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Twist in Justice Yashwant Varma case: Delhi fire chief denies finding cash at his house, SC says transfer to Allahabad HC is routine but confirms in-house probe

OpIndia Staff
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Twist in Justice Yashwant Varma case: Delhi fire chief denies finding cash at his house, SC says transfer to Allahabad HC is routine but confirms in-house probe

In a massive twist in the allegations against Delhi High Court Justice Yashwant Varma, the Delhi’s fire services chief has denied reports of finding piles of cash at his residence during a firefighting operation. Moreover, the Supreme Court has clarified that the collegium’s decision to transfer Justice Varma is not linked with the alleged incident, but confirmed that an in-house inquiry has been initiated against the judge.

Earlier it was reported in the media that firefighters accidentally discovered huge amounts of cash at the residence of justice Varma after a fire incident at the house on the eve of Holi. Reports said that justice Varma was not in town when the fire incident happened. His family members alerted the fire brigade and when the fire brigade managed to douse the fire and entered house, they found a huge pile of cash in one of the rooms. The firefighters alerted the police and the cops then alerted the top law enforcement officials, the reports said.

However, now Delhi Fire Services chief Atul Garg has said that firefighters did not find any cash during the operation. “Soon after dousing the flames, we informed police about the fire incident. Thereafter, a team of fire department personnel left the spot. Our firefighters did not find any cash during their firefighting operation,” he reportedly said.

He also called the matter “sensitive” and refrained from commenting further on the issue. He said that someone from the judge’s staff made the call about the fire incident at the Varma’s Lutyens Delhi residence at 11.35 pm on March 14. Two fire tenders were immediately rushed to the spot and the fire in a store room stocked with stationery and domestic articles was doused, he added.

Later, Delhi Fire Chief Atul Garg stated that he had never told any media outlet that firefighters did not find cash at the scene.

When asked why his name was being quoted in the reports, Garg replied, “I don’t know why,” adding that he had already sent a clarification to the media outlets carrying the statement.

At the same time, the Supreme Court today issued a press release denying reports that Collegium recommended the judge’s transfer to the Allahabad High Court due to the alleged incident. The top court said that the collegium has proposed to transfer him as a routine manner, it has not been finalised yet, and the transfer has no links with the alleged discovery of cash at his house. However, the court confirmed an in-house probe over the allegations.

The press release said, “The proposal for transfer of Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma, who is the second senior most Judge in the Delhi High Court and a member of the Collegium, to his parent High Court i.e. the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad, where he will be ninth in seniority, is independent and separate from the In-house enquiry procedure. The proposal was examined by the Collegium comprising of the Chief Justice of India and four senior most Judges of the Supreme Court on 20th March 2025, and thereafter letters were written to the consultee Judges of the Supreme Court, the Chief Justices of the High Courts concerned and Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma. Responses received will be examined and, thereupon, the Collegium will pass a resolution.”

On the probe against justice Varma, the press release stated that Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court has commenced the In-house enquiry procedure collecting evidence and information after receiving information about the incident. It stated that the inquire was commenced before the Collegium meeting on 20th March 2025, and the Delhi HC’s Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya will be submitting his report to the CJI Sanjiv Khanna by today.

The apex court stated that the in-house inquiry has been initiated as per Supreme Court judgement in C. Ravichandran Iyer v. Justice A.M. Bhattacharjee case of 1995.

Disclaimer: The report was updated to include the statement of Delhi Fire Chief Atul Garg clarifying that he never made remarks about finding ‘no cash’ at the residence of Justice Verma.

Dazzling cosmic event: Star in ‘Northern Crown’ could explode into a Nova anytime! All you need to know about the once-in-80-years phenomenon

Aditi
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Dazzling cosmic event: Star in ‘Northern Crown’ could explode into a Nova anytime! All you need to know about the once-in-80-years phenomenon

In a rare cosmic phenomenon, a star in the ‘Northern Crown’ constellation located 3000 light years away from the Earth, is likely to explode to form a ‘nova’ (a new star). The once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon that occurs once in 80 years last occurred in 1946. If the explosion takes place, the brightness of the star will rapidly increase for a brief time. It will become as bright as the North Star, the 48th brightest star in the night sky, making it visible to the naked for some time.

According to reports, a paper published in Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society predicted three dates for the explosion of the star this year – March 27, November 10 or June 25. Astronomer Franck Marchis at the SETI Institute and co-founder of Unistellar said that the start has been exhibiting variations since last September that suggest that it is about to explode. “However, as the study is still theoretical, its conclusions remain uncertain,” Marchis added.

What is this star and why it explodes?

The star is part of T Corona Borealis (TCrB), a binary star system (a system where two stars are gravitationally bound and orbit each other). The TCrB is classified as a recurrent nova which implies that the star blows its top repeatedly. It is one of the few stars that exhibit such behaviour. The TCrB system has two stars- a red giant and a white dwarf. The Red Giant in the TCrB is cooling and expanding nearing the end of its stellar life. As a result, it consistently releases hydrogen some of which is gathered by the White Dwarf. The explosion occurs in the White Dwarf when the pressure and the temperature on its surface increase and the hydrogen ignites.

