Christmas commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, the central figure of Christianity, and is observed worldwide as a religious and cultural festival. When autumn has given way to winter and snow covers the ground, and lights twinkle from house to house, you know Christmas is coming. Christmas is widely associated with joy, generosity, and cultural celebration. Still, in its current form, it has also grown into one of the world’s biggest annual consumption cycles.
It includes Seasonal spikes in shopping, travel, food consumption, and decorative spending, which create measurable environmental consequences. This article examines the environmental impact of Christmas by examining deforestation, waste generation, and agricultural stress. Rather than questioning the celebration itself, the focus here is on how consumption-driven practices linked to Christmas contribute to ecological degradation, as highlighted by global environmental studies and policy research.
Christmas and Deforestation Pressure
One of the less discussed impacts of Christmas is its indirect contribution to deforestation. With the increasing demand for natural Christmas trees, paper-based products, gift packaging, furniture, and decorative items during the festive season, trees are the ones who suffer the most. Even when trees are sourced from plantations, these operations require land, water, fertilisers, and energy-intensive transport. In addition to trees, the increased demand for cardboard, paper bags, and wrapping material puts pressure on forest resources worldwide.
According to the American Farm Bureau, about 25 million natural Christmas trees are cut and sold in the United States each year[i]. Moreover, according to the UK government, about 6-8 million Christmas trees are cut and sold annually.[ii] Across North America and Europe alone, tens of millions of trees are cut each year for Christmas celebrations. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), in its Living Forests Report, identifies rising consumer demand and lifestyle-driven consumption cycles as key drivers of global deforestation and forest degradation, warning that such demand weakens biodiversity and reduces forests’ capacity to regulate climate and store carbon.
Waste Generation and Plastic Pollution
Christmas is also associated with a sharp rise in solid waste generation. Household and commercial waste increases significantly during the festive period due to disposable decorations, excessive packaging, and wrapping paper. According to environmental audits in the United Kingdom, around 227,000 miles of wrapping paper are used every Christmas, enough to wrap the Earth nearly 9 times, and much of which is non-recyclable[iii].
A large proportion of festive wrapping materials are non-recyclable because they are laminated, dyed, or coated with plastic and glitter. This results in higher landfill use and incineration, both of which contribute to pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Municipal waste-management systems often struggle to handle these short-term surges, creating long-term environmental costs that extend well beyond the holiday season.
The Plastic Problem
Christmas gifting has quietly become a major driver of avoidable waste. UK government and waste-management data show that around 30% more waste is generated during the festive period compared to the rest of the year, much of it linked to packaging and short-lived consumer goods.[iv] According to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, the UK discards more than £40 million worth of unwanted Christmas presents, many of which end up in landfills just months after being traded.[v] Packaging significantly amplifies this problem.
According to WRAP’s data, approximately 114,000 tonnes of recyclable festive packaging are incorrectly disposed of each year due to contamination from plastic coatings, glitter, ribbons, and mixed materials.[vi] According to consumer surveys, workplace and social gifting are particularly inefficient. Gifts received among coworkers and acquaintances are significantly more likely to be disliked, making them a high-volume, low-utility kind of consumption. From an environmental point of view, this represents a poor trade-off, resulting in increased material waste that lingers well beyond the festive season.
Seasonal Consumption, Methane Emissions, and Climate Stress
Christmas’s environmental impact goes beyond visible waste to climate-critical emissions. One of the most significant impacts comes from organic waste. According to the reports, the UK wastes an estimated 7-8 million real Christmas trees, which are discarded annually, generating approximately 12000 tonnes of green waste.[vii] Methane, a greenhouse gas significantly more potent than carbon dioxide in the short term, is released when decomposing trees are dumped in landfills. It indicates that emissions may reach tens of thousands of tonnes annually.
Food waste compounds this problem. According to the WRAP, it estimates that over 200,000 tonnes of edible food are wasted in the UK during the Christmas period, including hundreds of thousands of turkeys and millions of festive food items.[viii] This waste represents not only lost food but also wasted land, water, energy, and fertilisers used in production. When disposed of in a landfill, food waste further contributes to methane emissions, intensifying climate impact.
From a global standpoint, these seasonal patterns are consistent with broader environmental research. The World Wide Fund for Nature has consistently pointed out that lifestyle-driven consumption spikes, even when temporary, cumulatively contribute to deforestation, biodiversity loss, and climate instability. Christmas exemplifies how repeated annual increases in consumption and waste can affect the long-term environmental and climate goals.
Conclusion – Sustainability, Not Celebration Shaming
The environmental concerns associated with Christmas are not an argument against celebration or cultural tradition. Instead, they highlight the ecological cost of unchecked consumerism that now surrounds many global festivals. Research shows that forests, climate systems, and ecosystems respond to cumulative human behaviour rather than intent. Addressing environmental degradation requires acknowledging and reforming high-impact consumption cycles, including those linked to Christmas. Sustainable celebrations focused on reduced waste, responsible consumption, and environmental awareness offer a way forward that balances cultural practice with ecological responsibility.
On 24th December, several Pakistani and Bangladeshi social media handles, including those of prominent journalists, began circulating a video claiming that the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, openly threatened to attack Bangladesh, demanded its merger into “Akhand Bharat”, and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resign if he cannot attack Bangladesh. It was also claimed that CM Yogi issued violent threats against Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir.
Our biggest weakness as Bengali Muslims is that we don’t even realize how deeply stupid we have become.
Look at this ;
leaders like Yogi openly stand in parliament and threaten to capture Bangladesh, talking about a so-called “Akhand Bharat” ;
The video purportedly showed CM Yogi speaking on the floor of the Assembly and has been widely shared as “proof” of Indian leaders threatening Bangladesh’s sovereignty.
Sharing this video, X user Jashim, who hails from Bangladesh, wrote, “Our biggest weakness as Bengali Muslims is that we don’t even realize how deeply stupid we have become. Look at this ; leaders like Yogi openly stand in parliament and threaten to capture Bangladesh, talking about a so-called “Akhand Bharat” ; yet our Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not even protest. And the Indian bootlicking Bangladeshi media, despite knowing all this, remains completely silent ; as if nothing has happened.”
Source: X
Notably, the video was shared by on 24th December by Wajahat Kazmi, a journalist from Pakistan, who has worked with Dawn, Samaa TV, Star News and has appeared on BBC, CNN, Huffington Post and other media outlets. Wajahat has over 5.9 lakh followers on X. Wajahat’s account on X is withheld in India. The archived link of the post can be seen here.
Source: X
The background behind the viral video
The AI generated video surfaced shortly after CM Yogi raised the issue of atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh during proceedings of the UP Vidhan Sabha. He specifically spoke about the murder of a Dalit Hindu youth in Bangladesh and the selective outrage shown by opposition leaders who protest events in Gaza but remain silent when Hindus are targeted in neighbouring Islamic countries.
Pakistan and Bangladesh based handles projected the fake clip as a response to this speech, claiming it reflected India’s alleged expansionist ambitions.
Numerous Pakistani and Bangladeshi handles share the video
There are several Bangladeshi and Pakistani handles that have shared the video on social media platforms.
In a post, X user Hassan from Pakistan wrote, “Yogi Adityanath has just accused Pakistan of interfering in Bangladesh and issued a direct threat to Field Marshal Asim Munir. The UP CM stated that Akhand Bharat cannot be realized as long as Asim Munir remains in power. More reasons to love and support the Field Marshal.”
Source: X
Another X user from Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Tural, wrote exactly the same text proving it is a toolkit developed by users from Pakistan and Bangladesh against CM Yogi.
Source: X
What was actually said by CM Yogi Adityanath
When OpIndia checked the Assembly proceedings and verified video footage, it was clear that CM Yogi made no such statements that have been attributed to him in the viral clip.
#WATCH | Lucknow: In the Assembly, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath says, "Look how a Dalit youth was burned alive in Bangladesh. You people shed tears over everything that happens in the Gaza Strip, but not a single word comes out of your mouths when a Dalit youth was killed in… pic.twitter.com/zCoTUZHdQ1
While speaking in the Vidhan Sabha, CM Yogi questioned why opposition leaders choose silence when Hindus are killed in Bangladesh and Pakistan, but condemn incidents that happen elsewhere. He criticised opposition leaders for appeasement politics and stated that the creation of Pakistan and Bangladesh had led to the continued persecution of Hindus.
He further called for a condemnation resolution against the murder of a Hindu in Bangladesh, Dipu Das, and warned the Bangladesh government to ensure the safety of minorities. He also spoke about illegal immigration, Aadhaar misuse, and vote bank politics that have been happening in India.
What has been falsely added using AI
The viral video falsely inserts statements about Akhand Bharat through violence, threats of war, demands for the Prime Minister’s resignation, and calls for assassination or physical harm to Asim Munir. The language and tone in the viral clip are inconsistent with his real remarks and clearly indicate AI generated manipulation.
Why this misinformation is being pushed
The misinformation being spread by Pakistani and Bangladeshi handles is aimed at deflecting attention from documented attacks on Hindu minorities in Bangladesh. Notably, a Hindu man, Dipu Das, was recently burnt alive in Bangladesh over false claims of blasphemy. These attacks have become a black spot on the interim political arrangement led by Muhammad Yunus.
