Social media celebrity Uorfi Javed has come under fire from Muslims after sharing her bikini pictures on her Instagram account on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr. She uploaded multiple images and videos of herself with her friends, however, her Muslim audience didn’t take kindly to it and harassed her for not dressing modestly on the Islamic festival.
One Muslim netizen remarked, “You don’t even get to celebrate Eid, unfortunate woman.”
One user labelled the actress as ‘Kafir’ (non-Muslim) while another agreed.
Source: Uorfi’s Instagram Account
Rehan Khan wrote, “She would have cared if she had been a Muslim,” implying that Uorfi is not a Muslim. A user commented, “You are this shameless on Eid! How can someone like you be happy on Eid when you didn’t mend your ways during Ramazan.”
Source: Uorfi’s Instagram Account
Another netizen called Uorfi “bhikhari” (beggar) for wearing a bikini on Eid.
Source: Uorfi’s Instagram Account
Neha Ansari stated, “You have crossed all limits, God forbid. You are disgusting. Today is Eid! You are such a lowlife Uorfi. Allah will burn you in hellfire.”
Source: Uorfi’s Instagram Account
One opined, “Have some shame. It is Eid today,” and asked, “Do you even remember or not?”
Source: Uorfi’s Instagram Account
Another Muslim charged, “Really shame on you as a human being,” and told the Instagram star to wear clothes, “at least on Eid.”
Source: Uorfi’s Instagram Account
With over four million followers Uorfi Javed is one of the most popular social media celebrities in India. She was a part of multiple TV serials like Meri Durga, Bepannaah, Jiji Maa, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai and Aye Mere Humsafar. She was also seen in Bigg Boss OTT (Season 1). She last appeared on MTV Splitsvilla (Season 14) as a guest contestant.
Earlier this month, the actress revealed how her family, notably her father, disparaged and physically tormented her until she ran away from home at the young age of 17. In another interview in 2021, she disclosed that she did not practise Islam and would never marry a Muslim.
Notably, Uorfi Javed is one name on an extensive list of celebrities who are frequently targeted by Muslims for not adhering to Islam ‘properly’ or for observing Hindu customs or festivals. Many including Sara Ali Khan, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Dipika Kakar Ibrahim, Mohammad Kaif, Mohammed Shami and Zaheer Khan have faced the brunt of Muslim fans for engaging in behaviour or activities that the latter disapprove of.
On April 21, 2023, the Karnataka’s 2nd PUC Results 2023 were released. Among the highest scorers was Tabassum Shaik, who received 593 points out of 600 and placed first in the Arts Stream. Out of this, she scored a perfect 100 in Hindi, Psychology and Sociology. Speaking to the media about her academic achievements, Tabassum Shaik said that she preferred to choose “education over hijab.”
Tabassum Shaik is a student of Nagarathnamma Meda Kasturiranga Setty Rashtreeya Vidyalaya, NMKRV in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
Last year the Karnataka high court upheld a government order banning religious attire such as hijab or burqa in educational institutions and asked students to follow the dress code of educational institutions. Many Muslim students had taken to the streets to protest against the decision, with many wearing hijab and skull caps to classes while many even boycotting appearing for exams after being urged to adhere to the court ruling. Tabassum Shaik, however, decided to prioritise education over the politicisation of the issue and the ensuing state-wide protests and unrest.
“I decided to give up the hijab (in college) and pursue my education. We will need to make some sacrifices for education,” Shaikh was quoted as telling The Indian Express.
Tabassum reportedly told the media that she attended all of her classes in a hijab every day up until the court order was issued. Her desire to further her studies and the lessons about respecting the law she learned from her parents led her to decide to stop wearing the hijab.
According to reports, Tabassum’s parents wholeheartedly supported her decision and her pursuit towards her education. Her father Abdul Khaum Shaik told his daughter it is important to “follow the law of the land. Education is more important for the children”.
