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Ahead of Eid, actor Irrfan Khan’s son Babil turns ‘Dara Hua Musalman’, wants to be ‘free’

Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan’s son Babil on Wednesday took to Instagram to express fear of not being afraid to post anything on social media against the ‘people in power’ as it may ruin his career. In a series of posts on his Instagram stories, Babil said that having a holiday for Raksha Bandhan and not having one for Eid is against the secular fabric of our nation.

Babil Khan claimed that he does not want to be judged by his religion and he is a human being just like rest of the Indians. Khan was upset that the mandatory holiday for Bakra Eid which falls on Friday is cancelled and Raksha Bandhan, which falls on Monday is a holiday. He claimed that secular India is having a relapse of ‘religious divide’ and is getting scary.

He claims his friends have stopped communicating with him because of his religion.

Amusingly, as per the Central government holiday list [pdf], while Eid ul-Adha (Bakri Eid) which falls on Friday, is a central government holiday but Raksha Bandhan is not one.

Central government holiday list

As one can see, out of the 14 compulsory holidays of Central government, 4 are Islamic festivals, 3 Eids and one Muharram. Only Diwali is the major Hindu festival which is a government holiday. Holi and other festivals fall under the ‘3 optional holidays’ one can avail. As one can see, Raksha Bandhan does not even fall in the list of optional holidays one can avail.

Since Babil was upset about the ‘people in power’ creating religious divide, and as one can see the central government is not doing so, one could assume he perhaps meant the Maharashtra government. The 2020 holiday list [pdf] for Maharashtra government also declares Bakri Eid as a government holiday. Except it is on 1st August, Saturday. As the date of festival of goat sacrifice varies depending on moon-sighting, it may appear unfair to blame government for declaring holiday on a day just because it falls on a weekend.

Maharashtra government holidays does not include Raksha Bandhan as a holiday.

Raksha Bandhan is not a public holiday for Maharashtra state government either.

Further, the reason most states in India are celebrating Bakri Eid on 1st August, Saturday is because the Shahi Imam of Delhi’s Jama Masjid said so.

Now, since neither the state nor the central governments have declared public holiday for Raksha Bandhan on Monday, it might appear unfair to blame governments for people who might take a holiday to celebrate their festival just because of their religion.

After these stories, many people reacted and sent him virtual hugs and expressed solidarity with his religion while lashing out on those who may eventually send him hate messages.

Babil Khan’s last message

However, it is still not clear which people in power is he angry at for ‘cancelling’ a holiday that is not cancelled and giving out a holiday on a day when none is given.

Babil Khan is son of late Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan who recently lost his life after battling with a terminal illness. Islamists celebrated his death for his progressive views and called his untimely demise a ‘punishment in Ramzan’. Khan himself criticised practice of killing goat for ‘Qurbani’ on Eid, the non-existent ‘cancelled holiday’ his son is so worked up on.

In 2016, during an event in Jaipur, Irrfan Khan had stated that in today’s practises, the actual meaning of Qurbani (sacrifice) has been lost. He had added that purchasing a goat from the market and killing it after two days is not ‘Qurbani’. He had added that the essence of the Islamic festival is about giving up, sacrificing something that is important to oneself. In the show, Irrfan’s challenged the clerics about some of the rituals observed by Muslims during Ramzan and Muharram.

Sushant Singh Rajput case: ED to look into claims of Rajput’s father that Rhea Chakraborty stole Rs 15 crores

In the latest development in the investigation into the tragic death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has asked for a copy of the FIR from the Bihar Police which was filed against actress and Sushant Singh Rajput’s ex-girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty and some others.

According to reports, the Enforcement Directorate may start probing a money laundering angle after Sushant Singh Rajput’s father filed an FIR alleging that his ex-girlfriend, Rhea Chakraborty had stole Rs 15 crores from the actor.

The FIR registered in Patna against Rhea Chakraborty, actor and ex-girlfriend of Sushant Singh Rajput, has some serious allegations against her. Sanjay Singh, Inspector General, Patna Central Zone said that the FIR was registered against her based on a complaint filed by Rajput’s father KK Singh on Sunday has various sections 341, 342, 380, 406,420, 306 and 120 (B) of the IPC that include abetment of suicide. “KK Singh has been troubled ever since his son’s suicide. He met a senior police officer of Patna and narrated his woes to him. He did not trust the Mumbai Police in this regard.” he added.

The FIR alleged that Rhea took money from Sushant. She forced him to take the drastic step that resulted in him committing suicide. He claimed that Sushant did not have any mental illness, but Rhea projected as if he is seeing something paranormal and listening voices. She forced him to take medical treatment for it. He also alleged that Rhea forced him to take the wrong medicines for his mental health. Singh said that if a person has some mental problem it is important to take permission from his family to start the treatment. No one contacted them for the said permission.