Such videos are a clear attempt to reframe legitimate criticism of Islamist violence as Indian aggression, thereby silencing discussion on the persecution of minorities in neighbouring countries.
Conclusion
The viral video is fake and AI generated. CM Yogi did not threaten Bangladesh, call for war, ask Prime Minister Modi to resign, or call for an attack on Asim Munir. None of these remarks were found in the original speech he delivered in the UP Assembly. His remarks were limited to condemning the killing of Hindus and exposing selective political outrage.
A case of sexual exploitation, blackmail and forced conversion has surfaced at the prestigious King George Medical University (KGMU) in Lucknow. Rameezuddin Naik, a resident doctor in the Pathology Department, is charged with trapping his Hindu colleague in a romantic relationship, sexually exploiting her for 6 months under the guise of marriage, terminating her pregnancy, blackmailing her and pushing her to embrace Islam. He also concealed the fact that he had been married twice, including to a Hindu. Her family has also brought forth assertions of love jihad.
On 23rd December, a First Information Report was launched at the Chowk police station for sexual assault, forced religious conversion and under other pertinent sections. A formal complaint has been submitted in accordance with sections 69, 89 and 351(1) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act’s sections 3 and 5(1) have also been invoked.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Chowk Rajkumar Singh informed that a police team is actively searching for Naik, and he would be apprehended shortly. Meanwhile, he has been suspended from the institution.
The victim tries to end her life, CM Yogi’s assurance and meeting with the State Women’s Commission
The victim met with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath (or talked to him on the phone) to share her ordeal and disclosed that the Muslim man is not working independently, but he leads a conversion gang on the KGMU campus. CM Yogi then asked for a comprehensive report from the institution’s administration. The Yogi government vowed that the culprits would not be spared.
Her family stressed that the accused had hidden the fact that he had previously converted another Hindu girl to Islam and married her in February of this year. He promised to leave his spouse if the young woman changed her religion after she found out about his reality. However, she refused, and he left her but continued to mentally torment her.
“I started distancing myself from him, but he kept pursuing me and stated that he had my objectionable photos and videos. He threatened to make them viral, which would prevent me from getting married anywhere. He repeatedly forced me to accept and convert to the religion. He continued to blackmail me,” the woman pointed out. She attempted suicide on 17th December by consuming poison in her hostel room, driven to despair by the constant harassment.
The Hindu doctor was admitted in critical condition to the KGMU Trauma Centre and subsequently to the Critical Care Medicine (CCM) Intensive Care Unit (ICU). She was released from the hospital on 19th December, following which she and her family appealed to the State Women’s Commission and the public grievance portal. According to reports, she was enduring persistent threats, pressure to stay silent, not initiate any complaint and suppress the issue.
On 22nd December, the victim conducted a press conference alongside Aparna Yadav, the vice-chairperson of the commission. She noted that letters have been sent to the KGMU administration and the police. They are urged to file an official complaint against the offender. She also emphasised that a thorough inquiry is essential, as the manner in which the events have transpired implied that he could be operating a conversion racket for an ulterior motive. The commission also conveyed that the victim would receive legal and psychological assistance at every stage and would not experience any further harassment.
The startling revelations
According to the complaint, the female doctor lived in Lucknow’s Thakurganj and was originally from Howrah in West Bengal. She joined the KGMU Lucknow Cytology Department on 1st July 2025 while pursuing her MD in Pathology. Naik, who was also in the department, befriended her in the same month. He informed her that he was born in Saharanpur and that his present address was Khatima in Uttarakhand. He gradually gained her trust and strengthened their friendship.
The complaint unveiled, “He started tempting me to marry him. Using marriage as a pretext, he got very close to me. Around 8th or 9th August, he came to my rented house. He started talking about having physical relations with me. Despite my refusal, he took me into his confidence by promising marriage and established physical relations with me. Our friendship continued due to trust. He would regularly come to my room and establish physical relations with me while promising marriage.”
She further mentioned that he had sex with her contrary to her will when she visited his rented home in Hussainabad in the name of marrriage and this she did not protest. “I found out I was pregnant in September. When I told him about this, he gave me medicine, saying that we are not married yet. This is not right now,” she added.
The complainant unexpectedly ran into Mansi Saxena in front of Thakurganj’s Batul Plaza in September, who told her that she was Naik’s wife and he had wed her in February after changing her religion. He alleged that it was not true when she confronted him, but maintained regular contact with Mansi.
The Hindu doctor highlighted, “When I asked him to marry me in October, he started talking about religious conversion in November. He insisted that we could only get married afterwards. When I opposed this, an argument started between us. I couldn’t tell anyone else about my troubles, which led me to consume about 30 tablets of Mirtazapine and Venlafaxine on 17th December.”
Her friends took her to the hospital, and she later told her father about the entire occurrence, which resulted in the police complaint.
The university’s action against the accused
The issue was referred to the Vishakha Committee following the directives of Vice-Chancellor Professor Sonia Nityanand. It commenced its probe by first documenting the testimonies of the victim and the perpetrator. The latter asserted that he was unmarried and refuted any allegations of having been previously married. He was told to furnish evidence to substantiate his claims.
KGMU spokesperson Dr KK Singh stated that the university management has provided a room for the female doctor in the hostel, prioritising her safety, and a female security personnel is going to be stationed at her dormitory around the clock. He pointed out that Malik has been suspended and directed to refrain from appearing on the campus.
The action was executed by the Dean of Academics, Professor Virendra Atam, with the consent of the Vice-Chancellor. Given the gravity of the matter, the committee determined that Naik might affect the impartial and unbiased probe. Therefore, he was told to remain at the KGMU headquarters throughout the suspension period, although he is not permitted to carry out any official responsibilities. Additionally, he is barred from entering the university grounds without prior written authorisation. He would only be permitted to participate in the inquiry proceedings.
Singh added that Naik tried to indoctrinate her and pressurise her to become a Muslim. Singh mentioned that a preliminary investigation would be initiated to verify the authenticity of the accusations, and then the focus would shift to identifying all individualsz implicated in the matter, including the collaborators and anyone else who was cognisant of the situation. He added that Naik hid the details from the administration, but every involved individual would be examined, and suitable actions would be taken.
On 23rd December, the committee was unable to get in touch with Naik, who was scheduled to testify before the panel. His phone was turned off, and many efforts were made to call as well as message him while they waited for his response until the evening. The KGMU management declared that he would face severe consequences for his refusal to assist with the probe.
Protests on the campus
Meanwhile, protests have begun regarding the issue by Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the National Medicos Organisation (NMO) and other groups. On 24th December, a confrontation also occurred between NMO officials and KGMU authorities during the protest, but security personnel were able to restore order.
The convener of the metropolitan unit, Dr Shivam Krishnan, along with the organising secretary, Dr Kapil Sharma, met with the Vice-Chancellor and demanded revocation of Naik’s degree and requested a recommendation for the cancellation of his admission through NEET PG (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Postgraduate). Sharma added that the faculty members of the Pathology department who supported the accused should be identified.
Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Nandkishore Gurjar characterised the case as a love jihad, similar to the Hindu doctor’s father and called for the invocation of the National Security Act (NSA) against Naik.
Today, on 25th December, is Good Governance Day. It is also the 101st birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. On this occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate the Rashtra Prerna Sthal in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, to the nation. Statues of three luminaries of nationalism, Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, and Atal Bihari Vajpayee have been installed at this site.
Know about Rashtriya Prerna Sthal
The Rashtriya Prerna Sthal, located on the banks of the Gomti River in Lucknow, is spread across 65 acres. It was built at a cost of approximately ₹230 crore. Sixty-five-foot-tall bronze statues of the three nationalist leaders have been installed on its premises. The statues weigh about 42 tons each and are surrounded by water bodies. The complex houses a state-of-the-art museum designed in the shape of a lotus flower. It spans approximately 98,000 square feet.It features five galleries and 12 interpretation walls depicting the lives, struggles, and ideologies of the three leaders.
Remembering former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the eve of Good Governance Day, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath described him as the undisputed leader of Indian politics. He said that the former Prime Minister took Indian politics to new heights in six decades. He connected it with values and ideals. CM Yogi Adityanath commented on the inauguration program of Rashtriya Prerna Sthal in a post on X. He said that Rashtriya Prerna Sthal is not just a tribute to the thoughts, ideals and the lives of Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee and Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay; it symbolises the eternal values of inspirational leadership and patriotism crucial for building a ‘New India’.
पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री, 'भारत रत्न' श्रद्धेय अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी जी की 101वीं जयंती के पावन अवसर पर भारत की लोकतांत्रिक चेतना, सुशासन और राष्ट्रसेवा के मूल्यों को नई ऊर्जा प्रदान करते 'राष्ट्र प्रेरणा स्थल' का उद्घाटन विश्व के सर्वाधिक लोकप्रिय राजनेता आदरणीय प्रधानमंत्री श्री…
The contributions of Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, and Atal Bihari Vajpayee to Indian politics need no introduction. The Bharatiya Janata Party we see today has its ideological roots in the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, founded by Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee in 1951.
Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee wanted three Deendayals and got one Atal
Among the key members who shaped the organisation and ideology during its initial period, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya’s name figures prominently. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee used to say that if he could find three people like Deendayal Upadhyaya, he could change the face of the country’s politics. Although Shyama Prasad Mukherjee didn’t get three people like Deendayal Upadhyaya, he did find a similar figure in Atal Bihari Vajpayee, whose ideological clarity and organisational ability strengthened the Jan Sangh and later the BJP.
‘This story is mentioned on page 28 of Kingshuk Nag’s book ‘Atal Bihari Vajpayee: A Man for All Seasons.‘
It was during this ideological journey that Atal Bihari Vajpayee emerged as a national leader. In the 1950s, Atal ji served as editor of magazines like “Panchjanya” and “Rashtradharma.” Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya closely observed his writing and ideological maturity. Just as a jeweler recognizes a diamond, Deendayal Upadhyaya recognised a gem like Atal Bihari Vajpayee and introduced him to Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee. Subsequently, Atal ji served as Shyama Prasad Mukherjee’s assistant for a long time, especially on a sensitive subject like Kashmir.
This is the reason that when Atal Bihari Vajpayee became Prime Minister, the Kashmir issue remained an important and sensitive issue during his tenure. His approach towards the Kashmir issue, based on dialogue and resolution, not confrontation, was a result of his ideological upbringing and political experience.
Atal ji was also deeply influenced by Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya’s philosophy of “Integral Humanism.” Whether it was connecting rural India to the mainstream, the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, or the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s vision of bringing development to the last person in society clearly reflected the influence of Deendayal Upadhyaya’s ideas on him.
Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Deendayal Upadhyaya, and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, all three of them dedicated their lives to creating an India they dreamed of. Today’s ‘New India’ not only carries forward their ideals but also realises their unfulfilled dreams. The bold step of abolishing Article 370 and clearly declaring Kashmir as an integral part of India by PM Narendra Modi is proof that the seeds of national consciousness sown by Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee during his lifetime have sprouted.
The November 10 Islamic terror attack in Delhi, which killed over 15 people, brought the Al Falah University in Haryana’s Faridabad under the scanner. The Islamic terror attack near Red Fort was carried out by Al Falah University member, Dr Umar Un Nabi. The varsity established in 2014 by the Al Falah Charitable Trust has been implicated in the white-collar terror module linked to the Pakistan-based Islamic terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH). To tighten the noose around the Al Falah University, the Haryana Government has passed the Haryana Private Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
The BJP government in the state brought the Haryana Private Universities (Amendment) Bill to make amendments to the various provisions of the Haryana Private Universities Act, 2006. The bill was passed on 22nd December 2025 on the last day of the state assembly’s Winter Session. The amendments have been made to enhance state oversight and lay down procedures for dissolving or taking over private universities and appointing an administrator, and to ensure the government’s prior approval for the introduction of new courses.
The changes made in the amended legislation will apply to all 26 private universities in Haryana, including Al Falah University.
Fines ranging from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 1 crore will be imposed for maladministration, providing false information, or failing to comply with the prescribed standards. In addition, the government may halt admissions and order phased dissolution in case of universities failing to rectify violations within 30 days. It is not that the 2014 Act did not provide for the imposition of penalties for rule violations or did not make any mention about the dissolution of private universities; however, the process was not clearly laid down.
Under new Section 44B, the state government can appoint an administrator or committee to take full control over a private university’s affairs, assets, and operations in cases of national security lapses, threat to public security and national sovereignty, law and order, or other unlawful/anti-national activities. The new rule states that the State-appointed administrator will ensure continuity until the last student batch graduates, following which, assets revert to the sponsoring body.
Another change in the rule pertains to operations controls. Now, prior government approval will be required for new courses or intake changes. This is done to address the misuse of Section 34A. In addition, annual academic and administrative audits will be mandatory.
The annual audits, both academic and administrative, will ensure that private universities are complying with all the rules and maintaining standards. If found violating the rules, varsities may receive notice and face action from the government, if required.
The Haryana Private Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2025, also provides for establishing a new state-run University of Design, Innovation and Technology in Gurugram.
Explaining what necessitated the amendment to the Private Universities Act, 2006, state education minister, Mahipal Dhanda, said that during a comprehensive review, it was found that Sections 34A, 34B, 44, 44A and 46 required streamlining. He added that the existing Sections 44 and 44A did not lay down any procedure either for the dissolution of a university or for the appointment of an administrator.
“This necessitated amendments to these sections and the insertion of the new Section 44B to clearly lay down the process for phased dissolution and administrative takeover,” Minister Dhanda said.
Similarly, the minister said that the provisions of Section 46 were broadened to eliminate ambiguities, shut down loopholes and bolster regulatory oversight over private varsities.
“It has been noticed that certain private universities started new courses, enhanced intake capacity and even changed the nomenclature of courses without obtaining prior approval of the state government by misusing sub-section (3) of Section 34A. Therefore, the provision needed modification,” the Haryana Education Minister said.
The Haryana Private Universities (Amendment) Bill and the Al Falah University connection
The passed Private Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2025, does not explicitly mention Al Falah University. However, its timing and changes made in the existing law make it apparent that the state government is not only enhancing regulatory oversight over private universities but also tightening the noose around Al Falah University. This Islamic terror involvement-accused varsity was established by the Al Falah Charitable Trust and obtained the “university” status in 2014 via an act of the Haryana Assembly.
As per the information given on the varsity’s website, the “Al-Falah University was established by the Haryana Legislative Assembly by passing Act 21 of 2014 under the Haryana Private University Act 2006, amended in 2014, and notified on May 2, 2014. Al-Falah University was also recognised in 2015 by the University Grants Commission.”
Source: About Us page of the Al Falah University’s website.
The Al Falah University came under the scanner of security agencies after its connection to the Delhi blast case came to light. On one hand, the NIA and local police began questioning suspected terrorists linked to the varsity; on the other, the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) handed a show-cause notice to Al Falah University authorities for misleading the public.
The Al Falah University continued to advertise on its website a “Grade A” accreditation even as certifications for its individual colleges had expired in 2016 and 2018. The varsity also falsely claimed that it is eligible for central grants under Section 12(B) of the University Grants Commission Act (UGC Act),
In November, the Enforcement Directorate arrested Al Falah University’s chancellor, Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui, over alleged involvement in money laundering and defrauding students of Rs 415 crore during the years 2018 and 2025. The probe agency’s investigation revealed that Siddiqui allegedly diverted student fees, up to Rs 90 lakh for MBBS courses, for personal use.
The ED told the Delhi court that Al Falah University had made around Rs 415 crore by misleading students and their families through false claims about its accreditation and recognition.
Siddiqui is also accused of acquiring prime Hindu land in south-east Delhi’s Madanpur Khadar using forged documents. The Al Falah University chancellor used his private firm, Tarbia Education Foundation, to purchase multiple land parcels through fake General Power of Attorney (GPA) documents. Officials say some of these GPAs were “executed” decades after the Hindu landowners had passed away.
According to investigators, land in Khasra No. 792, Madanpur Khadar, valued at ₹75 lakh, was among the plots fraudulently transferred. The paperwork is found to be fabricated; having forged signatures, forged thumb impressions and deceased individuals magically authorising land sales in 2004.
Dr Umar Un Nabi, who worked at Al Falah University as an assistant professor, was identified as the Fidayeen Jihadi or suicide bomber who detonated himself in an explosives-laden Hyundai i20 car on 10th November. Two other Al Falah faculty members, Dr Muzammil Ahmed Ghanaie, alias Muzammil Shakeel, and Dr Shaheen Shahid, provided Nabi with logistical support, including stacking about 2,900 kg of explosives. The duo also helped Umar Un Nabi with handling recruitment and distribution for the white-collar Islamic terror module.
A former nursing staff member at the university’s medical college and hospital revealed that every day, about 100 to 150 fake patient files were created there on the orders of accused Muzammil Shakeel. It has also been alleged that Hindu employees at the Muslim-dominated university faced discrimination at multiple levels.
OpIndiareported earlier that while the Delhi blast brought national spotlight on the Al Falah University, it was not the first time that people linked to the varsity indulged in Islamic terror crimes. Mirza Shabad Baiq, the main accused in the 2008 serial bombings in Delhi and Ahmedabad, graduated from Al Falah University in Haryana’s Faridabad. He completed his B.Tech. in Electronics and Instrumentation from the Al Falah Engineering College, Faridabad, Haryana, in 2007. Baig, who is on the run and is believed to be living in Pakistan, headed the Azamgarh module of the terrorist outfit Indian Mujahideen (IM) (formerly known as SIMI – Students Islamic Movement of India).
The Al Falah University received crores of rupees in minority grants, despite not having the UGC Section 12(B) funding status. The university availed substantial benefits from minority-focused Central government schemes. In 2016, over ₹10 crore in MoMA scholarships were disbursed to the students of Al-Falah. Before that, in 2015, ₹6 crore was allotted for around 2,600 minority students. The university also received ₹1.10 crore from AICTE for scholarships to students from Jammu and Kashmir. Similarly, in the year 2014, the year in which it was recognised as a private university, 50 minority students received MoMA scholarships.
