Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions released the trailer of the upcoming film Jug Jugg Jeeyo on May 22. Within an hour, Vishal A Singh, a creative executive producer, and Chartered Accountant accused Dharma Productions of using a script he shared with them in 2020 for their latest film.
In a tweet, Vishal said that he had registered the script named ‘Bunny Rani’ with Screenwriting Association in January 2020. A month later, in February 2020, he mailed Dharma Productions for an opportunity to co-produce the film with them, for which he had received a reply from the production house as well. He alleged that they picked his story and made Jug Jugg Jeeyo. “Not fair, Karan Johar,” Vishal wrote.
In a follow-up tweet, Vishal attached a screenshot of the email he had sent to Dharma Productions on February 17, 2020, and wrote, “An official complaint will follow.”
Jug Jugg Jeeyo trailer released
Jug Jugg Jeeyo is an upcoming Bollywood film by Dharma Productions starring Varun Dhawan, Kiara Advani, Anil Kapoor, and Neetu Kapoor. Produced by Hiroo Yash Johar, Karan Johar, and Apoorva Mehta, the film is directed by Raj Mehta. The film deals with the sensitive subject of divorce and separation with a comic touch. The film is set for release on June 24.
OpIndia tried to reach out to Vishal, but he was not available to discuss the matter in detail. More updates will follow later.
On May 21, Hindu organizations and locals protested against Christian Missionaries who had organized a two-day program outside a community hall in Green City, Dhakoli (Zirakpur), district Mohali, Punjab. They alleged that the missionaries were luring people of the locality to convert to Christianity, and the people sitting there were brought from outside. During the protest, the women from the Missionary group pushed BJP leader Neetu Khurana who was protesting along with the locals against the use of a car with ‘Police’ tag by the missionaries. Khurana is General Secretary, Punjab Mahila Morcha.
The dubious missionary event
The two-day event started in the locality on May 21 at around 5 PM. The members of the Church group gathered outside the community hall and made announcements on the loudspeaker inviting people from Green City, Mamata Enclave, and Laxmi Enclave (three localities in the area) to come and ‘experience the wonders of Jesus Christ’.
Though no one from the locality came to hear them, the church group continued praising Christianity for a few hours. During the program, Shlok Aggarwal, a resident of the locality, approached the group and urged them to shut down the program as it was causing unnecessary disturbance. He asked them to lower the volume, but they did not pay attention to his request. Along with Shlok, other locals also objected to the program.
During the program, the speakers of the Church group made dubious claims. They promised that if the person joined them, he or she would be free of all the financial and health problems. The speaker said, “Jesus Christ will bless you and take away all your problems. If any one of you has any financial or health problems, come and take blessings of Jesus Christ.”
The second-day event took place in the presence of Police
As the Church group faced opposition from the locals on the first day of the event, on the second day, they came with Police for ‘protection’. However, the Hindu groups and locals were not in the mood to let them continue with the program. There were multiple issues that they had raised in front of the Police officers that were present at the scene.
Protesters called ‘adharmi’
When the locals started chanting slogans like Jai Shri Ram and Bharat Mata Ki Jai against the missionary program, the person addressing the attendees from the stage termed Hindus chanting slogans as ‘adharmi’. He said, “A person following Dharma would not have a problem with our program. Only an adharmi would disrupt a religious program.’
Outsiders brought inside the locality for the program
The first objection that was raised was that there were no locals sitting there listening to the speakers of the Church group. The locals alleged that not a single person sitting there was from the locality and everyone was brought in from outside. “It is a threat to the security of our locality. If something happens because of their presence, who will be responsible?” asked Mahendra Kumar, State Planning Head of Dharam Jagran Samanvay.
Speaking to OpIndia, Shlok Aggarwal, Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad’s Social Media Convener, said, “There is no local resident attending their meeting. I am amazed how they got permission to hold such a program here. They are luring the people in this locality to convert. It is happening all across Punjab. We cannot allow this to happen.” He further said, “I came here with three other people. When they saw our tilak, they threatened us and asked us to leave. We were not expecting the Police would come for their protection. Instead of stopping them from attempting conversions, the Police are stopping us. Are we not allowed to stand in our own locality while the outsiders are attempting to convert Hindus without any fear?”