Tabassum shared that she would follow the orders issued by the government. She would wear her hijab to her college campus and remove it before attending classes. She added that on the day she emerged as a topper, she donned her hijab and met her Principal and no one objected to her decision.
Karnataka Hijab row
The hijab controversy in Karnataka gained momentum since the first week of January last year after eight Muslim girls were denied entry to classes in a Udupi college because they were wearing hijabs. The college authorities had informed that the hijab was not a part of the uniform dress code mandated for the students.
The Muslim girls, adamant about wearing hijab, then filed a petition in High Court seeking permission to attend classes with hijab. They stated that wearing the hijab was their ‘fundamental right’ granted under Articles 14 and 25 of the Indian Constitution and ‘integral practice of Islam’.
The controversy spiralled as Hindu students in Karnataka styled with saffron scarves around their necks and protested against Muslim girls continuing to wear hijab to college. Tensions also prevailed at some educational institutions in Udupi, Shivamogga, Bagalkote, and other parts, as stones-pelting and violence were reported from various parts of the state.
As reported earlier, the students had begun to wear hijab to schools and colleges after they had met the Campus Front of India (CFI), the student branch of the Islamist organization Popular Front of India (PFI), in October 2021. The students confessed that they had spoken with the CFI.
On Saturday (April 22), the National Commission for Women (NCW) took cognisance of the brutal murder and alleged rape of a minor Dalit girl in Kaliaganj in the Uttar Dinajpur district of West Bengal.
In a statement, it said, “NCW has come across a Twitter post wherein a video has been shared alleging that a minor girl was raped and murdered by a group of men in Uttar Dinajpur, Kaliaganj, West Bengal.”
“Further, in the video Police can be seen dragging the body of the victim ruthlessly and inappropriately. The Commission has taken cognizance of the reported crime,” NCW stated.
National Commission for Women takes cognisance of a video alleging that a minor girl was raped and murdered by a group of men in Uttar Dinajpur's, Kaliaganj, West Bengal. pic.twitter.com/f1hQF42EiV
Chairperson Rekha Sharma has also written to the West Bengal DGP, seeking a fair and time-bound investigation of the case. She also demanded strict action against the police personnel for inappropriate handling of the dead body of the victim.
“The Commission has also sought that an FIR under relevant sections must be invoked, if the allegations levelled are found to be true. Also, stringent action must be taken against erring Police officers for dragging the body inappropriately. A detailed action taken must be apprised to the Commission within 3 days,” the statement read.
Earlier in the day, Rekha Sharma reacted to a video of the incident shared on social media by BJP spokesperson Amit Malviya. “It’s inhumane. How can they treat a minor rape victim like this or any person for that matter,” she had tweeted.
It's inhumane. How can they treat a minor rape victim like this or any person for that matter. Will DGP West Bengal take actin against these Officials or has the orders come from him? Taking Suo Moto. https://t.co/u0k1MS0d1t
On Friday (April 21) morning, the dead body of a 17-year-old Dalit girl was discovered floating in a canal in the Kaliagunj area. The kins of the victim alleged that the teenager was raped prior to her murder. The girl had gone missing on her way to tuition classes on Thursday (April 20).
So far, the police have arrested two individuals, including one Javed Akhtar, who was known to the victim. Meanwhile, angry locals alongwith the victim’s family members blocked a road, alleging it to be a case of gang rape.
On receiving information, the police reached the spot and started raining lathis and firing tear gas sheels at the demonstrators. As per report, the protesters also pelted bricks at the police.
Several people were reportedly injured in the incident. Some of them were also detained by the cops. Later, a large contingent of police personnel was deployed in the area to avoid escalation.
On the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, Malayalam actors Sumi Rashik and Vishnu K Vijayan took to Instagram to share a music video to extend Ramzan wishes to their fans. The video by Juneberry Bridal Makeover and shot by Kcaptures, however, did not go down well with social media users who slammed it for normalising the phenomena of love jihad.
Netizens were outraged at how the music video not only normalised but also encouraged the conversion of Hindu women to Islam by Muslim men in the name of love.
