The Congress government in Karnataka has approved revision for Kannada language and social science textbooks for the academic year 2024-25. The revised nooks are now set for printing. It includes several controversial changes, like the re-introduction of lessons on Periyar, Girish Karnad and Devanuru Mahadeva among other changes leading to stiff opposition from the Bhartiya Janata Party. The principal opposition party, BJP stated that the changes to the earlier amended curriculum were being done to “fulfil the Congress government’s ideology.”
The government has approved recommendations, and changes to 114 textbooks for the academic year 2024-25. These include 44 in Kannada language books and 70 in social science books. Revisions have been made in textbooks for Kannada first language for classes 1 to 10, Kannada third language for classes 9 and 10, and Social Science for classes 6 to 10 for the academic year 2024-25.
According to reports, several so-called “progressive” writers have been included in the amended curriculum. These authors include Girish Karnad, P Lankesh, Devanur Mahadeva, Mudnakudu Chinnaswamy, and Nagesh Hegde, among others. The panel claims to give an ‘appropriate description’ to Sanatana Dharma as it will be given a “precise definition” in the Class 8th History textbook.
As per the details, Girish Karnad’s ‘Adhikara’, P. Lankesh’s ‘Mruga Mattu Sundari’, Devanuru Mahadeva’s ‘Edege Bidda Akshara’, Mudnakudu Chinnaswamy’s ‘Samudra Chumbana’, Chandrashekara Kambara’s ‘Seemi’, Akkamahadevi’s Vachanas, Devidasa’s ‘Chakragrahana’, Mariyappa Bhatta’s ‘Namma Bhaashe’, KV Tirumalesh and VG Bhat’s children’s poems, and an article by Nagesh Hegde have been included in Kannada language textbooks.
However, the committee has not batted to re-introduce lessons on Tipu Sultan and Hyder Ali that were earlier deleted during the previous BJP government.
According to the News18 report, sections on dynasties from Jammu, Kashmir, and the northeast have been trimmed. Additionally, the committee has retained all the “corrections” introduced into the textbooks as soon as Congress came into power last year.
Major revisions include –
Re-introducing lessons on social reformers Savitribai Phule and Periyar which were earlier dropped from the class 10 history books.
Revision in parts of the “Citizen and Conduct” lesson to include gender equality in the Class VI Social Science textbook.
A lesson on the welfare of sexual minorities in Class X Social Science textbook.
The chapter titled “Indus-Saraswati Civilisation” in the Class VIII History textbook has been changed to “Civilisations of Ancient India: Indus-Sarasvati Civilisation and Vedic Period.”
Revision to include “Bhakti movement”. Kanaka Dasa, Purandara Dasa, and Shishunala Sharif have been added to the Class IX History textbook.
Some information has been added on prominent philosopher Basaveshwara in a lesson in Class VII Social Science.
This textbook revision replaces the changes initiated by the previous BJP government which were based on suggestions from a committee led by writer Rohith Chakratirtha. After the Congress government assumed power in May 2023, they formed a committee to examine the textbooks and it was led by retired professor Manjunath G Hegde.
The committee claims that the social science textbooks have been revised giving importance to the Constitution, gender sensitivity, child rights, democratic and secular values, and scientific temper.
BJP opposes the move
According to the BJP, the Congress government in Karnataka is making alterations to fulfill its ideology and introducing lessons on people who are against Sanatan Dharma. The party accuses the Congress of creating chaos and polarisation.
Opposing the move, BJP MLA and former Higher education minister, Ashwath Narayan stated that the Congress government is trying to bring people who are against Sanatana Dharma.
He said, “They don’t respect the constitution and faith and belief of the people of Karnataka. They want to create chaos, confusion, and polarisation. They don’t respect the Sanatana Dharma we believe in, so they are trying to bring people who are against Sanatana Dharma, who are against our faith. By doing this they are trying to create confusion and they are working against Sanatana Dharma who we condemn and we’ll expose the Congress government and create awareness, we’ll oppose the syllabus strongly and ensure that the inclusion doesn’t happen.”
Work of Girish Karnad who compared Tipu Sultan to the Maratha King Shivaji and wore the ‘Me Too Urban Naxal’ placard added to the curriculum
Girish Karnad who passed away on 10th June 2019 was mired in controversies. Karnad had said that the Kempegowda International Airport should have been named after Tipu Sultan. He even compared Tipu Sultan to the Maratha King Shivaji. Karnad went on to say that Shivaji enjoys this stature only because he was a Hindu and the same is deprived to Tipu because he is a Muslim.
In 2015, he along with Prof. U.R. Ananthamurthy formed a group called “Samakaleena Vichara Vedike” with the sole intention of opposing Modi and extending full support to the Congress in Lok Sabha elections.
In 2018, a complaint was filed against him for wearing the ‘Me Too Urban Naxal’ placard around his neck at an event organised on journalist Gauri Lankesh‘s death anniversary.
In the past, the Jnanpith awardee had called Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore a ‘second-rate playwright writer’.
The curriculum also includes the work of Devanur (Devanoora) Mahadeva who faced criticism for writing a propaganda book on RSS and writes for left wing propaganda portal, The Wire.