‘Luring people to convert in exchange for perks is wrong’
RSS Karyakarta Rahul N Sharma said, “These people indulge in conversions in exchange for perks. Luring people to convert in exchange for perks is wrong in any religion. If I go and tell people that I will pay them Rs 1,000 to join Shakha, there will be so much halla bol against it. However, here no one is ready to acknowledge this problem. It is different when people convert over faith to other religions. Still, if someone is getting converted to Christianity or Islam in exchange for money or a promise of a ‘better future’ it is wrong and unethical.”
“The administration is stopping us from raising our voice instead of stopping these people who are trying to convert our Hindu and Sikh brothers and sisters. I want to ask when is this going to stop? We want an answer”, Shlok said.
Students facing problems amidst exams
The board exams got postponed, and currently, many students in the locality are preparing for the same. Local BJP leader Neetu Khurana was present at the scene. She said, “I am amazed that SDM gave permission for such a program despite the fact that the students here are preparing for the exams. These people are creating a nuisance, and the Police are not taking any action against them.”
Meanwhile, some students came and requested the Police to at least ask them to reduce the volume of the loudspeakers, but nothing happened for long. Irked by the inaction of the Police, the locals raised Jai Shri Ram, Bharat Mata Ki Jai and Har Har Mahadev slogans repeatedly. They warned the Police that they would sit there in protest if the volume was not lowered. The program was scheduled to end at 9 PM, and at around 8:30 PM, the Police asked the Church group to lower the volume.
‘Try to organize it in Panchkula if you have guts’
A local resident was miffed with the Church group’s attempt to allegedly convert the residents to Christianity. He said, “If you have guts, try to organize such a program in Panchkula (Haryana). Cross the border and organize such a conversion program there. This has become a major problem in Punjab, and the authorities are doing nothing.”
Another local resident pointed out that such conversion programs were going on without any hurdles because Hindus were not raising their voice. He said, “Now when Hindus have raised voices against the conversions, they are getting agitated. Now they have called the Police to stop us. We will not stop. This is not acceptable, and we are not going to let them try to convert our brothers and sisters.”
Car with ‘Police’ tag used by Church group
When the program ended, a car came to pick up the Church group members. To the shock of the locals, the car, which had a Chandigarh registration number, had the ‘Police’ tag on the windshield. They came in front of the car and questioned how a vehicle with a Police tag was being used for conversion programs. The Police tried to remove them from the spot, but they did not budge.
Source: RSS Karyakarta/Prashant
The Police called the headquarters and requested SHO Hardeep Singh to come and intervene. Meanwhile, a scuffle broke between the female members of the Church group and BJP’s Neetu Khurana. She was standing in front of the car with Hindu leaders and local residents demanding a challan for using a car with a Police tag.
As the male members of the Church group could not get the path cleared, the female members of the Church group came forward and tried to pull Khurana. When she refused to move and warned them not to touch her, they pushed and forcibly tried to remove her. The Police had to intervene and save Khurana from them.
Local SHO says it is a minor issue
SHO Hardeep Singh arrived at the location and talked to both sides. Initially, he requested the people standing in front of the car to move aside and promised a challan would be issued at the Police Station. However, no one was ready to move from there.
The Challan book was brought by another officer within a few minutes. Challan was issued for misusing the Police tag on the car used for a religious event. Speaking to OpIndia, SHO Singh said it was a minor issue, and everything was settled. The locals and leaders present at the scene thanked the Police for their cooperation after SHO assured appropriate action would be taken in the matter against the owner of the vehicle.
Questions were raised over permission for a religious program to non-locals
The local residents who reside in Mamata Enclave, Laxmi Enclave, and Green City raised objections over the permission granted to the Church group for an event without the involvement of the locals. The committees of all three localities denied information of any permission given to the group to use the Community Hall for the event. Generally, the committee gives permission for such events, but the group had approached SDM for the same.
Notably, the permission documents shared with OpIndia by the locals did not mention the Christian program or ‘Changai Sabha’. The application given by the Church group read, “We are organizing a Satsang at Lakshmi Enclave, Community Center, Dhakoli, Zirakpur. We request you to allow us to use loudspeakers for the same.”
