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‘Muslim area’: Mamata Banerjee bats for Muslim-exclusive ghettos, asks Hindus to avoid celebrating festivals in those areas

OpIndia Staff
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‘Muslim area’: Mamata Banerjee bats for Muslim-exclusive ghettos, asks Hindus to avoid celebrating festivals in those areas

On Thursday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee cited the occasion of Ram Navami to indicate that Hindus create violence in the so-called “Muslim areas” during Ram Navami processions and attack the community. She extended her support to the Muslim community and stated asked Hindus to be ‘peaceful’.

She also asked the Hindus to avoid going to “Muslim areas” because it is the month of Ramzan. “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 said.

CM Banerjee further stated that the state of West Bengal would take action against Hindus if they are found creating violence. “Some goon has said that on the day of Ram Navami, we will come out with weapons and do a procession.” I will not stop the procession of Ram Navami, but if weapons come out then action will be taken by the government. The month of Ramzan is also going on and during this time if anyone tries to do any wrong thing, he will not be spared. No one has the right to practice riot,” she noted.

The BJP took cognizance of the incident and slammed CM Mamata Banerjee for being anti-Hindu. BJP’s National Vice President Dilip Ghosh said that Mamta Banerjee’s love for Hindus is fake.”Mamata Banerjee stops BJP president from performing Ganga Aarti and then shows fake love by performing Ganga Aarti herself. She allowed two days holiday on Eid and no holiday has been given on Ram Navami,” he pointed out.

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.

Politicians normalise lawless Muslim ghettos

Several such processions are attacked by radical Muslims as they tend to pass through the so-called ‘Muslim areas’, leading to stone pelting, targeted attacks, arson and vandalism. The Muslims, who were backed by Banerjee today, usually pelt stones at the processions and also attack the Hindu participants. Last year stone pelting, arson and violence were witnessed in several Indian states during Hindu festivals and politicians who fail to maintain law and order, usual bring out this “Muslim area” excuse.

Also today, radical Muslims attacked the Ram Navami procession in Vadodara, Gujarat. The Muslims pelted stones and caused damage to several vehicles including big cars. 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. The procession was attacked as it passed by the mosque in the city.

Notably, such violent attacks on Hindus are reported to have happened in Muslim-dominated areas. In the recent anti-Hindu Leicester violence case also, a fact-finding report revealed that the area where the violence happened, East Leicester is a Muslim-dominated area. It has a minority presence in the Hindu community. The report noted that the attack on Hindus was a direct fallout of territorial tensions and localized majoritarianism (of the Muslims in East Leicester).

“Symptoms of territorial ethnic cleansing were found through the analysis of the different slogans and speeches made by the majority community of East Leicester and the temporary displacement of Hindu community as a result of the unrest,” report by Centre for Democracy, Pluralism and Human Rights (CDPHR) noted.

Also, in the 2022 Jahangirpuri violence case, it was reported that the Hanuman Jayanti procession was attacked by the Muslims under the leadership of the main accused, Mohammed Ansar Sheikh. Ansar allegedly had a meeting seven days before Hanuman Jayanti to plan the attack on the Shobha Yatra, which would take place on that day.

Ansar, who lives in Jahangirpuri’s C block, is said to be the area’s Muslim leader. When the procession reached the Masjid, he began an argument, and when the conversation heated, the procession was attacked violently.

Following Jahangirpuri violence, several reports came up mentioning that Ansar was an Aam Aadmi Party worker and was closely involved in the operations and functioning of the party in his area. Ansar had made the ‘Jhukega Nahi’ gesture from the movie Pushpa when he was arrested in the case.

Lawless Muslim ghettos attack not just Hindus, but police and healthcare workers too

What Mamata Banerjee is normalising here, is lawless Muslim ghettos where even Police personnel and healthcare workers are attacked. The apologists of Islamic terror, so-called ‘secular liberals’, and appeasement-centric politicians who have failed to uphold law and order in their states often cite this ‘Muslim area’ excuse to shift blame.

As per them, a procession passing through a ‘Muslim area’ is a provocation that triggers the violence. They indirectly blame the non-Muslims for committing the crime of passing through a ‘Muslim area’, rather than holding the violent elements accountable.