The existence and operation of Congress, the grand old party of India after independence revolves around the Nehru-Gandhi family. It is said that in the Congress party only the Gandhis or their ‘loyalists’ have a say and those not willing to genuflect before the ‘Gandhi high command’ are either deemed unreliable, or alienated and sidelined. Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy who recently demonstrated how constructive opposition and cooperative federalism should work, lauded BJP’s Gujarat development model. He also hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi as elder brother as the former visited the state to launch various development projects worth Rs 15718 crores.
“Narendra Modi ji, according to me, Pradhan Mantri means ‘Bade Bhai’. (The Prime Minister is like an elder brother.) With the help and support of ‘Bade Bhai’, the Chief Minister of the state can bring development in their respective areas. If Telangana has to develop like Gujarat, we need your support. We want to contribute to your vision of a five trillion economy and please support us with Metro Rail, River Musi Development Front on the lines of Sabarmati River developed by you (Prime Minister)…” CM Reddy said.
This is how a responsible and statesmanlike Chief Minister of a state is expected to conduct with the Prime Minister of the country in a federal system.
— R. Ashoka (ಮೋದಿ ಅವರ ಕುಟುಂಬ) (@RAshokaBJP) March 4, 2024
It is essential to note that the previous KCR-led BRS government on multiple occasions did not even accord a formal welcome to Prime Minister Modi and skipped his events. However, CM Revanth Reddy, though a Congress leader not only warmly welcomed the PM but also made it clear that he does not want to antagonise with the Central Government merely for narrow political gains. Instead, he seems to put the welfare of the state ahead of petty party politics.
Interestingly, while Reddy is apparently not interested in furthering the ‘north-south divide’, his party has an infamous history of fueling regional divides in the country.
Unsurprisingly, while the BJP appreciated CM Reddy for acting like a ‘statesman’ and setting the template for cooperative federalism, several anti-Modi leaders and Congress supporters have resorted to labelling Revanth Reddy as a ‘Sanghi’ and even ‘Modi’s agent’.
Bharath Rashtra Samiti (BRS) leader and daughter of former Telangana CM KCR, Kavitha Kalvakuntla took a swipe at CM Reddy over his elder brother remark for PM Modi as she wrote on X, “Look how deep the relationship between the big brother and younger brother is! Just shows the nexus between BJP and Congress parties. The brothers can like each others tweets and hug how much ever they want! Just don’t destroy our Telangana in this process! I won’t be surprised if the honorable CM deletes his tweet and claims that his account is hacked!”
Look how deep the relationship between the big brother and younger brother is! Just shows the nexus between BJP and Congress parties. The brothers can like each others tweets and hug how much ever they want! Just don’t destroy our Telangana in this process!
Interestingly, Revanth Reddy has been subjected to criticism by Congress supporters and the anti-BJP ecosystem in general for not working exactly in line with the party’s narrative and having an independent thought and policy.
It is pertinent to mention Rahul Gandhi’s fixation with businessman Gautam Adani. Not a day goes by when the Gandhi scion does not say something slandering the businessman and accuses PM Modi of crony capitalism by favouring Adani and his companies. The Gandhi scion and Congress party has over the last few years gone all out to implicate Adani as a partner in crime with PM Modi. In this line, he even coined terms like ‘Modani’ and claimed that PM Modi is ‘employed’ by Gautam Adani.
Congress and Rahul Gandhi’s X posts attacking PM Modi and businessman Gautam Adani
Despite the Congress party and its prince’s anti-Adani stand, Telangana CM Revanth Reddy on 17th January signed four Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) worth Rs 12,400 crore with the Adani group at the sideline of the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2024 in Davos, Switzerland.
When the media questioned the INC, stating that while the Congress party has aggressively attacked the BJP government over Adani, then why did the Telangana government ink a deal with Adani Group, Congress leaders P Chidambaram and otherwise loudmouth Supriya Srinate refused to comment.
There is a long list of Congress party’s anti-Hindu proclivities, be it filing an affidavit in court saying that there is no historical proof of Lord Ram’s existence or Rahul Gandhi meeting Rijil Chandran Makkutty, the Youth Congress leader who slaughtered a cow in broad daylight in 2017 to mock Hindu sentiments. However, unlike his party’s actions, Revanth Reddy respects and follows Hindu Dharma. Notably, Reddy and his wife Geetha had performed Gau Pujan before casting their votes in Kodangal, Vikarabad in November last year.
Moreover, as the Congress party emerged victorious in the last Telangana Assembly elections, Revanth Reddy along with his wife performed a pooja before taking charge as chief minister amidst the chants of Vedic mantras.
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy Garu along with his wife performed puja before taking charge of CM office. pic.twitter.com/Crdo6ZBFDZ
If anything is abundantly clear from Rahul Gandhi and Congress leader’s personal attacks on PM Modi over the years, from ‘Maut ka Saudagar’, ‘Neech’, ‘Hitler’, ‘Neech’, ‘Ravan’, ‘R$ndwa’, to the recent ‘fake OBC’, it is that the Congress party despises Narendra Modi, and does not want even their regional leaders in constitutional roles to do anything that appears even remotely ‘supportive’ of Modi, prioritising party over benefits of the public.
Revanth Reddy did not join the ‘South Tax Movement’ initiated by Congress and its allies
Revnath Reddy’s silent dissent is not limited to just being courteous and respectful for the Prime Minister and praising his Gujarat Model. Recently, when some Southern states, all ruled by Congress or its allies, started the ‘South Tax’ narrative, demanding fiscal rights on the taxes paid, Revanth Reddy kept Telangana out of it.