It must be mentioned that the video, which is being widely condemned, depicts actress Sumi Rashik as a Hindu woman in love with Vishnu K Vijayan essaying the role of a Muslim man. In the first scene, Vishnu K Vijayan is seen wearing a black kurta pyjama and Kufi, an Islamic prayer cap, and performing Namaz. The girl, dressed in a red and yellow typical South Indian style lehnga choli peeps into the room. For the next few seconds, the duo are shown romancing each other. After some time, Sumi Rashik changes into a Salwar Kameez presented to her by her Muslim boyfriend.
In the next scene, the Hindu girl approaches her Muslim boyfriend in the outfit he gifted her. The man, in turn, drapes the girl’s dupatta on her head like a veil and removes the bindi the girl wears on her forehead.
Till the time this report was published, the aforementioned video, shared by Vishnu K Vijayan on his Instagram page yesterday (Friday, April 21), garnered 2541 likes. The Malayalam actress Sumi Rashik shared the video today and has garnered 220 likes. The video is, however, being met with severe criticism both on Instagram and Twitter.
Most of the Netizens, on Instagram as well as Twitter, were of the opinion that several portions in the video, especially in which the Muslim man removes the bindi the girl is wearing on her forehead and drapes the dupatta over the Hindu girl’s head are a subliminal depiction of religious conversion.
Below are a few responses that actor Vishnu K Vijayan received on his post. Please note that the responses provided below were originally written in Malayalam. The true meaning of several words was lost in the translation since we used the translation option and changed them to English for better understanding. Pottu (bindi in Malayalam) appears as pussy, for example.
Similarly, people on Twitter also called out the makers of the music video for normalising the phenomena of love jihad/grooming jihad. While there is nothing wrong with two adults from different religions falling in love, the fact that the Hindu girl is transformed into a Muslim girl by her Muslim lover by removing the bindi and putting a hijab on her presents a problematic depiction. Because many felt that it seemed to be promoting the religious conversion of Hindu girls to Islam to marry Muslim men.
Advocate Ashutosh J Dubey, a practising legal solicitor at Bombay High Court and the legal advisor of BJP-Maharashtra shared the video and tweeted, “A Muslim boy marries a Hindu girl, giving the world a clear indication of Love Jihad. He gently removes the bindi from her forehead and covers her head with a cloth. This is a clip from the popular Eid music video in Kerala, and whoever developed it had just the objective of upsetting Hindus – Wake up Hindu Girls.
A Muslim boy marries a Hindu girl, giving the world a clear indication of Love Jihad. He gently removes the bindi from her forehead and covers her head with a cloth.
This is a clip from the popular Eid music video in Kerala, and whoever developed it had just the objective of… pic.twitter.com/4NX2Wu9z6i
— ADV. ASHUTOSH J. DUBEY ?? (@AdvAshutoshBJP) April 22, 2023
“Love sees no religion yet a religious boy has to convert the girl before accepting her. Video by Sumi Rashik, Malayalam actress in collab with ‘Kcaptures by Kiran’ at Instagram with hashtags RamzanMubarak, RomanticVideos, MusIim, etc,” tweeted popular Twitter user The Hawk Eye.
Love sees no religion yet a religious boy has to convert the girl before accepting her.
Video by Sumi Rashik, Malayalam actress in collab with 'Kcaptures by Kiran' at Instagram with hashtags RamzanMubarak, RomanticVideos, MusIim, etc. pic.twitter.com/bU8hjT7XSM
“Eid greetings! With this clip promoting love Jihad: In the name of Ramzan greetings this clip was shared on the internet where a Muslim man erases bindi from the forehead of a Hindu woman and asks her to wear a veil, as a symbol of conversion. Video from Kerala,” tweeted Swarajya journalist Subhi Vishwakarma.
Eid greetings! With this clip promoting love Jihad:
In the name of Ramzan greetings this clip was shared on the internet where a Muslim man erases bindi from the forehead of a Hindu woman and asks her to wear a veil, as a symbol of conversion.
