The Maharashtra Police on Saturday, March 4 arrested around 18 Bangladeshi individuals including 10 women for residing illegally in the Thane district of Maharashtra. The police arrested the Bangladeshi individuals based on a tip-off that the individuals would gather to celebrate the marriage anniversary of one of them at a building in Navi Mumbai’s Ghansoli area.
“The police had received a tip-off that some Bangladeshi nationals will gather to celebrate the marriage anniversary of one of them at a building in Navi Mumbai’s Ghansoli area. Acting on it, the officials of Navi Mumbai police’s crime branch raided the premises at night,” the official of Rabale police station was quoted as saying.
According to him, the arrests were made by the Mumbai Police on March 1 and 2. The individuals residing illegally in the district had no valid documents like visas and passports and had been staying in India for the past year.
An offence under the Foreigners Act, 1946 and also the Passport (Entry into India) Rules, 1950 was registered against them and an investigation is on, the police said. Notably, this is third of its kind incident reported in the past week.
In last 3 days:
1. Maharashtra: 18 Bangladeshis (10 women, 8 men) arrested in Thane for illegal stay.
2. Tripura: 3 illegal Bangladeshis arrested from Agartala railway station.
3. West Bengal: 2 Bangladeshis infiltrators arrested in Murshidabad.
A similar incident was reported from Tripura where three Bangladeshi persons identified as Rasel Ali, Abdul Litan and Md Asif were arrested at Agartala railway station on March 1.
Reports mention that the trio entered Sidhai village through the Indo-Bangla border in West Tripura from the Rajshahi district of Bangladesh Tuesday night and were moving to Kashmir. “The Bangladeshi nationals had boarded a train for Kolkata. Our intel suggests that from Kolkata, they were supposed to move to Kashmir. All of them were produced before a court and further investigation is on,” the investigating officer confirmed.
Also, on February 28, BSF troops arrested two Bangladeshi infiltrators on the Indo-Bangladesh international border in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal. Reports mention that the officers while on duty in their area suspected suspicious activity on the border and apprehended Bangladeshi infiltrators identified as Mohd Sifat Ali (24) and Mohd Sariful (26) from District Rajshahi, Bangladesh.
The Bangladeshi infiltrators admitted during BSF questioning that Halim, son of Islam Ali Godagiri from District Rajshahi, helped them cross the border. They further disclosed that they wanted to travel to Chennai for employment purposes. Both of the captured Bangladeshi infiltrators were sent to Thana Ranitala for further judicial proceedings.
On Tuesday (March 7), Muslim Twitter users on social media targeted Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan for posing with ‘married, non-hijabi Muslim’ tennis legend, Sania Mirza at her retirement bash.
They lambasted him for putting his hand around her shoulders at a time when she was not wearing her ‘head cover.’ The Islamists also regretted the supposed loss of his ‘Iman (Faith)’ in the teachings of Allah.
Irfan Pathan had uploaded a picture with Sania Mirza on Twitter with the caption, “You have been unstoppable exactly like this song. So proud of your achievement. The real journey starts after retirement, Sania Mirza.” The archived version of the tweet can be accessed here.
“Fame can destroy one’s Faith,” one Dr Muhammad Shahab cried foul.
fame can destroy one’s emaan
— Dr Muhammad SHAHAB (@DrMuhammadSHA17) March 7, 2023
“I thought your father was a big-time Islamic cleric (suggesting that Irfan Pathan has deserted all ideals of Islam),” wrote one Islamist.
“Shoaib Malik (husband of Sania Mirza), I send you lanat (curse) for pretending to be a Muslim. And this Pathan guy is complete nonsense with no iota of shame. Shame on him for spreading such obscenity,” an Islamist went on a tirade on the micro-blogging platform.
@realshoaibmalik Lanat bejta hoon may aisay par aur dawa karay gey ki ham musalman hey Aur raha yei non sense pathan na haya na sharam Lanat hey aisi fahooshat felanay may @haneeqfarooqs kuch roshni dalaye janaaaaab
One Mohammed Zakir warned Irfan Pathan to remove his hand from around the shoulder of Sania Mirza. “You make your wife wear hijab but have no qualms in ‘touching’ someone else’s wife,” he wrote.
Earlier in May 2021, Irfan Pathan found himself in hot water when a video accusing him of being in an illicit extra-marital affair went viral on social media. The video depicted Syed Ibrahim, the aged father-in-law of a girl who accused her of being in an illicit affair with the cricketer.