Even when Kerala’s Vijayan and Karnataka’s Siddaramaiah held protests in Delhi over it, Revanth Reddy stayed away, and stayed silent on the issue.
Revanth Reddy had criticized Modi and had made several comments against the BJP in the past. But after assuming power as the CM in the state, his behavior and activities have been making it clear that he does not want to antagonise the Central government, instead, he has been sending a subtle message that the state and central government can work together, regardless of the parties in power.
Will the Congress high command ‘allow’ it?
In such a scenario, Revanth Reddy praising the Gujarat model, the Sabarmati Riverfront, PM Modi’s 5 trillion economy dream, and referred to Modi as his big brother….. showing a willingness to put narrow party politics behind and work for the greater good of Telangana people could anger the party’s ‘high command’ and could even end up in the leader being sidelined.
This is not mere speculation, for Congress has a history of sidelining its leaders who demonstrate ‘independent thought and policy’ as only the Congress High Command [read Gandhi family] is ‘independent’ in thinking and deciding on the script, while the rest are mere dramatis personae.
Notably, Sonia Gandhi has been the President of the Congress for the majority of the last two decades. It is widely known that the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty has dominated the party since 1978, except for two brief stints from 1992 to 1998 when PV Narasimha Rao and Sitaram Kesri were in command. Sitaram Kesri was the last non-Gandhi family leader to hold the top leadership position in the Congress party, and his resignation was one of the most controversial. Years have passed, and political winds have changed but Congress’s culture of sidelining the ‘non-loyalists’ has remained unchanged.
When Shashi Tharoor was cornered for contesting Congress president election against the Gandhi family loyalist
In October 2022, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor was asked to cancel his Uttar Pradesh visit to avoid ‘clashes’ with the supporters of Gandhi family loyalist Mallikarjun Kharge. It was widely reported how Tharoor faced opposition within the party for contesting Congress president ‘elections’ against the choice of the ‘establishment’—Kharge. Interestingly, Tharoor wanted to end the Congress party’s “high command” culture which obviously meant the end of Gandhi family supremacy. However, he could not defeat the Gandhi family loyalist.
In November 2022, Tharoor was denied a place on the star campaigners list for the assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. Around the same time, the Kerala Congress had distanced itself from Tharoor and backed off from hosting an anti-RSS seminar where the Congress MP was invited as a guest in Kozhikode. Back then, it was reported that Congress leadership had given unofficial orders to the party’s local units not to host any of Shashi Tharoor’s programs.
Sachin Pilot: The perennial CM-in-waiting
The power tussle between Sachin Pilot and Gandhi family loyalist Ashok Gehlot in Rajasthan is not hidden. The Congress infighting reached its boiling point when Pilot rebelled against Gehlot and Gehlot called Pilot ‘nikamma’, ‘traitor‘ and whatnot. Although Pilot did not quit the Congress party, he is largely sidelined. In November last year taking a swipe at the two leader’s “half-hearted” reunion, PM Modi had called Sachin Pilot “Bechara” and “CM-in-waiting”
Back in 2020, ex-Congress leader and now a minister in the BJP-led government, Jyotiraditya Scindia had expressed his sadness over Pilot being sidelined as he alleged that “talent and capability find little credence in the Congress party.
Captain Amarinder Singh’s acrimonious exit from Congress
Back in 2021, the then Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh resigned from the Congress party after saying that he could not continue with the humiliation he was subjected to. Singh decided to quit Congress after the party called a meeting of the Congress legislative party in Punjab without informing him. Previously, the party had snubbed him by choosing Navjot Singh Sidhu as president of the Punjab Congress in July 2021, despite strong objections from Amarinder Singh.
Congress’s family-centric politics made Himanta Biswa Sarma leave the party
In September 2015, the Congress party lost a stellar leader from Assam when Himanta Biswa Sarma resigned from the Congress party saying that the “despotic family-centric” politics and “lack of democracy” in the party forced him to quit.
“From 2012, I observed that the situation was deteriorating and the party is losing respect due to the callous attitude of the state leadership. The third time victory had gone into the head, and arrogance started replacing compassion and dedication to work for the people. A sense of complacency and status quoism had engulfed the party leadership. A despotic family-centric politics constantly emboldened by a bunch of sycophants had never allowed a rational and neutral voice to reach to the Congress leadership in the state,” Sarma said while resigning from Congress.
Recently, Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is now a BJP leader and popular CM of Assam, after delivering back-to-back election victories to the party, recalled a humiliating incident wherein Congress prince Rahul Gandhi made his party workers eat biscuits from the same plate as his pet dog. Responding to an X post highlighting a similar disturbing incident of Rahul Gandhi offering biscuits rejected by his dog to party workers, Himanta said that he is a proud Assamese and Indian adding that he was the only Congress leader who refused to eat the dog’s biscuit and resigned from Congress. The incident took place when Sarma met Rahul Gandhi in the run-up to the 2016 elections to discuss Assam’s problems.
Back in 2022, Sarma had in an interview said that he had “wasted 22 years of my life in the Congress”. Speaking about the difference between Congress and BJP, Sarma said, In the Congress, we used to worship a family. In BJP, we worship the country.”
