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Aurangzeb had demolished Trimbakeshwar temple to build a mosque, Marathas performed Karseva and restored it: The history of the Jyotirlinga

Gopal Tiwari
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Aurangzeb had demolished Trimbakeshwar temple to build a mosque, Marathas performed Karseva and restored it: The history of the Jyotirlinga

On 13th May 2023, at around 9:15 pm, a mob of Muslims barged into the Trimbakeshwar temple at Nashik in Maharashtra. Trimbakeshwar is one of the twelve holy jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. Only Hindus are supposed to enter the temple and pray to the deity with Hindu customs.

But the Muslims who tried to enter the courtyard of the temple attempted this as they allegedly intended to forcefully put a Chadar on the Shivling inside the sanctum sanctorum. Amid this controversy, it becomes necessary to know the history of the demolition of this temple, the conversion of the temple into a mosque, and reclaiming of the holy site by Hindus again.

Muslims forcibly entered Trimbakeshwar

As the local Muslims attempted to enter the temple, the temple management committee lodged a complaint with the police after security guards stopped them from reaching the sanctorum. Videos of the incident went viral on various social media platforms. Aqeel Yusuf Sayyed, Salman Aqeel Sayyed, Matin Raju Sayyed and Salim Bakshu Sayyed were arrested by the police for forcibly entering the Trimbakeshwar temple. A case was registered against them under sections 295 and 511 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Apart from this, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered the formation of the SIT.

It is alleged that they tried to enter the temple premises by joining the Sandal procession and attempted to offer chadar on the Shivling. Matin Sayyed, the organiser of the sandal, claimed that the accused did not try to put the chadar on the Shivling and they only carried the chadar to the steps of the temple.

Muslims blamed Hindus for disturbing the communal harmony of a syncretic culture

Avez Kokni, the former president of the Trimbakeshwar Nagar Parishad said, “There was no attempt to enter the temple or put any chadar inside the temple premises. Muslims in Trimbakeshwar have for generations been following the practice of sending the fumes of frankincense from the steps of the temple premises during an annual gathering at a nearby dargah. This practice has been going on for decades and the local Hindu community has never taken exception to it. We are surprised that this issue has now been raked up and it has taken a communal turn.” How long before Hindus realize if their deities really need the fumes of some frankincense?

Parvez Kokni, former chairman of the Nashik District Central Cooperative Bank and a resident of Trimbakeshwar said, “It is an age-old practice and a symbol of syncretism. This ritual has been taking place for ages. Muslims make up a very small percentage of the city’s population and have stayed in harmony. Our city has been peaceful and non-communal which would explain why in spite of being a Muslim, I was accepted as a leader. I am surprised why this age-old custom is now suddenly being questioned.” Will this flag-bearer of syncretic culture advocate for the Hanuman Chalisa recital in any local dargah or mosque let alone some big Jama Mosque? Sanjay Raut also termed the incident that took place in Trimbakeshwar to be correct.

Why such practices must be stopped?

As far as rituals are concerned, there is no noted tradition of taking any Chadar to any major temple of a Hindu deity – like a Jyotirling that holds separate importance among all temples. No verse of any Purana or Shastra advocates it, because Sanatan Dharma predates Islam by infinite time. Further, there is no provision for allowing a non-Hindu to enter a temple and perform rituals of his non-Hindu religion inside the premises. If any such practice exists in any Hindu temple, it deserves discontinuation with immediate effect.

There are many people who want Hinduism to be inclusive and not equally exclusive as some Abrahamic faith. But, even if there can be some local practices in many temples here and there across India, there must be some seclusion for a site as special as a Jyotirlinga.

Competent Dharmik authorities of Hindus need to take decisive action to amend these things wherever needed because Muslims in Nashik are citing a ‘syncretic’ culture behind this incident and indirectly accusing Hindus and temple authorities of spreading religious disharmony and hatred. They comfortably ignore, in fact, hide the fact that this harmony business is one-sided and no Maha Aarti, Yagya, Havan, or Puja is allowed inside any Muslim place of worship in order to strengthen the bond of mutual love and respect between the two communities.

Mutual love and respect have been put as a burden on the shoulders of the Hindus where they are expected to allow non-Hindus to enter the temples to put Chadars on deities. What kind of respect a Hindu deity may get when Muslims forcibly enter a temple is seen in the case of Kashi Vishwanath Temple where a Shivling is found in the Wazukhana of the so-called mosque in the Gyanvapi complex where Muslims washed their hands and feet, washed their mouths and spit for centuries on a Shivling. Subscribers of the same faith, in Trimbakeshwar are now claiming that the temple authorities are hampering communal harmony.

Trimbakeshwar was reclaimed with valour by Marathas

In 1689, Aurangzeb killed Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. After the death of the Hindu king, Aurangzeb unleashed more severe atrocities on Hindus adding to the already existing tyranny of the Mughals. He ordered the desecration of more temples in Maharashtra in 1690, with the intent of crushing the religious motivations of the Maratha empire. By building mosques over the demolished temples, he wanted to lower the morale of skilled and inspired Maratha warriors who were fighting to protect the Hindu kingdom under an inexperienced young Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj at that time.

