Home Blog Page 2477

Prayagraj-based Agri university officials, Chancellor and VC booked for illegal conversions. Old cases, funds being probed

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Prayagraj-based Agri university officials, Chancellor and VC booked for illegal conversions. Old cases, funds being probed

On January 27, Uttar Pradesh Police filed an FIR against eight officials of the Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology, and Sciences (SHUATS) and several unidentified persons in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh for allegedly luring Hindus and forcing them to convert their religion to Christianity. The case has been filed against the vice-chancellor, two pro-vice-chancellors, and 5 others under the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance 2020.

According to the reports, the FIR was filed based on the complaint registered by a University’s former student named Savendra Vikram Singh on January 20. The complainant stated that he was told that in exchange for converting to Christianity, he can have a job, Rs 15 thousand in cash, and ‘marriage to a beautiful girl’ in Fatehpur.

Savendra Vikram Singh is a resident of Bahauddinpur village in the Gosainganj area of Sultanpur district and visited Fatehpur in December 2021. There he met Ram Chandra Paswan, a resident of Sujarahi village who asked him to convert his religion to Christianity. “He told me we and our organisation will give you cash and your family will get free medical treatment. I was told that I would be given a job in SHUATS, Prayagraj, and I would get married to a beautiful girl. I got trapped and Ram Chandra took me to the Indian Presbyterian Church in Deviganj where I was made to meet the pastor. Both (pastor and Ram Chandra) then promised me gifts and money and took me to SHUATS,” Singh said.

According to Singh, he then met university Vice Chancellor Rajendra B. Lal, director (administration) Vinod B. Lal, director (internal quality assurance and assessment cell) Ajai Lawrence, public relations officer Ramakant Dubey, Pro Vice-Chancellor (academics) Jonathan Lal, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Administration) S.B. Lal, dean (film and mass communication) Stephen Das, senior professor Derrick Denis, and around 40-50 other people who promised him cash, a job at SHUATS and a beautiful wife.

“Ajai Lawrence gave me Rs 15,000 in cash and Rajendra B. Lal told me that their organization has a lot of money and they would give me more if required. Then, I returned to Deviganj church with Ram Chandra and the pastor and converted to Christianity,” Singh was quoted by the Print.

Notably, Paswan who asked Singh to convert his religion in Fatehpur was arrested by the cops in July last year for running ‘changayi sabha’ and falsely promising ‘healing from illness’ to locals if they convert to Christianity. He also offered to get rid of bad spirits through prayers to Jesus and offered painkillers mixed ‘special water’ to visitors.

University officials already booked in another conversion case

The FIR comes almost a month after the Uttar Pradesh Police had sent notices to the chancellor, vice-chancellor, and an administrative official of a Prayagraj-based agriculture university in connection with a case of illegal conversion. An FIR was lodged against 56 people for practising religious conversion. Reports mention that while 53 out of 56 are out on bail, three of the accused are absconding at present.

The notices back then were issued to Chancellor Dr Jetti Oliver, Vice-Chancellor Bishop Rajendra B Lal and administrative official Vinod B Lal of Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture Technology and Science (SHUATS), an agriculture university in Uttar Pradesh that was set up more than a century ago.

Police have seized 70 bank accounts of University and NGO founded by V-C

Vice-Chancellor Bishop Rajendra B Lal is the founder of an NGO named Yeshu Darbar Trust which holds religious congregations in around 12 of its centers in Prayagraj and other cities of Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Jharkhand. According to SHO Amit Mishra of Kotwali Police station in Fatehpur, 70 accounts of the university and the trust founded by Lal are seized and are being probed.

“Of the 70 bank accounts, four belong to the trust and the rest are that of the university. The Trust has 12 centres across three states, UP, Jharkhand and Gujarat. An FIR was earlier lodged against people associated with the Gujarat centre years ago,” he said.

The University on the other hand has denied the allegations saying that complainant Singh was a University student but he never cleared his exams. “He was former B. Tech (dairy technology) student but he did not pay the fees and also failed to appear for the exams. He later came to the university and asked for his degree, saying he wasn’t getting a job anywhere, but the request was denied. Now, when an issue is being raised in Fatehpur, he has lodged an FIR. He has alleged that he arrived at the university on 25 December 2021, but it was during the Covid pandemic. Both the university and Yeshu Darbar were closed. He has alleged Lawrence gave him Rs 15,000 but the latter was out of the station that day,” SHUATS PRO Ramakant Dubey justified.