While politicians such as Jyotiraditya Scindia and Himanta Biswa Sarma were sidelined or mistreated in the Congress party, they now hold positions of talent and calibre after joining the BJP. It will be interesting to see how long Revanth Reddy can keep up with the Congress ‘high command’ with his independent approach.
Senior Supreme Court Advocate and author J Sai Deepak on 3rd March delivered a talk at an event titled Bharatam at UC Berkeley in California organised by the Hindu YUVA group.
As Sai Deepak addressed a myriad of issues concerning the Hindu civilisation, the usual anti-India and anti-Hindu elements in UC Berkeley along with Khalistanis staged loud protests outside the venue in the varsity premises.
According to a press release issued by the organisers, more than 200 students from UC Berkeley attended the event. However, the usual anti-India and anti-Hindu woke suspects attempted to cancel the event but failed.
“Despite our best efforts to include individuals of all viewpoints, we sadly note the few student groups who unsuccessfully attempted to cancel this dialogue. We strongly condemn the intention of these students to showcase a toxic narrative built of fabricated information about Indian political issues and an extremely misplaced blame by projecting them onto Hindu students at UC Berkeley,” the press release stated.
Putting up a fight against the Hindu haters, Sai Deepak after finishing his talk paid a visit to the wild protesters who were visibly frustrated.
Sai Deepak shared three such videos showing how he challenged the livid woke liberals at UC Berkeley. Marching on,along with some members from his event, Sai Deepak chanted Bharat Mata Ki Jai at the top of their voice.
In a most happening and elevating scene, Sai Deepak can be seen telling his supporters to chant Jai Shri Ram with him.
A second video shows J Sai Deepak walking with his supporters amid rounds of applauds and making a pit stop right in front of the left-liberal cabal which appears out of its wits.
The propagandists were seen holding Khalistani flags and placards with the same old chest-thumping. One of the placards read, “Hindus against hate”, “No Trump, No Modi, No Netanyahu” and “Aapka yahan swagat nahin hai” (you are not invited here) among others.
Undeterred, Sai Deepak and the event organisers proudly chanted Vande Mataram, Jai Shri Ram and Bharat Mata Ki Jai rendering the wokes unstable.
Furthermore, the protesters appeared livid and even ready to attack going by their body language in the video. One of the frustrated protesters attempted to come close to Sai Deepak while abusing him. “You are piece of sh** fascist, you are a coward, a fu* coward,” the frustrated protester yelled.
Upholding the Hindu spirit, J Sai Deepak got the best of the left-liberals protesting against him as he received great support from members at the event.
Meanwhile, the organisers in their press release further stated that the protests were a textbook example of Hinduphobia.
“The fact that some groups simply choose rage over respect, reason and dialogue to intimidate Hindu students, student organisations and faculty members for simply exploring their culture is a textbook example of the Hinduphobia that many Hindus across numerous University campuses constantly face,” they stated.
They added that despite the threatening nature of the protests, we feel confident to continue creating a safe space on campus for all students to celebrate heritage and identity while engaging in potentially hard topics to navigate.
“We strongly condemn the hateful and narrow-minded Hinduphobic narrative built in the last few days while refusing to engage in a dialogue,” the press release stated.
“Deepak Protest Guide”
Notably, the Hindu YUVA group tried to reason with the Hinduphobic groups by asking them to attend the event and ask questions in order to voice their point of view and get them addressed. However, they had absolutely no intention to see reason.
Taking to X, J Sai Deepak shared a document titled “Deepak Protest Guide”, which literally translates to a guide to protest against J Sai Deepak. The document was prepared by a student group called the Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA).
The document was aimed at cancelling Sai Deepak’s talk hosted by the Hindu YUVA at UC Berkeley. The attempt was made by YDSA in collaboration with Cal Muslim Student Association, Threads (Muslim publication in UC Berkeley), UCB Sikh Student Association, ASUC MEMSA (Middle Eastern, Muslim, Sikh, South Asian), League of Filipino Students, Berkeley Bengal Gazette, Bangali Student Union and ASUC Senator X.
The document included a script of 14 slogans to be chanted by the protesters.
Screenshot from the document “Deepak Protest Guide” shows list of scripted slogans which were planned to be chanted against Sai Deepak during his talk
The document goes on to build the anti-Hindu narrative by identifying points, areas and persons to attack including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP, RSS, J Sai Deepak, Hindutva and Caste Discrimination. A brief summary of J Sai Deepak’s background and details of his legal practice have also been shared in the document to build a narrative against him.
Additionally, on 1st March, YDSA called for the cancellation of J Sai Deepak’s event through a post on Instagram in which they crossed out Bharat and replaced it with India, symbolic of every left-liberals attempt to separate Hinduism from India.
Screenshot of YDSA’s social media post calling for cancelling J Sai Deepak’s talk (source: YDSA/Instagram)
Another post was published on 3rd March by the YDSA on Instagram calling for the cancellation of the event on the same day.
Screenshot of YDSA’s social media post calling for cancelling J Sai Deepak’s talk (source: YDSA/Instagram)
The YDSA is amongst the many student groups in the West that indulged pro-Palestine protests by demonising Jews and Israel for defending themselves against Hamas in response to the 7th October terrorist attacks.
