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‘We will make Ravan humane, justify his abduction of Sita’: Saif Ali Khan on his role of ‘Lankesh’ in upcoming movie ‘Adipurush’

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‘We will make Ravan humane, justify his abduction of Sita’: Saif Ali Khan on his role of ‘Lankesh’ in upcoming movie ‘Adipurush’

Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan courted another controversy recently after he revealed that the makers of his upcoming movie ‘Adipurush’ have decided to show ‘Ravan’ as humanely as possible. The actor also said that the movie will also justify the reason behind the abduction of Maa Sita. The movie ‘Adipurush’ is reportedly based on Ramayan and actor Prabhas will portray the role of Lord Ram.

Speaking to Mumbai Mirror on his upcoming project ‘Adipurush’, Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan said he was quite excited to play the role of ‘Ravan’ in the upcoming historical drama. Dropping hints about the character and the theme of the movie, Saif Ali Khan revealed how the moviemakers have decided to portray Raavan as humane as possible.

The actor, who has many times in the past has caught distorted India’s cultural history, said that they will even try justifying the abduction of Sita by Ravan. In the name of rising the entertainment quotient in the movie, Saif Ali Khan said, the makers have decided to portray his war with Lord Ram as a revenge to Lakshman’s treatment to her sister Surpanakha.

“It’s interesting to play a demon king, less strictures in that. But we will make him humane, up the entertainment quotient, justify his abduction of Sita and the war with Ram as revenge for what was done to his sister Surpanakha by Lakshman, who cut off his nose,” he added.

It is not surprising to see Saif Ali Khan’s disclosure regarding the devious attempts by the moviemakers to depict alternate facts, especially pertaining to the country’s cultural history, in the name of creative freedom. Saif Ali Khan, who claims to be a ‘history bluff’, seems to have an extremely terrible knowledge on India’s cultural history.

Saif Ali Khan – a history distorter who believes India never existed before British

A few months back, the movie ‘Adipurush’ had landed in a soup when it was announced that Saif Ali Khan would play the role of Lankesh. Several netizens had expressed their displeasure against the choice of actor for the role of Lankesh. The reasons that netizens gave for their displeasure varied from Khan’s acting skills, nasal voice, height, and most prominently, his views on the history of India. 

Saif Ali Khan’s fascination for alternative history is not a new phenomenon though. The actor has time-and-again courted controversy by coming up with ridiculous theories about India’s cultural past. It was evident with the fact that Saif Ali Khan, after the release of Movie Tanhaji, had stated in an interview with Anupama Chopra that the concept of ‘Bharat’ did not exist before the British came.

According to Saif, Tanhaji movie’s script was based on a ‘wrong’ portrayal of history. In the interview, he had also claimed that he did not believe in the script of the movie as it was not in sync with the history of India. For him, the idea of India did not even exist before the British came to India.

Saif had said that the majority of the Hindus see Ramayana as the history of India. Ironically, someone like Khan, who does not believe in ‘India’ or the existence of Lord Ram, has been cast to playing the role of ‘Lankesh’.

Indian team that won FIDE Online Chess Olympiad 2020 struggles through custom department procedure to get their medals

OpIndia Staff
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Indian team that won FIDE Online Chess Olympiad 2020 struggles through custom department procedure to get their medals

A team of 12 members that won India’s first ever gold medal in the FIDE (International Chess Federation) Online Chess Olympiad, 2020 that was held in August had to go through unnecessary hardship to finally get their hard-earned medals. The medals that were sent from Russia to India within three days, took a week’s time to finally reach the team members as they needed to clear the customs.

Srinath Narayanan, the Vice President of the Indian chess team, shared a picture of himself with his gold medal and certificate. Thanking FIDE Narayanan said that it was not easy to get the medals as it took a week’s time for the medals to reach from Bangalore to Chennai. Narayanan said that he even had to pay customs duty to get the medals. Narayanan said that he would dispatch the medals to the rest of the team.

Narayanan later tweeted to inform that medals had reached the more than half of the team members. He said that the DHL Express, the courier, parcel and mail service company, apologised for the inconvenience caused in the delivery of the medals. He said that a representative from the Sports Ministry promised to support them.

According to Mint, one of the team members named Harikrishna who lives in Prague received his medal on November 21 before rest of the team. The medals of the rest of the team member reached Bangalore on November 23. Narayanan said that he had to provide multiple documents to customs officials to collect the medals of the team. “They (customs officials) had opened up the package and asked me what was inside, and what it was made of. I had to give them an official document on the chemical composition”, Narayanan said. Narayanan had to pay a customs duty of Rs 6,300 finally get the medals. “I was so tired of all this, I just paid it”, he said.

