On 31st October (Tuesday), Pakistani Hindu cricketer Danish Kaneria took to X to raise concerns about Hindu minorities living in a “religious war zone”, Sindh. Sharing the plight of Sindhi Hindus, he urged everyone to come out and support the Hindu Kachhi community. They had lived in the village, which has now been plundered, for over four decades but are now facing threats and have been forcibly rendered homeless.
Taking to X, Kaneria said, “Hindu minorities are living in a religious war zone in Sindh. Each day, Hindus witness a new way of persecution and are left helpless. It’s time we must stand with the Hindu Kachhi community and demand justice.”
Hindu minorities are living in a religious war zone in Sindh. Each day, Hindus witness a new way of persecution and are left helpless. It's time we must stand with the Hindu Kachhi community and demand justice. https://t.co/047XGp86hC
He made these remarks while responding to a media report highlighting that a Muslim landlord in Sindh has ravaged properties of Hindu minorities. According to the report, Islamists have even set fire to entire villages of the Hindu community rendering them homeless. The media report also included the ordeals of the local Hindu community while plundered properties can be seen in the backdrop.
Muslim landlord demolishes houses, Hindu temple, and sets fire to entire Hindu village in Sindh, Pakistan. The Hindu Kachhi community, who had lived there for 40 years, has been left homeless and threatened. https://t.co/nxoja5xqRGpic.twitter.com/OMTc1hQtHK
Kaneria has been raising his voice in Pakistan against the constant persecution of Hindu minorities in Pakistan.
Recently, on 25th October, former Pakistani cricketer Kaneria gave an interview to the TV news channel Aaj Tak in which he shared his ordeal as a Hindu cricketer in the Pakistani team. In this interview with journalist Sudhir Chaudhary, he accused Pakistani cricketers of religious discrimination against him and of attempts to convert him to Islam. He asserted that for him nothing is above Sanatan Dharma.
Unabated atrocities on Hindu communities in Sindh, Pakistan
In the long list of attacks on Hindu temples, two Hindu temples were attacked and desecrated in Pakistan’s Sindh province within a span of just 24 hours, in July, this year. According to media reports, on 16th July, a gang of dacoits attacked a Hindu temple with rocket launchers in Sindh’s Kashmore region.
Additionally, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan had noted that around 30 Hindus including women and children, were allegedly held hostage by organised criminal gangs.
In another attack, the old Mari Mata Mandir, an over 150-year-old Hindu temple was demolished in Karachi’s Soldier Bazaar on the night of 16th July using diggers and bulldozers, reported Dawn.
Terrifying reports of atrocities, discrimination, abduction, and forceful conversion of minor Hindu girls have regularly come to the fore from Pakistan, particularly from the Sindh region. However, a recent report (May 2023) revealed that in the past twelve years, around fourteen thousand cases of abduction, gang rape, and religious conversion of Hindu girls have been reported in the region with many more going unreported.
In a video message Veerji Loond, a resident of Sindh and retired doctor from Liaquat University of Medical Sciences made these revelations. In the video, he also appealed to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to open the Indo-Pak border. He urged the Indian government to grant visas to Pakistani Hindus who were willing to come to India to escape persecution at the hands of Islamists in Pakistan.
Additionally, a recent Human Rights Observer 2023 fact sheet revealed that in the year 2022, as many as 124 women belonging to minority communities were forcefully converted to Islam in the Islamic country. Out of this, 81 were Hindu, 42 were Christian and one was Sikh.
(Infographic via Centre for Social Justice website)
Further, the fact sheet revealed that 23 per cent of girls were below 14 years of age, 36 per cent of them were between the age of 14 and 18 years, and only 12 per cent of the victims were adults, while the age of 28 per cent of the victims was not reported.
Sindh has been the most dreadful region for forced conversion of Hindus particularly girls as in 2022, 65% of cases of forced religious conversion were reported in Sindh, 33% in Punjab, and 0.8% in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, respectively.
On Tuesday, (31st October), Muslim Americans and prominent Democratic Party organisers pressed for a ceasefire in Gaza amid the ongoing Israel-Palestine tensions after Hamas attacked the Jewish state on 7th October. They declared that millions of Muslim voters would abstain from contributing to and voting in favour of President Joe Biden in the 2024 reelection if he does not act quickly to secure a ceasefire in Gaza.
The National Muslim Democratic Council urged Biden to use his connections with Israel to mediate a ceasefire by Tuesday at 5 p.m. The council is made up of Democratic Party officials from closely disputed states including Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania that are likely to vote in the election.
Muslim leaders signed an open letter titled “2023 Ceasefire Ultimatum,” pledging to organise Muslim voters to “withhold endorsement, support, or votes for any candidate who endorses the Israeli offensive against the Palestinian people.”
“Your administration’s unconditional support, encompassing funding and armaments, has played a significant role in perpetuating the violence that is causing civilian casualties and has eroded trust in voters who previously put their faith in you,” the council wrote.
