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Here is a list of 5 mosques that were built after demolishing holy shrines of other religions

OpIndia Staff
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Here is a list of 5 mosques that were built after demolishing holy shrines of other religions

The destruction of temples and religious sites of other Faiths by aggressive Islamists has long been an unfortunate part of world history. In India, the Islamic invaders entered India and began the process of ‘Islamisation’ of the country nearly a thousand years ago.

The easiest way for them to achieve the set goal was by destroying the Hindu structures and prominent Hindu places of worship in India. As a result, the Babri Masjid was built in 1527 on the birthplace of Lord Ram under the rule of the Mughal emperor Babur.

Many more Hindu structures and temples were demolished and converted into Islamic places of worship in India. One such mosque is the Deval Masjid which is located in the Bodhan area of Telangana’s Nizamabad district.

Conversion of Hindu temple into Deval Masjid

According to the reports, the structure of Deval Masjid was originally a Hindu-Jain temple that was built around the 10th century CE by the Rashtrakuta King Indravallabha (Indra III).

The temple was renovated during the period of Kalyani Chalukya ruler Someswara who had then named it ‘Indranarayan Swamy Temple’. The conversion of the Indranarayan Swamy temple into a Mosque dated back to the year 1323 when Muhammad Bin Tughlaq encroached on the Bodhan fort, which was under the protection of warrior Kakatiya commander Sitaramachandra Sastri.

Shastri protected the 100-pillared structure for many years but was forced to surrender by the army of Tughlaq. Shastri was forcefully converted to Islam, was made to accept the suzerainty of Tughlaq, and was named Alam Khan.

But he reconverted to Hinduism as soon as the Tughlaq’s army left. The next time Tughlaq’s army invaded Bodhan, they took no prisoners, and instead surrounded the Podana (Bodhan) fort and destroyed it.

They beheaded the Kakatiya commander Sitaramachandra Shastri and converted the Indranarayan Swamy temple to Deval Masjid.

Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi

The Gyanvapi Mosque complex is a disputed structure built over the ruins of the old Kashi Vishwanath Temple by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb after it was desecrated multiple times by Islamic monarchs such as Qutb al-Din Aibak and Aurangzeb.

To this day, parts of this ancient temple are clearly visible on the outer walls of the mosque, especially the western wall which has been kept intact. Moreover, there is enough historical evidence of the demolition of the temple, the building of the mosque, and the rebuilding of the temple at the current adjacent site.

The Kashi Vishwanath Temple complex, which is adjacent to the disputed mosque complex and where devotees can do puja and prayers, was built by Ahilya Bai Holkar of Indore in 1780.

Gyanvapi mosque was built by destroying the Kashi Vishweshwar Temple

A Varanasi court on May 12 this year allowed a videographic survey of the disputed structure. Varanasi’s Civil Judge (Senior Division) Ravi Kumar Diwakar issued guidelines for the same and added that a report of the survey must be submitted by May 17.

A 54-member team, led by advocate commissioner Ajay Kumar Mishra, surveyed the Gyanvapi complex basement and the western wall on Saturday (May 14). According to the reports, the survey team opened eight vaults of the disputed structure of Gyanvapi mosque.

Hagia Sophia in Istanbul

Hagia Sophia was a Church for the most part of its history, but it is now a mosque. It was built in the sixth century in the Turkish capital Istanbul, at the site of an earlier church destroyed by fire, which in turn was built after the first church was also destroyed by fire.

The current structure was completed in the year 537 as the Church of Justinian I (named after the Emperor who started its construction). It remained a church for hundreds of years, till the time the Ottoman forces invaded the city.

After capturing the city, Ottomans converted the Church into a mosque in 1453. Invader Sultan Mehmed II had ordered to stop all Christian rites and prayers at the Church and had ordered to immediately convert it into a mosque.

It remained a mosque till 1935 when it was converted into a museum by the first president and founder of the Republic of Turkey, after the fall of the Ottoman empire.

Initially, religious rituals were banned in the museum, but later in 1991 a pavilion was allowed to be used as a prayer room and minarets were allowed to use for voicing the Islamic prayer Azan.

In 2018, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced his intention to convert Hagia Sophia into a mosque, and it was officially declared a mosque in 2020. Thus, it is a mosque now, where regular Islamic prayers and rituals are held.

