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Sweden: Police grant permission to burn the Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm ahead of Eid after court overturns ban on such protests. Details

OpIndia Staff
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Sweden: Police grant permission to burn the Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm ahead of Eid after court overturns ban on such protests. Details

On Wednesday, June 28, the Swedish Police granted permission to one Salwan Momika to burn the Quran during a protest outside a mosque in Stockholm’s main mosque ahead of Eid-Al-Adha. This comes after a court in Sweden overturned the police ban on Quran-burning protests. 

If the protest goes ahead as planned outside the main mosque on Sodermalm island in the city centre, it will be the first public act of its kind in Sweden since Rasmus Paludan, the Danish-Swedish leader of the Danish far-right political party Hard Line sparked outrage in Turkey and other Muslim countries in January by burning a translated copy of the Koran near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm. Following the protest, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would not support Sweden’s bid to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).

Turkey, a NATO member, is utilizing its right to hold the applications under particular circumstances, including deporting critics of its President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and labelling Kurds as terrorists. 

Two subsequent requests for protests involving Qur’an burnings were denied by police, one by a private individual and the other by an organisation, outside the Turkish and Iraqi embassies in Stockholm in February. The appeals court ruled in June that the police were wrong to ban the protests, stating that “the order and security problems” mentioned by the police did not have “a sufficiently clear connection to the planned event or its immediate vicinity.”

The police wrote in their permit for Wednesday’s demonstration that while it “may have foreign policy consequences,” the security risks and consequences associated with a Quran burning were not of such a nature that the application should be denied.

According to Stockholm police, only two people were anticipated to attend the protest, including its organiser, Salwan Momika (37), who a recent newspaper interview identified himself as an Iraqi refugee seeking to ban the Quran.

“I want to protest in front of the large mosque in Stockholm, and I want to express my opinion about the Qur’an… I will tear up the Qur’an and burn it,” Salwan Momika wrote in his application seeking permission for a Quran-burning protest.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stated on Wednesday that Sweden still is interested in joining NATO before or during the organization’s summit in Vilnius next month. 

Past incidents of Quran burning and aftermath

There have been several such incidents in the past of Quran burning that led to violence from pro-Islamic groups. In April 2022, the frenzied mob went on a rampage in the Swedish town of Linköping after Danish anti-immigration party Stram Kurs announced to burn a copy of the Quran the following day.

Amidst the ‘Allahu Akbar’ chants, the masked men attacked police vehicles and set them ablaze. According to independent researcher Hugo Kamman, a total of 4 police officers were injured during the attack. Two people have been arrested so far in connection to the case.

In July 2022, two women rammed into an anti-Islamic group leader’s vehicle, which turned upside down. The video had gone viral on social media platforms. As per reports, the woman allegedly attacked the man, identified as Lars Thorsen, after he burnt copies of the Quran. The incident occurred around 3 PM when Thorsen was driving toward Norway’s capital, Oslo, on July 2. Thorsen is the leader of the anti-Islamisation group ‘Stop the Islamisation of Norway’ (SIAN).

Ramanand Sagar’s ‘Ramayan’ to return on television from July 3, Shemaroo TV announces

OpIndia Staff
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Ramanand Sagar’s ‘Ramayan’ to return on television from July 3, Shemaroo TV announces

The end of troubles for the creators of ‘Adipurush’ doesn’t appear to be in sight. The film drew strong criticism from every nook and cranny of the nation which consequently led to its massive failure at the box office. Additionally, the audiences drew parallels and compared it with Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan.

Now, a day after attracting stinging remarks from the Allahabad High Court, the inevitable comparison of ‘Adipurush’ with Ramanand Sagar’s Epic Ramayan show seems to have materialized in its truest form. 

As per media reports, Shemaroo TV has announced that Ramanand Sagar’s ‘Ramayan’ show which is based on Hindu Itihasa and revered Mahakavya Ramayana will begin its rerun on July 3 on its channel. 

