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‘New education policy is to introduce Hindutva in schools’: Congress’ K Rahman Khan as Karnataka govt seeks to include Bhagavad Gita in the syllabus

OpIndia Staff
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‘New education policy is to introduce Hindutva in schools’: Congress’ K Rahman Khan as Karnataka govt seeks to include Bhagavad Gita in the syllabus

On Saturday, Congress leader and former Union Minister K Rahman Khan launched a Hinduphobic attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party saying that the party had vested interest behind introducing the Bhagavad Gita in the Karnataka school syllabus. He said that the new education policy was nothing but a cover to introduce the Hindutva policy in the school syllabus.

This is a day after Karnataka Education Minister BC Nagesh said that ‘if approved by experts, the state would definitely include the Gita in the syllabus for students’. “Bhagavad Gita is not only for the Hindus, but it is also for all. If experts say, it will definitely be introduced. However, it will not be done for this year, but from next year”, he had said on March 18.

Criticizing the opinion, Khan today said that Gita is not the only book that teaches ‘Dharma’ and that students should be taught every religious book that teaches ‘Dharma. “Karnataka Education Min has spoken on the lines of Gujarat that they’re going to introduce Bhagavad Gita in the syllabus. Nothing wrong if they prescribe a religious book but India is a country of diversity with several religions”, he said.

“Every religious book teaches ‘Dharma’, you can’t say it’s only Gita that teaches ‘Dharma’ and Indian culture. All religious books should be taught to students. New Education Policy is a cover to bring Hindutva policy in the syllabus, nothing else”, Khan added.

Meanwhile, Karnataka education minister BC Nagesh also stated yesterday that re-introduction of the Moral Science subject was important. The BJP leader said, “We’ve studied Moral Science in schools. Now, parents feel it should be introduced. At present, we’ve not thought of it, but we want to introduce it in the future. Subjects in Moral Science will be decided by experts.” The minister continued, “We will speak to the chief minister about whether we will introduce Moral Science. Whatever makes an impact on children will be introduced, be it the Bhagavat Gita, Ramayana, or Mahabharata.”

It is important to note that amid the Hijab ban in Karnataka, the Gujarat government on Thursday announced in the Assembly that the Bhagavad Gita will be a part of the school syllabus for Classes 6 to 12 across the state from the academic year 2022-23. Education Minister Jitu Vaghani announced in the Legislative Assembly during a discussion on budgetary allocations for the education department.

The Karnataka High Court on March 15 upheld the state government’s order prohibiting students from wearing religious attires, including hijab, in educational institutes. The court, as per its order, stated that the hijab is not an essential practice of the Islamic faith and dismissed all the petitions filed by Muslim girl students seeking permission to wear hijab in educational institutions.

Former ThePrint journalist says she is afraid in India after hearing Jai Shree Ram slogans during Holi, gets a reality check by Netizens

OpIndia Staff
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Former ThePrint journalist says she is afraid in India after hearing Jai Shree Ram slogans during Holi, gets a reality check by Netizens

Many journalists who claim to religiously follow the principle of ‘secularism’ are often found indulging in blatant Hinduphobia and bashing Hindu festivals while gushing over the festivals of other religions. These efforts assume greater earnest especially during the festival of Holi, when the supposedly “neutral journalists” fall over themselves to malign Hindus.

Journalist Swagata Yadavar, who also wrote columns for Shekhar Gupta’s The Print, is one such individual who has displayed eager alacrity to slander Hindu festivals and attack Hindus. Yadavar said she is afraid to listen to the chants of Jai Shri Ram and that she loves street food in Pakistan. Interestingly, she has chosen the occasion of the Hindu festival Holi to spew this venom and got slammed by the netizens for her shared views.

Swagata Yadavar has shared in a post from her Twitter handle, “Slogans of Jai Shri Ram while playing Holi. I froze for a moment. I, a Hindu woman, don’t feel safe in this country. I can only empathize with other minorities. And Holi is the scariest time to be a woman traveling alone. I had to take an auto yesterday and I prayed so hard.”