Several predictions regarding the explosion of the star have been made over the past two years. The star’s brightness decreases considerably before it explodes. The American Association of Variable Star Observers reportedly observed a decrease in the star’s brightness in March and April 2023 and predicted the explosion in April 2024 but it did not happen. The next timing of its explosion was anticipated to be in September 2024. But it did not explode in September 2024 either. Ever since astronomers and skywatchers have been curiously monitoring and waiting for the explosion. The star last exploded in 1787, 1866 and 1946. The first recorded explosion of the star was in 1217.

Opposition leaders Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Jaya Bachchan skipped historic Maha Kumbh but attended the Iftar Party of Muslim League during Ramazan

Shraddha Pandey
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Opposition leaders Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Jaya Bachchan skipped historic Maha Kumbh but attended the Iftar Party of Muslim League during Ramazan

On 20th March 2025, Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan, and Akhilesh Yadav among others attended the Iftar dinner hosted by the Indian Union Muslim League (LUML) in New Delhi. 

Touted as an opportunity to cement religious harmony and unity, Iftar parties have always been a means for politicians to bolster their ‘secular’ [read pro-Muslim] credentials.  However, the same politicians were conspicuously absent from Maha Kumbh, the historical Hindu event that attracted millions of devotees to Prayagraj earlier this year.

Not to forget, Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan had resorted to peddling fake news about Maha Kumbh and the deadly stampede. Without a shred of evidence, Bachchan had claimed that the world’s most contaminated water was in Maha Kumbh due to the dumping of dead bodies of stampede victims.

During a media interaction on 3rd February, Jaya Bachchan said, “Where is the water most contaminated right now? It’s in Kumbh. Bodies (of those who died in the stampede) have been thrown in the river because of which the water has been contaminated… The real issues are not being addressed. The common people visiting Kumbh are not receiving any special treatment, there is no arrangement for them. They are lying that crores of people have visited the place, how can such a large number of people gather in that place at any given point?”

Similarly, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge had also questioned the Maha Kumbh 2025 and the arrangements made by the government for it. He insinuated that the expenses for Maha Kumbh are met by taking away or preventing the social welfare of the poor in the country.

“Ganga main dubki lene se gareebi dur hogi kya” (will poverty be eliminated by taking the holy dip in the Ganga river), Kharge asked adding that he does not want to hurt anyone’s religious sentiments but when there are poor children lacking food, when the people are struggling to find employment, our government leaders are competing with each other to take the holy dip in the Ganga. They keep on taking dip after dip until they get a good enough photo for the TV cameras. But they do not care about the real issues plaguing the people,” Kharge had said in January this year.  

Incidentally, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi had back in 2001, taken a holy dip at the Kumbh Mela in 2001, when her Indianness was rightly being questioned, however, years after a long political career, Gandhi was neither seen at the 2007 Kumbh nor at the once-in-a-century Maha Kumbh 2025. Even if age concession is given to Sonia Gandhi, Congress’s unheralded Prime Ministerial candidate Rahul Gandhi, the youth leader forever, also skipped Maha Kumbh although he didn’t skip the politicization of the Hindu festival.

It is amusing that these opposition leaders avoided attending Maha Kumbh and only used the grand Hindu event for vulture politics and peddling fake news to score political points against the BJP, but flocked to an Iftar party organized by a party with roots in Islamic fanatic Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s Muslim League, the group instrumental in India’s bloodied partition.  Such one-sided engagement raises questions about where their affiliations truly lie. Are they genuinely driven by ‘inclusivity’ or want to appease the Muslim votebank by mollycoddling Islamist political outfits?

There was a time when the Congress-led UPA government filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court, outrightly denying the existence of Lord Ram mocking the Hindu belief in the worst possible way, however, BJP-led NDA’s ascension to the helm of power and a Hindu resurgence forced Congress into turning on its pretentious “Janeu over the coat” mode. Since 2014, Congress leaders, especially the Gandhi family have been on electoral temple runs, invoking his supposed Kashmiri Brahmin roots, redefining Hindu beliefs as per their convenience in an audacious attempt at branding themselves as the “real Hindus” who embody Hindu Dharma’s inclusive spirit rather what they accuse BJP of embodying—a politicized caricature. Yet, when it comes to supporting Hindu causes or being a part of any historical moment for Hindus, the Gandhi family hardly prioritizes Hindus.

It was seen how the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi declined the invite to the consecration of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya last year, apparently fearing that attending the historical event would displease their Muslim votebank. He, however, was repeatedly found peddling lies about the attendees of the ceremony and mocking Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. This year, when crores of Hindus from all walks of life celebrated the grand festival of Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, Rahul Gandhi, the self-declared Tapasvi, the knower of Hindu traditions, Abhay Mudra and whatnot did not show up at Prayagraj. Apparently, for the Congress party, Hindu faith is that sharpened arrow kept in its quiver, which is drawn out only when the party has to take aim at its political bête noire—BJP, and then swiftly stashed back once the shot has been fired.  