Source: RSS Karyakarta/Prashant
The address mentioned on the permission letter was of a man identified as Robin resident of Shanti Enclave, which is located outside the gated society. People living around the community hall said they do not know anyone named Robin, and no one came to ask them for permission or even informed them about the event.
‘We want forced conversions to stop’
Speaking to OpIndia, Mahender Kumar said, “These people lure poor Hindus in the name of better education, money and food to convert to Christianity. It is the responsibility of the state, society and Hindu organizations to not let such conversions happen. It is unfortunate that the government and society have failed to stop these conversions. Hindu organizations are working extensively to put a stop to the practice of conversions by luring the poor over fake promises of a ‘better life.”
Forced religious conversions in Punjab
Punjab is one of the hotspots of forced religious conversions in the country. Many pastors and churches have mushroomed in the state over the past few years. These groups are luring people to convert by promising them a ‘better life’ and relief from ailments. Alleged prophet Bajinder is one of the finest examples of such self-proclaimed God-men working in the state.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to travel to Japan next week to attend the important Quad summit. As the Prime Minister embarks on yet another important official tour, an interesting detail regarding his travel plans has come out.
PM Modi, who is known to have a tight work schedule, has reportedly yet again decided to travel mostly during the night to save time. Prime Minister Modi will leave for Japan on May 22 night, arriving early morning in Tokyo on May 23.
“PM Modi will be leaving for Tokyo on the night of May 22, arriving early next morning and heading straight to work. Overall, he would have visited 5 countries this month while spending a total of only 3 nights in these countries and 4 on the plane to save time,” tweeted BJP IT-cell head Amit Malviya.
PM Modi will be leaving for Tokyo on the night of 22 May, arriving early next morning and heading straight to work. Overall, he would have visited 5 countries this month while spending a total of only 3 nights in these countries and 4 on plane to save time.https://t.co/YCZafOo72O
Reportedly, PM Modi follows a regular pattern during his foreign visits to save time and resources. The prime minister mostly boards flights at night so that he can reach there early morning and then attend meetings the next day.
PM Modi will be visiting Japan on May 23 and 24, where he will be attending the Quad summit in Tokyo. Quad is the strategic security dialogue between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States of America.
During his trip to Japan, PM Modi will also hold bilateral meetings with US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and the newly elected Australian PM Anthony Albanese.
Similarly, PM Modi spent just a night in Germany and Denmark during his recent trips to the two countries. He will be following a similar routine in Japan as well, where he will be spending one night in Tokyo during the course of his visit.
The PMO sources said that Prime Minister Modi has been doing this for several years. In the early nineties, when PM Modi began his overseas trips, he visited the destinations during the day and took the last flight back so that hotel-stay money could be saved. He used to sleep in the plane and airports very often, the sources revealed.
On Sunday (May 22), the bomb disposal squad detonated 800 active crude bombs in Bakcha village in Moyna Block in Purba Medinipur district of West Bengal.
As per reports, the police acted on specific inputs and conducted a search operation in the Hogla forest area on Saturday (May 21) evening. The explosives were found stored in 12 plastic drums. The visuals of the detonation were shared by news agency ANI.
#WATCH Bomb Disposal Squad neutralises bombs which were found yesterday in Hogla forest area of Bakcha in Purba Medinipur, West Bengal pic.twitter.com/xOLnTNvoXc
“A huge quantity of bombs has been recovered. Combing operation is still underway. Bomb Disposal Squad has started the process to neutralize the bombs found in the Hogla forest area,” informed West Bengal police.
A huge quantity of bombs has been recovered. Combing operation is still underway. Bomb Disposal Squad has started the process to neutralize the bombs found in the Hogla forest area: West Bengal Police pic.twitter.com/A4cAbRgsGQ
Crude bombs are time and again found in various parts of West Bengal. On March 25 this year, the police recovered 200 crude bombs from Margram village in Rampurhat II CD Block in Birbhum district of West Bengal. The area falls under the administration of the Hansan Vidhan Sabha constituency.
As per reports, about 6 barrels of crude bombs were seized by the police. The bomb squad was also summoned to detonate the live bombs. It must be mentioned that Margram is located only a few kilometres away from Bogtui village, where 8 people were charred to death following the alleged murder of a TMC leader named Bhadu Sheikh.
