On the occasion of Ram Navami on 17th April, the Hindu Jagran Manch is set to take out 5,000 processions in West Bengal at ward or panchayat level in all the districts. The outfit, which is associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has also scheduled grand rallies in Barasat, Siliguri, and Kolkata’s Burrabazar.
The district administrations of Hooghly, Howrah, Uttar and Dakshin Dinajpur, Asansol, and Barrackpore, which have earlier witnessed communal clashes during the Ram Navami celebrations, are on high alert.
Speaking to Indian Express, Shubhajit Roy of Hindu Jagran Manch said, “Some of our processions are likely to see participation by lakhs of people. It’s a big day for us. As far as maintaining law and order is concerned, the police should take care of it. I would just like to appeal to people to ensure that people of all faiths are allowed to celebrate their festivals equally and the others shouldn’t create any hindrance.”
Meanwhile, the police have said that no public display of weapons during processions on the festive occasion will be allowed. They added that “some traditional groups and akharas have been given permission. Even their processions will be videographed.”
Reports say that in Kolkata alone around 5000 police personnel have been deployed are nearly 60 Ram Navami processions are likely to be taken out. The Howrah Police have deployed drones to monitor sensitive areas in Kolkata and Howrah. Police will also video-record processions. Police in Howrah and West Midnapore have instructed liquor shops and bars to close.
Notably, incidents of violence were reported in Howrah on the 30th of March of last year and extended to two other districts, North Dinajpur and Hooghly. Ten people were injured during the clashes.
As reported earlier, the Calcutta High Court on Monday (15th April) granted permission to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Anjani Putra Sena to hold Ram Navami processions in Howrah on 17th April, subject to certain conditions. The state authorities sought to stop the procession and proposed an alternate route.
In a ruling by Justice Jay Sengupta, the court stipulated that the Ram Navami processions in Howrah should not exceed 200 participants. It was mandated that no weapons be displayed during the processions, and each procession was limited to one vehicle carrying the idol of Lord Ram. Furthermore, the use of provocative slogans and DJs is strictly forbidden during these gatherings, as emphasized by Justice Sengupta.
On 16th April, Jadavpur University revoked the permission it had granted to the students on 15th April to celebrate Ram Navami on campus. In a notice issued by the registrar, it was mentioned that the permission was revoked amid pressure from students.
Source: BJP Bengal
According to reports, several students staged a protest outside Aurobindo Bhavan until late at night on 16th April, demanding the authorities revoke the permission. They claimed that it would “affect the harmony on the campus and create rifts.” According to the protesting students, Ram Navami is not just a festival but “is associated with divisive politics.”
The notice was shared by several handles on X, including BJP West Bengal. The notice stated that the permission was being revoked on three grounds. First, the University received written complaints from a few students about “fraudulent use of their names in the list of applicants”. Secondly, written complaints of communal threats were received from different groups of students at the University, which might lead to the disruption of peace and harmony within the campus. Thirdly, In March 2024, the Department of Higher Education, Government of West Bengal, asked for strict compliance with the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) for the ensuing General Lok Sabha Elections 2024. The notice read, “It has been observed that the MCC asked for safeguarding the right of every individual for peaceful and undisturbed home life under point no. 6 of Do’s.”
Speaking to Times of India, a JU official said that a “no objection” was granted to observe Ram Navami on the campus near Gate 3 from 11 AM to 2 PM. However, the permission was revoked on three grounds.
The official said, “The authority has received written complaints from a few students about fraudulent use of their names that were being used by students seeking permission. Groups of students also received communal threats. This will hamper peace and harmony on the campus. Thirdly, strict compliance with the model code of conduct is necessary. On these grounds, the permission has been withdrawn.”
Aditya Palley, a member of ABVP and the student who led the group to seek permission for Ram Navami celebrations, said they would hold the Puja of Bhagwan Ram and distribute prasad as scheduled. “Whether it will be inside the campus or outside the gate will depend on the situation on Wednesday”.
Bharatiya Janata Party (West Bengal) shared the notice issued by the JU registrar revoking the permission. It said, “Registrar of Jadavpur University compelled to withdraw permission to hold a Ram Navami celebration at JU Main Campus under fierce protest from pro-Left student organisations (16.04.2024). Both TMC and CPIM are part of the same coin. Neither can be trusted to stand up for Bengal.”