In addition, the varsity also received funds from AICTE for laboratories under the MODROB (Modernisation and Removal of Obsolescence) scheme modernisation funds in 2011.
The investigation against the Al Falah University continues, and more revelations regarding the varsity’s alleged illegal, particularly, terror-linked activities might be made in the future. The Haryana Government has started fixing the systemic rot. With the passage of the Private Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2025, the government has eliminated the legal loopholes and strengthened its oversight over not only Al Falah but also other private universities. The amendment to the existing law will also ensure that private universities do not become a haven for terrorists and those involved in various anti-national activities.
The recently published ‘Report to Congress on Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China (2025)’ by the U.S. Department of Defence, which was required by Congress, provides an organised overview of how Washington evaluates China’s strategy, force modernisation, and operational preparedness, particularly for high-level conflict in the Indo-Pacific. The report’s framing is crucial; it contends that the PLA is preparing for a strong enemy (the United States) and is constructing a whole-of-nation strategy Beijing refers to as ‘national total war,’ with the First Island Chain serving as the immediate strategic centre of gravity while simultaneously pursuing global power projection.
Some documents define a nation, while others describe a trajectory. The Pentagon’s most recent congressionally mandated assessment of China’s military and security advancements is the latter. The basic assertion of the paper is straightforward: China is developing the PLA into a tool of national power intended not only for Taiwanese emergencies but also for a broader, long-term capacity to compel, discourage, and, if necessary, engage in combat across a variety of spheres.
From an Indian standpoint, this report is valuable not because it discovers China’s ambitions, we have witnessed them at sea and at the LAC, but rather because it unifies the following (1) China’s push for regional military dominance (2) its growing network of overseas access points and logistics (3) its accelerating nuclear and missile posture (4) its maturation of cyber and information warfare and (5) a persistent Pakistan lever that Beijing can use to complicate India’s deterrence calculations.
Beijing’s on a deadline
The Pentagon reiterates that Xi Jinping has instructed the PLA to be able to accomplish important goals by 2027 often associated in U.S. assessments with a Taiwan contingency and presents this as a component of Beijing’s larger strategy to alter the regional balance. The report also emphasizes that U.S. and ally operations in the Western Pacific are seriously threatened by China’s expanding missile weapons, which are capable of holding targets at long ranges.
The immediate conclusion for India is not that Taiwan equals a distant problem. It is that even though the centre of gravity is still in the East, the same set of capabilities, ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance), precision strike, integrated air defence, long range fires, cyber, space support, and logistics can be used in a variety of theatres, including the Indian Ocean and the Himalayas. In other terms, China is assembling a toolbox. India sits awkwardly near a number of the nails.
The LAC and Arunachal Pradesh: Stabilise the border, cap India’s partnerships
One of the most India-relevant parts in the report is about diplomacy on the Line of Actual Control, not missiles or ships. The Pentagon points out that just prior to a meeting between Xi and Modi at the BRICS summit in October 2024, India and China announced an agreement to disengage from remaining standoff sites along the LAC. Monthly high-level discussions on border management and limited normalisation initiatives followed. The report’s assessment is instructive that India is still sceptical and mutual mistrust continues to limit the connection, while China probably wants to take advantage of lower tensions to stabilise bilateral relations and stop USA-India ties from growing.
This is a classic Beijing strategy, drop the temperature just enough to lessen external balancing against China while maintaining the underlying pressure points that generated the crisis in the first place. The conclusion for India is that while calm along the LAC might be strategically beneficial, it can also be perilous if it leads to complacency in infrastructure, force posture, surveillance, or alliance/partnership momentum.
A relevant mental model is that China does not require the LAC to remain heated in order for it to function as leverage. When China constructs roads, communities, logistical hubs, ISR, and airfields along a peaceful border, it may still deploy new normal disinformation to portray Indian countermoves as escalating.
The logic of the Pentagon report makes Arunachal Pradesh, the silent pivot of this whole competition, much more crucial. China’s persistent attempts to challenge India’s sovereignty in this area (by renaming locations, sending signals akin to stapled visas in the past, and promoting maximalist historical narratives) are more than just ‘propaganda,’ they are preparations for coercion. Gaining influence in Arunachal doesn’t require the PLA to start a war. In order to raise the political cost of India’s regular governance (infrastructure, tourism, elections, investment), it can employ calibrated pressure, such as patrol intrusions, infrastructure buildup across the border, abrupt exercises, airspace assertions, and information campaigns.
According to the Pentagon report, China aims for ‘strategic deterrence and control’ over neighboring countries while maintaining pressure below open conflict. This makes Arunachal an ideal arena because it has high symbolic value for Beijing, high emotional and territorial stakes for India, and a location where China’s enhanced ISR, logistics, and rapid-mobilization capabilities can be used to signal escalation dominance without necessarily crossing thresholds.
Treating Arunachal as a core state rather than a ‘frontier’ would be the proper course of action for India. This would entail strengthening persistent surveillance and counter-drone layers, accelerating road, bridge, and airfield resilience, and promoting a diplomacy plus development narrative that prevents Beijing from depicting the state as “disputed” in international discourse.
The Pakistan angle: China’s second front
Pakistan is the other pressure axis if the LAC is one, and the study offers a relevant actual data point, China’s J-10C (fourth-generation aircraft) shipments. According to the report, as of May 2025, China has supplied Pakistan with 20 J-10C units, which are said to be its only J-10C exports. These units were connected to two earlier orders totalling 36 since 2020. That transfer isn’t symbolic. When combined with contemporary air-to-air missiles, sensors, and data linking, it represents an operational enhancement of Pakistan’s capacity to challenge airspace and endanger valuable assets.
Pakistan’s advantage was linked to situational awareness and an integrated sensor to shooter chain using Chinese origin systems, with J-10C fighters and long-range missiles playing a crucial role, according to Reuters reporting surrounding the May 2025 India-Pakistan air battle. The strategic significance for India is evident even in cases where Pakistan’s claims were made up and greatly exaggerated: China’s military-industrial ecosystem can quickly improve Pakistan’s deterrence toolkit, and Pakistan can act as a technical, tactical, and narrative testing ground for Chinese systems.
The narrative component is no longer an afterthought. According to a Reuters article on the findings of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, China launched a campaign to disparage the French Rafale following the India-Pakistan conflict, enhancing imagery and language aimed at marketing Chinese weaponry while undermining the reputations of Western platforms. India should interpret this as part of a larger trend, information operations as a combination of alliance disruption, export promotion, and deterrent shaping.
Connect this to the Pentagon report’s findings regarding China’s cyber posture, which include ongoing intrusion activities, pre-positioning in vital infrastructure, and a readiness to utilize cyber impacts to interfere with crisis logistics and decision-making. The ‘Pakistan angle’ for India encompasses more than just jets and weapons. Additionally, there is a chance of coordinated pressure, such as maritime signaling in the Indian Ocean, cyber and information pressure throughout the country, and kinetic threats along one axis, all of which are intended to divert India’s focus and complicate mobilization choices.
The ‘STRING’ is less about bases, more about usable logistics
China’s foreign policy is still frequently described in Indian commentary as a spectacular ‘string of pearls’ map. The report offers a more pragmatic perspective, focusing on what China can truly accomplish with international access now and what it is developing to do in the future.
The Pentagon adds that the PLA Support Base in Djibouti has not helped noncombatant evacuations or the ongoing Red Sea crisis; instead, it has facilitated a permanent regional presence under counter-piracy framing and is increasingly supporting military diplomacy. That statement is significant because it suggests Beijing is still learning how to convert base ownership into full-spectrum operational utility, including collaborative planning, allied interoperability, logistics, repair, medical, and crisis response. To put it in Indian terms, China’s foreign policy is genuine but not yet smooth.
Regarding Cambodia, the report mentions the opening of the Joint Logistics and Training Center at Ream Naval Base in April 2025. While both sides will retain vital personnel for operations, official claims regarding training and humanitarian missions and denials regarding permanent basing are noted. Texture has been added by independent reporting and analysis: While highlighting ongoing international concerns and the symbolism of increased facilities, the AP reported on Cambodia’s public claim that Ream is not exclusive. The Diplomat looked at the improved infrastructure as well as the unanswered questions regarding the scope of China’s privileged access, including suggestions that some facilities might be functionally exclusive.
Ream doesn’t scare India because it is ‘encircled’ by a single port on the Gulf of Thailand. It is significant because it is an additional phase in a larger Chinese initiative to establish several nodes that shorten PLA operational distances, extend time on station, and normalize presence in areas linked to India’s maritime alliances and commerce lines.
And this is where the Pentagon study becomes awkwardly direct: it mentions a number of nations, including Pakistan, in which China is evaluating military access for potential future development (along with locations like Burma, Thailand, Sri Lanka, UAE, and others). India’s western seaboard and Arabian Sea calculations would be altered if China were to obtain even restricted, rotating, logistics only access in Pakistan that could be used in times of crisis, especially when combined with Pakistan’s own naval modernization and China’s submarine expertise.
