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In secular India, Opposition parties stage walkout for Sharia rules in Temple of Democracy over burqa row

OpIndia Staff
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In secular India, Opposition parties stage walkout for Sharia rules in Temple of Democracy over burqa row

On Tuesday, as the Budget session of the Parliament continued, the opposition parties in the Lok Sabha created ruckus on the hijab row in Karnataka. The leaders from the Congress, DMK, Indian Union Muslim League, CPM, CPI, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha staged protest and walked out the lower house during the session.

According to the reports, Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary, Congress’s Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha raised the hijab row issue during the zero hour session. “Some people are trying to divide the society in the name of religion”, he said demanding government’s statement on hijab controversy in Karnataka schools and colleges.

Congress Lok Sabha MP from Kerala Hibi Eden also gave adjournment motion notice in the lower house over the issue. However, BJP MP from Haveri addressed the house and said that the matter was a state subject and not the one that could be discussed in the parliament.

Earlier Congress MP TN Prathapan had requested the Education Minister to look into the matter and had asked to ensure the constitutional rights of the students. Indian Union Muslim League leaders also had demanded discussion on the Udupi Hijab row in the parliament yesterday.

The hijab controversy in Karnataka has gained national attention since the first week of January after several Muslim students 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 suggested to the students.

Management under the new state guidelines had asked girl students to skip wearing hijab while in college. Eight girl students have constantly refused to follow the guideline as they claimed it prevented them from practicing their faith. Subsequently, several other colleges also started denying entry to students who did not conform to their respective dress codes. Soon, the Muslim women students who were demanding right to wear hijab (head scarf), started wearing burqas (full veil) instead.

Meanwhile, a petition arguing that Muslim women wearing Hijab should be permitted to attend classes was accepted by the Karnataka High Court. The petition was filed by a Muslim student, asking the High Court for a direction to allow wearing a hijab in college, stating that it is her ‘fundamental right’ granted under Article 14 and 25 of the Indian Constitution and ‘integral practise of Islam’.

As the hijab row continues to rage on, Hindu students, too, registered their protests against the Muslim students wearing hijab by donning saffron scarves. In a Government Junior College in Kunadapur, around 100 Hindu students came to the college with saffron scarves around their necks to protest against Muslim girls continuing to wear Hijab to the college.

On Tuesday, tensions prevailed at some educational institutions in Karnataka’s Udupi, Shivamogga, Bagalkote and other parts as incidents of stone-pelting and violence were reported from various parts of the state. Police reportedly resorted to lathi-charge to quell up the mob, which began pelting stones at Pre-University Colleges in various districts of the state.

In Islamic countries like Afghanistan, where Sharia is the law of land, hijab, burqa are mandatory and not wearing one is punishable. Women in Afghanistan have been killed for not wearing burqa as per Sharia.

50 years apart Pakistan still uses companies to run propaganda and call for ‘Jihad’

OpIndia Staff
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50 years apart Pakistan still uses companies to run propaganda and call for ‘Jihad’

Since the abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir, the social media accounts of multinational companies with branches in Pakistan are being used to propagate Pakistan’s agenda on Kashmir. In recent times several such posts came to light, including that of Hyundai, KFC, Dominos and many others. It is noteworthy that the Indian branches of these companies are well established and make much more money compared to Pakistan’s branches.

Social media posts by KFC and Hyundai Pakistan. Source: Twitter.

Despite the fact India is a far more important market, the global headquarters of these companies did not take any action until Indians marked their protest against these companies and started campaigns to boycott them. KFC and Hyundai have already issued statements, but netizens are yet not pleased with the statements as they fail to call Kashmir an integral part of India.

Pakistan celebrates 5th February every year as ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day’ to extend support to the Kashmiri separatist movement which is funded and supported by the Pakistan state. It was launched by Nawaz Sharif as the Pakistani Prime Minister in 1991. Since then, anti-India groups and individuals and Pakistani dispensation have used the day to convince Kashmiris to incite violence. So-called solidarity ‘rallies’ are held in Kashmir illegally occupied by Pakistan. In fact, in 2007, terror organisation Lashker e Toiba chief Hafiz Saeed had also addressed one such ‘Kashmir solidarity rally’ on February 5.

Interestingly, a lot of these commercial companies in Pakistan are owned and controlled by members of the Pakistan’s armed forces. A November 2020 report by news agency ANI stated that since its independence in 1947, Pakistani armed force personnel have very successfully rooted themselves in the commercial establishments. The three foundations in Pakistan, Fauji, Shaheen and Bahria, controlled by Army, Air Force and Navy respectively control over 100 commercial establishments. Hence, it is not surprising some commercial establishments in Pakistan would work as Pakistani armed forces propaganda outlets.

It is also not something new. It is old trick in new bottle.

Pakistan’s dirty old tricks

This is not the first time Pakistan is using companies and brands to spread propaganda. In 1971, during Bangladesh (then-East Pakistan) Liberation War, several small and large companies in Pakistan published ads in the newspapers urging people to support the regime and army in war. Pakistani Daily The Dawn was one of the newspapers that extensively published such ads for five straight days from December 14 to December 18.

