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1984 anti-Sikh pogrom: How Congress shielded and rewarded its leaders accused of leading violent mobs to target Sikhs

Amit Kelkar
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1984 anti-Sikh pogrom: How Congress shielded and rewarded its leaders accused of leading violent mobs to target Sikhs

Even as Rahul Gandhi mouths off platitudes to reinforce his ‘love shop’ narrative about the otherwise rudderless mass contacting programme, Bharat Jodo Yatra, the Congress party’s decades-old policy of shielding and rewarding perpetrators of the anti-Sikh pogrom in 1984 belie the Gandhi scion’s rosy proclamations.

The Congress party is not only tainted with accusations of leading the genocide of Sikhs in the wake of former PM Indira Gandhi’s assassination by her two Sikh bodyguards, but over the years, the party has also earned the dubious distinction of rewarding those accused of egregious misconduct during the anti-Sikh pogrom.

The 1984 Anti-Sikh riots took place in the aftermath of the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Indira Gandhi was assassinated on 31st October 1984 by her Sikh bodyguards as revenge for Operation Blue Star. From 1st November to 4th November, Sikhs across the country were killed. The government figures suggest the angry mobs, many of which were led by Congress leaders, brutally murdered 3,350 Sikhs.

However, Congress not only shielded those who carried out the pogrom but also rewarded them. 

Sajjan Kumar

Sajjan Kumar was one of the many Congress leaders accused of involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh massacre. Even after grave allegations against him, Congress rewarded him with a ticket to contest elections in 1991, which he subsequently won. He also won the 2004 general elections on the Congress ticket from the Outer Delhi seat with the highest-ever votes at 8,55,543 votes. A Sanjay Gandhi loyalist, he served as a Member of the Committee on Urban Development and Committee on Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme in 2005. 

In April 2013, Delhi’s Karkardooma district court acquitted him which led to widespread protests. In August 2013, an appeal was filed in Delhi High Court by CBI against his previous acquittal. He was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Delhi High Court on December 17, 2018. 

The ex-Congress MP was charged with the murder of a man and his son in west Delhi’s Saraswati Vihar. On November 1, 1984, a thousand-strong mob allegedly burned alive a father and son duo (Jaswant Singh and Tarun Deep Singh) in Raj Nagar, West Delhi. The prosecution had stated that the crowd burned alive the two men, as well as damaged, destroyed, looted, arson and inflicted severe injuries on their family members and relations, on Kumar’s incitement and abetment. While framing the charges, the court said that there was sufficient evidence on record to form a prima facie opinion that Sajjan Kumar was not only “a participant of the riotous mob but had also led it”. 

Sajjan Kumar was not the only loyalist of the Nehru-Gandhi family and Congress who was accused of leading the mob and running a riot. Another such leader was Jagdish Tytler, who continues to hold sway in the Congress party. The Nanavati Commission recorded the testimony of a witness namely, Jasbir Singh, who stated that on 3rd November 1984, he was passing by the TB hospital gate after taking dinner at the house of one Sucha Singh situated at Outram lane when he had seen Jagdish Tytler coming there in a car. 

Jagdish Tytler

Singh furthered that he heard Tytler “rebuked” the persons who were standing because his instructions were not faithfully carried out. Therefore his position was greatly compromised and lowered in the eyes of the central leaders. He has alleged to have further stated that there was only nominal killing in his constituency compared to East Delhi, Outer Delhi, and Cant. etc. and it would be difficult for him to stake a claim in future as he has promised large-scale killing of Sikhs. He had complained to those persons that they had betrayed him and let him down.

Despite the damning testimony against Tytler, the Congress party did not take punitive action against him. He remained a mainstay of the party’s Delhi unit, often attending meetings and weighing in on his opinions on matters of import.

Jagdish Tytler was subsequently given tickets to contest the election by the Indian National Congress and also made Union Minister of Civil Aviation first and then the labour department. He had contested the 2004 elections and won as well. He was dropped in the 2009 polls. 

In December 2022, Tytler was seen attending Congress Delhi Unit’s meeting over the preparations for the Bharat Jodo Yatra. He was also seen campaigning for the Congress party in the run-up to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections.

Kamal Nath

Another such high-profile Congress leader who has been accused of leading a mob has been Kamal Nath. 