“She has an affair with cricket Irfan Pathan, she sleeps with him”, said Syed Ibrahim in the video. He claimed that his daughter-in-law had confessed to the alleged affair.
इस वीडियो को इतना वायरल कीजिये कि पुलिस मजबूर हो जाये क्रिकेटर इरफ़ान पठान के ऊपर कार्यवाही करने को pic.twitter.com/IHctYQsW4B
Syed Ibrahim, who claimed to be a retired police officer from Ahmedabad, accused Irfan Pathan of putting pressure on his son to let the affair continue. He also alleged that the police are not willing to take their complaint because of the political pressure that Irfan Pathan exerts on prominent officers.
On Monday, the Vishwa Samvad Kendra (VSK), Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) media wing and other outfits concluded that reservation benefits should not be extended to Dalits who have converted to Islam and Christianity from Hinduism. The decision was taken during a two-day conclave which concluded on Sunday (March 5) in Noida.
PRESS RELEASE: RESERVATION TO SCHEDULED CASTES IS SACROSANCT; INCLUSION OF CONVERTED SCs to ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY WILL DILUTE THE CONSTITUTIONAL SPIRIT ON RESERVATION: @AlokKumarLIVEpic.twitter.com/9qEQYeSNAU
— Vishva Hindu Parishad -VHP (@VHPDigital) March 6, 2023
Vishva Hindu Parishad working president Alok Kumar said on Monday that the RSS media wing has decided to submit a memorandum to the Justice K G Balakrishnan Commission, which was appointed by the Center in October last year to look into the issue of extending reservation to converted members of the Scheduled Castes.
In association with the Gautam Buddha University in Greater Noida and the monthly journal Hindu Vishva, VSK had organised the conference to address the topic of “Conversion and Reservation” in light of the Center’s appointment of the three-member committee to investigate the matter.
“The conclave unanimously reiterated that the reservation for the scheduled castes is an article of faith and shall continue. The basis for selecting caste in the schedule was the social, educational and economic backwardness,” the VHP working president told the media on Monday, after the conclusion of the conclave.
The VSK will prepare a memorandum for submission before the K G Balakrishnan Commission and also request a personal hearing in the matter, Kumar said.
“We will take all possible steps to place facts before the Commission for a logical and just conclusion. In the coming days, the VSK and Hindu Vishva magazine will organise such conclaves in various parts of the country “to generate more inputs and support for the cause”, he added.
The VHP representative contended, “The OBCs among Muslims and Christians already enjoy the benefits of reservation in the relevant quota of various states,” opposing any attempt to extend the benefits of reservation to Dalits who have accepted Islam or Christianity. According to him, the other “poor Muslims and Christians” are eligible for the quota under the category of economically weaker sections of society (EWS).
The VHP leader said, they also benefit from various programmes for minorities’ development, and their institutions are protected by Article 30 of the Constitution.
“Minorities have also benefited from welfare schemes, including free ration, housing, toilet, gas, electricity, tap water, etc.,” Kumar said, adding, “Therefore, the reservation for Scheduled Castes is sacrosanct. Including any other caste or race will dilute the constitutional spirit behind the reservation provisions.”
“More than 150 persons, including former judges, serving and former vice-chancellors, professors, journalists, lawyers, writers and other academics participated in the conclave, the VHP said in a statement.
While Narendra Jadhav, former planning commission member and Rajya Sabha MP, was the chief guest for the inaugural function held on Saturday, the concluding session was presided over by Padma Shri Milind Kamble on Sunday, it added.
Centre sets up commission after SC seeks its response on the issue
Notably, on October 22, 2022, the Union Government set up a commission headed by former Chief Justice Balakrishnan to examine the current situation of the Schedule Caste people who have converted to other religions. They were given 2 years to file a report on the same.
The commission was formed after Supreme Court in August last year, sought the centre’s response to a plea that the Dalits who have converted to Islam and Christianity from Hinduism, should be eligible for the same quota benefits that are reserved for Scheduled Castes.
Until now, the only groups currently eligible for reservation benefits are Dalit Buddhists, Hindus, and Sikhs. The Supreme Court is currently considering a number of petitions that ask for reservation privileges for Dalits who converted to Islam or Christianity.