While non-Muslims can visit the site as tourists, they are not allowed entry into prayer rooms and have to follow the usual rules enforced at Islamic sites.

Al Aqsa masjid in Jerusalem

A source of major resentment in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the religious divide between the Israeli Jewish people and the Palestinian Muslims. The Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism where Jews turn during prayer is in the Old City of Jerusalem.

The Temple Mount complex is home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque. the Western Wall, and the Dome of the Rock (an Islamic shrine that is instantly recognizable because of its gold-plated dome).

However, before the construction of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, there was a grand Jewish temple in the same location on the Temple Mount.

This Jewish Holy Temple, called the Second Temple, was the holiest Jewish site of worship until it was destroyed by the Roman Empire in the 70 A.D. as punishment for a Jewish revolt.

The Second Temple was constructed in 516 BCE after the First Temple or Solomon’s temple was destroyed by the Neo-Babylonian Empire in 586 BCE. The Foundation Stone, the holiest site for the Jews at present, is located on the floor of the Dome of the Rock.

However, the Jews are not allowed to visit it as it is located inside the Islamic shrine.

Kaaba & the surrounding mosque in Mecca

According to Islamic historians, prophet Mohammed was banished from Mecca in 620 CE. Upon his return in 629/630 CE, he ‘cleansed‘ the Kaaba of idols.

Abdullah bin Masud noted, as per the website Wiki Daiyah, “Allah’s Apostle entered Makkah (in the year of the Conquest) and there were three-hundred and sixty idols around the Ka’ba.

He then started hitting them with a stick in his hand and say: ‘Truth (i.e. Islam) has come and falsehood (disbelief) vanished. Truly falsehood (disbelief) is ever bound to vanish.’” [Quran 17: 81]

In October last year, Bangladeshi author in exile, Taslima Nasreen, had raked up the issue in the backdrop of the concerted attacks against minority Hindus in Bangladesh on the occasion of Durga Puja.

She said that Prophet Mohammed had himself destroyed 360 idols of pre-Islamic Arab Gods at Kaaba and that the Bangladeshi Muslims were just following his footsteps.

Deoband’s Maulana Rao Musharraf lashes out at Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid, says women don’t go to mosques as imams molest them

OpIndia Staff
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Deoband’s Maulana Rao Musharraf lashes out at Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid, says women don’t go to mosques as imams molest them

On December 5, Deoband’s Maulana Rao Musharraf lashed out at Shahi Imam Shabbir Ahmed Siddiqui of Ahemdabad for his statement against giving tickets to women candidates. In his statement, Musharraf alleged that earlier women used to visit mosques but they stopped as Imams molested them and clerics tried to rape them.

Criticising Siddiqui, Maulana Musharraf said, “In Islam, women are not prohibited from going to the mosque. Muslim women had stopped going to the mosque because the Imam of the mosque used to molest women. Their disciples beat them and used to try to rape women.”

He added, “Islam decrees equality of women. When women go to perform Hajj, there is no hindrance. Islam decrees, both men and women go to perform Hajj. There is no restriction on going to the mosque. Nor is it written in the Quran and Hadith that women are not allowed to go to the mosque.”

He pointed out that women have become Prime Ministers in Islamic countries that share borders with India. Giving an example of Pakistan and Bangladesh, he said, “When Sheikh Hasina can become Prime Minister in Bangladesh. Benazir Bhutto can become Prime Minister of Pakistan. Why not in India? Everyone is free in India. There is no restriction on anyone. Everyone can vote and has the right to contest elections. These Maulanas make such statements to spread fundamentalism. It is conservative and separatist. It is necessary to ban the statements of such Maulanas.”

Imam Mufti Kaari Arshad Gaura of Saharanpur also criticised Siddiqui for the statement. He said, “There are several rights in Islam that have been given to women but not men. We are seeing in the media that some people are saying women should not do this, women should not do that, and claim it is against Sharia. I feel that such statements come to the fore during elections and are given by some people to create disturbance in society. Our country is a democratic country. It runs on the constitution. I believe that such statements should not be highlighted. If someone wants to get information on laws in Shariat, then he or she should not believe the statements given by the Imams. They should approach Darul Ifta and get the answers in writing.”