In many places in his book ‘History of Aurangzeb’, Jadunath Sarkar has quoted ‘Varshik Itibritta’ (meaning ‘annual newsletters’) written by Kashinath Sane. He quotes, “Circa 1690. Instances of Aurangzeb’s temple destruction at Ellora, Trimbakeshwar, Narsinghpur (foiled by snakes, scorpions, and other poisonous insects), Pandharpur, Jejuri (foiled by the deity!), and Yavat (Bhuleshwar) are given by K. N Sane in Varshik Itibritta page number 133-135”. It must be noted that if the figurative use of the language is to be ignored, the attack was not foiled but the fact remains that the temple in Trimbakeshwar was converted into a mosque. Kumbh Nagari Nashik – formerly known as Janasthan – was renamed Gulshanabad. The temple destroyed by Aurangzeb was more than 1000 years old.

In the book ‘New History of Marathas – Volume II’ GS Sardesai writes, “In November 1754, the shrine of Trimbakeshwar was restored by the Peshwa, and the Masjid was pulled down.” Other records show that the temple construction lasted for three years – that is from 1751 to 1754. This literally means that in the reign of Chhatrapati Ramraja, Marathas under the leadership of Balaji Bajirao Bhat alias Nanasaheb Peshwa performed the Karseva and rebuilt the Trimbakeshwar temple in the basalt stone as it is seen today.

The linga established inside the sanctum sanctorum of Trimbakeshwar is in the form of a three-faced embodying three deities, Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh. It is located at the foothill of Mount Brahmagiri 28 kilometres from Nashik city. The temple is built in the Hemad Panthi style. The style is named after the 13th-century minister of the Yadava dynasty – Hemadri Pandit as he iconized that style.

Conclusion

The Trimbakeshwar temple was not built just like that. Marathas could reclaim the holy site because they ruled the state power. To achieve this power, countless Hindu soldiers gave their lives for four consecutive generations. This feat was achieved through the assertion of military power by the warriors and financial powers by the Maratha administrators who collected taxes from most parts of India right since 1715.

It really took a lot to protect the lands, restore the deities in the temples, and reestablish Dharma. It is high time Hindus must rethink if their deities like Trimbakeshwar really need any of the fumes of some frankincense from some Islamic place of worship given the fact that the very temple was once destroyed by a subscriber of the same faith in the past to assert his faith and tyranny over the Hindus.

In Karnataka, BJP suffered close losses in seats where rebels fought as independent candidates: Detailed Analysis

Anurag
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In Karnataka, BJP suffered close losses in seats where rebels fought as independent candidates: Detailed Analysis

On May 13, 2023, results for the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections were announced. Congress emerged as the single largest party with 135 seats. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured 66 seats. A total of 917 independent candidates contested the Assembly elections, and two of them, Latha Mallikarjun and K Puttaswamy Gowda, won from Harapanahalli and Gauribidanur, respectively. Eleven of the independent candidates were runner-up.

Source: ECI

Only 19 saved deposit

Out of 917 independent candidates, only 19 managed to save their deposits. Every candidate contesting elections in India must deposit Rs 10,000 at the time of the nomination. The money is returned only if they secure 1/6 of the total casted votes. It discourages those who contest elections just to get a little fame and have no intentions of working for the public.

A total of 898 independent candidates lost their deposits in these elections. Only 32 of these 898 candidates got more than 1 per cent votes. Furthermore, only 54 of them got over 1,000 votes, and only 112 got between 500 to 999 votes. The remaining 732 candidates got under 500 votes, and 132 of them got less than 100 votes. J Ashoka from Hosakote was the worst performer and got only 13 votes.

BJP candidates suffered close defeats on seats where rebel leaders filed as independent candidates

One of the biggest shockers came from Puttur for BJP. Congress’s candidate Ashok Kumar Rai won the seat against independent candidate Arun Kumar Puthila. While Rai got 66,607 votes, Puthila got 62,458 votes. BJP’s candidate Ashha Thimmappa got 36,733 votes. In 2018, BJP’s Sanjeeva Matandoor won the seat with 90,073 votes against Shakunthala Shetty of Congress, who got 70,595 votes with a margin of 19,477 votes.

Source: ECI

Puthila is a Sangh leader. He was expecting to get a ticket from BJP, but the ticket for the Puttur constituency went to Thimmappa. Irked by the party’s decision, Puthila announced he would contest elections independently. Sangh and BJP leaders requested him to withdraw his nomination, but he did not agree. As a result, the votes that were supposed to go to BJP got divided.

Suppose, if BJP had decided to give the ticket to Puthila or he decided to withdraw his nomination, a mere 4,000 votes swing from the existing BJP candidate would have resulted in the victory of the saffron party. Alas, it did not happen.

