Ram Janaki Temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur received a bomb threat on Sunday, six days after the Pran Prathishtha ceremony of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya.
Several posters mentioning bomb threats were pasted on the walls and scattered on the floor of the ancient temple.
BJP leader Rohit Sahu, who is also a trustee of Ram Janaki Temple in Kanpur also received a threat letter.
Notably, a bhava programme was held in the Ram Janaki Temple on the day of the Pran Pratistha ceremony in Ayodhya.
Rahul Sahu, the younger brother of Rohit Sahu, said, “I got information about threat letters pasted on the temple’s walls and scattered on the floor in the morning. When I came here, I too saw threat letters scattered everywhere. I got scared, closed the doors and put up the police barricades in order to avoid any situation that could possibly arise.”
The police immediately reached the spot after receiving information regarding the same.
“We have found out about threatening posters inside the temple premises. We will file a case against the miscreants involved. The letter has certain objectionable things written on it,” police said.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
A Dalit family in the Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh is facing threats and coercion from influential Muslims in their village, pressuring them to either convert to Islam or vacate their land. The victim has given an application to the Saharanpur police in this regard. The family of Sadhuram who received this threat hails from the Valmiki caste. They live in Kundakala village of Gangoh police station area of Saharanpur. Sadhuram’s family is being threatened by Aslam, Niaz, Ejaz, Sonu, Aamir, Kamil, Salim, and Kala. They are asking him to vacate the land.
Sadhuram has filed a complaint with the police, stating that he has resided in Dhalawali village since 1967. He moved to Kundakala village due to a flood in Dhalawali village. Sadhuram informed the police that the group of Muslim individuals was threatening him to seize the land on which he currently resides. A copy of the complaint letter submitted by Sadhuram to the police is with OpIndia.
In his complaint, Sadhuram said, “They threaten us by saying ‘You must convert to Islam along with your family or else we will kill you and your family and take possession of all the land’.” The victim has said that due to the bullying of these Muslim goons, the rest of his family members have already left home and moved to different cities. Sadhuram has also alleged that apart from capturing the land of his relatives, Muslim goons have also occupied the land for Panchayat Bhawan in the village.
While speaking to the media, Sadhuram said, “We are from Kundakala village. Ours is the only household of the Valmiki community in the village. Everyone else in the village is Muslim. After assaulting me, they are now attempting to grab my home. They demand that we either flee from this place or convert to Islam. We are threatened.”
Sadhuram has also said that here these Muslims convert Hindus and illegally occupy their land. It has also been alleged that women of Hindu families are molested. Sadhuram has also accused these Muslim goons of arms smuggling. Sadhuram has demanded that the police should take action against these Muslim goons.
Days after Islamists ran riots in the Mira Road suburb in the Thane district of Maharashtra, Newslaundry came to their rescue on Saturday (27th January).
In a YouTube video titled ‘Godi media’s u-turn on Ram Mandir | Hypocrisy Ki Seema?’, the leftist media outlet not only whitewashed the Islamist violence against Hindus but dubbed the bulldozer action against the accused as ‘majoritarian revenge.’
“Can one move on when you have another set of people who celebrated January 22nd with an ugly spirit of revenge…This was reaction number two to the Ram Mandir inauguration,” Newslaundry ‘journalist’ Manisha Pande brazened out.
“Two days after the communal clash, 15 shops demolished in Mumbai suburb’s Haidary Chowk area,” the video featured the screenshot of an article by The Indian Express.
This is a classic trope used by leftist media to deviate public discourse from the chronology of events. On 21st January this year, frenzied Muslim mobs attacked Hindus when they were carrying out a procession through the Mira Road suburb.
The incident took place on the eve of the Ram Mandir Pran Prathistha. The Hindu devotees were raising the religious chant of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and had adorned their vehicles with saffron (bhagwa) flags.
Peacefuls beating Hindu procession in Mira road, Mumbai Today after 496 years we have reclaimed our most sacred land from them by constitutional means & still they are so upset about it Imagine how it was during mughal raj pic.twitter.com/Kgxsp8kLE5
This drew the ire of the intolerant ‘minority’, who wasted no time in launching an unprovoked attack on the Hindus. The frenzied Muslim mobs vandalised cars, stomped on saffron flags, manhandled and injured a Hindu woman and assaulted other Hindu men.
