On August 30, 2023, Gorakshak Bittu Bajrangi, also known as Rajkumar, an accused in the Nuh violence case, was released on bail. His arrest took place in Faridabad on the evening of August 15. CIA Tawadu police apprehended Bittu Bajrangi at his residence in Faridabad on charges of delivering inflammatory speeches during the Nuh Jalabhishek Yatra. Following 14 days of judicial custody, he appeared before the Nuh district court, which granted him bail today.
Bittu Bajrangi faced multiple charges registered at Police Station Sadar in Nuh. The case was filed based on a complaint by ASP Usha Kundu. Bittu Bajrangi was accused under sections 148, 149, 332, 353, 186, 395, 397, 506, 25, 54, and 59 of the IPC in connection with the Nuh violence incident.
On 16th August, Vishva Hindu Parishad clarified that Raj Kumar alias Bittu Bajrangi is not a member of Bajrang Dal. VHP further added that the organisation does not find the content of Bittu’s videos appropriate.
On 31st July, a mob of hundreds of Muslim rioters attacked Hindu devotees participating in the Brijmandal Jalabhishek Yatra in Nuh, Mewat of Haryana. At least six people were killed as a result of the riots.
During the investigation into the riots, OpIndia accessed many FIRs and complaints that provided a clearer picture of what happened during the violence. Based on information available via FIRs, complaints and witnesses, it appeared that the attack was pre-planned. OpIndia came across several videos posted two days before the Jalabhishek Yatra instigating Muslims against Hindus.
Muslims have claimed the riots happened because of Bajrang Dal activist and Gau Rakshak Monu Manesar. Old videos of Manesar were circulated to instigate Muslims saying he was going to Nuh on that day. The video that was mostly circulated was from October 2022. Detailed reports can be checked here.
Furthermore, a cyber crime police station was attacked in Nuh. Police officials were injured. Home guards were killed. The rioters first shot one of the Bajrang Dal activists Abhishek, then his throat was slit and his head was crushed leading to his death. OpIndia’s complete coverage of the Mewat Shobha Yatra Attack can be checked here.
On Wednesday morning (30 August), Pragyan rover clicked an image of Vikram Lander atop the lunar surface, as conveyed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Taking to X, ISRO shared two pictures of the Vikram lander stating that the “image of the mission” was taken by the Navigation Camera onboard the Rover (NavCam).
These NavCams for the Chandrayaan-3 Mission are developed by the Laboratory for Electro-Optics Systems (LEOS).
In one of the images, the space agency has displayed two key payloads that are currently conducting in-situ experimentation on the moon’s south pole. These payloads marked by ISRO in the image are ChaSTE and ILSA.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
Smile, please?!
Pragyan Rover clicked an image of Vikram Lander this morning.
The 'image of the mission' was taken by the Navigation Camera onboard the Rover (NavCam).
It is pertinent to note that ISRO earlier shared the first-ever temperature profile of the moon’s south pole. The graph revealed that temperature changes drastically with depth on the moon’s south pole. Apparently, the temperature profile was developed with the help of the ChaSTE payload which is onboard the Vikram lander.
As per the official information shared by ISRO, the ChaSTE payload is being used to understand the thermal behaviour of the lunar surface. For this purpose, the ChaSTE payload has 10 individual temperature sensors mounted on it.
The second payload – ILSA stands for Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity. It is used for measuring the seismicity around the landing site of the lander. As visible in the picture, the ILSA payload has been lowered from the lander Vikram and it is seemingly touching the lunar surface to measure the seismic activity of the moon.
As per official information by ISRO, ILSA will also study the composition of the Moon’s crust and mantle.
Further, the Pragyan rover which is carrying out in-situ (in the original place) chemical analysis of the lunar surface during its mobility is equipped with scientific payloads – Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) and Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS). Both of them are used to derive the elemental composition in the vicinity of the landing site.
Earlier, ISRO confirmed that it had found Sulphur, Titanium, Chromium, Oxygen, and other elements on the lunar surface while the search for Hydrogen was underway. This elemental discovery on the moon’s surface was achieved with the help of a Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) instrument which is onboard the Pragyan rover.
As per ISRO, LIBS is being used to derive the chemical composition and infer the mineralogical composition of the moon’s surface so as to improve our understanding of the lunar surface.
While APXS payload will help determine the elemental composition of the Lunar soil and rocks around the lunar landing site.
