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Bottom 50% of Indians pay 64% of GST: Oxfam India’s claims about ‘disproportionate’ taxing of poor is ‘mathematically impossible’. Here is why

OpIndia Staff
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Bottom 50% of Indians pay 64% of GST: Oxfam India’s claims about ‘disproportionate’ taxing of poor is ‘mathematically impossible’. Here is why

Oxfam India, a charitable organisation that supposedly fights against inequality in the country, has stirred the hornet’s nest with its outlandish claims about the Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection.

In its report published on Saturday (January 15), Oxfam India claimed that indirect taxes are being taken disproportionately from the poor and the middle class as compared to the rich.

“Approximately 64 percent of the total INR 14.83 lakh crore in Goods and Services Tax (GST), came from the bottom 50 percent of the population in 2021-22. As per estimates, 33 percent of GST comes from the middle 40 percent and only 3 percent from the top 10 percent,” Oxfam alleged.

Screengrab of the report by Oxfam India

“The bottom 50 percent of the population pays six times more on indirect taxes as a percentage of income compared to the top 10 percent. While the poor in India continue to be taxed more, the rich benefit from tax exemptions,” it further added.

The Director at Arrjavv and economics junkie, Diva Jain, debunked the claims made by Oxfam India in its report. “A cursory analysis of OXFAM’s (atrociously researched) report reveals clever wordplay and accounting shenanigans that will make a Goldman banker blush,” she tweeted.

According to her, the charity organisation is unsure of its own claims about the bottom 50% of Indians, contributing to 64.3% of GST revenue as stated by the use of the term ‘indicative inference.’

Diva Jain pointed out that the average monthly GST revenue in Financial Year 2022 was 1,23,585 crores. “If the above claim is true, it means that 64.3% of 1,23,585 cr= 79465 crores is equal to 6.7% of the total monthly income of the bottom 50% of Indians,” she explained.

Taking the bottom 50% of the population as 70 crores (given that the total population of India is estimated to be around 140 crores), Diva Jain calculated the monthly income of the cohort using the data provided by Oxfam India.

It turned out to be ₹16,943 per month or an annual income of ₹2,03,322 for the bottom 50% of the population (~ 70 crores). Interestingly, India’s GDP per capita (total value of goods and services produced in the country/ total population)is around ₹1,72,913.

“If the above claim of the bottom 50% of Indians contributing 64.3% of GST were true, it would imply that the bottom 50% of Indians have annual income higher than the per capita GDP/GNP of India. This is mathematically impossible,” Diva Jain pointed out.

Jain called out the bluff of Oxfam India and pointed out how it has been misleading the public. “Herein lies the trickery and wordplay that OXFAM has used to imply this sensationalist inference. OXFAM does not say that this is true for all GST revenue,” she noted.

“Only that this is true for GST revenue contributed by the goods that it studied. But instead of clearly specifying this and the goods that it has studied, it buries the details in a footnote at the end of the report,” Diva Jain added.

She further pointed out, “Nor does it reveal the source from where it got the contribution of individual goods to GST revenue, something central to its analysis.”

She lambasted the charity organisation for using dodgy statistics to push its vicious agenda. “While there is no harm in questioning the level of GST slabs, misrepresenting data and fanning sensationalism by using clever wordplay discredits the organisation and its capabilities,” she concluded.

Earlier in July 2019, then CEO of Oxfam India, Amitabh Behar, wrote a fawning article on the Congress party. In his article, Behar offered numerous sermons to the Congress party and eulogised its idea of India. His article displayed blatant political partisanship, something that has clearly crept into Oxfam’s functioning as well.

“The Congress has been a banyan tree of ideas under which a broad range of multiple and even diverse ideas have been nurtured and nourished as long as they have a common core ethos—which is in line with the fundamentals of the ideological frame of the Congress and the idea of India,” he had claimed.

Bangladesh: Muslim mob attacks and destroys houses of Hindus over blasphemy allegations, targeted person has been living in India for 7 years

OpIndia Staff
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Bangladesh: Muslim mob attacks and destroys houses of Hindus over blasphemy allegations, targeted person has been living in India for 7 years

On Sunday (January 15) evening, a mob of Islamists vandalised the residence of a Hindu family in Uttar Kandi village in Kotalipara upazila in Gopalganj district in Dhaka Division of Bangladesh.

