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As Pune police book Mukesh Machkar for inciting genocide of Brahmins by attacking women, read why Brahmin bashing is considered cool in Maharashtra

Gopal Tiwari
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As Pune police book Mukesh Machkar for inciting genocide of Brahmins by attacking women, read why Brahmin bashing is considered cool in Maharashtra

On Saturday, 22nd July 2023, an FIR was registered against Mukesh Machkar – editor of Marathi Cartoon Weekly Marmik – for inciting hatred and violence against Brahmin women over the recent Manipur issue. Mukesh Machkar said in his Facebook post that he would contribute money to those who pack the women with surnames Bhide, Gadgil, and Nadkarni in a sack and send them to Manipur. He also added that he will sponsor a half-litre of petrol if anyone wishes to do “something else” with them.

The FIR was filed in the Cyber Police branch of Pune City at the Alankar police station in the Erandwana area of Pune and it is based on the complaint filed by noted Marathi writer Ashwini Kulkarni. While Mukesh Machkar represents the so-called “moral compass” of the progressive ideology of Maharashtra, it is necessary to first understand the history behind such attacks on Brahmins which constitute 5 to 6 per cent population of the Marathi state.

Why Brahmin bashing is considered cool in Maharashtra?

For the past 200 years, Maharashtra has been a torch-bearer region in the social renaissance of the country. Activists like Jyotirao Phule, Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, and Dr BR Ambedkar are often glorified here as a stepwise legacy of social reforms mainly revolving around fighting caste discrimination and gender discrimination. The root causes of these social problems are often attributed to Hindu Dharmik beliefs.

Brahmins by nature of the inheritance they have and by the definition of that particular caste are known for being the traditional custodians of Dharmik know-how and are held responsible for the whole mess with the onus kept immune to time and space. This surrounds Brahmins of the pre-renaissance period with malicious claims legitimised as authentic history and puts Brahmins of the post-renaissance period into a perpetual vulnerability to public violence for no reason despite adherence to the moral compass set by the progressive movement.

Mukesh Machkar wrote in his Facebook post, “I will give a contribution of rupees one thousand to pack Bhide, Gadgil, and Nadkarni women in a sack and send them to Manipur. Also, will give half a litre of petrol if there is any other plan!” Notably, Bhide, Gadgil, and Nadkarni are the surnames commonly found in the Marathi Brahmin Community. Peshwas of the Maratha empire, Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Veer Savarkar, and many other eminent Marathi personalities belong to this community. Nathuram Godse who shot MK Gandhi dead also comes from this community. What Mukesh Machkar incited is nothing but a genocide of this community like the one witnessed by Maharashtra in 1948 after MK Gandhi’s assassination.

It started with the genocide of Chitpavan Brahmins in 1948

The genocide of Marathi Chitpavan Brahmins took place in Maharashtra in 1948 after MK Gandhi was shot dead by Nathuram Godse – a Chitpavan Brahmin. It was the Gandhian Ahimsa-Vadis themselves who resorted to mass violence as a tool to avenge his murder. The Congress leaders who took part in the genocidal violence continued to keep their strongholds in parts of the newly formed state, with their actual heirs and political successors holding ministerial ranks in the state cabinet.

The local politics continued to propel the narrative of a ‘progressive Maharashtra’ lead by the ideals of ‘Shahu-Phule-Ambedkar’ while leaving no space for leaders from the Brahmin community. The aftermath of the violence also explains the plight of the Brahmins from the villages and their rapid migration into the cities, as many families succumbed to threats during the 1960s. Even today, the Maharashtrian Brahmins as a minority community do not hold much say in the politics of the state dominated by the Marathas and the Kunbis. Maratha-centric scholarships were slowly brought ahead to replace the perceived hegemony of Brahmins in academics and intelligentsia as well.

The other side-effect of this intellectual and political boycott can be seen in the quasi-socialist narrative set by Congress during the 1970s and 1980s. The same thread was taken ahead by the Sharad Pawar-led NCP when it was in power from 1999 to 2014. “A progressive Maharashtra of Phule Shahu and Ambedkar” became a common jargon of any public meet so much so that even the BJP cannot refuse to exclusively adhere to it now.

Discrediting of the historic contribution

This approach wiped out many Brahmin social reformers and thinkers from Marathi social discourse. Lok Hitwadi Gopal Hari Deshmukh is forgotten because he is Brahmin. Gopal Ganesh Agarkar is comfortably ignored despite his thought-provoking writing on social reforms. Lokmanya Tilak who was earlier seen as the manifestation of the Indian dissent against British rule and a mass leader across caste barriers is feared to remain as just another political leader from the Brahmin community. Defaming Veer Savarkar and getting away with it is not new to the Marathi state now.

These Marathi stalwarts are purposefully presented as Brahmin-limited persons by the left-leaning and Islamoapologetic progressive liberal seculars of the state. The thought behind this is essentially that Hinduism is the root cause of social evil and Brahmins are presented as representatives of it and others who followed the same Dharma for centuries are given an alternate history to fight against each other within Hinduism.

It is quite fashionable to peddle that Brahmins are Eurasians, and Bahujans are the Mool Niwasis and Adivasis can not be called Hindus. Very few people take cognizance of the fact that the Aryan Invasion theory is already proven wrong. Marathi writer Shahu Patole wrote an article on the Manipur issue for the same Marmik edited by Mukesh Machkar where he categorically said that Adivasis are not Hindus. Therefore, after creating so many rifts in the Hindu community along caste lines, while criticising any so-called social evil it is made a norm in Maharashtra to either criticise Brahmins or to keep them at a distance or at least keep taunting them.

