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Former SC judge whines about Akbar being exposed in textbooks, claims ‘distortion of history’: Read about the massacre of Hindus by the Mughal tyrant

OpIndia Staff
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Former SC judge whines about Akbar being exposed in textbooks, claims ‘distortion of history’: Read about the massacre of Hindus by the Mughal tyrant

Former Supreme Court Justice Rohinton Nariman has expressed concerns regarding the portrayal of Mughal ruler Akbar in history textbooks. While voicing displeasure over the portrayal of Akbar as a ‘tyrant’, Justice Nariman alleged ‘distortion of history’ in school textbooks.

The former judge made the remarks during the KM Bashir Memorial Lecture at the Press Club of Trivandrum on 1st September. Narrating a personal experience during this speech, Justice Nariman said that a child read out to him from a history book, and the contents shocked him.

“I was flabbergasted to find in a particular book, and a child read it out to me, to find that Akbar is stated to be a person who is a tyrant and a person who organised mass murders at Chittor, where so many women committed jauhar (self-immolation). That is pretty much all that was said about him, and almost nothing was said about any of the great Mughals. So there is a complete effacement followed by a total distortion,” the judge alleged.

Justice Nariman encouraged people to move courts against the purported “distortion of history”

According to Justice Nariman, Mughal rulers, including Akbar, made enormous contributions to the “composite culture” of the country. He added that it was our duty “to value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture” and that if the duty was breached by “distortion or erasure of history”, citizens can move courts.

Admitting that courts lack the expertise on matters relating to history, they can appoint expert panels to examine the issue and recommend corrections. “The court would have no expertise to do so itself. It could perhaps order some panel of experts to look into it and restore what our actual history is. This is only a suggestion made by me. But prevention is always better than cure,” Justice Nariman suggested.

History book were revised to present an accurate picture of Indian history

Justice Nariman’s remarks came in the context of the recent revision of the Social Science textbook for Class 8, by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), in line with the recommendations of the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSE) 2023. 

The much-needed revision of a history, which for long presented a whitewashed picture of India’s medieval history, was done with the intention of providing a complete picture of historical events or periods by retaining their negative as well as positive aspects. The revision was based on plain historical facts rather than some romanticised version of history.

The revised book attempts to present a balanced and accurate picture of Indian history, and, therefore, while it mentions how Mughal rulers Jahangir and Shah Jahan patronised art and architecture, it also points out the brutalities of Mughal rulers like Babur, who massacred the entire populations of cities. The book describes Aurangzeb as a military ruler who banned un-Islamic practices and reimposed taxes on non-Muslims, and defines the rule of Mughal ruler Akbar as a “blend of brutality and tolerance”.

Akbar ordered the massacre of 30,000 Hindus after the siege of Chittorgarh

Earlier, the history textbooks portrayed Mughal ruler Akbar as the epitome of religious tolerance by selectively highlighting the abolition of the Jizya tax by him and cleverly omitting any reference to his waged Jihad against Hindus during the siege of Chittorgarh, when he ordered the massacre of 30,000 Hindus. At the end of the battle, which went on for four months, Akbar proclaimed the siege of Chittorgarh and the victory of Islam over infidels. The men were killed, and several women and children were enslaved.

The opinion formed by Justice Nariman about the revised history textbook seems to be ill-informed. While the students must get to know both the positive and negative aspects of a historical period or ruler, it is equally important that the account of history presented to them is based on facts rather than romanticism or ill-informed opinions, and the final judgment is left up to them.

PM Modi to participate in ‘Samudra se Samriddhi’ event in Gujarat tomorrow, country to get mega projects worth over ₹34,200 crore

OpIndia Staff
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PM Modi to participate in ‘Samudra se Samriddhi’ event in Gujarat tomorrow, country to get mega projects worth over ₹34,200 crore

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Gujarat on 20th September. He will participate in ‘Samudra se Samriddhi’ event and inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth over Rs 34,200 crore at Bhavnagar. He will also address the gathering on the occasion, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

Thereafter, Prime Minister will undertake an aerial survey of Dholera. After that he will chair a review meeting and visit the National Maritime Heritage Complex at Lothal.

During the visit, PM Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for multiple development projects related to the maritime sector worth over ₹7,870 crore. He will inaugurate the Mumbai International Cruise Terminal at Indira Dock. He will lay the foundation stone of a new container terminal and associated facilities at Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata; new container berth, cargo handling facilities, and associated developments at Paradip Port; the Tuna Tekra Multi-Cargo Terminal; firefighting facilities and modern road connectivity at Kamarajar Port, Ennore; coastal protection works including sea-walls and revetments at Chennai Port; sea-wall construction at Car Nicobar Island; a multi-purpose cargo berth and Green Bio-Methanol Plant at Deendayal Port, Kandla; and ship repair facilities at Patna and Varanasi.

