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Mamata aide, who had served jail time for assassination bid on former Bengal CM, arrested by NIA again: Here is why

Dibakar Dutta
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Mamata aide, who had served jail time for assassination bid on former Bengal CM, arrested by NIA again: Here is why

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested Chhatradhar Mahato for his role in the Rajdhani Express hostage case in 2009 on Saturday. He is the ex-convenor of Maoist outfit People’s Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA).

As per reports, Mahato was apprehended from his residence in Lalgarh in Jhargram district in the Jangalmahal region of West Bengal. He was arrested under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and will be produced before a court in Kolkata. Mahato, a Trinamool Congress (TMC) groundworker, had been wooing the tribal population in Jangalmahal to vote for the party.

Chhatradhar Mahato is also accused in the brutal murder of a Communist Party of India (Marxist) worker in 2009. Earlier, he had moved the special court and successfully restrained his arrest by the NIA in the murder case. The central agency then filed an appeal with the Calcutta High Court, which directed Mahato to appear before the NIA’s Salt Lake Office at 11 am on Fridays, Mondays and Wednesdays.

Ex-Maoist turned TMC worker fails to appear before NIA

NIA summoned the former Maoist to appear before it on March 16, March 18 and March 22 but he did not comply. Mahato produced medical documents, claiming toothache, as a justification to not adhere to the summons. However, he was spotted campaigning for TMC during a rally of Mamata Banerjee in Jhargram. The central agency then moved to its special Court, seeking custody of the former Maoist turned TMC worker.

Chhatradhar Mahato served 10 years in prison

After the first phase of polls ended, a team of 40 NIA officers landed at his residence and arrested him. The former Maoist also served a 10-year-sentence for his involvement in bombing cases, landmine blasts and attempt to kill the then West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. Following his release in February 2020, he joined the TMC and began campaigning for the party.

2009 Rajdhani Hostage crisis

On October 27, 2009, a mob of 300-400 Maoists blocked a Rajdhani Express, which was travelling from Bhubaneshwar to New Delhi. The incident took place at Banstala railway station in the West Midnapore district. The train was halted for about 5 hours, in the backdrop of the arrest of Chhatradhar Mahato.

A Central Reserve Police Force officer said, “This is not a sudden reaction by agitators, but was very carefully planned with 25 armed Maoists guiding the agitators to block the tracks forcing the Rajdhani to halt at Banstala halt in West Midnapore district.” The Maoists had warned the locals to comply else face punishment in people’s court. They first stopped a goods train, followed by the Rajdhani Express.

They assaulted the train’s driver, broke window panes, and looted the pantry, bedsheets and blankets. After a joint team of 20 West Bengal police personnel and a 150-CRPF contingent intervened, the Maoists fled and the passengers were secured.

Fearing Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal publishers refused to publish Yogi Adityanath’s bestselling biography, says author

Dibakar Dutta
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Fearing Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal publishers refused to publish Yogi Adityanath’s bestselling biography, says author

Author of best-selling book ‘The Monk Who Became Chief Minister’, a biography of UP CM Yogi Adityanath, Shantanu Gupta said that publishers in West Bengal had refused to publish the Bangla version of the same.

He alleged that publishing houses in West Bengal have refrained to publish his book in Bengali due to fears of the Mamata Banerjee administration. This is despite the fact that his bestseller in other Indian languages such as Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil. Shantanu Gupta had partnered with activist Debabrata Majhi to get the book translated into Bengali. Majhi had also constituted a team of intellectuals to review the translation, Gupta said.

The manuscript in Bengali was ready to be published by January this year. When Debabrata Majhi approached the mainstream publishers, they expressed their likeness for the book and its prospects. However, they regretted that they could not publish it. Recounting the experience, Shantanu Gupta emphasised, “Publisher after publisher, everyone almost said the same thing. Didi & TMC will not like Yogi Adityanath’s biography to be published in Bengali. Most of them said that they wanted to publish it as it made good business sense. But, they did not want to take any risk.”

