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Another major embarrassment for Pakistan: Over 100 cops dismissed for refusing Champions Trophy duty

OpIndia Staff
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Another major embarrassment for Pakistan: Over 100 cops dismissed for refusing Champions Trophy duty

During the Champions Trophy, a massive security breach in Pakistan was exposed when it was discovered that several police personnel assigned to the ongoing ICC (International Cricket Council) event were either absent or refused to carry out their duty. As a result, more than 100 cops of Punjab Police officers from multiple wings of the force were laid off. Interestingly, the alarming development took place one day after the country’s Intelligence Bureau raised a high alert on security risks to foreigners attending the tournament.

A Punjab Police official stated, “The police officials were assigned to provide security for teams travelling between Gaddafi Stadium Lahore and designated hotels but either remained absent or outright refused to take up their responsibilities.” According to the official, IGP (Inspector General of Police) Punjab Usman Anwar has acknowledged the issue and directed that the concerned officers incur severe consequences. He added, “There is no room for negligence when it comes to the security of international events.”

Numerous local media accounts implied that the sacked police officers were feeling overworked as a result of their extended job hours, even though there is no formal explanation for why they failed to carry out their designated official responsibilities. Pakistan’s cricket team has already been eliminated from the Champions Trophy after suffering crushing losses to India and New Zealand.

Notably, Pakistan got the opportunity to host an ICC tournament after a long gap of 29 years. Furthermore, it was the first time since 2009 that the host country failed to go past the Champions Trophy group stages.

On the other hand, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was heavily criticized for a major security lapse that happened during the match between Bangladesh and New Zealand in Rawalpindi on 24th February. A person raced onto the pitch to embrace Rachin Ravindra of New Zealand, bypassing security. According to reports, the invader had a picture of cleric Saad Rizvi, the leader of Islamist Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Attaullah Tarar, the Federal Information Minister has denied concerns that a terror threat loomed over the international event in Pakistan. “I would like to state on record that Pakistan is peacefully and very ably hosting the ICC Champions Trophy. Our grounds are full, we have fans from all over the world, the crowds are jubilant, our streets are filled with people who are celebrating the victory of cricket,” he claimed in an interview.

Jammu and Kashmir: Terrorists open fire at an Army vehicle in Rajouri

ANI
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Jammu and Kashmir: Terrorists open fire at an Army vehicle in Rajouri

Terrorists opened fire at an army vehicle in the Sunderbani Sector area in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri, officials said.

There have been no reports of any casualties in the incident.

Further details are awaited into the matter.

Last week, In a significant success against anti-national elements, security forces busted a militant hideout in the Simbli Shajroo area of Mahore in Reasi district and recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition.

Acting on specific intelligence inputs, a well-coordinated search operation was launched, leading to the recovery of four magazines, 268 rounds of AK-47 rifle ammunition, four UBGL (Under Barrel Grenade Launchers), and four packets of detonators.

The successful operation is a major setback to militant activities in the region and highlights the unwavering commitment of security forces to ensuring peace and security.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Kolkata Municipal Corporation issues notification scrapping Vishwakarma Puja holiday to add another holiday for Eid; withdraws after backlash

OpIndia Staff
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Kolkata Municipal Corporation issues notification scrapping Vishwakarma Puja holiday to add another holiday for Eid; withdraws after backlash

On Wednesday (26th February), BJP IT Cell Head Amit Malviya slammed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim for scrapping a holiday in Kolkata Municipal Corporation schools for the Vishwakarma Puja to extend the Eid holiday. Amidst the outrage, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation took a U-turn.

Taking to X, BJP’s Amit Malviya called West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s “Islamic Caliphate”. He asserted that after unilaterally slashing reservations under the OBC sub-quota to include Muslims, the TMC government has now scrapped the Vishwakarma Puja holiday to extend the Eid holidays in an apparent move to appease their Muslim votebank.

“Welcome to Mamata Banerjee’s Islamic Caliphate of West Bengal. Earlier, the Chief Minister unilaterally slashed reservations under the OBC sub-quota and arbitrarily included Muslims, denying OBCs their rightful dues. The Calcutta High Court has rightly struck it down, and the matter is now being heard in the Supreme Court. The BJP will ensure justice as per constitutional provisions. Now, Firhad Hakim, Mamata Banerjee’s close aide and a modern-day Suhrawardy, has ordered the scrapping of a holiday in Kolkata Municipal Corporation schools for Vishwakarma Puja—an occasion of great significance for Hindus, particularly the dominant OBCs—and instead allocated it for Eid-ul-Fitr, extending the holiday from one day to two,” Malviya posted.

