Following a disastrous electoral performance in Kerala during the Lok Sabha polls, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) is now eyeing to infiltrate temple committees and gain control of temple management in the State, reportedThe New Indian Express.
During the course of its recent 3-day leadership summit in Thiruvananthapuram, CPM told its cadre to visit temples, practice religious rituals and most importantly, take control of temple management.
The party is desperately trying to reverse some of the resolutions, which it had passed during the infamous Palakkad plenum of 2013. At that time, CPM had barred its comrades from visiting temples, performing religious rituals and being part of temple committees.
It even went to the extent of stopping cadres from conducting rituals such as ‘Ganapathi homam’ during housewarming ceremonies.
The sudden change of heart appears to be a part of its strategy to reach out to the majority Hindu community in Kerala and seize control of temple administration in the State.
“TNIE had, on June 21, reported that the CPM would take a more liberal stance on matters of faith and beliefs.vThe 2024 Lok Sabha election debacle had a catalytic effect on the CPM’s major policy shift,” reported The New Indian Express.
After its review of its electoral performance, CPM concluded that Hindu votes swung to the BJP even in its bastion of Malabar. The party has now claimed to corner the ‘communalists’ by gaining control of temples from Sangh Parivar and its believers.
“The RSS’ influence on matters of faith, temple rituals and believers is the main reason for the right-wing leanings in society, the party state committee felt. And it has decided to work among the devotees, aiming to “corner the communalists from true faithful”, the report added.
In Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur, several Muslims raised ‘Sar tan se juda’ slogans during a Muharram procession on 17th July. The Muslim mob raised “Gustakh-e-Rasool ki ek saza, sar tan se juda” slogans outside a Hanuman Temple in Rawatpur. Taking action in this matter, Kanpur Police has booked 40 persons under relevant sections of BNS.
#कानपुर में #मुहर्रम के जुलूस में शामिल अराजक तत्वों ने लगाये थे *सर तन से जुदा के नारे*
सोशल मीडिया पर वीडियो हुआ था वायरल#कानपुर पुलिस ने तहरीर के आधार पर जुलूस आयोज व 40 अज्ञात व्यक्ति के खिलाफ मुकदमा किया दर्ज।
In a video statement, Assistant Police Commissioner Karalyanpur Abhishek Kumar Pandey said that a case has been registered against 40 persons. “Recently, a video clip was received through social media which was related to the Muharram procession that took place on the midnight of 16/17 July 2024. In the video, it was seen that some people raised objectionable slogans. After examining the video clip, a case has been registered against the organizer and 40 unknown persons under relevant sections and other necessary legal action is being taken,” Pandey said.
विगत दिनों सोशल मीडिया के माध्यम से एक वीडियो क्लिप प्राप्त हुआ था जो 16/17.07.2024 की मध्य रात्रि निकलने वाले मोहर्रम जुलूस से संबंधित था। जिसमें कुछ व्यक्तियों द्वारा आपत्तिजनक नारे लगाए जा रहे थे। वीडियो क्लिप के परीक्षण के उपरांत आयोजक व 40 अज्ञात व्यक्तियों के विरुद्ध सुसंगत… pic.twitter.com/JG0y7KqzjN
— POLICE COMMISSIONERATE KANPUR NAGAR (@kanpurnagarpol) July 23, 2024
This development came after it was reported that inflammatory slogans like ‘Sar tan se juda’ were raised by the Muslim mob outside the Hindu temple in the presence of police. A video of the incident has gone viral online. After this, the police said they are analysing the video and action will be taken accordingly. The investigation into the matter was handed over to Kalyanpur ACP Abhishek Kumar Pandey and now the police have registered a case against 40 people.
In a similar incident in Kanpur’s Juhi police station area, several participants in the Muharram procession raised “Hindustan mein rehna hai toh Allah hu Akbar kehna hai” slogans. The incident occured in the Parampurwa area. In this matter Joint Commissioner of Police Harish Chander toldTOI that investigation has been ordered in the matter under a DCP rank officer. He added that further action will be taken based on the findings of the report. Media reports say that Muslims deliberately did this inflammatory sloganeering outside BJP Councillor Vidya Verma to disrupt communal harmony in the region.
On Tuesday, July 23rd, the French Police began an immediate investigation after an Australian woman informed them that she was brutally raped by 5 men while on her way home over the weekend in Paris. The tourist woman stated that she was raped by five after they discovered that she was disoriented and unable to speak a word of French. The incident is said to have happened in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The accused persons are believed to be African migrant men however, their identities have not been disclosed yet.