In an ad, Habib Bank Limited published an ad urging people to donate to National Defence Fund. The ad read, “Jehad means total commitment.”

Source: Dawn

It further read, “When Muslims are in a state of Jehad, total mobilization becomes the need of the hour. Let each one of us work over and beyond the call of duty – produce more, export more, save more and avoid wastage.” It added that its employees donated part of the salary to the fund and urged everyone to contribute.

Habib Bank, founded by Habib Esmail, had a close connection to Mohammad Ali Jinnah. When Pakistan was created, Jinnah personally requested Habib Bank to shift from Bombay to Karachi.

Another ad was published by Muslim Commercial Bank. The ad, with the title “Appeal to every Pakistani”, urged everyone to donate 10 per cent of their wealth to the fund in the name of the Holy Prophet. It read, “When Jihad Fund had to be raised, Hazrat Abu Bakr offered whatever he owned, and Hazrat Omar gave away half of his wealth.”

Source: Dawn

In an ad by Rizvi Brothers (P) Ltd, the text read, “While our gallant forces are engaged in crushing the enemy in her territory, the entire nation has stood by them like a solid rock. We have resolved, and it is our firm belief that Insha-Allah, with the help of Almighty, we will give a crushing defeat to the coward enemy.” On the contrary, it was Pakistan’s army that turned coward and surrendered on December 16, 1971.

Source: Dawn

In another ad by Darbar Soap Works Ltd, then-President AM Yahya Khan was quoted where he said, “Remember the promise of Almighty Allah that, if you are steadfast in the path of Justice, he will bless you with final victory. Advance and strike at the enemy with the rallying call of Allah-o-Akbar. God is with us.” Apparently, it is evident God was, in fact, not with them.

Source: Dawn

In an ad by Aftab Shafiq Qamar Shafiq & Brothers, the owner of the store urged the women to donate woollen jerseys of 40-inch chest size to “Mujahids”. They had also slashed the price of wool. It seems the store wanted the women to weave jerseys for the soldiers for free. Which is why they asked women to rush to join jehad.

Source: Dawn

Other ads by banks also urged Pakistanis to donate generously to the Defence Fund.

Source: Dawn
Source: Dawn

50 years down the line, the method of spreading propaganda remains the same. Pakistan is still using corporates and businesses to spread propaganda.

Times have changed, ‘jehad’ cause may have changed, modus operandi remains the same.

Karnataka CM orders closure of schools and colleges for 3 days after burqa row turns uglier, stone-pelting and clashes reported in several areas

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka CM orders closure of schools and colleges for 3 days after burqa row turns uglier, stone-pelting and clashes reported in several areas

After the burqa row in Karnataka took an ugly turn on Tuesday, chief minister Basavaraj Bommai ordered the closure of all high schools and colleges in the state for the next three days.

“I appeal to all the students, teachers and management of schools and colleges as well as people of Karnataka to maintain peace and harmony. I have ordered closure of all high schools and colleges for next three days. All concerned are requested to cooperate,” Bommai tweeted.

On Tuesday, tension prevailed at some educational institutions in Karnataka’s Udupi, Shivamogga, Bagalkote and other parts over the Hijab row. Incidents of stone-pelting and violence were reported from various parts of the state. Police reportedly resorted to lathi-charge to quell up the mob, which began pelting stones at Pre-University Colleges in various districts of the state.

According to sources, many students were injured in the stone-pelting incidents. Additional police forces have been deployed and section 144 has been imposed in various places in Karnataka to avoid any untoward incidents.

Social media is awash with videos of incidents of stone-pelting and violence carried off at Pre-University Colleges in Shivamogga, Bagalkot, Udupi, and other parts of Karnataka.

The video shared above is from the Government Pre-University College of Rabakavibanahatti in Banhatti town in the Bagalkot district in Karnataka where reportedly a group of Muslim men pelted stones on college after students clad with saffron stoles didn’t allow Muslim girls to enter college with hijabs as they have maintained that it was a violation of the uniform rules.

It is being reported that the incident took place in the presence of policemen, who later resorted to canning to bring the situation in control and disperse the crowd. As the situation turned violent, the college management declared a holiday for the college.

Sharing another video, Twitter user @AkshayKatariyaa claimed that the mob tried to threaten Hindu students who were going to college with saffron shawls. The situation was brought under control after the police intervened.

A similar situation was reported from the surrounding areas of the Bapujinagar Government Pre-University College in Shivamogga. According to reports, police have resorted to lathicharge as pro-Hijab groups pelted stones at private buses near the Junior college. The police reportedly caned the students and protesters to quell the mob. Some students were detained and section 144 was imposed in the area to bring the situation under control. 

Meanwhile, two groups of students at Karnataka’s Udupi MGM College were also reportedly spotted engaging in a verbal spat over wearing hijab and saffron shawls. Seeing the situation deteriorate, the college reportedly turned out all the students and declared a holiday for an indefinite duration. The police arrived immediately and took control of the situation.

At the entrance of Shanteshwar Pre University College in Indi town, Vijayapura district, students wearing hijab and saffron shawls were stopped. Students gathered in front of the campus after being turned out and shouted slogans. Meanwhile, another group emerged with blue shawls in support of Muslim students wearing hijab. As a result, there was mayhem, and police had to rush in to calm things down.