Media outlet Indus Scrolls also shared the video and tweeted, “Muzlim Man Erases Bindi and Wears Hindu Girl a Veil: Video Glorifying #LoveJihad From Kerala Sparks Outrage.”
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.
To combat this grave threat, many states, including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, and Karnataka, have enacted stringent laws that criminalise Love Jihad and other forms of illegal conversions; however, several incidents continue to emerge every other day from every nook and corner of the country where susceptible and vulnerable Hindu women are being targeted and exploited in the name of ‘love’.
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. When the year 2022 came to an end, OpIndia reported as many as 153 instances of ‘Love Jihad’ or ‘Grooming Jihad’ we documented last year.
On the auspicious occasion of Akshay Tritiya on Saturday (April 22), the portals of Gangotri and Yamunotri have been opened for the devotees in Uttarakhand. With the opening of the portals, the Char Dham Yatra has begun today. While Vedic mantras were being chanted, the portals of Yamunotri Dham and Gangotri Dham were opened on Akshaya Tritaya at 12:35 pm and 12:41 pm respectively. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami was also present.
Taking to Twitter, the Uttarakhand CM shared a glimpse of the portal opening ceremony and wrote, “Opening ceremony of Shri Gangotri Dham.”
On the day of the Gangotri temple’s ceremonial opening, Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami performed a pooja there. CM Dhami also did pooja when goddess Yamuna’s idol, carried by priests in a decorated palanquin, went for Yamunotri Dham, where the goddess will be worshipped for the ensuing six months. CM Dhami performed a pooja in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Today, before the opening of the doors of Maa Yamuna, in Kharsali, the first worship in the name of the respected Prime Minister of the country respected Shri @narendramodi ji wished for the happiness and prosperity of the country and the state. May Maa Yamuna bless everyone. Jai Maa Yamunotri,” CM Dhami tweeted in Hindi.
आज माँ यमुना के कपाट खुलने से पूर्व खरसाली में देश के यशस्वी प्रधानमंत्री आदरणीय श्री @narendramodi जी के नाम से पहली पूजा कर देश एवं प्रदेश की सुख समृद्धि हेतु कामना की। माँ यमुना सबका कल्याण करें।
Earlier in the day, flower petals were showered to welcome the devotees in Kharsali. Sharing a glimpse of the same on Twitter, CM Dhami wrote, “Today in Kharsali, Maa Yamuna’s doli and devotees were welcomed by showering flowers from the helicopter.”
आज खरसाली में माँ यमुना की डोली एवं भक्तों पर हेलीकॉप्टर से पुष्प वर्षा कर किया गया स्वागत।
Notably, the Kedarnath portal will be opened on April 25, and on April 27, the doors of Badrinath will be opened. Meanwhile, CM Dhami said that the Chardham Yatra will be held with utmost enthusiasm and he also stated that the yatra is being closely watched and that all necessary facilities will be provided to the devotees. It is notable that the state government has made arrangements for all the required facilities such as water, toilets, electricity, and first aid are being made accessible to the devotees in the state. Moreover, medical relief camps have also been set up to provide health facilities to the devotees.
Gujarat’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Yuvrajsinh Jadeja was arrested on 21st April 2023 as he was accused of extorting 1 crore rupees for not taking names in a scam. A case has been registered against them at Bhavnagar police station.
“Yuvrajsinh Jadeja’s arrest was made at 11 pm on Friday. The other five accused in the new case are yet to be arrested,” an official from the Bhavnagar Local Crime Branch (LCB) said.
Yuvraj Singh Jadeja is known as a ‘whistle-blower’, as he has been exposing irregularities in competitive entrance and recruitment exams. But now it has been revealed that he was using his knowledge about such irregularities to extort money. He is accused of extorting money from those involved in a dummy exam candidate scam by not revealing their names when he exposed the scam. According to police, the AAP leader and his associates collected over ₹1 crore from two persons named Pradip Baraiya and Prakash Dave.
