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‘We had been timid with China in the past. This time we looked them in the eye’: Former COAS Gen Bikram Singh

OpIndia Staff
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‘We had been timid with China in the past. This time we looked them in the eye’: Former COAS Gen Bikram Singh

Amidst the disengagement process on the India-China border along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Former Army Chief General Bikram Singh said that this was the first time India looked China in the eye in contrast to earlier governments’ timidness in dealing with the hostile neighbour.

Speaking at the India Today Conclave East-2021 in Kolkata on Thursday, General Bikram Singh (Retd.), who was the COAS of the Indian Army during the UPA era, said that India’s response to Chinese aggressive actions along the border was timid in the past and any provocations were resolved through diplomatic channels. However, this was the first time India looked China in the eye and mobilised the forces, he said.

“We had been timid with China in the past. Whenever they came into our land, we solved it diplomatically. This was the first time we looked China in the eye and mobilized,” said General Bikram Singh (Retd.).

“Since the 1993 agreement, China has had a poor track record in terms of adhering to confidence-building measures and protocols,” he added.

The retired COAS also pointed out that the costs at both strategic and political levels are high for Xi Jinping if China continues to clash with India along the border.

Further, General Bikram Singh (Retd.) added that India needs to move ahead with cautious optimism as we cannot take China at face value.

General Singh’s statements come at the backdrop of a recent agreement between India and China to start disengagement of troops on the north and south banks of the Pangong Lake nearly nine months after the military standoff in eastern Ladakh.

India-China standoff

Clashes between the two countries have occurred along the Line of Actual Control raising fears of serious conflict breaking out between the two countries. The Chinese troops had clashed with the Indian Army on the intervening night of June 15 and 16, leading to a violent hand-to-hand clash with the Chinese counterparts. In the clash, 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives.

The Indian Army had made a major breakthrough and occupied six new heights along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh. This was after India had acted proactively to occupy heights in regions on the Southern Bank of the Pangong Tso lake and strengthened their positions.

After claiming farmer protests are apolitical, ‘Andolanjeevi’ Yogendra Yadav seeks donations for his political party

OpIndia Staff
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After claiming farmer protests are apolitical, ‘Andolanjeevi’ Yogendra Yadav seeks donations for his political party

Icchadhari ‘protestor’ (Andolanjeevi) Yogendra Yadav who had earlier claimed that the anti-farm law agitation was ‘apolitical’ in nature as he had inserted himself in the protests, has now demanded donations for his political party.

In an expected turn of events on Friday, Yadav tweeted, “Now that we’ve been officially anointed “andolanjeevi”, we thought we might ask for support for Jai Kisan Andolan! If you are an Indian Citizen and believe in andolanjeevis, please contribute to Swaraj Abhiyan.” The full-time activist had put out the bank and UPI details, urging his followers to contribute so that he can further his anti-farm law propaganda.

During the talks between the government and the so-called farmer leaders, the central government had summarily refused to entertain Yogendra Yadav. However, even after the central government’s curt refusal to allow any political personality to be involved in negotiations with the farmers’ unions, Ichchadhari protester Yogendra Yadav, a political activist and former psephologist, was stubbornly trying to affect his importance by forcing himself into the ongoing negotiations.

Yogendra Yadav, who OpIndia has fondly christened as Icchadhari protester, has been seen in every disruptive protest that the country has witnessed over the past few years. Yogendra Yadav was also instrumental in the Shaheen Bagh protests and the larger anti-CAA protests that eventually led to the anti-Hindu Delhi Riots where over 50 people were killed. While the riots took place on the 23rd, 24th and 25th of February, Yogendra Yadav was involved with those who planned the violence ever since the 7th of December.

It is rather interesting that after inserting himself in the so-called farmer protest, which was incidentally spearheaded by Khalistanis, Yogendra Yadav is now using the same protest to collect money for his political party in the name of further protests. It only goes to show that Yogendra Yadav, who often inserts himself in every protest in the country, especially when it is spearheaded by Islamists and Khalistanis, is only interested in creating his own political clout while the nation burns owing to these protests he fans.

Yogendra Yadav cries foul after receiving ₹50 donation

Ahead of the Haryana State Legislative elections, Yogendra Yadav had endorsed ‘environmentalist’ Tejpal Yadav as one of his party candidates. While taking to Twitter, he pleaded for monetary support from his like-minded followers. But, he was up for a rude shock when he only ₹50 for his supposed ‘green politics’.