Further, the FIR mentioned that just a few days before Sushant’s death, 15 crores was withdrawn from his Kotak Mahindra account and transferred into an account that was not associated with Rajput. He has requested the police to check all Sushant’s reports and confirm where his money went. He alleged that Rhea had access to his debit and credit cards. She often exploited him financially. When she felt that Sushant is running out of the money, she took cash, laptop, jewellery and a lot of other belongings from his house and left him.

He has also alleged that Sushant feared that Rhea and her associates are planning to defame him over his former assistant’s suicide. He has also stated that Sushant was very distressed by Rhea’s behaviour and emotional exploitation.

UP Sunni Waqf Board constitutes trust to build Mosque in Ayodhya on land given as per SC’s Ram Janmabhoomi order

On 29th July, Zufar Ahmed Farooqui, chairman Sunni Waqf board announced the formation of a trust to build a mosque on the land outside Ayodhya allotted to them as per the orders of the Supreme Court. He said that they would build a mosque, Indo-Islamic research centre hospital and a library on the land provided by the state government. The name of the trust is “Indo Islamic Cultural Foundation.” The government had allotted 5-acre land to Sunni Waqf board in Raunahi, Dhanipur Village, Ayodhya, after awarding the Ram Janmabhoomi site to Hindus to build a Ram Mandir.

Press Release by Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board announcing formation of trust to build mosque near Ayodhya

About the trust

As per the official spokesperson of the board, there will be 15 members who will take care of the work of the trust. Uttar Pradesh Central Waqf Board is the founding trustee. Farooqui named 9 out of 15 members in a press release. The chief executive officer of the board will be the ex-officio representative of the trust. He has been appointed Chief Trustee and Chairman of the trust.

The names of the trust members are:

  1. Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Sunni Waqf Board through its CEO – Founder Trustee
  2. Zufar Ahmed Faruqi – Chief Trustee/Chairman
  3. Adnan Farrukh Shah, Gorakhpur – Trustee/Vice President
  4. Athar Husain, Lucknow – Trustee/Secretary
  5. Faiz Aftab, Meerut – Trustee/Treasurer
  6. Mohammad Junaid Siddiqui, Lucknow – Member
  7. Sheikh Sauduzzaman, Banda- Member
  8. Mohammad Rashid, Lucknow- Member
  9. Imran Ahmed, Lucknow- Member

Athar Hussain will also act as the official spokesperson for the trust. The remaining six members will be chosen soon.

Lag in mosque construction due to Covid-19

A few days back, Sunni Waqf Board had said that there had been some delay in the construction of the Mosque amid Covid-19 pandemic. Farooqui said that he has no hope that All India Muslim Personal Law Board and other leading Muslim organizations will provide any support, financial or otherwise, for the construction of the mosque.

5th August, the day of Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan

After the historic judgment in favour of Ram Lalla Virajman on 9th November 2019, a trust was formed for the construction of Ram Mandir in February 2020. The trust worked extensively during the pandemic as well and set 5th August as the date for Bhoomi Pujan of Ram Mandir after consulting with PMO to ensure PM Modi’s presence during the event.

Rafale jets are overhyped. For super secret reasons, UPA had a much better fighter jet deal

Let’s accept it. The last twenty four hours have been an absolute embarrassment for India. As the first five Rafales touched down in Ambala and TV anchors fell over themselves with excitement, the more thoughtful sections in media pleaded for restraint.

Relax, folks. Why the excitement? It’s just some fighter planes joining the Indian Air Force. You’re acting like something big is happening. As if Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has joined the Indian National Congress. Now, that was a big story.

Anyway, we all know that there are serious doubts and questions that remain around Modi’s Rafale deal. While such high level defense matters are generally kept secret, the public cannot be completely kept in the dark.

And so it is that I have obtained through my sources and decided to publish the details of the UPA’s fighter aircraft deal. So that you can see for yourself how much it is better than Modi’s deal.

Look closely.

How UPA’s fighter aircraft deal was better than PM Modi’s

Taking inspiration from one of India’s most liberal newspapers, I have decided to publish only this cropped portion from the original document.

There you have it folks. In cold hard writing. Lakhs of crores of frontline fighter jets purchased by the UPA government for the Indian Air Force.

Ah, but where are those fighter planes, you might ask? Let me now share with you an exclusive image of those planes being delivered to India.

Fighter jets purchased by UPA govt being delivered to India

Again, taking inspiration from India’s most liberal newspaper, I have decided to crop this photo of the fighter jets flying into Indian air space.