The left-liberal and Islamist coterie and their campus terrorism
Universities in the West, particularly in the US and UK are infested with left-liberal Islamists and wokes. “Freedom” and “rights” are their vague arguments to justify their heavily political campaigns targeting such groups and individuals who take a different view point.
Hindu hatred on so-called prestigious campuses in the US and UK have led to a cancel culture against Hindu students for something as basic as practicing their faith personally, let alone having an opinion and a political opinion at that.
The concerted attack on Rashmi Samant at Oxford University is one such case. Moreover, Hindus are even barred by such propagandists from organising events that have even a hint of Indian culture and Hindu civilisation.
On 2nd August 2022, the the student-led ‘Hindu on Campus (HOC)’ group became the subject of a smear campaign after it collaborated with the Hindu Student Association (HSA) of American University in Washington DC.
Hindu on Campus, a student-led group to fight Hinduphobia in international varieties, has often been targeted by Islamists and the cabal of leftists and liberals.
In more examples of intolerance against nationalists, the propagandists not only verbally but also physically assaulted Jews in their protest against Israel and support for Hamas in the name of pro-Palestine protests.
From professors to students, the Western academia at large has unapologetically voiced its hatred for Hindus and India uncountable times. What unfolded during J Sai Deepak’s talk in UC Berkeley is just a more recent example of this hate and Hinduphobia.
At the same time, elements that further the anti-Hindu and anti-India agenda including Congress leaders like Rahul Gandhi have often been welcomed with open arms in these campuses to add more words against India in their dictionary.
A shocking case of crime against a minor recently came to light from the Dayalpur area of North-East Delhi. Police have arrested an accused named Shavez Alam for allegedly raping a 14-year-old girl and impregnating her last year. According to media reports, when his criminal acts were exposed, he ‘married’ the minor victim he raped and impregnated. However, when she insisted on moving in with him, he gave her triple talaq.
According to reports, the minor victim has been living in the Mustafabad area for the last two years. She lives with her mother and siblings. Her father died in the year 2021. Her mother is also unwell and is undergoing treatment at Ihbas Hospital. The victim said that last year the neighbouring property dealer had got her family a house on rent. After this, accused Shavez Alam started visiting their house. It is alleged that on 14th August 2023, the girl was alone at home. Meanwhile, the accused reached home and raped her. The accused then threatened to kill the entire family if she told anything to anyone.
According to the minor victim, the accused had been repeatedly sexually assaulting her by intimidation and threats since 14 August 2023. The tragic sequence continued after which he got the minor girl pregnant in November last year following multiple assaults. When the girl came to know that she was pregnant, she informed Shavez but he made her abort the child by giving her abortion pills.
The minor victim complained, “The man also threatened to kill me and my family if I tried to inform the police.” The cops said the accused had allegedly given her hormone-altering tablets to cause termination of pregnancy.
When the mother of the minor victim found out about the assaults and the pregnancy from her daughter, she confronted the accused. According to the family, the accused managed to convince the victim’s family and “married” the minor victim on November 17th, but he refused to take her home.
Later on, when the girl asked him to take her to his home, the accused Alam allegedly physically assaulted her and on 21st January, he gave triple talaq to get rid of her.
According to media reports, the police did not take the matter seriously and instead threatened the minor victim’s family and sent them away. Subsequently, on 30th January 2024, they approached the Deputy Commissioner of Police office but no action was taken on their complaint.
Afterward, the victim’s family lodged a complaint on the women’s helpline following which the police swung into action. On Saturday (2nd March), after taking the statement of the minor victim, the police took the accused Shavez Alam into custody under charges of rape, POCSO, forced abortion, and threatening to kill.
On Wednesday, the Calcutta High Court directed the West Bengal government to promptly transfer Shahjahan Sheikh, the main accused in the Sandeshkhali case, to the CBI by 4 pm today.
The court also issued contempt notices to the state government and requested an affidavit within two weeks explaining why they should not be held in contempt.
Earlier in the day, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) informed the court that the West Bengal Police was not cooperating with the federal agency in the Shahjahan Sheikh case.
The ED accused the Bengal Police of non-cooperation and petitioned the court to hold them in contempt.
Justices Harish Tandon and Hiranmay Bhattacharyya, a division bench, permitted the ED to file a contempt petition against the West Bengal government.
This decision came after the high court, on Tuesday, ordered the investigation into a mob attack on ED officials in Sandeshkhali to be transferred to the CBI. The attack occurred on January 5 during a raid on Sheikh’s premises in connection with a ration scam probe.
The West Bengal government took its case to the Supreme Court, arguing that the High Court’s decision to transfer the Sandeshkhali case investigation to the CBI was done “in a cursory manner” and violated the apex court’s established law.
However, the Supreme Court did not grant any relief to the state government. The government also expressed that the High Court’s order unfairly criticized the state’s investigating agency by mandating the transfer of the probe to the CBI.
Following the High Court’s directive, CBI investigators waited at the CID headquarters in Bhavani Bhawan for over two hours for Shahjahan Sheikh’s custody.
However, they returned empty-handed when the state agency informed them that the West Bengal government had approached the Supreme Court on the matter on Tuesday evening. Additionally, on March 5, the CBI registered three FIRs against Shahjahan Sheikh.
A First Information Report has been registered by the Delhi Police regarding posters featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi alongside wanted businessmen Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and Vijay Mallya, billionaire Gautam Adani and leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Sakshi Maharaj, and Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh among others that appeared in various central Delhi locations.