Puthila was not the only independent rebel candidate that caused BJP a seat. From Gandhi Nagar, Krisshnaian Setty ES EN Maluru got 6,871 votes. Earlier, he was a BJP leader but decided to contest the election as an independent. BJP’s AR Sapthagiri Gowda secured 54,103 votes, and the winning candidate of Congress, Dinesh Gundu Rao, got 54,118. The difference between BJP and Congress candidates was only 105 votes.

Source: ECI

From the Malur constituency, Hoodi Vijayakumar, a former BJP leader, contested the election as an independent. He secured 49,362 votes. The runner-up on this seat, BJP’s KS Manjunatha Gowda, got 50,707 votes. Congress’ JY Nanje Gowda won the seat with 50,955 votes. The difference between BJP and Congress candidates was only 248 votes.

Source: ECI

Dr Vishwanath I Patil from the Bailhongal constituency is a former BJP leader. He contested as an independent and secured 25,060 votes. BJP leader Jagdish Metud secured 55,630 votes and lost to Congress candidate Mahantesh Koujalagi who secured 58,408 votes. The difference was only 2,778 votes.

Source: ECI

HM Gopikrishna, a BJP leader, decided to contest the election from the Tarikere constituency and secured 35,468 votes. BJP’s DS Suresh secured 50,955 and lost to Congress’s GH Srinivasa, who secured 63,086 votes. He lost by a margin of 12,131 votes. DS Suresh (44,940 votes) won from the Tarikere constituency against GH Srinivasa (32,253 votes) in 2018 by a margin of 11,687 votes. Srinivasa was an independent candidate at that time and Congress’s SM Nagaraju could secure only 20,404 votes. This year, Congress fielded Srinivasa who votes from his followers and Congress followers combined.

In 2017, Gopikrishna was with BJP but decided to contest the election as an independent candidate in 2018. He had secured 29,663 votes at that time. He again contested against BJP this year and made a huge impact as DS Suresh got marginally higher votes compared to 2018.

Source: ECI

Congress won Gandhi Nagar, Malur and Bailhongal constituencies in 2018. However, the total of BJP-leaning independent and BJP candidates show that BJP might have won these seats this year.

Mohsin and a minor Muslim girl enter Dasna temple using ID of a minor Hindu girl, all 3 detained, Yati Narsinghanand accuses him of doing recce

OpIndia Staff
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Mohsin and a minor Muslim girl enter Dasna temple using ID of a minor Hindu girl, all 3 detained, Yati Narsinghanand accuses him of doing recce

On Wednesday, 17th May 2023, a man named Mohsin was detained for barging into the Dasna temple in Ghaziabad of Uttar Pradesh. He was accompanied by 2 minor girls. Reportedly, one minor girl is Hindu and the other one is Muslim, and the trio entered the Hindu temple using the Aadhaar card of the Hindu girl. Although no complaint has been lodged with the police so far, the police have taken the suspect into custody after learning about the incident and are interrogating him.

The Mahant of the temple, Yati Narsinghanand, alleged that Mohsin was trying to enter the temple and do a recce of the premises.

OpIndia contacted Mahant Yati Narsinghanand of Dasna Shaktipeeth Temple to know more about this incident. He said, “The boy’s name is Mohsin. His age is around 24-25 years. He entered the temple using the Aadhaar card of a Hindu girl who visits here almost every day with her family.”

According to Yati Narsinghanand, Mohsin had crossed the circle of police security at the temple but was caught by his personal security guards. He said that he has not given any complaint letter to the police.

Yati Narsinghanand said, “During the search, no weapons etc. were found from any of the three. Mohsin and the minor Muslim girl did not show their Aadhaar card to hide their identity.”

The video of this incident is also going viral on social media. In the viral video, the police are seen taking the suspects into custody. A girl in a school uniform is also seen in the video.

Dr Udita Tyagi, a devotee of the Dasna temple, has released a video from the spot. She has also alleged that one of the two minor girls detained along with accused Mohsin is a Muslim. She claimed that the age of the Hindu minor girl is 13.

One of the volunteers in the Dasna temple informed that the arrested accused Mohsin belongs to Dasna and that he had entered the temple premises with the intention of doing a recce. Assistant Commissioner of Police (Web City) of Ghaziabad said, “On 17.5.23, two minor girls and a young man from Dasna came to enter the temple, one of whom had an ID and two did not have an ID, they were stopped by the security personnel and legal action is being taken by interrogating them.”

It is notable that while speaking with OpIndia in May 2021, Yati Narsinghanand had told that he has a threat to his life as Islamists are targeting him. This is not the first incident of suspicious persons entering the Dasna temple or trying to attack Yati Narsinghanand. Earlier, some suspects have been caught while trying to enter the Dasna temple.

On the night of June 2, 2021, two men named Kashif and Vipul barged in with the deadly drug cyanide and surgical blades. Both of them had got their names mentioned in the entry register outside the main gate of the temple as Dr Vipul Vijayvargiya from Nagpur and Kashi Gupta. Both the suspects were accused of planning to attack the Hindu saint during the evening puja.