While political leaders attending Iftar parties is not essentially a problem, however, the optics reveal their priorities. A Hindu celebration spanning two months came and passed, yet no senior leaders from the Congress party’s top echelon attended Maha Kumbh. Sonia Gandhi was for a long time an MP from Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Bareilly and now her son represents the same seat in Lok Sabha, Uttar Pradesh has been Priyanka Gandhi’s political karmabhoomi but when such a massive religious gathering was happening in Uttar Pradesh’s holy city of Prayagraj, and yet the Gandhi family decided to avoid visiting Maha Kumbh.

Apparently, the Congress party would have thought that attending the Maha Kumbh organized by the BJP government would serve as bad optics for them, however, the party had no qualms in allying with an Islamist outfit like IUML and sending its top leaders to grace the Iftar dinner.

IUML and its controversial credentials

Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), which claims to have been born after Indian Independence in 1948, is actually an off-shoot of Pakistan founder and Islamist Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s All India Muslim League (AIML). The All India Muslim League was succeeded by the Muslim League in Pakistan and the Indian Union Muslim League in India. On its website, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) claims that its motto is secularism and communal harmony but has often openly indulged in carrying out those objectives which are contrary to its own motto.

The Muslim League had strongly advocated for the establishment of a separate Muslim-majority nation-state, Pakistan successfully led to the partition of British India in 1947 by the British Empire. The birth of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) in December 1947 was a part of the intention to keep the spirit of the All-India Muslim League.

Muhammad Ismail, the first President of the Indian Union Muslim League after it split up from Jinnah’s Muslim League, had actively participated in the partition movement of the country and was an ardent supporter of the creation of Pakistan. Interestingly, Muhammad Ismail, who claimed IUML was a secular outfit had, in fact, supported the retaining of Sharia law for Indian Muslims in the Constituent Assembly after India’s independence.

Mohammad Ismail, the founder President of IUML, the first political party of Muslims in the new state of India even bargained with Congress to “recognise the League as the sole representative of Muslims”, similar to the policies of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, who had always asserted he and his party AIML was the sole representative of the Muslims in undivided India.

Jawaharlal Nehru, the so-called ‘epitome’ of India’s pluralism, whose Congress had once rejected the proposal of Jinnah in 1937 for a coalition government with the Muslim League, joined hands with the IUML in Kerala post-independence. The opportunistic design of Congress further encouraged political Islamists like IUML to resort to more communal politics in the name of protecting the interests of Muslims in the country.

The Indian Union Muslim League has been notoriously known for flaring up communal incidents in the state of Kerala. The party was found involved in the planning as well as the execution of the brutal Marad massacre in Kerala in 2003 as per the report of Justice Thomas P Joseph Commission which was set up to investigate the incident. The report had declared the massacre as “a clear communal conspiracy, with Muslim fundamentalist and terrorist organisations involved”.

Further, in 2017, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a fresh First Information Report (FIR) in connection with the probe and had named Indian Union Muslim League leaders P.P. Moideen Koya and Moyeen Haji as accused of funding, conspiring and executing the riots.

While Rahul Gandhi once declared IUML a “completely secular” party and Congress’s top leadership attends its political-religious gathering in Ramzan, the IUML has consistently been taking forward its Islamist agenda. Last year, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), along with other Muslim groups in Kerala, objected to election dates, citing Jummah on Fridays saying that Muslims hold large congregations to offer Jummah Namaz on that day. They decided to approach the Election Commission to push the dates. Basically, the Islamist outfit wanted even democratic processes to be conducted as per the convenience of Muslims.

In 2023, the IUML had declared support to Palestinian Islamic terror outfit Hamas even as the latter was killing and raping Israeli people. Incidentally, the Congress party has also taken a pro-Palestine stand and its leader Priyanka Gandhi’s heart intermittently bleeds for the Gazan people.

The same year, the IUML leaders raised anti-Hindu slogans including those threatening to hang them (Hindus) in front of Temples and burn them alive, during Kerala’s Kasargod during protest over Manipur unrest.

The IUML leader KM Shaji previously called the LGBTQ+ community a “shame” and that “they are the worst humans”. Moreover, the party has also exhibited its misogynistic mindset in the past. Back in 2021, the IUML disbanded the state committee of Haritha- the women’s wing of the Muslim Students Federation (MSF) after the women members refused to withdraw their sexual harassment complaint filed with the Kerala Women’s Commission against some of the male MSF leaders, who allegedly used derogatory remarks against them.

In 2022, the Kerala IUML leaders opposed gender neutrality and sex education in the state’s school curriculum decrying them as an ‘atheist-leftist conspiracy’.

