The Taliban in Afghanistan has invoked Sharia Islamic Law and banned all political parties saying that such activities are not allowed and that they are against Islamic Law. This development comes a day after the Taliban celebrated the second anniversary of their seizing control of Kabul.
The ban on political parties was announced at a press conference held in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Taliban’s minister of justice, Abdul Hakim Sharei, presided over the press conference and said that political parties are not recognised by the Sharia, the body of regulations that governs Muslims’ daily life.
“There is no Sharia basis for political parties to operate in the country. They do not serve the national interest, nor does the nation appreciate them,” Sharei said while avoiding adding much detail. He was presenting the annual report of his ministry in Kabul.
The ban hints that the Afghan Taliban movement may retain its monopoly on power and that it has no intention of allowing for political plurality in the nation.
The Afghan Taliban has resisted international efforts to construct a more diverse government, claiming their “interim government” was broad-based and comprised of representatives from all ethnic groups and tribes.
The government’s highest-ranking officials reportedly gave their approval before the decision was made. They emphasised that Sharei is a member of the Mullah Mohammad Omar-led Kandhari group, which also includes powerful figures like Amir Khan Muttaqi.
In 2021, at least 70 major and minor political parties were formally registered with the justice ministry of Afghanistan. However, once the Taliban obtained control of the country after the withdrawal of US forces, the political system in that country crumbled.
Taliban has restricted freedom of association, assembly, and expression to stifle government criticism.
After capturing control, they adopted strict interpretations of Shariah to rule Afghanistan and prohibited girls from enrolling in schools past the sixth grade. Both employment and public life are off-limits to Afghan women. Due to the closure of salons, women today suffer restrictions even when it comes to beauty and self-care.
The Taliban’s two years in power also saw the death of the idea of press freedom, as the outfit drove hundreds of journalists out of the country and forced dozens of news organizations to shut their doors.
A video featuring Ghulam Nabi Azad is making rounds on the internet. In this video, the former Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad is seen admitting the common Hindu ancestry of everyone living in India including Indian Muslims. He was seen making this statement as he addressed a program in a higher secondary school in the Chiralla town of the Doda district in Jammu and Kashmir where a significant number of Muslims were present.
The viral video clip is from a speech he gave in a program held on 9th August 2023.
Big breaking .
Hindu Religion is much older than Islam in India. Muslims in our country are because of Conversion from Hindus and in Kashmir all Muslims were converted from Kashmiri Pandits. Everybody is born in Hindu Dharma only. Azad
In this video, Ghulam Nabi Azad said, “I have said this in parliament also. That might not have reached you. In a discussion, a BJP member was telling me about who came from outside and who belonged to this land. I said, there is not an issue of insider and outsider. Every one of us is from here only. Islam emerged around 1,500 years ago, while Hinduism is deeply ancient. Some Muslims may have arrived from external origins and served in the Mughal army. Then, people converted from Hinduism to Islam within India.”
Ghulam Nabi Azad added, “A prominent illustration is seen in Kashmir. Was there any Muslim in Kashmir 600 years ago? All of them were Kashmiri Pandits before they were converted to Islam. Therefore, I say that all are originally born in the Hindu Dharma only. Considering the importance of this 9th August (The August Kranti Din) I think everyone – whether Hindu, Muslim, Rajput, Brahmin, Dalit, Kashmiri, or Gujjar, are all part of this homeland and we shall be together to make this home. This is our homeland. None of us has come from outside. Our roots are in this land, we are born in this soil, and we shall return to it after we die. Similarly, when our Hindu brothers die, they are cremated. And after the cremation, their family members also take their ashes to the rivers in this country.”
In August 2022, Ghulam Nabi Azad declined the post of chairman of the campaign committee and also resigned from the political affairs committee of the Jammu and Kashmir state unit of the Congress. He refused to accept the posts within hours of his committee appointment and left the party. Later, Ghulam Nabi Azad formed his own political party Democratic Progress Azad Party.