‘Giving tickets to women is against Islam’

Notably, Siddiqui recently opposed the idea of giving tickets to women candidates. He questioned if no men are left to do politics and that the political parties are giving out tickets to women to contest elections. In a statement on December 4, Siddiqui said, “Those who give election tickets to Muslim women are against Islam, weakening the religion. Are there no men left?” Speaking to the news agency ANI, he said, “You just saw namaaz being offered, did you see any woman? And in Islam namaaz has been given the highest importance. If women coming out in open like this were allowed in Islam, they would not have been barred from the masjid. Why they are barred from mosques? Because there is a place for women in Islam. Therefore who are giving tickets to Muslim women are revolting against Islam”.

Bestselling authors Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, Margaret Atwood, dozens others comfort a new author after only two people turn up at her author signing event

OpIndia Staff
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Bestselling authors Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, Margaret Atwood, dozens others comfort a new author after only two people turn up at her author signing event

In world full of bitterness and hate, it was the outpouring of support and comfort from the ones who know how important words are that made the day of this new author who was bummed after only two people turned up for her author signing event.

First time author Chelsea Banning on Monday took to Twitter to lament that only two people had turned up at her author signing event even though 37 had responded that they would come. She said she was kind of upset and ‘a little embarrassed’. The tweet garnered a lot of attention with support and encouragement pouring from all quarters. Including some of the bestselling authors of our time.

Neil Gaiman, award winning author of bestsellers such as American Gods, Stardust and the comic book series The Sandman, said that Terry Pratchett and himself did a signing at Manhattan for Good Omens, a novel written by the two British authors in collaboration, and nobody had come up for it. “So you are two up on us,” he said.

Margaret Atwood, award winning Canadian author shared how once when she did a signing, nobody had come except for one person who had walked in to buy some Scotch tape and he mistook her for the store help.

Adding to more such book signing disasters, author Stephen King, while responding to another author said how once when he was sitting alone for book signing for Salem’s Lot, a ‘fat kid’ came and asked him about ‘Nazi books’. These days, Stephen King and Twitter’s new owner billionaire Elon Musk often spar on the microblogging platform.

Science Fiction author Gareth Powell said how once he did a signing in Cambridge and only one person showed up who also wanted to tell someone he had a dream about being a wizard.

Many bestselling authors have had their moments of setbacks. While on topic of wizards, Harry Potter author JK Rowling was rejected 12 times before Barry Cunningham, who ran the children’s literature department at Bloomsbury picked it up.

And while Chelsea is thrilled at the turn of events, it is an absolute delight to see the celebrities come out and share their stories of struggles to comfort a newbie.

‘#BabriZindaHai’ trends as Indians mark 30 years of demolition of disputed structure at Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya

OpIndia Staff
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‘#BabriZindaHai’ trends as Indians mark 30 years of demolition of disputed structure at Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya

As India witnesses 30th anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition that took place in the year 1992, several Muslim Twitter users are trending hashtags like ‘Babri Zinda Hai’, ‘6 December’, ‘Babri Masjid’, etc on Twitter to post hateful comments against the Hindu community. On December 6, 1992, hundreds of Karsevaks had brought down the disputed structure at Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya.

One Twitter user named Baseri Faizal termed the day as ‘Black Day’ and stated that the ‘Babri Masjid was martyred to build a temple there’. “Be kept barren, but that place in India is being remembered as Babri Masjid on 6 December! And there will always be a very deep impression on the name mark and it cannot be erased so easily,” he tweeted.

Another one named Mohammed Nayeem posted a video of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaduddin Owaisi in which he could be heard saying that the Muslims never fought for the land but for their rights. Owaisi in the video could also be seen instigating the crowd against the Hindus. “Babri Masjid we can never forget you!! InshAllah 6 December 1992 was a black day,” Nayeem captioned the video.

A fan house of AIMIM leader Akhtarul Iman shared a few images from the incident that happened in the year 1992 and said that wounds allegedly given by Hindus were still fresh. “It was Nehru who got the idol installed in the mosque, it was Rajiv Gandhi who got the lock of Babri opened, it was Narasimha Rao who got Babri martyred! Babri Masjid is alive and will remain alive in our hearts till doomsday,” the tweet read.