Last month, four kids were injured in a crude bomb explosion while playing football in West Bengal’s Malda district. The explosives, according to officials, were concealed in a trench nearby a mosque where the children were playing.
The incident occurred in Gopalganj’s Kaliachak police station area. Two of the four children were discharged from the hospital after getting preliminary medication, while the other two underwent treatment at the Malda Medical College and Hospital.
On Sunday, Trinamool Congress leader Saket Gokhale took to Twitter to attack Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on the cental government’s recent decision to reduce excise duty on petrol and diesel.
Sitharaman had announced a cut in excise duty on Saturday evening, which paved way for reduction of fuel price across India.
Calling the Finance Minister a ‘spin doctor’, the Trinamool Congress leader claimed that the decision is a loss to the exchequer of the states. As per Saket Gokhale, the reduction in excise duty meant that the centre will have to share the burden with the state, resulting in less devolution of excise duty to the states.
According to Saket Gokhale, the states’ share 42 per cent of the fuel excise duty, and after yesterday’s cut, the states have to forego Rs.2.52/litre on petrol and Rs. 3.36/litre on diesel in revenue.
He also claimed that the Finance Minister did not reduce the cess on fuels, which goes entirely to Union Govt. “It is an eyewash,” Gokhale, a known peddler of fake news, claimed on social media.
However, the claims made by former Congress troll-turned-TMC leader Saket Gokhale that the centre’s decision to slash the excise duty would cost the states’ share of excise duty are outrightly false.
Will states lose tax revenue due to excise rate cut?
Short answer is no. Let us understand how states will not lose any tax revenue due to a slash in excise rates by the centre.
The central government has the power to levy taxes on the production of petroleum products, while states tax their sale. The central government charges an excise duty of 31 per cent and 34 per cent of the current retail prices of petrol and diesel. In addition, the dealer commission is 4 per cent for petrol and 3 per cent for diesel.
Further, the state governments levy sales tax/ Value Added Tax (VAT), which vary across states.
In addition, the central excise duty has two components: basic excise duty and cess on petrol and diesel. The centre shares some part of the levied taxes with the states as part of its tax devolution process. The Centre retains the cess part and the remaining excise duty.
Besides this, there is additional excise duty. It is the duty which the Centre raises time-to-time when fuel companies lower the base price due to the lower cost of the crude oil in the global market. However, the Centre nullifies it by raising special additional excise duty to fund its infrastructure projects.
The latest reduction in the duty is not from the Excise duty but instead from the additional Excise Duty, which is not shared with the states. Hence, the proposed reduction is entirely borne by the Centre.
In addition, the claims of Saket Gokhale that the Centre has not reduced the cess and instead has only slashed the duties of excise duty are also untrue as the government officials have confirmed that the latest tax cut includes cutting the cess component, which will not impact states’ share of money from the tax collection.
Similar misinformation was shared by Congress leader and former Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Saturday evening after the announcement of reduction in excise rates. However, later when the circular was published, he retracted his comments and corrected himself that the entire burden of excise cut shall be borne by the Centre.
“Hence, contrary to what I said yesterday, the entire burden of the reduction falls on the centre. To that extent, I stand corrected. The states are getting very little by way of share of duties on Petrol and Diesel. Their revenue is from VAT on Petrol and Diesel,” P Chidambaram tweeted.
Hence, contrary to what I said yesterday, the entire burden of the reduction falls on the Centre. To that extent, I stand corrected
The states are getting very little by way of share of duties on Petrol and Diesel. Their revenue is from VAT on Petrol and Diesel
Hence, the claim put out by Saket Gokhale that the centre is eating away the tax money of the states by slashing the excise duty without consulting the states is factually incorrect.
Former Bigg Boss 15 contestant Vishal Kotian released a song featuring the deceased actor and the winner of Bigg Boss 13 Siddharth Shukla. Fans of the late actor have slammed Vishal Kotian on social media for not taking the consent of the Shukla family before releasing the song. The song titled ‘Jeena Zaroori Hai’ was released on 20th May 2022 and Vishal Kotian shared it from his Instagram handle. Along with late actor Siddharth Shukla, Vishal Kotian, and actress Deepika Tripathi also appear in this song.
