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Nikki Yadav was the niece of a Kargil War veteran, live-in partner Sahil strangled her with a data cable inside his car

OpIndia Staff
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Nikki Yadav was the niece of a Kargil War veteran, live-in partner Sahil strangled her with a data cable inside his car

The main accused in the gruesome Nikki Yadav murder case in Delhi has admitted to his crime. After learning about the accused Sahil’s scheduled marriage, his live-in partner Nikki Yadav put pressure on him to call it off. This sparked an argument between the two. Following this, the accused Sahil Gehlot planned to kill Nikki.

Sahil Gehlot who is accused of strangulating his 23-year-old live-in partner to death and storing her body in a refrigerator in Delhi’s Mitraon village got married to another woman hours after committing the horrific murder. The incident took place on the intervening night of February 9 and 10. 

The deceased victim was the niece of a Kargil war veteran Praveen Yadav, as per reports. Praveen Yadav had lost both his hands in the war against Pakistan. In addition, his right leg does not work efficiently. Nikki’s family had shifted from Delhi 4 years ago and has been living in their village in Jhajjar.

According to the Crime Branch unit, the 24-year-old accused and the deceased victim were in a relationship for a few years. 

“On the night between February 9 and February 10, 2023, the accused strangled the deceased in his car using a data cable of his phone before stuffing the body in a refrigerator at his dhaba in Mitraon Village, Delhi. According to Special Commissioner of Police Ravindra Singh Yadav, the deceased and the accused had been dating for several years and used to live in a rented flat.

According to the police, the team went to the village of Mitraon to look for the accused who had fled after they received information about the event on February 10. The accused was arrested from the Kair village crossing in Delhi. Accused Sahil initially tried to mislead the investigation, however, later on, he confessed his horrendous deeds.

“On sustained interrogation, he disclosed that he had killed his girlfriend in the intervening night of 9 & 10 February 2023 and kept her dead body in a refrigerator at his dhaba in a vacant plot situated on the outskirts of village Mitraon,” the police said. 

Elaborating on the interrogation, the police said that Sahil and Nikki used to meet while going to their respective coaching centres in Uttam Nagar and became friends, and later fell in love. 

The accused enrolled in the D Pharma programme at Galgotiya College in Greater Noida in February 2018, and Nikki Yadav enrolled in the BA at the same institution. They then began staying in a rented home in Greater Noida as a couple. They grew very close and visited several places together, including Manali, Rishikesh, Haridwar, Dehradun, etc.

The two returned to their respective homes during the Covid lockdown and moved in together at a rented house in Dwarka after the lockdown ended. The accused did not inform his family about his relationship with Nikki. 

As per the police, the family of Sahil was pressurizing him to get married and in December last year, his engagement and marriage were fixed with another girl. Accused Sahil had not informed Nikki about his fixed marriage. However, Nikki soon found out the truth and confronted Sahil, leading to a major argument between the two. 

Meanwhile, police recovered a white car used in the crime and booked the accused under section 302, 201 of the Indian Penal Code. 

Sunil Yadav, father of the deceased victim has demanded that the accused be hanged to death. The family has stated that Nikki had last visited her home around 1 month ago.

According to the autopsy report, the deceased victim died of suffocation and there were no other injuries on her body other than the mark around her neck.

In the latest development, CCTV footage has been recovered on Wednesday from the CCTV camera installed at the deceased victim’s residence in Uttam Nagar. In the footage, Nikki is performing menial tasks, hours before she was killed allegedly by her Sahil Gehlot.

The footage captures Nikki doing household work hours before her murder. On February 9, her boyfriend Sahil Gehlot got engaged, as per reports. Yadav called Gehlot to meet her and voiced her disapproval of his plan to get married to another girl.

Another woman killed by lived-in partner: Jobless youth kills nurse in Mumbai and hides body inside box bed, arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Another woman killed by lived-in partner: Jobless youth kills nurse in Mumbai and hides body inside box bed, arrested

Hardik Shah, a 27-year-old man, was arrested for the murder of Megha Dhansingh Torvi, his 35-year-old live-in partner, in their leased residence in Nala Sopara (East), Mumbai. The accused, along with his live-in girlfriend, allegedly resided in Sita Sadan Society for the previous two months while pretending to be married. The accused, according to reports, is the son of a diamond merchant from Malad.

The tragedy happened on Sunday, February 12, after an argument between the couple, during which Shah strangled Megha to death. Having no funds even for a train journey, Shah sold furniture and utensils for Rs 4,500 on Sunday, used it to purchase a rail ticket to Rajasthan and fled the next day, after disposing of the body in the bed’s cavity. While Torvi worked as a nurse, Shah was unemployed.

Senior Inspector Shailendra Nagarkar from Tulinj police said, “He ended up killing Torvi on Saturday. He, however, did not have the money to purchase a train ticket to Rajasthan. He decided to sell articles present in the house at Sita Sadan to a scrap dealer and kept Torvi’s body in the bed storage. The scrap dealer came to the house on Sunday and paid him Rs 4,500 for the articles he bought, unaware that the only bed that was not up for sale had a body inside.”