Meanwhile, many more users shared the image of the disputed structure of the Babri Masjid and indicated that ‘the fallen shall rise one day’. Many also posted hateful comments against the Hindu community stating that the Masjid was illegally demolished.

Ilyas, a Muslim Twitter user alleged that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha (RSS) and the then Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members illegally demolished the disputed structure. He also called the then BJP members as ‘terrorists’. “6th December 1992. 30 years ago, a Mob of RSS, and BJP Terrorists attacked Babri Masjid and illegally demolished it. Culprits were never punished instead they were glorified by the majority of the Indian society,” he tweeted adding the hashtag that read ‘Babri awaits justice’.

Mohammed Saquib Anwar who identifies himself as ‘Anti Islamophobia social media activist against injustice’ tweeted, “30 years have passed, 300 years may also pass, but Babri Masjid will be built at the same place, Insha Allah, right by the hands of Gurba.”

One named Mohammed Sadab Sheikh also tweeted and posted hateful comments against the Hindu Kar Sevaks. “Babri Masjid was not just a mosque, it had history engraved on it. And on December 6, 1992, its demolition by Hindu Kar Sevaks raised a question about India’s future as a secular nation. 30 years of Babri Masjid Demolition. We will never forget, will never forgive,” he said.

Dr Asma Zehra Tayeba, a woman activist of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, also President of Shariah Committee Hyderabad tweeted, “We shall not forget. And We will remember this day.’Yaume Shahadat’. Masajid is center markaz of the Muslim community. The fall of the Babri masjid and the conditions of Muslims in the last 30 yrs need introspection. Today is Yaume Ehtesaab also. We have to face Yaume Hashr.”

The Babri structure was symbolic of brute strength, of how native culture was subjugated, and how the universally adored Lord Ram was shown his position by the invaders. It was a dark symbol of tyranny and barbarism. On December 6, the disputed structure in Ayodhya was brought down by various Hindu activists in 1992. While the day is termed the ‘Black Day’ by the Islamist community, the day is marked as Shaurya Divas by others.

BJP leader T Raja Singh from Telangana saluted the kar sevaks on whose sacrificial foundation the “Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple” in Ayodhya is taking shape with complete grandeur. “First martyr Ram Kothari on 6 December 1992. Tribute to Sharad Kothari and crores of people who sacrificed their lives in Karseva! Jai Shree Ram,” he tweeted.

One of the Hindu activists also shared a video of the former Governor of Rajasthan Kalyan Singh who could be heard saying, “No Regret, No Repentance, No Sorrow, No Grief.” “Remembering brave Son of Maa Bharti Ram Bhakt Kalyan Singh Ji on Shaurya Diwas. Feeling Proud of Shaurya Diwas. Jai Shree Ram,” tweet by Sameet Thakkar read.

On November 9, 2019, the Supreme Court of India favoured Ram Lalla Virajmaan and handed over the disputed land to the Hindus in its landmark judgment. The court had asked the central government to form a trust that will take over the construction of Bhavya Ram Mandir. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust was formed in February 2020. On August 5, Bhoomipujan was performed at Ram Janmabhoomi to begin the construction of the temple in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several other leaders and saints. The construction of the temple is expected to complete by December 2023.

The News Minute Editor-in-chief endorses ‘no hasty arrest in mutual romantic cases’ involving POCSO Act, later justifies and ‘gives context’

OpIndia Staff
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The News Minute Editor-in-chief endorses ‘no hasty arrest in mutual romantic cases’ involving POCSO Act, later justifies and ‘gives context’

On December 5, The News Minute editor-in-chief Dhanya Rajendran endorsed Tamil Nadu’s Director General of Police’s statement where he had asked not to make hasty arrests in “mutual romantic cases”. She further “hoped” that other states implement such directions as well. In her tweet, she said, “This is such an important directive from the TN DGP. I hope other states emulate it. Don’t make hasty arrests in mutual romantic cases: TN DGP to police on POCSO cases.”

Source: Twitter

Rajendran in her tweet missed out on a very important detail in her tweet. The statement by the TN’s DGP C Sylendra Babu came in the light of the circular issued to the Investigating Officers of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act not to make hasty arrests in mutual romantic relationships, especially for the couples in the tribal communities in the hilly areas. Her tweet gave the impression that the direction from the DGP was targeted to all the cases that fall under POCSO Act which is not true.