Shemaroo TV’s Instagram handle shared a video from the TV show, and wrote, “World famous mythological serial Ramayan is back for all the fans and our audience. Watch it from July 3, 7.30 PM, on your favorite channel Shemaroo TV.”

With this, the 40-year-old TV series Ramayan will now have a re-rerun on television from July 3. 

Earlier, when Ramayan was re-televised on the 28th of March, 2020, it created a world record and became the most-viewed entertainment program globally. As per DD National, around 7.7 crore people across the globe watched the show on April 16. 

Allahabad High Court’s observation on Adipurush

While hearing two PILs on June 27, the Allahabad High Court criticized the Adipurush team in very strong language. 

The court made several stinging remarks and asked the makers ‘Why are you testing the tolerance level of Hindus’?

The bench remarked, “Agar hum log ispar bhi aankh band kar len kyonki yeh kaha jaata hai ki yeh dharm ke log bade sahishnu (tolerant) hain to kya uska test liya jayega? (If we close our eyes on this issue too, because it is said that the people of this religion are very tolerant, will it be put to test as well?)”.

Slamming the makers, the court orally remarked, “The one who is gentle should be suppressed? Is it so? It is good that it is about religion, the believers of which did not create any law and order problem. We should be thankful. We saw in the news that some people had gone to cinema halls (wherein the movie was being exhibited) and they only forced them to close the hall, they could have done something else as well.”

Responding to the issue of the disclaimer, the bench got further infuriated and said, “Kya yeh disclaimer dene wale country ko, youth ko bewakoof samajhte hain? Picture agar ruk jayegi to jinki feelings hurt hui hain unhe rahat milegi. Aap wahi Lord Rama, Lord Laxman, Lord Hanuman, wahi Ravana, wahi Lanka dikhaiye aur kahiye ki yeh Ramayana nahin?” (Do the people who put the disclaimer consider the countrymen, and youth to be brainless? You show Lord Rama, Lord Laxman, Lord Hanuman, Ravana, Lanka and then say it is not Ramayan).

The court also reminded the makers about the reverence of Hindu Mahakavyas. It stated that here the issue is the nature of the dialogue in the film. Ramayana is a paragon for us. People read Ramcharitmanas before leaving home. 

Going further, the bench observed that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) should have done something while granting certification to the movie.

Lastly, the Court accepted the request to include Manoj Muntashir Shukla, Adipurush’s dialogue writer, as a party respondent in the PIL plea and ordered that notice be sent to him.

Gorakhpur: Khurshid Hashmi rapes, abuses Hindu woman, forces her for abortion, and conversion to Islam

OpIndia Staff
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Gorakhpur: Khurshid Hashmi rapes, abuses Hindu woman, forces her for abortion, and conversion to Islam

The Uttar Pradesh Police on Wednesday arrested a man identified as Khurshid Hashmi for assaulting and raping a Hindu woman and forcing her to convert to Islam. The accused also forced the victim woman to abort her child and asked her to convert to Islam.

According to the reports, the 32-year-old Hindu victim woman who hails from Varanasi is believed to be divorced after which she was trapped in a love affair by the accused who met her at a workplace in Gorakhpur. The woman worked at an orchestra in order to support her three-year-old daughter.

He developed a friendship and soon later the accused established sexual relations with her. He promised her of marriage and raped her. He also forced the woman to undergo an abortion after she got pregnant. He further asked her to convert her religion to Islam when she sought to legalize of their relationship.

The Uttar Pradesh Police filed an FIR in the case based on the complaint filed by the woman.

The woman in her complaint said that she was married to a Hindu man 5 years ago and now was a divorcee. She said that she has a 3-year-old daughter who needs to be looked after. As per the complaint, the woman after her divorce began working in an orchestra where the accused would play drums. He showed concern towards her and developed a friendship with her.

One day he called her to his place and offered her a meal that had some drugs mixed in it. Hashmi then raped the woman and also shot an objectionable video of her. He later used the video to blackmail the woman. He converted the woman to Islam and kept her in an apartment in the Turkmanpur area.