Monish Sanjay Suri, witness No. 17, testified before the Nanavati Commission against the Congress leader and said how Nath turned a blind eye to a rioting mob. “He (Suri) stated that Kamal Nath tried to control the crowd and the crowd was looking at him for directions. He did not hear Kamal Nath giving any direction to the mob. He merely saw him speaking to different persons who were in the mob. He reiterated before the Commission that Kamal Nath did not make any attempt to control the situation near the Gurudwara,” the report noted. 

Witness No. 2 Mukhtiar Singh, who lived in the Gurdwara quarters, deposed that at around 4 pm, he saw a huge crowd of 4000 people led by Congress leader Kamal Nath. The Commission however said that Singh was standing quite a distance away from the Congress leader and that it wasn’t possible for him to overhear the conversation between Nath and the mob. As such, the report said that Singh’s inference was based on gestures made by Kamal Nath and thus not ‘conclusive’ evidence. Kamal Nath was never tried in court for his questionable role in the 1984 Sikh genocide.

However, like Tytler and Sajjan Kumar, Kamal Nath, too, was rewarded by the Congress party. He has held important positions in the party, including the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh under the Congress-led government in the state. Nath is also considered close to the Gandhi family and a close aide of Rahul Gandhi.

HKL Bhagat, Arjun Das, and Dharamdas Shastri

In 2018, former Congress leader and Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh named four Congress leaders, including Sajjan Kumar, for their alleged involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh massacre. Singh named one HKL Bhagat, a veteran Congress leader who had served as the Deputy Mayor and Mayor of Delhi, the Chief Whip of DPCC, and as a six-time MP and Union minister for 22 years. 

His name was also mentioned in the Nanavati Commission report for his suspected role in whipping up anti-Sikh frenzy in the wake of Indira Gandhi’s assassination. However, the government at the time declined to prosecute him citing his ill health. He was acquitted by the courts citing a lack of evidence.

Captain Amarinder Singh also named Congress leader Arjun Das, who was accused of leading a riotous mob outside the AIIMS when the violence first broke out. He was also accused of attacking the cavalcade of Pres Giani Zail Singh. In September 1985, Das and his bodyguard were assassinated by Sikh terrorists. Rajiv Gandhi, the family friend of Das, had gone to the hospital to meet his family. 

Another Congress leader that reportedly had a role in instigating violence against Sikhs was MP Lalit Maken. As per a report published by Scroll, Lalit (Maken), Cong. (I) Trade Union Leader and Metropolitan Councillor, paid a mob Rs 100 each plus a bottle of liquor to engage in violence. A white Ambassador car reportedly belonging to him came 4 times to the GT Road area near Azadpur. The mobs were instructed to indulge in arson from inside the car, the report said. 

Amarinder Singh also named Dharamdas Shastri, a Congress MP from Karol Bagh, for his alleged involvement in inciting a mob against Sikhs. As per reports, Shastri allegedly provided the list of Sikh houses and shops with the electoral roll as the source during the pogrom. He is said to have pressurised the Karol Bagh PS SHO to release those arrested for the genocide and looting.

In addition to the said leaders, then-Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, justified the violence that took place in the aftermath of Indira Gandhi’s assassination. On 19th November 1984, while giving a speech in front of thousands of people, Gandhi said, “Jab bhi koi bada ped girta hai, to dharti thodi hilti hai.(When a big tree falls, the earth shakes.)”

Congress-friendly journalist claims Bharat Jodo Yatra is aimed at regime change in India with the help of foreign powers

OpIndia Staff
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Congress-friendly journalist claims Bharat Jodo Yatra is aimed at regime change in India with the help of foreign powers

On Saturday (January 21), a Congress-friendly journalist named Anil Tyagi stirred the hornet’s nest when he claimed that Rahul Gandhi-led-Bharat Jodo Yatra is a ploy by foreign powers to execute a regime change in India.

Tyagi, who is the Editor of ‘GL Files’, made the contentious remarks during a 1-hour programme on ‘Satya Hindi’ Youtube channel. At about 6:40 minutes into the show, he inquired, “Why did Rahul Gandhi launch his Bharat Jodo Yatra? Was he afraid? Why did he take up such a courageous task?”

“I am going to share an important piece of news. Much before September 2022 (when the Yatra commenced), there had been a growing concern among foreign powers about the possible reincarnation of Nazism (Hitlervad) in India,” Anil Tyagi claimed.