Swagata Yadavar

She further said in her tweet, “People are saying if you are feeling unsafe in the country, go to Pakistan on my tweet about Holi. When women say they are afraid, it is not about the religion but the fundamentalist followers, whatever the religion be Hindu, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism.”

Swagata Yadavar

In a subsequent tweet, she wrote, “The first thing fundamentalists do is curb the freedom of women. Try to control our clothes, what we study, where we work. So yes, I am afraid of Jai Shri Ram chanting youth. You are creating the same kind of Taliban that you seem to hate but are obsessed about.”

Swagata Yadavar

Expressing her love for Pakistani food and hospitality, she says, “Also I don’t understand people who said what I wrote is fake. Haven’t you lived in this country long enough to know the truth? By the way, would love to go to Pakistan and try their street food. I have heard such good stories about their hospitality.”

Swagata Yadavar

Netizens slam Swagata Yadavar for maligning Jai Shri Ram slogans

A Twitter handle named Sweet Sinner has replied to her saying, “First you do the honors. Also, do us a favor & buy a one-way ticket & savor that street food & hospitality for a lifetime I’ve heard they show great respect to women & especially non-muslin women. May Allah grant you the heavens.”

Another Twitter user Sumit said, “become a muslum and travel in muslum ghettos sharia governed, then come back here and tell your story if possible. you’ll feel like you living in heaven in your current condition”

Ankit Kumar wrote in his Twitter post, “I guess, everyone in print gets scared of jai shree ram but feels safe in Allah hu akbar…. There are 57 other countries you can refer to for your safety.”

After such replies, independent journalist Swagata Yadavar turned off the reply section of her Twitter timeline and also restricted access to certain tweets for the ones who are not her followers or not mentioned in her tweets.

‘Censoring The Kashmir Files will mean censoring Information’: Former New Zealand Deputy PM after Chief Censor decides to review the movie

OpIndia Staff
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‘Censoring The Kashmir Files will mean censoring Information’: Former New Zealand Deputy PM after Chief Censor decides to review the movie

Winston Peters, former deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand, has expressed his support for the movie ‘The Kashmir Files’ and held that censoring the movie is an attack on the freedom of New Zealanders. His comments came in response to reports that the chief censor of New Zealand was reviewing the movie again after the Muslim community in the country demanded a ban on the film. Peters shared his views in a Facebook post earlier today.

Winston Peters, who is leading the New Zealand First party since its inception in 1993, wrote, “The ‘Kashmir Files’ Censored: Another Attack on the Freedom of New Zealanders. The ‘Kashmir Files’ has been shown in America, Australia, India and many other locations around the world. To date the film has been viewed by over 1.1 billion people.”

The Facebook post.

Writing about the authenticity of the film, he added, “The film is about true and real events surrounding the 1990 ethnic cleansing of Hindus in Kashmir and today over 400,000 Kashmir Pandits remain in exile after 32 years.”

He further stated that censoring the movie would be equal to denying the attack of 9/11. He went on to add, “Terrorism in all its forms, no matter what its source, should be exposed and opposed. This attempt at selective censorship would amount to one further attack on the freedom of New Zealanders and people worldwide.”

It is to be noted that recently certain communal organizations in the country urged the New Zealand Censor Board to ban the film’s release in the country. In response, Director Vivek Ranjan Agnohotri had urged Indians in New Zealand to pay close attention, and stand united against extremists.

According to Agnihotri’s statement, the Muslim community in New Zealand had an issue with the film and planned to oppose its screening. He further alleged that the Muslim communities had sent threats to the board, threatening to demonstrate in front of the theatres if the film was released.

However, chief censor David Shanks had said that there is no question of banning the movie, and only its classification is being reviewed. He had said members of the Muslim community had approached him with concerns that the film “could raise anti-Muslim sentiment and potential hatred”. Shanks had said the concerns raised by the Muslims were “valid and serious”, so it was important to “take stock and pause”. As the movie is under review, its release in New Zealand has been postponed.