In Karnataka, uniform requirements in educational institutions have turned into a political controversy after a few Muslim students refused to observe the rules and insisted on wearing hijabs inside educational institutions.

In response, non-Muslim students had decided to wear the saffron shawls prompting the authorities to ban both outfits. Despite the college authorities trying to convince the students to obey uniform rules and attend classes, the Muslim girls have been adamant, insisting that they would rather sit and protest outside.

On February 5, in solidarity with their classmates, girl students also hit the streets by wearing saffron shawls to protest against the attempts of Muslim students to vilify the secular atmosphere in the college by deliberately violating the rules and regulations.

Several videos had earlier gone viral in which girl students adorning saffron shawls took a march to protest against hijabs. In addition, they chanted Jai Shri Ram slogans to show support to their fellow students who were not allowed to enter campus for wearing saffron shawls on Friday.

The recent Hijab Controversy in Karnataka

The Hijab controversy, which started at a school in Udupi, Karnataka, has now spread across the state. On the morning of February 3, more than 20 hijab-wearing female students were prohibited from entering Bhandarkar College in Kundapur, Karnataka’s Udupi district. The PU College problem first came to light on January 2, 2022, when six Muslim female students insisted on wearing hijab in the classroom, in violation of the uniform rule.

Because the girls refused to remove their Hijabs, openly flouting the uniform mandate, numerous boys preferred to go around campus wearing saffron scarves in order to protest this. They were all denied entry because their clothes differed from the standard uniform permitted at the institution.

Since early January, the state has convened a committee to evaluate the matter and make a judgment on pre-university college uniforms across the state.

The High Court of Karnataka is currently hearing that Muslim students’ case challenging the Hijab ban in colleges. Justice Krishna S Dixit is hearing the petitions.

Ahead of the High Court hearing on the row, Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai appealed to everyone to maintain peace. “The matter is before the High Court and it will be decided there… I appeal to everyone to maintain peace… All should follow the state’s order (on uniform) until the court decides,” he said.

Karnataka Burqa row: Congress, media lie about Tricolour being removed from college, Pakistan picks up propaganda

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka Burqa row: Congress, media lie about Tricolour being removed from college, Pakistan picks up propaganda

On February 8, Congress leader DK Shivakumar and multiple media houses and journalists claimed that the Tricolour was removed in at a college in Shimoga and replaced with a saffron flag.

In a tweet, Congress leader DK Shivakumar alleged, “Some anti-national elements allied with BJP have brought down the national flag in a college in Shimoga. I urge everyone to post a photo of themselves with the national flag as a mark of protest.”

Source: Twitter

In an earlier tweet, he had said, “The situation in some Karnataka educational institutions has gone so out of hand that in one case, the National flag was replaced by a saffron flag. I think the affected institutions should be closed for a week to restore law and order. Teaching can continue online.”

Source: Twitter

The video of a boy putting up a saffron flag goes viral

A video of a boy putting up a saffron flag went viral on social media. In the video, the majority of the students that were filmed were waving saffron flags and stoles. Times Now’s Special Correspondent Imran Khan shared the video with a misleading caption. He claimed, “Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar has tweeted saying replacing National flag with Saffron flag at #Shimoga is a breakdown of law and order. And the college should be closed for a week.”

Interestingly, earlier, Khan had tweeted another video of the college in which an empty pole was clearly visible. Twitter user BefittingFacts shared the video Imran Khan had uploaded and called him out for peddling Congress’s lies on social media. He said, “You urself tweeted this video, there was no national flag, and now you are peddling lies of Congress?”

Khan had earlier spread misinformation about Hindu activist Pramod Muthalik where he claimed the latter was starting a new campaign to demolish Gadag Jama Masjid. However, he had wrongly translated Muthalik’s speech in Kannada. Based on his tweet, several media houses spread same misinformation that could have lead to communal tension.

Media houses published misleading reports

Several media houses including India Today, Mid Day and Free Press Journal published misleading reports about the incident. All three had used tweets by Congress leader DKS in the reports.

Misleading report by Free press Journal
Misleading report by India Today
Misleading report by Mid Day

Subsequently, the same was picked up by Pakistani journalist Hamza Azhar Salam where he also claimed that ‘Hindutva mob’ replaced the tricolour with saffron flag.

However, there was no tricolour flying on the flag post when the saffron flag was hoisted. Speaking to OpIndia, the college authorities and students have confirmed that the pole was empty and the Tricolour was not removed by anyone. The local students said the pole was empty; hence they hoisted the flag. The Tricolour is hoisted and unfurled only on Independence Day and Republic Day, confirmed the college authorities to OpIndia.

What Congress does, Pakistan follows

Earlier, many times Pakistan has amplified Congress propaganda. In October 2021, Dr Omar Ali, a Pakistani origin blogger revealed that Pakistan actually takes clues from the ‘Liberal’ Indian establishment to attack India and create anti-India, anti-Hindu narratives. It is not too surprising either.