All of this happened only because a group of Hindus took out a religious procession through a ‘Muslim area’, a supposedly no-go zone for adherents of other religious communities.
While Islamists are habituated to getting away with their ‘street veto’, the police cracked down on them and arrested 13 men. The city administration also promptly swung into action and bulldozed the illegal encroachments of the accused.
?LIVE Visuals: Bulldozer action in #Mumbai's Mira Road where clashes took place after #RamTemple rally.
Newslaundry cunningly omitted the entire context and chain of events to dub the bulldozer action as some form of ‘revenge’ by the majority community.
“As communal tensions hit Mira Road in Mumbai, listen to what the MLA Geeta Bharat Jain had to say…”, ‘journalist’ Manisha Pande claimed.
She conveniently glossed over the fact that it was the Islamists who started the violence, thus forcing law enforcement to take matters into their own hands.
Newslaundry ignores attacks on Hindu community
Besides whitewashing Islamist violence in Mira Road, Newslaundry also ignored 17 other cases of targeted attacks on the Hindu community in the wake of Ram Mandir Pran Prathistha.
Hindus in the Chikhli village of Nanded were abused and threatened by Islamists for celebrating the event of Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha at the local temple. The police took cognisance of the matter and booked Aslam Khan and Gaffar Khan in connection to the case.
A bike rally, organised in Navi Mumbai’s Panvel was attacked by a frenzied Muslim mob. One Hindu man was stabbed in the back while another was stabbed in the head.
A mob of over 30 Islamists brutally assaulted a 14-year-old Hindu boy in the Mominpura area in Nagpur. The Gujarat police have informed that they were forced to fire teargas shells after a mob pelted stones at Shobha Yatra Mehsana district.
Similarly, Hindus carrying a procession of Shri Ram were attacked by a Muslim mob in Bhoj in Vadodara. Hindus were also attacked with stones in Bhapura village of Darbhanga district of Bihar.
In Muzaffarpur (Bihar), Islamists pelted stones at Hindus and even attacked them with swords. Attacks on the Hindu community were also reported from Shimoga and Belagavi in Karnataka.
Newslaundry not only refused to acknowledge these incidents but instead tried to guilt-trip Hindus for police action against Islamists in the aftermath of violence.
The dubious narrative of majoritarianism
One of the keywords used frequently by Newslaundry, perhaps to woo their core audience,is ‘majoritarianism’. In the video posted by the leftist propaganda outlet on Saturday (27th January), it left no stone to portray Islamists as the harbingers of peace and reconciliation.
Through its rhetoric and ’emotional appeal’, Newslaundry gave the impression that the violence that broke out in the wake of Ram Mandir Pran Prathistha was the doing of the ‘majority’ Hindu community.
The guilt-tripping did not end with painting Muslims as victims and Hindus as aggressors. ‘Journalist’ Manisha Pande went a step ahead and put the onus of ‘inclusive behaviour’ exclusively on the Hindu community.
“The journey ahead for us as a nation depends on what India chooses between peace, reconciliation, moving ahead or revenge and ugly majoritarian politics,” she ranted.
The two-pronged strategy used by Newslaundry was to deny any wrongdoing against the Hindu community and at the same time ask the victimised lot to be more accommodating of the aggressors.
Iqbal Ansari and the hard truth about reconciliation
Newslaundry propped up the example of Iqbal Ansari, a litigant fighting for the erstwhile disputed structure (Babri Masjid) in the Ram Janmabhoomi case.
He was invited to the Bhoomi Pujan as well as the Pran Prathistha of the Ram Mandir by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra. The leftist propaganda outlet used it as an example of the Muslim community wanting to move forward.
It is interesting to note that Iqbal Ansari was one of the litigants, who were fighting in the court to deny the return of ‘Ram Lalla’ to his Janmabhoomi.
While it is true that Ansari wanted an end to the dispute after losing the case, the credit must go to Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra for inviting him to the Bhoomi Pujan and Ram Mandir Pran Prathistha.
It cannot be the other way around as Newslaundry ‘journalist’ Manisha Pande attempted to do desperately. “Moving ahead means respect and accommodation for those who lost the title suit in the Ram temple case. It means inclusion and reaching out,” she had said.
