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Dear Rahul Gandhi, here is what Balasaheb Thackeray and Shiv Sena had said about Sadhvi Pragya and Nathuram Godse

OpIndia Staff
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Dear Rahul Gandhi, here is what Balasaheb Thackeray and Shiv Sena had said about Sadhvi Pragya and Nathuram Godse

As Congress President Rahul Gandhi stoked a controversy after he called Bhopal BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur as a ‘terrorist’ following her alleged praise for MK Gandhi’s killer Nathuram Godse, questions are now being raised regarding the hypocrisy of Congress party as they attacked BJP MP.

Following the personal attack on Sadhvi Pragya by Rahul Gandhi, social media users are now reminding Congress party that Bala Saheb Thackeray, the founder of Congress party’s new ‘secular’ ally – Shiv Sena, had himself defended Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur after she was arrested and tortured during the Congress era for her alleged involvement in Malegaon blast case.

In 2008, the then Shiv Sena chief Bala Saheb Thackeray had stood in support of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and other Malegaon blasts accused and had lashed out at pro-Hindutva elements for “disowning” them. He had asked the legal community to come forward to defend the three accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, retired Major Ramesh Upadhyay and Samir Kulkarni.

“The entire Hindu community should support the Sadhvi, retired Major Ramesh Upadhyay and Samir Kulkarni who is being framed by the anti-terror squad (ATS),” Bal Thackeray had said in the Sena mouthpiece Saamana.

Thackeray said he did not support any kind of terrorism that weakens the country and added that he had regretted the loss of life in the Malegaon incident. “But if the pseudo secularists in the country are supportive of Afzal Guru (Parliament attack convict), why should we not love and be proud of Sadhvi Pragya, Ramesh Upadhyay and Samir Kulkarni?

“Every day Islamic terrorists are planting bombs to kill Hindus in India. The latest blasts in Assam too were engineered by Bangladeshi migrants. If a Sadhvi Pragya or a Ramesh Upadhyay or a Samir Kulkarni is born in the present milieu, they cannot be blamed,” it added.

Bala Thackeray had alleged that the Congress was using the ATS machinery which is practising politics of Muslim appeasement. “The arrests of cultured and educated individuals in connection with the Malegaon blasts in an effort to crush Hindus to please Muslim fanatics in the country,” the article read.

The editorial had also slammed pro-Hindutva organisations for what it called “disowning” the Malegaon blast accused. “If Chhatrapati Shivaji and Veer Savarkar were alive today, they would suffer bouts of depression to see the passive tolerance of Islamic intimidation by Hindus,” the Sena chief said.

“If a Majid Memon puts on the black coat to defend brother of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim in a court of law, can we expect another Memon to stand up to argue for Sadhvi Pragya, Upadhyay and Kulkarni?” Balasaheb Thackeray wrote at the end of the editorial.

The Congress party, which has been attacking Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur for her comments on Nathuram Godse, seems to have no shame in joining hands with the Shiv Sena, which in the past had showered praises to Nathuram Godse also by praising him as a patriot.

However, Rahul Gandhi seems to have a problem when a similar opinion is being expressed by the BJP leaders and chooses to remain silent when Shiv Sena, which is now ‘secularised’ after it joined the Congress party, expresses its admiration for Nathuram Godse.
The personal attacks on Sadhvi Pragya Thakur by the Congress party leadership is rather shameful. It is widely believed that Sadhvi Pragya Thakur is one of the victims of the Congress party’s attempt to invent Hindu Terror. Even after all the terror unleashed at her during the UPA era to attain a political objective, there is no end to Congress party’s desperation to attack and insult Sadhvi Pragya Thakur by calling her a ‘terrorist’.