Yogendra Yadav lamented, “You know what? My appeal to donate for this environmental crusader got 816 likes and 168 retweets but only ₹50 in donation. Is that how we support green politics? Will some of us turn our likes into action?”

Everyone takes Ram’s name, now I am scared too: Elderly neighbour of Rinku Sharma demands that culprits be hanged

OpIndia Staff
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Everyone takes Ram’s name, now I am scared too: Elderly neighbour of Rinku Sharma demands that culprits be hanged

An old neighbour of Bajrang Dal activist Rinku Sharma, who was murdered in cold blood by a Muslim mob who had barged into his house and killed him with a knife on February 10 (Wednesday), cries as she recounts the horror. In a video shared on social media, Maya Devi, who has been living in the same area as Rinku’s family for years, laments, “the child (Rinku Sharma) was killed mercilessly in front of us, but we could do anything to save him”.

She says that the incident has traumatised them and now even they are scared of living in that area. “Ram Ram to sabhi karte hain, aaj is bacche ko mara hain, ram ke naam par mara hain, aisa hona nahi chahiye”, (everybody takes tha name of Ram, the kid has been killed for taking the name of Ram, this should not have happened), said the grieving neighbour, demanding that the culprits be hanged to death.

‘Khoon ka badla khoon, badla chahiye humme’, said the elderly neighbour of Rinku Sharma

Maya Devi can be furthered heard saying in the video that Rinku Sharma was a gentle and a very nice boy, he was a devotee of Ram and Balaji (Hanuman), but assailants killed him before my eyes. Now I am scared too, added Maya Devi.

“Khoon ka badla khoon, badla chahiye humme” (we want revenge, blood for blood), weeped the elderly neighbour.

We reported how, Rinku Sharma, who was a lab technician in a hospital in Paschim Vihar, was killed in cold blood for raising ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans and being a part of the donation drive for the Ram Mandir.

His family members informed that he had even taken out a rally, following the Bhoomi Pujan of the Ram Mandir. Rinku’s mother Radha Devi said that even while he was being stabbed, the Bajrang Dal activist continued raising the slogan of ‘Jai Shri Ram.’ She also said that her deceased son had received threats for being associated with Barang Dal.

Divulging horrifying details, a Bajrang Dal activist told OpIndia that the knife with which Rinku Sharma was stabbed, had got stuck in his back. The accused at first tried to take out the knife from his back, probably with an intention to again stab him. They kept frantically twisting the knife to pull it out. When unsuccessful, they mercilessly pushed the sharp knife deeper inside Rinku’s back. They then fled, leaving Rinku gravely injured. Rinku was rushed to Sanjay Gandhi Hospital in Mangolpuri, where he succumbed to his injuries at 12 noon on Thursday.

We also learnt that women were also a part of the frenzied Muslim mob which barged into Rinku Sharma’s house on Wednesday. The mob which included women were laden with batons, sticks, and knives.

After pushing themselves into the house, the mob attacked Rinku Sharma’s family members with sticks and batons, They reportedly even leaked the gas cylinder. Rinku Sharma, meanwhile, tried to escape from there. A few amongst the mob grabbed Rinku and stabbed him with a sharp knife.

Twitter reports $1.14 billion loss in 2020, sees recovery in the fourth quarter

OpIndia Staff
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Twitter reports $1.14 billion loss in 2020, sees recovery in the fourth quarter

On Wednesday, the micro-blogging site Twitter reported a net loss of $1.14 billion in 2020, amidst the massive controversy the platform is facing globally for its biased censorship. The development also comes amidst the economic crisis caused due to the global Coronavirus pandemic, and during the ongoing tussle of the social media giant with the Indian government over its refusal to ban accounts inciting violence in the aftermath of the anti-farm law agitation in India.

As per reports, Twitter’s expenses increased by 19% on a year over year basis, resulting in a total expenditure of $3.69 billion. At the same time, its revenues amounted to $3.72 billion, an increase of 7% year over year. Although the company registered an operating income of $27 million, its final results showed a net loss of $1,135,626,000, due to interest expenses and tax liabilities.

In a statement, the microblogging site said, “2020 net loss was $1.14 billion, representing a net margin of -31 per cent and diluted EPS [earnings per share – Ed.] of -$1.44. This compares to 2019 net income of $1.47 billion, representing a net margin of 42 percent and diluted EPS of $1.87. Both periods were affected by non-cash, tax-related adjustments.”