Two old cases against SHAUTS reopened

Reports mention that while the Police are probing into the religious angle of the case, it has also reopened earlier two police cases filed against the University. One case filed by Rakesh Dwivedi in 2012, accuses the university’s top brass getting arm licenses illegally by submitting fake information about names and addresses. The other one says that the University has not been granted minority status by the government but it claims so.

In 2012, a case was filed against University Vice Chancellor Rajendra B. Lal, director (administration) Vinod B. Lal, current registrar Robin L. Prasad and then registrar Ajai Lawrence under IPC sections 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security, will, etc), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), and 471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record).

The FIR stated that the accused provided fake names and fake signatures despite holding government posts and took licenses for arms, revolver, rifle and double barreled gun from DM Pratapgarh. It stated that, despite having lived in Prayagraj since 1980, the defendants had shown their addresses to be in Sadar Bazar, Pratapgarh, while holding government positions. 

The incident was investigated, and the investigating officer produced a final report (FR, a predecessor to the closure report) in March 2012 after concluding that the accused were not deficient under the sections implicated. Furthermore, the STF is investigating charges that the university did not get minority institution designation from the National Commission for Minority Education Institutions (NCMEI), the authority authorized to provide minority status to educational institutions.

Also on November 8, 2019, the UGC stated in an RTI response to Prayagraj-based Suvrat Kumar Singh, who had written to the UGC inquiring if SHUATS had minority institution status, that minority status is not awarded by it to an educational institution. Since the NCMEI grants minority status, the UGC submitted the inquiry to the commission, which responded on December 11, 2019, that it has not bestowed minority status certificates to SHUATS. 

In the current given case, FIR has been lodged against eight university officials and 40-50 other unidentified persons executing illegal religious conversion of a man. The complaint has been filed under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 120B (criminal conspiracy) and sections 3 and 5 (1) of the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance 2020.

Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed renames Al Minhad area to ‘Hind City’, but it may not mean what you think it means

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed renames Al Minhad area to ‘Hind City’, but it may not mean what you think it means

Dubai’s ruler and Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum issued instructions on Sunday, January 29, to rename Al Minhad area to ‘Hind City’. The city, which has 4 zones, from Hind 1 to Hind 4, is spread over an area of 83.9 square kilometers.

Once the news reached India, quite a few people online made the claim that the Dubai district has been renamed to acknowledge the contribution of Indians. While no official reason has been given for the name change, it may not be the actual reason behind the renaming of the area.

“Hind” can mean quite a few things in Arabic, and is an old Arabic name as well. In fact, Sheikh Mohammed’s first wife is also named Hind. Hind bint Maktoum Al Maktoum, the senior wife of Sheikh Mohammed, married him on 26 April 1979 in a grand ceremony. The couple had 12 children, including the crown prince and next in line for Dubai’s crown, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum. So the district may well be named after her.

Hind can also refer to a large group of camels in Arabic. 100 or more camels are referred to as Hind. Actually, naming your daughters Hind in Arabic meant praying that may she get 100 camels or more.

Then, Hind may refer to India as well. Indians are called Hindi by Arabs.

However, as mentioned, no official reason has been given for the renaming of the district. OpIndia has requested UAE Prime Minister’s office for a comment. This report will be updated if we get the official reason from them for the renaming.

American weapons that fell into the hands of the Taliban after US forces withdrew from Afghanistan are surfacing in Kashmir: Report

OpIndia Staff
-
0
American weapons that fell into the hands of the Taliban after US forces withdrew from Afghanistan are surfacing in Kashmir: Report

A large cache of weapons that fell into the hands of the Taliban when US-led NATO forces withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021, has now made its way to Kashmir in India. Pakistan-backed terrorists operating in the region have been observed to be using M4 carbine assault rifles, M16 rifles, and other US-made arms and ammunition, reports American broadcaster NBC News.

According to the report, the majority of such weapons seized thus far have come from Pakistan-backed terror organisations Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operating in the Kashmir valley.

Experts are concerned that the enormous flow of US-made weaponry to such terror groups in the Kashmir valley may be the beginning of the weapons’ global journey.