Andhra Pradesh Congress says Hyderabad veterinary doctor was raped and murdered in “Peaceful-M” area, deletes tweet

OpIndia Staff
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Andhra Pradesh Congress says Hyderabad veterinary doctor was raped and murdered in “Peaceful-M” area, deletes tweet

Following the barbarous incident in which a 27-year-old veterinarian Preeti Reddy (name changed) was savagely murdered and her body was set ablaze after allegedly raping her in the Shamshabad neighbourhood of Hyderabad on Wednesday night, the official Andhra Pradesh Mahila Congress posted a tweet alleging that “Peaceful-M” are responsible for the predicament of the doctor.

Seeking justice for the slain Doctor Preeti Reddy (name changed), the official Twitter account of Andhra Pradesh Mahila Congress posted a tweet saying, “Preeti Reddy was raped and her body was burnt in Shamshabad, Hyderabad, a “Peaceful-M” majority area. Her bike was punctured and she called relatives to inform. Instead of helping her, this is what those “Peaceful Monsters” did to her.”

Soon after the tweet was posted, it garnered many retweets and was shared by a raft of people on Twitter. Shamshabad in Hyderabad is an ostensibly Muslim majority region and the official Congress handle claimed that “Peaceful Monsters” residing in the area are to be blamed for the plight of Dr Preeti Reddy, who was allegedly raped and brutally murdered before setting her body was set on fire by the culprits. However, before long, the tweet was pulled down from the official handle.

The police have arrested four accused in the case. According to the reports, the four accused had pre-planned the crime after they had noticed that the victim had parked her two-wheeler at the Tondupally toll plaza. The accused assumed that the lady would come to pick it up later in the evening. The accused then flattened the tyre. The prime accused was one Md Pasha. Other accused are Naveen from Gudigandla, cleaner Kesavulu, and an assistant named Siva.

Read: Hyderabad shocker: Police asked parents if their daughter has eloped, minister says why did she call family and not police

As Preeti Reddy was returning home from work a little after 8 pm to pick her vehicle, she noticed a flat tyre. She immediately called her sister, who suggested that she leave her two-wheeler at the toll plaza and take a cab home. Before she could, two men approached her, who offered to take her vehicle for repair.

The woman was allegedly ambushed and dragged into the bushes by the accused barely 50 metres from Tondupally toll plaza behind a line of trucks that was parked near the road. Her charred body was found under an underpass today morning.

Read: Hyderabad: Police confirms veterinarian’s rape and murder was pre-planned, release photo of main accused Md Pasha

According to police, the accused took her body to an under-construction bridge a few kilometres away and set it on fire. The police stated that the victim’s innerwear and some other objects including an alcohol bottle found around 100 metres from the spot led them to believe she was sexually assaulted before being killed.

The Telangana police have also confirmed that Preeti Reddy was kidnapped and gang-raped. The police confirmed that a lorry driver named Mohammad Pasha from Narayanpet in Mahababub Nagar district was allegedly the main suspect. Media reports are now saying that rape has been confirmed in post mortem analysis.

13 Indian ISIS terrorists held in Afghanistan may soon be repatriated under extradition treaty: Report

OpIndia Staff
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13 Indian ISIS terrorists held in Afghanistan may soon be repatriated under extradition treaty: Report

Kabul may soon be extraditing 13 Indian ISIS terrorists to India who were amongst more than 600 ISIS terrorists who had surrendered to the Afghan National Army in the last few weeks, says a report published in the Economic Times.

The decision to extradite Indian-origin ISIS terrorists came in the wake of the formalisation of the extradition treaty between the two countries last Sunday. According to the sources, the surrendered ISIS terrorists from India will be repatriated back after following due procedures.

Hundreds of ISIS terrorists have surrendered to the Afghan National Army following the offence launched by the American and Afghan forces. About 243 ISIS terrorists surrendered with around 400 family members on November 19 after a fierce onslaught against the terror group’s strongholds in Kunar and Nangarhar provinces in Afghanistan.

Last week, 82 terrorists had turned themselves in and surrendered to the security forces in Achin district of Nangarhar province. They had 51 women and 96 children with them.

