This year’s Ram Navami celebration has come under the attack of Islamist mobs in several places across the country. Such an incident took place in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow district, where a Ram Navami procession came under a vicious attack from a Muslim mob, including several women and minor children. They pelted stones and physically assaulted the devotees participating in the Sobha Yatra. The incident reportedly happened at around 1.30 pm on Thursday, March 30, when the Ram Navami Shobha Yatra was passing past the Shahi Masjid in the Madiyav village falling under the Jankipuram police station jurisdiction in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
According to reports, an altercation erupted between two factions as the Sobha Yatra passed by the mosque, which escalated into a full-fledged fight. Several Muslim women climbed atop houses and pelted stones at the devotees, while minor children accompanied by adults attacked the Hindus from below. The vehicle which was supposed to be used for the Sobha Yatra was also vandalised.
OpIndia spoke to BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Rathore, the coordinator of the Sobha Yatra. Kuldeep Singh stated that he had obtained permission from the authorities for this yatra, yet it came under a vicious attack. He went on to say that at the time of the incident, the yatra had not even begun fully, and only about 50 people had assembled at that time and were making final preparations.
According to Kuldeep Singh, the attack was completely unprovoked and one-sided. He said that none of the people who gathered to participate in the Shobha Yatra argued with anyone nor was there any sort of dispute that occurred. Kuldeep Singh alleged that as soon as the procession passed past the Shahi Mosque, Muslim women began pelting stones from the rooftops while minor boys attacked from below. The number of male adult assailants is estimated to be around 20.
Before the participants could even realise what was going on, the accused smashed the vehicle being used for the Sobha Yatra. Not only this but those participating were chased and beaten, said the BJP leader.
According to reports, one of Kuldeep Singh’s aides who was in charge of the arrangements was severely injured in the ensuing brawl. Kuldeep Singh also posted photographs of the damaged vehicle on his Twitter handle following the incident.
— Kuldeep Singh RathOur?? (@KuldeepBjpUP) March 30, 2023
Police only force us
Alleging police bias towards the perpetrators, Kuldeep Singh went on to say that the police apprehended seven persons, including minor children, from the Hindu side and just two from the Muslim side who actually perpetuated the violence.
Expressing his dissatisfaction with the police action in the case, Singh said that the police are refusing to release the Hindus, who are actually the victims, despite repeated appeals. He urged the police to take action against the perpetrators and release the victims immediately.
Meanwhile, Brijesh Tripathi, the in-charge of the Jankipuram police station, stated that the police have not recieved any formal complaint from either sides, as a result, no further action has been taken. He stated that all the Hindus who were detained have been released following interrogation.
Similar situation erupted last year
Kuldeep Singh recalled how a similar situation arose during Ram Navami last year, with Muslims assaulting Hindu devotees. The perpetrators then fired gunshots at the devotees, yet the police filed a FIR against unknown people despite knowing who the culprits were. He accused Samajwadi Party councillor Chand of fostering anti-social elements in the neighborhood.
Qasim Abidi, DCP, North Zone, Lucknow Police, said that an argument broke out between two groups after Hindus played music on a DJ while passing past a mosque, which was objected to by another group. The DCP further said that people belonging to both groups were detained and there was no disruption of peace in the area.
थाना जानकीपुरम क्षेत्र में 2 पक्षों में कुछ विवाद हो गया था। पुलिस मौके पर पहुंची। सुमित नामक व्यक्ति गांव के कुछ लोगों के साथ डीजे पर गाना बजा रहा था और उनका काफिला जब शाही मस्जिद से निकला तो वहां कुछ लोगों ने आपत्ति की। इनके बीच आपस में कहासुनी हुई। दोनों पक्षों को थाने लाया… pic.twitter.com/Yq4Oks4zqX
As the police refused to release the detained Hindus, BJP leaders Kuldeep Singh Rathore and Kiran Singh Rathore staged a sit-in at the police station. Kiran Singh, meanwhile, went live on Facebook from outside the police station, In the video, protestors could be heard shouting slogans against the police accusing them of negligence and apathy towards the Hindus.
Brijesh Tripathi, the station’s in-charge, attempted to persuade the crowd. But, the masses were not ready to accept. The Hindus were later released, following which, the protesters dispersed.
In another video shot from outside the police station, members of the Hindu organisation cane be seen arguing with the police. “Hindus are are ones who are killed,” a man in saffron clothes is heard telling the cops, as he demands action against the perpetrators.
On 30th March 2023, Ram Navami processions were attacked and violence erupted in various places across the country. There were reports of stone-pelting and violence in many cities of the country. One person was killed in West Bengal and one in Maharashtra in these violent incidents. Apart from this, there have also been reports of stones pelting on the Shobha Yatra of Ram Navami in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.
Ram Navami or the birth anniversary of Lord Rama is an auspicious occasion in the Hindu calendar year. On that day, Hindus seek blessings from Lord Rama, provide food to the needy, perform rituals, take out processions, and so on. But Islamists have attacked these Ram Navami processions at many places in the country, as part of growing attacks on Hindu festivals.
Ram Navami processions attacked in Gujarat
A Ram Navami procession near Panjrigar mohalla in the Vadodara district of Gujarat was attacked by Islamists who pelted stones at the procession. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad, confirming the attack stated that the attack was massive but the idol of Lord Rama was saved.
According to reports, as soon as the procession reached a mosque in the area under Fatehpura Garana Police Post, there was a dispute between the two parties over something. In no time, stones were thrown at the devotees involved in the procession from near the mosque.
Around 200-500 Muslims arrived on the street during the procession and began pelting stones at the procession and the Hindu participants. Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)’s local office bearer Vishnubhai Prajapati stated that some vehicles including big cars were also damaged. The Ram Navami procession was planned and organized by the Karelibag sector of Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
Another incident of stone-pelting on the Ram Navami procession was also reported in the Kumbharwada area of Vadodara. Local BJP MLA Manisha Vakil was part of the procession which came under stone pelting in Kumbharwada. Vakil said that the procession was moving peacefully when there was sudden attack on it, and several people were injured in the attack. Stones were pelted from teraces of nearby houses.