Although Iqbal Ansari has made peace with the verdict of the apex court, countless members of the Muslim community are still vowing for revenge. Some have been arrested for threatening to destroy the majestic Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Inclusion is thus not a one-way street.
Conclusion
The Hindu community has been denied the reclamation of the Ram Janmabhoomi for 496 years. Countless sacrifices, legal battles and prayers of crores of Hindus have gone into realising the dream of the return of Ram Lalla.
When such a glorious moment has arrived for the community to bask in devotion to Lord Ram, mouthing platitudes about inclusivity, reconciliation and moving on only seeks to take the spotlight from the historic Ram Janmabhoomi movement.
On 27th January, former Assam Youth Congress President Angkita Dutta confirmed that she would join Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on 28th January. Dutta was expelled from the grand old party after she filed a complaint against Indian Youth Congress president Srinivas BV and accused him of harassment. Over 100 supporters of Dutta will also join the BJP in Guwahati with her, who is the daughter of former Assam Congress president late Anjan Dutta.
Suspended Assam Congress leader Angkita Dutta to join BJP today
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma confirmed that she would be joining BJP. He said the party welcomes talented “non-political” youth in the party. He said, “We want doctors, engineers, IT professionals and youths educated in other fields to join our party. We are making many development plans, and these youths will help us implement them efficiently. Tomorrow, so many talented youths will join the BJP.”
In April 2023, Dutta filed a complaint with Assam Police against Srinivas, accusing him of harassment and discrimination. A case was registered against Srinivas based on her complaint. In May 2023, Srinivas got interim relief from arrest by the Supreme Court of India. At that time, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh accused Dutta of filing a complaint under the influence of CM Sarma. He said, “She was an efficient leader of our party, but she is too emotional. This matter would have been solved within the party, but Himanta intervened and made it a legal issue.”
During Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, Dutta tried to meet Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to get “justice”, but the party did not let her meet him. She said, “Not just me, Rahul Gandhi insulted the grassroots level workers by denying a meeting during his Yatra.” She added that she was removed from the party without justice and was made to wait for over ten months to get a response from senior leadership. She said, “I did not join any other political party and waited for Rahul Gandhi and other leaders to give me justice. But I felt heartbroken when he refused to meet me during his Yatra in Assam.”
Furthermore, she said she would not expect anything from the BJP and appreciated CM Sarma for raising her voice for her. She said, “When I was suffering and spoke against it (harassment), the entire Congress leadership was keeping mum. That time, Himanta stood by me despite being a member of another party.”
Former minister of the Congress Party, Bismita Gogoi, is also expected to join the BJP. Gogoi was cultural affairs, handloom and textile minister under former CM Tarun Gogoi’s regime in Assam. In 2021, she lost assembly elections and allegedly faced discrimination following the defeat. When Congress chief for Assam, Bhupen Kumar Borah, was asked about Dutta’s moving to BJP, he said as she was not part of Congress, the party was not concerned if she joined the BJP or some other party.
Who is Angkita Dutta?
Angkita Dutta is the former head of the Assam Youth Congress. She is the daughter of veteran Congress leader late Anjan Dutta, who served as a minister in the Tarun Gogoi government and also led the Pradesh Congress. Anjan Dutta was also a member of the AICC.
On April 22, 2023, the Congress party expelled the then Assam Pradesh Youth Congress President, Angkita Dutta, from the primary membership of the Congress party for six years for ‘anti-party activities.’
The decision came after she lodged a police complaint against IYC national president Srinivas BV, accusing him of harassment. Before that, on April 20, the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) had issued a show cause notice to Angkita Dutta over the allegations she levelled against IYC National President and Rahul Gandhi’s close aide Srinivas BV.
The Congress’ legal cell had sent a notice to Angkita Dutta after she made the harassment allegations. The notice, sent on behalf of Youth Congress President Srinivas BV, had called Angkita Dutta’s complaint of harassment as “false and frivolous”.
On April 18, 2023, Angkita Dutta posted a series of tweets wherein she opened up about facing harassment at the hands of Congress leader Srinivas BV and also accused the Congress’s high command of a lack of interest in her case. In her subsequent police complaint, Dutta narrated that she had been facing harassment and mental trauma at the hands of BV Srinivas for several months.
In a first, the national tricolour was unfurled on Republic Day in nine tribal villages in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar area that have been under Maoist control, while similar scenes were witnessed in a village in Maharashtra rebel hotbed Gadchiroli.
