Zahoor Mistry, one of the five terrorists who hijacked the Indian plane IC-814 in Afghanistan’s Kandahar in 1999 has reportedly been killed in Pakistan’s Karachi. According to reports, Mistry who was living under a fake identity of Zahid Akhund In Karachi was shot dead in Karachi’s Akhtar Colony on March 1.
It is being learnt that Zahoor who was one of the five terrorists involved in highjacking the IC-814, was living as ‘Zahid Akhund’ in Pakistan for years and also owned the ‘Crescent Furniture’ store in Akhtar colony in Karachi. According to News 9, Pakistani media agency Geo TV had reported about the killing of a certain businessman in Karachi. According to the CCTV footage available, two people on a motorcycle were recceing the Akhtar colony in broad daylight until they entered a furniture warehouse to target the trader.
While GeoTV has not described details of the victim, sources in the Pakistani media have confirmed the identity of the person to be Zahoor Mistry. According to the source, the media has been asked not to report about the matter for some strange reason. The funeral prayer of Zahoor was by top Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists including Rauf Asgar who happens to be the brother of Jaish chief Masood Azhar.
The highjack of IC-814
On December 24, 1999, an Indian Airlines plane (IC-814) was highjacked by five terrorists belonging to the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen from Nepal. The plane which was supposed to reach Delhi made suspicious stops at Lahore, Amritsar and Dubai before being stationed at Afghanistan’s Kandahar which was under the control of the Taliban.
Around 178 people and 11 crew members aboard the plane were made hostages for a week while it ended after India was forced to release three JeM terrorists like Masood Azhar, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar from its custody. The hijackers demanded the release of thirty-five terrorists from Indian prisons, including the dreaded terrorist Maulana Masood Azhar in addition to US$200mn in cash. The hostage ended on December 31, 1999, after a team of Indian negotiators including the present NSA Ajit Doval agreed to free three terrorists.
The BJP is all set to return to power in Uttar Pradesh, the exit polls to the recently concluded 2022 assembly elections have predicted. Besides, the Aam Aadmi Party is poised to register a landslide victory in Punjab, defeating the incumbent Congress party in the state.
The last phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections was completed on March 7, 2022. The media houses and poll agencies have released the exit polls for all the five poll-bound states. The exit polls were aired after the seventh phase of UP elections was officially over on Monday.
The results published by exit polls reveal that BJP might be marginally ahead in Goa assembly elections while in Uttarakhand it might be facing tough headwinds from the Congress party. In Manipur, most exit polls suggest BJP will return to power comfortably.
Notably, as per the regulations of the Election Commission, the news and poll agencies are not allowed to release any data of the exit polls before the last phase of the elections is over. So in case, multiple states go for polling, the media houses have to wait till the last phase of the elections, even if some of the states had polls done weeks ago.
This time, the elections were done in Uttar Pradesh, the population-wise largest state of India, in seven phases. While polling for Goa, Punjab and Uttarakhand Assembly Elections were done in single-phase, in the case of Manipur, the polling was done in two phases.
Uttar Pradesh
The parties or alliances that are in the race for UP Assembly elections are National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Congress+, Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). The exit polls by all organisations predict BJP returning to power in Uttar Pradesh. While Jan Ki Baat polls predict 222-260 seats for BJP, the P-Marq claims BJP will win 240 seats. The TV9 Bharatvarsh has been conservative in its prediction, stating that the Yogi Adityanath will return to power by polling 211-225 seats.
The Congress party, which focused its poll campaign to woo women in Uttar Pradesh, has not been able to create an impact with the UP voters. All exit polls forecast dismal performance by the Congress party, pushing it to the fourth position, behind BJP, SP and BSP. They have predicted that Congress would be restricted to within single-seat figures.
Exit Poll
BJP+
Congress+
SP+
BSP
Others
P-Marq
240
4
140
17
2
ABP-CVoter
228-244
4-8
132-148
13-21
2-6
TV9 Bharatvarsh
211-225
4-6
146-160
14-24
00
Jan Ki Baat
222-260
1-3
135-165
4-9
3-4
India Today-Axis
288-326
1-3
71-101
3-9
2-3
Chanakya
275-313
0-2
86-124
—
0-2
Goa
In Goa BJP, Congress+, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), and National Congress Party+ (NCP) are in the fray. The incumbent BJP is facing tough headwinds from a reinvigorated Congress, but it will still be the largest party in the assembly elections, a majority of exit polls numbers reveal. Congress is marginally behind the BJP in Goa, which goes to show that it will be a close contest and might require astute political manoeuvrings to form government in the state.