The Governor of Nangarhar province, Shahmahmood Miakhel, had then claimed that about one-third of the surrendered ISIS terrorists belonged to India and Pakistan who will be first taken to Kabul for interrogation and subsequently sent back to their respective countries.

Read: Kerala: Two radical Islamist PFI members among the 10 believed to have joined ISIS

Since mid-October, the Armed forces of Afghanistan and the American forces have routinely bombarded the ISIS stronghold in the region, curtailing their food supplies and leaving them with the option of either starving to death or surrender to the forces.

The Indian intelligence agencies assert that a major chunk of the Indian ISIS terrorists is Keralites who were in Nangarhar and Kunar provinces. The intelligence agencies’ officials claim that they have been continuously monitoring their communications.

Agencies also believe that many of the missing Indians who were suspected of joining the ISIS have met with a grim fate. Others who have survived the carnage meted out by the US and Afghan forces and have realised that their cause stares an inevitable defeat are now eager to escape the strife-torn region.

Despite SC’s stay on tree cutting in Aarey, new Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray says not a single leaf will be cut, halts metro car shed construction

OpIndia Staff
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Despite SC’s stay on tree cutting in Aarey, new Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray says not a single leaf will be cut, halts metro car shed construction

Hours after sitting on Maharashtra’s chief minister’s seat, Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray, in his first policy decision, ordered to put a halt to the car shed construction for the Mumbai Metro in Aarey Milk Colony.

Addressing his first press conference as chief minister, Uddhav Thackeray said, “I have ordered to stop the work of Aarey metro car shed project today. Metro work will not stop but till next decision, not a single leaf of Aarey will be cut,” adding, “I am the first Chief Minister who was born in Mumbai. It is going on in my mind, what I can do for the city.”

“I am in Mantralaya (state secretariat) for the first time. I just had a meeting with the secretaries and we introduced each other. I told them to use taxpayers’ money in the best way, and that it should not be wasted,” said Thackeray while speaking to reporters after taking charge as the Maharashtra CM.

Saying that overnight cutting of trees in Aarey was not acceptable, Thackeray said not a single tree leaf will be cut till further notice.

The Supreme Court had last month, clarified that there is no stay order on the construction of Metro shed in Aarey Colony, with a stipulation that a stay on felling of trees will remain. Besides, it has also asked for a White Paper on the matter, seeking details of trees uprooted, transplanted and those that survived the transplant.

It is pertinent to note here that along with the SC stay on felling of trees, the Metro Corporation had also said that they have cut all the trees that needed to be cut and they do not need to cut any more trees in the area.

Also Read- Aarey: Environmentalism should be a practical concern, not a religion

Approximately 2000 trees were uprooted between October 4 to October 6, before the apex court put a stay on the further felling of trees. The order came after the Maharashtra government proceeded to chop the trees it needed to for its plan to clear 33 hectares of Aarey land for the project. The Supreme Court has listed the matter to be heard in court on November 15.

The Court has ordered MMRCL to submit a detail report on aforestation measures taken by it to compensate for felled trees. The court also sought a status report with pictures on plantation, transplantation and felling of trees in Aarey Colony.

On the night of 4th October, the Mumbai Metro Corporation had started the process of cutting 2,185 trees in Aarey colony after the Bombay High Court dismissed all petitions against the same earlier in that day. As per an order issued by the Tree Authority on 13th September, approval for cutting 2,185 trees and transplanting 461 trees was granted to clear the allotted land for the depot of metro trains.

Police had to impose section 144 of the IPC for smooth implementation of the order as protestors had arrived at Aarey Colony to prevent trees from being cut. Out of 2,185 trees marked for felling, 2,141 trees were cut before the stay by SC, while the Metro Corporation had said that they have cut all the trees that needed to be cut and they do not need to cut any more trees in the area.