“This not only exposes Mamata Banerjee’s anti-OBC mindset but also confirms her nervousness. She knows the Muslim vote bank she once took for granted is slipping, even in the Greater Kolkata Region. What she doesn’t understand is that Muslims don’t need endless holidays—they need education and employment. An additional day off means a loss of daily wages for Muslims, most of whom work as casual laborers in Bengal. It also deprives Hindus of their rightful observances. Mamata Banerjee’s Muslim appeasement is destroying West Bengal’s social fabric. If she continues in office, in a few years, it will be difficult to recognize whether our Bengal is still the land of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Tagore, Swami Vivekananda, Netaji, and Syama Prasad Mookerjee…” the BJP leader added.

In no time, an outrage erupted over the TMC government’s blatant Muslim appeasement and sheer neglect of Hindus. Soon after, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation cancelled the contentious notice and ‘clarified’ that it was issued without obtaining concurrence from the competent authority.

“A Corrigendum (Memo No. 026/KMC/Edn/2025, dated 25.02.2025) was issued immediately cancelling the original memorandum that had typographical mistakes. KMC clarifies that the original memorandum (Memo No. 025/KMC/Edn/2025, dated 25.02.2025) stands cancelled as it was issued without KMC authority’s permission. The matter has been taken seriously, and necessary action is being initiated against the officer responsible for this lapse,” the KMC notice stated.

It added that a revised order will be issued in line with the state government’s holiday list.

CBSE clarifies Punjabi language will be added next year for proposed twice-a-year board exam format, says current list is indicative

ANI
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CBSE clarifies Punjabi language will be added next year for proposed twice-a-year board exam format, says current list is indicative

After several leaders across the Political spectrum in Punjab raised the issue of the alleged deletion of Punjabi from the CBSE’s draft scheme for a twice-a-year board exam format, the board issued a clarification on the issue.

The Central Board of Secondary Education on Wednesday said that the Punjabi language will be added next year in the new draft of the scheme, which aims to hold board examinations twice a year with one regional and foreign language at its core.

A CBSE senior official said, “There is no change in the subjects offered today. This list is indicative. Next year, the Punjabi language examination will be there. All subjects offered today will continue in two board examinations next year.”

Earlier Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains strongly criticised the Central Board of Secondary Education for dropping the ‘Punjabi’ language from its draft scheme for a twice-a-year board exam format in accordance with the new education policy.

Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains alleged that CBSE is planning to remove the ‘Punjabi’ language as the second language from the board exams for Classes 10 and 12.

“We strongly object to CBSE’s new exam pattern scheme, which attempts to erase Punjabi! Punjabi must be designated as the main language in Punjab and further be included as a regional language in CBSE for rest of the nation, as it is spoken and read across multiple states,” Bains said.

Akali Dal leader Parambans Romana also hit out at the centre and alleged that there was a conspiracy to wipe out the Punjabi language.

“Why have you left out Punjabi in the new curriculum is this part of a conspiracy, I want to ask the BJP leaders of the BJP are you part of this conspiracy. This is an extremely troubling fact that you can’t fight for your own mother tongue? Look at the way Tamil Nadu CM is fighting against the NEP,” he said.

The notification issued by CBSE include Rai, Urung, Tamang, Sherpa, Sanskrit, Urdu, Marathi, Gujarati, Manipuri, Tibetat, Bhoti, Telugum Bodo, Tangkhul, Bhutia, Kashmiri, Mizo and Thai but drops Punjabi from the list of regional languages.

Earlier on Tuesday, CBSE proposed a major reform in the Class X examination system, introducing two board exams from the 2025-26 academic session. This move aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and aims to reduce academic pressure by offering students a chance to improve their scores.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Punjab: LoP Partap Singh Bajwa accuses Power Minister Harbhajan Singh of asking officials to collect funds for AAP

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab: LoP Partap Singh Bajwa accuses Power Minister Harbhajan Singh of asking officials to collect funds for AAP

On Tuesday (25th February), an uproar erupted in the Punjab state assembly after Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa accused Power Minister Harbhajan Singh of asking senior officials in the power corporation across the state to collect funds for Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ahead of the Delhi elections. The Leader of Opposition (LoP) demanded an investigation into the matter by a House Committee or a Judicial Commission.