Further, the Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple projects of the central and state government, worth over ₹26,354 crore, catering to various sectors in Gujarat. He will inaugurate HPLNG Regasification Terminal at Chhara Port, Acrylics & Oxo Alcohol Project at Gujarat IOCL Refinery, the 600 MW Green Shoe Initiative, PM-KUSUM 475 MW Component C solar feeder for farmers, the 45 MW Badeli Solar PV Project, complete solarization of Dhordo village among others. He will lay the foundation stone of LNG infrastructure, additional renewable energy projects, coastal protection works, highways, and healthcare and urban transport projects, including expansions at Sir T. General Hospital in Bhavnagar, Guru Govind Sinh Government Hospital at Jamnagar, and the four-laning of 70 km of national highways.

Prime Minister Modi will also undertake an aerial survey of the Dholera Special Investment Region (DSIR), envisioned as a greenfield industrial city built around sustainable industrialization, smart infrastructure, and global investment. He will also visit and review the progress of National Maritime Heritage Complex (NHMC), at Lothal, being developed at a cost of around ₹4,500 crore, to celebrate and preserve India’s ancient maritime traditions and serve as a centre for tourism, research, education and skill development.

Rahul Gandhi’s sinister game of power

સૌરભ શાહ
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Rahul Gandhi’s sinister game of power

(Left, Right and Center: Friday, September 19, 2025)

This writer had made two predictions before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. At that time, the media and a section of people firmly said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who secured a landslide victory in 2014, would get not a second term. They even predicted that the Bhartiya Janata Party would lose.

In such an environment, the first prediction I made was that the PM Modi-led BJP would get more than 300 seats. My second prediction was that the question is not whether Modi will win or not. The question is what will the opposition, stunned by the fact that Modi has won a second term, do? They will stir chaos and create a situation of civil war in the country. 

Fortunately, the first prediction came true. 303 seats were obtained. 

And unfortunately, the second prediction also came true. Anarchists staged farmers protests and the infamous Shaheen Bagh protest against the government. 

On one hand, the Modi government is fighting Maoist terrorism to its end and restoring peace in Manipur. On the other, it is bringing prosperity and taking it to the last person in the nation. However, this is not going very well with the Leader of Opposition (LoP), Rahul Gandhi. Perhaps, love for India is not in the Congress prince’s DNA. This child of a foreign mother and a dowdy father is now walking around with a tennis ball in his pocket and declaring that he has a hydrogen bomb. 

Rahul Gandhi says that in 1978, when the Janata Party was in power, two youth Congress goons showed off a toy pistol and a cricket ball and hijacked Indian Airlines flight IC-410, demanding that the Morarji government withdraw the allegations against Grandma Indira and Uncle Sanjay and resign. He also said that he will overthrow the Modi government by showing off the hydrogen bomb. At that time, the Congress had declared that Bholanath Pandey and Devendra Pandey had nothing to do with even squeezing the Congress out of the water. The Congress had lied blatantly. The two Pandey brothers were elected to the Uttar Pradesh assembly on a Congress ticket when Indira Gandhi became the Prime Minister again in 1980. 

After Rahul Gandhi conducted his infamous press conference to peddle his ‘vote chori’ bogey, the capabilities or rather, the incapabilities of his supposed ‘hydrogen bomb’ are evident to the people of this country.  In the last Karnataka election, in 2023, if ‘vote theft’ was committed by the BJP, then how did the Congress win? Rahul Gandhi does not have the answer to the question. Responding to the question that you will go to court with evidence of ‘vote theft’, Rahul Gandhi irresponsibly said that it is not my job.

Then is your job, brother? To incite people? Rahul Gandhi is raising the baseless issue of ‘vote theft’ with the intention that the people of India, would believe his falsehoods and will come out on the streets, enter the Parliament, enter the Prime Minister’s residence and create a situation like Bangladesh and Nepal.

Rahul Gandhi tried to position himself as the messiah of the SC/ST and OBCs by raking up ‘caste X-ray’ demands. However, the Modi government punctured his agenda to sow fissures in the Hindu community and exploit the same for political gains, by announcing that dozens of castes among Muslims will also be counted during the caste census. In addition, the Modi government also announced that the entire country’s voter list will be verified, apart from Bihar. When the opposition opposed the Special Investigative Role (SIR), the Prime Minister said in a loud and resolute voice that no one can break the government’s conviction to remove infiltrators from the voter list. 

Rahul targeted Ambani-Adani and launched a scathing attack on the government of ‘Suit-boot’ (Suit-boot ki Sarkar). The courts have dismissed the allegations levelled by Rahul against the two industrial houses. The last thing that was left was SEBI, which has also given a clean chit to Gautam Adani , closing the Hindenburg chapter for good.