Forced by circumstances, activist Debabrata Majhi then published the Bengali translation of Shantanu Gupta’s book through his own organisation ‘Agneeyug.’ Named ‘Sanyasi Theke Mukkyomontri‘, Majhi said that translating the book has been a rewarding experience for him. He has complemented the original author, Shantanu Gupta for his research and providing insights into the life of Yogi Adityanath.

The activist has expressed his disappointment over the fact that mainstream publishers in West Bengal refused to publish it. Debabrata Majhi is the president of SinghaBahini, a socio-religious organization founded by late Tapan Ghosh. He is also the Bjp’s candidate from Chowringhee Vidhan Sabha constituency in West Bengal.

While speaking about the Bengali version of his bestseller, author Shantanu Gupta told Opindia that he is pleased that all Bengali readers can now read his book. He informed that his book consists of four parts, starting from Ajay Singh Bisht from the hills of Uttarakhand, a sadhu in Gorakhnath Mutt to him becoming a Parliamentarian and then a Chief Minister. Gupta regretted that publishers in West Bengal are not free to operate in Mamata Banerjee’s West Bengal.

New Zealand Catholic Church apologises to victims of abuse, some as young as nine-months-old, at faith-based institutions

OpIndia Staff
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New Zealand Catholic Church apologises to victims of abuse, some as young as nine-months-old, at faith-based institutions

The Catholic Church of New Zealand tendered apology to the victims of abuse, including sexual abuse, within the church on Friday following the Royal Commission report revealed a shocking number of child victims. Roman Catholic Archbishop of Wellington and Metropolitan of New Zealand, Cardinal John Dew apologised at the Royal Commission into Abuse and Care on behalf of the bishops and congregational leaders in New Zealand.

Victims as young as nine months old babies suffered years of abuse including rape and electric shock treatment

The Royal Commission into Abuse and Case was set up by the New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in 2018 to inquire into and report on the responses of institutions to instances and allegations of historical abuse in state care and faith bases institutions between 1950 and 2000. An interim report of the Commission released in December reportedly found up to a quarter of a million children, young people and vulnerable adults were physically and sexually abused in the country’s faith-based and state care institutions from 1960s to early 2000s. As per Commission’s findings the victims included children as young as nine months old who suffered years of abuse including rape and electric shock treatment by staff at psychiatric and state care facilities, clergy and foster guardians.

We acknowledge that the systems and culture of the church allowed abuse to occur: Cardinal John Dew

“Today, recognising the importance of this moment, I apologise to you, on behalf of the bishops and congregational leaders of the Catholic Church in Aotearoa New Zealand”, said Cardinal John Dew. “I also apologise to you on behalf of those who preceded us as bishops and congregational leaders. We offer no excuses for their actions, or for our, that have caused you harm. We acknowledge that the systems and culture of the Church allowed abuse to occur. These systems and culture failed you and must change”, added Cardinal Dew, president of New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference.

Church abuse around the world

The report of an independent study conducted on the extent of child sexual abuse in Roman Catholic Church of Germany published on March 18 made some terrible revelations. The 800-page report of the study revealed more than 300 victims of sexual abuse between 1975 and 2018 and 202 perpetrators at the church. In 2018, an earlier study commissioned by the German Bishops’ Conference had reportedly revealed that 1,670 clergymen had committed some type of sexual abuse against 3,677 minors between 1946 and 2014. The authors of the study had, however, claimed that the actual number of victims was much higher.

An independent investigation conducted to examine the cases of child abuse across churches in France had revealed shocking numbers of victims of sexual abuse. The report of the investigation estimated the number of victims in June last year as around 3,000. However, Jean-Marc Sauve, the head of the independent enquiry commission set up by the Catholic church, said that this was an underestimate. Sauve said that there might have been at least 10,000 victims of church child abuse since 1950.

