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Punjab: Free electricity leads to a 12% jump in power consumption in January, unpaid bills and summer months ahead cause concern

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab: Free electricity leads to a 12% jump in power consumption in January, unpaid bills and summer months ahead cause concern

Punjab power minister Harbhajan Singh has said in a statement that compared to January 2022, the monthly power consumption in the state has gone up by 12 per cent. The minister added that Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) met the demand successfully by optimum utilisation of the resources. As per reports, 54,237 million units were consumed in January 2022 which rose to 60,762 units million units this year.

As per the officials, the rise in consumption can be attributed to two reasons. First, there was an intense cold wave and second, the government of Punjab under the Aam Aadmi Party is providing 600 units of free electricity in a billing cycle.

PSPCL met the requirement by arranging electricity from outside the state. Punjab’s thermal and hydropower generation capacity was also increased. Notably, the thermal power generation from PSPCL-owned plants in Lehra and Ropar was increased by 128 per cent. These two units produced 2,736 million units in January 2022. However, in January 2023 the power general was clocked at 6,229 million units.

Similarly, the power generation in hydro projects owned by PSPCL and BBMB increased by 21 per cent and 13 per cent respectively. In PSPCL-owned hydropower units, the power generation was upped from 2,946 million units to 3,567 million units. In BBMB, it increased from 3,067 million units to 3,454 million units.

There has been a sharp increase in the banking of power with other states. As per reports, compared to 1,917 million units in January 2022, 3,487 million units of electricity were consumed that were banked from other states.

The real test is yet to begin

The power consumption in winter is comparatively less in the state. The real test will begin as the temperature will soar in the coming months. Since the government of Punjab announced free 300 units of electricity per month, consumption has consistently increased compared to previous years. For example, in September last year, the power demand rose by 22 per cent.

With the increased demand for power, scheduled and unscheduled power cuts have become more frequent in the state. At the beginning of this year, the state saw a rise of 27 per cent in the demand, that too when historically power consumption is at its lowest during January. There were frequent power cuts reported in the state but the authorities maintained they were just “technical snags”.

Recently, the power engineers in the state warned the government that the state may face power shortages or blackouts in the upcoming paddy season if immediate corrective and timely actions are not taken. The PSEB Engineers’ Association wrote to the Chief Minister saying the “costly indecisions” including mounting subsidy bill, widening expenditure gap and no substantial increase in power generation will cause problems in the coming month.

Subsidy and non-payment of the subsidy bill by the government were stated as prominent reasons in the letter. “Punjab Government’s annual power subsidy bill in this financial year is expected to cross Rs 19,000 crore in 2022-23, which includes free and subsidized power to industries, agriculture, and domestic consumers, that too without considering the backlog subsidy payment of Rs 9,020 crores,” said the association.

Furthermore, the association accused the government of “deliberately underestimating the expenditure” on power subsidy by almost Rs 7,000 crore. The association said, “Now, with no budget provision for this big gap in expenditure, PSPCL is being forced to arrange funds on its own by loans from banks and financial institutions at high-interest rates and this lending will increase the overall cost of power for the ordinary consumers.”

The association also alleged that some politically backed elements in the state are using “every mean possible” to keep their consumption “below the 600 units threshold”. Such elements, according to the association are creating trouble for the corporation staff and stopping them from conducting vigilant activities to stop electricity theft.

Lord Hanuman idol vandalised, uprooted, Shivling, Trishul and Nandi statue broken in a temple in Varanasi, UP: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Lord Hanuman idol vandalised, uprooted, Shivling, Trishul and Nandi statue broken in a temple in Varanasi, UP: Details

In the wee hours of Monday, February 6, unknown miscreants broke into a Hanuman temple in Narapat Pur village, Chairaigaon Block, Varanasi district, Uttar Pradesh, and vandalised the Lord Hanuman idol. A Shivling, Trishul, and a Nandi idol were also found to be uprooted and desecrated. The donation box was also broken and looted.

The incident came to the fore when devotees reached the temple and saw the idols kept in the sanctum sanctorum desecrated. The locals informed the local police who immediately reached the spot and started a probe into the matter. The CCTV footage was collected based on which the police said the miscreants would be identified and nabbed.

