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VHP protests against pastor Bajinder Singh’s ‘Healing Crusade’, Punjab CM Channi stays away from event: What VHP told OpIndia

OpIndia Staff
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VHP protests against pastor Bajinder Singh’s ‘Healing Crusade’, Punjab CM Channi stays away from event: What VHP told OpIndia

A large number of VHP members staged a protest against pastor Bajinder Singh’ Healing Crusade program in Moga, Punjab on Thursday barring many guests including CM Channi from attending the same. The Hindu organisation Tweeted how due to opposition from the Hindu-Sikh community against pastor Bajinder Singh’s healing meeting held in Moga, Punjab, the arrival of the Chief Minister and other guests, as well as the conversion of hundreds of people, was prevented yesterday. “Illegal conversion will never be tolerated anywhere”, Tweeted VHP.

According to a report by TV9 Hindi, Punjab CM S Charanjit Singh Channi chose to stay away from the event at the last moment to avoid any sort of controversy. The pastor, however, maintained that Channi could not attend the event due to some personal reasons.

Meanwhile, the members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and other Hindu organisations gathered at the venue. They said that Bajinder Singh was converting Hindus and Sikhs to Christianity under the pretext of false and misleading promises. They said that while the conversion racket is going on in full swing in Punjab, the administration is watching silently.

VHP members also chastised Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi saying that he too was willing to attend the event organised by Pastor Bajinder Singh, known to be running a conversion racket, but he chose not to do so last minute in order to avoid controversy. According to them, by consenting to attend the event, CM Channi has clearly shown his support for the illegal conversion racket that is happening today in his state.

Punjab CM is himself a ‘crypto-Christian’: Zila Adyaksh of VHP, Moga speaks to OpIndia about its protest against pastor Bajinder Singh’s Healing Crusade

OpIndia got in touch with Shrim Sharma, the Zila Adyaksh of VHP in Moga. During the conversation, Sharma told us that the members of the Hindu organisation had gathered yesterday (November 25, Thursday), to give a warning to the administration against the conversion racket which has been growing at a rapid pace in Punjab and frauds like pastor Bajinder Singh who have been carrying out such scams undaunted in the state.

He said that the VHP had previously submitted a memorandum to the authorities requesting them to bar pastor Bajinder Singh’s Moga event, claiming that such programmes are nothing more than plots to convert vulnerable Hindus, Sikhs, Dalits, and people of other religions under the guise of false and misleading promises.

He went on to say that during such programmes, they brainwash Hindus and Sikhs by insulting and portraying our gods and goddesses in a negative light. Our practises and traditions are labelled as regressive. They entice individuals to join them by claiming things like “if you convert, you will receive the blessings of Jesus.” You will be given money and a job by Jesus.

Shrim Sharma, who described Punjab Chief Minister Channi as a “crypto-Christian,” expressed disbelief that Channi was willing to attend an event organised by pastor Bajinder Singh, whose name had previously been tied to a murder and rape case and has been accused of converting people to Christianity. He was in fact, shocked that not only the CM but many celebrities like Sonu Sood and other Punjab politicians had shown willingness to attend an event where people are openly tortured and hurt on the pretext of being ‘healed’.

Sharma said that VHP has warned that they would not let such events take place in Punjab in the future. “We will go to any lengths to make sure that such programs are not organised in the state. Yesterday we just gave them a warning that next time we will be forced to take up extreme steps,” said the Zila Adyaksh of VHP, Moga.

Congress CM Channi and Sonu Sood invited at Pastor Bajinder Singh’s event as chief guests

It may be recalled how the invitation card of this particular event, which started doing the rounds on November 24, also attracted sharp criticism on social media. An advertorial video on the official YouTube channel of Bajinder Singh was also posted which informed that the organization is starting its branch in Moga on November 25. The ad on YouTube alleged the attendees would witness “miracles” by Bajinder Singh. It claimed Singh would heal people with cancer, disabilities and possessions.

Though the YouTube video did not talk about who all had been invited as Chief Guests, the invitation card mentioned Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Congress MLA Harjot Kamal, actor Sonu Sood and his sister Malvika Sood. Notably, Malvika is all set to contest the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections from Moga.

Bajinder Singh is the same person whose ‘Mera Yeshu Yeshu’ video became a meme on the internet. Singh’s name had been linked to a murder and a rape case in the past. He was also accused of looting the followers of money on the pretext of ‘miraculous healing’. National Commission for Protection of Child Rights has also asked the Punjab Police to initiate a case against Bajinder Singh under POCSO Act in August 2021 after videos of Singh emerged on the internet where he was seen using a minor boy for forceful religious conversion activity.

Bajinder Singh’s conversion network is increasing in Punjab at a rapid pace without any strong opposition from the government or local leaders. With a new branch in Moga, Singh may expand its conversion network in villages around the city in Punjab.

‘Are you saying Hindu groups orchestrated train burning? There is a limit, this is absurd’: What SIT said in court on Zakia Jafri’s plea

OpIndia Staff
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‘Are you saying Hindu groups orchestrated train burning? There is a limit, this is absurd’: What SIT said in court on Zakia Jafri’s plea

The Supreme Court-appointed SIT that is probing the 2002 Gujarat riots has termed the allegations of Hindu groups planning the train burning to frame Muslims as ‘absurd’. The SIT has stated that claims of Hindu groups planning the burning of S-6 coach in the Sabarmati Express are baseless.

As per a report in The Indian Express, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the SIT in court, stated, “The allegation is (that) even before the incident, there was arms pile-up before February 27. It boggles my mind. Say I am a radical Hindu member of VHP and I am keeping arms on February 25 without knowing the date of the train burning incident, that makes no sense…”

Advocate Rohatgi further added, “or are you saying this train burning was also orchestrated? That cannot be true. because the train was delayed by five hours and was only going to stop for two minutes. They could not have known. This is absurd. There is a limit to what is being said here.”