Hyderabad shocker: Police asked parents if their daughter has eloped, minister says why did she call family and not police

OpIndia Staff
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Hyderabad shocker: Police asked parents if their daughter has eloped, minister says why did she call family and not police

In an outrageous act of victim shaming, Telangana Home Minister Mohammad Mahmood Ali on Friday said the deceased women Dr Preeti Reddy (name changed), who was brutally raped and murdered, should have called the police first and questioned the rationale of the victim’s call to her sister.

Speaking to the media, Mohammad Mahmood Ali, Telangana Home Minister said the deceased woman who was a doctor should have dialled the emergency police contact first rather than contacting her sister.

“She is a doctor, she is educated. Why did she call her sister first? She should have called 100 first,” said Ali.


Ali’s comments have sparked massive outrage on social media.

Meanwhile, serious questions are being raised against the conduct of Telangana police after the parents of the deceased woman accused the police of willfully neglecting their complaint. Reportedly, the police allegedly disbelieved the parents of Preeti Reddy when they complained about missing daughter. Reddy’s parents have stated to media that when they insisted that their daughter might be in trouble, the police officer speaking to them had stated that their daughter must have eloped with someone.

The family members said that they first approached the RGIA police station from where they were directed to go to Shamshabad police station. Reportedly, the policemen had reportedly said that the area in which crime was committed was not under their jurisdiction.

On Wednesday night, a 27-year-old veterinarian Dr Preeti Reddy (name changed) was brutally raped and murdered and her body was set ablaze on the outskirts of Hyderabad. Four people have been reportedly arrested in connection with the case.

Read: Hyderabad Police confirms veterinarian’s rape and murder was pre-planned, release photo of main accused Md Pasha

According to the reports, the four accused had pre-planned the crime after they had noticed that the victim had parked her two-wheeler at the Tondupally toll plaza. The accused assumed that the lady would come to pick it up later in the evening. The accused then deflated the tyre.

As Preeti Reddy was returning home from work a little after 8 pm to pick her vehicle, she noticed a flat tyre. She immediately called her sister, who suggested that she leave her two-wheeler at the toll plaza and take a cab home. Before she could, two men approached her, who offered to take her vehicle for repair.

The woman was allegedly ambushed and dragged into the bushes by the accused barely 50 metres from Tondupally toll plaza behind a line of trucks that was parked near the road. Her charred body was found under an underpass on Thursday morning.

According to police, the accused took her body to an under-construction bridge a few kilometres away and set it on fire. The police stated that the victim’s innerwear and some other objects including an alcohol bottle found around 100 metres from the spot led them to believe she was sexually assaulted before being killed.

The Telangana police have also confirmed that Preeti Reddy was kidnapped and gang-raped. The police confirmed that a lorry driver named Mohammad Pasha from Narayanpet in Mahababub Nagar district was allegedly the main suspect. Media reports are now saying that rape has been confirmed in post mortem analysis.

The other accused, identified as Naveen from Gudigandla, cleaner Kesavulu, and an assistant named Siva have also been arrested. The incident has sparked massive outrage among the public over the never-ending cases of sexual violence against women.

Rajasthan: Rape accused Tinku Anwar gets bail after 2 months, takes friends to stab his victim and her husband, both critical

OpIndia Staff
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Rajasthan: Rape accused Tinku Anwar gets bail after 2 months, takes friends to stab his victim and her husband, both critical

In a shocking incident, an out-on-bail rapist has attacked and stabbed the rape survivor and her husband in Kota, Rajasthan. The culprit, along with three other criminals, has stabbed the husband and then went on to stab the victim.

The main accused Tinku Anwar, who was out on bail, first attacked the victim’s husband with a knife in a busy market place before fleeing away with his accomplices. He then allegedly went to the victim’s house and stabbed her too.

The woman and her husband have been admitted to the MBS hospital and she is said to be extremely critical.

A CCTV footage has emerged in which a masked man can be seen entering a bylane of a busy locality in Kota, Rajasthan with a knife in his hand. After a few seconds, the accused who is out on bail is seen rushing out of the lane and fleeing away.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVNxOPFB0A4]

According to reports, Anwar along with three of his associates stabbed the woman’s 40-year-old husband in a busy market place in Kota, Rajasthan multiple times and grievously wounded him. The four then went to his house, which was about a kilometre away from the spot, and attacked the survivor, leaving her seriously injured as well.