In 2023, Ghulam Nabi Azad remained in the news for his continuous criticism of the top leadership of the Congress party, especially the Nehru-Gandhi family. In his autobiographical book, he included many detailed incidents pointing out the faults in the Congress party and leadership. In response to his criticism, Congress leaders have termed him a ‘traitor’ on various occasions.
After vowing to ban Bajrang Dal, the Hindu organisation in Karnataka, the Congress party has shifted its stand in Madhya Pradesh as its senior leader Digvijay Singh said that there are no plans to ban the group in Madhya Pradesh. On Wednesday, August 16, the Congress MP said that there are a “few good people in Bajrang Dal” adding that if voted to power in the coming state assembly elections, the group will not be banned.
During a media interaction at Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) office in Bhopal, Singh said, “We will not ban Bajrang Dal if we win elections in Madhya Pradesh as there can be some good people in Bajrang Dal as well, but we will not spare anyone involved in riots or violence.”
#WATCH | Bhopal | Congress leader Digvijay Singh says "…We will not ban Bajgranj Dal (if we win polls in Madhya Pradesh) as there can be some good people in Bajrang Dal as well, but we will not spare anyone involved in riots or violence." pic.twitter.com/ggibgQUAW6
Interestingly, Digvijay Singh at times compared Bajrang Dal, a Hindu organisation working relentlessly to defend Hindu rights with the banned Islamist terror outfit Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) which has been notorious for its involvement in anti-national activities and getting support from outfits like ISIS. One can understand the sudden shift from hating Bajrang Dal, desperately advocating for a ban on it to seeing “few good people” is certainly not due to a sense of realisation of the good work done by the group but rather a political compulsion.
In May this year, Digvijay Singh boasted in a tweet that he had sent a proposal to the NDA government at the Centre in 2000 to ban SIMI and Bajrang Dal, however, the government rejected it.
मैंने तो सन् २००० में SIMI व बजरंग दल दोनों को प्रतिबंधित करने के लिए प्रस्ताव केंद्र सरकार को भेजा था। लेकिन तत्कालीन केंद्र में भाजपा सरकार ने स्वीकार नहीं किया। -३ @PMOIndia@AmitShah@INCIndia
Taking to X today, the Congress leader tried to do damage control as seeing “few good people” in Bajrang Dal will surely enrage the party’s Muslim voters. Singh, however, once again equated Bajrang Dal with the banned Islamist outfit SIMI terming the two as the two faces of the same coin. He claimed that both groups use religion as a political weapon which is apparently true but only in the case of SIMI.
“I as CM MP had recommended banning of Bajrang Dal and SIMI to the then NDA Government headed by BJP. They banned SIMI but not BD. Both Hindu and Muslim Religious Fundamentalists are two faces of the same coin. Congress has always fought these forces who use Religion as a Political Weapon which is illegal and shall continue to do so,” Singh tweeted.
I as CM MP had recommended banning of Bajrang Dal and SIMI to the then NDA Government headed by BJP. They banned SIMI but not BD. Both Hindu and Muslim Religious Fundamentalists are two faces of the same coin. Congress has always fought these forces who use Religion as a… https://t.co/HE1M1z4XnC
During the media interaction on Wednesday, Digvijay talked about Hindutva and asserted that he was, is and will always be a Hindu, moreover, a better Hindu than the BJP leaders.
“I was a Hindu, I am a Hindu and will remain a Hindu. I follow the Hindu religion and I am a follower of Sanatan Dharma. I am a better Hindu than that of all the BJP leaders,” Singh said.
Digvijay Singh’s recent comments remind one of freedom fighter Veer Savarkar’s 1943 prophecy that one day Congress leaders will start wearing ‘janeu’ on top of their coats.
While Congress leader Kamalnath said that with 82 percent population of the country being Hindu, the country is already a Hindu Rashtra, Digvijay Singh asserted that anyone who has taken the oath of the constitution and talks about Hindu Rashtra should first resign from his post.
Kamalnath says Hindu rashtra is ok, Digvijay Singh says idea of Hindu rashtra is ridiculous.
