حالات سخت خراب ہیں۔
مسلمانوں کو طیش دلوانے کے لیے مساجد سے اعلانات شروع۔ پولیس فوری کارروائی کرے۔ pic.twitter.com/JbMLDk4oJs
It is important to note that Pakistan’s treatment of its minorities, particularly Hindus, is already under the scanner and is severely criticised multiple times in different international reports. The extremists in Pakistan are also notorious for using spurious charges and unfounded allegations to whip up communal passions in the name of blasphemy and for targeting minorities, including Hindus and Christians. This oppression, which is masked with the help of allegations of blasphemy, has become a hallmark of Pakistan, where mob attacks against minorities has become a routine affair, often aided and abetted by the legal systems and people in places of power and authority in the country.
2023 witnessed the rising menace of targeted attacks by Islamists against inter-faith couples in different parts of India. Opindia had documented over 50 cases of real-life attacks on Hindu men and their female Muslim partners/ friends by these extremists over the past several months in the name of combating the ‘Bhagwa Love Trap’.
An undercover investigation conducted by Opindia revealed that Islamists are actively using Whatsapp to radicalise and provoke their co-religionists to identify and harass inter-faith couples.
We have found evidence that these extremists coordinate to carry out vigilante surveillance and spot checks in complete violation of the constitutional rights of the victims. One such Whatsapp group found by Opindia during the investigation was ‘Behen Beti Bachao.’
Screengrab of the Whatsapp group
“Group Me sirf Apna Suggestion Dete Rahe Ke Bhagwa Aatank Se Apni Behen Beti Ko Kaise Bacha Sakte (Keep giving suggestions in the group about ways to protect our (Muslim) sisters and daughters from saffron/Hindu terror),” the description read.
The Whatsapp group’s display picture (DP) featured burqa-clad Muskaan, the Muslim student who shot to fame for yelling ‘Allah hu Akbar’ in front of a group of Hindu students during the infamous Karnataka hijab row.
Opindia found that the group has four admins, namely, Ilyas Memon, Raees Shaikh, Farhat Shaikh and Husain Khan. The Islamists primarily carry out their operations in Maharashtra but have plans to expand to the rest of India.
Pakistanis in ‘Behen Beti Bachao’ Whatsaap group
During our investigation, we found that the ‘Behen Beti Bachao’ group has over 150 members.
Although the group carries out vigilantism in India, two of its members are from Pakistan. One of them is identified as ‘Fezan’ while another is known by the name ‘Saad Maitla.’ Their phone numbers start with the country code ‘+92’.
We also found that both Pakistanis are using the services of mobile data network operator, CMPak Limited.
Screengrab of the Whatsapp group members
Several Islamists, who are part of the ‘Behen Beti Bachao’ group, regularly share Pakistani propaganda content surrounding the ‘Bhagwa Love Trap.’ These include but are not limited to the inciteful and Hinduphobic videos created by a Pakistani YouTuber named Ibne Kazi.
Screengrab of the chat in the ‘Behen Beti Bachao’ group
Whatsapp group rife with misinformation, inciteful content
The ‘Behen Beti Bachao’ Whatsapp group is rife with graphic content, aimed at inciting the Muslim community to target Hindus under the make-believe ‘Bhagwa Love trap’ conspiracy theory.
An active member of the group, identified as Salman Khan, has been at the forefront of sharing provocative and misleading videos. “This is what happens to girls who run away from homes and marry as per their wishes,” he claimed by sharing a video of a deceased woman packed inside a suitcase.
Screengrab of the chat in the ‘Behen Beti Bachao’ group
Khan also shared information about how radical Islamists are training Muslim women to carry out vigilance in Jaipur city of Rajasthan. He urged his fellow co-religionists to create similar women-led groups in other parts of India and continue to propagate the ‘Bhagwa Love Trap’ conspiracy theory.
A women-led vigilante group in Jaipur, image shared by Salman Khan in ‘Behen Beti Bachao’ group
Encouraging real-life attacks
Salman Khan also shared videos depicting violence against a Muslim woman, allegedly committed by her co-religionist for being with a Hindu man. Salman Khan encouraged other Islamists in the group to carry out such attacks against Hindu-Muslim couples, wherever possible.