The organisation’s founding co-chairs are former U.S. Representative Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress and the attorney general of Minnesota, and Representative Andre Carson of Indiana.
The letter is the most recent example of the growing resentment and indignation in Arab and Muslim American communities over Biden’s unwillingness to denounce Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip. Israel counter-attacked Gaza following an attack on October 7 by Hamas terrorists from Gaza that claimed 1,400 lives and kidnapped 239 captives.
On Monday (30th October), medical authorities in Gaza announced that Israel’s three-week-long air and ground assault had claimed 8,306 lives, 3,457 of them were youngsters.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, declared on Monday (30th October) that he would not consent to an end to the attacks on Gaza. According to John Kirby, the national security spokesperson for the United States, “Hamas is the only one that would gain from that right now.”
Representative Rashida Tlaib, a Palestinian American politician from Minnesota, criticized Joe Biden for his backing of “Israel’s genocidal campaign in Palestine” and concluded with the words “Don’t count on our vote in 2024.”
The Sacramento Valley Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) executive director, Basim Elkarra, noted that Michigan’s 16 electoral votes were won by a close margin and suggested that Muslim votes could be critical for Biden in his 2024 bid for a second term.
A similar cease-fire ultimatum was given by Muslim Americans in Minnesota last week, with a deadline of noon on Tuesday. Biden is scheduled to visit the state on Wednesday (1st November). They said they planned a protest on Wednesday when the president visits their state.
The Biden reelection campaign did not respond right away. A White House official stated that Biden convened a meeting with a few Muslim leaders last week and that administration representatives are still meeting with members of the Arab and Muslim communities who are unhappy with Biden’s handling of the situation.
Despite identifying as a Zionist, Biden has nominated more Muslims and Arab Americans to political positions than any other president, including the first two Muslim federal judges.
Muslim American leaders in other hotly contested states that are critical to Biden’s 2024 reelection will make similar demands, according to Jaylani Hussein, executive director of CAIR in Minnesota. “We expect Wisconsin, Ohio, and other states to do the same this week,” Hussein said.
Hussein declared that unless Biden called for an end to the fighting, he would be forced to vote against him in 2024. He declared that he was not speaking for CAIR, but rather for himself.
According to Hussein, roughly 70% of Muslim Americans supported Biden in 2020.
Muslim Americans in the state are demanding an immediate ceasefire, according to Ahmet Tekelioglu, executive director of CAIR in Philadelphia, but he is not aware of any plans to establish a deadline.
Senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot on October 31, Tuesday filed his nomination for the upcoming state polls from the Tonk assembly constituency. The poll affidavit of the Congress leader revealed that after over 20 years of marriage, Sara Abdullah and Congress leader Sachin Pilot have parted ways.
Sachin Pilot files nomination from Tonk, reveals divorce in affidavit!
This is the first time that Sachin Pilot has disclosed his separation from Sara Abdullah who is the daughter of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah. pic.twitter.com/A8h2nh1ZsS
This came to the fore after Pilot, in his electoral affidavit for the upcoming Rajasthan polls wrote ‘divorced’ in the column seeking the spouse’s data. In his affidavit, Pilot also mentioned that both his sons are his dependents.
Source: Patrika
This is the first time that the Congress leader has openly declared his split from Sara Abdullah.
Sachin Pilot and Sara Abdullah Pilot got married in 2004. Sara Abdullah is the daughter of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) chief and the sister of former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah. Sachin Pilot and Sara Abdullah have two sons, Aaran and Vehaan.
The duo had met each other while pursuing higher education at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. After dating each other, the two decided to tie the knot in 2004 despite constant objections from Sara’s side of the family.
Sara Abdullah had a rough time convincing her family to marry ‘Hindu’ boy Sachin Pilot
Sara’s father Farooq Abdullah, brother Omar Abdullah and the rest of the clan boycotted their private Delhi wedding in 2004, because of inter-religious politics. Incidentally, Omar Abdullah himself married a Sikh girl; but objected to his sister marrying a Hindu boy.
Concerned with the possibility of facing the wrath of the community on the issue of a Muslim girl marrying a Hindu boy, Sara’s family opposed their marriage. Abdullah’s party members issued a statement stating that “only Muslim men can marry outside their religion but a Muslim girl can only marry a Muslim.”
It was reported how a campaign on Sara marrying a ‘kafir’ begun in the Kashmir valley. There were speculations then that the family had disowned their daughter for being hellbent on marrying a Hindu boy. No member of either family had come forward to speak to media persons then.
Sara Pilot had once opened up about the rough times on Simi Gariwal’s chat show.
Wealth doubled in 5 years: Poll affidavit of Congress leader Sachin Pilot reveals
Meanwhile, the election affidavit also revealed that Sachin Pilot’s wealth has almost doubled in five years. While in the affidavit of 2018, Sachin had declared his assets as Rs 3.8 crores, this year i.e. in 2023, it has increased to around Rs 7.5 crores.
Source: India Today
The Rajasthan Assembly election will be held on November 25. The results will be announced on December 3.
