Amid ongoing Assembly Elections in Jammu and Kashmir for the first time since the abrogation of Article 370, journalist Archana Tiwari of Rajdharma YouTube channel has provided a rather darker side of the peaceful picture of the Union Territory. The last Assembly Elections in Jammu and Kashmir took place in 2014. The scheduled elections in 2019 could not happen following the abrogation of Article 370 and had to be postponed multiple times in view of security concerns.
However, in the past five years, the situation has changed significantly, especially in terms of incidents of protests, stone pelting, and development. There have been numerous videos of people roaming freely late at night at Lal Chowk in Kashmir, which used to be unthinkable earlier. While the happy picture of the valley is promising, what unfolded with Archana revealed that beneath the veneer of peace and development, there is a deep-rooted animosity towards Hindus which remains unchanged.
Archana did what journalists are supposed to do. She was armed with just a microphone and a camera as she ventured into rural areas. She spoke to the local Kashmiris who admitted there had been changes in the situation, including security and development, but on the other hand, they also voiced their opposition to the influx of Hindus into the valley.
It was not her questions about governance or progress that ruffled feathers, but her probe into sentiments about Hindus and temples. The hatred, often brushed aside in mainstream discourse, was laid bare for the world to see.
Archana visited Kashmir as part of her journalistic coverage. She is known for asking uncomfortable questions of the locals, unlike the left-liberal “journalists” who are always ready to blame the government and paint a victimised picture of the people of Kashmir. In one of the interviews, Archana openly asked a Muslim local what would happen if Hindus settled in their village and established a temple. The Muslim man claimed they would not tolerate a temple in the village and would burn it down.
This was just one example. Hostile behaviour towards the government of India and Hindus was seen across Kashmir in her interviews. Interestingly, her coverage triggered a vile campaign against her, simply because she dared to ask uncomfortable questions to Kashmiri Muslims. They longed for the embedded journalism of the past, the kind where the likes of Barkha Dutt would come and tutor the Kashmiris to swap the word “Islam” for “Kashmir” when expressing their views.
For long, embedded journalists like Dutt downplayed the religious underpinnings of the Kashmir issue. However, Archana was not one of them, and she decided not to sugar-coat anything.
Islamists gang up against Archana Tiwari
But in return, Archana is being targetted by the Islamists. For example, Vice President of JK Youth Society, Yana Mir, came down heavily on Archana for the style of her reporting. In a post on X, she wrote, “A certain Tiwari girl was strutting around in #Kashmir, trying to villify #Kashmiris, make the nation overlook sacrifices of those Kashmiris who laid down their life for the nation, by interviewing a handful of narrow minded people.. What if i go to her city, interview the goons who physically attack Muslims for suspicion of cow lynching, who dont like Muslims residing in their colonies, who dont like Muslims naming their dhabas with Hindu names, who dont like sound of Azaan etc etc.. Does it mean everyone from TIWARILAND is INTOLERANT AND UNSECULAR?”
Source: X
So-called human rights activist and chairman of JK Save Youth Save Future, Wajahat Farooq Bhat, accused Archana of poisoning the minds of innocent people of Kashmir including children. In a post on X, he wrote, “Ever since this so-called radical YouTuber arrived in #Kashmir, she has been deliberately poisoning the minds of innocent people of #Kashmir, including children, attempting to turn locals against India and the Hindu religion. She is no different from the radical anti-India groups inciting unrest and promoting communal violence in Kashmir. Her agenda is clear — She has no interest in promoting peace in the Valley. I urge the Hon’ble @OfficeOfLGJandK Shri @manojsinha_ Ji and @JmuKmrPolice to take immediate action against her and her malicious propaganda. There is no doubt that she is backed by some Anti-India outfit to create chaos and bloodshed in Kashmir. She must be stopped before she succeeds in her sinister mission.” He also tagged Home Ministry, Kashmir Police and Election commission in his post. It is interesting to see how Bhat pointed fingers at Archana while completely whitewashing the answers given by the locals.
Source: X
Even journalists were no different. Just because Archana was not in line with the way of their reporting, she became a soft target. Yasmeen Khan, who writes for Awaz The Voicce, Salaam TV, Muslim Mirror and Greater Kashmir, said in a post on X, “There is a disturbing practice happening in Kashmir where a YouTuber is approaching innocent, less educated individuals in the streets asking them their views on sensitive topics like mandir, masjid and liquor. This unethical behavior exploits their lack of understanding about the larger narrative in the country putting our fellow Kashmiris at risk. I urge @SrinagarPolice to take action against such individuals and protect our community from this hazard.”