The idea of ​​holding elections using ballot papers instead of EVMs also worked a lot. In 2004 and 2009, elections were held using EVMs and Congress governments were elected. At that time, EVMs were not hacked, but after Modi came to power, scams started happening in EVMs? Is the Election Commission Modi’s toy? During the 2014 elections, the Congress was in power. The Central Election Commission commissioners were chosen by the Congress. Despite this, the Bhartiya Janata Party got 303 seats. If hacking the Election Commission and EVMs is possible, why did the BJP not get a chance to cross four hundred in 2024? Why did it have to be reduced to 240 seats? 

Even the spiteful Sonia’s son Rahul knows that he is making false allegations and the courtly media, which has become accustomed to bashing the Congress, is pushing Rahul’s lies forward through its ecosystem.

As it should be the case with any emerging superpower, the voters in India do have their own set of complaints and expectations with the Modi government, be it for infrastructure development or other such issues. However, people have no other complaints against the Modi government. I have not heard of any country where governments are toppled for bumpy roads or traffic jams.

The 11-year record of the Modi government is bright. The people are happy, perhaps, ecstatic if we compare the socio-economic realities of the NDA era with the UPA I and II era. Now, there is political stability. The riots spread by anti-social elements are under control. Despite taking advantage of all the facilities of the government in some areas, some Muslim voters do not vote for Modi, yet Modi is sticking to Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas, as a result of which many intelligent Muslims of the country have become pro-Modi to live in peace. Overall, the country is functioning well. Whatever petty complaints there may be are negligible. Such petty complaints are bound to remain in your family, among friends, in the buildings of the society as well. Governments will keep changing, but such complaints will continue in one form or another. There are bound to be such shortcomings in the whole world.

Rahul Gandhi understands all this. He also knows that if Modi becomes the Prime Minister again in 2029, Congress will never get power in his lifetime (I pray that Rahul lives for 125 years).

The 2029 elections are not only the last chance for Rahul, not only for Congress, but for the entire opposition. The Bengal elections are also the last chance for Mamata Banerjee.

Rahul Gandhi has more than 1,000 days — to spread chaos in this country, to incite the youth, GenZ, to incite the Dalits, etc. and to bring all these on the streets and make efforts to make the situation go out of control. Neither the Congress nor Rahul Gandhi has any fixed direction, a fixed map or a concrete program based on which they can claim that the country can progress better. Neither do they have a single piece of evidence against the Modi government that the current government is not capable of running the country. 

Rahul is going to gain strength in the next three and a half years. By reaching out to the pliable media, which has a habit of eating the leftovers from the Congress party, he is going to spread such rumours that even the best Modi supporters will waver. Rahul Gandhi wants the Modi government to arrest him; he wants an opponent to attack him. Perhaps, that is why he speaks indecent words. That is why he keeps travelling, ignoring the Z Plus security provided by the government. 

The Modi government understands all this. If Indira Gandhi and Sanjay had not been arrested under the insistence of Home Minister Charan Singh during Morarji Desai’s rule, this pair of vengeful mother and dimwit son would not have been given the status of ‘martyrs’, would not have received the sympathy of the people. But the Congress came back to power by campaigning on the arrest of a widow, the arrest of a bright young man.

Modi does not want to repeat the past. Modi also understands that if the Bharatiya Janata Party loses to Narayan in 2029, the Congress and its allies will come to power and not only destroy the BJP but also the RSS. He will throw all Hindus including Modi in jail and take the Election Commission under his wing and form a non-BJP government in all the states of India. He will create a situation where Article 370 will have to be restored in Kashmir. He will spread such an atmosphere among Modi’s supporters in the country and all over the world that the Modi-era regime was corrupt, hollow, hiding its weaknesses by throwing dust in the eyes of the people. Like Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi will also open the country’s treasury for his corrupt allies by blatantly ignoring the judiciary.

Before the 2029 elections, Rahul Gandhi, along with opposition leaders, will create such a depressing atmosphere that this country has gone down the drain, the Modi government has failed, despite getting three terms, Modi has pushed the country back 50 years, the hopes of the youth have been dashed, the poor have become even poorer, Modi has ruled by dividing Hindus and Muslims, the secular fabric of the country has been torn to shreds, democracy needs to be restored in the country. And Rahul Gandhi will have a hydrogen bomb in his pocket to prove all these allegations. 

Rahul Gandhi is a key part of a global conspiracy to create distrust in Modi among the citizens of India by disrespecting all the constitutional powers of the country – Parliament, the judiciary and everyone running the government system – calling him a liar. All of them are making desperate attempts to fool the people of the country by casting doubt on all of Modi’s achievements, from demonetisation to Operation Sindoor. 

A dangerous game requires recklessness and always yields negative consequences. Only an outright evil person would want to play such a game.

Last ball 

Dil ke armaan aansuon mein beh gaye,

Zindagi ek pyas ban kar reh gayi.

(These lines from Hasan Kamal will be sung by Rahul Gandhi after the 2029 results, that you—you have to decide.)