Although Digvijay Singh, the former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh now claims to be a better Hindu than BJP leaders, he is infamous for his slanderous remarks against the Hindus.
In the year 2019, Digvijay Singh claimed that the Bajrang Dal and the BJP received funding from the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI. A case was registered against Singh back then over his statements. In September 2019, Singh stated that people dressed in Saffron attires were committing rapes inside the temple, adding that this is not Hindu dharma.
“Today, people are wearing saffron clothes and raping, rapes are happening inside temples, is this our religion? Those who have defamed our ‘Sanatan Dharma’, not even God will forgive them,” Digvijaya Singh said back then.
And who can forget that Digvijay Singh was one of the Congress leaders who dubbed the 26/11 Mumbai attacks an RSS conspiracy. He was a key promoter of the falsehood of ‘Hindu Terror’ peddled by the then-UPA government.
As Hindus have become increasingly aware and expressive of their religious and cultural identities, and have stopped accepting Hindumisia in the name of tolerance and communal harmony, Hindu-disdaining political parties are compelled to alter their stance, even if just to make political gains.
A British Museum employee has been reportedly removed from the job after “treasures” at the museum were reported ‘stolen’, ‘missing’ or ‘damaged’. According to reports, gold, jewellery, and gems of semi-precious stones have gone missing from the museum. Notably, the British Museum is one of the most significant tourist attractions in the UK, where visitors can see items taken by the British during their colonial rule across the world, including India. Around six million people visit the museum every year.
The majority of the items that have been reported stolen, missing or damaged were kept in a storeroom. Director of the British Museum Hartwig Fischer said in a statement that they would try to “recover the objects”. Following the incident, British Museum has started independently reviewing its security.
Fischer said, “This is a highly unusual incident. I know I speak for all colleagues when I say that we take safeguarding all the items in our care extremely seriously. We have already tightened our security arrangements and are working alongside outside experts to complete a definitive account of what is missing, damaged and stolen.”
He added that the organisation would “put things right”. However, it should not be understood in a way that the museum has any plans to return the treasures and priceless historical items to the countries of origin.
The museum is also planning to take legal action against the staff member. The investigation has been handed over to the Economic Crime Command of the Metropolitan Police. So far, they have not arrested anyone in the matter.
Reportedly, the missing, stolen or damaged items were dated from the 15th Century BC to the 19th Century AD. They were not kept on display in recent times and were available for academic and research purposes only.
The PA news agency reported that the investigators believe that the items were taken before 2023 over a significant period. Chair of the British Museum George Osborne said, “The trustees of the British Museum were extremely concerned when we learnt earlier this year that items from the collection had been stolen. We called in the police, imposed emergency measures to increase security, set up an independent review into what happened and lessons to learn, and used all the disciplinary powers available to us to deal with the individual we believe to be responsible.”
Former trustee of the museum, Sir Nigel Broadman, and Chief Constable Lucy D’Orsi of the British Transport Police will lead the independent review of the museum security. They will recommend changes that the museum must bring to ensure future security. Furthermore, they will also start “a vigorous programme to recover the missing items,” said the museum.
In a statement, Nigel said, “It will be a painstaking job, involving internal and external experts, but this is an absolute priority, however long it takes, and we are grateful for the help we have already received.”
British Museum has a history of thefts
This is not the first time items have gone missing from the museum. Several coins and medals were stolen back in the 1970s. In 1993, thieves broke in and stole Roman coins. In 2002, 2,500 -year-old 12cm high Greek statue was reported stolen. In 2004, Chinese jewellery went missing from the museum. In 2017, a GBP 750,000 Cartier Diamond Ring was reported missing from the collection. Notably, the ring was stolen in 2011, but it came to the public’s knowledge in 2017.
Choppers from the Western Air Command carried out over 50 sorties over the last 48 hours, rescuing over 780 citizens in the flood-affected areas of Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh, Indian Air Force officials informed on Wednesday.
Speaking on the ongoing relief and rescue operations in Fatehpur sub-division of Kangra district, Deputy Commissioner, Kangra, Nipun Jindal, told ANI, “A total of 800 trapped civilians were rescued on August 15. Further rescue operations are underway with the help of NDRF, the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force. All necessary arrangements have been made for those rescued so far. Relief camps have also been set up for them.”