Ahead of the meeting of the I.N.D.I.A. alliance of the opposition parties in Mumbai tomorrow, the Congress social media team has released a poster featuring prominent leaders of the opposition bloc. Interestingly, there are two striking takeaways in the poster that have stirred a new controversy – one that has further widened the rift within these so-called alliance partners. Reportedly, seat sharing is one of the major agendas of the meeting.
Notably, the alliance poster released by the Congress party features images of several leaders – Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Nitish Kumar, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Mamata Banerjee, Hemant Soren, Mallikarjun Kharge, Uddhav Thackeray and Sitaram Yechury among others. Conspicuously, Aam Aadmi Party National Convenor and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal is missing from the alliance poster.
Secondly, the alliance poster shows Rahul Gandhi on the centre stage leading the political squad of foes turned friends. This comes in the wake of the statements made by Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot. He recently announced that Rahul Gandhi will be the Prime Ministerial candidate for the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. This move – the umpteenth relaunch of Gandhi’s Scion, however, has been a divisive issue within the ideologically amorphous opposition alliance.
Reportedly the Uddhav Thackeray section of Shiv Sena was not happy with the poster showing Rahul Gandhi as the leader of the opposition alliance. Shiv Sena asked Congress to delete the post with the poster. The party further threatened to tear down the poster if it is seen in Mumbai.
Later the Congress party deleted the poster from Instagram.
Soon after the poster was released, BJP’s National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala took a jibe at the uncanny bonhomie of alliance partners AAP and Congress. Insinuating that the two have taken ‘political divorce’, he asserted that Union Home Minister Amit Shah was accurate in predicting that the alliance will fall once the Delhi Services Bill becomes an act. Additionally, he also touched upon the unceasing ambitions of each alliance partner within the I.N.D.I.A. for Prime Ministership.
Now dear friends
Observe closely
Rahul is the leader of the pack that contains Nitish ji, Sharad Pawar, Akhilesh, Omar, Hemant, Mamata Di , Sitaram, etc
Speaking about the development, Poonawala said, “They (the opposition alliance) have no mission but an ambition to become PM. If you see the placard released before the meeting, where Rahul Gandhi is leading the group of other leaders… But the interesting part is that Kejriwal is missing out from that. Today AAP also pitches Kejriwal as a PM face, whereas JDU wants Nitish to be the PM. This is going towards triple talaq and even shows their ambition behind this.”
First takeaway of the poster: Is the alliance breaking away?
The absence of Arvind Kejriwal from the poster has led to widespread speculations that the escalating war of words between Congress and AAP has finally culminated in the inevitable meltdown of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc.
Although Congress and AAP claimed that they had united under the new umbrella, they continued accusing each other of being the most corrupt entity and said derogatory things about each other’s leaders.
Evidently, AAP announced that it will contest Chhatisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar assembly elections. Additionally, their senior leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann bad-mouthed Congress in their poll rallies.
On the other hand, Congress leaders have made serious allegations against AAP Supremo Arvind Kejriwal. Apart from this, an event of political bonhomie backfired on AAP when Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao egged on AAP’s flagship Mohalla clinics saying that it is “overhyped”.
Second Takeaway: Will the alliance of wanna-be PMs and anti-Modi hit squad crumble on greed for PM post?
Sensing their political rout, these former arch-nemeses, who have brazenly hurled serious allegations and abuses at each other – in fact, they have not ceased their hostile attitudes – have united for a common cause: anti-Modism, serving as their binding force.
On multiple occasions, directly, indirectly, or from someone else’s shoulder, virtually all prominent leaders of the ‘alliance poster’ including the left-out alliance partner Arvind Kejriwal have displayed unchecked ambitions of becoming Priem Minister of the country, regardless of the consequences of their acts and deeds.
While Sanjay Raut has been parroting this for Sharad Pawar, TMC has been adamant that their party Supremo Mamata Banerjee should become the Prime Minister candidate. In fact, today, AAP National Spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar said that Arvind Kejriwal should be the Prime Ministerial candidate.
#WATCH | AAP's Chief National Spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar says, "If you ask me, I would want Arvind Kejriwal to be the Prime Ministerial candidate. Even in such back-breaking inflation, the national capital Delhi has the lowest inflation. There is free water, free education,… pic.twitter.com/vMUquowQU6
But the recent move by Congress to project Rahul Gandhi as their PM prospect could seemingly serve as the ultimate tussle that rips this alliance apart.
Without having any ideological convergence, it is seemingly turning out as an alliance of opportunist politicians who are united only by their insane dislike for incumbent PM Narendra Modi which many times breaches the code of conduct and is borderline pathological. The recent glaring display of this was seen when fodder scam convict Lalu Prasad Yadav who is out on ‘medical bail’ made disparaging remarks about PM Modi. He said that the opposition had caught PM Modi by his throat.