Registrar of Jadavpur University compelled to withdraw the permission for holding a Ram Navami celebration at JU Main Campus under fierce protest from pro-Left student organisations (16.04.2024). Both TMC and CPIM are part of the same coin. Neither can be trusted to stand up for… pic.twitter.com/N5q3KOQwNh
For the first time Ram Navami shall be celebrated inside Jadavpur University campus. This impossible task was made possible by JU students like Aditya Palley and others. Heartiest congratulations. Jay Shree Ram pic.twitter.com/LSfLZYhcyM
— Keya Ghosh (Modi Ka Parivar) (@keyakahe) April 15, 2024
Earlier, X users had expressed their happiness on social media platform that Ram Navami would be celebrated for the first time in JU. Media co-incharge of bJP West Bengal, Keya Ghosh, had written, “For the first time Ram Navami shall be celebrated inside Jadavpur University campus. This impossible task was made possible by JU students like Aditya Palley and others. Heartiest congratulations. Jay Shree Ram.”
Saffron flags and posters were removed in Jaipur, Rajasthan after the Congress submitted a complaint. In the complaint submitted on 13th April, the Congress accused the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) of putting up saffron flags in public places to benefit a particular party without seeking permission and in violation of the Model Code of Conduct. The party demanded that action be taken.
Jaipur #Congress unit is requesting EC to remove all saffron flags which have been put up by Hindu organizations all over city in occasion of #RamNavami. Why do they fear Hindu festivals? They know that Hindus know that they hate Hindus. pic.twitter.com/UYtsv52oTa
— Ratan Sharda ?? रतन शारदा (@RatanSharda55) April 17, 2024
According to reports, the saffron flags were removed following the complaint. Hindu organisations have expressed their displeasure after removing the flags and posters. VHP has said that the flags are for Ram Navami and have nothing to do with elections and the name of Ram. VHP workers burnt the Congress’ effigy.
Meanwhile, according to Times of India, Congress candidate for Jaipur Lok Sabbh seat Prata Singh Khachariyawas said that no such complaint was filed by his team nor were they responsible for the removal of the flags. The report citing sources claimed that the confusion was created due to the similar colours of flags for Ram Navami and BJP flags put up to welcome Union Home Miister Amit Shah.
Khachariyawas said, “We have no issue with banners and posters put up for Ram Navami and we have not filed any complaint. There is a BJP government in the state and permission of the election commission is necessary for everything at this time. Anyone who wants to put up any campaign material should consult with the election commission. Even if flags have been removed , it would have been done on the BJP government’s orders.”
Following Congress’s complaint, the municipal corporation removed the saffron flags and ensigns overnight. The President of All India Sant Samiti and MLA Bal Mukundacharya complaint to the Collector and demanded that the flags be put back up.
Bal Mukundacharya, BJP MLA from Hawa Mahal, Jaipur assembly constituency said, “Every year a procession is taken out on the occasion of Ram Navami. In view of this procession, saffron flags were put up on houses and shops along the route. We came to know that the saffron flags were removed by the administration. Ram Navami has nothing to do with elections.”
The VHP has also issued a statement on the matter calling Congress’s allegations false. Suresh Upadhyay, in charge of the organisation in this region, said that saffron flags have nothing to do with politics.
“The saffron flag is hoisted similarly every year on Ram Navami; Congress’s complaint is completely baseless and false,” he said. Opposing the complaint, Upadhyay said that VHP had not hoisted the saffron flag for party politics or to give political advantage to anyone.
“Hindu society has been celebrating the festival of Navratri with great pomp for thousands of years. After the consecration of Lord Ram Lalla in Ayodhya on 22 January, the entire country is steeped in a Rama consciousness. On this occasion, Hindus hoist saffron flags in their establishments, markets and homes, which has been a symbol of Hindu society for thousands of years. Ram Navami brings out special enthusiasm in Hindus,” he said.
Upadhyay said, “As someone in charge of the organisation in the area, I want to place it on record that the VHP has not put up these saffron flags. All the saffron flags that are visible across the country today have been put up by the Hindu society as their symbols which have nothing to do with politics.”
According to Upadhyay, it is unfortunate that “some political people in our country are irritated by Sanatan culture, Hindu religion and saffron flag”. He said that people with an anti-Hindu mentality should understand that politics has its place but “we request them not to hurt the Hindu society”.