It may be noted that a Finance Ministry notification dated June 30, 2017 had exempted medals, cups and trophies won by Indian sports team members for participating in international tournaments from custom duties. Therefore, collecting customs duty for the medals won by the Indian chess is a clear violation of government rules.

Chief Commissioner of customs at Bengaluru, AK Jyotishi, assured to look into the incident. “The rule might have been applied without any deviation. If it is so, that benefit will be extended without any problem. We’re proud that somebody has represented India and brought laurels”, Jyotishi told Mint.

Punjab: National head of Hindu organisation Shri Ram Bhakt Sena brutally assaulted by three unidentified bike-borne assailants

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab: National head of Hindu organisation Shri Ram Bhakt Sena brutally assaulted by three unidentified bike-borne assailants

The National head of the Hindu organisation Shri Ram Bhakt Sena was brutally attacked in broad daylight by three unidentified bike-borne assailants in the Malli Market area in Basti Sheikh, a locality in Jalandhar, Punjab. Dharmendra Mishra, who was seriously injured in the incident, was rushed to the Civil hospital, where he is currently undergoing treatment.

Speaking about the incident which transpired on December 2, SHO Anil Kumar said that Dharmendra Mishra in his statement to the police confirmed that he had gone to the market area to have burgers with his friend Praveen when he was suddenly attacked by three men who came on a bike. Mishra said that he somehow escaped. Owing to the commotion, commuters started gathering, because of which the assailants fled, confirmed Mishra.

Anti-national elements have been selectively targetting Hindu leaders in the state, claims chairman of Punjab Hindustan Shiv Sena

The chairman of Punjab Hindustan Shiv Sena, Kapil Bharadwaj, who reached the civil hospital to meet Dharmendra Mishra told the reporters that leaders of various Hindu organisations working actively in Punjab have been regularly receiving threat calls from abroad. Bharadwaj urged Punjab government and police to look into the matter and provide adequate security to the leaders of various Hindu organisations in Punjab whose life is at constant risk, said Bharadwaj.

The chairman of Punjab Hindustan Shiv Sena said that this attack on Dharmendra Mishra proves beyond doubt that the lives of all the leaders affiliated to various Hindu organisations in Punjab are at risk. It’s evident that anti-national elements have been selectively targetting Hindu leaders in the state, opined Kapil Bharadwaj.

BJP leader’s convoy attacked in the state

In a similar incident, the convoy of the BJP (Punjab) President Ashwani Sharma was attacked by miscreants near Cholang toll plaza on the National Highway in Tanda area of Hoshiarpur district of Punjab on October 13. The incident took place when the BJP leader was en route to Pathankot from Jalandhar, after attending a party meeting.

The accused attacked his vehicle with stones and sticks and damaged the windowpanes. Reportedly, the miscreants arrived at the spot in two separate cars and attacked the BJP leader’s convoy. Sharma was also manhandled by the accused and had to be rescued by his security personnel. BJP had then alleged that Congress is behind the attack.

United Nations classifies marijuana as a ‘less dangerous drug’, decision, for which India voted too, to help further medicinal use

OpIndia Staff
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United Nations classifies marijuana as a ‘less dangerous drug’, decision, for which India voted too, to help further medicinal use

In a historic decision, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) has removed marijuana and its derivatives from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. The Schedule IV features the names of highly addictive opioids such as heroin and marijuana was placed in the same list for close to 6 decades.

After exerting strict control over the use of marijuana for close to 59 years, about 27 Member States of the CND voted to remove the drug from the list. As per reports, a total of 53 member states took part in the historic move with 25 Member States voting against its removal from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. Only one member abstained for voting during the motion.

India has voted with the majority at the United Nations to remove cannabis and cannabis resin from the list of most dangerous substances in the flagship international Convention on narcotic drugs.

With the categorisation of marijuana as a less dangerous drug, it is believed that the medicinal and therapeutic potential of the drug can now be recognised. The landmark decision will also pave the path for legalisation of marijuana for medicinal use in different countries. It can also make governments reconsider the recreational benefits of the drugs. It must be mentioned that medicinal cannabis programmes are allowed in over 50 countries, while other countries such as Uruguay, Canada, Mexico, Luxembourg have permitted its recreational use.