In the last 48 hours, helicopters of Western Air Command carried out over 50 sorties and rescued over 780 citizens in the flood affected areas of Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh: IAF officials
Earlier, on Wednesday, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu conducted an aerial survey of the flood-hit regions of Indora and Fatehpur in the Kangra district.
He took stock of the ongoing evacuation efforts in the flooded downstream of Pong Reservoir and other relief works. Interacting with people in relief camps at Damtal and Shekhpura, the CM enquired about their well-being while assuring them of all possible assistance from the government.
He also expressed concern over the loss of lives and material damage wrought by heavy rains and flooding in the state’s upper reaches.
Sukhu said colossal damage has been caused to public and private properties. Scores of locals helplessly saw their homes being washed away while vast areas under harvest were submerged under water, leading to untold losses to farmers. “I assure you of a special package, especially for these areas, including compensation and relief materials,” the chief minister said.
He directed the administration to make sure that people sheltered in relief camps are properly cared for. Apart from providing free lodging and boarding, the health department has also deputed medical teams to take care of children, elders besides others, officials informed.
The chief minister also directed officials to ensure sufficient stock of eateries and essential medicines for relief operations. The toll from rain-related incidents over the last three days has been pegged at 71, officials said on Wednesday.
Speaking to ANI, Onkar Chand Sharma, principal secretary, Disaster Management, said incessant rainfall from August 13-15 has claimed a total of 71 lives while the net fiscal loss this monsoon has been estimated at about Rs 7,500 crore.
“More damage was wrought on August 13,14 and 15 than the entire month of July. The net loss to property and public infrastructure has been estimated at Rs 7,500 crore. This estimate might be revised going forward as rescue and relief operations are still in progress and a detailed estimate will take time,” Sharma 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)
On Wednesday (16 August), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) set up a 53-member team to investigate sexual assault and violence cases in Manipur during the Meitei-Kuki violence. The newly constituted team includes two women Deputy Inspector Generals (DIG) namely Lovely Katiyar and Nirmala Devi S. Additionally, the CBI team will also include 29 women officers to investigate around a dozen cases.
The officials said, “The CBI on Wednesday deputed 53 officers, including 29 women officers, from different ranks to probe Manipur violence cases.”
#JUSTIN: 53 officers, including three DIG rank officers have been appointed to probe 11 cases relating to the Manipur violence that have been transferred from state police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). @IndianExpresspic.twitter.com/LgEqYVaUUp
As per media reports, the officials stated that three Deputy Inspector General ranked officers including two women officers, Lovely Katiyar and Nirmala Devi, will lead their respective teams to probe the violence cases in the state.
They added that all the officers will report to Joint Director Ghanshyam Upadhyay who will monitor the probe in various cases.
Earlier, on the 13th of August, the officials communicated that the CBI is set to investigate nine more cases related to Manipur violence. With this, the total number of cases currently under the CBI probe in relation to Manipur violence reached 17.
However, officials aware of the developments added that the CBI probe would not be limited to these 17 cases. Instead, any other case related to crime against women or sexual assault may also be referred to it on priority, the officials said.
Out of the initial eight cases that were taken over by CBI, two were reportedly related to alleged sexual assault on women in the strife-torn state of Manipur. Back then, the officials added that CBI is likely to take over one more case of alleged sexual assault in the state’s Churachandpur district.
Previously, on the 29th of July, CBI assumed control of the investigation into a case of the incident seen in the viral video from Manipur where two women were paraded naked. Following a reference from the Union Home Ministry, the CBI lodged a fresh FIR in the matter and officially commenced its inquiry.
Apart from Home Ministry’s stern and no-nonsense stand on such cases, PM Modi assured the citizens of the strife-torn state that the entire country is with Manipur from the ramparts of Red Fort during his Independence Day address.