Ram Navami processions attacked in Uttar Pradesh
In Uttar Pradesh, an incident of stone-pelting on a Ram Navami procession passing in front of a mosque was reported in the state’s capital Lucknow. A vehicle was vandalised in this dispute. The victims alleged that Muslim women indulged in this stone pelting.
This incident occurred in the Janakipuram area of the Lucknow police station area. OpIndia spoke to BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Rathore, convenor of this procession. Kuldeep Singh said that he had taken permission from the authorities for this procession, yet it became a victim of chaos.
— Kuldeep Singh RathOur?? (@KuldeepBjpUP) March 30, 2023
At the time of the incident, the procession had not even started properly and a maximum of 50 people were gathering and preparing for further. No one involved in the procession had any argument with anyone nor did there be any dispute.
As soon as the procession came in front of the Shahi Masjid, women started throwing stones from the roofs and minor Muslim boys attacked the procession on road. During this time, 20 adult male attackers were also involved in this assault.
After enduring the assault by Islamists, Hindus in this procession had to face the wrath of the police separately. 7 participants in this procession were detained by the police instead of taking any action against the stone-pelters. The angry Hindus raised slogans against the police before the detained devotees were set free.
Ram Navami processions attacked in Maharashtra
In Maharashtra, Hindu processions were attacked in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalgaon, and Mumbai. On March 29, Wednesday night, two groups clashed in the Kiradpura area of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, hurling stones and setting vehicles on fire.
CCTV footage of Islamist mob attacking & burning down police vehicle outside the only #RamMandir in a Muslim dominated area of Kiradpura, Ch. Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra. How come they were prepared with stones and other weapons on the night of Ramnavmi?#SambhajinagarTempleAttackpic.twitter.com/Sr7griFwbI
The violence erupted at a time when Hindu youths were preparing for the Ram Navami celebrations the next day near a Ram temple in the Kiradpura area.
#Maharashtra | A clash broke out between two groups in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar’s #Kiradpura area
Stones were pelted, some private & police vehicles were set on fire. Police used force to disperse the people and now the situation is peaceful. Police will take strict action… pic.twitter.com/vVoQK2chZk
The clashes in the Kiradpura started after a fight broke out between two people outside the said Ram Temple. The situation worsened when more people arrived at the scene and started throwing stones at one another, according to the police, who also stated that the crowd set several police and public vehicles on fire outside the temple.
Maharashtra | A clash broke out between two groups over playing music outside a Mosque while Namaz was going on, in Jalgaon district
Two FIRs have been registered, we’ve arrested 45 people so far. 4 people are injured in the violence. The present situation is peaceful and is… pic.twitter.com/EaT5WIOtwT
A fight broke out between two groups when DJ music was played as a Hindu dharmik procession passed by a mosque in Paldhi, in the Jalgaon district of Maharashtra. On Tuesday, 28th March 2023, several people led the Dindi Yatra, which was supposed to proceed to Saptashringi Garh. Unknown miscreants threw stones at the yatra participants as the procession passed through the village of Paldhi, which infuriated the participants and led to vandalism. Three private vehicles were reportedly vandalized. In addition to this, a police jeep was set on fire and three persons were injured.
A Ram Navami procession in the Malvai region of Mumbai’s Malad suburb was attacked by an Islamist mob as it passed by a Masjid near gate no. 7 area. The Islamists attacked the procession by pelting stones and also forced the loudspeakers to be shut in the area.
#UPDATE | Mumbai: 20 people detained after a scuffle occurred yesterday between two groups during ‘Rama Navami’ Shobha Yatra in Malad’s Malvani area. Situation was tense for a while but it is under control now. Case filed against more than 300 unidentified people for jeopardising… https://t.co/uOurRP6BK7
One of the locals identified as Tajindar Tiwana revealed that the loudspeakers were shut by the Hindus way before they reached the area near Masjid. However, the Muslims still attacked the procession and pelted stones at it as it passed by the Masjid.
Ram Navami processions attacked in West Bengal
In West Bengal, clashes broke out between two communities during a Ram Navami procession in the Dalkhola area of Islampur town of North Dinajpur. One person was killed and 5-6 policemen were injured in clashes in a Muslim-dominated area. The Bengal Police is saying that the cause of the young man’s death is a heart attack.
_*??I sincerely request the Hon’ble Chief Secretary of West Bengal to act immediately, in order to control the deteriorating Law and Order condition of Shibpur; Howrah & Dalkhola; Uttar Dinajpur.*_ pic.twitter.com/0t2XNUCmCz
In Howrah, miscreants pelted stones at a Ram Navami procession and set several vehicles on fire. The incident took place in Shibpur, Howrah. In a video that has gone viral on social media, people are seen pelting stones at the procession from rooftops.
A clash was also about to erupt at the Park Circus area in Kolkata but the police prevented it. A rally of around 250 bikes was taken out on the occasion of Ram Navami. As the rally reached a mosque in the Park Street area, Hindus participating in the rally encountered a group of Muslims gathered there for offering namaz. A minor scuffle broke out between the two groups. But the police force reached the spot and took the situation under control by dispersing the two groups.
Shobha Yatra in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri area
On 30th March 2023, a procession of Ram Navami was taken out in Jahangirpuri on the occasion of Rama Navami. Earlier on Monday (March 27), the Office of the Police Commissioner (north-west Delhi) had denied permission for carrying out an idol procession during Ram Navami in the Jahangirpuri area of Delhi.
Delhi | A procession is being taken out in Jahangirpuri on the occasion of Rama Navami. pic.twitter.com/iIHVokZZb0
However, Hindus in Jahangirpuri peacefully carried out a procession on the occasion of Ram Navami. Notably, a heavy police force was deployed in Jahangirpuri at the time of this procession. The deployed police force was seen protecting the processions.
On April 16 last year, a Hanuman Jayanti procession was attacked by Islamists in the Jahangirpuri area of Delhi. The procession was moving peacefully but was stopped by one Ansar Sheikh and his accomplice near the Jama Masjid.