Inspector General of Police (Bastar range), Sundarraj stated that it was the first Republic Day celebration in these villages in Bastar after Independence. Police stated the Tricolour had never been unfurled in Dumripalnar, Murkrajkonda, Saletong, Duled, Kawadgaon, Mudhvandi, Pariya, Muler, or Palnar villages in Bijapur, and Sukma districts before.
“The fight against Left-wing extremism has reached its final and decisive phase. We are hopeful of establishing a positive and vibrant identity in the region,” IG Sundarraj said.
Speaking about the roles of the CRPF and Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) security camps, IG Sundarraj said that these camps are playing a pivotal role in enhancing the operational reach of the security forces as well as eliminating Naxal influence from a significant geographical area in the state. “These security camps…are also functioning as integrated development centres and are facilitating basic amenities like health, education, PDS, electricity, mobile connectivity etc..,” IG Sundarraj said.
The people of other remote villages in Bastar joined the administration, police, and central forces to celebrate the 75th Republic Day, according to officers, and the ripple effect will raise morale in many more Maoist-hit regions.
The national flag was unfurled in Chintagufa situated on the Sukma-Bijapur border. Reports say that Chintagufa was part of the safe haven for the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) battalion led by Maoist Hidma. However, they have been pushed back by 7-10 kilometres.
Taking to X, the Central Reserved Police Force (CRPF) shared visuals of the Republic Day celebration along with the local villagers in Naxal-affected Sukma district and wrote, “Republic in every bit! In Dulled village of highly Naxal-affected Sukma, Chhattisgarh, soldiers of 2nd Battalion #CRPF, Cobra and District Force, along with enthusiastic villagers, unfurled the tricolor on the occasion of Republic Day. The happiness of the children on this occasion was palpable. This is indicative of the decreasing influence of Naxalism and the increasing confidence of the local people in the security forces.”
कण कण में गणतंत्र!
छत्तीसगढ़ के अति नक्सल प्रभावित सुकमा स्थित दुल्लेड़ गाँव में 2 बटालियन #CRPF, कोबरा एवं ज़िला बल के जवानों ने उत्साही ग्रामीणों के साथ मिलकर गणतंत्र दिवस के अवसर पर तिरंगा फहराया। इस अवसर पर बच्चों की प्रसन्नता देखते ही बन रही थी। यह नक्सलवाद के घटते प्रभाव… pic.twitter.com/SksJ6XKGbE
Flag-unfurling in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli took place in Irapner, located within the Maoist liberated zone, five kilometres away from Abujhmarh, the guerrilla headquarters, where up until now, black flags have been raised and the national flag has been desecrated or burned.
Earlier this week, Union Home Minister Amit Shah presided over a review meeting on Left Wing Extremism (LWE) in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, wherein he stated that the Maoist issue would be eradicated within the next three years. He also asked officials to devise a strategy to eradicate Naxalism. Minister Shah emphasised that Naxalite supporters must be identified and financially choked. He added that all kinds of assistance will be provided to the security forces and agencies functioning in Chhattisgarh.
He said at the meeting that the security forces needed to execute the plan and completely eliminate Naxalism. Shah also underlined the importance of accelerating development in Naxal-affected regions.
As per the Union Home Ministry figures, incidents of Naxal violence have decreased by 52 per cent over the last decade, with a 70 per cent decrease in deaths from these incidents.
According to the estimations, the number of affected districts has decreased from 96 to 45, and the number of Left Wing Extremism-hit police stations has decreased from 495 to 176. The home minister earlier stated that 199 additional security force camps had been set up in Left Wing Extremism-affected districts since 2019.
The 18-month ruling coalition between Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress has to come to an end on 28th January when CM Nitish Kumar tendered his resignation to the Governor. He is expected to take the oath of office later today as the new chief minister for the ninth time with the backing of the Bharatiya Janata Party, signifying his return to the National Democratic Alliance.
Bihar CM and JD(U) president Nitis Kumar meets Governor at Raj Bhavan; tells him – We have decided to sever ties with the mahagathbandhan in the state. pic.twitter.com/z8sPH6V2FD
Nitish Kumar reportedly sought time to meet Governor Rajendra Viswanath Alerkar earlier this morning at 10.30 AM after holding a meeting with party MLAs at 10 AM. From the meeting, he went to the Raj Bhavan marking the breakdown of Maha Gathbandhan (Grand Alliance) in the state only months before Lok Sabha poll. The oath-taking ceremony will happen either on the 28th of January evening or the 29th of January morning depending on the availability of BJP national president J P Nadda or Union Home Minister Amit Shah, or both.