He said, “In the last few weeks, a phase of violence was witnessed in the northeast, especially in Manipur. Several people lost their lives, and the honour of mothers and daughters was tarnished. However, reports of peace have come during the last few days”.
WATCH:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation about the situation in Manipur. Says normalcy is returning and the central government along with the state government is working towards maintaining peace. #IndependenceDay2023pic.twitter.com/dnktJVGmbv
Earlier, he did the same during his Parliamentary address on the no-confidence motion. PM Modi said, “I want to tell the people of Manipur including women and daughters of Manipur that the country is with you”.
On Wednesday (16 August), the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, sent a letter to Governor CV Ananda Bose in connection with the deteriorating Law and Order situation in certain parts of the state. Taking to X, Adhikari shared the letter he has sent to the Governor, requesting him to deploy central forces to bring back the rule of law in the violence-affected areas.
In his post, Adhikari stressed that the tension in Bansberia has snowballed into a major conflict with violent attacks and arson happening incessantly.
The @WBPolice & the State Govt have failed miserably to reign in the Law & Order situation in the riot-hit areas of Bansberia; Kalbajar under Mogra Police Station; Hoogly district, where the National Flag was desecrated by perpetrators belonging to one community. So, I have… pic.twitter.com/de38SpEpWn
— Suvendu Adhikari • শুভেন্দু অধিকারী (@SuvenduWB) August 16, 2023
Targeting the ruling party Trinamool Congress, Adhikari claimed that the West Bengal Police and state government have failed miserably to control the Law and Order situation in areas where tensions are running high. The BJP leader pointed out that the deplorable act of desecration of the National flag by some miscreants belonging to a particular community has led to a deteriorating Law and Order situation in and around this region.
Stating that the police have failed in controlling riot-hit areas and things are getting worse as time passes by, Adhikari urged the Governor, through his letter, to urgently deploy CAPF personnel to restore normalcy.
It is notable that unrest broke out in Hooghly’s Bansberia on Tuesday amid rumours of the national flag being thrown down during Independence Day celebrations. Later police arrived and brought the situation under control, and Section 144 was imposed. Several persons involved in violence were arrested. When the BJP team led by state president Sukant Majumder wanted to meet the families attacked by the mob, they were prevented by the police.
However, tensions erupted again on Wednesday, when bricks and stones were hurled. Police fired tear gas to bring the situation under control, but tension still prevails in the area. Following the violence today, Hooghly MP Locket Chatterjee went to the Magra police station, demanding to arrest the accused and release of the innocents.
On the other hand, TMC has blamed BJP for inciting violence in Bansberia.
LoP accuses the government of indulging in an abject form of appeasement politics
In the letter sent to Governor, LoP Adhikari said, “What started with the alleged desecration of the national flag by one particular community and consequent resistance from another community to stop such desecration has snowballed into a major conflict now with rampage, arson, bricks and bottles being used as missiles against each other.”
He alleged that the police have failed to bring the situation under control and apprehend the culprits who instigated and perpetrated the desecration and subsequently resorted to rioting.
Stating that TMC is indulging in appeasement politics, the letter stated, “The police are arresting people from one community only and letting people from another particular community roam free though it is they who started it all. This is more severe than what happened in Rishra and Shibpur a few months ago.”
In the letter, Suvendu Adhikari emphasised that the common citizens of this region are living in a fearful atmosphere and it has badly impacted their livelihood. He stressed that one community is facing the brunt of this and is being forced to flee in fear of getting persecuted by the other community and the police.
The BJP leader stressed that it is a concerning issue as West Bengal is a border state and a hub of explosives and terrorism and is being used as a transit corridor. He added that if things are not controlled in time, the issue has the potential of getting worse and getting out of hand.
After highlighting the prevailing Law and Order situation, Suvendu Adhikari in the letter said, “I call upon your good office to step in as the guardian of the Constitution and recommend deployment of CAPF in the riot-hit area for a speedy return to normalcy since the state government has miserably failed to act decisively, boldly and in accordance with the law and the Constitution.”
He concluded by reminding that incidences in the past have shown to what extent the ruling party TMC can go, to placate its vote bank.