Translation of Gujarati article published on OpIndia Gujarati

Japanese agency Rating & Investment Information upgrades India’s long-term sovereign credit rating to BBB+, third such upgrade this year

OpIndia Staff
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Japanese agency Rating & Investment Information upgrades India’s long-term sovereign credit rating to BBB+, third such upgrade this year

Japanese credit rating agency, Rating and Investment Information, Inc. (R&I), has upgraded India’s long-term sovereign credit rating to ‘BBB+’ from ‘BBB’. R&I also retained the “Stable” Outlook for the Indian economy.

This is the third such upgrade by a sovereign credit rating agency this year, following S&P’s upgrade to ‘BBB’ from BBB- in August 2025 and Morningstar DBRS’ upgrade to ‘BBB’ (from BBB (low)) in May 2025, reaffirming India’s position as one of the most dynamic and resilient major economies in the world.

Ministry of Finance issued a statement welcoming the decision by Rating and Investment Information to upgrade India’s sovereign credit rating.

As per R&I’s India sovereign rating review published today, the ratings upgrade is supported by India’s position as one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing economies, underpinned by its demographic dividend, robust domestic demand, and sound government policies. R&I in its report recognised the progress in fiscal consolidation by the Government, driven by buoyant tax revenues and rationalisation of subsidies, and manageable level of debt along with high growth.

The report also highlighted India’s strengthened external stability, reflected in modest current account deficit, stable surpluses in services and remittances, low external debt-to-GDP ratio, and sufficient forex cover.

The Japanese rating agency further stated that the risks associated with India’s financial system remain limited. “While the government has been increasing capital expenditures, it has managed to reduce the fiscal deficit thanks to the tax revenue increase backed by the strong domestic demand as well as the cut of subsidies”, the agency noted in its statement.

The recent increase in tariffs by the U.S. was acknowledged as a risk factor by the agency, however, it observed that India’s limited reliance on U.S. exports and its domestic demand-driven growth model will contain the impact.  Further it observed that while the GST rationalisation will result in revenue losses, the negative impact will likely be offset to some extent by the stimulation of private consumption.

The agency also praised the policies of the administration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi aimed mainly at attracting foreign manufacturers to India, developing infrastructure, institutionalizing the legal framework to improve the business environment, reducing the reliance on energy imports and ensuring the economic security.

This is the third credit rating upgrade India has got this year from S&P, Morningstar DBRS and R&I and it reflects the increasing global recognition for India’s robust and resilient macroeconomic fundamentals and prudent fiscal management. It also underscores global confidence in India’s medium-term growth prospects amid prevailing global uncertainties. The Government of India remains committed to building on this momentum through policies that promote inclusive, high-quality growth alongside fiscal prudence and macroeconomic stability.

As Rahul Gandhi repeats allegations of voter list discrepancies against the Election Commission, here is a fact-check of his claims: Ground report by OpIndia

OpIndia Staff
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As Rahul Gandhi repeats allegations of voter list discrepancies against the Election Commission, here is a fact-check of his claims: Ground report by OpIndia

As Rahul Gandhi postponed dropping his much-awaited ‘hydrogen bomb’ on the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the BJP, he came up with another PowerPoint presentation and the same old ‘vote chori‘ allegations to attack the election body and the ruling party.

On 18th September, the forever-young leader of the Congress Party gave a detailed presentation accusing the ECI and the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, of systematically mass-deleting the names of Congress voters in Congress strongholds before the 2023 Karnataka elections. Claiming that he had 100% proof and that this was meant to save the country and the democracy, Gandhi alleged that a large-scale voter fraud was carried out through an orchestrated operation to manipulate electoral rolls.

He cited the example of the Aland assembly constituency in Karnataka, and alleged that an attempt was made to mass-delete the names of voters from the electoral roll in the constituency a year before the 2023 assembly elections in a ‘centralised operation’ using software. He said that 6,018 deletion applications were filed in the names of voters who never submitted them. He alleged that the deletion applications were submitted “fraudulently” by impersonating and using mobile numbers from different states, and specifically targeting Congress supporters. To back his claims, he brought a woman named Babita Choudhary on the stage during the presentation and claimed that her name was among the names deleted from the voter list in Karnataka. Rahul Gandhi further alleged that the state CID sent 18 letters in 18 months to the Election Commission regarding the alleged mass vote deletion attempt but the Election Commission did not take any action.

Rahul Gandhi’s allegations were fact-checked by OpIndia journalists Anurag Mishra and Harsh Vardhan. Here is what they found-

Whether the name of the woman was deleted from the voter list

The OpIndia journalists verified Rahul Gandhi’s allegation of the deletion of the name of Babita Choudhary from the voter list. The falsity of the claims of Gandhi and the woman was exposed with a simple search on the Election Commission’s website. When the OpIndia journalists entered her EPIC number, which flashed during the presentation, on the website, they found that her name was very much there on the voter list.