As per reports, the violent mob accused a Hindu youth of committing blasphemy and ‘hurting’ the religious sentiments of the local Muslims over a Facebook post.

Soon after Islamists descended on the residence of his extended family and destroyed the property. According to Dhaka Tribune, no casualties were reported after the targeted attack.

As per a report by The Daily Star, a total of 8 shops and 4 houses belonging to the Hindu community were attacked. In a bid to pacify the situation, a large contingent of police has been deployed in the Uttar Kandi village.

The Hindu boy, now accused of blasphemy by radical Islamists, has reportedly been living in India for the past 7 years. Moreover, his other family members including his mother and sister had also moved to India about 3 months ago.

His father reportedly sold their house and properties about a week earlier and moved to India as well. While recounting the horror perpetrated by the Islamists, a cousin of the Hindu boy said, “On Sunday, we saw some 400-500 people coming to our place and vandalizing our house.”

He added that the Hindu families in the Uttar Kandi village are now living in a state of fear. According to Mohammed Zillur Rahman, the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Kotalipara police station, the law and order situation in the area is under control.

“Additional police have been deployed. We have not received any complaints over the matter. If any complaint is filed, legal action will be taken after an investigation,” he informed.

Meanwhile, a public secretary of the local Ulama Parishad paid lip service to the incident and demanded action against the vandals.

If New York Times published an Egg Fried Rice recipe, we imagined what it would be like

Amit Kelkar
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If New York Times published an Egg Fried Rice recipe, we imagined what it would be like

Food is a highly polarising topic in India today, just like everything else. This is a direct result of the ascension to power of Narendra Modi in 2014. Before 2014, every Indian thought the same thing on every topic, there was unbelievable harmony in the country. There were rivers of milk and honey in every city, and there were eggs growing from trees. However, things just haven’t been the same since 2014.

The first thing the Narendra Modi government did after coming to power was ban eggs for children. As we know through the scientific temper introduced by Pandit Nehru, children become adults one day. If they don’t eat egg during their childhood, they will not eat eggs in their adulthood as it would be an alien food item for them. Thus, Modi government is pushing vegetarianism in a country where people even used to do gargle in the morning with leftover chicken curry. In such a scenario, making and eating egg fried rice is an act of resistance, and we resist!

It is fraught with danger to even attempt such a dish under the fascist rule of Narendra Modi, but if brave liberal voices like us won’t resist this fascism then who will? To support our bravery and to ensure we continue this brave battle against Narendra Modi, please donate to our personal bank account, you can find the link at the end of the recipe.

So, let us start the process of cooking egg fried rice. First of all, let’s go through the ingredients required to cook this dish. The first thing you require is eggs. As mentioned earlier, Modi government has already banned eggs for school going children, so it may happen that they will ban eggs for everyone in the country. Therefore, it won’t be a bad idea to buy and accumulate as many eggs as you can, before this fascist government bans them completely.

The next ingredient you require for the dish is rice. Now, the Punjab state in India grows a lot of rice. However, Narendra Modi, tried to take away the land of all these farmers who grow rice through his farm laws. Narendra Modi asked farmers to sell their produce wherever they want, a process which would have directly handed over their lands to Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani. Thanks to protests lasting over a year, farmers were able to save their lands by giving up the option to sell their produce in the open markets.

Next ingredient you require is Soy sauce, which is very popular in China. Soy sauce was even developed in ancient China, about 2200 years ago. China is the country that has occupied 1 Billion Square Kilometers of Indian territory during Narendra Modi’s fascist rule. Modi, who is very strict and fascist in nature when it comes to Indians, has not uttered a word as China has occupied 1 Billion sq km that belonged to India.

Then you require garlic. You should chop garlic cloves finely, just like Hindutva goons dream about chopping up every minority in India. Before 2014, everyone lived in harmony, the minorities thrived, and there were no ghettos, but now, Hindutva goons have been so emboldened by the Modi government that 24×7 they dream about chopping up minorities.