The situation was discovered, according to the police, when real estate broker Sanjeev Thakur contacted them after getting a call from Megha’s aunt in Karnataka on Monday. She informed Thakur that Hardik had called and accused her of killing Megha while threatening to end his life. When Thakur arrived at the apartment, it was locked from the outside. There was a bad odour coming from the unit and Hardik’s cell phone was unreachable.

Thakur said that the couple took the apartment on rent about three weeks ago by introducing themselves as a married couple. The neighbours had already begun to complain about the house’s unpleasant scent when the cops arrived at the scene.

Police forced open the door and discovered that furnitures in the house were missing. The nauseating stench in the bedroom drew them to the bed. The body was discovered inside the bed and its neck bore signs of strangling.

Police started to search for Hardik and found that he was travelling by Paschim Express. He was arrested from Nagda railway junction in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday with the help of Railway authorities. The Railway Protection Force assisted the local police in nabbing Shah.

He was brought to Mumbai by a Tulinj police team, who then arrested him on Wednesday. He was remanded to police custody by a city court until February 21. Nagarkar said he was unsure of how the couple had met. He said, “We will talk to their friends and family.”

Talking about the perpetrator’s background, Senior Inspector Shailendra Nagarkar stated that Shah dropped out of school after failing to pass Class X. He was kicked out of the house by his father a few years ago after he stole cash and expensive items from their home. “However, when he did not have anywhere to go during the Covid-19 pandemic, his father took him back. But then Shah started harassing his parents again as per their statement,” he added.

“We have registered a case of murder and have begun scanning through the CCTVs of the area and Shah’s mobile phone location. We have found out that he had boarded a train to Rajasthan from Mumbai Central railway station on Monday morning,” Nagarkar informed. The police officer added that they had caught Shah at Madhya Pradesh’s, Nagda train station after intercepting him with the aid of the Railway Police Force.

Shah admitted to killing his girlfriend to the police, saying it was a result of their regular arguments about money.

Mahashivratri violence in Jharkhand: Nishikant Dubey alleged Shiv Baraat route deliberately changed, moves court against imposition of sec 144 in Deoghar

OpIndia Staff
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Mahashivratri violence in Jharkhand: Nishikant Dubey alleged Shiv Baraat route deliberately changed, moves court against imposition of sec 144 in Deoghar

On Wednesday, Godda’s BJP MP Nishikant Dubey filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Jharkhand High Court against the imposition of Section 144 in Deoghar and the change in the route of Shiv Baraat ahead of the Mahashivratri festival. Dubey in the petition stated that the district administration had arbitrarily decided to change the route without the consent of the Shivratri Festival Committee formed to organize the procession.

According to the reports, the petition states that the tradition of taking out the Shiva procession in Deoghar is very old and that a committee was formed in the year 1994 to look into the execution of the procession, aka Shiv Baraat. It is a committee that decides the route of the procession, however, this year the district administration has decided to change the route without committee’s consent, Dubey said.

He also added that the route decided by the district administration is narrow and there will be difficulty in taking out the Shiva procession. According to the BJP MP, usually, other routes of the districts are changed for a day owing to this cultural tradition, but this time the route of Shiv Baraat has been changed which can be problematic for the participants.

Dubey, in the petition also alleged that the action taken by the district administration is deliberate and that the latter has hurt the religious sentiments of devotees by changing the prescribed route. “This is a dictatorial attitude. The faith of the devotees is being played with. This hurts religious sentiments of devotees,” the petition reads as it asks the Court to intervene in the matter.

“Deoghar SDO has invoked section 144. No clear reason has been given for this. According to the Supreme Court’s ruling, prohibitive orders cannot be issued until it is proven that there is a chance that the peace in the designated region will be disturbed. However, the district administration passed the aforementioned order out of bias, and it has to be revoked”, the petition stated.

Notably, this comes a day after the violence erupted in the Palamu district of Jharkhand ahead of Mahashivratri celebrations. As reported, stones were pelted at devotees preparing to worship at the mosque square of the district. Some vehicles were also set on fire. Petrol bombs were also used in the attack. So far, about a dozen people are said to be injured, including 6 policemen. A heavy police force has been deployed to take care of the situation, section 144 has been imposed in the area and also the internet has been closed as a precautionary measure.

Reports mention that the current PIL has been filed by Dubey and Abhishek Anand Jha, the chairman of the Shivratri Festival Committee. The duo stated that they would stage a protest if the Jharkhand government fails to change its attitude. The court is likely to hear the case on February 16.