Exit Poll
BJP
Congress+
AAP
TMC+
MGP+
Others
P-Marq
13-17
13-17
2-6
2-4
—
0-4
ABP-CVoter
13-17
12-16
1-5
—
5-9
0-2
TV9 Bharatvarsh
11-19
11-13
1-4
—
—
2-7
Jan Ki Baat
13-19
14-19
3-5
—
—
1-3
India Today-Axis
14-18
15-20
—
2-5
—
0-4
Chanakya
Punjab
In Punjab, all exit polls predict a landslide victor for Aam Aadmi Party, with the Chanakya giving a whopping 111 seats to the party led by Arvind Kejriwal out of the total 117 assembly seats that went to polls. Congress is the second-largest party, followed by SAD, according to exit poll results.
Exit Poll
BJP+
Congress+
AAP
SAD+
Others
P-Marq
1-3
23-31
62-70
16-24
1-3
ABP-CVoter
7-13
22-28
51-61
20-26
1-5
TV9 Bharatvarsh
1-6
24-29
56-61
22-26
0-3
Jan Ki Baat
3-7
18-31
60-84
12-19
0
India Today-Axis
1-4
19-31
76-90
7-11
0-2
Chanakya
0-2
3-17
89-111
1-11
0-1
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand could throw unpredictable results in the recently concluded assembly elections. While some exit polls claim BJP might narrowly scrape by to form a government in the state, others say Congress might be in for an upset and could turn the tables to stake their claim on the government.
Exit Poll
BJP+
Congress+
AAP
Others
P-Marq
35-39
28-34
0-3
0-3
ABP-CVoter
26-32
32-38
0-2
3-7
TV9 Bharatvarsh
31-33
33-35
0-3
0-2
Jan Ki Baat
32-41
27-35
0-1
0-4
India Today-Axis
36-46
20-30
2-4
2-5
Chanakya
37-50
17-31
—
0-6
Manipur
In the case of Manipur, NDA, Manipur Progressive Secular Alliance (MPSA), Naga People’s Front (NPA), and National People’s Party (NPP) are in the race, along with the BJP and Congress. The BJP is set to emerge as the largest party in Manipur, according to exit poll results announced by P-Marq and Jan Ki Baat. Out of the total 60 seats, of which 31 seats are needed to form government, the P-Marq exit poll suggest that BJP might be on borderline to rack up the desired number, failing which it might have to seek alliance with either NPP or NPF. The Congress is predicted to bag 10-17 seats.
Exit Poll
BJP
Congress
NPP+
NPF+
Others
P-Marq
27-31
11-17
6-10
2-6
3-7
ABP-CVoter
23-27
12-16
10-14
3-7
2-6
TV9 Bharatvarsh
Jan Ki Baat
23-28
10-14
7-8
5-8
8-9
India Today-Axis
33-43
4-8
—
—
10-23
Chanakya
The results for the Assembly elections in all five states will be announced on March 10, 2022.
Note: The results for some exit polls are yet to come. They will be updated as and when they arrive.
Tushar Mehta, the Solicitor General of India, told a Supreme Court bench of Justices Chandrachud and Surya Kant today that Raghav Bahl, the founder of The Quint and an accused in a money laundering case, can travel abroad if he and his wife produce an undertaking on the date of return and provide the itinerary, reports Law Beat.
BREAKING:
SG Tushar Mehta informs the court that @TheQuint founder @Raghav_Bahl and his wife Ritu Kapur can travel abroad upon furnishing an undertaking about the date of their return and submission of their complete itinerary
In December 2021, the Supreme Court had granted Raghav Bahl interim protection in relation to the money laundering case filed against him by the Enforcement Directorate.
After the Delhi High Court refused to award him protection in the case, Bahl turned to the Supreme Court. Following a complaint from the Income Tax Department and allegations that he had laundered funds to buy a mansion in London, the ED opened a money-laundering inquiry against Bahl.
When the case came up for hearing today, Bahl’s lawyer, Sr Adv Shyam Divan, stated that Bahl and his wife need to travel abroad for health reasons and that the Court’s order protecting Bahl does not specify whether or not he can travel. The bench first deferred the hearing until Wednesday when SG Tushar Mehta, standing for ED, stated that he needed to receive directions in this respect.
However, as the bench was rising, the SG informed them that he had received instructions and that Bahl and his wife might travel if they provided an undertaking on the date of return and the itinerary.
After hearing the SG’s remarks, the Court asked Diwan’s opinion on the matter. The court deferred the case until Friday (March 11) for compliance after Diwan agreed.
The money-laundering case against Raghav Bahl
In June 2019, the Enforcement Directorate had filed a case against the media giant and founder of The Quint, Raghav Bahl, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The department had picked up on the complaint filed by the Income Tax (IT) department against Bahl under Section 50 of the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act 2015, the ED had initiated action against him. The law enforcement agency had lodged an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), a police FIR equivalent, based on the complaint.
According to the IT department, Bahl has not disclosed his foreign assets, a property bought in London, UK for 31 lakh pounds. The economic intelligence agency has sought details from the IT department regarding the offence allegedly committed by Bahl.
Bahl was served a Show-Cause notice on May 1, 2019, seeking information about the property and the source of funds for an investment made in that property.