Any more doubts?

Wait. But didn’t UPA Defense Minister A K Antony say publicly that India had no money to buy planes? You might vaguely remember something like this.

Defence Minister stating how in 2014 February India did not have money to buy fighter jets

Don’t tell me you have fallen for this classic move by UPA to hide our strengths from our enemies. If anything, you should be angry at A K Antony for making such a lame excuse. Who would believe that India was facing a financial crunch in Feb 2014? How could India’s economy be having problems after 10 years of management by the world’s best economist?

I hate to admit it, but I think neither China nor Pakistan bought that excuse. They knew, that with India’s economy booming, the UPA government was flush with cash to splurge on all kinds of fighter aircraft.

Well, what can you do? You have to keep up appearances. Here you can see A K Antony in Sep 2013, valiantly trying to hide from publicly admitting India’s strengths.

Defence Minister A K Antony on development in border areas

He says India had a strategy of leaving the border areas with China deliberately underdeveloped, hoping to make any potential Chinese advance too difficult.

In fact, the UPA invested heavily in trying to keep up the appearance of an undeveloped border. So heavily that decades of Congress governments kept over 60% of households without toilets and 15 crore rural households without tap water in the rest of the country. As long as hundreds of millions of Indians live without tap water, toilets or electricity, who would suspect that we are secretly an economic and military superpower?

As always, thank you Rajiv Gandhiji for your dreams.

Tamil poet Piraisoodan says A R Rahman’s mother had asked him to remove Tilak before entering their house

Bollywood music maestro AR Rahman, who had recently opened a can of worms by saying that there was a ‘gang’ working against him, has yet again taken a centre-stage in another controversy after Tamil poet and lyricist Piraisoodan made a shocking disclosure on how Rahman’s family had expressed their intolerance towards Hindu traditions and its symbols.

Narrating an incident, noted Tamil poet and lyricist Piraisoodan stated that AR Rahman’s family had expressed their contempt towards Hindu Dharma in his presence. Reportedly, Piraisoodan said that he had met Rahman in a government function, where the music director remembered how both had worked together in the past.

According to the poet, Rahman wanted to revive their old professional bond and had asked him to come to his house to write lyrics for a new movie song.

When Piraisoodan went to Rahman’s house upon his invitation, shockingly Rahman’s mother asked him that he should not wear Vibuthi and Kumkum Tilak when he visits their house.

However, ‘I refused to remove the Hindu religious marks on his forehead’, Piraisoodan said. It is pertinent to note that both Vibhuthi and Kumkum are applied on the forehead by Hindus, especially in South India where devout Hindus adorn it every day.

AR Rehman is born a Hindu. However, he and his family had converted to Islam after his sister and father fell seriously ill and a Sufi told his family to convert to save the girl’s life. Soon Dileep Kumar became A R Rehman and his mother Kasturi Shekhar became Kareema Beegum.

Rahman had also once stoked a controversy after he had blamed the Hindu deities for his father’s death. Rahman had said that the deities which his father worshipped, had killed him. Rahman’s daughter Khatija Rahman had also triggered controversy by defending the burqa, without which she is not seen in the public. She had said that burqa empowers her.

Amid the raging nepotism debate in Bollywood, legendary musician AR Rahman opened up about the vicious Bollywood ‘gangs’ which have been working tirelessly to ensure he finds less work in Bollywood. Rahman added that he is now forced to do ‘dark’ movies and not the good ones as several people have ganged him against him, without realising that they are ‘harming’ his career prospects. 

Images of Lord Ram and 3D portraits of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya to beam across Time Square on 5th August: Reports

Jagdish Sewhani, President of the American India Public Affairs Committee, said on Wednesday that they are making arrangements to celebrate the historical moment of Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan in New York on 5th August. Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with prominent leaders and saints, will be present in Ayodhya for the ceremony. PM Modi will lay the foundation stone for the construction of Ram Mandir.

As per a PTI report, Sewhani said that they are leasing prominent billboards for the occasion including the 17,000-square-foot wrap-around LED display screen and the giant Nasdaq screen. These are highest-resolution exterior LED screens at Times Square in New York.

Lord Ram’s portraits and 3D model of the Ram Mandir will be displayed

The display will begin at 8 AM in August and will continue till 10 PM. Images with “Jai Shri Ram” in Hindi and English, portraits of Bhagwan Ram, videos, 3D paintings of Ram Mandir design and architecture and pictures and videos of Bhoomi Pujan are to be displayed across several billboards. The members of the Indian community will gather at Times Square to mark the celebration.

