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Uttar Pradesh: Qasim burns Rajbali’s house after a little boy’s ball hit his foot while playing, three cows sustain wounds while victim family escapes death

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Qasim burns Rajbali’s house after a little boy’s ball hit his foot while playing, three cows sustain wounds while victim family escapes death

On 18th March, a Hindu family’s residence in Uttar Pradesh’s Basti district was burned by a Muslim man named Qasim after a child hit him with a ball while playing. In this arson, three bovine animals tied up in the thatched house of the victim family received injuries and are currently being treated at the animal hospital. Fortunately, the family members somehow managed to leave the home and save their lives. The offender was reportedly apprehended by the police, who did his challan and sent him home rather than to jail.

The matter pertained to the Harraiya police station area’s Sherwadeeh village where all houses except three are Muslims. The entire hamlet is dominated by their community. Rajbali Chauhan charged that a few days ago, his 8-year-old grandson was playing when his ball struck Qasim’s foot. Qasim not only complained about the little boy at home but also threatened the family members. Furthermore, when the child’s father protested, he warned to burn the entire family alive before leaving.

A week later on 18th March late at night, Qasim poured inflammable material on the house and set it on fire while the family members were sleeping inside. The fire spread rapidly but they succeeded in escaping from there. However, three cows that were bound in a shelter were caught in the fire and are being given medical attention from a veterinary clinic at present.

Rajbali Chauhan, the victim, complained to the authorities but to no avail. As a result, members of a Hindu organisation protested inside the police station and then the police filed a First Information Report (FIR) against two individuals. Nevertheless, Qasim was released by the police after a challan on minor accusations.

On the other hand, according to Deputy Superintendent of Police Ashok Kumar Mishra, the allegations made against the police are unfounded. He stated, “We have filed an FIR and Qasim is the principal accused in it. We received the complaint and took action.” He mentioned that the cattle which were burned in the fire are still undergoing treatment.

Every penny due for Karnataka given on time, no special grant recommended by Finance Commission: Nirmala Sitharaman denies Congress claim of fiscal bias

ANI
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Every penny due for Karnataka given on time, no special grant recommended by Finance Commission: Nirmala Sitharaman denies Congress claim of fiscal bias

In a push-back against allegations of fiscal bias against Congress-ruled Karnataka and non-provision of funds, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Sunday every penny due to the state is accounted for and was released on time.

Speaking at an informal interaction organised by the Thinkers Forum here in the Karnataka capital, Sitharaman said, “The claim that Rs 5,495 crore as a special grant was not released for Karnataka is totally false. The Finance Commission, in its final report, did not recommend any such special grants.”

“Under PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, 80 crore people all across the country and 30.5 lakh from urban Bengaluru get free rations at home every month. I want to flag those guarantees that we fulfilled to help the common people, especially the poor. In urban Bengaluru, 14.68 lakh Jan-Dhan accounts were opened as against 52 crore across the country,” the Union Finance Minister added.

She informed further that under the Centre’s flagship Mudra scheme, which enables skilled artisans to avail micro-credit of up to Rs 10 lakh, Rs 30,490 crores, alone, were allocated to urban Bengaluru.

“As many as 38.25 lakh beneficiaries (of the Mudra scheme) are in urban Bengaluru alone. The state also received funds under ‘Stand-up India’, which facilitates loans of between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 crore for SCs, STs, and women. In Bengaluru Urban, Rs 467 crores were distributed under this scheme. There are as many as 4,429 registered beneficiaries of this scheme in this area of the city alone. Also, 1.25 lakh street vendors in urban Bengaluru were enlisted as beneficiaries under the PM Swanidhi Yojana. Of these vendors, 62 per cent are women, 31 per cent are OBCs and 29 per cent are SCs and STs. Under PM Jeevan Jyoti Beema Yojana, more than 30 lakh beneficiaries were enrolled as beneficiaries in Urban Bengaluru,” Sitharaman said, dismissing the claims of the ruling Congress in the state.

Sitharaman added that the state’s share of the GST mop-up of Rs 1.06 crore for Karnataka for the period between 2017 to 22 was released in full and no GST compensation is due for Karnataka as of March 2024.

In a veiled swipe at the Congress for contesting the Centre’s growth projections, Sitharaman said, “The rate of growth pre-GST was only 11.68 per cent. Today, as it is reaching 15 per cent, they can’t accept it and say the numbers are exaggerated. I wish to tell the state government that GST is benefiting you. It is beginning to raise your revenues from taxes.”

Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said his government filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the Centre to immediately release grants under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to the state, at a time when it is grappling with drought-like conditions.

Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said, “The Karnataka government waited a long time (for the Centre to release funds) and now, but eventually we had no option but to file a petition in the Supreme Court. The Centre should release the NDRF fund at the earliest.

Earlier, venting his ire over the alleged bias of the Centre with regard to its budgetary allocations for the South states, Congress MP and brother of Karnakata Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, DK Suresh, said if the Union government continued to ignore the fiscal needs of states south of the Vindhyas, the people will raise a call for separate nationhood.

The statement drew a sharp rebuke from the BJP, even as the Congress distanced themselves from it.

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

Former Air Force chief RKS Bhadauria joins BJP, likely to contest Lok Sabha elections from Western Uttar Pradesh

OpIndia Staff
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Former Air Force chief RKS Bhadauria joins BJP, likely to contest Lok Sabha elections from Western Uttar Pradesh

On Sunday (24th March), Former Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal (Retd.) RKS Bhadauria joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). During the induction press meet, the party’s General Secretary Vinod Tawde presented him with the certificate of primary membership. Union Minister Anurag Thakur was also present at the event.

The former armed forces veteran, Bhadauria, is making his foray into politics nearly two-and-a-half years after retiring from his post in the armed forces. He served as the 23rd Air Force Chief from 30th September 2019 to 30th September 2021. 

He is a resident of the Bah tehsil of Agra district. According to media reports, he may contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Uttar Pradesh. As per reports citing sources, BJP may field him from Western Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad or Meerut Lok Sabha constituency.  

Notably, he is credited for the induction of Rafale fighter jets into the Indian Air Force fleet. As deputy chief in India’s negotiations with France, he played a major role in clinching the deal to purchase 36 Rafale fighter jets. Additionally, he was among the first Indian Air Force officers to fly a Rafale fighter jet. Consequently, a Rafale trainer aircraft that India received from France in September 2019 bore the initials “RB01” on its tail, named after RKS Bhadauria.

Meanwhile, reports indicate that his name may come up in the final list of candidates for the Lok Sabha elections. On Saturday, the party’s third Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting was held in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and top party leaders including President JP Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath.

Assam: Police detain Tauseef Ali Farooqui, an IIT-Guwahati student from Delhi, for pledging allegiance to ISIS in a LinkedIn post, details

OpIndia Staff
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Assam: Police detain Tauseef Ali Farooqui, an IIT-Guwahati student from Delhi, for pledging allegiance to ISIS in a LinkedIn post, details

On 23rd March, Assam Police detained Tauseef Ali Farooqui, a youth who pledged allegiance to the terrorist group Islamic State (ISIS) via an open letter on the social media platform LinkedIn. Farooqui is a final-year biotechnology student at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT-G).

In the open letter on LinkedIn, Farooqui claimed that he had disassociated himself from the “Indian-Construct that includes the so-called Indian Constitution, its institutions and so on”. The letter read, “My first step after my repentance is to make Hijrat (emigration) toward Muslimeen (Muslims) to a region known as Islamic State-Khorasan Province to pledge my allegiance to the Muslim-Leadership (Islamic State)…It is a fight between Muslimeen (those who have surrendered to Allah) and Kafireen (infidels)…”. He also sent the letter via mail to some people.

When the letter was spotted, it was found that Tauseef Ali Farooqui was missing from the IIT Guwahati campus. His phone was also switched off. The police issued a lookout notice against him, and a search was made at the airport.

However, later he was located at Hajo, a town around 25 km from North Guwahati where IIT Guwahati is located, on Saturday evening. Farooqui hails from Okhla in New Delhi. His room in hostel was searched, where some objectionable items have been found, including a back ISIS flag. When reporters asked Tauseef about the black flag in his room, he claimed that it was a religious flag.

Speaking to the media, additional superintendent of police of the Special Task Force (STF) Kalyan Kumar Pathak said, “The Assam Special Task Force has detained IIT-G student Tauseef Ali Farooqui who claimed to have joined the ISIS. The particular student had gone missing since this morning. He had sent emails and posts on social media about his wish to join ISIS. We traced him to Hajo of Kamrup district in Assam.”

He added, “Tauseef didn’t have many friends on campus and mostly stayed indoors in his hostel. There are certain things we have recovered from his room. Among them is a black flag, suspected to be an ISIS flag, and a few manuscripts of his religion. He is being interrogated. We have sent the recovered items for forensic examination.”