Source: X
Mujeeb Masood Khan, an X user, cited sections of the Indian Penal Code and an article from the Constitution of India to claim that Archana was doing something wrong. He said, “153A. Promoting enmity between different groups on the ground of religion, etc., & doing acts prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony. 295A. Deliberate & malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings. Article 19(2) imposes restrictions on the right to FOS!” The funny thing is, he counted everything to target Archana but forgot that the same sections and articles can be used against those Islamists who spoke against Hindus, claimed they would burn temples, and what not.
Souce: X
Archana is not the first journalist to be targeted for having a different opinion from the left-liberal ecosystem, and she won’t be the last. But her case has highlighted a broader issue. Kashmir’s Islamists and their sympathisers do not want the real face of the valley exposed. They want controlled narratives, softened questions, and prefer journalists who will toe the line. Archana simply asked the questions. She merely showed the actual sentiments on the ground. What frightens the left-liberals and Islamists is not just her questions, but the fact that her microphone has exposed their own hypocrisy.
After a case was registered against SP MP Awadhesh Prasad’s son Ajit Prasad for allegedly kidnapping a man, Uttar Pradesh Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar on Tuesday lashed out at the Samajwadi Party and questioned that why only the names of SP leaders are coming up in all the cases.
“Why are the names of Samajwadi Party leaders coming up in every case? Whether it is Ayodhya rape-case, Kannauj rape-case or Mau rape-case. Now, the case of duplicate notes. Everything is being done by Samajwadi Party leaders. It is unfortunate that these people are the enemy of the nation and society. Such people should be immediately arrested and put in jail,” OP Rajbhar said.
However, Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad dismissed the allegations against his son by calling it “baseless” and “false.”
Saying that BJP will not be able to win the bye-elections from the Milkipur seat, Awadhesh Prasad accused BJP of registering a baseless case against his son. He claimed that Akhilesh Yadav has given a ticket to his son to contest the elections, however, the party is yet to announce the names of candidates for upcoming bye-elections.
Reacting to registration of FIR registered against his son, Awadhesh Prasad said, “The case is baseless and false. Elections will be held for Milkipur by-elections and SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav has given a ticket to my son to contest the elections. BJP knows that they will not be able to win the elections from the Milkipur seat…That is why they have registered a baseless case against my son. There is no truth in the case…”
On September 22, an FIR was registered against SP MP Awadhesh Prasad’s son Ajit Prasad and others at Kotwali Nagar police station in Ayodhya for allegedly kidnapping a man whom he had given Rs 1 Lakh and threatening him to return the money. The Rs 1 Lakh was a part of the proceedings of a land deal commission. Sections of BNS had been invoked in the case.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
A popular Islamic cleric in Pakistan, Tariq Masood, known for his fiery videos defending ‘Sar Tan Se Juda‘ calls over blasphemy, including against former BJP leader Nupur Sharma, and puritanical preachings of Islam, has become the object of Islamist ire after he called the Islamic prophet “illiterate” and asserted that Allah didn’t bother to correct numerous grammatical errors in the ‘Holy’ Quran.
“Prophet Muhammad was illiterate, the Quran contains faulty text, & Allah did not correct it either. So, why do we follow him, as he was neither educated nor do his culture or language align with ours,” Mufti Tariq Masood said in a video that went viral on social media almost immediately, attracting calls for his beheading from the faithful for what they consider the unpardonable sin of committing “blasphemy”.
"Prophet Muhammad was illiterate, the Quran contains faulty text, & Allah did not correct it either. So, why do we follow him, as he was neither educated nor do his culture or language align with ours."
Scores of Islamists on X, formerly known as Twitter, raised ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ demands against the Mufti for what they claimed was an insult to their beloved Prophet and disrespect for the ‘Holy’ Quran.
A social media user referred to Mufti’s remarks on Prophet Muhammad as “gustakh” and proclaimed that the Muslim cleric had crossed all the limits. The user further claimed that such people are deviating from the Ummah and there is a need to fix accountability.
Absolutely unacceptable! This gustakh Khinzir Tariq Masood has crossed all limits. Disrespecting our beloved Prophet ﷺ and the Quran is a line that cannot be crossed. Such people are deviating the Ummah. Accountability is a must.#muftitariqmasood@GovtofPakistanpic.twitter.com/X0aIvMJB5u
Shia activists in Gilgit-Baltistan called for a blasphemy case against Tariq Masood for calling Prophet Muhammad illiterate and stating that the Quran is replete with grammatical errors.
Riots erupted in the mosque of Mufti Tariq Masood, an unverified video of which was shared by a social media user on X. The video shows an angry mob pelting stones.
نارتھ کراچی میں Tariq Masood کی مسجد میں ہلڑ بازی کے مناظر ۔۔۔ مولویوں کے دو گروہ (ایک طارق مسعود کا حامی دوسرا مخالف ) ایک دوسرے پر قرآن و حدیث کی کتب اور دیگر اسلامی کتب پھینک پھینک کر اپنے گندے عقائد کا اعلان کر رہے ہیں
Masood promptly went into hiding as outrage swept over his comments on Prophet Muhammad and the Quran and in the wake of death threats he received from Islamists who believed he had committed the “unpardonable sin” of blasphemy, which, according to them, has only one punishment: death.