Impact on history told and the politics

While Brahmins were gradually losing their political representation as the so-called progressive movement started spreading its roots deeper, the community made sure that their later generations stick to their core competencies including knowledge and education. The genocide of Brahmins in 1948 was not limited to Chitpavan Brahmins. Many other Brahmins were persecuted and forced to leave their properties in villages – especially in the Western Maharashtra and Vidarbha region – never to return and they settled in cities like Pune, Thane, Mumbai, Nagpur, and Nashik.

History writing was also seen through casteist lenses and the glorious story of the Maratha empire was also given different perspectives based on the caste of the narrator. After a well-identified gap between Savarnas and Dalits, dedicated attempts were made to sow the seeds of hatred between Brahmins and Marathas through perverted versions of medieval history. In an attempt to separate Brahmins from Marathas, these enthusiastic historians and academicians exerted to pull Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj away from Hindu Dharma. The two streams in history achieved nothing but a widening rift in Marathi people on casteist lines. History defines one’s identity and issues one takes pride in. The social divide in Maharashtra cleverly utilised history as a tool to make people hate each other.

There are two popular streams of Maratha historical discourse in Maharashtra. One of them is led by the likes of Babasaheb Purandare who gave his whole life the research about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, his Swarajya, and its further development. Followers of this thought line see Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj as the kings who reestablished a Hindu state in the nation amidst the tyranny of the Moghuls in the north and various Shahis in the Deccan.

The others, however, try to separate both the Chhatrapati from Dharmic notions and try to portray the Swarajya to be like any so-called secular, progressive, liberal state in the contemporary era which Swarajya was not. The ‘Sambhaji Brigade’ is one such organization propagating this view in which the great kings are seen from the point of view that would seem to be ‘politically correct’ in contemporary times. Shiv Sena (UBT) is in a political alliance with the ‘Sambhaji Brigade’.

More about ‘Sambhaji Brigade’

The Sambhaji Brigade vandalised the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute in Pune on 5th January 2004. The Institute had hosted and helped American author James Laine in researching his book ‘Shivaji: A Hindu King in Islamic India’. Sambhaji Brigade claims that some passages in the book are insulting to the Hindu king. All miscreants were acquitted by the Pune sessions court in 2017 due to a lack of evidence. The reason for the attack was that Laine reported outright hearsay on page number 93: “Maharashtrians tell jokes naughtily suggesting that his guardian Dadaji Konddev was his biological father”! This claim by James Laine is baseless insinuation and further criticism of this unsubstantiated claim can be read here.

In Lal Mahal where Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj spent his childhood years, there was a statue of Dadoji Konddev – who is considered as a tutor of the young Shivaji. Dadoji Konddev was a Brahmin administrator appointed by Shahajiraje in his Pune Jagir to assist Rajmata Jijabai while Shahajiraje was engaged in warfare in Karnataka. In December 2010, the statue was removed by the Pune Municipal Corporation then ruled by Congress-NCP. This decision was taken after the Sambhaji Brigade made an aggressive demand for it. A committee of historians was appointed by the state government to conclude that Dadoji Konddev was not a Guru or Tutor of Shivaji Maharaj in his childhood.

On 2nd January 2017, Sambhaji Brigade members removed the statue of eminent Marathi playwright Ram Ganesh Gadkari from the Sambhaji Garden in Pune. They threw it in the Mula River. It was removed citing that his play Raj Sannyas portrays Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj in a bad light. It is notable that Ram Ganesh Gadkari was a Brahmin. The references which he supposedly used to write the play in 1910 were proved to be false much after the writer died in 1919. Moreover, the play was not even being presented on the stage in contemporary times and Gadkari is credited with many literary milestones other than this play. But hatred does not register anything except hatred.

It is Sambhaji Brigade that discredited Samarth Ramdas – a Brahmin by birth – and propagated that he was neither a guide nor an inspiration to the Hindu King Shivaji Maharaj. Instead, a Muslim ‘saint’ Hajrat Yakub Baba is now presented as his Guru in the progressive Maharashtra of Phule Shahu and Ambedkar. Discrediting a Brahmin seer is progressive. Entitling a Muslim ‘saint’ the guideship of a Hindu king is secular. It is the same Sambhaji Brigade that is credited to peddle a popular lie or myth in common public discourse that Shivaji Maharaj’s army and administration included a considerable percentage of Muslims – even in officer ranks – which reduces the Hindavi Swarajya to just Swarajya. This is done to impose contemporary secular notions on the medieval Hindu king. It is done to burden Shivaji Maharaj’s staunch followers to be on good terms with present-day Islamists and ignore whatever trouble they create in the state. Historian Gajanan Mehendale has dismissed this claim and credibly proved that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj did not employ more than 7 or 8 Muslims as administrative officers in his life. He categorically mentions that there was no revenue officer in his kingdom after 10th March 1657. All other popular secular misconceptions are dismissed in the attached video.

It is notable that Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj has referred to his grandfather Shahaji as ‘Haindav-Dharma-Jeernoddharaka’ (हैंदवधर्मजीर्णोद्धारक) – the one who has restored the Hindu Dharma. On his father Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the second Chhatrapati of the Hindu kingdom unapologetically bestows the titles of ‘Mleccha-kshaya-dixita’ (म्लेंच्छक्षयदीक्षित) – the one who is spiritually initiated to kill Islamists and has mastered the killing of Islamic invaders and ‘Gau-brahman-pratipalaka’ (गोब्राह्मणप्रतिपालक) – The protector of cows and Brahmins.

This secular portrayal of the Hindu kings also calls the first stream of historians to be a pervert. Moreover, NCP and Sharad Pawar are repeatedly accused of setting up a dispute between two influential caste groups in Maharashtra viz. Brahmins and Marathas. NCP leader Jitendra Awhad is known for the first history stream mentioned above. He has repeatedly insulted people like Babasaheb Purandare and his works. Awhad has also said that Aurangzeb was not a Hindu hater. Amol Mitkari is another NCP leader who is known as the one who made fun of Hindu rituals and Brahmins who perform rituals to solemnise marriages of Hindus.

