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West Bengal police vs BJP: As police deny using force, BJP asks the police to ‘stop being political pawns’

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal police vs BJP: As police deny using force, BJP asks the police to ‘stop being political pawns’

Yesterday, the BJP’s ‘Uttar Kanya Abhiyan’ rallies in Siliguri were marred with brutality. Party leaders had alleged that the West Bengal police and the TMC goons had attacked the BJP and BJYM workers with force. However, the Bengal police had denied using force.

Hours after West Bengal police denied using ‘force’ to disrupt the BJP’s ‘Uttar Kanya Abhiyan’ rallies on Monday, where a BJP worker named Ulen Roy was killed, the party has questioned the integrity of the State police.

BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya had shared a video clip from ABP News where a police officer can be seen brutally thrashing a BJP worker with his baton. The party worker was seen trying to hide under a cot on a rooftop, but the police officer spotted him and went on thrashing him brutally for several minutes. The visuals contradict the claims made by the West Bengal police that the police did not use force or lathi-charged the BJP workers.

Malviya tweeted, “Shame on WB Police for behaving like TMC hoodlums! Is this your idea of restrain? If this is not lathi-charge then what is? Few months down the line, Pishi will be consigned to the footnote of Bengal’s politics. So don’t get carried away.” He further added, “Stop being a political pawn of the CM!”

While speaking about the incident, BJP State President Dilip Ghosh said that the deceased BJP worker had died after succumbing to police lathi-charge and rubber bullets. “The cops are hellbent to shut down a democratic protest,” he said. Ghosh further reminded the Trinamool Congress of the Nandigram violence where the cops had open fired on unarmed protestors in 2007, on the behest of the then Communist government. He said that if TMC continues on the same path, the people of the state will soon bid them goodbye.

BJP National Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya also questioned the atrocities committed by the West Bengal police and informed about meeting injured BJP workers who had been the victims of police brutality.

West Bengal police denies use of force

On Monday, West Bengal police had accused ‘a political party’ of engaging in violence, arson, brick-batting, firing and vandalism of government property during their protest program. It claimed, “Today in Siliguri, serious acts of violence were committed by the supporters of a political party during their protest program. They resorted to arson, brick-batting, firing and vandalism of govt property.”

The police emphasised that they did not firearms or use lathi-charge and had only used water cannons and tear gas. “Police showed restraint and didn’t do lathi-charge or used firearms. Only water cannons and tear gas were used to disperse the violent crowd. However, the death of a person has been reported. The body is being sent for post-mortem. The actual cause of death will be known only after the post-mortem,” it further claimed.

Tejasvi Surya earlier called out the West Bengal Police

BJP MP and BJYM chief Tejasvi Surya, highlighting the police brutalities against peaceful protestors said, “Many BJP workers injured during their peaceful protest. #Democracy being murdered in WB.” In another tweet, Surya urged media to report the incident. He said,”If you will not speak up against these atrocities today, you will be failing in your duties. This is beyond party politics. This is the question of India’s democracy. Look at this. It looks like a war zone. Will you raise your voice against this?”

‘Liberals’ and crusaders of mental health have taken it upon themselves to abuse and bully Kangana because she ‘deserves it’

Nirwa Mehta
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‘Liberals’ and crusaders of mental health have taken it upon themselves to abuse and bully Kangana because she ‘deserves it’

Unless you have been living under a rock, you must have witnessed the public spat between Hindi film actress Kangana Ranaut and Punjabi singer/actor Diljit Dosanjh. Things went pretty ugly pretty soon with both of them upping their abuse game with every subsequent tweet.

Both public personalities lost their cool but ‘liberals’ hailed Diljit because Kangana ‘deserved it’. These ‘liberals’ very vocally advocate mental health and are against bullying of any sort. Except, for Kangana, because she totally ‘deserved it’.

In fact, it is not just that. Kangana also gets mocked by same ‘liberals’ and gets name-called, which imply she has mental health issues. Except, on regular days, they advocate how mental health issues should not be mocked.

Here is an example. One Mini Nair here identifies herself as some writer. She is followed by the so-called liberals on Twitter.

This is what she thinks about mental health.

See how she’s being empathetic in her tweets? She wants people to empathise with people suffering from mental health issues. Know what she has to say to Kangana?

Apparently, Kangana is a ‘case study’ in ‘Egomania’.

