On Monday, second low-intensity mysterious blast was reported to have taken place on Heritage Street, located near the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The Police confirmed that the blast took place on Monday, at 6 in the morning, injuring one person.
“The two blasts were caused by low-grade explosives without detonators. One person was injured in the blast and a car windshield was shattered due to the impact,” DGP Gaurav Yadav said as he visited the blast site.
The DGP, based on the initial examination of the crime scene and forensic analysis by professionals, stated that both explosives were rudimentary and seemed to have been locally constructed. “We did not find evidence of any detonator. It seems the explosive material was crudely put in a container to cause the explosions. It is too early to say if it is mischief or if there is a terror angle. We will not rule out any angle. We will investigate all angles,” the DGP said.
Two 250 ml cans of the health drink “Hell” were packed with explosives, according to police sources, and were used to execute the two explosions on Amritsar’s Heritage Street. The cans burst as they were dropped or flung from a height.
The explosives can appear to have been put atop a structure in the first incident, with a string tied to it that had been tossed over the wall. Unknowingly pulling the thread, a person whose identity the police have not revealed, caused the can to fall down and set off the explosion.
In contrast, it appears that the second incident’s explosion happened when the can was hurled from a height.
Although no significant injuries to people or property were recorded, the twin bombings occurred just days after the arrest of pro-Khalistan activist Amritpal Singh and his followers and also just before the Jalandhar Lok Sabha byelection.
The first blast took place on Saturday at Heritage Street in Amritsar City of Punjab. As reported earlier, several people were injured after the explosion which occurred in a nearby gas pipeline. A nearby restaurant was damaged in the blast. Reportedly, a man sleeping on a bench near the restaurant was also injured after the glass panes broke into pieces following the explosion. Further, a group of 6 female tourists, who were present in the vicinity of the restaurant, also sustained injuries.
Meanwhile, the Police have also filed two separate FIRs in connection with the blasts and have requested the public not to get swayed by rumours. The NIA teams also are said to have reached the spot and are investigating the case.
Amidst its ongoing economic crisis, Pakistan has now surrendered the ‘unutilised’ Hajj quota allotted to it by the Saudi Arabia government.
As per reports, the number of applications received from Hajj pilgrims in Pakistan was way below the available seats. Therefore, it has returned 8000 unutilised government scheme seats.
The development was confirmed by Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs. The country was able to save $24 million (~676 crore PKR), which otherwise the government would have needed to pay to Saudi Arabia.
It has been a long-standing demand of the Pakistan government to increase the Hajj quota. Reportedly, Pakistan was provided with its full share of the quota for this time after several years.
However, it failed to receive enough applicants from Hajj pilgrims. This has been the first time that Pakistan had to surrender its Hajj quota, which shows the drastic impact of inflation in the country.
Interestingly, the Pakistani government initially thought of allocating the Hajj quota to private operators but later turned down the proposal for fear of them buying US dollars from the open market. It also revoked the balloting process for the Hajj pilgrims after anticipating a shortage of applications.
Deteriorating economic condition of Pakistan
Pakistan is experiencing its worst economic crisis amidst food shortages, flash floods, and poverty. As the government of Pakistan failed to end the economic crisis in Pakistan, over 7 million workers in its textile industry have been laid off.
Other than this, Pakistan, which was declared South Asia’s weakest economy by a report is also hit by a severe food crisis. The situation in several cities of Pakistan is so grave that flour is being rationed and guarded by armed guards. Prices of flour and wheat have witnessed a dramatic surge.
Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Balochistan are among the worst sufferers as tens of thousands spend hours daily to get the subsidized bags of flour that are already short in supply in the market.
Incidents of clashes and stampedes have been reported in markets in many areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Balochistan.
Pakistani Finance Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar said that the government was praying, that Allah would bring prosperity back to Pakistan.
On Monday, May 8, The Kerala Story producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah reacted to the announcement made by the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, where she said the state banned the film to “maintain peace”. Reacting to the statement, Shah said he would take appropriate legal action if West Bengal or any other state bans the film.