Conclusion

While the IUML may have adapted to India’s democratic framework, its history, anti-Hindu mindset and Islamist proclivities suggest that it has not abandoned the divisive agenda Jinnah’s Muslim League thrived on. Yet, Congress heavyweights like Sonia Gandhi, Kharge and other opposition leaders pander to the Islamist outfit and devour Khajoors of alliance with them. Apparently, for the opposition, cosying up to the IUML, a vestige of Jinnah’s anti-Hindu and divisive legacy, promotes secularism and peace, but attending Maha Kumbh, the world’s largest religious human gathering, the biggest unifier would have made them appear communal or perhaps, ‘Hindu hardliners’. Blinded by the supposed ineluctable imperative to appease the Muslim votebank has brought opposition to a point where the so-called ‘secular’ parties of 2025 are transitioning into the Muslim League of the 1940s.

Telling colleague that she must be using JCB to manage her long hair and singing ‘Yeh Reshmi Zulfe’ is not sexual harassment: Bombay High Court

OpIndia Staff
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Telling colleague that she must be using JCB to manage her long hair and singing ‘Yeh Reshmi Zulfe’ is not sexual harassment: Bombay High Court

The Bombay High Court recently ruled that telling a woman that she must be using JCB to manager her hair and singing song related to her hair can’t be termed sexual harassment. The court made the observations while qashing a case filed against an employee of HDFC Bank under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act.

Justice Sandeep Marne said in the order on 18 March that it is difficult to say that the conduct of accused Vindo Kachave amounts to sexual harassment. “So far as the first incident is concerned, the same relates to passing of comment by the Petitioner with regard to length and volume of the complainant’s hair and he singing a song relating to her hair. Considering the nature of comment allegedly made by the Petitioner towards the complainant it becomes difficult to believe that the same was made with an intent of causing any sexual harassment to the complainant. She herself never perceived the comment as sexual harassment when the comment was made,” Justice Marne noted in the judgement.

As per a report by Live Law, the petitioner said that the incident took place during a training session in June 2022. At the event, Vindo Kachave noted that the complainant woman was  frequently adjusting her hair, and it seemed that she was uncomfortable with her hair. Therefore, he told her in a lighter vein, “you must be using a JCB to manage your hair”.

After that, to make her comfortable, he sang few lines of the Hindi song “Yeh Reshmi Zulfe” from the 1970 movie Do Raaste.

Kachave’s counsel Sana Raees Khan told the court that his only intention was to tell the woman that if she was feeling uncomfortable with her hair, she should tuck it, as she was distracting him and others in the session.

The petition also produced WhatsApp messages between him and the woman showing that he had also motivated her for performance. Therefore, the court said that even if the allegations are true, it becomes difficult to hold that the Petitioner has committed any act of sexual harassment.

The complainant also mentioned another incident at a different training session. At that time, when another male employee was talking on phone, the petitioner asked whether he was talking to his girlfriend. When that man said that he didn’t have a girlfriend, the petitioner allegedly asked him “Kyu tumhara machine kharab hai?” The woman said that she felt uncomfortable at such comment, and added it as another incident of sexual harassment.

But the court declined to accept this because there was no evidence that she was present there when then alleged comment was made. Moreover, it was addressed to another man, not her, therefore it becomes difficult to believe that it would cause any sexual harassment personally to the complainant, the court ruled.

With this verdict, the high court quashed the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) report against the petitioner.

Bihari students beaten, assaulted in Guru Kashi University, Bathinda, VC claims fight between two Bihari groups where locals were called: What we know

OpIndia Staff
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Bihari students beaten, assaulted in Guru Kashi University, Bathinda, VC claims fight between two Bihari groups where locals were called: What we know

Attacks against Bihari students have reportedly occurred on the campus of Guru Kashi University in Bathinda of Punjab. A News18 report stated that they were singled out and subjected to assault, even attack with swords. Several students were seen begging for assistance in a blood-soaked state after their skulls were fractured, backs were seriously wounded and their bones were fractured.

The situation has been awful for the past five days, according to the irate students at university. Some of them have traveled far from home to pursue their education and enrolled in B.Tech, B.Pharma, BCA, MCA and MBA programs. However, their lives are now in jeopardy. More than 22 local students entered the hostel. The victims also accused the university administration of collusion with the perpetrators.

Students disclosed that the attackers, who ruthlessly wielded swords, also included locals. There are around two dozen injured pupils and some of them are in critical condition. Bihari students conveyed that Punjab Police arrested them rather than providing any aid. They mentioned that the campus security staff participated in the attacks as well and even started firing. The bleeding pupils have emailed the Education Minister Sunil Kumar Singh and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to request help. Photos and videos related to this incident are also going viral on social media.

Thousands of students from Bihar study in Punjab. Meanwhile, according to university vice-chancellor Dr SK Bawa, the altercation was between two groups of Bihari students rather than between Bihari and Punjabi students. The situation deteriorated when one side called their local friends. He added that the students responsible for the assault have been identified and will be thrown out of the university.