Desperate to save himself from the ire of extremists, Masood has issued four frantic apologies to date, trying to distance himself from the comments by building a “context” around it.
However, his apologies have fallen on deaf ears as those who are outraged at his remarks share his past videos where he dismisses apologies tendered by so-called ‘blasphemers’ and advocates the death penalty for them.
In one of the old videos that is doing the rounds on the internet, Tariq Masood can be seen preaching and advocating that only blasphemy laws that have the death penalty can stop blasphemy as it is easy to apologise after committing a mistake.
As ye sow, so shall ye reap
Pakistan’s Mufti Tariq Masood, now in hiding after his own ‘blasphemous’ lecture, has put out four frantic apology videos
But as you can watch, he has always preached that only blasphemy laws (that have death penalty) can stop blasphemy because it’s… pic.twitter.com/E6Ewl2L98J
Maulana Tariq Masood had previously been in the spotlight for his controversial statements about marriage. Now, he faces blasphemy accusations in Pakistan, at a time when two people have been killed on similar charges in recent days.
Recently, a man accused of blasphemy was killed in police custody by an officer. In another case, a doctor accused of blasphemy was shot dead by the police in an encounter, with authorities claiming he was trying to escape. The police officers involved in these incidents have been honoured in Pakistan.
Ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly Elections, the state is experiencing massive chaos as the people supported by the Islamists and a few political parties like the AIMIM, NCP (Sharad Pawar), and the Shiv Sena (UBT) are playing politics on religion. In the past, several such incidents have taken place in which the NCP (SP) or the Shiv Sena (UBT) have extended support to the Islamist community who are at present demanding death punishment for the Hindu Saint Ramgiri Maharaj.
A video is making the rounds on social media in which Islamists can be heard raising the slogans of ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ against Ramgiri Maharaj. The outraged Islamists marched to Mumbai from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The Islamists in the AIMIM rally, led by party vice president of the state Syed Moin, demanded death for anyone who comments against Prophet Mohammed.
Apart from ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’, slogans of ‘Allah-hu-Akhbar’, and ‘La ilaha illallah’ were also raised by the Islamists in the rally. This took place on 22nd September evening as the AIMIM decided to march to Mumbai demanding strict punishment against Hindu saint Ramgiri Maharaj for his remarks on Prophet Mohammed. Syed Moin led the rally from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar to Mumbai and named it ‘Chalo Mumbai’.
Earlier it was said by the party that the rally would be ‘peaceful’ however, several videos appeared on social media in which the Islamists could be heard raising ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ slogans.
औरंगाबाद की तरफ जा रहा Syed Moin के काफिले का रास्ते में हुआ जोरदार इस्तकबाल, चलो मुंबई गुस्ताख ए रसूल के खिलाफ ? pic.twitter.com/G5wqkBOOm2
AIMIM’s ‘Chalo Mumbai’ rally ahead of the State elections
It is crucial to note that the AIMIM in Maharashtra has organised a ‘Chalo Mumbai Tiranga’ rally ahead of the state assembly elections to protest against the rising communal tensions. On 22nd September, one rally was organised by state party vice president Syed Moin, and the next day, on 23rd September, another rally was organised by AIMIM leader Imtiaz Jaleel. Both rallies were headed from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar to Mumbai, the capital city of Maharashtra.
Jaleel spoke during the gathering, stating that there is an urgent need to confront the alleged growing caste and religious divisions. “The walls of caste and religion are being built in Maharashtra. Attempts are being made to incite rioting. Muslims are being threatened on stage; are these not illegal acts? Shouldn’t action be taken? I am concerned about the absence of police action despite several FIRs filed against Rane for his incendiary statements,” Jaleel said.
Jaleel further stated, “We are going to remind the CM that this country will function as per the Constitution, as per law. We want a law that prohibits statements based on caste or religion, or derogatory remarks about religious figures. If such statements are made, there should be strict laws against them.”
He said that the rally would be peaceful but the Islamists who participated in the first rally happened to raise provocative slogans demanding death for anyone who would allegedly make derogatory comments against Prophet Mohammed and the other rally attempted to block the roads in Mumbai.
Monday, 23rd September A big day for Muslims in Maharashtra. A big day for me and my community. I entered politics in 2014 because we were being sidelined, ignored, and insulted. Today, the BJP’s communal hatred allows anyone to insult our Prophet without consequence—and they…
As per the local reports, the Mumbai Police had made all the arrangements to make sure that Jaleel and the rally led by him were not allowed in the city. The Police installed check posts at all the borders of the city and said that the AIMIM leader and any Muslim organization would not be allowed to pass the Mulund check post. The Mumbai Police and Thane Police stand together today ensuring no Muslim organization or AIMIM group is allowed in the city destroying its peace.