In a statement, Assam Director General of Police GP Singh said, “Reference IIT Guwahati student pleading allegiance to ISIS – the said student has been detained while travelling and further lawful follow up would take place.”

As the matter pertains to ISIS, Assam police will coordinate with the NIA to investigate the case.

The Open Letter

Tauseef Ali Farooqui posted the open letter on 23 March, declaring his intention to join ISKP and travel from Guwahati to ISKP area. In the open letter, there was an ISIS flag that had “Aim1: Hijrat towards Muslims (ISK)” written under it. He started his letter by claiming to disassociate himself from the Indian construct including the Indian Constitution.

Source: LinkedIn

He then claimed disassociation from the “kofirun (infidels)” or the “kafirs”. He wrote to those who were in “doubt” about his religion and said he would rather be “subservient to Allah” rather than be subservient to those who are subservient to from other than Allah.

Farooqui claimed in the letter that his first aim was to emigrate the Muslims to a region “known as Islamic State – Khorasan Province to pledge my allegiance to the Muslim leadership (Islamic State)”. He continued to challenge the “kafirs” that he would travel on foot and publicly so if anyone wanted to stop him as they had done in the past could confront him.

Source: LinkedIn

Farooqui said he would start his journey from Panbazar in Guwahati and would add a map of the path he planned to take for his journey.

He claimed that those who do not believe in Allah are “Kafirs” and Muslims only fight with Kafirs. “If it was a fight between Arabs and non-Arabs, Muslims (Islamic State) would not fight Saudi Arabians,” he wrote, He repeatedly claimed that all the land on earth belongs to Allah.

Source: LinkedIn

He ended his letter with a message for the “Kuffars” and said, “So, my message to the Kuffar (infidels). Repent to Allah with a sincere repentance. Say, there is no ilah(God) except Allah (The God) and Muhammad is His messenger (may peace be upon him). Establish Salat amongst your people and give Zakat to the Zakat-Collectors appointed by the Khalifah, Abu Hafs Al-Hashimi Al-Qurashi. And if you turn away, then I give you glad tidings of a painful punishment.”A letter on LinkedIn alerted security agencies

ISIS head arrested by Assam police

Notably, on 20th March, Assam police arrested Haris Farooqi, head of ISIS, who was active since 2019. Other associates, including Rehan (alias Anurag Singh) from Panipat, were also arrested. Rehan converted to Islam and married a Bangladeshi national.

Hyderabad: Hindu students refuse Halal chocolate offered by Muslim classmate, claims man on Facebook

OpIndia Staff
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Hyderabad: Hindu students refuse Halal chocolate offered by Muslim classmate, claims man on Facebook

On Wednesday (20th March), a Muslim man identified as one ‘CA Ajmal Mohiuddin’ took to Facebook to claim that the Hindu classmates of his son, studying in 4th Std of an ICSE medium school in Hyderabad, refused to eat ‘Halal chocolates’ offered by another Muslim student.

In his Facebook post, Mohiuddin alleged, “My youngest son studies in Grade 4 in an ICSE school in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad. Most of his classmates are Marwaris and Sindhis and a few Muslims. Today he came home and told us that he ate six chocolates.”

“We asked him who gave him so many and he told me that it was a classmate’s birthday and he got four extra chocolates because three to four of his other friends refused to accept those chocolates. Out of curiosity, I asked him how such small boys would refuse the chocolates,” he further added.

Screengrab of the viral post by Ajmal Mohiuddin

Ajmal Mohiuddin alleged that the Hindu classmates refused to eat ‘Halal chocolate’ because a Muslim student offered it to them.

“He told me that those boys said those chocolates are Halal and hence they can’t eat it. I asked him which brand and he said Cadbury chocolates. I tried to get a bit deeper, but my son wouldn’t want to discuss in detail as he was happy,” he continued.

“I asked him what was the name of the birthday boy and he told me some Muslim name, which I do not remember now. I asked him the names of his friends who refused to accept those chocolates. Those were typical Marwari names,” the man further claimed.

Ajmal Mohiuddin then went on to draw his prejudiced conclusions and declared that the Hindu students were taught to not eat anything offered by a Muslim. He alleged that it was the consequence of supposed ‘religious indoctrination’ at home.

“I realised then those boys and girls refused to accept the chocolates from a boy just because he was a muslim and they have been told at home not to eat anything given by a muslim. I called the class teacher who happens to be a Christian and she confirmed my suspicion and also said that she can’t force the children to accept those chocolates,” the Muslim man brazened out.