The political impact of reverse casteism is neutralised by Devendra Fadnavis

Uddhav Thackeray often says that his Hindutva has nothing to do with Shikha, Janeu, and Ghanta. To appear a progressive liberal, bashing Brahmins is essential in contemporary Maharashtra. This is why, the BJP bringing Devendra Fadnavis as the CM face in 2014 when the demands of Maratha reservations were on a historic high was seen as a strong political message. BJP’s move was to challenge popular opinions. Likewise, a non-Jat ML Khattar was made CM in Haryana in the same year 2014 and is still the CM there.

Devendra Fadnavis is a Brahmin. His tenure as the CM saw social turbulence in Maharashtra like never before with 59 rallies of the Maratha community across the state demanding reservations. When the Fadnavis government decided to provide reservations to Marathas, the opposition incited farmers to walk to Mumbai for various demands to destabilise the government.

Devendra Fadnavis’ political intents were repeatedly questioned by Sharad Pawar either by clearly mentioning or by indicating his caste in public. Despite this, Fadnavis became the first CM of the state to complete the term of five years after Vasantrao Naik who completed the term in 1967-1972. Taking multiple caste groups and leaders from various factions and political parties together, Fadnavis made BJP the most successful political party in Maharashtra and today stands as the most popular leader in the state disproving the equations and arithmetics of caste-based politics.

Mukesh Machkar was brought to Marmik during the MVA government

In 2019, Maharashtra witnessed an ‘end of all ideologies’ situation when Uddhav Thackeray joined hands with Congress and NCP breaking the Hindutva alliance of Shiv Sena and BJP. It was during the Maha Vikas Aghadi government that Uddhav Thackeray’s Hindutva overtly became anti-Hindu with every passing day. Marmik which once used to be Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece is now published by the Prabodhan Prakashan. It is led by Rashmi Uddhav Thackeray. Mukesh Machkar – a left-leaning so-called progressive liberal writer in Marathi was brought on board as an executive editor during the MVA period only. With the given history of ‘social reforms’ and political scenarios, Mukesh Machkar’s liberal credentials were a perfect match for the changed stance of Shiv Sena (UBT), and the same has been the reason for seeding anti-Brahmin hatred in his mind. His Facebook post is just an expression of that.

Mukesh Machkar was backed by many perverts in the comments section

It was not only the post by Mukesh Machkar that represented the hatred towards Brahmins sowed by the progressive movement in Maharashtra. There were scores of other social media users who commented on the post and showcased their mentality. Someone wrote, ‘I contribute 251’. Someone else wrote ‘Add 500 from my side’. An open auctioneer for participating in the genocide call given by Mukesh Machkar started in the comments section of his post. A video screengrab of the same is attached below.

Mukesh Machkar received similar support in the comments section of his meaningless apology. People suggested he should not apologise. Some of them even copy pasted his original post. The Facebook users commenting on Mukesh Machkar’s post against Brahmins include common people following Mukesh Machkar as well as some distinguished individuals identified in the society. One of them is a manager in Daily Newspaper Sakal. Sakal is headed by Sharad Pawar’s sibling Prataprao Pawar. The list also includes a former deputy director of the finance department of the government of Maharashtra and a teacher who claims to have received the award of the best primary school teacher from the President of India.

While police action on Mukesh Machkar is still awaited, Marathi people have a long way to go before getting rid of the regressive politicians creating a divide in the community for political gains and progressive ideologies portraying Brahmins as essential villains to uproot Hindu Dharma from the land where its restoration in the later Mughal period was initiated for never to diminish again.

Sextortion call to Minister Prahlad Patel: Delhi Police bust gang, Mohammad Vakil and Mohammad Sahib arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Sextortion call to Minister Prahlad Patel: Delhi Police bust gang, Mohammad Vakil and Mohammad Sahib arrested

The Delhi Police’s Crime branch arrested two men from Bharatpur in Rajasthan for making a sextortion call to Prahlad Singh Patel, Union Minister of State for Food Processing Industries, and Jal Shakti. The arrested accused were identified as Mohammad Vakil and Mohammad Sahib from Bharatpur, Rajasthan.

However, the police informed that the main accused, Sabir, is still absconding. 

A Delhi Police officer stated that Patel’s personal secretary, Alok Mohan reported the incident in the last week of June. The Police registered a case under Sections 419 and 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Afterward, they arrested both the accused. 

The officer said, “On behalf of Patel, his Personal Secretary, Alok Mohan, contacted Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora and filed a complaint with the Crime Branch. An FIR was registered under IPC Sections 420 (cheating) and 419 (impersonation), and police started their investigations.”

According to the complaint, the accused targeted Union Minister Prahlad Patel through Whatsapp. They made a video call to his number and during the call, they played a pornographic video with the intention of blackmailing him. However, the Minister immediately disconnected the call. Later, he received a call in which the accused threatened to release his video clip on social media, police officer said. 

The Minister than promptly reported the Delhi Police Commissioner about getting a sextortion call following which the Police started the investigation that led to two arrests from Rajasthan’s Bharatpur. 

According to a police officer, a “sextortion” call typically involves blackmail, wherein the caller threatens the receiver to release a phone/video call of sexual nature to the public.

An officer stated that with the help of local police informers, they laid a trap and arrested two accused. They recovered one of the phones that were used for making the call to the Union Minister and sent it for forensic examination. 

Later, they successfully traced the two phone numbers which were used in the cybercrime to Md Sabir, a Bharatpur resident, and to an address in Assam. 

During the investigation, the Crime Branch revealed that the arrested accused were running an organized “sextortion” racket. The officer informed that the investigation team found out that one SIM was used in 36 International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers, while the other one was used in 18 IMEI numbers. 

Earlier, in December 2021, the Delhi Police had arrested five men for making extortion calls to MoS (Home Affairs) Ajay Kumar Mishra. He had received phone calls in which the accused were trying to extort money from the minister. They claimed that they had some “incriminating” video clips. 