Dalits converted to Christianity and Islam not eligible for reservation benefits: Govt
Notably, in 2021, the then Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said in the Rajya Sabha that Dalits who had shunned their faith and converted to Islam and Christianity will not be permitted to contest parliamentary or assembly elections from constituencies reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC), and will not be allowed to claim other reservation benefits.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday held the Janata Darshan program in his constituency, Gorakhpur and heard the problems of the people. He directed the police officials to teach a ‘befitting’ lesson to the land mafias in the state.
CM Yogi Adityanath on a visit to Gorakhpur interacted with the people in the Janata Darshan outside Mahant Digvijaynath Smriti Auditorium of Gorakhnath Temple Complex and directed the administration and police officials to ensure that no land mafia encroaches on anyone’s land and asked them to give such elements befitting lessons through legal means, informed the government through a release.
CM Yogi also warned the officers against negligence at any level, ensuring quick and effective action on complaints related to land grabbing.
All this while, the Chief Minister kept handing over the application letters to the concerned officials along with necessary directions. He met with 500 people and said, “There is no need to worry about anything. Quick, quality and satisfactory action will be taken to solve your issues.”
In the case of mutual land dispute, CM directed the officers to conduct counselling first between the aggrieved parties and then take appropriate legal action.
Talking with the people who came with complaints, CM said, “Don’t panic, strict action will be taken.”
Regarding complaints related to other districts, CM Yogi instructed officers to send those to the concerned officers of those districts.
On complaints related to revenue in Janata Darshan, he directed the officers to expedite the disposal of land measurement and revenue-related matters in tehsils. He said, “Where necessary, the police force should also be taken along”.
CM Yogi also ensured full support to those who came seeking financial help for the treatment of serious diseases. He instructed the officers to complete the process of cost estimation of treatment on a priority basis and send it to the government.
“The government will not let lack of funds come in the way of treatment”, CM said.
Further, CM Yogi Adityanath also showered his love and blessings on the children who came to the Janata Darshan with their mothers and gave them chocolates.
Earlier, newly constructed Pediatric Intensive Care Units (PICUs) were inaugurated at Gorakhpur’s Jangal Kauria and Chargaon (Khuthan) Community Health Centres (CHCs) on Monday by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
According to a media release by the state government, the PICU was developed by Hindustan Urvarak and Rasayan Limited (Hurl), with the Corporate Environment Responsibility (CER) fund and will benefit five lakh children, including 2.5 lakh residents each at Jangal Kauria and Chargaon.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
In wake of reports of alleged attacks on Bihari migrant workers in Tamil Nadu, DMK’s poll strategist Prashant Kishor on Sunday released a video stating that the attacks were real and should not be ignored by the Tamil Nadu government. He said that Tamil Nadu police and the ruling leaders of Bihar have disapproved of the incident calling it fake, but the attacks need to be looked into.
Tamil Nadu DGP Sylendra Babu denied the assault on Bihari workers and issued a statement on Thursday, March 2 claiming that Bihari migrant workers were not being attacked in Tamil Nadu. He said he had reached out to his counterpart in Bihar, DGP RS Bhatti, and refuted the reports being shared in the media and social media.
“The DGP of Tamil Nadu has denied of any such attacks on the migrant workers. But the incidents are real. The DMK government in Tamil Nadu has also disapproved of these incidents. I will post the correct videos” Prashant Kishor said while addressing a press conference on March 6.
On March 5, Kishor quoted a tweet by Tamil Nadu police who had shared a video of an attack from February 16. In the video, a man could be seen being beaten on a train by some Tamil-speaking individuals. Kishor quoted the tweet and said, “This video has been shared by Tamil Nadu Railway Police on 16 February. The DGP of Tamil Nadu Government should also inform about the status of this FIR registered in GRP Chennai.”
यह वीडियो तमिलनाडु रेलवे पुलिस ने 16 फ़रवरी को शेयर किया है।
तमिलनाडु सरकार के DGP को GRP Chennai में रजिस्टर्ड इस FIR के status के बारे में भी बताना चाहिए। https://t.co/vMzOZXCHQH
According to the reports, Kishor also alleged that Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister Tejasvi Yadav misled the members of the assembly on the issue. He said he would expose Yadav of lying and would release original videos of migrant workers attacked in Tamil Nadu.
“Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister has said that these are fake videos, but I will release the real video in a few days,” Prashant Kishor said. He meanwhile agreed that some of the journalists shared the wrong video but added that facts of the incident shall not be ignored.