“Such is the indoctrination among such young minds. We never had such a thing. We never cared whether our classmates were Hindus or Muslims or Christians. Wonder where we are heading,” he concluded.

Nonetheless, the story of the Muslim man allowed his co-religionists to go on a tirade against Gujaratis, Sindhis, Marwaris and the Hindu community at large in the comment section of the post.

At the time of writing, the post has 1.2K reactions, 1.1K comments and 1.4K shares

A glance at the Facebook posts of Ajmal Mohiuddin reveals that he frequently mocks prominent Hindu figures, demonises Israel and sympathises with Islamic tyrant Aurangzeb.

Lies and Deceit in the Badaun Murder Case: Locals hail Javed and Sajid as noble, ‘respectful’ men, grandmother lies to shield the murderers. Exclusive

राहुल पाण्डेय
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Lies and Deceit in the Badaun Murder Case: Locals hail Javed and Sajid as noble, ‘respectful’ men, grandmother lies to shield the murderers. Exclusive

On Thursday (19 March) evening two Hindu children Aayush and Ahaan (Honey) were brutally killed by slitting their throats in the Badaun district of Uttar Pradesh. A third child Piyush was injured in the attack. The main accused Sajid was killed in an encounter by the police on 20th March, while the second perpetrator Javed who was absconding and had a reward of Rs 25,000 on him was nabbed from Bareilly on the same day. The two Muslim accused are siblings.

When OpIndia visited their hamlet, Sajid and Javed’s family and other locals made every effort to deceive reporters to shield Javed and whitewash the crime of Sajid.

On 22nd March Javed was produced in the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Badaun. He was then placed in judicial custody for 14 days. He is currently being questioned by the authorities in an attempt to determine the primary motive for the horrific killing of the two Hindu boys. The reason this question remains unanswered even four days after the incident is that Javed and his family consistently try to deceive the public, media and police by making contradictory statements.

Statements given by the elderly grandmother and cops don’t match

On 21st March, the OpIndia team arrived at Sajid’s village and met his approximately 70-year-old grandmother. She began talking about her family and Javed’s innocence as soon as she spotted us. The grandmother said that Javed was allegedly digging soil close to the house at the time of the occurrence and was not present at the crime scene. We were also shown the location where the soil was carved next to the house. Muzaffar also repeated the same thing. Rukhsana even started uttering praises in honour of Sajid and Javed. They all claimed to have received a call at home following the murder. Javed then departed for the city to know the whereabouts of his brother Sajid.

However, a copy of the First Information Report (FIR) and the statement of Inspector-General (IG) Rakesh Kumar Singh exposed the grandmother, Rukhsana and Muzaffar. Javed was present in front of the house when the tragic event unfolded, according to the police statement, the FIR copy and the mother of the deceased kids. Locals in the victims’ area who spoke with OpIndia also reported to have seen Sajid and Javed together before and after the murder.

The most startling disclosure was that Javed who keeps his shop open till 10 in the night closed it at 1 pm on the day of the incident.

Why did you demand food if you were fasting

The grandmother alleged that Sajid asked for food from his spouse at around 5 pm while Javed had informed the police that they were both fasting due to Ramazan. Furthermore, Aaj Tak in a story asserted to have contacted and spoken with Sajid’s wife, refuting his grandmother’s claims that he was at home when he requested food from her after getting a call from somewhere.

According to the report, Sana and her mother stated that the former was at her parents’ house for fifteen days before the instance and hence there is no proof either in Sajid’s village Sakhanu or Badaun that he and Sana were together. Then the question arises as to why the grandmother made the claim. Are all these statements fabricated?

How did Javed reach the crime scene immediately?

Javed and his family members maintained that he was digging soil at that moment but fled the village on a bike to Badaun City after learning about his brother’s encounter. OpIndia did discover, nevertheless, that it takes roughly 35 to 40 minutes to get there from Javed’s hamlet. If the family’s account is accurate, how could Javed, according to what he claimed, get there from his village right away?

Javed has admitted that he escaped from the location when he noticed his brother descending from the roof with blood-stained hands. In addition, he stated that he arrived at the scene instantaneously after learning about the incident and disappeared when he witnessed the throng, based on information that is currently accessible.

Even those who have never met swear by their innocence

Apart from the family, we met a person named Shahnawaz in Sajid’s village Sakhanu. When we asked him for information about the two men, he described Javed and Sajid as very good and noble. When we inquired how many times had he met the pair, he replied, “Not even once.” Shahnawaz, however, was unable to explain to us the reason he was labelling them innocent and only kept repeating himself. Muzaffar called Sajid simple and Rukhsana went a step further and declared that he valued women and children.