Pawan Khera ups his ‘tapasya’, compares Rahul Gandhi, who questioned Lord Ram’s existence, to the Hindu god

Shraddha Pandey
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Pawan Khera ups his ‘tapasya’, compares Rahul Gandhi, who questioned Lord Ram’s existence, to the Hindu god

Ever since the disqualification of Congress scion Rahul Gandhi as a Lok Sabha MP, the Congress party has been accusing the Narendra Modi government of political vendetta. Rahul Gandhi who represented the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala was disqualified after a Surat court on March 23, 2023, convicted him in connection with a 2019 criminal defamation case filed against him over his “Modi surname” remarks and awarded him a two-year jail sentence. He was automatically disqualified as per section 8(3) of the Representation of the People Act.

After asserting that the Congress leader is a ‘voice of India’, the Congress party has now compared Rahul Gandhi with Lord Rama. 

Augmenting his ‘Tapasya’, Pawan Khera, the Chairman of the Congress part’s Media and Publicity Department took to Twitter to apparently draw parallels between the incident in Lord Rama’s life wherein he had to leave his home for vanvas and the present scenario of Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification as he has been asked to vacate his government bungalow as per the law. 

“Just think, if Lord Ram had not left his house, would the demons have come to an end?” Khera tweeted in Hindi.

Interestingly, last year Pawan Khera had a meltdown after the Congress leadership overlooked him for the Rajya Sabha nominations. The party had favoured Imran Pratapgarhi and Randeep Surjewala amongst others for the Upper House of the Parliament over Khera, following which Pawan Khera had expressed disappointment.

After Congress Party released a list of its ten candidates from seven states for the biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha, in a cryptic tweet, Pawan Khera wrote in Hindi, “My penance must have been lacking somewhere”.

The Congress loyalist was weeks later bestowed with a consolation prize by appointing him as the Chairman of Media and Publicity in the new Communications Department of the party.

While Congress today argues that democracy is under threat, freedom of expression is attacked, etc, the party’s internal democracy and tolerance of dissent is evident in the fact that Pawan Khera recently apologised for his ‘Tapasya’ tweet. While making an assertion that nothing is bigger than Rahul Gandhi’s Tapasya Khera apologized for his ‘selfish’ statement.

On Sunday while addressing a rally during a protest at Rajghat against Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification from the Lok Sabha, Khera said, “I want to apologize to you all and to my leadership for my selfish statement that “shayad meri tapasya mein kuch kami reh gayi” after I did not get a Rajya Sabha seat. Now that I see Rahul Gandhi shunning power and still continuing his tapasya, what could be bigger than that.”

Today, maybe out of political compulsion or a changed socio-political scenario, the Congress leaders are remembering Lord Rama, however, it has been a known fact that for over ten years, the Congress party has denied the existence of Lord Rama. 

Congress affidavit denying Lord Rama’s existence

It is worth mentioning that back in September 2007 the Congress-led UPA 1 Central government had said that there is no historical proof of Lord Rama’s existence.

An affidavit filed by the Congress-led government read, “Valmiki Ramayana and Ramcharitmanas admittedly form an important part of ancient Indian literature, but these cannot be said to be historical records to incontrovertibly prove the existence of the characters and occurrences of events depicted therein.” The affidavit was filed to register the UPA government’s opposition to the demand to scrap the Sethusamudram project as it would damage the Ram Setu. In 2018, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor had asserted that “no good Hindu would want a Ram Mandir at the Babri site.” 

Congress leader Kumar Ketkar claimed ‘Ram exists because of Ramayana’

In 2020, Congress leader Kumar Ketkar during a programme on Zee News ahead of the Bhoomi Poojan at the Ram Temple site in August denied the historical existence of Shri Ram and cast aspersions about the Hindu God being a creation of literature.

When he was asked by the anchor whether he or the Congress party now believes in the existence of Lord Rama or not, Ketkar claimed, “Ram exists because of Ramayan. However, a conclusion is yet to be reached on whether Ram is the creation of history or literature. Valmiki wrote a great epic and its impact was felt both in India and abroad. But, I don’t know if he existed in history.”