The decision comes at the backdrop of 6 World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations in 2019, regarding the scheduling of marijuana by the United Nations. Although CND was supposed to vote on the issue in March 2019, several Member States had sought for more time to analyse their positions.

CND Member States express their views on the historic decision

Ecuador, for instance, has emphasised on the need for a regulatory framework for sale, use and production of cannabis. It had accepted all the recommendations of WHO and voted for the motion. Chile, on the other hand, voted against the motion and claimed that there is a direct relationship between the use of cannabis and increased chances of suffering from depression, cognitive deficit, anxiety, psychotic symptoms, among others.”

United States removed cannabis from Schedule IV but however retained it in Schedule I. It stated, “(United States is) consistent with the science demonstrating that while a safe and effective cannabis-derived therapeutic has been developed, cannabis itself continues to pose significant risks to public health and should continue to be controlled under the international drug control conventions”.

Watch: Angry Rajdeep Sardesai threatens to sack his staff in charge of social media for failing to link up his Instagram live

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: Angry Rajdeep Sardesai threatens to sack his staff in charge of social media for failing to link up his Instagram live

A video has appeared on social media where controversial journalist Rajdeep Sardesai was heard threatening to sack one of his employees. The India Today anchor was apparently angry with his junior staff for failing to set up an Instagram live video he was addressing.

But unfortunately for the journalist, it seems that the video went live just when he was threatening his employees with sacking, and alert social media users saved the video before it was deleted from his Instagram page. He was heard saying, “between you and Surender, now you start organising you, else I will sack you and put someone else in charge of social media.”

Today evening Rajdeep Sardesai had announced on Twitter that he was doing a live chat on his Instagram page to discuss the Hyderabad municipal election results. It is expected that he was already in bad mood due to the results, as BJP had made a significant gain in the elections.

It seems the live chat had to be abandoned either due to technical issues or due to incompetence of his staff handling social media, as no such video exists on the Instagram page of Rajdeep Sardesai.

This is not the first time that Sardesai’s aggressive behaviour has been exposed. He had earned the ‘boxer’ moniker after he was seen punching and heckling a Modi supporter in 2014 outside Madison Square Garden in New York. Rajdeep Sardesai was triggered by slogans chanted by supporters of Modi, who was addressing the Indian American community at the venue.

Although for days it was alleged that he was attacked by the man, the full video had emerged later which had shown that Rajdeep had attacked the man first, and after which the man had retaliated in response. Later, the journalist had expressed regret for his behaviour.

94-year-old widow moves Supreme Court seeking for declaration of Emergency as unconstitutional; demands Rs 25 crores as compensation

OpIndia Staff
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94-year-old widow moves Supreme Court seeking for declaration of Emergency as unconstitutional; demands Rs 25 crores as compensation

A 94-year-old widow has moved the top court of the country to get the Emergency imposed by the former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1975 declared as unconstitutional. The woman had also sought an amount of Rs 25 crore as compensationn from authorities involved in imposing and enforcing the Emergency.

Referring to the 2017 judgment of KS Puttaswamy (Retd.) vs. Union of India which overruled the decision of 5-Judge Bench in ADM Jabalpur v. Shiv Kant Shukla, the petition held that the end of the darkest chapter of the Indian democracy is yet to bring closure to the petitioner who had endured brutalities at the hands of those in power during the Emergency.

“The unconstitutional injustice has affected nearly three generations of his family,” the petition said. According to the victim, the situation deteriorated after her relatives and friends left them in the lurch. She alleges that the issues of the Emergency still resonates in her mind and she wants to peace by getting it declared as illegal.

Petitioner seeks justice for the lifetime of misery and perennial sufferings due to the Emergency

The petition filed by advocate-on-record Ananya Ghosh is seeking justice and restitution of a lifetime spent in misery and suffering due to the atrocities faced by the Petitioner, her deceased husband and her family.

In her plea, the petitioner argues that the then government authorities specifically targeted the petitioner and her husband with untenable and groundless detention orders, and they had to escape the country because of the government’s organised looting of businesses and homes of the victims.

The petitioner cited the Delhi High Court’s ruling passed in December 2014 which ultimately put an end to the proceeding against her deceased husband and stated that the valuables impounded from her husband’s prosperous and thriving business worth crores of rupees were yet to be returned.

Government authorities seized valuable worth crores from the petitioner’s husband

“His business was shut down, assets and valuables including immovable property was seized and appropriated. The Petitioner’s husband succumbed to the pressure and died. Since then the Petitioner has been single-handedly facing all proceedings initiated against her husband during the Emergency period, which were arbitrarily pursued,” the petition stated.

