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Delhi Lieutenant Governor grants sanction to CBI to prosecute AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan in corruption case

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi Lieutenant Governor grants sanction to CBI to prosecute AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan in corruption case

Lieutenant Governor of National Capital Territory of Delhi VK Saxena has granted prosecution sanction to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to proceed against Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan in the matter of unlawful appointments resulting in damage to the public coffers.

With the LG’s approval, CBI will proceed against him for illegal appointments while he was chairman Waqf Board, causing loss to exchequer. The AAP MLA from Okhla assembly has been booked by CBI under prevention of corruption act and other relevant sections of the IPC. Khan is also accused of corrupt actions and criminal offences including deliberate and criminal violation of rules, regulations, and misuse of position.

Apart from Amanatullah Khan, approval has also been granted to proceed against Mehboob Alam, then CEO of Waqf Board, for criminal violation of rules, misused of position, causing loss to the public exchequer and other relevant sections.

The case against Khan was filed by Sub-divisional magistrate in the revenue depart of the Delhi govt in 2016, alleging illegal appointments in the Waqf Board, causing loss of public money. Following the complaint, the CBI had lodged an FIR in 2016. Reportedly, CBI has probed the matter and found substantial evidence against the AAP MLA, after which the CBI sought the permission from LG to proceed against him.

According to the complaint, the CEO of the new waqf board and over 30 staff members were appointed and employed in contravention of Section 24 of the Waqf Act, 1955 and Delhi Waqf Rules, 1977. The FIR stated that irregular and illegal appointment of officials had led to the loss of revenue of Delhi Waqf Board , and the appointments were done by misusing their official positions as public servants. It was alleged that waqf board properties were leased to the tenants and the encroachers were allowed to possess the properties in contravention of lease rules leading to the loss of revenue/assets for the board.

Khan has a spotty record of disparaging comments and unlawful conduct. Several FIRs have been filed against him, and he is being tried in the majority of them. Amanatullah Khan had threatened Swamy Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati, the main abbot of Dasna Temple, with violence in April 2021 for remarks about Prophet Muhammad. Khan was also declared a BC by Delhi Police earlier this year.

In 2020, Khan was in news for allegedly facilitating the settlement of Rohingya Muslims in Delhi’s Madnapur Khadar. Over 300 Rohingya Muslims were illegally settled in the Madanpur Khadar area of Delhi and are expanding their base, a report by Dainik Bhaskar said. The report also added that they were living illegally right across the cremation ground in the Madanpur Khadar area of the national capital. Moreover, they were settled on the land of the irrigation department of the Uttar Pradesh government which is about 5.2 acres of land.

As per the report, they received all government benefits as well. Amid the lockdown, the Delhi Government and Okhla MLA Amanatullah Khan have been providing a huge amount of rations to them. Madanpur Khadar falls under the Okhla constituency in New Delhi. As per the report, the illegal settlement of Rohingya Muslims had also stolen electricity through illegal means and also have boring water.

Amanatullah Khan was also seen with Sharjeel Imam, the mastermind of the Shaheen Bagh protests who had urged Muslims to cut off North East India from the rest of the country. Sharjeel Imam is now rotting in prison. An FIR was also registered by Ghaziabad Police against Khan for inciting violence through his social media posts. It is also alleged that Khan made an inflammatory speech before violence broke out at Jamia Milia on the 15th of December in 2020.

Patna PFI crackdown: Accused Islamist planning to turn India into Islamic State shortlist these three media houses as preferred propaganda channels

Anurag
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Patna PFI crackdown: Accused Islamist planning to turn India into Islamic State shortlist these three media houses as preferred propaganda channels

On July 14, Bihar Police arrested two individuals identified as Mohammad Jallaluddin and Athar Parvez. While Jallaludin is a former Police officer, Athar Parvez is a member of the Popular Front of India (PFI) and its political arm Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI). Both Jallaluddin and Athar trained a large group of locals on how to use swords and knives under the pretext of martial arts training. They also instigated the crowd with religiously violent statements.

During the investigation, the Police got hold of an 8-page document that underlines the PFI plan for the years ahead. In the document titled ‘India Vision 2047’, they aim to completely dominate the ‘coward Hindus’ and subjugate them, and this goal will be achievable even with 10% of Muslims rallying behind PFI. The document was circulated by PFI internally among its cadre.