On Tuesday, August 10, 2021, at 4 am, two sadhus were stabbed by a suspect at the Dasna temple. Both sadhus were seriously injured in this attack.

FIR filed against ‘dhongi aghori baba’ who claimed Badrinath & Kedarnath were Badruddin baba & Kedaruddin baba and namaaz was offered there during Mughals

OpIndia Staff
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FIR filed against ‘dhongi aghori baba’ who claimed Badrinath & Kedarnath were Badruddin baba & Kedaruddin baba and namaaz was offered there during Mughals

A phoney Aghori monk in the Mana region, in the district of Chamoli, Uttrakhand was seen on camera making offensive comments about Badrinath and Kedarnath temples. YouTuber Rohit Pahadi had published a video on YouTube and Facebook containing the comments of the man dressed as an Aghori monk. Rohit had met the ‘monk’ in the Mana area on 15 May during his recent trip to Badrinath. After learning about the aforementioned incident, the Superintendent of Police for Chamoli, Pramendra Singh Dobal, issued orders for quick action in the matter.

In the video, the man dressed in saffron attire can be seen uttering highly offensive and inflammatory statements about two of the most pious religious places of Hindus. He claims that Muslims once performed namaz at the two locations, Badrinath and Kedarnath. He also claimed that the Hindu temples there were earlier known as Badruddin Baba and Kedaruddin Baba, where Muslim priests used to offer namaaj. He brought the Mughals into the argument and boasted that Mughal emperors Babar and Akbar ruled there. He also alleged that the idol of Lord Narayan was vandalised and thrown in a cave.

However, he was relentlessly challenged by Rohit Pahadi who was recording their entire confrontation. Pahadi also charged that the man in saffron could even be a maulvi (priest) of a Mazar (Muslim shrine) or simply doing it for money.

When Rohit Pahadi asked him where namaaz was offered earlier, the man said it was offered at ‘Badruddin Baba Mandir’. When asked who told him this, he said that everyone knows Badrinath and Kedarnath were Badruddin and Kedaruddin, and Akbar used to rule these places. He further claimed when Muslim rulers used to rule India, they broke the idols of Hindu deities and namaaz was offered in Hindu temples.

Rohid Pahadi confronted the bogus priest by saying that Badrinath is one of the four holy locations in India’s Char Dham pilgrimage and that people bring their parents to the holy spot to receive blessings from God.

Regarding this incident, an FIR No. 02/2023 under Sections 295 (A) (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage reli­gious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or reli­gious beliefs), 153 (A) (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), and 298 (Uttering, words, etc., with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person) of the IPC was filed at Kotwali Shri Badrinath against the accused named Shanantu Vishwas.

Along with the case against the ‘sadhu’, police also expressed displeasure with the YouTuber for uploading the video containing comments disrespectful to Hindus. Rohit Pahadi had also made objectionable comments in his video as he had claimed that the man could be a Muslim cleric posing as a Hindu monk.

As a result, later Rohit Pahadi deleted the video from his YouTube channel and posted a video informing about the same. He admitted his error of sharing the video without following the proper legal procedure after being questioned by the authorities in relation to the occurrence. The content creator has also asked people not to share the video on social media.

He said that he met the man at Mana village near Badrinath 3-4 days ago. He said that ‘sadhu’ came to his vlog and made several objectionable comments on Badrinath and Kedarnath. Rohit Pahadi said that a case has been registered in the matter at Badrinath police station.

In the meanwhile, Chamoli SP Pramendra Dobal has urged everyone to not share such criminal videos without knowing the legal process involved. He added that legal action will be taken if such offensive videos are circulated.

8 incidents of Islamist attacks on Dalits in Kerala bust the much fantasised ‘Dalit-Muslim unity’ narrative

OpIndia Staff
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8 incidents of Islamist attacks on Dalits in Kerala bust the much fantasised ‘Dalit-Muslim unity’ narrative

Politicians from the so-called left-liberal and secular establishment have been making concerted attempts to push a mythical ‘Dalit-Muslim unity’ narrative to draw the subalterns away from their Hindu roots and undermine the numerical superiority of the Hindu majority. The mainstream media, its propaganda wing, has further been aiding their efforts by stimulating a favourable narrative that Muslims and Dalits are natural partners, even though several incidents, time and again, have busted and exposed the farce of the ‘Dalit-Muslim unity’ construct.

While Islamists have been committing crimes against the Dalits in several parts of the country, many of such dreadful cases have recently been reported from the state of Kerala, yet again weakening the much fantasised ‘Dalit-Muslim vote-bank’ narrative and rendering it unviable ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Here are 8 such community crimes committed by Islamists against Dalits reported from the state of Kerala, the recent one believed to have happened on May 14, 2023.

A migrant worker from Bihar was beaten to death in Kerala’s Mallapuram on suspicion of theft; 8 arrested

On Sunday, May 14, Kerala police arrested eight people in connection with the lynching of a migrant worker in Kizhissery. The deceased victim was identified as Rajesh Manjhi, a 36-year-old native of the east Champaran district of Bihar. The migrant worker was lynched by a mob on Saturday over the allegations of theft.