According to Lt. Col. Emron Musavi, an Indian army spokesperson in Srinagar, terrorists from both organisations were sent to Afghanistan to fight alongside or train the Taliban. After the US-led NATO forces withdrew, “it can be safely assumed that they have access to the weapons left behind.”

However, when NBC News attempted to contact government authorities in Afghanistan and Pakistan for a comment, they reportedly did not respond.

It may be recalled that last year in July, Kashmir police had said that they have seized an M4 carbine assault rifle after two JeM terrorists were neutralised in an encounter.

Questions about the US-made weapons being used in Kashmir were again raised in January 2022, when a video of terrorists brandishing American-made guns was shared widely on social media platforms.

Major General Ajay Chandpuria, General Officer Commanding (GOC) 19 Infantry Division stationed in Baramulla of North Kashmir also said in an interview with the news agency ANI last year that high-tech weapons left behind by Americans have found their way to Jammu & Kashmir.

Lt. Gov. Manoj Sinha of Jammu and Kashmir stated the government was aware of the issue and that measures were in place to resist the infiltration of US weaponry into Kashmir. “We are monitoring the situation closely and have taken steps accordingly. Our police and army are on the job,” Sinha said on the sidelines of a news conference last year at his official residence in Srinagar.

Weighing in on the issue, Ajai Sahni, executive director of the Institute for Conflict Management, a think tank in New Delhi, had said that the Pak-backed terrorist groups JeM and LeT are purchasing US weapons from the Taliban in Afghanistan, where both groups are reported to have bases, or through smugglers in Pakistan.

US left behind $7 billion of military equipment in Afghanistan during the 2021 withdrawal

Notably, a Defense Department report, published in August 2022, said that roughly $7 billion in military equipment supplied to the Afghan government was left behind in Afghanistan after the US completed its hasty withdrawal in August 2021.

A report by Forbes suggested that America has provided $83 billion worth of training and equipment to Afghan security forces since 2001. That year alone, the U.S. military aid to Afghan forces was $3 billion.

US-made weapons and equipment captured by Taliban were always likely to be sent to Pakistan, to be used against India

Soon after the withdrawal of the NATO forces, many in India raised concerns that these weapons may soon find a way into Pakistan, and then, through Pakistan-sponsored terrorists, to India, especially Jammu and Kashmir. A report by ANI quoted top military experts as saying that these weapons will first be used in Pakistan by the ISI-backed terrorist groups, and will then make their way into India.

“There are a lot of inputs suggesting that American-origin weapons, especially small arms are being sent to Pakistan. But the way terror groups have been emboldened there by the Taliban victory, there is a possibility of these weapons being used for violence in Pakistan itself,” senior military officers told ANI while discussing the Afghanistan war’s outcome.

Bharat Jodo Yatra’s end disappoints Congress, only 8 of 23 invited political parties show up to mark final event in Kashmir

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Bharat Jodo Yatra’s end disappoints Congress, only 8 of 23 invited political parties show up to mark final event in Kashmir

On Monday, Congress’ so-called unity march named ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ led by its leader Rahul Gandhi ended in Kashmir but resulted in a huge disappointment for the party as leaders of only 8 out of 23 political parties attended the final event. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had invited heads of 23 political parties and had asked them to join the Bharat Jodo Yatra’s concluding event. However, only a handful of members managed to make it to the event.

According to the reports, DMK’s Tiruchi Siva, CPI general secretary D Raja, the National Conference’s Omar Abdullah, the PDP’s Mehbooba Mufti, the RSP’s NK Premachandran, BSP MP Shyam Singh Yadav and the IUML’s K Navas Kani attended the event at Sher-I-Kashmir Stadium on January 30. Also present were representatives of the JMM and the VCK.

The Congress expected all parties requested to send members to the celebration at Srinagar’s Sher-e-Kashmir cricket stadium. Congress communication head Jairam Ramesh had said in a press conference at the AICC headquarters earlier this month that there would be meeting and discussions among the heads of political parties ahead of the 2024 elections. “You will see the meeting in Srinagar on the 30th… the aim (of the meeting) is that the Bharat Jodo Yatra is over… what is the next step to be taken in the context of the 2024 elections… there will be some discussions on that,” he had said.

While HD Deve Gowda of the JD(S) and Rajiv Ranjan ‘Lalan’ Singh of the JD(U) had written to Congress head Mallikarjun Kharge expressing their inability to attend the occasion, leaders of the Trinamool Congress, RJD, Samajwadi Party, and CPI(M) failed to attend too. Shiv Sena (Thackeray), NCP, TDP, BSP, RLSP, HAM, MDMK, and Kerala Congress also skipped the meeting. 