Is the grand temple in Ayodhya the root cause of the Islamist attacks?
Notably, Ram Navami is traditionally celebrated by Hindus for the last thousands of years. However, the enthusiasm for the festival is on the rise for the last 3-4 years as the construction of a grand temple at the birthplace of Lord Shri Ram in Ayodhya is gearing up. Hindus got possession of the temple land after a long legal battle against the Muslims after a disputed structure in the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi was demolished in 1992. Though the attacks on Ram Navami processions by Islamists are not a new thing, it is notable that such incidents are reported in more numbers in the last 3-4 years.
The onset of Hindu festivals on the Hindu New Year celebration of Gudhi Padwa itself rings like an alarm of these probable attacks. Besides Ram Navami, processions and Shibha Yatras are an important part of Hindu celebrations like Shivjayanti, Gudhi Padwa, Hanuman Jayanti, Parashuram Jayanti, Mahavir Jayanti, Buddha Purnima, etc. All these festivals primarily fall between the calendar months of February and May. Islamists have kept attacking these festivals over and over again. The frequency of such attacks is increasing in the last few years.
The Congress party is desperately seeking sympathy and support from all around the world after Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from the Lok Sabha. They are claiming that the Narendra Modi-led Central government is ‘persecuting’ the Congress scion. The controversial Congress leader Digvijay Singh’s most recent tweet, in which he expressed gratitude to the German foreign ministry for “taking note” of Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification, has put the party in a difficult spot as it has already come under fire for its pleas seeking foreign intervention in India’s political matters.
On Thursday, March 30, Digvijay Singh thanked the German foreign ministry and Richard Walker, Chief International Editor of Deutsche Welle and wrote, “Thank you Germany Foreign Affairs Ministry and Richard Walker for taking note of how the Democracy is being compromised in India through the persecution of Rahul Gandhi.”
Singh wrote this quoting a tweet by Richard Walker in which the DW journalist had posted a video of a German foreign ministry spokesperson speaking on Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification.
Thank you Germany Foreign Affairs Ministry and Richard Walker @rbsw for taking note of how the Democracy is being compromised in India through persecution of @RahulGandhihttps://t.co/CNy6fPkBi3
Reacting to this tweet, senior Congress leader and a close aide of Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter on Friday to express his ‘thoughts’ on Singh’s tweet. Sibal’s tweet asserting that the Congress party does not need crutches or foreign endorsement to walk ahead seemed more like a damage control move than a mere expression of thoughts as the Bhartiya Janata Party has slammed Singh over the said tweet.
“Digvijaya Singh: Thanked Berlin for “taking note of how democracy is being compromised in India.” My thought: We don’t need crutches to walk ahead. We don’t need endorsements from abroad. Our fight is our own and in that we are together,” Sibal tweeted.
Digvijaya Singh : Thanked Berlin for ” taking note of how democracy is being compromised in India”
My thought : We don’t need crutches to walk ahead We don’t need endorsements from abroad
While Sibal is claiming that his party does not need foreign endorsements, the actions of the Congress party suggest otherwise.
Congress flaunts foreign media coverage of Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification
Recently, the Congress party was flaunting the foreign media coverage of Rahul Gandhi’s conviction in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his derogatory comments against the people with the ‘Modi’ surname and the automatic disqualification as a Member of Parliament that followed under section 8(3) of the Representation of Peoples Act, 1951.
On March 25, Congress leader Supriya Shrinate shared the coverage of Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification by the foreign media outlets Guardian Australia, Spanish Telemundo, Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine, Saudi Arabia’s Ashraq News, France’s RFI, CNN Brasil and tried to insinuate that the Congress scion’s disqualification was somehow done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Truth has an odd quality. The more you suppress it, the even more powerfully it comes out. Well done Mr Modi,” Shrinate tweeted in Hindi.
On similar lines, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor also claimed that ‘they’ tried to suppress a voice, but now every corner of the world hears the ‘voice of India’.
They tried to silence a voice. Now every corner of the world hears the voice of India. pic.twitter.com/HQ71nLwxW0
Rahul Gandhi sought foreign intervention to ‘restore’ democracy in India
Notably, Rahul Gandhi had invited severe backlash after he sought foreign intervention in India’s political matters during his controversial London visit earlier this month. Rahul Gandhi had urged the US and Europe to intervene to “restore” democracy in India. Rahul claimed that Europe and the US are not doing enough to restore democracy in India as they are getting trade and money from the country.
In a long speech made at Cambridge earlier this month, Rahul Gandhi resorted to blatant lies, misinformation and baseless claims to make a case for himself as the ‘ideal leader’ of India. Completely ignoring India’s electoral and democratic process, the Congress prince was seen desperately pleading with Western powers to intervene in India’s politics for a regime change operation against Modi. The speech is explained here.
However, during an interview with India Today, Indian Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda bluntly denied Gandhi sought western countries’ intervention in India’s matters. Pitroda said, “This is our challenge, and we will deal with it”, is what Gandhi had said. When Sardesai asked about his comment that countries like the US and the UK are not doing anything about the situation of democracy in India, Pitroda claimed that India’s democracy is not just a matter of India but of the whole world. “It is not about Hindustan but Manavta”, he added.
Although Congress leaders like Supriya Shrinate did try to defend the statements made by Rahul Gandhi over television debates and in her tweets, saying that Rahul Gandhi had called the Indian democracy a ‘global public good’. However, the insinuation that the Indian democracy is somehow on the verge of collapse merely because things are not going the Congress way is indefensible.
While today, under the political pressure ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections the Congress party is defending-denying Rahul Gandhi’s desperate plea seeking foreign intervention, the party has a long history of seeking foreign intervention for its own gains. Here is a timeline of Congress’s moves seeking foreign help.
Congress opened its office in Turkey
India and Turkey’s relationships have over the years been strained owing to Turkey’s pro-Pakistan stand on Kashmir. Despite this, the Congress opened its overseas office in Turkey in 2019. This move by the Congress party aimed at as what its press release reportedly stated was “to polish bilateral relations between India and Turkey’. This came just days after Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan while at the United Nations General Assembly had mirrored Pakistan’s lines on the Kashmir issue.