‘Only NDTV, The Wire, and BBC allowed’

Blogger and Swayamsewak Ravi Ranjan shared a photograph of the place where they allegedly trained the locals on how to use swords and knives. One particular handwritten poster showed how media might have been playing an unsaid or behind-the-drapes role in whitewashing the criminal acts of these organizations and individuals.

The poster read, “Only Allowed NDTV, The Wire and BBC.” It is noteworthy that these media houses have been repeatedly accused of whitewashing the crimes of Islamists. They often project them as someone who picked the arms because they were oppressed or show the “other” side of the individuals by painting them as “son of a headmaster,” “an engineer,” “shy boy,” or “someone who loves cricket” and more.

How BBC publish misleading reports to whitewash anti-Hindu and Islamist crimes

First, let’s discuss some of the instances where the BBC whitewashed criminal acts in a very non-subtle way. In 2019, BBC published an article in which they painted the convicted former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt as the whistleblower in Gujarat 2002 case. Furthermore, they bluntly lied about the 59 Karsewaks who lost their lives in the attack by Islamists.

When Bhatt was arrested in 2019, BBC tried to project as if it was related to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tenure as Chief Minister of Gujarat. In reality, it was about the custodial death that happened much before the 2002 riots. In the same article, they claimed that the reason for the fire that killed 59 Karsewaks was not clear. However, in 2011, BBC itself reported that the train was attacked by a Muslim mob.

In March this year, BBC published a report on the film The Kashmir Files. In the report, they took interviews of selective people who were not only opposed to the current regime, but some of them were linked to other political parties. BBC conveniently forgot to mention the political affiliation of the interviewees and showcased them as general Kashmiri Pandits. When caught, BBC issued a clarification suggesting they did not know or sought to know if they were affiliated to any political party and gave themselves clean chit.

NDTV tries hard not to ‘blame’ Islamists for any crime

The most recent example where NDTV openly attempted to save Islamists was a TV debate that aired last month. Channel journalist Vishnu Som recently courted controversy after he claimed that speaking about Islamic terrorism can hurt the sentiments of common Muslims.

During a debate hosted by Som on the ongoing Nupur Sharma saga, lawyer and co-panelist Desh Ratan Nigam alleged, “95% of the declared terrorists are from Islam. And 95% of terrorist organizations are from Islam.” He had cited the United Nations to bolster his claims.

“So do we, therefore, typecast everybody who is Muslims (billions of them exist around the world)?” the NDTV journalist defended. “So it is not the BJP that is creating the facts,” Nigam pointed out.

In another incident, while reporting about the anti-Hindu Delhi Riots of 2020, NDTV bluntly whitewashed how a Muslim-owned school was used as an attack base by Islamists. They had painted the Hindus as the aggressors while the ground reality was completely different. Rajdhani school, which was owned by a Muslim, Faisal Farukh, had supplies including stones, petrol bombs, acid packets, and even country-made grenades on its rooftop.

The Wire’s role in whitewashing Islamist crimes

NDTV was not the only one to whitewash Islamist crimes during the anti-Hindu riots of 2020 in Delhi. In a report, The Wire claimed that the school that was gutted during riots was owned by Muslims, and Hindus were the aggressors. This, however, was a lie. The Rajdhani school was a Muslim-owned school that was used as a base to launch attacks, and it was the DRP school, owned by a Hindu, which was completely gutted by the Muslim mob.

In 2019, The Wire interviewed now-jailed Umar Khalid to whitewash the murder of Kamlesh Tiwari. Umar Khalid, while pontificating about how Muslims are peaceful victims being vilified by Hindus after the Kamlesh Tiwari murder, categorically said during the interview that the Muslim community could not ignore an insult against the Prophet of Islam just because the insult did not result in physical harm. To him, an insult to the Prophet of Islam is the same as a physical attack. He further said that Muslims need to fight for their self-respect because an insult against the Prophet of Islam is an attack on Muslim self-respect, and while today it is just an insult, tomorrow it will turn into a physical assault on Muslims.

On multiple occasions, The Wire’s owner Siddharth Varadarajan has tried to whitewash the crimes of Islamists who burnt the train in Godhra, resulting in the death of innocent Hindu Karsewaks. He has been doing this since the riots happened in 2002. A detailed analysis of his write-ups can be seen here.