Bihar CM and JD(U) president Nitis Kumar meets Governor at Raj Bhavan; tells him – We have decided to sever ties with the mahagathbandhan in the state. pic.twitter.com/z8sPH6V2FD
On 28th January at 10 AM, the Bihar BJP lawmakers also convened to deliberate on their approach concerning the swiftly evolving political landscape. Meanwhile, before presenting the governor with a new letter of support from the BJP and Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), Nitish Kumar would also host a joint meeting of the NDA legislators and MPs, presumably at his residence.
A source aware of the developments claimed, “The governor might invite him for the oath ceremony in the evening itself. Let us see how things unfold.” Changes in the government haven’t hampered the state’s advancement, JDU spokesperson Niraj Kumar remarked in an interview.
He stressed, “Yes, the Congress and Rahul Gandhi have every right to start a Nyay Yatra. But what is the result of it? As he entered West Bengal Mamata side-stepped it. Just as he was about to enter Bihar, the political wind changed here. So Rahul has to introspect where he is failing politically.”
The 243-member Bihar Assembly is composed of 45 members of JD(U). With the BJP and HAM(S) in support, the NDA’s total will now stand at 127, five seats above the necessary half-way point of 122 to establish a majority in the house. Furthermore, Sumit Kumar Singh, an independent lawmaker who currently serves as a cabinet minister in the Nitish-led administration, supports the JD(U) and his support will bring the number to 128.
Nitish Kumar will remain the chief minister, as per the agreement between the JD(U) and the BJP. The BJP will have deputy chief ministers, similar to the NDA government that was created following the 2020 assembly election.
Chief Minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, is set to dump Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and form a government in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). On its sidelines, a war of words has started between Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and current Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav and Nitish Kumar. Even before BJP and Nitish Kumar could announce formation of a new government, the prominent newspapers in Bihar were packed with advertisements from RJD thanking Tejashwi Yadav for various development projects.
The advertisements attracted sharp criticism from the Janata Dal-United (JDU), led by Nitish Kumar. The party has directly accused RJD of being involved in land for job scam. Responding to the ads, JDU spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said, “The RJD has a knack of exchanging jobs for land. They wanted to play the same game this time, but Nitish Kumar did not allow it. The RJD attempted to play it in the Revenue Department as well, but Nitish Kumar put a stop to it by blocking the transfer-posting list.”
On the other hand, the Yadav family’s troubles have intensified in the Land For Job scam. Following the submission of an allegation letter related to the financial irregularities, the court has summoned seven individuals including former Bihar CM Rabri Devi, Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav. Special Judge Vishal Gogne directed the accused to appear before the court on 9th February. The court emphasised that there is ample evidence on record to proceed with the case. Furthermore, a production warrant has been issued against Amit Katyal, a businessman who is currently in judicial custody.
Notably, Nitish was part of the I.N.D.I. Alliance along with RJD. However, relations between the allied parties seem to have soured in Bihar. Congress and RJD were supposed to meet to discuss strategies moving ahead, however, the meeting was postponed to Sunday (28th January).
Land for jobs scam
The CBI initiated a preliminary enquiry in September 2021 into the charges that when Lalu Prasad Yadav was the railway minister during UPA 1, he obtained benefits in the form of the transfer of property in the names of his family members in exchange for the appointments of substitutes in Group “D” posts in various Railway zones. CBI had found that a number of residents of Patna obtained jobs in the Railways in different zones in the country after they had gifted, or sold at very low prices, lands in Patna, Delhi and other places, to Lalu Prasad Yadav’s family or to a company controlled by the family. AK Infosystems Private Limited is alleged to be one such company.
The ED case in Land For Jobs, which was brought under the criminal provisions of the PMLA, stems from the case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). According to the CBI, there was no advertisement or public notice for the employment issued, but certain Patna residents were employed as substitutes in various zonal railways in Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur, and Hazipur.