“The ruling leaders of Bihar are attempting to disprove the incident by claiming that no such incident occurred. In two days, I will post the correct video,” he went on to add. He also said that such incidents have been happening in the state of Tamil Nadu for the past four months.
It is pertinent to note that a report by the Hindi daily Dainik Bhaskar that was published on March 2, 2023, had earlier claimed that as many as 15 people have lost their lives in “Talibani” style attacks being carried out against the Hindi-speaking migrant labourers in the state. However, the Hindi newspaper has retracted that report and now, in its updated version, presented testimonies of the migrant labourers who have said that they are fleeing Tamil Nadu because of the violence that has been unleashed on Hindi-speaking migrant labourers in the state because of their linguistic identity.
In viral undated videos, some Hindi-speaking migrant workers claim that they are beaten and assaulted even on the trains. The Police also booked a journalist from Dainik Bhaskar and BJP leader Prashant Patel Umrao over reportage on the viral videos.
The matter was also raised in the Bihar assembly where Bharatiya Janata Party strongly objected to the deaths and slammed Bihar state CM Nitish Kumar over the incident. The BJP leaders also walked out of the Assembly as a part of the protest and demanded a probe into the incident.
However, Tamil Nadu DGP Sylendra Babu denied the attacks and issued a statement on Thursday, March 2 claiming that Bihari migrant workers were not being attacked in Tamil Nadu. He said he had reached out to his counterpart in Bihar, DGP RS Bhatti, and refuted the reports being shared in the media and social media.
“The videos that are being circulated on social media are four months old and show clashes between migrant workers belonging to Bihar and Jharkhand. Another video is of a murder that took place in Coimbatore outside a court complex last month. No attacks on migrant workers have taken place in Tamil Nadu,” Babu had said.
Tamil Nadu police further tweeted on the matter saying that rumours were being spread on social media and other media platforms that North Indians and Hindi-speaking people are being assaulted in Tamil Nadu. “You are advised not to spread such false information, failing which legal action will be taken”, it warned.
Update: The claims about murders and killing as well as the fingers of the Hindi-speaking migrant labourers being chopped and the labourers being locked in a room and hanged, which were reported by Dainik Bhaskar were retracted after the incident caused nationwide controversy. Since our reports were based on Dainik Bhaskar’s report and were reproduced here crediting them explicitly, we have removed those claims as well because Bhaskar doesn’t seem to be standing by it anymore.
Hinduphobic crimes by pro-Khalistani elements have significantly increased not only in India but all across the world in the name of the Khalistan Referendum. Hindus, their religious places and their religious festivals in countries like Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom have constantly been targeted.
Notably, the violent campaign of the Khalistan movement, a separatist agenda to create an independent homeland for Sikhs by establishing a sovereign state, reached its pinnacle in the 1980s and 1990s, featuring bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, and massacres of innocent Hindus and Sikhs. The violence took on an international dimension in 1985 when Khalistani separatists based in Canada exploded a bomb on an Air India flight en route from Toronto to New Delhi, killing all 329 people on board, including 82 children under the age of 13. That incident remains the deadliest terrorist attack in Canadian history.
Since then, the incidents of hate crimes by Khalistani extremists have increased manifolds with the financial and logistical support from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Agency of Pakistan and pro-Khalistan separatists based in the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. If one were to look at only the last 6 months’ data, there would be numerous references to occurrences where Hindus and the sites of their worship were violently attacked by Khalistani terrorists. What follows is an indicative list of attacks on Hindu temples by Khalistani elements in the last 6 months in Canada, Australia and the UK.
Attacks on Hindu temples in Australia by Khalistani elements
In the last two months, Australia has seen four separate anti-Hindu attacks on Temples initiated by pro-Khalistani elements living in the country.
Shree Laxmi Narayan Temple in Brisbane: On Saturday, March 4, Shree Laxmi Narayan Temple in Brisbane’s Burbank suburb was vandalised with anti-Hindu and anti-India graffiti defacing its walls. According to local media reports, the vandalism was carried out by pro-Khalistani supporters. The miscreants wrote anti-Hindu, anti-India and pro-Khalistani slogans on the walls near the temple during the vandalization.