The posters displayed the caption “Modi Ka Asli Pariwar” (Modi’s real family) with “Bhartiya Yuva Congress” written at the bottom. Indian Youth Congress also tweeted about the same from its official handle on X (formerly Twitter).
According to a senior police officer, the posters have been taken down and a charge under the Delhi Prevention of Defacement of Property Act has been filed at the Tughlak Road Police Station against unidentified individuals. On 5th March, the FIR was filed in response to a complaint made by a New Delhi Municipal Council official. The authorities claimed that the posters did not bear the identity of the publisher or the individual who hung them.
The posters appeared days after former Bihar Chief Minister and president of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Lalu Prasad Yadav made offensive remarks about Prime Minister Modi while addressing a rally of the opposition alliance at Gandhi Maidan in Patna, Bihar on 3rd March. He alleged, “Narendra Modi is referring to dynastic politics nowadays. He doesn’t have a family. He should tell why there was no child born in his family. He only calls out people who have more children by saying that there is dynastic politics and that we are fighting for family.”
The convicted politician added, “The self-styled Bihari politician said, “He is not even a Hindu. Is Modi a thing? Every Hindu shaves his hair and beard in mourning for his mother. When his mother died, tell me why he did not get it done. Among the people of Ram-Rahim, he is spreading hatred in the country. Was Bhagwan without consecration for so many days, that Modi put life in him?”
However, PM Modi retaliated by declaring that the 140 crore people in the country are his family and highlighted that his life is an open book in a rally on 4th March at Adilabad in Telangana. He noted, “The leaders of the INDI alliance, deeply engrossed in corruption, nepotism and appeasement, are becoming nervous. When I question their ‘Parivarvad’ they have started saying that Modi has no family. My life is an open book, 140 crore people in the country are my family. Today, crores of daughters, mothers and sisters of the country are Modi’s family. Every poor person in the country is my family. Those who have no one, they also belong to Modi and Modi belongs to them. They say ‘Nene Modi Kutumbam’ (I’m Modi family).”
The Kerala High Court has addressed the issue of human-animal conflict concerning stray dogs asking dog lovers to assist the local administration in protecting them. The Court also highlighted that the dogs should be protected but not at the cost of human lives, and asked genuine dog lovers to protect and keep stray dogs after taking licences.
The court on Tuesday (5th March) stated that there were two distinct categories of people, one who advocated for the killing of stray dogs and the others who fought to protect them. Justice P.V. Kunhikrishnan suggested that genuine dog lovers, rather than writing in print and visual media, should step forward to assist local government institutions in protecting them.
"Human beings should be given more preference than stray dogs" – Kerala High Court. https://t.co/M2ekzxhKpF
The Court stated that genuine dog lovers could approach local authorities with applications for licenses to maintain stray dogs under the Animal Birth Control Rules and the Kerala Municipality Act.
“I am of the considered opinion that dog lovers need not write and speak for the dogs in print and visual media, but they should come forward to protect these dogs if there is bonafide in their words along with the Local Self Government Institutions. The bonafide dog lovers can be given a license if they are ready to protect the stray dogs in tune with the provisions of ABC Rules 2023 and other statutory provisions,” the Court said.
Recognizing the menace and attacks of stray dogs on tiny children, young people, and even the elderly, it emphasized that stray dogs should be safeguarded, but not at the expense of human life.
“As I mentioned in the beginning, stray dogs are creating a menace in our society. School children are afraid to go alone to their school because of the apprehension that they will be attacked by stray dogs. If any action is taken against the stray dogs, the dog lovers will come and fight for them. But I am of the considered opinion that human beings should be given more preference than stray dogs. Of course, the barbaric attack on stray dogs by human beings also should not be allowed,” the Court noted.
Victimized by the conduct of an animal lover named Rajeev Krishnan, the people of Kannur District’s Muzhathadam Ward filed an application with the High Court. It is claimed that Muzhathadam Ward is a densely inhabited residential region with several houses within a short distance. When a stray dog is attacked, injured, or unwell, Rajeev, a resident of Muzhathadam Ward, brings it home to care for it and subsequently keeps it in his house.
The specific complaint was that Rajeev maintained multiple dogs in his home and was unable to adequately care for them, resulting in the residence being unsanitary, dirty, and foul-smelling, causing a disturbance to the locals.
The residents also contended that dogs barked loudly during the day and night, generating noise pollution. “They wander around the municipality, and children are afraid of contracting infections and health risks from dogs,” the complaint read.
The petitioners also demanded immediate action against Rajeev for prohibiting the maintenance of stray dogs at his residence.
On the other hand, Rajeev claimed that his family adores animals and that he feeds and cares for them on his land. He stated that the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Kannur also seeks his assistance. Furthermore, it was claimed that dogs were no longer a menace to humans following vaccination and sterilization.
The Bench observed that the Supreme Court in Animal Welfare Board of India v. People for the Elimination of Stray Troubles highlighted that there was no reason why High Courts could not consider this problem and provide directions.
It said that the local authorities are responsible for protecting stray dogs under the Animal Birth Control Rules 2023 (ABC Rules). The court ruled that the laws require the local government to be liable for the deworming, immunization, and sterilizing of street animals. It additionally contains guidelines for geotagging pets, euthanasia, and resolving complaints about dog attacks or rabid dogs.