"We'll take legal action. If any state govt is banning the film, the onus is on it to prove the reason for the same. Hon'ble SC has cleared the film. Our film isn't against any community or religion but against terrorism," producer of 'The Kerala Story' Vipul Amrutlal Shah says. pic.twitter.com/vkXjI7jOvz
Furthermore, he added that he has told his friends to stay away from the controversy and not to post anything about the film on social media. He mentioned the incident where actor Vidyut Jammwal shared its trailer and got trolled over social media. Speaking to the Times of India, he said, “How can I predict what the political parties are thinking today? That needs to be clarified by them only. If a government decides to ban a film, they need to clarify why they’re banning a film after the Supreme Court has cleared the film.”
“I tell my friends or supporters from the industry not to get involved in these controversies. Because some people have a problem with Bollywood these days, and if someone supports the film, they get trolled. Despite me telling him not to, Vidyut Jammwal shared the film’s trailer. He got a lot of trolling as well as love. There’s one troll army which is trying to damage this film. But the audience is giving them their answer with each passing day. If the screenings of our film are stopped in West Bengal, we take legal recourse and take appropriate legal action,” he added.
Mamata Banerjee banned the film in West Bengal
On May 8, WB CM Banerjee banned the film in the state to maintain “peace”. Though the film’s name is ‘The Kerala Story’, she said ‘The Kerala Files’ for unknown reasons. “West Bengal govt has decided to ban the movie ‘The Kerala Story’. This is to avoid any incident of hatred and violence and to maintain peace in the state,” news agency ANI quoted her as saying.
The recently released film has become a hot topic of discussion because of its sensitive topic, including terrorism, love jihad, and ISIS. While the film has received appreciation from all walks of society, a specific section opposed the film claiming that it shows the state of Kerala in a bad light. However, while hearing the plea against the film, the Kerala High Court categorically said if anyone would feel offended by the film it should be the terrorist organisation ISIS.
The movie ‘The Kerala Story‘ revolves around the tragic reality of ISIS brides, with Adah Sharma playing the role of one Shalini Unnikrishnan, who is brainwashed by her Muslim friends and gets converted to Islam. She later travels to IS (Islamic State) controlled area with her spouse.
Gujarat Police on Monday, May 8, debunked malicious reports and social media posts that said over 40,000 women have been missing in the state of Gujarat during the period 2016-20. The law enforcement agency said that out of the 41,621 women who had gone missing, 39,497 or approximately 95 per cent of the women were traced by the Gujarat Police and reunited with their families.
In a series of tweets, Gujarat Police said that women that had gone missing in the period of 5 years, between 2016-2020, were tracked and reunited with their families. The police also added that the data is part of the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), New Delhi, which was cited by many media organisations and social media users to claim that 40,000 women had been missing in Gujarat.
published by National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), New Delhi, 39,497 (94.90%) of the missing women have been traced by Gujarat Police and they are united with their families. The said information is also part of Crime in India, 2020.
“The investigation has revealed that women go missing due to family disputes, elopement, failure in examinations etc. However, the investigation into missing person cases has not revealed episodes of trafficking for sexual exploitation, organ trafficking etc.,” a tweet by Gujarat Police read, apparently in reference to social media users who targeted Gujarat and drew an equivalence with assertions made in The Kerala Story movie that over 32,000 women had gone missing in the state and had possibly become victim to Islamic radicalisation to join the ISIS.
The Gujarat Police further tweeted that local police carry out an investigation into the missing persons case as per the norms of the Supreme Court of India and the data is fed into a dedicated website for tracking by other state police units as part of the coordination at the national level.
Media organisations and propagandists spread misleading claims about missing women in Gujarat
Several media organisations, including New Indian Express, News24, Siasat, as well as the usual suspects had claimed that over 40,000 women in Gujarat had gone missing, without providing the information that 95 per cent or over 39,400 of them had been traced down and reunited with their families, even though the source they quoted had these details.