Congress Mani Shankar Aiyar questioned the birth of Lord Rama at Ayodhya

Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar who has courted controversy on multiple occasions owing to his contentious statements had in 2019 questioned the birth of Lord Ram at Ayodhya. 

On January 7, 2019, at an event organized by the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) in New Delhi called ‘Ek Shaam Babri Masjid Ki Naam,’ Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar questioned the birth of Lord Ram at Ayodhya, asking how someone could be so certain that Lord Ram was born at that historic site.

“What do you mean mandir wahin banayenge? King Dasharatha was a big king and it is believed he had as many as 10,000 rooms in his palace. Who knows which room was where? And hence they say that because we think that our Lord Ram was born here, and hence the temple should be built there, and because there is a masjid there, we will first demolish it and then build a temple at that place?” Aiyar said in 2019. 

The gradual shift from opposing the construction of Ram Temple, denying Lord Ram’s existence to the Congress scion’s electoral temple runs and the desperate attempts at portraying Rahul Gandhi as a devote ‘Tapasvi’ Hindu and a Ram Bhakt as evident in this tweeted posted by the official Twitter handle of Congress, the party is leaving no stone unturned to lure Hindus into voting for them.

Indore temple stepwell collapse: Death toll rises to 13

ANI
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Indore temple stepwell collapse: Death toll rises to 13

The death toll in the Indore temple stepwell collapse incident rose to 13, informed Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra on Thursday.

“Nineteen people were rescued. As per the latest information, 11 bodies have been recovered -of which 10 were women and one man. Of the 19 people who were rescued, two died. So, a total of 13 have died. An order has been given to probe into the incident,” Mishra told reporters.

The incident took place during Ram Navami celebrations at the Beleshwar Mahadev Jhulelal Temple in the Patel Nagar area.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced Rs 5 lakh exgratia to the kin of the deceased while Rs 50,000 to the injured.

“An ex-gratia amount of Rs 5 lakh will be given to next of kin of deceased while Rs 50,000 will be given to the injured,” Chouhan told reporters.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to take stock of the situation.

Taking to Twitter, PM Modi said, “Extremely pained by the mishap in Indore. Spoke to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and took an update on the situation. The State Government is spearheading rescue and relief work at a quick pace. My prayers with all those affected and their families.”

The incident occurred at around 12 pm on Thursday when devotees were offering prayers during a hawan at the temple on the occasion of Ram Navami.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Media reports that Amritpal Singh may surrender at Golden Temple, lays down 3 conditions, Punjab Police calls it fake news

OpIndia Staff
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Media reports that Amritpal Singh may surrender at Golden Temple, lays down 3 conditions, Punjab Police calls it fake news

On Thursday, March 30, Punjab Police dismissed media reports that claimed that the fugitive Khalstani leader Amritpal Singh has put three conditions in front of Punjab Police before surrendering, as fake news.

Taking to Twitter, Punjab Police shared the screenshot of the Times Now report titled ‘Arrest must be shown as…: Amritpal Singh ready to surrender, puts 3 conditions before Punjab Police’ and stated, ”This news is factually incorrect. Request to fact-check news before sharing and urge all citizens not to spread fake news.”

Notably, the Times Now report and several other media reports had cited ‘sources’ to claim that the Waris Punjab De chief had put three conditions before his planned surrender at Golden Temple. The three reported conditions were:

  1. Arrest Must Be Shown As Surrender
  2. Must Be Kept In Punjab Jail
  3. No Torture In Police Custody 

Recently, Amritpal Singh released his first video since the Punjab police crackdown against him and claimed that it was not about his arrest but an attack on the Sikh community. He opined that the government could have arrested him at home if they had wanted to do so.

Amritpal declared that no one could hurt him and he does not fear imprisonment. Claiming that he would dispel the “terror” that the government had instilled in the public’s hearts, he asked Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh to host a Sarbat Khalsa (meeting) on the occasion of Baiskahi at Talwandi Sabo.

The radical Sikh leader has been on the run since March 18 even as Punjab police launched a massive crackdown against him. He managed to give police a slip after his convoy was intercepted in Jalandhar and fled on a motorbike. He has been absconding since then.