However, the majority of its partners including the NCP, Shiv Sena, JMM, and DMK, participated in the Yatra at various locations. When the Yatra entered Maharashtra, Aditya Thackeray (Shiv Sena) and Supriya Sule (NCP) walked alongside Rahul, while Sanjay Raut also recently joined him in Jammu.

Notably, BSP MP Shyam Singh Yadav, who walked beside Rahul when the Yatra passed through Delhi, also attended the ceremony. According to reports, Singh, the MP from Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur seat, did not attend the event as a BSP delegate.

“We all fought together for the independence of the country and liberated it from the British Raj. All secular parties must come together to liberate the country from the BJP Raj,” CPI leader Raja said. While Omar requested Rahul to take up another yatra from the west to the east of the country and promised to walk with him. Mufti meanwhile stated that the public saw a glimmer of hope in Rahul Gandhi. 

“A historic movement was undertaken. Rahul Gandhi has proved that he is the right leader to fight against these divisive forces,” RSP’s Premchandran extended support to the Congress Party.

The five-month march began in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu’s southernmost town, and ended in Srinagar, the state capital of Jammu and Kashmir. Though the march attracted large crowds around the country and received support from several celebrities, it is difficult to say if this attempt of Rahul Gandhi would help him get votes in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections. 

Last week it was reported that India’s citizens appear to be content with the performance of the Narendra Modi-led NDA administration. According to the India Today-CVoter Mood of the Nation survey, if the Lok Sabha elections were conducted today, the Bharatiya Janata Party would win 284 seats and the Congress party would win 191 seats only.

Uttar Pradesh: Kasganj youth Aarif abducts Hindu minor girl, his brothers Tahir, Abid issue death threats to victim’s family, booked

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Uttar Pradesh: Kasganj youth Aarif abducts Hindu minor girl, his brothers Tahir, Abid issue death threats to victim’s family, booked

On Monday, the Uttar Pradesh Police registered an official complaint against a person named Aarif for abducting a Hindu minor girl in the Kasganj district of the state. The case has been registered based on the complaint filed by family members of the victim. Brothers of Aarif identified as Tahir, Moti and Abid have also been booked in the case.

According to the report published by Amar Ujala, the incident is said to have happened on January 23 when the family members of the victim had gone to the fields for their job and the girl was alone at home. Aarif who stays in the same village arrived at the girl’s home and took her forcefully with him.

The family members reached home to see their minor girl missing and they began searching for her. During their search, they discovered that Aarif had taken the girl away with him. They then went to Aarif’s home in search of their daughter. But his brothers Tahir, Moti and Abid happened to verbally assault them.

Aarif’s family members and his brothers also physically assaulted the victim’s family as they constantly kept on inquiring about their minor daughter. They also were issued death threats by the accused’s brothers.

The victim’s family members then immediately reached the Police station and registered a police complaint against the accused and his brothers. They mentioned in the complaint that Aarif had abducted their daughter and his brorthers, Tahir, Moti and Abid had issued death threats to them.

The police has registered an FIR based on the complaint filed by the family members of the victim and have launched an investigation in the case. The accused has been booked under the relevant sections of the law.

Australia: Tiny radioactive capsule ‘smaller than human fingernail’ goes missing, now they are searching for it along a 1400 km long road

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Australia: Tiny radioactive capsule ‘smaller than human fingernail’ goes missing, now they are searching for it along a 1400 km long road

In Australia’s wide western stretch, local authorities and employees from mining company Rio Tinto are searching for a needle in a very, very big haystack. To be specific, they are searching for a tiny, but ‘deadly’ radioactive capsule that got lost along a 1400 km long road.

As per reports, a tiny capsule of Cesium-137, the size of 6mm x 8mm, smaller than a coin and smaller than the average human fingernail, has gone missing after it fell away from a transport truck. The capsule is radioactive and emits gamma rays, which can be dangerous. (Well, the same rays that turned Dr Bruce Banner into The Hulk).

A truck was transporting the capsule from Rio Tinto’s Gudai-Darri mine in the Pilbara region to Perth when it ‘fell off somewhere’. But there is more to the story. The company realised that the capsule was missing only after an inspection on January 25. It was seen the last time on January 12.