‘The Kashmir Files,’ directed by Vivek Agnihotri, has become one of the year’s biggest blockbusters. The film wowed audiences at the box office, grossing around Rs 116 crores since its release. Interestingly, the film, which was initially released on only 650-700 screens, has witnessed an increase in screens and shows to meet the rising fan demand.

The film is based on the genuine stories of Kashmiri Pandits. It takes viewers back to 1989 when the unrest started in Kashmir as a result of the increasing Islamic Jihad, driving the vast majority of Hindus from the valley. Between February and March 1990, around 100,000 of the valley’s total 140,000 Kashmiri Pandit people escaped from the valley, according to estimates.

Congress now an official Islamic party? After Kerala Congress, leaders discredit the genocide of Hindus and the movie Kashmir Files

OpIndia Staff
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Congress now an official Islamic party? After Kerala Congress, leaders discredit the genocide of Hindus and the movie Kashmir Files

The unexpected success of Vivek Agnitori’s The Kashmir Files, a film based on the genocide of Kashmiri Hindus has completely thrown all the so-called leftist liberals and Islamist apologists off balance, including the grand old Congress party that has officially stepped in to defend the Islamists who carried it out.

At first, the Congress Kerala tried to blame the BJP for the genocide, then the party’s media head in Chhattisgarh effectively exonerated the Islamists who carried it out, and now its senior leader Jairam Ramesh has gone on to not only dismiss the veracity of the Kashmiri Hindus genocide but also cast aspersions on the film-makers’ sincere efforts to expose the unspoken and harsh truth about the Islamic terror in the valley in the 1990s that forced thousands of Kashmiri Pandits to flee their homeland.

On Saturday, March 19, the senior Congress leader took to Twitter to call out the makers of The Kashmir Files. He claimed that the movie “incites hate”. He went on to call the movie propaganda that “twists facts, distorts history to whip up anger and promote violence” and its makers “Pracharaks” (propagandists) who exploit fear and prejudice to divide and rule.”

“Some films inspire change. Kashmir Files incites hate. Truth can lead to justice, rehabilitation, reconciliation & peace. Propaganda twists facts, distorts history to whip up anger & promote violence. Statesmen heal wounds. Pracharaks exploit fear and prejudice to divide & rule,” Tweeted the senior Congress leader.

Notably, several first-generation Kashmiri victims have come forward since the film’s release to testify that the film is, in its entirety, based on pure truth and facts. Many victims sobbed after seeing the film, exemplifying how relatable it was to them. Furthermore, the ‘Jagmohan conspiracy,’ which Congress continues to exploit to blame the BJP for the Kashmiri Hindu Genocide, has also been debunked a million times over the last three decades. Despite this, since the release of The Kashmir Files, the ruffled Congress members are either questioning the film’s veracity and discrediting the filmmakers or blaming the BJP for the genocide.

Chhattisgarh Congress again blames BJP for Kashmiri Hindu genocide

On March 15, Sushil Anand Shukla, Congress’s media head in Chhattisgarh, was quoted as saying, “We want people to go and watch the movie and understand that the situation arose in the country when VP Singh was PM and BJP was in support of him. Jammu and Kashmir Governor was BJP leader and state was under the President’s rule which means the BJP was indirectly ruling the state.”

It’s appalling that in their attempt to divert the blame from the terrorists who actually carried out the genocide, the party is willing to blame everyone else.

How the Kerala Congress doubled up as terrorist sympathisers to deride BJP and makers of The Kashmir Files

Likewise, in a long rant, the official Congress Kerala handle on March 14, blamed everyone from Governor Jagmohan to BJP for the genocide. In a Twitter thread from their official Congress Kerala handle, the Congress party started off their rant by downplaying the whole Kashmiri Hindu genocide itself. Saying 399 Kashmiri Hindus were killed by terrorists and comparing it to the 15,000 deaths of Muslims in the valley over the last 3 decades as a result of terrorism.