Here is what former NDTV employee Nidhi Razdan has to speak about mental health.

We must pay attention to mental health, she says. What did she say when Kangana was being abused? And her further conversation with Newslaundry employee. How is this not bullying?

Another one of the ‘liberal’ favourite is Swara Bhaskar. Here is what she had to say about Kangana vs Diljit fight.

Few weeks back, this is what she had to say about celebrities and mental health.

And this.

Because all the bullying Kangana is receiving will clearly not affect her mental health because you know, Kangana ‘deserves this’.

These are just three examples. There are numerous others on similar lines.

Brands, too, decided to take a swipe.

Screenshot of now-deleted tweet by Zomato

In a now-deleted tweet, Zomato gave a tacit support to Diljit.

Mobikwik’s now-deleted tweet

Online payment gateway MobiKwik, too, sided with Diljit before deleting the tweet.

And then of course, the main opposition party, Congress.

Congress’ tweet

Kangana Ranaut’s home town is in Himachal Pradesh. While the Congress party, Zomato and Mobikwik can claim that their tweets had nothing to do with Diljit, the timing of the tweets fail to substantiate such a claim.

Abusing Kangana is a free hit.

And no, by no means am I endorsing Kangana. Crass behaviour on either side was wrong. This just lowers the bar of public discourse. Because the moment you lose your cool, you lose the argument.

It is the justification of abuse received by her by the ‘liberals’ that is a cause of concern. This is also bullying. You are encouraging more people to go and abuse her by endorsing it. What is good for the goose should be good for the gander.

And if you really think Kangana deserves the hate and abuses she gets along with mockery of her ‘mental health’, drop the facade and embrace your hypocrisy. Stop calling yourself ‘liberal’ and accept that you are just as hateful as the next troll who abuses you and mocks your mental health.

Because if Kangana deserves it, so do you.

The US adds Pakistan, China and 8 others as ‘Countries of Particular Concern’ for violation of religious freedom

OpIndia Staff
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The US adds Pakistan, China and 8 others as ‘Countries of Particular Concern’ for violation of religious freedom

On December 7, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the United States of America had designated Pakistan, China and eight other nations as ‘Countries of Particular Concern’ for violation of religious freedom. Pompeo added that Myanmar, Eritrea, Iran, Nigeria, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan were also placed in the list for “engaging in or tolerating systematic, ongoing egregious violations of religious freedom.”

Four other countries, namely Comoros, Cuba, Nicaragua and Russia have been added to a Special Watch List as the governments in these countries have engaged in or tolerated severe violation of religious freedom. In his statement, Pompeo said, “Religious freedom is an unalienable right, and the bedrock upon which free societies are built and flourish. Today, the United States, a nation founded by those fleeing religious persecution, as the recent Commission on Unalienable Rights report noted, once again took action to defend those who simply want to exercise this essential freedom.” He added, “The U.S. is unwavering in its commitment to religious freedom. No country or entity should be allowed to persecute people with impunity because of their beliefs. These annual designations show that when religious freedom is attacked, we will act.”

Entities of Particular Concern

The US has listed ISIS, al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Houthis, al-Qaida, ISIS-Greater Sahara, ISIS-West Africa, Jamaat Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin and the Taliban as Entities of Particular Concern.

The prior status of Entity of Particular Concern for Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula and ISIS-Khorasan has not been renewed as they have lost total control over these territories.

He said, “While these two groups no longer meet the statutory criteria for designation, we will not rest until we have fully eliminated the threat of religious freedom abuses by any violent extremist and terrorist groups.”

Sudan and Uzbekistan no longer in SWL

Pompeo said that the governments in Sudan and Uzbekistan had taken ‘significant and concrete steps’ over the past year. Thus, the countries have been removed from the Special Watch List. He said, “Their courageous reforms of their laws and practices stand as models for other nations to follow.”

He added that a lot of work is pending and the US will continue to work to end religiously motivated abuses and persecution across the globe so that each person has the right to live as per the ‘dictates of the conscience’ all the times.

Nigeria added for the first time in CPC list

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has praised the State Department’s announcement for adding ten nations to the list Countries of Particular Concern. Nigeria has been added for the first time. The four countries in the SWL have been added for the severe violations under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA).

USCIRF Chair Gayle Manchin said that the organization particularly welcome Department’s move to add Nigeria in the list for the first time. USCIRF had been recommending Nigeria for CPC since 2009. “Nigeria is the first secular democracy that has been named a CPC, which demonstrates that we must be vigilant that all forms of governments respect religious freedom,” he added.