Like, recently, after Rahul Gandhi raised the so-called Hindu vs Hindutva narrative, Pakistan has also toed similar line. So much that Pakistan PM Imran Khan spoke similar language at the UNGA last year. “The hate-filled ‘Hindutva’ ideology, propagated by the fascist RSS-BJP regime, has unleashed a reign of fear and violence against India’s 200 million-strong Muslim community,” Imran Khan had said. However, this sounds like something very similar Rahul Gandhi keeps talking about.

Not just this, on matters of abrogation of Article 370, the Citizenship Amendment Act and the NRC and many other causes, Imran Khan has often taken inspiration from Rahul Gandhi. You could read more on this here.

Pakistan: 2 years after being attacked over a false allegation of ‘blasphemy’, Hindu teacher awarded life imprisonment

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan: 2 years after being attacked over a false allegation of ‘blasphemy’, Hindu teacher awarded life imprisonment

A Pakistan court on Tuesday sentenced Notan Lal, a Hindu teacher, to life imprisonment on the charges of blasphemy. Lal, owner and principal of a private school was accused of ‘insulting’ Prophet Muhammad during a Urdu class as accused by a student named Muhammad Ihtisham who later said he had lied.

Journalist Aditya Raj Kaul said that the Pakistan Courts failed to consider Muhammad Ihtisham’s confession and convicted Notan Lal under pressure.

A copy of court order shared by Pakistan-based journalist Naila Inayat mentioned that he has been sentenced to life imprisonment.

A fine of Rs 50,000 has also been imposed on him.

In September 2019, an FIR had been filed against a Hindu principal of the Sindh Public School for allegedly passing derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad.

After the false accusation by the student, violence and vandalism was unleashed by residents of Ghotki protested on the streets, damaging the school and also a Hindu temple in the area. The Police in order to control the situation and avoid further damage had detained Lal under Article 295 (c) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The demonstrators had already vandalized three temples, a private school and multiple houses belonging to the Hindu community posing threat to the minority community in Pakistan. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan had also reported mob violence after accusations of blasphemy in Ghotki. “Hindu community is in danger”, it had quoted a tweet.

According to the reports, Lal was taken into the custody and was questioned about the incident. Also the child Muhammad Ihtisham was interrogated. Ibtisam had then confirmed the allegations that Lal ‘insulted’ the prophet during a lesson on his life and travel between two holy cities.

But as the matter erupted on larger scale on social media and other parts of Pakistan, Muhammad Ihtisham confessed that he had lied. “Notan Sir never said anything like that. He had scolded me for not being able to remember the lesson. So I got furious and posted the video. I didn’t know this would take such a massive turn”, he had posted on social media.

Image Source- Twitter post of Journalist Aditya Raj Kaul

It is notable here that it is rather common in Pakistan to attack, jail and even kill members of the minority Christian and Hindu community over frivolous charges of ‘blasphemy’. In 2021, a Sri Lankan man was brutally lynched to death by a violent mob in Pakistan over an allegation of ‘insult’ to Prophet Muhammad.

According to the United States Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), more than 75 people have been put to death since 1990 in connection with allegations of the crime and more than 40 are either serving lifetime imprisonment or are on a death row for blasphemy in Pakistan.

Dangers of ‘instant feminism’ and the burqa row: How it creates unsafe space for non-Hijabi women

Sneha
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Dangers of ‘instant feminism’ and the burqa row: How it creates unsafe space for non-Hijabi women

Instant gratification, on the spot judgment, 30 second reels. This is our life now.

We have accepted it.

Yet I find it extremely hard to accept the simplistic virtue signalling around the issue of Hijab. What started as ‘right to wear head covering Hijab’ in college has now turned into right to wearing full body veil of burqa.

I’m not against Hijab on religious grounds. Not at all. Religion is a source of great succour tomany. I do not advocate militant atheism or anti-theism either. I’m also of the view that women should be able to decide what they want, without being judged. This is what women have fought for over a hundred years now, these are freedoms worth fighting for.

But the devil, as they say, is in the details.

I am summarising them in five points below.

Women’s safety is more important than any religion

Hijab is mandatory in Islam. You can keep saying it is a choice all you want, but every religious scholar will tell you it is mandatory, on the pain of punishment. Add to this the attitude this invariably leads to – that only women in Hijab are virtuous and this quickly escalates into a society where non Hijabi women, Muslim or otherwise, are dehumanised. And we have soul crushing examples of this too. At least 5000 very young women, raped, sold into prostitution, and exploited in UK grooming gangs, all belonged to this dehumanised class of women. Harmless? NO!

Even if women preach misogyny, it is still wrong

Just because some, mostly high caste Muslim women, are advocating for Hijab, does not make it a voice of feminism. They are only voicing Islamic patriarchy for religious reasons. A valid comparison would be the role some women played in opposing first and second wave feminism. Patriarchy supported by women is still patriarchy.

You do not have to support Hijab just because your political opponents oppose it

This much intellectual honesty and courage is expected from educated people. On one hand, educated, privileged Muslim women, who themselves do not wear hijabs or burqas and identify themselves as ‘feminists’ are batting for a symbol of oppression of women since decades. On other hand, there are Muslim women in country like Afghanistan under rule of Islamist group such as Taliban where they are killed for fighting for their right to NOT wear a Hijab. Because if Hijab is a choice, not wearing one should be a choice too, right? Your activism cannot be based on convenience.