In the past few days, two incidents of child abuse in schools were discussed in the media. One was from Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh while the other was from Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir. Propagandist Ravish Kumar published a YouTube video from his YouTube channel on 28th August 2023 to discuss these issues. In the Muzaffarnagar incident, a Muslim student in a school was punished by a Hindu Divyang teacher who asked other students in the class to slap the victim student. In the Kathua incident, a Hindu student in a school was thrashed by his Muslim teacher for writing ‘Jai Shri Ram’ on the classroom blackboard.
The video posted by Ravish Kumar is titled “Schools Poisoned by Communalism”. In this video, Ravish Kumar broke all the rules of journalism he claims to be a follower of. He defended another propagandist Mohammed Zubair, and also peddled a handful of lies as he proceeded through his video. Let us now dissect them one after the other.
Ravish Kumar started his video by saying that he would discuss the Muzaffarnagar and Kathua incidents and describe how Muslims in India are being discriminated against. But immediately after that, he started complaining about how an FIR was lodged against self-styled fact-checker Mohammed Zubair who is the co-founder of propaganda website ‘Alt News’ for disclosing the identity of the minor victim in the Muzaffarnagar incident.
On 28th August, Uttar Pradesh Police booked Alt News’ co-founder Mohammed Zubair under Section 74 of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, for sharing a video of a minor on social media. The FIR was registered based on a complaint that was submitted on 28th August. Ravish Kumar counter-questioned in his video, ‘Had the video not gone viral, tell me if this incident would have come to light at all; would the administration have acted so swiftly?’
On 25th August, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR)’s chief, Priyank Kanoongo, urged the public not to publish the video. Following NCPCR’s warning Zubair deleted the video and played the victim in advance, saying, “Deleting the video as NCPCR might take action against the ‘messenger’”. Mohammed Zubair is very well aware of the consequences of sharing videos of minors on social media as he was booked in a similar case earlier. Still, he went ahead and shared the tweet and deleted it only after a statement from NCPCR.
Ravish Kumar defended this serial offender by calling him a scapegoat. Ravish Kumar also looked dissatisfied with Amar Ujala calling Mohammed Zubair an ‘alleged media-person’. Ravish Kumar said, “Mohammed Zubair has exposed the truth of numerous hate videos; and prevented the spread of hatred.”
What Ravish Kumar hid is that it is the same Mohammed Zubair who had shared a clipped video from a TV debate featuring BJP’s former spokesperson Nupur Sharma in which she was seen making allegedly insulting remarks against the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. Mohammed Zubair did not include in his video that part of the debate wherein Taslim Ahmed Rahmani repeatedly called the Shivling found in the Gyanvapi complex of Varanasi a fountain, thereby inspiring Nupur Sharma to make those remarks. innocent Hindus were beheaded by the Islamists whose anger was incited and fanned by the clipped video shared by Mohammed Zubair.
Ravish Kumar defended this fake news peddler through his video. Ravish Kumar said, “Mohammed Zubair has also exposed the truth of many false videos made against the BJP, thus displaying exemplary journalistic ethics. But Amar Ujala has described him as an ‘alleged media-person’. How this matter is now being resolved is for everyone to see.”
Ravish Kumar also cited a tweet by another YouTuber Sanjay Sharma to claim that “No one is ready to file an FIR against the teacher who beat up an innocent kid in UP. If yes, under which sections?” Notably, an FIR was lodged against teacher Tripta Tyagi in this case and it was reported in the mainstream media on 26 August 2023 which is two days before Ravish Kumar published this video. The police also provided information about the sections imposed against the teacher.
According to a report by India Today, the FIR was registered under Sections 323 and 504 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). But Ravish Kumar first tried to mislead the viewers by spreading the misinformation that no FIR was lodged against the teacher in this case. Later he said that an FIR was reportedly registered against the teacher.
Ravish Kumar further claimed in this video that the statements of the father and uncle of the victim student have changed or made to change several times. He said that this can be understood by looking at their socio-economic status. By mentioning the socio-economic status of the victim student’s family, Ravish Kumar implied that they were either offered money or were coerced to change their statements.
He then tried to impose the left-liberal stereotype of painting Muslims as the perpetual victims of discrimination, including in schools where he claimed teachers are innately jaundiced against Muslim students. He said, “Is it not the truth of Indian schools now, that the audacity for anti-Muslim discrimination has even reached the Principals and teachers?” Notably, it was the teacher and principal of the school in the Kathua incident who discriminated against a Hindu student in the school.