Reportedly, the matter pertains to the Kondutty Police Station precinct in Mallapuram. The accused persons captured Manjhi from a house along the Kizhissery-Thavanur road on Saturday at around 1:00 am. The police learned about the incident at 3:25 am.

When the police arrived at the crime spot they found the victim lying on the wayside in a severely injured state. Police took Manjhi to a local hospital early in the morning. However, he was declared dead and his body was later transferred to the Government Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode. The post-mortem examination revealed multiple wounds on the body of the deceased, exposing the mob attack.

The fateful incident is said to be of May 13 night. Accused persons later identified as Fazil Shafudhin, Muhammad Afzal, Mehboob Ahmad Samad, Habib, and their associates tied down Rakesh and thrashed him brutally allegedly on suspicion of theft. The Kerala police, have arrested as many as eight persons pertaining to the barbaric act and confirmed that the murder of the tribal youth was a case of mob lynching.

Jishnu Raj was attacked by the Popular Front of India (PFI), accused of destroying their party flex boards

In June 2022, a person identified as Jishnu Raj belonging to the Dalit community, was reportedly attacked in the early morning hours by members of the SDPI, the IUML, and the political section of the now-banned Islamic terrorist organization named the Popular Front of India (PFI). The PFI and SDPI members claimed that the victim had destroyed their parties’ flex boards.

The IUML and the SDPI denied any involvement in the event, despite the state head of the DYFI, V Vaseef, calling it an “extremist model mob attack.” Five persons were detained by the police in connection with the incident. The arrested persons were identified as Muhammad Salih, Muhammad Ijaz, Najarif, Riyas, and Haris. They are all residents of the Kozhikode district’s Thiruvode.

The police had further booked 29 people, out of which 10 were identified, in the case. They were charged under various sections of the IPC including 308 (Attempt to commit culpable homicide), 324 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons and means), 143 (Unlawful assembly) and 148 (Rioting, armed with a deadly weapon). They were also charged under relevant sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Abhimanyu, a Student Federation of India member was stabbed to death by the PFI unit Campus Front

On July 5, 2018, Abhimanyu a member of the Students’ Federation of India, was stabbed to death by members of the now-banned Islamist terrorist organization named the Popular Front of India’s student wing Campus Front in Ernakulam’s Maharaja College.

According to the then Kerala Director General of Police Loknath Behera, Abhimanyu’s killers were not students of the college. They had earlier attacked Students’ Federation of India workers on the campus.

The Police had detained several PFI and SDPI workers and had conducted raids at the offices and homes. Four persons were arrested in the murder case of Abhimanyu, who was an undergraduate student at Maharaja College.

Kerala Dalit law student’s rape-murder: Convict Ameer ul Islam sentenced to death

In December 2017, a migrant worker from Assam was given the death penalty by a municipal court in Kerala’s Ernakulam for raping and murdering a 29-year-old Dalit woman, a barbaric incident that led to huge demonstrations throughout the state.

The trial court while delivering the decision stated that the accused Ameer ul Islam never deserved any pity, further stating that it was one of the rarest of the rare situations. It was noted that the accused posed a serious threat to society and did not exhibit any regret for perpetrating the horrible murder.

In accordance with many articles of the Indian Penal Code, Islam was also given a 14-year prison term and a fine of Rs. 5 lakhs. He heard the contents of the decision through a translator without showing any reaction.

Islam, belonging to the Nagaon district of Assam, worked as a labourer for almost eight years in different parts of the southern state. He lived in a small house that was 500 metres away from the woman’s house when he committed the crime.

The trial in the case started in April 2017 and was completed in eight months. As many as 100 witnesses were heard and 291 documents and DNA test reports were presented during the trial.

Seven SFI Activists in Kerala Booked for Attacking Dalit AISF Leader

On October 22, 2021, Kerala police filed a complaint against seven Student Federation of India (SFI) representatives for assaulting and threatening a woman leader of the All India Students Federation (AISF) during an event involving the MG University senate election.

SFI is the CPI(M)’s student wing, while AISF is the coalition partner CPI’s student wing. The woman leader alleged that the SFI leaders verbally abused her and made casteist remarks against her. Police filed a complaint under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and other IPC provisions, including 143 and 323.

CPM-linked Islamists attacked a Hindu SC family for bursting Deepawali crackers in Palakkad, Kerala

A Hindu Dalit family was assaulted and beaten up for bursting firecrackers on Deepawali. The complaint was filed at Vadakancherry police but the victim’s family alleged that no action was taken by the Police. A Hindu Dalit person named Manikandan and his mother, from Anchumoorthi Mangalam in Palakkad, were injured.

The incident occurred on October 23, last year the eve of Deepawali, while bursting firecrackers. Manikandan’s neighbour Rahmatullah and his son came and questioned why they were bursting firecrackers and thrashed Manikandan. The father-son duo kicked Manikantan’s elderly mother in her chest. The frail lady was reported bedridden.