All clothes are not the same

It is simplistic, nay, dishonest to say all clothes are the same. A girl wearing modern clothes is actually challenging societal rules of what is acceptable behaviour that guarantees safety. Anyone who advocates for Hijab is doing the exact opposite. Many Muslim men view only Hijabi women worthy of respect. Islamists believe a women covered only is a virtuous woman.

Poster from India on virtues of burqa

A poster in India recently showed women covered in burqa which read ‘every precious thing is always in a pardah and garbage is always open’. This kind of ideology dehumanises non-Hijabi women and paints them as a target. This makes public spaces unsafe for non-Hijabi women.

Sacrificing feminism at the altar of allyship

Let us stop pretending anything I have said above is new. This is the basics of what we have fought for over a hundred years. Social media feminists pretending they don’t know these fundamentals; their refusal to analyse the social impact of the views they are supporting; defeats the basics of feminism.

Sure, allyship with any group, particularly one that they see as oppressed, is fine, but it is NOT fine when that allyship is at the cost of feminism itself. Let us not forget, in Jammu and Kashmir, in 2002, four young women were beheaded by militants because they failed to wear burqa.

Choice? I dare say not.

It is time to move beyond simplistic virtue signalling on the issue of Hijab and analyse the issue without bias. We owe it to the pioneers of feminism.

‘Tujhe equity chahiye toh ek chummi to de de’: Former ScoopWhoop anchor accuses CEO Sattvik Mishra of sexual assault

OpIndia Staff
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‘Tujhe equity chahiye toh ek chummi to de de’: Former ScoopWhoop anchor accuses CEO Sattvik Mishra of sexual assault

Former ScoopWhoop anchor Samdish Bhatia has accused the Chief Executive Officer of the media website, Sattvik Mishra, of sexual assault. Bhatia claimed the incident happened in October 2021, and a complaint was filed by him with the internal complaints committee. On the other hand, Mishra has denied the accusations and alleged Bhatia fabricated the story to extort Rs 7 crores from him.

On learning about Mishra’s statement, Bhatia claimed he was offered money to swipe the complaint under the carpet.

Notably, Bhatia had resigned from the company in October last year from the post of consultant. He was also an anchor for ScoopWhoop’s Unscripted. He started his own YouTube channel ‘Unfiltered’ in December 2021. On January 14, 2022, Bhatia posted on Instagram in which he alleged he was assaulted while working at ScoopWhoop. At that time, Bhatia did not reveal exact details of what had happened. Later, on February 7, he put up another post and alleged he was sexually assaulted by 35-year-old Mishra.

Newslaundry accessed the complaint filed by Bhatia against Mishra. According to the complaint, Bhatia alleged Mishra made “unwanted, unsolicited, and uncalled [for] sexual advances and sexually predatory behaviour of criminal and civil consequences and is in violation of the law.”

The series of events

On October 7, 2021, Bhatia reportedly met Mishra at ScoopWhoop’s office to discuss the future of Unscripted. By that time, Bhatia had already left the company. Bhatia had asked for a 25 per cent equity stake in Unscripted but was offered only 7.5 per cent. The meeting that began at 5:30 PM was attended by creative director Avalok Langer as well. An hour and a half into the meeting, Mishra suggested continuing the meeting at a bar close to his house.

At around midnight, the bar staff asked the three to leave. Mishra offered to continue the meeting and drinks at his house. Bhatia said in his complaint that Langer left the house quickly. At that time, Mishra’s wife, Sriparna Tikekar, house-help, Mishra’s infant daughter, Mishra and Bhatia, were at the house. Tikekar did not join them. Bhatia noticed Mishra was drunk and was not able to control himself.

There was a moment Bhatia claimed Mishra came very close to him and leaned in, demanding a kiss. In his exact words, he said, “tujhe equity chaiye to ek chummi to de de’ [if you want equity, give me a kiss]”. When Bhatia stopped him, Mishra said, “Bhai, tu ab aisa karega mera saath’ [bro, is this how you’re going to treat me?]”.

Soon Langer called Bhatia and told him Tikekar was complaining that the two were making too much noise. Langer told Bhatia to leave to which he replied, “Avalok, I am trying to escape, I am trying to escape.”

Suddenly, Mishra removed his clothes and stood thereon in a t-shirt. Bhatia alleged his private parts were distinctly visible. He again demanded a kiss. Bhatia claimed he felt threatened. He requested Mishra to let him go. At that point, Tikekar called Bhatia and asked him to send the pet cat upstairs. Bhatia noticed she was peeking from the upstairs room and could easily see what her husband was doing, i.e. standing without his boxers. Bhatia accused Tikekar of being an accessory in the assault as she allegedly provided Mishra with an opportunity to assault Bhatia.

Somehow Bhatia managed to escape and informed Langer about the incident.

The aftermath

The Newslaundry report has mentioned that they contacted Arvind Jaiswal, another former ScoopWhoop employee who has joined Unfiltered. He said Bhatia called him on October 8 and informed him what had happened. He said he was unsure if Mishra asked for a kiss or a blowjob.