The rally notably comes in the wake of BJP leader Nitesh Rane’s alleged contentious comments at a public event, in which he defended Mahant Ramgiri Maharaj’s remarks.
What comments of Ramgiri Maharaj enraged the Islamists
Saint Ramgiri Maharaj, during a sermon in Panchale village of Nashik’s Sinnar region on 16th August, allegedly passed derogatory comments on Prophet Mohammed, enraging the Muslim community. The Hindu saint during the sermon indicated that several Islamists have disrespected women in the past because of the religious doctrine they follow.
You kept quiet during Nupur Sharma times… don't be silent this time.
— Sameet Thakkar (Modi Ka Parivar) (@thakkar_sameet) August 17, 2024
After this, several Islamists filed a police complaint against Ramgiri Maharaj in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nashik, Mumbai, and Pune, alleging that the Hindu saint had deliberately made such comments. Apart from Islamists, several political leaders like NCP’s Jitendra Awhad, AIMIM’s Imtiaz Jaleel, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi led by Prakash Ambedkar had also commented on the matter criticizing Ramgiri Maharaj.
However, State CM Eknath Shinde later made it clear that the state has a great tradition of saints and the state is operating only due to the good, positive blessings of the Saints. He also stated that no one should dare to even think of harming the saints in the state.
Meanwhile, commenting on the communal chaos, Ramgiri Maharaj said to the media that he did not say anything to create a rift. “It was an hour-and-a-half sermon. A few parts of it were edited. I was talking about Bhishmacharya and Dharmaraj during the sermon. I was explaining what is Rajdharma and how should a king follow Rajdharma. I spoke giving an instance that injustice should not be tolerated. While raising this issue, the topic of Bangladesh came up,” he said.
Later, Ramgiri Maharaj in the sermon stated that Hindus should stand together against the oppression of Hindus, atrocities that they usually face at the hands of Islamists. “I said that we should be organized against this, we should remain strong. No one should hate or envy. Don’t bother anyone. But if someone is harassing you, don’t bear it. What we said is written in the scriptures,” he said adding that nothing else could be said on this issue. “We are peace-loving people and our intentions are never to hurt anyone but to show society the truth,” he added.
Ramgiri Maharaj explained the context in which he said whatever he said. He confirmed that he made the statement in the wake of ongoing atrocities faced by Hindus in Bangladesh at the hands of Islamists. However, the Islamist community in India happened to ignore the context completely and is now deliberately targeting the Hindu saint by spreading his edited video from the one-and-a-half-hour-long sermon.
What did Nitesh Rane say
Nitesh Rane, on 3rd September, was captured on video extending support to Ramgiri Maharaj. He said that he would allegedly enter mosques and attack those who criticize Ramgiri Maharaj. “If you dare harm our Ramgiri Maharaj, we will enter your masjid (mosque) and will hunt you down one by one (chun chun ke marenge). Keep this in mind,” Rane was quoted as saying.
Later 2 FIRs were filed against Rane, one at Shrirampur police station and the other one at Topkhana police station for making provocative statements against a particular community.
Earlier, in August this year, Rane, while he was in Ahilyanagar (Ahmednagar), had stated that whatever Ramgiri Maharaj has said is not new. He said that he could show 10 Muslim scholars who have said the same thing in the past, which is now being termed as a ‘derogatory statement’.
After this, AIMIM spokesperson Waris Pathan stated that Rane was spreading hatred in society. “This is inflammatory and hate speech. The BJP is trying to incite communal violence in Maharashtra before the state assembly elections,” Pathan was quoted as saying.
Previous incidents of ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ slogans raised by Islamists across India
“Gustakh-e-Rasool ki Ek hi saza, sar tan se Juda, sar tan se Juda”, this murderous slogan has claimed many lives in the name of alleged ‘blasphemy’ not only in India where there are no ‘blasphemy laws’ but also in other parts of the world. In the given case, the AIMIM rally is not the first place where Islamists were heard raising slogans of ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ against the Hindu saint. Slogans were raised in Mumbai, Pune, Madhya Pradesh, and even in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
On 25th August, Pune City Police booked over 300 people for illegally assembling, conducting a protest march without permission, and raising objectionable ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ slogans in front of the Pune Collector’s office.
The Islamist mob carried out the protest march without obtaining necessary permission from the administration. According to Pune City Police officials, a case was lodged at Bund Garden Police Station. The accused were booked under sections 189(2), 190, 196, and 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), as well as sections 135 and 37(1) of the Maharashtra Police Act.