On 30th October, Lashkar-e-Taiba-affiliated terror outfit The Resistance Front (TRF) took responsibility for the murder of migrant worker Mukesh from Uttar Pradesh and the attack on Inspector Masroor Ahmed Wani in Srinagar.
The attack on the police official took place on 29th October when he was playing cricket at Eidgah ground. On the other hand, the attack on the migrant labourer took place on 30th October when he went out to buy vegetables. Mukesh was a poor labourer who worked in a brick kiln. Journalist Aditya Raj Kaul shared screenshots of the statement released by TRF.
#BREAKING: Pakistani terror group Lashkar E Tayyiba’s TRF claims responsibility for attacking Srinagar SHO Masroor yesterday and today killing Hindu Migrant labourer Mukesh Kumar in Pulwama. Pakistan continues to target Kashmiris and innocent civilians in Kashmir valley. pic.twitter.com/3EJhdjQjz5
Notably, the language used by TRF is strikingly similar to the Palestinian terrorist organisation Hamas, which initiated the largest terror attack on Israel on 7th October, killing 1,300 Israelis and foreign nationals and abducting over 200.
In its statement, TRF accused Masroor Ahmad Wani of being an agent of the Indian government. The terrorist organisation accused Mukesh of helping the Indian government in strengthening its grip on Kashmir. The terror outfit claimed that the people who come to Kashmir to work as labourers help the Indian government to increase its control of the region.
Furthermore, the terrorist organisation asserted that it would not allow such actions to continue, and it would deal with those who support the government trying to establish control over Jammu and Kashmir.
Striking similarities between TRF and Hamas language
It is noteworthy that the language used in the note by the terrorist organisation TRF has striking similarities to the language used by Hamas. Similar to TRF, Hamas depicts Israel as an “unlawful occupier” and justifies the murders of Israeli citizens. Furthermore, the supporters of Hamas terrorists (Islamic extremists and leftists) also use similar language against Israel.
These individuals and organisations who support Hamas often label the killing of Jews as permissible and depict Hamas as a “force fighting for freedom”. Not to forget, the Indian National Congress (INC) ally, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), also regards Hamas as a resistance force rather than a terrorist organisation.
Here are some examples of the language used by Hamas supporters. So-called journalist Sameera Khan said in a post on X, “Israel is the occupier. Palestine is occupied. No ifs, ands, or buts.”
In his address, Turkey’s President Erdogan called Israel an occupier and claimed Israel would be declared a war criminal.
Deputy General Sec, Muslim Council of Britain Mohammed Kozbar, who is an advisor for for UK’s Crown Prosecution Services (CPS) “scrutiny panel” on hate crimes, had praised Hamas’s founder as “the master of the martyrs of the resistance.” He had blamed Hindus for the Leicester violence in the past.
Meet Mohammed Kozbar, Deputy General Sec,Muslim Council of Britain. He is an advisor for UK's Crown Prosecution Services (CPS) "scrutiny panel" on hate crimes. He praised Hamas's founder as "the master of the martyrs of the resistance." MCB blamed Hindus for #Leicester violence. pic.twitter.com/ceyPB33CUi
— Stop Hindu Hate Advocacy Network (SHHAN) (@HinduHate) October 31, 2023
Hamas has argued that the murder of innocent Israelis and foreign nationals during the 7th October Terrorist Attack was justifiable as it was part of their struggle against the “occupation of Palestine” by the Israeli forces.
On a similar note, TRF, which is located thousands of kilometres away from Israel and Palestine, is using the same rhetoric to justify the murder of a poor labourer who went from Uttar Pradesh to Kashmir to earn a livelihood. These migrant labourers are helping to rebuild Kashmir, but terrorist organisations like TRF do not want to see the valley progress like the rest of the country is progressing and developing.
On 28th October, the “five Palestinian groups” that Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command (PFLP-GC) and Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) issued a joint statement. These terrorist organisations, who called themselves “Palestinian powers”, emphasised that they were committed to escalating all forms of resistance against Israel that they described as the “Zionist enemy.”
They expressed solidarity with the people of Gaza, who they believe are facing an organised campaign of “extermination”. They pledged to continue the path of “resistance” until victory is achieved over Israel. The statement called for unity among Palestinians and urged support from the Islamic and Arab world. They condemned the United States for its role in the conflict and demanded the opening of the Rafah crossing.
Now, the last paragraph of the statement issued by TRF read, “The Occupier Regime and its stooges/collaborators will be dealt with an iron fist. This fire will even engulf the whole Occupier Indian states.” There is a similarity between fighting the so-called “occupier”, which in the case of Hamas is Israel, and in the case of Kashmir is India in the eyes of the terrorists.
