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Fiancé turns monster: Man rapes his fiancée in Rishikesh, bites her multiple times, calls friends to molest her

OpIndia Staff
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Fiancé turns monster: Man rapes his fiancée in Rishikesh, bites her multiple times, calls friends to molest her

On 22nd August, family members of a woman filed a complaint at Kavi Nagar police station of Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, against the fiancé of the woman. The man, who has been identified as Ashu Choudhary, raped the woman in Rishikesh, physically assaulted her and called his friends who also molested her.

On 21st August, Ashu came to the victim’s house and lured her to a trip to Rishikesh. He took her to a hotel in Rishikesh where he snatched her phone. He then raped her and physically assaulted her. Photographs that surfaced on social media showed bite and injury marks on the victim’s body. The horrifying ordeal of the victim did not stop there.

Bite marks on victim’s body. Source: lokeshRlive/X

On the way back to Ghaziabad, Ashu called his three friends Mustafa, Yash Aujal and Aditya Kapoor. He picked them up on the way back. As per reports, these three also molested and physically assaulted the victim. After that, they threw her near a petrol pump and left.

FIR filed in Ravi Nagar police station, Ghaziabad

OpIndia accessed a copy of the FIR in the matter. A case under Sections 309(4), 118(1), 74 and 87 of Bharatiya Nayay Sanhita (BNS) was registered against the accused on 24th August 2024. Notably, the complainant did not identify Ashu as her daughter’s fiancé but as a friend though in a statement, SP Rajesh Kumar clarified that the prime accused in the case was victim’s fiancé. The complaint stated that on the evening of 21st August at around 5 PM, the victim was forcefully taken from home. Later at night, when the victim wanted to return, she was not allowed.

Source: UP Police

Her phone was snatched and she was taken to Panchsheel Petrol Pump. When she asked for her phone, the accused refused to return it and broke it. Then, he physically assaulted and molested her. The next day, at night, his three friends Aditya Kapoor, Yash Aujla and Mustafa joined him. She was beaten badly and left at the roadside in a terrible condition. The accused ran away with her phone and hacked her social media ID too.

Statement by the police

Deputy Superintendent of Police (City) Rajesh Kumar said in a statement that the mother of the victim filed a complaint against the fiancé of her daughter at Kavi Nagar police station. After getting the victim’s medical done, her statement was recorded in court. Based on the victim’s statement, all the accused have been arrested.

Nepal: Police seal illegal church after Hindu organisations protest against mass conversion of Dalits into Christianity, demands action against Pastor who had converted from Hinduism

राहुल पाण्डेय
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Nepal: Police seal illegal church after Hindu organisations protest against mass conversion of Dalits into Christianity, demands action against Pastor who had converted from Hinduism

A case of religious conversion of Dalit Hindus into Christianity has come to light from Nepal’s Dhanusha district. On Saturday (31st August 2024), members of Hindu organisations protested against religious conversion as they gathered in front of a local church. The protesters said that the Church was luring poor Hindus and converting them to Christianity. 

After getting information about the protest, the Police rushed to the spot to avoid any untoward incident from happening and diffuse the tense situation. However, both sides continued engaging in heated arguments which prompted the Police to seal the Church which was running its activities without any legal documents. According to the protesters, the name of the main accused is Bharat Mahato, a Hindu by birth who later converted to Christianity.

The incident pertains to the Shaheed Nagar Municipality, Ward No. 3 of Nepal’s Dhanusha District. Most of the residents here hail from poor or middle-class backgrounds and among Hindus, the Dalit community has a substantial population. As per the information received, around 5 years ago a church was constructed in this ward. Within a short span, the poor people living in this neighbourhood started frequenting this church. Pastor Bharat Mahato runs this church. 

OpIndia spoke with the National President of Nepal’s Hindu Samrat Sena, Rajesh Yadav. He said that for quite some time his organisation had been getting information about the activities taking place inside the church. The church was luring naive and poor Dalit Hindus in the name of prayer meetings. Later, it attempted to convert them into Christianity. 

When the members of ‘Hindu Samrat Sena’ came to know about these activities, they started investigating them at their level.