Dismissing the Congress leader’s allegations as “baseless,” AAP minister Harbhajan Singh raised questions over alleged scams that occurred in the Congress government when Bajwa was PWD Minister.

The two had a heated exchange in the state assembly and speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan had to intervene.

During the Zero Hour, Bajwa claimed that the PSEB Engineers Association had written to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann claiming that a power official in Hoshiarpur had been asked to collect cash for party funds for AAP. The Association, as per Bajwa, alleged that this money was to be used in Delhi state assembly elections.

The Congress leader alleged that this money was demanded from circle offices of the PSPCL at the behest of the power minister Harbhajan Singh. Partap Singh Bajwa also alleged corruption in the Revenue Department by Tehsildars and Naib Tehsildars. Bajwa showed a letter by the Chief Director of the Vigilance Bureau to the previous Chief Secretary of the state regarding the corrupt practices of these people.

Gujarat: ED arrests ‘The Hindu’ journalist Mahesh Langa in money laundering case, was earlier booked in Rs 40 lakhs extortion case

OpIndia Staff
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Gujarat: ED arrests ‘The Hindu’ journalist Mahesh Langa in money laundering case, was earlier booked in Rs 40 lakhs extortion case

On 25th February, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Gujarat-based ‘The Hindu’ journalist Mahesh Langa in a money laundering case. The arrest came days after the Gujarat Police in January this year registered a case against Langa for allegedly extorting Rs 40 lakh from a real estate agent by threatening to malign his image and implicate him in a false case. An Ahmedabad court has granted ED four-day custody of Mahesh Langa.

In a post on X, ED said, “ED, Ahmedabad has arrested Mahesh Prabhudan Langa under the provisions of PMLA, 2002 in the case of Mahesh Prabhudan Langa & others. Mahesh Prabhudan Langa was produced before the Hon’ble Special Judge (PMLA), Mirzapura Court, Ahmedabad and the Hon’ble Special Judge (PMLA) has granted 04 days ED custody till February 28, 2025.”

In the official press release, ED said that the investigation was initiated by the agency based on an FIR registered by DCB Police Station, Ahmedabad City, Ahmedabad, Gujarat against Langa and others for cheating and criminal breach of trust. During the investigation, the agency found that another FIR has been filed by Satellite Police Station against him for committing fraud, criminal misappropriation, criminal breach of trust, cheating and causing wrongful loss of lakhs of rupees to the complainant.

Furthermore, the agency found that Langa engaged in multiple fraudulent financial transactions involving large sums of money. The agency said, “Mahesh Prabhudan Langa’s financial dealings involved extortion from various individuals, constant manipulation, and use of media influence. Further, Mahesh Prabhudan Langa is also involved in the ‘GST Input Tax Credit scam’, which is also under investigation by the directorate. Mahesh Prabhudan Langa has tried to manipulate and obscure the true nature of financial transactions involved in cheating and the GST Input Tax Credit scam. The inconsistencies in his statement raised further suspicion about his attempts to hide the origins and purpose of the utilization of funds.

The journalist Mahesh Langa is currently in jail in four previous cases registered by Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Rajkot police. Gujarat Police had registered a fresh FIR under section 308 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against Langa which deals with extortion. The case was registered on January 23 by the Satellite police station in Ahmedabad city on a complaint by Janak Thakor, a real estate agent and a social worker.

So far, a total of five FIRs have been registered by Gujarat Police against Langa, who worked with a leading newspaper in Gujarat, after his arrest by the Ahmedabad police’s crime branch in an alleged Goods and Services Tax (GST) scam in October last year.

The first FIR against Langa and others was registered in October last year on a complaint from the central GST department over an alleged scam of floating bogus firms with an intent to defraud the government by availing bogus input tax credit through fraudulent transactions.

Later, on 23rd October, Langa and an unidentified employee of the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) were booked by the Gandhinagar police on the charges of theft following the recovery of official documents from his premises during raids conducted by the crime branch in connection with the alleged GST fraud.

In the same month, Ahmedabad police registered a cheating case against Langa for allegedly duping a businessman of Rs 28.68 lakh. In December last year, Rajkot police took Langa’s custody from Sabarmati Jail and formally arrested him in another case of GST evasion.

Further investigation into the matter is underway.

With inputs from ANI.