Melbourne: On February 16, 2023, a Kali Mata temple received a warning against holding a Bhajan program. A woman priest of a Kali Mata temple in the northern suburbs of Melbourne in Australia received threats from Khalistani terrorists for organizing a Bhajan program of Indian singer Kanhiya Mittal.
Hare Krishna Temple: On January 23 a similar attack by Khalistani elements took place at the Hare Krishna Temple located at Albert Park in Melbourne city of Australia. The temple served as the centre of the Bhakti Yoga movement in Melbourne and is run by the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). As per reports, temple walls were defaced with anti-India slogans of ‘Khalistan Zindabad’ and ‘Hindustan Murdabad.’ The miscreants had also hailed slain Khalistani terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale as a martyr.
Shiva Vishnu Temple in Melbourne: On January 17, Khalistani supporters vandalised the historic Shri Shiva Vishnu Temple in Carrum Downs in Melbourne. During the vandalisation, the miscreants wrote anti-Hindu and anti-India slogans on the walls near the temple. ‘Target Modi’, ‘Modi Hitler’, and ‘Hindustan Murdabad’, read the slogans that were painted on the walls of the temples during vandalization.
BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Melbourne: On January 12 (local time), the Hindu community living in Melbourne woke up to a shockas the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, located in the northern suburb of Mill Park, Melbourne, was vandalised by Khalistani attackers. The walls of the temple were defaced by spray painting anti-India and anti-Narendra Modi slogans.
Temple attacks by Khalistani elements in Canada
On February 17, 2023, a Ram temple in Mississauga was defaced with anti-India graffiti by unknown miscreants.
On January 31, 2023, the Gauri Shankar Mandir was desecrated by Khalistani extremists in Brampton city in Ontario province of Canada. The walls of the temple were defaced with anti-India graffiti by Khalistanis associated allegedly with the banned outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ). The vicious slogan of ‘Khalistan Zindabad, Hindustan Murdabad’ was found spray-painted on the outer wall of Gauri Shankar Mandir.
In September last year, some Khalistani terrorists defaced BAPS Swaminarayan Temple in Toronto with anti-India slogans. Several videos circulating on social media showed slogans of ‘Khalistan Zindabad, Hindustan Murdabad’ painted on the walls of the temple.
In February 2022, six Hindu temples were attacked in Toronto.
Hindu temple attacked in the UK
Smethwick town, England: On September 20 (local time), a 200-strong mob of masked Islamists circled Durga Bhawan Hindu Centre located on Spon Lane in Smethwick town in West Midlands, England, after a call for “peaceful protests” was made on social media. The so-called protest, which was more of an intimidating tactic of the Islamists, was organized against the already-postponed event of Sadhvi Ritambhara. In a video shared by ISKCON’s Radharamn Das, Islamists were seen hurling abuses toward the Hindus inside the Hindu temple premises. They were chanting Allah-Hu-Akbar, and some of them climbed the fence wall as well. There were Police present at the scene, but in the video, it was evident that the number of Police Personnel was far less and not adequately equipped to handle a 200-strong mob of Islamists. The majority of the Islamists were masked in the video. Towards the end of the video, Police were seen making announcements asking the mob to move back. Some Police officials equipped with batons were seen approaching the temple to control the mob.
Leicester, United Kingdom: A temple was attacked and a saffron flag atop was taken down and burnt. This came after a spate of targeted attacks on Hindus followed the Asia Cup India-Pakistan cricket match on August 28, when armed Islamists attacked Hindus and their residences in the vicinity.
Ahead of the Hindu festival of Holi and its colourful celebrations, the mosque in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, has been covered with tarpaulin to safeguard itself from colours. The Masjid which has been covered with black material has been identified as Abdul Karim Masjid which is located on the city’s most sensitive crossroad.
According to ANI’s report, the tarpaulins have also been put up to maintain communal harmony in the region. “Halwaiyan Mosque in Aligarh is covered with tarpaulin ahead of the Holi festival. It is happening for the last 4-5 years to ensure that colours don’t splash on the walls of the mosque,” said Haji Mohammad Iqbal, caretaker of the mosque.
Uttar Pradesh | Halwaiyan Mosque in Aligarh covered with tarpaulin ahead of #Holi festival
It is happening for the last 4-5 years to ensure that colours don’t splash on the walls of the mosque: Haji Mohammad Iqbal, caretaker of the mosque (06.03) pic.twitter.com/KVrzVyb8pT
He also said that the covers had been put up on the instructions of the local administration and the police. “On the instructions of the administration, we cover the mosque with tarpaulin so that no one can throw color or dirt in the mosque,” he reaffirmed.