Kaithunipole SHO Pawan Kumar Meena said, “The two are undergoing treatment at the MBS Hospital. At least four persons attacked the 40-year-old man with knives many times. They later went to his home and attacked his wife. The couple received head and stomach injuries even as the accused managed to flee”.

All four attackers, namely, Tinku Anwar, Sikku, Shahrukh and Abrar, all residents of Kota, have been booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 307 (attempt to murder).

Police said the injured woman, who is battling for life in the hospital, had lodged a rape and blackmailing complaint against Tinku Anwar in September this year. Subsequently, Anwar was arrested in October and jailed. He was released on bail about four days back.

SHO Meena added that Tinku had allegedly raped the woman in 2017 and filmed the act. After multiple threats from him for around 2 years, the rape survivor finally filed a complaint and the police had subsequently arrested him.

Sadhvi Pragya moves privilege motion against Rahul Gandhi demanding apology for calling her terrorist

OpIndia Staff
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Sadhvi Pragya moves privilege motion against Rahul Gandhi demanding apology for calling her terrorist

Sadhvi Pragya has moved a privilege motion in the parliament against the former Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s remarks against her. Gandhi had called her a “terrorist” in a tweet posted by him.


Pragya, who was removed from the Defence panel after terming Nathuram Godse a patriot, moved a privilege motion against Gandhi demanding an apology from him for his remarks. Pragya’s demand was also backed by the BJP which asked the Gandhi scion to tender an apology to the member of parliament from Bhopal.

Earlier, Rahul Gandhi had taken to Twitter to assert that Pragya Thakur is a terrorist. “Terrorist Pragya calls terrorist Godse, a patriot. A sad day, in the history of India’s Parliament,” Gandhi had said on Twitter.


Gandhi’s comment came in the wake of Sadhvi Pragya’s remarks for Nathuram Godse. Sadhvi had called Godse a patriot after which she was pulled up by the BJP president JP Nadda and was subsequently removed from the Defence panel.

On the other hand, Rahul Gandhi has brazened out his remark on Sadhvi Pragya. “I stood by my comment. Whatever she said about Nathuram Godse, she spoke from her heart. This is what she and RSS feel about Godse. They can bring motion against me. That’s fine. Whatever they will do against me. I will welcome it,” Rahul said.

Sadhvi Pragya has already apologised in the Lok Sabha for her comments on Godse.

With the most successful decade of Indian Test Cricket coming to a close, here is our list of the top 11 players

Sandeep Singh
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With the most successful decade of Indian Test Cricket coming to a close, here is our list of the top 11 players

The 2010s are about to end and we look back at what has been a very successful decade for India in Test Cricket. In all, India played 107 Test matches this decade, winning 56 and losing 29 for a Win/Loss ratio of 1.931. In total 54 players represented India in Test Cricket this decade and out of them, here is the XI we picked.

Virender Sehwag

His best days were in the 2000s but still managed to score 2,338 runs in this decade. Sehwag had the highest average among Indian openers who scored more than 1,000 runs this decade.

Murali Vijay

Played more Test matches during this decade than any other opener for India and scored most runs among opening batsmen as well. Hit 12 hundred in his 59 Tests as well, but a poor 2018 and emergence of Mayank and Prithvi Shaw means he may have played his last Test match.

Cheteshwar Pujara

The second most prolific batsman for India in Tests this decade behind Virat Kohli. There were questions over his strike rate for some reason a while ago which saw him miss a few Tests but consistent performances during the previous Australian tour once again cemented his place in the side. Only Virat Kohli hit more 100s than Pujara’s 18 during this decade.