The Court ruled that a person cannot keep a dog without a license from the Secretary, citing Sections 435 to 438 of the Kerala Municipality Act, 1994. It further states that animals shall not be kept on persons’ premises if they disturb others.
The Court said that when an animal lover comes to save stray dogs, the local self-government authorities can issue them a license and guarantee that the ABC Rules and Municipality Act provisions are followed.
It asserted that genuine dog lovers would be issued a license if they were willing to protect and assist stray dogs under the rules of the law.
It was discovered that Rajeev failed to obtain permission from the authorities to keep stray dogs at his place. It noted that Rajeev should be aware of the petitioners’ concerns about the annoyance of maintaining huge numbers of dogs in unsanitary conditions.
As a result, the Court directed Rajeev to approach the Kannur Corporation to obtain a permission to maintain stray dogs on his premises. It asked the Corporation to apply rigorous requirements in accordance with the ABC Rules and the Kerala Municipality Act. It further asked the Corporation to remove stray dogs from its property if no licence application was submitted on time.
Calling the women of Sandeshkhali his parivar (family), Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government of shielding the accused in the Sandeshkhali case and said that it is a “matter of shame.”
Addressing a women’s rally at Barasat, North 24 Parganas district, PM Modi said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was committed to the cause of women’s empowerment and safety.
Speaking at Barasat, PM Modi stated that the women of Bengal have been a beacon of hope and progress for the entire country. “The ‘Shakti Swaroopa’ women of the state have been leading the country in various fields. But the TMC rule has caused torture, shame, and harassment for women in the state. TMC government has neglected the Nari Shakti in this state and has been trying to shield the oppressors instead,” the PM stated.
बंगाल में TMC के राज में नारीशक्ति पर अत्याचार का घोर पाप हुआ है।
संदेशखाली में जो कुछ भी हुआ, उससे किसी का भी सिर शर्म से झुक जाएगा।
लेकिन यहां की TMC सरकार को, आपके दुख से कोई फर्क नहीं पड़ता।
“Under TMC’s rule, the women of this land have been tortured. Whatever happened in Sandeshkhali will put anyone to shame but the TMC government does not care about your issues. TMC government is hell-bent on saving the perpetrator. Their acts were first condemned by the High Court and then the Supreme Court as well. TMC leaders have committed atrocities on the women of the state. Leaders of TMC are torturing the women from poor, Dalit, and Adivasis groups. TMC govt trusts its leaders more than it trusts the women of Bengal. TMC has full confidence in their leader but not in the women of West Bengal,” the Prime Minister said.
PM Modi further said that there is an eclipse in the name of TMC in Bengal adding that West Bengal CM is not allowing the development of this state to move forward.
“TMC government can never provide protection to women. Whereas, the BJP government has decided to award life imprisonment for heinous crimes like rape. For easy registration of women’s complaints, we have arranged for a ‘Women Helpine’, but the TMC government is not letting it operate in West Bengal. This TMC government can never work for the welfare of women,” he added.
The anger of women in Sandeshkhali will not be limited to Sandeshkhali alone, this anger and protest will spread in the entire state and will teach the TMC a lesson, the PM stated.
The Prime Minister further asserted that this huge program is proof of how BJP is making ‘Naari Shakti’ the power of ‘Viksit Bharat’.
“On 9th January, BJP started the ‘Shakti Vandan’ campaign across the country. During this, interactions with lakhs of self-help groups were done across the country and today, in West Bengal there is a huge program organised for members of the self-help groups,” he said.
Highlighting the inauguration of development projects in Kolkata, PM Modi said that modernizing the country’s public transport is a priority of the government.
“Before coming here, I was at a program in Kolkata where I inaugurated many development projects of the Government of India. Today, new routes connected to the Kolkata Metro, Pune Metro, Kochi Metro, Agra Metro and Namo Bharat trains have been expanded together. Before 2014, only 28 kilometres route of the Kolkata Metro was built and in the last 10 years, 31 kilometres route of the Kolkata Metro has been added. Modernizing the country’s public transport is a priority of the government of India,” PM Modi said.
Tension rose in Sandeshkhali after hundreds of women on the island came out on the streets against Shahjahan Sheikh, accusing him of perpetrating sexual abuse and other excesses on them along with his henchmen.
After weeks of no action, on February 29 Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sheikh Shahjahan was arrested by West Bengal police after which West Bengal’s Basirhat Court remanded him to 10-day police custody.
PM Modi is on a three-day visit to states including Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, West Bengal and Bihar from March 4 to 6.
Visiting Barasat, PM Modi has also met the women victims of Sandeshkhali who have been protesting against the TMC leaders in their area, voicing their anguish after years of sexual exploitation, land grabbing and torture by the local leaders of the ruling party in Bengal.
BJP sources have mentioned that the PM met the victims ‘as a father figure’ and assured them that their plight will not go unheard and justice will be given to them.
In a peculiar incident, a car parked in the driveway of a man named Anoop Kumar Shukla was doused with gasoline and set on fire on the intervening night of 3rd and 4th March by two people in the Shyamnagar neighbourhood of Chakeri area in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur. The entire episode was captured on CCTV camera. The accused who are from Indore, Madhya Pradesh were arrested by the police. The reason behind the incident was a romantic relationship between Vaibhav Shukla and Deep Tanwania who is transgender.