The duo got married and the woman came to know about his previous marriage only after she got pregnant with his child. On confronting, the woman was badly beaten and threatened with death.

The Uttar Pradesh police arrested the accused Khurshid within 24 hours of the complaint. He has been booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act.

Thiruvananthapuram: Seven students of Govt Medical College seek permission to wear hijab-like PPE inside OR to ‘maintain modesty’. What we know

OpIndia Staff
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Thiruvananthapuram: Seven students of Govt Medical College seek permission to wear hijab-like PPE inside OR to ‘maintain modesty’. What we know

Seven female students of Thiruvananthapuram Govt Medical College have reportedly sought permission to wear hijab-like attire inside the operation theatre. The students made the demand in a letter to the principal dated June 26. A purported copy of the letter was shared on Twitter by a user @HKupdate.

The letter written by a student of the 2020 MBBS batch carried the signatures of 6 students from 2018, 2021 and 2022 batch.

The subject line of the letter reads: “Regarding the issue of wearing hijab in operation theatre”. In the letter, the girls have alleged that they are not being allowed to wear hijab inside the operation theatre which makes it difficult for hijab-wearing Muslims to find a balance between maintaining modesty and complying with hospital and operation room regulations.

“Based on alternatives for hospital personnel in other parts of the world, and based on what is available from companies that supply clothing for the operating room, alternatives can be used,” the letter reads.

The students have asked permission to wear long sleeve scrub jackets and surgical hoods inside the operation theatre on the grounds that these will allow them to maintain sterile precautions as well as their hijab. The letter has been written by a student named Afeefa NA and signed by seven other students.

The Principal, Dr Linette J Morris reportedly explained to the students that such a dress code could be difficult as every time they enter the operation theatre they have to scrub and sterilise their hands up to the elbow and then wear the gown. Hence wearing long sleeves could be a problem.

The Principal has said that a committee of surgeons and infection control team would be formed to discuss whether such an implementation is possible or not.

What is the set code of conduct in OR?

Both AIIMS and MoHFW have prescribed guidelines based on the universal bare-below-the-elbow policy. Hygiene and prevention of infections are the primary foundations of these guidelines.

The AIIMS Infection Control Manual dedicates a large section of its guidelines to hand hygiene alone which involves hand washing and sterilising right from the finger tip the elbow followed by protocol on hand movements and drying of hands.

Key components of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in the OR include gowns, face masks, gloves, respirators, eyewear and goggles, and protective footwear. Each of these is to be worn as per due procedure and in a particular order.

The National Guidelines for Infection Prevention and Control in Healthcare Facilities lays down the detailed surgical attire to be worn as per due procedure before entering the OR. This includes gloves, gown, mask, eyewear, cap, and footwear; each is to be worn in a particular order with an assistant to help with the dressing in order to avoid touching the sterile surfaces of the gown and gloves.

The above guidelines are all based on scientific reasoning and standards keeping the patient’s health and safety as the priority along with that of the healthcare providers. The letter is a first of its kind seeking to tweak a part of medical practice on religious grounds.

Islamists and Leftists outrage about residents opposing potential animal slaughter on Eid inside Mira Road housing society, call them ‘uncivilised’: How it’s illegal

OpIndia Staff
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Islamists and Leftists outrage about residents opposing potential animal slaughter on Eid inside Mira Road housing society, call them ‘uncivilised’: How it’s illegal

On June 27, a controversy erupted in the capital city of Maharashtra concerning a Muslim family living in a Mira Road society in Mumbai. The family had purchased two goats one day prior to Bakrid (Bakra-eid, Eid-Ul-Adha), however, the residents of Mira road housing society protested and stated that they would not allow any slaughter of animals (the goats) to take place within the society.

Residents of the society on Mira Road protested against the slaughter of goats on Bakrid within their premises. They also chanted Hanuman Chalisa, and some individuals raised slogans of “Jai Shree Ram”. Videos of the incident have since gone viral in the media. After the residents protested, the police assured that no slaughter would take place inside the housing society and the Muslim couple also said the same.