Australian woman gang r*ped by group of African migrant men in Paris, just days before the Olympics.
The 25 year old woman told police she was attacked by ‘by five men of African appearance’ near the Moulin Rouge on Saturday- according to Daily Mail.
As per the reports, the woman was spotted outside Dounia, a Lebanese kebab store on Boulevard de Clichy near the Moulin Rouge, with her dress backwards and half torn. She complained to the shop’s workers, but she was unable to provide information about how or where the incident occurred.
After this, the firefighter workers took the woman to the hospital and the workers at the shop informed the police.
Reports mention that the victim was in Paris for the Fete de Musique music festival and was scheduled to fly home to Australia on Sunday, 21st July. The Paris Prosecutor’s Office stated that police are looking into the charges and are now examining CCTV evidence. “The investigation into the charge of gang rape likely to have been committed on the night of July 19 to 20 has been entrusted to the 2nd judicial police district,” the police said.
The Alliance Paris Police Union assured that the investigators would do everything possible to identify the individuals and bring them to justice quickly.
“Several investigation techniques will be implemented in conjunction with the technical and scientific police,” the authorities added.
The incident has created outrage in the city as it occurred just days before the 2024 Olympic Games begin in Paris. A large number of police and around 18000 soldiers have been deployed to ensure the safety of civilians, players, and journalists who will be arriving in the city for the games. As per the reports, up to 45,000 cops from 43 countries have been deployed in the city.
In the given case, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade released an exclusive statement to 7NEWS.com.au, saying they were ready to provide consular assistance to the victim. “The Australian Embassy in Paris is making urgent inquiries with French authorities following reports of an Australian citizen assaulted in Paris,” the spokesperson said.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her seventh consecutive Union Budget for 2024-25, outlined key priorities aimed at fostering economic growth and creating ample opportunities.
She listed productivity and resilience in agriculture, employment and skilling, inclusive human resource development and social justice, manufacturing and services, urban development, energy security, infrastructure, innovation, research and development and next-generation reforms as nine priority areas for the government.
The first priority includes- raising productivity and climate resilient varieties, thrust on Natural Farming: 2 crore farmers to be supported in next 2 years(certificates), Atma Nirbharta in Oil seeds; Vegetable Production: Large Scale Clusters, DPI in Agri Infrastructure: Coverage of Farmers and their Land in three years. Digital Crop Survey in 400 districts this year only. Issuance of Jan Samarth-based certificates.
The second priority includes- the First Timers Scheme – a 1-month wage to all persons newly entering the workforce in all formal sectors will be provided by the government in 3 instalments. Direct benefit transfers to employees up to Rs 15,000 will be done. This will apply to those getting a salary up to Rs 1 lakh per month. 2.1 crore youth to be benefitted. Manufacturing Jobs Assistance- Incentives of specified scale directly to employees and employers in the first 4 years of employment will be provided to employees entering manufacturing jobs. This will benefit 30 lakh youth and employers.
Support to employers- Additional employment in all sectors within a salary of 1 lakh/month will be provided at Rs 3,000 per month for 2 years to cover EPFO charges. This will incentivise additional employment of up to 50 lakh persons. 20 lakh youth will be skilled over 5 years. Education Loans: Financial Support up to 10 lakhs for higher education in domestic institutions. Annual Interest Subvention for 3 per cent.
The third priority includes- PM Vishwakarma, Swanidhi, and NRLM. Purvodaya: A plan for all-round development for the eastern region of the country covering Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Andra Pradesh. This will cover human resource development.
It also included the Amritsar-Kolkata Corridor that will catalyze industrial development for the eastern region, particularly Gaya. Patna, Purniya, Buxar and Bhagalpur.
Bodhygaya-Rajgir-Dharbhnaga Expressways will be developed and the bridge over Ganga in Buxar will be constructed at a cost of Rs.2600 crore. New Medical Colleges and Sports Infrastructure will also be constructed in Bihar.
By the AP reorganisation act, the government has recognised the state’s need for capital and has allocated Rs 15000 crore as financial support.
In the budget, the Finance Minister also announced the construction of 3 crore additional houses in rural and urban areas in the country under the PM Awas Yojna. Under the PM Jan Jatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan the government aims to adopt saturation coverage in tribal families and aspirational districts.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
On Tuesday (23rd July), Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Annual Financial Statement (Budget 2024-25) before the Lok Sabha. The Finance Minister has given relief to taxpayers who choose to opt for the New Tax regime as the tax slabs have been revised and the Standard deduction limit has been increased from Rs 50,000 to Rs 75,000.