Financial statement of Twitter

Reportedly, Twitter is expecting a revenue between $940 million and $1.04 billion in the first quarter of this year. In the last quarter of 2020, Twitter reported $1.29 billion in revenue. This resulted in a 7% growth in its shares on Wednesday. At the same time, there was a 28% increase in year-over-year revenue. The monetisable daily user count bose rose by 27%, leading to a total of 192 million.

On Tuesday, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey informed, “2020 was an extraordinary year for Twitter. We are more proud than ever to serve the public conversation, especially in these unprecedented times.” He claimed that the micro-blogging site is planning to promote ‘healthier conversations’ and is excited to continue innovation in 2021. He also took potshots at the former US President Donald Trump and claimed that Twitter is larger than any one topic or individual.

Twitter feud with Indian Govt may prompt companies to stop advertising on the platform

In a display of arrogance and high-handedness, Twitter refused to comply with the Indian laws and instead decided to enforce its ‘own rules’. While citing freedom of speech on Wednesday, the micro-blogging site refused to adhere to the government’s directives and block the handles of those individuals inciting and advocating violence under the garb of anti-farm law agitation. This sparked off a spat between the Indian government and the social media giant. However, later the site blocked most of the accounts as asked by the government.

Amidst the controversy, several companies have been mulling to pull out the plug on advertising on Twitter, according to a report by The Economic Times. Quoting brand experts and advertisers, the report said that while most brands are sitting on the fence at present, watching how the Twitter-government face-off plays out, some of them may pull back ads from the platform in the coming days depending on how the situation evolves.

According to brand strategy expert Harish Bijoor, brands tend to move away from advertising on platforms that are under threat of any kind. “For every Twitter, there is a Koo waiting in the wings. For the new apps, it is a big opportunity, though they will take some time and traction for the ability to perform with an equal degree of seamlessness as Twitter,” he emphasised.

Dalit converting to Christianity and Islam not eligible for reservation benefits: Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad

OpIndia Staff
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Dalit converting to Christianity and Islam not eligible for reservation benefits: Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad

Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Thursday said that Dalits who had shunned their faith and converted to Islam and Christianity will not be permitted to contest parliamentary or assembly elections from constituencies reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC), and will not be allowed to claim other reservation benefits.

Prasad was responding to a question posed by the BJP member GVL Narasimha Rao during the Question Hour in Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

30 minutes into the Question Hour, BJP member GVL Narasimha Rao sought an answer from the Union Law Minister on the Centre’s stand on whether those who previously belonged to Dalit community but had converted to Islam and Christianity will be allowed to contest elections from the reserved seats.

Speaking on eligibility to contest from reserved constituencies, Prasad said, “Para 3 of the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order outlines that… no person who professes a religion different from Hindu, Sikh or Buddhist religion shall be deemed to be a member of a Scheduled Caste.”

The Union Law Minister clearly drew a distinction between Dalits embracing Islam and Christianity with those choosing to remain within the folds of Hinduism, Sikhism, or Buddhism. In 1950, Jawaharlal Nehru-led central government had passed an order limiting the definition of “scheduled caste” only to members of the Hindu faith which were later extended in 1956 to Sikhs and to Buddishts in 1990.

However, he clarified that the government was not mulling over to bring an amendment in the Representation of the People Act to debar SCs/STs converting to Islam or Christianity from contesting parliamentary or assembly elections.

When Congress leader Digvijaya Singh asked Prasad to enunciate if marginalised Muslims and Christians will be extended the benefits of reservations, the law minister said in no uncertain terms that only Dalits within the Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh community will stand eligible to receive the benefits. He also added that Dalits who had converted to other faiths were induced on the basis that there was no discrimination in new faiths and therefore, they do not qualify to receive the reservation benefits.

Supreme Court verdict says only those belonging to Indic faiths entitled to reservation benefits

In the past, Supreme Court, too, had upheld the caste benefits only to those belonging to the Indic faiths.

“Once such a person ceases to be a Hindu and becomes a Christian, the social and economic disabilities arising because of Hindu religion cease and hence it is no longer necessary to give him protection and for this reason he is deemed not to belong to a scheduled caste,” the court ruling had said in a 2015 case.

The court had also stated that a person whose ancestors were from a caste categorised as a scheduled caste, if and when returns back to the Indic faiths from Christianity and Islam will be entitled to reservation benefits.

However, in practice, the aforementioned restriction is easily skirted around. Several reports have found that vast numbers of Christian individuals avail reservation benefits, and other facilities extended by the government for SC/ST by possessing fake caste certificates.