On October 11, 2018, the IT officials had searched The Quint owner’s premises. Sleuths from the department had raided his residence in Noida to search for documents and other pieces of evidence related to the case.
Raj Kumar Modi, in an admission to the tax officials under oath, had alleged Bahl of using his shell company to launder money and evade tax. Modi is the Managing Director of PMC Fincorp, a shell company, which Bahl had invested money in.
Modi has reportedly made a statement to IT officials where he claimed that Bahl’s chartered accountant had given him ₹100 crores in cash “to convert into white”.
Bahl, on his part, had denied the allegations levelled against him. He has asserted that every transaction had been fully disclosed and assessed to tax. Bahl had claimed the money invested in the property is from the income on, which taxes have been duly paid. He also claimed the information has consistently been disclosed in the Foreign Asset Schedule of the Income Tax Returns of Raghav Bahl, his wife and children.
As the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues to have catastrophic consequences, various Hindu groups, trusts, and temples have stepped forward to provide humanitarian assistance to those affected by the conflict. In times when individuals prefer to flee and hide in order to preserve their lives, Hindu organizations have stayed steady to serve mankind.
This underscores the commitment of Indians and especially Hindus who continue to serve humanity even after being called ignorant and intolerant. In times of crises, we have seen liberals and harbingers of secularism play foul stating that it would be preferable to build hospitals rather than temples. Liberal apologists rush to justify those funds are wasted by constructing temples and would have been utilized if a school was made instead. Even under normal conditions, the indignation remains to denounce any activity involving the Hindu religion.
Despite the fact that the construction of temples, schools, and hospitals are not synonymous, a determined attempt is made to guilt-trip Hindus in every manner conceivable and even though such ideas are unsupported by facts, efforts are made to promote them as a widely accepted narrative.
However, this narrative-building fails when it comes to reality on the ground. Whether it’s a coronavirus outbreak or a natural disaster, Hindu groups have always come forward. So is now, with the current crisis in the confrontation between Russia and Ukraine. Several Indian and Hindu groups have vowed to assist the victims of the Russia-Ukraine war in whatever manner they can. Here are a few organizations and trusts that have volunteered to help those who have been devastated by the war.
Art of Living
The Art of Living is a non-profit educational and humanitarian organization formed in 1981 that operates in 156 countries. Through a variety of humanitarian programs, the Art of Living movement has encouraged growth and advancement throughout communities. During all of the coronavirus pandemic’s waves, they were highly engaged at community levels. Their involvement in the present Russia-Ukraine conflict is also noteworthy.
As the Ukraine-Russia war continues, volunteers from the Art of Living in Hungary Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, and Germany have all taken steps to assist refugees leaving Ukraine, including Indian students. They have provided shelter and basic necessities such as food and water to Indians who are crossing borders into other European nations.
Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha is an organization that has stood up for assistance in any humanitarian crisis. The BAPS emphasizes Seva, selfless service to society.
As thousands of refugees continue to pour across the Ukraine-Poland border, BAPS volunteers from across Europe, UK, and USA continue to selflessly serve with love, compassion, and care. pic.twitter.com/8aiDV8RMPq
As the crisis unfolded, Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally called Brahmaviharidas Swami at midnight on Sunday, February 27th, according to a BAPS notice, requesting assistance from the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha in ensuring the safe passage of Indian nationals on the Polish, Romanian, and Hungarian borders with Ukraine.
After which, volunteers from the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Austria, and Poland gathered to the scene to help with the emergency relief operation. They also set up a mobile field kitchen in Rzeszów, Poland, which has been serving roughly 1,000 hot vegetarian meals daily to migrants of all religions and countries.
Sewa International
Sewa International, a non-profit organization, has been able to assist as many as 30,000 persons who are stranded in Ukraine due to the ongoing war. While Indians have made the majority of the requests for assistance, this organization has also been able to assist citizens of other nations, including Africans and Ukrainians.
Volunteers from Sewa are arranging bus, rail, and other kinds of transportation for Indian students to cross the western border and avoid danger. Working with local hotel owners, they are ensuring that indian students have food and a safe place to stay.
ISKCON
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has extended its temple doors to the people affected by the Russia-Ukraine war. ISKCON is providing refuge to people inside the temples. ISKCON members have also initiated a big food aid effort in Hungary, at the request of the Indian Embassy, to provide fresh food and drink to students going home. On Saturday, ISKCON Vice-President Radharamn Das declared that 54 ISKCON temples in Ukraine are ready to assist people in need.
ISKCON has over 54 temples in Ukraine & our devotees & temples r committed to serve those in distress. Our doors r open for service. Hare Krishna!
A court in Maharashtra’s Bhiwandi has on Monday, March 7, granted Congress scion Rahul Gandhi exemption from appearing in person during the day’s hearing in the 2014 ‘RSS killed Mahatama Gandhi’ defamation case filed against him. The court granted Rahul Gandhi the exemption after his counsel informed the court that the Congress leader was busy with polls in Goa, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.