Personal Income Tax: The Union Finance Minister made 2 announcements for those who adopt the new Tax regime.
As per the Budgetary announcement, the Standard Deduction for salaried employees is proposed to be increased from Rs 50,000 to Rs 75,000. Deduction on family pension, for pensioners, is proposed to be enhanced from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000. This will provide relief to 4 crore salaried individuals and pensioners. In the New Tax regime: The revised tax structure is –
Rs 0-3 lakh – nil
Rs 3 – 7 lakh – 5%
Rs 7-10 lakh- 10%
Rs10-12 lakh – 15%
Rs 12-15 lakh – 20%
Above Rs 15 lakh – 30%
Under the Nex Tax regime, a salaried employee is expected to save up to Rs 17,500 in Income tax.
#WATCH | On personal income tax rates in new tax regime, FM Sitharaman says, "Under new tax regime, tax rate structure to be revised as follows – Rs 0-Rs 3 lakh -Nil; Rs 3-7 lakh -5% ; Rs 7-10 lakh-10% ; Rs 10-12 lakh-15%; 12-15 lakh- 20% and above Rs 15 lakh-30%." pic.twitter.com/zQd7A4OsnT
Revenue of Rs 37,000 crores – Rs 29,000 crores in direct taxes and Rs 8,000 crores in indirect taxes will be foregone. While revenue of Rs 30,000 crore will be additionally mobilized, thus the total revenue foregone is about Rs 7,000 crores annually.
Additionally, the Union Finance Minister also announced that the government will undertake a comprehensive review of the Income Tax Act to make it easy to read.
During her 7th Budget speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also said the government will come out with SoP (standard operating procedure) for TDS defaults and simplify and rationalise the compounding of such offenses.
FM Sitharaman added that two tax exemption regimes for charitable trusts will be merged into one.
As per the Budgetary announcement, in the Financial Year 2023, around 58% of corporate tax has come from a simplified tax regime.
She informed the Lok Sabha that more than two-thirds of individuals availed of the new income tax regime.
Furthermore, the FM announced that DPI (Digital Public infrastructure) apps will be developed for credit, e-commerce, education, health, law, MSME service delivery, and urban governance.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget speech proposed the creation of employment of about 4.1 crore youth over the next five years.
Towards it, the finance minister has allocated Rs 2 lakh crore.
Similarly, she proposed Rs 1.48 crore to skilling the citizens to generate job opportunities. 20 lakh youth will be skilled over five years.
A total of 1,000 industrial training institutes will be upgraded, she announced.
She proposed in her speech that a one-time wage would be provided to all first-time employees in all sectors. The incentive for first-timers would be provided through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT)
The Finance Minister said that the government will launch internship opportunities in 500 companies for one crore youth in five years.
She said interns will get exposure to real-life environments and an allowance of Rs 5000 per month.
The companies will bear training and 10 per cent of training costs from CSR funds.
Sitharaman said employment, skilling, MSME, and middle class are key focus areas of this Budget.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
On 4th July, a seasoned mathematics teacher at City Montessori School (CMS) Lucknow, Kuldeep Tiwari, wrote a complaint to the District Magistrate alleging his services were terminated from the school after he refused to withdraw cases related to the Bhojshala, Gyanvapi, and the demolition of illegal religious structures. In his complaint, he alleged that he was subjected to persistent harassment over his religious practices including maintaining Shikha and wearing Tilak along with his involvement in several PILs.
In the detailed complaint, Tiwari accused the Principal Ms Jaishreekrishnan and Vice Principal Ms Rita Fleming, of repeatedly asking him to remove Tilak and cut Shikha. Tiwari pointed out that both are significant parts of his life as he is a practising devout Hindu. Tiwari asserted that these demands were made repeatedly over several years often accompanied by insults and threats.
⚡️STARTLING HINDUPHOBIA IN LUCKNOW!⚡️
?Anti-Hindu stance by the largest school of the world – 'City Montessori School' (CMS) of Lakshmanpuri (Lucknow)!
Tiwari is involved in several high-profile PILs. His organisation held a major spiritual and cultural event in Lucknow in October 2023. During the event, a model exhibition of the Gyanvapi Temple was shown. The event was attended by several prominent scholars and spiritual leaders. The event aimed to raise awareness about important religious sites including Kashi, Mathura and Bhojshala.