The Election Commission revised the voter list in Karnataka this year, and the woman’s name was there in the list before the revision as well as after the revision. Subsequently, the OpIndia spoke to the concerned BLO to further verify the allegation. The BLO informed that the woman herself had requested to get her name deleted from the electoral roll, as she had changed her residence and was registered in the voter lists of two constituencies. Therefore, her name was deleted from one of the voter lists and retained in the other list of her choice.

Allegations of mass deletion of the names of Congress voters

Regarding Gandhi’s allegation of the deletion of the names of 6,018 Congress supporters in the Aland assembly constituency, the OpIndia journalists found that the allegation was a flat-out lie. To verify Gandhi’s claims of mass-deletion of voter names using a software, OpIndia talked to two Booth Level Officers (BLO) in the constituency, the current BLO and the previous BLO (who served there in 2023). The BLOs informed the OpIndia that it is not possible to delete the names of voters merely by submitting a deletion application (Form 7). There is a detailed procedure involving cross-checks for the deletion of the names of voters. Whenever the Election Commission receives an application for the deletion of the name of a voter, it kick-starts a multilevel verification process, starting with an on-ground verification by the concerned BLO.

Notably, the Election Commission itself refuted the baseless allegations of Rahul Gandhi, wherein he accused the poll body of not acting on the attempts of mass deletion of voters’ names. The Election Commission clarified that in 2023, some unsuccessful attempts were made using over 5000 mobile numbers in the Aland Assembly Constituency, and that the ECI itself filed an FIR for the investigation of the matter.

The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Karnataka also issued a clarification regarding Gandhi’s allegations of mass vote deletion attempts.

In a statement posted on X, the CEO Karnataka stated that 6,018 Form 7 applications were received during December 2022, out of which only 24 were found to be genuine. The rest of the applications were rejected and no deletions were made based on those. On the instructions of the ECI, the CEO Karnataka submitted all the information to the Superintendent of Police, Kalaburgi, to investigate the rejected applications.

Ironically, while Gandhi alleged the vote deletion attempts were made in the Aland assembly constituency in 2023, in the same year, the Congress Party won the assembly seat with a margin of around 9000 votes after a period of around 30 years. If Gandhi’s allegations of ‘election fraud’ or ‘vote chori’ in the Aland assembly constituency are to be believed, how would he explain his party’s electoral win in the assembly constituency?

LeT commander Ilyas Kashmiri exposes Pakistan’s lies, confirms destruction of Markaz Taiba camp in Muridke during Operation Sindoor

OpIndia Staff
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LeT commander Ilyas Kashmiri exposes Pakistan’s lies, confirms destruction of Markaz Taiba camp in Muridke during Operation Sindoor

Months after India’s precision strikes on nine terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), a viral video of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Qaasim has surfaced, where he admits the massive damage to the Markaz Taiba in Muridke.

The video exposes Islamabad’s denials of the strikes by confirming the destruction of the Markaz Taiba terror camp in Muridke, in Pakistan’s Punjab province.

In the viral video, Qaasim, standing amidst the rubble of the destroyed camp, admitted that the place had trained numerous terrorists, including “Mujahideens and Talaba”, who he claimed went on to achieve “victory” (Faiz), while vowing to rebuild a larger facility there.

“I am standing in front of the Markaz Taiba in Muridke… It was destroyed in the attack [during Operation Sindoor]. We will be rebuilding it and making it even bigger… From here, big names in Mujahideen got trained here and achieved Faiz (victory),” the LeT commander said.

This revelation came days after Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) commander Masood Ilyas Kashmiri, in another viral video, admitted that the strikes on Markaz Subhan Allah at Bahawalpur, JeM’s operation headquarters, during Operation Sindoor had killed the family of JeM Masood Azhar.

Earlier in May, sources told ANI that Mohammad Yusuf Azhar and Hafiz Muhammed Jameel, brothers-in-law of Masood Azhar and Mohammad Hassan Khan, were killed during the strikes. Mohammad Yusuf Azhar, brother-in-law of Maulana Masood Azhar, was wanted for the IC-814 hijacking case. He also used to handle weapons training for JeM and was involved in multiple terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.

The eldest brother-in-law of Maulana Masood Azhar, Hafiz Muhammed Jameel, was another target who was in charge of Markaz Subhan Allah in Pakistan’s Bahawalpur. He was actively involved in the radical indoctrination of youth and fundraising for JeM.

“After sacrificing everything, on May 7, the family members of Masood Azhar were torn into pieces in Bahawalpur Kashmiri said at an event in the viral video, validating India’s assertion that the attack hit key terrorist elements. The LeT commander Qaasim, in another viral clip, also brazenly urged youths to join the Daura-e-Suffa training programme at the site, which includes basic combat training and jihadi indoctrination, further exposing the camp’s purpose.