Moscow Terror Attack: ISIS releases footage where terrorists slit throat of victim repeatedly, shoot indiscriminately while screaming ‘Allahu Akbar, Putin vows to punish

OpIndia Staff
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Moscow Terror Attack: ISIS releases footage where terrorists slit throat of victim repeatedly, shoot indiscriminately while screaming ‘Allahu Akbar, Putin vows to punish

On 23rd March, Islamic State (ISIS) released bodycam footage of the deadly terror attack at the Crocus City Hall music venue. They also released a photograph of the four terrorists involved in the attack. In a statement, ISIS said four terrorists stormed into the large concert hall in Moscow, “unleashing a hail of gunfire and igniting the venue in flames”.  The statement and media were released by ISIS’s mouthpiece, Amaq News Agency, on Telegram. Quoting Amaq, Reuters noted, “The attack comes within the context of a raging war between the Islamic State and countries fighting Islam.”

In the ISIS-released bodycam footage, the terrorists were heard shouting “Allah-hu-Akbar” and shooting people indiscriminately. In one of the shots, a terrorist was seen slitting the throat of a victim repeatedly.

Channel One, a Russian state-run channel, aired the footage of terrorists being detained and interrogated by the agencies. One of the suspects was detained from Khatsun village in the Bryansk region, close to the Russia-Belarus border. During the interrogation, one of the suspects said he killed people for money. He said he was offered half a million Rubles, which is approximately USD 5,425, for the attack. Furthermore, he said he had received half of the payment in advance. Russian Interior Ministry said that the four suspects detained were from Tajikistan.

President Vladimir Putin vowed to punish the ISIS terrorists

On 23rd March, Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to punish the terrorists after they attacked the Crocus City Hall music venue in the city of Krasnogorsk, near Moscow on 22nd March. Reportedly, 133 people lost their lives in the attack. In an address to the nation, Putin said, “Our people, our children, just like the Nazis that once killed our people during the war. They do the same. All the orchestrators responsible for this crime will inevitably be found responsible; they will pay. We will identify everyone who stands behind these terrorists, and they will pay. This is a strike against Russia.” The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted the video on social media platforms.

Furthermore, he added that Russia would investigate the attack. He informed that the Russian forces apprehended all four terrorists directly involved in the attack. President Vladimir Putin asserted all efforts would be made to identify the details of the attack. Notably, Russian President Vladimir Putin pointed out that the aim was to kill people.

He said, “We will investigate this terrorist attack, and we already have some results. All four perpetrators who were directly involved were gunning people down and killing people. They were found and apprehended. They tried to escape. They were moving towards the border with Ukraine, and we have data that suggests that they were about to be moved towards the territory of Ukraine by those in Ukraine.”

President Vladimir Putin added, “Our military services, our emergency services, our investigators are working on finding out the orchestrators of this terrorist attack, those who gave them transportation, who gave them weapons, etc. The investigative authorities will do everything to identify all details of this crime. But it’s already evident that we face not just a cynically organized terrorist attack but a massive mass killing of civilians. These perpetrators, these criminals went specifically to kill, to kill people, point blank.”

Russian President said terrorists have no nationality

Putin stressed that Russia expects other nations to cooperate with them. He said the terrorists have no nationality, and there is no future for them. He urged the people of Russia to stay united. He said, “We know what terrorist threat means, and we expect that other nations that share our pain will cooperate with us, and we will stand united against this common enemy, international terrorism. No matter where it shows its ugly head, these terrorists have no nationality, and there is only one future for them: retribution and oblivion. Our duty right now, our common duty right now, is to stand together, to stand united, and I believe we will stand together.”

“Nobody can divide us, undermine our common strength nation of Russia’s nation or seek discord in our multinational society. Russia has faced many terrible challenges in its history, but it always came out stronger, and this will be the same this time,” he added.

According to RT News, the Russian Investigative Committee said that 115 people died in the attack, and the figure might rise. Later, reports suggested the death toll rose to 133. Investigators said, “According to preliminary data, the causes of death were gunshot wounds and poisoning by combustion products (smoke inhalation).” The investigating agencies were looking into CCTV footage to find out how the attack happened. Earlier, it was reported 93 people lost their lives. Still, later, they found dead bodies in the rubble. 11 people, including four terrorists who were directly involved in the attack, were reportedly detained by the Russian Federal Security Services (FSB).