The media is always biased

If ethics of journalism are to be followed, media should never be biased. The journalists cannot take sides. But the scenario in real life is different. There are many media houses, including the three preferred by the arrested Islamists, who often try to whitewash their crimes and paint them as oppressed and weak. In reality, the vested interests of these media houses and the way they had control over the governments make them do things that are deemed against the ethics of journalism. After all, who can forget the famous interview of Barkha Dutt where she expressed her pain that media personalities and journalists no longer have access to the inside news of the government. Of course, they have to run their propaganda to get hold of the positions that they have lost.

Bangladesh: Hindu victims in Narail recount how Islamist attack turned their lives upside down

OpIndia Staff
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Bangladesh: Hindu victims in Narail recount how Islamist attack turned their lives upside down

Two days after an Islamist mob wreaked havoc in the Narail district of Bangladesh, Hindu victims recounted the horror that transpired on the night of July 15 this year.

Following the Friday prayers (Jumma Namaz), the extremists had attacked properties belonging to the Hindu community. They set three houses on fire, besides dozens of Hindu shops.

The Islamists claimed that an 18-year-old Hindu college student named Akash Saha has hurt their religious sentiments through a Facebook post. Under the pretext of blasphemy, the vicious mob set out to destroy the livelihood of the 108 Hindu families living in the Sahapara village in Narail’s Lohagara Upazila.

Screengrab of the news report by The Daily Star

One of the victims of the dastardly attack was 62-year-old Deepali Rani, whose house was burnt down in front of her eyes. “After one group looted all our valuables, another group came and found our door open. As there was nothing left to loot, they set our home on fire,” she told The Daily Star.

Deepali was forced to hide in a shed, located in the vicinity of the house. She was accompanied by her son Gobinda, who is a betel leaf trader. The duo crawled under a bed to avoid being spotted by the Islamist mob.

“They could not break in as it (the shed) was locked. They then attacked the temple next door and vandalised the idol,” she lamented. The elderly woman pointed out how the belongings of her granddaughter Rai Saha were turned into ashes.

Life of Hindu turned upside down in Sahapara village

Deepali Rani is not related to Akash Saha in a way. Despite this, her shelter was not spared by the Islamist mob. “Only because the student is Hindu and I too am Hindu, my house was burnt down,” she emphasised.

The 62-year-old stated, “I don’t know how long this threat of violence will haunt us. Who will give us justice? Who will give us security? … If I were in the house while they set it on fire, I would have died. God saved me. But is this any way to survive? All I have now is the sari on my body.”

Despite assurance from the Narail district administration, Deepali is unconvinced. She is still seeking answers. “Why was my house set on fire?” she asked. Her daughter-in-law, Chandra Saha, was not in the Sahapara village at the time of the attack.

On returning home, Chandra learnt about the tragedy that befell her family. She told The Daily Star, “I don’t want to stay here with my children. I don’t want to be a victim.”

One fertilizer dealer named Gopal Saha recounted how he was mercilessly assaulted by the Islamists. He informed that he has been doing business in the Dighalia market for 22 years.

“The only reason they beat me up was that I was Hindu. The accused boy’s house is far away from mine. How is this my fault? … As a Hindu, I don’t feel safe in this village anymore,” he said.

Islamist attacks trigger a mass exodus

According to an ex-member of Dighalia Union Parishad, Beauty Rani, a large number of Hindus have left the Sahapara village after the onslaught by Islamists.” Almost all houses are locked. Only the elders of some families are home. They too are scared,” she informed.

Rani lamented, “When we were being attacked, the police were there. They were watching from a distance and no one came to our rescue. The police can no longer be trusted and that is why people are leaving the village.”

When The Daily Star correspondent Dipankar Roy visited the village, he found only 2 old men in a small hut. Reportedly, one of them was the President of the Radha-Govinda temple of Sahapara village named Shibnath Saha (65).

“Police are on guard in the village, but we cannot trust them. After detaining Ashoke on Friday, the officer-in-charge and Upazila Nirbahi officer told everyone that they were deploying additional forces and that our community would be safe. The attack took place within a few hours,” he said.