Markaz Taiba, Muridke, established in the year 2000, is the ‘alma mater’ and the most crucial training centre of LeT in Pakistan. The complex holds arms and physical training facilities, as well as dawa’h and radicalisation for terror entities, both from within Pakistan and abroad. Meanwhile, the Markaz Subhan Allah, Bahawalpur, which has been operational since 2015, is the main centre of JeM for training and indoctrination, serving as the operational headquarters of the organisation. It is associated with terrorist planning by JeM, including the Pulwama attack on February 14, 2019.

The strikes on May 7 under Operation Sindoor targeted these key strongholds of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-eTaiba (LeT), launched in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam Islamic terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed 26 lives.

Delhi HC lambasts Patanjali for appealing against order restraining it from using ‘disparaging’ ads against Dabur Chyawanprash, warns of imposing cost

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi HC lambasts Patanjali for appealing against order restraining it from using ‘disparaging’ ads against Dabur Chyawanprash, warns of imposing cost

The Delhi High Court on Friday warned that costs will be imposed on Patanjali if an appeal filed by against a single judge order is found to be useless. The court made the comments while admitting the Patanjali’s appeal challenging an order restraining it from running advertisements attacking rival Dabur’s Chyawanprash .

The appeal is being heard by a bench of Justice C Hari Shankar and Justice Om Prakash Shukla. While taking up the case, the bench said that there was no reason why it should sit in appeal over the single judge order which is discretionary in nature. The court then told Patanjali’s counsel that if the Court finds that the appeal is a luxury litigation and useless, then costs will be imposed on Patanjali Ayurved.

Patanjali has challenged a July 3 order by Delhi High Court from running allegedly disparaging advertisements against Dabur Chyawanprash. Dabur had moved the court alleging that Patanjali Ayurved was running advertisements disparaging its Chyawanprash product. 

In the ad, Baba Ramdev says, “Jinko Ayurved aur Ved ka gyaan nahi, Charak, Sushrut, Dhanwantari aur Chyawanrishi ke parampara mein ‘original’ Chyawanprash kaise bana payenge?”

The ad urges customers to use its Chyawanprash made of 51 herbs instead ‘ordinary Chyawanprash’ containing 40 herbs. The ad further claims that its rival Chyawanprash is harmful for children.

The court today noted that by using the term 40 herbs, the Patanjali ad was clearing targeting Dabur’s Chyawanprash. The bench said, “You have said, ‘Why settle for ordinary chyawanprash made with 40 herbs?’ So, when you have used the word 40 herbs, it is an obvious reference to the respondent.”

The bench added that the single judge has treated the advertisement as disparaging, and there is no reason why the division bench should sit over the discretionary order in this regard.

The bench further said, “You have painted in black everyone else who is making chyawanprash, that they don’t know what chyawanprash is and how it is made, so how will they make chyawanprash. This is a generic disparagement case. The interim order is purely discretionary. Why should we interfere with this interim order? Tell us.”

The bench then said, “If we find now that it is a useless appeal, we will impose costs. If we find it is a luxury litigation, we will impose a cost. We have made our minds clear to you. Where is your irreparable loss? We are not going to allow ‘aaltu faaltu’ appeals for everything. It is not that this order is going to hurt you. You have lots of money, so you can file an appeal in every case”.

On this, Patanjali’s lawyer urged the court to grant him time discuss the matter with his client, and the court listed the matter for next hearing on 23 September.

USTM owned by Mahbubul Hoque that caused flash floods in Guwahati is illegally built on forest land, SC’s probe finds: Read why Assam CM called it ‘flood Jihad’

Sanghamitra
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USTM owned by Mahbubul Hoque that caused flash floods in Guwahati is illegally built on forest land, SC’s probe finds: Read why Assam CM called it ‘flood Jihad’

On August 5, 2024 flash floods struck the city of Guwahati, the capital of Assam. Following heavy rainfalls, a deluge from surrounding hilly areas hit low lying areas like Jorabat and Maligaon, disrupting traffic, submerging roads, and causing heavy damage.

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma had named and blamed the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM), accusing them of ‘flood Jihad’ against the city of Guwahati. There was outrage then against the CM’s statement. USTM chancellor Mahbubul Hoque claimed his institution was legal and had all the permissions needed from the Meghalaya government. He also blamed Guwahati’s poor drainage system for the flash floods.

But now, a year later, an investigation by the Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) has found serious flaws and deliberate irregularities in the planning and construction of the USTM campus, including blatant and large-scale land encroachment combined with environmental devastation that was one of the major reasons behind the flash floods in Guwahati’s low-lying areas.

The University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM), a private institution established in 2008 by the Education Research and Development Foundation and located in the 9th Mile area of Ri-Bhoi district in Meghalaya, has long been at the centre of a transboundary environmental dispute, with Assam repeatedly raising concerns over blatant forest destruction and hill cutting by the USTM authorities.

USTM is situated just across the Assam-Meghalaya border near Jorabat, which is an entry point to Guwahati. A resident of Assam had filed a case in the Supreme Court highlighting environmental degradation in Meghalaya’s Ri-Bhoi and East Khasi Hills districts and its downstream impact on Assam. In May 2025, the Assam govt under Sarma requested the SC’s CEC to monitor and probe the environmental damage caused by the USTM.