Reacting to the controversy, Islamists and leftists were outraged about residents not wanting the Muslim family to slaughter goats inside the housing society and called it ‘uncivilised’ opposition.

Fake news peddler Meer Faisal shared the report but did not mention that the society already had a rule in place that slaughter would not be allowed at houses. He wrote, “Hundreds of JP Infra Housing Society members clashed with police while chanting “Jai Shri Ram” at Mira Road, Mumbai, over a Muslim resident named Mohsin Sheikh bringing home a lamb for Eid-ul-Adha.”

Quoting him, propaganda specialist RJ Sayema questioned if “everyone has lost it”. She added if such opposition was sign of a civilised society and claimed the world would be laughing at India. She said, “What? Has everyone lost it? Are these signs of a civilised society? The world would be laughing at us! Intolerance bordering on insanity!”

Journalist Ansar Imran, who writes for portals like Lallanpost and The Report, said, “This is the civilised society where mutton chap can be eaten, but a goat cannot be kept at home for sacrifice.”

Another propaganda and fake news paddler, journalist Sadaf Afreen, called residents opposing slaughter inside the house ‘mad’. She wrote, “The crowd has gone mad. It has lost its temple. This is the gift of the government. Hatred towards other’s religion, stopping others from celebrating their festival, that’s all that remains! If ‘mob terror’ is not stopped, then this mob will destroy the country!”

Journalist Alishan Jafri who writes for portals like The Wire, The Quint, BBC Hindi, Article 14 and others, called the residents ‘vego-facists’ and claimed they “terrorise and often kill meat-eating Muslims, Dalits and tribals”.

NCP leader Saleem Sarang wrote, “The kind of atmosphere that is being created in Maharashtra is very wrong and going to destroy the future. How saying Jai Shri Ram and beating anyone be legal? This type of mentality is increasing. This will turn the whole society against each other. Is this what government wants to do?”

As these people who called out residents for opposing goat slaughter inside Mira Road housing society premises are journalists and political leaders, they are expected to be well-versed with the law and regulations. However, to satisfy their agenda, they decided to summarily ignore it.

Twitter user BefittingFacts shared a BMC circular that prohibited the slaughtering of animals inside societies without NOC of the society and receipt of the number of animals to be sacrificed from the Deonar Slaughterhouse. As per the circular, every citizen who wants to perform a sacrifice on Eid has to register on the My BMC app. The animals must be bought from Deonar slaughterhouse only. Furthermore, 119 places were marked for slaughter for June 28 to June 30 by the municipal corporation. BMC also issued a phone number, 9930501293, to register complaints against the illegal slaughter of animals.

Apart from that, it must be noted that a Bombay High Court order in place from 2019 prohibits the slaughtering of animals inside societies.

In fact, in June 2023 the Bombay High Court had directed the State to make provisions for and allow e-complaints against illegal slaughter during Bakrid.

“…we direct that the Municipal Corporation should also make the Grievance Forum available to complainants/citizens by way of an email. The policy, email address and toll-free numbers also shall be prominently displayed on the website of the Municipal Corporation, at least for the concerned period”, the court said in its order dated June 8th. The court had also directed to ensure that a toll-free number is available to ensure that complaints regarding illegal slaughters are lodged.

Furthermore, as per the Prevention of Cruelty To Animals (Slaughter House) Rules, 2001, Section 3(1), no person shall slaughter any animal within a municipal area except in a slaughterhouse recognised or licensed by the concerned authority empowered under the law for the time being in force to do so.

Interestingly, another argument was put forth to defend the Muslim family who brought the goats allegedly to slaughter inside the housing society premises. RJ Sayema, who often peddles Islamist agenda, asked if there was a law that prevented the Muslim family from keeping a goat in their apartment, because per her, there is no proof that they were going to slaughter the animals.