Rajesh Yadav further told OpIndia that some of his colleagues kept an eye on the church. They also sent some persons inside the Church to attend these ‘prayers’. The attendees then found out that the church was distributing the Bibles and was instigating Dalits to leave Hinduism and become Christians. After gathering video and photographic evidence, the ‘Hindu Samrat Sena’ issued a memorandum to the local administration about 15 days ago in which they demanded the closure of this church. 

However, no action was taken on this memorandum, and the church continued with its activities. Hindu Samrat Sena has sent all those videos and pictures to OpIndia. 

Finally, on Saturday (31st August), public anger erupted and dozens of locals along with members of the Hindu Samrat Sena reached the church which is built in a mud house. After reaching there, they witnessed that even minor boys and girls were falling prey to this conspiracy of religious conversion in the name of prayer meetings. 

The protesters raised chants of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ outside the church. Soon the police and other administrative officials reached the spot and examined the documents of the church.

During the investigation, they found out that the church was running without any legal documents. Consequently, the Police sealed the church. It is pertinent to note that Bibles and other literature related to Christianity have been recovered from the church. Meanwhile, the Hindu Samrat Sena has also given a memorandum to the administration demanding action against Pastor Bharat Mahato. 

Assembly polls for Haryana postponed to October 5; Vote counting to be held along with J-K on October 8: Election Commission

ANI
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Assembly polls for Haryana postponed to October 5; Vote counting to be held along with J-K on October 8: Election Commission

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday revised the polling day for Haryana Assembly polls from October 1 to October 5, this year as well as moved the counting of votes for both Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana Assemblies from October 4 to October 8.

The decision has been taken to honour both the voting rights and the traditions of the Bishnoi community, which has upheld a centuries-old practice of participating in the Asoj Amavasya festival celebration in remembrance of their Guru Jambheshwar as per the ECI.

The Commission said it had received representation from the National President, All India Bishnoi Mahasabha, Bikaner (Rajasthan) for rescheduling the date of polling set for October 1.

As per the representation for generations, numerous families in Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana have observed a long-standing tradition of visiting their native village Mukam, in Rajasthan during the Amavas in the month of “Asoj” for their annual festival in Bikaner district, in the memory of their Guru Jambheshwar.

This year, the festival will take place on October 2 and thousands of Bishnoi families residing in Sirsa, Fatehabad and Hisar will be travelling to Rajasthan on poll day, denying them their voting rights, the Election Commission of India said.

In the past, the Commission has also adjusted election dates to respect the sentiments of various communities.

For instance, during the Punjab Assembly Elections 2022, the polls were postponed by a week to accommodate devotees to travel to Varanasi for Guru Ravidas Jayanti.

Similarly, during the 2022 Assembly elections in Manipur, the Commission changed the polling dates to respect the Christian community’s Sunday prayers.

Likewise, in the 2023 Rajasthan Assembly elections, the Commission rescheduled polling originally scheduled on Devuthani Ekadashi, a day significant for mass weddings in Rajasthan.

In the Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections 2012, the poll date was changed due to Barawafat.

Coincidentally, the revised polling date would also resolve any concerns about a six-day holiday by taking a one-day leave on September 30, 2024, the Election Commission said.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Bihar: AAP leader Mohammad Saifi detained for trying to attack Union Minister Giriraj Singh after Janta Darbar in Begusarai, the BJP leader says not scared of such attacks

OpIndia Staff
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Bihar: AAP leader Mohammad Saifi detained for trying to attack Union Minister Giriraj Singh after Janta Darbar in Begusarai, the BJP leader says not scared of such attacks

On Saturday (31st August), Begusarai Police detained a man named Mohammad Saifi for trying to physically assault Union Minister and senior BJP leader Giriraj Singh when he was coming out from a Janta Darbar. As per reports, the accused ran towards the BJP leader and tried to punch him. However, Giriaj Singh’s security personnel apprehended him. The police have taken the accused, Mohammad Saifi, into custody and are interrogating him.

As per reports, Union Textiles Minister and Begusarai MP Giriraj Singh held a Janta Darbar on Saturday. It was held within the premises of the Ballia subdivision office. 

According to the information received, a man wearing a white cap arrived there when the Union Minister was listening to public grievances in the Janta Darbar. He first forcibly took control of the mic and started making absurd statements. When BJP workers and locals tried to stop him, he ran towards Giriraj Singh and tried to punch him. However, the Union Minister narrowly escaped the attack, and his security personnel present on the spot saved him.