It is believed that vibrations and rattlings in the truck may have caused the bolts to come loose during transport, eventually making the gauge tumble out and fall. When the truck was opened for inspection, they reportedly found the gauge broken apart, with mounting bolts missing and some screws gone.

Now, there are concerns that the tiny capsule may have got stuck in the tyre of a passing vehicle and can be just about anywhere in Australia. The search teams are equipped with sensors that can detect radiation emitted from the capsule around a 20-metre radius.

Authorities have released statements, asking people to be careful and not to touch the capsule if they see it. The capsule, though not exactly fatal, can cause serious radiation sickness in people who come in direct contact with it. While driving past it may be the same as getting an X-Ray done in terms of radiation exposure, prolonged contact can cause skin burns and even cancer.

It has a half-life of about 30 years.

Rio Tinto has, in the meanwhile, apologised for their mistake and is assisting the authorities in the search.

Gamma rays are among the most dangerous type of radiation as they are capable of stripping electrons out, thus damaging cells and even the DNA.

The tiny capsule has a radioactive load of 19 gigabecquerels, roughly equivalent to 10 medical X-Rays per hour. Such capsules are used in the mining industry to measure the density of iron ores, as per a report in DW.

Canada: Khalistanis deface Hindu temple with anti-India graffiti in Brampton

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Canada: Khalistanis deface Hindu temple with anti-India graffiti in Brampton

A Hindu temple, Gauri Shankar Mandir, was desecrated by Khalistani extremists in Brampton city in Ontario province of Canada.

As per reports, 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.

After the matter came to light, the Canadian authorities initiated a probe into the matter. In a statement, the Indian Consulate in Toronto said, “We strongly condemn defacing of Gauri Shankar Mandir in Brampton, a symbol of Indian heritage, with anti-India graffiti.”

“The hateful act of vandalism has deeply hurt sentiments of Indian community in Canada. We have raised our concerns on the matter with Canadian authorities,” it further added.

Meanwhile the Mayor of Brampton, Patrick Brown, has also condemned the attack on Gauri Shankar Mandir. “This hateful act of vandalism has no place in our City or Country. I have raised my concerns over this hate crime with @ChiefNish and @PeelPolice. Everyone deserves to feel safe in their place of worship.”

Canadian Parliamentarian Chandra Arya tweeted, “The attack of Gauri Shankar Mandir in Brampton is latest in attacks on Hindu temples in Canada by anti-Hindu and anti-India groups.”

“From hatred on social media, now physical attacks on Hindu temples, what next? I call on govt at levels in Canada to start taking this seriously,” he added.

This is not the first case in which Hindu temples have been targeted by extremists in Canada.

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.

Indian High Commission in Ottawa, condemned the acts of vandalism at the BAPS Swaminarayan Temple and urged the Canadian authorities to take necessary action. In February 2022, six Hindu temples were attacked in Toronto.

The attackers stole money from donation boxes as well as ornaments from the stolen idols. The attacks on the temples began on January 15, with an unsuccessful break-in at the Shri Hanuman Mandir in Brampton, a GTA town. The miscreants tried again and have since gone on a tirade.

Italian woman arrested after she assaults cabin crew, gets partially naked for being denied free business class upgrade: Details

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Italian woman arrested after she assaults cabin crew, gets partially naked for being denied free business class upgrade: Details

On Monday (January 30) morning, an Italian passenger was arrested for creating a ruckus onboard a Vistara Airline flight from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Mumbai.

As per a report by The Times of India, the 45-year-old woman assaulted, spat on cabin crew members and went partially naked after being asked to return to her economy-class seat.

The accused, identified as one Paola Perruccio, sat in business class despite holding an economy-class ticket. When she was asked to return to her original seat, a drunken Paola punched a cabin crew member named LS Khan (24) and spat on another onboard the flight.

She also hurled the choicest of expletives, partially removed her clothes and created inconvenience for other passengers. Following consultation with the flight captain, the cabin crew overpowered the Italian passenger and tied her to a seat on the rear end of the plane.

A complaint was registered against her with the Sahar police by the Vistara airline staff. After the flight landed at the Mumbai airport at 5 am on Monday (January 30), the cops arrested her, confiscated her passport and also filed a chargesheet in the case.