The two young men fell in love and promised to marry each other while Vaibhav was staying in Indore. Afterwards, Deep underwent a sex change operation to become female for the sake of love, and became Deepa from Deep. According to Deep, she spent a hefty amount of one crore rupees for the surgery, however, there was a rift between the couple after which Vaibhav came to Kanpur and refused to tie the knot with her.
Reportedly, Vaibhav and Deep met online, gradually they became closer and expressed their desire to marry. In July 2022, they met each other in Vrindaban. However, Vaibhav allegedly pressured Deep to undergo a sex change before the marriage. Accordingly, Deep underwent the procedures of breast surgery and facial surgery, spending almost Rs 1 crore. He also changed the name to Deepa after the procedure.
However, when Deepa approached Vaibhav for the marriage, Vaibhaw refused, saying that even though Deep had undergone the sex change operation, she couldn’t become pregnant.
Deepa was offended by the rejection and travelled to Kanpur with a friend named Rohan, and leased a scooter online. Afterwards, they reached Vaibhav’s house with gasoline, threw it on the vehicle stationed in front of the place and burned it. The car, owned by Vaibhav’s father Anup Kumar Shukla, was parked in front of a restaurant on the ground floor run by Vaibhav’s nephew. Deepa had intended for the home to burn down completely when she set the automobile on fire but this did not happen as the people in the vicinity put out the flames as soon as it started.
The authorities then reached the spot and identified the accused with the help of CCTV cameras. Later it was discovered that Deep and her companion went to the Chakeri Police Station to file a complaint but the cops stated that it wasn’t possible as the matter was already registered in Indore. Deep was infuriated after the development and decided to carry out the crime.
According to the Deputy Commissioner of Police, the culprits were attempting to flee to Indore when they were nabbed. Police held a press conference after Deep turned Deepa was detained, where she was present. Deep claimed that she and Vaibhav took an oath to live and die together, however, he is now trying to escape while the entire blame is levelled on her. She demanded that the police should also arrest him and take action against him.
Vaibhav Shukla lives with his family in Shyamnagar Double Road Rampuram Housing Society. The car was under a plastic shed constructed outside the eatery. He said he locked the car and walked upstairs on the night of the occurrence at around 11:45 pm. A bright glow from the fire appeared after some time. The restaurant staff who were eating fled outside upon witnessing this. The fire was brought under control with the help of water and fire extinguishers, among other things. The authorities were notified.
The CCTV footage showed that a young person got off the scooter, opened the grill gate and entered the premises at 12:18 am. The accused used a match to start the fire after soaking the vehicle with gasoline from a plastic bottle. They then approached the scooter that was standing some distance away and headed toward the bypass.
Twelve CCTV clips of the area were examined but the two-wheeler’s number couldn’t be seen clearly. However, later the police managed to arrest both the culprits.
It could have been a serious incident if the fire had penetrated the plastic shed and destroyed the restaurant and the building. There were ten people in the building at that time, including the restaurant staff, and there was no other way out of the place. The place is also flanked by a bank and commercial building, which houses many offices and business establishments. Fortunately, the fire was put out by the restaurant workers in a timely manner.
On Tuesday (5th March), the Supreme Court heard a plea by gangster mafia Mukhtar Ansari wherein he urged to quash the UP Gangster Act charges against him in a case. During this hearing, the court remarked that Mukhtar Ansari is a dreaded criminal and already has so many cases against him. Subsequently, the Court permitted Ansari to submit a rejoinder affidavit and scheduled the next hearing for 2nd April.
The bench comprised Justices Bela M Trivedi and
j Mithal, who were presiding over an appeal filed by Ansari contesting a September 2022 ruling from the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court that convicted him under the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act. The High Court had imposed a five-year prison sentence on Mukhtar Ansari and fined him ₹50,000.
During the hearing on the petition of Mukhtar Ansari, advocate Garima Prasad representing the Yogi government of UP said, “Ansari had spread an ’empire of terror’ in the state.” The court then observed that he was now behind bars and adjourned the matter. On behalf of Mukhtar, time has been sought from the court to file his reply. Now the matter will be heard on 2nd April. In the previous hearing, the court had imposed an interim stay on the Allahabad High Court’s decision in this case.
Mukhtar Ansari was convicted by the Allahabad High Court for threatening a jailor in a matter from 2003. The High Court had sentenced him to seven years in this case. Mukhtar has approached the Supreme Court against the Allahabad High Court’s decision. Lucknow district jail jailor S K Awasthi had lodged an FIR with the Alambagh police, alleging that received threats by Mukhtar Ansari when he ordered searches of people who had come to meet Ansari.
Awasthi also alleged that Ansari had pointed a pistol at him and misbehaved with him. The High Court had convicted Ansari saying that his image was that of a dreaded criminal and mafia don, who had more than 60 cases of heinous crimes registered against him. Mukhtar has approached the Supreme Court against the Allahabad High Court’s decision. He wanted his sentence to be reduced. According to reports, at the time of the sentence in the High Court, Mukhtar sat holding the forehead with both hands and bowing his head. He also requested the judge that all his jail terms be allowed to serve simultaneously. Earlier, the court had sentenced Mukhtar Ansari to 10 years in the Krishnanand Rai murder case.