On Monday, the court was set to record the evidence of complainant Rajesh Kunte in the defamation case, but the court of FCJM JV Palival postponed the hearing after Gandhi’s counsel Narayan Iyer sought exemption from appearance for his client, citing his busy schedule.
The court will now hear the case on March 22.
The ‘RSS killed Gandhi’ defamation case‘ against Rahul Gandhi
It may be recalled that an RSS activist namely Rajesh Kunte had filed a defamation case against Gandhi in 2014 after watching Gandhi give a speech on TV in which he accused the RSS of the murder of Mahatma Gandhi. It was alleged by the RSS activist that the Congress leader had said at a rally during last year’s Lok Sabha poll that a worker of the saffron outfit killed Mahatma Gandhi.
At that time, the Supreme Court had slammed then Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for his remark that RSS is behind the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, while prima facie indicating that he will have to face trial for criminal defamation and prove his innocence.
We had reported how in the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, an aggressive Rahul had made some rather controversial statements. Later during the trial, Rahul Gandhi made a U-Turn. He told the Supreme Court that he did not blame the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi on the RSS. He further said his remark had been misinterpreted by the RSS worker who filed the initial complaint against him. His U-Turn came as a rude shock to his social media warriors who had backed Rahul’s decision of not apologising and settling the case.
‘Temple run to peddling lies to vacations’: how the polls have kept Congress scion ‘busy’
Probably, Rahul Gandhi’s lawyer has correctly claimed his ‘busy schedule’ as a justification for his absence from the court hearing. As the Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections near their conclusion, the Gandhi scion has actually gotten tangled up in a last-ditch effort to grab some residual votes by lying through his teeth and dragging in Hinduism to make his lies sound intricate.
While the Uttar Pradesh Elections are on, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are already on a temple run. Hours before PM Modi was supposed to pray at the Kashi Vishwanath temple, Rahul and Priyanka reached there as a part of their seasonal-Hindu program.
After the temple run, Rahul Gandhi spoke in Varanasi only to peddle a long-debunked lie against PM Modi. To make his lie more impactful the Congress leader went on to drag in Hinduism in his speech.
While Rahul Gandhi has lately been very ‘busy’, it is important to note that he had been missing in action during the campaign for the first two phases of the crucial Uttar Pradesh elections despite his name being there on the star campaigners list for the first two faces of the Uttar Pradesh polls. The campaign had then been led by his sister and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Moreover, when all political parties were gearing up on campaigns and rallies for the upcoming Assembly elections in five states, Rahul Gandhi had left India for a ‘short personal trip’, reportedly to Italy. Gandhi was scheduled to kick start the campaign in Punjab with the party rally in district Moga on January 3. The rally had, however, gotten postponed. Reports had then suggested that Congress would not start its campaigning in Punjab before Gandhi’s return to India.
The Bombay high court has nodded to hear a PIL seeking a stay on the release of the film ‘The Kashmir Files‘ on 8th March 2022. The film is based on the genocide of Kashmiri Hindus in 1990 and it is directed by National Film Awards winning director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri. This film is scheduled to release on 11th March 2022.
A PIL was filed against Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri’s upcoming movie The Kashmir Files by a resident from UP named Intezar Hussain Sayed seeking to stall the release of the film. The PIL was mentioned for urgent listing before Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Vinay Joshi, who agreed to hear it on Tuesday at 4 PM. After the trailer of the movie was released, the petitioner had alleged that the trailer hurts the religious feelings of the Muslim community. However, Vivek Agnihotri had denied the allegations and said that his movie only shows the truth.
In this plea, it is said, “The film will not only hurt the religious sentiments of the Muslim community but also ignite emotions and inflame members of the Hindu community with a clear possibility of triggering violence in all parts of India.”
It further said, “his movie, as can be seen from the trailer released, has scenes which hurt the religious feelings of the people of India, more particularly the Muslim community and has a very potent mixture of inflammatory scenes which are bound to cause communal violence in the prevailing circumstances in the country.”
The plea also mentions, “The dialogues as can be seen in the trailer are discriminatory, defamatory and against the principles of the Constitution of India. The dialogues are violative of the fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 15 of the Constitution of India, being inflammatory in nature.”
The petitioner also pleaded to immediately take down the trailer of this film till the hearing is done.
When Intezar Hussain Sayed had initially alleged the film of hurting religious sentiments, OpIndia had spoken to Vivek Agnihotri about this matter. Determined to showcase the genocide of Kashmiri Hindus on-screen through The Kashmir Files, Agnihotri while speaking to OpIndia had remarked, “I can prove in any court or any platform of their choice that every frame, every word in my film is truth. Nothing but the truth.” On the news of a PIL being filed against the film, he had said, “They can create as many hurdles as they want but I can’t be silenced.”