Rajendran gave context after netizens called her out

The tweet by Rajendran resulted in sharp criticism from the netizens following which she gave “context” to the matter. Replying to a Twitter user who called it preposterous, she said, “Direction talks about a case involving two minors.” The Twitter user Barbarindian had questioned if the direction was for cases where the girl was minor but the man was not. He asked, “Even if the girl is say 16 and the man 25? This is preposterous.”

In a follow-up tweet, she said, “For everyone who thinks this is a change to IPC etc, nope. The directive is asking cops to use discernment case by case. That arrest should not be the first thing to fall back on.”

In an interesting conversation under the tweet by Rajendran, a Twitter user Monteskw pointed out that based on her tweet, it appeared that the DGP was reading down a legal provision. Replying to him, the Assistant Resident Editor of The News Minute Ranjitha Gunasekaran tried to explain the situation and clarified that this was not the case where one of the partners is an adult.

Gunasekaran said, “HCs and SC have said POCSO not intended to criminalise consensual relations between minors.” When the Twitter user pointed out that only bail was given by the court and the charges were quashed in a matter, she pointed out remarks made by the Madras High Court in 2021 where the court suggested POCSO was not for adolescents and teenagers indulged in romantic relationships.

When the Twitter user pointed out that the High Court did not ask the Police to act in the way it has been projected and the Law “doesn’t recognise any romantic relationships involving minors. In isolated cases courts may give relief,” Gunasekaran specifically mentioned that the circular did not stop the officials from investigating the matter and only says not to make hasty arrests. Her tweet was retweeted by Rajendran. Interestingly, her tweet did not project the situation as explained by Gunasekaran which led to sharp criticism from netizens.

NCPCR to issue notice to TN Govt and TN Police

Speaking to OpIndia, Chairperson National Commission for Protection Of Child Rights Priyank Kanoongo said, “We are issuing a notice to the Tamil Nadu government and Tamil Nadu police. A similar circular was issued by the Maharashtra Police and it was later withdrawn after our circular. It is nothing but an attempt of appeasement in the backdrop of Tribal communities.”

It is notable that on November 29, Kanoongo issued a statement on Twitter. In a series of Tweets, he said, “A large number of cases of exploitation and abduction of minor girls for marriage in the name of love are coming to the fore in the country. Meanwhile, there has been a new debate which is very dangerous and needs to be called out in the public. POCSO law is there in India to protect children from sexual abuse which has been updated from time to time by the Government of India and the Parliament of the country. It is one of the best laws in the world that considers sexual intercourse with minor children as rape and does not accept the consent for sex before 18 years.

He further added, “Like every law, it can be misused to some degree. The possibility of rape cannot be denied, but the increasing incidents of trafficking and sexual exploitation of girls by luring them into love by organized gangs cannot be ignored, from which POCSO is a weapon to protect. To save such criminals the gang that sees a child in Kasab and a misguided youth in Burhan Wani has been activated.”

He said, “The liberal gangs and NGOs etc. are creating a new narrative demanding legalisation of romantic relationships between adolescent boys and girls before the age of 18 years. This gang has become more effective ever since we have started challenging the cases of legalizing the marriage of minor girls in the name of personal law in the courts and the discussion has started for the protection of the girl child in the country.”

It is notable that in the last few years, several High Courts have justified marriage between an adult Muslim man and a minor girl stating that Muslim Personal Law allows a girl to get married if she has attained the age of puberty that is 15 as per the Islamic law.

The circular issued by TN DGP

A consultation meeting was held with various stakeholders on the implementation of the POCSO Act in the state. Madras High Court’s Juvenile Justice Committee, POCSO Committee and other stakeholders attended the meeting. Following the meeting, a circular was issued on December 3 addressing all District Superintendents and Police Commissioners instructing them to first issue a notice under Section 41A of the Code Of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

Source: TN DGP Circular

Under Section 41A of the CRPC, the police have the power to call any person to appear before the police to address a complaint registered against him or her. It further suggests that if the person continues to oblige the summons issued under Section 41A, there is no need to arrest that person. An arrest can be made if the person fails to appear at the police station or show unwillingness to identify himself or herself.