Abhishek, SP City Aligarh confirmed the development and said, “The area is sensitive. This trend is followed so that communal harmony can be maintained in the area.”
Aligarh: Halwaiyan Masjid has been covered ahead of the #Holi festival. Abhishek, SP City Aligarh says, “the area is sensitive. This trend is followed so that communal harmony can be maintained in the area.” (08.03) pic.twitter.com/MLINaVRRBc
Holi, the festival of colours, will be celebrated on March 8. The event marks the beginning of spring on the Indian subcontinent and honours the qualities of inclusiveness and humanity. Holi is a festival that is observed over two days, Holika Dahan and Holi Milan, to symbolize harmony and joy, and mark the arrival of a bountiful flowering season.
On March 7, Balkaur Singh, father of late controversial singer and Congress leader Sidhu Moosewala sat on protests outside Punjab Assembly demanding justice for his son. Moosewala was murdered on May 29, 2022, a day after the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab Government withdrew his security. Congress leaders, including Partap Singh Bajwa, sat in protest with Balkaur Singh.
I’ll sit here for as long as the session continues. It (investigation) is not being influenced but being ended. Where is investigation even taking place? There’s anger among people but why is our govt not listening?: Balkaur Singh, father of late Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala pic.twitter.com/WvhDOCgwfr
Speaking to the media, Singh said, “In the last ten months, I went to Police & Admin several times. I was assured. But what’s happening here is being done to brush under the carpet the murder of my child. Nothing is going in my favour. So, I had to come to Assembly. I’ll sit here for as long as the session continues. It (investigation) is not being influenced but being ended. Where is the investigation even taking place? There’s anger among people, but why is our govt not listening?”
In February, Balkaur raised questions on the decision of the Punjab Government to increase the security of CM Mann’s wife. He said, “If the law and order situation in Punjab was so good, why did CM Bhagwant Mann depute 40 security escorts for his wife?” As per reports, 40 security personnel were deployed in February this year for the security of CM Mann’s wife.
Death threats to Balkaur Singh
Reportedly, Singh received death threats a week ago via email, after which he approached SSP Dr Nanak Singh in Mansa and filed a complaint. The police began tracing the email to the miscreants in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. In the email, the accused threatened Balkaur Singh that he would be killed by April 25. One of the three accused in the case is a minor. On March 6, Punjab Police went to Rajasthan to arrest the accused and bring them to Punjab for further action.
Sidhu Moosewala assassination
On May 29, 2022, Sidhu Moosewala was shot dead in the village Jawaharke of Mansa. Moosewala and his two associates were fired upon. He was rushed to a hospital, where he was declared brought dead. Two of the accused in his murder case, Mandeep Singh and Manmohan Singh, died in a gang fight inside a prison in Punjab on February 26. While Mandeep was arrested in September 2022, Manmohan was arrested in June 2022. Gangsters Lawrance Bishnoi and Goldy Brar were named in the Sidhu Moosewala murder case as accused.
On Monday (February 6), Congress scion Rahul Gandhi drew false equivalence between the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) and the Islamist terror outfit Muslim Brotherhood in his latest attempt to malign India on the world stage.
He made the contentious claims during an interaction with a London-based think tank named Chatham House. Rahul Gandhi claimed, “The nature of the democratic contest in India has completely changed…”
“And the reason for the change is one organisation called the RSS – a fundamentalist, fascist organisation that has captured pretty much all of India’s institutions,” he alleged.
The Congress scion said, “RSS is a secret society. It’s built along the lines of the Muslim Brotherhood and the idea is to use the democratic contest to come to power and then subvert the democratic contest afterwards.”
He further insinuated, “It shocked me how successful they have been at capturing the different institutions of our country. The Press, Judiciary, Parliament, and Election Commission are all under threat and are controlled in one way or the other.”
Rahul Gandhi made similar analogies in 2018
5 years ago, the Congress leader made similar outlandish claims about the RSS during an interactive session in London with the think tank, International Institute of Strategic Studies.
Rahul Gandhi claimed then, “An organisation called the RSS is trying to change the nature of India. There is no other organisation in India that wants to capture India’s institutions. And what we are dealing with is a completely new idea. It is an old idea which is reborn.