2 Hindu students expelled from Bangladeshi university over allegations of ‘insulting Islam’: List of Hindus targeted for blasphemy in recent times

OpIndia Staff
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2 Hindu students expelled from Bangladeshi university over allegations of ‘insulting Islam’: List of Hindus targeted for blasphemy in recent times

On Sunday (16th March), the Pabna University of Science and Technology in Bangladesh expelled 2 Hindu students over accusations of ‘insulting Islam’ and committing ‘blasphmey’.

According to reports, the victims were identified as Pranay Kundu and Bikarna Das Dibya. They were students of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning.

The university administration was first coerced into issuing a show-cause notice to the Hindu students and then expelling them, despite both students filing their response.

The hounding of Pranay Kundu and Bikarna Das Dibya began on the night of 14th March after they had a heated argument with some Muslims on Facebook. Later, Muslim radicals studying at the varsity protested on campus and demanded their expulsion.

Proctor Kamruzzaman Khan justified the drastic action against the Hindu students claiming that their response to the show-cause notice was ‘not satisfactory.’

In the meantime, the Muslim students began seeking to expel 5 other Hindu students namely – Bidyut Sarkar, Suborna Sarkar, Dipu Biswas, Tanoy Sarkar and Ankan Ghosh. To coerce the administration into submission, the radicals blocked the main gate and administrative building of the university.

Muslims attack Hindu minorities in Bangladesh under pretext of blasphemy

In February 2025, a Muslim mob comprising members of the radical ‘Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh’ and ‘Tawhidi Janata‘ hounded a Hindu man named Supta Saha Anik after accusing him of making ‘objectionable remarks’ about Islam.

The mob organised a protest rally in Kalmakanda upazila in the Netrakona district of Bangladesh after Jumma Namaz. They also demanded the immediate arrest of the Hindu man for supposedly insulting Prophet Muhammad and gave an ultimatum of 48 hours.

As expected, the violent Muslim mob raised genocidal slogans and vowed to make ‘ultimate sacrifie’ in order to avenge the supposed dishonour to Islam.

In January this year, a Hindu man named Pranta Talukder was abducted and tortured by a Muslim mob in the Chittagong city of Bangladesh. He was thrashed mercilessly and left severely injured over allegations of committing blasphemy.

In December 2024, Muslims carried out arson attack on 130 Hindu houses and 20 temples after accusing a young boy named Akash Das of making blasphemous comments on Facebook.

In October 2024, a frenzied Muslim mob laid siege to the Kadirdi Degree College in Boalmari in the Faridpur district of Bangladesh after accusing a Hindu boy named Hridoy Pal of ‘insulting’ Prophet Muhammad.

In September last year, a Hindu boy named Utsab Mandal was almost lynched by a Muslim mob on accusations of ‘blasphemy’ in the Sonadanga residential area of Khulna city.

Later that month, another frenzied Muslim mob laid siege to the Patiya police station in Chittagong district of Bangladesh, demanding that the cops hand over a Hindu boy accused of ‘insulting’ Prophet Muhammad.

The mob, comprising mostly local madrassa students, also attacked an army vehicle after seeing a young boy in civilian clothes and mistaking him for the Hindu victim. A 22-year-old Hindu youth named Partha Biswas Pintu was arrested on charges of committing ‘blasphemy’.

In May 2024, a Hindu student named Utsab Kumar Gian, studying at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University in Bangladesh, was thrashed by a Muslim mob on accusations of blasphemy.

When Bangladesh High Court recommended death penalty for blasphemy

In November 2024, OpIndia reported how the High Court of Bangladesh recommended strengthening the Cyber Security Act to make ‘blasphemy’ punishable by life imprisonment and death penalty in the country.

“There should be a provision of punishment like death penalty or life imprisonment for such unnecessary, unconscionable, obstinate and provocative speech and conduct against the Quran and Muhammad (Pbuh), which the parliament may consider,” a 2-Judge Bench of Justices MR Hassan and Fahmida Quader stated.

They further declared, “To discourage any such inflammatory speech or act which is likely to offend the minds of people of any religion, or to cause fear, terror, discomfort or apprehension in any of them, enhancing the punishment for such offences and to make them non-bailable must be considered.“

The Bangladesh High Court added, “If the offenders who are involved in the respective links of the charge sheet are not brought under the law, in every case the main culprit or the main conspirator or the main source will remain out of touch. Hence, there needs to be an appropriate order in this regard.“

Currently, the maximum punishment imposed by the blasphemy law in Bangladesh is 2 years imprisonment and a fine of 5 lakh Taka. The country’s High Court now recommends increasing the maximum punishment to non-bailable charge, life imprisonment and death penalty.

Major changes in AAP after major setback in Delhi: Saurabh Bhardwaj to be Delhi Unit head, tainted leader Manish Sisodia to handle Punjab, but Arvind Kejriwal to remain party supremo

OpIndia Staff
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Major changes in AAP after major setback in Delhi: Saurabh Bhardwaj to be Delhi Unit head, tainted leader Manish Sisodia to handle Punjab, but Arvind Kejriwal to remain party supremo

Following the major setback in the Delhi Assembly elections where it lost heavily to the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Aam Aadmi Party has announced a reshuffle in the party leadership on Friday (21st March). The organisational changes were decided during the meeting of the party’s Political Affairs Committee (PAC) held at the residence of the party supremo and former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday (16th March).