Source: Legislative.gov.in

In the circular, DGP asked the police officials to take permission from the higher officials before arresting the accused. However, it has been clearly mentioned that such an approach has to be taken on a case to case basis. The arrests in such cases can be made only with permission from the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) or the Superintendent of Police (SP). In case of permission has not been sought, the officers should make a record in the case diary of why the accused was not arrested explaining the situation based on the investigation.

The circular further pointed out that around 60 per cent of the POCSO Act cases registered in the state involve mutual romantic relationships and men are often arrested and prosecuted due to the provisions under the ACT. The situation with the youths from the Tribal communities in the hilly areas was the main reason behind the circular where it is common for young men to marry girls under the age of 18.

It was pointed out that in such cases when girls get pregnant after the marriage and approach the government healthcare facilities for delivery, the hospital informs the police resulting in a case under POCSO Act against the husband. A recent case of a 17-year-old boy in district Cuddalore was mentioned in the circular where a case was registered against him for tying a mangalsutra around a 16-year-old female friend’s neck. It was allegedly a playful act. However, the police got involved and the girl was sent to the Children’s home.

The circular read, “In several Adivasi and tribal cultures, it is not a taboo for a male to marry a girl who is less than 18 years of age. The state is encouraging the tribals to use the facilities in government hospitals for delivery for good reasons. When a 17-year-old tribal wife goes for delivery to a government hospital, information is sent to the police, a case under the POCSO Act is registered against her husband and he is arrested. If this continues, tribal women will not go for delivery to hospitals and would instead, avail the services of tribal midwives. That apart, Adivasis and tribals will get more and more alienated from the mainstream society, which is not conducive for the state.”

Source: TN DGP Circular

Furthermore, the circular noted that most of the cases registered under POCSO in mutual relationships often end in acquittal. The reasons mentioned were either the survivor marries the accused or the survivor turns hostile.

TMC’s Saket Gokhale arrested by Gujarat police for spreading fake news relating to Morbi bridge collapse tragedy

OpIndia Staff
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TMC’s Saket Gokhale arrested by Gujarat police for spreading fake news relating to Morbi bridge collapse tragedy

TMC MP Derek O’Brien today took to Twitter to inform that their national spokesperson Saket Gokhale has been allegedly arrested by Gujarat Police. He claimed that Gokhale landed in Jaipur, Rajasthan after taking a 9 PM flight from New Delhi. However, Gujarat Police was there to arrest him instead.

He further informed that he was picked up by Police and that at 2 AM he called up his mother to inform her that the police is taking him to Ahmedabad and that he will arrive in the city by noon on Tuesday.

O’Brien claimed that the police had confiscated Gokhale’s phone after that short phone call he had with his mother. He then claimed that the arrest was due to Gokhale’s tweet on Morbi bridge collapse.

Gokhale, a former RTI ‘activist’ and current Trinamool Congress leader, was caught sharing a fabricated news report about an RTI query and its response that does not exist. He had claimed that ₹30 crore was spent on PM Modi’s Morbi visit, sharing a news clipping from an unnamed Gujarati newspaper, which was claimed to be Gujarat Samachar. But BJP has said that it is fabricated and no such report was published and there is no such RTI reply, and Gujarat Samachar has also said that they have not published such a report.

Saket Gokhale’s tweet spreading fake news

Citing the so-called report, Gokhale claimed that ₹ 5.5 crore was purely for “welcome, event management, & photography”. He also claimed that “Modi’s event management & PR costs more than life of 135 people”, as the families of the 135 victims of the tragedy were given ex-gratia of ₹4 lakh each, totalling ₹5 crore.

There was no such RTI and no such media report as claimed by Gokhale.

Exit Polls results: BJP to storm back to power in Gujarat, a close contest in Himachal Pradesh

OpIndia Staff
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Exit Polls results: BJP to storm back to power in Gujarat, a close contest in Himachal Pradesh

Following the assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, and MCD polls in Delhi, the exit polls have predicted BJP to return to power in Gujarat with an even greater mandate than in 2017.

The polls also reveal that AAP is sweeping the Delhi MCD polls, likely ending the 15 years of BJP rule over the corporation. 

In Himachal Pradesh, the exit polls predict a close contest between Congress and BJP, with some pollsters giving an advantage to the Congress while others predict BJP’s return to power in the state.