To put things in perspective, lakhs of Kashmiri Hindus were forced to leave their valley, almost overnight, leaving all their belongings behind. There were announcements made from mosques asking Kashmiri Hindu men to leave the valley, leaving their women behind. The chants of ‘convert (to Islam), leave or die’ echoed in the valley. That the Kashmiri Hindus did not leave their homes out of free will but were forced to is completely ignored by Congress.

Then Congress went on to blame Governor Jagmohan, the man who actually saved Kashmiri Hindus from a fate much worse than the exodus. “Jagmohan theory” is a long peddled lie by Congress and its cabal to give a clean chit to the Islamists for their actions in 1990.

The thread further tried to imply that the Kashmiri Hindus were not targeted and they were victims of terrorism just like everyone else. 

And, as if that wasn’t enough, Congress managed to turn Jammu residents into villains by claiming that Kashmiri Muslims were massacred in Jammu during partition. This implies that the Kashmiri Pandit exodus and genocide at the hands of Islamic terrorists is justified because ‘Muslims were also killed.’

Space Foundation censors name of Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, citing Russian invasion of Ukraine: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Space Foundation censors name of Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, citing Russian invasion of Ukraine: Details

Three weeks after Russia declared a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Space Foundation has removed the name of Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin from its space industry conference. It must be mentioned that Gagarin was the first human in history to travel to outer space.

As per a report published by Futurism, the nonprofit advocacy organization declared that it would rename a fundraiser named after the late Soviet cosmonaut in light of the ‘current world events.’

Citing the geopolitical conflict and the aggression of the Russian Federation as the reason, the Space Foundation changed the name of the fundraiser at its 37th Space Symposium Conference to ‘A Celebration of Space: Discover What’s next’ from ‘Yuri’s night.’

It added in a now-deleted note, “The focus of this fundraising event remains the same — to celebrate human achievements in space while inspiring the next generation to reach for the stars.”

The report by Futurism pointed out, “It’s a rather dubious show of solidarity with the Ukrainian people, especially considering that Gagarin worked for the USSR, a completely different country from modern-day Russia. And the icing on the cake? Ukraine actually appears to be rather fond of Gagarin and his monumental achievement.”

In 2011, Ukraine released a stamp commemorating the 50th anniversary of the historic flight undertaken by Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 1961. Moreover, the Chernihiv Stadium in Ukraine was earlier named the Yuri Gagarin Stadium and it is still known by the same name.

In 2013, Ukrananian street artist Andrey Palval paid tribute to the deceased Soviet cosmonaut.

Ukraine invasion and the rise of Xenophobia against Russians

The rising Anti-Russian sentiment has not restricted itself to the educational and intellectual circles but has spread like fire in the arenas of culture, entertainment and sports. OpIndia had earlier reported on how calls were given to bar Russian players from international leagues – more so by the international sports bodies themselves.

The institutionalised politicization of sports has ensured that Russia and its players are banned in the FIFA and UEFA football tournaments by football governing bodies in Europe. Earlier, a Democratic representative from California, Eric Swalwell, suggested that Russian students should be ‘kicked out‘ of US universities.

The U.S. life insurance company, MassMutual pulled out an ad featuring hockey team Washington Capitals’ Russian captain Alexander Ovechkin. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has happily announced that Russia would no longer be allowed to participate in a leading annual singing contest hosted in the continent. 

Many concerts, performances of Russian artists, classical presentations including ballet performances have been cancelled en masse in Europe while taking political stances against the state of Russia. 

Film companies including Warner Bros, Disney and Sony Pictures have halted the release of their films in Russian cinemas. Going ahead, The Ukrainian Film Academy has called for an international boycott of Russian cinema, including a ban on Russian films at international film festivals.