The accused was identified as Mohammad Saifi. He is said to be a ward councillor and former district president of the Aam Aadmi Party.

Giriraj Singh said, “All the officers in Janta Darbar started walking after hearing public grievances. First, he (the accused Mohammad Saifi) forcefully took the mike and started saying irrelevant things. We tolerated it and moved ahead. Then I felt that he would attack me and he behaved in such a manner and then started shouting slogans of Murdabad.’

Following the incident, Giriraj Singh said that he was not afraid of such attacks and would always speak and continue to fight for the interests of society. 

After Saifi’s arrest, Giriraj Singh lambasted the I.N.D.I. Alliance leaders Tejashwi Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav, and Rahul Gandhi. He described them as “Vote ke sudagar” who claim that they have the right of ‘Muslim votes’. He said that after knowing the identity of the attacker, Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi, and Akhilesh Yadav would come out in his support. He blamed them for emboldening the confidence of radical Muslims. 

He further stated that Hindus have never caused riots in the country. But attacks happen on all religious processions of Hindus, like Ramnavami, and Durga Visarjan. But now the time has come…Yogi Ji said the right thing…Agar Batoge to Katoge, ab Hinduo ko bhi ek hona padega. 

In response to a question on the Waqf board, Giriraj Singh said that the Waqf Board is running a land grab campaign. It grabs whatever land it wants. This is going on in the entire country including Begusarai.

Apart from sharing the video of his statement, Singh wrote, “Those who would pamper and caress him seeing his beard and cap should see today how land jihad-love jihad and communal tension is being created in the entire country including Begusarai, Bihar.”

“Unlawful, dictatorship”: Journalist Abhijit Majumder slams Mamata Banerjee government after Airtel blocks his number following orders from West Bengal Police

OpIndia Staff
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“Unlawful, dictatorship”: Journalist Abhijit Majumder slams Mamata Banerjee government after Airtel blocks his number following orders from West Bengal Police

As the protesters continue to demand Justice for the RG Kar Hospital rape and murder victim, the Mamata Banerjee government has been facing mounting pressure over the allegations that it mishandled the case, indulged in cover-up, and has been trying to suppress the public movement. Now, a senior journalist, Abhijit Majumder has accused the West Bengal government of stifling freedom of speech and Press freedom. Majumder who yesterday revealed that Airtel has blocked his number on the orders of West Bengal cyber Police, lashed out at CM Banerjee. He dubbed the orders as “unlawful” and “dictatorial”.

On Friday (30th August), the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Earshot, Abhijit Majumder stated that the telecom operator Airtel had blocked his phone number in line with the orders of West Bengal cyber Police. 

Taking to X, he wrote, “My phone has been blocked. Called Airtel. It has been blocked by apparently cyber police, West Bengal. How is this even legal?”

In another post, he attached an audio clip of his interaction with an Airtel executive, who explained that his number was suspended on the directions of the West Bengal cyber police on the allegations of “fraud activity.” The senior journalist has demanded that the administration should provide evidence for these allegations.

In his post, Majumder linked the Police action with his reporting on the trainee doctor’s rape and murder case. 

Sharing the audio clip, he wrote, “So, the police of #MamataBanerjee have blocked my phone number. I was talking too much about #KolkataDoctorDeath. They think they will silence me…Called Airtel, this is what they said.”

The Airtel call centre agent told him that his phone has been blocked on the orders of the cyber cell division of West Bengal police, and he can’t make any outgoing calls. The journalist was told that the number was blocked due to fraudulent activities. When he asked why the West Bengal police order was implemented all over India, as the state police jurisdiction should be limited to the state only. However, the agent could not explain the reason.

The agent also could not answer if Artel blocks numbers only on the instructions of police without any investigation. Understanding that the call centre agent would not be able to address the issue as he was narrating what was being shown in the system, Majumder didn’t press further.

On Saturday, he spoke with News18 regarding the suspension of his mobile phone services on the orders of the West Bengal Cyber Police. He stressed that he had not received any mail, message, or a call from the West Bengal Police informing him about the same. 