Exit polls predict BJP’s return to power in Gujarat

As per News X-Jan Ki Baat survey on Gujarat elections, BJP is slated to win 117-140 seats, Congress-NCP 34-51, AAP 6-13, and others 1-2.

Republic TV-P Mare survey said that BJP will return to power in Gujarat with 128-148 seats in Vidhan Sabha. Congress is set to get 30-42 seats while AAP is expected to win 2-10 seats.

Aaj Tak-Axis My India also predicted BJP victory in the Gujarat elections, with the saffron party bagging anywhere between 129 to 151 seats.

The News 24-Chanakya exit poll also gave a clear majority to BJP with 150 seats.

All other polls suggested BJP will comfortably get past the majority mark to once again form a government in Gujarat.

A hung assembly in Himachal Pradesh

In the case of Himachal Pradesh, pollsters predicted a hung assembly and a fierce power tussle between Congress and BJP to form a government in the state. 

The Aaj Tak-Axis My India survey gave Congress a slight advantage with 30-40 seats while BJP came a close second with 24-34 seats.

However, the ABP-Cvoter predicted that BJP will trounce Congress in a close fight. Its exit poll said BJP will bag 33-41 seats while granting Congress 24-31 seats. 

While all exit polls predicted a close fight between Congress and BJP, the polls of all exit polls handed the advantage to the saffron party and projected BJP’s return to power in Himachal Pradesh. 

AAP likely to sweep Delhi MCD polls

In Delhi, however, the story is different as AAP is all set to end BJP’s 15-year rule at the Municipal Corporation. All exit polls have predicted a majority for AAP in Delhi MCD polls.

The Aaj Tak-Axis My India said AAP will win 149-171 seats, BJP 69-91 seats, and Congress 3-7 seats.

The News X-Jan Ki Baat exit survey also predicted an AAP sweep in Delhi MCD polls, giving the Arvind Kejriwal-led party 159-175 seats, followed by BJP with 70-92 seats. 

The Times Now-ETG survey too said that AAP is storming to power in Delhi MCD with 146-156 seats as BJP is set to win 84-94 and Congress 6-10. 

‘Clear cut objective to harm Hindus in every manner possible’: Charges framed against ex-AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and 9 others in 2020 Delhi riots

OpIndia Staff
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‘Clear cut objective to harm Hindus in every manner possible’: Charges framed against ex-AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and 9 others in 2020 Delhi riots

A Delhi Court on Monday framed charges against former AAP Councillor Tahir Hussain, Liyaqat Ali, and others for their involvement in the anti-Hindu riots in Delhi in 2020.

The court said there was clear cut objective to harm Hindus in every manner possible while framing charges against the accused, involving former councillor Tahir Hussain, in Delhi Riots 2020.

“The former councillor Tahir Hussain, Riyasat Ali, Gulfam, Shah Alam, Rashid Saifi, Arshad Qayyum, Liyakat Ali, Mohd Shadab, Mohd Abid and Irshad Ahmad, other unknown persons had the objective to harm Hindus in their body & property,” Delhi Court said.

The court held all the accused liable to be tried for hatching a criminal conspiracy to indulge in riots & to harm the properties of Hindus, assaulting persons from the Hindu community, who were present in that building. 

Citing video clips, the court said evidence makes it amply clear that former AAP Councillor Tahir Hussain was actively participating in rioting and persons present on his terrace were pelting stones at adjoining properties on road. 

The court rejected the submission of a former AAP councillor wherein he contended that he was actually throwing water to extinguish the fire and was actually a victim.

The court also took note of the statement of an eyewitness who said Liyakat joined a mob of Muslim persons shouting “Allahu Akbar” started pelting stones at a crowd, and accused Riyasat fired at them with a pistol.

Earlier in October, the court framed charges against former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Councilor Tahir Hussain, his brother Shah Alam, and four other accused in a similar case in connection with the anti-Hindu riots that took place in North-East Delhi in 2020. Justice Pulastya Pramachala, Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) heard the case in the Karkardooma District Court of Delhi and framed charges against former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain, his brother Shah Alam, Tanveer Malik, Gulfam, Nazim, and Kasim.