According to Dighalia Union Parishad member, Azgar Ali, the government has assured to provide Tk 26000 (₹22,124) to the affected families and rebuild their houses.

Anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh over ‘blasphemy’

In the wee hours of October 13,2021, radical Islamist Iqbal Hossain entered the Nanuar Dighir Par Durga Mandir in Cumilla district of Bangladesh and placed a copy of the Quran on the feet of the idol of Lord Hanuman. His actions triggered a series of violent attacks against the minority Hindus in the country.

The Hindu community had insisted vehemently that nobody among them had placed the Quran at the Puja Pandal and the incident was a deliberate plan to attack the Hindu community.

For over five days, houses and temples of the Hindu community in Bangladesh remained under attack. Videos of broken idols, demolished pandals and Moorti of Maa Durga being thrown in a pond emerged on social media platforms along with other videos of attacks on Hindus.

The police identified Iqbal after analysing video footage at the puja venue, informed Comilla Superintendent of Police (SP) Farooq Ahmed. On October 21 night, the Cox’s Bazar police arrested the accused Iqbal Hossain at around 11 pm.

The development was confirmed by the additional DIG (Crime and Operations) of Chattogram Range Zakir Hossain Khan to the Daily Star. Hossain was handed over to the Cumilla police for further probe in the matter.

After analysing the CCTV footage, it was also found that the accused incited people to commit violence in the morning and gave hate speeches against Hindus.

Award-winning Imam blames women’s exposed thighs for soaring meat prices

OpIndia Staff
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Award-winning Imam blames women’s exposed thighs for soaring meat prices

An award-winning Imam in Muslim-majority Kyrgyzstan has blamed women’s thighs for the skyrocketing prices of meat in the country. He said that women have cheapened them by showing too much of their skin.

Imam Sadybakas Doolov said in a program in the capital city of Bishkek, “Do you know when meat prices go up in your town? It goes up when women’s flesh cheapens. A woman’s meat becomes cheap when she bares skin and exposes her thighs like a thumb.”

The 53-year-old award-winning cleric, who formerly served as the president of an Islamic university, urged senior men to bring an end to this shame and prohibit women from wearing scant attire. Doolov’s words triggered a flood of outraged responses in the Muslim majority country when a video of his preaching was uploaded on social media. Some accused the Imam of insulting and discriminating against women and demanded a criminal investigation against him.

The country’s highest Islamic authority, on the other hand, has defended the Imam, saying his remarks did not violate any rules. Doolov’s provocative remark has been investigated by the state-backed Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kyrgyzstan (DUMK). According to the DUMK, Doolov’s words did not breach any Islamic regulations, did not disrespect anyone’s honor or dignity, and did not meddle with politics. According to the report, the investigation looked into Doolov’s remarks using those three criteria.

The agency also talked with the Imam, who won the coveted DUMK Aikol Award in 2020. Doolov’s remark, according to the DUMK, was simply misinterpreted by many. The DUMK inquiry came after two Kyrgyz activists requested an investigation from the State Committee for National Security and the Prosecutor-General’s Office.

Doolov claims that critics took his statements during a 30-minute lecture out of context and misconstrued them. The outspoken Imam stated that he intended for people to evaluate their own moral standards rather than blame authorities or traders for everything. He said, “There were some words on why you’re talking about the high price of meat but your honor is not offended when women walk around with their naked bodies.”

The Imam stated that he had no intention of demeaning women. However, numerous Kyrgyz social media users accused him of chauvinism, stupidity, and religious misrepresentation.

One of the critics commented on social media, “Simply genius! Now, please check on Google the price of meat in some Arab countries [where women are covered head-to-toe] and see if your theory works there, too.”

Another Kyrgyz woman sarcastically wrote, “Women must be behind the economic crisis and bad roads, too.” She also said that She would not have worn short skirts if she had realized the repercussions.

Doolov’s words, according to one Kyrgyz, indicated radical notions, and his understanding of Islam should be investigated by security forces. Several others expressed worry that religious individuals with dubious ideologies are teaching Islam to the next generation.

Doolov is very active on social media, frequently sharing videos with more than 124,000 Instagram followers and over 200,000 YouTube subscribers. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he reportedly acquired his religious education at a private madarasa in the neighboring country Tajikistan. Doolov was the head of at least two Islamic schools in Kyrgyzstan, according to Kyrgyz media sources. He presently works as an Imam in Bishkek’s Sverdlov district.