The Gujarat Story Over 40000 women have gone missing from Gujarat in 5 years: NCRB Data
The attack against Gujarat came in the wake of the release of the much-anticipated movie ‘The Kerala Story’, which revolves around the tragic reality of ISIS brides, vulnerable women who are lured into a love jihad trap, brainwashed and then recruited by ISIS as sex slaves, mercenaries, and other purposes. The movie stars actor Adah Sharma playing the lead role of one Shalini Unnikrishnan, who is brainwashed by her Muslim friends before being converted to Islam. She later travels to IS (Islamic State) controlled area with her spouse, where she gets a reality check of the ‘Islamic utopia’ that was fed to her during her radicalisation.
Despite facing stiff resistance from political parties, The Kerala Story featuring Adah Sharma and written and directed by Sudipto Sen has made remarkable profits at the box office in the three days of its release with the total earning crossing Rs 35 crore so far.
Vipul Amrutlal Shah’s movie which hit the theatres on May 5, was made at a budget of Rs 30 crore. The movie has not only recovered the total production cost but also made profits in the only first three days of its release.
According to noted film critic Taran Adarsh, the film grossed 8.03 crores on its first day on Friday (5 May 2023) and made over 11 crores on the second day, Saturday (6 May 2023). The Box Office figures of The Kerala Story on the third day were over Rs 16 crore in India. The total box office collection of The Kerala Story stands at Rs 37.03 crore in India.
The film will be declared a hit, as it was made at a budget of Rs 30 crore and has recovered the cost in these three days itself.
In fact, the movie has become the fifth-highest opening for a Hindi film in 2023 after it brought in between Rs 7.50-8 crore on the first day of its release.
#TheKeralaStory is UNSTOPPABLE and UNSHAKABLE… PHENOMENAL biz on Day 2 and 3 makes it a SMASH-HIT… Withstands two mighty opponents: #Hollywood film #GotGVol3 and #IPL2023… Fri 8.03 cr, Sat 11.22 cr, Sun 16 cr. Total: ₹ 35.25 cr. #India biz. #Boxoffice
Makers of The Kerala Story decide to move court after TN multiplexes stop screening
Meanwhile, the film’s makers Vipul Shah and Sudipto Sen have decided to take the Tamil Nadu multiplexes to court after the latter chose to stop screening the film. According to reports, the decision has shocked and amused the movie makers.
According to ETimes, the filmmakers expressed their anger saying that is not only illegal but also violates the very basic democratic right to free expression. The filmmakers believe it’s also perplexing because the hurried desire to sweep a video that they find unsettling, under the carpet demonstrates how insecure certain sections are getting about the film.
Director Sudipto Sen confirmed the news of taking legal action against the illegal ban of the film in Tamil Nadu to ETimes by stating, “Yes, we are going to court. We will also be conducting a press conference later today.”
Notably, the multiplex theatres in TN had decided to drop the movie citing the law and order situation arising due to the protests against the film as well as a poor response to the film in the state.
This came after Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) chief Seeman and his supporters staged protests against the screening of the film in the Anna Nagar Arch near Skywalk Mall in Chennai on Saturday. Police apprehended NTK cadres following a protest inside a theatre opposing the screening of The Kerala Story.
Seeman claimed that The Kerala Story was made to denigrate Muslims and portray Muslims as terrorists.
The Kerala Story screenings were cancelled in various Kerala districts on the day of its premiere. Two previously scheduled shows in Kochi were cancelled. The movie was also boycotted by theatre owners at Kochi’s Lulu Mall and Centre Square Mall. Similarly, theatres in the districts of Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Idukki, Kannur, and Wayanad opted not to screen the film.
Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Monday condemned the West Bengal government for banning ‘The Kerala Story’ movie in the state, and accused the opposition parties of doing “appeasement and vote bank politics”.
“Their (opposition) face is getting exposed. They are doing appeasement and vote bank politics. West Bengal has done immense injustice by banning the movie. Recently only, a girl was raped and murdered in Bengal. Everybody saw how her body was dragged by the police,” the Information and Broadcasting Minister told ANI.