The police pacified the angry locals who gathered in the temple and protested against the attack on their temple. The police assured that the idols would be restored in the same place in the temple and the miscreants would be apprehended and punished.

In fact, the Varanasi police also took to Twitter to inform that a case under relevant sections of the IPC has been registered in the case at the Choubepur police station and the police are taking proactive steps to resolve that case and nab the accused at the earliest.

As per reports, the incident occurred at around 3 am on Monday, February 6. The miscreants broke the Hanuman idol kept in the temple’s sanctum sanctorum. The Shivling was missing. The Nandi statue and the Trishul were uprooted, vandalised and strewn around the floor.

In the morning, when a local villager named Sitaram Yadav arrived at the temple to pay his obeisance, he was horrified to see the temple vandalised. In no time several other devotees gathered at the temple. Angered by the vandalism at the place of worship, the locals protested and demanded strict action against the unknown accused.

On receiving the information, Chaubepur police station in-charge Rajesh Singh, along with the heavy police force, reached the spot. The police assured the devotees that the miscreants would be identified through the CCTV footage.

“During the investigation, it was also found that the miscreants took away the money from the donation box. “The miscreants will be identified based on CCTV footage. The idols will be installed in the temple with immediate effect. Search is on to arrest the miscreants,” said Chaubepur police station in-charge Rajesh Singh.

Prior to this, unknown miscreants robbed the Dih Baba temple in the Shivpur police station jurisdiction, which is apparently very close to the Chairaigaon Block where the aforementioned incident occurred. According to reports, miscreants stole around ten lakh rupees by breaking ten donation boxes placed at the temple. The thieves had also uprooted the DVR connected to the temple’s CCTV on their way out.

Last year, local Hindu worshippers caught a youth named Yakub red-handed vandalizing an idol of a deity placed in a Shiv temple in the Titawi village in Baghara Block in Muzaffarnagar District of Uttar Pradesh. Angry locals caught hold of Yakub, who was trying to flee after vandalizing the idol and handed him over to the police.

Assam: 60 Qazis arrested as state cracks down on child marriages

OpIndia Staff
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Assam: 60 Qazis arrested as state cracks down on child marriages

2278 accused, including 60 Qazis, were arrested till Sunday, 5th February 2023, from districts of central and lower Assam having a large population of illegal Bangladeshi Muslims. These arrests took place as the police acted on more than 4,000 FIRs regarding child marriage cases in Assam.

The step was taken after the Assam government’s decision on January 23 to arrest and punish men who have married minor girls, that is, girls below the age of 18 years.

The Assam government instructed police to round up men who married girls below the age of 14 years under the POCSO act and apprehend those who married girls between the age group of 14 to 18 under the prohibition of the child marriage act.

More than 8000 accused were named in the 4074 cases registered in such cases. Most of these child marriages took place in the lower and central Assam districts having a large population of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.

Assam’s chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “More than one lakh underage girls were married off and many of them became child mothers in the recent years including a girl who was just nine years old when she delivered a baby. Action will also be taken against the parents as well as priests or Qazis who performed these illegal marriages.”

According to reports, more than 100 weddings were canceled in the Barak Valley district alone as the police undertook this massive crackdown. Meanwhile, the wives of the arrested men have started a protest demanding the release of their husbands. They have said that their husband is the only earning person in the family so he may be excused.

Chhattisgarh: BJP leader Neelkanth Kekkem dragged from home, hacked to death in front of family members by left-wing terrorists

OpIndia Staff
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Chhattisgarh: BJP leader Neelkanth Kekkem dragged from home, hacked to death in front of family members by left-wing terrorists

In a horrific incident of targeted killing by left-wing terrorists in Chhattisgarh, a Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) leader Neelkanth Kakkem was brutally hacked to death in the state’s Bijapur district on Sunday, February 5. According to reports, three Maoists, who came armed, dragged the BJP Mandal president of Usoor Block out of his house and beheaded him in front of his family members.

The leader had reportedly gone to his ancestral house in the Awapalli village in Usoor Tehsil in the Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh to attend the wedding of his sister-in-law when he was attacked with axes and knives by left-wing terrorists.