He said that soon after the event, the Principal and Vice Principal called him in their office and demanded that he withdraw all his pending PILs. He said, “I was told to either withdraw my cases or resign from my job immediately”. He expressed his inability to withdraw the cases stating that the legal battles he is fighting are within the bounds of the law and public interest.
Tiwari said the situation worsened after he participated in Puja before the ASI survey of the Bhojshala case in April 2024. When he came back, he was again pressured to resign or face termination.
As per Tiwari, he was told, “You were asked to withdraw all the cases, but you did not, so you will no longer work at CMS. It would be better if you resign voluntarily, otherwise, we will dismiss you. You will be left destitute, then sit on the street and feed on Hindutva.”
He said, “They threatened to leave me destitute and even made derogatory comments about my religious beliefs.” He alleged that a conspiracy was hatched to terminate him from his job.
Finally, on 1st July 2024, he received a termination letter from CMS that cited various reasons. He said, “My dismissal is an insult to my religious sentiments and a violation of my rights”. In his complaint, Tiwari called for a high-level investigation into the matter stating he believed there might be influence of external, anti-India forces. He said, “It is crucial to ascertain whether the pressure was due to personal malice or other anarchic forces.”
He also added that CMS, which is inspired by the Bahá’í Faith, is a powerful institution with notable links to foreign entities. He further alleged that CMS receives foreign funding. He raised concerns about potential influences on the investigation as well. He requested for full security detail for himself fearing his safety amidst the conflict.
List of cases Kuldeep is involved in:
Bhojshala Case, WPIL 10484/2022, Indore High Court
Gyanvapi Case, Case Numbers 350/2021 and 1415/2023, Honorable District Court, Varanasi
Against Illegal Religious Constructions, WPIL 1930/2022, Honorable Allahabad High Court
Against the Provisions of Section 494 IPC, WP (C) 001382/2020, Honorable Supreme Court
Against Bollywood Film ‘Adipurush,’ Case Number 0728/2022, Honorable Allahabad High Court (Lucknow Bench)
Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Case, WPIL 0293/2024, Honorable District Court, Mathura
A significant outrage has erupted on social media after Unacademy, a popular online education platform, referred to the historic Martand Sun Temple as “Shaitan ki Gufa” (Devil’s Cave) in one of its lessons.
“The Martand Sun Temple, also called Shaitan ki Gufa, is a Hindu shrine located within Jammu and Kashmir, India, just near the city area of Anantnag. It was built in the 8th century AD and was dedicated to Surya, Hinduism’s principal sun god; Surya is also recognized through his Sanskrit name Martand. Upon command of the former Muslim emperor of Kashmir, Sikandar Shah Miri, this temple was demolished by the army of the Shah Miri empire throughout the 15th century,” Unacademy’s lesson on the history of Martand Sun Temple read.
On 22nd July, several social media users shared the screengrab of this contentious Unacademy lesson and questioned who is writing content for their study material. Several X users asked if Unacademy is taking script lessons from Bollywood.
An X user Anuradha Goyal asked, “Seriously @unacademy, Is Martand Sun Temple called Shaitan Ki Gufa or are you taking lessons from Bollywood fiction?
Seriously @unacademy , Is Martand Sun Temple called Shaitan Ki Gufa or are you taking lessons from Bollywood fiction? pic.twitter.com/BzlG5OD6xT
Renowned author and historian Vikram Sampath deemed Unacademy’s distortion of history as “shameful” and asked if Bollywood script writers are creating content for the ed-tech platform.
“This is terrible @unacademy that you term the Martand Sun Temple as “shaitan ki gufa” ! Who’s creating your educational content — Bollywood script writers ?? Shameful,” Sampat asked.
This is terrible @unacademy that you term the Martand Sun Temple as "shaitan ki gufa" ! Who's creating your educational content — Bollywood script writers ?? Shameful. https://t.co/1VJi7wMXVu
— Dr. Vikram Sampath, FRHistS (@vikramsampath) July 22, 2024
“Jan ki Baat” founder and journalist Pradip Bhandari asked Unacademy to remove the “offensive” content from its website. “Martand Sun Temple is not “Shaitan Ki Gufa” @unacademy! Change it. This is offensive to the Hindu community,” Bhandari posted.
Martand Sun Temple is not "Shaitan Ki Gufa" @unacademy!