“Either they knew the train will be five hours late and the other side will attack and they will have the material to attack back…It’s wild,” Rohatgi added.

It is notable here that there have been countless attempts by the leftist-Islamist groups to paint the Godhra train burning incident as the work of Hindu groups and whitewash the crimes of Islamists who killed 59 innocent Hindus, including women and children.

A bench comprising justices AM Khanwalikar, Dinesh Maheswari and CT Ravikumar was hearing the proceedings. The court was hearing an appeal by Zakia Jafri, wife of former Congress MP Ahsaan Jafri who was killed in the Gujarat riots.

On October 5, 2017, the Gujarat High Court had upheld the order by the Ahmedabad Metropolitan Magistrate Court that had accepted the closure report submitted by the SIT. The SIT had given a clean chit to former Gujarat CM Narendra Modi and 63 others in cases related to riots.

Complaint was 30-40 pages, protest petiton was 1200 pages and now records before court are over 20,000 pages

Advocate Mukul Rohatgi stated to the court that Zakia Jafri had filed her complaint in 2006, a year later, by the time she went to HC, Teesta Setalvad had joined in. He reminded that the HC had held earlier that Setalvad had no role in the matter and was not entitled to maintain proceedings in the case. He added that the Supreme Court’s direction to the SIT to examine the complaints by Mrs Jafri were clear and guarded.

“However,” Rohatgi added, “things have been blown out of proportions by the time a protest petition was filed against the Metropolitan Magistrate Court’s order.” The complaint was of 30-40 pages, protest is 1200 pages and now the curt has over 20,000 pages of records before them.

Rohatgi added that Setalvad’s NGO is driving it now and the proceeding, which was ordered to just look into Mrs Jafri’s complaint, with the notion that she may have something to add in the Gulberg Society case, has now been blown into something else because of the involvement of Teesta Setalvad.

Rohatgi added that unrelated events, like the election dates, complaints of police officers against their senior officers etc are bring brought into the hearing. He added that the petitioner’s entire case revolves around 3 people, Sanjiv Bhatt, who is a murder convict, serving time for planting narcotics, RB Sreekumar, who has a complaint against every senior officer and Rahul Sharma, whose own actions of withholding a CD are questionable.

Rohatgi added that the SIT had examined the CM, every top police officers, and all top administrative officials at that time.

The arguments were inconclusive and will be heard again on December 1. Congress leader Kapil Sibal is representing the petitioner in the case.

How Rahul Gandhi partied as Islamic terrorists slaughtered Indians on the streets on 26/11, even making a guest at the party question him

Dibakar Dutta
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How Rahul Gandhi partied as Islamic terrorists slaughtered Indians on the streets on 26/11, even making a guest at the party question him

It has been 13 years since the city of Mumbai fell siege to one of the deadliest attacks that the country had witnessed. Orchestrated by the Islamist terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a total of 10 Pakistani terrorists carried out 12 shooting and bombing incidents in India’s Financial Capital. The 26/11 attacks claimed the lives of 165 civilians and injured over 300 people. The security forces had also neutralised 9 terrorists and caught one Ajmal Kasab alive.

Iconic places in the city such as the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Leopold Cafe, Cama Hospital, Taj Palace, Nariman House, Oberoi Trident became the target of Islamist attacks. A total of 15 policemen and 2 National Security Guard (NSG) commandos including Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, NSG Commando Hawaldar Gajender Singh Bisht were killed in action. The deadly terror attack gripped the entire nation in a state of fear.

While the entire nation mourned the dead, Congress scion Rahul Gandhi remained in a party mood. The 38-year-old then did not seem to fathom the severity of the situation. “Even before the tears of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan’s mother could dry up, Congress general secretary and heir apparent Rahul Gandhi went partying with his pals at a farmhouse on Delhi’s outskirts,” read a report by Mail Today/ India Today.

Screengrab of the news report

The Congress scion went to the wedding ‘sangeet’ of his childhood friend Samir Sharma at his farmhouse in Rahdhey Mohan Chowk on the outskirts of the National Capital. India Today reported that Samir was the son of Captain Satish Sharma, who happened to be the flying partner of Rajiv Gandhi and a former MP from Rae Bareli.

“Mumbai appeared to be far from her brother’s mind as he boogied at the farmhouse with Samir Sharma…The Prince seemed to be completely out of sync with the mood of the nation post-26/11,” the report emphasised. In the aftermath of the 26/11 attacks, other politicians and restaurant owners had cancelled special events and parties. But Rahul Gandhi did not bother to reschedule his plans or mourn at the time of national grief.

According to corporate lawyer Ajay Bahl, who was trapped at the Oberoi Towers during the terror attack, the actions of Rahul Gandhi made him lose his faith in political leaders.“When everyone is cancelling parties or just keeping them low-key, Rahul Gandhi had no business to be celebrating. His action makes us lose faith in future leaders,” he said. Rahul Gandhi’s presence at the ‘sangeet’ even made an anonymous guest to take objection.

“We were all partying, but none of us is a public person. Rahul Gandhi, however, is. He must be more responsible in his social appearances,” the guest had remarked. While the Congress scion was busy partying, his sister Priyanka Vadra took the terror attack as an opportunity to gloat over the legacy of Indira Gandhi. She went on to claim that the ‘Iron Lady’ would have made everyone proud by her actions in the aftermath of the 26/11 attacks.

While in 2008, Rahul Gandhi cared little for his nation and the aftermath of a heinous terror attack, today, he took to Twitter to pay tribute to the braves of 26/11.

Having been in active politics for the past two decades, the Congress scion has now learnt the art of ‘political tokenism.’ Although he had then disregarded the tragedy that fell upon the residents of Mumbai on the fateful day of November 26, 2008, Rahul Gandhi now does not forget to share a message of condolence (prepared by his PR team) on the anniversary of the Mumbai attacks.