Uttar Pradesh: Farmer files complaint against Lord Indra for lack of rain in Gonda, Tahsildar forwards it to district admin

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Farmer files complaint against Lord Indra for lack of rain in Gonda, Tahsildar forwards it to district admin

In a bizarre incident, a farmer has lodged a complaint against Hindu God Indra seeking action against him for lack of rain in the Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh. It is notable that Indra is considered the God of rain in Hinduism.

As per reports, a farmer named Sumit Kumar Yadav submitted the complaint against the heavenly God at a Sampurna Samadhan Divas that was observed on 16th July 2022. After receiving the complaint, the Tahsildar forwarded it to the District Magistrate for necessary action.

Sampurna Samadhan Divas – Total Solution Day – was observed in the Gonda district on Saturday. At this event, the farmer named Sumit Kumar Yadav wrote a complaint to the Tahsildar of Colonelganj asking for action against Lord Indra as it did not rain well for the last so many months in the area. Sumit Kumar Yadav lives in the Katra Bazar block which falls under the Kaudiya police station area in the Jhala village in the Colonelganj Tahsil of the Gonda district.

In his complaint (complaint number 684 as seen in the picture) lodged against Lord Indra regarding scarce rains and droughts in the area, Sumit Kumar Yadav wrote, “With this complaint, the complainant hereby wishes to bring this to the notice of honorable officers that it has not rained for the last so many months. People are in great trouble because of the droughts. This situation has caused adverse effects on animals and agriculture. The women and children in families are facing great difficulties due to this. Therefore, we request you to take proper action in this case and oblige.”

The Tahsildar has apparently forwarded this letter to the DM’s office for further action. The complaint letter has the official seal of the Tahsildar and a remark that reads ‘forwarded for next action’. As the letter went viral, it was being discussed in the locality that either the Tahsildar was overstressed in his work or he is so careless that he did not even read the complaint properly before forwarding it to the higher authorities.

In the complaint, Sumit Kumar Yadav named “Indra Devata (Bhagwanji)” as the party against whom the complaint has been submitted. Upon receiving this complaint, the tahsildar forwarded the same to the higher authorities. The complaint has the ‘agrasarit’ stamp on it, which means forwarded. It also has the signature and the stamp of the Tahsildar.

After the copy of the complaint viral on social media, the district authorities have taken up the matter, and have assured a probe. DM Dr. Ujjwal Kumar said that the district administration has taken the matter seriously. He said that the case has been handed over to CRO Jay Yadav for investigation. Yadav will be reaching Colonelganj for the probe.

However, the Tahsildar has denied any knowledge about any such complaint. According to a report by Dainik Jagran, Tahsildar Narsinh Narayan Varma was shocked when he was asked about this viral complaint letter. He said, “No such matter came to me. The seal seen on that complaint letter is a duplicate seal. The complaints received in the Sampurna Samadhan Divas are nominated to respective departments and these complaints are never forwarded to any other offices. So, this whole thing looks concocted. This is being investigated.”

As the Tahsildar has denied knowledge of the complaint, it is being speculated that the complaint was received and forwarded without reading it.

‘Community awards 25 lakhs for marrying a Hindu woman’: Salman, Kalu Khan, and Aslan threaten to kidnap and marry a Hindu girl in Jaipur

OpIndia Staff
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‘Community awards 25 lakhs for marrying a Hindu woman’: Salman, Kalu Khan, and Aslan threaten to kidnap and marry a Hindu girl in Jaipur

In Jaipur, Rajasthan’s capital city, a shocking case of love jihad has emerged, in which the accused Kalu Khan and two others threatened the victim’s mother, saying they would kidnap her daughter once she reached adulthood on July 15. They said they will do it because their community awards 25 lakh rupees for marrying a Hindu girl and converting her to Islam.

The accused also said that if the family members of the girl tried to interfere in the matter, they will meet the fate of Kanhaiya Lal. A case has been lodged at the Jaisinghpura Khor police station in Jaipur and an inquiry into the matter of love jihad has been initiated.