— Pradeep Bhandari(प्रदीप भंडारी)?? (@pradip103) July 22, 2024
Amidst a heavy backlash from social media users, the ed-tech platform edited its lesson on the Hindu temple and removed “Shaitan ki Gufa” from it. However, Unacademy has not issued an apology for distorting history and normalising the demonisation of a historic Hindu temple destroyed by Islamic fanatics.
Source: Unacademy
Martand Sun Temple in Kashmir and Sikandar ‘Butshikan’
The Martand Sun Temple, located in Anantnag, Kashmir, is a monumental representation of Hindu architecture and spirituality. Constructed in the 8th century by Lalitaditya Muktapida, the Martand Surya Mandir stands as a testament to ancient India’s architectural and cultural prowess. However, during the 14th century, Sikandar Shah Miri also known as Sikandar Butshikan [idol-breaker], notorious for his campaigns against Hindus demolished the temples belonging to Kafirs [infidels]. It is claimed that the Islamic fanatic called the ruins of the Martand Temple as ‘Shaitan ki Gufa’ (Devil’s cave), however, specific references to him using the term “Shaitan ki Gufa” are not well-documented in credible historical sources. It is said that Kashmiri Muslims refer to the Hindu temple as devil’s cave, and Bollywood, media and Islamists have over the years been making attempts to justify and normalise this blatant demeaning of Hindu temples.
In this vein, TimesNow had published a photo story last year wherein it claimed that Kashmiri Muslims refer to this Hindu temple as ‘Shaitan ki Gufa’.
Source: TimesNow
Bollywood film ‘Haider’ referred to Martand Surya Mandir Martand as ‘Shaitan Ki Gufa’
Back in 2014, filmmaker Vishal Bharadwaj drew widespread criticism for slandering Hindu traditions in his film ‘Haider’. In this Shahid Kapoor starrer, the Surya Mandir was called Shaitan Ki Gufa in one of its songs ‘Bismil’ with Shahid dancing inside the Martand Sun Temple. This song earned huge praises for the director and actor, with people celebrating the mockery of Hindu sentiments in garb of ‘creative freedom’.
In April last year, OpIndia reported that Muslims had set off firecrackers inside the temple on Eid-ul-Fitr.
Unacademy and its past controversies
This is not the first time that Unacademy has offended Hindu sentiments, back in 2021, the ed-tech portal was found peddling a dangerously anti-Hindu narrative through its online test module. The test module insinuated that somehow Hindus are anti-Muslim bigots.
“In a city named X, a group of Muslim people were carrying out their rally on the occasion of Eid. They were chanting their slogans and were celebrating their festivals. When they were passing through the streets of a Hindu-dominated colony, the Hindus of the area started pelting stones at them and claimed that they outraged the religious feelings of Hindus. Is the claim correct?”, one of the questions in the test module read. This came despite it being widely known that Hindus have on numerous occasions been attacked with stones and other things by Islamists for celebrating their festivals and chanting their religious slogans in the so-called ‘Muslim areas’. However, in its attempt to push leftist propaganda, the ed-tech platform reversed religious identity to paint the aggressors as the victims.
After outrage, Unacademy issued an apology and blamed a third party for the ‘misrepresentation’.
In September 2020, Unacademy educator Varun Awasthi provoked students to pick up AK-47s in his online classes. Unacademy, had to distance itself from the contentious remarks made by Awasthi. Other than this, in the same year, an Unacademy tutor had gone on a rant against Brahmins. His video saying that “Brahmins are the most idle [Kaamchor] community”, went viral on social media triggering an outrage.
In August 2023, Unacademy educator Karan Sangwan courted controversy by asking students to vote for ‘educated politicians’. He also lauded the British colonizers for doing an excellent job by crafting the perfect statute and criticized the recently announced three new laws replacing IPC, CrPC, and the Evidence Act. Netizens had strongly criticised Sangwan for using an education platform to peddle political propaganda. Eventually, he was sacked by Unacademy.
Coming back to the ‘Shaitan ki Gufa’ row, Unacademy’s usage of this derogatory term is not just a factual error but an egregious attack on the Hindu community. It perpetuates a narrative that demonises Hindus and their heritage, echoing historical bigotry. Such outrageous misrepresentations in educational content are dangerous as they shape young minds and perpetuate false narratives against an already targeted Hindu community. While Unacademy has removed the offensive term from its content, this incident should serve as a wake-up call to address and rectify the bias and misinformation that pervades educational content.