Several minors were seen raising the controversial death slogans against Ramgiri Maharaj in the Mumbra region of Mumbai. Taking cognizance of this, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) had written to Thane IPS Ashutosh Dumbare asking the administration to identify such children and produce them before the Child Welfare Committee. It also suggested organizing necessary counselling to be given to the children involved ensuring their psycho well-being and behaviour. The commission also stated that FIR be filed against all the perpetrators involved.
Islamists raise ‘#Sar_Tan_Se_Juda’ slogans across India against Ramgiri Maharaj.
'Arey Maula, Maula Kya Chahiye, Gustaq -e Nabi ka sar chahiye' shouted Islamists in Mumbai.
Ramgiri Maharaj had said, "How can a 50 year old man marrying a 6 year old child be anyones ideal.'
A massive protest rally was also taken out in Karnataka’s Kudachi. Other than Karnataka, protests were held in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara, Uttar Pradesh’s Amroha, Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and in Gwalior district of Madhya Pradesh.
As reported earlier, on 22nd August, Madhya Pradesh police took strict action against Islamists who pelted stones and created a ruckus in Chhatarpur Kotwali police station on Wednesday afternoon while protesting against Ramgiri Maharaj. The police registered a case against 150 people involved in the ruckus after the orders were issued by CM Mohan Yadav. The FIR included 50 named and 100 other people who pelted stones at the police station injuring two officers. MP CM Mohan Yadav took cognizance of the matter and directed the authorities to take stringent action against the unruly Islamists. Subsequently, accused Haji Shahzad Ali’s house in Mastan Sahab Colony of Chhatarpur city was demolished with the help of a bulldozer.
On September 1st, a Muslim man identified as Imran was arrested by the police for burning a copy of the Quran in the Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh and supporting Ramgiri Maharaj. The man posted his video of burning the Quran on social media. As per the reports, the members of the Muslim community rushed to the police station after watching the video and demanded the arrest of the accused. The police filed an FIR in the case and arrested Imran.
Imran, in the video, indicated that Islam was never a peaceful religion and that the people following it were committing a mistake. “Quran suggests to murder Kafirs, it promotes teen talaq and halal practices which lead to disrespecting women. Is this justice? Many today are raping minors, abusing them. How can people snatch the childhood of minors? There’s no equality in Islam,” the accused said.
He further added that whatever Swami Ramgiri Maharaj said was all correct. “I agree I don’t know complete Islam but I have the guts to call out wrongdoings which these Maulanas and Muftis can’t do. I am just burning away this book. What these people have done to Bangladeshi Hindus is also wrong. Further, these Muslims are yelling slogans of ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ against Swami Ramgiri Maharaj who spoke for Bangladeshi Hindus. These Muslims eliminated the context in which Swami Ramgiri Maharaj spoke and accused him of blasphemy. I am against all this, committing this act and accepting Sanatan Dharma.”
The video of the incident was posted by Super Live News and the statements quoted above have been published by Super Live News quoting accused Imran from the viral video.
Conclusion: Constitution needs to be respected
The state of Maharashtra has seen a rise in Islamist rhetoric since the Lok Sabha elections. Maharashtra is the state that has most number of constituencies after Uttar Pradesh and these two states were supposed to push BJP to victory in the Lok Sabha 2024 elections. However, BJP faltered in both these states.
In Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena led by CM Eknath Shinde secured 7 seats, and BJP won 9 seats, whereas parties in opposition like the NCP (Sharad Pawar), Indian National Congress, and Shiv Sena (UBT), who garnered wild support from the Muslim community and Communists, secured 8, 13 and 9 seats respectively.
Since then, an alleged pattern by Islamists has been observed in the state in which they target the Hindus over unintentional remarks and spread hatred in the society blaming Hindus for allegedly spreading the hate. For instance, after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina govt in Bangladesh, several Hindus there were attacked. Following this, the Hindu organizations in Maharashtra organized a rally expressing solidarity with the Hindus in Bangladesh.
However, several Islamists attacked these rallies and pelted stones at the participants who demanded the Centre ensure the safety of Hindu temples and people in Bangladesh. A mob of around 300-400 Muslims attacked Hindus in Nashik and Jalgaon who participated in the rallies and stones were also pelted at the Hindu shops. Several roads were shut in the region heightening communal tensions. A detailed report on this case can be read here.
A mob of 300-400 IsIamists tried to attack Hindu families in Nashik, Maharashtra this afternoon. Luckily MH Police had Intel about it, they reached there on time, saved the Hindu families and treated the IsIamists well…
It is believed that to counter the same and to distract the authorities, and communities from these attacks, the Islamists had made the video of Ramgiri Maharaj a weapon to lead counter-protests alleging that deliberate derogatory comments had been passed by Ramgiri Maharaj against the Muslim community.