After Islamists began peddling a clip of a Hindu travel blogger alleging mistreatment of Indians in Israel, the Israeli Embassy in India has busted the fake news. The Embassy has categorically asserted that Israel loves Indian brothers and sisters and they will not listen to the hate speech being viciously spread.
Notably, a video featuring a Hindu YouTuber is circulating on social media based on which several netizens have pointed out stark differences in hospitality that the Hindu YouTuber received in Israel viz-a-viz Gaza.
Several X users have highlighted that while the Hindu YouTuber named Shubham was treated well by Israeli citizens, he suffered an act of ‘religious extremism’ in Gaza. Evidently, in his YouTube video, the travel blogger ‘Nomad Shubham’ narrated the ordeal. He stated that a Gaza resident was forcing him to try “beef” and when he declined, the man told him, “You are stupid”.
An Indian YouTuber Shubham went to Palestine where a man asked his religion and forced him to eat beef, when Shubham refused, he called him stupid. pic.twitter.com/TGFjwC5t8v
It is pertinent to note that the row erupted after notorious X users, predominately Islamist handles, began peddling a false narrative that the Hindu YouTuber was turned away by staff of several bars in Israel. The Islamist handles alleged that Indians (especially Hindus) who extend full support (ridiculing it as phull sapport) are not respected by the Israeli citizens rather Israelis don’t allow them entry into their bar.
?? Indian Hindu vlogger goes to ‘Israel’ ?? to show ‘phull sapport’ but gets denied entry into bars ?? pic.twitter.com/LkNJ46hENi
— The Muslim Canadian ?? (@zMuslimCanadian) April 16, 2024
However, it turned out that their claims were blatantly false as the reality was the other way around. While the Islamist handles claimed that the YouTuber Shubham was turned away because of his Hindu (or Indian) identity, the original video shared by the YouTuber revealed that the staff of some bar couldn’t allow him and his friend entry into the bar because it was full or it only allowed entry through prior reservations.
Later parts of the same video shows the vlogger finally getting entry in some clubs and bars and enjoy the night life in Tel Aviv. He is seen praising the spirit of Israeli people who have shown resilience while facing a war. Shubham is seen enjoying a good time with his Israeli friend and visiting multiple bars and clubs.
Drubbing the fake news, one X user pointed out that at around (Timestamp 23:21), Shubham categorically stated that he enjoyed the experience in Israel adding that “people are very friendly in Israel.”
Manipulated and Edited video posted by @censoredmen
Original video posted by YouTuber "Nomad Shubham" Here is the video link of the Indian vlogger : https://t.co/bvZlfPtJSa
In which he clearly said he enjoyed the experience in Israel even said, "people are very friendly in… https://t.co/NmsQkXNnjs
— Pooja Sangwan ( Modi Ka Parivar ) (@ThePerilousGirl) April 16, 2024
Contrary to the claims of Islamist handles, some Israeli citizens even greeted him with a ‘Namaste’ on learning that he is a Hindu from India.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Embassy in India wrote, “In times of social media being flooded with fake news, we urge people to fact-check. Youtuber Shubham Kumar was exploring Israel and enjoying the nightlife, as evident in the video he uploaded. Some bars were full or had reserved spaces.”
In times of social media being flooded with fake news, we urge people to fact-check.
Youtuber Shubham Kumar was exploring Israel and enjoying the nightlife, as evident in the video he uploaded. Some bars were full or had reserved spaces.
It added, “While a sliced video of fake news and propaganda circulates, we want to address a few points: 1. Israelis, like Indians, come in all different colors. The video clearly shows people of all colors enjoying a beer in bars. 2. We love our Indian brothers and sisters and we will not listen to the hate speech being viciously spread.”
On Tuesday (16th April), the Election Commission of India (ECI) barred senior Congress leader Randeep Surjewala from election campaigning for his sexist attack on BJP MP Hema Malini. The action comes as part of measures to curb Model Code of Conduct (MCC) violations. As per the order, the Congress leader cannot hold election rallies or public meetings for the next 48 hours starting from 6 pm today.
In its notice, EC stated, “The commission without prejudice to any order/notice issued or to be issued subsequently to him in the matter relating to MCC violations, hereby, strongly condemns the impugned statement made by him during the election campaign held in Haryana and reprimands Randeep Surjewala for the misconduct.”