He further emphasised, “They (foreign powers) wanted to stop the rise of Nazism in India. And who is the man who can do that task? He is none other than Rahul Gandhi, the leader of a large party (Indian National Congress). He has 40 MPs and several MLAs in different States. There is no better alternative.”

“Rahul Gandhi has not been able to highlight the fear factor (Darr ki baat) and the concerns of the global powers. I am breaking news on your channel (Satya Hindi). In the past 4 months, people from different countries, who support a regime change in India, have come here,” Tyagi claimed.

He added, “Those foreign agents are working on tools of regime change in India. This is why Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo yatra is important. What is not important is whether or not he will go to Kashmir and unfurl the tricolour.”

“Rahul had undertaken the 3400 km walk and completed the objective (of the foreign powers). He had successfully communicated what he intended on doing,” Tyagi pointed out.

Rahul Gandhi tried to wedge divisions in society through his Bharat Jodo Yatra

Rahul Gandhi embarked on his luxurious ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ on September 7 this year from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu. One of the leaders who was present at the start of the Padyatra was MK Stalin, DMK supremo and ally of the Congress in the State of Tamil Nadu.

Stalin’s party, in particular, has been at the forefront of widening the linguistic divide and directing hate against North Indians in particular. During a press briefing on September 9, Rahul Gandhi emphasised that he was fighting against the Indian system rather than any political party.

“We’re not fighting anymore a political party. It’s now between the structure of the Indian state & opposition,” he was heard saying.

On November 9 last year, the Congress scion attempted to create animosity between the States of Gujarat and Maharashtra by falsely claiming that projects meant for the latter were being moved to favour the former.

Rahul Gandhi alleged that projects such as the Tata-Airbus military aircraft partnership and the Vendanta-Foxconn semiconductor plant were stolen from Maharashtra and handed to Gujarat ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in the neighbouring state. 

There were several controversial personalities that joined Rahul Gandhi in his ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’. For instance, ‘Andolanjeevi’ Yogendra Yadav was part of the Yatra for some time. He even released a video praising the march conducted by Congress across India.

Rahul Gandhi also came under fire from the Bharatiya Janata Party for onboarding ‘activist’ Medha Patkar in his Bharat Jodo Yatra on November 17 this year. Patkar had launched a vicious campaign against Gujarat’s lifeline Sardar Sarovar Project, thereby blocking its funding and delaying the progress of the critically important Narmada Yojana for years.

Nonetheless, Rahul Gandhi also met up with 2G scam-accused Kanimozhi, and Abhay Thipsay, the man who defended Nirav Modi in the UK court. The Congress scion was also close to onboarding 1984 anti-Sikh riot accused Jagdish Tytler in his ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra.’

Tunisha Sharma death case: Sheezan Khan, accused of abetment to suicide, files bail plea in Bombay High Court

ANI
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Tunisha Sharma death case: Sheezan Khan, accused of abetment to suicide, files bail plea in Bombay High Court

TV actor Sheezan Khan, accused in the death case of his co-star and former girlfriend Tunisha Sharma, on Monday filed a bail petition in the Bombay High Court and a petition seeking to quash the FIR filed against him in the case.

In continuation of the same report, the hearing for his plea is on January 30. Earlier, the Vasai Court in Maharashtra on January 13 rejected the bail plea of the TV actor.

The court observed, “Sheezan and Tunisha broke their relationship on December 15 after which she died of a panic attack. It has also been revealed that Sheezan was the last person to meet Tunisha before she died.”

The actor has been in judicial custody in connection with Tunisha’s death case.

Moreover, Sheezan’s family had earlier claimed that he had been falsely being implicated in the case by the late actor’s mother. They further claimed that Tunisha was like a “family” to them.

Sheezan Khan was reportedly dating Tunisha Sharma, who was allegedly found hanging at a TV serial set on December 24, a fortnight after the two reportedly broke up their few-months-long relationship.

Within hours of the actress’ demise, Sheezan Khan, who worked with the 20-year-old actor in ‘Ali Baba Dastaan-E-Kabul’, was arrested on charges of abetment to suicide.