Manikantan said that Rahmatullah hurled casteist abuse at him and his mother. He said filed a complaint with the Chief Minister as the police were not ready to file a case despite the protest. Reports mention that the Kerala police filed a complaint against Rahmatullah after 20 days but avoided adding the stringent Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The SC-ST atrocities act was enacted to prevent atrocities and hate crimes against SCs like Manikantan.

Dalit Hindus were denied water supply for attending pro-CAA events

In January 2020, the Hindu residents of a colony at Kuttipuram in the Malappuram district of Kerala were reportedly denied drinking water and had to face a boycott allegedly by Muslim groups for supporting the government on the historic Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Reportedly, a person living near the colony used to supply drinking water to the Hindu-dominated colony. However, after protests against CAA got heated up the Hindus of the colony were denied water.

An NGO named Seva Bharati stepped in to provide drinking water to the households of the colony after they heard about the injustice done to the residents. Following the boycott of Hindus by Muslims, there is widespread anger for blocking the primary source of life for these residents.

Attappadi Madhu murder case: 14 of 16 accused convicted

Madhu, a tribal man from Chindakki village in Attappady, Palakkad, was killed after he was caught, tied and thrashed by a group of local people alleging theft of food articles from a grocery shop on February 22, 2018. He was assaulted by the mob and later handed over to the police.

The Mannarkkad Special Court for Scheduled Caste Scheduled Tribe has found 14 accused in the Madhu Murder Case guilty of charges under IPC 304(2) for culpable homicide.

The names of the accused (from one to 16 ) are Hussain, Maraikkar, Shamsudeen, Aneesh, Radhakrishnan, Abubacker, Siddique, Ubaid, Najeeb, Jaijumon, Abdul Karim, Sajeev, Satheesh, Hareesh, Biju and Muneer. On April 4 this year, a special court in Kerala’s Palakkad district found guilty 14 of the 16 accused persons in the lynching and murder case of Attappady Madhu. The court acquitted 2 persons named Abdul Kareem and Aneesh.

NIA arrests banned PFI member Saheer KV, accused in RSS leader Srinivasan’s murder case

ANI
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NIA arrests banned PFI member Saheer KV, accused in RSS leader Srinivasan’s murder case

In a major breakthrough, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested another Popular Front of India (PFI) member who was wanted in the gruesome murder of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Srinivasan in Kerala’s Palakkad district in April last year.

The accused, Saheer KV, was absconding since the crime and was carrying a reward of Rs 4,00,000. An NIA Fugitive Tracking Team (FTT) tracked him to a relative’s house in Palakkad district and arrested him. A resident of Palakkad, Saheer was part of the PFI Assault and Protection Team that had carried out the targeted killing. Saheer was also responsible for providing protection to the main assailants of Srinivasan.

NIA investigations showed that the accused, who was PFI’s Pattambi Area President, was involved in various conspiracies of the PFI leaders to eliminate Srinivasan, as part of the banned outfit’s bigger scheme to create terror among members of a particular community and to establish Islamic Rule in India by 2047.

Earlier on March 17, the NIA filed a chargesheet against 59 accused, including the PFI as an organisation in the case.

One of these accused, identified as Abdul Naser, died on January 2 this year, said the NIA, adding “Efforts are on to track and trace the remaining 11 absconding accused, out of the total of 59 identified as involved in the conspiracy so far.”

‘Most divorces are arising from love marriages only’: Justice BR Gavai of the Supreme Court

OpIndia Staff
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‘Most divorces are arising from love marriages only’: Justice BR Gavai of the Supreme Court

A transfer case resulting from a marriage conflict was being heard by the two-judge bench of the Supreme Court, made up of Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai and Sanjay Karol on Wednesday, when an attorney revealed that the union was a love marriage, to which Justice BR Gavai responded, “Most divorces are arising from love marriages only.”

The spouse objected to the court’s suggestion of mediation. However, the Court declared that it may award divorce without his assent in light of a recent judgement. The bench thereafter urged for arbitration.

The highest court said earlier this month that it might use its authority under Article 142(1) of the Constitution to grant a divorce on the grounds of irretrievable breakdown of a marriage, regardless of whether the parties agree to it or not.

According to a five-judge constitution bench led by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, it is apparent that the supreme court should be thoroughly persuaded and satisfied that marriage is totally unworkable, emotionally dead, and beyond salvation and that, as a result, dissolution of marriage is the best course of action.

The factual determination and firm establishment of the court’s claim that the marriage has irretrievably broken down will depend on a number of factors, including the length of time the parties had lived together after getting married, the date on which they had last cohabited, and the nature of the accusations made by the parties against one another and their families.

The bench added that there were additional elements that needed to be taken into account, including orders made periodically during legal proceedings, the cumulative effect on the relationship, whether and how many attempts were made to resolve the disputes through court intervention or mediation, and the timing of those attempts.