Fans of Siddharth Shukla did not like this and they have asked Kotian to take this song down. Many of them have accused Vishal Kotian of releasing and posting this song just to encash the popularity of the late Siddharth Shukla.
Soon after Vishal Kotian shared the post, Siddharth Shukla’s fans rushed to comment on the post and ask whether he had taken prior permission from the Shukla family.
One of the fans wrote in his comment, “Even after the official statement released by Sidharth Shukla family, how could the team disrespect it. End of humanity. Shame on the entire team of the song !! STOP USING SIDDHARTH SHUKLA NAME FOR YOUR OWN CHEAP TACTICS.”
Another fan wrote in his comment, “The family said no. Do you have something called common sense or not? You make me sick. Catch somebody else for the footage and views! Leave him alone!”
It is notable that television actor Sidharth Shukla died of a heart attack in Mumbai on 2nd September 2021. His family had earlier issued a statement that read, “We, as a family, come with a request, which we hope everyone will respect. Sidharth has moved on and no longer can he make decisions for himself, but he’s still an integral part of our lives and our memories and we are there to protect his wishes. We request everyone who wants to use Sidharth’s name and/or face in any project, please reach out to us. Please take a moment to ask us. We knew Sidharth’s choices, we knew what he would have wanted and our decisions for him would be keeping all this in mind. And if there are projects that he wasn’t happy with, we are sure he wouldn’t want them released. Anything that did not release when he was with us, did not have his consent or intent for release. So please let’s keep his wishes in mind and let’s remember him with love, with respect, with fond memories, the ones he left us with. From, The Shukla Family.”
On Thursday (May 19), the police had busted a factory, printing fake currency, including counterfeit US dollars as well as Indian Rupees, in East Mathpara near Khagragarh in the Burdwan district of West Bengal.
A total of 3 people, namely, Gopal Singh, Bipul Sarkar and Dipankar Chakraborty, were apprehended by the police in the case. ABP Ananda reported that Gopal rented a house with two other women about 5 months ago where Gopal set up the factory.
They had introduced themselves as human rights activists while renting the house. As per a report in News 18 Bangla, there were a total of 3 women in the house. Two of them were said to be physically disabled. One of the women also had a child.
Given their medical condition, the neighbours treated them with sympathy. However, they were oblivious to the fake currency factory that was being operated from that house by the accused.
Burdwan police received information that several businessmen were being handed out fake notes in the area. After conducting a probe into the matter, the police raided the premises of the house on Thursday (May 19) and arrested the 3 accused.
“We had no idea about their operations. When we saw police vehicles outside the house, we realised that something was fishy. The accused would hardly interact with others. After the incident, we are now in a state of fear,” informed a neighbour to ABP Ananda.
Screengrab of the fake identity card used by Gopal Singh
The Burdwan police recovered 24 fake ₹500 rupee notes, worth ₹12,000. They also seized counterfeit US dollars, chemicals and paper for printing fake currency. To their surprise, the cops found fake Identity cards, affiliated with the CBI and Anti-Corruption Foundation of India, in the name of Gopal Singh.
The cops are now interrogating the accused to determine the locations, where the fake notes were being circulated. The trio were produced before a local court on Friday (May 20). According to News18 Bangla, Dipankar Chakraborty is the mastermind of the racket.
Accused Gopal Singh spotted with TMC leaders
After the matter came to light, an image of accused Gopal Singh sharing the stage with TMC leaders went viral on social media. The accused in the fake currency racket was seen alongside Trinamool Congress spokesperson Prosenjit Das, leaders Ainul Haque and Rasbihari Haldar.
Gopal Singh spotted with TMC leaders, image via Zee 24 Ghanta
The picture was taken at a sports event in Ward no.12 of the Burdwan district. While hitting out at the TMC, BJP leader Mrityunjay Chandra remarked, “We had doubts about TMC’s involvement in the racket. It has now turned out to be true. Earlier, we had seen the party’s involvement in the 2014 Khagragarh blast.”