Prayagraj Maha Kumbh: Devotees arrive at Triveni Sangam on last ‘Snan’ of Maha Shivratri, over 65 crore people visited the holy gathering

OpIndia Staff
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Prayagraj Maha Kumbh: Devotees arrive at Triveni Sangam on last ‘Snan’ of Maha Shivratri, over 65 crore people visited the holy gathering

On the pious occasion of Maha Shivratri, hundreds of thousands of devotees flocked to Prayagraj’s Triveni Sangam on 26th February (Wednesday) for the final holy dip during the Maha Kumbh. The auspicious six-week religious gathering is scheduled to come to an end later today. Maha Shivratri, which commemorates the divine union of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, is extremely important in relation to the Kumbh Mela.

The Amrit Kumbh (nectar pitcher), the focal point of the Maha Kumbh, emerged as a result of the Samudra Manthan (churning of the ocean) in which Lord Shiva played a significant part, according to sacred texts. Government statistics showed that more than 11.66 lakh devotees took dip at the Sangam by 2 am and the figure increased to 25.64 lakh by 4 am and almost doubled to 41.11 lakh by 6 am. Over one crore (10 million) devotees are anticipated to attend the Sangam and take a holy bath during Maha Shivratri.

“Hearty congratulations to all the revered saints, Kalpvasis and devotees who have come to take a dip of faith in the Triveni Sangam today on the holy festival of Mahashivratri dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva in Maha Kumbh 2025, Prayagraj. May Lord Shiva, the lord of the three worlds and the holy river Mother Ganga bless everyone, this is my prayer,” Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath stated on X.

“More than 1.30 crore devotees today and over 63.36 crore devotees so far have taken a holy dip in the Triveni Sangam at Maha Kumbh-2025, Prayagraj, a living symbol of India’s faith and Sanatan’s harmony. The festival of humanity. Hearty congratulations to all revered saints and devotees who received the holy benefit of the sacred bath today in this ‘Mahayagna’ of unity. Hail Mother Ganga,” Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced on 24th February.

In addition to three “Amrit Snan,” the Maha Kumbh has seen six special bathing dates: Paush Purnima (13th January), Makar Sankranti (14th January), Mauni Amavasya (29th January), Basant Panchami (3rd February), Maghi Purnima (12th February) and Mahashivratri (26th February). According to the Uttar Pradesh government, an estimated 1.33 crore devotees took a holy bath at the Sangam and other ghats on 25th February, bringing the total number of visitors for the Maha Kumbh 2025 to more than 65 crore.

On Mauni Amavasya, a maximum of around 8 crore devotees participated in the Maha Kumbh and the figure was 3.5 crore on Makar Sankranti. On 30th January and 1st February more than two crore devotees on each day dipped in the Ganga and Sangam and Paush Purnima witnessed 1.7 crore devotees in the Maha Kumbh. Furthermore, 2.57 crore people bathed in Triveni on Basant Panchami and over 2 crore did the same on Maghi Purnima.

Security personnel have been on high alert throughout the night as pilgrims from all over the nation traveled to Prayagraj to participate in the last “snan,” keeping a tight eye on the ghats and the growing crowds at Maha Kumbh Nagar. Devotees were constantly flooding the city’s highways, railway stations and entrances. Large numbers of law enforcement personnel, including police, paramilitary forces and disaster response teams, have been sent in to oversee the enormous crowd, guaranteeing crowd management, security, and logistical coordination. Command centers, CCTV monitoring with AI-enabled cameras, and surveillance drones have been established to watch developments in real time.

The Prayagraj Maha Kumbh, once-in-a-lifetime event said to be taking place after 144 years due to a rare celestial alignment commenced on 13th January and is set to end on 26th on February. It was predicted to attract more than 40 crore people making it the world’s largest human gathering, however, the number has already exceeded 65 crores. The largest Akhara in the Sanyasi tradition, Juna Akhada, Niranjani Akhada and Ahwan Akhada were among those that took part along with millions of others including celebrities from all over the world, in the holy assembly.

Trump’s Gold Card Visa: What it means for Indian immigrants seeking Green Card and its impact on the existing EB-5 programme

OpIndia Staff
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Trump’s Gold Card Visa: What it means for Indian immigrants seeking Green Card and its impact on the existing EB-5 programme

The United States has announced a ‘Gold Card’ investor visa programme which will offer wealthy immigrants an opportunity to get citizenship of the country. The Gold Card is likely to replace the existing EB-5 visa route.