Majumder told CNN-News18, “I haven’t received any communique from the West Bengal Police. The telecom ministry has informed me that they are investigating the matter. My posts are public.”

Slamming CM Mamata Banerjee, Majumder described the action as “unlawful” and a form of “dictatorship”. 

He said, “This action is unlawful, this is dictatorship. They should provide evidence for these allegations. My outgoing and incoming calls were barred.” 

The journalist also expressed shock that a state Police could bar a user’s mobile phone services throughout the country and tagged Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia in another post over this issue. He raised questions on the connection between Airtel and the West Bengal government stating, “I thought number blocking could only be authorised by the central government.” 

According to News18, top Airtel sources told them that this happened “automatically” since the procedure was followed after Kolkata Police raised a complaint with the Central government portal. It was a routine process, News18 reportage added. 

Meanwhile, Majumder told OpIndia that he is planning to approach the court against this order of the West Bengal Police and challenge it on Monday.

TMC student wing leaders accused of locking 13 girls in bathroom of Dinhata College for not joining its rally, one student hospitalised due to suffocation

OpIndia Staff
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TMC student wing leaders accused of locking 13 girls in bathroom of Dinhata College for not joining its rally, one student hospitalised due to suffocation

Trinamool Chhatra Parishad, the students wing of the Trinamool Congress Party in West Bengal, allegedly locked 13 girl students in the bathroom of a college in North Bengal for refusing to attend their rally. The incident took place on 30 August in Dinhata College in Dinhata, and one girl had to be hospitalised.

Trinamool Chhatra Parishad has called for rallies and marches across the state against the ongoing protests over the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata earlier this year. They have dictated that every student in the educational institutions must attend these rallies.

Accordingly, such a rally was organised in Dinhata on Friday, and students of the Dinhata College were asked to join the same. But some students refused to comply with the dictates of the TMC’s student wing. As a result, Trinamool Chhatra Parishad leaders locked thirteen girl students inside the bathroom of the girls’ common room of the college, as per reports.

The girls were stuck in the bathroom for a long time, begging to be released, but nobody came forward to rescue them. The girls then called a friend, who rushed to the spot. However, by the time the youth reached the bathroom, one girl fell ill due to suffocation. She was brought to Dinhata Sub Divisional Hospital, where she was admitted for treatment. The girl is a first-year student of the college.

After some time, Principal Abdul Awal visited the hospital to see the sick student. But he refused to answer any questions by reporters. After receiving information about the incident, the police went to the hospital and spoke to the student. She narrated what had happened. But the girl refused to talk to the reporters.

The incident to the media by the youth who rescued the girls. He said, ‘The members of Trinamool Chhatra Parishad kept 13 students locked inside the bathroom because they did not want to go to the procession. They repeatedly requested to open the toilet door. The student said repeatedly that she was having trouble breathing. The door was not opened.’

However, the police said that while they have received information about the incident, the family of the girl has not filed any written complaint. The father said that his daughter has a breathing problem, and she didn’t eat anything in the morning. Therefore, she might have fallen ill due to acidity because of not eating anything for a long time.

However Trinamool Chatra Parishad has denied the allegations, claiming that no such incident took place. Partishad leader Amir Alam said, ‘No such incident happened in the college. I heard from the girl’s father that two years ago this girl fell ill once due to breathing problem. She has fallen ill today for the same reason.’ Amir Alam alleged that the students have made false allegations against the TMC student wing.

On the other hand opposition student organisations have taken up the issue. ABVP State Secretary Deepta Dey strongly condemned the incident and demanded an impartial investigation. SFI’s Dinhata local committee secretary Abir Dev demanded to make the CCTV footage of the college public. he also questioned why a written complaint has not been lodged with the Dinhata police station in such incidents despite the fact that the principal was inside the college campus.

Sexual harassment, slut shaming and student fury: Here is how protests unfolded at NIT Trichy

OpIndia Staff
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Sexual harassment, slut shaming and student fury: Here is how protests unfolded at NIT Trichy

On Thursday (29th August), protests broke out at NIT Trichy after a female student faced sexual harassment and subsequent slut shaming at the prestigious engineering college.

As per reports, a contracted technician by the name of G Kathiresan was hired to install WiFi at the hostel. However, he allegedly exposed his private part and began masturbating in front of the female student.