Terror attacks by TRF
TRF, or The Resistance Front, has been actively initiating terror attacks in Kashmir. In September 2023, the terror outfit took responsibility for the Anantnag attack in which Colonel Manpreet Singh and Major Ashish Dhonak of the Indian Army and Deputy Superintendent of Jammu and Kashmir Police Humayun Bhat were martyred. The organisation claimed the attack was to take revenge for the killing of the terrorist Riyaz Ahmad alias Abu Qasim by unidentified gunmen inside the Al-Qudus mosque in Rawalkot of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Recently, there have been increasing attacks on non-Muslim labourers working in Kashmir. In July 2023, three labourers from Bihar were killed in Kashmir. In October 2022, two labourers from Uttar Pradesh who had gone to Kashmir were also killed.
In October 2021, TRF took responsibility for killing two non-Muslim teachers in Srinagar school. They accused the teachers of asking students to attend Independence Day celebrations.
On 31st October (Tuesday), French counter-terrorism police shot and seriously wounded a woman, wearing an Islamic veil, who had ‘threatened to blow herself up‘ at a busy train station in Paris, police said.
The police sources said that as per witnesses, the woman was completely veiled and shouting “Allahu akbar” while she “made threats” to blow herself up. The sources added that “police fired because they feared for their safety”.
“According to police, she made threats and advocated terrorism,” Daily Mail reported citing sources.
According to the sources, passengers on a suburban train alerted the police after which police personnel intervened at the Bibliotheque Francois Mitterrand station which is on the south bank of Paris. After evacuating the station, the officers managed to “isolate” the woman at the train station.
The office of the Paris Prosecutor stated that the woman “refused to follow police orders” and threatened “to blow herself up”. It added that a police officer then fired a single shot, inflicting a life-threatening injury to her abdomen. According to a BBC report, she is said to be critical but stable after being shot in the abdomen.
However, the police sources added that no explosives or other arms were found on the woman. Consequently, the Police have launched two investigations, prosecutors said.
According to them, one investigation will probe the woman’s actions, while another will investigate whether the use of a firearm by the police officials was justified.
The incident comes at a time when France has been placed on the highest possible level of security alert since 13th October. Back then, a man later identified as Mohammed Moguchkov killed Dominique Bernard. As per media reports, Bernard was a literature teacher and he was killed outside the Gambetta-Carnot school in Arras.
Screaming ‘Allahu Akbar’ during the attack, Moguchkov also went on to injure three other members of the teaching staff. The fatal knife attack took place on ‘Global Day of Jihad’ which was called by Hamas terrorists on the first Friday since the 7th October terror attack on Israel.
After arresting Moguchkov, French authorities initiated an anti-terrorist investigation into the case as the French government described it as an “Islamist terror attack”.
Despite heightened security, French authorities had been forced, on multiple occasions, to evacuate dozens of airports, train stations, and tourist sites in recent weeks in the wake of bomb threats.
Additionally, BBC pointed out that there has been a surge of anti-Semitic incidents in the Paris region in recent days. Buildings in various areas of Paris and its suburbs have been defaced with Stars of David, a symbol associated with Judaism.
In the northern suburb of Saint-Ouen, these symbols were discovered on a resident’s home, prompting Mayor Karim Bouamrane to demand that the culprits responsible for the “anti-Semitic and racist” graffiti be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
On the night of 30-31 October, approximately 60 more Stars of David were spray-painted onto multiple buildings in the 14th arrondissement of Paris.
Emmanuel Grégoire, deputy to Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, confirmed that the stars would be removed, and an investigation into the matter would be initiated. Gregoire said, “Antisemitism continues to kill. We will never give up the fight.”
On Tuesday, 31st October, Republican candidate for president of the United States, Vivek Ramaswamy took to X to share his views about the transgender movement and the politics around gender identity, which has caused chaos in many Western countries and is currently gaining traction in India.
“Gay movement: the sex you’re attracted to is hardwired at birth, even though there’s no gay gene. Trans movement: your sex is entirely fluid, even though there is a definitive sex chromosome. LGBT movement: you must believe both of those things at once, or else you’re a bigot,” Ramaswamy posted sharing his views around the hype on the pride movement.
Gay movement: the sex you’re attracted to is hardwired at birth, even though there’s no gay gene.
Trans movement: your sex is entirely fluid, even though there is a definitive sex chromosome.
LGBT movement: you must believe both of those things at once, or else you’re a bigot.
Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican candidate for president of the United States exposed the contradictions in the convoluted concepts that LGBTQ activists support while criticising the hypocrisy of the LGBTQ rights movement. He clarified how, despite the lack of a gay gene, this movement assumes that sexual orientation is intrinsic from birth. Likewise, these LGBTQ+ advocates contend that although there is a specific sex chromosome, sex is completely fluid throughout your life.
He went on to say that anybody who voices criticism of this movement is promptly suppressed and labelled a bigot.
Notably, Vivek Ramaswamy has previously criticized the LGBTQ movement, which is rapidly gaining traction across the globe. In a post published in June, he called the trans community a “cult” and stated that “transgenderism is most often a mental health disorder & should be treated accordingly.” He clarified further that, contrary to what leftists think, he is not a “transphobic,” but he strongly believes these so-called LBBTQ proponents shouldn’t impose their ideas on other people.