‘My conscience is clear’, says former CJI Ranjan Gogoi as he speaks about his Rafale deal verdict: Here is what he said

OpIndia Staff
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‘My conscience is clear’, says former CJI Ranjan Gogoi as he speaks about his Rafale deal verdict: Here is what he said

In his interaction during the India Today Conclave East 2021, the former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi defended the verdict given by a Supreme Court bench headed by him on the Rafale deal. The now-retired judge said that the Rafale case was simple for him to deal with.

“The Rafale case was very simple. The question was, in an aircraft procurement contract, do we apply the same parameters as a building contract. I said no. The parameters would be far more stringent in aircraft acquisition contract,” Gogoi said.

Gogoi also elaborated on why the Rafale case was heard in accordance with the “sealed cover procedure”. Gogoi said that he did not give lawyers the details because the sealed cover had the cost of armaments that could not be made public.

Speaking about the allegations made against him in connection with the Rafale case (mostly by left media and opposition parties like Congress), Gogoi said in the India Today Conclave, “It is easy to talk but difficult when you sit in CJI’s chair.”

He also added, “If my conscience is clear, no amount of criticism matters.”

Ex-CJI Gogoi headed SC bench gave a clean chit to Modi government on Rafale deal

In December 2018, the Supreme Court had dismissed a court-monitored probe into the Rafale jet deal between the Indian government and France’s Dassault Aviation. The court held that it was satisfied that there is no reason to doubt the purchase process or the need for the fighter jets. The court said, “perceptions of individuals cannot be a basis for a roving inquiry”.

The alleged corruption in Rafale deal was made a rallying cry of Congress’ election campaign against PM Modi for the General elections 2019. Rahul Gandhi went into overdrive, repeatedly trotting out lies and falsehoods to allege that there was corruption in India’s deal with the Dassault Aviation. The phrase “chowkidar chor hai” was repeated ad nauseam by the Gandhi scion, in a bid to tarnish PM Modi’s clean image.

However, after the 3-judge SC bench rejected the unfounded allegations levelled by the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi, the former CJI Ranjan Gogoi was attacked by the Congress sympathisers for being hand-in-glove with the BJP government. Even senior Congress leaders raised aspersions on Gogoi’s integrity, questioning his decision of not allowing a court-monitored probe into the Rafale deal.

Kerala district court judge gives Triple Talaq to wife, victim accuses his brother, a former HC judge of threatening her

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala district court judge gives Triple Talaq to wife, victim accuses his brother, a former HC judge of threatening her

In a shocking incident in Kerala, a senior judge from Pallakad has been accused of illegally divorcing his wife by issuing ‘Triple Talaq’.

According to the reports, the wife of B Kalam Pasha, who is a session court Judge in Kerala’s Palakkad district, has approached the Kerala High Court to register a complaint seeking action against him.

In her complaint, the women said judge Kalam Pasha had issued Triple Talaq against her through a letter on March 1, 2018. Later, he sent her another letter claiming that there was a typing error in the letter. The letter said that original date of issuing Triple Talaq was March 1, 2017.

The judge’s wife also accused that Justice B Kalam Pasha and his brother of threatening her with dire consequences if she refuses the divorce. Interestingly, the brother of the accused judge Kalam Pasha is B Kemal Pasha, a retired judge of the High Court of Kerala.

Judge Kalam Pasha avoiding criminality by citing technicalities: Report

The complaint said that the change of date was nothing but a mere technicality to avoid legal procedures against the judge. The new date gives Kalam Pasha immunity from arrest as the law banning triple talaq came into force much later.

Also, it is not an easy procedure to register a case against a judge in the country. A case against a lower court judge can only be booked with the permission of the Chief Justice of the High Court.

The barbaric practice of ‘Triple Talaq’ was made illegal by the Parliament and invites criminal proceedings against the husband who invokes it. However, in this case, the judge who is obligated to provide justice in such cases is himself accused of following such medieval practice.

In August 2017, the Supreme Court banned the practice of Triple Talaq following which the Parliament criminalised the practice that demeaned Muslim women and gave Muslim men unilateral power to end a marriage.