Rahul Gandhi secretly met the Chinese Ambassador during the Doklam standoff
Rahul Gandhi and Luo Zhaohui, the Chinese ambassador to India, met on July 8th, 2017, but their conversation was private. The Congress party referred to several media reports of the meeting as fake news. Yet, the Chinese embassy afterwards posted a statement on its website confirming the meeting. Eventually, Rahul Gandhi came to his own rescue as he confirmed his meeting with the Chinese Ambassador.
It is my job to be informed on critical issues. I met the Chinese Ambassador, Ex-NSA, Congress leaders from NE & the Bhutanese Ambassador
It is pertinent to mention here that the meeting between Rahul Gandhi and the Chinese Ambassador transpired when both countries were engaged in the Doklam Standoff, which lasted till August 2017.
When Rahul Gandhi admitted that he had a secret meeting with Chinese ministers in 2018
In September 2018, the Gandhi scion visited Kailash Mansarovar and a year later admitted to having secretly met the Chinese ministers during his visit. The word secretly is used here as there were no media reports about his meeting with the Chinese.
On a question regarding concerns of automation in job creation, Rahul Gandhi while speaking at a meeting in Odisha said that a couple of Chinese ministers told him during his Kailash visit that China is facing no problem in job creation due to automation. He said “how can China, in a world which is automated, is producing 50,000 new jobs in every 24 hours? Why? Why is it that automation is a problem in Europe, and automation is a problem in India, but automation does not seem to bother the Chinese? When I had gone to Kailash, I met a couple of their ministers, and they said no job creation is not a problem in China at all. We have plenty of jobs.”
‘Ladakh is to China what Ukraine is to Russia’: When Rahul Gandhi signaled his desire for foreign intervention
In May 2022, Rahul Gandhi at a Congress Party event in the United Kingdom had signalled his desire for foreign intervention during his controversial address.
Rahul Gandhi remarked that Ladakh is to China what Ukraine is to Russia in response to a question about India’s role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The Congress leader argued that it was important to comprehend the “parallels” between the crisis in Ukraine and the current state of affairs in India. Rahul Gandhi called on the western nations to approach India’s internal affairs similarly to how they treat the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, while indirectly requesting that the US get involved in India’s political affairs.
In the same address, Gandhi also lamented over the fact that the Indian diplomats no longer adhere to the diktats of the west. “I was talking to some bureaucrats from Europe, and they said that the Indian Foreign Service has completely changed, they do not listen to anything. They are arrogant. Now they are telling us what orders they are getting, there is no conversation,” Rahul Gandhi said.
When Rahul Gandhi met Jeremy Corbyn, the British politician known for his anti-India, anti-semitic, terror-sympathizing and pro-Pakistan views
During his UK visit in May 2022, Rahul Gandhi met Jeremy Corbyn, the anti-India and pro-Pakistan leader, who formerly led the Labour Party in Britain. It is notable that Jeremy Corbyn has always backed Kashmiri separatists and echoed Pakistan’s stance on the issue. When he was the leader of the Labour Party, his party’s MPs repeatedly attempted to get involved in the Kashmir issue by reiterating Pakistan’s political rhetoric. During Corbyn’s leadership, the Labour Party even passed a motion calling for international involvement in Kashmir and an UN-led plebiscite.
When Rahul Gandhi sought US intervention in India’s internal matters
In April 2021, Rahul Gandhi during an online interaction with Ambassador Nicholas Burns of the Harvard Kennedy School asked for American interference in India. “I don’t hear anything from the US establishment about what is happening in India. If you are saying partnership in democracy is, I mean, what’s your view on what is happening here?” Rahul Gandhi said. He also asserted that America somehow needs to defend the ‘idea of freedom’.
Rajiv Gandhi Foundation received funds from China
In 2020, details about the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation’s (RGF) monetary operations emerged. Back then, OpIndia had extensively reported on how the Chinese government donated funds to RGF in 2006 and subsequent years. The Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Congress party inked a contract in Beijing during UPA1 in 2008 for the exchange of high-level information and cooperation between them. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) also provided the two parties with the “opportunity to consult each other on important bilateral, regional and international developments”. It is worth noting that Sonia Gandhi is the Chairperson of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, and the trustees have been Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra since 2005. In October 2022, the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licence of RGF was revoked by the Centre for alleged violation of the foreign funding law.
While these are contemporary examples, back in 2010 it was reported that Rahul Gandhi had told US ambassador Timothy Roemer that radicalized Hindu groups are a greater threat than the support of some Indian Muslims to Islamist terrorist outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba. According to the whistleblowing website Wikileaks, Rahul Gandhi informed the then US ambassador to India Timothy Roemer that “there was evidence of some support for Islamist terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba among certain elements in India’s indigenous Muslim community; the bigger threat may be the growth of radicalized Hindu groups, which create religious tensions and political confrontations with the Muslim community.”
Seerat Kaur Mann, the daughter of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann who resides in the US, is said to have received calls from pro-Khalistan elements who verbally harassed her, according to a Patiala-based lawyer.
Seerat, her brother Dilshan, and their mother Inderpreet Kaur Grewal, who divorced Mann in 2015, reside in Seattle, Washington. Attorney Harmeet Brar, a Patiala-based lawyer revealed the information in a Facebook post and questioned the pro-Khalistani elements, “will threatening and abusing children get you Khalistan?”
The post claimed that pro-Khalistan organisations planned to gherao and harass the chief minister’s kids in the US and that Mann’s daughter had received harassing calls from these groups. “Are you going to get Khalistan this way by threatening and abusing children… Such people are a blot on Sikhism,” wrote Brar.
Screenshot of the Facebook post
Inderpreet Kaur Grewal further confirmed the incident by sharing the Facebook post and writing, “Thanks, I really appreciate.” Brar further was quoted by the Indian Express where he said, “Seerat received threat calls from pro-Khalistan elements. They abused her using extremely derogatory words. Some resolution has also been passed in a gurdwara in the US asking pro-Khalistan supporters to gherao both children over the situation in Punjab. Who has given such elements the right to harass Mann’s children? What do they have to do with what’s happening here?”