China’s capability that affect India: missiles, nuclear posture, cyber and maritime power
Nuclear and Missile trajectory: According to the report, China’s stockpile of nuclear warheads was in the ‘low 600s’ until 2024, but it is still expected to surpass 1,000 by 2030. Additionally, it details an open ocean launch of an unarmed DF-31B ICBM in September 2024 and implies that China is creating early warning and counterstrike strategies similar to launch on warning logic. The estimate that China most certainly loaded more than 100 DF-31 class ICBMs into silo fields, a sign of accelerated nuclear modernization was noted in Reuters’ coverage of the study.
This should not be interpreted by India as China is suddenly targeting India, but rather as (1) China’s strategic forces are growing in ways that boost confidence and escalation options and (2) increased Chinese nuclear capacity can alter the diplomatic and psychological context in which Beijing supports Pakistan in times of crisis. Because it feels that deterrence is greater, a more secure China at the top of the escalation ladder may be more inclined to take chances further down.
Cyber and Information Warfare: The paper highlights rising infiltration activity, characterizes China as the most persistent cyber danger to U.S. networks, and discusses the PLA’s efforts to maintain strong cyber capabilities meant to weaken vital systems during a crisis or conflict. It also highlights a significant vulnerability, China’s lack of combat experience and integration into joint military operations may make it difficult to use cyber capabilities.
This is both a warning and an opportunity for India, while the size of the investment indicates growing complexity, complicated joint integration is still difficult even for strong military, and India can take advantage of doctrinal and interoperability gaps.
Maritime power and the Indian ocean: The report highlights China’s growing international involvement in energy security, its desire for operational reach, and its access to important maritime routes.
This is consistent with more general evaluations that indicate India is currently attempting to transition from a historically land-heavy strategic stance to a more powerful naval counterpart, despite obstacles related to procurement and tempo. It is not implied that India has to match ship for ship. By enhancing marine domain awareness, undersea deterrence, and partner enabled presence, India can make sure the Indian Ocean continues to be an undesirable arena for PLA coercion.
China’s weakness: where India should be realistic
China has weaknesses, despite all its posturing and expansionist plans. There are limitations in its planning. However, rather than waiting for limits to last, India’s benefit lies in taking advantage of them more quickly than China can adjust.
Corruption and Political control: Even if long-term discipline improves, the Pentagon report highlights the short-term preparedness impacts of Xi’s anti-corruption effort against Rocket Force leadership and defence industry elders. The important realisation for India is that the PLA’s modernisation is profoundly political rather than just technological. Political purges have the potential to skew procurement decisions, impede decision-making, and promote risk aversion. However, they can also create a more strictly regulated PLA that uses fewer internal veto points to carry out Xi’s aims.
Industrial choke points: According to the report, China’s reliance on foreign suppliers for some aircraft and helicopter engines is diminishing. This is important because advertised platform numbers frequently conceal hidden restrictions related to propulsion and materials science. India should keep an eye on China’s capacity to maintain high-performance engine dependability, maintenance cycles, and sortie rates at scale in addition to how many airframes?
Overseas basing still maturing into operational muscle: The research describes Djibouti’s limited utilization in big crises, which implies a learning curve in expeditionary logistics and crisis response credibility. Since the simplest moment to create a theater is before the other side’s presence becomes routine, India can take advantage of this window by strengthening its own partner logistics arrangements, repair hubs, and maritime cooperation.
The intangible business, real combat integration: The report’s observation that little combat experience makes it difficult to integrate cyber into joint warfare serves as a reminder that joint warfighting is a lived, trained, and tested culture rather than a PowerPoint skill. However, India needs to exercise caution because China may make up for its lack of combat experience with scale, sensors, and precision weapons. China also learns quickly through exercises, simulations, and watching other people’s fights.
Beijing’s preferred strategy is pressure without triggering a coalition slam
A consistent Chinese preference becomes apparent when you combine the report’s LAC reading, its description of global access building, and its Pakistan arms-export data point.
In order to ensure that India invests on near border and Pakistan contingencies, hesitates on deep marine projection, and advances gingerly in coalitions, China’s best option is to keep India strategically limited but not publicly mobilized. This explains why periods of border thawing can coincide with increased Chinese outreach in South Asia and the Indian Ocean, and why Beijing finds arms shipments to Pakistan to be strategically advantageous because they are comparatively inexpensive as compared to the ongoing expense India must bear in retaliation.
Add the information layer now, the claim made by Reuters that China escalated messaging to disparage Rafale during the India-Pakistan conflict suggests a desire to influence third-country procurement decisions and impact global perceptions. This is significant because the purchase of Chinese sensors, missiles, and planes by Southeast Asian nations, Gulf allies, and African littorals affects India’s security environment and creates interoperability ecosystems that facilitate PLA access and hinder India’s influence.
Predictions: what the next decade could look like for India
1) Managed calm at the LAC will come and go, but infrastructure will keep moving forward
According to the research, China believes that managing India’s external alignments will result in less LAC conflict.
Anticipate cycles of increased pressure when Beijing wants leverage (or when it thinks India is preoccupied), engagement and partial normalisation when Beijing seeks strategic leeway. India should view a tranquil border as an opportunity to strengthen preparedness rather than a cause for relaxation.
2) China-Pakistan military integration will deepen into a full spectrum ecosystem including air, cyber, space aided ISR, and narrative shaping
The J-10C delivery statistic is just one indication of the larger trend in which China is transforming Pakistan into an interoperable ally whose capabilities may make India’s air and missile defense calculations more difficult.
Anticipate increased focus on drones, coordinated messaging, long-range air-to-air missiles, EW, integrated air defense, and data linkages.
3) The Indian Ocean contest will increasingly be about logistics, undersea, and gray zone presence, not dramatic fleet battles
For China’s expeditionary logistics, Ream and Djibouti are more important as learning laboratories than as bases.
Prioritizing marine domain awareness, ASW, island infrastructure, and partner interoperability areas where India can create high friction for PLA operations without attempting to replicate China’s industrial scale will be the most effective way for India to respond.
4) Chinese nuclear expansion will reshape crisis psychology in Asia
The difficulty of escalation management is increased by China’s plan to have more than 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030, silo loading, and early warning/counterstrike concepts.
Maintaining credible deterrence, bolstering decision-time resilience (communications, cyber hardening, continuity of government), and creating diplomatic crisis-management channels that lessen miscalculation during high-tempo events are crucial for India.
What India should do strategically, not rhetorically
A phrase like ‘two-front threat’ is not the most crucial Indian answer. Geographical advantage is created by a set of priorities.
India should prioritize (1) faster surveillance to decision loops (space, drones, aerostats, SIGINT, and fusion), (2) hardened air and missile defense with cyber resilience, (3) long range precision and counter ISR options that increase China’s risk at the LAC, (4) maritime domain awareness and undersea deterrence in the Indian Ocean, and (5) a serious information strategy that anticipates disinformation aimed at procurement, alliances, and domestic cohesion. Future conflicts will be fought twice, once in the sky and once on the ground, according to Reuters reporting on the Rafale-related narrative drama.
Additionally, India must create plug and play logistical and intelligence collaboration where interests align, avoiding inflexible bloc behavior that Beijing might diplomatically exploit, and embrace partnerships without sacrificing strategic autonomy. The Pentagon report’s own framing that China wants to stop U.S.-India ties from getting stronger should be interpreted as evidence that India’s alliances are important and seen as detrimental to China’s chosen course of action.
Conclusion
When read objectively, the Pentagon’s China report is more than just about an American planning document and Taiwan. It is a mirror held up to the next stage of the Indo-Pacific. China is developing large-scale coercion tools, experimenting with international logistics, expanding nuclear options, and using Pakistan as an economic means of drawing India’s attention while simultaneously attempting to keep the LAC quiet enough to impede India’s external balancing.
The implication is not one of panic for India. There is a clear sense of urgency. China is endlessly iterative, but it is not unbeatable. In order to increase China’s costs over the entire arc from the Himalayas to the sea lanes, India must be as iterative, quicker in procurement reform, sharper in collaboration, more robust in cyber and narratives, and more thoughtful in exploiting geography and partnerships.
On 21st December, Shahjahanpur Police busted a Christian conversion racket in Kailashnagar colony in the Roza Police Station area. Four people, including a woman, have been arrested in the matter. According to media reports, around 200 people had gathered at a house. These people were lured with promises of money and marriage. The police acted on a complaint by Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) activists and raided the house, where they found a prayer meeting, also known as a ‘changai sabha’, being conducted to convert Hindus to Christianity. OpIndia accessed a copy of the FIR in the matter.
What the FIR says
The FIR has been registered on the complaint of VHP functionary Ashneel Singh under Sections 131, 197, 352, and 351(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 3 and 5(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act against Angel, Vivek, Vipin, Monu, and Ramadevi.
Source: UP Police
In his complaint, Ashneel said that at around 1 pm on Sunday, he was travelling on Mohammadi Road. He noticed a large crowd at Ramadevi’s house in Kailashnagar Colony under the Roza Police Station area. When he reached the spot, he found that a Christian prayer meeting was taking place at Ramadevi’s house. The people present there were abusing the Hindu religion and insulting Hindu deities by using derogatory language.