On receiving the information, the police reached the spot and sent the body for post-mortem. A case has been registered under relevant sections and a probe into the murder was initiated.

“It has been learned that the armed cadres of the proscribed CPI (M) attacked Neelkanth with axes and other sharp weapons till he collapsed and died on the spot,” Chandrakant Gavarna, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ACP) said.

The ACP further said, “We received news that Maoists have killed a civilian in Paikram village under Awapalli police station limits, following which a police team immediately rushed to the spot and seized the video.”

The ACP further added that according to information received, over 150 armed Maoists had arrived in the village to carry out the attack, but only three reached the BJP leader’s house and attacked him. The Maoists were in plain clothes.

Meanwhile, Lalita Kakkem, Neelkanth Kakkem’s wife, stated that three individuals forcibly pulled Neelkanth outside the home and brutally hacked him in front of family members and other locals before fleeing the scene.

According to authorities, the Maoists had already issued an ultimatum to the deceased BJP leader.

Notably, there is a long and endless list of security personnel and civilians killed in the attacks carried out by left-wing terrorists in Chhattisgarh. These attacks have been a grim reminder of the menace of Maoist terrorism afflicting the state.

RSS chief did not mention Brahmin caste: know how the media misquoted a part of Mohan Bhagwat’s Marathi speech

OpIndia Staff
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RSS chief did not mention Brahmin caste: know how the media misquoted a part of Mohan Bhagwat’s Marathi speech

On Sunday (February 5, 2023) RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat delivered a speech in Marathi at an event organized to mark the birth anniversary of Saint Ravidas. After this, the media, without understanding his point, ran reports saying that he had said something against the Brahmins. ANI and Aaj Tak were the first among those who made such mistakes. Mohan Bhagwat used the word ‘Pandit’, which means ‘scholar’ in Marathi.

Mohan Bhagwat did not name the Brahmin caste, rather, he meant ‘scholars’

Pandit is a word that has now gone into the English dictionary and is extensively used by people across the world. For example, those who understand politics are also called ‘political pandits’ in the western world.

ANI first quoted Mohan Bhagwat as saying this statement – “We also have a responsibility towards society. When everything is for society, how did one become higher, one lower, or different? God has always said that for me everyone is equal, there is no difference based on their caste or creed. But, the classification that the Pandits created – was wrong.”

Later ANI itself admitted its mistake and said that the tweet was deleted due to an error in translation. Then ANI re-translated and published this statement of Mohan Bhagwat – “Truth’s God, says he’s omnipresent. Whatever the name, ability & honour the same; no differences. What some Pandits say on basis of Shaastras is a lie. We’re misled by the caste superiority illusion. Illusion has to be set aside.”

It is clear enough that Mohan Bhagwat was talking about uniting Hindus here and giving a message to see and respect everyone equally. He did not name the Brahmin caste. RSS’s all-India publicity head Sunil Ambekar shared a video and told what Mohan Bhagwat actually said. According to this, Mohan Bhagwat said, “The truth is that He resides in all beings. Therefore, whatever His name, the merit being addressed is the same and the respect is also the same. There is a sense of belongingness about everyone. No one is high or low. On the basis of scriptures, scholars talk about caste-based highs and lows – they are lies.”

This is how the media published RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s statement.

What did the RSS chief say?

While talking about Saint Ravidas, Mohan Bhagwat said, “Seeing all the neglect, it came to Saint Ravidas’ mind that ‘I should find the truth’. He asked what is the path of eternal happiness? Saint Ravidas was wondering if the path really was like that. He decided not to go by what he had earlier heard and take first-hand experience. Sant Ravidas attained the closeness of Swami Ramananda. Then he realized that the truth is God.”

Mohan Bhagwat further said, “The truth tells us that He resides in all beings. Therefore, whatever His name, the merit being addressed is the same and the respect is also the same. There is a sense of belongingness about everyone. No one is high or low. On the basis of scriptures, scholars talk about caste-based highs and lows – they are lies. We have been confused by being trapped in the idea of caste. This confusion should be removed. Society must be told that our knowledge and tradition do not tell us anything like this. Our tradition states that truth, religion, and karma should never be abandoned. Even if I die, I will not leave give up my Dharma. One such incident happened in his (Saint Ravidas) life.”