Even before that, members of the Shia community were angered over the portrayal of the religious leader in Shia Islam, Ayatullah Khamenei in the film. Maulana Kalbe Jawad from Lucknow had remarked that The Kashmir Files shows the Shia Supreme leader Khamenei in poor light. He had alleged that the film connects Khamenei with terrorism. Writing to I&B Minister Anurag Thakur, Maulana Jawad had said that the film conspires to harm the relations between Iran and India, and hence an inquiry should be done.
Responding to a question about this, Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri had commented, “The producers of the film will deal with notices through the legal means. All I can tell you is that in any court of the world, on any platform, forum or gathering, I can take responsibility for each and every dialogue, scene, and character portrayed in the film. I can prove myself with hundreds of references, videos, visual sources, etc.”
The trailer of Vivek Agnihotri’s upcoming multi-starrer film ‘The Kashmir Files’ has caused a storm on the internet with 9.5 million views in 10 days on Youtube alone. While the film is set to release on March 11, 2022, in the theatres, you can watch Vivek Agnihotri’s conversation with OpIndia CEO Rahul Raushan here.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday undermined India’s evacuation mission, stating that he would have appreciated Operation Ganga if the Indians were rescued from Ukraine.
The bizarre statement was made by the former UP CM while talking to ANI on 7th March 2022. Yadav called the evacuation mission by the Indian government a failure after thousands of Indians were brought back home safely from the strife-torn Ukraine.
Akhilesh Yadav called this operation a mere political stunt staged for gaining some advantage in the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. He said, “Don’t know which international recognition they are boasting about. They (BJP-led central government) failed to evacuate Indians. They named the evacuation as Operation Ganga because of the polls in Varanasi. Had they rescued our people directly from Ukraine, I would have appreciated it.”
Don’t know which international recognition they boast about. They (BJP-led Centre) failed to evacuate Indians, named evacuation op ‘Operation Ganga’ because polls in Varanasi too. Had they rescued our people from #Ukraine directly I would’ve appreciated it:Akhilesh Yadav, SP#UPpic.twitter.com/RoF0oWyNCM
He further said, “The Centre was unsuccessful in helping Indian students stuck in Ukraine and their families. We should always stand with those who have suffered injustice. The Indian government would talk about strength. These people would say that India is being recognized in the world. But they couldn’t evacuate the Indians stuck there.”
Taking a jibe on naming the operation after the holy river Ganga, Akhilesh Yadav said, “To hide their failure, they named the evacuation mission ‘Operation Ganga’. They did so because the election is in Varanasi. Ganga is in Mirzapur too.”
This statement by Akhilesh Yadav has come three days after the Indian government had successfully moved 13000 Indians out of Ukraine and brought them back home safely.
Jharkhand has experienced a surge in religious conversion by Christian missionaries over the years. The state’s strong Christian missionaries, active in small towns and villages, threaten the impoverished and vulnerable locals, particularly those from the Scheduled Castes, with severe consequences if they do not comply with their demands. Many eventually succumb to the pressure and convert to Christianity. Recently, a new controversy over unlawful religious conversion had emerged, in Jharkhand where local Hindus and Sikhs have accused one Ravi Singh, a Christian pastor of running a mass conversion racket in the state.
On February 27, members of various Hindu organisations and Sikhs staged a protest against Ravi Singh’s ‘Changai Sabha’ (‘Changai’ means supposedly curing ailing people through prayers recited by a pastor) in Nanak Nagar in Tinplate under Golmuri thana in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand.
The protesters accused Ravi Singh and his wife of holding the so-called ‘faith healing service’ on Sundays at their house and converting gullible tribals. They demanded the immediate arrest of pastor Ravi Singh, who they said had been targeting vulnerable tribal people and luring them into religious conversion.
People from Hindu and Sikh communities accused the police and the JMM/Congress government headed by Hemant Soren in Jharkand of failing to take action against the accused pastor despite several complaints. Reports suggest that owing to the rising protests, the police had briefly detained Ravi Singh, however, released him later in the evening.
Incidents of conversion have risen dramatically in Jharkhand
The conversion incident in Golmuri is not the first. The Sikh community had visited DC and SP earlier in September 2021 in the same Golmuri and sought action to stop the conversion incidents. According to Sardar Shailender Singh, head of the Jharkhand Gurdwara Management Committee, the administration gave no attention to the complaint lodged by them against the looming issue of mass conversion in the area.
Similarly, in December 2021, there were reports of the conversion of 30 tribal families in Gumla, Jharkhand’s Gadtoli block. Families who did not convert reported receiving social boycotts and death threats. Reports further stated how these two families had particularly been tortured to bow down to the demands of these Christian conversion gangs. One family belonging to that of a person named Salik Gop was reportedly ostracized by the Christian villagers for the last 6 months for not concurring with the demands of religious conversion. Speaking to the media, Salik Gop’s family claimed that, despite being a family of cowherds, they are constantly pressured to eat beef.