Source: UP Police
When Ashneel objected, Angel, Vivek, Vipin, Monu, and Ramadevi started hurling abuses at him and became aggressive. They attempted to assault him and issued death threats. Ashneel managed to escape and informed the police. When the police reached the spot, around 150 women fled the scene. A video of the meeting was submitted to the police by Ashneel.
Source: UP POlice
When Ashneel questioned attendees of the meeting, they said that they were promised a large amount of money and assistance in getting married if they changed their religion.
Speaking to the media, the police said that they found a stage at Ramadevi’s house with a cross and other Christian items placed there. While four people have been arrested, Ramadevi managed to escape. Police are tracing her whereabouts.
Police are also examining call detail records (CDR) and probing the funding trail in the matter, including the possibility of foreign funding. Speaking to the media, police officials said a similar nexus was busted in July in Shahjahanpur and several people were arrested. In that case, Rs 4 crore worth of funding, including funds coming from abroad, had come to light. He said that Rs 48,000 of foreign funding (US Dollars) was being recieved by the main accused on daily basis.
5 FIRs, 4 crores of foreign funding, Tamil Nadu-linked Christian conversion racket busted in Shahjahanpur
On 13th July, a similar case surfaced in Shahjahanpur’s Sindhauli area. Acting on information about a suspicious gathering, members of the Hindu Yuva Vahini raided a house near a gurdwara. They found that a religious conversion operation was taking place at the location.
When Hindu Yuva Vahini members reached the spot, several people fled. However, six individuals were caught and later taken into police custody. Superintendent of Police Rajesh Dwivedi confirmed that the detained individuals were questioned and that their bank accounts were examined to trace financial transactions and possible foreign funding. Police said the initial probe indicated that people were being mobilised on religious lines and encouraged to convert through inducements, prompting a deeper investigation.
The 13th July case was just the beginning. At least five FIRs were registered in the following days linked to this case. Media reports suggested that at least Rs 4 crore of funding was recieved by the main accused in the case and the conversion racket was being operated from Tamil Nadu.
OpIndia accessed three FIRs and court documents, and spoke to the then district convenor of the Hindu Yuva Vahini, Thakur Raghvendra Singh.
How the case unfolded – Exploring FIRs
It all started with the first FIR on 13th July 2025 at Sindhauli police station. The FIR was registered on the complaint of Raghvendra Singh under Sections 5(1) and 3 of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act. In his complaint, Raghvendra said that he received information about religious conversion activities being carried out by Christian missionaries at a house located in the eastern direction opposite the Sindhauli gurdwara.
Source: UP Police
Based on the information, Raghvendra immediately reached the spot with members of the Hindu Yuva Vahini and informed the police. Acting on the information, police apprehended several individuals from inside the house who were involved in carrying out or facilitating religious conversions. The accused named in the FIR include Prahlad Singh, Mukesh Balmiki, Gurdas Balmiki, Anshneet Kumar Rathore, Kiran, Anshi Devi, Sana, Bimla Devi, Aarti, Rajwati, and others.
Source: UP Police
Raghvendra said that a bag recovered from Anshneet contained a Bible, Christian religious material, an Aadhaar card, and photographs. Several other associates managed to flee the scene. Though Padmnaman has not been named as an accused directly in this FIR, he is the husband of accused Kiran and father of Anshi Devi. Padmnaman was arrested by the police as he was recieving funding from Tamil Nadu-based Christian missionaries organisations. Following the FIRs, a bail order has been discussed in this report where role of Padmnaman has been described in detail along with the funding detials.
Source: UP Police
Furthermore, Raghvendra mentioned one room inside the house that was found locked at the time of the raid and said that it might contain material hostile to Hindu beliefs, requesting the police to carry out a detailed inspection.
Source: UP Police
The second FIR
The second FIR in the sequence was registered at Khutar police station on 27th July, based on a complaint filed by Avnish Mishra, a member of the Hindu Yuva Vahini. The FIR was registered under Sections 352 and 351(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 3 and 5(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act against Harishchandra Jatav and his son Shailesh.
Source: UP Police
In his complaint, Avnish said he received information about religious conversion activities being carried out at a house in Kumbiya Mafi village, where Hindu women and men were being lured with monetary inducements to convert to Christianity. Acting on the information, he, along with other members of the organisation, reached the spot. They found that Harishchandra was hosting the prayer meeting at his residence and that around 30 to 40 Hindu women and men were attending the meeting. They were being persuaded to abandon Hinduism and embrace Christianity.
Source: UP Police
When they raised objections, the accused abused them and issued death threats. Avnish said the accused claimed they were receiving foreign funding to carry out conversions and had already converted several hundred Hindus. A local resident told Avnish that he was offered Rs 50,000 to convert to Christianity.
Source: UP Police
During the raid, police recovered Bibles, Christian prayer material, and other literature related to Christianity from the spot. An investigation has been initiated, including scrutiny of possible external funding linked to the accused.
The third FIR
The third FIR in the case was also registered on 27th July on the complaint of Raghvendra Singh under Sections 131 and 351(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 3 and 5(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act against Hemraj Pasi, Om Pal, Laungshri, Ladli, and 20 to 25 unknown persons.
Source: UP Police
According to Raghvendra, he received information about religious conversion activities being carried out in the Chena Ruriya area. When he, along with other members of the organisation, reached the spot, they found that Hemraj, Om Pal, Laungshri, Ladli, and others were carrying out conversions of Hindus by inducement and coercion.
Source: UP Police
When objections were raised, the accused assaulted them with sticks and injured several members of the Hindu Yuva Vahini. The accused also claimed that they were receiving Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh, with promises of earning more. They threatened the villagers accompanying members of the Hindu Yuva Vahini that they would be implicated in false cases. They openly claimed that they had “settings” with the police and that no one could harm them. Based on these allegations, police registered the FIR and initiated legal proceedings against the named and unidentified accused.
Source: UP Police
What Raghvendra told OpIndia
Speaking to OpIndia, Raghvendra said that the conversion activities in Sindhauli were not recent incidents but had been going on in an organised manner for a long time. He said, “This was not something that started suddenly. It has been going on for almost a year, and in some cases even for four to six years.”
According to him, the accused initially held meetings in rented premises. However, they later purchased land and constructed a house specifically for this purpose. He added, “People were told that it was a satsang. Poor and less educated labour-class families, especially women, were deliberately targeted because they could be easily influenced.”
He further said that monetary inducements were used to gather women at these meetings. He said, “Women were offered Rs 500 to attend, and those who brought other women were also paid Rs 500.” Furthermore, the women who attended these meetings were told that worshipping Jesus Christ would help them conceive. He added, “When a child was eventually born, it was projected as proof of that belief.”
The shocking allegation of ‘entertainment classes’
Raghvendra also made a shocking revelation about the conversion nexus in the region. He said that young people were lured to attend ‘manoranjan class’ or ‘entertainment classes’ where they were made to participate in dance and similar activities to gradually alter their mindset. He said, “What was initially told to us by the informant was about these entertainment classes.” These classes were part of the conversion process.
Raghvendra said these sessions were organised separately from the prayer meetings and were aimed only at younger participants. Young boys and girls were made to dance and were told to do so freely, without worrying about clothes or decorum, he said. According to him, participants were encouraged to let go of inhibitions, which he alleged created an atmosphere of emotional and moral vulnerability. “Once that stage was reached, they would tell them to choose whatever they felt like doing. This was completely wrong and unacceptable,” Raghvendra said, adding that these activities were designed to gradually influence and manipulate those attending the gatherings.
However, when the police raided the place, such activities were not taking place at the time and were not mentioned in the FIRs or court documents. OpIndia could not independently verify whether these activities were taking place before the individuals involved in the conversion nexus were arrested.
The revelation of funding
Raghvendra further said that scrutiny of the bank accounts of the arrested individuals later revealed transactions amounting to approximately Rs 4.25 crore. He said, “As we went deeper, it emerged that such activities were taking place at nearly 200 locations across the district.” He added that while the case is currently pending before the court, “information about similar activities continues to surface every now and then.”
Raghvendra also praised the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, for a firm administrative and political stand against unlawful religious conversions. He said, “This became possible only because of Maharaj Yogi Adityanath ji. His clear stand has strengthened action on the ground.” He added that such cases were earlier ignored but are now being taken seriously by investigating agencies.
Referring to recent judicial observations, Raghvendra said that the High Court has also taken a strong view on the issue of religious conversions in the state. “The High Court has clearly said that if someone carries out religious conversion, they should not be entitled to reservation or government benefits. No facilities should be extended to them,” he said.
According to him, these developments have emboldened people to come forward with information and resist such activities. “The message is clear now. Protecting Sanatan Dharma is the priority, and action will follow wherever violations are found,” Raghvendra added.