According to media sources, the victim’s mother has filed a police complaint. She said in her complaint that Asalan and Kalu Khan harassed her teenage daughter repeatedly when she was a student at a school in the Chaksu neighbourhood. They had even kidnapped the girl about a year earlier, the cops found the girl after a complaint was filed. A few days later, the accused abducted the girl yet again. Later, she was found and taken to a shelter house by Mansarovar police. Since then, she has remained there.

On July 7, Salman, Kalu Khan, and Aslan threatened the girl’s mother to kidnap the girl once more since she would be 18 on July 15. The woman and her husband were threatened with the same fate as Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur if they resisted.

The accused allegedly threatened to kill the girl or divorce her after their marriage since he was just getting married to her in order to receive the 25 lakhs that their community awards them for marrying a Hindu girl, according to the girl’s mother.

Jaisinghpura Khor Police Station SHO Satpal Yadav stated that the police have received the complaint and are investigating the matter. He said that the police have been apprised of earlier incidents of similar threats.

‘This man roams around as a big Hindu leader, beat him’: Islamist mob assaults Bajrang Dal leader in Surat

OpIndia Staff
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‘This man roams around as a big Hindu leader, beat him’: Islamist mob assaults Bajrang Dal leader in Surat

A Bajrang Dal activist was attacked by a group of Islamists in Surat on Saturday, July 16, 2022. Bajrang Dal’s Surat city Satsang President Pinkesh Rana was returning to his home in the evening on Saturday when he was attacked.

As he reached the Brahman Faliya area near Begampura, three men passed by on a Pulsar bike hitting Pinkesh Rana’s moped. This caused a heated exchange of words between Pinkesh Rana and the attackers. This led to a scuffle as the three men assaulted Pinkesh Rana. In his complaint, Pinkesh Rana said that the attack was carried out because of a complaint he earlier made against unrest.

The complaint mentions that the three attackers thrashed Pinkesh Rana down from his moped and started beating him up with a sickle. One of the attackers also hit Pinkesh Rana with a belt. In the meantime, a crowd gathered around. The man beating Pinkesh Rana with a belt dragged him on the road and said, “This man is roaming around as if he is some big Hindu leader. Beat him.”

CCTV footage of the incident. Image Courtesy: OpIndia Sources

Yagneshbhai Patel is the Bajrang Dal coordinator of the Shahpore area in Surat. He was passing by coincidentally. Identifying Pinkesh Rana, he intervened along with another person to disperse the crowd and saved Pinkesh Rana. In the complaint, Pinkesh Rana alleged that he was attacked because in the police Lok Darbar he had raised the issue of the properties purchased by Muslims in the Golwad and Mahidharpura areas and the unrest created thereafter. Pinkesh Rana claimed that the attackers were already angry at him because he raised these questions in front of the police in the Lok Darbar, that is – the public hearing.

Bajrang Dal leader Yagneshbhai Patel, who witnessed the incident in the matter, told OpIndia, “I was standing near a Chinese food stall at the same spot when this incident took place. When the mob was beating Pinkesh Rana, I identified him and intervened in the scuffle with the help of another friend and rescued him. Meantime, the mob also attacked me. A crowd of thirty to forty people arrived suddenly and had we not intervened, there could have been a serious incident. This does not seem to be an accidental incident because many people in the mob had some or other weapon in their hands. I suspect that this is a pre-planned attack.”

In connection with the entire incident, Pinkesh Rana lodged a legal complaint in the Mahidharpura police station against Nasir, Arman, Zaheer, Javed, Adil, Asif, Javed Langda and Yusuf, etc. On the basis of the complaint, the police registered a case under sections 323, 143, 147, and 504 of the IPC and took further action.

According to police sources, the police took action after the FIR was registered. The police traced and arrested three accused in connection with this attack on the Bajrang Dal activist in Surat. The arrested accused are currently being interrogated. According to the guidelines, the arrested accused will be presented in court after their corona test.

This is not the first case of such an attack. Earlier, an Islamic mob had entered the house of a youth in the Sagbara area of the Narmada district and attacked him.

Journalist Pritish Nandy raises ‘Muslim PM bogey’ ahead of presidential elections, here is why it is dumb and evil

Dibakar Dutta
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Journalist Pritish Nandy raises ‘Muslim PM bogey’ ahead of presidential elections, here is why it is dumb and evil

Ahead of the 2022 Presidential election, ‘journalist’ Pritish Nandy today cast aspersions on India’s inclusivity and the integrity of the country’s electoral system. While a tribal woman is becoming the president of the country for the first time, he questioned whether a Muslim will become prime minister or president, implying it will never happen.