“I want to ask what are you (Mamata Banerjee) getting by standing up for such terrorists. What do you get by promoting such an ideology? Such actions provide support to ISIS and other terrorist forces,” he added.
He further said that ‘The Kerala Story’ is an attempt to bring the truth forward in front of the people.
“The Kerala Story is an attempt to bring forward the truth. The movie leaves you stunned. It shows how Indian daughters are trapped in the name of love, and recruited in terror organisations. The girls are taken showing heaven but are instead sent to hell,” the Union Minister said.
Helmed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, the film has triggered a massive political row with various leaders reacting to the upcoming movie.
The controversy surrounding the film started when its trailer claimed that 32,000 women from Kerala had gone missing and joined the terrorist group ISIS. This statement triggered a heated political debate and many leaders questioned the veracity of the claim.
“And the makers of the movie have tried to expose this conspiracy. If a terrorist conspiracy like this is taking place in a big state like Kerala. It is the responsibility of everyone to come together in support of this movie, so that not just we are able to defeat such forces,” Thakur further said.
Earlier in the day, Trinamool Congress (TMC)-led West Bengal government banned ‘The Kerala Story’ movie citing “maintenance of peace” and to avoid incidents of “hatred and violence” in the state.
West Bengal has become the first state to ban the film, which narrates the ordeal of three women who are trafficked to ISIS camps after being converted to Islam through marriage.
There’s a continuing political outcry around the movie even as it has been made tax-free in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh.
“This to avoid any incident of hatred and violence, to maintain peace in the state,” Mamata Banerjee said while addressing a media conference. “What is ‘The Kashmir Files’? it is to humiliate one section. What is ‘The Kerala Story’?… It is a distorted story,” she added.
Mamata Banerjee said, “What is this ‘Kerala files’? I am not supporting CPIM, they are working with BJP. Instead of me, it was their duty to criticise the film. I want to tell Kerala CM that your party is working with BJP and that same party is showing Kerala files – a distorted story. Now I am told they are preparing the Bengal files. First, they defamed Kashmir, then Kerala, and now West Bengal”.
The Chief Minister has directed the Chief Secretary to remove the movie from the screens where it is running.
Reacting over the decision, Vipul Shah, the producer of the movie has said they will pursue legal options against the decision.
“If state government won’t listen to us we go through legal terms what possible things we should do that but as a legal way,” he told ANI.
‘The Kerala Story’ stars Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani and Sonia Balani in the lead roles. Faced with backlash the makers then withdrew the figure and called the movie the story of three women from Kerala, in its trailer description.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
On Monday (May 8), West Bengal CM courted controversy by labelling ‘The Kashmir Files’ and ‘The Kerala Story’ as ‘distorted movies.’
During a press conference at Nabanna (State Secretariat), she claimed, “If the political party play with fire, casteism or divide and rule…Why this “Kashmir Files’? To humiliate one section. What is this Kerala File? Though I do not support the CPI (M) because they are working with BJP.”
“I am talking about the people…Instead of me, it was their duty (CPIM) to criticise it…That BJP is showing ‘The Kerala Files’…A distorted story,” Banerjee brazened it out.
The West Bengal CM went on to allege that the movie’s cast was sponsored by the BJP, which came to Bengal to promote ‘The Kerala Story’. She suggested that movie makers have no qualms about making Kashmir Files and supposedly ‘condemning’ Kashmiri people.
“What is the fault of people? We respect each and everybody. That is our Constitution. Now they are defaming the Kerala people and State. Their narrative is to defame the Bengal also,” Mamata Banerjee concluded.
It must be mentioned that she has banned the screening of the movie in West Bengal, citing the need to maintain ‘peace’ in the State. “West Bengal govt has decided to ban the movie ‘The Kerala Story’. This is to avoid any incident of hatred and violence, and to maintain peace in the state,” Mamata Banerjee said.