Likewise, in 2020 a Santhali tribal man identified as Ramesh Hansda, a resident of Sopodera village in Parasudih district, Jamshedpur had confessed how a Christian pastor had pressurised him not only to embrace Christianity but to also cook and eat cow-meat. “Only after my wife vehemently refused to indulge them did those people leave”, said Ramesh. He said that the priest kept nagging him for almost two years, saying that he would help him financially if Ramesh agreed to embrace Christianity. In this case, too, no concrete action was taken by the Jharkhand police.
In November 2021, in Ganjudih Tola in the Kuju OP area of Jharkhand’s Ramgarh district, villagers held six people, including a woman who had come to convert, and handed them over to police. The conversion gang had reportedly lured a family into embracing Christianity by saying that they would be blessed with a son if they convert.
It may be recalled how in the month of September, OpIndia reported about a woman health worker of Jamdih village of Gumla district of Jharkhand approached the police with a complaint against the Christian villagers, accusing them of torturing her family members to accept Christianity. The complainant, who belonged to a Scheduled Caste, had also alleged that the assailants even sexually abused her daughter to mount pressure on the family to adopt Christianity. She had also said that accused persons instigated the villagers against her family.
It is shocking that the majority of the events have occurred in the presence of police officers, who did little to prevent them.
Illegal religious conversion had also been a thriving clandestine activity in Jharkhand during the Covid crisis. In June 2020, two dozen families under Jharia, Dhanbad, were converted in the pretext of rehabilitation. Hindu organisations staged a ferocious protest in response to the incident. Then, the BJP MLA from Sindri Inderjit Mahto had claimed that missionary activities intensified ever since the JMM/Congress government headed by Hemant Soren came to power in the state.
यह कैसी राजनीति है ?? राष्ट्र विरोधी ताकतों द्वारा लोगों की मजबूरी का फायदा उठाकर उनका धर्मांतरण कराया जा रहा है और हेमंत सोरेन सरकार उनके सामने नतमस्तक है।#हेमंत_हैं_तो_हिम्मत_हैpic.twitter.com/5vvcPDuSOd
— Subodh Kumar Singh Guddu (@subodhguddu) July 17, 2021
‘Religious conversion has gained momentum in Jharkhand under the Hemant Soren govt, police turning a deaf ear’
In Jharkhand, though conversions are officially illegal, the Christian missionaries have been taking advantage of the administration’s complacency. On February 27, OpIndia contacted ADM Jamshedpur to inquire about the Golmuri incident in Jamshedpur, but we were asked to speak with the DC or SP instead.
On February 28, the SP City of Jamshedpur told OpIndia that there had been no progress in the case. According to the SHO of the Golmuri police station, a total of four cases have been filed in this matter. In these four cases, both sides (Ravi Singh and those who accuse him) have filed one case, each, against each other. The rest of the two cases have been filed by the administration. No one has been arrested yet.
According to a report, a young man committed suicide in Pannatand Ravidas Tola of Hunterganj Panchayat in Chatra district of Jharkhand in February 2021 after his mother converted to Christianity. The police had ruled out the incident as a suicide, according to a local portal.
According to a report published in August 2021, the police and government took no action after being informed about the criminal activities of Christian missionaries in the Daru area of Hazaribagh. The missionaries were then accused of enticing more than 200 tribes to convert.
‘Chief Minister Hemant Soren is an admirer of Christian missionaries’
It’s worth noting that in Jharkhand, a coalition government is currently in power, led by Hemant Soren. This government also includes Congress and the RJD, in addition to the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM). Their government was formed in December 2019. Following the creation of the administration, BJP officials claimed that conversion activities increased dramatically in the state.
झारखंड में लगातार घट रही आदिवासियों की जनसंख्या का प्रमुख कारण धर्मांतरण है, @dasraghubar जी ने आदिवासी बंधुओ के हित की रक्षा के लिए धर्मांतरण के ख़िलाफ़ मोर्चा खोला था जिससे धर्मांतरण में कमी आयी थी।
— Shashi Shekhar Singh (@S_ShekharSingh) July 11, 2021
In fact, in November 2021, Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren lauded Christian missionaries for their contributions towards education, particularly for tribals and the downtrodden in the state.
Addressing the inaugural day of the two-day golden jubilee function of Gossner College in Ranchi, as the chief guest on Wednesday, Soren said: “If we look at the level of education and work done in the academic sphere in the state, the missionaries have contributed more than 50 per cent. There was tremendous cooperation for tribals, backwards, minorities and poor in the missionary schools.”
The chief minister continued its praise by claiming, “Missionary school and college impart education with discipline with a thrust on social values. The result can be seen from Gossner College which has had 27 departments and thousands of students representing the state across state and country.”
During the Covid crisis too, Soren went on to praise the missionaries’ efforts on behalf of tribals, backwards, minorities, and others.
Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren pays tribute to Urban Naxal Stan Lourduswamy, compares him with Birsa Munda
Hemant Soren has also been quite vocal against the arrest of Stanislaus Lourduswamy, popularly known as Stan Swamy on terror charges by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in October 2020 in connection with the Bhima Koregaon violence case.