‘Provision of automatic disqualification of lawmakers is drastic’, says Justice KM Joseph of Supreme Court, the top court had removed protection from disqualification

OpIndia Staff
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‘Provision of automatic disqualification of lawmakers is drastic’, says Justice KM Joseph of Supreme Court, the top court had removed protection from disqualification

Just a week after former Congress president Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from Lok Sabha following he was convicted and sentenced to two years in jail in a criminal defamation case, the Supreme Court on Wednesday said that the provision of automatic disqualification is too drastic.

The comment was made during the hearing of two petitions relating to the disqualification of convicted lawmakers by a bench of Justices KM Joseph and BV Nagarathna. After Additional Solicitor General (ASG) KM Nataraj told the court that as per Section 8(3) of the Representation of the People Act, any lawmaker is automatically disqualified following conviction with imprisonment for two or more years, the court said that this provision is drastic, and courts should be careful in awarding sentences to convicted lawmakers.

Justice KM Joseph said, “But this section is very drastic.. that is why you have to be careful thinking about sentence. If it’s 14 years.. then imagine after another 6 years…” He was referring to the provision in the section according to which such a lawmaker remains disqualified from contesting polls for six years after release from jail.

The court was hearing a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and (former) Lakshadweep MP PP Mohammad Faizal, who filed the plea saying that while his conviction in an attempt to murder case has been suspended, his membership of Lok Sabha bas not been reinstated. However, his disqualification was revoked by the Lok Sabha secretariate yesterday hours before the plea was heard by the court, and therefore Faizal’s lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that the petition can be disposed of by the court.

The second plea was filed by Lakshadweep administration challenging the Kerala High Court order suspending PP Mohammad Faizal’s conviction and 10 years jail sentence on the charges of attempt to murder.

Mohammed Faizal was convicted by the sessions court in Kavaratti on January 11, 2023. The NCP MP was sentenced 10-year jail term. Following this, the Lok Sabha Secretariat issued a notification announcing MP Faizal’s disqualification.

the Nationalist Congress Party MP along with three others was convicted for attempting to murder Mohammed Salih, the son-in-law of former Union Minister and Indian National Congress leader, PM Sayeed. His conviction was stayed by Kerala High Court on January 25.

It is notable that while the Supreme Court is now saying that the provision of automatic disqualification of lawmaker as per Section 8(3) of the Representation of the People Act is drastic, the same court had removed a provision which prevented such automatic disqualification.

The Representation of Peoples Act earlier had a provision under section 8(4) which had said that if the convicted lawmaker appeals against the conviction, such a lawmaker will not be disqualified. But the Supreme Court of India had struck down this provision in 2013.

While hearing the Lily Thomas versus Union of India case, the Supreme Court in July 2013 struck down section 8(4) of the RPA, 1951 and declared it ultra vires, and held that the disqualification takes place from the date of conviction. Therefore, as section 8(4) has been removed by the Supreme Court, there is no protection from disqualification according to ‘drastic’ section 8(3) of the act despite filing an appeal.

It is notable that the UPA-II government at that time had tried to overturn this judgement by bringing an amendment, and an ordinance was also issued to make it applicable immediately. But Rahul Gandhi had objected to this amendment, called it a nonsense, and had trashed it in front of the media. The amendment was withdrawn after this public humiliation of the Manmohan Singh government by its own leader.

Sisters kept screaming to stop, but Ghulamuddin kept stabbing the lifeless bodies of his parents: Aligarh shocker

OpIndia Staff
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Sisters kept screaming to stop, but Ghulamuddin kept stabbing the lifeless bodies of his parents: Aligarh shocker

In a shocking incident in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, a 24-year-old Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) student Ghulamuddin has been arrested for brutally stabbing his elderly parents to death. His father Ishaq was over 60 and his mother Shehzadi was older than 55. The perpetrator is now arrested by the police and the bodies of the deceased couple have been sent for autopsy.

The horrific crime which happened on Wednesday at around 12:45 at the midnight was also captured on camera by the neighbours. Ghulamuddin was seen repeatedly stabbing the lifeless body of his father with a pair of sharp scissors.