Surprisingly, these counter-attacks garnered support from several political leaders like NCP’s Jitendra Awhad, AIMIM’s Imtiaz Jaleel, and also Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi’s Prakash Ambedkar. It seems that these leaders are allegedly attempting to encash the incident to obtain minority support ahead of the upcoming state assembly elections.
Ramgiri Maharaj explained the context in which he said whatever he said. He confirmed that he made the statement in the wake of ongoing atrocities faced by Hindus in Bangladesh at the hands of Islamists. However, the Islamist community in India happened to ignore the context completely.
As stated earlier, Maharashtrian voters have to look into these delicate matters in the manner they deserve to be looked upon. Changing or omitting the context of particular words, propagating wild community beliefs via social media, purposefully attacking any individual, and then politicians playing politics on such matters are anything but indications of a failed individual and state conscience. It’s high time that targeting Hindus over such issues based on one community’s individual law stops. We all live in India, which is controlled by the Constitution, which further protects ‘freedom of speech’, ‘freedom of religion’, and ‘expression’, all of which must be respected by every community within. Period.
West Bengal is witnessing a breakdown of law and order situation. On Sunday (22nd September), a woman was forcibly stripped and thrashed in full public glare by Trinamool Congress (TMC) goons in Patashpur town in Purba Medinipur district.
As per reports, the victim was put inside a rice sack and beaten mercilessly by the men associated with the ruling party. The attack was carried out in the presence of a civic volunteer.
The woman was held ‘guilty’ of stealing a gold necklace by a kangaroo court (village arbitration through illegal ‘Insaaf Sabha’). The torture perpetrated on her was so brutal that she lost consciousness and had to be admitted to the local health centre.
House of the woman, image via Tv9 Bangla
However, her condition soon worsened and she was shifted to a nursing home. The woman’s family had to flee the village to protect themselves from the onslaught of TMC goons.
Despite the heinous nature of the crime, not a single accused was arrested till Monday (23rd September) night. Local sub-divisional police officer, Devidayal Kundu, has however claimed that a probe has been launched into the matter.
The people who accused the victim of gold theft are reportedly absconding after the incident. Interestingly, they live in a ward that is ruled by the TMC while the victim is from the ward where BJP won the last panchayat election.
Woman narrates her ordeal
While speaking about the assault at the hands of TMC goons, the victim told the media, “I said in the arbitration meeting that I did not steal (the gold necklace) but nobody listened to me.”
“Instead, the civic volunteer and TMC leaders directed to put me in a sack and throw my body in the water. In the end, they took off my clothes, put me in a sack and began beating him. I don’t remember what happened after that.”
The incident is reminiscent of the public thrashing of a married woman and a man by a TMC strongman named Tajemul aka JCB in June this year. It occurred in Lakshmipur village in Uttar Dinajpur district of West Bengal.
Law & order fails, Shariat prevails?
Spine chilling video from WB shows TMC leader Tajemul (JCB), a close associate of MLA Hamidur Rahaman, brutally assaulting a woman, via his claims of dispensing quick justice through 'INSAAF SABHA'.
While reacting to the development, BJP (Purba Medinipur district) Vice-President Prantosh Acharya said, “We are helping the family of the victim in every possible way.”
The Kerala High Court on Tuesday dismissed the anticipatory bail application filed by actor Siddique, seeking bail in a case relating to sexual assault of a woman actor.
The decision comes in the wake of an ongoing investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed to address incidents of sexual misconduct within the industry.
The allegations were brought to light by a woman actor, who filed a complaint leading to a First Information Report (FIR) being registered by the police in Thiruvananthapuram.
Siddique has categorically denied the accusations, and a comprehensive court order is pending.
This legal development follows Siddique’s request for anticipatory bail on September 2, in response to a rape case lodged against him. Malayalam film industry has recently been rocked by a “Me Too” movement exposing various allegations of sexual abuse.
In light of the allegations, Siddique resigned from his position as general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA), along with the entire 17-member executive committee.
Serious accusations have been made by several women actors against prominent figures in the industry, including director Ranjith and actors Mukesh, Siddique and others.
In addition to Siddique, other actors such as Mukesh, Jayasurya, Edavela Babu, and Maniyanpilla Raju have also been implicated in sexual assault cases.
The surge in these allegations came in the wake of the release of the Justice Hema Committee report, which exposed disturbing accounts of harassment, exploitation, and the systematic mistreatment of women in the industry.
The report, made public on August 19, after redacting the names of witnesses and the accused, noted that the Malayalam film industry is controlled by about 10 to 15 male producers, directors, and actors who dominate and exert control over the industry.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
Three railway employees have been arrested for allegedly conspiring to derail a train near Kim railway station in Surat district of Gujarat by removing fishplates and keys from a railway track. The attempted train derailment incident was thwarted on Saturday (21st September).