TMC spokesperson Prosenjit Das, who was seen with Gopal Singh, has rejected the allegations, “BJP’s job is to level false allegations. The police investigation is underway. The truth will be unearthed soon.”
Union Minister of Culture, GK Reddy has denied media reports that his ministry has asked the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct an excavation at the Qutub Minar complex to ascertain the facts behind its origin.
Hyderabad, Telangana | “No such decision has been taken,” said Union Culture Minister GK Reddy on media reports that the Archaeological Survey of India to conduct excavation at the Qutub Minar complex pic.twitter.com/b97SMMTs7l
Earlier, the media had reported that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has been tasked with conducting an excavation drive in the Qutub complex to ascertain the facts about the structure. The reports claimed that after visiting the Qutub Minar complex and surveying it for almost two hours, Govind Mohan, Secretary, the Ministry of Culture, issued directives to the ASI to conduct an excavation on the site.
As per a report by Dainik Jagran, excavation was supposed to take place at the Qutub Minar complex, where the ruins of buried Hindu temples are expected to be discovered.
Dharamveer Sharma, the former Regional Director of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), recently claimed that Qutub Minar was actually Surya Stambh. He said it was erected by Emperor Vikramaditya, not the Mughals. He also stated that the edifice was not built in sections as some historians claim.
Dharamveer Sharma is one of India’s most well-known archaeologists. He has served three times as Superintending Archaeologist at ASI’s Delhi division. According to another report in Jagran, he worked actively on Qutub Minar conservation and visited the Minaret several times. He claimed to have observed Devanagari script inside the minaret.
Sharma explained that the tower was used as a constellation observatory. The Minaret has 27 binocular sites to compute 27 constellations. He further stated that Surya Stambh is mentioned on the third floor of the Minaret.
NMA asked to move Hindu idols from the Qutub Minar complex
The National Monuments Authority (NMA) had recently requested that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) remove two Ganesha statues from the Qutub Minar complex. Late last month, the NMA chairman wrote to ASI, seeking that two Ganesh idols known as Ulta Ganesh and Ganesh in cage be shifted from the Qutub Minar complex to the National Museum. He considered the “placement of the idols” insulting and felt their location should be changed.
(The report has been updated following the Union Minister’s statement)
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray held a rally at Pune on Sunday, 22nd of May 2022. In this rally, he said, “I told that if the Azaan is heard from the loudspeakers on a mosque, then play Hanuman Chalisa in front of it. The Rana couple got up and went to ‘Matoshree’ (CM Uddhav Thackeray’s residence) to chant Hanuman Chalisa. Is ‘Matoshree’ a mosque?” Raj Thackeray held this rally after canceling the Ayodhya visit that he had announced in his earlier public meetings.
Earlier, Thackeray had said that if the Azaan via loudspeakers doesn’t stop in the state of Maharashtra, he will install loudspeakers outside mosques and play Hanuman Chalisa at double the volume. Following his statements, Amravati MP Navneet Rana and her MLA husband Ravi Rana jumped on the bandwagon. They announced that they will recite Hanuman Chalisa outside the CM residence ‘Matoshree’.
However, protests by Shiv Sena members against them caused them to cancel their plans. They were subsequently booked under various sections, including sedition, and arrested by the Mumbai Police. They have since been granted conditional bail in the cases against them.
Apart from targeting the Rana couple over their decision to head to ‘Matoshree’, Raj Thackeray also addressed the issue of cancelation of his Ayodhya visit. He said, “The day we announced our stand against the loudspeaker, on the same day I declared the date of going to Ayodhya in Pune. Within a few days, discussions started that Raj Thackeray should apologize. I was watching everything that was going on. I was getting information from Mumbai, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh. There came a time when I realized that this was a trap. We shouldn’t fall into this trap because all these things started in Maharashtra and were controlled from here.”
Explaining his motive behind the Ayodhya visit, Raj Thackeray said, “It is necessary to visit the Ram Janmabhoomi. But I think many of you weren’t even born then (at the time of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement). There were no channels like today. At that time, Doordarshan was the only channel. It used to run newsreels on television. I still remember it was the Mulayam Singh government in Uttar Pradesh when the karsevaks from all over India went to Ayodhya, and our karsevaks were killed. I had seen the bodies of all those karsevaks floating in the Saryu river.”