I’m an unapologetic American nationalist & my top objective as U.S. President is to revive civic pride in America.
Earlier today on @ThisWeekABC, I said that as U.S. President I would not implement a categorical ban on trans people in the military (though I do support a…
He echoed similar views during an appearance on NBC’s Meet The Press held in May this year. Asserting how the LGBTQ+ movement is devoid of any logic, Ramaswamy said, “Here’s my deal with this LGBTQIA+, especially the trans cult. Dress how you want, behave how you want as an adult, live your life freely, but leave our kids alone and do not demand that we change our language or the way we live our lives. We can all live peaceably that way.”
“In the name of rights, what they’ve actually done is created a new culture of oppression in the opposite direction, imposing that on kids,” Ramaswamy added.
The Republican candidate for president of the United States further went on to defend his belief that gender is not fluid and that there are only two genders, male and female.
Republican candidate for president of the United States Vivek Ramaswamy
For the uninitiated, Vivek Ramaswamy is an Indian American billionaire campaigning for the US President. Currently, Ramaswamy stands out as the youngest major Republican presidential contender. He hails from Ohio and holds a biology degree from Harvard University and a Yale Law School diploma.
In his speeches, he has taken an anti-war, anti-immigrant, anti-wokeism, and delinking Russia-China alliance stance.
Ramaswamy has created a storm in US political circles. Within a short span, his popularity has swelled considerably, and is now at a joint second position in the race of Republican Presidential candidates, as revealed by recent polls.
In August a new National poll revealed that he is at a tied-second spot with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in the GOP primary contest. Both of them garnered the support of 10 per cent of the votes polled in the survey. However, both leaders are trailing significantly behind former US President Donald Trump. As per the survey, Trump has been maintaining an unassailable voter margin of 46 per cent.
Recently, he gained an influential supporter in the form of Elon Musk who hailed him as a “very promising candidate.”
A Palestine supporter in the United Kingdom threw a box full of painted rats inside a McDonald’s allegedly because the chain supports Israel amid the ongoing war against Hamas. The shocking video clip, captioned ‘enjoy your rat burgers’, begins with a man holding onto fake number plates that read ‘PAIISTN’ and ‘Free Palestine’ as he arrives in his car. He can be seen stopping outside a McDonald’s joint in Birmingham.
This Hamas-loving rat purchased mice and threw them in McDonald’s to Free Palestine.
In the video, he is then observed with boxes containing rats, each of them painted with the colours of the Palestinian flag. Furthermore, he is wearing what appears to be a Palestinian flag on his head as he enters McDonald’s.
He then proceeds forward and shows a group of young teenagers the box filled with rodents, before emptying it on the floor creating chaos and panic among the customers. According to media reports, the pro-Palestine man also raised anti-Israel and anti-semitic slogans, “F**k Israel” along with chanting “Free f**king Palestine”.
At the end of the viral video, he can be heard giving calls to boycott McDonald’s, Starbucks, and Disney as they have allegedly supported Israel amidst ongoing war in the region.
A spokesperson for McDonald’s confirmed the incident and noted that ‘a number of mice’ were released inside the restaurant. The spokesperson added that they have sanitised the area through pest control.
Speaking to a British news outlet LBC, the spokesperson for McDonald’s said, “We are aware of an incident in our Birmingham Star City restaurant this evening where a number of mice were released by a member of the public. Following the removal of the mice, the restaurant has been fully sanitised and our pest control partners have been called out to conduct a full inspection.”
Earlier this month, fast-food chain McDonald’s outlets in Israel faced online protests and calls to boycott it after it announced that it would provide free meals to Israeli soldiers amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Media reports suggest that the pro-Palestinian man’s bizarre act of letting mice loose in Birmingham McDonald’s was linked to the chains’ alleged support for the Israeli military.
Later on 18th October, Pro-Palestinian protesters reportedly attacked a McDonald’s restaurant in Istanbul. They accused the franchise was providing food to Israeli soldiers preparing to invade Gaza and favouring the Israeli side in its retaliatory actions on Gaza.
Similarly, McDonald’s branches in Turkey, Lebanon, and Egypt faced vandalism. Large supporters of Gaza demonstrated outside McDonald’s restaurants across the Muslim world, from Cairo to Malaysia. Consequently, local franchisees of McDonald’s in Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon distanced themselves from their branch in Israel. They asserted that they have no affiliation with the Israeli branch and it was their private decision. Some franchisees even donated to Gaza residents.
The contentious issue of Maratha reservations has once again taken the central stage in Maharashtra politics as Lok Sabha and Assembly elections draw near.
The long-going Maratha reservation demands in the state of Maharashtra took a violent turn on Tuesday (31st October) after the protesters demanding reservation in government jobs and educational institutions stirred violence in the city of Pune, Maharashtra. They raised the slogans of ‘Ek Maratha, Lakh Maratha’ and caused damage to the vehicles and public properties in the city. The protesters also blocked the Pune-Bangalore highway, the video of which has been going viral over the internet.