Addressing the media on Tuesday, US President Trump said, “We are going to be selling a gold card. We are going to put a price on that card of about $5 million. “It’s going to give you green card privileges, plus it’s going to be a route to (American) citizenship, and wealthy people would be coming into our country buying this card,” he added.

Expressing hope that the Gold Card visa programme would succeed, the President said that wealthy people coming in through the Gold Card route would invest money in the US and create employment. “They’ll be wealthy and they’ll be successful and they’ll be spending a lot of money and paying a lot of taxes and employing a lot of people, and we think it’s going to be extremely successful”, said Trump. Describing the EB-5 programme as ‘nonsense’ and ‘a way to get a low-price green card’, US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnik confirmed that the Gol Card Visa programme will replace it. “So the President said, rather than having this sort of ridiculous EB-5 programme, we’re going to end the EB-5 programme. We’re going to replace it with the Trump Gold Card,” Lutnik said.

“They’ll be able to pay $5 million to the US government not to go through vetting, of course, going to make sure they are wonderful world-class, global citizens. They can come to America. The President can give them a green card and they can invest in America, and we can use that money to reduce our deficit,” he added.

What is the EB-5 visa programme?

The EB-5 programme was introduced by the US Congress in 1990 to ‘stimulate the US economy through job creation and capital investment by foreign investors’. The programme is administered by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The existing EB-5 visa programme allows foreigners to get a Green Card (a permanent right to live and work in the US) by investing in US companies. After President Trump ended the US birthright citizenship, the EB-5 visa programme was viewed as a viable option for many Indians. Under the EB-5 visa route, investors investing $1.8 million or a minimum of $800,000 in a non-targeted Employment Area (TEA) project and creating or preserving at least 10 permanent, full-time jobs for qualified US workers are eligible for permanent residency in the US along with their spouse and unmarried children under 21 years of age.

Under the newly introduced Gold Card, immigrants will have to invest much more than what they needed to invest under the EB5 programme. These funds will go directly to the US government. The details of the Gold Card programme are expected to be released in two weeks.

What does the Gold Visa programme mean for Indians seeking Green Cards?

Indians form one of the largest groups facing considerable wait times for U.S. green cards, with backlogs stretching beyond 50 years in certain employment-based categories. The gold card would likely prioritize wealth over job creation as Indians could do away with the EB-5 Visa programme that mandated investors to pump in a minimum of $800,000 in TEA projects or provide employment to at least 10 US workers.

It will also benefit Indian business magnates rather than skilled professionals, which is likely to favour High-Net-Worth individuals over skilled professionals. However, President Trump while announcing the new gold card visa programme said he expects the new policy for the naturalisation of foreigners would reap multiple benefits to the United States, including the generation of employment through investment by wealthy individuals.

However, the programme certainly opens a new pathway for affluent Indians to buy their way into becoming US citizens and bypassing years of wait time and concomitant anxiety associated with possible policy changes that might affect their chances of getting Green Cards.

Zoho chief Sridhar Vembu says learning Hindi will widen business and job scopes for Tamilian people, criticises politics over language

OpIndia Staff
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Zoho chief Sridhar Vembu says learning Hindi will widen business and job scopes for Tamilian people, criticises politics over language

Sridhar Vembu, founder and the chief scientist of Zoho, advised Tamil-speaking engineers and business owners to learn Hindi in order to expand their companies. The development transpired amid fierce clash between the central government and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) over the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the three-language policy in Tamil Nadu.

Speaking on behalf of Zoho and the company’s engineers who work closely with clients in Delhi, Mumbai and even Gujarat, Vembu emphasized that it is “smart to learn Hindi” and conveyed that engineers working in rural areas of Tamil Nadu are at a disadvantage if they do not speak the language. “As Zoho grows rapidly in India, we have rural engineers in Tamil Nadu working closely with customers in Mumbai and Delhi – so much of our business is driven form these cities and from Gujarat. Rural jobs in Tamil Nadu depend on us serving those customers well,” he expressed on social media.

Vembu termed the lack of knowledge of Hindi as “serious handicap for us in Tamil Nadu” and informed that he has been studying Hindi himself. He also highlighted that learning the language is a pragmatic rather than a political decision. “It is smart for us to learn Hindi. I have learned to read Hindi haltingly in the last 5 years and I can now understand about 20% of what is spoken,” the former Zoho CEO added.