Suicide bomber detonates himself outside a Church in Indonesia ahead of Easter

OpIndia Staff
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Suicide bomber detonates himself outside a Church in Indonesia ahead of Easter

A suicide bomber blew up himself outside a Catholic church in the Indonesian city of Makassar on Sunday killing one people and injuring at least ten people.

According to the reports, on Sunday, the first day of the Easter Holy Week, a suicide bomber detonated himself outside the church in South Sulawesi’s provincial capital Makassar. One person died during the blast at the gate of the church compound. Five church staffers and four worshippers were injured and taken to a nearby hospital.

The congregation was being held inside the church on the island of Sulawesi at the time of the explosion, said South Sulawesi police spokesman E Zulpan. The officer said that the bombing was high explosive and there was no significant damage to the church.

Priest Wilhelmus Tulak said he heard a “very loud explosion” at around 10.30 am on Sunday after a second mass finished. He had that suspected bomber who attempted to enter the church grounds on a motorbike but was stopped by a security guard. Ten people have been seriously injured in total, some of them seriously, he said.

Gomar Gultom, head of the Indonesian Council of Churches, said the attack was a “cruel incident” as Christians were celebrating Palm Sunday. He urged people to be calm and trust the authorities.

Police suspects IS-inspired group behind church blasts

The CCTV camera footage showed that the blast resulted in flame, smoke and debris flying into the middle of the road.

Meanwhile, the police have secured the area around the church and a disaster victim identification team is investigating the incident.

No particular group has claimed responsibility for the apparent attack. However, Police suspect that Islamic State-inspired Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), that carried out suicide attacks in 2018 on churches and a police post in the city of Surabaya that killed over 30 people, may have been behind the church blast.

Sri Lanka Easter bombing

In April 2019, on Easter Sunday, a series of as many as eight blasts at multiple churches and luxury hotels by Islamist terrorists left 267 dead and more injured. All eight bombers were Sri Lankan citizens and part of National Thowheeth Jama’ath, a local Islamist group with suspected foreign ties.

Nike, H&M, Uniqlo and other brands face fire in China after comments on forced labour camps in Xinjiang

OpIndia Staff
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Nike, H&M, Uniqlo and other brands face fire in China after comments on forced labour camps in Xinjiang

As per a report in Global Times, a Chinese government mouthpiece, brands like Nike and H&M have become the next target of netizens in China after their stance over Xinjiang cotton supply issues. 

The Chinese netizens reportedly made #nike the biggest trend on China’s Twitter-like platform, Sina Weibo with 720 million views and 530,000 comments over its announcement highlighting its boycott of Xinjiang cotton.

The social media users in China have labeled the company’s announcement disgusting and advised the brand to leave China. Nike, in an official statement, stated, “We are concerned about reports of forced labor in, and connected to, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). We have been conducting ongoing diligence with our suppliers in China to identify and assess potential forced labor risks related to employment of Uyghurs, or other ethnic minorities from XUAR, in other parts of China.”

The company also specified, “Nike does not source products from the XUAR and we have confirmed with our contract suppliers that they are not using textiles or spun yarn from the region.”

Nike’s official statement on purpose.nike.com

It is not yet clear when Nike made the above statement.

Chinese social media users are outraging over global brands after Europe, the U.S. and other countries sanctioned Chinese officials this week over alleged human rights abuses. Since then there has been a call to boycott brands such as Nike, H&M and Burberry. While the brands are trying to distance themselves from reports of forced labor in China’s Xinjiang region, the local media and netizens seem to be unhappy with the brand statements suggesting they would stop buying cotton from Xinjiang or claimed that their supply chain does not include procurement from that region.

H&M had made the statement last year stating that it will no longer be procuring cotton from Xinjiang after reports revealed forced labour by Uyghur Muslims. On Friday, H&M was removed from Didi Chuxing ride-hailing app for all of China’s major cities. The Human Rights section of hmgroup.com has removed the statement on Xinjiang as of Friday. Statements of brands like Inditex, VF Corp, PVH and Abercrombie & Fitch were also no longer available since Thursday.