Screengrab of the chat in the ‘Behen Beti Bachao’ group
In another video shared by him, a mob of Islamists was seen hounding a Hindu man for being with a burqa-clad woman. “Muslim bande Mar Gaye the kya ? Tum Gair musalman k saath Kya kar rahi ho (Are all Muslim men dead? What are you doing here with a non-Muslim guy),” the mob was heard abusing the woman.
Screengrab of the chat in the ‘Behen Beti Bachao’ group
Another member of the ‘Behen Beti Bachao’ Whatsapp group, identified as Sharif Tamboli, had also been at the helm of peddling the ‘Bhagwa Love Trap’ conspiracy theory.
The Islamist shared a leaflet, falsely claiming that 10 lakh Muslim women are being converted to Hinduism each year by the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS). The propaganda-laden material also alleged the conversion and marriage of 800 Muslim women to Hindu men in Amaravati city of Maharashtra.
Opindia had earlier reported how a radical Maulvi named Sajjad Nomani had made similar outlandish claims about the conversion of 8 lakh Muslim women.
Screengrab of the chat in the ‘Behen Beti Bachao’ group
Sharif Tamboli urged his fellow Islamists to share the leaflet with every Muslim household within a radius of 50 km.
In May this year, the Indore police arrested 5 Islamists, namely, Tausif, Shahid Ali, Shadab Khan, Fardeen Khan and Shahrukh Baig for distributing the same contentious leaflet and creating communal tension in the city.
Islamists also use the ‘Behan Beti Bachao’ group to falsely attribute unverified, random videos of gore and violence to Hindus. One member of the Whatsapp group named Iqbal shared a graphic video of a murder and claimed that the victim was a Muslim and that the perpetrator was a Hindu.
This is a part of their larger conspiracy to use such videos as an excuse to orchestrate violence against the Hindu community.
Doxxing, witch-hunt and the modus operandi of the Islamists
Several members of the ‘Behen Beti Bachao’ group are actively involved in the doxxing of Hindu-Muslim couples. They seek information on such inter-faith couples and later use it to carry out a witch-hunt.
An Islamist named Zishan Ali sought intel on a Hindu man, who allegedly fled with a Muslim woman in Madhya Pradesh. He asked his co-religionists to ascertain the location of the couple and pass the information to a phone number belonging to another Islamist (identified as Moin Mansuri).
Screengrab of the chat in the ‘Behen Beti Bachao’ group
In May this year, a Twitter user ‘Haq Ali’ (@ahaq84958) was also seen running a vigilante campaign on social media against the same Hindu man and Muslim woman
.@MPPoliceDeptt This extremist is running a vigilante campaign on social media against this inter-faith couple, who supposedly eloped from their home.
— Dibakar Dutta (দিবাকর দত্ত) (@dibakardutta_) May 26, 2023
While speaking about the matter, a source told Opindia, “Personal information about Hindu-Muslim couples shared in groups such as Behen Beti Bachao are sent by the admins to their ‘Strike Teams.’ They carry out a recce of the targets, locate their whereabouts and ambush them in a coordinated fashion.”
An Islamist associated with the ‘Behen Beti Bachao’ group, by the name of Wahid Maniyar, recently revealed the modus operandi of those carrying out doxxing, harassment and real-life attacks on Hindu men and Muslim women.
In a video shared by him, a man was heard explaining how Islamists find the address of Hindu-Muslim couples using the marriage register website of the Maharashtra government. The website allows the public to search for couples being married under the Special Marriage Act of 1954.
Screengrab of the chat in the ‘Behen Beti Bachao’ group
To make things worse, the present and permanent addresses of the individuals are accessible to everyone. Thus, prospective Hindu-Muslim couples are at risk of real acts of violence (and not just limited to social media bullying).
As per the video, the information is then circulated via social media and a dedicated team keeps vigil on the targets. They gather information, which includes but is not limited to their office timings, and vehicle numbers.
Opindia found that the Islamists frequently share pictures of Muslim women, who are to be married to their Hindu partners, in the ‘Behen Beti Bachao’ group. A member of the Whatsapp group, Mohammed Shahbaz Ansari, shared images of three such women and asked the group members to notify their parents in Jabalpur.