The police investigation found that the incident had been conspired. Three railway employees removed parts of the track to act out a derailment attempt, took photos and videos, and then reinstalled the missing parts in pursuit of acclaim and awards for preventing an accident.
According to Western Railway, Vadodara Division unidentified people opened the fishplate and some keys from the UP line track and put them on the same track near the Kim railway station. However, service was soon restored.
The accused persons have been identified as trackmen Subhash Podar and Manish Mistry, and a contract worker Shubham Jayswal. On Saturday, police registered a case for track damage under Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 3(5) (criminal act by several persons in furtherance of common intention), 61(2)(a) (criminal conspiracy), and 125 (rash or negligent acts that endanger human life or personal safety), among others. The accused were charged under both the Railway Act and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.
As per reports, arrested Subhas Poddar was the one who alerted the authorities about the removed fish plates on the track. A major train derailment was avoided because the authorities were alerted and repaired the track in time.
Surat Rural SP informed that on night of 21 September, fish plates were found removed from 1.5 km of tracks between Kim and Kosamba railway stations. While Subhash Podar and his associates were busy removing the padlock and screws, around 15 trains passed from the same tracks. The accused men used to run and hide whenever a train passed. Their target was to alert the authorities about an imminent derailment before the Garib Rath train passed at 5.25 am.
Apart from recognition and rewards, the staffers were hopeful that they would be put on day shift duties from their night shift duties. Subhas Podar has been working with the Indian Railways for 9 years, as per reports.
Meanwhile, Surat SP Hitesh Joysar said: “While examining their phones, we found a few photos and videos of the removed parts from their recycle bin that were shot between 2 am and 5 am. But the alert was sent after 5 am. They could not explain this, which strengthened our doubts about their involvement.”
In the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, a Muslim youth named Sher Khan barged into a Hindu Temple on Monday (23rd September) morning and threatened to attack the temple. The Muslim youth attacked the Mahant of Ram Mandir situated near Retia Bazaar under the Raya Police Station precinct.
Sher Khan assaulted Mahant Arun Chaudhary and is also alleged to have hurled stones at the Hindu temple. The Muslim accused also threatened the Mahant not to open the temple and leave, moreover, he claimed that the temple land belonged to Muslims. It is being claimed that Sher Khan is mentally unstable – the police also said the same – however, the Mahant and Hindu rights activists have denied this claim.
Mathura, UP: Sher Khan attacked Ram Mandir, tried to break its gate, and allegedly attempted to murder the Mahant.
The Mahant claims that during the attack, Sher Khan threatened him to leave the Mandir and its land and never return.
In the videos of the incident viral online, it is seen that the accused attempted to assault the Mahant after he locked himself inside the temple. Sher Khan kicked the gate in rage, however, he failed to open it. During this, the attacker used abusive language and told Mahant that “this temple is ours” and not to open the temple tomorrow. After the Muslim attacker left the temple premises, Mahant Arun Chaudhary informed the police about the matter.
Soon after, the Hindu rights organisations and the local BJP leaders reached the temple and later went to Raya Police Station protesting against the alleged misbehaviour of the police official who spoke to Mahant Arun when he dialled 112 who accused Mahant of being a drunkard. The protestors also demanded the arrest of Sher Khan.
On receiving the information, SP Rural Triguna Visen, Area Officer Mahavan Bhushan Verma reached the spot and calmed the angry people by assuring the arrest of the attacking accused youth and taking action against the police official who allegedly misbehaved. Later, a case was registered at Raya Police Station against Sher Khan on Mahant Arun Chaudhary’s complaint and the Muslim youth was arrested. The police said that they have received information that the accused is mentally unstable, however, investigation into the matter is underway.
In a video, Mahant Chaudhary narrated the sequence of events on Monday and stated that Sher Khan is faking his mental illness and questioned why he has not attacked or misbehaved with any Muslim person and why only Hindus. “He is making a fool out of everyone,” Chaudhary said.
A factory of the beverage company Coca-Cola, located in Ayodhya city of Uttar Pradesh, has come under the scanner for cutting off the Kalavas (sacred thread worn by Hindus on their wrists) of its employees.
In a disturbing video that surfaced on social media on Monday (23rd September), the security guard at the factory could be seen disrespectfully removing Kalavas off the wrists of Hindu workers upon their entry into the premises.
As evident from the footage, the sacred threads of the employees were first cut permanently and then kept on a table. The incident has sparked outrage on social media for the complete disregard of Hindu sentiments by the American beverage company.
Coca-Cola refused to issue a statement initially but was later forced to give ‘clarification’ when the social media upheaval became intense.
Sachchidanand Tiwari, a security officer of Amrit Bottlers Private Limited (the bottle manufacturer of Coca-Cola), stated that he was stationed at Gate No.1 when the incident occurred on Saturday (21st September).