Commenting on the issue, Seerat Kaur Mann said that she was clueless why she and her brother were being targeted. “I’d like to reiterate that we are NOT at all involved with the decision- making of any politician in india, particularly the CM of punjab, so I really don’t understand why we are being targeted,” she said.
Meanwhile, Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal took cognizance of the incident and appealed to the Indian Embassy in the United Nations to ensure safety of Seerat.
“Read reports of Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann’s daughter receiving death threats in the USA. It is an act of extreme cowardice. I appeal to the Indian Embassy of US to ensure her safety,” Swati Maliwal said in a tweet.
Read reports of Punjab CM Shri @BhagwantMann’s daughter receiving death threats in the USA. It is an act of extreme cowardice. I appeal to the @IndianEmbassyUS to ensure her safety.
The Indian embassy in San Francisco was recently attacked and vandalised by a gang of pro-Khalistan demonstrators. They dismantled the temporary security barriers put up by the local police and erected two “Khalistani flags” on the grounds of the embassy. These flags were promptly removed by two consular staff members.
Vedant Patel, the chief deputy spokesman for the US Department of State, stated on Thursday that the US has been “taking pretty seriously” the safety and security of the diplomatic missions functioning in the nation. According to Patel, the US and India are still in constant contact over a wide range of issues.
“We are in close touch with our Indian partners on a number of issues, but including on this we made sure to remain in close touch with them as well as the appropriate local entities, depending on where these various missions and consulates were located,” Patel was quoted.
Violence swept different parts of the country on Thursday, March 30, on the occasion of Ram Navami, as Islamic supremacists provoked and attacked Lord Ram devotees in the Shobha Yatras, many of which were organised for the first time since COVID-19 restrictions came into force in 2020.
From Vadodara in Gujarat to Howrah in West Bengal, from Mumbai to Sambhaji Nagar, cities and towns across the length and breadth of the country were smouldering with the fire of religious zealotry as Islamists attacked Ram Navami processions while they were traversing through Muslim-majority regions or as the ‘liberals’ call them ‘Muslim areas’.
On Thursday, a Ram Navami procession near Panjrigar mohalla in the Vadodara district of Gujarat was attacked by Islamists who pelted stones at the procession. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad, confirming the attack stated that the attack was massive but the idol of Lord Rama was saved.
According to the reports, around 200-500 Muslims arrived on the street during the procession and began pelting stones at the procession and the Hindu participants. Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)’s local office bearer Vishnubhai Prajapati stated that some vehicles including big cars were also damaged.
Howrah, the twin city of Kolkata witnessed a similar spate of violent attacks on the occasion of Ram Navami as stones were pelted on the procession from the terraces of the buildings in the Shibpur neighbourhood.
Vehicles and shops were also torched during the violence. Videos from the place show several vehicles on fire on the road, while many other vehicles were lying overturned. The damaged vehicles include a police vehicle. The neighbourhood where the violence was reported is dominated by Muslims.
Similar violence was reported from Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district on Ram Navami. Violent clashes broke between two groups at the Kiradpura area of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, videos of which have emerged showing that the decorations outside Ram Mandir in the area were attacked by a violent mob on Wednesday night.
The mob attacked the outer side of the Ram Mandir and also vandalised several vehicles parked in the area including the police vehicles. As reported earlier, the mob executed the attack in presence of the police officers and also set police vans on fire.
Several injuries were reported after a Ram Navami procession in the Malvai region of Mumbai’s Malad suburb was attacked by an Islamist mob as it passed by a Masjid near gate no. 7 area. The Islamists attacked the procession by pelting stones and also forced the loudspeakers to be shut in the area.
Also in the Paldhi region in the Jalgaon district of Maharashtra, a fight broke out between two groups when DJ music was played as a religious procession passed by a mosque in Paldhi. The police have made 45 arrests and registered two FIRs in the case.
The alarmingly routine attacks on Ram Navami are an attempt to assail the symbol of the modern Hindu renaissance, Lord Ram
Such attacks, especially when the procession passes through Muslim-majority regions, have become alarmingly common in the last few years, especially on the occasions of Hindu festivities, in particular, Ram Navami, the birth anniversary of Lord Rama. For Hindus, Ram Navami remains one of the foremost festivals and a preeminently auspicious occasion in the Hindu calendar year. On this day, Hindus seek blessings from Lord Rama, provide food to the needy, perform rituals, and take out processions among other things.
The attacks are not just on the religious beliefs of Hindus but also an attempt to extinguish their resistance. Lord Ram, one of the most popular Gods of Hindus, has emerged as the most potent symbol of the modern Hindu renaissance against western decadence and middle eastern orthodoxy. The attacks on Ram Navami processions aim to chip away at the symbolism personified by Lord Ram.
In response to Christian colonialism and centuries of tyranny under Islamic marauders, several Indian intellectuals and reformers in the 19th century endeavoured to revitalise and reform Hinduism, giving rise to the concept of the modern Hindu renaissance. Lord Ram thus became an important figure to mobilise an otherwise fragmentary Hindu society, riven by infighting and numerous cultural differences. He has been a source of inspiration for many Hindus and is revered for his virtues of righteousness, courage, and devotion to duty, and is seen as a personification of the ideal human being. In this sense, Lord Ram embodies an ideal that modern Hindus strive to emulate in their own lives.
In addition, the celebration of Ram Navami and the recitals of Ramayana paths keep alive the values and principles Lord Ram stood for and embodied, which is anathema to the supremacists wanting to homogenise the entire world and bring them under one religious fold. Lord Ram is a lodestar of moral guidance and has inspired a generation of Hindus to live a virtuous and ethical life. In this way, the celebration of his birth, Ram Navami, has naturally contributed to cementing and reinforcing a distinct Hindu identity that has survived despite centuries of Christian colonialism and Muslim conquests.