Ground report from Palamu, Jharkhand: ‘Muslims opposed decorations for Mahashivratri, attacked with stones, this is trial for Ghazwa e Hind’, say locals

राहुल पाण्डेय
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Ground report from Palamu, Jharkhand: ‘Muslims opposed decorations for Mahashivratri, attacked with stones, this is trial for Ghazwa e Hind’, say locals

On Wednesday (February 15, 2023) in Jharkhand’s Palamu district, devotees who were installing decorative Toran Dwar or welcome archways for Mahashivaratri celebrations were pelted with stones and set on fire. About 1 dozen people, including police officers, were injured during this altercation. The incident took place in the Panki Bazar area close to a mosque.

A heavy police force has been deployed in the area due to the heightened tension. In addition, Section 144 has been imposed in the area, and the internet has been shut down. According to the police, the situation is currently under control.

Local Hindus were building welcome gates at Bhagat Singh Chowk for Mahashivratri to be celebrated on February 18. The people of the Muslim community there opposed the construction of this gate, as per reports. At first, there was an argument between the two sides, which later turned into a clash and stone-pelting. On seeing this, people from both sides came to fight. An additional police force has also been deployed to control the situation.

OpIndia spoke to the local people to find out the details of the matter.  

‘They gather large crowds for small events but cause a ruckus over our Mahashivratri’

OpIndia spoke to Kamlesh Singh, a social worker from Panki Bazar, about the incident. According to Kamlesh Singh, organizing Mahashivratri is not a new thing and is organized every year.

“There is a large mosque named Jama Masjid at the square where this commotion took place,” said Kamlesh Singh.  “The entire area is surrounded when there is a modest Muslim gathering, but during Mahashivaratri, the Muslims cannot stand even a small archway,” he added.

Meanwhile, Panki resident and BJP leader Manjulata Dubey claimed that the mosque regularly interrupted the religious programmes of the Hindu community. Manjulata adds that the Shiva procession passes from the area where the archway was being erected and heads to the Lord Shiva shrine on a nearby mountain.

‘Police should investigate Mosque Committee head Abul Hasan’s role in the violence’

According to Kamlesh Singh, Abul Hasan serves as the chairman of the committee that oversees the Jama Masjid, where the controversy originated. According to Kamlesh, Hasan Ansari, Anwar Alam, Mehboob Ansari, Shahid Ansari, and Bablu Ansari are among Abul Hasan’s key associates. 

Kamlesh added there have been frequent conflicts in and around the market. However, when questioned about their role in the recent violent clashes, Kamlesh Singh responded that the administration should look into it.

The Muslim side deliberately caused the ruckus

Manjulata and Kamlesh Singh both claimed that the Muslims started the dispute. They informed OpIndia that some members of the Muslim community had initially come to stop the Hindus from peacefully installing the archway. Following this, the Muslims broke the decorative Toran Dwar.

OpIndia was told that when the Hindu community objected to this behaviour, they were not only pelted with stones but were also attacked with sticks and other sharp weapons.  The attackers also hurled petrol bombs at the Hindus.

When the violence erupted, it was time for the students to leave for school, claims Kamlesh Singh, a social worker from Panki. Many children were left stranded on the road due to the violence. Kamlesh adds that there might have been severe harm if the police had not arrived and controlled of the situation.

The mosque was the base of the attack on Hindus

OpIndia was told by Manjulata and Kamlesh Singh that the mosque served as the attack’s centre. They said that the attackers came out from the same mosque. Manjulata claims that there are some shops located beneath the mosque owned by Muslims, and certain individuals there often attempt to cause disputes every day.

Kamlesh Singh, however, asserted that Hindus were being attacked with stones and petrol bombs from the mosque’s rooftop. “It was neither a Friday (Jummah) nor there is such a large Muslim population,” Kamlesh Singh remarked. 

Kamlesh raised the question that “where did such a crowd of attackers come from because neither a prayer nor a programme was scheduled at the time of the incident? He said it was a well-planned attack.

Conspiracy to falsely implicate Hindus

According to Kamlesh Singh, individuals who attacked Hindus vandalized their own shops and some of their own vehicles as part of their plan. Kamlesh Singh detailed it was a part of the conspiracy hatched by the Muslim assailants to implicate Hindus in order to gain the public’s sympathy.

Masjid Chowk is now being called as Shaheed Chowk

Manjulata also called out Hemant Soren’s government, claiming that the local people are suffering as a result of his appeasement politics. Manjulata claims that although the Hindu population identifies the crossing as Shaheed Chowk, some Muslims are trying to rename it Masjid Chowk deliberately. The BJP leader also said that a statue of martyr Bhagat Singh will soon be installed there.

Hindus assisted in the construction of the mosque

According to Kamlesh Singh and Manjulata, the mosque is not very old. Kamlesh Singh said that the mosque was constructed with the aid of Hindus, and the area where it is now located is a market dominated by Hindu shopkeepers. Manjulata, on the other hand, asserts that if the investigation is carried out properly, it will be found that some part of the mosque is built on encroached land.

Objection to Tricolour and patriotic songs on August 15

Manjulata mentioned that she had once, on August 14, been detained by the police at Masjid Chowk only for marking the location for hoisting the Tricolor there. She, however, was later released. It is also asserted that Manjulata was stopped from singing a patriotic song at the square on another Independence day by two Muslims.