This is a day after the violent protesters burned the houses of 2 MLAs in Beed district. Residential properties of 2 NCP MLAs, Prakash Solanke (Ajit Pawar faction) and Sandeep Kshirsagar (Sharad Pawar faction) were set ablaze by the violent protesters in Maharashtra’s Beed.
The agitators also vandalised public properties after which prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code Of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) were imposed in the area. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA Prakash Solanke commented on the matter on Monday (30th October) and said that he and his family members were inside the house when the agitators burned his property.
The Police have arrested 49 people from Beed in connection with engaging in the violence. Section 144 has also been imposed in the city.
NCP(Ajit) MLA Prakash Solanke’s house burned by Maratha Reservation protesters.
“I was inside. Fortunately, none of my family members or staff were injured. We are all safe, but there is a huge loss of property due to the fire,” he was quoted as saying. On the other hand, the protesters also set ablaze the home of MLA Sandeep Kshirsagar (Sharad Pawar faction) in Beed. Several vehicles parked below his bungalow were also set on fire.
The incident is said to have happened in the afternoon on 30th October. MLA Kshirsagar’s house was destroyed after NCP MLA Solanke’s home was set on fire. However, property belonging to MLA Solanke was destroyed after his previous comments against the Maratha reservation and quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil. Offices of former NCP MLA and minister Jaydutt Kshirsagar were also set on fire.
#WATCH | Maharashtra | Maratha reservation agitators set fire to the NCP office in Beed City earlier this evening. Later they also set residences of NCP MLA Sandeep Kshirsagar and state's former minister Jay Kshirsagar on fire. Details awaited. pic.twitter.com/TcXSTsyuWm
The Maratha reservation issue was allegedly referred to as a kid’s game by the NCP MLA Solanke. He had also ‘ridiculed’ Patil by saying, “A person, who has not even contested a gram panchayat election, has become a smart person today.” This happened to irk the reservation protesters who turned violent on Monday and used fire as a brutal weapon.
Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil has been on fast for the past several days and has refused to conduct talks with the government. He has turned down requests by the government for talks. However, after the incident that happened in Beed yesterday, he said that he would discontinue the fast if the violence continued. While talking to the media, he also said that the protests were taking a different turn leading to violence.
Activist Jarange Patil while he was on hunger strike (Image- Sakal media)
Meanwhile, as elections draw closer, the reservation issue in the state seems to have been fanned up. State leaders and opposition are racing to see Manoj Jarange Patil in person even though there is a high-level investigation underway to determine who is at fault for the recent wave of aggressiveness that resulted in violence in the Beed and Jalna districts. The opposition is pressuring the CM Shinde-led government to resolve the long-going issue of the Maratha reservation.
"आज एक विधायक का घर जलाया जाता है, गृह मंत्रालय क्या कर रहा है और गृह मंत्री क्या कर रहे हैं?"
Manoj Jarange Patil has been on hunger strike since Friday (27th October) and is demanding that the government consider all the Marathas as Kunbis, which is the sub-caste of Marathas so that they can be entitled to reservation benefits available for people from Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
In September, similar violence was reported in the Jalna district of Maharashtra where the protesters targeted government buses and private vehicles leaving 40 police personnel and some civilians injured. The violence happened after Manoj Jarange Patil initiated a hunger strike in Jalna’s Antarwali Sarathi village. On August 29, Patil started a hunger strike in Antarwali Sarati village to demand an OBC quota for Marathas. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde gave him assurances, and on September 14, the strike was called off.
As per the official, the trouble began on the third day of the said strike when the police attempted to shift Patil to a hospital on doctors’ advice. According to authorities, some people targeted private cars and state transportation buses. The police then dispersed the crowd in Antarwali Sarathi village, which is around 75 kilometers from Sambhaji Nagar, on the Dhule-Solapur road by using a baton charge and firing tear gas shells.
Up to 40 police officers suffered injuries in the incident, including Jalna Superintendent of Police (SP) Tushar Doshi. More than 360 persons were booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, according to the police, and 16 of them were identified as having actively contributed to the violence.
Notably, in May 2021, the Supreme Court overturned the state government’s reservation of jobs and education for the Maratha community, citing, among other things, the 50% cap on total reservations. Here is all the basic history, the current scenario, and all that you need to know about the Maratha reservation issue.
Maratha: The caste of warriors in Maharashtra
The Marathas, a caste that includes, among others, landlords and peasants, make up approximately 33 percent of the state’s population. Although most Marathas speak Marathi, not everyone who speaks Marathi is a member of the Maratha community.
Almost one-third of the state’s population is members of this politically powerful community. They have a reputation for being a ‘warrior’ caste with enormous land holdings. Twelve of the twenty chief ministers of Maharashtra state since its creation in 1960 including the current CM Eknath Shinde have appeared from the Maratha community.
Even though the middle-class and lower-middle-class Marathas have become less prosperous over time due to land partition and agricultural issues, the community continues to contribute significantly to the rural economy.