At that time, the victim was alone. She left the room in disgust, only to discover semen on the floor and the accused missing. The student’s ordeal, initially shared on WhatsApp, came to light after it was shared on Reddit.

“I was sitting in my room, just looking at my book, when a guy came in to do some Wi-Fi work. Out of nowhere, he started masturbating and he flashed his private parts right in front of me and made sure I noticed that, rubbing himself to get my attention, and gave me this disgusting smirk,” the victim narrated.

“He wanted me to see it, to force me to look at it. I felt so grossed out and scared, I had to leave the room. When I came back, he was gone, but there was semen all over the floor…I even had a picture of it which I submitted at the police station,” she added.

The student recounted the inappropriate behaviour of the hostel steward and warden, who allegedly slut-shamed her and treated the accused with respect.

“I along with my friends went to the steward to report it, and she gave me a creepy smile while saying, ‘I’ve just come, and you’re bothering me with this.’ Later the warden came I hoped they would help. Instead, they all turned against me,” the victim stated.

She further informed, “They treated this guy with respect calling him “sir”. In the police station they used phrases like “she wasn’t even wearing pants” (context I was wearing a full skirt) and tried to put all the blame on me…They were all just trying to brush it under the carpet.”

“They did almost everything they could to trigger us, full victim blaming. The entire day I had spent crying cause of people like them. They even threatened my friends that they won’t consider any of their electrical/plumbing,etc complaints. And they did all this in the police station,” the victim concluded.

Besides slut shaming and victim blaming, the warden allegedly told the victim and her friends that they should learn ‘martial arts’ instead of music and dance to ward off potential sexual predators.

According to the female student, the warden put her hands up when confronted by her parents about ensuring the safety of those in the hostel.

On Thursday (29th August) evening, the police arrested the accused G Kathiresan. He was booked under Sections 332(3) and 75(1) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) and Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Woman Harassment Act.

Concerned over the lack of security and the insensitive behaviour of the hostel warden, other students came out in support of the victim and launched a sit-in protest at the NIT Trichy campus.

As per reports, the protests continued late into the night. On Friday (30th August) morning, SP V Varun Kumar assured the students that the management of NIT Trichy has been directed to address all security lapses.

The institute’s director G Aghila conceded, “The administration of NITT has gone into the details of the unfortunate incident and have drawn out more stringent measures to ensure the safety of all students on campus, particularly, the safety of girl students.The security officer
has been instructed to be more vigilant so as to prevent such eventualities.”

Uttar Pradesh: ‘Bhagwa love trap’ conspiracy theory reaches Moradabad, Muslim men abuse Muslim girl for talking to Hindu boy, pull her burqa

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: ‘Bhagwa love trap’ conspiracy theory reaches Moradabad, Muslim men abuse Muslim girl for talking to Hindu boy, pull her burqa

On Friday (30th August), a Muslim girl filed a police complaint against her co-religionists after they harassed her for talking to a Hindu boy. The incident occurred a day earlier in Katghar locality in Moradabad city of Uttar Pradesh.

As per reports, the victim was returning home from the office when she met the Hindu boy. At that time, she was dressed in a burqa. A group of Muslim men interjected and abused her for befriending a Hindu boy.

“They stopped me and said – What is this? Is there any dearth of Muslim men that you are taking to this Hindu boy? They called me shameless and said that it was my dhanda (used as a slur for business).”

During the heated conversation, they misbehaved with the girl and even pulled her burqa. Moreover, the Muslim men also thrashed the Hindu boy who was talking to the victim.

Following the incident, the victim went to the Katghar police station along with her mother and filed a complaint against her radical co-religionists.

According to the girl, two of the accused were referring to each other as ‘Nazim’ and ‘Wasim.’ She said that if the onlookers did not intervene, they could have killed her. Despite pleading that the Hindu boy was like her brother, the Muslim men continued to abuse her.

The police have now registered a case and are searching for the unidentified accused. A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered under sections 126 (2), 74 and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

OpIndia has been able to access the copy of the FIR.