Bhavnagar police gave information about this matter by holding a press conference. A case has been registered against Yuvrajsinh Jadeja and others under sections 386, 388 and 120(B) of the IPC at the Nilambagh police station for allegedly siphoning off Rs 1 crore from Pradeep Baraiya and Prakash Dave. Apart from Yuvrajsinh Jadeja, a case has also been registered against his two brothers-in-law Shivubha and Kanbha as well as accused Bipin Trivedi and Ghanshyam Langhwa.
Police said that when Yuvrajsinh Jadeja was questioned about the allegations against him, he did not give a satisfactory answer and gave evasive answers. During interrogation, Yuvrajsinh Jadeja also gave some names, the police said, which will be investigated after verification. Yuvrajsinh Jadeja had made allegations against Jitu Vaghani and Asit Vora before questioning but the police said that Jadeja did not say any such thing during the interrogation.
The entire matter came to light after Bhavnagar Local Crime Branch arrested 4 people for their involvement in a racket of supplying dummy candidates for government recruitment examinations and board examinations. Reportedly, they were caught sending dummy candidates for the junior clerk recruitment exam held recently. The four arrested accused are Sharad Panot, Pradeep Baraiya, Prakash alias P K Dave and Baldev Rathod. They used to charge Rs 5 to Rs 10 lakh to send dummy candidates instead of the real candidates by forging documents. The dummy candidates are paid Rs 25,000 per exam.
During their interrogation, they alleged extortion by the AAP leader. As per the complaint, Yuvrajsinh Jadeja and his men made a video of a dummy candidate appearing for an exam on 25 March. However, instead of using the video to expose the scam, he showed the video to Prakash Dave’s wife. After this, a meeting was held on 28th March at Jadeja’s office, where his aides were also present.
Yuvrajsinh Jadeja demanded Rs 70 lakh and made a deal of Rs 45 lakh after bargaining for not taking names in the press conference revealing the dummy candidate scandal. After the deals were finalised, Yuvrajsinh showed the list of names to his aide Ghanasyam to confirm the names of Prakash Dave and his aides which are to be not revealed. Apart from Prakash, three other names Rajan Dave, Rakesh Baraiya and Parth Pandya were confirmed to be not revealed as per the deal.
After that on March 30, he had a meeting with Pradeep Baraiya, in which Yuvrajsinh Jadeja showed Pradeep a diary containing names of people involved in the scam, and told him that he would disclose these names in the press conference. Yuvrajsinh Jadeja then demanded Rs 60 lakh from him to not disclose his name, while Pradeep offered Rs 10 lakh. At the end of the conversation and bargaining, the deal was finalised for Rs 55 lakh. The amount was paid to the AAP leader’s aides in 3 instalments of Rs 20 lakh, Rs 30 lakh and Rs 5 lakh.
When Yuvrajsinh Jadeja held the press conference on 5 April to expose the dummy candidate scam, he did not take the names of those for whom he had collected payments.
A few days ago, Bipin Trivedi, a person close to Yuvrajsinh Jadeja, revealed in front of the media that the AAP leader had demanded lakhs of rupees for not disclosing the names in the dummy scandal. He also said that he had a meeting with Yuvrajsinh Jadeja about this. Bipin Trivedi alleged that Rs 55 lakh and Rs 45 lakh, respectively, were taken from Pradeep Baraiya and Prakash Dave for not naming them in the scam. He also said that there was a meeting between Ghanshyam, Pradeep, Shivubha, Kanbha and Yuvrajsinh Jadeja and a deal of Rs 55 lakh was made. In this, Ghanshyam was the middleman with Bipin, while Shivubha and Kanbha are said to be Yuvrajsinh Jadeja’s brother-in-law.
Recently, Yuvrajsinh Jadeja revealed in a press conference that dummy candidates are being made to appear in competitive examinations for government jobs. A police complaint was lodged in Bhavnagar recently. It is alleged that Yuvrajsinh Jadeja took money for not taking names in the scam. Following these allegations, the Bhavnagar Police detained Bipin Trivedi.