Subsequently, an FIR was lodged and four accused were arrested from Noida while another accused was held from Seeraspur in Delhi.

Read why, despite the new Parliament Building being ready, the monsoon session is being held in the old building

OpIndia Staff
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Read why, despite the new Parliament Building being ready, the monsoon session is being held in the old building

On Thursday, July 20, 2023, the monsoon session of the Parliament commenced amid the usual political ruckus, with various bills being discussed by the members of the Parliament. Despite the formal inauguration of the new Parliament building on May 28, 2023, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the session is still being held in the old building which was constructed in 1927 during British rule.

The new Parliament building, which has been under construction since December 2020, was expected to host the monsoon session. However, even before the session began, the government announced that it would start in the old building and eventually shift to the new one once the necessary arrangements were completed.

According to a report by The Indian Express, all systems in the new building, including sound, air conditioning, and automated security, were thoroughly tested before the session’s commencement. Additionally, the audio and video systems in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were checked for functionality.

The delay in shifting the session to the new building appears to be due to a combination of ongoing finishing work and the complexity of relocating essential items and offices from the old building to the new one. Such a process requires considerable time and effort, leading to the decision to begin the session in the old Parliament building.

Opposition parties have also seized upon the delay, with Rashtriya Loktantrik Party president and MP Hanuman Beniwal propagating the claim that the new Parliament building was flooded, thus preventing the session from being held there. However, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi dismissed these claims, asserting that they were entirely false and baseless. He emphasised that the decision to hold the session in the old building was made by the Lok Sabha Speaker.

The ongoing monsoon session of Parliament, scheduled from 20th July 2023 to 11th August 2023, consists of 17 meetings spread across 23 days. Presently, both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are functioning in the old Parliament building. An official announcement from the government regarding the date of the session’s shift to the new building is still awaited.

The new Parliament building, which was inaugurated with chants of Vedic mantras on May 28, 2023, is triangular in shape and located adjacent to the old building. Unlike the old building’s three chambers, the new building has two chambers, one each for the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. On occasions when both houses meet together, a joint session will take place in the Lok Sabha room, accommodating 1272 people. The state-of-the-art building cost 800 crores and spans an area of 64,500 square meters.

Despite the delay, the new Parliament building stands ready to serve as a symbol of India’s progress and modernity. As the finishing touches and logistical challenges are addressed, the government will soon transition the session to the new building, marking a new era in India’s parliamentary proceedings.

‘Gangs, lawyers working to help illegal migrants’: Rishi Sunak promises to ‘stop the boats’, and help the Ukrainians seeking asylum in the UK

Shraddha Pandey
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‘Gangs, lawyers working to help illegal migrants’: Rishi Sunak promises to ‘stop the boats’, and help the Ukrainians seeking asylum in the UK

Illegal immigration has over the years emerged as a major concern in the United Kingdom. There have been reports that several criminal gangs and lawyers work in collusion to draw in illegal immigrants through the English Channel on small boats. According to official statistics, the number of people entering the UK on small boats in 2022 exceeded 45,700, constituting a 60% increase over the 28,500 who came in in 2021.

On Tuesday, July 25, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak alleged that the Labour Party, several lawyers and criminal gangs have teamed up to prop up a “system of exploitation” that profits from getting illegal refugees into the UK. To back his assertion, PM Sunak shared a Daily Mail investigative report about lawyers helping illegal immigrants claim asylum by providing false evidence. 

Taking to Twitter, the British Prime Minister posted a long thread wherein he discussed his plan to stop illegal immigrants from entering and seeking asylum in the UK. It is worth noting that PM Sunak in January this year announced his top five priorities which include halving inflation, growing the economy, reducing debt, cutting NHS waiting lists, and to “stop the boats”.

“This is what we’re up against. The Labour Party, a subset of lawyers, criminal gangs – they’re all on the same side, propping up a system of exploitation that profits from getting people to the UK illegally. I have a plan to stop it, PM Sunak tweeted.

Notably, the Daily Mail report claims that several lawyers are charging exorbitant amounts to the tune of £10,000  to provide false evidence and cook up a fake but horrific back story to use in the asylum application. “This includes claims of sexual torture, beatings, slave labor, false imprisonment, and death threats that left them suicidal and compelled to flee to the UK,” the report reads.

In the second tweet, Sunak talked about the newly passed Illegal Migration Bill which mandates that only those who enter the UK through safe and legal routes will be allowed to seek asylum in the country.

“First, I recently passed laws that will mean if you come to the UK illegally: You can’t claim asylum. You can’t misuse our modern slavery protections. You can’t make false human rights claims. You can’t stay. These laws go further than any government has gone before,” Sunak tweeted.

Illegal Migration Bill 

Illegal-Migration Bill mandates that only those who enter the UK through safe and legal routes will be allowed to seek asylum in the country. while the illegal entrants will be sent back to their home country or to another safe country like Rwanda where their asylum claim can be considered. The bill also bars re-entry, settlement, or citizenship bids for people once sent back or removed. The bill further states that an annual cap will be placed on the number of legal immigrants seeking asylum. 

According to an official factsheet, the asylum system of the UK is “broken”, stressing what necessitated the Illegal Migration Bill was a sharp increase in the number of illegal infiltrators entering the UK on small boats last year. These illegal immigrants make dangerous journeys with many losing their lives while trying to make their way into the UK through the country’s busiest shipping lane. The British government also deems these small boat journeys unnecessary as many of such asylum seekers come from safe countries like France, where they can claim asylum. 

Moreover, these illegal immigrants are ensnared into paying huge amounts of money which is used in committing other crimes.  

In terms of the money spent by the UK government on refugees each year, the government claims that more than £3 billion was spent on refugees last year. Furthermore, £6 million is spent each day on hotel accommodations for immigrants awaiting judgment. Interestingly, asylum seekers in the United Kingdom are entitled to free accommodation. 