The changes were announced by the party’s general secretary Sandeep Pathak who has been given charge of the party in Chhattisgarh.

As per the new arrangement, former Delhi Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj (who once tried to demonstrate he can hack an EVM, inviting ridicule) will be heading the party’s Delhi Unit, replacing party leader Gopal Rai. Bhardwaj is a three-time MLA from the Greater Kailash assembly constituency in Delhi and has served as the Health Minister of Delhi for 2 years. However, he lost his seat in the recent assembly elections in Delhi. Gopal Rai has been given the responsibility of the Gujarat unit of the party instead, while Durgesh Pathak has been made the co-incharge. The Goa unit of the party will be headed by Pankaj Gupta.

Senior AAP leader and former Deputy CM of Delhi, Manish Sisodia, who is out on bail in the Delhi liquor excise policy scam, has been given the charge of the Punjab unit of the party. Senior party leader Satyendra Jain has been made co-in-charge of the Punjab unit. Notably, both Sisodia and Satyendra Jain are out on bail and are facing serious charges.

After losing Delhi Assembly elections, Punjab is now the only state where Aam Aadmi Party is in power. Raghav Chaddha, who represents the party in Rajya Sabha, has been relieved from the post of co-in charge in Punjab. AAP leader Mehraj Malik has been appointed as the party president in Jammu and Kashmir.

AAP national secretary Pankaj Gupta was re-elected to the post which he has been holding for two terms now. Rajya Sabha MP ND Gupta was also re-elected as the party Treasurer.

Arvind Kejriwal was retained as AAP’s national convenor yet again despite several setbacks

Notably, Arvind Kejriwal was appointed as the party’s national convenor once again, despite having gone to jail under corruption charges, and having to relinquish his CM Post during previous AAP Government in Delhi. Kejriwal even lost his own seat during the recent Delhi elections as public totally lost faith in him, but apparently, not the Aam Aadmi Party.

“The meeting reinforced their belief in the fact that he (Kejriwal) is the most popular leader of the party, considering that he won the public’s mandate thrice as the Chief Minister of Delhi”, the party statement said.

Actually, the party’s original constitution was amended in January 2021 to change the clause restricting a member from holding a position in the party for more than 2 successive terms. “No member will hold the same post as an office-bearer for more than two consecutive terms of three years each,” the original party constitution stated. However, after the 2021 amendment, the duration of the term has been increased to 5 years and the restriction on the number of terms for office bearers has been removed.

Kejriwal’s second term as the party’s national convenor was supposed to end in April 2019 but it was extended in 2018 ahead of the Lok Sabha elections and the Delhi Assembly elections. The party meeting was then postponed in 2020 given the pandemic. In the next meeting held in 2021, the constitution was amended.

Egypt willing to temporarily absorb half a million evacuated people from Gaza amid Israel-Hamas conflict: Report

OpIndia Staff
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Egypt willing to temporarily absorb half a million evacuated people from Gaza amid Israel-Hamas conflict: Report

On 21st March, Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi stated that his nation was prepared to temporarily house half a million people who will be removed from the Gaza Strip. The report claimed that a city in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula would be given to the Gazans. According to reports, the Egyptian leader was among those who attended a symposium on the Middle East issue that was conducted in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh.

The article conveyed that Jordan, who has previously taken a strong stand against such a move, is concerned about the temporary relocation. The United States President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a press conference at the White House in Washington at the beginning of February to reveal the former’s intentions regarding Gaza. The proposal called for the United States to occupy the Gaza Strip and to deport Gazans to nearby Arab nations like Egypt and Jordan. The US president stated in an interview with Fox News later in February that he would “recommend” his Gaza plan but would not impose it.

Egypt unveiled its $53 billion rehabilitation plan for Gaza at the beginning of March. The proposal, agreed by the Arab summit, opposed that of Trump and rejected the suggestion to remove Palestinians from the area. During a five-year gradual reconstruction of Gaza, with an emphasis on restoring housing, infrastructure and basic services, the plan would permit Palestinians to stay in Gaza. With remarks that “nobody is expelling any Palestinians from Gaza” at a White House meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin later in March, Trump seemed to rescind his plan. It was later welcomed by Egypt’s foreign ministry. Notably, now opening the border crossings between Sinai and Gaza to individuals who want to depart would be necessary for this to happen.

Earlier, Trump suggested a mass exodus of Palestinians from Gaza to neighbouring Arab nations like Jordan and Egypt, on 25th January. He added  that he wants to “clean out that whole thing” and called Gaza a “demolition site.” Following a meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu on 5th February, Trump declared in a joint press conference that the US would occupy the Gaza Strip and rebuild it as a developed region where people could live in peace. After the US assumes control, he continued, the Gaza Strip might turn into the Middle East’s Riviera. The Egyptian plan for rebuilding Gaza was then rejected by the United States after it was endorsed by Arab nations, at a Cairo meeting on 4th March.