Screengrab of the chat in the ‘Behen Beti Bachao’ group
Links with other radical groups
During our investigation, Opindia found that Islamists associated with ‘Behen Beti Bachao’ are also members of other Whatsapp and Facebook groups, which are created for the purpose of doxxing, provocation and anti-Hindu propaganda.
Screengrab of Whatsapp group ‘Islamic History’
Invites for joining such groups are frequently shared on ‘Behen Beti Bachao’ with the aim of amplification and dissemination of content revolving around ‘Bhagwa Love Trap’ conspiracy theory. Those groups include ‘Islamic History’ and ‘Only Islamic Group Links.’
Interestingly, the ‘Islamic History’ group is run by Raees Shaikh, who also happens to be the admin of the ‘Behen Beti Bachao’ Whatsapp group.
Screengrab of Whatsapp group ‘Only Islamic Group Links’
Besides, there are public Facebook groups dedicated to the cause of fear-mongering and creating hysteria around inter-faith couples. Opindia found one such group named ‘Muslim ladkiyon ka group join karein‘ and has a whopping 2 million members.
A video posted on the group, dated May 4, 2023, highlighted random pictures of Hindu men accompanying Muslim women. As evident from the nature of the images used in the video, they were clicked without the knowledge of the couples.
The contentious post, which boasts of 45000 likes, claimed that such ‘inter-faith love’ would leave the Muslim women ostracised. “Jism nilaam, na ghar ka na ghat ka…Islam se bhi ruksaat ho jaoge (Your bodies will be auctioned…You will be nowhere…You will steer away from Islam),” it claimed.
‘Bhagwa love trap’ conspiracy theory and its aftermath
In recent times, a new menace of Islamist mobs attacking Hindu-Muslim couples has come to light. Multiple videos have surfaced on social media where these extremists are seen harassing, abusing, molesting and physically assaulting Hindu men and Muslim women under the garb of combating ‘Bhagwa Love Trap.’
It is based on a baseless theory about Hindu outfits, supposedly training Hindu youth to lure, and entrap Muslim women and turn them into non-Muslims. Opindia has reported that an Islamic cleric by the name of Sajjad Nomani has been making such outrageous claims since 2021.
The conspiracy theory soon took the form of a social media hashtag, which Islamists used to share videos of random hijab-wearing Muslim women and their male Hindu friends/ acquaintances and partners without their consent.
The posts are often accompanied by emotional messages and seek public help in identifying the couples. Soon after, social media was rife with videos of Islamist mobs ambushing random Hindu-Muslim couples.
This would then be followed by heated arguments, physical assault on Hindu men, and even molestation of the Muslim women. The victims have been targeted on roads, restaurants, eateries, and even hotels.
Based on local reports and social media videos, OpIndia has compiled a total of 50 cases (here, here and here) where Hindu men and Muslim women were attacked by extremists under the pretext of the ‘Bhagwa love trap.’
The attacks were carried out under the pretext that a sinister plot was underway to convert Muslim women to Hinduism by luring them into a love trap – a conspiracy theory espoused by Sajjad Nomani in multiple videos.
On Tuesday (15 August), Delhi Police Crime Branch arrested a 24-year-old woman for allegedly killing the minor son of her live-in partner and hiding his body in a box bed. As per police officials, the accused, Pooja Kumari killed an 11-year-old boy as she considered the deceased a hurdle in her relationship with her partner.
The police officials stated that the accused strangled the minor to death when he was sleeping. She then hid his body inside the box of their bed and fled the scene. They added that the woman was in a live-in relationship with the minor’s father identified as Jitender.
Earlier, on 10 August, Delhi Police received information from BLK Hospital that a boy had been brought dead and he had strangulation marks on his neck.
Delhi Police said, “On 10/08/2023, a minor male child, aged 11 years, was brutally murdered by strangulation, and his dead body was found concealed inside a bed. Accordingly, an FIR, under section 302 IPC, was registered at Police Station Inderpuri.”
