On Saturday, Islamist mob in Pakistan’s Tulamba town of Khanewal district stoned a man to death for allegedly burning the pages of Quran in Madarsa. The corpse of the innocent man was later hung on the tree.
The videos of the gruesome lynching of a man in Mian Channu’s Tulamba Madrasa went viral over the internet. According to the reports, the local police in order to protect themselves from the mob allegedly allowed the accused to leave the police station where the violent mob was present.
Note: Graphic visuals, reader discretion advised.
#BREAKING: Islamist mob in Pakistan stoned an innocent man to death for allegedly burning some pages of the Quran in Tulamba town of Khanewal district in Punjab. Corpse of the innocent man was later hung on a tree. Graphic visuals. No global condemnation?pic.twitter.com/hmRlyXxbp7
The victim was dragged to a nearby place, tortured and killed. Following the incident, district police officer (DPO) and the station house officer (SHO) reached the spot to investigate the entire matter. The South Punjab Additional Inspector General of Police Captain (retd) Zafar Iqbal Awan directed the Tulamba police to take immediate action against those responsible.
Also, the IG Punjab Rao Sardar Ali Khan sought report over the incident and demanded action against those who took law into their hands.
Reports mention that, this is not the first incident when the angry mob has decided over the punishment given to be given to the accused for alleged crime. Earlier in November, a violent mob had set a police station on fire in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Charsadda district for not handing over a man arrested for allegedly desecrating the Holy Quran.
Also, in December last year, a Sri Lankan man named Priyanthan Kumara was set on fire after the mob lynched him to death on the charges of blasphemy in Pakistan’s Sailkot. The Pakistan Police had arrested more than 40 people identifying them on the CCTV footage in the case.
According to a BBC report, the people in Pakistan have become more cautious to express their opinion in public, owing to increased incidents of mob lynching in Pakistan. “People know that the maximum the court will punish them is 5-8 years and then the’ll be set free. The Police aslo become silent spectators at such times”, the report says.
My sp report on increasing mob violence in Pakistan. It’s not always blasphemy. Anything, it seems, can trigger a crowd. People r now more cautious to express their opinion in public.
It further adds that more than 60 people have been killed on blasphemy charges in last 30 decades in Pakistan and many of them by large angry crowds who attack the victims like vultures do. The investigation in the Mian Channu’s Tulamba Madrasa case is still underway with Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar demanding strict legal action in the tragic case.
Many parties, including Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM, have supported Muskan Khan, the burqa clad girl who raised cries of ‘Allahu Akbar’ in the midst of the hijab controversy that began at PU College in Karnataka’s Udupi district. Meanwhile, the word is spreading on social media that Bollywood stars Salman Khan and Aamir Khan have given five crore rupees to this youngster in recognition of her bravery. Some Pakistani Twitter users have also shared such posts, claiming that this is true.
According to social media posts, Salman and Aamir Khan have paid Muskaan Khan 3 crore rupees, while the Turkish government would pay her 2 crores as a reward for her bravery in shouting Allahu Akbar in public while wearing a burqa.
According to a Pakistani Twitter user called Zahid (@Xahidpk), Salman Khan gave Rs 3 crore to hijab girl Muskan Khan.
Pakistani Twitter user claiming Salman Khan gave Rs 5 crore to Muskan Khan
Nizam Khan, another user, made a similar assertion. In his tweet, he stated that Salman Khan gave Muskan Khan five crore rupees. The individual also uploaded a link to the ‘Kahani Centre’ YouTube channel, which made similar claims. It has around 7 lakh subscribers as well. While commenting on the video, Islamists have expressed their support for Muskan Khan.
Muslims rejoicing at reports of Salman Khan giving money to Muskan Khan
A similar ruse was posted by a user named Kashmir Today (@KashmirToday085), who claimed that the actor had paid Muskan Khan Rs 3 crore.
Another user named Qayyum Khan (@Qayyumk43775285) shared a link to a video posted by a YouTube channel named Pakhtunkhwa Channel and wrote a tweet stating that Aamir khan has rewarded Muskan Khan.
However, this news does not hold any valid proof that can justify it. Muskan Khan, the burqa clad protestor who raised Allahu Akbar slogans, has received no money from Salman Khan or the Turkish government. In its investigation, ‘Factly’ labeled it as ‘fake’ news.
Similarly, koimoi.com has also rejected this claim of actors rewarding her money. Another claim that the Turkish government is awarding the protestor in Karnataka are also unverified.