The targeting of ‘The Kerala Story’ and ‘The Kashmir Files’
The movie ‘The Kerala Story‘ revolves around the tragic reality of ISIS brides, with the lead actor Adah Sharma playing the role of one Shalini Unnikrishnan, who is brainwashed by her Muslim friends and gets converted to Islam. She later travels to IS (Islamic State) controlled area with her spouse.
‘The Kashmir Files’ film takes viewers back to 1989, when due to rising Islamic Jihad, a huge conflict erupted in Kashmir, forcing the great majority of Hindus to flee the valley.
Ever since the two movies hit the theatres, they came under attack from the left-liberal cabal and politicians accused of minority appeasement. They sought to denigrate the movie and term the real-life incidents showcased in it as the figment of the director’s imagination.
Update: After media reports claimed that a Lithium reserve was found in Rajasthan, GSI has refuted media claims. The full report on that can be read here. The headline has been updated to reflect new information.
After Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi, lithium reserves have now been found in the Degana municipality of Rajasthan’s Nagaur district. The discovery of the reserves in Nagaur was confirmed by Rajasthan government officials and the Geological Survey of India. These reserves are said to contain significantly more lithium than the 5.9 million tonnes found in Jammu and Kashmir in February this year.
Speaking about the discovery, GSI and mining officials have said that the amount of lithium in these reserves is enough to meet 80% of India’s overall needs. The finding of these reserves could help India reduce its reliance on China for lithium, they asserted.
India presently relies significantly on foreign imports, particularly from China, to meet its lithium needs. In the fiscal year 2020-21, India imported lithium worth Rs 6,000 crore, of which China contributed Rs 3,500 crore.
Varun Goenka, CEO and Co-Founder, Chargeup said, “As India discovers significant lithium reserves in Rajasthan, in addition to the previously discovered reserves in Jammu and Kashmir, the country is well positioned to become the 3rd largest market for EVs in the next 4 years. Batteries, being the single largest cost and supplies dominated by China, have been a major obstacle for India’s EV industry.”
“However, with the ‘Make in India’ initiative and the discovery of lithium reserves, India is now able to reduce its dependence on foreign countries and control the fluctuating price of lithium. This development not only enables India to meet its domestic requirements but also allows it to supply lithium to other countries, creating a promising future for the country’s EV industry. The future seems #chargedup for India as it accelerates towards achieving its goal of transitioning towards sustainable energy sources while reducing its carbon footprint,” he added.
Over 5.9 million tonnes of deposits found in Jammu and Kashmir
On February 9, the Union Government said that 5.9 million tonnes of lithium reserves have been found for the first time in the country in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Geological Survey of India for the first time established Lithium inferred resources (G3) of 5.9 million tonnes in the Salal-Haimana area of the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir,” the Ministry of Mines said.
It further that 51 mineral blocks including Lithium and Gold were handed over to respective state governments.
“Out of these 51 mineral blocks, 5 blocks pertain to gold and other blocks pertain to commodities like potash, molybdenum, base metals etc. spread across 11 states of Jammu and Kashmir (UT), Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana,” the ministry added.
Notably, days after the Geological Survey of India (GSI) discovered the lithium reserves in Jammu and Kashmir, the Central government decided to invite bids for the auction of the country’s first Lithium reserve. Last week, Vivek Bharadwaj, secretary of the Union Ministry of Mines confirmed that India will auction the lithium blocks found in Jammu and Kashmir later this year.
Lithium = ‘White Gold’
Lithium is a soft, silvery-white metal that has earned the moniker “white gold” due to its great demand in the global energy markets. Lithium serves a variety of purposes and is an essential part of the electrochemical cells used in the batteries for electric vehicles, laptops, smartphones, and other electronic gadgets.
The discovery of a lithium resource first in Jammu and Kashmir and now in Rajasthan can help India meet its goals of decreasing emissions and reaching net zero by 2070. This can be achieved by providing Lithium, a vital component for electric car batteries.
With India’s push for the introduction of Electric Vehicles (EVs), this is a crucial discovery because it will significantly boost the country’s self-sufficiency in EV batteries.