Vice-Chair Tony Perkins said that while the organization recommended keeping Uzbekistan and Sudan in CPC, “It is undeniable the historic progress that has been made in these two countries. We hope that their progress encourages positive change in other places around the world.”

The USCIRF had recommended adding India, Russia, Syria and Vietnam in the list of CPCs but the State Department denied it. In April this year, the Ministry of External Affairs had issued a strong-worded response to USCIRF’s claims on religious freedom in the country. MEA spokesperson Anurag Shrivastava had said, “We reject the observations on India in the USCIRF Annual Report. Its biased and tendentious comments against India are not new. But on this occasion, its misrepresentation has reached new levels. It has not been able to carry its own commissioners in its endeavour. We regard it as an organisation of particular concern and will treat it accordingly.”

Delhi: Rotting remains of slaughtered cows found in drain in West Delhi, case registered against unknown persons

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi: Rotting remains of slaughtered cows found in drain in West Delhi, case registered against unknown persons

Rotting remains of what appears to be slaughtered or murdered cows were found from a drain in Dwarka, sector 23, New Delhi on Monday. Cow slaughter is illegal in Delhi.

BJP MP Parvesh Singh Sahib took to Twitter to demand an immediate arrest of those involved. Sharing images of the drain where the carcasses were found, he said that there is no doubt that such slaughtering of cows and dumping their carcasses in drains has been happening since a long time.

He said that after he raised the issue, the cops arrived on spot and urged the Commissioner of Police to arrest the culprits immediately.

He further urged that the CCTV surveillance needs to be upped in the area to stop such crimes from taking place.

The Delhi Police on Monday registered a case against unknown people in the case. Police suspects it is a case of cow slaughter.

Assam: AIUDF threatens to sue legal rights body LRO over allegations of dubious funding against Badruddin Ajmal run ‘Ajmal Foundation’

OpIndia Staff
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Assam: AIUDF threatens to sue legal rights body LRO over allegations of dubious funding against Badruddin Ajmal run ‘Ajmal Foundation’

The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) has threatened to sue Legal Rights Observatory (LRO) over allegations that Ajmal Foundation, run by party president Badruddin Ajmal, had received funds from foreign Islamic organisations linked to terror funding. It was also alleged that the Ajmal Foundation had received close to Rs. 70 crore in funding of which only Rs. 2.5 crore was spent on education.

“AIUDF has no connection with the Ajmal Foundation. But our party president has been targeted. An attempt is being made to create an impression that Badruddin Ajmal is involved in money laundering. We also object to the attempt at politicization of the matter… We will not tolerate this. Our party will file defamation case against LRO for tarnishing the image of our president,” said AIUDF general secretary Aminul Islam.

“The BJP will be in trouble if the grand alliance comes into existence. That is why the RSS-affiliated NGO has made these allegations with an intention to malign and tarnish the image of our leader in front of the public,” he added. “In fact, there is an attempt to bring sedition charges against Ajmal by using the recent allegations… This is all part of the Hindutva agenda of the BJP government. Anybody opposing the government’s agenda becomes the target… As soon as they saw Ajmal and State Congress president Ripun Bora sharing a stage this was done,” he stated.

Badruddin Ajmal on Sunday said that the Assam Chief Minister “should have behaved like a politician and not an enemy”.

FIR registered against AIUDF

A case was registered against ‘Ajmal Foundation’, run by All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Badruddin Ajmal, at Dispur police station in Assam on Friday. The case was filed following a complaint lodged by Satya Ranjan Bohra, who accused the NGO of receiving foreign funding and utilising it in suspicious activities, Guwahati CP M S Gupta was quoted by ANI as saying.

The complaint, lodged by Satya Ranjan Borah was based on the report of Legal Rights Observatory (LRO), a legal rights body.

“Ajmal Foundation, an organisation run by Maulana Badruddin Ajmal, chief of AIUDF, being funded by some foreign agencies which are related to funding different terrorist groups and their terror activities as reported by an NGO Legal Rights Observatory. Considering the report, we want a proper investigation in this connection under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. Ajmal Foundation has misused those foreign funds in several anti-national activities,” Borah alleged in the FIR.