UK-France deal to curb small boat crossings

British Prime Minister Sunak in another tweet mentioned securing the “largest ever” small boats deal with France. Sunak asserted that the said deal will ensure 40 percent more patrols on French beaches adding that the first 60 French reservists will be deployed this week. “This will help us stop the boats at source before they cross the Channel,” Sunak’s tweet reads. 

Notably, in March this year, Britain and France signed a deal worth £500 million.  The British government pledged £500 million to France for the latter to build a detention center in Dunkirk to prevent illegal immigrants from leaving France on small boats, doubling the number of patrolling officers to 800, and setting up a joint command center.

Rishi Sunak boasts about UK-Albania deal regarding illegal migration

The British Prime Minister further stated that after he negotiated a deal with Albania to deter and deport illegal immigrants and foreign national offenders (FNOs), the UK government has sent back over 2500 such illegal immigrants. Moreover, Sunak asserted that a third of all small boat crossings were Albanians and this is now reduced by 90 percent. 

“I’ve negotiated a deal with Albania to make it easier to deport and deter illegal migrants and FNOs. We’ve returned over 2,500. A third of all small boat crossings were Albanian. Now they’re down 90%. This issue requires international collaboration – the UK is leading the way,” PM Sunak tweeted. 

It is pertinent to recall that the United Kingdom and Albania signed a “gold-standard” deal in December last year, wherein the two nations agreed on leading a joint fight against illegal immigration and organized crimes. The deal came after over 12000 Albanians arrived in the UK via the English Channel. In June, British Migration Minister Robert Jenrick said that thousands of such Albanian migrants including failed asylum seekers, FNOs, and voluntary returnees have been sent back since the signing of the deal. 

Last year, Albanians were reportedly the most prominent nationality seeking asylum in the United Kingdom. In 2022, there were 14,223 applications from Albanian nationals, 9,573 of which came from migrants arriving in boats after crossing the Channel. With 10,011 applications, Afghans were the second most prevalent nationality seeking asylum last year.

50% increase in raids on illegal workers

Sunak said that he increased raids on illegal workers by 50 percent. Sunak also talked about a raid conducted by enforcement officers wherein he joined them to witness a first-hand impact. 

“Third, I’ve increased raids by 50% to clamp down on illegal workers. I saw first-hand the impact this will have when I joined Immigration Enforcement officers last month for what was the biggest ever single day of raids,” the British prime minister tweeted. 

In June this year, PM Sunak joined the enforcement officials in a raid in Brent, North London wherein over 100 illegal migrants from 20 different nations were arrested. 

In addition to increased raids, PM Sunak announced the end of the “farce of illegal migrants being put up hotels by the taxpayer.”

As discussed above, the UK government currently spends £6 million each day on hotel accommodations for immigrants awaiting the decision. Notably, at the end of December last year, more than 132,000 cases pertaining to over 161,000 people were awaiting a decision.

‘Ukrainians welcome while others not allowed’

While the UK government is claiming to take stringent measures to control illegal migration, PM Sunak plans to ensure safe and legal routes for people in ‘genuine need’ like the Ukrainians escaping their war-torn country. 

“Fifth, I’m ensuring that the only way to come to the UK for asylum will be through safe and legal routes. And as we get a grip of illegal migration, we’ll create more of those routes so we can continue to help those in genuine need, like we have done for Ukrainians,” Sunak tweeted. 

According to the UNHCR data as of July 10, 2023, there are over 2 lakh Ukrainian refugees in the United Kingdom with 1200 applying for asylum or similar protection schemes.

Lastly, Sunak reiterated his priority to stop illegal migrants from entering Britain saying that he would “leave no stone unturned to get it done.”

Sudipto Sen gives a befitting reply to a troll who asked if he has the guts to make a movie on Manipur violence after his ‘The Kerala Story’: What he said

OpIndia Staff
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Sudipto Sen gives a befitting reply to a troll who asked if he has the guts to make a movie on Manipur violence after his ‘The Kerala Story’: What he said

Sudipto Sen, the director of the recent box office success ‘The Kerala Story’ indicated on Wednesday, July 26 that he is not scared to make a film about the ongoing Manipur issue and the violence attached to it. “I have the guts and courage to make films on anything I understand and am convinced with. No threat can stop my work,” he tweeted.

This is after one of the Twitter users poked Sen asking him that would he attempt to make a movie on the Manipur issue as he did on the Kerala issue. “If I can make film on the world’s deadliest terror outfits like ISIS and Maoists, I can make films on Manipur issue also. But the ethnic wars in Northeastern India is very complex. Trying to understand now very keenly,” he added.

Further calling the Manipur issue a bit complex, Sen said that he would take time to understand the ethnic war issue before making the reel. “I researched on Kerala issue or Bastar for years before making the films. The day I shall come up with an authentic and well-researched story – I promise I shall make the film too,” he said.

The movie The Kerala Story which was recently released happened to break the box office records. The movie written and directed by Sudipto Sen, revolves around Shalini Unnikrishnan, played by Adah Sharma, an innocent Hindu woman from Kerala who is brainwashed by her Muslim friend and gets converted to Islam and marries a Muslim man. She later realises that she has been trapped in a huge terrorist web after which she is raped, separated from her only child, and then forced to serve as a sex slave.

Sen also said that he would make a film on the Manipur issue after knowing in detail about the very complex ethnic wars happening in the Northeastern part of the country.

As reported earlier, the ongoing violence in Manipur erupted after a rally by the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM) on May 3 in protest against the proposed inclusion of people belonging to the Meitei community in the list of Scheduled Tribes (STs).