‘Lakhvi told us, till you are alive, keep killing, that’s a sure shot way to heaven’: Full transcript of Mumbai 26/11 attacker Ajmal Kasab’s confession in narco test

Jinit Jain
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‘Lakhvi told us, till you are alive, keep killing, that’s a sure shot way to heaven’: Full transcript of Mumbai 26/11 attacker Ajmal Kasab’s confession in narco test

26 November 2021 marks the thirteenth anniversary of the fateful attacks endured by the city of Mumbai when Pakistani terrorists staged simultaneous attacks at multiple places in the city. It was on this day in 2008, that 10 Lashkar-e Toiba terrorists from Pakistan reached Mumbai through the sea route and lay siege to the city for more than 60 hours. They unleashed mayhem in the city, killing innocent people in their wake as they opened fire with complete abandon. About 166 people were killed in the attack, including 18 security personnel, and scores of others were rendered injured and maimed.

While the security forces killed 9 terrorists in the encounter that ensued following the attacks which were later branded as Mumbai 26/11 attacks, they managed to grab hold of one Pakistani terrorist alive, Ajmal Amir Kasab, who was caught alive by the security forces when he sped through the Marine Drive a little after midnight on November 27, 2008. From Kasab, the police were able to uncover the grand conspiracy hatched by terrorists in Pakistan to wreak havoc in the financial capital of India.

Though he initially pleaded not guilty for the attacks, he later confessed to his crimes and admitted to his guilt. To make a watertight against Pakistan’s involvement in the attacks, the police subjected Ajmal Amir Kasab, the only terrorist in the November 26 Mumbai terror strike to be captured alive, to a narco analysis test, to corroborate all that he had confessed in his interrogation and to get more information about the conspiracy.

Though Kasab had already provided the police with a detailed account of the Mumbai terror attack plan, the training he received in Lashkar-e-Taiba’s (LeT) Pakistan-based camps and his family background, Mumbai crime branch sleuths felt the need of a narco test which they thought would help them sift fact from fiction as Kasab was likely to have conjured up some details at certain points or hidden some information. And his confession in the narco analysis provided a telltale insight into how the terror masterminds in Pakistan brainwashed poor men and their families into propagating the poison of Islamic jihad.

Here’s the transcript of the narco test conducted on Ajmal Amir Kasab:-

Question. Chacha(Zaki-ur-Rehman) belongs to which village?

Answer: I don’t know where he stays but he has a particular office. He used to come from there. He never tells anyone.

Q. Who prepared you to go there(Mumbai)?

A: My father told me. He said, “We are very poor, you will also earn money like others. It is not difficult. You will earn money as others do. We will get money and our poverty will go away. Your siblings will also get married. You will stay happy like others.

Q. Who all are in your family? 

A: Mother, sister.

Q. What is your mother’s name? 

A: Noor Illahee, she is around 40 years old.

Q. What does she do? 

A: She is a housewife.

Q. What does your father do? 

A: He used to work in Lahore. His name is Amir Shaban Kasab. He is around 45. He used to work as a hawker in Lahore.

Q. How many brothers do you have?

A: We are three brothers. The first one is Afzal Kasab and his wife’s name is Safiya. He is 25 years old. He has two children. One boy and a girl. The boy’s name is Aadil and he is 7 years old. The girl was recently born and I don’t know her name.

Q. Why don’t know your brother’s daughter’s name?

A: It is because there’s some dispute between my brother and his wife. They don’t stay together. She is at her mother’s place.

Q. What is your educational qualification?

A: I have studied till the fourth standard.

Q. When did you leave school?

A: I left school in 2000. I was working as a labourer since then. Then I went to Lahore and did the same work. I lived in Mohalla Tohidabad, Galli no. 54, house no. 12. 

Q. How long did you stay there? 

A: From 5 years, from 2000 to 2005. I was not being paid well for my work. My father told me we are very poor. Then they introduced me to LeT men. 

Q. How did your father(Amir Kasab) and Chacha (Lakhvi) get to know each other?

A: They knew each other from my village.

Q. Did he (Lakhvi) visit your village?

A: Yes, he has an office in my village as well as in Dipalpur. This is how they invite people, just like they did with my father. He told me it’s a very difficult job. It is very respectable? He said, son, you go, your poverty will go away. You will earn respect.

Q. How did they invite people?

A: They keep telling people, it is a Jihad. It is an honourable and daring job. You earn respect, it is a work of God. You will earn a lot of money, your poverty will be eliminated.

Q. How many days did you train?

A: About three months.

Q. Where did your training take place?

A: There is a city called Mansehra. There is a place near it, village Batal.

Q. How many people were trained?

A: About 24-25 people were there in our class during the training.

After you finished today’s work (26/11), where were you to go?

A: We were sure to die.

Q. How?

A: He (Lakhvi) used to say, you will go to heaven. So I said to myself, run, this does not feel right.

Q. How many people did you shoot?

A: I don’t know.

Q. How many bullets did you fire?

A: Don’t know. Maybe two, two-and-a-half magazines.

Q. How many people did you kill?

A: I have no idea. We just kept on firing.

Q. Who were you told to kill?

A: The people.

Q. How long did you plan to go on?

A: He (Lakhvi) used to say, till you are alive, keep on killing, keep on killing.

Q. How many people came?

A: There were more. But we had been blindfolded, we two. And then we were made to get off it (the boat).

Q. Who was supporting you in India?

A: I don’t know. They did not tell us. 

Q. So you people came here for Jihad?

A: (Weeping) What Jihad sir!

Q. Those who lost their lives were poor, just like you. People like you died.

A: (Weeping) Yes. God will never forgive me.

Q. Where else have you attacked before this? 

A: Nowhere, it’s my first operation. 

Q. What have they done for you? 

A: They promised to give my family a big amount. They will perhaps give lakhs of rupees to my family. 

Q. Who will give the money? 

A: Chacha will give money. He has a long beard. He is around 40-45 years old. He is a jihadi. He had first gone to Afghanistan to fight against the Soviet forces. 