Shares of H&M, Nike Inc. and others have said to have plummeted after Chinese government officials endorsed the boycott and celebrities cut ties with brands including Adidas, New Balance and Japan’s Uniqlo. 

On Wednesday last week, the US Customs and Border Protection agency said that its “Withhold Release Order” would “ban cotton and cotton products” from XPCC, which is a powerful Chinese quasi-military organization. It is believed that the company uses the detained Uighur Muslims as slave labor.

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom too have acknowledged the gross human rights violation of Uighur Muslims.

Boris Johnson almost instantly received support from Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison on the issue.

So far, China has claimed that the news about mistreatment and human rights abuse in the Xinjiang region are false and continues to remain in denial.

China exploiting slave labour to supply western markets

As per a report, there are more than 80,000 Uyghurs who were transferred to different parts of the country between 2017 and 2019. Some of them were sent directly from the detention camps. The number included in the report was conservative, and the actual numbers can be much higher. These workers not only work as forced labour but have to undergo compulsory organized Mandarin and ideological training outside working hours. They are constantly under surveillance and not allowed to take part in any religious observations.

In recent years, the transfer of ‘forced labour’ has increased from Xinjiang. As per the media reports, 20,859 ‘rural surplus labourers’ from Xinjiang were transferred to other Chinese regions in 2017. In 2018, the number increased to 28,000, and in 2019 approx 32,000 people were transferred out of Xinjiang.

UP Minister says practice of wearing burqa is ‘inhumane’ and ‘evil custom’ suggests a ban in India

OpIndia Staff
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UP Minister says practice of wearing burqa is ‘inhumane’ and ‘evil custom’ suggests a ban in India

Uttar Pradesh Minister of State (MoS) for Parliamentary Affairs Anand Swarup Shukla on Wednesday said that after triple talaq, he opines that it is time to put a ban on the inhumane practice of burqa in India.

The minister added that many Muslim countries have imposed a ban on burqa and it is time for India to do the same, reported The Times of India.

Anand Swarup Shukla said that practices like triple talaq and burqa encourages Wahabi culture in India.

After his statement created an uproar, he issued a clarification that women should have the freedom to wear clothes of their choice. Shukla said that nothing should be imposed in the name of conservatism and tradition. Talking of bringing about reform, he said society should be given an opportunity to advance. 

When questioned when will the government take steps to ban, he said, the matter is not yet listed with the government as it is a societal matter and that this was his personal opinion.

On Tuesday, Anand Shukla had written to Ballia District Magistrate saying that the volume of loudspeakers at mosques should be fixed according to court orders. This came after the Vice-Chancellor of Allahabad Central University, Professor Sangita Srivastava objected to the loud noise of loudspeakers at a mosque near her residence.

According to reports, Shukla said that he faced problem in performing everyday duties due to the noise of loudspeakers. “Namaaz is offered five times in a day, and throughout the day. As a result of it, I face problems in doing Yoga, meditation, puja and discharging government duties”, Shukla wrote in his letter. He added that the loud sound coming from the mosque obstruct the studies of students in nearby schools and also has an adverse effect on elder citizens and patients.

Uttar Pradesh: Miscreants burn Holika before Holi in Muzaffarnagar

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Miscreants burn Holika before Holi in Muzaffarnagar

On March 26, miscreants burnt down Holika before the prescribed time in a village in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. As per the reports, the residents came to know about the incident the following day.

After learning about the incident, the district head of Bharatiya Janata Party Sachin Singhal and local Shiv Sena leader Bittu Sighera reached the spot. The angry residents have demanded strict action against the miscreants.