While the tribal groups have been opposing the demand of the Meitei community’s demand for ST status for years, the recent protests and violence were triggered by a Manipur High Court order on 27 March, directing the Manipur state government to submit recommendations to the union government for the inclusion of Meitei in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list. The court had issued the order after several petitions filed by Meitei activists seeking the said direction.

The high court also criticized the state government for dragging the issue for over 10 years. The demands by Meities started with a memorandum submitted to the governor in November 2012 by the Scheduled Tribes Demand Committee of Manipur Valley (STDCM). The committee then met Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh in December 2012 with the demand and then met prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh in July 2013 with the demand. However, the PM then asked them to discuss the matter with the state cabinet.

The recent violence however got massive attention after the horrifying viral video of women being paraded naked surfaced from Manipur. The video sent shock waves across the country attracting demands of strict punishment against such heinous crime. The perpetrators were later arrested by the state police.

Triple murder in Assam: Nazibur Rahman Bora kills wife and her parents, Sanghamitra Ghosh had eloped with him ignoring the objection of parents

OpIndia Staff
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Triple murder in Assam: Nazibur Rahman Bora kills wife and her parents, Sanghamitra Ghosh had eloped with him ignoring the objection of parents

A triple murder in Assam’s Kumarpatty area of Golaghat district has created shockwaves across the state where a 25-year-old Muslim man named Nazibur Rahman Bora killed his 24-year-old wife Sanghamitra Ghosh along with her father Sanjeev Ghosh and mother Junu Ghosh at their residence on 24 July.

The elderly couple tried to protect their daughter but all three of them were stabbed to death. The accused is a mechanical engineer from the Central Institute of Technology, Kolkata, and hails from the same neighbourhood. He surrendered to the police and was subsequently arrested on multiple charges, including murder, on the evening of 24 July.

Moreover, he has admitted to his crime. The police have registered a case under Sections 302 (murder) and 448 (trespassing) of the Indian Penal Code and are presently conducting an investigation. A team from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Forensic Science Laboratory has arrived in Golaghat to help with the investigation.

Ankita Ghosh, the victim’s younger sister, was in a video conversation with the family from Jorhat University where she is a student. She witnessed the entire gruesome incident where the perpetrator broke into their home and savagely murdered the whole family with a knife.

The relatives immediately hurried to the location as soon as she informed her aunt about the horrific incident. However, the three individuals had already been killed by the time they arrived and he had fled from there. In addition, he also kidnapped his 9-month-old son after committing the horrifying deed.

The relatives notified the Golaghat police, who reached the scene. They began conducting search operations in multiple spots throughout Golaghat in order to apprehend the culprit. Later, he turned himself in at the police station after he realised the imminent risk of trying to escape after carrying out the homicide. He was carrying the 9-month-old child while entering the police station to surrender.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also met the grieving family and reiterated, “In Assam, be it Nazibur Rahman or any other individual, we stand firm in our commitment that crime has no place in our state. Our resolve remains unwavering – no criminal shall escape justice.”

The Director General of Assam Police assured that the instructions will be adhered to and an extensive probe will be conducted. He further added that previous lapses will also be visited and rectified.

The sequence leading up to the horrible event

Nazibur Rahman Bora and Sanghamitra Ghosh first connected on Facebook in June 2020, during the lockdown period and soon after started dating. The former had been staying in Golaghat at the time. In October 2020 they eloped to Kolkata, after which her parents filed a First Information Report against Nazibur Rahman Bora under IPC Section 366 (kidnapping).

Following the registration of the case, Sanghamitra was recovered from Kolkata and returned to Golaghat by the local police. However, the two had tied the knot there through a court ceremony in Kolkata before they were located by police.

Her parents lodged another FIR against their daughter in March of 2021 in which they charged her with theft, leading to another twist in the case. She was captured and held in custody for 37 days after the complaint was filed under IPC Section 380, and she moved back to her family home after securing bail.

The duo left once more for Chennai, Tamil Nadu in January 2022 and lived there for five months. She ended up being pregnant there and both moved back to his place in Golaghat in August 2022. She gave birth to their son two months later, in November.

Their marriage soured after some time and she escaped to her parents’ home in March of the next year and accused her spouse of torture and abuse. As a result, the police filed a case under IPC Sections 443 (wrongful confinement), 325 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 307 (attempt to murder) and 506 (criminal intimidation) against him. He was arrested and was later released on bail after being imprisoned for 28 days in relation to the case.

Tensions between the two families expanded afterwards with arguments developing over his wish to meet his wife and child. Sanghamitra Ghosh and her family members were named in an FIR submitted in April by his brother, who claimed that they had assaulted and beaten Nazibur Rahman Bora. The allegation is currently being probed.

Furthermore, everything took a dreadful turn on 24 July when the offender brutally murdered his wife, mother and father-in-law in their house which left the entire state shell-shocked and in despair. Now a case under sections 302 and 448 have been registered against him.

Udupi: Police files FIR against 3 Muslim students for secretly filming Hindu girls in the restroom; had denied communal angle

OpIndia Staff
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Udupi: Police files FIR against 3 Muslim students for secretly filming Hindu girls in the restroom; had denied communal angle

The Udupi district police have at last lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against the Muslim students who clandestinely recorded private video of Hindu students in the washroom of the Netra Jyoti college in Udupi, a report published by Asianet News said.

As per reports, the police have filed two cases in the matter, one case is linked to three female students and college administration for the deletion of a video of a student filmed in the toilet. The second case pertains to uploading of a hidden camera video on YouTube channels.

Allegations arose that topless videos of Hindu girls were being recorded in the women’s washroom of Netrajyoti College in Udupi and subsequently shared with Muslim groups. The college management conducted an inquiry into the matter and concluded that the video had been deleted, closing the case. However, due to public outrage, a suo moto case has been registered at the Malpe Police Station in the Udupi district.