The top court has the discretion to dissolve a marriage on the grounds of irretrievable breakdown in the exercise of its plenary power under Article 142 (1) of the Constitution and can grant a divorce by mutual consent while forgoing the six-month waiting period required by the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, the bench noted in its ruling.

‘We will definitely lift his suspension’: Union Minister G Kishan Reddy says Tiger Raja Singh’s suspension will be revoked at the right time

OpIndia Staff
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‘We will definitely lift his suspension’: Union Minister G Kishan Reddy says Tiger Raja Singh’s suspension will be revoked at the right time

Months after the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) suspended its Goshmahal MLA Tiger Raja Singh from the party in August last year, the party has decided to revoke the suspension. In a recent interview given to ABN Telugu, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy said that the party will soon revoke Tiger Raja Singh’s suspension and bring him back to the party.

Interacting with ABN journalist on the show Open Heart With RK, the Union Minister said, “We will definitely lift the suspension, we are talking with the national leadership. They will take a decision at the right decision.”

Before this, the BJP leader was asked about some BJP leaders saying that the party does not need the support of Muslim voters, to this Reddy clarified that the BJP is not against the Muslim community adding that a significant number of Muslims are working for the party in the Old Town. 

“The BJP is not anti-Muslim. The BJP solely opposes Muslim extremists and Majlis sympathizers. In the old town, the BJP has a high number of Muslims working for the party. In Kerala, a substantial number of Christians are joining the BJP. The BJP alliance parties are in power for the fifth time in Nagaland, where 85 percent of the people are Christians.”

It is pertinent to recall that on August 23, 2022, Tiger Raja Singh was suspended by the BJP for an alleged post on Prophet Muhammad. In the letter issued by the Central Disciplinary Committee of the party, it was mentioned that Raja’s views were contrary to Party’s stand on various matters, and he violated Rule XXV 10(a) of the constitution of the Party that reads, “Breach of discipline includes acting or carrying on propaganda against any program or decision of the Party.”

Some words improper but public persons should be thick-skinned: Delhi HC on Gautam Gambhir’s defamation suit, issues notice to Punjab Kesari & others

OpIndia Staff
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Some words improper but public persons should be thick-skinned: Delhi HC on Gautam Gambhir’s defamation suit, issues notice to Punjab Kesari & others

In response to a defamation lawsuit brought by former Indian cricketer and current Bharatiya Janata Party MP Gautam Gambhir, who charged that the Hindi newspaper Punjab Kesari intentionally published false and defamatory articles against him and used defamatory language, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday served notice to the publication and others. 

The Court, however, declined to provide temporary relief and said that no interim order had been made in the case today. The BJP lawmaker has asked the media outlet for both an unequivocal written apology and ad-interim relief.

The court also observed that even though some of the language used by Punjab Kesari in its reportage on him was objectionable, a public figure must have thick skin.”Any public person should be thick-skinned. With this social media and all even judges have to be thick-skinned,” the bench of Justice Chandra Dhari Singh stated.

In addition, the bench rejected the motion to have one of the news pieces removed since it purportedly used the phrase untouchable. The bench did note, nevertheless, that some of the terms or sentences used may not have been appropriate for the Hindi daily and that the stories emphasised by the plaintiff did give the appearance that the reporter was out to get him.

“If you read all the articles, it is my prima facie opinion that the reporter is behind this person. Some of the words and sentences that he has used is not proper for your paper,” the judge proclaimed.

The bench recognised throughout the arguments that the issue seems to merit examination and was scheduled to be heard before the Joint Registrar in August and the court in October.

The cricketer’s mentioned articles, according to his attorney Jai Anant Dehadrai, went beyond the bounds of fair and impartial reporting. “These two reporters, maybe at the behest of someone else, are targeting me. I ignored them on multiple occasions but this has been like a campaign,” he asserted.

“They are showing me as someone who is not interested in serving the people of my constituency and is busy with the IPL. One of the articles say that I practise untouchability,” the lawyer emphasised.

“If the reporter has gone to the area and found such comments being made then. You are a public servant, an elected person, you need not be so sensitive,” the justice responded.

The counsel submitted that he is requesting an injunction and instructions that the reporters use his client’s account when publishing reports, adding that this is the standard journalistic procedure.

“There can’t be a blanket order. What article is defamatory what is not? As per me, the first article is not defamatory. Any blanket order can’t be there,” the bench replied by rejecting the demand.

When senior attorney Rajshekhar Rao spoke on behalf of the newspaper and its editor, he claimed that the lawsuit had already been published on the Bar & Bench website before the case had even been considered in court. He argued that several other journals had published identical allegations about the politician, but he had only filed an opposition against Punjab Kesari.

The senior solicitor contended, “The difficulty is that this person decides to become an MP, he has decided to sail in two boats. They should explain, are they saying don’t report on me unless Gautam Gambhir likes it? My friend is so touchy about Punjab Kesari, why is he not so touchy about other publications.”

He proceeded by adding that while some of the terms may have been utilised more effectively, this does not constitute defamation. The bench then issued a notice about the application for an injunction after taking the arguments into account.