“The Commission, under Article 324 of the Constitution of India and all other powers enabling in this behalf, bars him (Randeep Surjewala) from holding any public meetings, public processions, public rallies, roadshows and interviews, public utterances in media in connection with the ongoing elections for 48 hours from 6:00 pm on April 16 (Tuesday),” the notice added.
As per reports, Randeep Surjewala has become the first politician to be banned by the poll panel in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in 2024.
The row erupted after BJP shared an undated video in which Surjewala was heard making sexist remarks about Hema Malini. “Why do we elect MLA/MP? So that they can raise our voices, and get our views accepted. They are not Hema Malini who is made MP to lick her,” Surjewala was heard saying, in a video that went viral on social media.
Following the incident, several BJP leaders, including UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the party’s National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla lambasted Surjewala for his derogatory remark. The saffron party had accused him of making “vile, sexist” remarks against Hema Malini, and called the Congress “misogynistic”. Its leaders asserted that women would teach Congress leaders a strong lesson in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Earlier this month, the Election Commission served him a show-cause notice in connection with his controversial remarks which the poll body described as “undignified, vulgar, and uncivilized”.
The Commission also asked the Congress party to list steps taken to ensure that its advisories on honour and dignity of women in public discourse are complied with.
Hema Malini is a BJP Lok Sabha member from Mathura in Uttar Pradesh and is again contesting the 2024 general elections from there.
Apart from Surjewala, Congress’ National Spokesperson Suriya Shrinate had made vile and sexist remarks against BJP candidate from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, actress-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut, indicating that the latter was a ‘slut’.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday, while hearing pleas seeking seeking cross-verification of the votes cast with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) raised doubts about the petitioners contentions about the feasibility of the physical counting of votes given the large population of India.
A bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Datta was not convinced with advocate Prashant Bhushan’s arguments to go back to election via ballot paper instead of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
Justice Sanjiv Khanna said, “We are in our 60s. We all know what happened when there were ballot papers; you may have, but we have not forgotten.”
The apex court rejected the arguments of Bhushan, appearing for the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), about how most European countries that had opted for voting through EVMs have returned to paper ballots.
As Bhushan cited what’s Germany’s example, the bench asked about the population of the country, to which advocate replied that it is around five-six crore.
Justice Khanna said that 97 crore is the total number of registered voters in India.
“My home state, West Bengal, has more population than Germany. We need to repose some trust and faith on somebody. Do not try to bring down the system like this,” Justice Datta told petitioners’ counsels.
The bench also said that human intervention in the polling and counting process could lead to further problems and biases.
It added, “Normally, human interventions lead to problems and human weakness can be there which includes biases as well. Machines, normally without human intervention, will give you accurate results. Yes, the problem arises when there is human intervention or someone makes unauthorised changes when they are around the software or machine. If you have any suggestions to avert this, then you can give us that.”
The apex court now posted the case for hearing on April 18.
During the hearing, the top court also posed some questions to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and asked whether CCTV cameras are installed at all polling booths.
The official of ECI present through video-conferencing told the bench that CCTV cameras are installed in 50 percent of polling booths. It also asked whether there is any law providing for punishment of officials and authorities for manipulating EVMs and opined that unless there is fear of stringent punishment, there is always possibility of a manipulation.
It told ECI, “Suppose there is some manipulation what the punishment prescribed. That is serious thing. There should be a fear that if something wrong is done then there will be punishment.”
On a query, the ECI official told the bench that the machines are sealed in the presence of the representatives of the candidates and that they are kept in a tamper-proof condition.
The apex court was hearing plea seeking more extensive verification of EVMs data against VVPAT records.
NGO ADR in its plea sought cross verification by the voters of votes cast by them as “counted as recorded” in the EVMs with VVPAT.
The requirement of the voters verifying that their votes have been “recorded as cast” is somewhat met when the VVPAT slip is displayed for about seven seconds after pressing the button on the EVM through a transparent window for the voters to verify that their vote has been recorded on the internally printed VVPAT slip before the slip falls into the ‘ballot box’, the plea stated.
It said that however, there is a complete vacuum in law as the poll panel has provided no procedure for the voter to verify that his or her vote has been ‘counted as recorded’ which is an indispensable part of voter verifiability.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
On Tuesday (16th April), the Supreme Court of India slammed the petitioners who had approached the court with a PIL related to cases of mob lynching. Criticising the petitioners, the bench stressed that they cannot be selective about cases that they highlight before the court.