The petitioner’s husband, HK Sarin, had a flourishing art and gem business in Karol Bagh and Connaught Place. However, shortly after the Emergency was imposed in June 1975, raids were conducted in commercial bases in Sarin and valuables, jewellery and artefacts were seized on suspected violations of the Customs Act.

At such an advanced age, the petitioner is seeking to put an end to her enduring trauma and receive acknowledgement for her sacrifices. It is to this end that the petitioner has filed a plea in the Supreme Court. The matter is likely to be heard on 7th December before a bench headed by Justice SK Kaul.

Mumbai Police files chargesheet against Arnab Goswami in the Anvay Naik suicide case after Supreme Court said no prima facie case made out

OpIndia Staff
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Mumbai Police files chargesheet against Arnab Goswami in the Anvay Naik suicide case after Supreme Court said no prima facie case made out

The Mumbai Police has filed a charge-sheet against Arnab Goswami in the Anvay Naik suicide case even after the Supreme Court made it clear that a case could not be made out in the matter. The Supreme Court had observed earlier that prima facie, no case had been made out against the Republic TV Editor-in-Chief in the suicide case.

The charge sheet was allegedly filed before the Alibaug Court by Pradeep Patil who, Republic claims, is the same person who assaulted Arnab Goswami when he was in custody. The charge sheet comes within hours of Republic TV filing 2 applications before the Bombay High Court stating that the Home Minister of Maharashtra, Anil Deshmukh, had asserted that a charge sheet will be filed in the suicide case.

In a big relief to Republic TV chief Arnab Goswami, the Supreme Court on Friday (November 27) said that prima facie evaluation of FIR lodged by Maharashtra police does not establish the abetment of suicide charge against him in the 2018 Anvay Naik suicide case.

On Friday (November 27), a Supreme Court bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice Indira Banerjee pronounced their judgement giving detailed reasons for the interim bail to the Republic TV Editor on November 11 in the 2018 Anvay Naik suicide case.

The apex Court said, “It cannot be said that appellants had abetted the suicide of the head of the architectural firm…High Court said the justification to quash has to be exercised carefully. If the High Court was carrying a prima facie evaluation, then it could not have seen that there was no nexus between FIR and Section 306 IPC…”

Supreme Court had granted bail to Arnab Goswami on Nov 11

On November 11, the Supreme Court had ordered the immediate release of Republic TV chief Arnab Goswami after it granted interim bail in connection with the suicide case filed against them by the Maharashtra government.

A Supreme Court bench comprising of Justice Chandrachud and Justice Indu Malhotra, hearing the petition, said that Bombay High Court made an error in rejecting the application for grant of interim bail on technical grounds. Granting the bail to Arnab Goswami, the apex court also directed the Raigad police to ensure the compliance of the order of release of Arnab Goswami forthwith.

The Supreme Court also asked Arnab Goswami and two other accused to execute a personal bond for an amount of Rs 50,000 for release on interim bail.

Arnab Goswami was arrested on November 4 after Maharashtra government had reopened a 2018 abatement of the suicide case of an architect, Anvay Naik. In his suicide note, the architect has blamed a few people, including Arnab Goswami, for not paying dues. Later, the court had closed the case after the Raigad police filed a closure report, but it was reopened in May 2020 by the Maharashtra government.

Farmer unions intensify protest against farm bills, call for a Bharat Bandh on December 8, to block all roads to Delhi

OpIndia Staff
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Farmer unions intensify protest against farm bills, call for a Bharat Bandh on December 8, to block all roads to Delhi

Dissatisfied with the ongoing talks with the central government, the farmer unions protesting against the three farm bills have decided to step up the protests, calling for an effigy burning of PM Modi on December 5, the return of awards on December 7 and a Bharat Bandh on December 8.

Speaking to the media, the farmers stated that they have also planned to block the remaining open roads leading to Delhi and threatened to intensify the protests should the government refuses to accept their demands. The farmers have already blocked several roads.

“On December 5, effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be burnt across the country,” said Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU-Lakhowal) General Secretary, HS Lakhowal, speaking to the media at Singhu border. “We have given a call for Bharat Bandh on December 8,” he said. “We have planned to block all roads leading to Delhi in the coming days if new farm laws are not scrapped,” “We have planned to block all roads leading to Delhi in the coming days if new farm laws are not scrapped,” said Lakhwal added.