Vembu further stressed, “As India is a fast growing economy, engineers and entrepreneurs in Tamil Nadu will be smart to learn Hindi.” He concluded by declaring, “Ignore the politics, let us learn the language.” His comments came in the wake of protests in Tamil Nadu over the alleged imposition of Hindi via NEP, as DMK cadres enabled by their leadership have blackened Hindi words on buildings and railway stations at different locations in the state.

As stated explicitly in the NEP, the center has repeatedly reassured that there is no Hindi imposition, however, the DMK and its allies have been accusing the Modi administration of attacking Tamil culture and language in order to start a pointless language war for their own political agenda. Their hypocrisy was recently exposed by Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president K Annamalai.

Himachal Pradesh: Muslims allegedly open fire at Hindus during clash over celebrating Mahashivratri in Bilaspur, police deny communal angle

OpIndia Staff
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Himachal Pradesh: Muslims allegedly open fire at Hindus during clash over celebrating Mahashivratri in Bilaspur, police deny communal angle

On 24th February, a violent clash erupted after members of the Muslim community allegedly attacked Hindus for celebrating Mahashivratri outside a steel factory in the Gwalathai region of Bilaspur district. Hindu leaders alleged Muslims opened fire at Hindus organising Bhandara on Mahashivratri. Three people from both sides were injured during the clash and were rushed to the hospital for treatment. Bilaspur police have registered cross FIRs in the matter, and an investigation is underway. Notably, the police have categorically dismissed the allegations of a communal dispute and stated that it was a matter related to the local truck union. The police added that, prima facie, no evidence of gunshots being fired has been found.

The incident

As per media reports, Hindu members of the truck operators’ union in the Naina Devi Assembly constituency organised a bhandara on the occasion of Mahashivratri. Members of the Muslim community objected to the event, which led to an altercation. The argument soon turned violent, and members of both communities were injured during the clash.

Vishva Hindu Parishad leader Kamal Goutaam accused members of the Muslim community of launching a “murderous attack” on Hindu truck operators. He alleged that when Hindus insisted on continuing with the bhandara, members of the Muslim community resorted to violence. He also claimed that the attackers fired gunshots with the intent to kill. Two members of the Hindu community, identified as Hoshiar Singh and Chaman Singh, and one member of the Muslim community, were injured.

Speaking to the media, Chaman Kumar confirmed that the dispute took place over the bhandara. He alleged that the attackers arrived in a Thar and physically assaulted Hindus. He further confirmed that gunshots were fired during the altercation.

Hindu leaders’ statements

In a statement on Facebook, Hindu leader Prashant K Ranjan criticised the police for reportedly considering action against those who raised concerns about the attack. He wrote, “The information we published on social media was based on the accounts of the victims. We are neither afraid of action nor will we be silenced. The police should listen to the victims, who have clearly stated that gunfire was involved, while the police continue to deny it.”

He added that if any injustice was done to the Hindu community, they would speak out and stand by them. He said, “Instead of lecturing us, the police should do their job.”

Earlier, Kamal Goutaam had published details of the incident on his Facebook account, accusing Muslims of attempting to establish mafia rule in the region. He said, “Local Muslims in Illewal openly opposed the bhandara, saying that their mafia rule prevails in the area and they would not allow any Hindu religious event. When Hindus objected, they opened fire and attacked people, attempting to kill Hoshiar Singh and Chaman Kumar.”

Goutaam named several members of the Muslim community, accusing them of the attack, including Ramzan Khan, Jogi Khan, Jagga Khan, Shammu Khan, Salim Khan, Kaku Khan, and Achharu Khan. Furthermore, he called for a fair investigation and strict action against the accused. Goutaam urged members of the Hindu community to remain united so that they could resist such incidents in the future.

Police deny communal angle

Superintendent of Police (SP) Bilaspur, Sandeep Dhawal, refuted claims that the incident was communal in nature. He said, “Preliminary investigations suggest that the altercation was related to the truck union and was not a religious dispute.”

Furthermore, SP Dhawal confirmed that cross FIRs had been registered in the matter. The first FIR was registered on the day of the incident, and the second was registered the following day. The police are analysing CCTV footage from the area to determine the sequence of events that led to the clash.

Speaking about the alleged gunfire, SP Dhawal said, “So far, there is no evidence of shots being fired, but we are investigating all claims.” He warned that the police were scrutinising social media posts regarding the incident and warned of legal action against those found to be spreading misinformation about the incident.

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