However, Muskan Khan has indeed been given rewards for her Allahu Akbar chanting protest. Zeeshan Siddiqui, a Congress MLA from Bandra in Mumbai, paid a visit to the home of the hijab girl in Mandya and presented her with an iPhone and a smartwatch. Muskan was also given a Demand Draft for five lakhs by Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Hind.
On Wednesday (February 9), the Mangaluru police arrested 7 people for sexually assaulting a minor 17-year-old girl and running a prostitution racket in the city. The development comes days after the police had filed four separate FIRs under the Prevention of Child Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, based on the complaint of the minor girl.
As per reports, 3 of the accused had sexually assaulted the minor girl while the remaining 4 had introduced the victim to the clients. It has come to light that the prostitution ring was being operated from a penthouse on the 5th floor of an apartment in Nandigudda in Mangaluru.
While speaking about the matter, Police Commissioner N Shashi Kumar said, “Seven more have been arrested in connection to case where minor girls and women were forced into prostitution with false entrapments and by blackmail in SMR Liana Apartments near Nandigudda of Attavar in the city. The total arrests made in the case have risen to 10.”
The police had earlier rescued two minor girls and arrested 3 people, including 2 women, on February 3 this year. They are being provided counselling by officials from women and child development, child welfare committee and child protection unit.
Besides the two minor girls, several women who were above the age of 18 years were also the victims in the case. A case was registered against them under the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act. A joint operation was conducted by N Shashi Kumar, DCP (law and order) Hariram Shankar, child development department, head of a PU college, child welfare committee and women’s police station.
Reportedly, the primary accused in the case was identified as one Shameena, who had harassed and traumatised the minor victim. Other accused arrested in the case include Mohammed Sharief (46), Sana(24), Umar Kunhi (43), Mohammed Haneef (46), Sandeep (43), Praveen D’ Souza (40), and Rahrnath (48).
The Background of the Case
Police Commissioner N Shashi Kumar informed, “This is an organized prostitution racket. Among the 10 arrested, 7 accused were operating in a gang while three are clients who sexually assaulted the minor. The minor came in contact with one of the accused who was previously arrested. The accused developed contact with the minor by giving her gifts and money taking her into confidence.”
He added, “The minor later was sexually assaulted. The accused threatened her of posting photos and videos on social media and blackmailed her saying that the CCTV footage of her in a compromising position will be made viral. The minor tried to confront the accused but in vain. Later, the accused convinced her for involving in prostitution.”
According to the Police Commissioner, the 17-year-old girl was raped 6 times over 3 months. The primary accused, Shameena, had established contact with minor girls and arranged meetings with clients. The racket had been running for 2.5 months in an apartment in Nandigudda in Mangaluru.
“We have the evidence on transactions via bank and Google Pay, and also a client account book was recovered…“It is surprising to see that none of the people came to know about the prostitution activities taking place in the commercial-cum-residential apartment,” N Shashi Kumar added.
On Saturday, a fight broke out between a group of burqa clad protestors and the Congress party workers in Kalyan, Maharashtra. The incident occurred during a protest organised by the Congress party against the BJP-led Karnataka government over the ongoing hijab controversy in the state.
According to the reports, a group of burqa-clad Muslim protestors barged into the Congress party’s protests at Shivaji Chowk, Kalyan, on Saturday. The group of Muslim women picked up a fight with the Congress party workers, who were protesting against the Karnataka government for asking the students to follow the uniform guidelines.
Sanjay Gunjal, the Deputy Commissioner of Kalyan, said, “There was a clash between two groups of women during the protest. The clash was related to the participation in the protest that was organised by the Congress party. The situation was under control. There is no complaint received or case registered in this matter so far.”
The video of the brawl between the Congress party workers and the Burqa-clad protestors has gone viral on social media. In the video, it was seen that the Burqa-clad protestors were seen heckling and clashing with the Congress party workers during the protest.
Kanchan Kulkarni, the President of the Congress party’s women’s wing, claimed that their protest was completely in support of women, and they were representing the Congress party. She said some groups of women in hijab initially participated in the protest; however, they started blaming the party workers after seeing Congress party’s banners.
“These women were not identified by any of us as they randomly participated in the protest. Our women party workers, however, managed to control the situation without escalating it,” the Congress leader said.