‘Feeling suffocated’: TMC MP Dinesh Trivedi resigns from Rajya Sabha, hails PM Modi in his resignation speech

OpIndia Staff
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‘Feeling suffocated’: TMC MP Dinesh Trivedi resigns from Rajya Sabha, hails PM Modi in his resignation speech

In a big blow to the Mamata Banerjee led TMC government in West Bengal, Rajya Sabha MP and former railway minister in Mamata Banerjee’ cabinet, TMC senior leader Dinesh Trivedi announced his resignation from the Rajya Sabha on the floor of the house on Friday. While doing so, he said that he is feeling suffocated, strangled under Mamata Banerjee’s leadership. “We cannot speak anything here”, said the parliamentarian before resigning for the Upper House.

Participating in the discussion over the Union Budget in the Rajya Sabha, Trivedi made the announcement from the floor of the House.

“Grateful to my party that they’ve sent me here. I’m feeling suffocated that we’re not able to do anything over violence in the state. My soul tells me that if you can’t do anything sitting here, then you must resign. I will continue to work for people of WB”, said the TMC leader.

In his resignation speech in the Rajya Sabha, Trivedi hailed PM Narendra Modi’s leadership in dealing with the Covid pandemic. He said that it was under the PM’s leadership that 130 crore Indians could bravely fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

TMC MP Dinesh Trivedi might have invited trouble for himself, as his statement praising PM Modi will definitely further enrage Mamata Banerjee, who is already infuriated by the mass exodus from her party, more so because most of them have switched to BJP.

The string of resignations, which comes ahead of West Bengal polls in April-May 2021, might bring in a lot of trouble for the chief of the ruling dispensation in West Bengal, who is eyeing at a third consecutive term. The political sphere is rife with rumours that the exodus of these TMC senior leaders are ascribed to Mamata Banerjee’s affinity towards election strategist Prashant Kishore and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee.

In fact, the resignations had triggered speculations that Mamata Banerjee has lost the numbers in the Assembly, owing to which the demand for the CM to prove the majority on the floor of the Legislative Assembly of the state had started rising amongst some opposition parties in Bengal.

We reported how senior opposition leaders like BJP Bengal President Dilip Ghosh, CPM parliamentary party leader Sujan Chakraborty, Congress leader Abdul Mannan questioned the Mamata Banerjee whether she is scared to face the Assembly because they do not have the numbers? They had demanded Mamata to go for a floor test immediately if she was confident of still having the numbers.

After UK bans Chinese state media, China retaliates by banning BBC for violating ‘true and impartial’ reporting guidelines

OpIndia Staff
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After UK bans Chinese state media, China retaliates by banning BBC for violating ‘true and impartial’ reporting guidelines

A week after UK regulators had banned Chinese state broadcaster CGTN, the Chinese government has retaliated by banning the British media outlet – British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

According to the reports, on Thursday, the Chinese media regulator – National Radio and Television Administration in a statement said that they would ban BBC World News. It said that BBC’s coverage on China had violated guidelines of ‘true and impartial’ reporting that undermined China’s national interests and ethnic solidarity.

Earlier, Chinese officials had threatened to ban British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) after the British regulators had revoked the licence of Chinese state broadcaster CGTN saying that China’s ruling Communist Party has ultimate editorial responsibility for the channel. In retaliation, the Chinese authorities have now banned the left-wing media outlet BBC. It is important to note that even BBC has a controversial history of putting unverified facts.

“The channel fails to meet the requirements to broadcast in China as an overseas channel,” the Radio and Television Administration said, stating that it would not accept BBC’s broadcast application for the following year.

BBC World News seriously violated regulations on radio and television management in its China-related reports, said NRTA in its statement.

It is unclear how the ban against BBC would affect as the network is not allowed to broadcast in mainland China or into Chinese homes. In China, the BBC is available in some hotels, businesses and residential compounds for foreigners.

Reacting to Chinese ban, the BBC said it was “disappointed”. Meanwhile, the United States, along with the UK, has condemned China’s decision to ban the BBC in that country.

Media wars between China and Britain

The latest ban on BBC comes just a week China and Britain had exchanged barbs over an escalating media war. The Chinese government had criticized recent BBC reports on the COVID-19 pandemic in China, allegations of forced labour and sexual abuse of Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang region.

The escalations had started after Britain’s Office of Communications (Ofcom) revoked the license of the CGTN saying that it was just extended arm of the Chinese government.

However, angered by British regulators’ response, China’s foreign ministry had issued a statement accusing the British Broadcasting Corporation of pushing “fake news” on China over Covid-19 outbreak. The Chinese foreign ministry also demanded an apology claiming that the broadcaster had politicised the pandemic and “rehashed theories about covering up by China”.