Thackeray further added, “I wanted to have a darshan of Ram Janambhoomi, but I also wanted to see the place where my karsevaks were killed. Many do not understand the sentiments in politics. Let it be. If I had decided to go there tomorrow, many of you from Maharashtra would have come there. If something had happened there, you would have been trapped with cases and been put in jail. I thought I wouldn’t cause harm and hurt to my men like this. All these key officials would also be trapped with cases and no one would be here at the time of the upcoming election. This was their plan.”
About Brijbhushan Singh of BJP who had asked Raj Thackeray to apologize before entering Uttar Pradesh, Raj Thackeray said, “An MP gets up and challenges the chief minister there. Is it even possible? It has many layers. There are some that I can’t even talk about. Have you woken up now? Raj Thackeray should apologize and so on? And he remembers it now after 12-14 years later? Everyone should remember that this is leading in the wrong direction. If it is all about apologizing, then listen, there is a member in Gujarat and his name is Alpesh Thakur. After the rape of a girl in Gujarat, the people of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar were killed, in one night 10-15 thousand Biharis, Uttar Pradesh people were driven out. Who’s going to apologize from there?”
He further said, “I thought Maharashtra would be enraged when a MIM man went to Aurangzeb’s grave. But Maharashtra is cold. See his grave at the base of Pratapgarh, whom Shivachhatrapati had killed. It has expanded to 15 to 20 thousand square feet today. The mosque of Afzal Khan has stood there. Funding is coming in for that. Who and how is giving this funding? Because we’re sitting quietly. We have nothing to do with it.”
Raj Thackeray, who is set to undergo hip bone surgery, said that he will soon give a letter to the people of Maharashtra. He said, “I’m going to give you a letter. Everyone is requested that the letter should reach every house. This is a movement. It doesn’t have to be done on the road every time. But the people’s cooperation is necessary. Then only these things like loudspeakers in mosques will stop. It will take two to four weeks for recovery after the surgery next week. After a month or two, I’ll be back in front of you. Till then we continue this movement. The letter is to be delivered to the homes of all Hindu brothers.”
According to reports, an Israeli operation in Jenin, West Bank, on Saturday resulted in the death of a 17-year-old Palestinian boy. Amjad al-Fayed, 17, was recognised as the deceased youth by the ‘Palestinian health ministry.’ According to the report, another 18-year-old Palestinian was critically injured by the Israeli gunfire.
“A 17-year-old boy was killed and an 18-year-old was critically wounded by the Israeli occupation’s bullets during its aggression on Jenin,” the statement by the ‘ministry’ reads.
Molotov cocktails and explosives were hurled at Israeli forces during an operation in the region, according to the Israeli Defense Forces. Locals claim that an undercover Israeli military unit was discovered by civilians on a major route in Jenin, near the boundaries of the Jenin refugee camp. Following that, confrontations between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian terrorists began. According to the IDF, a passing car opened fire as well on Israeli troops.
A statement by IDF reads, “During IDF operational activity near the town of Kafr Dan overnight, a number of suspects shot live fire at IDF soldiers from a passing vehicle. The suspects also hurled Molotov cocktails and an explosive device toward the soldiers. The soldiers responded with live fire in retaliation. Hits were identified.”
Several people on social media shared as the 17-year-old was ‘killed’ in the operation.
Palestinian child, Amjad Fayed, 17 years old, was shot dead by the Israeli occupation forces in Jenin at dawn today, Saturday. pic.twitter.com/riMmIWzS80
— Zaheeruddin ظهير الدين (@ItsZaheeruddin) May 21, 2022
The youngster was allegedly a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group. Images and videos of him with firearms attacking and participating in conflicts may be seen on an Instagram account he allegedly uses.
Instagram post.Instagram post.Instagram post.
According to Al Jazeera, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad organisation identified the boy as one of its fighters and said that he had fought Israeli forces.
On their official Telegram channel, the Al-Quds brigade, the militant branch of Islamic Jihad, issued a message of condolences for al-Fayed, claiming that his uncles were members of Islamic Jihad and had participated in an ambush in 2002 that killed 13 Israeli troops.