The protests come amidst the ongoing row over hijab on the high school and college campuses in certain parts of Karnataka, which has resulted in violent incidents across the state. The matter is now sub-judice in the Karnataka High Court.
International shipping company MyUS outed actor Sonam Kapoor’s husband, Anand Ahuja, for using doctored invoices in what appears to be a bid to avoid paying taxes and custom duty. In a series of tweets in reply to Ahuja’s complaint on Twitter, MyUS mentioned the problem was not with their services but with the documents Sonam’s husband had provided.
Anand Ahuja, on January 27, had tweeted and questioned if anyone had contacts in MyUS as his shipment was delayed. He wrote, “Does anyone know someone at MyUS – I have had HORRIBLE experience recently. They are holding items improperly, rejecting formal paperwork & refusing to acknowledge any reasoning.”
Source: Twitter
Initially, the company had replied to Ahuja and said they had limited resources on Social Media accounts and advised Ahuja to contact via email or chat. Ahuja called the company a scam and said, “Have been trying to resolve with email CS for 7+ days and spent 2hrs with chat CS yesterday before this tweet. They are unable to resolve- offering unfair, ones sided & even fraudulent solutions. Your company’s new “policies” are malicious and a SCAM.”
Source: Twitter
Sonam Kapoor had also quoted Ahuja and wrote, “Terrible customer service is shameful.”
Source: Twitter
The Bombay Times then picked up the story and published an article on Sonam and Anand’s ordeal. However, after the article was published, MyUS, too, took to Twitter to clear the air.
MyUS wrote, “This is not a matter of customer service quality, new policies, or holding items improperly as was tweeted. Mr Ahuja misrepresented the price he paid for sneakers purchased on eBay, which would result in him paying fewer duties and taxes.” Notably, they also tagged Sonam Kapoor and Economic Times in the tweet as Economic Times had published a story about how My US was allegedly causing trouble to the couple.
@sonamakapoor@etimes@bombaytimes This is not a matter of customer service quality, new policies, or holding items improperly as was tweeted. Mr. Ahuja misrepresented the price he paid for sneakers purchased on eBay which would result in him paying less duties and taxes. (1/3)
The shipping company added that the invoices attached had up to 90% less value mentioned compared to what he had paid for the goods. It said, “The doctored invoices list prices that were up to 90% less than what he paid for the goods. While our policy is to do our best to rectify any customer issues, we have a duty to uphold regulatory compliance.”
Put very simply, we have a legal obligation to provide accurate information when sending international shipments. Both MyUS and Mr. Ahuja are subject to international export rules, and we intend to follow them. (3/3)
It added, “Put very simply, we have a legal obligation to provide accurate information when sending international shipments. Both MyUS and Mr Ahuja are subject to international export rules, and we intend to follow them.”
After the tweets by MyUS went viral, Ahuja took to Twitter again to allege that MyUS refused to validate the PDF receipts and bank statements and accused them of trying to overcharge him and hold his goods for long.
Anyways now have moved all items and closed my account. Gooooood riddance!
He then said that he has moved all his items and closed his account.
Sonam Kapoor supports hijab
Actor Anil Kapoor’s daughter Sonam Kapoor is making headlines these days for supporting Muslim women’s “right” to wear hijab. However, her post in favour of the hijab has angered the Sikh community. In a story on Instagram, she had questioned if Sikh turban can be a choice, why can’t hijab be a choice.
Now-deleted Instagram story by Sonam Kapoor.
Interestingly, in 2013, Sonam Kapoor had questioned the idea about banning item numbers in movies and claimed women could not run around 24×7 in a burqa. She had said, “If you see our Ajanta Ellora Caves, you will understand that we are the land of Kamasutra. We can’t cover ourselves from head to toe. We can’t run around in burkha; that’s not our culture. It’s unfortunate when people say you can’t wear skirts or do item numbers or a girl can’t dress in a certain way. Are we going back to the dark ages?”
Sonam Kapoor has a history of creating controversies
Sonam Kapoor has a long history of creating controversies. In November 2021, she came out in support of a controversial NCERT document that promoted gender identity ideology. In 2019, she plagiarised the ‘Humans of Hindutva’ propaganda post and made the airstrike targeting terror camps about Hindutva.
The Hijab controversy in Karnataka has now spread to West Bengal as locals in the Murshidabad district on Saturday resorted to violence against the school authorities for asking the girl students not to wear hijab or burqa inside the class.