The history of protests for Maratha reservation
There has been a decades-long push for Maratha reservations. The latest push for OBC inclusion, however, appears to be a complicated one. The first protest seeking reservation for the Maratha community was led by Annasaheb Patil, the leader of the Mathadi Labour Union over 32 years ago. Since 1981, this reservation issue has sparked widespread demonstrations and has remained a crucial component of state politics.
Unfortunately, Maharashtra, a state where Marathas have historically held political sway, has been unable to resolve this complex issue for the past several decades.
Prior to the 2014 Assembly elections, the state government, led by Prithviraj Chavan at the time, introduced an ordinance granting Marathas a 16 percent reservation in government employment and education. It was based on the suggestions made by the Narayan Rane Committee at that moment in time.
Image- TV9 Marathi
The Congress-NCP association, which ruled the state from 1999 to 2014, was overthrown in 2014, and Devendra Fadnavis’s government (BJP-Shiv Sena partnership) took over. August 2016, barely two years later, the state was hit hard by the Kopardi rape and murder of a fifteen-year-old girl who belonged to the Maratha community. The discontent among Marathas then resulted in organized demonstrations throughout the state, spearheaded by the Sakal Maratha Samaj and Maratha Kranti Morcha.
However, in 2017–18, the protests turned violent. After that, the Fadnavis government took decisive action to address the complex problem. In November 2018, the government approved Marathas’ reservation under the Socially and Educationally Backward Class Act, an unusual provision based on the conclusions of the Backward Class Commission led by M G Gaikwad. By this, the BJP gained an electoral advantage over the then-rival Congress-NCP on account of the reservation.
In an effort to strengthen its support among Marathas, the BJP also looked into reservation issues while MVA was in power (2019–2022). It paid off, as the BJP won the most votes in the local body elections. But opponents using Maratha quota politics are once again targeting Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who oversees the critically important home department today.
Legalities revolving around the Maratha reservation
Under the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) Act, 2018, the Bombay High Court affirmed in June 2019 the Maratha quota’s constitutional validity. While the High Court held that the state’s sixteen percent quota was not “justifiable,” it was lowered to thirteen percent in government employment and twelve percent in education, in accordance with the Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission’s recommendation.
On the other hand, the HC stated that the reservation cap shouldn’t go above 50%. This restriction, however, may be exceeded in extreme and exceptional circumstances. It stated that this would depend on the availability of quantitative, current data demonstrating backwardness and inadequate representation, without compromising administrative efficiency.
The 11-member Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission (MSBCC), led by Justice G M Gaikwad (retd.), was largely relied upon by the court for its conclusions. About 45,000 families from two villages in each of the 355 talukas where the Maratha population is greater than 50% were surveyed by the commission.
According to the report turned in on November 15, 2018, the Maratha group lags behind in terms of social, economic, and educational advancement. The HC expressed satisfaction with the facts and noted that the commission had proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the Maratha group was socially, economically, and educationally behind. Additionally, it demonstrated that the Maratha minority was underrepresented in state government jobs.
Supreme Court’s say on Maratha reservation
A five-judge Supreme Court Constitution bench led by Justice Ashok Bhushan overturned the Maharashtra law’s reservation provisions for the Maratha community in May 2021, citing the 50% ceiling established by the court in its 1992 Indra Sawhney (Mandal) ruling.
Image- Zee News
Following the Supreme Court’s November 2022 decision upholding the 10% quota for the Economically Weaker Sections, the state administration clarified that economically disadvantaged community members would continue to get benefits under the EWS quota until the Maratha reservation issue was settled.
After the SC denied the state government’s review plea in April of this year, the state government announced that it would file a curative petition. Additionally, the administration had announced the formation of a new, specialized body to conduct a thorough assessment of the community’s “backwardness.”
Current scenario
The Congress, NCP, Sharad Pawar section, and Shiv Sena (UBT) are now pressuring the government led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to resolve the matter of the Maratha reservation in the state. They are pressuring CM Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar to take action in favor of the community as the duo who belong to the community, are currently in power.
After the violence in several districts, notably, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced on Monday (30th October) that the government has constituted an advisory group to look into the Maratha reservation issue. The body will be led by a number of former judges.
“We have formed an advisory board on the subject of Maratha reservation under the leadership of retired Justice Bhosle, retired Justice Gaikwad, and retired Justice Shinde. This advisory board will give suggestions to the government on the matter of the Maratha reservation case in the Supreme Court. Along with this, we will also collect empirical data with the help of the Backward Classes Commission in the entire state. So that we can tell the Supreme Court in the curative petition that is pending how backward the Maratha community is,” CM Shinde was quoted as saying.
Image- The Indian Express
Will the Kunbi caste certificate benefit the Maratha community?
For the sake of the Maratha community, the Maharashtra government declared it would grant Kunbi caste certificates to those Marathas from Marathwada who had documents from the Nizam rule attesting to their status as Kunbis. As of today (October 31), the Maharashtra Revenue Department has started to issue Kunbi certificates to Maratha community members who possess legitimate documentation.