He claimed that the factory rules make it mandatory for workers not to wear bangles, rings, bracelets and wristwatches. “These items can contaminate the beverages in the process area,” Tiwari stated.
Company shields itself by citing contamination, later dismisses the security guard
A similar justification was provided by the factory’s public relations officer Arjun Das. “If even a single piece of thread falls into the drinking water for any reason and goes into any bottle, then the company will get defamed,” he claimed.
Das added that such a rule was applicable for workers in the procedure unit but on Saturday, the security guard imposed it on all workers. He stated that Kalava is a matter of reverence in Sanatan Dharma and that the accused security guard has been dismissed from service.
Sachchidanand Tiwari further added that Coca-Cola or its bottle manufacturer did not give any instruction to forcibly remove the sacred thread off the wrists of the Hindu workers.
He said that the company respects the religious beliefs of its employees and will not issue any such directions even in future. “If this incident has hurt anyone’s religious sentiments, then I apologise for it,” Sachchidanand Tiwari told the media.
In a shocking scandal that has rocked Malaysia recently, a nationwide police crackdown against a self-proclaimed ‘business conglomerate’ has revealed that it was, in fact an Islamic deviant cult masquerading as a business organisation. Hundreds of minor children, aged between 1 and 17 years old, have been rescued from the ‘children’s homes’ that the Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISB) has been running in the country.
As per reports, the current scandal was first unearthed when teams of Malaysian police started raiding the children’s homes run by GISB after multiple complaints. After repeated complaints and concerns, the king of Malaysia ordered law enforcement to take swift action against the GISB. They raided 20 of these children’s homes and rescued nearly 400 children in the firs few days. In a wide-scale law enforcement operation involving multiple departments, the Royal Malaysian Police started ‘Operation Global’ on 11 September against the GISB.
Till Monday, 23 September, a total of 572 children have been rescued from the various children’s homes run by GISB. 59 of these children are under the age of 5. Among the rescued kids is a boy who was seen in a video being canned and another child who was seen being stepped on.
Malaysia’s national police chief Razaruddin Hussain has informed the media that the investigation and medical screenings have found so far that at least 172 children have suffered physical and mental abuse, and at least 13 were sodomised at the children’s homes run by GISB. Hussain further updated that so far the police have arrested over 355 individuals in the case.
Rescued children are not orphans, but children of ’employees’ used by GISB to get donations
In another shocking revelation, the Malaysian police has informed that the rescued children are not orphans, but the children of ’employees’ of the radical cult GISB. They have been separated from their parents and placed in the GISB children’s homes from a very early age. In the GISB children’s homes, the children were raised to remain loyal to the cult and were indoctrinated throughout.
‘No parents have come forward to claim the rescued children’
Authorities have revealed that even though the children are the offspring of GISB employees and followers, none of them have come forward to claim them. The children do not know their parents as they have been raised away from them from a very early age. The parents are fearing exposure and arrests, mostly due to their complicity in the scandal. GISB is said to have used the children as ‘orphans’ and claimed the children’s homes as ‘orphanages’ to solicit donations. Under Malaysian law, the crime is punishable under cheating and fraud. Many of the parents are among the arrested GISB staffers and they have denied any links to their own children.
Currently, the Malaysian government is taking care of the rescued children by placing them in government-run shelter homes. The Department of education has initiated a special teaching module to teach the children. Medical examination, treatment and counselling of the rescued children are underway.
GISB and the banned Al Arqam cult
The Al Arqam sect was started by an Islamic leader named Ashaari Mohamad. The government of Malaysia had banned the group back in 1994 calling them a heretical and deviant cult. However, the former members of the Al Arqam soon got together again and started the GISB. The GISB masquerades as a business conglomerate and runs multiple business ventures including mini-markets, bakeries, restaurants, and pharmacies across Malaysia. GISB, like its parent Al Arqam cult, promotes a certain ‘Islamic lifestyle’.
Speaking to the media, police chief Razaruddin Hussain informed that even though Al Arqam got banned, GISB flourished and at present there are over 10,000 active members, called ’employees’ or followers, practising the banned Al Arqam teachings and lifestyle in Malaysia.
The authorities have seized pamphlets and documents from GISB premises and handed them over to the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia for further action.
Over 153 bank accounts of GISB, totaling around 882,795 RM have been frozen across the country. 38 vehicles owned by the GISB, totaling around 3.9 million RMB, and 14 properties have been seized by the government too.
GISB is currently facing charges under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma) and the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing, and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (AMLATFPUAA).
Among the 355 persons arrested in the case are ‘teachers’ of religious studies, the leader of GISB Nasiruddin Ali and his family members, including his multiple wives, and the family members of the deceased Al Arqam leader Ashaari Mohamad.