Starting last year, we documented over 100 cases of real-life attacks on Hindu men and their female Muslim partners/ friends by extremists in the name of combating the ‘Bhagwa Love Trap’

The Chief Minister who chose to die at the hands of Khalistanis but refused to bow down: Beant Singh, one of the greatest CMs of Punjab

अनुपम कुमार सिंह
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The Chief Minister who chose to die at the hands of Khalistanis but refused to bow down: Beant Singh, one of the greatest CMs of Punjab

31st August, 1995 – This is the date when the then Chief Minister of Punjab, Beant Singh, was assassinated. The assassins of the Sikh leader were Khalistani terrorists.

Congress leader Beant Singh became the Chief Minister of Punjab in February 1992. Him becoming the Chief Minister was a major event in the history of Punjab, because assembly elections were held in the state after 5 years of President’s rule. There was an atmosphere of anarchy in Punjab, despite the killing of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, Khalistani terrorists kept the state in turmoil for more than a decade.

Beant Singh, a devout Sikh

First of all, let us briefly talk about the personal and political life of Beant Singh. He was born in Bilaspur village of Dohra block of Ludhiana district. He received higher education from Government College University, Lahore. He joined the Indian Army at the age of 23, but turned to politics after 2 years. In 1960, he was elected as a member of the block committee. He was the director of the Central Cooperative Bank in Ludhiana, then in 1969, he won as an independent candidate and reached the Punjab Legislative Assembly.

Beant Singh was a follower of the Namdhari sect of Sikhs and wore a white turban. That is why he did not consume meat or alcohol, he was a vegetarian. He had taken blessings from Satguru Pratap Singh and along with Surinder Singh Namdhari, he worked for the welfare of this sect. In 1993, when a businessman wanted to set up a meat factory in Lalru, Beant Singh, while being the CM, did not give permission to him.

Beant Singh donated 500 acres of land to the Namdhari Sikh sect in Amritsar, Ludhiana, and Malerkotla. Beant Singh died tragically when he was murdered by Khalistanis. 17 people, including the then Chief Minister Beant Singh, were killed in a car bomb blast, which also included 3 commando soldiers. The names of ‘Babbar Khalsa International’ and ‘Khalistan Commando Force’ cropped up in this murder case. To understand the Beant Singh murder case, we will have to look at the political circumstances of that time.

Beant Singh was assassinated while he was the CM of Punjab

When Beant Singh was assassinated, he was going to sign some papers. As soon as he sat in his white Ambassador car, a Punjab Police man Dilawar Singh Babbar detonated the bomb wrapped around his body.

There was a massacre of Sikhs in 1984 pogrom after the assassination of Indira Gandhi. Government figures say that 3340 Sikhs were killed in this pogrom. Congress leaders like Kamal Nath, Jagdish Tytler, and Sajjan Singh, who were close to Rajiv Gandhi, were named in this pogrom.

Indira Gandhi was assassinated to take revenge for ‘Operation Blue Star’. Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, a terrorist created by the Congress ecosystem, was hiding in the Golden Temple in Amritsar, to kill whom, the Indian Army had to enter inside the holy shrine. Due to this order of Indira Gandhi, the Sikhs turned against her. Her bodyguards named Satwant Singh and Beant Singh fired bullets at her. After this, when the Sikh pogrom took place, her son Rajiv Gandhi said that when a big tree falls, the earth shakes.

Militancy in Punjab was still at its peak even after Bhindranwale’s death. President’s rule had to be declared there in June 1987, which lasted till February 1992. In the 1990s, Sikh terrorists started targeting policemen and political leaders. Elections were held in Punjab in 1992, but there was such an atmosphere of fear that the voting percentage was only 24%. KPS Gill was the Director General of Police hat time and he was given the freedom to work as per his wish in the state. Many terrorists fled to countries like Canada and UK after the crackdown led by KPS Gill.

After this, ‘Babbar Khalsa International’ (BKI), under the leadership of Wadhawa Singh in England, hatched a conspiracy to kill Beant Singh. BKI instigated a group of youth to kill the Punjab CM. Jagtar Singh Hawara and Balwant Singh Rajoana were sentenced to death after the bomb blast outside the Punjab Secretariat. Gurmeet Singh, Lakhwinder Singh, and Shamsher Singh were given life imprisonment, while Navjot Singh and Naseeb Singh were released. CM Beant Singh’s killers are still hailed as heroes by Sikh hardliners incidentally.