It is worth noting that while “reserves” are a subset of resources that are economically viable to extract, “resources” refers to an approximate quantity of a geological commodity in discovered and undiscovered deposits.
According to International Energy Agency (IEA), the world could face a Lithium shortage by the year 2025. Amidst a significant rise in demand for electric vehicles, India can play a crucial role by addressing the global shortages.
As per a World Economic Forum (WEF) report, Lithium supply is constrained not just by rising demand but also by resources concentrated in a few regions and the fact that more than half of current production takes place in regions with significant water stress. Notably, the “Lithium Triangle” countries of Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile hold an estimated 60% of global lithium reserves.
According to a report by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), India would have a battery storage capacity of 27,000 Megawatts by 2029–30. If India manages to deal with the challenges ahead, this discovery of the Lithium reserve can prove to be a game-changer for India.
After trying in vain to stall the release of The Kerala Story, a heart-wrenching story of unsuspecting non-Muslim girls in Kerala lured into a love jihad trap and taken to ISIS-controlled territories as sex slaves or mercenaries, the Islamists masquerading as ‘journalists’ and ‘intellectuals’ are now dismissing the occurrence of ‘love jihad’ altogether, in a bid to discredit the harsh reality the movie depicts.
One such masquerader is Arfa Khanum Sherwani, a ‘journalist’ with the leftist propaganda portal ‘The Wire’, which has been at the forefront of prejudicial media outlets leading a crusade to reject love jihad cases and paint them as Islamophobic schemes.
Recently, Sherwani took to Twitter to attack The Kashmir Files and The Kerala Story, claiming that they were state-sponsored propaganda. For Ms Sherwani, the movie that chronicled the exodus of lakhs of Kashmiri Pandits and brought to light the religion-based atrocities hitherto swept under the rug lest it would affect the ‘secular fabric’ of the country, became state-sponsored propaganda because what it portrayed did not jibe with the narrative that Sherwani and her likes have been peddling for years now.
Similarly, Ms Sherwani also attacked another pathbreaking movie, The Kerala Story, which for the first time, brought on the silver screen the menace of religious indoctrination faced by impressionable women in Kerala. Since the premise of the movie is based on ‘love jihad’, where a Muslim man uses deceit to lure a non-Muslim into a romantic relationship and later pressurises her into embracing Islam, Ms Sherwani attacked the notion of ‘love jihad’ itself, calling it propaganda and a lie.
“Love-Jihad is nothing but an Islamophobic conspiracy theory,” Ms Sherwani posted in her Twitter rant against The Kashmir Files and The Kerala Story.
While Ms Sherwani wants her followers to believe that Love Jihad is a myth and an imaginary construct aimed at whipping up Islamophobia, the trials and tribulations of the victims of the social menace reveal the uncomfortable reality that she and others like her want to obscure. The countless testimonies of the victims speak volumes of the existence and the pervasiveness of the scourge bedevilling many Hindu women, leaving them with permanent scars and trauma for the rest of their lives if their tormentors had left them alive.
Even as Arfa Sherwani dismisses love jihad as propaganda, the cries of victims reveal the seriousness of the menace
A recent case from Uttar Pradesh stands testament to the reality of love jihad. A Muslim man, Jamal Khan, lured a Hindu woman in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, by concealing his identity and introducing himself as Sonu. He later converted her to Islam and married her. A few days later, he invoked the outlawed triple talaq, forcing her to leave the home.
The tragedy did not stop just there. The victim further informed that the perpetrator started physically assaulting her after their marriage when she found out that he was already married to someone else. In response to her complaint, the Majhola police filed an FIR and initiated an inquiry into the matter.
Just days before, another incident of love jihad was reported from the Khudel region of Indore, Madhya Pradesh, after the state police arrested a person named Asmat Patel, his father Shabbir Ali and his brother Haider Ali for forcing a Hindu girl to commit suicide.
According to the police complaint, Asmat met an 18-year-old Hindu girl in his college and later developed a friendship with her. He then forced her to get married to him and accept Islam and also threatened that he would abduct her if she doesn’t agree. The girl informed about Asmat to his father who warned him and his family members, Haider, Shabbir and Shahjahan to stay away from the girl.