While probing the case, Police analysed the CCTV cameras installed in the area. The CCTV camera footage revealed that the last person who visited the house of the 11-year-old boy was the woman, Pooja Kumari, a senior police officer said.
Special Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ravindra Singh Yadav said Police checked the footage of more than 300 CCTV cameras, leading to her arrest.
As per the crime branch, the accused was regularly changing her hideouts and dodging the police team. However, her location was zeroed in at Bakkarwala and she was arrested from there. Following her arrest, the accused Pooja admitted to the crime and acknowledged her guilt, the police said.
On the 17th of October 2019, Pooja Kumari and Jitender reportedly got married in an Arya Samaj temple. But a court marriage was not possible as Jitender had not divorced his wife, police said.
According to Police officials, Jitender assured Pooja Kumari that they would get married in court once he finalises divorce from his wife. The two then started living together and rented a house.
Both of them often had heated arguments over Jitender’s divorce and after some time, he moved out of the rented house and started staying with his wife, police officials said.
Jitender moved out in December last year, and since then Pooja Kumari was furious about it. Yadav stated that she assumed that Jitender left her because of his son.
Subsequently, on Thursday (10 August), she met her friend and asked him to take her to Jitender’s house, police said. The police added that the door of the house was open and she killed Divyansh, who was sleeping. Later, she took out clothes from the bed box and put the body inside it.
A domestic dogattacked a woman and a six-month-old child inside the elevator of a residential society in Sector 50 of Gurugram in Haryana which left them with severe wounds. The incident took place on 28 July night at Unitech Fresco.
The police registered a First Information report against the dog owner, named Vriti Loomba on 14 August at Sector 50 Police Station following the incident. The FIR was filed based on a complaint filed by Jaswinder Singh, a resident of Unitech Fresco and a citizen of the United Kingdom.
Jaswinder Singh, his wife and their son used the elevator from the 7th level to get down to the basement on 28 July at approximately 11:30 p.m., according to the complainant. The lift which also carried a Zomato delivery person halted at the fifth story. He stated, “We thought someone came to get into the lift but no one came. Our child started crying and suddenly a pet dog pounced on my wife and child and injured them badly.”
He further added, “The dog was off leash and I was trying to defend my family and delivery person Harish was also holding the door of the lift.” He charged that the pet owner allowed the occurrence to take place.
According to him, she eventually apologised for the occurrence, but several neighbourhood people bullied his family on a Whatsapp group. He asserted, “I want strict action against the dog owner.”
The FIR was launched under Section 289 (negligent conduct with respect to any animal) of the Indian Penal Code. According to a senior police officer, the matter is being probed.
On 15th August 2023, Bihar’s deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav attended an independence day program at a Dalit basti in Patna, Bihar. While addressing the public gathering at this time, he said, “We want reservation in the private sector also, only then the people of the backward class will get developed.”
Tejashwi Yadav’s remark has come after his party Rashtriya Janata Dal and his family have remained in the state’s power for almost two decades and are an influential political force in the state for at least the last 32 years.
पटना के दलित बस्ती में झंडोत्तोलन के दौरान तेजस्वी यादव ने कहा हम चाहते है निजी क्षेत्र में भी आरक्षण हो,तभी पिछले वर्ग के लोगों को विकास होगा .! pic.twitter.com/cLtyYFDvrO
Private sector reservations demanded by Tejashwi Yadav find their “allegedly legitimate” basis in the caste-based census he is demanding. This is why Tejashwi Yadav announced in his speech that Bihar will implement the private sector reservations once the caste census finishes. RJD for the past several years is flagging caste-based census and the reservations in the private sector as an important tool for their so-called campaign for economic justice for the Dalit community.
Bihar will implement the private sector reservations once the caste census finishes, announces Deputy CM Tejaswi Yadav. pic.twitter.com/GlTZ81antd
RJD’s Demand for Reservations in the Private Sector
This is not the first time that Tejashwi Yadav has talked about implementing reservations in the private sector in Bihar. Earlier, during the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections of 2019, RJD included this issue in its election manifesto. The basis of this promise was caste-based census only as RJD promised reservation for SCs, STs, EBCs and OBCs in the private sector and the higher judiciary, in proportion to their population. Tejashwi Yadav has also voiced this demand for reservations in the private sector based on the caste-based census in 2022, and also in 2021.