Supreme Court declines to quash FIRs against TV anchor Amish Devgan for his inadvertent remarks against Sufi saint Moinuddin Chisti

OpIndia Staff
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Supreme Court declines to quash FIRs against TV anchor Amish Devgan for his inadvertent remarks against Sufi saint Moinuddin Chisti

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to quash multiple FIRs lodged against television news anchor Amish Devgan over his allegedly defamatory remarks against Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti.

A bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar and Sanjiv Khanna, however, banded together the complaints filed against Devgan in different states and transferred them to Ajmer in Rajasthan. About 7 FIRs were registered against the news anchor in connection with the case in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh.

The apex court has extended the interim protection from any coercive action, which was granted to the News18 anchor on July 8, on a condition that he continues to assist in the investigation.

Journalist Amish Devgan mistakenly refers to Moinuddin Chisti as “lootera” while talking about Alauddin Khilji

Devgan found himself in hot water after he referred to Sufi Saint Moinuddin Chisti as “lootera” while hosting a show on June 15 about the Place of Worship Special Provision Act on his show ‘Aar Par’. Amish Devgan was seen referring to Chishti as an invader who had tortured and forcefully converted the Hindus of India. However, Devgan later apologized saying that he had mistakenly named Chishti in place of Alauddin Khilji. Following the show, several police complaints and FIRs were filed against the anchor in various parts of the country.

Citing it to be an inadvertent error, Amish Devgan had tendered an apology on Twitter a day after the show was telecasted, saying he was referring to Muslim ruler Alauddin Khilji and had mistakenly named Chisti, also known as Khwaja Gareeb Nawaaz (benefactor of the poor). The journalist also added in his tweet that he has himself sought the saint’s blessings in the past.

“I sincerely apologise for this grave error and the anguish it may have caused to followers of the Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti, whom I revere,” he had said. “I have in the past sought blessings at his dargah. I regret this error.”

As many as 7 FIRs had been filed against the journalist in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra & Telangana. The FIRs stipulated offences under Sections 153A(promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), 153G, 295A(deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), 298, 505(statements conducing to public mischief), 34(acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of Indian Penal Code & 66(f) of the Information Technology Act.

UP police assure protection to Dalit woman after her video accusing Zahid Ali and others of intimidating her with violence goes viral

OpIndia Staff
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UP police assure protection to Dalit woman after her video accusing Zahid Ali and others of intimidating her with violence goes viral

The Uttar Pradesh police has taken cognisance of a viral video of a Dalit woman in which she has accused Muslim strongmen in the village of encroaching her land and forcibly trying to evict her from it.

Responding to the viral video, the official Twitter account of Balrampur police tweeted, “Investigation has been carried out in connection with the case. There is a land dispute between the two parties and a notice has been issued by the Revenue Department. The case is listed for hearing in the court. Peace is prevailing on the spot.”

Dalit woman accuses Muslim strongmen of encroaching her land and threatening her of physical assault

In the video that has gone viral on social media platforms, the victim, Ratna Devi aka Gudiya has claimed to be from the Paswan caste and has explained in detail the atrocities committed against her. Ratna Devi has alleged that Muslim thugs have beaten her up with the aim of forcibly capturing her land.

Ratna Devi added that the accused have illegally occupied her land and have been constantly harassing her, threatening her with dire consequences. She also claimed that her husband and her children have already been physically assaulted by the accused and even the village head has extended his support to the culprits.

The local police, the woman claims, has not paid heeds to her complaints and she is left with no other option but to leave the village. In the video, Ratna Devi’s husband points to the house of Zahid Ali, Chand Ali, Sattar Ali, Pir Ali and Subrati, who live in front of their house, stating that they want to encroach on their land.

After the video went viral, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s information adviser Shalabh Mani Tripathi, taking cognizance of the case, directed the UP police to ensure strict action. Following this, the police and local administration swung into action and initiated action in this regard.

Senior UP Police officials visit Dalit woman’s house, assure her of action against the culprits

After the Balaram police took cognisance of the matter on Twitter, senior police officials also paid a visit to the woman’s house, checking on her if she is still facing some problem. The video of the meeting between the senior police officials and the complainant was shared on Twitter.

The woman has requested the police officials to clear the encroachment on her land. The senior police officials assured her that her complaints regarding the encroachment and harassment by the accused will be taken care off. They have also shared their personal contact details with the woman in case her issues are not addressed by the local police officials.