In order to carry out the heinous act, he locked the room from the inside. He did not stop despite the neighbours’ persistent shouting from the window. According to the initial investigation, he believed that his mother was actually his stepmother.

Both his sisters and younger brother were present in the house at the time of the occurrence. The accused Ghulamuddin was reportedly sleeping in the same room as his parents while his siblings slept outside on the terrace. He got into an argument with his mother during the night and struck her head with a hammer that was kept nearby. She died right away. He then began attacking his father with scissors when the latter tried to stop him.

The sisters were sound asleep outside when they heard their parents’ screams. They were terrified when they peeled back the pane and peered inside. They immediately called for the neighbours who made an effort to reason with him but he refused to listen.

Reports mention that the father has been stabbed over 50 times.

When the Quarsi police arrived at the scene after being called by the neighbours, the room was locked from the inside. After waiting for around fifteen minutes, he opened the door and left with them.

According to the police, he alleged that two years earlier, when he had corona, he had discovered that his DNA matched that of his father and not his mother. Since then, he had assumed that she was his stepmother. His presumption, however, was disproved when the police questioned the relatives.

Ishaq, son of Ashiq Ali, with his wife and four children rented a room in Mohammad Salim’s residence in Gali-7, Zakir Nagar, Thana Quarsi Area. He served as the imam of the local Mohammadia Mosque, which is on Street 9 in the neighbourhood. The family is a native of Rampur’s Mirapur Mirganj Police Station, Suar.

Over 50,000 ‘political letters’ to asylum seekers for Rs 35,000 each, desire to become Khalistan’s PM – Old interview of controversial Sangrur MP goes viral

OpIndia Staff
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Over 50,000 ‘political letters’ to asylum seekers for Rs 35,000 each, desire to become Khalistan’s PM – Old interview of controversial Sangrur MP goes viral

On March 29, a clip from a June 2022 interview of Sangrur MP Simranjit Singh Mann went viral on social media in which he admitted to giving letters to asylum seekers for permanent residency in other countries. He claimed to have issued 50,000 such letters for approx Rs 35,000 per letter. “Did not charge family members of martyrs or poor families,” he added.

Notably, an asylum seeker racket was busted in Canada and the United States in June 2022, in which Simranjit Singh Mann’s name appeared. As per an exclusive report by Business Line, a section of people from Punjab had produced letters in those countries seeking asylum. The letters were issued by Simranjit Singh Mann, portraying them as ‘victims of state persecution’.

Mann, who is the chief of the political party Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), was also projected as a victim of state persecution. Business Line noted that the party mentioned in a 2021 letter issued to an asylum seeker that its “own president Simranjit Singh Mann has been suffering at the hands of the Indian government, and many other party workers have fled from India to avoid future prosecution”. The letter issued to a man from Jalandhar claimed that he was a party member before leaving India in 2014 and should be given political asylum. The letter was signed by Varinder Singh Sekhon, the party’s then-national Vice President (youth).

At that time, Simranjit Singh Mann claimed in an interview that the letters issued by the party were genuine. However, in the interview with Pro Punjab, Mann said, “Yes, I issue such letters. It is for the benefit of those who are seeking an opportunity to settle abroad. No, it is not for free. They spend around 30 lakhs to go to a foreign country for a better future. They can give my party Rs 35,000. I do not keep the funds. They are used to run the party. We do not take money from low-income families and family members of martyrs.”

The dream of Khalistan

Mann claims to belong to the second-richest Sikh family before partition. Speaking about his demand to create Khalistan, he said at the time of the partition, no one, including Gandhi and Nehru, supported Sikhs. Remembering an incident involving his relative Joginder Singh and Master Tara Singh, Mann claimed that his uncle warned Tara Singh about joining hands with Hindus for independence. By the time Sikhs realised they should get a separate nation, it was too late.

He said, “My uncle asked Tara Singh after father’s death, does the elder gives a share in the property to the younger ones easily? How could he think of siding with Hindus? Tara Singh wanted to help Hindus to remove the British from India. Later, Balwant Singh Khokhar first gave the idea of Khalistan in 1946, but it was too late by then. Sikhs in India are slaves of Hindus, and Sikhs in Pakistan are slaves of Muslims.”