However, Asmat issued threats to the father of the girl and said that he wanted to marry her and would abduct her if she doesn’t agree. He also pressured her and sent derogatory messages on her phone. The father then took possession of the phone and deleted the messages. Asmat, after knowing this, started sending derogatory messages to the girl’s uncle. The girl felt pressured by the continuous terrorization and decided to end her life to end the saga. She consumed poison and was declared dead after she was immediately taken to the hospital by her family members.
Similarly, in early April, another incident of love jihad was reported from the Gwalior district of Madhya Pradesh. A gym trainer was booked for allegedly raping a woman by keeping her son at knifepoint. He had introduced himself as a Hindu to cultivate a friendship with a Hindu woman, but after she learnt that he had lied to her about his religious identity, she severed her ties with him. As revenge, he came to her house and raped her.
In March 2023, yet another case of love jihad came to the fore as a man named Shadab entrapped a girl into a love affair while pretending to be a Hindu boy. He then allegedly took her to a hotel on the pretext of celebrating her birthday, where he spiked her drink. Thereafter, he raped her and took compromising photographs with her which he used to blackmail her to the tune of Rs 55 lakhs.
A month before that, in February 2023, a love jihad case was reported from Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, after a 14-year-old Hindu girl lodged a complaint accusing a Muslim youth of threatening and blackmailing her for refusing to convert to Islam and marry him.
In her complaint, the minor alleged that the 20-year-old accused identified as Shabbir Khan posed as a Hindu named Sameer Kumar and befriended her near her school about a month ago. The two soon grew close and entered into a relationship, following this, Shabbir clicked several obscene pictures of the victim.
However, after a month the minor girl found out that Sameer was actually Shabbir Khan, and he had changed his identity to start the relationship with her. When she learned about the real identity of the accused, she broke up with him and tried to distance herself from him. However, the accused Shabbir started blackmailing the victim to convert to Islam and perform a Nikah with him. On refusing, the accused threatened to circulate her private pictures on social media.
In the same month, another case of love jihad was reported from Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. A Dalit woman, living in a village in the Jarcha Kotwali area in Greater Noida, was raped by her boyfriend Babbar Ali on the pretext of marrying her. The woman was then gang-raped by Babbar Ali and his friend. When the victim asked Babbar Ali to marry her, he started forcing her to convert to Islam.
According to reports, the Dalit woman was trapped in love by a goon Babbar Ali in the village. On the pretext of marriage, he first had physical relations with the victim and then gang-raped her with his friend. It is alleged that when the victim insisted they get married, the accused said she must first convert to Islam to tie the knot.
The aforementioned cases are the number of love jihad incidents catalogued by OpIndia in the last 2-3 months. They do not, in any way, represent an exhaustive list of love jihad incidents across the country in the past few months. It is likely that more cases of love jihad were reported from various parts of the country but failed in capturing the national imagination, owing to several reasons, including lack of coverage by mainstream media organisations. Therefore, it must be borne in mind that these are not the actual number of love jihad cases throughout the nation in the last 2-3 months. This is a compilation of the cases that OpIndia covered. There are several cases that we may have missed and hundreds that never got reported by the media.
In fact, OpIndia has consistently been at the forefront of reporting incidents in which vulnerable Hindu women are groomed to accept their own subjugation at the hands of Muslim men. Year after year, we have documented numerous such occurrences. In 2022 alone, OpIndia reported more than 150 cases of love jihad that took place in various parts of the country.
There is also another element of stigma and fear of retribution attached to love jihad cases, which might compel victims to not report them at all. There could be numerous such occurrences where the victims’ families do not report it due to fear of retaliation because the perpetrators might be coming from financially stronger and influential families or have strong political connections or the belief that it would bring disrepute to the family. Another key reason why many similar incidences do not reach the public eye is that, due to its obvious bias toward the minority community, the leftist mainstream media usually fails to consider such situations severe enough to cover.