Assam: Arif Uddin ‘accidentally’ uploads video of Rubul Hussain insulting Assamese literary stalwart Lakshminath Bezbarua, both arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Assam: Arif Uddin ‘accidentally’ uploads video of Rubul Hussain insulting Assamese literary stalwart Lakshminath Bezbarua, both arrested

Assam police have arrested two youths for making derogatory remarks about 19th century author Lakshminath Bezbarua, after the video of the incident was uploaded on social media and caused massive outrage.

The accused have been identified as Rubul Hossain and Arifuddin. Rubul had made some offensive remarks in front of the statue of Lakshminath Bezbarua at Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra Guwahati. A case was registered against the duo at the Doboka police station.

The matter came to light after a video of the incident went viral on social media. The two youth had visited the Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, during which one of them used expletive-laden language for the revered Assamese literary stalwart. Lakshminath Bezbarua was pioneer of modern Assamese literature, who had authored poems, novels, plays, short stories, children’s stories, satires, and non-fictions books mainly discussions on Hindu religious texts.

In the video, Rubul Hussain was seen making some controversial comments in front of the idol of Assam’s literary icon. Reportedly, it was being recoded by his friend Arif Uddin, and was later uploaded to social media by him.

After the video went viral, the Hojai district unit of AMSU (All Assam Minority Students’ Union) strongly condemned it and lodged a complaint with the police. Based on the complaint, Doboka police arrested Rubul Hossain, while Arif Uddin was named by the public and AMSU workers, and was handed over to the police.

According to Arif Uddin, both of them had gone to Guwahati for some, and then visited the Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra. There, Rubul stopped near the idol of Bezbarua, and as Arif was making video of the Kalakshetra, the comments also got recorded. Arif claimed that later the video was uploaded to his social media account ‘by mistake’.

He said that there was no bad motive behind the video, and all of it happened by mistake. In a video statement, Arif pleaded for forgiveness and claimed that he recorded the video without realising that it will hurt the sentiments of people. He also promised to not repeat the offence in future.

As the incident happened at Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, there was some confusion and most people thought Rubul was insulting Sankardeva, the 15th century Assamese polymath, who had introduce neo-Vaishnavism and the Bhakti movement in the state. Even several media reports also mention this, but the video clearly shows that it was the statue of Lakshminath Bezbarua.

Journalist, who Al Jazeera defended for defaming Hindu organisations, now plays victim about getting a call from J&K CID after denying Hindu genocide

OpIndia Staff
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Journalist, who Al Jazeera defended for defaming Hindu organisations, now plays victim about getting a call from J&K CID after denying Hindu genocide

Freelance journalist Raqib Hameed Naik, who was once defended by Al Jazeera for defaming Hindu organisations, has now taken to Twitter to play victim after denying the genocide of Hindus in Kashmir at the hands of Islamic terrorists.

Raqib Hameed Naik took to Twitter on 18th March to claim that he received a call from the Jammu and Kashmir Crime Investigation Department of the J&K Police to inquire about who he was, his work and his current location. The Kashmiri journalist claimed that this was the 8th time he had received such a call after leaving India in 2020.

Playing victim about the same, Raqib Hameed certainly expected the narrative to be built around how Kashmiri Muslims were being persecuted due to the movie on the genocide of Kashmiri Hindus.

As soon as Raqib put the tweet out, there were a flurry of reactions from the usual suspects who used this tweet to peddle the Muslim victimhood card.

Lyricist Hussain Haidry, who has himself denied the genocide of Hindus and partaken in demonising Hindus alleged that “this” was the reason why Kashmiri Muslims are apparently not able to speak up about the “hate propagated against them”.

He went on to deny the genocide of Hindus and claim that the movie, Kashmir Files, was targeting hate against the Kashmiri Muslim community, while in reality, it only showed what terrorists did to Hindus of the valley in the 1990s.

There were others who used the tweet to call the Indian Army and security forces “uniformed terrorists”.

Another journalist from Middle East Eye, previously with Al Jazeera also reacted to the tweet lying about the modus operandi of Indian security forces, alleging that they harass civilians and journalists.