This is a trial of Ghazwa-e-Hind

The occurrence in Panki Bazar, according to Kamlesh Singh, was a trial for ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’. He said that the Islamic fundamentalists are weighing their strengths across the country.

It is notable that Ghazwa-e-Hind is an Islamic mission and prophetic concept that seeks to destroy India and bring it under the Islamic caliphate.

‘Hemant Soren government failed to protect Hindus’

Sunil Singh, a local BJP MP, was contacted by OpIndia to talk about the matter. Sunil Singh said that after talking to the Superintendent of Police, he has clearly stated that the police should not take unilateral action in this incident. MP Sunil Singh accused the Hemant government of appeasement and claimed that he and his government are unable to provide security during special occasions like Mahashivaratri.

The administration says the situation is under control

The situation has been deemed under control by the Palamu administration. DC Palamu has urged people not to spread any kind of misinformation on social media while providing information about the implementation of Section 144 in the region affected by violence.

Life Mission scam in Kerala: ‘CM Vijayan’s entire family is involved’, says Swapna Suresh after ED arrests former principal secretary Sivasankar

OpIndia Staff
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Life Mission scam in Kerala: ‘CM Vijayan’s entire family is involved’, says Swapna Suresh after ED arrests former principal secretary Sivasankar

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s office has been facing allegations of corruption since the gold smuggling scam broke, highlighting the involvement of his former principal secretary M Sivasankar and minister KT Jaleel. Recently, the ED has taken M Sivasankar on a 5-day remand to interrogate him about the Life Mission Scam. A court in Kochi granted Sivasankar’s custody to ED on Wednesday, 15 February.

What is Life Mission Scam?

Life Mission was a government project to provide free housing for the homeless victims of Kerala floods in 2018. Irregularities in the scheme came to light when the ED was probing the gold smuggling case. The ED had reportedly got Rs 2 crores in cash, and 2kgs of gold from Swapna Suresh’s bank locker in October 2020. Swapna Suresh, the prime accused in the gold smuggling case, had told the ED that the money came from the commissions Sivasankar got from clinching a deal with The Red Crescent, an international aid group, for providing housing for 2018 flood victims in Wadakkanchery of Thrissur district. Sivasankar had allegedly asked Swapna to keep the cash in her locker.

As per reports, the Kerala government’s so-called deal with Red Crescent was done without notifying the Central government, in violation of FCRA rules. The CBI had objected to the deal and had filed a case, but the Kerala government under Vijayan had moved to court to claim the deal was not in violation of FCRA. However, the court refused to quash the case.

The Kerala govt collected money through the UAE consulate

The ED found that a total amount of Rs 18.5 crores from the Red Crescent was collected through the UAE consulate in Kerala’s capital. While an amount of Rs 14.5 crores was spent on the flood victim’s rehabilitation project, the remaining amount of Rs 4 crores was divided among the Kerala government and UAE consulate staffers. Sivasankar had reportedly made Rs 1 crore from the deal.

140 families in Vadakancherry of Thrissur district were the beneficiaries of the Red Crescent aid.

After ED got Sivasankar under its custody, Swapna Suresh, who is now out on bail and has shifted base to Bengaluru, has claimed that the entire family of CM Pinarayi Vijayan is involved in the Life Mission scam.

2 private contractors, namely Unitac Builders and Sane Ventures had been hired to build the houses. Congress MLA from Wadakkanchery, Anil Akkara, had filed a complaint alleging that the selection of contractors has been done after rampant corruption and bribery.

In its remand report submitted in the PMLA court, ED has stated that Sivasankar is guilty of the offence of money laundering by concealing the proceeds of crime, and possession of the money under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The probe agency has also submitted the detailed money trail from Red Crescent to Unitac.

As per the ED, an amount of Rs 5.25 crore to the Federal Bank and a sum of Rs 2.25 crore to the Axis Bank were transferred on August 1, 2019. A part of the same amount was subsequently withdrawn by Santhosh Eappen, MD of Unitac Builders, and handed over as ‘commission’ to Sivasankar for allocating the contract to them. The agency has also carried out detailed digital investigations of chats, phone calls, call records and IMEI numbers of the phones and other traces. They have also submitted that the iPhone in Sivasankar’s possession was given to him by Unitac Builders, a report in NIE detailed.

ED has also stated that Sivasankar has been uncooperative, and evasive. Swapna Suresh had earlier stated that she and Sivasankar had intimate relationships and were planning to settle in Dubai.

Gold Smuggling scam and Pinarayi Vijayan’s office

On July 5, 2020, customs officials at the Thiruvananthapuram international airport found gold weighing over 30 kilograms and valued at almost Rs 15 crore. This gold was concealed in diplomatic baggage and sent to the UAE embassy via air freight.

After getting information that the suitcase was part of a smuggling network aiming to misappropriate the name of a diplomat with diplomatic immunity, customs authorities took action.