The RSS chief explained how Sikandar Lodi first fraudulently called Saint Ravidas and asked him ‘explain to us what is your religion?’ Mohan Bhagwat said, “Saint Ravidas ji told him about his Dharma. To this, Lodi replied saying ‘your religion is useless, our Islam is better than this, you become a Muslim.’ No one had any grudge against Muslims. Saint Ravidas also didn’t even have hatred.”

Mohan Bhagwat added, “Saint Ravidas also told Lodi that whether it be Hindus or Muslims truth is one and all are children of God. The truth is the same, but that doesn’t mean that one has to change his belief. Stay firm on your own faith. All the paths are going to go to the same place. Choose yours according to your own nature, whether the path is good or bad is not a matter. What matters is what is your nature.”

Mohan Bhagwat was quoting Saint Ravidas here. The saint told Sikandar Lodi and said that he will not give up his Dharma. According to Mohan Bhagwat, Sant Ravidas told Sikandar Lodi that the religion of the Vedas is the best, even better than Islam.

Mohan Bhagwat further said, “The debate was going on, so he had to give such an argument. Sikandar Lodi locked him in jail. But what happened in prison? He had a Darshan of Saguna Krishna. On the other hand, the people of Delhi, Fatehpur Sikri, and Sikandar Lodi started seeing Ravidas ji everywhere. They panicked and surrendered to the Saint. Sikandar Lodi’s plan was to crush him under the elephant’s foot and kill him. Even if life is in danger, he told society with his example ‘do not give up your Dharma’. That Dharma is eternal Dharma.”

Rajasthan: FIR filed against Baba Ramdev for his speech in Barmer where he lambasted Islamists and Christian evangelists

OpIndia Staff
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Rajasthan: FIR filed against Baba Ramdev for his speech in Barmer where he lambasted Islamists and Christian evangelists

On Sunday, 5th February 2023, Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev was booked on charges of inciting hatred and upsetting religious sentiments. This action was taken against him due to his alleged ‘controversial’ comments before a gathering of seers in Rajasthan’s Barmer region.

According to the Rajasthan police, Pathai Khan, a 42-year-old local, submitted a complaint on Sunday at the Chohtan police station in Barmer over the Yoga Guru’s remarks during a meeting of seers.

Baba Ramdev compared Hinduism with Islam and Christianity, asserting that the other two religions were conversion-obsessed whereas Hinduism encouraged its adherents to do good. In his complaint, Khan said that Baba Ramdev had made his remarks “deliberately… so that a spirit of animosity and hatred is formed against Islam” and that they had “hurt the feelings of crores of Muslims.”

Baba Ramdev is booked under sections 153 (promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), and 298 (uttering, words, etc., with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person) of the IPC.

On 2nd February 2023, Baba Ramdev lambasted Islamists and Christian evangelists for forcibly converting people to Islam and Christianity.

During his recent visit to the Barmer district in Rajasthan, the Hindu spiritual leader addressed a religious gathering and remarked, “Ask any Muslim what does his religion say? He will tell you that you offer Namaz 5 times and then do whatever you like – be it abducting a Hindu woman or committing any evil.”

Baba Ramdev said, “Some say they will convert the whole world into Islam, some say they will convert the whole world into Christianity, but they have no agenda regarding what to do after that. This is not the case in Sanatan Dharma. It has been said in Sanatan Dharma that wake up in Brahma Muhurat. Remember God. Do yoga, meditation, and service. This is Sanatan Dharma. Stay aware of your Dharma and always be ready for the call of Dharma Gurus. Stand up wherever the Dharma Gurus say.”

‘Not entertainable’: Meghalaya HC dismisses plea filed by jailed TMC leader Saket Gokhale against NPP for violation of electoral rules

OpIndia Staff
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‘Not entertainable’: Meghalaya HC dismisses plea filed by jailed TMC leader Saket Gokhale against NPP for violation of electoral rules

The Meghalaya High Court recently dismissed a writ petition filed by TMC national spokesperson Saket Gokhale demanding action against the National People’s Party (NPP) for failing to file their expenditure report within 75 days of the 2018 Assembly elections.