Yuvrajsinh Jadeja was also summoned and was asked to be present to respond to these allegations. However, the very next day after receiving the police summons, Yuvrajsinh Jadeja’s health ‘suddenly deteriorated’. Due to this, he sought more time to appear before the police. On the other hand, as Yuvrajsinh Jadeja was not present on the date mentioned in the summons, the police issued a fresh summon and ordered him to appear on April 21. He appeared on April 21.
In the FIR filed in the case, AAP leader Yuvrajsinh Jadeja, his brothers-in-law Shivubha and Kanbha, his aides Ghanshyam Ladhwa and Bipin Trivedi and another person named Raju has been charged with Extortion.
A novel case of Love Jihad was reported from the Khudel region of Indore 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. While the entire family of Asmat has been booked in the case, it is known that Asmat and his father were earlier arrested by the Police, however, Haider Ali was arrested today and the police are still looking for his mother, Shahjahan who is absconding.
According to the reports, 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 used to send her derogatory messages on her phone. The father then took possession of the phone and happened to delete the messages.
Asmat, after knowing this, accessed the contact of the girl’s uncle and continued to send derogatory messages. 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.
Several Hindu organizations in the city took cognizance of the event and claimed that the incident was a ‘love jihad’ case. They demanded severe action against the accused. The police have filed a police complaint in the case and have booked Asmat and his family members. The police have so far made three arrests which include Asmat Patel, Shabbir Ali and Haider Ali. The police are meanwhile still looking for the mother of the accused, Shahjahan.
On Friday, April 21, a man named Mohammad Saif Qureshi has been arrested by the police for cleaning chicken with the Indian national flag in Silvassa of Dadar and Nagar Haveli. This comes after a video of 21-year-old Mohammad Saif Qureshi cleaning chicken at a meat shop named Apna Chicken Shop in Silvassa’s Bavisa Faliya went viral on social media and sparked outrage. It is said that a person passing by noticed the accused cleaning chicken with the national tricolour, after this, he recorded it and uploaded the video of the incident on social media and sought action.
Following this, the Silvassa Police reportedly arrived at Bavisa Faliya and arrested accused Saif Qureshi at night. The accused was produced before the court on Friday following which the police initiated the process to move into the sub-jail. It has been reported that Apna Meat Shop was sealed by the municipality. The shop is owned by a person named Hashim Qureshi.
According to the Indian Flag Code, 2002, there are two ways to dispose of a torn or damaged national flag – burning or burying it. A strict rule should also be followed while choosing any procedure. These rules are notified as follows.
The code says, “To bury the national flag, collect all the damaged flags in wooden boxes, fold them, and place them properly. Bury the box in the ground. Observe silence for a moment after the flag is buried. Another option is to cremate the flag. Choose a safe place and clean it, fold the flag, light the fire, and place the flag carefully in the centre of the flame. It is also a criminal act that the national flag is cremated without being folded properly or burnt first and later put into the fire.”
It should be noted that the national flag is a symbol of pride and its dignity should be maintained while disposing of it. Insulting the national flag is a criminal act.
On Saturday (April 22), the grand old party unceremoniously kicked out the Youth Congress President (Assam) Angkita Dutta for daring to file a police complaint against her alleged harasser.
Dutta had filed the complaint against Srinivas BV, President of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC), and Vardhan Yadav, the Secretary in-charge of IYC, for harassing her for 6 months.
She accused Srinivas of making sexist comments, using abusive language, and resorting to mental harassment. In her complaint, Angkita Dutta narrated a recent incident in Chhatishargar, where Srinivas allegedly held her arm, pushed and pulled her, and used slang words to threaten her.
How can a sexist and chauvinistic lead @IYC torture and demean a woman every single time. What happened to @priyankagandhi ladki hoon ladk Shakti hoon https://t.co/opLpmcLLbh
Instead of paying heed to the serious nature of the allegations, the Congress party resorted to intimidation and pressure tactics.