Q. What did he tell you? 

A: He used to be a very busy person but whenever he came, he gave us lectures. He used to tell us, you are Muslims, this is not humanity. They kill your people. That they have left you in poverty. 

Q What is Jihad? What did they tell you about Jihad? 

A: I don’t know. they did not tell us. They only told us that it is the way to heaven. 

Q. Money might be one of the reasons, what other incentive did you have to kill innocent people?

A: Nothing sir, poverty is the biggest reason. If a person has nothing to eat, nothing to wear, he can do anything. 

Q. So how many days did your training last?

A: First, raw recruits are trained for a month. Then, there is more training for mature boys. They are then trained for another three months.

Q. And?

A: He is made ready and is told: now go, kill. That’s it.

Q. Your training took place a year ago. What did you do for a year?

A: In the end, he sent me to Karachi. I came to Karachi in that launch, which is used to catch fish. I thought I have now got a job. I didn’t know any such thing. Money was being sent home. There was no tension. Father used to say, my son will do a great job? so he needs this.

Q. What about the guilt factor of killing innocent people? 

A: They said something has to be done if you want money and fame. 

Q. How did you reach Mumbai? 

A: We boarded the trawler near Azizabad. We were brought to the boarding point in a car from Boharo. 

Q. When was the attack planned?

A: It was planned a month before November 26, 2008. 

Q. Tell us about the meeting.

A: Ismail and I were summoned. We were told that the time has come for the honourable job. We were shown CDs of our targets in Mumbai. 

Q. What was there in the CDs? 

A: They showed us the route we had to take. We were shown pictures of the VT station(CST station) via Azad Maidan. We were told that the Taj hotel would be on the way. 

Q. What was the role of Ismail? If there were any problems on the way, he was supposed to take care of it since he was the older of us two. 

A: Tell us the name of all terrorists who attacked Mumbai? Faradullah, Kasha, Umar, Ismail, Abdur Rehman Senior, Sohaib, Abdur Rehman junior, Omair, Ali and me. 

Q. When were you supposed to launch the attack? What was the reason behind choosing the date?

A: We were given this specific date and time of the attack. They had asked us to attack between 10 to 11 if we had reached in the morning. And if we reached in the night, then the attack had to be made by 11 pm. 

Q. What after 11? 

A: Nothing, we were supposed to die. 

Q. When did you start in Mumbai?

A: I don’t remember but it must be 23 or 24 November. All of us were kept at a secret location in Azizabad for over a month. This was done to keep the mission a secret. 

Q. What was the name of the trawler you boarded from Pakistan? 

A: It was Al-Hussaini launch and it was owned by Chacha(Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi). 

Q. Where does he(Chacha) live? 

A: Mansehra. We only knew his office. He was the chief at the training centre. 

Q. How far did Chacha accompany you? 

A: He came with us till we boarded the second boat. It was somewhere in Pakistan in the middle of the sea. 

Q. Was the captain of the Indian trawler a Pakistani?

A: No, he was an Indian. He did not talk to anyone. He had a pretty serious demeanour and chose not to speak with any of us.

Q. Who were you ordered to kill?

A: No one specific. Just common people. When we reached there, we realised it is too difficult to do the job, so we decided to flee.

Q. How did you get your hands on a police vehicle?

A: The vehicle was standing nearby. The police officers inside the vehicle shot at us. I fell down but Ismail killed them and dragged me inside the vehicle.

Q. What were you told to demand?

A: Demands were to be made by Chacha.

Q. How many hand grenades were you carrying?

A: We were carrying 8 hand grenades. Ismail too had 8 grenades. Everyone was given 8 grenades. Only one team was given more ammunition. The team of Abdur Rehman and Ali had more bullets.

J&K terror financing: Modi govt may soon ban all Hurriyat Conference factions. Read details

OpIndia Staff
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J&K terror financing: Modi govt may soon ban all Hurriyat Conference factions. Read details

The Modi government may soon ban all factions of the Kashmiri separatist organisation Hurriyat Conference as an “unlawful organisation” under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for their leaders’ involvement in terror financing in Jammu and Kashmir, according to a report in Times of India.

According to the report in TOI, sources in the intelligence agencies said that the Modi government might decide to ban all factions of the Hurriyat Conference including the faction that was led by now dead Syed Ali Shah Geelani. The government plans to ban these factions under Section 3(1) of the UAPA.

Earlier, the Jammu and Kashmir government along with NIA had submitted input to the Home Ministry about the Hurriyat Conference financing terror in the state. The Home Minister had then sought additional information from NIA and the state govt. The sources informed TOI that the additional data that was sought has now been submitted to the MHA and therefore, the decision to ban the factions may come soon.

An officer, speaking to Times of India said that even though several leaders of the Hurriyat have been in jail in the past couple of years and agencies have cracked down on terror financing, a ban on Hurriyat would help curb terrorism further. He said it would help the agencies curb the community level fund collection that is carried on by the Hurriyat conference. Thereafter, that money is given to subversive elements in Kashmir under the instructions of Pakistan’s ISI. The officer further said that with a UAPA ban, the government would be able to crack down not only on terror financing but also on the routes of financing used by Hurriyat. One of the major routes through which money for terrorism is raised in the sale of medical seats in Pakistan’s colleges from its quota and then channeling that money to fund terrorism in Kashmir.

The ban would also mean that Hurriyat would have to dismantle all its offices and infrastructure and the calls to Bandh and protest would automatically be considered illegal.

Once the government decides to ban the Hurriyat Conference, the government would announce the decision in the official gazette. Thereafter, the decision would have to be approved by the committee that has been formed under UAPA to ratify such decisions.

Busting the Hindu Vs Sikh narrative: How Hindus saved and helped Sikh Gurus, provided weapons training and donated for Gurudwaras

अनुपम कुमार सिंह
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Busting the Hindu Vs Sikh narrative: How Hindus saved and helped Sikh Gurus, provided weapons training and donated for Gurudwaras

Many Sikhs today continuously try to draw differences between Hinduism and Sikhism. They describe Sikhism as a huge advance over Hinduism. Due to this increasing Hinduphobia among this particular section of the Sikh community, a false narrative is peddled that the Hindus in India were only saved from Islamic invader Aurangzeb’s atrocities and barbarism because the Sikh Guru paid the highest sacrifice for members of ‘other’ religious community and did us Hindus a favour.