A case has been filed against three Muslim students named Alimatul Shaifa, Shabanaz, and Alia, who were responsible for creating the video, as well as against the management board of Netrajyoti College. They are charged with evidence destruction. The police have registered multiple cases under sections 509, 204, 175, and 34. The decision to register the case came amidst significant opposition from BJP leaders, various Hindu organizations, and women across the state. The police will now commence their investigation into the matter.

Besides, in response to the state government’s lack of seriousness in handling the case of the video shooting in the Udupi College toilet, the National Commission for Women has taken the initiative to investigate the matter. The Commission will dispatch a team to Udupi to conduct a thorough inquiry into the incident at the private college. Khushbu Sundar, the South India member of the National Commission for Women, will lead the investigation during her visit to Udupi. This decision was revealed by former member Shyamala Kunder.

Activist Rashmi Samant draws attention to Udupi restroom secret video, Zubair and leftwing media portals downplay the crime

Earlier this week, Hindu rights activist Rashmi Samant took to Twitter to question the silence around the Udupi toilet secret video incident, alleging that a concerted attempt is underway to suppress the case. Furthermore, she added that many of the girls featured in the video were depressed and disturbed to the extent they were contemplating self-harm or suicide. “Yet, this issue is not being condemned with the severity it deserves,” she wrote.

Drawing a parallel to the Ajmer mass rape incident from 1992, she wrote, “Let me remind you of what happened in Ajmer in the year 1992 where hundreds of girls were raped with the blackmail of releasing nude photos that were illegally solicited. I cannot bear to think that Udupi could have turned to another Ajmer.”

Activist Rashmi Samant faces police action for tweeting about Udupi incident

On 24th July, Udupi police launched a campaign to locate Hindu human rights activist Rashmi Samant after she raised the voice of Hindu female victims whose videos were allegedly recorded by girls of the Muslim community in washrooms of a private institution.

Advocate Adhitya Srinivasan, who represents Samant, shared the detailed ordeal faced by Rashmi Samant’s family. He said at 8 PM, a group of policemen visited Rashmi’s residence when she was not at home. The police questioned her parents. They were repeatedly asked about Rashmi’s whereabouts.

Police claimed there was no communal angle

A report published by The News Minute quoted police saying there was no communal angle in the case. The same was narrated by India Today during a panel discussion in which Rashmi Samant was also present. Both TNM and India Today said the police categorically denied any communal angle in the case.

TNM quoted ASP of Udupi Siddalingappa, saying, “We looked through the phone and didn’t find any such video. We thoroughly investigated the matter, and there is no evidence that the video was shared. It was a one-off incident in the college and had no communal angle to it. The purported victim doesn’t want to file a police complaint.”

The whitewashing of criminal intent

However, despite being categorically reported that the perpetrators and victims belonged to two separate communities, leftwing propaganda portal Alt News and its co-founder Mohammed Zubair rushed to accuse Rashmi and others who talked about the incident of spreading misinformation and giving the incident a communal angle. 

Mohammed Zubair, famous for whitewashing crimes against Hindus, launched a vicious attack against female right-wingers and activists, including Shafali Vaidya and Rashmi Samant, for raising their voices against the heinous incident. When Zubair was called out, he played the victim card and said when he exposes fake news; people accuse him of dog whistling.

In fact, Zubair relied heavily on The News Minute report that mentioned in the first paragraph itself that three Muslim girls were suspended for allegedly secretly recording videos of Hindu girls in the washrooms. TNM called it an apparent case of “bullying” but did not say it was a rumour that Muslim girls recorded a video of a Hindu girl. Here is an archived link to the TNM report. Subsequently, several leftwing social media users and their media organisations began downplaying the crime by three Muslim students, describing it as a ‘prank’.

‘Ahmadiyyas are not Muslims’: Jamiat backs Andhra Waqf Board after Centre denounces hate campaign against Ahmadiyyas

OpIndia Staff
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‘Ahmadiyyas are not Muslims’: Jamiat backs Andhra Waqf Board after Centre denounces hate campaign against Ahmadiyyas

On Tuesday, 25th July 2023, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind passed a resolution to assert that Ahmadiyyas or Qadianis are not Muslims. The top Muslim organisation in India came ahead to support Andhra Pradesh Waqf Boards that earlier passed a similar resolution against Ahmadiyyas and refused to identify them as Muslims. The union ministry for minority affairs wrote a letter to the Andhra Pradesh Waqf Board in this regard and asked who gave them the right to issue a Fatwa against the Qadianis.

Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind said in its resolution said that the Andhra Pradesh Waqf Board’s stance on Ahmadiyyas reflects the unanimous position of the entire Muslims. Jamiat’s latest stand has come in sharp contrast with the union ministry’s statement on behalf of the Ahmadiyyas who are a minority sect within the Muslim community.

Earlier, on Friday, July 21, 2023, taking a firm stance against the fatwa declaring Ahmadiyyas as non-Muslims, the Central Government confronted the Andhra Pradesh government and the Waqf Board in the state. The Ministry of Minority Affairs raised concerns about the religious rights of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community and questioned the validity of the Andhra Pradesh Waqf board’s issuance of a fatwa against them.

The Ministry of Minority Affairs issued a strongly worded letter to the Andhra Pradesh government, condemning the Waqf Board’s resolution as a hate campaign with potentially far-reaching ramifications nationwide.

The Ministry of Minority Affairs’ Joint Secretary, CPS Bakshi, addressed a letter to the Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh KS Jawahar Reddy, expressing disapproval over the Waqf board’s actions. He questioned the board’s authority to issue a fatwa that expels a community from Islam, emphasising that no entity should have the power to strip away the religious rights of any community.