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

Antilia Bomb Scare: Bombay High Court rejects bail plea of ‘encounter specialist’ Pradeep Sharma

ANI
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Antilia Bomb Scare: Bombay High Court rejects bail plea of ‘encounter specialist’ Pradeep Sharma

Bombay High Court on Monday rejected the bail petition of Pradeep Sharma, former ‘encounter specialist’ of Mumbai Police in the ‘Antilia’ bomb scare case.

The bail petition of Pradeep Sharma was challenged by National Investigation Agency (NIA). Pradeep Sharma was arrested in June 2021. The NIA has objected to the bail plea of the former police officer earlier too.

Earlier in May last year, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) while opposing the bail plea of Shiv Sena leader and former encounter specialist of Mumbai Police Pradeep Sharma in Bombay High Court said that he was paid Rs 45 lakhs by suspended Mumbai Police officer Sachin Waze to kill businessman Mansukh Hiren, the owner of the explosive-laden vehicle that was found outside Antilia.

NIA in its affidavit to the Bombay High Court in May 2022, termed Pradeep Sharma the “main conspirator” in the Mansukh Hiren murder case.

Earlier in a charge sheet NIA had said, “On March 3, 2021, accused Sachin Waze met accused Pradeep Sharma at Police Station Foundation office, Andheri (East), Mumbai during evening time and handed over a rexine bag containing a large amount of cash (bundles of Indian currency note of Rs 500 denomination). Thereafter accused Pradeep Sharma called accused Santosh Shelar to ascertain the registration number of the vehicle arranged by him. Accused Santosh Shelar conveyed the details as to accused Sachin Waze.”

The charge sheet had also revealed that on realising that the investigation relating to the planting of an explosive-laden SUV at Carmichael Road in South Mumbai, near the house of industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence on February 25, was getting transferred to a senior police officer, Waze pressurised Hiran to take up the responsibility for the said crime, so that the investigation of the case can be vitiated in his favour. But the proposal was turned down by Hiran, stated the chargesheet.

NIA arrested Waze in March 2021 in connection with the investigation into the recovery of explosives from a car parked near Mukesh Ambani’s house in Mumbai. 

Waze is the prime accused in placing an explosives-laden vehicle near Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani’s house Antilia in Mumbai on February 25, 2021.

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

UK: Pakistani national Abdul Wahab sentenced to life imprisonment after he admits torturing and killing his 5-year-old stepdaughter

OpIndia Staff
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UK: Pakistani national Abdul Wahab sentenced to life imprisonment after he admits torturing and killing his 5-year-old stepdaughter

On January 19 (Thursday), a Pakistani national named Abdul Wahab was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Belfast Crown Court in the United Kingdom after he admitted to torturing and murdering his 5-year-old stepdaughter.

The 5-year-old, Nadia Zofia Kalinowska was found dead at the family home at Fernagh Drive in Newtownabbey in December 2019.

Her mother, Aleksandra Wahab, 28, and the child’s stepfather, Abdul Wahab, 34, were charged with murder on Wednesday at Belfast Crown Court.

On Thursday, when the case was resumed, Abdul Wahab pleaded guilty to murder. The judge, Justice O’Hara, sentenced Wahab to life imprisonment and charged him with two counts of severe bodily harm with intent. A minimum period before he can be released will be determined at a later date, the court ruled.

According to reports, the accused had brutally assaulted the 5-year-old on two occasions. Once, sometime between July 1 and December 14, 2019, and the second time merely 24 hours before she died.

Nadia Zofia Kalinowska was pronounced dead at the Royal Victoria Hospital for Sick Children in the early hours of December 15, 2019

An autopsy examination revealed that Nadia died as a result of a fractured skull and lacerated liver. The examination further revealed several pre-existing injuries, indicating the five-year-old girl had been exposed to a long-running abuse campaign.

Her ribs had been fractured and re-fractured. She also suffered fractures to her collarbone, pelvis and bowel injuries.

Pathologists said they identified 70 surface injuries, including cuts and bruises, on the youngster’s body. The injuries were reported as being comparable to those found on car crash victims.

Nadia’s mother Aleksandra Wahab has been charged with negligence and allowing the long-term abuse of the child.

The post-mortem report led the Crown to believe that Nadia had been subjected to a campaign of physical abuse by her parents, which resulted in her death.