The court ruled that the dispute sought to be raised by the writ petitioner, Saket Gokhale, will not be entertainable under Article 226 of the Constitution, more particularly since the election process is already underway.

“This Court having come to a finding on the maintainability of the writ petition to be barred by Article 329(b), the other questions and the authorities placed are not gone into or discussed, and this writ petition accordingly stands dismissed, as not maintainable,” the court ruled.

Notably, TMC leader Saket Gokhale, who is currently in jail for misusing money he had collected through crowdfunding, had moved the Meghalaya High Court in December 2022, alleging that the state’s ruling party violated Rule 16A of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968 by not filing its election expenditure report within 75 days of the completion of the State Assembly Elections 2018.

The counsel for the NPP contested Gokhale’s claim, arguing that the writ petition was not maintainable in view of the bar under Article 329(b) of the Constitution of India. He claimed, citing Article 329(b) of the Constitution, that there is a constitutional prohibition against Courts interfering in electoral processes.

He further argued that the prohibition on intervention extends to all matters directly or indirectly related to the electoral process, which is currently underway in the state of Meghalaya, where elections to the Legislative Assembly have been notified for January 18, 2023.

Furthermore, he questioned the “excessive delay” purportedly used to hit the preset plea. “The filing of the election expenditure report relates to 2018, whereas, the writ petitioner has instituted the present writ petition only in 2022, without providing any explanation for the delay in preferring the same,” NPP counsel submitted. 

The counsel asserted that Saket Gokhale had filed the current petition with a political motive, just before the 2023 elections, at the behest of the political party to which he belongs.

On the contrary, Gokhale’s senior counsel told the court that when he learned that the NPP had not filed election expense statements for multiple elections, including the Meghalaya Assembly Elections in 2018, he filed the current petition.

The court, meanwhile, after hearing the arguments of both sides, stated that the election process had already been set in motion “therefore, apart from a proceeding under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, no other forum can adjudicate in such matters.” As a result, the court ruled that the complaint raised by Gokhale will not be entertained under Article 226 of the Constitution because the electoral process is already underway.

Meghalaya Govt files criminal defamation suit against TMC’s Saket Gokhale

It may be noted that the TMC leader had last year also claimed that the Meghalaya Ecotourism Infrastructure Development Project had anomalies of Rs 632 crore. According to Saket Gokhale, “These irregularities have happened under the company Meghalayan Age which is spearheaded by CM Conrad Sangma’s top aide IAS officer D Vijay Kumar.”

On December 10 2022, the Meghalaya government filed a criminal defamation suit against Trinamool Congress (TMC) national spokesperson Saket Gokhale for maligning the reputation of the state government by making “deliberate, derogatory and malicious” claims against a state-owned tourism firm.

Refuting all of the accusations levelled against the government, the Deputy Chief Minister of Meghalaya- Prestone Tynsong termed Gokhale a ‘psycho’ and warned him of legal action.

TMC leader accused of misappropriating ₹1.07 crore collected through crowdfunding

Ironically, TMC leader Saket Gokhale, who has accused the Meghalaya government of misappropriating funds, is himself in jail for misusing funds raised through crowdfunding. In fact, on December 29, Gokhale was arrested in Delhi by the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch. Gokhale is accused of misappropriating ₹1.07 crore collected from the public through crowd-funding. Saket Gokhale was charged under sections 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust), and 467 (forgery) of the Indian Penal Code.

On January 25, the Enforcement Directorate arrested Gokhale under sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in Ahmedabad and sent him to custody till January 31 by a city court.

Recently, the Gujarat HC had dismissed the bail application filed by Trinamool Congress (TMC) spokesperson Saket Gokhale observing that prima facie it appears that Gokhale had utilised the funds raised for his personal expenses. Noting that the case is of the nature of fraud and cheating and that the investigation is still going on and that the necessary evidence is to be recovered, the court denied bail to the TMC leader.

Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif flexes ‘nuclear’ muscle against India even as his country faces worst economic crisis

ANI
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Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif flexes ‘nuclear’ muscle against India even as his country faces worst economic crisis

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif claimed that India would not be able to cast an evil eye on his nuclear-armed country, which has the “power to pullout the enemy’s evil eye and crush it under its feet.” 