On February 9th, 2021, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, an Akali Dal leader stated angrily in the Lok Sabha: “It was our Guru Tegh Bahadur who got beheaded to save your Tilak and Juneau.” When a BJP MP asserted that the Gurus belonged to Hindus as well, Harsimrat Kaur vehemently denied the notion, emphasising that the Gurus only belonged to Sikhs.

A similar narrative was spread during the ‘farmers’ protest, which eventually led Prime Minister Narendra Modi to announce the withdrawal of all three agricultural laws that were passed for the benefit of the farmers.

Yograj Singh, the father of ex-cricketer Yuvraj Singh, had while addressing the farmers last year, proudly reiterated the sentiments with similar rue. “Inki aurate take-take ke bhaw bikti thi” (their women were sold for two cents). When their women and daughters were abducted by people like Ahmed Shah Durrani and sold off for a paltry sum, it was we Sikhs who saved them, Singh had said.

Due to this discord between the Hindus and Sikhs, the latter probably needs to revisit history. In this article, we revisit how Mirza Raja Jai Singh I and his son Ram Singh protected Guru Tegh Bahadur from opponents within his own Sikh community.

This is the second article of OpIndia’s Hindu-Sikh history series. In the first, we discussed how Guru Nanak’s sons deviated from his father’s path and created the ‘Udasi Panth.’ In addition, the Hindu king had bequeathed his palace to the Connaught Palace Gurdwara in Delhi.

The fact is that until Guru Arjan Dev, the fifth Sikh Nanak (Guru), had the leadership in his hands, Sikhism was never regarded as a separate faith from Hinduism. Till then, Sikhism was not treated as a distinct religion but just a separate sect. Under the leadership of the first five Gurus, Sikhism emphasized universal selflessness and brotherhood. Till then, the Sikhs had not taken up arms. It was the atrocities and barbarism of the Islamic invaders, which had compelled the Sikhs to take up arms. In fact, it was under the leadership of the sixth Sikh guru, Guru Arjan’s son Hargobind that the Sikh community became militarized.

When Guru Arjan Dev was summoned to Lahore by the Mughal Emperor Jahangir, the fifth Sikh Guru possibly suspected that he might never return. Thus before leaving for Lahore, he appointed his son Hargobind as his spiritual successor on May 25, 1606. The 11-year-old became the sixth Sikh Guru.

The execution of Guru Arjan Dev by the Mughal emperor Jahangir in 1606 went on to become a watershed moment for the fledgling Sikh community. As Guru Hargobind took up the Akal Takht or the Eternal Throne after his coronation by ‘Baba Buddha’ he made military training important for his followers, as he remembered his father’s supreme sacrifice.

From that day onwards, Guru Hargobind started carrying two swords. The swords symbolised the philosophy of Miri-Piri. The first sword, Miri, represented temporal power, while the second sword, Piri, represented spiritual prowess. Guru Hargobind redefined the Guru’s persona from that of a spiritual leader to that of a warrior by completely changing the attire.

In addition, he established an army known as the Sant Sipahi, or Saint Soldiers. Soldiers trained in an akhara built in front of the Akal Takht, and combat exercises became a regular feature of the Guru’s camp. As part of their tributes, the Guru instructed his devotees to offer him arms and horses rather than money.

Guru Hargobind transformed the nature of devotional singing, which had been an important aspect of Sikhism since Guru Nanak. His court was dominated by Var or epic combat songs. The execution of Guru Arjan Dev was exemplified as a symbol of sacrifice for the truth. Sikh devotees were instructed to follow the example of Guru Arjan Dev. Guru Hargobind told them it was un-Sikh to endure injustice.

So, it would be ridiculous to assert that Sikhs acquired weapons for the sake of Hindus. The truth is that after Guru Arjan’s execution, the Sikhs took up arms to defend themselves against the Mughal atrocities.

Hindus formed an essential part of the Sikh army, were tasked with protecting the Gurus

Do you know that the Rajputs not only trained the Sikhs in fighting and made them a warrior community but also protected Guru Hargobind? It was only with the support of the Rajputs that the Sikhs formed such a fierce army that humbled the mighty Mughal forces on various occasions.

Moreover, Guru Nanak had also visited the Hindu pilgrimages of Kolayat and Pushkar, which were under the Rajputs. He got along well with the Rajputs of Manaswal (Doad). In fact, during his stay at Kartarpur, only a Rajput family would offer him food.

History has it that while Guru Hargobind was imprisoned by the Mughals in the Gwalior Fort, he met a number of Rajput monarchs, and when he was released, he recruited numerous Rajputs into his army.

Rajput warriors named Rai Sigra and Rai Jaita were instrumental in teaching Guru Hargobind and his troops how to use weapons. In the battle of Gurusar, the Rajput army had aided Guru Hargobind. In fact, when Mughal ruler Jahangir was compelled to release Guru Hargobind from the Gwalior Fort, he was accompanied by 52 Hindu princes who from that moment forth always remained loyal to him.

Likewise, Bajar Singh, a descendant of Rao Mandan Singh Rathore, trained Guru Gobind Singh in the intricacies of warfare, as well as in unarmed combat, equestrianism, armed combat, musketry, archery and foot tactics.

One might not be familiar with the name Alam Singh Chauhan Nachna. He was the son of Bhai Durgu, a Rajput of Sialkot who had headed Guru Gobind Singh’s army. Guru Gobind Singh regarded him as his most trusted confidant. He earned the epithet Nachna (dancer) because of his uncommon agility. On one occasion, when Guru Gobind Singh was suddenly attacked, Alam Singh Chauhan Nachna showed exceptional valour and rescued him with the army.