What the CEC probe into USTM found

USTM’s campus spans over 100 acres on hilly terrain, with expansions including academic buildings, a medical college (PA Sangma Memorial Medical College), and infrastructure like a large auditorium.

As per reports, since 2011, the university flattened at least 5 hills to create level ground for construction, primarily cutting slopes facing toward Guwahati rather than inward toward Meghalaya.

Rampant excavation of natural barriers like hills that previously slowed rainwater runoff created steep, unstable gradients, allowing monsoon water to channel directly downslope into the Umkhrah and Basistha rivers, which flow into Guwahati. The protection that the heavily forested hills provided to low lying areas were removed. 

Rampant deforestation and excavation also loosened the soil and caused massive erosion, creating situations for heavy silting of rivers and landslides in the area. Moreover, the land on which these excavations and hill cuttings were carried was on a “deemed forest” area under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, where natural runoff regulation is critical.

The CEC notes that not just CM Sarma, but former CM Tarun Gogoi had also highlighted the Jorabat area as a chronic flood source and raised the cross-border deforestration issue multiple times. 

Rampant irregularities and environmental damage caused by USTM 

The CEC probe highlights that the USTM encroached on 25 hectares of deemed forest land without Forest Conservation Act clearance. Of the 15.71 hectares constructed, 13.62 hectares (87%) is forest land. Of the 12.13 hectares earmarked for the PA Sangma Memorial Medical College, around 7.64 hectares (63%) have been broken up. The remaining parcel was still identified as forest land as recently as 2021, it has also been encroached by the USTM violating the 1973 Meghalaya Forest Regulation.

The CEC also noted that there has been “massive and indiscriminate” tree felling and site disturbance since 2017. No compensatory afforestation, despite Union Environment Ministry directives, has been made by the USTM authorities. 

A staggering 93% of the university is on damaged, broken, blatantly exploited and excavated forest land, an unmitigated environmental disaster. 

The CEC also found extensive earth-cutting on slopes facing Assam, creating artificial channels for water flow. No environmental impact assessment (EIA) was ever submitted before destroying the hills covered with trees.

Additionally, to worsen the matters, as if the USTM’s forest destruction was not enough, rampant illegal mining has been happening in the Ri-Bhoi district. Overall, CEC has found that deforestation and hill cutting across 100+ hectares in the watershed amplified and worsened the 2024 floods in Guwahati, turning even 7 km distance areas into submerged zones.

CEC imposes heavy penalties on USTM

The CEC has imposed a cumulative fine of ₹150.35 crore on USTM, calculated for forest diversion, tree-cutting charges, environmental compensation, and restoration costs, backdated to 2017, based on violation timelines.

The CEC has also ordered full restoration of the 25 hectare site to natural forest within one year, including removal of all illegal structures. Compensatory afforestation on equivalent non-forest land has also been ordered.

The CEC has recommended an immediate suspension of all mining, quarrying, and crushing in Ri-Bhoi district until a comprehensive review has been done.

The Supreme Court will hear the matter soon. 

Assam CM Sarma has long been highlighting the illegal activities undertaken by the USTM and its founder Mahbubul Hoque.

Mahbubul Hoque, the Chancellor of the University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya (USTM), was arrested by Assam Police on February 22, 2025, from his residence in Guwahati in connection with alleged irregularities and malpractices during Class XII CBSE physics examinations conducted at an exam centre in Sribhumi district. Congress and other ‘Liberal’ lobbies had condemned the arrest and called it targeted harassment. He was later granted bail. 

US authorities close investigation against BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham after finding no merit in caste discrimination and forced labour allegations: Here’s what happened

Shraddha Pandey
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US authorities close investigation against BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham after finding no merit in caste discrimination and forced labour allegations: Here’s what happened

On Thursday (18th September), the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan (BAPS) informed that the United States Department of Justice and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey has closed their investigation of BAPS and the creation of BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham.

Swami Brahmaviharidas, head of the BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi, welcomed this decision by the US authorities and said that the allegations levelled against BAPS were false and that now their faith in justice is restored.

Swami Brahmaviharidas said some people with “vested interest” had levied the false accusations and added that this decision restores faith in justice. “Satyamev Jayate! We build a temple with love, faith, devotion and a spirit of volunteerism… Some people with little vested interest file false accusations regarding when the temple was built, craftsmanship,” Swami Brahmaviharidas said.

“The US government carried out an investigation into the temple for 4 years and finally closed it, saying no charges were ever filed and no charges were ever true. This restores faith in justice,” he added.

Earlier, BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha in the United States welcomed the decision.

“The United States Government’s decision to end this investigation sends a clear and powerful message in support of what our organization has maintained from the outset: that BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham–a place of peace, service, and devotion–was built through the love, dedication, and volunteer service of thousands of devotees from all walks of life”, an official statement by BAPS Sanstha noted on Thursday.