In an address in PoK on Sunday, as streamed by various YouTube channels the Pakistan Prime Minister said, “Pakistan is a nuclear power and India cannot look at us with an evil eye. We have the power to take it out and crush it under the feet.” The Pakistan PM also raked up the Kashmir issue again by underlining the need of gaining economic and political stability “to get freedom for the Kashmiris.” 

He said, “Pakistan will continue to lend moral, diplomatic and political support to the Kashmir cause, until its freedom from Indian oppression.” 

This is not the first time that Pakistan has been flexing its nuclear muscle in front of India. Time and again, Islamabad has escalated the cross-border issues and has also stated how the country’s nuclear assets “meet each and every international standard in accordance with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).” 

At Sunday’s rally, Sharif is heard saying, “Yeh jo badi badi riyasatein hain jinhone jabhooriyat k libase odh rakhein hai…. toh jiski laathi uski bhais (All these big big nations who have cloaked themselves under democracy seems like they are doing whatever they wish to, unchallenged.)” 

However, in an interview with Dubai-based Al Arabiya TV early this January, the Pakistan Prime Minister stated that after three wars with India it has learnt its lesson and now wants peace with its neighbour. “We have learnt our lesson, and we want to live in peace with India, provided we are able to resolve our genuine problems,” Sharif said. 

Sharif also called for “serious and sincere talks” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on “burning points like Kashmir.” “My message to the Indian leadership and Prime Minister Modi is that let’s sit down on the table and have serious and sincere talks to resolve our burning points like Kashmir. It is up to us to live peacefully and make progress or quarrel with each other and waste time and resources,” Sharif said. 

With reference to Sharif’s interview, a spokesperson of the Pakistan Prime Minister’s Office raked up the issue of Kashmir and called for the restoration of Article 370. 

“Prime Minister has repeatedly stated on record that talks can only take place after India had reversed its illegal action of August 5, 2019; without India’s revocation of this step, negotiations are not possible. The settlement of the Kashmir dispute must be in accordance with the UN resolutions & the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” read a statement by the Pakistan PMO. 

Meanwhile, the Pakistan PM at Sunday’s rally in PoK touched on the financial crisis faced by his country. “We are faced with huge financial challenges. While I talk to you here, an IMF delegation in Islamabad combing every book and subsidy of every single penny.” 

“We have to live, but like the living nations do and not with a begging bowl. This continued to happen over the past 75 years, but someone somewhere has to stop it. And this will stop when the whole nation will unite to challenge poverty, hunger and dearness and generate the country’s internal resources.” 

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

Muslim journalist refers to Hindus singing bhajans in the train to Ayodhya as Mujra, others draw false equivalence to namaz in public places

Anurag
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Muslim journalist refers to Hindus singing bhajans in the train to Ayodhya as Mujra, others draw false equivalence to namaz in public places

On February 5, one self proclaimed journalist named Mohammad Tanvir referred to Hindus singing bhajans on a train as Mujra. Others also chipped in and drew false equivalence to namaz in public places. In his tweet, Tanvir shared a video of Hindus travelling to Ayodhya in a train and tagged Rail Ministry while complaining about it.

He said, “Hello Ministry of Railways, why Bhajan Kirtan is happening on this train travelling to Ayodhya from Indore? If a Muslim has offered Namaz for five minutes, he would have been arrested by now. If offering namaz on the train is wrong, how is Bhajan Kirtan acceptable? Hello Ashini Vaishnaw, will any action happen against this?”

Mohammad Tanvir’s tweet

In a follow-up tweet, he used derogatory language and said, “The person in Khadi who is participating in Bhajan Kirtan is a prominent Congress leader from Indore. He is taking people to Ayodhya for free and getting Mujra done in the train.” Mujra is a dance form performed by courtesans during Mughal era for the Mughal rulers, nawabs.

Tanvir writes for Report Look. His tweet was amplified by journalist Rohini Singh.

Mohammad Tanvir’s tweet

Another journalist Ahmed Khabeer of The Jamia Times questioned, “If offering Namaz in train is a crime then what is this?”