Stan Swamy, an Indian Roman Catholic Jesuit priest, had been involved in anarchic activities for quite some time. However, his anti-India activities came to the fore after his role in the Elgar Parishad in 2018 surfaced during the investigation.
According to the NIA, Stan Swamy was a key conspirator in the Bhima Koregaon Elgar Parishad case of 2018, which witnessed violence, stone-pelting, and arson at Shaniwar Wada in Pune.
Not only this, in October 2021, Soren had paid his tributes to Naxal sympathiser, and Elgar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon violence accused Stan Swamy, saying his alleged sacrifices and “invaluable contribution” to society will always be remembered. Paying his tributes, Hemant Soren compared the deceased Naxal sympathiser to tribal legend Birsa Munda to claim that Jharkhand never lagged behind when it comes to making sacrifices, whether it was Birsa Munda or Father Stan Swamy. The Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said people like Stan Swamy would be remembered for their “invaluable contribution to society”.
In fact, on December 25, 2021, on the occasion of Christmas Eve Hemant Soren had visited the Archbishop’s House, Purulia Road, Ranchi and the two had together cut a cake and prayed to Lord Jesus for peace and prosperity for all the people of the state.
Chief Minister and Archbishop Felix Toppo together cutting a cake on Christmas eve in 2021
Chief Minister and Archbishop Felix Toppo together cutting a cake on Christmas eve in 2021
Archbishop demands inclusion of Christian minister in Hemant Soren government in Jharkhand
Interestingly, in 2020, Ranchi Archbishop Felix Toppo had urged Soren to appoint a Christian minister in his cabinet to look after the interests of the minority community. He had made this demand as a Christmas gift. According to the bishop, the Christian minister could better understand the feelings of Christians. At that time the BJP had called it a hidden agenda of the Hemant government.
Hemant Soren with Ranchi Archbishop Felix Toppo
BJP and VHP accuse Soren government of promoting and encouraging Christian missionaries, allowing conversions
OpIndia spoke to Jharkhand BJP State General Secretary Pradeep Verma regarding the rampant religious conversion by Christian missionaries in the state. Verma said, “Christian missionaries have grown unmanageable since Raghubar Das’s government left and Hemant Soren’s government came to power. Previously, permission to convert someone to a different religion had to be obtained from the District Magistrate. However, no one is now abiding by the law. Conversion to Christianity is now taking place under the protection of the state. Complaints are no longer investigated by the police administration. Previously, religious conversion occurred in secret in remote areas, but it is now occurring publicly in towns such as Jamshedpur. The missionaries do not fear anyone now,” said Verma.
In the aftermath of the protest held against pastor Ravi Singh, an emergency meeting of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Jharkhand Province was held in Ranchi on March 2, Wednesday, in the presence of the National Spokesperson of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Vinod Bansal.
Addressing the meeting, Bansal said that the vicious cycle of dividing Jharkhand is being run by the anti-national conspirators and enemies of tribal culture.
He said that in many districts of the state including Hazaribagh, Jamshedpur, Latehar, Pakur and Sahebganj, religious conversion activities are being carried out by illegal churches. In the name of a healing assembly, efforts are being made to divert the innocent people from their ancient Sanatan Hindu religion and culture.
Earlier on February 28, VHP spokesperson Vinod Bansal accused the Hemant Soren government of turning a blind eye towards the rampant incidents of illegal conversion taking place in his state. He said that “Healing congregations, which these hypocrites call prayer meetings, have become unauthorized centres of relgious conversion across India, including Jamshedpur. Applying breaks to such illegal practices is necessary,” Bansal wrote in his Tweet.
चंगाई सभाएं, जिन्हें ये कपटी पादरी प्रार्थना सभा का नाम देते हैं, जमशेदपुर सहित सम्पूर्ण भारत में हिंदुओं के धर्मांतरण के अनाधिकृत अड्डे बन चुकी हैं। विराम ज़रूरी है।
In April 2021, the former Chief Minister of Jharkhand Raghubar Das accused the incumbent Jharkhand Soren administration of dancing to the tunes of the Christian missionaries’ in the state. Claiming that Hemant Soren was born with a golden spoon in his mouth, Das had accused him of supporting missionaries, which he described as “anti-national forces”.
झारखंड के मुख्यमंत्री हेमंत सोरेन जी के उन्नीस महीने के कार्यकाल में धर्मांतरण का तेज़ी से ‘’विकास’’ हुआ है।
एक साल में पाँच लाख बेरोज़गारों को नौकरी देने वर्ना राजनीति से संन्यास लेने की लोकलुभावन सौगंध लेकर सत्ता हथियाने वाले सोरेन जी धर्मांतरण विकास रोकने के सवाल पर चुप हैं? pic.twitter.com/iL6UJtBUpi
— Sunil Kr. Tiwari (सुनील तिवारी)?? (@itssuniltiwari) July 17, 2021
“There has been a rapid growth of conversions during the nineteen-month tenure of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren ji,” Jharkhand BJP leader Sunil Tiwari wrote on July 17, 2021, while sharing some newspaper clippings. “Soren ji, who came to power on a populist promise to create five lakh jobs in a year or go down from politics, is silent on the issue of conversion development,” said Tiwari.