“It (RSS) is similar to the idea that exists in the Arab world with the Muslim Brotherhood…And the idea is that one ideology should run through every single institution. One idea should crush all other ideas,” he attributed his preconceived notions to the Hindu organisation in 2018.
Comparison made between RSS and the Muslim Brotherhood is fictitious
The Muslim Brotherhood is an Islamist terror outfit, which was founded in Egypt in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna. It is infamous for promoting political Islam, Sharia law, violence and terrorism.
As such, it comes as no wonder that the organisation has been banned even in Muslim-majority Arab countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
The ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood is perceived as a threat to secularism and democratic values, and international security. The Islamist outfit’s offshoot in Egypt, known as the “Jamaat al-Islamiyya,” was responsible for the killing of 62 foreign tourists in Luxor in 1997.
While terror groups like al-Qaeda, ISIS, and Hamas make headlines for their brutal attacks on civilians, it is actually the Muslim Brotherhood that spreads anti-American sentiments to its members.
The Muslim Brotherhood employs al-Azhar University in Cairo as a means of indoctrinating its members in radical Islamism. Young men who have not yet been radicalized enter al-Azhar for a formal education, only to graduate with a degree in the extremist ideology.
Al-Azhar University and its long-standing ideological program, which is controlled by the Muslim Brotherhood, have produced numerous terrorist organizations, such as al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, the Taliban, and ISIS.
On the contrary, the RSS is a cultural organisation rooted in Indian nationalism. It is focused on putting society before oneself and facilitating social cohesion under the common identity of being a ‘Bharatiya.’
Far from terrorism, it is involved in relief work in cases of natural disasters and catastrophes. The organisation also has a minority wing ‘Mulsim Rashtriya Manch’ to cater to the needs of the community. RSS believes that all Indians are Hindus by virtue of their common ancestry and association with ‘Hindustan.’
Unlike Muslim Brotherhood, RSS is not interested to create a ‘Hindu Ummah’ and is rather focused on putting India’s cultural and nationalist stance above its own.
Rahul Gandhi had been trying to demonise the organisation for a long time, often drawing outlandish comparisons with Islamist terror outfits. Interestingly, he has never criticised the Muslim Brotherhood in as many words as he does for RSS (perhaps to not upset and antagonise core voter base).
If you were to speak to a child about Holika Dahen, Prahlad or Harinyakashyapu, you would most likely tell how Prahlad was a big devotee of Lord Vishnu (and hence called Bhakt Prahlad) and how his father, demon king Hiranyakashyapu did not like it. How his wicked father then asked his sister, Holika, who was blessed that she could not be burnt with fire, to sit with Prahlad on a burning pyre. However, due to his own devotion, Prahlad was saved and Holika herself was burnt in the fire she wanted to kill Prahlad with. This, or variations of this story is what we have grown up hearing and which we will pass on to next generation.
Except, like every Hindu festival, Holi, too is being appropriated and changed into a ‘culture’ thing instead of religious festival and values distorted.
On March 4, 2023, Gujarat Samachar’s supplement ‘Jhagmag’ published a few stories on Holi. The supplement is meant for children and stories are narrated keeping children in mind. There were two different stories on Holi. However, while the essence of the stories was kept intact, the way of narrating the story was completely changed.
Jhagmag on Holi
The story depicts Holi as the festival of cleanliness. As per the story, Holika asked Prahlad and his friends to light up Holi to burn useless things. Later she asked them to burn “truth” as the most useless thing. When Prahlad protested, Holika threw him into the fire as per the plan she had hatched with Hiranyakashyapu. However, Prahlad was saved by Bhagwan’s boon, and Holika herself got burnt.
Gujarat Samachar claims that in the Holi fire that is lit, all ‘useless’ things are set on fire. However, that is not true. Holi fire is holy and people pray to it. Different cultures across India pray differently to the holy fire and make offerings. Water, Shrifal, raw mango – many things are thus offered to the Holi fire. Thus, to say ‘useless’ things are set on fire on Holy is insulting.
It further says that all the ‘garbage’ collected during the festivals in the preceding winter season, should be collected and set on fire. Gujarat Samachar claims the festival of Holi was started by Holika who asked her nephew to set all garbage on fire. In twisted perversion, after burning things like leaves, the writer, on Harish Nayak claimed that Holika asked Prahlad to set the most useless thing ‘truth’ on fire. When Prahlad refused to set throw ‘truth’ to fire, Holika decided to teach him a lesson and jumped into fire with him.