Furthermore, the figure of Lord Ram was also used by freedom fighters to galvanise the larger Hindu population against British colonial rule. Several leaders invoked Lord Ram to inspire and unite Hindus in their fight to overthrow the British regime. To this end, Lord Ram became a symbol of national pride and resistance and helped to mobilise the Indian people in their struggle for freedom.
Overall, Lord Ram’s widespread appeal, values and principles propagated, and his enduring significance in shaping Hindu resilience against foreign supremacism turned him into an emblem of the modern Hindu renaissance that stoutly opposed Christian missionaries, Islamic tyrants, and seminaries, which sought to alter and continue to do so the cultural and religious fabric of the country.
Therefore, the Islamist attacks on Ram Navami processions should be viewed from this prism. The ultimate motive of the Islamists is to deracinate India from its millennia-old moorings and convert it into ‘Dar al-Islam’ (The House of Islam) from the current ‘Dar al-Harb’ (The House of War, where Islam is not the state religion) through the agency of ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’. But Lord Ram and his socio-cultural significance remain impediments to the supremacist fantasy of turning India into an Islamic country as they continue to animate the religious and moral conscience of the majority of the country, which is why Ram Navami processions are vilified, and branded as a congregation of extremist elements so that attacks on them can be justified and rationalised.
This is why absurd and irrational explanations are put forth by the Islamists and their allies in the Left ecosystem in their attempt to demonise Ram Navami processions. Instead of blaming the supremacists living in Muslim ghettos, the Ram Navami processions are held responsible for the ensuing violence because they chose to traverse through ‘Muslim areas’—arbitrarily created Muslim enclaves—where the presence of Ram Navami Shobha Yatras and Lord Ram devotees is enough justification for the Islamist attacks on them.
Whether by design or destiny, the attacks on Ram Navami processions are nothing but attempts to create grounds to associate violence with the festival and justify the curbs till it is eventually stopped altogether. This is what the Diwali festival faced when a posse of ‘liberals’ and ‘environmentalists’ ran motivated campaigns against it, associating it with pollution even though the bursting of firecrackers scientifically contributed an insignificant amount of pollution to the environment.
The Left’s attempt to vilify Jai Shri Ram slogans
More worryingly, the attacks on Ram Navami processions are an extension of the Islamist attempts of perverting a pious slogan of Jai Shri Ram as a war cry and a portend of religious fanaticism. For months now, Islamists and their supporters on social media are involved in vilifying ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans, most notably by Alt News’ Mohammed Zubair, who falsely claimed that an elderly Muslim man in Ghaziabad was assaulted for refusing to chant the slogan. It later came to the fore that the assault occurred because of personal animosity and an occult practice having gone wrong. But legions of ‘liberals’ made a beeline to smear the ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogan and spread the fake news.
Similar attempts to vilify Jai Shri Ram slogans have been witnessed, where the ‘liberals’ and ‘Islamists’ paint the benign slogan as a war cry to drive pious Hindus away from chanting the slogan and guilt-trip them into eschewing another of their customs and move them away from their millennia-old tradition.
Why Hindus must not cede ground to religious supremacists
But practices such as taking out Ram Navami processions and chanting slogans such as Jai Shri Ram played a critical role in keeping Indians moored to their culture, even in the face of centuries of Islamic oppression and British colonialism. The Hindus owe their cultural and religious indigeneity and consciousness to the celebrations of festivals such as Ram Navami, Durga Puja, Dussehra, Diwali, and many others. The one reason foreign rulers and tyrants could not strip India of its religious consciousness is the piety and resilience of its population in following its customs and traditions.
As Islamists within the country try to ramrod a cultural change in the country, it is time for Hindus to stand up for their practices and jealously guard them, ceding no inch, no ground to the expansionists who seek to alter the socio-religious fabric of the country by using violence as a tool to instil terror and propaganda as an instrument to demonise the victims.
A 26-year-old Hindu man, Ajay Kumar Singh s/o Jaipal Singh of Faridpur village who married a Muslim woman, Muskaan, of Jullupur village, a few months ago approached the Uttar Pradesh Police accusing his wife and her relatives of pressurizing him to convert to Islam. They both were in a relationship prior to their marriage last December against the wishes of their respective families.
He asserted that during Durga Puja (Chaitra Navratri), his wife vandalized the goddess idol installed in their house. He also reported that she has been harassing him and his family to embrace Islam for the last 15 days.
A clip of the altercation is going viral on social media. Muskaan is seen intimidating her in-laws in the video. She can be heard threatening, “You all will die,” in response to Ajay’s declaration that he is willing to die but will not renounce his Hindu faith.
Aligarh : Hindu man who married to a Muslim woman was threatened by his wife to end her life and pin the blame of abetment on him if he did not convert to her religion. The Aligarh police booked Muskaan, her mother Shehanshah, father Yunus Ali, brother Furquan Ali, pic.twitter.com/bEbhHBId30
The victim’s family is the sole Hindu household in the otherwise Muslim hamlet. He claimed that his wife was provoked by the women in the area. He stated that she began pressing the family, including her husband, to convert a few days after their marriage after she came in contact with the neighbouring Muslim ladies.
In his complaint to the Aligarh police, he said that his wife threatened to commit suicide and pin the blame of abetment on him if he did not convert to her religion. The Aligarh police on Wednesday booked Muskaan, her mother Shehanshah along with her father Yunus Ali, brother Furquan Ali, and brother-in-law Suhel Khan based on the charges.
A case has been registered by the Aligarh police under sections 295 (damages or defiles worship, or any object sacred by any class), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), 298 (deliberate intention of wounding the religious feelings), 506 criminal intimidation of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
“An FIR has been lodged against his wife and her four family members. We are investigating the allegations. Legal action will be taken only after we find that the claims made in the complaint are true,” said Sarjana Singh, the Deputy Superintendent of Police of Barla in Aligarh.
She added, “I have called the couple and will try for a patch-up between them. The police will take action if the woman and her family members continue to put pressure on the man to convert.”