On October 9, Bhatia was called at ScoopWhoop’s office by Langar. After Bhatia again told him about the incident, Langar allegedly conveyed three messages to Bhatia. The first message was from Rishi Pratim Mukherjee, co-founder of ScoopWhoop. He was anxious if the incident went out, their deal with Good Glamm would be jeopardised.

The second message was from Tikekar, who was unhappy with Bhatia’s behaviour towards Mishra. Bhatia saw the message as a threat by Tikekar. The third message was from Mishra, who was also unhappy and was worried he could have met his father while leaving the house.

Apology by Mishra

On October 10, Mishra sent Bhatia an apology on WhatsApp. It read, “Samdish, I’m ashamed and disgusted at myself for my conduct, and I want to deeply apologise to you. It’s not an excuse, but I have been taking anti-depression and anti-anxiety pills for a while now, and when mixed with Alcohol, they took me to a very horrible space. I don’t recall most of that night, but after learning about it the next morning, including what I put Sriparna and…(his daughter) through, it’s been very difficult to sleep or eat since. I’m truly sorry. I don’t know who I was that night. I hope you will have it in your heart to forgive me, and if you don’t, I’ll understand. If there is something I can do to make you feel better or undo what I put you through, please let me know. I’m sorry, I really am. I wish nothing but the best for you. If it’s okay with you, I’ll like to meet and personally apologise before you leave for Jharkhand.”

Bhatia did not reply to the message.

Mishra’s side of the story

Mishra, who has already resigned from the CEO post at ScoopWhoop, presented a totally different story. Mishra confirmed he had offered Bhatia a 7.5 per cent stake in the new company and brought him over as the co-founder of Unscripted. The story till bar and then moving to home was similar. Mishra alleged after getting drunk, Bhatia got disruptive. He demanded a 25 per cent stake in the company and asked Mishra to fire multiple people from the team. Mishra claimed that Bhatia said, “If you don’t give me 25 per cent, Unscripted will be over. I am Unscripted.”

When they reached Mishra’s house, Samdish continued his rant and kept demanding a 25 per cent stake. His loud and abusive rant woke up Mishra’s wife. He tried to calm Bhatia down and begged him to leave the house. Scared of the situation, his wife locked herself in the room upstairs and called Avalok, Rishi and her brother to come and get Bhatia out of the house. After some time, Mishra claimed, “Something flipped in me. In my drunken state, hardly able to stand, I fumbled around and tried to push him out of my house. I got very aggressive (something I deeply regret). It got rough and ugly.”

A few days later, Bhatia’s lawyer contacted Mishra and demanded Rs 7 crores for the mental and physical trauma. If refused, he threatened to file a harassment and assault case against Mishra. Explaining the apology, Mishra said with an apology like the one he had sent to Bhatia, any story could be cooked up, and it would look genuine.

Mishra said, “His offer was simple: you pay me money, and I’ll take the complaint back and withdraw the case. In another meeting in November [2021], he asked for 50 per cent equity in Unscripted, and ‘everything goes away’. Two weeks later, he met Rishi at Blue Tokai. He wanted the YouTube channel and said we can keep everything else, adding that he’ll end the matter.”

The final offer Bhatia made was Rs 3.5 crores, which was also rejected by Mishra. He questioned why Bhatia waited for over three months to post the cryptic message on Instagram.

The court case

After Bhatia made the post public, ScoopWhoop filed an injunction plea in Patiala House Court to restrict Bhatia from making any statement in public. The court refused the request for an injunction. The case is ongoing in court.

In November last year, a case was filed by Bhatia against Mishra and Sriparna Tikekar. He had alleged Mishra had violated sections 377 and 354A of the Indian Penal Code that deal with unnatural offences and sexual harassment. Tikekar was charged with abetment under sections 108 and 116.

Agra: Bail plea of Qayoom Qureshi and Naeem Qureshi charged with murder of a Hindu woman rejected; FIR says accused used to call her ‘Kafir ki Aulaad’

OpIndia Staff
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Agra: Bail plea of Qayoom Qureshi and Naeem Qureshi charged with murder of a Hindu woman rejected; FIR says accused used to call her ‘Kafir ki Aulaad’

The District Sessions Court in Agra denied the bail request of two Muslim men charged with murdering a Hindu woman for dowry. The court rejected bail to Mohammad Qayoom Qureshi and Mohammad Naeem Qureshi, finding that the severity of the offence and the circumstances did not warrant bail.

Varsha Raghuvanshi, a Hindu woman who had married a Muslim man named Mohammad Arman alias Faim, died in a suspicious manner. Her body was discovered hanging from the ceiling of the residence of her in-laws in Chillipara, close to the Shahganj police station. Her brother accused her husband of killing her for dowry.

Accused used to refer to Varsha as “Kafir ki Aulaad”, routinely abused Hindu Gods and Goddesses

The court found that Faim’s relatives tortured his wife and abused Hindu deities on a daily basis. They forced her to chop and eat meat, and when she refused, they assaulted her. She became miserable as a consequence of all of this, and eventually died as a result of it.

Faim’s father and brother, Qayoom and Naeem, are the main accused in the case and their names are also mentioned in the First Information Report. Varsha’s brother, Dushyant, has accused Faim’s family of torturing his sister and making demands for dowry. Dushyant also mentioned in the application for the FIR that the family members of Faim used to call her “Kafir ki Aulaad” and demean the Hindu religion every now and then. They used to demand a car and Rs. 5 lakhs in cash.