On Thursday (April 20), the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President Bhupen Kumar Borah issued a show-cause notice to Angkita Dutta, seeking an explanation for not taking disciplinary action against her.
Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) has issued a showcause notice to former president of Assam Pradesh Youth Congres Dr Angkita Dutta who levelled a series of allegations against IYC President Srinivas BV accusing him of harassing and discriminating with her.
On Tuesday (April 18), Roopesh S Bhadauria (National Chairman of the Indian Youth Congress Legal Cell), sent a legal notice to her on behalf of Srinivas.
In the notice, it was claimed that the IYC President was a “well-known public figure”, and the allegations levelled by Dutta in tweets and other statements were “sexist, chauvinistic, false and frivolous”.
The notice also stated that the language used by the victim was “unparliamentary, undignified, defamatory and malicious”.
Screengrab of the legal notice against Angkita Dutta
And on Saturday (April 22), Angkita Dutta was expelled from the primary membership of the Congress party for a period of 6 years. The reason cited for her expulsion was ‘anti-party activites’ even though all she did was file a police complaint against her alleged harasser.
Source: Twitter user @shemin_joy
Such a drastic decision by the Congress party sets a dangerous precedent, forcing victims of harassment to maintain silence in order to avoid jeopardising their political careers. It will also bolster the accused, who are holding positions of power within the grand old party.
As ironic as it might sound now, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi coined the infamous slogan ‘Ladki hoon lad sakti hoon‘ in the hopes of empowering her female voters.
“I had come up with half of the line. We wanted a slogan that would identify with women and especially young girls,” she had said.
But when a party leader raised the complaint of harassment, she was swiftly shown the door without any redressal. Such has been the tragedy that befell the fate of Angkita Dutta.
This not only trivialises complaints of harassment but discourages women from taking steps to seek legal recourse. Women empowerment, as espoused by Priyanka Gandhi, for society seems to be lacking within her party.
This is also evident from the scathing remarks of Priyanka Maurya, the former Vice-president of the Mahila Congress (UP), who dubbed the slogan of ‘Ladki hoon lad sakti hoon‘ a sham.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday suggested that the veracity of statements made by former Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik should be examined. Malik, who was the last governor of Jammu and Kashmir before that state was divided into Union territories, had made disparaging statements against the BJP-led government at the Centre in a recent interview with journalist Karan Thapar.
“The BJP hasn’t done anything that needs to be hidden. The issue should not be discussed in a public forum. If he had information about irregularities, he should have spoken during his tenure. Why is he making such claims now? This calls for a credibility check,” said Amit Shah while speaking at the India Today Karnataka Roundtable 2023 on April 22.
In a recent interview, Satya Pal Malik made a number of accusations, including the claim that the Pulwama tragedy happened because of the Central government’s “lackadaisical approach” as “the Army was denied air movement of troops by the Central government.”
Further talking about Malik’s CBI summons following his allegations, Shah said, “It is not the first time that he has been called in. He is being probed in an alleged insurance scam and the probe agency is just doing its duty. There is no relation between the CBI summons and his allegations.”
Satya Pal Malik has been called by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for questioning in relation to his allegation that he was offered a Rs 300-crore bribe to clear two files related to Reliance Insurance during his tenure as governor of J&K.
Regarding rumours that Malik had joined forces with an opposition group, Shah stated, “He made the claims after separating himself from us, so his claims are doubtful.” For a very long time, Malik Ji has been a member of the party. People occasionally undergo transformation. Voters should exercise caution, Shah advised.
According to authorities, the CBI has asked Satya Pal Malik, a former governor of Jammu and Kashmir, to provide answers to specific questions on an alleged insurance scam in the Union Territory.
Malik, who has held office as the governor of many states, will be interrogated by the CBI for the second time in seven months. He was interrogated in October of last year after completing his duties as governor of Meghalaya, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, and Bihar.
Malik responded to the situation by telling PTI that the CBI had requested his attendance at the agency’s guesthouse on Akbar Road for “certain clarifications”.