As per reports, Sehwani said that this is a once-in-a-lifetime event. “Under Prime Minister Modi, the construction of the Ram Temple is a dream come true for Hindus all over the world. Till six years back, we never thought that this day would come soon but due to Modi’s leadership, this day has come, and we want to celebrate it in a befitting way.” he added.

Years of wait for the judgment

ON 9th November 2019, the Supreme Court ruled that the disputed land belongs to Ram Lalla Virajman and allowed the construction of Ram Mandir. The court had ordered the Indian Government to form a trust for the same. Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust was formed in February to manage the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Bhoomi Pujan for the construction of Ram Mandir will take place on 5th August. The Supreme Court verdict has effectively ended a centuries long wait for Hindus to claim the birthplace of Lord Ram, one of the most sacred sites of Hinduism.

Priyanka Gandhi finally vacates the govt allocated bungalow, a day before the last date

Congress princess Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has finally vacated the government allocated bungalow at 35, Lodhi Estate in Delhi’s posh Lutyens area.

Priyanka was earlier asked to vacate the said bungalow by August 1 by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. It was stated that she was no longer eligible to live in a government allocated bungalow after losing the SPG security cover.

After the notice, though Congress leaders had tried a lot to create a political outrage over the issue, Priyanka had stated that she will abide by the orders. She has been living there since 1997.

She had earlier cleared all the pending dues. A lot of speculations were made as to where she might shift next. Some Congress leaders and loyalists had insisted that she may move to Lucknow as she is the UP general secretary of Congress.

The government bungalow has now been allocated to BJP MP Anil Baluni.

Priyanka might shift to UP or Gurgaon?

Though it is not clear where will Priyanka reside next, many Congress loyalists had speculated that she may shift to her relatives’ home ‘Kaul Niwas’ in Lucknow, to prepare Congress for the UP Assembly Elections in 2022.

It was also speculated that she might shift temporarily to Gurgaon.

Sedition charges against Sharjeel Imam: AAP govt yet to sanction prosecution, Delhi Police tells court

On 29th July, a Delhi Court had summoned radical Islamist Sharjeel Imam to appear on 1st September for the sedition case against him. The court took the cognisance of the offences under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) based on the charge sheet filed by the Police. Imam allegedly made instigating speeches at Aligarh Muslim University in January.

The police informed the court that prosecution sanction to prosecute Imam under sections 124A (sedition) and 153 A (punishment for wanton vilification or attack upon religion, etc.) is still pending with the Delhi government. Dharmendra Rama, additional sessions judge, did not take cognisance of these sections. As per the law, investigating agencies can file charge sheets in sedition cases only after the approval of the state government.

The court said in its order, “In view of the same, I take cognisance for commission of offence under section 13 of UAPA in the present matter. However, the issue of taking cognisance for the commission of offence under section 124A (sedition), 153A (punishment for sedition), 153B (Assertion prejudicial to national integration) and 505 (circulation of certain statement, rumours, etc) of the Indian Penal Code, is deferred for the time being for the want of requisite sanction.”

Sharjeel Imam is lodged in Guwahati jail

Imam is currently lodged in Guwahati jail. He was earlier tested positive for Covid-19 that delayed his transfer to Delhi. The court said that if Imam cannot be present physically in the court on the next date, the hearing will take place via video conferencing.

Imam wanted to ‘cut-off’ Assam, and the NE states from India

Sharjeel Imam is accused of giving incendiary speeches to provoke and instigate riots. He was heard instigating people to organise a blockade and cut off the North Eastern states from the rest of India to force the government to conceded to their demands. His speeches in AMU are also under probe as the UP government has told that he had instigated people to run riots, vandalise temples and loot during the anti-CAA protests.

Delhi Police arrested imam on 28th January from Bihar. A charge sheet was filed against him in connection to riots outside Jamia. The police alleged that he instigated riots with his speeches during anti-CAA protests. Several videos of Sharjeel surfaced during the anti-CAA protests in which he was giving seditious speeches. In the charge sheet filed on Saturday, the Police also attached CFSL report that confirmed the voice in videos matches with the voice samples Sharjeel provided on court’s orders.

Delhi government’s snail-speed in sanctioning approval for sedition cases

This is not the first time Delhi government under Aam Aadmi Party has delayed permission to prosecute someone under sedition charges. In 2019, Patiala House Court had to tell the Delhi government that they cannot stop the file for such a long time in the sedition case against Kanhaiya Kumar. The AAP government sat on the file for more than a year. At that time Kejriwal government rejected permission to Delhi Police and said that Kanhaiya and his gang’s speeches were not against India. Now, they are repeating the same in Sharjeel Imam’s case.