Paola Perruccio was produced before a court in Andheri, which granted her bail on a surety bond of ₹25000. LS Khan, the assaulted cabin crew member said, “She was in seat 11C in the economy class when she suddenly ran to the business class and sat on seat No. 1. She punched my face when I requested her not to sit in business class.”

“When another cabin crew member ran to help me and told the flyer she could not misbehave on board, she spat on her. Paola removed her clothes on board and kept walking in the open space on board. The cabin crew tried to calm her and said her act was disturbing other flyers. But she continued hurling abuses,” he added.

DCP (zone VIII) Dikshit Gedam told TOI, “The flyer has been booked for an act endangering life or personal safety and other bailable offences under the Indian Penal Code and The Aircraft Rules, 1937.”

A cop at the Sahar police station also informed, “The preliminary report of Perruccio’s medical examination showed she was inebriated during the journey, though the exact cause of the incident is yet to be known.”

In her defence, Paola’s lawyer Prabhakar Tripathi claimed, “Details have been submitted before the court that Perruccio wanted to complain against Vistara because of the bad services provided to her.”

He further alleged, “She was going to the washroom but was not allowed. The situation arose because of an on-flight ruckus between her and the crew members which ended in a case being filed against her. The court has also been told that police have seized her passport illegally.”

While speaking about the ordeal, a Vistara spokesperson said, “In view of continued unruly conduct and violent behaviour, the captain issued a warning card and made a decision to restrain the customer. The pilot made regular announcements to assure the other customers on board of their safety.”

“In accordance with the guidelines and our stringent SOPs, the security agencies on-ground were informed to take immediate action upon arrival. The incident has been reported to relevant authorities as per SOPs,” the official added.

Recently, a Dammam-bound passenger, Jauhar Ali Khan, was found publicly urinating in front of departure gate no 6 at IGI’s T3 airport in New Delhi on January 8. Delhi Police has said that he was arrested and then later released on a bail bond.

In November last year, a 34-year-old Shankar Mishra allegedly urinated on a 70-year-old woman onboard an Air India flight while under the influence of alcohol.

Pakistan: Sikh family abused, threatened with murder by local Muslims in Jacobabad, Sindh

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Pakistan: Sikh family abused, threatened with murder by local Muslims in Jacobabad, Sindh

On January 30, Narain Das Bheel, Founder and Chief Organiser of the Hindu Organization of Sindh published a video on the social media platform Twitter where Sikhs of Jacobabad in Sindh, Pakistan could be heard narrating the incidents of atrocities they are facing. The Sikh individual identified as Harish Singh was allegedly abused and hackled by the Muslim community.

In the video, Singh told that the incident took place when he was picking up his daughters from school. He was hackled and threatened to kill. The attackers also threatened to kill his daughters. Singh added that his daughters were afraid and refused to go to school.

Singh urged the locals to stand up for him and save him from the atrocities. He said, “I am pleading with the locals of Jacobabad with folded hands that on January 26 when I was coming back after picking up my daughters, there was a lot of crowd on the road. Bike-borne Muslims abused and threatened to kill me and my daughters. They hit my scooter. I suffered an injury in my leg. My daughters are worried. They are refusing to go to school.” He added that the Sikh community living in the area gave respect and votes to the Muslim leaders. He appealed to them and the local community to support him and save his family. Singh further added, “One fish should not be allowed to spoil the pond.”

Atrocities against Sikhs in Pakistan

Islamic extremists in Pakistan have made it extremely difficult for minorities to sustain a normal life. There have been several reports of abductions, forced conversions and killings of Sikhs along with other minorities in the country. OpIndia reported several incidents where Sikh women and young girls were abducted and converted to Islam.

Notably, in 2017, Sikhs were excluded from the census in Pakistan. This was the first time the minority group was not included in the census. The official number of Sikhs in the country is not available. However, as per an India Today report from February 2022, the population of Sikhs have come down to around 8,000 in 2022 compared to 40,000 in 2002. In just two decades, there has been around 80 per cent fall in the population of Sikhs in the country.

In August 2021, it was reported that Sikhs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa protested as Islamists forcibly converted a female Sikh teacher and perform her nikah. A young female teacher from the Sikh community was allegedly kidnapped on Saturday, and on the next day, her family was informed that the young girl is now married to a Muslim person. There is deep resentment in the Sikh community due to this incident.