In this case, Swapna Suresh is the primary accused. Swapna Suresh, a former employee of the UAE consulate, had been engaged by a private business to work on a project for the Kerala Information Technology Department, which was led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. M Sivasankar, the CM’s former principal secretary, used to be in charge of this department. Suresh was caught using a diplomatic passport and forged documents to smuggle gold into India from UAE.

The NIA had earlier found that the racket had managed to bring in 1.5 quintals (150 kgs) of gold in the country through diplomatic channels at Thiruvananthapuram airport since September 2019. The NIA had further disclosed that the smuggling of gold was not done for jewellery but for funding terrorist activities in India.

Swapna Suresh, who speaks Arabic, was reportedly the primary mediator of the talks between the CM’s office and the UAE consulate.

Burning of Quran, Ramcharitmanas, vilification of Baba Bageshwar and silence on pastor Bajinder: How it’s Abrahamic supremacy at play

Sachin R
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Burning of Quran, Ramcharitmanas, vilification of Baba Bageshwar and silence on pastor Bajinder: How it’s Abrahamic supremacy at play

On 21st January, a Danish-born politician named Rasmus Paludan burned a copy of the Quran in front of the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm. The politician chose this method of protest against what he perceives as the ills of allowing immigration in general and Muslim immigration in particular that is threatening the fundamental nature of European countries. This caused every liberal in the world to recoil in horror. Even UN-linked organisations & Human Rights Groups condemned this burning of a few pieces of paper. Islamophobia, we were reminded repeatedly, was not good and disliking the doctrine of Islam, was no more part of religious freedom. I suspect some atheist feminists I know on social media cried in private.

At the same time in India, a young Hindu religious preacher known as Baba Dhirendra Shastri of Bagheshwar Dham was at the centre of a media storm. It largely began with a Congress-linked “rationalist” Shyam Manav targeting Dhirendra Shastri for spreading superstitions. He was specifically referring to events held by the Baba in which spiritual healing of physical ailments is carried out. Mainstream media in India jumped on the bandwagon and made multiple programs on the issue. The Nehruvian scientific temper of India seemed to be losing temper at these transgressions by the Baba. His clips were making rounds with people making fun of his claims that admittedly would not measure up to the narrow and exact standards of scientific proof. India was being reformed.

What is the link between these two events? 

It is in the way the mainstream narrative treated these two events. The public burning of a Quran in Sweden was met with considerable criticism from a number of Muslim countries, including Turkey, which referred to the act as vile. Bangladesh, where Hindu temple desecration is daily news, called it an “act of insulting the sacred values of Muslims all over the world in the guise of freedom of expression”. The US called it disrespectful and a UN Body called it a “vile act”. When we look at this, it seems pretty reasonable. A rational man would condemn the burning of a sacred religious book. However, if you look at the larger picture, it reeks of hypocrisy.

Recently a Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya passed objectionable comments about the Ramcharitmanas. Shortly after, his supporters burned pages of the sacred book publicly. The people who were pained by the Quran burning showed not the slightest discomfort at this discrimination, intolerance, and bigotry directed towards Hindus. Such overt bigotry against Hindus is not just ignored, it is encouraged by ‘reformists’ who project it as an attempt to ‘reform’ and ‘liberalise’ the Hindu community. However, the same yardstick is not used to question the text in the Quran which critics say carries anti-women, anti-semitic, anti-Kafir and anti-LGBTQ verses too. This leads us to question whether or not these “intellectuals” are opposed to the burning of any and all sacred religious books based on “problematic text” or specifically against the act of burning only the Quran.

Similar is the case with Baba Bageshwar Dham. An entire machinery is devoted to revealing the “Reality of Bageshwar Dham baba and his magic”. His claims are called into doubt and mocked. An indication of the type of scrutiny that the Hindu religion is forced to endure. As expected, BBC wrote about it. On the other hand, there are hundreds if not thousands of videos from all over India depicting the likes of pastor Bajinder Singh ‘curing‘ people suffering from various diseases or ‘possessed by evil spirits’.

These videos often include rather comical scenes of the display of the supernatural powers of these Christian missionaries. In one famous video, a mute child starts talking after receiving blessings from Jesus through the pastor. But why go so fringe? Nobel laureate, Bharatratna, Saint Mother Teresa was anointed a saint by Pope Francis based on miracles performed by her. IIT-educated Arvind Kejriwal flew to the Vatican to attend the event. And these Christian miracles are being performed all over India every week. Have you seen even one-tenth of public/media scrutiny? Are rationalists losing their sleep because poor tribals are told holy water from the Church will protect them against all ailments? How many prime-time programs by Indian media, let alone colonial relic BBC?

The link is “Abrahamic Supremacy”

This is nothing but a naked show of power by Abrahamic religions who acquired that power over millennia using force. They have deployed their cultural and real capital to create narratives that support claims of their superiority over heathens/kafirs. This is not limited to superstitions/miracles alone. Everything that we were told is “progressive” is basically Abrahamic. Patriarchy exists only amongst Hindus, heck it even has a caste to further divide them. Animals only get hurt on Hindu festivals. The environment gets damaged only on Holi and Diwali. The list is endless.