“The United States Government’s decision to end this investigation sends a clear and powerful message in support of what our organization has maintained from the outset: that BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham–a place of peace, service, and devotion–was built through the love, dedication, and volunteer service of thousands of devotees from all walks of life”, the statement said.

BAPS noted in the official statement how its spiritual teachings have long emphasised that in the face of adversity, one must maintain faith and respond with cooperation, humility, and a commitment to truth and understanding.

“As our scriptures have guided us for thousands of years, “Satyameva Jayate” or “truth will always prevail.” “This period has been challenging for our fellowship, but with the grace of Bhagwan Swaminarayan and the blessings of our spiritual leader, Mahant Swami Maharaj, we emerge with renewed strength and deepened faith–in God and in the enduring spirit of this nation,” it said.  

Allegations of human trafficking against BAPS temple

In May 2021, a group of Indian artisans in the US filed a lawsuit alleging human trafficking and forced labour and claimed they were confined and forced to work for as low as USD 1 on the construction of the Swaminarayan temple in New Jersey’s Robbinsville. BAPS was accused of luring labourers from India to work on temples near Atlanta, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles, along with New Jersey, while paying only USD 450 a month.

Back then, BAPS denied the claims and said worship through seva is an integral part of Bhakti in the sect, and volunteers from around the world contribute to the same. The volunteers who take part in such construction activities of the temple regularly interact with people who come to visit. The Hindu organisation had also said the volunteers were regularly in touch with their family members back home.

It must be recalled that the BAPS Temple in New Jersey was also targeted by left liberal newspaper The New York Times. In a propaganda piece published in October 2023, NYT claimed, “Federal law enforcement agents raided the temple construction site in 2021 after workers accused the builders, a prominent Hindu sect with ties to Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and his ruling party, of forced labour, low wages and poor working conditions.”

“Their lawyers said workers who were Dalit, the lowest rung in India’s caste system, were specifically targeted. A federal criminal investigation is ongoing, as is a wage claim lawsuit,” the leftist newspaper further alleged.

This came even as it had been 2 years since the raid on the construction site of Akshardham Mahamandir in 2021 and no charges could be established.

The timing of the caste discrimination allegations against BAPS came at a time when, caste propaganda and villainization of Brahmins was at peak in the US. The Anti-Hindu lobby in the US was spearheading this sinister campaign to push caste discrimination narrative. Many universities even  added caste to its non-discrimination policy. In 2023, California State Senate in the US passed legislation (SB-403) that banned caste-based discrimination in the State, although it later vetoed.

Just as it has happened in the BAPS New Jersey case, the 2019 CISCO caste discrimination case also was dismissed after no wrongdoing was found.

In July 2023, over a dozen artisans, who were part of a lawsuit against BAPS temple in New Jersey, withdrew their names from the case. At that time, Rajasthan High Court Advocate Aaditya SB Soni issued a press release on behalf of the artisans under the banner of Bharatiya Majdoor Sangh and Patthar Gadhai Sangh stating the artisans were threatened to be part of the deep-rooted conspiracy to stall the construction of the grand Hindu Temple.

The volunteer stone carving artisans stated that they were made accomplices in the conspiracy but have rebelled against it. They have decided to withdraw from the civil complaint filed in an American court against the Hindu temple. “These artisans have made strong claims that Swati Sawant and her companions impressed upon them and misled them, using false temptations, to make a complaint against the temple management,” the press release read.

Uttar Pradesh: Yogi Adityanath to launch projects worth ₹5 lakh crores, directs regular monitoring of each investment and timely action

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Yogi Adityanath to launch projects worth ₹5 lakh crores, directs regular monitoring of each investment and timely action

Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, will launch projects worth ₹5 lakh crores in November this year. The private investment projects will be unveiled on the occasion of the 5th Ground-breaking Ceremony (GBC).

It must be mentioned that projects worth ₹15 lakh crores have been implemented in the past 8.5 years during the course of the last 4 GBCs. It has created jobs for a whopping 60 lakh people.

While chairing a meeting of the Industrial Development Department, Yogi Adityanath directed regular monitoring of every investment proposal and timely action.

He highlighted that the land for private industrial units should be acquired with the consensus of the local population.

“Everyone has an emotional bond with their land; it is their lifelong capital. If land has to be acquired in the interest of the state, they must receive fair compensation. There should not be a single complaint of exploitation. With dialogue and coordination, this task can be easily achieved,” Yogi Adityanath stated.

“All industrial development authorities should consider increasing the current compensation rates for land acquisition as per the needs of their region. This is the need of the hour and in the farmers’ best interest,” he further added.

Yogi Adityanath also pointed out that land allotments to industries will be cancelled if they remain under-utilised for a period of 3 years. Such lands will then be re-allocated to other investors.

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