On the 12th of June 2023, a driver named Amjad was accused of ramming his Bolero into another man named Rajesh Dhar Dubey. He then allegedly crushed and killed Rajesh. It was said that he killed Rajesh because of his political leaning and supporting PM Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath.
On 14 August, OpIndia met the family of Rajesh Dhar Dubey. Stating that they have not received any kind of help from anywhere, the family stressed that they are in dire financial condition. Rajesh was originally a resident of Kolahi village in Mirzapur district. This village falls under the jurisdiction of Vidhyanchal police station. However, for the last three decades, his family has been living in Delhi’s Sangam Vihar.
Rajesh was 52 years old when he was brutally murdered. He was a purchase manager in a medical firm. His brother Rakesh also resides in Delhi with his family. He earns his living by driving a vehicle.
Family facing financial challenges to support their children’s education
Rajesh’s 27-year-old daughter Pooja Dubey has completed studies till B.Ed. Pooja shared with us that her dream was to get a government job, but now she has no money left to attend coaching classes or buy more books. We were informed that Rajesh was the sole breadwinner in the family. After his murder, the family is surviving on God’s mercy and is left on their own.
Her elder brother has a private job but he has a wife and a child to support with that small earnings.
Rajesh’s 50-year-old widow, Shail Dubey stated that her family is facing a severe financial crisis. Worrying about the future, she expressed her concerns that, apart from supporting their children’s education, she still has to arrange marriages for a son and a daughter, for which she has no resources.
She added that the family often struggles to meet their basic needs. She told us that although they own the house in which they are living, they have to repay the loans that were taken from many people to build the house.
Not received help from anyone
While talking to the OpIndia team, the widow and daughter of the deceased victim Rajesh stated that till now they have not received any government or personal help from anywhere.
Rajesh’s widow, Shail told us that initially many people including administrative officials came and assured all possible help to our family, but none of those promises were fulfilled.
Rajesh’s daughter Pooja added that people have now forgotten their family. Both Rajesh’s widow and daughter have pleaded and appealed to PM Modi, CM Yogi, and administrative officials for help.
Rajesh held humanity above everything
Shail Dubey added that Rajesh always kept humanity above everything and he looked at people as equals. She emphasized that her husband held no distinctions based on Hindu-Muslim sentiments.
The accused Amjad is currently in jail and the courts didn’t grant him bail. The victim had booked Amjad’s Bolero, on the ill-fated day, to attend the marriage of his nephew.
Rajesh’s daughter, Pooja claimed that the villager who had booked Ajmad’s car for the wedding function is now ashamed.
During the conversation, the family of the deceased man, Rajesh demanded that the strictest punishment should be awarded to Amjad. Pooja stated that she will never be able to forgive Amjad for killing her father.
Rakesh, the brother of the deceased man Rajesh, told our team that he has written several letters to the authorities asking for help but they have neither received any response nor any action has been taken so far to help Rajesh’s family.
The letter written by the family includes a demand of Rs 50 lakh as compensation and a government job for one of the family members.
In the letter, the family has highlighted that Amjad, the accused driver is a native of Vijaypur. It is a Muslim-dominated village and people from Vijaypur have been frequently visiting their area. Citing these frequent hostile visits of Vijaypur villagers, Rakesh stressed that his family and villagers are scared and tense.
They have also demanded security for the family and other villagers from the administration.
Letter sent to the administrative officials seeking help for Rajesh’s family
Tragically, Hindus are the victims in India
In response to a question, Pooja, Rajesh’s daughter stated that Hindus are the only victims in India, who are constantly being attacked or killed by someone or the other from the Muslim community. She gave many examples including the bone-chilling case of Shraddha Walker. Aftab killed her and chopped her into more than 30 pieces and kept the chopped body in the fridge. Later, he systematically threw her decapitated body parts into the jungle to escape conviction.
Pooja also listed her father in the long list of Hindus who have been wronged by Muslim attackers. She also stated that those who say Hindus are attackers or try to blame Hindus in these unfortunate cases for their vested interests are wrong.