Ravish Kumar was also disappointed by the victim’s uncle denying any communal angle in the Muzaffarnagar case. He said, “The video was shot by the boy’s uncle Nadeem; now he stated in the media that there was no ‘Hindu-Muslim’ angle. Political parties want to emphasise this because elections are approaching. Seems that they have completely forgotten the point about their child being beaten for an hour.” He indirectly blamed the uncle of the boy who denied the communal angles in this incident. Moreover, he cited a BBC report to claim that the accused teacher had also beaten another Muslim student for an hour. Ravish Kumar went on to claim that the teacher is against Muslims. He essentially implied that the teacher punished the students because they were Muslims. However, it was already revealed that the victim boy in this case was being punished for incomplete homework.
Ravish Kumar also raised questions about BJP’s farmer leader Naresh Tikait who visited Muzaffarnagar and pacified the situation by meeting people on the ground. Ravish Kumar said, “Questions are being raised about Naresh Tikait’s role; it is his responsibility to properly clarify the matter. It was good to make these kids embrace each other, but there was no hatred in their minds. The children had not come to hit of their own will. moreover, many kids were hitting including a girl. When the farmer leaders are denying the Muslim angle then why was there a need for a hug?”
He further alleged that the BJP leader is supporting the teacher as he said. “Is this matter being ‘managed’? There is also farmer leader Naresh Tikait’s statement that ‘Are we not influential enough to get an FIR cancelled’? how did Tikait trust the administration so much that it would quash the FIR at his request? Was Tikait doing this on someone’s instructions? Did the farmer leader think that if this matter goes to trial or punishment stages, it would get heated up, giving someone else the upper hand politically, and the matter would be out of their hands? From BJP MP Sanjeev Balyan’s picture with teacher Tripta Tyagi, it seems the matter has been ‘managed’ and he is with Tripta Tyagi.”
At the beginning of the video, Ravish Kumar said that he would discuss both the incidents from Muzaffarnagar and Kathua. But in his 30-minute-long video, he spent 25 minutes ranting about the Muzaffarnagar incident and explaining how a Muslim student was being discriminated against and how BJP politicians were managing it to save the teacher. He resorted to the Kathua incident after 25 minutes only to formally cover it that too in an anti-Hindu stance. It is notable that the reason behind the brutal beating of the Muslim student in the Muzaffarnagar incident was not his religion, but his homework. However, Ravish Kumar presented it to insinuate that the student being Muslim was the reason the anti-Muslim teacher punished him.
On the contrary, a Hindu student was thrashed by a Muslim teacher in Kathua because he wrote Jai Shri Ram on the blackboard. Here, the display of civilisational notions of the kid irked the Muslim teacher who beat him up. But instead of addressing this issue, Ravish Kumar blamed the victim boy himself by asking why he felt the need to write Jai Shri Ram on the blackboard. It is notable that Ravish Kumar is essentially opposing the child displaying his religious civilisational identity on the educational campus.
However, it is the same Ravish Kumar who had said that wearing hijab on educational campuses is a matter of free choice for Muslim female students. At that time he did not say that Muslim female students are needlessly displaying their religious identities on educational campuses and that they are imposing it over uniforms.
While ample details of this incident have already emerged and going viral on social media, Ravish Kumar said that there are no more details of the incident of Kathua available so far. He used this statement as an excuse for not spending much time on a case where an oppressor is a Muslim, the victim is a Hindu, and the motive behind the crime is religious hatred. On the other hand, he spent 25 minutes presenting a case of beating a school student as a case of Muslim bashing by a Muslim-hating Hindu teacher inspired by religious hatred.
Ravish Kumar also blamed the Hindus gathered to protest outside the school in Kathua. He said, “In protest against this incident, the local people demonstrated outside the school; the huge crowd broke the school gate and entered the campus. this could have endangered the safety of other students too. But in the Muzaffarnagar case, there were no crowds in protest; instead, leaders of different organisations came to persuade to father of the victim and bury the case. Not much is known about the Kathua case. So far, its veracity has not been concretely proved.”
Ravish Kumar cleverly insinuated that Kathua can be a case of false reporting whereas he did not save any such grey area for the Muzaffarnagar incident despite a video testimony of the victim student making rounds on the internet.
Security forces discovered a massive cache of weapons and ammunition in Bihar’s Gaya district and succeeded in foiling a significant Naxalite attack, officials said on 29 August. According to an official, a huge search operation in the Lutua area was conducted after precise intelligence inputs to make the recovery.