In a statement, the agency said, “The activities of intelligence and law enforcement agencies have resulted in the detention of 11 people, including four terrorists, who directly participated in the terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall.”

Ukraine denied link

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his statement that the terrorists were moving towards Ukraine when detained by the agencies. However, Ukrainian military intelligence spokesperson Andriy Yuson denied the links. He told Reuters, “Ukraine was, of course, not involved in this terror attack. Ukraine is defending its sovereignty from Russian invaders, liberating its territory and fighting with the occupiers’ army and military targets, not civilians.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of trying to divert the blame. He said, “It’s obvious that Putin and other thugs are just trying to blame someone else. Their methods are always the same. We’ve seen it all before destroyed buildings, shootings, and explosions. And they always find someone else to blame.” He added, “They have brought hundreds of thousands of their terrorists here, on Ukrainian land, to fight against us, and they don’t care about what is happening inside their own country.”

“Yesterday, as all this happened, instead of dealing with his fellow Russian citizens, addressing them, the wimp Putin was silent for a full 24 hours, thinking about how to tie this to Ukraine. It’s all predictable,” said Zelenskyy.

Terrorist attack in Russia

On 22nd March, Islamic State terrorists launched a massive attack on a concert hall in the Russian capital that left at least 133 people dead and over 100 wounded. A group of armed men stormed into Crocus City Hall concert venue in Moscow and opened fire and detonated explosives among the crowd on Friday (local time). The terror group took responsibility for the attack in a short statement published by ISIS-affiliated news agency Amaq on Telegram on Friday. Video footage from the site of the attack, the Crocus City Hall concert venue on fire with smoke billowing into the air. It showed crowds of people huddling together, screaming and ducking behind cushioned seats as gunshots started echoing in the vast hall.

Bangladesh: Islamists lay foundation of mosque on the land of historic Kantajew temple, had previously tried to encroach upon Chrandranath Mandir

OpIndia Staff
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Bangladesh: Islamists lay foundation of mosque on the land of historic Kantajew temple, had previously tried to encroach upon Chrandranath Mandir

Months after trying to usurp the land of the Chandranath Mandir, Islamists are now eyeing to encroach upon the Kantajew temple in the Dinajpur district of Bangladesh.

As per reports, Muslims had begun the construction of a mosque on the land of the historic temple. The foundation stone of the disputed structure was laid down by Mohammed Zakaria Zaka, the local Parliamentarian belonging to the ruling Awami League party.

The vicious attempt to defile the ancient Hindu site has triggered protests from the local Hindu community. The Kantajew temple administration is the owner of 62.46 acres of land (Raj Debtara Estate).

According to agent Ranjit Kumar Singh, the temple administration has updated CS, SA and land tax records. The temple land is maintained and supervised by a committee formed by the Raj Debtara Estate.

“We have written to Deputy Commissioner Shakeel Ahmed and sent him all the papers, including CS, SA and land tax records,” Singh informed.

According to committee officials, the local Muslims have prepared fake documents from the office of the District Commissioner to stake a claim on the Hindu temple land. On the other hand, Islamists have claimed that the owner of the land is the Jame Masjid of Kantnagar village.

When confronted about the matter, Awami League MP Mohammed Zakaria Zaka claimed, “I heard that there wass a mosque in that area for 75 years. An initiative was thus taken to build a new mosque building. Later, I came to know that it was the property of the temple.”

“Therefore, I do not know whether this property claimed by the mosque authorities is valid or not. They told me that the documents had been made from the office of the district administration. I don’t know whether these documents are correct or not,” he added.

Mosque committee President Abdus Salam also alleged, “There was a rudimentary mosque here before. Currently, we are constructing a three-storied mosque with a foundation, funded by contributions totalling Taka 25 lakhs.”

“Previously, there was a legal dispute over this site, which was eventually resolved through a compromise ordered by the court. As per the terms of the compromise, documented in a deed of compromise dated 13.06.1976, the mosque is entitled to 8 percent of the land,” he further claimed.

Hindus demand intervention of Sheikh Hasina

Following the incident, the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council has condemned the construction of a mosque on the temple land and its inauguration by a local Awami League MP.

Council Presidents Ushatan Talukder, Prof Dr Neem Chandra Bhowmik, Nirmal Rosario and General Secretary Advocate Rana Dasgupta have sought the urgent intervention of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the matter to preserve the sanctity of the Kantajew temple and the religious freedom of the Hindu community.

According to Council leader Ratan Singh, the Islamists carried out the construction of the mosque during the night time. Following a complaint by the local Hindus, the construction of the disputed structure on the land of Kantajew temple was stopped.