‘Allah has chosen me to become a student of Quran and Hadees’: Pakistani actress Zainab Jamil leaves showbiz for Islam

OpIndia Staff
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‘Allah has chosen me to become a student of Quran and Hadees’: Pakistani actress Zainab Jamil leaves showbiz for Islam

Pakistani actress Zainab Jamil has announced that she will not work in the showbiz industry. She has decided to dedicate her life to learn more about Islam. On December 5, she posted on her Instagram account about her decision and said, “I proudly announce that I won’t be continuing my career as an actor and model.”

She further added that Allah had chosen her to become a student of the Quran and Hadees. She will learn more about ‘deen Islam’. She said, “Allah has chosen me to become a student of Quran and Hadees and learn more about our deen Islam”.

In a story, Zainab explained why she is leaving the industry. She said, “For those who are really concerned and have been asking me why did I take this decision at once, I really respect your concern that’s the reason I am posting one [story].” She further said that she should have announced it earlier. “Maybe I was not ready or I was in search of few answers actually now it’s been 3 years that I am studying Quran with Tafseer and I am not an easy student,” she added.

Now-deleted Instagram story of Zainab in which she explained why she decided to leave show business

In her story, Zainab mentioned that she had been asking many questions to her teachers before making the decision. “I am quitting the career which I thought I loved whereas I didn’t because whenever I was on set working I was not completely satisfied.” She said she always felt that something was missing, which was not what she wanted to do.

“With all due respect to those who are working in this field, I am not hurting anyone’s feelings to work as an actor but we all are different so this is my different. And I really want to thank the producers and people whom I was in contract to work with and thank you all for understanding me and letting me drop the projects I signed,” she concluded.

Not just Zainab Jamil: Several Muslim actresses have left show business for Islam

In recent times, several Muslim actresses have decided to leave show business. In India, the recent case was of Sana Khan, who left show business and married a Muslim cleric. While announcing her departure from the industry, she said that she has decided to quit the entertainment industry after being enlightened by the ‘teachings of Islam’.

Last year Dangal actress Zaira Wasim announced her retirement from movies in a letter posted on Instagram. In the six-page letter, she said, “Bollywood took me away from Islam” and cites the interference on her religious practices as the reason for this decision.

The world’s first Muslim Hijabi model, Halima Aden, has also left her career as a model. In her stories on Instagram, the 23-year-old Hijab-wearing model spoke about how the fashion ramp was a place where all the bad energy came from. Aden also recounted the numerous times she had to miss Namaaz or any of her religious activities due to a project.

Mamata Banerjee calls ‘BJP govt at centre’ to resign over Farm laws after passing similar bills in West Bengal in 2014

OpIndia Staff
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Mamata Banerjee calls ‘BJP govt at centre’ to resign over Farm laws after passing similar bills in West Bengal in 2014

The ongoing farmers’ protests in Delhi have been co-opted by opportunist politicians and ‘activists’ trying to mount an attack against the Modi government. After political parties such as Congress, Samajwadi Party and self-described activists such as Yogendra Yadav tried to exploit the agitation to further their propaganda, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, too, has jumped into the fray, in a bid to whip up anti-BJP sentiment ahead of the upcoming state elections in 2021.

At a rally in West Bengal’s West Midnapore, Banerjee contended that the Centre must withdraw the farm bills or step down from the government.

“The BJP government (at the Centre) should immediately withdraw the farm bills or step down. It should not continue
to remain in power after sacrificing the rights of the farmers,” she declaimed.

Mamata Banerjee passed similar Farm Laws in West Bengal in 2014

While Ms Banerjee held forth on how the farm bills are not in the interest of the farmers and the urgent need to repeal them, she had passed similar agriculture laws in West Bengal in 2014 which she is vehemently opposing today. This was brought to fore by a social media user who goes by Twitter handle @BefittingFacts. The social media user alleged that the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government had passed similar agriculture laws in West Bengal in 2014. The user shared screenshots from TMC websites to substantiate his assertions.

The article titled “WB Assembly passes Agricultural Marketing Bill” was published on the official website of Trinamool Congress on December 8, 2014, about six years before the Modi government passed the three farm laws. The article stated that the bill was passed by the West Bengal Assembly in order to curb the menace of the “middlemen”.