Pakistani woman Iqra romances UP’s Mulayam Singh Yadav through online Ludo game, comes to India via Nepal, gets arrested in Bengaluru

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistani woman Iqra romances UP’s Mulayam Singh Yadav through online Ludo game, comes to India via Nepal, gets arrested in Bengaluru

The Bengaluru police said on Monday that they had detained a 19-year-old Pakistani woman who entered India illegally to marry her boyfriend and later forged her identity to live in the city.

The woman has been identified as Iqra Jeewani, a resident of Hyderabad city in Pakistan’s Sindh province. The man has been identified as Mulayam Singh Yadav, a native of Uttar Pradesh who was working as a security guard in Bengaluru. The duo met through a gaming app.

After the arrest, the Pakistani national was handed over to the FRRO (Foreigners Regional Registration Office). She was later sent to a state home for women.

The duo had reportedly come in contact with each other through an online game.

The security guard had called her to Nepal a few months ago. She entered India through the porous India-Nepal border. The couple got married in Nepal and then crossed into India to reach Birgunj in Bihar and from there, reached Patna.

Yadav and Iqra later came to Bengaluru and settled in a rented house in Junnasandra, where Yadav began working as a security guard in September 2022.

Mulayam Singh Yadav secured an Aadhaar card for Iqra after changing her name to Rava Yadav and also applied for an Indian passport.

Iqra came under the surveillance of central intelligence agencies while attempting to contact her family in Pakistan. The central authorities notified Karnataka intelligence. Based on the information, authorities searched the house and arrested the couple.

Deputy commissioner of police, Whitefield, S Girish stated, “the man used to work as a security guard at a private firm and used to play Ludo online. Last year, he came in contact with a minor girl. Recently, he asked his Pakistani girlfriend to come to Bengaluru so they could get married. They made a plan to bring her over to India through Nepal in September 2022.”

The couple was living in the labourer quarters at Bellandur police station limits. “She has been handed over to the FRRO (Foreigners Regional Registration Office) and a case is filed against the man. He has been arrested,” the DCP added.

Police, meanwhile, booked Mulam Singh Yadav under Sections 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery) 495 (concealing marriage) and 471 (forging documents) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Additionally, the police also charged Govinda Reddy, the owner of the accommodation where the couple were staying, under Section 7 of the Foreigners Act, 1946, for failing to inform the police of a foreigner staying on the premises.

According to sources, further investigations are being conducted to see whether the Pakistani was involved in any espionage activity.

China: Over 12,000 Covid patients have died in one week, 80% of the population has been affected, says govt

ANI
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China: Over 12,000 Covid patients have died in one week, 80% of the population has been affected, says govt

 Chinese health authorities have said that more than 12,000 hospitalized people infected with COVID-19 died in seven days through Thursday, NHK World-Japan reported.

The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention on Saturday that 12,658 patients had died in medical institutions between January 13 and 19. According to officials, 681 people died of respiratory failure and 11,977 others died of complications, according to NHK World-Japan report.

It is the first time that the Chinese government has updated official death counts in seven days. Meanwhile, Wu Zunyou, the chief epidemiologist of China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention has claimed that about 80 per cent of China’s population has been infected with COVID-19, which is nearly eight in 10 people, CNN reported.

Wu Zunyou has claimed that the present “wave of the epidemic has already infected about 80 per cent of the people” in the country of 1.4 billion population.

Wu Zunyou’s claim comes amid concerns that the travel rush that takes place around the Lunar New Year holiday time could spread the virus to the countryside and lead to a second wave of infections.

Speaking on his personal social media account, Wu claimed that the scenario was unlikely as many people in China have already been infected with COVID-19. Wu claimed that the possibility of a large-scale COVID-19 rebound is very small in China, as per the news report.

“In the next two to three months, the possibility of a large-scale Covid-19 rebound or a second wave of infections across the country is very small,” CNN quoted Wu Zunyou as saying.

More than 26 million passenger trips were taken on the eve of the Lunar New Year, CNN reported citing Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported. Over 4.1 million people travelled by train and 756,000 people travelled by air for holiday reunions on the day prior to the start of the Lunar New Year, as per the news report.

Nearly 60,000 people infected with COVID-19 died in Chinese hospitals between December 8 and January 12 after Beijing abruptly ended its “zero-Covid” policy, CNN reported citing government data. Notably, China adhered to stringent lockdowns, travel restrictions and mass testing to control the spread of COVID-19.