Back in 2012, the Andhra Pradesh State Waqf Board adopted a resolution declaring the entire Ahmadiyya community as non-Muslim. Subsequently, this resolution faced a legal challenge, leading to the Andhra Pradesh High Court issuing an order for the interim suspension of the resolution. The controversy escalated in February 2023 when the Andhra Pradesh Waqf Board labelled the Ahmadiyya Muslim community as infidels, citing the fatwa of Jamait ul Ulema. Furthermore, the board issued an official order designating them as non-Muslims. In response to this action, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community lodged a formal complaint with the Ministry of Minority Affairs on 20th July 2023, to express their protest against the board’s decision.

The ministry has observed in its letter that the Andhra Pradesh Waqf Board has issued another proclamation under the signature of its Chairman despite the High Court orders. A resolution passed by the Andhra Pradesh Waqf Board in February 2023 categorically said, “In consequence to the Fatwa of Jamiat ul Ulema, Andhra Pradesh dated May 26th, 2009, the `Qadiani community’ is proclaimed as `kafir’ and not a Muslim.”

Questioning the authority of the Waqf Board to issue such a fatwa, the central Ministry of minority affairs clarified that the Waqf Act, 1995 is the primary legislation for the administration and management of Waqf properties in India and does not confer any power to State Waqf Boards to make such proclamations.

‘I have not married Nasrullah’: Anju calls the Pakistani citizen ‘just friend’, says went to Pakistan only for vacation and will return to India soon

OpIndia Staff
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‘I have not married Nasrullah’: Anju calls the Pakistani citizen ‘just friend’, says went to Pakistan only for vacation and will return to India soon

After several reports earlier suggested that Anju from Rajasthan who went to Pakistan to meet her Facebook friend got married and converted to Islam, the woman refuted to the claims and said that she would return to India by August 20 this year. She also said that she has gone to Pakistan only to explore the country and that the story of her marriage to Nasrulla is not true.

Earlier, a senior officer at Moharrar City police in Upper Dir district had confirmed to the Indian news agency PTI that Anju had married Nasrulla as per the Islamic rituals and had also converted her religion to Islam. The official had also said that Anju had changed her name to Fatima post nikah with Nasrulla.

However, she appeared in a video with her friend Nasrulla and stated that all the reports about her marriage to Nasrulla were false. In the video, Anju said, “I am here in Pakistan just like other people who come to visit the country. I don’t know why people are talking like this that I am here to get married and all. I am here for sightseeing and I have enjoyed my stay here.”

She also was heard saying in the video that she is safe in Pakistan. “I want to give this message to all that I have come here to Pakistan legally and with planning as it was not about two days that I came here all of a sudden, and I am safe here,” 35-year-old Anju from Kailor in India’s Uttar Pradesh added.

She also requested the Indian media to talk directly to her for details about her visit to Pakistan and stop ‘harassing’ her family back in Rajasthan. It is notable that a video of Anju and Nasrulla is going viral over social media in which the duo can be seen holding hands and enjoying their time in scenic locations.

As per Anju’s husband Arvind from Bhiwadi, Rajasthan, Anju had gone to Jaipur to meet her sister, but after that, she went to Pakistan and informed him about her visit from there.

Meanwhile, Anju’s father Gaya Prasad Thomas talked to the media and said that his daughter had ruined the life of her two children. He also said that she should have divorced her husband before doing something like this. “The way she ran away leaving her two children and husband behind. If she wanted to do this, she should have divorced her husband at first. She is no more for us,” he said.

He also added that he had been not talking to Anju since her marriage to Arvind due to her eccentric behaviour. He said that he would never appeal to the Indian government to bring her back. “I pray to let her die there,” he said.

Earlier, it was reported that Anju travelled to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan to meet her lover, 29-year-old Nasrullah, from Upper Dir. They met on Facebook four years ago and started liking each other soon. During questioning by Pakistani authorities, Anju claimed that she could not live without Nasrullah.

Unlike Pakistan’s Seema Haider who illegally entered India to meet her lover, Anju went to Pakistan on valid documents, and her Visa is valid for 30 days. Anju had to visit the police station in Upper Dir Bala as it is required by law that when an Indian national visits Pakistan, they must show their travel documents at the police station. Nasrullah accompanied her for the visit. Nasrulla was also quoted saying that the duo had decided to marry soon.

However, Anju in the latest video said that she would return to India and that she had no plans to marry Nasrulla, a resident of Pakistan.

Uttar Pradesh: Hindu boy forcibly circumcised, converted, and held hostage by Muslim girlfriend’s family in Noida; complaint registered

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Hindu boy forcibly circumcised, converted, and held hostage by Muslim girlfriend’s family in Noida; complaint registered

An alarming incident of forced circumcision of a Hindu boy has come to light in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. He has been identified as Vishal and is a resident of Bulandshahr district’s Gulavathi police station neighbourhood. He has filed a complaint in which he stated that he is in a relationship with a Muslim girl and charged her family members with circumcising him.

The couple registered a complaint in the Bulandshahr district on 25 July and accused the Noida police did not pay heed to their grievance. An investigation is presently underway.

The victim previously worked for a business in the vicinity of the Phase 2 police station in Noida where he met the girl. The two first started talking and their bond swiftly grew into love. Afterwards, they decided to get married, but her family disapproved of their union. However, she continued her efforts to persuade them but to no avail.

Meanwhile, they also thrashed her for being in a relationship with a Hindu boy. Her family then invited him to their house on 21 July and spiked his food after which he passed out.

According to the victim, he was taken to a hospital while he was unconscious and circumcised there. He came to know about it after he regained consciousness. In addition to it, he was also pressurised into embracing Islam and the family members are also accused of keeping him hostage for two days.

The girl informed that she went to the Noida Phase-2 police station to complain about the situation, but no one listened to her. The duo brought a complaint to the Senior Superintended of Police of the Bulandshahr district, Shlok Kumar, eventually on 25 July and pleaded for justice.

The senior official mentioned that the case is associated with the Noida district and Deputy Superintended of Police Secunderabad has been asked to look into it. Furthermore, the girl has made the decision to live with her partner for the time being.

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