Source: http://aitcofficial.org/aitc/wb-assembly-passes-agricultural-marketing-bill/

The article further added that the Bill would “promote the formation of new markets where farmers can directly sell the product to the end-users”. It stated that Government regulation will ensure a greater degree of assurance to both the farmers and the customers while being beneficial to the exchequer.

These are precisely the same reasons why the Modi government has passed the three new farms bills in the parliament. The agriculture laws promulgated by the Centre is directed at unlocking new opportunities for the farmers while eliminating the role of middlemen in the agriculture trade.

Mamata Banerjee eyes forthcoming state elections with her attack against the Centre on Farm Bills

Though Mamata Banerjee had passed similar agriculture laws in 2014, she is opposing them now because it suits her political convenience. West Bengal is all set for the state assembly elections in 2021. The BJP has already made strong inroads in the West Bengal politics with winning 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 General elections. The election tide in the West Bengal already seems to be turning in the favour of the BJP as TMC is plagued by resentment and rebellion among its ranks.

With the state elections approaching and TMC teetering on the edge of a political crisis, the attack against the Centre on the new Farm Bills was just a dishonest attempt by Mamata Banerjee to exploit the ongoing farmers’ protests to her advantage by portraying the BJP-led Centre as against the welfare of the farmers and thereby turn the odds of the WB assembly elections in her favour.

One BJP worker dead in crude bomb attack, Tejasvi Surya calls Bengal police a ‘disgrace to India’s famed police forces’: Read details

OpIndia Staff
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One BJP worker dead in crude bomb attack, Tejasvi Surya calls Bengal police a ‘disgrace to India’s famed police forces’: Read details

On December 7, West Bengal became a war zone when the police attacked BJP workers during a protest against the WB government at Tinbatti. BJP leader Tejasvi Surya, highlighting the police brutalities against peaceful protestors said, “Many BJP workers injured during their peaceful protest. #Democracy being murdered in WB.”

In another tweet, Surya urged media to report the incident. He said,”If you will not speak up against these atrocities today, you will be failing in your duties. This is beyond party politics. This is the question of India’s democracy. Look at this. It looks like a war zone. Will you raise your voice against this?”

As per the reports, police have used tear gas shells & water cannon on BJP Yuva Morcha workers. Surya has levelled severe allegations against the West Bengal police, claiming that they had attacked the BJYM workers with crude bombs. While several were injured, one worker has been confirmed dead. He said, “Sri Ulen Roy, a senior BJP karyakarta, succumbed to splinter injuries caused by the country bombs that Mamata’s police threw.”

IT cell chief and BJP leader Akshay Singh shared a series of Tweets in which he shared information about the attack on BJP workers. In one of his tweets, he has shared a video of police attacking the protesting Karyakartas.

In another tweet, Singh shared a video of police using water canons on the workers.

National General Secretary, BJP Kailash Vijayvargiya shared a video in which it was clearly visible that the police were firing tear gas shells. He alleged that while police were throwing tear gas shells, the TMC goons standing next to them were throwing country-made bombs.

Heavy police force deployed

There were two rallies scheduled for BJP’s Uttar Kanya Abhiyan. Uttar Kanya is the state secretariat in North Bengal. Thousands of BJP workers were scheduled to join the rallies along with BJP West Bengal and national leaders. For bother rallies, a heavy West Bengal Police force was deployed. As per the reports, they had tear gas shells, water cannons and other anti-riot equipment to control the crowd.

ANI quoted BJP leader Laxman Garui saying, “Trinamool Congress-backed goons opened fire at the rally. They are trying to intimidate the opposition before the upcoming Assembly elections in Bengal by unleashing political violence.” TMC has denied the allegations that TMC goons attacked BJP rally. TMC’s Bidhan Upadhyay counter-attacked BJP and said it was BJP workers who were carrying bombs. He said, “The BJP had a rally in which people were carrying bombs. Some of our people were in the vicinity and carrying out a local government scheme drive. BJP workers attacked us under the guise of the rally. We condemn this.”

BJP to hold protest at BJP state office

OpIndia talked to Kalicharan Shaw, Member of Media Department BJP West Bengal, about the rally and police brutality. He said that the protests were held against the Mamta government as it has failed its promise of the development of North Bengal. He said that in 2014, she ensured that development work in North West Bengal would be on her priority list, but she failed to do so. Shaw further informed about the death of the senior leader of BJP, Sri Ulen Roy. “We are holding a protest against the police brutality at 5:30 PM at BJP state office,” he further added.

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