ASJ Pramachala noted that the mob’s actions were the result of a criminal conspiracy, and all defendants are subject to trial for conceiving a plot to commit riot, kill Hindus, and damage Hindu property.

Role of Tahir Hussain in the Delhi riots

It is notable to mention that Tahir Hussain had earlier confessed in a disclosure statement that he chose his own house as a launchpad for the riots. Given that his house was a high-rise building and was under construction at that time, it was easy to collect stones and bricks without raising any suspicion. 

He confessed that he and his co-conspirators had started collecting stones, bricks, and other ammunition, well in advance so that they could teach those, who were in support of the CAA, a lesson when the time was right. To that end, 2-3 days before the riots broke out, he had also got his licensed pistol released from the police station.

Gujarat Congress spreads fake news of their MLA candidate being abducted, police refutes allegations

OpIndia Staff
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Gujarat Congress spreads fake news of their MLA candidate being abducted, police refutes allegations

On December 5, Gujarat Police refuted the claims of Congress leader Kantibhai Kharadi that he was attacked and abducted. The Congress party had accused Bharatiya Janata Party of attacking and abducting its candidate for Danta Assembly.

As per the reports, on the night of December 5, a missing person report was filed claiming Congress’s Danta candidate Kanti Kharadi has been abducted. The Congress party accused BJP and claimed that it was BJP who attacked and abducted their candidate. The matter reached the police and Range IG JR Morthalia reached the spot with the police force. After searching for around four hours, the Congress leader was found safe in the forest.

Police said Kharadi himself denied claims of assault and abduction

In a statement, the Additional Chief Electoral Officer of Gujarat Kuldeep Arya, said, “A delegation presented the matter in front of the CEO at around midnight on December 4. Chief Electoral Officer P Bharti immediately instructed the Superintendent of Police of Banaskantha district to investigate the matter and submit a report.”

He further added, “Banaskantha police officials immediately met Kantibhai Kharadi. There was no attack on him. He told the police that nothing had happened to him. Even after a request from the police, he said there was no need to file any complaint.”

Congress candidate from Tharad claimed he was attacked

As per reports, Congress leader Gulab Singh Rajput from Tharad also claimed that he was attacked and accused BJP of the same. He claimed that the attack happened late at night in Tharad. After the allegations levels by the Congress leader, the situation in Tharad became tense. The police force was deployed to pacify the situation. After the incident, Gulab Singh went live on Facebook and narrated the incident that he claimed had happened. The political atmosphere in the area got more heated following his Facebook live.

Gujarat Assembly Elections 2022

On December 5, the second and final phase of voting for the Gujarat Assembly election took place. The first phase took place on December 1. The results will be announced on December 8.

Energy crisis: Oil prices rise after European Union and G7 countries impose a price cap on Russian Oil

OpIndia Staff
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Energy crisis: Oil prices rise after European Union and G7 countries impose a price cap on Russian Oil

Days after the European Union and G7 countries decided to cap Russian oil exports at $60 per barrel, the price of Brent crude shot up by almost 2% to $87.25 per barrel on Monday (December 5), reported BBC.

The development comes at a time when 23 Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) have agreed to cut down on the sale of crude oil in the global market.

With a shortage in oil supply, coupled with the arm-twisting of Russia by the European Union and G7 countries, it was expected that prices of crude oil would increase. To add to the woes, demand for oil has increased in several Chinese cities with the easing of the zero Covid-19 policy.

The idea behind caping Russian oil exports at $60 per barrel was to prevent Russia from ‘profiting’ from the ongoing war against Ukraine.

A price cap, set by European Union and G7 countries, implies that oil sold at the agreed price can be shipped using the tankers of the said countries, credit institutions and insurance companies.

It must be mentioned that Russia is the 2nd top producer of crude oil after Saudi Arabia. While reacting to the price cap on its oil exports, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Russia would not accept the price cap and soon decide its future course of action. 

“We are assessing the situation. We will not accept this price ceiling and once the assessment is over, we will inform you how the work will be organised,” Peskov had said.

Russia’s permanent representative to international organisations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, warned that the EU would end up ruing their decision to impose the price cap.

Senior vice-president at Rystad Energy, Jorge Leon, told the BBC, “So probably what’s going to happen is that we will see some disruptions in the coming months and therefore probably oil prices are going to start increasing again in the coming weeks.”

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