He mentioned discussing partition with Muslims visiting a holy shrine in his area. He said, “I asked them how they can be happy after leaving their properties in India. They told me they were happy that they got a place based on their religion to live. This is what matters, ‘Kaumi Ghar’.”

Though Mann was an IPS officer, he claimed to have no feelings for the country. “I became IPS, but I was never satisfied with what I got. I am not proud of this country. I never said ‘Jai Hind’. Once, an MLA met me and greeted me with ‘Jai Hind’. I warned him to either use Good Morning and Good Afternoon to greet or never return.”

During the interview, he said that the allegations against him that he killed Naxals as a police officer were wrong. “It was some other Mann. I saved Naxals from the local police. The cowards are killing innocents deeming them Naxals. Who is speaking for them? No one other than me”, he said.

‘Bhindranwale asked me to stay away during Operation Blue Star’

Remembering his meeting with Khalistani terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, Mann said Bhindranwale was his idol. He admitted to meeting him several times. He said, “My family was always in favour of Khalistan. I met Bhindranwale several times and was happy that someone was talking about the demands of Khalistan.” He said there are no books or written factual material on Bhindranwale. Comparing General Niyazi and Bhindranwale, he said, “Niyazi surrendered though he had over 90,000 soldiers with him. On the other hand, Bhindranwale suffered over 70 bullet injuries before collapsing. The fight for Khalistan should never stop.”

He mentioned when Operation Blue Star happened, Bhindranwale instructed him not to take part in it. “I was asked by him [Bhindranwale] to stay away. No, he did not assign me any work. I am doing what I feel right.” Almost ten days after the completion of Operation Blue Star, Mann resigned from his position as an IPS officer. Mann refused to participate in any matter involving Operation Blue Star and its aftermath.

Mann claimed he managed to avoid legal cases as he was always truthful and never chose violence. Quoting the Supreme Court judgment where they said it was not wrong if someone talked about Khalistan, he said, “We need to keep fighting. Are we weaker than Hindus that we back off from the demand of Khalistan?”

‘Geopolitical situation will help in Khalistan’s creation’

When asked if Khalistan can be achieved, he said, “I am a public representative. There is no reason not to raise my voice for Khalistan in front of the government. Talks may not lead to the formation of Khalistan, but what was achieved when guns were used?” He added that geopolitical situations make it possible to create new nations. Citing the example of the aftermath of World War I, where new nations were created, he said, “The political situation can change anytime that will catalyse the process of creating Khalistan.”

Mann claimed he never wanted to become Chief Minister of Punjab. He wants to become the Prime Minister of Khalistan. He added, “I never wrote Indian as my nationality. I always write Sikh. No one has ever objected. That means they admit Sikh is a nationality.”

‘Modi/RSS placing shivlings in mosques’

When asked if he was religious, he said, “I am, but not like Modi and RSS, who put Shivlings in mosques and claim they used to be temples. They are attacking Sikhs and Christians.” Possibly talking about the Gyanwapi disputed structure case, Mann cleverly sided with Muslims and blamed Hindus. Interestingly, anyone can look at the disputed structure once and see it was built on a temple.

Calling Ukraine a poor nation, he said Sikhs should have been allowed to go and fight for Ukraine as it is a poor country. “Recently, I questioned the government if Ukraine can fight for months against a large nation like Russia, why is our government not capable of fighting China? Why they gave away 900 KMs of land to China in 2020?”

Rejecting the claims that the US was involved in ending the Tamil separatist movement in Sri Lanka, he said, “America was not involved. It is okay to take help from America. Whoever is willing to help [to create Khalistan], we should take it.”

Pro-Khalistani separatist leader Amritpal Singh and his associates are linked to Simranjit Singh. Amritpal Singh’s associate Daljit Kalsi helped Mann in his political campaign.

Islamist mob pelts stones on Ram Navami procession in Vadodara, Gujarat: Police deployed

OpIndia Staff
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Islamist mob pelts stones on Ram Navami procession in Vadodara, Gujarat: Police deployed

On Thursday, a Ram Navami procession near Panjrigar mohalla in 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.