Ajay first went to Gyanendra Singh Chauhan, national vice-president of the Karni Sena, who then brought him to Sarjana Singh. The Hindu leader reported that on March 26, the husband and wife got into a heated argument over preparing meat at home. Ajay had requested his wife to refrain from cooking meat on the auspicious day of Chaitra Navratri.
Chauhan observed, “The man is terrified and we will come to his rescue because we cannot allow a Hindu to embrace Islam if he or she is not willing to change the religion.”
Muskaan’s family filed a charge of kidnapping and forced marriage against Ajay at the Akbarabad police station after the couple’s wedding. She, however, affirmed to have married him of her own free will in the court. Hence, the case was dismissed.
Hours after Islamists ran riots against Hindus celebrating Ram Navami in Howrah, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee attempted to blame the violence on ‘outsiders.’
“You bring goons-on-hire from outside of Bengal, carry out arson, and orchestrate riots here…We have never stopped you from conducting rallies… Who permitted you to hold rallies with swords and bulldozers?” she said during a protest rally against the Union government.
“I heard that today they used bulldozers in Howrah…What is this audacity? We will give a befitting reply…Why did you change the route (of the Ram Navami procession)? You chose an unauthorised route to provoke a community,” Mamata Banerjee said.
On Thursday (March 30), stones were pelted on a Ram Navami procession from the terraces of the buildings in the Shibpur area of Howrah. This led to a clash between the Hindu and Muslim groups, leading to violence and arson. Vehicles and shops were also torched during the attack.
Several disturbing videos of the incident went viral on social media. A large contingent of police was deployed to contain the law and order situation in the area. The cops conducted a flag march, fired tear gas shells and chased away the rioters.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier insinuated that violence occurs when Hindus take out Ram Navami processions through ‘Muslim areas’ and also attempted to give a clean chit to the Islamists by invoking their Faith and Ramzan.
The deliberate reference to ‘outsiders’ in the context of the violence, which took place in Howrah, is a ploy by Mamata Banerjee to absolve the role of Islamists in the violence and the failure of law and order in the state.
Mamata Banerjee and her prejudiced remarks against outsiders
She used similar tactics in 2019 when relatives of one deceased Mohammed Sayeed attacked doctors at the NRS Medical College and hospital in Kolkata. When other doctors and hospital staff staged a protest, demanding security and safety, Mamata Banerjee was quick to accuse them of being ‘outsiders.’
“They are outsiders. The government will not support them in any way. I condemn doctors who have gone on strike. Policemen die in the line of duty but the police don’t go on a strike,” she had said.
In the run-up to the 2021 West Bengal Vidhan Sabha polls, Mamata Banerjee used the ‘outsider’ jibe for political gains. She tried to consolidate the Bengali vote by first labelling the BJP as a party of ‘outsiders‘ (Bohiragoto).
#WATCH | They (BJP) have another plan to kill a woman from their own party with goons they have brought from Bihar & UP and put the blame on Bengal. This is their plan: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee pic.twitter.com/KujcL52Xho
While addressing an election rally in March last year, she alleged, “They (BJP) have the plan to kill a woman from their party. As you know, they had brought goons from Uttar Pradesh (to Bengal). They will make those goons torture her, blame the State and divide the Hindus and Muslims. Remember this is the plan of the thugs from Bihar, and Rajasthan.”
“Baira thaka goondara aisa bangla ke dhokhol kora nibe, Banglar sanskriti ke dhokhol kore nabe, banglar asthitya dhokhol kore nabe.(Goons from other States will come here and take over Bengal, destroy its culture and identity),” the incumbent West Bengal Chief Minister alleged during another election rally in Nandigram.
We want BJP to end in Goa. Everyone needs to unite to defeat BJP in Goa. I didn’t come to counter you, I don’t want outsiders to control Goa…I also belong to a Brahmin family, I am a Brahmin. I don’t need to take a character certificate from BJP: WB CM Mamata Banerjee in Goa pic.twitter.com/xakvWb0xdI
In December 2021, Banerjee visited Goa and claimed that she did not want ‘outsiders’ to control Goa. “We want BJP to end in Goa. Everyone needs to unite to defeat BJP in Goa. I didn’t come to counter you, I don’t want outsiders to control Goa,” she had said.
A Pakistani Hindu Dr. Beerbal Genani (62) became the latest victim of the targeted killing of minorities in Pakistan, on Thursday evening. The retired senior director of Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) and ophthalmologist, was shot dead near Layari Expressway in Karachi while he was returning home from his clinic.
A #Hindu doctor was shot dead while returning home from his clinic in #Pakistan‘s #Karachi on Thursday. According to local media, Dr. Birbal Genani the senior director of health and eye specialist of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) was shot dead by unknown assailants. pic.twitter.com/sxEIbolosa
According to the police, unidentified individuals targeted him and his female assistant Dr. Qurutulain (35) as they were driving from Ramswamy to Gulshan-e-Iqbal. The doctor passed away on the spot and his assistant sustained bullet wounds. The police and the rescue officials arrived at the scene after learning about the incident and took the injured and the deceased to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC).
He received two head wounds from bullets, stated police surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed. She also informed that he had already passed away when he was brought to the hospital at 6:46 pm. She mentioned that the female doctor was shot in the shoulder, but her condition was stable. She added that the latter was also a member of staff at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD).
Although authorities have not yet established the precise motivation, South Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Irfan Ali Baloch remarked that the crime appeared to be a targeted killing. He revealed that the doctor had left his private clinic near Anklesaria and was on his way to drop his assistant home when the gunmen opened fire.
City Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Arif Aziz, observed that Dr. Beerbal would regularly drop his assistant home. Affirming that it appeared to be a targeted homicide, the official proclaimed that the precise motive would be determined following a proper inquiry. He reported that the injured doctor was being questioned about what happened and asserted that it was still too early to speculate on the reason which led to the shooting.
Dr. Abdul Ghafoor Shoro, the secretary general of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), called for an unbiased investigation into the occurrence. He denounced the act and noted that Dr. Beerbal had been the director of the KMC’s health services as well as the medical superintendent of Spencer Eye Hospital in Lyari.