An investigation was conducted in the Pandra forest area of Lutua by a special team comprised of CoBRA 205, CRPF 159 Battalion, STF, and District Police, based on the spokesperson. Following the search, 303 rifles and a hundred cartridges of 7.62 mm bullets were uncovered which were hidden in one location.
A statement by Gaya Police read, “The recovery was made in Gaya’s Lutua area during a massive search operation following specific intelligence inputs. A special team comprising CoBRA 205, CRPF 159 Battalion, STF and District Police launched a combing operation in the forest area of Pandra of Lutua.”
Security forces carried out a search operation at the opposite end of Pandra Hill and maintained their operations based on information. Three large improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were additionally uncovered at another location during the heightened searches and they were neutralised by the security forces. A tunnel that had been built across the hill and served as a possible hideout for the Naxalites was also discovered during the time.
Security forces found 13,800 detonators and backpacks stored in five plastic sacks during the cave raid. In addition, four bundles of cordex wire, a black Naxalite military outfit, and an ammunition bag came to light on the scene and were all incinerated there, per the police.
Two smartphones and two walkie-talkies were also retrieved from the cave hideout by security forces. People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (Military Squad), the most lethal squad of the outlawed Naxalite group CPI (Communist Party of India) Maoist reportedly used to have meetings in the cave.
The capture of the massive stash of weapons and ammunition, as noted by Ashish Bharti, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gaya, indicated that the Naxalites were getting ready to launch an enormous assault on the security forces. The press release further added, “The nefarious design of Naxalites has been foiled. The search operation against them is still underway.”
A group of senior Gabonese military officers on Wednesday appeared on national television saying they had seized power in the country as the recent general elections in the country lacked credibility, Al Jazeera reported, adding that they claimed to represent all security and defence forces of Gabon.
The officers, appearing on Gabon24 on Wednesday morning, said they had canceled the elections, dissolved all state institutions and closed the country’s borders, according to Al Jazeera.
Gabon became the third African nation after Burkina Faso and Niger to see a change of guard through a military coup in 2023.
The recent announcement came shortly after the state election body said President Ali Bongo Ondimba had won a third term in office in Saturday’s disputed elections.
The officers said, “In the name of the Gabonese people … we have decided to defend the peace by putting an end to the current regime.”
The Gabonese Election Centre said Bongo had secured 64.27% of the votes, significantly more than his main challenger Albert Ondo Ossa, who grabbed 30.77% of the total votes polled, after a process beset by delays.
The country’s Opposition camp on Saturday said the election was a “fraud orchestrated by Ali Bongo and his supporters” after the internet was cut and a curfew imposed.
French media outlets France 24, RFI and TV5 Monde were also banned, accused of “a lack of objectivity and balance … in connection with the current general elections”, the government said.
Bongo, earlier, announced his bid for a fresh term in office as the presidential candidate of the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG), the party founded by his father, Omar Bongo, who ruled Gabon with an iron fist from 1967 to 2009.
After his death, his son, then the defence minister, took his place as president and had been in power ever since, as per Al Jazeera.
Tensions had been running high amid Saturday’s vote with the Opposition pushing for change and an end to the Bongo family’s dominance of Gabon.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
Riazul Haque, a former Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader, has sparked controversy after he shared a photograph of his wife flaunting an AK-47 on Facebook that he had “gifted” her on their first wedding anniversary.
The photograph posted by his wife, Sabina Yasmin, was later deleted. In the photograph, she was seen holding the assault rifle. Bharatiya Janata Party leaders raised objections over the post and demanded an inquiry into how Haque managed to acquire an assault rifle. Military and paramilitary forces often use AK-47s in operations.
BJP district president from Birbhum Dhruba Saha said, “From where Riazul got the gun should be investigated. I saw his Facebook post. He is an ex-TMC leader and close aide to the state deputy speaker; what message does it convey? Is this a promotion of Taliban rule? Are they trying to push the next generation to become jihadis?”
Haque came out to defend his wife, claiming it was a toy gun and not a real assault rifle in the photograph. Nothing illegal was done as my wife was holding a toy gun. The allegation against me is fake since it was a fake gun.” He claimed the post was deleted after several people questioned about it.
Haque is believed to be a close aide of Deputy Speaker and Rampurhat MLA Ashish Bandyopadhyay. He was once the president of the Rampurhat-1 block of TMC’s minority cell. Two months ago, he resigned from his post.