Hatred for BJP was the reason behind the murder of Rajesh
Pooja pointed out that apart from being a supporter of BJP, PM Modi, and CM Yogi, there was no fault of her father for which Amjad crushed him to death. She added that all the Muslims are agitated and hate the BJP because they feel that the people of this party are Hinduvadi. She held this abhorrent thinking as the reason behind the killing of many BJP workers and Hindu activists.
The car with which accused Amjad pulverised Rajesh
While speaking with the OpIndia team, Rajesh’s widow, Shail Dubey, stated that she had married Rajesh in 1984 and, since then, she had observed that Rajesh was devoted only to BJP. She added that whether it was Delhi or Mirzapur, Rajesh always took the side of the BJP in discussions. He was particularly impressed with PM Modi and CM Yogi.
‘This is our only nation, where else can we go’
Pooja, the daughter of the deceased man Rajesh, also mentioned the firing incident that took place on a train that was heading towards Mumbai. The accused in that case of identified as Chetan Singh.
She said, “Some time back I read in the news that some Muslim individuals were killed inside a train by bullet shots fired by a Hindu constable. The family members of those Muslim persons killed in the incident claimed that India is not safe for them to live in. But my father was a Hindu. He always praised Yogi-Modi. He did the same on the ill-fated day when he was sitting in a car driven by a Muslim man, Amjad.”
Pooja further added, “Just because he praised Modi-Yogi, Amjad pushed her father Rajesh and pulverised him beneath his car till he died. We are Hindus. My father was a Hindu. Where else can we go? What do we do? We also want justice. For our father and our family.”
Having said that, Pooja cried inconsolably and her mother who was sitting nearby also became emotional.
They have to spend their resources on legal paperwork
Rajesh’s widow and daughter shared that at times they have to travel from Delhi to Mirzapur when the Mirzapur Police call them in relation to FIR-related matters. Additionally, they are also contacted by insurance personnel at the bank.
They have to run from Delhi to Mirzapur at least 3 to 4 times every month and this costs a lot. The money incurred is going from their deposits which are exaggerating their financial miseries. However, in the hope of getting justice and ensuring strict punishment for the accused Amjad, they are taking part in each and every part of the progress.
The unfortunate case of hate crime, killed for political leaning
The incident took place on 12 June 2023. The victim’s family submitted a complaint to the Mirzapur Police. In their complaint, the family stated that Rajesh Dubey, a native of Kolahi village, booked Amjad’s Bolero car to attend the wedding function of his nephew.
On their way to the wedding venue, they engaged in a heated political debate in which the driver Amjad started hurling nasty abuses at PM Modi and UP CM Yogi Adityanath. When Rajesh protested against it, an altercation broke out.
When Rajesh got out of the car, Amjad rammed his Bolero into Rajesh who was heading home. Rajesh died in the incident. Subsequently, the Police registered a case against Amjad under sections 302 and 504 of IPC. Afterwards, he was arrested and is currently in jail. OpIndia has accessed the FIR copy of this case.
There are several reasons why Made in Heaven Season 2 on Amazon Prime Video has captured headlines. However, the fifth episode of the show, The Heart Skipped a Beat, which stars Radhika Apte, has received special recognition from viewers for the way it depicted a Dalit wedding.
BR Ambedkar’s great-grandson Prakash Ambedkar also praised the episode’s director Neeraj Ghaywan and the authors of the show for portraying “the assertion, defiance, and resistance of a Dalit woman’s character” in the episode. However, Yashica Dutt, a graduate of Columbia University and the author of the book “Coming Out As Dalit,” has slammed the show’s creators for not giving her due credit for the project.
The past few days have been overwhelming. I continue to support @ghaywan’s excellent work, now with Made in Heaven and earlier with Geeli Pucchi on Netflix. But this needs to be said. pic.twitter.com/tU1xro3QzC
Yashica explained in an extended text how Radhika’s character was modelled on her life without her consent and without giving her due credit. In the episode, Radhika Apte plays the bold Dalit author Pallavi Menke, who unabashedly fights for her people. Dutt praised the show for its depiction of a Dalit-Buddhist wedding but expressed her displeasure at not receiving credit for her contributions to the episode’s main ideas.