According to the reports, the school headmaster had asked the girl students not to wear hijab or burqa to the school. The headmaster Dinbandhu Mitra had also warned them that their name would be removed from the school registry. The school is situated at Bahutali High School in Murshidabad’s Suti area on Saturday.
After the headmaster asked the students to follow the uniform guidelines, the girls informed their parents, who staged a protest in front of the school and created a blockade.
#HijabRow : Volence erupts at protests in West Bengal’s Murshidabad as principal blocks student’s entry in school for donning Hijab; Principal beaten pic.twitter.com/VqVfCEyvxz
The Suti Block 1 officer and local police arrived at the spot to resolve the situation. However, tensions prevailed near the locality on Saturday. The Muslim mob went on a rampage and threw bombs at the school.
In response, the police had to use tear gas to bring the situation under control. At least 18 people have been arrested in the case so far.
The local administration has deployed a large force at the spot to control the situation. The police resorted to lathi-charge to bring the situation under control.
Later, a meeting was held on behalf of the school administration with the family members of the girl students. The school authorities clarified that there was no such order issued by the school. The matter was later settled after talks between the school administration and students’ guardians.
The violent attacks comes amidst the ongoing row over hijab on the high school and college campuses in certain parts of Karnataka, which has resulted in tension, violent incidents across the state. The matter is now sub-judice in the Karnataka High Court.
Muslim mob brutally beats up Hindus in Karnataka
Amidst the raging hijab controversy in Karnataka, the Muslim mob have taken to the streets to unleash violence on innoncent Hindus for supporting hijab ban. On Friday, a group of Muslim youth brutally thrashed a youth named Nagaraj. The incident has reportedly taken place during the Hijab protests in the Harihar First Grade College campus in Davanagere district.
Karnataka: Reportedly a group of M boys have brutally beaten up a youth Nagaraj during the #HijabRow Protests in harihara 1st grade college pic.twitter.com/ugdlzbRzFD
Similarly, in another incident in the Malebennur town of Davangere district, a Muslim mob had attacked a person and stabbed him for allegedly uploading a post against hijab on his WhatsApp status.
In a similar incident in Nallur village of Davangere district, another mob of Muslims had attacked a person and his 60-year-old mother for their alleged posts on social media on the hijab controversy. The 25-year-old Naveen and his 60-year-old mother Sarojamma were assaulted by the mob, who ransacked their house.
On February 8, several policemen and students were injured in the violent incident in Davanger. Many two-wheelers have been damaged by a Muslim mob and a tense situation prevailed in the Davanagere town. The incident turned communal when ‘Pakistan zindabad’ slogans were raised. However, the situation was quickly brought under control by the police.
As per a report by the Kashmir Observer, Aroosa Parvaiz, a Kashmiri student who had appeared in the class 12th exams of Jammu and Kashmir State Board of School Education, has been getting threats for not wearing hijab. The results of this exam were announced on 8th February 2022. She has topped the exam with 99.8 percent marks.
Soon after the announcement of the results, journalists published photos and videos of the top performer. As Aroosa Parvaiz was not wearing a hijab, Islamists started targeting and abusing her. Some of them even threatened her with rape and killing. While teaching her lessons of Islam, these Islamists have quoted the so-called struggle for the hijab by their fellow sisters in Karnataka.
While talking to the Kashmir Observer, Aroosa Parvaiz has said “These comments don’t matter to me but they’ve taken a toll on my parents. Wearing or not wearing Hijab doesn’t define one’s belief in their religion. Maybe, I love Allah more than they (abusers) do. I’m a Muslim by heart not by hijab.”
As the news was shared in various social media handles, the comment sections of the posts flooded with criticism and threats by the Islamists. A user named @onesoul-twoeyes has written that “Begairat… Pardah nai kia… Eski garden katt do…” which means “Shameless… She didn’t wear a veil… Slit her throat…”.
Image Source: www.kashmirobserver.net
Another social media user with account name @hurricane_syed has written in a comment “Jo taleem aurat ke ser see chader or mard ke dil see khouf dur kreay esi taleem see anpad rehna beather hai” which means “it is better to be uneducated than getting the education that takes the scarf off a woman’s head and takes away the fear in a man’s heart”.
Image source: www.kashmirobserver.net
One user @Cyed_burhaan has posted that “in Karnataka the Muslim girls fight for hijab and in our Kashmir our sisters upload their photos without covering their faces. It is not permissible that women can show their faces in front of strangers. So fear God!”