Court denied bail to Padmnaman alias Pastor Joshua
OpIndia also came across a bail order where the Shahjahanpur District and Sessions Court denied bail to Padmnaman alias Pastor Joshua. The bail was rejected on 11th August 2025 by the court of Additional Sessions Judge Ashish Verma, Shahjahanpur,
The court noted that the bail application had been filed by Padmnaman alias Padmanavan alias Pastor Joshua and his wife Kiran Joshua, both of whom were lodged in district jail in connection with the case. The prosecution case, as recorded in the order, stems directly from the first FIR registered on 13th July 2025 on the complaint of Hindu Yuva Vahini district president Raghvendra Singh. The FIR stated that Christian missionaries were carrying out religious conversions by inducement at a house located opposite the Sindhauli gurdwara, following which Padmnaman, his wife Kiran, and several others were apprehended from inside the premises.
The bail order records that during the raid, a bag belonging to Padmnaman and Kiran was recovered containing a Bible, other Christian religious material, Aadhaar cards, and photographs. The court further relied on the case diary, which stated that Padmnaman, originally a resident of Tamil Nadu, had received substantial funds for conversion-related activities. Bank records showed that Rs 25,75,642.99 was credited to Padmnaman’s Bank of Baroda account from organisations including Jesus Redeems Missionary, Missionary UP Holder Trust, and The Pocket Testament League. The order also noted multiple high-value transactions, including UPI transfers from Mumbai-based digital accounts.
Source: Shahjahaanpur District Court
In addition, the court observed that Rs 4,76,029 had been credited to the bank account of Padmnaman’s wife Kiran Joshua from the same missionary organisations. The order recorded that Kiran was originally a Hindu woman who converted to Christianity after coming into contact with Padmnaman, a fact reflected in the case diary and supporting documents. Independent witness statements cited in the order alleged that Padmnaman, Kiran, and co-accused Ashneet Kumar Rathore were organising weekly prayer meetings in Hindu-majority areas with the objective of converting poor and vulnerable villagers through inducement.
Taking note of the seriousness of the allegations, the documented financial trail, and the wider social impact of the alleged activities, the court held that the offence was of a grave nature. Without entering into the merits of the case, the court concluded that there was no sufficient ground to release the accused on bail and accordingly rejected the bail application of Padmnaman alias Pastor Joshua and Kiran Joshua.
The organisations from which funding was received
Jesus Redeems Ministries
One of the organisations whose name has surfaced in the funding trail of the Shahjahanpur conversion cases is Jesus Redeems Ministries, an evangelical Christian outfit led by Tamil Nadu based preacher Mohan C Lazarus. The ministry’s own literature claims that Lazarus experienced a miraculous healing after embracing Christianity, a narrative that forms the ideological foundation of the organisation’s outreach. It repeatedly foregrounds illness, suffering, healing, and deliverance, themes that have figured prominently in several conversion related cases as tools used to emotionally influence vulnerable individuals and families.
The organisation claims to conduct large scale prayer campaigns, fasting prayers, all night prayer sessions, and so-called deliverance festivals, while actively propagating Christianity through magazines, television broadcasts, emails, and organised outreach. Of particular concern is its stated focus on children, teenagers, youth, and women as distinct target groups for evangelism. The inclusion of children in structured, conversion focused campaigns raise serious questions about consent, vulnerability, and ethical boundaries, especially in a country where religious freedom laws explicitly prohibit conversions through inducement, coercion, or the exploitation of minors.
Police records and court documents in the Shahjahanpur case show that funds linked to Jesus Redeems Ministries were credited to the bank accounts of individuals accused of facilitating unlawful religious conversions
The organisation also claims to operate an extensive network of “World Revival Prayer Centres” across India. Its footprint spans Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Punjab, Puducherry, Delhi, and Tamil Nadu. Centres are listed in cities such as Chittoor and Tirupati, Secunderabad, multiple locations in Bengaluru, Hassan, Mysuru, Tumkur, KGF, Kottayam, Thiruvananthapuram, Mumbai’s Dharavi and Malad, Ranchi, Chandigarh, Puducherry, and New Delhi. In Tamil Nadu alone, the organisation lists at least ten centres, including Adambakkam, Ambattur, Chengalpattu, Kanchipuram, Egmore, Purasawalkam, Royapuram, Shanthi Nilayam, Tambaram, and Tiruvallur.
Mission Upholders Trust
Another organisation that has surfaced during the probe into the Shahjahanpur conversion cases is Mission Upholders Trust, a Tamil Nadu based body headquartered in Vellore. The trust presents itself as a support organisation for missionaries and pastors, stating in its mission declaration that it works to address what it calls the “unmet needs” of the missionary community. These include healthcare, bereavement and crisis care, emotional and spiritual renewal, rest and recuperation, and the social and spiritual “enhancement” of missionaries’ children and retired missionaries.
According to its own stated objectives, Mission Upholders Trust seeks to “equip, energise and encourage” missionaries so that they may continue to function as “salt and light of the society at all times”. While the language is framed as welfare oriented, the emphasis on sustaining, strengthening, and expanding missionary activity inevitably raises questions when such organisations appear in the financial trail of unlawful conversion cases. The trust’s stated focus is not on general public welfare but specifically on enabling missionaries to continue and deepen their religious outreach.
Official records show that Mission Upholders Trust is FCRA registered, allowing it to legally receive foreign contributions. Financial disclosures indicate that the trust received Rs 49,52,936 in the financial year 2023–24 and Rs 56,53,856.76 in 2022–23 as foreign funding.
Taken together, the arrests, multiple FIRs, court findings, and the documented financial trail point to a far deeper and more organised operation than an isolated incident of unlawful conversion. What emerges from Shahjahanpur is a pattern involving inducements, repeated gatherings, coordinated activity across police station limits, and money flows linked to Tamil Nadu based missionary organisations receiving foreign funds. While authorities are swiftly acting against the missionaries involved in the conversion nexuses in the district, the sheer amount of conversions happening raise serious concerns that need much deeper investigation.
Tarique Rahman, the 60-year-old acting chairman of the radical Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which is supported by the Islamist group Jamaat-e-Islami, is anticipated to return to Dhaka on 25th December (Thursday), ahead of the February 2026 national elections. He lived in self-imposed exile in London for nearly 17 years.
Tarique is scheduled to leave London at 6:15 pm (12:15 am Bangladesh time) on Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight BG-202 from Heathrow Airport. His spouse, Dr Zubaida Rahman and their daughter, Zaima Rahman, are going to join him. He is expected to land at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on Christmas Day at 11:55 am.
“With your prayers, I will return to the country on the 25th. I request that everyone refrain from going to the airport that day. Those who respect this request will be showing respect for the party and the country,” Tarique declared at a Victory Day event in London on 16th December. He added that anybody who disregards this request and proceeds to the airport shall be deemed to be acting in their own interest. On the other hand, the BNP has prepared extensively for rallies and receptions in the nation’s capital, as well as in other locations.
Meet the “crown prince” of Bangladeshi politics
Tarique is the eldest son of the nation’s army commander as well as former president Ziaur Rahman and former prime minister Khaleda Zia, who held office for three terms and is chairman of the BNP. He is frequently referred to as the “crown prince” of Bangladeshi politics.
Tarique was born on 20th November 1967 while the nation existed as East Pakistan. He was briefly imprisoned as a youngster during the 1971 independence struggle, which the BNP emphasises by referring to him as “one of the youngest prisoners of war.” His father, Ziaur Rahman, became a powerful army commander after Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founder of Bangladesh and father of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, was assassinated in a coup in 1975.
Tarique was 15 when Ziaur Rahman was killed. He joined the University of Dhaka’s Department of International Relations in the 1980s after completing his undergraduate studies at BAF Shaheen College, which is also in the national capital. He then joined the BNP at the age of 23. He took part in demonstrations against Hussain Muhammad Ershad’s military regime. However, his career has been distinguished by considerable controversies and grave accusations.
According to a 2006 United States embassy cable, Tarique was labelled as the BNP’s “heir apparent” who “inspires few but unnerves many.” He was also described as “phenomenally corrupt” and a “symbol of kleptocratic government and violent politics,” by other cables.
However, Tarique was instrumental in his mother’s 1991 national election campaign. He aggressively started anti-government rallies under the pretence of justice for the oppressed during the Awami League’s rule from 1996 to 2001. The rivalry between Zia and Hasina was known as the “Battle of Begums.”
Political heir to self-imposed exile
Tarique became a prominent member of the BNP and was regarded as his mother’s political heir in the early 2000s. However, a tumultuous time in Bangladeshi politics caused his career to fall apart. During an anti-corruption campaign in 2007, he was arrested and imprisoned for nearly 18 months. The BNP leader received bail on 3rd September 2008, after which he immediately flew to the UK for medical treatment and stayed there ever since with his family. He was deemed culpable in multiple cases.
He was also fined 200 million taka and sentenced to seven years in prison by Bangladesh’s high court in 2016 for money laundering. The decision reversed a Dhaka court’s 2013 acquittal of Tarique on allegations that he and a companion embezzled $2.5 millions to Singapore between 2003 and 2007.