Unfortunately, even after 75 years of independence, India has squarely failed to get rid of such narratives. Even today criticizing the doctrine of Islam makes you an Islamophobe but do the same to Hinduism and you are an intellectual. I am not here to justify the claims of Baba Bageshwar Dham, let people make up their own minds. But the best ideas can only win in a fair market. This is only possible on a level playing field. Selective rationalism is just superstition by other means. Essentially, all I desire is true equality, and in this Abrahamic world, it seems, there is no bigger crime.

As some people whine about absence of Pakistani players in Women’s IPL, here’s examining the country’s cricketers’ hateful rhetoric on India and Hindus

OpIndia Staff
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As some people whine about absence of Pakistani players in Women’s IPL, here’s examining the country’s cricketers’ hateful rhetoric on India and Hindus

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is getting ready to host the first-ever women’s IPL in 2023 following the success of the men’s IPL. Furthermore, a total of 5 teams will compete in the Women’s IPL 2023, which will begin in March this year.

Except, the fact that Pakistani women cricketers, much like their male counterparts, are not invited to participate in the IPL has not gone down too well with Pakistani sympathisers. They have also invoked the spirit of the game and equality in a tournament which is essentially by an Indian body.

Many have also tried to guilt trip BCCI by claiming how India is unnecessarily mixing politics with the game of cricket which should be played in spirit. However, Pakistani players, current and former, have time and again issued anti-India and anti-Hindu statements including but not limited to Kashmir, which is an integral part of India.

Imran Khan, Pakistan’s ex prime minister, former captain of his country’s cricket team, wanted to wage Jihad against India through cricket.

Here, Pakistan bowler, Sohail Tanveer, can be heard denigrating Hindus, by stating that they are of low mindset.

In an interview, world renowned Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, revealed his desire for the fulfilment of the Islamic prophecy, known as Ghazwa-e-Hind, which states an Islamic invasion and conquer of the entire Indian subcontinent.

Last year, he advocated the two nation doctrine which resulted in India’s horrific partition, and declared that he believed in it while speaking on a cricket show hosted by Aaj Tak.

In addition to playing the game, Pakistani cricketers were primarily interested in converting other cricketers who were non-Muslims to Islam. Inzamam-ul-Haq, who had captained Pakistani cricket team and also served as chief selector, can be seen narrating one such incident involving legendary West Indies batsman, Brian Lara.

Inzamam-ul-Haq once revealed specifics on how the Pakistani dressing room serves as a fertile ground for spreading Islam, including the fact that Indian Muslim players were invited to listen to clerics there. He further claimed, that Harbhajan Singh had almost converted to Islam.

Shahid Afridi, another of their contemporaries who is well-known for his continued support of terrorism, especially the Taliban, had expressed glee at the horrors his grand father had committed in Kashmir. His ancestors, Pakistan’s North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) Afridis, at the instance of Pakistan, invaded J&K and were responsible for the rape, murder, and looting that occurred there.

In a bid to entice, non-Muslim to convert to Islam, Saqlain Mushtaq, a former Pakistani bowler, once opined that a batsman’s batting average increases by two points after converting to Islam.

Mohammad Rizwan offering Namaz at India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2021 match “in front of Hindus was special,” according to former Pakistani pacer Waqar Younis. He later issued an apology after receiving widespread criticism for his statement.

Former Pakistani captain Javed Miandad, a close relative of Dawood Ibrahim, attacked BCCI for their firm stance on not touring Pakistan for the 2023 Asia Cup and said, “India can go to hell if they don’t want to come to Pakistan to play cricket.”

Owing to Pakistan’s export of terror to India, which also has an negative impact on cricketing relations, the situation between the two warring countries has continued to deteriorate over many years. If Pakistan wants its players to part of tournaments organised by India, earn from it, maybe it is time the country figures out a way to stop cross border terrorism and stop inflicting terror on Indian soil.

Why do insinuations of favouritism against Justice Abdul Nazeer have no basis: His dissenting note in an Ayodhya-related case and Triple Talaq

Dibakar Dutta
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Why do insinuations of favouritism against Justice Abdul Nazeer have no basis: His dissenting note in an Ayodhya-related case and Triple Talaq

Ever since the President of India announced the appointment of retired Supreme Court Judge S Abdul Nazeer as the Governor of Andhra Pradesh, the left-liberal ecosystem has left no stone unturned to conjecture an imaginary tale of ‘quid pro quo.’

Initially, they tried to pass off Justice Nazeer’s appointment as an unprecedented move by the Modi government. In reality, India has a long history of judges taking up post-retirement jobs and Justice Nazeer’s case is not a departure from usual practice.