The Martand Sun Temple is a revered site for Hindus, built in honour of the Sun God and labelling it with a derogatory term used by Islamists is profoundly disrespectful to the Hindu temple’s religious significance. Equating a sacred Hindu site with a “Devil’s Cave” implies a blasphemous comparison that demeans Hindu beliefs and discredits Hindu heritage. The term ‘Shaitan ki Gufa’ reflects the bigotry of Islamic invaders who sought to destroy Kafir Hindu’s culture and religion. Repeating it in contemporary contexts that too by ‘education’ platforms continues to propagate historical injustice and prejudice against Hindus.
On Monday (22nd July, local time), extremists defaced the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Swaminarayan Mandir in Edmonton city in Alberta province of Canada.
The development was confirmed on social media by Canadian MP Chandra Arya. In visuals shared by him on X (formerly Twitter), it could be seen that the wall of the Hindu temple vandalised with Hinduphobic, anti-Modi graffiti.
‘PM Modi MP Arya Hindu terrorist are Anti Canada,’ read the graffiti. In a tweet, MP Chandra Arya pointed out, “The Hindu temple BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Edmonton is vandalized again. During the last few years, Hindu temples in Greater Toronto Area, British Columbia and other places in Canada are being vandalized with hateful graffiti.”
The Hindu temple BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Edmonton is vandalized again. During the last few years, Hindu temples in Greater Toronto Area, British Columbia and other places in Canada are being vandalized with hateful graffiti. Gurpatwant Singh Pannun of Sikhs for Justice last… pic.twitter.com/G0a8ozrrHX
“Gurpatwant Singh Pannun of Sikhs for Justice last year publicly called for Hindus to go back to India. Khalistan supporters publicly celebrated in Brampton and Vancouver the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and brandishing images of deadly weapons,” he emphasised.
The Canadian MP accused Khalistanis of orchestrating the attack on the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Edmonton. “As I have always been saying, Khalistani extremists seems to get away with ease with their public rhetoric of hate and violence…Hindu-Canadians are legitimately concerned,” he stated.
Chandra Arya reiterated, “Like a broken record, I again call on Canadian law enforcement agencies to take this issue seriously before these rhetorics get translated into physical action against Hindu-Canadians.”
Attacks on Hindu temples in Canada
This is not the first time that a Hindu temple had come under attack in Canada.
In September 2023, the Shree Mata Bhameshwari Durga Devi Society in Surrey British Columbia was sprayed with ‘Punjab is not India’ grafitti
In February 2023, a Ram temple in Mississauga was defaced with anti-India graffiti by unknown miscreants.
In January 2023, the Gauri Shankar Mandir was desecrated by Khalistani extremists in Brampton City in Ontario province of Canada. The walls of the temple were defaced with anti-India graffiti by Khalistanis associated allegedly with the banned outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ). The vicious slogan of ‘Khalistan Zindabad, Hindustan Murdabad’ was found spray-painted on the outer wall of Gauri Shankar Mandir.
In September 2022, some Khalistani terrorists defaced BAPS Swaminarayan Temple in Toronto with anti-India slogans. Several videos circulating on social media showed slogans of ‘Khalistan Zindabad, Hindustan Murdabad’ painted on the walls of the temple.
In February 2022 alone, six Hindu temples were attacked in Toronto.
On Sunday, July 21st, the Uttar Pradesh Police arrested 4 individuals identified as Akram, Shahrukh, Arshad, and Azam after they attacked a Hindu temple in the Izatnagar area of UP’s Bareilly district. The accused have been charged with causing a disturbance and damaging idols at the Gopeshwar Nath temple.
As per the local reports, the primary accused identified in the case, Akram belongs to the state of Uttarakhand. The incident is said to have happened on Sunday when the accused persons reached the temple and damaged the idols of the Gods and Goddesses. They damaged the idols of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati ahead of the beginning of the Shravan month. Accused Akram also attacked the temple priest with a knife, as per reports.
Gopeshwarnath Temple (ABP News)
The Hindu residents and activists learned about the incident and demanded strict punishment against the accused persons. They informed the police after which Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Rahul Bhati and CO Anita Chauhan reached the spot. On seeing the police, the accused persons attempted to flee from the spot however, the primary accused Akram was caught. The police also recovered foreign currency from the arrested Akram.
The police immediately began an investigation into the case after the Hindu organizations protested against the incident and demanded strict action against the accused. The other accused were then eventually arrested.
The police have charged four under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including section 298 (injuring or defiling a place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class).