While the Left and the so-called liberals have always dismissed these occurrences as a figment of the ‘right-wing imagination’, the cases are real. The dead bodies are also real and the threat is imminent.Yet, the likes of Arfa Khanum Sherwani describe the reality of love jihad as propaganda, which not only dishonours the sufferings of hundreds and thousands of victims and dehumanises them but it also provides cover fire to Islamists, who carry on with their nefarious designs, luring unsuspecting and unwitting non-Muslims into a love relationship, only to have them converted into the Islamic fold.
The whitewashing of such grave crimes only emboldens Islamists, who continue to bank on their intellectual brethren to project ‘love jihad’ as a fantasy as they sneak around searching for another potential victim to be exploited and abused.
Multiple pleas have been filed in the Supreme Court against the Manipur High Court’s order directing the Central and State governments to include the Meetei/Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list of the Indian Constitution as a “tribe” of Manipur.
As per reports, two Special Leave Petitions (SLPs) have been filed, one was filed by the Manipur Tribal Forum and the second one was filed by BJP MLA and Chairman of the Hill Areas Committee (HAC) of the Manipur Legislative Assembly, Dinganglung Gangmei.
The plea by Manipur Tribal Forum
In its plea to the Supreme Court, the Manipur Tribal Forum has sought directions from the apex court to the central and state government to evacuate the Tribals of Manipur who fled to CRPF Lamphel Camp, CRPF Camp near the DC office, and Koirengei Camp.
Furthermore, the plea sought evacuation of small pockets of Tribals in both east and west Imphal and in the villages surrounding Imphal Valley. The forum sought directions from the central forces to escort them to their respective areas of residence in the hill districts.
It also sought directions to ensure secure and safe areas where Tribals are currently residing, stating there is a possibility of further attacks on them. The forum prayed for forming a Special Investigation Team headed by Harekrishna Deka, former Director General of Police of Assam, and monitored by Chief Justice Tinlianthang Vaiphei, former Chairman of Meghalaya State Human Rights Commission to probe the matter and bring the accused who assaulted the Tribals to justice.
The plea alleged that the dominant community killed 30 Tribal people and 132 were injured. The forum claimed not even a single FIR was filed by the police.
The plea by BJP MLA
In his plea, BJP MLA Gangmei argued that the impugned order by the High Court had resulted in unrest in the state that led to the death of 19 people. The plea read, “Due to the impugned order, the tension between both the community has taken place and violent clashes have erupted across the state. As a result of it, so far, 19 tribal people have been killed, various places in the states are blocked, the internet is completely shut down, and more people are at the risk of losing their lives.”
Gangmei further argued that the Meitei community is not a tribe. It has never been recognised as such. Plea read, “In fact, they are very much an advanced community though some of them may come within SC, OBC.”
The order directed the state to recommend the Centre to include the Meetei/Meitei community as ST in the Presidential list.
The order concluded the issue had been pending for around ten years.
The order concluded that the Meeteis/Meiteis are tribes.
The plea read, “Merely because the State of Manipur may have received some representation by the Meeteis/Meiteis does not oblige the State to do anything unless the State is convinced first, that the Meeteis/Meiteis are tribes and second, that they deserve to be in the Scheduled Tribes list.”
Manipur High Court order
On April 19, 2023, Manipur High Court Bench led by acting Chief Justice MV Muralidaran asked the Centre and state government to consider the inclusion of the Meetei/Meitei community in the ST community expeditiously. The order asked to complete the process within four weeks from the order date.
Clashes erupted in Manipur
After the orders, on May 3, violence erupted at several places in Manipur during protests by tribal groups against the demand for ST status by the Meitei community. The first round of violence erupted on April 27 in the district of Churachandpur. Protests by the tribal groups turned violent at various places in the state, where large-scale arson occurred. Manipur CM N Biren Singh has said that lives have been lost and property has been damaged in the violence. Curfew was imposed in several districts, and mobile internet services were suspended. Detailed reports on the matter by OpIndia can be read here.