However, while Prahlad was younger than Holika, he was strong and when she pushed him into fire, he did not let go of her hand and since Lord Agni is also truth, he burnt the evil that Holika is. Gujarat Samachar then claims that because of this, every year Holi is celebrated.
While the Holi fire is lit every year and prayed to for this, the story of Prahlad and Holika was not the way Gujarat Samachar wants us to believe.
The second story was of ‘Vigyaanveer’ Prahlad. While the essence of the story remained that demon Harinyakashyapu wanted to kill his son Prahlad, however, Bhagwan saved him. Here, Bhagwan is presented as a spy and a magician. Only Prahlad can see or talk to Bhagwan.
In this story, when Harinyakashyapu throws Prahlad from the mountain, Bhagwan gives him a ‘flying umbrella’, and when Prahlad is thrown under the elephant’s feet, Bhagwan gives him a laser gun so that he can protect himself. While talking about the Holika story, the publication claimed Prahlad was given fire-resistant clothes that saved him from the fire.
Madhpudo by Jhagmag, Gujarat Samachar
In this fictionalised and ‘sci-fi’ version of Prahlad, where God gives Prahlad objects to fight adversities which include modern science technology is too much of a stretch. What is worse is that it is not even well written. It is full of improper Gujarati and such terrible storytelling that it appeared like a bad Google translation from another badly written article.
It is abrupt, jarring and way too disturbing for children, who are the target audience. The story talks about how Hiranyakashyapu asked Prahlad’s teacher (because he goes to a school) to throw him off the cliff to prove that God exists. Teacher also carries out the order to ‘prove Prahlad wrong’. This, from a child’s perspective, is so wrong. This is how childhood trauma is inculcated. At impressionable age you are teaching young children how teachers could be manipulative, creating an element of distrust.
Instead of referring to God as he is – God, the almighty, Gujarat Samachar refers to him as a ‘spy’ and a ‘magician’ as if God were a conman. And also keeps on referring to God as ‘tu’ which many find disrespectful way of addressing someone revered. Turns out this ‘Bhagwan’ in times of dangers, like when Prahlad is pushed off cliff, also informs him how the ‘invisible umbrella’ is he giving to Prahlad will be known as ‘parachute’ in future and will be made of nylon-terylene material. That specific.
Later the God offers a ‘laser gun’ to Prahlad to save himself from an elephant. Angered, Hiranyakashyapu calls in his sister, Holika, who was also a ‘student of science’. No, she was was a demon, Gujarat Samachar, have some shame. Gujarat Samachar claims Holika had invented a fire-resistant cream and hence she got ready to sit in fire with Prahlad in her lap. Hence, this time, God gave Prahlad ‘fire-proof’ clothes. Here Gujarat Samachar also claims how God ‘sabotaged’ Holika’s fire-resistant cream and added materials which made it highly inflammable.
But because God had sabotaged Holika’s cream, she catches fire while Prahlad with fire-resistant invisible clothes, comes out alive. There is also conversation around secret chamber through which Prahlad escapes and ‘expert in changing forms (bahurupi)’ Bhagwan comes out of chamber dressed in Narsinh swaroop – which was a fire-proof outfit, to fight king Hiranyakashyapu. Gujarat Samachar then mentions how in the fight that ensued, the king (Hiranyakashyapu) is killed.
They fail to mention that the demon king Hiranyakashyapu had the blessing that neither man nor woman or animal can kill him and he could not be killed during the day or during the night. He also had the boon that no weapon could kill him and he would neither be killed inside the house nor outside, making him almost immortal. This boon was what had made him arrogant. Hence, Lord Vishnu took the Narasinh avatar, of half-man and half animal and at dusk, when it is neither day nor night, the God killed him with his bare hands. This important aspect of the story is skipped.
Throughout the article, God is referred to as ‘jasus bhagwan’. It concludes by claiming that God was actually a great scientist and a spy and all things he did were all science experiments. Why this distortion of our scriptures? No one will dare distorting scriptures of other faiths because everyone knows how that ends. But Hindu scriptures and their distortion is a freepass.
Gujarat Samachar has been a problematic publication for mainstream news too. But this bid to influence the impressionable young children by distorting our culture is a new low even for Gujarat Samachar that already has a very low bar.