On Tuesday, August 29, a 93-year-old Hindu priest was murdered in a Shiva temple in the Tonk district of Rajasthan. The deceased victim has been identified as Mahant Siyaram Das who was a priest at Bhuriya Mahadev Baba Dham Temple in Diggi town. On Wednesday, the locals who arrived at the temple found the Mahant’s dead body inside the temple. Upon receiving information about the incident, Tonk Superintendent of Police (SP) Rajarshi Raj Verma along with his team arrived at the spot. Later FSL team collected evidence from the crime scene.
SP Verma said that a medical board has been formed to conduct the postmortem examination of the deceased adding that CCTV footage is also being analysed and an investigation into the matter is underway. Meanwhile, efforts are ongoing to find and arrest the perpetrators.
“We received information that the body of the priest of Mahadev Mandir has been found. Police reached the spot immediately. A Medical Board has been formed for the postmortem of the body. We want it to be done at the earliest. Our investigation is underway…We are checking the CCTV footage as well,” Tonk SP said.
#WATCH | SP Tonk Rajarshi Raj Varma says, "We received information that the body of the priest of Mahadev Mandir has been found. Police reached the spot immediately. A Medical Board has been formed for the postmortem of the body. We want it to be done at the earliest. Our… https://t.co/NPsQMgbl91pic.twitter.com/L4hfseAZOT
According to the police, Mahant Siyaram Das was attacked with a sharp object on his head resulting in severe bleeding. Reportedly, the Mahant has been doing daily worship rituals at the Bhuriya Mahadev Baba Dham temple for the last fifty years. The police have sealed a nearly 500-metre area around the said temple.
A group of agitated locals staged a protest in Diggi village against the killing of the Hindu priest. In the visuals from the protest site, the locals are seen arguing with the police and demanding the arrest of the murderers.
#WATCH | Rajasthan | Locals in Diggi village of Tonk district protest after the priest of a temple was found dead. A police investigation is underway. pic.twitter.com/JPm5MGGOam
Taking to X, Union Jal Shakti Minister and MP from Jodhpur, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat condemned the killing of the Hindu priest and slammed the CM Ashok Gehlot-led government saying that the disregard of the saints has been a part of Congress party’s appeasement politics. He also alleged that the Congress government such miscreants who harass Hindu saints.
बहुत दुखद है कि टोंक क्षेत्र के ख्यात महंत संत सियाराम दास बाबा जी की निर्मम हत्या कर दी गई। राजस्थान में साधु-संत अपराधियों के निशाने पर क्यों हैं?
देश में कहीं और ऐसा नहीं देखा गया। संत समाज की अवहेलना गहलोत सरकार की तुष्टिकरण नीति का हिस्सा है।
“It is very sad that the famous Mahant Saint Siyaram Das Baba Ji of Tonk region was brutally murdered. Why are saints and sages the target of criminals in Rajasthan? This has not been seen anywhere else in the country. The disregard of Sant Samaj is part of the appeasement policy of the Gehlot government. To maintain its vote bank, Congress encourages anti-social elements who harass saints and seers. This is such a sin whose punishment is inevitable, which will soon be suffered by the unrighteous who are hurting Sanatan Dharma,” Shekhawat posted.
The Bollywood movie Yaariyan 2 has courted controversy and come under attack from the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and Sikh leaders due to the use of religious symbols in the video of the song ‘Saure Ghare’ by Meezaan Jafri. They warned the movie’s creators with legal action and announced they wouldn’t allow the film’s release if their demand was not fulfilled.
The objection was to a clean-shaven and non-Sikh actor wearing a Sikh Kakar which included a Kirpan (a small dagger that is a Sikh article of faith) and Gatra (a strap made of cloth that is used to wear the Kirpan). The apex body that manages Gurdwaras in India took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to express their displeasure on 28 August.
It posted, “We raise our strong objection to these visuals filmed, published in ‘Saure Ghar’ song of ‘Yaariyan 2’ film directed by Radhika Rao & Vinay Sapru. As the actor is seen wearing Sikh Kakaar (symbol of the Sikh faith) Kirpan in a highly objectionable manner which cannot be accepted. This has seriously hurt the religious sentiments of the Sikh community across the globe. Only an initiated Sikh has the right to wear Kirpan as per the Sikh Code of Conduct of Akal Takht Sahib and the right given by the Constitution of India.”
The organisation further added, “This video song is public on the official YouTube channel of T Series which must take it down with immediate effect. If any other platform is used to publish this video song with the said objectionable scenes must also take it down. We are immediately raising this objection through all channels to the Government and digital platforms.”
They asked the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Ministry of Electronics and IT to take measures to prevent the Censor Board of Film Certification from approving the release of the problematic video or any other such inappropriate scenes from the aforementioned movie.