Is there any significant private sector in Bihar? Will reservations be effective?
The RJD projects that the enactment of the private sector reservation policy in Bihar will benefit Dalits but in fact, it will yield limited impact on the formal private sector within the state, if at all implemented. Bihar’s formal private sector (which includes some pharmaceutical companies, a few IT centers, and finance houses) remains relatively modest in scale, predominantly characterized by very few substantial enterprises, thereby rendering them less susceptible to the policy’s direct effects. When compared to other states, Bihar’s ‘private sector’ is notably smaller in numerical terms. However, it is worth highlighting that Bihar holds significant untapped potential for economic development.
Except pharma& finance sectors I don't see private reservation affecting Bihar in any way now. Other formal pvt sectors don't exist here.
Low scale pvt sector- construction, shops, dealers etc employ mostly labour( almost 90%) from Obc/sc
The informal private sector in Bihar (including construction, shops, marts, dealers, and distributors businesses) is much larger than the formal private sector, and it employs a large number of people from the OBC and SC communities. If businesses in the informal private sector are forced to reserve a certain percentage of jobs for these communities, it could make it more difficult for them to hire qualified workers. This is because the operations in this employment require skill and not a particular caste.
On the other hand, forcing formal private sector organizations like various companies, conglomerates, and big corporate houses to employ people of certain castes in predecided proportions burdens them with a risk of compromising the talent to perform the specialized jobs they require. This could discourage investment and growth in the formal private sector as well.
In either case, caste-based reservations in the private sector do not go well with a state like Bihar where caste representation in certain jobs is not the biggest problem. There are many other issues in the state too, which rather than getting solved are being politicized for decades by the parties like RJd and the politicians like Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav.
And what about those 10 lakh jobs that Tejaswi promised?
In 2020, Tejashwi Yadav promised that he would sanction 10 lakh jobs in his very first cabinet meeting if he comes to power. In 2020, RJD was in opposition and Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) was in the national democratic alliance with the BJP. The NDA won the elections and Nitish Kumar became the chief minister. In 2022, Nitish Kumar severed ties with BJP and Tejashwi Yadav entered the government as the deputy chief minister.
When asked about his electoral promise of 10 lakh jobs, Tejashwi Yadav passed the buck of employment generation on the Bihar Chief Minister. In an exclusive interview with Zee News on 11th August 2022, Yadav was quizzed about his pre-poll promise of providing 10 lakh jobs to youth in the State. “Do you have any plans of implementing your promise and how?”
The RJD chief first blamed the Central government for supposedly ‘eating away all jobs and shutting down factories’. “Unemployment is the biggest challenge not just in Bihar but across the country,” he claimed. Yadav further pointed out, “I stand by my commitment. But, I had said that 10 lakh jobs will be provided once I become the Chief Minister. I will only be holding the position of Deputy Chief Minister in the current government.”
After several years of his father and then his mother ruling the state as chief ministers, Yadav’s excuse was that development can happen in Bihar only when he becomes the chief minister.
What is the neighboring Uttar Pradesh up to?
On 11th August 2023, the Uttar Pradesh government categorically rejected the idea of introducing reservations for jobs in the private sector. The decision was taken after the opposition parties demanded that the government brings rules for reservations in private-sector jobs.
Today in Vidhan Sabha ~ Refusing opposition demand, Govt categorically denied to introduce reservation for jobs in Private Sector
This is a step in right direction, specially for a state which seeks to be a 1 trillion USD economy through industrialisation & private investment. pic.twitter.com/urh9X4RhhK
It is notable that the Uttar Pradesh government led by chief minister Yogi Adityanath aims to make Uttar Pradesh an economy of USD 1 trillion. For a state that traditionally relied more upon agriculture – just like Bihar – it becomes necessary to grow the industrial sector and create great employment opportunities in the private sector to achieve this feat.
Uttar Pradesh is therefore trying to attract more businesses and investments from across the globe to come and settle in the state. Big industrial houses operate and flourish relying more on sheer talent, skills, and merit rather than some caste-based or region-based reservations. Industries may get discouraged by such state policies which are nothing but politically driven appeasement in the name of social justice. Enforcing reservations in this sector would thus become a hurdle in the state’s growth. Yogi Adityanath’s government has therefore dismissed this idea.