Background of the case

In the lawsuit filed against Punjab Kesari, its editor Aditya Chopra, and journalists Amit Kumar and Imran Khan, Gautam Gambhir said that they had abused their journalistic freedom by publishing multiple defamatory and libellous stories that were specifically directed at him.

He staked that the newspaper gave its stories a deceptive twist by citing a number of reports. It was alleged that one of the stories even went as far as to equate him to the fabled Hindu demon Bhasmasur.

Sansad Gautam Gambhir Lapata Gali-Gali Me Lage Poster (MP Gautam Gambhir goes missing, posters come up in streets), Dilli ke lapata Sansad Lucknow Super Giants ke liye bane Bhasmasur (Delhi’s missing MP becomes Bhasmasur for Lucknow Super Giants), Adesh Gupta bolte reh gaye, Gautam Gambhir uth chale (Adesh Gupta kept talking, Gautam Gambhir left) and Ye Naye Mijaz ke Sansad hai Jara Faaslo se Mila Karo (This is the MP of a new frame of mind, please keep distance while meeting him) were some of the reports mentioned in the suit.

He insisted that these reports gave readers a misleading and severely damaging impression of his work and credentials as a member of parliament. It was highlighted that the stories show him as a casteist and a haughty politician.

He has also demanded that 2 crores in damages be donated to charitable causes. Furthermore, he urged the defendants to provide an unqualified apology, which should be printed in all editions of Punjab Kesari (including digital ones).

Additionally, he argued that the paper should be given instructions to retract all of the negative articles that had been written about him.

British Board of Film Classification clears The Kerala Story for theatrical release days after causing a delay in certification

OpIndia Staff
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British Board of Film Classification clears The Kerala Story for theatrical release days after causing a delay in certification

Days after causing a delay in giving age rating and classification to the film The Kerala Story leading to the cancellation of its scheduled release on May 12, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) on May 16 granted certification and age rating to the Adah Sharma starrer. The BBFC has given an ’18’ age rating to the film and also issued extensive “content advice” stating that sexual violence is portrayed unflinchingly, alongside other complex themes.

Under its ‘Threat and Horror’ rating the BBFC stated, “A consistent level of threat is maintained throughout, as women are isolated from their families and live in fear of Islamic State militants. Some women are held captive and transported to camps where they are subject to sexual violence.”

The British film certification body under its ‘Discrimination’ rating wrote, “The film presents a partial and unbalanced view of Islam which focuses on radical Islamist characters and motivations to the exclusion of more moderate and mainstream forms of the faith. There are regular scenes of discrimination on the basis of religion and gender. A woman spits on her dying father for not sharing her faith.”

Interestingly, the BBFC opines that the film presents a partial and unbalanced view of Islam, without being mindful of the fact that the film is not based on Islam or intends to portray Islam in a good or bad light, rather the film focuses on terrorism and how non-Muslim girls were brainwashed by Muslim youths into converting to Islam abandoning their original faith and culture and carry out terrorist activities. These recruited converts were sent to Syria to join ISIS or become ‘ISIS brides’.

Notably, OpIndia had reported how even several non-Muslim men were converted to Islam and were later found to be involved in terrorist activities. 

The Kerala Story director Sudipto Sen took to Twitter to share his joy over the film getting a classification by the BBFC saying that “terrorism lost” and people of Britain will watch the “biggest revolution against terror”.

“Congratulations #GreatBritain. You won. Terrorism lost. Shall wait for your reaction. Oh… now British people shall watch the biggest revolution against terror… #TheKeralaStory,” Sen tweeted on Tuesday.

The lead actress of the film, Adah Sharma who plays Shalini Unnikrishnan in the film quoted Sen’s tweet and congratulated the audience awaiting the film’s UK release and wrote, “Congrats all of you, see you in UK #TheKeralaStory,” Sharma tweeted.

On May 12, the day The Kerala Story was scheduled to release in UK theatres, the BBFC informed that the film is still going through its classification process adding that the film will be available for screening in the UK after receiving age rating and content advice.

This sparked criticism on Twitter as people questioned the BBFC over its failure to give certification before the film’s release date. 

Amidst the controversies, debates, and bans, the film is continuing its dream run at the Indian box office and crossed the Rs 150 crore mark becoming the second-highest grosser of the year 2023.

Taking to Twitter noted film critic Taran Adrash wrote, “#TheKeralaStory is now the SECOND HIGHEST GROSSING #Hindi film of 2023… Overtakes #TJMM and #KBKJ to claim the second spot… [Week 2] Fri 12.35 cr, Sat 19.50 cr, Sun 23.75 cr, Mon 10.30 cr, Tue 9.65 cr. Total: ₹ 156.69 cr. #India biz. #Boxoffice.”

The film’s story revolves around the life of Shalini Unnikrishnan, a Hindu girl played by Adah Sharma who is brainwashed into embracing Islam by her Muslim friend, married a Muslim man, and escapes to Syria along with her spouse where she is sent to ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) and is tortured there.

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