A three-judge bench comprising Justice BR Gavai, Justice Aravind Kumar, and Justice Sandeep Mehta specifically mentioned the murder case of the Hindu tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur. He was killed by two Islamists in 2022 for allegedly supporting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
During the hearing, the bench asked, “What about that tailor in Rajasthan… Kanhaiya lal… why was he lynched?” When the counsel for the petitioners submitted that the matter was not included in the PIL, the bench remarked, “You have to ensure that it is not selective at all if all States are there…”
Now, it is pertinent to note that the counsel for the petitioners in this PIL about mob lynching is the controversial advocate Nizam Pasha.
Meet Nizam Pasha. Was one of the lawyers arguing for hijab in state-run school
Cited Q verse 33:59 to say hijab distinguishes Muslim women from others so molesters can spare them
Today, he was appearing for a PIL selectively highlighting lynchings of Muslims when Supreme Court… pic.twitter.com/EkoHpJmAiT
He has been one of the petitioners in cases that try to peddle the narrative of Muslim victimhood. These include the petitions against the Hijab ban in state-run schools, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), and challenging Allahabad HC’s order permitting an ASI survey at the Gyanvapi complex. He is also one of the lawyers in the Electoral bonds case and also appeared in the Manipur violence case.
In February 2022, he made a controversial tweet where he claimed that Hijab protects Muslim women from molestation. In his tweet, Pasha cited Quranic verses to say how hijab helps molesters distinguish Muslim women so they can be spared.
Citing Quran 33:59, Pasha tweeted, “Holy Quran 33:59 explains why Muslim women should wear a hijab. “So that they can be recognised as Muslim and not be harassed.” The hijab is meant to tell people that this is a strong woman with a strong community standing behind her that you are taking on, so tread with caution.”
Holy Quran 33:59 explains why Muslim women should wear a hijab. "So that they can be recognised as Muslim and not be harassed." The hijab is meant to tell people that this is a strong woman with a strong community standing behind her that you are taking on, so tread with caution.
In September 2022, arguing that the Hijab is a mandatory practice in Islam, Pasha alleged that the Karnataka High Court misquoted the Quran to uphold the hijab ban.
In the Supreme Court, he submitted that the Karnataka HC had referred to an unrelated verse, which stated that nobody can be compelled to convert to Islam, to hold that hijab was not mandatory. He further stated that the High Court had referred to the opinion of a translator of the Holy Quran and not the translation of the text itself. He claimed the verses cited in the High Court were concerning “jilbab”, which covers the whole body as opposed to “Hijab” which only covers the head and chest. He said that the translator had meant that “jilbab” was not mandatory and not hijab.
In March 2024, during a hearing on pleas seeking a stay on CAA in the Supreme Court, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta came down heavily on one of the petitioners’ counsel, Advocate Nizam Pasha. SG Mehta criticised him for needlessly dragging NRC into the CAA issue. He accused Pasha and ilks of attempting to peddle falsehoods and fan fear psychosis in Muslims that they will be out of NRC.
Strikingly, Pasha had submitted, “Muslim members left out of NRC will be prejudiced.. 19 lakhs people left out of NRC, it applies to them”.
Retorting to it, Mehta said, “NRC is not an issue (in this case). This attempt was made outside the court four years back. Misleading people that you will be out of NRC. Same thing Mr. Pasha did. NRC is not an issue here. Grant of citizenship is. Please don’t do this.”
Pasha, who has been writing for leftist propaganda portals, The Quint and The Wire has been furthering the trope of alleged persecution of Muslims. In an article in The Indian Express, he vehemently criticised those who oppose expanding the political footprints of Asaduddin Owaisi, alluding to communal representation.
In one of his articles for The Wire, he defended the anti-CAA protests which had spiralled into large-scale violence and anti-Hindu Delhi riots. In an article titled, For the First Time Since Independence, Muslims Have Emerged on to the Streets, Pasha heaped praises on Muslim men and women for taking to the streets.
(Nizam Pasha, who has been furthering tropes of Muslim victimhood, praised Muslims for taking onto the streets during anti-CAA protests, snippet of The Wire Article written by Nizam Pasha)
According to him, many instances should have awakened the Indian Muslims to come out on the streets.
(Excerpts from The Wire article authored by SC advocate Nizam Pasha)
He added, “The intention here is not to communalise and colour what is quintessentially a pan-India people’s movement as a Muslim movement. It is only to emphasise that for the first time since independence, Muslims have emerged onto the streets to raise their voice and claim an equal share in the political discourse of their country.”