The state’s Kunbi community is classified as OBC given that they work in occupations connected to agriculture. If Marathas were granted Kunbi caste certificates, they would become recognized as members of the Kunbi community, receive OBC status, and be eligible for the reservations granted to OBCs.
However, the other OBC groups are against Marathas being classified as OBCs for reservation privileges. OBCs make up 52 percent of the state’s population and are divided into 382 castes, whereas Marathas make up 32 percent.
Manoj Jarange Patil ends hunger strike
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday (31st October) assured activist Manoj Jarange Patil that a concrete decision would be taken in the cabinet meeting regarding the Maratha reservations. He said that the matter regarding giving Kunbi certificates to the Maratha community will also be discussed. CM Shinde also said that the government has filed a curative petition in the Supreme Court.
Following a fruitful conversation with Chief Minister Shinde, Manoj Jarange Patil, who was on a hunger strike until his death in order to demand reservations for the Maratha community, ended the fast and consumed water. “The government has filed a curative petition in the Supreme Court for Maratha reservation. Therefore, I am hopeful that the Maratha community will get the reservation soon,” Patil said.
The Police are said to have arrested around 49 people from Beed for engaging in the horrific violence. Also, curfew continues to be imposed in Maharashtra’s Dharashiv and Beed districts.
Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu walked out of Rajahmundry jail on Tuesday after Andhra Pradesh High Court granted bail to him in the alleged Skill Development case.
After walking out of the central cell, Chandrababu Naidu said, “When I was in trouble, you all came on the roads and prayed for me. I will never forget the affection shown to me, not only in Andhra Pradesh but also in Telangana and across the world.”
“In my 45 years of career, I haven’t committed any mistake and will not let anyone do. All the political parties have supported me, all thanks to them,” he added.
Chandrababu Naidu was under 53 days of judicial custody. The interim bail has been granted for four weeks. TDP said that the ruling YSRCP has failed in its attempt to label Chandrababu Naidu as a criminal.
“Despite all the efforts by the ruling YSRCP to constantly put N Chandrababu Naidu under scrutiny and label him as a criminal, they finally failed today. This shows how the YSRCP is afraid, scared, intimated and terrified of TDP,” the party said.
Chandrababu Naidu was granted bail due to health reasons. He has been ordered to surrender on November 24. The court will hear arguments on the main bail petition on November 10. The TDP supremo has been ordered to not participate in any other program except his medical check-ups at the hospital.
The TDP supremo has been ordered to not participate in any other program except his medical check-ups at the hospital. The High Court also ordered Naidu to not participate in Media and Political activities.
Meanwhile Andhra Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party chief Daggubati Purandeswari on Tuesday welcomed the state High Court’s decision to grant interim bail to Telugu Desam Party supremo N Chandrababu Naidu in connection with the skill development case. The Andhra Pradesh BJP chief, however, condemned the arrest of Naidu saying that the crackdown on September 9 was not done in an appropriate way.
“We welcome the judgement of the (Andhra Pradesh) High Court for granting interim bail to Chandrababu Naidu. We condemn his arrest as it was not done in an appropriate way. They have made a mistake in the past by arresting without giving notice or without conducting an investigation. The method of arrest without adding his name to the FIR is also not the appropriate way. (But) It is a good sign to get interim bail,” Purandeswari 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 gunman opened fire at a hospital and then took hostages inside a post office in Warabi city in Japan’s Saitama prefecture. The gunman was reportedly armed with a handgun and injured two people.
The New York Times reported that two female postal workers in their 20s and 30s were held hostage of whom one was released. At around 7.15 pm, Japanese broadcaster NHK, showed footage of the woman in her 20s walking out of the post office without injury. Negotiators are reportedly talking to the suspect by telephone.
According to CNN, the gunman is believed to be between 50 to 70 years of age, 1.6m tall and barricaded himself at a post office which is located about 1.5 kilometres from the hospital. One doctor and one male patient were injured in the attack outside the hospital.
As per CNA, he fled the scene of the attack on a motorcycle and was donning a black jacket and pants and a motorcycle helmet. The police have urged 300 residents in the area near the post office to evacuate.
Another report by Times Now claims that images on television showed the gunman inside the post office in a baseball cap and a white shirt under a dark coat with what looked like a gun attached to a cord around his neck.
10 post office staff members are feared trapped inside the building. The city authorities posted on their website, “At approximately 2.15 pm today (0515 GMT), a perpetrator has taken hostages and holed up at a post office in Chuo 5-chome area of Warabi city…the perpetrator is possessing what appears to be a gun.”
Reports have also claimed that the gunman may be carrying kerosene with him. Authorities have urged citizens to adhere to police instructions and evacuate as instructed.
Toda Mayor Fumihito Sugawara confirmed that a man “suspected of carrying a gun” was barricaded inside the post office. He warned the residents not to go near the area.
CNN cited Japanese broadcaster NHK saying that the police were alerted to the incident at 1 pm local time, an hour later, an eyewitness reported hearing a sound like gunfire.