The Maharashtra Co-operative Housing Society Bye Laws”, Section 50 (a) clearly states that no resident may do anything that would cause inconvenience to residents of a housing society. This act of the Muslim couple clearly did and is therefore against the law.

The Maharashtra Co-operative Housing Society Bye Laws”, Section 50 (a)

One can keep any animal in their house provided their own the property and the land that the property is built on, however, in a housing society, every resident is subject to scrutiny depending on what the members of the society find inconvenient and causing nuisance.

For the Leftists and Islamists, it would appear that India would be considered ‘secular’, ‘tolerant’ and civilised only if people normalise bloodshed in homes, that of Kafirs and animals alike, as a part of religious practice and never protest against the imposition of brutality in the name of religious freedom. India would also be a tolerant nation if illegal activity is acceptable in the name of religious practices simply because one section of the society is perennially victimised by ‘uncivilised barbarians’ opposing illegal activity and wonton bloodshed of animals in private spaces, houses and societies.

West Bengal: ED issues notice to TMC youth president and Bengali actress Saayoni Ghosh in teachers’ recruitment scam case

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: ED issues notice to TMC youth president and Bengali actress Saayoni Ghosh in teachers’ recruitment scam case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued a notice to Trinamool Congress youth president and Bengali actress Saayoni Ghosh concerning a teachers’ recruitment scam case in West Bengal. The ED has asked Saayoni Ghosh to appear before the investigating agency’s office at CGO Complex, Kolkata on Friday, June 30. Saayoni Ghosh will be questioned about some financial transactions.

When TMC youth wing leader Kuntal Ghosh was under investigation, Saayoni Ghosh’s name appeared several times. Therefore, the central agency has summoned her.

According to reports, an officer said, “Ghosh’s name has come up several times during the interrogation of those arrested in the teachers’ recruitment scam case. We have evidence of Ghosh’s involvement in several transactions with one of the accused arrested in this scam. We have asked her (Saayoni Ghosh) to bring some specific documents on Friday.”

Earlier this month, the ED summoned Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee for questioning regarding the same scam. Former Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee, his close friend Arpita Mukherjee and several senior officials of the education department have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the scam. Now, a notice has been issued to Saayoni Ghosh in this case.

What is the Bengal Teacher SSC recruitment scam?

The West Bengal Teacher’s recruitment scam, more commonly referred to as the SSC scam, looks into the recruitment process conducted through the State Level Selection Test (SLT) conducted by SSC from 2014 to 2016.

The West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) announced in 2014 that teachers would be hired at state-run schools in West Bengal through the State Level Selection Test (SLST), which is when the alleged scam first surfaced. In 2016, the hiring process got underway. At that time, Partha Chatterjee was the Minister-in-Charge of the West Bengal Department of Higher Education and School Education. Nevertheless, a number of complaints were submitted to the Calcutta High Court citing irregularities in the hiring procedure.

The petitioners alleged that many examinees who got lesser marks ranked high on the merit list. Several claims also surfaced regarding the receipt of appointment letters by some applicants who weren’t even on the merit list.

‘CM Siddaramaiah was scared, I wouldn’t have succumbed to the protests’: Karnataka Dy CM Shivakumar on scrapping of flyover project in 2017

OpIndia Staff
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‘CM Siddaramaiah was scared, I wouldn’t have succumbed to the protests’: Karnataka Dy CM Shivakumar on scrapping of flyover project in 2017

On June 27th, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar claimed that CM Siddaramaiah was scared of protesters in 2017 regarding the Hebbal steel flyover issue. He further stated that if it had been up to him, he wouldn’t have succumbed to the demands of the protesters.

Addressing the gathering, he said, “In 2017, CM Siddaramaiah and KJ George (the then Bengaluru City Development minister) were scared about protests against a steel flyover in the city. If it was me, I wouldn’t have succumbed to the sound made by protesters and gone ahead with the project, no matter what the consequence is.”