You need a little cooking oil, use very little because prices of cooking oil have become 10,000 Rs per liter under the Modi government. They have deliberately raised the prices of cooking oil because non-vegetarian dishes like Chicken curry and mutton curry require more oil. To put off people from these dishes, and push them towards vegetarianism, the Modi government has increased the prices of cooking oil.

With all these ingredients, we are sure you can figure out the rest. The important points we have covered in this recipe, the rest is just easy. All the best and do share how our recipe helped you cook delicious food.

Now, just combine all the ingredients in a wok instead of a frying pan (Haiyaa), as a mark of resistance and serve with a side of chilli jam.

Support us on opindia.com/support in our #ResistModi movement.

Man named Mahamed Sharif runs away from Delhi’s Leela Palace Hotel without settling dues of over 23 lakhs, triggers meme fest

OpIndia Staff
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Man named Mahamed Sharif runs away from Delhi’s Leela Palace Hotel without settling dues of over 23 lakhs, triggers meme fest

On Saturday, January 14, the management team at Delhi’s The Leela Palace Hotel lodged a complaint against a man named Mahamed Sharif for vanishing without settling his bills of Rs 23.46 lakh.

The hotel said that the man posed as a United Arab Emirates resident and employee of the Royal family of Abu Dhabi and allegedly cheated the Leela Palace Hotel in the capital by staying on its premises for over four months. The Delhi Police are now looking for Mohammed Sharif.

According to the hotel authorities, Mahamad Sharif checked into Room 427 of the five-star hotel on August 1, 2022, and left quietly on November 20, 2022, without informing anyone. The man also allegedly stole silverware, a mother-of-pearls tray and other items from the hotel room, raking up a bill of over Rs 23 lakhs.

“This seems to be completely pre-planned since we were under the impression that by 22nd November 2022, the hotel will get dues cleared through the cheque he had submitted. This clearly signifies that Mr Sharif had malafide intentions and a clear intent to deceive hotel authorities…” said the complainant.

When Sharif arrived at the hotel in August, he informed the staff that he was a UAE resident who worked closely with Sheikh Falah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the Abu Dhabi royal family.

He told that he personally worked with the Sheikh and was in India on official business. To back up his claim, he provided a business card, a UAE resident card, and other documents. He often spoke with the hotel staff about his life in the UAE in a bid to sell his story.

The overall cost of the accommodation and additional facilities was Rs 35 lakh. According to police, Sharif paid over Rs 11.5 lakh to stay at the hotel for a longer period of time but afterwards left without paying the majority of the sum.

Now, the police are investigating the documents that the accused had shared with the hotel authorities, however, they are suspecting them to be fake.

“We don’t think his ID cards are genuine and he is not related to the royal family in Abu Dhabi. We are checking if he has done this before. He paid part of the bill in August-September last year and later gave the hotel a cheque for Rs 20 lakh. The cheque was submitted in November and it was found that it bounced due to insufficient funds,” said a senior police officer.

The news of this incident sparked a slew of social media jokes and memes on social media, where Netizens mocked the hotel’s callousness by sharing hilarious memes.

Some others wondered how the staff of an established and professional five-star hotel like Leela Palace be so reckless.

The Leela Palace in Delhi has previously made headlines after Congress leader Shashi Tharoor’s wife Sunanda Pushkar was discovered dead in mysterious conditions in the hotel’s suite number 345 in 2014. On January 17, 2014, the police sealed the room suite. The hotel administration had petitioned the court to have the suite unsealed. The court ultimately ordered the de-sealing in October 2017 after the hotel argued that the sealing of the room, which costs between Rs 55,000 and Rs 61,000 per night, had cost it more than Rs 50 lakh in those three years.

Sushant Singh Rajput’s pet dog Fudge passes away, fans mourn, say ‘united in heaven’

OpIndia Staff
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Sushant Singh Rajput’s pet dog Fudge passes away, fans mourn, say ‘united in heaven’

Late actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s pet dog, Fudge passed away on Monday. His sister, Priyanka Singh, took to Twitter to share the sad news.