Police promised strict action

As per reports, the residents of Lakshman Vihar celebrate Holika Dahan every year, which is falling on March 28 this year. However, the miscreants burnt it down on the night of Friday-Saturday. The Police were informed about the incident, after which a team reached to spot to control the situation. The Police has promised strict action against the miscreants. Inspector Anil Kaparwan said that the Police will soon identify the culprit and take action as per the law. The police have collected CCTV footage from the area and initiated a probe into the matter.

The probe, in this case, is underway, and no arrests have been made by the time this report was published.

Uttar Pradesh: Plastic veil to ‘protect’ over 40 mosques in ‘sensitive’ areas ahead of ‘Joota Maar Holi’ procession to maintain peace

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Plastic veil to ‘protect’ over 40 mosques in ‘sensitive’ areas ahead of ‘Joota Maar Holi’ procession to maintain peace

Around 43 mosques in Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur have been covered with plastic veils ahead of Holi to prevent any untoward events and incidents of throwing colour on the Islamic structures in the town.

According to the reports, the Shahjahanpur Police have covered about 43 mosques in the district with plastic sheets and tarpaulin to maintain law and order and prevent communal harmony during traditional ‘Laat Saheb ka Juloos’ (Laat Saheb procession) on Holi. 

The annual ‘Laat Saheb Ka Juloos’ procession, also known as ‘Joota Maar Holi’, is organised at Holi in Shahjahanpur. The 18th-century tradition involves people hurling footwear at a ‘Laat Saab’, who sits on the buffalo cart personifying a Britisher.

The procession passes through sensitive areas where people first bow to ‘Laat Saheb’ and then beat him with shoes and brooms to show their anger and hatred towards British rule in the country. As there are mosques located along the route of the procession, the officials have added a thick security blanket across the town.

CCTV cameras installed, peace meetings held

Sanjay Kumar, Shahjahanpur City Superintendent of Police, said the mosques along the procession route would be covered with plastic sheets from top to bottom to ensure people no colour or any objectionable object is thrown at the structures and disturb communal harmony.

“The mosques will be covered before Holika Dahan (March 28). Some of them have already been covered,” Kumar said. Kumar said CCTV cameras have been installed along the route of the procession while drone cameras are being used to monitor the crowd.

The police officer said that the facade of the mosques has been covered with hoardings. Some of the roads which fall on the route of the procession have been barricaded and will be closed a day in advance so that no anti-social element can disturb the procession, the officer added.

Meanwhile, District Magistrate Indra Vikram Singh has held a meeting with Muslim religious leaders to seek their cooperation for the peaceful conclusion of the programme.

‘Joota Maar Holi’ – a long held tradition of the city

Thousands of people are expected to gather in Shahjahanpur for the ‘Joota Maar’ Holi’ that is scheduled to take place on Monday.

Explaining the history of the procession of ‘Laat Saab’, Historian Vikas Khurana said, “On the day of Holi, the procession of ‘Bade Laat Saab’ is taken out on a buffalo cart with Holi revellers hurling ‘jootas’ (footwear) at him.” He added that the Holi tradition dates back to the early 18th century during the time of Nawab Abdullah Khan, the last emperor of the dynasty that founded Shahjahanpur.

The tradition of people taking out a procession with the nawab seated on a camel continued till 1857.

However, the Britishers did not like the event that symbolised the Hindu-Muslim unity, and in 1858, Mardan Ali Khan, the commander of Bareilly’s military ruler Khan Bahadur Khan, attacked the revellers killing many Hindus and Muslims. Next year, in 1859, as the Nawab took out the procession on Holi, footwear were hurled at it on the instigation of the British rulers.

After Independence in 1947, the tradition was once again started, and the administration changed the name of the procession to ‘Laat Saab’ to symbolise the oppressive British regime. Since then, the celebration continues. The celebrations have two parts – the processions of ‘Bade Laat Saab’ and ‘Chhote Laat Saab’.

Similar precautions were taken in previous years too to maintain peace.