The KPCC President Shivakumar further stated that he will also take some tough decisions in this term that will benefit Bengaluru in the long run. He made these stinging remarks on CM Siddaramaiah while speaking at the Kempegowda Jayanti event in Vidhana Soudha. 

The deputy CM, who also holds the Bengaluru City Development portfolio, was referring to the Basaveshwara Nagar to Hebbal steel flyover project. After facing massive backlash, the Siddaramaiah government scrapped the project altogether.  

In 2017, the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government was at the helm of affairs in the state. The government had announced its plan to construct a 6.7 kilometres steel flyover. As per the proposed plan, the government wanted to decongest the Hebbal area, especially for individuals travelling from central Bengaluru to Kempegowda International Airport.

However, the announcement of the steel flyover in the region faced massive backlash from residents and welfare groups. 

The protesters raised concerns that the project would lead to a reduction in the green cover in the garden city, as the proposed project might result in cutting down trees in the area. Subsequently, the Siddaramaiah government announced the decision to scrap the project citing environmental concerns.

There is no love lost between Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar

During the recently concluded state assembly elections, the feud between Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar for the top post in the state was out in the open for full public glare. Not only did supporters of both leaders engage in mudslinging against their rival within the party, but both leaders left no stone unturned in their greed for the Chief Ministerial post. 

The KPCC Chief did everything to undermine Siddaramaiah’s bid. Shivakumar hailed 

himself as the architect of Congress’ victory in Karnataka and claimed “Under my leadership, Congress got 135 seats.”

In fact, speculations were rife during that turbulent phase that DK Shivakumar may opt-out from the party either to float his own political outfit or join its long-term rival, the Bhartiya Janta Party. 

The feud left Congress sweating profusely only to be resolved with backroom deals which seem to have only brokered a truce for the time being and the latest jibe by DK Shivakumar against his own party leader seems to be the first indication of a long ensuing political-ego battle to come. 

Hypocrisy defined: White House censors black journalist, who has been alleging discrimination, right after it condemned India’s criticism of Sabrina Siddique

OpIndia Staff
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Hypocrisy defined: White House censors black journalist, who has been alleging discrimination, right after it condemned India’s criticism of Sabrina Siddique

The United States, the self-proclaimed flag bearer of press freedom, loves preaching to other countries about media rights and journalistic freedom while neglecting to follow these principles in their own country. In a heated exchange with Today News Africa’s White House correspondent Simon Ateba on June 26 (local time), US Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre (KJP) was called for their hypocrisy. Ateba accused the White House of deleting his heated argument with the US press secretary about alleged discrimination against him on purpose. 

Prior to the argument between journalist Simon Ateba and the US press secretary, the latter ‘condemned’ the alleged ‘harassment’ of Wall Street Journal (WSJ) White House correspondent Sabrina Siddiqui, who faced backlash for asking a propaganda-filled question in an effort to corner PM Modi during his official state visit to the US. Siddiqui questioned PM Modi in an attempt to reinforce the distorted narrative that Muslims are “under attack in India.”

“So I just want to just reiterate a little bit what John (Kirby) said, is that we’re certainly here, at the White House, under this administration, we’re committed to the freedom of the press, which is, which is why we had the press conference last week,” the US press secretary said.

KJP continued, “So just want to remind folks that’s why we had the press conference last week, And just to also just repeat what you just all heard from my colleague, We certainly condemn any efforts of intimidation or harassment of a journalist or any journalist that is just trying to do their job. And so, I just want to..”

This is when KJP was interrupted by journalist Simon Ateba who called out the White House’s blatant hypocrisy as KJP was condemning the so-called harassment of Sabrina Siddiqui while the White House has been ignoring Simon Ateba for over nine months. 

“So are you going to take questions from me? Are you going to take questions from me because you’ve been discriminating against me for the past nine months.,” Ateba asked. 