“The scene where the Dalit author who is from Columbia, has written a book about ‘Coming Out’, and talks about how her grandmother ‘manually cleaned toilets’ (while wearing all blue as an homage to Ambedkar), asserts her selfhood with her life partner to-be, gave me chills. It was surreal to see a version of my life on screen that wasn’t but yet was still me. But soon the heartbreak set in. They were my words but my name was nowhere. What could have been a celebration of our collective ideas was now tinged with sadness. The ideas I cultivated, that are my life’s work, that I continue to receive immense hate still for just speaking, were taken without permission or credit,” she said.
She continued by saying that Dalits have a long history of being excluded, forgotten, neglected, and wiped out of their own stories. Dalit women in particular are the easiest to exploit because their labour is essentially worthless. “Everyone is free to claim it. Only not this time around. I’m fighting the expectations placed on me as a woman who must constantly regulate the “register of her rage” by reclaiming my work, my value, and my contribution to discourse and history. The Made in Heaven episode portrays a Dalit woman and her Buddhist inter-caste wedding in a lovely way. Sadly, it also takes away my contribution to my own ideas,” she added.
While Yashica’s name was listed among the collaborators thanked by the film’s director Neeraj Ghaywan in his Instagram post, she claims that Neeraj didn’t recognize her until many people questioned why her credits weren’t included. In addition, she criticized Hindi television and film for their “notorious and historic pattern of taking anything from everywhere to create its narrative.”
She asked the writers of Made In Heaven, Zoya Akhtar, and Reema Kagti, to give credit to the project in her final post. “I request Neeraj Ghaywan, and the show creators Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti to formally acknowledge my life’s work and ideas that contributed to this episode, which is among the most talked about in the entire series, beyond a post on social media and within the show’s credits. So that the millions of its viewers know one its central ideas was not created out of the ether, but out of the blood, sweat and a lifetime of tears of a Dalit woman that the world had decided to cast aside,” she wrote.
Made In Heaven is an Indian romantic drama web series that premiered on Amazon Prime Video on 8 March 2019. The second season was released on 10 August 2023.
A fresh incident of love jihad has surfaced in Lucknow, the state capital of Uttar Pradesh where a Muslim man named, Irshad Ali entrapped a Hindu girl in love jihad by posing as an adherent of the same religion. He married her according to Hindu rituals after which she was beaten and forced to change her religion and embrace Islam. The police opened an inquiry and filed a First Information Report based on the complaint of her father.
The instance pertained to the Naka police station area of Lucknow. The complainant stated that the accused lived in a rented property near his house. Irshad pretended to be Hindu and identified himself as Ishwar as well as wore Kalawa, a scared Hindu thread, around his wrist.
Irshad befriended her after initial acquaintance following which he lured her into a romantic relationship and the couple then married as per Hindu traditions. The victim’s father revealed that the perpetrator had taken his daughter around six months ago. She was nowhere to be found, despite extensive searches.
However, during that time the victim’s father discovered that his son-in-law was in fact, a Muslim and not a Hindu. He came to know about his real name and that he was a resident of the Barabanki district. It was also revealed that on 24 April the offender had called a cleric and his parents in order to convert his daughter against her will. He even assaulted her when she resisted.
The father then reported the occurrence involving the girl and her disappearance to the police. He accused the police of being evasive. He had first complained about the case to Inspector Santosh Sonkar on 12 July, who had assured him to investigate the matter. However, he tore the letter when a second complaint was made.
The police eventually lodged a case in response to the complaint submitted to senior officials. Inspector Tej Bahadur Singh of the Naka police station, nevertheless, claimed that the allegations of ripping the complaint are unfounded.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of Police Aparna Rajat Kaushik informed that a case has been registered on the basis of the complaint launched by the victim’s family. They have levelled multiple charges against the offender. The search is on to apprehend him. The mobile number of the girl has also been put on surveillance.