According to reports, he was in contact with the United States administration to discuss “bilateral issues,” and a similar meeting happened in 2013 as the Anti-Corruption Commission filed 12 complaints against him and his close accomplice, Giasuddin Al Mamun. Jon Danilowicz, who was the US Mission to Bangladesh’s deputy commander from 2012 to 2014, even supported Tarique’s return as the BNP’s acting chairman.
Furthermore, a special court in Dhaka sentenced him to life in prison on 10th October 2018. He was found guilty by the court of multiple charges of murder and criminal conspiracy in connection with a grenade explosion on 21st August 2004 that killed 24 people and wounded Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka. The attack transpired when Khaleda Zia served as the prime minister of the country.
Interestingly, the Bangladesh Supreme Court’s appellate division affirmed the high court ruling clearing Tarique and others in the case less than a month after the Hasina government fell on 5th August of last year. Meanwhile, he continued to play a significant role in the BNP and was later named acting chairman.
Hatred for Hinduism and the role in armed militancy in India
The heir to the BNP has expressed his severe Hinduphobia and insulted sacred texts. “Scriptures of the Hindu religion do not offer any moral teaching – all the religious scriptures are porn scripts,” he barked in a Facebook live in 2023. Tarique had a tight relationship with Nurul Haque Nur, the convenor of the Gono Odhikar Parishad, who wanted to remove Sheikh Hasina by any means necessary.
Nur had declared, “Yes, I have indulged in a conspiracy with foreign intelligence agencies, including Mossad. In my bid to unseat the government, I held a meeting with Mendi N Safadi, a Mossad agent, to hatch a conspiracy to unseat this government,” in a Facebook Live from Saudi Arabia.
The removal of Sheikh Hasina is already perceived as a regime change operation orchestrated by the United States with the assistance of vested interests within the country.
Moreover, retired deputy director general of India’s Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), Major General Gaganjit Singh, revealed that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat coalition were arming militant factions in India after ten trucks full of weapons were confiscated at Chittagong in April 2004.
ULFA leader Anup Chetia alias Golap Barua, who was in Dhaka jail, disclosed that the massive ammunition was intended for the banned United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and similar other outfits in northeastern India to destabilise the country.
Singh stated that Chetia “was operating in close coordination with Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) and some National Security Intelligence (NSI) officials who had close links with Tareque Rahman (current acting chairman of BNP) and his cronies in what was then referred to as Hawa Bhaban (political office of BNP)” while talking to India Today.
Hawa Bhaban became infamous as the most secure, powerful and alternative powerhouse during the BNP-Jamaat coalition government (2001–2006). Tarique, along with his meticulously selected group of “crooked” confidants, permitted several malicious schemes, including the grenade attack on Sheikh Hasina, the leader of the opposition at the time.
Additionally, terrorists of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, who collaborated with Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) on the arms shipment, were also present at the planning stage meetings.
Notably, now the anti-India and Hinduphobic leader’s Bangladesh return coincides with increased political tension, widespread violence, particularly directed at the minority Hindu community, the takeover by extremist forces, attacks on the media, arrests and controversies regarding the trajectory of the interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus, along with rapidly deteriorating relations with India.
About a decade after the introduction of Android’s Emergency Location Services (ELS) in other parts of the world, the services have finally been launched in India. Tech giant Google launched its Emergency Location Service feature for Android phones on Tuesday (24th December) in India. The services will be introduced in Uttar Pradesh, which will be the first state in India to fully operationalise the feature by integrating it with the state’s 112 emergency response system.
This comes after the successful testing of the feature’s pilot program in the state. The pilot program was tested in the state over the course of 20 million calls and messages. The ELS reportedly managed to send crucial details even from calls that dropped after a few seconds.
The technology was developed by Google in collaboration with Uttar Pradesh Police and Pert Telecom Solutions (PertSol). It is intended to improve emergency response by fixing the challenge faced in tracing the location of the caller due to a weak network. The Emergency Location Services will help first responders locate a person in distress in time, which can make a huge difference in emergencies.
ELS uses a multi-layered system to track the caller’s location
Unlike the conventional method that relies entirely on cell tower triangulation, Google’s ELS uses a multi-layered system. It uses a “Fused Location Provider” which combines data from GPS, Wi-Fi, and cellular networks to pinpoint a caller’s location. This provides the ELS with a higher accuracy with a precision level of within 50 metres. The Automatic Activation in the ELS gets instantly triggered on getting a call or SMS on 112. The service is free of cost, and no separate app or hardware is needed for the service.
During the pilot test that went on for a few months, ELS supported over 20 million emergency calls and SMS messages. The service was able to identify the caller locations, even when the calls dropped due to various reasons.
The service is available on all Android devices running version 6.0 and up. ELS is powered by the machine-learning based Android Fused Location Provider to provide precise locations to emergency services, regardless of where callers are when they ask for help.
The service protects user privacy, offers multilingual support
Another specification of the ELS is its multilingual support. It can transmit additional data from the caller’s device, such as the device’s language settings, which can help dispatchers communicate more effectively. According to Google, the service ensures user privacy. The feature is strictly “Emergency-Only”, and precise location data of the caller is sent directly from the handset to the emergency service provider (UP112).
Google said that it does not collect, store or see any location data shared during distress calls. It added that the service remains dormant and does not track the user until an emergency number is dialled. The 112 emergency service is an initiative of the central government, which is available across the country. However, its operation is subject to the policies of individual states and union territories. It is not clear whether other states will implement Google’s ELS.
Google and Apple have been offering ELS in several countries in over 69 regions, including the 911 SOS calls in the US. Google’s Emergency Location Service on Android was introduced in 2016 as a means of sharing users’ crucial details about location with emergency services instantly. It extended the feature to the US in 2018.
The Seventh Day Adventist High Secondary School in Khokhra Maninagar area of Gujarat’s Ahmedabad has been under the scanner after a controversy following the brutal murder of a Hindu student by a Muslim minor student. The school has now been taken over by the state government. The Ahmedabad City District Education Officer has been appointed as the administrator. On December 22, the DEO of Ahmedabad took charge as the administrator of the school. Following the official takeover, the parents’ association and the Janakrosh Sangharsh Samiti celebrated by beating drums and distributing sweets. The parents welcomed the officials and also expressed their gratitude to OpIndia.
After taking charge, the DEO appointed officers and issued instructions for the smooth running of the school. DEO Rohit Chaudhary told the parents that the government will work keeping in mind the educational and safety interests of the students. The officer added that no new admissions will be given in this school for now. During this, parents and people of the Hindu community gathered in the school and expressed their gratitude to the government by celebrating. An OpIndia team was also present at the spot.
What the parents told OpIndia
Speaking to OpIndia, a local parent said that the government had supported the project from the beginning, adding that officials, including the DEO, were also cooperating. Describing his meeting with the education officer, he said that the DEO had assured him that the future of no child would be ruined and no one needed to worry. Another local also expressed his gratitude to the BJP government and local leaders. Parents who are members of the Janakrosh Sangharsh Samiti have also welcomed the government’s decision and expressed their gratitude to the government.
Another parent said that what happened in the Seventh Day School in Ahmedabad was very serious, and the government has taken exemplary action and warned the schools that if other schools are involved in such serious incidents, the government should take similar action. A leader of the Sindhi community also called this decision a victory for the Hindu community.
Meanwhile, another local told OpIndia that the brutal murder of a Hindu student had repercussions throughout the country, after which the agitation by the entire Hindu community also had repercussions throughout the country. As the conflict over all these matters increased, the government also started taking strong action and constituted an inquiry committee to investigate the school. After that, when irregularities and clumsy administration came to light, the government took the administration of the entire school into its own hands and took exemplary action. He also said that not only a son from the Sindhi community but also from the Hindu community was killed in this school, and therefore, the entire Hindu community fought together.
In addition, the members of the parent council also expressed special gratitude to OpIndia. The local Hindus said that from the time of the murder incident till the school was taken over by the government, OpIndia has done a commendable job by giving special coverage. Another parent thanked OpIndia, saying that it has been successful in conveying correct information to society.
A Hindu student was brutally murdered at the Seventh Day School
It must be recalled that on August 19, 2025, after school, a Hindu student, studying in Class 10, was attacked by a minor Muslim student, studying in Class 8, with a sharp weapon, resulting in the Hindu student’s death. The attack stemmed from a minor dispute between the victim and the attacker. However, there were also indications of a pre-planned conspiracy.
Immediately after the incident, the Instagram chat of the accused went viral on social media. The chats of the accused showed that he admitted to killing the Hindu student and showed no remorse or fear. “Yes…so what…?” and “Now stop…what’s done is done,” the accused said in the chat. His friend advised him to delete the chat. The police took the accused, who considered the notorious criminal Pablo Escobar his role model, into custody under the Juvenile Justice Act. His bail application was rejected.
OpIndiaprovided comprehensive on-the-spot coverage of the incident. The deceased student’s grandfather and classmates told OpIndia that there had been past incidents of bullying, threats, and even the feeding of meat by Muslim students to Hindu students at the school, but the school ignored the complaints and took no action. The locals rose in protest. Meanwhile, OpIndia highlighted multiple controversies linked to the school in question as well as its questionable foreign connections.
This report was originally published in OpIndia Gujarati which can be checked here.