It is believed that Alam Singh Chauhan Nachna went on to play an extremely vital role in almost all the battles fought around Anandpur. As Guru Gobind Singh himself testifies in his Bachitra Natak, when the Khanzada, the son of Dilawar Khan the Subahdar of Lahore, tried to storm Anandpur at night, it was Alam Singh’s vigilance which alerted the Sikhs and forced the Khanzada to retire without completing his assault. Alam Singh sacrificed his life fighting for the Guru’s son Ajit Singh.

Some Sikhs aided the Mughals against their own Gurus

While Hindus always supported the Sikh Gurus, obeyed their orders and helped them, there were some Sikhs who had sided with the Mughals against their own people. One such was Ram Rai, the seventh Guru Har Rai’s eldest son, who had joined the Mughal tyrant Aurangzeb. Compelled by his desire to become a Nanak (guru), Ram Rai incited the Mughals and got Guru Tegh Bahadur arrested. At such a time too it was a Hindu ruler who stepped in to aide Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Nanak, who was the leader of Sikhs from 1665 until his beheading in 1675.

History has it that Ram Rai was sent to Aurangzeb by his father Har Rai as a messenger, but his intentions altered. He formed the ‘Ramraiya’ sect, which was not recognised by the Sikhs. Ram Rai fell from grace when he performed miracles in Aurangzeb’s court and deliberately misinterpreted lines from the Adi Granth to please the Mughal emperor. Asked why Guru Nanak had criticised Islam in the verse Mitti Musalman Ki, Ram Rai satisfied the assembled people in Aurangzeb’s court by saying that the line had been copied incorrectly and that the actual writing was correctly Mitti Beimaan Ki and not Musalman ki. Pleased by Ram Rai, Aurungzeb gave him a jagir of four villages in the Doon area as a reward.

Though Ram Rai managed to please Aurangzeb, Guru Har Rai forbade all Sikhs from ever associating with Ram Rai. Displeased with his elder son Ram Rai, Guru Har Rai declared that his younger son Har Krishan the next Sikh Guru before he passed away in 1661.

Ram Singh got Guru Tegh Bahadur, 9th guru of the Sikhs, released from the captivity of Aurangzeb

Later, Aurangzeb arrested Guru Tegh Bahadur and brought him to Delhi. Aurangzeb issued the orders of Guru’s execution. It is said, Raja Ram Singh of Jaipur, the elder son of Mirza Raja Jai Singh I, pleaded for mercy and was able to convince the Mughal emperor who rescinded the order. He undertook full responsibility for Guru’s conduct to secure his release.

Guru Tegh Bahadur was later beheaded in 1675 on the commands of Aurangzeb for taking up the cause of Kashmiri Pandits and refusing to convert to Islam. Gurudwara Sis Ganj in Delhi is the place where he was beheaded and Gurudwara Rakab Ganj in Delhi is where he was cremated.

It is also recorded in history how Tegh Bahadur gained full backing from Raja Jai Singh against his opponents in his quest to become the 9th Guru.

The history of ‘Gurdwara Bangla Sahib’ in Delhi

Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, one of the most prominent Sikh gurdwaras, was originally Jaisinghpura Palace, a haveli of the Jaipur kings. It was originally a bungalow owned by Raja Jai Singh. It was in 1664 that Sawai Raja Jai Singh of Amber (Jaipur) hosted Guru Hari Krishan. The guru stayed there for about 8-10 months at a time of cholera and chickenpox epidemics.

Raja Jai Singh, who had also supervised the construction of nine Sikh shrines in Delhi in the same year, during the reign of Mughal Emperor, Shah Alam II, later donated the haveli (bungalow), where Sikh General Sardar Baghel Singh first built a small shrine in 1783. After Independence, the place saw rapid changes. The small shrine eventually went on to become the famous Gurudwara Bangla Sahib.

This is the second article of Hindu-Sikh history, you can read the first article here.

‘Don’t like it, don’t read it’: Delhi HC refuses to ban book by Salman Khurshid comparing Hindutva to ISIS, puts onus on govt

OpIndia Staff
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‘Don’t like it, don’t read it’: Delhi HC refuses to ban book by Salman Khurshid comparing Hindutva to ISIS, puts onus on govt

On Thursday (November 25), the Delhi High Court rejected a petition, seeking a ban on the newly released book titled, ‘Sunrise Over Ayodhya: Nationhood in Our Times’ by Congress leader Salman Khurshid.

The petition was filed by one Vineet Jindal through advocate Raj Kishore Chaudhary. He contended that the contents of the book could spark communal tension in the country. Chaudhary had emphasised how the house of author Salman Khurshid was attacked for drawing parallels between Hindutva and Islamist outfits such as ISIS and Boko Haram. “Even the author’s home in Nainital has been damaged… Though there have not been any significant incidents yet but it is likely to happen,” he added.

Advocate Raj Kishore Chaudhary pointed out that Article 19 of the Indian Constitution (Right to Freedom of Speech and Expression) was not absolute. “I am asking for this part to be removed. Communal riots start like this. At least notice should be issued,” he said while emphasising that reasonable restrictions have been placed on Article 19 of the Constitution. Chaudhary highlighted that Salman Khurshid had a large influence on society, owing to his status as a former MP and former Law Minister of India.

Delhi High Court asks people to not read by Salman Khurshid if they did not want to

While hearing the petition, the Delhi High Court stated that restrictions on the publication, circulation, sale and purchase of the contentious book can only be imposed by the government. A Bench led by Justice Yashwant Verma directed that people had the option to not read the book, authored by Salman Khurshid. It observed, “If you don’t agree with the author, don’t read it. Please tell people the book is badly authored, read something better…What can we do if people are feeling this? If they didn’t like the passage they can skip the chapter. They could have shut their eyes if they are feeling hurt.”