Moreover, Jordan’s King Abdullah II resisted the US president’s plan to seize Gaza and expatriate its people but added that his nation would take in about 2,000 sick youngsters from the war-torn area, in February. “I reiterated Jordan’s steadfast position against the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. This is the unified Arab position. Rebuilding Gaza without displacing the Palestinians and addressing the dire humanitarian situation should be the priority for all,” he declared on social media.

King Abdullah warned earlier in the same month that Trump’s plan to relocate Palestinians from Gaza to Jordan is a recipe for radicalism that will destabilize the Middle East, endanger the kingdom’s peace with Israel and even pose a threat to the nation’s future. Marwan Muasher, a former Jordanian foreign minister stated, “This is existential. There is very strong public opposition, and it’s not something Jordan can entertain. This is not an economic or a security issue for Jordan, it’s an identity issue.” He helped negotiate Jordan’s 1994 peace treaty with the Jewish state.

On 25th July 1994, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Jordanian King Hussein bin Talal and US President Clinton signed the Washington Declaration in Washington, DC (District of Columbia). According to the Declaration, Israel and Jordan declared their intention to terminate their formal state of enmity and begin negotiations to bring about a fair and sustainable peace, as well as an “end to bloodshed and sorrow.” It officially put an end to the conflict that had been going on between the two countries in West Asia since 1948.

Israeli Cabinet votes to remove Shin Bet chief head Ronen Bar, Netanyahu says he lost faith in Bar after the Hamas terror attack on Israel

OpIndia Staff
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Israeli Cabinet votes to remove Shin Bet chief head Ronen Bar, Netanyahu says he lost faith in Bar after the Hamas terror attack on Israel

The government of Israel unanimously approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal to end Shin Bet’s head, Ronen Bar’s term in office, the PM’s office announced. In a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s office, it was noted that Ronen Bar will conclude his duties on April 10 or when the Israel Security Agency (ISA)’s new director is appointed, whichever comes first.

In a post on X, the PMO said, “The Government unanimously approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal to end ISA Director Ronen Bar’s term of office. Ronen Bar will conclude his duties on 10 April 2025 or when a permanent ISA Director is appointed – whichever comes first.”

As per reports, this vote becomes the first time in Israel’s history that a government has fired the Shin Bet’s leader. The meeting to approve his dismissal lasted some three-and-a-half hours. Ronen Bar did not attend the meeting, however he sent a letter saying that firing him was “entirely tainted by conflicts of interest,” and constituted a “fundamentally invalid” attempt to undermine the Shin Bet as it probes Qatar’s influence at the Prime Minister’s Office.

At the meeting, PM Netanyahu said that he lost faith in Bar after the October 7, 2023 Hamas terror attack on Israel. Bar is “soft” and “not the right person to rehabilitate the organization,” Netanyahu reportedly said. “He had a soft approach and was not aggressive enough,” the PM alleged.

Netanyahu also said that after Bar was replaced with another official on the negotiation team, “the leaks have decreased dramatically, and through very successful negotiations we have managed to return the hostages.”

Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara, who was present at the meeting, expressed her opposition to the move. Her office had told PM Netanyahu earlier in the day that the government must obtain a recommendation from an advisory committee before weighing Bar’s dismissal.

However, PM Netanyahu added that removing Bar would be necessary for achieving Israel’s war goals in Gaza and “preventing the next disaster.” Netanyahu has previously removed both Bar and the head of the Mossad intelligence service, David Barnea, from the negotiating team engaging in indirect talks with Hamas regarding the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal.

US Judge halts deportation of Indian “student” Badar Khan Suri, who was pictured with Haniyeh, over ties to Hamas, Khan starts deleting anti-Hindu tweets: Details

OpIndia Staff
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US Judge halts deportation of Indian “student” Badar Khan Suri, who was pictured with Haniyeh, over ties to Hamas, Khan starts deleting anti-Hindu tweets: Details

The deportation of Indian post-doctoral fellow Badar Khan Suri, who was detained by US authorities on Monday (17th March), has been halted by a US court. US District Judge Patricia Giles issued a temporary order in Alexandria, Virginia on Thursday (20th March) stopping Suri’s removal from the country. Suri is detained in Louisiana for having links to the terrorist group Hamas.

Suri’s lawyer Hassan Ahmad reportedly welcomed the court’s order saying, “the first bit of due process Dr. Khan Suri has received since he was snatched from his family Monday night”. Ahmad had criticised his detention alleging that he was being targeted for expressing support for Palestinian rights. Notably, Suri is married to the daughter of a senior Hamas leader. His wife Mapheze Saleh, a Journalism graduate from the Islamic University of Gaza, is a US citizen. She also holds a master’s degree from Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi. She has reportedly worked for pro-Hamas Al Jazeera in the past.