The flurry of measures was taken by 51 representatives of the farmer unions, in a marathon meeting held at the Singhu border to discuss the proceedings of the meetings with the ministerial delegation on Thursday and finalise their next course of action.

Earlier, a meeting with the central government representatives failed to end the deadlock over the new farm laws as the protesters dug their heels in, refusing to budge on their demands. With the government refusing to cave into the farmers’ demand, the union decided to intensify their protests and increase the pressure on the government.

“Yesterday, we told the Government (at the meeting) that the farm laws should be withdrawn. We have given a call for Bharat Bandh on 8 December,” said Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU-Lakhowal) General Secretary, Harvinder Singh Lakhowal at Singhu Border after a meeting.

Farmers’ hardened their stance on the revocation of farm bills, demand constitutional guarantee on MSP

Though the farmers’ union have agreed to go in for the next level of talks with the central government on Saturday, they claimed that they would initiate dialogue only when the Centre promises them of repealing the three farm laws and passing constitutional legislation to guarantee MSP on crops.

The farmers’ union, in an attempt to nationalise the protests which have largely been restricted to Punjab and Delhi border, has urged farmers across the country to emulate the “Punjab model” of protests by swarming all toll plazas in the country run by the corporates and stop them from collecting toll tax from commuters, they said.

On the other hand, the central government, under the leadership of Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar, have assured that the agitating farmers’ valid concerns will be discussed and considered with an unprejudiced mind. However, the other side remained stuck to their demand for the annulment of the three farm laws, claiming that there were several shortcomings and deficiencies in the bills.

Some of the major points of concerns among farmers are the three new laws, including on strengthening of the APMC (Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee) mandi system, tax parity with proposed private mandis and freedom for farmers to approach higher courts for any dispute resolution.

Farmers add other demands

If the existing demands around the three farm laws and the MSP were not enough, the farmer unions have now added several other demands to their wish list. The unions have demanded that amendments be made to the Electricity Act should be withdrawn. They also want that the Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Ordinance 2020 should be withdrawn. This ordinance introduces penal provisions for violation of norms mandated to reduce pollution. The commission can slap a penalty of Rs 1 crore and/or five-year jail term to those flouting air pollution norms. The farmers fear that they will be prosecuted by the Commission for burning stubble, which is a major source of pollution in and around Delhi.

Most surprisingly, the farmers have also added a demand to withdraw all cases against farmer leaders, intellectuals, poets, lawyers, writers, human rights activists etc. But this is not surprising, given that the protests have been already hijacked by the left-liebral activists.

Congress leader uses ‘Abki Baar’ hoax to justify foreign interference in Indian internal matters

OpIndia Staff
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Congress leader uses ‘Abki Baar’ hoax to justify foreign interference in Indian internal matters

Cheering for foreign interference in the internal matters of India appears to be the latest fad among liberal circles and opposition political parties. After Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other politicians from Canada commented on the protests currently underway in India, there appears to be a rush of liberals over willing to either defend the Canadian meddling or going to the extent of welcoming the same. The latest to join the fray is senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh.

In his eagerness to justify the Canadian meddling in Indian internal matters, the Congress leader relied on the popular hoax that is repeated over and over again by opposition politicians to target Prime Minister Modi. Jairam Ramesh appears to argue that since Narendra Modi had said ‘Abki Baar Trump Sarkaar’ at Houston, foreign interference in Indian internal matters is also justified.

Jairam Ramesh justifies foreign interference in India’s internal matters

Quite obviously, Narendra Modi did not say ‘Abki Baar Trump Sarkar’ in the way that Jairam Ramesh claims he did. At the mega ‘Howdy Modi’ event held in Houston in September last year, Prime Minister Modi had reminded the audience as to how during the 2016 US Presidential campaigning, Donald Trump had said ‘Abki Baar Trump Sarkar’ while appealing to Indian diaspora in the US.

PM Modi said, “We in India have connected well with President Trump, the words of candidate Trump, ‘Abki baar Trump sarkar’, rang loud and clear.” In October 2016, during the US Presidential campaigning, the then Presidential candidate Trump had said that the Indian and Hindu community in the US will have a ‘friend’ in the White House. Then, using Prime Minister Modi’s 2014 popular election slogan “Abki baar, Modi Sarkar”, Donald Trump had said, “Abki baar, Trump Sarkar” (This time, it will be a Trump government).

While addressing the Indian diaspora in the US, Prime Minister Modi had recalled the above campaign slogan by Trump, contrary to the claim that he was endorsing Donald Trump ahead of the 2020 US elections.