Instead of answering his question, the US press secretary said that if Simon Ateba continues to speak like that, she would end the press briefing. She further claimed that Ateba was being “incredibly rude” while the journalist said that he wanted the White House to allow him to do his job and ask questions. KJP persisted in trying not to let Simon Ateba make his point while minutes before she was talking about press freedom, advocating for a propagandist in the garb of a journalist.

The White House edited out Ateba’s heated exchange with Karine Jean-Pierre; however, following public outrage over the White House’s blatant attempt to restrict press freedom and discriminate against a journalist, the portion of Ateba-KJP interaction was restored. The White House blamed ‘technical glitch’ for removal of the clip.

In a long tweet, Simon Ateba slammed the White House for discriminating against a black journalist and others he accused of trying to malign and oust him from the White House. He stated that the story of his discrimination will last fifty years from now.

While the Biden administration defended journalist Sabrina Siddiqui for attempting to undermine the India-US relationship during President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s joint press conference at the White House, it refuses to take questions from journalists who they dislike or find critical of their policies. 

This blatant display of hypocrisy comes after ‘journalist’ Sabrina Siddiqui got a befitting response from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who on June 22 was addressing a joint press conference along with President Biden. PM Modi’s response came as Siddiqui accused his government of discriminating against Muslims and trying to silence his critics.

“India has long prided itself as the world’s largest democracy, but there are many human rights groups who say that your government has discriminated against religious minorities and sought to silence its critics. As you stand here in the East Room of the White House, where so many world leaders have made commitments to protecting democracy, what steps are you and your government willing to take to protect the rights of Muslims and other minorities and to uphold free speech?” Siddiqui questioned. 

Siddiqui’s attempt at cornering PM Modi over alleged discrimination against Muslims in India, however, was met with a rather befitting response from the Indian Prime Minister. 

“I am surprised that you are saying that ‘people say’ India is a democracy. It is not about what people say, India is a democracy. And as President Biden said, both India and America have democracy in their DNA. Democracy is our spirit, democracy flows in our veins. We live democracy and our ancestors have put that into words in the shape of the Constitution and our government runs on the basis of the Constitution which is based on the basic democratic values,” PM Modi said.

This sparked online criticism of Siddiqui, which was exacerbated when Alt News co-founder tried to pass her off as an ‘Indian’ since she is the great-great-granddaughter of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, who was among the earliest proponents of the two-nation theory. It is important to note that this very two-nation theory laid the foundation for the demand for the creation of a separate Islamic nation, Pakistan, and the bloodshed that ensued. 

While the White House came to Sabrina Siddiqui’s defence even as they discriminate against journalists like Simon Ateba, OpIndia reported about the five occasions where the US President himself was hostile to the media. 

Migrant Muslim workers of Badrinath agree to ‘celebrate’ Bakrid 45 km away from temple town, decision taken after meeting with Police: What we know

OpIndia Staff
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Migrant Muslim workers of Badrinath agree to ‘celebrate’ Bakrid 45 km away from temple town, decision taken after meeting with Police: What we know

A day ahead of the Muslim festival, the Uttarakhand administration has asked the Muslim community members to not celebrate Bakrid in the Badrinath area where one of the Char Dham shrines is situated. Instead, the Muslims have been asked to gather at the Joshimath area which is 45 km away from the temple town to offer Namaz and celebrate Eid al-Adha.

The Joshimath Police Station confirmed the development to OpIndia and said that there are around 100-150 Muslim labourers working in the area who have been asked to gather at Joshimath to celebrate their festival. “There are no local Muslims in the Badri area. All the other Muslim labourers, migrant workers, daily wagers, carpenters, etc will gather at Joshimath. The decision was taken by the head administration here,” said the police officer.

On asking about the development and links of this decision to Purola’s love jihad case, he said that these two were separate incidents and need not be linked. “The celebrations at Joshimath are for 150 Muslim migrant workers who will gather and offer Namaz on their festival,” he added.

Majority Muslims in Badrinath are carpeters, wage workers, migrant laborers

As per the report by Times of India, the decision by the administration was taken after the priest community, hotel associations and other firms involved in development works held a meeting at the Badrinath Police Station. The authorities in the presence of the Police are said to have taken the decision to avoid any communal controversy.