The Ram Navami procession was planned and organized by Karelibag prakhand of Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Reports mention that the peace in the area was disturbed as the radical Muslims launched an attack on the procession while it was on its planned route and was passing by the mosque in the city.

The Police said that stones were pelted on the procession after it left the Harani Police Station area. Two squads of SRP were deployed immediately and the situation was taken under control. No injuries have been reported.

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.

Last year, several such Ram Navami processions were attacked by the Muslims as they passed through the so-called ‘Muslim dominated areas’, leading to stone pelting, targeted attacks, arson and vandalism. Last year, stone pelting, arson and violence were witnessed in 5 Indian states namely, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Karnataka.

In Gujarat, a Ram Navami Shobha Yatra organized on April 10, 2022, at Chhaparia village in Himmatnagar of the Sabarkantha was targeted by some local Muslim goons and stones were pelted at it. Apart from stone-pelting, some vehicles were also vandalized in this incident.

Gilgit Baltistan contractors go on strike, stop all work in construction projects after Pakistan govt fails to clear dues worth 13 billion

ANI
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Gilgit Baltistan contractors go on strike, stop all work in construction projects after Pakistan govt fails to clear dues worth 13 billion

The construction contractors in Gilgit-Baltistan, which is illegally occupied by Pakistan, have stopped work over pending dues from the Government as reported by vernacular media Himalaya Today.

The contractors have stopped work on development projects because their dues of 13 billion rupees have not been paid by the government of Pakistan. The Chief Secretary has stopped issuing notices for new tenders due to the lack of funds. Thousands of workers connected with this sector have become jobless and high inflation and unemployment are forcing them to starve, Himalaya Today reported.

Due to the closure of this sector, many workers from Pakistan’s Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are going back to their homes. The business of electrical items, hardware, paints, and other items needed for construction work has been reduced to half.

No one knows, how long the present condition will continue because the economic situation of the country is at its worst. The national exchequer is empty and no monetary organization or country is willing to give a loan, Himalaya Today reported.

Gilgit-Baltistan gets grants-in-aid like alms. Currently, the Developmental and Non-Developmental Grant in Aid is Rs.18.48 billion, which is less than the budget allotted to some districts of the federation. The vernacular media wrote that despite this, Gilgit -Baltistan is threatened with stopping the funds.

The main reason for this situation is the political leadership, whether it is those in power or in the opposition, both act as facilitators of the federation, the report further said.

Today, the condition of Gilgit-Baltistan is very bad and its economy is on the verge of collapsing, according to vernacular media.

Not only this, but Gilgit-Baltistan is also witnessing a rise in human rights abuses.

While giving an intervention during the 52nd Session of the Council, Nasir Aziz Khan, the central spokesperson for the United Kashmir People’s National Party (UKPNP), said, “Our organization would like to draw your attention to the serious human rights abuses that are taking place in Pakistan and its administered Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan.”

Human rights violations have been reported in Pakistan for many years, with a range of issues including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture, discrimination against minorities, and limitations on freedom of expression and assembly.

UKPNP Chairman, Sardar Shaukat Ali Kashmiri, in his intervention, informed the UN Human Rights Council that Article (19)-1 of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights guarantees everyone the right to hold opinions without interference.

“The people of Pakistani-administered Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, however, have not had this freedom since 1947. Pakistan is systematically violating the land rights of the people of Pakistan in its peripheries,” he said.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff) 

Legal Rights Observatory calls for placard protest against Justice KM Joseph over his remarks on anti-Hindu hate speeches, seeks impeachment

OpIndia Staff
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Legal Rights Observatory calls for placard protest against Justice KM Joseph over his remarks on anti-Hindu hate speeches, seeks impeachment

A day after Justice KM Joseph ‘smiled’ in the Supreme Court at the calls for genocide of Brahmins and said that beheading calls by PFI were reactions to actions, the Legal Rights Observatory (LRO) has decided to write an official letter to the President of India seeking impeachment of the Justice Joseph and to stop all his post-retirement benefits. The LRO stated in the tweet that Justice KM Joseph openly threatened Hindus and justified their killings.

LRO said in a tweet that the Supreme Court judge openly threatened Hindus, justified their killings, and made a statement similar to Rajiv Gandhi during the Sikh pogrom.