Dharam Dev Rathi, a doctor from Hyderabad, Pakistan, was murdered inside his residence earlier this month by his driver, Hanif Leghari. His throat was slashed by the perpetrator. The latter was apprehended by the police at his house in Khairpur. The doctor’s cook told the police that the two had an altercation on their way home. Once home, the driver took a knife from the kitchen and killed the doctor.
For allegedly ‘violating the Ramzan Ordinance’ by preparing meals for delivery, Hindu shopkeepers in Pakistan’s Bahawalpur Division were assaulted by the Police recently.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held a protest rally against the central govt alleging the non-release of funds to the state on Wednesday. A large washing machine, labelled BJP, was on display at the event, where the Trinamool chief said that BJP has become a washing machine.
While the speech by Mamata Banerjee was filled with familiar rhetoric against the Modi government, a clip from the speech emerged where the WB CM was seen struggling while trying to mock PM Modi in Hindi. She tried to attack PM Modi for rising LPG prices with a couple of lines in Hindi, but she struggled to read the lines from her phone, uttering some incomprehensible words instead.
She reads it like this, “Arrey O… Arrey O Nandalal, Arrey Ooo Nandalal… (long pause) 1149 ke, mayenga gas me, bek… noho.. uno”. After then she gets stuck, and repeats the line, “Arrey O Nandalal, 1149 ke mahanga ka gas me mukka bech raha hai, muft bik raha hai, mukt ka chawl”.
She then realises what she is saying not making any sense, gauging the silence of the audience, and then adds, “ban raha hai, muft ka chal.”
She then makes a third attempt, and this time she says, “Oye O Nandalal, 1149 rupaya ka gas mei, bante hain, pak raha hain, muft ka chal.” She then adds, ‘and Sarkar, how this happens, we will tell in the coming days’.
While what she says is still not easily decipherable, what she wanted to mean is that while the central govt is distributing free rice, the gas needed to cook it costs Rs 1149 per cylinder. She used the Bangla term Chal for rice instead of Chawal in Hindi.
Sharing the clip, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari said on Twitter, ‘Didi, when you don’t know how to speak Hindi, then why are you making fun of yourself and insulting our official language.’ He then added his own lines, offering to help her. He added, ‘Oh Nandlal, Trinamool leaders and ministers have looted how much wealth by selling government jobs? Arrey O Nandlal, when will ED CBI reach Kalighat, this is the question of the people of Bengal!’
दीदी, जब हिंदी बोलना ना आता हो तो फिर क्यों अपना मजाक बना रहीं हैं और हमारे राजभाषा का अपमान कर रहीं हैं। मैं मदत कर देता हूं:
अरे ओ नंदलाल, तृणमूल नेता मंत्रियों ने सरकारी नौकरी बेचकर लुटा है कितना माल?
— Suvendu Adhikari • শুভেন্দু অধিকারী (@SuvenduWB) March 30, 2023
While Mamata Banerjee didn’t name Narendra Modi and used the term Nandalal, it is understood she used it to address the PM only. The term ‘O Nandalal’ is from a famous song by Salil Chowdhury. The song goes like this, ‘Ohe Nandalal, heard that your daughter’s wedding has been fixed? How did you find the groom?’
The Bengal chief minister has started to use the term ‘O Nandalal’ to address PM Modi as a counter to ‘Didi O Didi’ used by the PM to address her. The TMC chief and other leaders have been using the term Nandalal to refer to PM Modi, and also others like Gautam Adani to target them for some time.
In Bengali, Nanda or Nandalal is sometimes used to mock. Like the idiom ‘Jata Dosh, Nanda Ghosh’, which means whenever a mistake happens, it is by Nanda Ghosh, or alternatively, Nanda Ghosh is blamed for every mistake.
The exact Bengali phrase that TMC has devised in this regard is, ‘Ohe Nandalal, 1149 Takai phutse bina paisar chal’ (Ohe Nandalal, free rice is being cooked for Rs 1149). But the CM struggled to recite this line properly in Hindi. Another line being used by TMC is, ‘Ohe Nandalal, they will not give anything to Bangla, won’t pay for hundred days of work? Sold LIC to Adani’.
Apart from the song, Nandalal is found in a famous poem by Dwijendralal Ray. In Hindi, Nandalal refers to Lord Krishna, which means the son of Nanda, who was the foster father of Krishna.
Hours after Islamists orchestrated violence in Howrah, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee attempted to give them a clean chit by invoking their faith.
While acknowledging the riots in Howrah on Thursday (March 30), she claimed, “I have said several times that I will not stop public processions of Ram Navami. You go and do it peacefully. I have instructed the same to my party.”
“The police were given direct instructions – There was Annapurna Puja on one side and Muslims were observing Ramzan fast (Roja) on the other. We have 33% Muslims in the State. Their families observe fast during Ramzan.”
“Ai somoi ta tara kunu anyay korenakaron ata holo Allah er kache oder sacrifice (During Ramzan, Muslims don’t commit ‘injustice’ as this is the time of sacrifice for Allah),” she dismissed the role of Islamists in the violence.
On Thursday (March 30), stones were pelted on a Ram Navami procession from the terraces of the buildings in the Shibpur area of Howrah. This led to a clash between the Hindu and Muslim groups, leading to violence and arson. Vehicles and shops were also torched during the attack.
Several disturbing videos of the incident went viral on social media. A large contingent of police was deployed to contain the law and order situation in the area. The cops conducted a flag march, fired tear gas shells and chased away the rioters.
I want to request those who are taking out #RamNavmi procession, please do but do it peacefully. Kindly avoid Muslim areas as Ramzan is going on. Celebrate peacefully but don’t try to create violence. Don’t get provoked. Some BJP leaders are saying they will move with swords and… pic.twitter.com/8Exp7vRX0g
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier insinuated that violence occurs when Hindus take out Ram Navami processions through ‘Muslim areas.’
“I want to request those who are taking out the Ram Navami procession, please do but do it peacefully. Kindly avoid Muslim areas as Ramzan is going on. Celebrate peacefully but don’t try to create violence. Don’t get provoked,” she was heard as saying.