It is pertinent to note here that Raqib Hameed Naik did not provide any proof to allege that he received a call from CID. There were several individuals, given his propensity to lie and spread hate against India and Hindus particularly, who doubted his version of the story.

However, even if the CID did call him, one would imagine that there was good reason for it.

The tweet for which Raqib allegedly got a call from the CID, was one where he was summarily denying the Hindu genocide ever took place in Kashmir.

Raqib alleged that there was “No evidence” that a Hindu genocide ever took place in Kashmir and that it was all a “Hindu nationalist construct”.

He claimed that only 219 Kashmiri Hindus were killed between 1989 and 2013.

Firstly, it is a little difficult to continue to kill Hindus once, after thousands of them were massacred, the rest were driven out of the valley with chants of “Convert, leave or die”. Therefore, to even consider numbers up until 2013 shows that Raqib has a propensity to lie to deny the Hindu genocide.

While the number 219 is only the official number and realistically, the number of Hindus killed was much higher, even if we assume that only 219 Hindus were killed, it is peachy of a Kashmiri Muslim to say that the number does not qualify for a genocide.

There are two aspects to this.

Firstly, Article 2 of the Genocide convention defines a genocide as: 

Genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: 

  1. Killing members of the group; 
  2. Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
  3. Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; 
  4. Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
  5. Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

Therefore, the number of people killed does not matter as far as genocide is concerned. It is about the intent of the perpetrators. Further, the RTI quoted by Raqib only takes into account murders from 1990 and does not include the murders of Hindus from 1989.

Either way, once a journalist denies the genocide of Hindus in a charged atmosphere, it is only natural that the investigative agencies would call him because such allegations can cause communal tension.

It is also interesting that while he denies the genocide of Hindus, he plays victim about getting one call from the authorities (allegedly) and says that the number of murders is “too less” for it to be called a genocide.

Interestingly, this is not the first time this journalist has defamed Hindus.

During the pandemic, in June 2021, Raqib Hameed Naik had tried to defame the Hindus of the USA. He had written, “Five organisations with ties to Hindu supremacist and religious groups have received COVID-19 relief funding amounting to $833,000, according to data released by the United States’ Small Business Administration (SBA), a federal agency that helps small business owners and entrepreneurs”.

In his article, he spun fantastic tales to defame VHP, Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of USA (RSS), Infinity Foundation that has “ties to RSS” (the founder is the celebrated intellectual Rajiv Malhotra), Sewa international, and Hindu American Foundation. In the entire article, Naik has only spewed venom without giving any evidence (since there is none) and it is evident that the venom comes from his deep-seated hatred for Hindus.

At that time, when Naik was called out for his blatant hate, Al Jazeera, which also displays blatant Hinduphobia had stood by the journalist. Al Jazeera had said in its statement, “His report published on April 2, 2021, from the US, where he is currently based, focuses on the alleged misuse of US federal COVID-19 relief funds given to Hindu groups in the US. In the report, Naik unearthed the details of how five Hindu organisations – that received Federal COVID-19 relief funding – have ties to Hindu supremacist and religious groups back in India”.

After the report was published, Naik had also got several legal notices, including one from HAF.

‘Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a clear violation of international law, totally unacceptable’: Japan PM Fumio Kishida

OpIndia Staff
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‘Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a clear violation of international law, totally unacceptable’: Japan PM Fumio Kishida

On Saturday, ahead of the 14th India-Japan summit, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida commented on the ongoing war in Ukraine and criticized Russia for violating international law. “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a clear violation of international law as well as an attempt to unilaterally change the status quo by force, and it is totally unacceptable”, Kishida said.

In his article that was published in the Indian Express, Japanese PM Fumio further stated that Japan would unite with the international community and take resolute actions. “Upholding the core principles of the international order is indispensable from the perspective of diplomacy and security in the Indo-Pacific, where the situation has been rapidly worsened. Japan will unite with the international community and take resolute actions”, the report quoted.