Justice KM Joseph will retire on 6 June during court vacations which begin on 21 May.

The legal activist group has also called for a placard protest on social media asking people to condemn the statement made by the Justice. “Hold a hand written ‘We Protest Justice KM Joseph for Judicially Supporting Hindu Genocide’ placard- Click a photo and post on social media. We were silent when SC blamed Nupur Sharma for Sar Tan Se Juda terrorism! Judges shud to be condemned,” LRO said in a tweet.

Yesterday Legal Rights Observatory tweeted that the comments of Justice Joseph in the Supreme Court had “shown in top most judicial authority- How activist, highly biased, ideologically inebriated judge looks like!” They had added, “Justice Joseph has raised the bar in SC for all wannabe liberal judges by selectively ignoring genocidal calls and by mocking caste specific hatred!”

Responding to the call, some Twitter users posted photographs of themselves holding the placard as appealed by LRO.

Justice KM Joseph yesterday along with Justice BV Nagarathna was hearing a contempt plea regarding hate speech made against Muslims in rallies across Maharashtra. During the hearing, Justice Joseph happened to smile at hate speech against Hindus which was highlighted by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta. Mehta mentioned about a DMK leader calling for the butchering of Brahmins, to which Justice Joseph apparently smiled. SG then retorted by saying that it was not a matter to be laughed at.

Justice Joseph then asked SG if he knew who Periyar is. SG Mehta said that just because it is a hate speech, it cannot be pardoned because it is said by someone famous. In June 2022, DMK leader R Rajiv Gandhi said that Tamil Brahmins should have been killed as per the directions of Dravidian icon Periyar. In a contentious tweet, the DMK leader remarked, “If we Shudras had done what Periyar told us back then, we wouldn’t have had to struggle with Brahmins for justice, rights, education and equality. 3% of you (Brahmins) are still dominating some areas.”

Further, SG Mehta also played a hate speech clip from Kerala. It was from a rally organized by the banned PFI in which a sall chld could be seen saying that Hindus and Christians should prepare for final rites. Responding to this, Justice Joseph said, “yes yes we know.” The SG then said that the Court should have taken suo moto cognizance of the incident.

Advocate Vishnu Jain, appearing for the Hindu samaj in the case then mentioned the issue of ‘sar tan se juda’ slogans raised in different parts of the country. SG said that these slogans were raised in the PFI rally in Kerala. To this, Justice KM Joseph remarked, “action has an equal reaction”, as reported. He is also reported to have said that hate speech is a vicious cycle and that “people will react”.

SG Mehta taking cognizance of the remark then said, “please do not do this and this will be a justification of the clip. No.” Justice Joseph then attempted to stick to the case and asked Jain to list the ‘sar tan se juda’ point on April 28 this year. “..let the Maharashtra govt respond,” he said.

‘Protesting against hate packed comments passed by judges is not contempt,’ says LRO

According to the Legal Rights Observatory, Court just ignored the ‘sar tan se juda’ hate speech which has been time and again directed towards Hindus. “In the Nupur Sharma case also, the court had held her responsible for the incident of Udaipur where a tailor was beheaded on video for allegedly supporting her. The country remained silent then. Today it ignored Adv Jain’s listing of ‘sar tan se juda’ matter. It asked to list it later. Isn’t this clear bias,” LRO said.

“The placard protest is part of fundamental rights. The Court accepts right to dissent even in the cases of sedition. In one of the judgements earlier, the court had held that raising anti-national slogans is not a crime. It is freedom of expression. It had termed the sections of sedition are colonial vestiges. What is colonial vestige then? Speaking against the Judge shall not be looked upon as Contempt of Court. It is clear dissent. It is fundamental right,” said LRO while talking exclusively to OpIndia.

“Citizens have right to protest against court judgments and outrageous hate packed comments passed by judges, we don’t think it as contempt,” LRO affirmed.

The comments and actions by Justice Joseph are widely condemned by netizens as well who say that as if hate speech is acceptable if it is issued against Brahmins. The LRO has decided to write to the President of India to seek to stop all the post retirement benefits of Justice KM Joseph. Justice KM Joseph will retire on 6 June during court vacations which begin on 21 May.

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