Kantajew temple and its significance

The Kantajew Temple is a prominent Hindu temple located in the Kaharul Upazila in Dinajpur district of Bangladesh. It is one of the finest examples of terracotta temples in the country and is considered a significant cultural and architectural landmark.

The temple was built during the late 18th century by Maharaja Pran Nath, who was a renowned patron of art and architecture. The construction of the Mandir started in 1704 and was completed in 1752 (about 48 years).

The temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna. It follows the traditional style of Bengal architecture, characterised by terracotta ornamentation and intricate designs.

The temple complex consists of several structures, including the main temple, the Natmandir (a congregation hall), and the Shiva temple. The main temple features nine spires.

It must be mentioned that the Kantajew temple was attacked with explosives by ISIS terrorists on 4th December 2015. A year later, charges were framed against 13 terrorists associated with Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen.

The attempted siege of Chandranath temple

OpIndia had previously reported how the Chandranath Temple, a famous shaktipeeth located in Sitakunda in the Chittagong district of Bangladesh, has come under the attack of Islamists since 2023.

Despite being a sacred pilgrimage destination, it has reportedly been transformed into a trekking spot by the Muslim community in the past couple of years.

The 1020 feet Chandranath Hill now has Muslim-owned eateries to serve their co-religionists. The matter reached a crescendo in December 2023 when an Islamist named Raihan Riad organised a ‘Beef Barbecue party’ at the Hindu pilgrimage destination.

When he posted about the event on Facebook, several other Islamists expressed their support for desecrating the sacred Chandranath Hill.

Thereafter, the local Hindu community in Sitakunda went to the Hindu shrine and distributed pamphlets calling for the protection of the Chandranath Temple and thwarting attempts to defile the pilgrimage destination.

In a video posted on YouTube, human rights activist and exiled Bangladeshi blogger Asad Noor informed that Islamists assaulted the Hindus. He stated that the local Muslims threatened to shove the Hindu deities in the posterior of the worshippers.

“AAP setting an example of unethical politics”: Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam lambasts Arvind Kejriwal for clinging to power, demands immediate resignation

OpIndia Staff
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“AAP setting an example of unethical politics”: Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam lambasts Arvind Kejriwal for clinging to power, demands immediate resignation

On Saturday (23rd March), Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam launched a scathing attack on his I.N.D.I. Alliance partner Arvind Kejriwal who is currently in ED custody in the Delhi liquor scam case. Nirupam said that Kejriwal’s insistence to hold on to power will hurt Indian politics, adding that he should immediately resign from the post of Delhi Chief Minister. He also lambasted the Aam Aadmi Party for “setting an example of unethical politics”. 

Taking to X, the Congress leader noted that running the government from inside the jail would set a wrong precedent. In his post, Nirupam stated that his sympathies are with Arvind Kejriwal, adding, “But the new definition of morality he is writing in Indian politics forced me to write this post.”

Slamming the AAP National Convenor, Nirupam wrote, “The court has to decide what is the truth of Delhi’s liquor scam. But a Chief Minister has been accused of corruption in this scam. He has been arrested. He is in custody and is still clinging to the post of Chief Minister. What kind of morality is this? He should immediately resign from his post.” 

He also cited examples of various leaders across party lines who resigned from their posts on moral grounds when allegations were labeled against them. 

Taking a swipe at Congress’ I.N.D.I. alliance partner AAP, Nirupam further stated, “In Indian politics, a party that is just 11 years old is setting an example of unethical politics.”

The Congress leader blamed his party colleagues for taking a partisan stand over and overlooking the dangers to Indian politics because of Arvind Kejriwal’s insistence on clinging to power. 

The post further read, “We are taking a stand on the entire incident according to our respective political clans, but the danger is that Kejriwal ji’s insistence on sticking to his position will make Indian politics more hollow in the future. There is a need to understand this danger by rising above politics.”

Further, while speaking with news agencies ANI and PTI, Nirupam took a dig at Arvind Kejriwal’s “Kattar Imaandar” claim stating that the one who talked about honesty and integrity is not displaying ethical character.  

Demanding Kejriwal’s resignation on moral grounds, Nirupam said, “… The Court will decide if Arvind Kejriwal has taken any money or not, I cannot say anything on that… But when a person, especially a CM, is accused of corruption and says that he will run the government from jail and not resign, this indicates a very wrong trend… A person who taught honesty from 2011-14 and claimed that he is a ‘Kattar Imaandar’, is not displaying any basic elements of ethics… If he is honest, then he should resign… Running a government from jail is not legal and practically possible… On the basis of ethics and legalities, he (Arvind Kejriwal) should resign…”

Incidentally, the I.N.D.I. alliance partners AAP and Congress have historically been arch-nemeses, with the AAP’s political inception occurring against the backdrop of an ‘anti-corruption’ drive targeting the Congress.    