“The minority community members have given in writing that they have no objection to the proposal, and they all agreed to celebrate Bakrid at Joshimath,” BKTC (Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee) chief Ajendra Ajay was quoted as saying.

The majority of the Muslims in the Badrinath region work as migrant daily wage workers, carpenters, and plumbers on numerous construction projects in the area. They have been given leave beginning on Wednesday itself in order to guarantee their timely arrival at Joshimath.

Tensions in Uttarakhand after 3 cases of Love Jihad were reported

This reportedly comes weeks after a couple of Love Jihad cases were reported from Purola and Chamoli region of the state. On May 31, massive protests erupted in the Purola region after a two boys one of whom was a Muslim abducted a Hindu minor girl. The Muslim boy had trapped the girl in the love affair and had promised her of marriage. Later the Hindu residents in the region had demanded verification of ‘outsiders’ (most of whom are Muslims) residing in the city. Weeks after the incident, several Muslim shop owners left the place after Police began verification of outsiders.

On June 7, two Muslim youths attempted to elope with a minor Hindu girl in Gauchar town in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. Gulzar alias Nitin (26) and Aslam (21) lured a 15-year-old Hindu girl and took her to a hotel on Tuesday, June 6. They told the hotel staff that the girl is the daughter of their maternal aunt. However, the hotel owner grew suspicious and informed the police about it. Meanwhile, one of the accused escaped along with the minor girl. The Hindu activists then had protested outside the Gauchar police station and had demanded action against the Muslim youths.

On June 18, two Muslim brothers from Bijnor in UP deliberately hid their real identity and posed as Hindus to trap two real sisters who are practising Hindus in Dehradun. Reportedly, the elder brother, Mohammad Salik, also raped a girl on the pretext of marriage. He had been working as a junior advocate in the Dehradun court for a year. Meanwhile, his younger brother is studying MBBS in Bangladesh.

To gain the trust of Hindu girls, the accused duo tied kalava, bad-mouthed Muslims, and even took the sisters to watch ‘The Kerala Story’. However, the elder brother got exposed while making an online payment to the landlord for a flat in Panditwadi, and slowly everything unravelled thereof.

Case of Praveen Nettaru, murdered by PFI: NIA raids houses of 3 absconding suspects – Abdul Nasir, Abdul Rahaman and Naushad

ANI
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Case of Praveen Nettaru, murdered by PFI: NIA raids houses of 3 absconding suspects – Abdul Nasir, Abdul Rahaman and Naushad

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has conducted extensive searches at the houses of three absconding suspects in the case related to the murder of BJP Yuva Morcha member Praveen Nettaru by cadres of the Popular Front of India (PFI) in Karnataka last year, the agency said on Wednesday. Three locations were searched in two districts of Karnataka on Tuesday as part of NIA’s efforts to hunt down the absconders. 

The NIA seized several electronic gadgets and documents during the searches at the houses of Abdul Nasir and Abdul Rahaman in Kodagu district and Naushad in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka. 

All three are suspected of harbouring the main assailants of Parveen Nettaru at various hideouts across Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, said the NIA. Besides the trio, five other accused are still absconding in the case, which NIA had taken over in August last year. 

A total of 21 persons, including the absconders, have so far been chargesheeted by the NIA under various sections of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Indian Penal Code and Arms Act in the case that is linked to the killing of Nettaru. Nettaru was hacked to death on July 26, 2022, in Bellare village of Sullia Taluk at Dakshina Kannada district by PFI ‘Killer Squads’ or ‘Service Teams’. 

The PFI, which was banned by the Central government in September last year, has been indulging in such targeted ‘hate killings’ with the aim of driving a communal wedge and spreading communal hatred with its ultimate objective of establishing an Islamic Rule in India by 2047. “Efforts to track down the absconding accused are continuing,” said the NIA. 

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