Not just Chinese political establishment, even CPC’s mouthpiece threatened British authorities and media for reporting facts about the Wuhan virus and the atrocities carried out by the Chinese government against the minority Uyghur Muslims in Xinjian province.

‘The mob that killed Rinku Sharma included women too, they pushed the knife deeper into his back to kill him’: Bajrang Dal leader

Jhankar Mohta
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‘The mob that killed Rinku Sharma included women too, they pushed the knife deeper into his back to kill him’: Bajrang Dal leader

February 10 (Wednesday), in an extremely brutal incident, a frenzied mob of the neighbourhood Muslims, assaulted and stabbed a 26-year-old Bajrang Dal activist Rinku Sharma in cold blood in Delhi’s Mangolpuri area. Rinku was a part of the donation drive that was carried out by Bajrang Dal for contributing towards the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. 

The family of the deceased narrated how a mob of over a dozen people, carrying lathis, batons, and knives, broke into their house late on Wednesday and assaulted the family members. They dragged Rinku Sharma out of the house and pinned him down. He was then stabbed mercilessly with a sharp knife in cold blood.

Recounting the horror, Bajrang Dal national social media head Rakesh Pandey confirmed to OpIndia that women were also a part of the frenzied Muslim mob which barged into Rinku Sharma’s house on Wednesday. The mob which included women were laden with batons, sticks, and knives.

After pushing themselves into the house, the mob attacked Rinku Sharma’s family members with sticks and batons, They reportedly even leaked the gas cylinder. Rinku Sharma, meanwhile, tried to escape from there. A few amongst the mob grabbed Rinku and stabbed him with a sharp knife.

Rinku Sharma’s brother said 5 Muslim brothers, along with their family members, had attacked the Sharma household

Speaking to Sudarshan News, Rinku Sharma’s brother said that the murderers are a group of five Muslim brothers who had barged into their home with other family members and associates, including women and kids. The brother said that the five Muslim brothers had threatened the Sharma family earlier too because of an event organized for the Ram Mandir. The brother explained that the five Muslim brothers and their associates had beaten up other family members too.

‘The assailants pushed the sharp knife, which got stuck deeper inside Rinku Sharma’ back’, Bajrang Dal activist tells OpIndia

Divulging horrifying details, another Bajrang Dal activist told us that the knife with which Rinku Sharma was stabbed, had got stuck in his back. The accused at first tried to take out the knife from his back, probably with an intention to again stab him. They kept frantically twisting the knife to pull it out. When unsuccessful, they mercilessly pushed the sharp knife deeper inside Rinku’s back. They then fled, leaving Rinku gravely injured. Rinku was rushed to Sanjay Gandhi Hospital in Mangolpuri, where he succumbed to his injuries at 12 noon on Thursday.

The young Bajrang Dal activist, who was a lab technician in a hospital in Paschim Vihar, was killed in cold blood for raising ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans and for being a part of the donation drive for the Ram Mandir, his family have told. Deepak Tanwar attested that Rinku was in the radar of the neighbourhood Muslims ever since he had even taken out a rally, following the Bhoomi Pujan of the Ram Mandir earlier in August. 

‘Had there been no communal angle, the Hindus in the area would not have been so outraged’, Bajrang Dal social media head refutes police statement

Talking about the Delhi police’s statement that the incident was a fallout of enmity over “opening food joints close to each other”, Rakesh Pandey said: “I don’t know what the Delhi police is saying, but if the matter was so simple and there was no communal angle in the incident, the rage amidst the Hindus in the area would not be as much. The police is trying to divert the media attention from the case.”

For the uninitiated S.Dhama, Addl DCP, Outer district, Delhi Police has said to the media that “Rinku Sharma was stabbed at a birthday party in Mangolpuri on Feb 10. Quarrel turned scuffle began over shutting down of a restaurant. Any other motive alluded to incident factually wrong”, said the additional DCP confirming that 4 accused have been arrested in the case.

Earlier in the day, we reported how while speaking to Sudarshan News, Rinku’s father Ajay Sharma traumatised by the brutal murder of his son, lamented, “They were armed with sticks and knives. They killed my son. He is gone forever.” Ajay Sharma had also confirmed: “Yes, a similar incident took place earlier over the issue of Ram Mandir. The culprits had then abused PM Modi and would say that Rinku was associated with the BJP.” 

Rinku is now survived by his mother Radha Devi, father Ajay Sharma and brothers Ankit and Manu Sharma.

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