The statement of Dushyant Singh, Varsha’s brother.

Crime serious and hateful, says court

The court has ruled that the criminal conduct is nasty and hateful. She had been married for a year and a half after several frivolous persuasions. Her death occurred on her in-laws’ property, and the cause of her death was mental and physical torment. The court agreed that Hindu deities were insulted and that she was tormented for dowry on a consistent basis.

Tensions erupted in the city after her death

Following the mysterious murder of Varsha, who had married Faim, a car mechanic, tensions arose in Agra in November 2021. The couple had been married for roughly a year and a half.

According to reports, the conflict comprised stone-pelting and gunfire. During the unrest, other stores were also attacked. According to Sachin Gupta, a reporter with Dainik Bhaskar, the feud began when her family members wanted to execute her final rites according to Hindu custom, which Faim and his family opposed.

MEA summons South Korea Ambassador over the pro-terror stance of Hyundai Pakistan on Kashmir, Korean Minister, too, expresses regret

OpIndia Staff
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MEA summons South Korea Ambassador over the pro-terror stance of Hyundai Pakistan on Kashmir, Korean Minister, too, expresses regret

Days after Hyundai Pakistan came under scanner for its pro-terror stance on Kashmir, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea (ROK) on Monday (February 7).

In a statement, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi informed, “We had seen a social media post on the so-called Kashmir Solidarity Day was made by Hyundai Pakistan. Immediately after this social media post on Sunday, 6th February 2022, our Ambassador in Seoul contacted the Hyundai headquarters and sought an explanation. The offending post had been removed subsequently.”

“The Ambassador of the Republic of Korea was summoned by the Ministry of External Affairs yesterday, 7 February 2022. The strong displeasure of the Government on the unacceptable social media post by Hyundai Pakistan was conveyed to him. It was highlighted that this matter concerned India’s territorial integrity on which there could be no compromise,” he added.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs also asked Hyundai to take appropriate action regarding this matter. It informed that EAM S Jaishankar had a meeting with the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea Chung Eui-Yong and conveyed India’s displeasure on the issue, besides discussing other bilateral matters. Yong expressed regret over the incident.

“A statement was also issued by Hyundai Motors conveying its deep regret to the people of India and making it clear that it does not comment on the political pr religious issues. India welcomes investments by foreign companies in various sectors. But, it is also expected that such companies or their affiliates will refrain from false and misleading comments on matters of sovereignty and territorial integrity,” MEA concluded.

In a tweet, EAM S Jaishankar informed about his meeting with the South Korean Finance Minister and the discussion on the issue of the pro-Pakistani stance of Hyundai.

He said how amongst the bilateral and multilateral issues, the Hyundai matter was also discussed with his Korean counterpart.

The background of the Hyundai controversy

On Saturday (February 5), automobile manufacturer Hyundai Motor India courted controversy after the firm’s Pakistani counterpart called for the disintegration of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir from the Union of India.

It all started when in a tweet, Hyundai Pakistan Official (@PakistanHyundai) wrote, “Let us remember the sacrifices of our Kashmiri brothers and stand in support as they continue to struggle for freedom.” The tweet was accompanied by a picture of a boat in Dal lake and the word ‘Kashmir’ juxtaposed with a barbed wire.

A similar message was posted by Hyundai Pakistan, both on its official Facebook and Instagram pages. Interestingly, Hyundai Pakistan demanded the secession of Indian territory on the occasion of ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day’ when the Pakistan government extends support to jihadi elements operating from Kashmir.

Indian netizens were miffed at the brazen interference in India’s geopolitical affairs and dissemination of Pakistani government propaganda by the South Korean automotive manufacturer. However, on questioning Hyundai India whether it endorsed the stand of Hyundai Pakistan, the firm responded by blocking the Indian netizens.

Several users had been reaching out to the Prime Minister’s Office and Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), seeking stringent action against Hyundai India. In order to save its face, the automotive manufacturer put out a clarification on social media. Far from apologising to Indian citizens, Hyundai India’s statement reeked of arrogance.

In a statement, Hyundai India said that it has been committed to the Indian market which has been its second home for over 25 years now and alleged that the ‘unsolicited’ social media post linking Hyundai Motor India ‘offends’ it commitment and service to India. The company said that they have a zero-tolerance policy for insensitive communication and ‘strongly condemned’ such view.

However, it is not yet clear why they blocked Indian citizens on Twitter for questioning its stand and asking for accountability on the contentious social media post by its Pakistani counterpart. On not getting a proper response from the South Korean company over its pro-terrorism stand, Indian social media users vowed to boycott the firm and look for alternate options.

On Tuesday, it again issued another statement and reiterated its commitment to India.

PM Modi takes Congress to the cleaners in Rajya Sabha, says how things would have been different ‘agar Congress nahi hoti’

OpIndia Staff
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PM Modi takes Congress to the cleaners in Rajya Sabha, says how things would have been different ‘agar Congress nahi hoti’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was extending a motion of thanks to the President’s speech on the Budget in Rajya Sabha today. In his prolonged speech, he touched on many points on which debates in Rajya Sabha had taken place earlier. His address in the Rajya Sabha was more an intellectual one, challenging the existing ideas of Democracy, Federalism and India being a Nation. PM Modi was seen taking elaborate digs at the points raised by Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge.