This is a day after US President Biden virtually met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and sought to prevent China from boosting Russia in its invasion of Ukraine. Biden also questioned Jinping about Beijing’s rhetorical support to Putin and an absence of denunciation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Jinping meanwhile told his American counterpart that conflicts between states are in no one’s interest and that Washington must shoulder due responsibilities for world peace.

According to the reports, the Russian representative at the UNSC meeting yesterday claimed that the components of biological weapons were being created and unlawful activities were being carried out on the Ukrainian territory. The US then affirmed that Ukraine did not have a biological weapons program and that the country had no such labs. It further accused Russia to have long maintained biological weapons program in violation of international law. Responding sharply, the Russian representative said, “We never said that Ukraine itself has a military biological program, we said that this program is something that the US itself has and Ukraine is being kept in the dark”.

Meanwhile, India at UNSC attached high importance to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) as a key global and non-discriminatory disarmament Convention and called for the prohibition of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction. “It’s important to ensure full and effective implementation of the BTWC in letter and spirit. India remains concerned about the progressively deteriorating situation in Ukraine. We need to undertake this engagement keeping in mind the need to respect the principles of the UN Charter, international law and sovereignty and territorial integrity of States”, India was quoted.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will arrive on Saturday for his first visit to India as Prime Minister. Kishida, who has come to India as Japan’s Foreign Minister earlier, has met PM Narendra Modi four times in the past few years. But, his today’s meeting with PM Modi will be marked as his first bilateral visit overseas. The visit is important as this year also marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

According to the reports, Kishida had sworn in as the Japan PM on October 4 last year. PM Modi had then spoken to Kishida on phone soon after the latter had assumed office and had expressed desire to further strengthen the special strategic and global partnership. Given the evolving geo-political and economic situation, both sides are looking to deepening partnership.

As reported by the Ministry of External Affairs yesterday, the 14th India Japan summit will provide an opportunity for both sides to review and strengthen the bilateral cooperation in diverse areas as well as exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest to advance their partnership for peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.

India and Japan have multifaceted cooperation within the ambit of their ‘Special Strategic and Global Partnership’. The summit could not be held in 2020 as well as in 2021 primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Japan is set to hold an in-person summit of Quad leaders this year and Modi is expected to attend it.

Karnataka: 231 Muslim students including boys refuse to appear for exams after college authorities ask girls to remove hijab

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka: 231 Muslim students including boys refuse to appear for exams after college authorities ask girls to remove hijab

At least 231 Muslim students studying at Government PU College in Uppinangady in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka have refused to appear for preparatory exams on Friday after being asked to remove their hijab, reports Times of India.

According to the reports, the college authorities asked the students to adhere to the recent Karnataka high court order that banned religious attire such as hijab or burqa in educational institutions and follow the dress code of educational institutions. On the basis of the HC judgement, the college authorities asked to remove the hijab before entering the college premises.

The deputy director of PU education had also clearly instructed that whoever violates the high court order would not be allowed to appear for the exam. However, the girls refused to remove their hijab, hence the college did not permit them to sit for the exam. The Kannada exam was held on Friday.

A tense situation occurred near the campus as nearly 250 students, including Muslim men, began to protest, demanding permission for the women to write the exam wearing the hijab. The local Muslim leaders tried convincing students to remove the hijab and write exams, but many Muslim students left without appearing for the exam.

College principal Sudhir Kumar said, “As many as 231 second-year PU students, including boys, left without writing the Kannada exam.”

The brazenness of Muslim students to wear hijab to schools comes even as Karnataka High Court, in a significant judgement, had upheld the rights of educational institutions to ban the hijab. In a historic judgement, the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday held that hijab is not an essential religious practice and upheld the state government’s order banning the use of any religious attire on the premises of educational institutions.

It stated that schools and colleges have a right to mandate a uniform dress code on their premises.