Virat Kohli (C)

The stand out batsman for India during this decade. Kohli dominated the bowling all over the world in all formats, and hardly surprising that he is the top run-scorer for India in the 2010s. 7,202 runs at an average of 54.97 with 27 hundred for Virat since his debut in 2011 put him in a league of his own. Being the best batsman in the side, he gets the preferred Number 4 slot and the next man has to move down one place.

Sachin Tendulkar

Just like Sehwag, the 2010s wasn’t really the best of Sachin Tendulkar as he chased that 100th international hundred for the most part. Still scored 2,951 runs this decade with 8 hundreds. Apart from Virat Kohli, the only Indian batsman to average 50+ in the 2010s (For batsmen with over 1,000 runs)

MS Dhoni

He surprised everyone when he retired from Tests back in 2014 but remains the best Wicket-keeper to have played for India this decade. Scored his career-best of 224 earlier in the decade against Australia that turned the Test in India’s favour.

Ravi Jadeja

Batting average in the Mid 30s and bowling average in Mid 20s will put Jadeja in the league of all-time great all-rounders. His batting has gone from strength to strength in recent times and he remains as accurate as ever with his left-arm spin. Add the fact that he is the best fielder India ever had and he becomes an automatic pick in the squad.

R Ashwin

7th most prolific batsman for India in the 2010s with 4 Test centuries to his name and a small matter of 362 wickets since his debut in 2011. One of the most successful bowlers ever for India (4th place for now) and almost unplayable while bowling in home conditions.

Ishant

Struggled around for a long time with bowling average in the high 30s before hitting his groove in the latter half of the decade and becoming a big reason for the successes India has enjoyed in the past few years. That bowling average is coming down all the time and he seems to be getting fitter and fitter as well.

Shami

Another member of the current pace battery that is powering India to the top of the World Test Championship. 175 wickets at an average of 27 so far for him with a well-deserved tag of “Second innings Shami”, his bowling average during 2nd innings- 21.86, first-innings- 32.39

Bumrah

Bumrah has only taken 62 wickets so far, having played just 12 tests so far but he absolutely smashes the door down to enter the Test team of the decade. He is quick, he is exciting, he moves the bowl all over the place, he destroys the stumps with amazing frequency and picks up his wickets at a fantastic average of 19.

Karnataka: Sedition charges filed against ex CMs HD Kumaraswamy, Siddaramaiah and others for obstructing IT raids

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka: Sedition charges filed against ex CMs HD Kumaraswamy, Siddaramaiah and others for obstructing IT raids

Bengaluru Police have booked former chief ministers Siddaramaiah and HD Kumaraswamy along with few other Congress leaders including former deputy chief minister G Parameshwara, DK Shivakumar, Congress state chief Dinesh Gundu Rao, and JD(S) leaders under several Sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including sedition charges for opposing the income tax raids during Lok Sabha polls.

In addition to this, the then Bengaluru Police Commissioner T Suneel Kumar, former DCP (East) Rahul Shadpurwad, former DCP (Central) Deveraju and six other police officers have been booked as well.

Acting on a private complaint by activist Mallikarjuna A, a local court directed the commercial street police to register an FIR under various sections of the IPC, including criminal conspiracy and attempting or abetting waging war against the Government of India. The FIR was registered on Wednesday.

Mallikarjuna A, an activist form Tumkur, had on March 27 alleged that the then chief minister H D Kumaraswamy had issued statements to the media that he had received information that I-T officials were preparing to raid houses belonging to some JD(S) leaders.

The next day they held a protest opposing the raids on JD(S) and Congress leaders. This amounted to obstructing I-T officials from discharging their duties and this also led to major traffic snarls in the area. He further alleged that the police too didn’t do anything to stop the protest.

IT officials had conducted raids prior to the Lok Sabha elections as precautionary measures against the use of money power in the Lok Sabha elections. The then Congress-JD(S) government had sulked over it, calling it vendetta politics.

Cautioning that he would not shy away from pulling off a Mamata if the centre continued to indulge in “politics of vendetta to weaken opponents” ahead of the elections, the then CM HD Kumaraswamy had also accused the centre of taking the CRPF’s help in the raids in order to maintain the mission’s secrecy.