Rakesh Tikait threatens to cut off electricity in 16 states if Centre does not reconsider farm laws

OpIndia Staff
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Rakesh Tikait threatens to cut off electricity in 16 states if Centre does not reconsider farm laws

After bandhs, road blocks, train blocks, arm twisting, blackmailing and political mud slinging failed, ‘farmer leader’ Rakesh Tikait has now fired a fresh salvo at the Centre. In a fresh statement to media in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, Rakesh Tikait threatened that the protesting farmers will cut electricity in 16 states if their demands are not met, reported Hindustan Times.

In a media interaction, Tikait reiterated, “There is no government in the Centre while traders are ruling the country. They have sold out all government institutes and people of the country need to kick them out of the government”.

Alleging that the ruling party is behaving like a dictator, he said, “The central government is planning to sell out the land of farmers while the public faces unemployment and starvation”. Rakesh Tikait also lashed out at the opposition saying, “it’s unfortunate for a democracy that there is no opposition. Farmers’ stir on the road would ideally have been fought in Parliament if the opposition was alive”.

Sharing the roadmap of the protests, Rakesh Tikait announced, “Next, we have to free the state of Gujarat from the clutches of this government”. He had said the same ahead of local body polls in Gujarat last month. However, the BJP registered an unprecedented victory in those polls.

Meanwhile, eight farm group leaders were held on Friday in Ahmedabad for allegedly flouting COVID-19 norms while addressing a press conference at a restaurant, reported New Indian Express. Among those held by Chandkheda police was Bharatiya Kisan Union general secretary Yudhvir Singh. This information was shared by Rakesh Tikait on Twitter.

Rakesh Tikait, in a video released by him on social media, claimed that the Gujarat government arrested the farmer union leaders out of fear.

While on one hand, Tikait insists that the farmers’ protest is purely farmers agitation against the bills, on the other hand, he can be seen giving political statements at every conference and rally.

Rakesh Tikait has asserted that the kisan andolan will go on for at least five to six months. However, he has not yet clarified which 16 states he plans to plunge into darkness. As of now, there are twelve states where BJP is the ruling party and 6 states where BJP is part of the ruling coalition.

Woman dead, six injured as man goes on stabbing spree at Canada’s Vancouver library, suspect arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Woman dead, six injured as man goes on stabbing spree at Canada’s Vancouver library, suspect arrested

One person is dead and multiple others are seriously injured after a man went on a stabbing spree in Vancouver, Canada on Saturday.

According to the reports, a person was killed, and six others were injured after a person went on to stab people inside a library in North Vancouver, British Columbia. The Canadian police authorities have nabbed the killer.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said that it appeared that killer acted alone, adding that they were still looking for “potential additional victims”. Sgt. Frank Jang of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said the attacker, who is in his 20s, has had interactions with police in the past.

Amy Robertson of BC Emergency Health Services said six people were taken to the hospital.

A witness, Steve Mossop, said he and his partner stopped in traffic when they saw a bloodied woman who told them she had just been stabbed. They then saw several victims within about 100 meters (yards) of each other, he said.

In a video, the perpetrator can be seen stabbing his own leg before he was taken into custody.

“There was a man, there was an older woman, there was a younger woman, a mom — a random group of individuals in the wrong place at the wrong time. It seemed like he was just running in a direction, whoever was in his path happened to be victimized,” Mossop said.

The Canada incident comes a week after a similar incident was reported from the neighbouring United States, in which a Muslim immigrant from Syria had opened fire at a supermarket in Colorado’s Boulder, killing at least 10 people.

Boulder shooting:  

Last week, an unidentified shooter opened fire at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado, that left 10 dead. Later the suspect was identified as 21-year-old Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, who was taken into custody. Alissa’s family is a Syrian migrant family and he often felt Muslims were not treated equally.

Al-Aliwi opened fire in a crowded supermarket in Boulder, and ten people, including a police officer, were killed. Investigators have not yet established a motive but believe he was a lone attacker. He used an AR-15 rifle, a lightweight semi-automatic rifle. The officials are trying to trace the weapon.

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