Citing the history of Jamia Milia Islamia, he stressed that it was apt that the protest (which turned violent) started in Jamia.
Praising Muslims for taking to the streets, Pasha wrote, “Men and women, old and young, have taken to the streets and decided to speak for themselves. Unlike the #Notinmyname protests of 2017 to protest the lynching of Muslims in the name of gau raksha (cow protection), where persons of all other communities came together (on a much smaller scale) to say that they do not want atrocities against Muslims to be perpetrated on the pretext of protection of Hinduism, this time Muslims are not merely the object of the protest, they are leading the movement from the front.”
In the article, he also defended the controversial anti-Hindu poem by Faiz Ahmed Faiz, ‘Hum Dekhenge’, claiming that the meaning of its pejorative words meant something else.
A novel case of Grooming Jihad has come to the fore from the Chhatrapati Sabhajinagar district of Maharashtra. The Satara Police Station in the city filed a complaint against four individuals identified as Taher Pathan, Taiyab Pathan, Ayesha Pathan, and Lailabi Pathan on the 16th of April for deliberately trapping a 27-year-old Hindu girl and forcing her to convert her religion to Islam.
The accused introduced himself as a Hindu person to the victim and then established sexual relations with her. He also forced the girl to wear a burqa and eat beef and also forced her to convert her religion to Islam. The Police have filed an FIR under sections 376 (rape), 376 (2)(n), 377, 420, 323, 504, 506 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.
OpIndia has obtained an FIR copy of the incident. As per the complaint copy, the victim Hindu girl happened to meet the accused at a private showroom in the year 2020 where the primary accused Taher Pathan introduced himself as a Hindu Gujarati individual to the girl. He told her that his name was Sameer Patel and that he was unmarried. The duo soon developed a friendship and later the accused one day forced the girl to have physical relations with her.
As per the complaint copy, he kept on having sexual relations with the victim without her will. He also recorded derogatory videos of the woman and threatened her to listen to him. Two years later, the victim discovered that ‘Sameer Patel’ was actually a Muslim individual and that his original name was Taher Pathan.
On knowing this, she tried to quit the relationship. However, the accused didn’t let that happen. He threatened the girl saying that he would publish her derogatory photos on the internet. He also forced the girl to marry him and convert her religion to Islam.
The woman remained pregnant in the due course, but the accused abused her, physically assaulted her, and killed the child in her womb. In the year 2022 then, the accused forcefully converted the girl to Islam, made her eat beef, and also forced her to wear a burqa. “I was taken to some Maulana where I was forced to drink some liquid substance for a month. The substance made me feel dizzy and Taher then made me offer Namaz and read the complete Quran,” the girl mentioned in the FIR.
The girl also further discovered that the accused was already married and was the father of four kids. He forcefully trapped the girl at his home where his father Taiyab Pathan, his mother Lailabi Pathan, and his first wife Ayesha Pathan brutally assaulted her.
As per the information obtained by OpIndia, the victim had been trying to register an FIR in the case, but nobody came to her aid. Some of the persons from the Hindu community including a reporter from Sudarshan TV then took cognizance of the event and helped her register a case.
The Police have filed an FIR under sections 376 (rape), 376 (2)(n), 377, 420, 323, 504, 506 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. Further investigations in the case are underway.
In a shocking incident in the Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh, a 25-year-old Hindu youth committed suicide by consuming poison on 13th April after his father converted to Islam. The deceased victim has been identified as Shri Krishna. Reports say that a Maulana used to visit the victim’s house and brainwashed his father to accept Islam.
The incident reportedly pertains to the Baradari police station precinct wherein victim Shri Krishna’s father, Harishankar, working in a bank, resided along with his family. According to Harishankar’s family members, a Maulana paid frequent visits to their home. The Maulana is reported to be a resident of Ejaz Nagar Gautiya, Bareilly. He became quite friendly with Harishankar. It is said that after a few days, Maulana converted Harishankar to Islam. Subsequently, Harishankar’s behaviour changed dramatically.
According to the victim’s family members, Harishankar began offering Namaz in secret as well. When his family learned of his religious conversion, they all opposed him. According to reports, Harishankar frequently argued with his family members about conversion. On 13th April (Saturday), Harishankar and his son Shri Krishna had a heated argument over this issue. In his rage, Shri Krishna swallowed poison. Shri Krishna’s health deteriorated, and then his family took him to the hospital.