Dina Kaur, a Sikh teacher was kidnapped on August 21, 2022. On the next day, her family members knew about the forced marriage and subsequent conversion. The family reached the police station where nobody cared to register their complaint. According to the family members, the local police have not registered any FIR and have asked the Sikhs to be silent on this issue.

In December 2022, The Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) of Pakistan shut down Gurdwara Shaheed Bhai Taru Singh in Lahore for worship, declaring that it is a mosque. Pakistan’s ETPB, together with certain fundamental extremists, locked down the Gurdwara, infuriating the Sikh community. the controversy over the existence of the Gurdwara situated in Lahore has been long-running now. The Gurdwara was constructed in the place where Sikh fighter Bhai Taru Singh was executed in 1745 by the Mughals. The Gurdwara was built on the grounds where the Shaheed Ganj Mosque existed earlier. This has led to the dispute that continues even today.

No voice from pro-Khalistani elements against atrocities on Sikhs in Pakistan

Interestingly, despite continued attacks on Sikhs in Pakistan, pro-Khalistan elements like the terrorist organisation Sikhs For Justice, its founder Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, and Pakistani Sikh leader Gopal Singh Chawla have shown their pro-Pakistan mentality on several occasions. Pannu, who seek a separate Sikh nation, never talk about the Punjab which is part of Pakistan. He sought support from then-Imran Khan Government in the creation of Khalistan. Khalistani elements operating in India often get funding and ammunition from the neighbouring country.

Pro-Khalistani elements hardly ever talk against Pakistan. In fact, Pannu even claimed that the minority community is living “happily” in Pakistan. In a reply to Global Strat View on the inclusion of Pakistan’s Punjab in Khalistan, Pannu had said, “There are 20,000 or 25,000 Sikhs who are living happily and they call Pakistan their home.”

Not to forget, several wanted Khalistani terrorists are living in Pakistan. In September 2022, Gajinder Singh, the co-founder of the Khalistani terrorist organization Dal Khalsa and an accused hijacker of a 1981 Indian Airlines flight revealed his current location in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The revelation was made after he published a photograph of himself posing in front of a gurudwara on his Facebook profile. The gurudwara in the background was Gurudwara Shri Panja Sahib Ji, located in Hasan Abdal, Pakistan.

The truth of ‘special screening’ of Pathaan at Rashrapati Bhavan, which wasn’t special at all: Details

OpIndia Staff
-
0
The truth of ‘special screening’ of Pathaan at Rashrapati Bhavan, which wasn’t special at all: Details

On Sunday, January 29, the news spread that a “special screening” of the Shah Rukh Khan starrer Pathaan was held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. However, a basic check tells us that it wasn’t so “special”.

While the film Pathaan was indeed screened at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre by an association of employees working for the President, there was nothing ‘special’ about it, because every week a film is screened there. The screening of movies is part of perks available to employees of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The confusion was created by the following tweet by SM Khan, who is a former secretariat employee.

SM Khan, who happens to be a member of PSOI (President Secretariat Officers Association) by virtue of being a former secretariat employee, tweeted that a “special screening” of Pathaan was taking place at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, leading to the confusion. It should be noted that it is the PSOI that organises such movie screenings at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, however, this was by no means a “special screening” as tweeted by Khan.

“It will be entirely inaccurate to call such routine screenings of movies as ‘special screening’ or some kind of official event by Rashtrapati Bhavan,” a senior official of the President secretariat told OpIndia, “It wasn’t even special in the sense that it was shown prior to public release. Such screenings are a routine affair.”

These screenings are not official events of the President’s office and using her name for such screenings is highly disingenuous.

The “special screening” is an official event, which is attended by the President. However, the President had not attended Pathaan’s screening. In fact, even the senior officials attached to the president’s office didn’t bother to attend the film’s screening, OpIndia has learnt. As explained earlier, this was a regular movie screening organised by PSOI once every week.

“A special screening of a movie is a technical term where the honourable President is invited and when the President attends such a screening. The President didn’t attend the screening of Pathaan. In fact, most senior officials too had not attended,” the official further clarified.

However, the marketing team of Pathaan hasn’t bothered with these minor details and propagated that a special screening was held for the film at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The same was then reported by the media without adding any details or context.

Notably, the last movie the President attended at the cultural center was ‘The Kashmir Files’, which went on a record-breaking theatrical run in 2022.

1...2,4762,4772,478...7,603Page 2,477 of 7,603