While Nepal demands Hindu Rashtra, Republican Congressman alleges Biden admin granted $500,000 to promote atheism in the erstwhile Hindu monarchy, US govt denies

OpIndia Staff
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While Nepal demands Hindu Rashtra, Republican Congressman alleges Biden admin granted $500,000 to promote atheism in the erstwhile Hindu monarchy, US govt denies

The Biden Administration spent half a million US dollars to promote atheism in Nepal, Republican Congressman Brian Mast claimed while confronting a US government official over the issue. Notably, Mast is the Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability. 

On 21st March, the Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources in the Biden Administration, Richard R. Verma testified before the subcommittee as it assessed the State Department’s compliance with the Oversight. 

During Verma’s testimony, Republican politician Mast confronted him stating that the department’s ‘grant request’ document mentions that it gave money to “promote atheism in Nepal”. 

What transpired during the testimony

In the video of Verma’s testimony shared by the Republican Congressman, Mast can be heard asking him, “Would it be appropriate for the state (US) department to authorise half a million dollar grant from American taxpayers money to promote atheism.” 

To which, the official of the Biden administration, Verma replied, “It would not be appropriate to have a grant to promote any religion or non-religion coming from the United States.” 

After Verma admitted that it wouldn’t be appropriate for the US to promote any religion including non-religion (atheism), Mast inquired about the alleged $500,000 grant to promote atheism in Nepal. 

He asked Verma, “Half a million dollar grant to Nepal regarding the expansion of atheism, do you believe that is an appropriate use of the money.” 

However, the Biden administration official denied extending any such grant to Nepal and argued that the grant was being misconstrued.  

Verma said, “That’s not what the grant is for and that’s not what the work would be for and frankly we would never authorise such a grant to any organisation to promote any kind of religion.” 

Further in the video, Mast asked him whether Verma was saying on record that no grant had been allocated for atheism in Nepal or divided up in other areas. 

Dismissing the allegations of promoting atheism in Nepal and elsewhere, Verma claimed, “I have seen no evidence of any grant to promote Atheism in Nepal.”

Referring to the purported “request for grant” document, Mast pointed out, “It (the official document) says promoting and defending religious freedom inclusive of atheist, humanist, non-practicing and non-affiliated individuals.” 

Reading further from the document, the Republican Politician added, “This is the expected program outcomes – increased capacity among members of the Atheist and heterodox individuals to form, join networks or organisations, creating or strengthening networks of advocates for the diverse communities of atheists.” 

During Verma’s testimony, Mast emphasised that the term atheism and different phrasing for the “promotion of atheism in Nepal” find repeated mention in the official document in different places. 

He said, “strengthening the capacity of organisations representing diverse communities of atheists..in different places.” 

Accusing Verma of disrespecting the committee by his repeated denials, Mast added, “You adamantly deny that there is anything relating to a grant for Atheism in Nepal” stressing that the front page of the grant request points otherwise.  

Mast remarked, “This revelation is deeply troubling. Not only is it an inappropriate use of taxpayer dollars, but the lack of transparency and honesty from the administration further erodes trust in our government.”

The allegations could result in a diplomatic row between the US and Nepal

Strikingly, according to the Republican politician, the Biden administration granted large sums of money to promote atheism in Nepal by hiding the grant in the name of promoting the ‘Fundamental Rights of Freedom of Religion”.

The purported US grant to promote atheism in Nepal could lead to a diplomatic row between the two nations if the allegations are found to be true. It could be tantamount to “external interference” in Nepal’s internal affairs and changing its religious demography. 

Further, the startling allegations come at a time when massive protests advocating for making Nepal a ‘Hindu Rashtra’ have become frequent in Nepal. 

Hinduism is the most followed religion in the Himalayan nation, which stands at 81 percent of the total population, as per the census in 2021. Till 2006, Nepal was the only Hindu state in the world. The same year, the country became a secular state. 

Meanwhile, the United States, its allies, and a few non-state actors like billionaire George Soros in the past have been accused of interfering with the nation’s political setup, changing the religious demography of the region and regime change operations in the pretext of championing virtuous traits like promoting democracy, religious tolerance and freedom of speech among others. 

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