In a tweet on Sunday (July 17), he lamented about the supposed lack of diversity when it comes to the highest electoral office of the country.

“An Indian-origin woman is Vice-President of the US. An Indian-origin man has a shot at being Prime Minister of Britain. But will an Indian-born Muslim be Prime Minister or President of India ever again?” he inquired.

Screengrab of the tweet by Pritish Nandy

“Can you make 1 out of every 7 Indians ineligible for high political office?” Nandy further asked. From the very onset, the journalist did not spare any opportunity to limit political offices to ‘religious identity.’

Shifting goal posts out of political inconvenience

While he talked about the ‘Indian race’ in the case of Kamala Harris (US Vice-President) and Rishi Sunak (potential UK PM candidate), Pritish Nandy was quick to shift the goalpost to religion in the Indian context.

And he zeroed in on a religious group, which is proportionately the largest among all religious minorities in the country. Through his tweet, the ‘journalist’ also suggested that the interests of Muslims can be served only if there is a Muslim Prime Minister or President.

The same ecosystem had recently snubbed Presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu by claiming that her tribal identity alone will not serve the interests of the ST community.

Pritish Nandy resorts to political tokenism

Pritish Nandy insinuated that there would ‘never’ be a Muslim Prime Minister or a President again, under the current political climate. This is a part of an attempt to create hysteria among the Muslim community that they will not find a political representation in Modi’s India.

Such well-thought-out aspersions effectively play into the narrative of ‘Muslims are under threat in the country,’ despite a plethora of evidence to the contrary.

Nonetheless, India has a history of being inclusive and accommodating of all religious communities and social groups. The incumbent Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, belongs to the OBC community while the current President Ram Nath Kovind belongs to the SC community.

Our upcoming President belongs to the ST community. The Bharatiya Janata Party, which is often demonised as averse to the Muslim interests, had given the country its most beloved President – APJ Abdul Kalam.

Not just the BJP, but even its predecessor Congress had appointed 2 Muslim Presidents – Zakir Hussain (1967-1969) and Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed (1974-1977), although the latter’s legacy is tainted for proclaiming ‘Emergency’ in 1975.

India also had a Sikh President Giani Zail Singh (1982-1987) and Sikh Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (2004-2014), however for left liberals, only minorities in India are Muslims. We should also not forget Muslim Vice-President Hamid Ansari (now under scanner for compromising India’s national security).

While Pritish Nandi praises USA and UK for racial diversity of their presidents and prime ministers, and complains about not having a Muslim PM in India, he conveniently forgets that none of those countries had a non-Christian head of the government or head of the state, despite being democratic countries for much longer then India.

Moving beyond social constructs

Political tokenism and social constructs have plagued this country for a long time. After 74 years of Independence, we cannot limit our political representatives to mere religious and caste identities.

While diversity and representation must be encouraged, meritocracy should also remain a determining factor. Pritish Nandy and his ilk will never appreciate such an ‘idea of India’ where tokenism becomes futile.

And his contentious tweet comes at a time when Draupadi Murmu is all set to win the Presidential elections. No wonder, Balasaheb Thackeray lamented about sending the ‘idiot’ journalist to Rajya Sabha.

Burning smell noticed in vents of Air India Express Calicut-Dubai flight, diverted to Muscat: DGCA

OpIndia Staff
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Burning smell noticed in vents of Air India Express Calicut-Dubai flight, diverted to Muscat: DGCA

On July 17, it was reported that a Dubai-bound Air India Express aircraft VT-AXX operating flight IX-355 that took off from Calicut was diverted to Muscat after a burning smell was noticed from one of the vents in the forward galley. News Agency ANI reported the incident quoting the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

As per reports, the burning smell was coming from one of the vents in the forward galley. The pilots diverted the plane to Muscat and landed it safely. The investigation into the matter is underway.

This is the latest incident in a series of close shaves during flights in India recently. DGCA further said that on July 16 (Saturday), a Bangkok-bound Ethiopian Airlines aircraft that took off from Addis Ababa had made an emergency landing at Kolkata airport due to a pressurization issue. A day before that, on Friday, a plane of Sri Lankan airlines had made an emergency landing at Chennai airport following a hydraulic issue.