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

Jairam Ramesh stops Digvijay Singh from saying more senseless things on Pulwama attack, pushes away journalist

OpIndia Staff
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Jairam Ramesh stops Digvijay Singh from saying more senseless things on Pulwama attack, pushes away journalist

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Monday stopped former Madhya Pradesh CM and fellow party leader Digvijaya Singh from making further damaging remarks after a reporter sought clarification over his remarks questioning the authenticity of Surgical strikes conducted by the Indian Army.

In his bid to stop Digvijaya Singh from giving an explanation, Ramesh pushed away the Aaj Tak journalist speaking to the former Madhya Pradesh CM.

As seen in the video embedded above, no sooner does the journalist seek explanation over his contentious remarks on surgical strikes and Pulwama attack, Jairam Ramesh, who was walking behind Digvijaya Singh, quickly lunges forward and shoves the mic held by the journalist down. Although, Singh could be heard defending his statements. 

Senior Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh CM on Monday courted controversy after he questioned the authenticity of surgical strikes carried out by the Indian Armed Forces across the Line of Control. 

“They(Centre) keep harping on surgical strikes. They talk about how many were killed in surgical strikes but there is no proof of it,” Singh said at a public rally in Jammu and Kashmir.

Singh said the Centre hasn’t placed a report on the 2016 surgical strike or the 2019 Pulwama terror attack before Parliament till date.

Ironically, Singh made the comment on the day when the country is celebrating Parakram Diwas, the birth anniversary of freedom fighter Netaji Subash Chandra Bose. The comments came during the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra’s Jammu leg.

In February 2019, forty CRPF personnel were killed in a terrorist attack carried out by the Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad, following which the Indian Armed Forces carried out an airstrike on Balakot to annihilate a JeM terror camp on February 26.

Twitter takes no action against Turkish author Ramazan İzol despite his open call for murder over alleged ‘blasphemy’

OpIndia Staff
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Twitter takes no action against Turkish author Ramazan İzol despite his open call for murder over alleged ‘blasphemy’

On Saturday (January 21), a Turkish author by the name of Ramazan İzol openly called for the killing of a Danish-Swedish politician named Rasmus Paludan for committing ‘blasphemy’ by burning Quran.

Paludan had burnt a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in the Swedish capital Stockholm, to protest against Islam and Turkish President Erdogan’s attempt to influence freedom of expression in Sweden.

Angered by his action, Ramazan İzol vowed to kill him on the micro-blogging platform. He wrote (archive), “A bastard burned the Quran today in Sweden, why are you silent as Muslims? If I catch this rascal who burned the Quran, I will burn him alive.”

Screengrab of the tweet by Ramazan İzol

At the time of writing, the disturbing tweet was viewed over 13 lakh times. Moreover, it was retweeted over 3400 times and garnered 5,471 likes. Ramazan İzol boasts of a whopping 5.11 lakh followers on the micro-blogging platform.

Although it has been two days since the Ankara-based author posted the threatening tweet, the Twitter moderation team did not take any action against Ramazan İzol.

Twitter has a crystal-clear policy against violent threats

Inaction against İzol is very surprising since the tweet openly violates the micro-blogging site’s violent threats policy. The policy dated March 2019 states –

“You may not threaten violence against an individual or a group of people. We also prohibit the glorification of violence. Healthy conversation is only possible when people feel safe from abuse and don’t resort to using violent language. For this reason, we have a policy against threatening violence on Twitter. We define violent threats as statements of an intent to kill or inflict serious physical harm on a specific person or group of people.“

Ramazan İzol tries to skirt Twitter policy

Amidst growing demands of netizens to de-platform the Turkish author for openly vying for the blood of Rasmus Paludan, Ramazan İzol has voiced his fear of an impending suspension.

Screengrab of the tweet by Ramazan İzol

“My account is at risk because I shared about the dishonest person who burned our Quran. This is why I ask you to follow my @ramazanizoll account where I opened all my brothers as a backup,” he announced on Sunday (January 22).

So far, Twitter has turned a blind eye to the hateful rhetoric from his account, so it is unlikely that he will need to use his “backup” account.

Update: The Twitter account of the user who threatened to kill the person who allegedly burned the Quran in Sweden is suspended. His ‘backup’ account, too, is now suspended.