Shri Krishna, however, succumbed to his injuries. The deceased youth worked at a private company. While speaking with the media, Amit Pandey, the in-charge of the Baradari police station, stated that the matter is being investigated and that other legal action will be taken according to the law. He also stated that the victim’s family’s formal complaint is yet to be received.
A local Hindu activist from Bareilly has urged that the police investigate and take action against the accused under the NSA. Himanshu Patel, a local Hindu leader, told OpIndia that they are investigating the matter on the ground. Himanshu stated that he would demand a probe and strict action from the Bareilly Police in this case.
It is not a surprise that the New York Times, Washington Post, and other left-leaning woke Western media organisations often send some of their most appalling and atrocious ‘reporters’ to cover South East Asia, particularly India, in their bid to show the country in a bad light and exploit the existing fault-lines, sow discord among other things to help gain leverage over the incumbent government and pursue vested interests.
Emily Schmall, currently with the New York Times in Chicago, was one such individual whose prejudice against the Modi government and her contempt for nationalist media became apparent at the 2024 Camden Conference, where she spoke about her time in India as Delhi-based South Asia correspondent for The New York Times.
Schmall’s speech at the Conference is a masterclass in how Western journalists allow their prejudices to take hold of their good senses and weave a story, an agenda so far removed from the ground reality and the truth that when their presumptions fall flat, they proceed to blame everyone except their own blinkered outlook.
It is, therefore, important to deconstruct Emily’s speech, which was liberally laced with woke propaganda—something that has now become a hallmark of The New York Times journalists.
Emily opens her speech with a sharp jab at Republic TV, one of India’s most-watched English news channels, drawing a comparison to America’s Fox News and calling it the mouthpiece of the Modi government.
“There are also hundreds of TV news channels, many of them highly influential and highly partisan. Cheap to produce shouting matches dominate like they do here. Republic TV, something akin to India’s Fox News, is unapologetically pro-government and that used to set it apart, no longer,” Schmall contends.
Selective fact quoting on Republic TV, NDTV, and mass media
Of course, she conveniently ignores mentioning numerous instances when the Republic TV has taken a position contrary to the central government’s stand, most notably in the Sabarimala case, where the Arnab Goswami’s channel came down hard against opponents of permitting entry to women of menstruating age in the sanctum sanctorum of the hallowed temple.
Schmall then moves on to NDTV, hailing it as the ‘last bastion of independent TV news’ that was acquired by energy tycoon Gautam Adani, linking him to PM Modi and insinuating that the acquisition of the news channel may have happened at the directions of the PMO.
Here again, she keeps her in the dark about the proximity that journalists working with the NDTV with the ministers during the UPA-I and UPA-II regimes, so much so that some of them were so thick with the leaders that they were caught on tapes brokering cabinet berths.
“Adani won NDTV in a hostile takeover bid in 2022 and since then, many of the network’s longtime anchors and executives have stepped down. But increasingly, the biggest scoops, the gutsiest investigations, and the best watchdog reporting are appearing not in newspapers or TV, but in the digital pages of scrappy online news startups. Much of this work is supported by grants and reader subscriptions and donations and the journalists doing this work are particularly targeted by the government and its supporters,” she claims.
While she characterises Gautam Adani as a villain who took over NDTV, she consciously skips mentioning the irregularities in the funding of the NDTV and tax evasion charges levelled against it. The journalist with the New York Times, which is also infamous for its biased or one-sided brand of journalism, doesn’t acquaint her listeners with the allegations of tax fraud and money laundering against former NDTV promoters Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy and how they were at the helm when Adani took over the company.
It is not difficult to guess the “scrappy online startups” she is referring to are most likely far left-leaning propaganda organisations like ‘The Wire’, which had to suffer the ignominy of pulling down several articles related to ‘Tek Fog’ and ‘Meta Stories’ after they were found to be nothing more than shoddy hitjobs against the central government.
Schmall then resorts to what is catnip for propagandists masquerading as journalists: using half-truths and selective data sets to drive home their point. Next up is the turn of WhatsApp to be maligned and defamed. The New York Times scribe cunningly cites one incident from the anti-Hindu Delhi riots to claim that a Muslim man was brutally lynched by a Hindu crowd. As usual, she doesn’t provide context over how the riots were triggered and the larger conspiracy behind the violence that is unravelling bit by bit in the courts.