Who thought ‘sanctioning Russia’ would become the new cool. The latest manifestation in the bandwagon is from the Communist Indian state of Kerala wherein a cafe has decided to de-table a dish called ‘Russian Salad’ amidst the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The move came after the cafe decided to remove the Russian dish from its menu in solidarity with the people of Ukraine.
Russian salad off the menu too. This appears to be from the Kashi art cafe in Kochi, Kerala. A really nice place that I’ve been to many times over the years. Sincere, perhaps, but totally ridiculous. (via @VJ290481) pic.twitter.com/6TgBy1xhOj
If you plan to take a stroll through the alleys of Fort Kochi today, you are most like to stumble upon a board outside the famous ‘Kashi Art gallery and Cafe’ saying, “In solidarity with people of Ukraine, we have removed ‘Russian salad’ from our menu,” The move most naturally made wave on social media with photographs of the message board creating a buzz overnight.
While sanctions on Russia have been calculated as cancelling everything Russian, the move to de-table the ‘Russian Salad’ serves as an Indian variant to the ‘Russian Vodka’ being pulled out of supermarkets in the US and Canada. What went equally out of the park was owner Edgar Pinto’s justification for this move. “It wasn’t any kind of publicity, we simply wanted to say no to war. Being art lovers, we believe in freedom of expression and this was one way we thought we can show our support to people in Ukraine.”
According to Pinto, his cancelling of ‘Russian Salad’ came under the guise of Freedom of Expression. “We just wanted to take a stand where we wanted humanity to prevail and condemn the monstrous attacks being carried out on innocent people by Russia,” he said while talking to the Indian Express about his decision.
The absence of sense while boycotting Russia is yet another pandemic that has groped the world. In a similar sentiment, A Pub that was originally named ‘Putin’ in Isreal’s Jerusalem changed its name ‘Zelenskiy’ after the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
There was also news of Russian cats being banned from pet competitions across the world. From lighting monuments in the colours of the Ukrainian National flag to banning everything and everyone remotely related to Russia, the solidarity for Ukraine in the woke world, will not be expressed in real hard-power but rather in political self posturing.
Dainik Bhaskar group, one of the widely circulated newspaper groups of the country is in the middle of a controversy as it is summoned by the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes for illegally grabbing the land meant for the scheduled tribes. The commission has issued the summon on 28th February 2022.
The income tax department had raided various offices of the Bhaskar group in July 2021. At that time, the group has called it to be an attempt to crush and curb the freedom of the press, but what has appeared to the surface now is far different than this claim. The offices of the Bhaskar newspaper group were not raided. These raids were meant for other sectors the Bhaskar group operates in.
Big Breaking : Dainik Bhaskar Group is accused of illegally grabbing land meant for Scheduled Tribes in Janjgir of Chattisgarh. National Commission For Scheduled Tribes to look further into this matter. pic.twitter.com/EeeIjD5jqR
It is notable here that the Dainik Bhaskar group is not limited to just the newspapers but is involved in some other sectors as well. These sectors include real estate, textiles, and the power sector. The investigations after these raids have revealed that the Dainik Bhaskar group has illegally grabbed land for the power plant whereas the land was actually of the scheduled tribes. The national commission for scheduled tribes had also received a complaint regarding the same.
The summons is issued by the NCST.
According to a report by Asia Net News Hindi, the company of this group that operates in the power sector is called DB Power Limited. This company is accused of fraud in the purchase of land for setting up a power plant in the Janjagir-Champa district of Chhattisgarh. Dainik Bhaskar group had employed a local agent for land purchase. He first purchased the land from the tribal people at cheap rates.
According to the regulations, when a tribal person purchases land from another tribal person, he need not take any permission. But if an outsider wishes to buy any land from a tribal person, it is a must for him to take permission from the district collector.
It is reported that the Dainik Bhaskar group first asked the employed agent to buy the land from the tribal people at cheap rates. He later sold the land to the Dainik Bhaskar group. In between, the Chhattisgarh State Industrial Development Corporation acquired a major part of the land which it later gave to the DB Power Limited. This was the extra land needed for setting up a power plant here. Who else was involved in this land deal is subject to further investigation.
The national commission for scheduled tribes received a complaint regarding this. The commission then issued a notice to the revenue secretary of the Chhattisgarh state and the managing director of the Chhattisgarh State Industrial Development Corporation. None of them responded to the notice. The SP and DM of the Janjagir-Champa district were also given the same notice. But they did not satisfactorily respond to the commission. The commission has now summoned the SP and the DM of Janjagir-Champa district to be present on 8th March 2022 and furnish their explanation.