Sikhs protested for release of these terrorists in Chandigarh for more than a year under the banner of ‘Qaumi Insaaf Morcha’. Rajoana was also a police constable and was kept as a backup during the assassination. If Dilawar Singh Babbar had failed, Rajoana would have blown himself up. After the release of Rajiv Gandhi’s assassins, the ‘Shiromani Akali Dal’ (SAD) also campaigned for Rajoana’s release. He has been in jail for almost 27 years, in 2007 the CBI court awarded him death sentence which was also upheld by the Supreme Court.

Glorification of killers: SGPC and SAD launched a campaign for their release

Following this, the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) came into the picture. The organisation has the final say in the matter of all the Gurudwaras in Punjab, starting from Darbar Sahib in Amritsar. The then Punjab CM Prakash Singh Badal, met the then President Pratibha Patil in March 2012, along with his son and then Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal. Balwant Singh Rajoana was to be hanged on March 31, 2012, but the Home Ministry stopped his execution after that visit.

At that time, there was UPA-II government in India, Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister and P Chidambaram was the Home Minister. In December 2019, the current Home Minister Amit Shah clarified that Balwant Singh Rajoana’s death sentence has not been reduced. The picture of Beant Singh’s killer Dilawar Singh Babbar was also installed by the SGPC in the Central Sikh Museum located in the Golden Temple of Amritsar. In June 2022, SGPC president Advocate Harjinder Singh installed this photo and called him a “martyr”.

He had said that Dilawar Singh Babbar put a stop to the atrocities against Sikhs and gross violations of human rights by ‘sacrificing’ himself. The SGPC had also said that ‘sacrifice’ is not possible without the blessings of the Guru. Let us remind you that 3 accused in the Beant Singh murder case escaped from Chandigarh jail in June 2004, the rest were caught while fleeing. One accused was also caught from Thailand in January 2014 with the help of Interpol.

Today, when Khalistani supporters like Amritpal Singh are becoming MPs, there is a need of Sikh leaders like Beant Singh who can take action against the terrorism without bowing down to the fundamentalists. Beant Singh’s mistake was that he was a devout nominal Sikh, not a fundamentalist who wanted to divide the country. Today, leaders like Amritpal Singh demand the division of the country and become MPs by contesting Lok Sabha elections from jail itself.

Quid pro quo? Vinesh Phogat joins farmers’ protest at the Shambhu border days after being awarded a ‘gold medal’ by Khap panchayat

OpIndia Staff
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Quid pro quo? Vinesh Phogat joins farmers’ protest at the Shambhu border days after being awarded a ‘gold medal’ by Khap panchayat

Wrestler Vinesh Phogat joined the protesting farmers at the Shambhu border between Punjab and Haryana on Saturday morning, expressing her solidarity by stating that she was the daughter of a farmer and her family had experienced the daily struggles faced by farmers.

“To protect crops and future generations, I stand with the families of farmers and labourers,” Phogat declared, as hundreds of farmers marked the 200th day of their protest, demanding several reforms, including a legal assurance of Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops. She emphasized that farmers should be listened to and should receive their rights.

“We are citizens of this country, and if someone raises an issue, it should be heard. Not everything should be associated with caste or religion,” Phogat added.

“They came from Bhartiya Kisan Union (Shaheed Bhagat Singh)-Haryana, BKU Ekta (Azad), BKU (Krantikari), Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, and Rajasthan Gramin Kisan Sangharsh Samiti. I will never forget their backing in the wrestlers’ fight, and I sincerely thank them. I will always stand strong with the farmers and labourers of this country,” she stated.

Phogat was honoured by several farmer union leaders, including Sarwan Singh Pandher, coordinator of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM); Amarjeet Singh Morhi from BKU (Shaheed Bhagat Singh); Tejveer Singh, spokesperson for BKU (Shaheed Bhagat Singh); and Surjit Singh Phul from BKU (Krantikari), among others.

On her birthday, Sunday, August 25, Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat was honoured with a gold medal by the Sarvkhap Panchayat in Haryana. Vinesh had a heartbreak at the Paris Olympics when she was disqualified from the gold medal match against the USA’s Sarah Hildebrandt. She was 100g over the 50 kg weight limit on the morning of the match.

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