The SGPC warned, “If the videos are not taken down from public view, we shall initiate the legal proceedings are per law for hurting religious sentiments of minority Sikh community.”
We raise our strong objection to these visuals filmed, published in 'Saure Ghar' song of 'Yaariyan 2' film directed by Radhika Rao & Vinay Sapru @SapruAndRao, as actor is seen wearing Sikh Kakaar (symbol of Sikh faith) Kirpan in a highly objectionable manner which cannot be… pic.twitter.com/FZXooNMsoH
— Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (@SGPCAmritsar) August 28, 2023
The president of Shiromani Akali Dal, Sukhbir Singh Badal also conveyed his sentiments on the matter. He wrote, “Strongly condemn the way our symbol of faith ‘Kirpan’ is being worn by the actor in the movie ‘Yariyaan 2’. Sikh religion permits only a baptised Sikh to wear a Kirpan like this. A clean-shaven man without a turban/patka wearing a ‘Sikh Kakaar’ is a clear disrespect to our faith and religion, which no Sikh can tolerate.”
He even cautioned the filmmakers and posed an implied threat. “Before the community takes any action against the producer/director/actor of the movie, I urge the entire management of Radhika Rao & Vinay Sapru to tender an unconditional apology for this act and remove such objectionable/provocative scenes from the movie with immediate effect. I also request the Censor Board of India to make sure such scenes aren’t run on any platform from today onwards as they may invite severe socio-religious complications.”
However, he then attempted to call for mutual respect and harmony. The politician remarked, “My appeal to everyone in the society is let’s respect all religions and never hurt the sentiments of others. Also, resolve to practise love and promote unity and peace to build a harmonious world.”
Strongly condemn the way our symbol of faith ‘Kirpan’ is being worn by the actor in movie ‘Yariyaan 2’. Sikh religion permits only a baptised Sikh to wear Kirpan like this. A clean shaven man without turban/patka wearing a ‘Sikh Kakaar’ is a clear disrespect to our faith and… pic.twitter.com/j4sYZC96GM
Yaariyan-2 filmmaker clarified it is a khukri, not a kirpan
The directors of the film Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru offered a clarification on the matter and regretted any misunderstanding. “We would like to address the concerns regarding the visuals in the song – Saure Ghar from our recent film Yaariyan 2. We would like to clarify that the actor in the song is wearing a ‘Khukri’ and not a ‘Kirpan’. In fact, the dialogues in the film make it explicitly clear that it is a ‘Khukri’. We regret any misunderstanding that may Have arisen due to the similarity in appearance. Our intention has never been to offend or disrespect any religious beliefs.”
They added that their intention was not to offend any religious beliefs. “We want to emphasise our deep respect for religious sentiments. We understand the significance of all religions and are committed to ensuring that our work does not inadvertently cause any offence. Please be rest assured that we hold the highest regard for all faiths. We appreciate your understanding and will continue to strive for sensitivity and respect in our future projects.”
However, the highest religious group of the Sikhs didn’t accept their justification. It asserted that legal action would be commenced against the makers of Yaariyan 2 and argued, “The Sikhs very well know the shape of a ‘Kirpan’ and a ‘Khukri’ and the way both are worn on one’s body. We are not satisfied with your illogical clarification. Therefore, we are initiating the process of legal action in this case, as the concerned video song is still in public view and continuously hurting the religious sentiments of the Sikh community.”
It mentioned, “The Khukri is worn like a pistol on a belt by a person (mostly Gorkha soldiers) authorized to do so, and similarly, the Sikh Kirpan is worn on a Gatra (belt) as the actor has done in your Saure Ghar video song. Only initiated Sikhs are authorised to wear Kirpan as per the mandate of Sikh Rehat Maryada (code of conduct) of Sri Akal Takht Sahib and the right under the Constitution of India.”
The Sikhs very well know the shape of a 'Kirpan' and a 'Khukri', and the way both are worn on one's body. We are not satisfied with your illogical clarification. Therefore, we are initiating the process of legal action in this case, as the concerned video song is still in public… https://t.co/rlTyXWkYGHpic.twitter.com/LsxsvK5G24
— Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (@SGPCAmritsar) August 29, 2023
Complaint filed against Yaariyan-2
According to further information provided by the SGPC, its president, Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami, adopted a strict stance on the subject and ordered legal action. Partap Singh, the organisation’s secretary, has also filed a complaint with the Amritsar Police Commissioner for hurting religious feelings.