Bihar, RJD, and Yadavs have a lot to learn from Uttar Pradesh under Yogi Adityanath
Bihar may come out of the problems just like Uttar Pradesh is growing under the Yogi Adityanath government. The growth of the private sector and especially the industries in Bihar is not possible without a proactive approach of the state government to attracting investment from the private sector. The manufacturing sector in Bihar has a huge unexplored potential sacrificed in the decades of politics in the name of social justice causes, essentially, in running political agendas at the cost of development.
Lalu Prasad Yadav claims to be carrying a legacy of Ram Manohar Lohiya’s socialism. But in reality, his party’s rule of 2 decades in Bihar ensured that Bihar becomes a Jungle Raj. Ransom, murders, extortion, and kidnappings had been the mainstream “private sector industries” in Bihar for those years in the 1990s (pun intended). Tejashwi Yadav, by demanding a caste-based census and batting for reservations in private sector jobs is making it worse.
The growth of the private sector will reduce poverty and unemployment in Bihar. However, there are still significant challenges to employment generation in the state all thanks to the 20 Jungle Raj years of the RJD rule, and the subsequent decay that it brought. These problems include low levels of education and skills in the workforce, lack of infrastructure, such as roads and power, political instability, and poor business climate in Bihar.
Bihar has poor infrastructure, especially in terms of roads, power, and telecommunications. This makes it difficult and expensive for businesses to operate in the state. Bihar has a large population, but a relatively low level of education and skills. This makes it difficult for businesses to find the skilled workers they need. Bihar has a complex and bureaucratic regulatory environment. This makes it difficult and time-consuming for businesses to start and operate in the state. Bihar has a history of political instability. This makes it difficult for businesses to plan for the long term and invest in the state.
In such a situation, a political push for reservations in private jobs will only discourage the industries to come and settle in Bihar. Tejashwi Yadav is actually demanding that to happen in the guise of serving Dalits and backward communities, only to ensure that his political existence remains intact by fooling the masses in the generations to come just like his parents did in the past.
On 16th August, Vishva Hindu Parishad clarified that Raj Kumar’s alias Bittu Bajrangi is not a member of Bajrang Dal. VHP further added that the organisation does not find the content of Bittu’s videos appropriate.
राज कुमार उर्फ बिट्टू बजरंगी, जिसे बजरंग दल कार्यकर्ता बताया जा रहा है, उसका बजरंग दल से कभी कोई संबंध नहीं रहा। उसके द्वारा कथित रूप से जारी किए गए वीडियो की सामग्री को भी विश्व हिन्दू परिषद उचित नहीं मानती।
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), VHP wrote, “Raj Kumar alias Bittu Bajrangi is being presented as an activist of Bajrang Dal. He has never been associated with Bajrang Dal. VHP does not find the content of the alleged videos by Bittu appropriate”.
The clarification from the Hindu organisation came after the arrest of Bittu Bajrangi. Several media houses claimed Bittu Bajrangi is a member of Bajrang Dal, a sister organisation of VHP. However, Bittu Bajrangi is the founder and chief of the Gau Raksha Bajrang force.
Bittu Bajrangi arrested by Haryana Police
On 15th August, Haryana Police arrested gaurakshak Bittu Bajrangi in connection with an FIR that was filed on the 1st of August against him. It is being claimed that the action is linked with the anti-Hindu violence that erupted in Haryana’s Nuh on the 31st of July.
According to Bittu Bajrangi’s neighbours, several police personnel in plain uniform raided Bittu’s residence in Faridabad. They entered his house and apprehended him.
Around 10 to 12 men are seen running toward a house in the viral video. The police personnel can be seen in civilian clothes and some seemingly have sticks or guns in their hand. Afterwards, they come out of the residence holding Bittu Bajrangi by his neck.
According to some media reports, it is being claimed that Bittu Bajrangi is in the custody of the Tawdu Crime Branch. However, some of his neighbours and relatives expressed apprehension about the said incident.