Salman Khurshid compared Hindutva to Islamic terror groups ISIS, Boko Haram in his book

In his book ‘Sunrise over Ayodhya’, Congress leader Salman Khurshid had compared ‘Hindutva’ to Islamic terror organisations like ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) and Boko Haram. ISIS, one of the most dreaded Islamic terror groups has been responsible for terror attacks across the world in recent years. He made the comment in a chapter called ‘The Saffron Sky’ in the book.

In the chapter, Khurshid had said that in the current form, Hindutva is a political force and was cornering the ancient Hindu religion. Khurshid said that this politicising of Hinduism is akin to the Islamic terror groups ISIS and Boko Haram. Referring to the Ram Janmabhoomi movement as ‘Ayodhya saga’, Khurshid claimed that the Supreme Court judgement in favour of Ram Lalla Virajman was like one faith trumping the methods of another.

“Sanatan dharma and classical Hinduism known to sages and saints were being pushed aside by a robust version of Hindutva, by all standards a political version similar to the jihadist Islam of groups like ISIS and Boko Haram of recent years,” he said in his book.

Discussion on Conversion Jihad amounts to Islamophobia? NBDSA orders NewsNation to take down their show discussing the menace: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Discussion on Conversion Jihad amounts to Islamophobia? NBDSA orders NewsNation to take down their show discussing the menace: Details

On November 6th, News Broadcasting and Digital Standards Authority (NBDSA) received a complaint regarding the ‘Conversion Jihad’ show aired by News Nation TV. On the 15th of November, NBDSA passed an inexplicable order where it urged the broadcaster to ensure that their anchor was “impartial”. The NBDSA directed the channel to take remedial action and even train their anchors in the appropriate “manner” to conduct the program.

Further, the NBDSA directed that all videos of the program should be taken down from all platforms within 7 days. If the videos were still up, the channel is supposed to inform the NBDSA in 7 days in writing. It is pertinent to note that News Nation TV had issued an unconditional apology for the show “Conversion Jihad” that they had broadcasted on their channel.

The NBDSA Chairperson Justice (retired) AK Sikri, observed that whenever any news story is telecast by the broadcaster, the Code of Ethics and Broadcasting Standards, Principles of Self-Regulations, Fundamental Principles and Specific Guidelines Covering Reportage relating to Impartiality, Neutrality and Fairness as also the Specific Guidelines Covering Reportage- Guideline No 9 relating to Racial & Religious Harmony, must be adhered to.

The NBDSA further took umbrage to certain statements made during the show by the anchor Deepak Chaurasia.

Some of the statements that NBDSA took offence to were:

  1. “Memchand zinda hai Jamaat sharminda hai”
  2. “500- Hindu kaise banaye Muslim?”
  3. “Kya Mewat Pakistan ban gaya?”

Retired Justice AK Sikri said that such statements violated the guidelines, principles and guidelines.

On YouTube, the video by NewsNation is now “private” and has been taken off air for common public.

YouTube video made private by NewsNation TV

What was the complaint against News Nation TV and their show ‘Conversion Jihad’

An NGO called CJP (Citizens for Justice and Peace) had lodged a complaint with NBSDA taking umbrage to the “Conversion Jihad” show by News Nation TV, anchored by Deepak Chaurasia. The complaint said that the anchor called one Maulana Syed Ul Qadri a ‘factory of lies’ and made him apologise on behalf of the entire Muslim community.

The complaint had also said that there was an “attempt” to promote “Islamophobic” ideas during the show saying that there is an attempt to promote anti-religious and anti-national activities by the Jamaat and that some clips on Twitter, that received thousands of likes and retweets promoted hate against the Muslim community. The NGO claimed that such programs must not be aired as they may hurt the “composite and diverse” culture of India and that it may lead to violence.

News Nation TV had in turn said that the channel or the anchor cannot be held responsible for statements made by the guests in the program, but, had tendered an unconditional apology if the statements had hurt anyone.

The NBDSA had ordered for the show to be deleted upholding the notion that any harsh reality being discussed in the media amounts to “Islamophobia”.

Is Conversion Jihad a figment of the imagination and a product of Islamophobia?

Conversion Jihad is a reality that the mainstream media, the organisations that govern the media and the political class, on the whole, wants to push under the rug. There are hundreds of cases where Hindu women were forcefully converted to Islam either by deceit or force. There are other cases where Hindu women were even brutally murdered and/or raped when they found out the real identity of the perpetrator and refused to convert to Islam. For example, there was a recent case in Surat when a Muslim man pretended to be a Hindu man. Thereafter, he abducted and raped Hindu women. Hundreds of such cases where Muslim men have pretended to be Hindu just to entrap Hindu women have been recorded.

Not just individual cases, which run in the thousands, but there have also been entire conversion rackets which have been unearthed by the security agencies.

The Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Uttar Pradesh police investigating religious conversion scam by Islamic scholar Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui and others have claimed to have detected the flow of foreign funds worth Rs 150 crore for the racket. While the investigation is underway, the above fund detected so far was invested in the illegal religious conversion activities in India. The fund mainly originated from Gulf countries Bahrain, Britain, Turkey and others.

The ATS has partially disclosed foreign funding in a charge sheet submitted before the court of the chief judicial magistrate of Lucknow against Rameshwar Kawade, Kausal Alam, Bhupriyo Bando alias Arslan and Faraz Shah of Maharashtra. They are among 10 accused arrested by ATS for carrying illegal conversion to Islam in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and other parts of the country. ATS alleged accused were working in a syndicate for a systematic conversion to alter the demographic structure and to create communal ill-will.      

According to a report, the fund was sent to Kaleem Siddiqui, Maulana Umar Gautam and Salahuddin Zainuddin Sheikh. All three were arrested by ATS during the course of the investigation. Now the ATS is investigating background of organizations that provided funds to them.

Three organizations namely Islamic Dawah Centre, Fatima Charitable Trust and Al Hasan Educational & Welfare Foundation being run by Umar Gautam were used as fronts to receive foreign funds. In the last five years, Umar Gautam is accused to have received Rs 57 crore as foreign funds, out of which 60 per cent was used to run the conversion racket. Most of the fund was transferred by Britain based Britain-based Al Falah Trust. ATS said Kawade’s wife Maihasan Ali who is an Egyptian is a key foreign link of Umar Gautam.