Badar Khan Suri and his wife Mapheze Saleh (via X)

The DHS accused Suri of spreading Hamas propaganda

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) alleged that Suri posed a risk to the US foreign policy by spreading Hamas propaganda on social media. Hamas has been designated by the US as a terrorist organisation.

Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant DHS secretary, said that Suri was actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media. In a post on X on 20 March, she wrote, “Suri was a foreign exchange student at Georgetown University actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media. Suri has close connections to a known or suspected terrorist, who is a senior advisor to Hamas. The Secretary of State issued a determination on March 15, 2025 that Suri’s activities and presence in the United States rendered him deportable under INA section 237(a)(4)(C)(i).”

McLaughlin was responding to a Politico report claiming that Suri is being deported for the pro-Palestine views of his wife who is a US citizen. She made it clear that Suri is deportable under US laws for his own actions, and not for his wife’s activities.

Following the news of Suri’s detention and anticipated deportation, some X users highlighted his old posts revealing his contempt for Hindus and India. In one of his posts, Suri said that Hindus had a habit of dancing in front of mosques and churches to please their inferiority complex.

Another X user shared a screenshot of Suri’s post on X in which he reposted a post alleging that the remains of a missile found in Gaza were made in India. In his post, Suri called India an ‘enabler of Genocide’. Commenting on the post Suri wrote, “From being an ally of Palestinians, to an enabler of a genocide. What a disgrace for Made in India, to supply missiles to Israel so that Palestinian children can be butchered. Change of values for blood money. Shame.”

One X user shared a photo of Suri in which he can be seen celebrating with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

One X user shared a report of the Middle East Forum alleging that Suri posted a video of Israeli children held captive by Hamas terrorists during the October 7 (2023) terrorist attack on Israel. He reportedly captioned the video, “This is how Hamas men dealt with kids on Oct 7”.

The report also claimed that Suri’s father-in-law, Ahmed Yousef, is the founder of the United Association for Studies and Research (a Hamas-affiliated think tank) which has links to officials at Georgetown University and its Alwaleed Centre where Suri teaches on a student visa.

Suri has apparently deleted all his old posts on X as none of the posts whose screenshots have been posted by these X users are available on his X account.

Who is Badar Khan Suri?

Suri is a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. He completed his PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies at the Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution at Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi in 2020. His doctoral thesis was entitled ‘Transitional Democracy, Divided Societies and Prospects for Peace: A Study of State Building in Afghanistan and Iraq’. Suri is said to have conducted considerable research in conflict zones including Pakistan, Balochistan, Iran, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and Palestine.

Badar Khan Suri holds a position at Georgetown’s Alwaleed Center for Christian and Muslim Understanding, which is funded by Saudi tycoon Alwaleed bin Talal. He has repeatedly endorsed Hamas activities and actively spread its propaganda while claiming to specialize in “peace processes in the Middle East”.

Suri’s ties to Hamas were first exposed by Jewish News Syndicate in February this year, which cited several of his social media posts showing support for Hamas and its terror activities. Most of these posts are now deleted.

He is an active supporter of Hamas and has openly denied the atrocities done on innocent Israelis by Hamas terrorists in the 7 October attack. He had posted on Facebook, “Three lies by Israeli occupation, no proof whatsoever of babies beheaded, rapes or mass killings at carnival”.

In another Facebook post, he wrote, “This is how Hamas men dealt with kids on Oct. 7,” posting a video showing Hamas terrorists holding Israeli child hostages. Instead of condemning the abduction of children by terrorists, he defended it and even praised Hamas for ‘treating hostages well’.

“How can Georgetown continue to employ someone who not only has familial ties to Hamas but also openly spreads its propaganda and defends its barbaric attacks?” Jewish News Syndicate questioned while exposing his Hamas links.

Suri’s wife Mapheze Saleh is the daughter of Ahmed Yousef, a senior Hamas advisor. Reportedly, Ahmed Yousef was an advisor to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated by Israel. Yousef was also associated with the United Association for Studies and Research in 1989, a Hamas-affiliated think tank that closed down in 2004. It was established by Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzook and served as a front for Hamas activities in the United States, which included spreading propaganda and raising funds.

According to a Hindustan Times report in 2018,  Badar Khan Suri met Mapheze Saleh when he was part of an international humanitarian convoy to Gaza in 2011. Suri was pursuing a PhD in peace and conflict studies at Jamia Millia at that time. He said that Mapheze worked as a translator for the group visiting Gaza, which led to the relationship between the two, as they kept in touch over the phone and social media after he returned to India.

At first Mapheze’s father said that his daughter would marry only a Palestinian. But after Suri along with his father visited Gaza again in 2013 to meet her father, he agreed to the marriage which took place in December 2013. The wedding was to take place in Gaza, but Suri’s family could not visit due to deteriorating political situation in the region, and later the wedding took place in Delhi.

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