Supreme court directs ‘absconding’ Maulvi Mahmood, accused of deceptively converting 37 Hindu families, to appear before Investigating Officer

OpIndia Staff
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Supreme court directs ‘absconding’ Maulvi Mahmood, accused of deceptively converting 37 Hindu families, to appear before Investigating Officer

On January 13 this year, the Supreme Court directed an ‘absconding’ Maulvi named Varyava Abdul Vahab Mahmood to appear before the Investigation Officer in a case pertaining to the deceptive conversion of 37 Hindu families to Islam.

Mahmood, along with 5 others, had lured the victims by gifting them air coolers, water coolers, lories, chatai (carpet) to perform Namaz, dresses, medicines, ration, and cash. The matter came up for hearing before a 2-Judge Bench of Justices M. R. Shah and C. T. Ravikumar.

The apex court noted, “Learned counsel appearing for the State of Gujarat (respondent) has made a very serious grievance that the petitioner (Varyava Abdul Vahab Mahmood), after obtaining the interim protection from this Court and even prior thereto, is absconding and not cooperating in the investigation and has never appeared before the concerned Investigating Agency/Officer.”

The Judges directed the absconding Mahmood to appear, before the Investigating Officer at the Aamod Police Station in Bharuch, every day between January 16 and January 20 at 11 o’clock in the morning and assist in the ongoing investigation.

“Before we consider the allegations and the counter allegations against the petitioner and the material collected, let the petitioner first appear before the concerned Investigating Agency/ Officer – Aamod Police Station, Bharuch between 16.01.2023 to 20.01.2023 at 11.00 A.M. every day for the purpose of interrogation/investigation,” they added.

The Court pointed out that the merits of the case will only be taken into consideration after the petitioner complies with the court’s directions.

The Conversion racket led by Varyava Abdul Vahab Mahmood

On November 15, 2021, a man named Pravinbhai Vasantbhai Vasava (converted to Salman Vasant Patel) filed a complaint with the Aamod police in Bharuch city against two people, namely, Shabbirbhai Bakerywala and Samadbhai Bakerywala.

He had accused the duo of converting him to Islam in 2018 and forcibly changing his name on the Aadhar card. Pravinbhai pointed out that the duo also converted another man named Ajitbhai Vasava to Islam by providing him with financial assistance about 15 years ago. On conversion, Ajitbhai adopted the name ‘Abdul Aziz Patel.’

The trio then converted two others, namely, Mahendra Vasava (who became Yusuf) and Raman Vasava (who became Aiyub) in exchange of money. A First Information Report (FIR) was registered against them under the Indian Penal Code Sections 120B, 153(B)(1)(c), 506(2), and Section 4 of the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act, 2003.

As per the FIR, the 5 accused, along with an Islamic preacher named Varyava Abdul Vahab Mahmood converted a total of 37 Hindu families and 100 Hindus by providing them with monetary support. They also converted a house, built with government funds, into an Ibadatgaah (Islamic place of worship).

When Pravinbhai expressed his desire to return to Hinduism, he was threatened with dire consequences on October 26, 2021. Forced by circumstances and an immediate sense of danger, he had filed a case against the accused.

“Subsequently, the Investigating Officer filed a report seeking to add Sections 466, 467, 468, and 471 of the IPC and Section 3(2)(5-A) of the Atrocities Act…Subsequently, on 16.12.2021, the offences under Section 4A of the Freedom of Religion Act and 84C of the Information Technology Act, 2002 are added in the FIR,” the court order had noted.

“The Investigating Officer filed his affidavit dated 24.12.2021, inter alia, declaring that the appellant had facilitated financial assistance to the convertees and given religious sermons/takrirs demeaning Hindu religion,” it further added.

Accused Yusuf, Aiyub, and others also created a Whatsapp group where they spewed vitriolic content against the Hindu community through videos, speeches, and chats.

Witnesses testified that Islamic preacher Varyava Abdul Vahab Mahmood had tried to lure people to Islam by providing them gifts.

On December 28, 2021, a Special court rejected the anticipatory bail application of Varyava Abdul Vahab Mahmood, following which he moved to the High Court seeking relief. However, his petition was dismissed by the High Court on April 4, 2022, based on prima-facie details of the case.

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