In a 1860 page chargesheet filed by the Vadodara police recently, the police said that the key accused converted “100 to 200 Hindu girls to Islam and married them off” using the money, according to a charge-sheet filed by the police in a Gujarat court. CNN News 18 reported that, “The Vadodara police on Tuesday submitted the charge-sheet in the case wherein the managing trustee of a charitable trust and his aides had acquired foreign funds and illegally diverted them to covert people to Islam, build mosques and to provide legal help to anti-CAA protesters and rioters held in Delhi after the 2020 communal riots in the national capital”.

With such rampant forceful conversion of Hindu women to Islam, it is inexplicable why the NBDSA would consider a discussion on facts as “Islamophobia” just to maintain a modicum of political correctness.

Several Muslim women not issued admit card for Bengal police recruitment exam because of their Hijab-clad photos, HC steps in: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Several Muslim women not issued admit card for Bengal police recruitment exam because of their Hijab-clad photos, HC steps in: Details

The Calcutta High Court has stepped in after Muslim women moved the court for being denied admit cards for the Bengal police recruitment exams. According to reports, over 1,000 Muslim women were not issued admit cards because they had affixed images of themselves wearing a Hijab. Calcutta High Court has stayed the recruitment process of the West Bengal Police Recruitment Board after a group of Muslim women filed a petition alleging their application forms for the recruitment of constables were rejected because of wearing Hijab (headscarf) in the photograph.

The Calcutta HC has had made the result of the recruitment process subject to its order. The matter has now been listed for hearing on the 6th of January 2022.

Excerpt from Court order (Order credit: LiveLaw)

“The petitioners question the rejection of their candidature for having applied with their respective photographs with headgear (hijab) as part of their religious practice when the face in the photograph is clear for necessary identification,” Justice Arindam Mukherjee noted.

The court then made the results for these candidates subject to its order, saying that an important point comes up for deliberation in this writ petition.

Background of the case and why the application forms of the Muslim women were rejected in the West Bengal police recruitment exam

The West Bengal Police Recruitment Board (WBPRB) had conducted a preliminary examination to recruit constables in the State police force on September 26th. The Board had issued admit cards on the 6th of September. According to the petitioners, close to 1000 Muslim women had not received their admit cards for the exams because they had suffixed hijab-clad pictures of themselves in the application forms.

The application forms were rejected on the basis of rules for the exams that states that the face of the candidates must not be covered in any manner in their applications forms.

Excerpt from Court order (Order credit: LiveLaw)

The petitioners, knowing this rule fully well, submitted pictures with hijab on. When rejected, they petitioned the court that the rejection and the rule itself infringes upon their right to practice their religion.

Mumbai court dismisses closure report by police, asks police to probe complaint accusing Sanjay Raut of harassment, torture, abuse

OpIndia Staff
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Mumbai court dismisses closure report by police, asks police to probe complaint accusing Sanjay Raut of harassment, torture, abuse

A city magistrate court has ordered the Vakola police station to continue investigating the stalking case filed by Marathi film writer and psychologist Dr Swapna Patker against Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut in 2013.

According to an order made available on Wednesday, November 24, the court also dismissed the closure report the Mumbai police had submitted in the case stating that they could not find the unknown culprits. The chief metropolitan magistrate S B Bhajipale had rejected the ‘A-summary’ report of the police on November 18 and detailed order in the matter was made available now, reports Mid-Day.

An ‘A-summary’ report is a document used by the police to close an investigation, in which they believe that despite the existence of an offence, there is insufficient evidence against the accused.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate SB Bhajiale said in his order that the complainant had herself submitted names of suspected people, but the investigating officer did not bother to probe them. He added that the investigating officer had miserably failed to notice that the complainant was attacked on May 16, 2013, before the alleged incident on June 29, 2013.

The court stated that it is a well-established notion that an FIR is not a repository of information. It observed that the complainant’s (Dr Swapna Patker) statement was collected separately by a vigilant Inquiry Officer and its veracity was verified. However, the current Inquiry Officer has done nothing of the sort, said the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate. He added that a further inquiry can be conducted based on the woman’s complaint in this case.

It may be noted that the Marathi film writer and psychologist Dr Swapna Patker had said in her protest petition against the Mumbai police’s closure report that the latter had not probed her husband, with whom she had strained relations, or the ‘political person’ Sanjay Raut.

Swapna Patker accuses Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut of 8 years of harassment, character assassination and abuse

She said that she had told the police that Raut was stalking her and following her and had removed the CDR from her phone, allowing them to track her whereabouts. She had further added that she had informed the officers in the Vakola police station that the Shiv Sena MP was providing perks to her husband to harass her, but that neither her husband nor the politician were ever investigated.

Notably, Patkar has been alleging that Sanjay Raut, co-editor of Shiv Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’, has been using his political clout and hold on the system for the last 8 years to not only assault her but to also harrass family and relatives.

In June this year, Patker was taken to Bandra Police station by police without any written summons, her advocate Abha Singh has said. Singh also alleged that she was not provided with an FIR copy before cops took her to the police station.

She had in April 2021, written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in which she alleged that she is being harassed, tortured and abused by Shiv Sena MP and Editor of Saamana, Sanjay Raut, since the past eight years.

In her letter to the PM, Swapna alleged that her complaints were ignored by the police, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, ex-Home Minister Anil Deshmukh and other officials of Maharashtra as the perpetrator has a stronghold in the political party. 

Dr Swapna informed OpIndia that she used to write columns for Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece publication Saamna from 2009-2014 and also took care of some of Sanjay Raut’s Rajya Sabha work. However, when she decided to get back to her profession from her passion, Dr Swapna alleged that Sanjay Raut was not happy with her decision and started to heckle, harass and torture her. 

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