After a “not so successful” crowdfunding campaign under the tag “Donate For Desh“, Congress launched a new fundraising campaign “Donate For Nyay” on 27th January. The campaign aims to collect donations from supporters in the name of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra which Congress leader Rahul Gandhi started on 14th January. Interestingly, anyone donating Rs 670 to the campaign will get a T-shirt signed by Rahul Gandhi as a reward.
#DonateForNyay अभियान में योगदान करके 'न्याय की महायात्रा' का हिस्सा बनिए.. और पाएं 'न्याय किट' ✨
इस न्याय किट में आपको मिलेगी राहुल गांधी जी की साइन की हुई टी-शर्ट, बैग, बैंड, बैज और स्टिकर
While smaller donations will fetch just a T-shirt, anyone donating Rs 67,000 or above will get a complete kit. Speaking on the matter during a press conference, Congress treasurer Ajay Maken said, “Those who donate ₹67,000 or more will get a ‘Nyay Kit’ which will contain a T-shirt, bag, band, badge and sticker. For anything that one donates, he or she will get a letter signed by Rahul ji and a certificate of donation.”
Donate For Nyay अभियान में हमने कई नई चीजें जोड़ी हैं:
1. जो भी व्यक्ति 670 रुपए या उससे अधिक डोनेट करेगा, उसे राहुल गांधी जी द्वारा साइन की हुई टी-शर्ट गिफ्ट के रुप में मिलेगी।
2. जो लोग 67 हजार रुपए या उससे अधिक डोनेट करेंगे, उन्हें एक न्याय किट मिलेगा। जिसमें टी-शर्ट, बैग,… pic.twitter.com/0hobUzKTrh
According to Congress’s crowdfunding website donateinc.net, over 2.47 crore has been raised for the “Donate For Nyay” campaign
Interestingly, when the Donate For Desh campaign was launched, there were several anomalies in the campaign. The grand old party failed to register top TLDs for the campaign resulting in major goof-ups. While donatefordesh.org redirected to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s donation page, donatefordesh.com redirected to OpIndia’s donation page making a mockery of Congress.
It appears that Congress has learnt from its previous mistakes as the top TLDs for Donate For Desh redirect to the correct websites.
Rahul Gandhi is on “Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra” which will cover 6,700 km across the country. It is the second leg of Bharat Jodo Yatra.
As the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) report confirmed that “there existed a Hindu temple prior to the construction of the existing structure” at the Gyanvapi site, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) said on Saturday (January 27th) that the original site of Kashi Vishwanath be handed over to the Hindu community.
The VHP sought that Hindus be allowed to do “sewa puja” on the ‘Shivling’ located in the “so-called Wazukhana area” of the disputed structure.
“The Hindus be permitted to offer Sewa Puja to the Shivling found in the so-called Wazukhana area, and (ii) Calls upon the Intezamia Committee to agree to respectfully shift the Gyanvapi Mosque to another appropriate place and to handover the original site of Kashi Vishvanatha to the Hindu Society. The VHP believes that this righteous action shall be an important step towards creating amicable relations between the two prominent communities of Bharat,” the VHP president Alok Kumar said in a statement.
Press statement: HANDOVER THE GYANVAPI STRUCTURE TO HINDUS: ALOK KUMAR
New Delhi. Jan, 27,2024. The ASI, an official and expert body, has submitted its report to the District Judge hearing the Gyanvapi matter in Kashi. The Int’l working president of Vishva Hindu Parishad and… pic.twitter.com/vGNrTNvrSK
Delving into the basis of the VHP’s demands, Kumar said “The evidence collected by the ASI from the Gyanvapi structure reconfirms that the Mosque had been constructed after demolishing a magnificent Temple. A part of the Temple structure, particularly the western wall is the remaining part of the Hindu Temple.”
He added that a part of the structure, particularly the western wall is the remaining part of the Hindu Temple. The ASI report also shows that components of the pre-existing Temple, such as pillars and pilasters, were reused with modifications to increase the span of the mosque and construct the sahan or courtyard.
Talking about the Shivling found inside the ‘wuzukhana’ of the disputed structure in 2022, Alok Kumar said that the “Shivlinga in what was called the wazukhana leaves no doubt that the structure does not have the character of a Mosque. The discovery of the names including Janardana, Rudra and Umeswara in the inscriptions found in the structure are the tell-tale evidence of this being a Temple.”