Another user called Arif Teli has written that “shame on your dress code and also on your parents.”
Image source: www.kashmirobserver.net
Shabir Ali has written that “Indeed, she is failed. She doesn’t even know what is modesty. Rip to her parents who doesn’t feel any shame for her bad hijab.”
Image source: www.kashmirobserver.net
In Karnataka, burqa (full veil) clad people who identify themselves as students have been protesting since December last year claiming they have right to wear a hijab (headscarf) to school. They have been groomed and consulted by Campus Front of India (CFI), student wing of the Islamist group Popular Front of India (PFI) which is banned in several states for extremist activities. The burqa clad people have also got support from the Taliban for their ‘fight’. The ‘liberals’ and Islamists have been claiming wearing a hijab is a choice, but it seems from the above comments, not wearing a hijab attracts threats.
The trailer of one of the most awaited Marathi films, ‘Pawankhind’, was released on 10th February 2022. The third Marathi film in Digpal Lanjekar’s ‘Shivraj Ashtak’ (a series of eight films on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj) is set to hit the big screens on 18th February 2022, that is a day before ‘Shivjayanti’.
Digpal Lanjekar is a Marathi film director well known for his grand project of eight films based on important incidences in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s life. While the first two films in this series have already been major hits in the Marathi film industry, ‘Pawankhind’, the third episode in line, is all set to be released this month. The trailer of the film was released on 10th February 2022.
Trailer of ‘Pawankhind’, the third film in Shivraj Ashtak.
The film is based on the greatest rearguard fight in the medieval history of India. This fight is regarded as the epitome of the integrity and the obedience shown and the promise kept by Veer Baji Prabhu Deshpande, the commander of Shivaji Maharaj who rearguard his way when he had broken the siege of Siddi Jauhar to the fort Panhalgad and heading towards the fort Vishalgad via a route through a very narrow mountain pass called ‘Horse Pass’ as barely a two or three horse riders could comfortably pass from it at once.
Baji Prabhu Deshpande had blocked the pass for five and half hours with a company of 300 soldiers and had ensured a safe passage to Shivaji Maharaj who was being chased by a mighty Adilshahi army of 10000 led by Siddi Jauhar. Baji Prabhu Deshpande sacrificed his life only after listening to the cannon fires from the fort Vishalgad as promised to Shivaji Maharaj.
The trailer of the film
The trailer full of the action scenes of this historic battle opens with the lines of the ballad of Baji Prabhu Deshpande written by Veer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. In his poetry Veer Savarkar has written “आले आले गनीम खिंडित चवताळुनि आले, झाले झाले सज्ज मराठे सरसावुनि भाले, संख्या दुप्पट रिपुची परि ते निकराने लढती, हर हर गर्जुनि समर रंगणी तुटोनिया पडती, खड्गाचे खणखणाट त्या मधि शर सणसण येती, मारण मरणावीण नेणती वीर रणी रंगती” which means “The enemy, angry and fierce, has arrived in the mountain pass. The Marathas are ready to face the enemy with their piercing spears. They fought with valor against countless enemies. The chants of Har Har Mahadev echoed as they charged into the battlefield. The sound of attacking arrows passing by is clearly heard even in the noise of the fighting swords. They charged in such a battlefield either to kill with vengeance or to die while protecting their dignity.”
With power-packed background scores and inspiring music tracks of war anthems, the trailer gives a sneak-through of the film that depicts the battle that took place in the raining full-moon night of 13th July 1660 (Guru Pournima) between Marathas and Adilshahi army. It is notable that Adilshahi commander Siddi Jauhar was accompanied by Fazal Khan, the son of Afzalkhan whom Shivaji Maharaj had killed 9 months before the battle of Pavankhind. Chinmay Mandlekar has played the role of Shivaji Maharaj. Mrunal Kulkarni has played the role of Jijamata. Both of them are playing roles for the whole series of Shivraj Ashtak. Ajay Purkar has played the role of Veer Baji Prabhu Deshpande. The film is produced and presented by Almond Creations, AA Films, and Everest Entertainment.
The battle of Pawankhind
Shivaji Maharaj had engaged Siddi Jauhar in talks while he had sieged the fort Panhalgad for three and half months waiting for Siddi’s food stocks to reach their minimum. Maharaj had bluffed him pretending afraid and with an offer to help Siddi establish his own Sultanate against the Adilshah of Bijapur whom Siddi was representing against Shivaji Maharaj. Siddi Jauhar was ambitious and fool at the same time. He swallowed the bait.