Supreme Court junks PIL that demanded CBI enquiry into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput

The Supreme Court on the 30th July junked a PIL that was filed demanding a CBI inquiry into the tragic death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. The Bench hearing the PIL, led by the Chief Justice of India said, “Let police do its job” It has nothing to do with whether a person was a good person or a bad person. It is also about jurisdiction. Go to Bombay HC if you have anything concrete to show”.

The Bench led by CJI asked the petitioners to go to the Bombay High Court if they had anything concrete to show. It also said that the person being ‘good or bad’ is not of consequence in the matter. The matter pertains to jurisdiction and the police should be allowed to do their job.

On Wednesday, after the demands for a CBI probe into the suicide of Sushant Singh Rajput grew louder, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had said that the investigation into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput will not be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

“As Home Minister, I want to say that Mumbai Police is investigating the Sushant Singh Rajput case. There is no question of transferring the case to the CBI,” Mr Deshmukh said.

Sushant Singh’s death

On 14th July, Sushant Singh Rajput allegedly committed suicide in his house. A lot of questions were raised over his death, and police had to initiate an investigation. They have interrogated more than 40 people till date including Mahesh Bhatt, Rajeev Masand, Rhea Chakraborty and many others. Sushant’s death has opened up a can of worms, where many dirty secrets of the glamour industry seem to be unravelling slowly.

Since Sushant Singh Rajput’s alleged suicide, people have raised voice against ‘film mafia’ and nepotism in the industry. Sonu Nigam, Kangana Ranaut, Ranveer Shorey and many others have come forward to support the narrative against nepotism.

Watch: Iconic video of LK Advani after which ‘Baccha baccha Ram ka, Janmabhoomi ke kaam ka’ became a slogan for Ram Mandir movement

With the resolution to build Ram Mandir at Ram Janmbhoomi, LK Advani started his Rath Yatra from Somnath to Ayodhya in September 1990. Slogans like ‘Baccha baccha Ram ka, Janmabhoomi ke kaam ka’ and ‘Janmabhoomi ke kaam na aaye, woh bekaar jawani hai’ filled the air. The then-BJP president’s Rath Yatra may not have reached Ayodhya at that time, but it is said that he succeeded in building sentiment in favour of the Ram Temple.

Lal Krishna Advani laid the foundation of a massive change in Indian politics and society. He started the Rath Yatra on 25th September 1990, and it was supposed to reach Ayodhya on 30th October. However, he was stopped before he could reach his destination.

With the announcement of construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Hindus across the country were enthused. Last year, on 9th November, the Supreme Court of India ruled in favour of Ram Lalla Virajmaan. It directed the government to hand over the site for the construction of the temple in Ayodhya. A Trust has been formed as per the directions of the Supreme Court to take care of the construction work. The court also asked the government to provide five acres of suitable land for the Sunni Waqf Board.

LK Advani, Rath Yatra and Ram Temple Movement

In 1990, VP Singh became India’s Prime Minister with the support of BJP that managed to grab 58 seats in the elections. The then-BJP president Lal Krishna Advani decided to take a Rath Yatra across the country to gain support for the Ram Temple. On 23rd October 1990, he was arrested in Bihar, and as a result, the BJP government withdrew the support from the government.

When he left Somnath for Ayodhya, a crowd of thousands of Ram Bhakts accompanied him at every stage. The chants and mantras to show support for the construction of the temple could be heard in every city from where the Yatra crossed.

The plan for the construction of Ram Temple started in 1984-85. That time the meetings were held at the residence of Ashok Singhal in Prayagraj. Prominent leaders and saints including Rajju Bhaiya, Dr Murali Manohar Joshi, Kalyan Singh, Subramanian Swamy, Uma Bharti, Sadhvi Ritambhara, Vinay Katiyar and others were present during the meetings. Ashok Singhal gave his full support for Advani during the Rath Yatra.

Chants of ‘Hum Mandir Wahin Banayenge’ and ‘Tel Laga Lo Dabur Ka, Naam Jala Do Babur Ka’ filled the air.

The Ram Rath Yatra came to an abrupt end when the then Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav arrested Advani at Samastipur, Bihar.

Court’s verdict in favour of Ram Temple

In 2010, the Allahabad High Court divided the disputed land into three parts. All parties involved in the case went to the Supreme Court as they were not happy with the division. Finally after a wait of another nine years, on 9th November 2019, the Supreme Court of India ruled that the land belongs to Ram Lalla Virajman and the Muslim party will get the property for mosque somewhere else. On 5th August 2020, Bhoomi Pujan will take place in which PM Narendra Modi will take part. He will place a 22.6 KG silver brick in the foundation.