Despite the order, several Muslim students deliberately violated the High court judgement by wearing hijab, skull cap, etc. Just yesterday, a video had surfaced on social media platforms showing Muslim boys marching to school by wearing a Taqiyah cap (religious skull cap) to violate the uniform rules in the schools of Karnataka.

In the video, it was seen that a teacher from an Urdu School, Raichur, stopped a Muslim boy who was wearing a Taqiyah cap from entering the school premises. The boy was asked to remove the cap before entering the classroom.

Hijab row

The hijab controversy in Karnataka gained momentum since the first week of January after eight Muslim girls were denied entry to classes in a Udupi college because they were wearing hijab. The college authorities had informed that the hijab was not a part of the uniform dress code mandated for the students.

The Muslim girls, adamant about wearing hijab, then filed a petition in High Court seeking permission to attend classes with hijab. They stated that wearing the hijab was their ‘fundamental right’ granted under Articles 14 and 25 of the Indian Constitution and ‘integral practice of Islam’.

The controversy spiralled as Hindu students in Karnataka styled with saffron scarves around their necks and protested against Muslim girls continuing to wear hijab to the college. Tensions also prevailed at some educational institutions in Udupi, Shivamogga, Bagalkote, and other parts, as stones-pelting and violence were reported from various parts of the state.

As reported earlier, the students had begun to wear hijab to schools and colleges after they had met the Campus Front of India (CFI), the student branch of the Islamist organization Popular Front of India (PFI), in October 2021. The students confessed that they had spoken with the CFI.

Holi celebration in Amroha, UP turns violent after Namazis pelt stones because Hindus were playing music: What the police said and the viral video

OpIndia Staff
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Holi celebration in Amroha, UP turns violent after Namazis pelt stones because Hindus were playing music: What the police said and the viral video

Holi celebrations in the Amroha district of Uttar Pradesh took a communal turn when some members of a ‘particular community’ took offence to DJ music being played by Hindus as part of the festival’s celebrations. The incident took place on March 18, Friday.

Two people namely Adesh and Bunty were reportedly injured in the stone-pelting incident. The video of the incident has now gone viral on Twitter. In the video, many Muslims can be seen pelting stones from the roofs of two adjacent buildings. The stones are being aimed at a building in the opposite direction which cannot be seen in the video. At least from the video, the attack seems one-sided, as no stone can be seen coming from the other side.

In response, Amroha police took to Twitter to share the news that they have arrested 3 people under relevant sections of the IPC. It also said that other accused are being identified on the basis of the video.

According to reports, the incident occurred on March 18, Friday in Mohalla Chhanga Darwaza of the Amroha Kotwali area in Uttar Pradesh. This area in Amroha, Uttar Pradesh has a mixed population. The Hindu community has a temple and a Dharamsala here. A mosque is only a short distance away.

Since Holi celebrations fell on a Friday this year and also happened to coincide with the Muslim festival Shab-e-Barat, a few people belonging to the Hindu community were celebrating Holi amongst themselves, while some Muslims reached the nearby Mosque to read Namaz. DJ music was playing in the background. The Namazis objected to the music played during Holi celebrations. These Namazis, who themselves always use loudspeakers in Mosques while offering azaan, asked Hindus celebrating Holi, a once-a-year festival, to turn off the music.

An argument ensued between the two sides after the Hindus refused to turn off the music. Within no time, the situation deteriorated and a fight broke out. Soon afterwards, the enraged Muslims got onto the roofs of two buildings and started to pelt stones, leaving at least two injured.

A video of the stone-pelting incident was shared on social media and quickly went viral. The cops arrived on time and quickly took control of the situation. To prevent any further untoward incidents, a large amount of force was deployed on the scene. The situation in the area is said to be calm at the moment.

Muslims take offence to songs on Uttar Pradesh CM’s return clash with people celebrating Holi

Interestingly, another video from the same day and same place has also been doing rounds on the social media platforms, where people of the Muslim community are seen engaging in a fight with people playing Holi on the street. According to social media users, these Muslims were irked since the celebrators had been playing songs on Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath’s return.

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