‘So long Fudge! You joined your friend’s Heavenly territory… will follow soon! Till then… so heart broken ?” Singh tweeted with pictures of Fudge and the late actor.

Soon, many netizens and fans of the actor, who died under mysterious circumstances in 2020 expressed their condolences on passing of the pet dog.

Many shared images and videos of Fudge with Sushant Singh Rajput and expressed their sadness.

Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead on 14th June 2020 under mysterious circumstances. While initial media reports suggested suicide, subsequently concerns were raised and many believe he was murdered.

Sanjay Bhandari to be extradited to India: British home secretary Suella Braverman approves order

OpIndia Staff
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Sanjay Bhandari to be extradited to India: British home secretary Suella Braverman approves order

On January 16 (local time), British home secretary Suella Braverman cleared the extradition of fugitive arms dealer and Robert Vadra’s aide Sanjay Bhandari to India. The move came two months after a Westminster court in London ordered his extradition. Bhandari can appeal against the extradition in High Court in the next 14 days. Notably, reports suggest that the extradition was cleared last week itself.

Hindustan Times quoted an unnamed official saying, “Bhandari’s extradition was cleared by the UK Home Secretary last week. This brings us closer to bringing him here, but he can still go to the high court.”

In the court order on November 7, district judge Michael Snow ordered Bhandari’s extradition. It was then sent to the home secretary for approval. The order read, “As I am satisfied that extradition is compatible with the defendant’s Convention rights, I must send this case to the Secretary of State [Braverman] for a decision as to whether the defendant is to be extradited. However, I only do so based on the assurances that have been provided by the government.”

During the extradition hearings, counsels of the Indian government assured the court that Bhandari would be held in a separate cell at Tihar Jail, New Delhi. Furthermore, healthcare provisions will be taken care of during the trial against Bhandari in India.

The Indian government argued during the hearing that his conduct amounts to “fraud by false representation” in the British Jurisdiction. However, the legal team of Bhandari called the allegations baseless and accused the government of India of a “political witch hunt”.

The investigation against Sanjay Bhandari was initiated in 2019 under corruption charges in a 2009 deal worth Rs 2,985 crore to produce 75 PC-7 trainer aircraft from Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland. Furthermore, he is under investigation for alleged money laundering for properties allegedly linked to Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and husband of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi. The properties are allegedly located in London.

Vadra was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in May 2019. Reportedly, he denied all charges. In the charge sheet filed in June 2020, ED said that Bhandari flew to the UK in 2016. There he met certain people and tried to transfer property ownership of his foreign assets and companies using forged, backdated documents in the name of a UAE-based trust. He is also accused of accessing confidential defence documents.

The Indian authorities accused him of evading taxes between July 1, 2015, and February 7, 2017, while he was living in India. Furthermore, it was alleged that Sanjay Bhandari had a number of companies in India and in overseas jurisdictions, including the UK, Dubai and Panama. He allegedly skipped informing Indian authorities of his properties to avoid taxes, and forged documents and distanced himself from his properties.

In June 2020, two extradition requests from India were certified by then-home secretary Priti Patel. He was later arrested in July 2020 and released on bail pending a court hearing.

Bhandari is not the only fugitive facing extradition to India. In April 2020, the high court in the UK cleared fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya’s extradition. However, it was delayed for further proceedings. In February 2021, a Westminster court-ordered extradition of fugitive businessman Nirav Modi. He appealed in the high court. However, it was rejected. Nirav was also disallowed from going to the Supreme Court.

Even a simple egg curry recipe in NYT becomes an anti-Modi rant, columnist chef makes it about bashing ‘pro-vegetarian Hindus’

OpIndia Staff
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Even a simple egg curry recipe in NYT becomes an anti-Modi rant, columnist chef makes it about bashing ‘pro-vegetarian Hindus’

On January 16, netizens noticed a bizarre egg curry recipe in New York Times by an in-house critic Tejal Rao. It was not the ingredients that shocked the netizens but the blatant way Rao chose to show Hindus their ‘places’ in the culinary world.