The VHP leader went on to state that the evidence collected and the conclusions offered by the ASI do establish that the religious character of this place of worship existed on the 15th of August, 1947, and that its religious character at present is of a Hindu Temple.
Gyanvapi dispute
The Gyanvapi controversy extends back decades, however, in the year 2021, five women namely – Rakhi Singh, Laxmi Devi, Sita Sahu, Manju Vyas, and Rekha Pathak, petitioned a local court for the right to unrestricted worship at the Maa Shringar Gauri Sthal, which is situated within the compound that has idols of Hindu gods.
In April 2022, the local court ordered a survey of the complex, which sparked protests. The survey concluded in May 2022. Meanwhile, the Hindu side said that the Shivling was found in the closing hours of the exercise, while the Muslim side denied this and claimed it to be a ‘fountain’. The court tightened security on the entire complex and ordered the sealing of the wuzukhana area within the disputed structure.
In 2023, the Varanasi district court ordered an in-depth survey of the structure by ASI to determine whether it was erected on top of an existing temple, stating that a scientific investigation was required to uncover the truth. The judge, however, excluded the section over which a dispute had occurred, which stays sealed.
ASI report
As reported earlier, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) report on the Gyanvapi structure released on 25tj January made it clear that a large Hindu temple existed in the past where the current disputed structure is present. The over 800-page report gives a very detailed account of the structure and the artefacts found in it, proving that it was a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva.
The report details artefacts like a Shivling, miniature temple with sculptures of deities, idols of Hindu gods like Vishnu, Krishna, and Ganesh buried in cellars S1, S2 and S3 of the structure. These cellars were found to be deliberately blocked with debris. The findings indicate that the place was a temple earlier converted into a mosque.
Taylor Swift’s name has mysteriously vanished from searches on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter). This development follows the circulation of explicit AI-generated deepfake images depicting the renowned pop star engaged in various lewd scenarios. Swift, a globally celebrated artist, is now notably absent from the search bar, leaving users to encounter an error message when attempting to find her on the platform.
The scandal unfolded earlier in the week when sexually explicit deepfake images of Taylor Swift surfaced on X and other social media platforms. The artificial intelligence tools responsible for creating these deepfakes can manipulate regular, clothed photos, undressing individuals without their consent. The disturbing images quickly gained traction, with a watermark suggesting their origin from a website notorious for producing fake nude images of celebrities, particularly through its dedicated section labelled “AI deepfake.”
The explicit images, viewed over 27 million times and accumulating more than 260,000 likes within 19 hours, prompted an outcry from Swift’s loyal fan base. The account responsible for posting the deepfakes was eventually suspended, possibly due to a mass-reporting campaign initiated by fans who vehemently opposed the dissemination of these unauthorised and offensive images.
SAG-AFTRA, the actors’ union, took a stand against the deepfake scandal, condemning the explicit images and advocating for new protective legislation. In a statement, SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) expressed deep concern over the upsetting and harmful nature of the AI-generated images and called for their illegality, particularly those created without an individual’s consent.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also expressed concern and said, “We are alarmed by the reports of the… circulation of images that you just laid out – of false images to be more exact, and it is alarming. While social media companies make their own independent decisions about content management, we believe they have an important role to play in enforcing their own rules to prevent the spread of misinformation, and non-consensual, intimate imagery of real people.”
Swift’s devoted fan community, commonly known as “Swifties,” rallied on social media platforms to counteract the spread of the explicit images. They flooded hashtags such as #ProtectTaylorSwift and #TaylorSwiftAI with positive messages to encourage others to report and reject the unauthorised deepfakes.
The incident involving Taylor Swift is just one among a series of concerns surrounding the rise of AI-generated deepfakes in recent months. The unsettling capabilities of artificial intelligence to create realistic yet entirely fabricated content have raised significant ethical and privacy questions. Deepfake technology has been utilised not only for the unauthorised creation of explicit images but also in the manipulation of audio and video, leading to potential misinformation and the erosion of trust. Recently Sachin Tendulkar was seen in on such deepfake video.
On 16th January, a First Information Report (FIR) was registered against a Facebook page and a gaming website after cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar pointed out a deepfake video involving him. A deepfake video showed Tendulkar saying that he and his daughter Sara Tendulkar had won big money from playing a particular internet game. The Mumbai Cyber Police were alerted to the phoney clip by him after which the action was undertaken.