As such, the rattled left liberals sought refuge in the landmark Ayodhya verdict of 2019. While they do not agree with the unanimous Supreme Court decision, they sought to exploit the fact that Justice Nazeer was part of the 5-Judge Bench that decided the very case. Essentially, the ecosystem insinuated that the Ram Janmabhoomi verdict was sans merit and that Judges like Abdul Nazeer had delivered it in the hopes of a quid pro quo.

The vicious ecosystem that tends to shed crocodile tears, over the supposed ‘underrepresentation of Muslims’ in positions of power, was not impressed by his appointment at all. They are now suggesting that he decided the Ayodhya case in favour of the Hindu community, in the hope of being rewarded with a lucrative job by the present-day government, post his retirement.

As such, it comes as no surprise why left-liberal accounts on social media are sharing a picture of 5 judges who delivered the Ayodhya verdict. The motive behind such misleading messaging is to convince the masses that the Ayodha judgment was ‘fixed’ in some way.

The sinister propaganda even forced Union Law Minister, Kiren Rijiju, to issue a statement. “The Whole Eco-system is once again in full swing on the appointment of a Governor. They should better understand that they can no more treat India as their personal fiefdom,” he wrote on Sunday (February 12).

“Now, India will be guided by the people of India as per the provisions of the Constitution of India,” he further added. In their desperate bid to create hysteria about a supposed compromise in the independence of the Judiciary, left-liberals forgot to follow up on Justice Nazeer’s judgment in Ayodhya and Triple Talaq case.

Justice Nazeer and his dissent in the 2018 Ayodhya case

So far, the basis of their ‘quid pro quo’ insinuation had been the unanimous Ayodhya verdict of 2019. But, a year earlier, Justice Nazeer had contested the observation made by the apex court in a 1994 judgment (Ismail Fauqui case).

In that 1994 case, the Supreme Court had observed, “A mosque is not an essential part of the practice of the religion of Islam and namaz (prayer) by Muslims can be offered anywhere, even in the open.”

On September 27, 2018, Justice Nazeer noted that the said observation in the Ismail Faruqui case influenced the verdict of the Allahabad High Court in the Ayodhya land dispute case in 2010.

It must be mentioned that the Allahabad High Court had split the 2.77 acres of Ram Janmabhoomi (also called disputed land by some) into equal 3 parts, between Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.

Justice Nazeer had thus sought the re-interpretation of the 1994 observation to a 5-Judge Constitution Bench. However, then Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Ashok Bhushan passed the majority verdict by 2-1.

They noted that the ‘mosque’ observation in the Ismail Fauqui case was made only in the context of the case and had no bearing on the 2010 Allahabad High Court verdict.

Justice Nazeer had even posed four key questions in his dissenting verdict (but in vain):

  1. Whether in the light of Shirur Mutt and other aforementioned cases, an essential practice can be decided without a detailed examination of the beliefs,
    tenets and practice of the faith in question?
  2. Whether the test for determining the essential practice is both essentiality and integrality?
  3. Does Article 25, only protect beliefs and practices othe f particular significance of a faith or all practices regarded by the faith as essential?
  4. Do Articles 15, 25 and 26 (read with Article 14) allow the comparative significance of faiths to be undertaken?

It thus becomes clear that Justice S Abdul Nazeer did not toe the line favoured by the BJP government in 2018, as alleged by the left-liberals since his appointment for the post of Governor of Andhra Pradesh.

Dissenting Judgment in the 2017 Triple Talaq case

While the BJP government had thrown its weight behind the criminalisation of instant Triple Talaq, the same Judge, who is now accused of ‘quid pro quo’ had given a verdict against the criminalisation of the act.

Justice S Abdul Nazeer was one of the two Judges, along with Chief Justice Khehar, who dissented in the infamous Shayara Bano Vs Union of India. The summary of the dissenting judgment is stated below:

  • Triple Talaq is integral to Islam in India and part of personal law
  • It is a practice which had prevailed for a long time.
  • Triple Talaq does not violate Articles 14, 15 (Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth) and 21 (Protection of life and personal liberty) which are sanctions against state action.

The duo injuncted Muslims from handing out instant Triple Talaq for a period of 6 months. They also noted that courts cannot interfere in personal laws and instead asked the Union government to formulate a law in this regard.

While the left-liberals have remained fixated on one case, it is evident that Justice Nazeer had interpreted the law using his discretionary wisdom. In at least two cases, his judgments differed with the stance of the ruling BJP, enough to puncture the claims of quid pro quo.

US State Department ignores Pakistani journalist’s question on Income Tax survey on BBC

ANI
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US State Department ignores Pakistani journalist’s question on Income Tax survey on BBC

The US State Department on Tuesday (local time) overlooked a Pakistani journalist’s question on the survey at BBC offices in Delhi and Mumbai by Indian tax authorities. 

When ARY’s reporter in Washington Jahanzaib Ali asked about “any thoughts and concern” over the survey, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said, “We are aware of the search of BBC offices in Delhi by Indian tax authorities.” The reporter further questioned to get the US State Department’s reaction but Ned Price refused to wade into the controversy or comment on the matter. 