On the night of 13th July 1660, Shivaji Maharaj escaped with a company of 600 soldiers commanded by Baji Prabhu Deshpande. Shiva Kashid who was the look-alike of Shivaji Maharaj was also among them accompanied by selective guards. When trapped Shiva Kashid, wearing the royal costumes, presented himself as Shivaji Maharaj and ensured that the enemy is confused for some time, thereby providing the time window for the rest of the troops to escape.
Statue of Veer Baji Prabhu Deshpande at Pawankhind. Image Source: www.thepositiveindia.com
When Shiva Kashid was identified and killed, the Adilshahi army chased Maharaj. It was at the Horse Pass that Baji Prabhu took the hard decision and split the company of 600 into two equal halves. Baji Prabhu Deshpande forced Shivaji Maharaj to go ahead with 300 soldiers and stayed back in the Horse Pass with the remaining 300, promising him what turned out to be the greatest rearguard of the war history. It was decided that after reaching the fort Vishalgad, Shivaji Maharaj will fire the cannons five times as a signal.
Pawankhind as seen in contemporary times.
Baji Prabhu Deshpande, aged 45, stood firm in the narrow pass with his companions. The 300 Marathas killed half of the enemies, that is 5000. Baji Prabhu Deshpande had breathed his last when he listened to the cannon fires. A handful of surviving Maratha soldiers had escaped into the jungles around. The fort Vishalgad was also sieged by the enemies. But as Shivaji Maharaj approached the fort, the Marathas attacked the sieging enemy both from the inside and outside. Shivaji Maharaj himself has led this battle right from the front. As Baji Prabhu Deshpande attained martyrdom in the Horse Pass, Shivaji Maharaj had renamed it Pawankhind meaning the Sacred Pass.
Significance of the battle
The battle holds historic importance not only because it had saved Shivaji Maharaj but it also because it has inspired so many freedom fighters in India’s freedom struggle against the British Raj. Revolutionary Aurobindo Ghosh who later turned into a Yogi has written a long poem on the valor shown by Veer Baji Prabhu Deshpande. He had written this poem to inspire and motivate revolutionaries to unite for the motherland just like the company of 300 soldiers had united for the Swarajya and to show the courage till the last breath as shown by Veer Baji Prabhu Deshpande. Besides, this incident in Shivaji Maharaj’s life is also seen as an example of strategic moves and planning and successfully executing a mission in minimum resources.
Veer Baji Prabhu Deshpande
A native of Shind Parde village in the Bhor Tahsil of the Pune district in Maharashtra, Baji Prabhu Deshpande was born in 1615 CE. He was 15 years older than Shivaji Maharaj. Initially a commander of Krishnaji Bandal of Rohida, he joined Shivaji Maharaj in the Swarajya movement when Bandal was defeated by Shivaji Maharaj. Baji Prabhu Deshpande was known as one of the closest aids of Shivaji Maharaj. He was one of the most trusted commanders of Shivaji Maharaj. In the battle of Pawankhind, Baji Prabhu Deshpande and his brother Fulaji Prabhu Deshpande, both attained martyrdom.
In a nation that claims to be indiscriminate at its core, how ironic it is that the true victims of hate crime, Kishan Bharwad, and Lavanya, who don’t even exist to defend themselves, are forgotten, while voices favoring Muslim women wearing burqa are amplified in the highest levels of the judiciary. The wider populace, which claims to be alarmed by every act of hatred, has remained silent in the case of two Hindus who died defending their faith, which was precious to them as it was to every other person in the country, particularly Muslims.
Most of the self-proclaimed liberal has backed the hijab, or as I prefer to call it, burqa debate, claiming that one is allowed to practice one’s faith anywhere and whenever one deems appropriate. On the other hand, not a single slogan was raised to express the anguish of the two families who lost loved ones because they refused to adhere to the norms established by other communities, specifically Muslim and Christian here, in order to live in this society.
This is the India we live in, which is essentially a hybrid of two Indias: one that screams at every issue, alleging racism against “minorities” and an effort to silence “free” voices in society, and another that suffers from a slew of targeted campaigns against them and their practices, despite being the “majority.”