It declared, “Harjinder Singh Dhami has clearly said that the insult to Sikh Kakaars and Sikh principles cannot be tolerated in any film. He said that the producer, director, and actor of the film did not do it right by presenting Sikh Kakaar Kirpan against Sikh principles and maryada (conduct). Moreover, the T-series company has made a mistake by publishing anti-Sikh visuals on its YouTube channel. Appreciating the Sikh sentiments, the SGPC will not allow this film to be released at any cost.”
The religious outfit continued, “He said that such people deliberately inflame the religious sentiments of Sikhs. He said that despite the fact that everyone knows about the Sikh lifestyle and living in the whole country, Sikhs are deliberately teased by such actions. The SGPC is serious about this film and orders have been issued to take legal action.”
The T-Series company was also approached by the SGPC over the episode, per SGPC spokesman Harbhajan Singh Vakta, who noted that the company provided information concerning the contention under consideration. He claimed that its representative Rahul Dubey had met with the SGPC and was explicitly told that the controversial video song needed to be taken down from the YouTube channel right away. He alleged that based on the latter’s statement, T-Series might think about eliminating portions that hurt Sikh sensibilities from the entire movie.
SGPC initiates legal action against Yaariyan-2 film for anti-Sikh scenes -Film hurting Sikh sentiments will not be allowed to release: @SGPCPresident Amritsar: The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has initiated strict legal action against the film 'Yaariyan-2' for… pic.twitter.com/Ifkz59VslN
— Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (@SGPCAmritsar) August 29, 2023
Yaariyan 2 is an upcoming Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru directorial coming-of-age comedy drama featuring Divya Khosla Kumar, Yash Dasgupta, Meezaan Jafri, Pearl Puri, Anaswara Rajan, Warina Hussain and Priya Prakash Varrier. It is produced by T-Series and is slated to release in October of this year.
On 27th August, a video of a couple being harassed went viral on social media. A man and a woman traveling on a bike were verbally abused and harassed, reportedly by 3 minors. The accused individuals heckled and abused the young man driving the bike for taking a burka-clad girl on his bike. According to the police, the incident occurred on 26th August in the Jubilee Hills Police Station area.
Sir, a case has been registered, persons involved were apprehended, necessary legal action will be taken.
The police have apprehended three minors in the matter after a case was booked on Monday. The couple in the video is yet to be identified. In the video, the three accused were heard asking the bike-riding young man about the girl sitting as a pillion rider on the bike. They asked him where he was taking her. When he questioned what was their problem, they started abusing him. The duo appeared to be interfaith as the woman was covered in an Islamic burka and the man had difficulty speaking and understanding Hyderabadi Urdu.
The man then said she was his friend, after which it appeared the accused touched the girl as she was heard raising her voice. The three minors asked her to get down from the bike. The police said later they left the place, and one of them uploaded the video on social media.
The man on the bike tells the harassers that the woman is his friend and they are going to Golconda. The minors were heard repeatedly abusing and making threatening gestures to the man.
A case was registered in the matter at Jubilee Hills Police Station. In a post on X, the concerned SHO said the three accused were apprehended, and their parents were notified. Further investigation into the matter was underway.
‘Bhagwa love trap’ conspiracy theory and its aftermath
In recent times, a new menace of Islamist mobs attacking Hindu-Muslim couples has come to light. Multiple videos have surfaced on social media where extremist elements are seen harassing, abusing, molesting, and physically assaulting Hindu men and Muslim women under the garb of combating ‘Bhagwa Love Trap.’
It is based on a baseless theory about Hindu outfits, supposedly training Hindu youth to lure, and entrap Muslim women and turn them into non-Muslims. Opindia has reported that an Islamic cleric by the name of Sajjad Nomani has been making such outrageous claims since 2021.
The conspiracy theory soon took the form of a social media hashtag, which Islamists used to share videos of random hijab-wearing Muslim women and their male Hindu friends/ acquaintances and partners without their consent.
The posts are often accompanied by emotional messages and seek public help in identifying the couples. Soon after, social media was rife with videos of Islamist mobs ambushing random Hindu-Muslim couples and misbehaving with them.
This would then be followed by heated arguments, physical assault on Hindu men, and even molestation of Muslim women. The victims have been targeted on roads, restaurants, eateries, and even hotels.
Based on local reports and social media videos, OpIndia has compiled a total of 50 cases (here, here and here) where extremists attacked Hindu men and Muslim women under the pretext of the ‘Bhagwa love trap.’
Opindia has recently published an investigative report highlighting how Islamists are using Whatsapp groups to target Hindu-Muslim couples.