Ahmed Khabeer’s tweet

A so called social media activist Shahnawaz Ansari said, “This is a video of Shri Ram Bhakts travelling from Indore to Ayodhya. Everything is allowed for them on the train. If a Muslim offers namaz for ten minutes on the train, his videos go viral and FIR gets registered against him and he gets arrested. People suffering from Islamophobia then debate on it.”

Shahnawaz Ansari’s tweet

Congress MLA Sanjay Shukla had organised pilgrimage

The video was initially shared by Congress MLA Sanjay Shukla. Every year, he arranges a religious trip to Ayodhya for devotees. This year, 600 devotees accompanied him from Indore. From ticket, lodging, and travel to darshan at Ayodhya, everything was arranged by Shukla.

Speaking to OpIndia, Shukla, who expressed his dismay over the comment, said, “This is their mentality. I do not want to comment on this. I am fulfilling my duties. They can do whatever they want to do. I am doing whatever I feel is right. It is for Dharma. I am doing it for Dharma and I will continue to do it.”

As 600 devotees were travelling together, it is highly unlikely any other passenger was there in the bogey at the time the video was shot.

Hindu pilgrims were singing bhajans and dancing to religious music as part of worship in a train privately booked but Islamists used the opportunity to mock the faith of Hindus.

Legal action demanded against Mohammad Tanvir

Lawyer Vikas Pareek commented on Tanvir’s post and said he would file an FIR against the journalist for using derogatory language. In a tweet, Pareek tagged UP Cyber Crime unit and said, “Use of such derogatory words like Mujra for ‘Bhajan Kirtan’ not only hurts the religious sentiments of Hindu communities but also digress into the dignity of women. Please take cognisance of the offence and appropriate legal action to be taken against the offender.”

In a follow-up tweet, he said, “Those who feel appropriate legal action be taken against @TanveerPost, please write a complaint tagging respective police. You may even file an FIR at your respective Police Station. Make sure that no other criminal dares to offend any other religion. Give him a befitting reply.”

Speaking to OpIndia, Pareek said, “I am very much interested in filing FIR against him. The kind of remarks used by him, they were not respectable.”

Twitter user LotusAni urged NCW to take action against him and said, “The language used by this handle for Hindu women! Please take action.”

Lawyer and journalist Vivek Verma said, “They are neither disturbing Muslims nor others as coach booked by Hindus only as a barati. In the namaz video, one Muslim guy stopped a Hindu from a seat on berth which is a crime.”

Akhil Bharatiya OBC Mahasabha members Mohammad Salim and Satyendra Kushwaha charged under NSA for desecration of Ramcharitmanas

OpIndia Staff
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Akhil Bharatiya OBC Mahasabha members Mohammad Salim and Satyendra Kushwaha charged under NSA for desecration of Ramcharitmanas

The Lucknow police on Sunday invoked the stringent National Security Act (NSA) against Mohammad Salim and Satyendra Kushwaha for burning the copy of the holy Hindu scripture Ramcharitmanas in the Vrindavan area of Lucknow on January 29. The NSA permits the police to detain the accused for one year without any charge.

“In connection with case no. 75/23 in relation to burning copies of Shri Ramcharitmanas on January 29, 2023, the Lucknow Police has ordered the detention of two accused namely, Salim and Satyendra Kushwaha at Lucknow district jail, under section 3, sub-section 2 of the National Security Act (NSA) against for preventing them from taking part in such actions which are contrary to the maintenance of public order,” the Lucknow Police said. 

Mohammad Saleem and Satyendra Kushwaha are currently lodged in Lucknow district jail since their arrest on January 30. Notably, the duo were among the five accused who were arrested by the Lucknow police under IPC sections 120-B, 142, 143, 153-A, 295, 295-A, 298, 504, 505(2) and 506 in connection with the case.

Earlier the UP police had booked 10 known and several unidentified people in the case. The people who were booked were members of Akhil Bharatiya OBC Mahasabha and Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya. The police have said that a case was registered against these individuals for “promoting enmity” after they allegedly burnt photocopies of the pages of Ramcharitmanas in the Vrindavan area of the city on January 29. 

It may be recalled that the OBC Mahasabha members had burnt a copy of the Hindu holy scripture to show their support to Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya who recently stirred controversy by saying that the Ramcharitmanas should be banned.

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