The story of the Hindu girl Lavanya being humiliated, harassed, and forced into adopting Christianity by a missionary school was not worthy of recognition for so-called liberals who are subscribing to the “Freedom” tenet of the constitution. Similarly, no petitions were filed and no senior counsel was appointed to represent Kishan Bharwad, who was slain in a conspiracy by a group of roughly a dozen Muslims. The hijab controversy, on the other hand, has been backed en-masse by liberals at the national level, despite the fact that it poses no threat to human life!
Well, I’m emphasising the word “minority” because it ought to be highlighted. The assistance that these groups have received under this umbrella puts them over an edge of other native groups and defies the idea of protected discrimination.
As J Sai Deepak has rightly pointed out in his book India That is Bharat, “This poses a serious and existential challenge to the Iong-term survival of the Indic consciousness since those worldviews which have historically displayed a marked inability to peacefully coexist with the Indic consciousness have been afforded greater freedom to reserve their societal groupings and institutions with almost no interference by the Indian State ostensibly in the name of advancement of the fights of ‘minorities’. As a consequence, the Indic civilisational worldview finds itself disempowered in its own homeland despite decolonisation. Perhaps, no other country is in such a dire need of decolonisation as Bharat given the stepmotherly treatment the Indian State metes out to the adherents of its native consciousness.”
Though, Sai Deepak has focused on the concept of decolonisation, his statement is firmly valid in the present context too. The denial of incidents of hate crime such as Kishan Bharwad and Lavanya by the left-liberal subscribers is nothing but displays the advantage that minority groups (Muslims and Christians in this case) have gained over the native majority (Hindus) on the mercy of the Indian State. Through the help of the Indian State, which was until recently controlled by dispensations with covert backing of such groups, supporters of them have risen to the upper echelons of practically every section of intellectual representation. And these are the people who regulate that what holds the calibre to be staged into a national or international debate and what not.
The way this burqa has been tossed in the public and even the highest stage of judiciary, the Supreme Court, is being persuaded to weigh in, shows the commitment these people have to get their agendas endorsed by the Indian State. Kishan and Lavanya will be simply two more names to be documented and filed away in some police station’s records. As long as these left-wing liberals keep ratcheting up the heat on the burqa discussion, the voice for incidences of hate crime against Hindus will be suppressed. Hindus must decipher issues that lie ahead of them and comprehend that they are the only ones who can defend themselves, and that not even the Indian state is concerned about them.
On Saturday, Udupi BJP MLA K Raghupathi Bhat said that he has been receiving life-threatening calls from unidentified persons amid the Karnataka hijab row. He added that most of the calls received by him were internet calls from foreign countries.
According to the reports, the Udupi MLA has also received calls from local numbers issuing threats to his life and has informed the state Home Minister about the development. He said that he has faced many such threats in the past and is not at all scared about such calls.
This is a day after Bhat, who is the president of the development committee of the pre-university college for women in Udupi, revealed the role of Campus Front of India (CFI) in the hijab controversy and stated that the girls were innocent but under their influence and control. He has also demanded an NIA probe into the case.
#WATCH Karnataka | “CFI (Campus Front of India) wants political gain. Our 6 girls are innocent but in their control. They had special training in a hidden place: K Raghupathi Bhat, BJP’s Udupi MLA & president of college development committee at Women’s Govt PU College#HijabRowpic.twitter.com/PDHNrTVhQD
Reports mention that Muslims in Udupi and the Qazis in the district have extended their support to the legislator on the issue. Earlier today, the Udupi MLA wrote to the state CM seeking an investigation by the National Investigation Agency into the hijab controversy.
On the entire hijab episode, the Udupi MLA has constantly been of the opinion that the pro-hijab girls and their parents are innocent but unfortunately under their (CFI) control. “The social media accounts of the students also reveal the Islamic agenda. All the posts against Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir, rebuilding Babri Masjid have been forwarded and posted. The girls have undergone a special training conducted by them”, he said.
He added that the girls are lying about wearing hijab for years at school and that they had suddenly started the hijab issue. The hijab controversy gained ground earlier this month when eight hijab-wearing Muslim girls refused to follow the school uniform regulations. They approached the Karnataka High Court seeking permission to attend the classes with hijab, as it is their fundamental right, they said.
The High Court so far has declared that no one should be allowed to wear their religious attire inside the educational institutions until the matter is pending in the Court. After this stay order, the students had approached the Supreme Court against it, however, the Supreme Court refused to interfere in the matter till the High Court disposes of it.