No mention of Nupur Sharma episode while Schmall invokes a stray incident from 2020 Delhi riots
It is worth noting that Emily does not talk about the death threats received by former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma for simply defending the honour of her God during a Times Now debate, an incomplete video of which was spread online to gin up anger and resentment among the Muslim masses. Thousands took to the streets raising ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ slogans against Sharma for what they perceived as blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad. The effigies of Sharma were hung, burnt, and beaten with slippers by furious mobs who bayed for her blood across the length and breadth of the country.
At least 6 Hindus lost their lives for extending their solidarity with Nupur Sharma, most notably a Hindu tailor from Udaipur, Kanhaiya Lal, who was hacked to death by two Islamists in broad daylight for his support to the former BJP leader. The incident had sparked outrage across the country, yet Emily remains mum about it in her speech.
She claims that WhatsApp has been weaponised by the Modi government to disseminate misinformation and whip up “nationalistic fervour” among the masses. Yet again, she offers no evidence to substantiate her claims and ignores the fact that WhatsApp is a freely available social media service, just like X and Facebook, and can be put to use by all political parties for mobilising its resources and broadcasting its communication to their members.
Over the years, Modi has positioned himself as a leader who not only makes promises but also fulfils them. This has resulted in building trust among the masses towards PM Modi, reflected in the opinion polls that overwhelmingly tip in the Prime Minister’s favour, making him one of the most popular and approved PMs in the country’s history.
Emily laments that the BJP is using all its might to cash in on this ever-rising image of PM Modi, the connection he has with an average Indian and the inimitable oratory skills that leave listeners spellbound to establish the dominance of the political party and leverage it for electoral and political gains.
‘Ram Mandir was built on the rubble of 450-year-old Babri mosque’: Emily Schmall
Ram Mandir, according to Emily, was a result of an act of terrorism by Hindu karsevaks in 1992. She says that Ram Mandir was built on the rubble of a 450-year mosque torn down by the Hindu nationalists in December 1992 but does not care to detail the testimonies from eminent historians such as KK Mohammed and Meenakshi Jain, besides archaeological evidence, that hinted at the presence of a pre-existing temple underneath the Babri structure.
During the demolition of the Babri structure, a Vishnu Hari inscription was found from the debris which records the construction of the temple at the site—a clinching evidence to puncture claims made by Islamists that there was no Hindu structure underneath the Babri complex. Predictably, Emily glosses over these details and moves on to the next item on her propaganda list.
Schmall highlights the bloody clashes between Indian and Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley and mentions the casualties suffered by the Indian side. She doesn’t bother informing her listeners how the Indian troops gave a bloody nose to their Chinese counterparts and the number of casualties reported on the Chinese side. She also tried to lay the border conflict between the two nations entirely at the feet of the Modi government, even when it was established that the Chinese were the aggressors and have been so for years, as reported by the Indian Army sources along the border.
At one instance in her speech, Schmall alludes to the information minister, presumably Anurag Thakur, having called her for tea and reading out The New York Times headlines in a sarcastic tone. Well, no one can fault the minister, given that The New York Times has a chequered history of publishing anti-India and Hinduphobic news articles. An article from 2021 that reaffirms NYT’s anti-India and Hinduphobic bias can be read here.
Emily Schmall among those who got Vivek Agnihotri’s press conference on ‘The Kashmir Files’ cancelled
While she continued to drone on other issues, too, like the use of UAPA against those accused of serious crimes, a fairly conversant listener would gauge by now that her utterances are nothing but words of a chagrined journalist who failed at accomplishing her ‘assignment’. It is notable to mention that while Schmall pontificates on the need for space for dissent, her name came up in May 2022 for cancelling Vivek Agnihotri’s press conference at the Foreign Correspondents Club in New Delhi. ‘The Kashmir Files’ director was scheduled to hold a press conference to discuss the truth about the Kashmiri Hindu Genocide and his film ‘The Kashmir Files’.
The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia’s former member Journalist Pankaj Yadav had revealed that President Munish Gupta cancelled Vivek Agnihotri’s May 5 Press conference at the Club after office bearers Emily Schmall, Sebastian Farcis, Tawqeer Hussian and Kumkum Chadha threatened to resign from Governing Committee if it was allowed.