Notably, Pakistani journalist Ali, cited the BBC documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots and said he “regretted” that no US official had criticized it, while the US State Department highlighted the close relationship between the two countries, especially over shared values. 

“What I will say broadly is that there are a number of elements that undergird the global strategic partnership that we have with our Indian partners. There are close political ties, there are economic ties, and there are exceptionally deep people-to-people ties between the United States and India. But one of those additional elements are the values that we share, the values that are common to American democracy and to Indian democracy,” Price said during regular press briefing. 

“I am very familiar with the shared values that connect the United States and India as two thriving, vibrant democracies. When we have concerns about actions that are taken in India, we have voiced those. We have had an occasion to do that. But we want first and foremost to reinforce those values that are at the heart of our relationship,” he added. 

Price stated that India is the world’s largest democracy, and also a vibrant one. “We look to everything that ties us together, and we look to reinforce all of those elements that tie us together.” 

However, Price laid stress on the importance of a free press around the world and asked the reporter to refer to Indian authorities for the details of this search. 

“Beyond this discrete action, what I’ll say more broadly is the general point that I’ve consistently made in this context, but in the universal context text as well. We support the importance of a free press around the world. We continue to highlight the importance of freedom of expression and freedom of religion or belief as human rights that contribute to strengthening democracies around the world. It has strengthened this democracy here in this country. It has strengthened India’s democracy. These universal rights are the bedrock of democracies around the world,” said Price. 

Earlier, Income tax officials arrived at BBC offices located at the national capital’s KG Marg for the survey. The British broadcaster’s office at Kalina Santacruz in Mumbai was also surveyed, sources said adding that the survey was limited to the business premises of BBC only. 

According to reports, a team of IT officials arrived at the BBC Studios office in Kalina Santacruz around 11.30 am today and a survey has been going on since then. There is no IT activity at the BBC News office at Linking road Bandra West. 
It is learned that the tax officials are conducting verification of certain account documents in the finance department of the BBC offices. 

During the investigation, the mobile phones of all the employees present in the BBC office have been taken away by the Income Tax team. The data of the computer kept in the accounts and finance department was also scanned. According to sources, officials said the devices will be returned to their owners after taking a backup. 

The searches come weeks after the BBC released a documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi – ‘India: The Modi Question,” which caused controversy on January 21, the Centre had issued directions for blocking multiple YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the controversial BBC documentary on PM Modi. The Supreme Court had on February 3 directed the central government to produce original records relating to its decision to block the BBC documentary.

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

‘Ardent followers of Tipu sultan should not live’: Karnataka BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel

OpIndia Staff
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‘Ardent followers of Tipu sultan should not live’: Karnataka BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel

Karnataka BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel has made a controversial statement about 18th-century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan. He said that the staunch followers of Tipu Sultan should not live, and he said that the descendants of Tipu Sultan should be sent to the forests. Kateel said this while addressing BJP supporters at Yelaburga in Koppal district on Wednesday, February 15.

Nalin Kumar Kateel said, “We are devotees of Lord Ram and Lord Hanuman. We pray and bow to Lord Hanuman and we are not descendants of Tipu. Let’s send Tipu’s descendants back home.”

He said, “I ask people here whether you worship Lord Hanuman or Tipu. Then will you send those who are staunch followers of Tipu to the jungle? I am issuing a challenge – those who are staunch followers of Tipu should not survive on this fertile land.”

Medieval Islamist tyrant Tipu sultan forcefully converted thousands of Hindus to Islam. The previous Siddaramaiah government had celebrated Tipu Sultan’s birth anniversary for two consecutive years. The BJP has been constantly raising questions about this.

Nalin Kumar Kateel also criticized former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, referring to him as a “broker” who had earlier struck arrangements with the JDS and now with the Congress to become the CM face in the next assembly elections. He said that if Congress returns to power in the state, it will convert Karnataka into a Congress ATM.

About Siddaramaiah, Nalin Kumar Kateel said, “He calls me a joker, I call him a broker. In this country, it’s okay if someone becomes a joker but it’s difficult if one becomes a villain, they’ll abduct anyone they want. All their stories are about abduction. He brokered and stayed in the Congress, he brokered and stayed in the JDS and once again brokered and became a chief minister.”

The Tipu Sultan versus Hanuman debate gained momentum when Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath made a statement on the matter ahead of the 2018 assembly elections in the state. Yogi Adityanath had said that “Karnataka is the land of Hanuman, which was once ruled by the Vijayanagara Empire. It is unfortunate that congress is worshipping Tipu Sultan instead of worshipping Hanuman and Vijayanagar, if Congress loses then no one will come to worship Tipu.”

Earlier, in a statement, Kateel had said that this time the assembly elections will be fought on the issue of Tipu vs Savarkar. He had said that the Congress celebrated Tipu’s birth anniversary, which was not needed, and insulted Savarkar. The Karnataka assembly elections are likely to be held in April-May this year.

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