Meanwhile, reacting to the sedition charges, Congress leader DK Shivakumar, who was in Tihar jail in a money laundering case until recently, said all the cases were politically motivated and he will fight it politically. “We did not enter the income tax office. We stood 150 metres away and raised slogans,” he added.

Easier to convince a dacoit than a communist: Read what Dr KK Muhammad said at Mangaluru Lit Fest

OpIndia Staff
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Easier to convince a dacoit than a communist: Read what Dr KK Muhammad said at Mangaluru Lit Fest

On Friday, Dr KK Muhammed, the former regional director of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), who was one of the archaeologists who had unearthed a temple beneath the controversial Babri Masjid stated that it was easy to convince a dacoit but it is impossible to convince a communist.


Speaking at the second edition of the Mangaluru Literature Festival on the ‘Idea of Bharat’, former archaeologist Dr KK Muhammad shared his anecdotes during his days at the Archaeological Survey of India. Dr KK Muhammed spoke about how he was successful in convincing a dreaded dacoit of the Chambal valley to not only allow him to rebuild temples but also how he motivated the dacoit to take up the cause of temple restoration.

“During one of our projects to restore temples in the Chambal valley that had been ravaged in the past, I came across a dreaded dacoit named Nirbhay Singh Gujjar, who helped me to rebuild around 80 temples in areas around Bhatukeshwar and Bhojpur in Madhya Pradesh,” said Muhammed.

He added, “The BJP govt was of no help. I then convinced the dreaded dacoit Nirbhay Gujjar to respect our heritage and allow me to protect it. He relented, and I was able to reconstruct as many as 80 temples. You can convince a dacoit but never a communist.”

Narrating the incident, Muhammed also said how he was successful in convincing the dreaded dacoit of the Chambal valley to take up the cause of restoration of dozens of temples in the area built during the reign of Gurjara Pratiharas.

Dr KK Muhammed’s statements came as a response to the continuous interference of the left-wing ideologues and self-proclaimed communist historians in the Ram Mandir case. The left-wing historians had time and again attempted to debunk the ASI reports that had suggested that there was a temple beneath the controversial mosque at Ayodhya.

Even several times in the past, the former archaeologist had alleged that Left historians like Irfan Habib and Romila Thapar had thwarted attempts to arrive at a resolution to the Babri Masjid issue.

KK Muhammed was a part of the team of archaeologists which had carried out the first excavation at the site in 1976-77 that had unearthed 12 pillars of a Hindu temple at Babri Masjid site.

Read: Event to honour archaeologist KK Muhammad cancelled after Islamists protest his finding that Ram Temple existed at Ram Janmabhoomi

Dr Mohammed had said that communists did not want the Ayodhya issue to be settled and it was they who stopped Muslim organisations from handing over the disputed land to Hindus.

“The Babri issue would have been settled long ago if the Muslim intelligentsia had not fallen prey to the brainwashing by the Leftist historians. A set of historians including Romila Thapar, Bipin Chandra and S Gopal argued that there was no mention of the dismantling of the temple before 19th century and Ayodhya is Bhudhist-Jain centre. They were supported by historians Irfan Habib, RS Sharma, DN Jha, Suraj Ben and Akthar Ali,” Dr KK Muhammed had stated in the past.

Dr KK Muhammed also expressed his disappointment over the reluctance of the BJP government in conserving and promoting Indian culture and heritage. “We expected so much from the nationalist BJP govt when it came to power, but it has been six years and they have not done anything. So much of our culture and heritage lies in utter neglect. In fact, Congress was better because at least they didn’t interfere,” said Dr KK Muhammed.


Speaking at the literature festival, KK Muhammed also said that if Lord Rama is not part of Muslims culture in the country, he was not a perfect Muslim. “Let me be clear, India is secular only because it is a Hindu majority nation, said Dr KK Muhammed.

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