He added, “It was said that Congress laid the foundation of this nation and the BJP unfurled its flag on it. A comment like this was not made in haste, but in fact, is a result of that same dangerous ideology that thinks that India was born in 1947.” While articulating this, he further said that it is the result of the same ideology that those who worked for 75 years until now, were influenced by such and it affected the policies they drafted.

Challenging Congress and its idea of Democracy

Taking a jibe at Congress and its constant patronisation over the ideas around democracy, he added, “This Democracy is certainly not a gift by you. Those who killed the same democracy in 1975 have no right to talk about it today.” While addressing the chair he underlined the concern that those who think alike, should have propagated the idea of India’s eternal democratic ethos all over the world. It should have been the case of us proudly saying that Mother India is the mother of democracy, he said. “Debate and Democracy have been intrinsic to our culture,” PM Modi added.

According to Modi, the problem with Congress is that they could not look beyond the (Nehru-Gandhi) dynasty. “We have to understand that the biggest threat to democracy comes from the dynastic parties. When one family is central to any political party, then the first casualty is that of talent,” he added. While questioning the opposition parties with their inter-party democratic credentials, he said, “I want, all political parties to cultivate democratic principles within their respective parties – starting with Congress which is the oldest party today.”

‘Congress na hoti toh kya hota’

PM Narendra Modi affirmed, “It was said in the parliament today that had there not been Congress, then what would have transpired with the nation. Congress na hoti to kya hota?” This goes the same with their rhetoric of “India is Indira, Indira is India,” he said. PM Modi then added his two cents to the idea of ‘What would have happened if Congress was not there’ saying Mahatma Gandhi wanted the same. He opined that Mahatma Gandhi had an inkling of what was going to happen with the nation with the continuation of Congress, hence he demanded to dismantle it. In a rather poetic way, he went on to say,

“Had Congress not been here, then the democracy would have been liberated from familydoms and India would have progressed on its own path. Had Congress not been here, then there would have been no blot like the emergency and the wounds of casteism and regionalism would not have deepened. Had Congress not been here, there’d be no institutionalised corruption for decades. Had Congress not been here, there would have been no genocide of Sikhs and Punjab would not have grappled with terrorism for years. Had Congress not been here, then the exodus of Kashmiri Pundits would not have happened. Had Congress not been here, then common people would not have to wait for basic amenities for years to come.” PM Modi compiled it all in a poetic way.

He reiterated saying that when Congress was in power, it did not work for the nation; now that it is in the opposition, it is blocking the development.

On Rahul Gandhi’s ‘India is not a nation..’ comment

During his speech in Loksabha, Rahul Gandhi had stoked up a controversy saying, “India is not a nation, but a union of states”. Following this, Narendra Modi observed that ‘Some people’ have problems with India being a nation. “If that is so, then change the name of Indian National Congress to ‘Federation of Congress. Undo the sins of your ancestors!” he suggested.

He observed that when it comes to federalism, essential discussions on the topic were led by many leaders from Congress, TMC and the Left in the house. At this moment, leaders from the Congress party were seen leaving the house. Seeing this, PM Modi added, “when it comes to democracy, it is essential to hear all voices as well.”

He later said that It is essential to bring in the views of Ambedkar in the ongoing debate of federalism. While quoting Babasaheb Ambedkar further, he said, “This federation is a Union, only because it is a single nation. For administrative purposes, the nation can be divided into certain states. But the sovereignty of the nation is irreversible.” Highlighting the importance of cooperative federalism, PM Modi said that this was said by Ambedkar in the constituent assembly.

Exposing Congress over its practices in Federalism

Prime Minister in his speech remarked that the point beyond all the talks around federalism remains that once upon a time, Chief ministers were being replaced for petty reasons. The PM highlighted the dismissal of AP CM T Anjaiah by Indira Gandhi after one of her sons was apparently was not well received at an airport. In a similar way, Popular CM of Karnataka Veerendra Patil was removed from his position when he was ill – he added. PM also recalled his struggles to keep up with the UPA government while he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. “For over 100 times President’s Rule was employed to demolish elected governments,” he observed.

“The Congress high command works on a three-point formula to discredit, destabilize and then finally dismiss.” He listed out ways in which various state governments formed with mandates by people were dismissed by the Congress leadership over the years. He underlined line how Congress had taken away Chief-Ministership from state leaders including Farooq Abdullah, Chaudhari Devi Lal and Devi Singh in Haryana, Prakash Singh Badal in Punjab, harassed Balasaheb Thackeray in Maharashtra and Mulayam Singh Yadav among many others. “The Congress didn’t even spare their own leaders,” he added.

Talking about the divisive breaking away of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, he reiterated that Congress’ arrogance and greed for power were responsible for continued animosity between the states. He stated the examples of peaceful partitions of Jharkhand, Uttarakhand and Chhatisgarh during the time of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. “We added the notion of competitive Cooperative Federalism to make sure that regional aspirations are also addressed while developing the nation”

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