Indigo flight diverted to Karachi

Earlier on July 17, a Sharjah-Hyderabad Indigo flight had to make an emergency landing at Karachi, Pakistan, after the pilot reported a technical snag. As per the latest reports, the replacement aircraft has already reached Karachi, and all 125 passengers will leave for Hyderabad soon.

On July 14, Indigo’s Delhi-Vadodara flight had to make a precautionary landing at Jaipur after vibrations were observed in the engines. On July 5, a SpiceJet flight made an emergency landing in Karachi following a technical glitch.

‘Is it a sin to be a Hindu’: Nambi Narayanan reacts to complaints of his portrayal as a Hindu in his biopic ‘Rocketry: The Nambi Effect’

OpIndia Staff
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‘Is it a sin to be a Hindu’: Nambi Narayanan reacts to complaints of his portrayal as a Hindu in his biopic ‘Rocketry: The Nambi Effect’

Former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan has reacted to criticism of his portrayal as a Hindu in his biopic ‘Rocketry: The Nambi Effect‘, where R. Madhavan is playing his role. A video clip from one of his interviews went viral on social media in which Nambi Narayanan asked if it is a sin to be a Hindu.

‘Rocketry: The Nambi Effect’ was released on 1st July 2022. R Madhavan has written and directed the film. He has also played the lead role of Nambi Narayanan. The liberal and leftist media and film critics have outraged on portraying Nambi Narayanan as a practicing Hindu in this film. In an interview with Deccan Vahini, Nambi Narayanan said, “It is funny sometimes. You know somebody wrote a review saying that Nambi Narayanan is shown as Hindu. Nambi Narayanan is doing some Utsavam, reciting Suprabhatam, this, that, and all kinds of things. He is a Brahmin. He is a Hindu. Hindutva is being shown. I just wanted to ask you – I am a Hindu. I mean I have no shame in saying that. Is it a sin to be a Hindu?”

Nambi Narayanan further said, “When I am a Hindu and my story is shown, they will show me as a Hindu only. They can’t put me as a Muslim or as a Christian. So what is it that we are talking about? Is it a sin to be a Brahmin? I am not a Brahmin, that is a different question. Is it a sin? If there is a Brahmin fellow, you will just cut him short. There are so many Brahmins, who have given their lives for this country. Not just one. I can give you a list. So the point I am making is we are unnecessarily coloring the issue.”

Narayanan made the comments when at the end of the interview, he was asked if has any political ambitions. While he replied that he remains a scientist and he has no interest in joining politics, he opened up about politics being played in his name.

Nambi Narayanan further added that he received support from politicians from two opposite ends of the ideological spectrum, and that matters to him more than any controversy. He said, “We see Narendra Modi as a BJP leader, not as a Prime Minister. For your information, I will tell you. Forget about Narendra Modi. Do you know that the present chief minister of Kerala has given me excellent support? In what way his support is less? He has cut down on the fighting of my case. So you will call me a communist fellow?”

Nambi Narayanan told the journalist, “You are not asking me that question, why because you have some kind of mindset in this. You want to brand me as a BJP person etc. I am just trying to be very frank with you. Maybe I am wrong but you correct yourself either in your future questions or in understanding the issue. Now, tomorrow you will find, I am sure, it may be a Shiv Sena fellow or it may be a party that has nothing to do with me. When they support me, don’t color me with them. I am happy to note, actually speaking, that Narendra Modi and Pinarayi Vijayan both are two extremes. If they both support me, don’t you think I have a reason to be happy? Is it not proving that there is merit in my case? Otherwise, why the hell these people are coming and supporting me? So I am very happy about it and I have no inclination to color myself with that political line.”

It is notable that film critic Anupama Chopra reviewed the film and expressed her objections to showing Nambi Narayanan as a practicing Hindu in this film. She wrote in her review, “It’s admirable that the film has brought Narayanan’s many accomplishments into the spotlight, but the screenplay repeatedly underlines his patriotism and also leans pointedly into his religion. Our first visual of Narayanan is in the puja room at his home. At crucial moments, he prays. Narayanan is a true-blue Hindu patriot.”

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