Consequently, Congress politicians, their friends in the media and politicians from other political parties had run with the narrative that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had endorsed Donald Trump for the presidential elections when he obviously did not. Despite repeated fact-checks, they did not let facts get in the way of their dedicated agenda. And now, after the lies have been debunked several times over, Congress leaders are using the hoax to justify foreign meddling in Indian internal matters.

Pro-AAP blogger Dhruv Rathee has called for foreign powers to interfere in India’s internal affairs as well, in order to dethrone the democratically elected government and alter the political landscape of the country. His justification for it was that Indian institutions have been hijacked and have become puppets of the Government and therefore, foreign interference could be a good thing.

Chinese regime forces Uyghur Muslims to eat pork, expands pig farms in Xinjiang: Reports

OpIndia Staff
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Chinese regime forces Uyghur Muslims to eat pork, expands pig farms in Xinjiang: Reports

In a shocking development, an educator and medical doctor named Sayragul Sautbay has revealed in a new book as to how Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang are forced to eat pork, reported Al Jazeera. She had detailed about sexual abuse, physical abuse, forced sterilisation, and ill-treatment of Muslim minorities in Xinjiang province of China. Sautbay was kept in a ‘re-education camp’ in China’s westernmost region of Xinjiang, and was released two years ago.

Sautbay stated, “Every Friday, we were forced to eat pork meat. They have intentionally chosen a day that is holy for the Muslims. And if you reject it, you would get a harsh punishment.” Recounting her experience, “I was feeling like I was a different person. All around me got dark. It was really difficult to accept.” She narrated that the policy was meant to shame and humiliate the Uyghur Muslims.

It is notable that pork is strictly prohibited in Islam, as it has been labelled as a Haram food.

Sautbay said that Muslims were made to eat pork, even outside detention camps. She informed that students in a school in Altay in northern Xinjiang were also force-fed pork and when many refused, the soldiers were sent in to take control of the situation. The educator stated that pork is being served to kindergarten children under the initiative of ‘free food.’ She conceded, “China is using and will use different tactics to force Uighurs and other Muslim population to eat pork.”

Uyghur businesswoman Zumret Dawut claimed, “When you sit in a concentration camp, you do not decide whether to eat, or not to eat. To be alive, we had to eat the meat served to us.” She had also conceded that she was served pork repeatedly. The Chinese government had also launched an “anti-halal campaign” in Urumqi in 2018, “to stop Islam penetrating secular life and fuelling ‘extremism’”.

Chinese government to grow pig farms for local consumption in Kashgar

According to German scholar Adrian Zenz, the policy adopted by the Chinese regime is a part of the plan to ‘secularise’ the Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang province. Adrian informed that a new farm has been set up in southern Kashgar area in Konaxahar county where 40,000 pigs are to be raised every year. As per documents, the government is making ‘active efforts’ to promote pig farming in Xinjiang. Top administrator Shohrat Zakir conceded that the province would be turned into a ‘pig-raising hub.’

Reportedly, the deal was signed on April 23, 2020, i.e. the first day of Ramzan. It has been stated that the pigs grown in farms are meant for local consumption in Kashgar and not for exports. The deal was signed, despite 90% of the inhabitants belonging to ethnic Uyghur Muslim minority group. “This is part of the attempt to completely eradicate the culture and religion of the people in Xinjiang. It is part of the strategy of secularisation, of turning the Uighurs secular and indoctrinating them to follow the communist party and become agnostic or atheist,” Adrian Zenz emphasised. The Chinese government had accused Adrian Zenz of ‘fabricating facts and falsifying data’ and blamed the US government.

Persecution of Uyghur Muslims in China

According to a 2017 report by the head of the Institute of Sociology at the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences, the increasing Muslim population in Xinjiang contributed to increased political risk, poverty, and extremism. One of the reasons cited behind their high birth rates was the Islamic belief that the foetus was a gift from God.

However, experts are of the view that it is a strategy of the Communist Party of China (CCP) to strip Uighurs of their religious and ethnic identity and assimilate them into the dominant Han Chinese ethnicity. While Uighur Muslims are often subjected to re-educational programs, forced labour, and digital surveillance, their children are indoctrinated in orphanages.

Reportedly, Uyghur Muslims have been the subject of a massive crackdown since 2017. They were held up in prisons for praying, travelling abroad, or even using social media under the pretext of containing ‘ religious extremism’. According to researcher Zenz, two county and townships have directed authorities to leave no ‘blind spots’, contain illegal births, and decrease fertility levels.

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