Twitter user Vishal Ganesan was the first to notice the unusual section in the egg curry recipe. He wrote, “Me: “I want to find a recipe for egg curry.” The NYT recipe: “Under the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the surge of pro-vegetarian Hindu nationalism…” No one on earth is more banal than desi NYT writers.” He also added a screenshot of the section.

Rao was called out by other netizens as well. Twitter user Ashish said, “Egg Curry Recipe by NYTimes under Cooking Section. “Under the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the surge of pro-vegetarian Hindu nationalism”. 11 Mins Full Boil, 8 Mins Half Boil. LMFAO.”

Twitter user Only In Mumbai said, “Evidently, Egg curry recipes not only ones NYTimes food critic Tejal Rao uses to spread hatred for elected Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Interesting how non-Indians (UK-born, parents Kenyan) use all kinds of content to propagate anti-India narratives. But it’s NYT.”

Dr Sheenie Ambardar said, “The New York Times is known for hiring brown sepoys to propagate anti-Hindu, anti-India drivel but this takes the cake (or the egg curry as it were).”

Interestingly, Rao has also been criticised for bashing Hindus in her recipes earlier. In March 2020, Twitter user Aseem Shukla pointed it out. He wrote, “I’ve got to know Tejal Rao. Is there an autocorrect feature NYTimes that anytime anyone writes a story on India–even one on Gujarati cuisine, a rote denunciation of Hindu nationalism gets mentioned? I mean, your story is about dhokla!”

Professor Oopalee Operajita wrote in 2020, “Exactly how crazy & anti-India the frigging NYTimes is lucid in this article where Tejal Rao alludes to Hindu Nationalism and Narendra Modi!”

When OpIndia checked the recipe to confirm if it was actually written that way, we found the allegations were true. The recipe read, “Food has always been politicised in India, a person’s diet often revealing the specifics of her cultural identity. And under the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the surge of pro-vegetarian Hindu nationalism, even the simple practice of serving eggs at school lunch has become fraught. But eggs have long been an important source of nutrition across the country and form the base of many classic regional dishes.” This particular recipe was from 2020 and featured in ‘Tejal Rao’s 10 Essential Indian Recipes’.

Source: NYT

Upon checking other recipes by the same columnist, we found another recipe with similar attempts to target Hindus. The keema recipe read, “Though elite, upper-caste Hindus tend to be vegetarian, most Indians eat meat, and many millions of Muslim Indians eat beef.” Though none of the readers noticed the unnecessary Hindu bashing in egg curry, one reader commented in the notes asking about it in this recipe.

Source: NYT

A reader, Aparna, said, “It saddens me to see some Indian origin writers use “upper-caste” as a term as if it is a designation for something in India. Most of these folks have either never lived in India themselves or won’t even know their own families’ caste if asked. Caste, unlike ethnicity and race in America, is not a recognised designation in India. Absolutely no forms ask for it. Yes, we do have affirmative action for historically poorer sections of society, but I’d love to know who exactly is upper caste?”

Source: NYT

Not only in recipes, but Rao also enjoyed bashing vegetarians and Hindus in her other columns as well. For example, we noticed how she talked about author Sameen Rushdie being a “minority” among her “Hindu vegetarian” schoolmates as she eats meat. Sameen is author Salman Rushie‘s sister.

Source: NYT

In her column where the two recipes were mentioned, she wrote, “India is currently struggling with a powerful wave of Hindu nationalism that threatens its Muslim population with deadly violence. The news is hard to ignore, even in a food story: Hindu supremacists, who push a narrow definition of Indianness, also push a narrow definition of India’s food culture.”

Source: NYT

Who is Tejal Rao?

As per her New York Times description, Tejal Rao is the California restaurant critic for the media house. She also “develops” recipes as per her website. Hailing from London, she has done her bachelor’s in literature from Emerson College. Currently, she is based out of Los Angeles.

New York Times looks for ways to criticise Hindus

This is not the first time New York Times has been under fire for unnecessary and below-the-belt Hindu bashing. It has been proven from time to time that the publication specifically looks for content that is anti-Hindu in nature just to mock Indians and politicians like Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In 2021, OpIndia made a list of 14 articles where NYT indulged in showing Hindus their “place”. From giving a platform to Kunal Kamra to using the pandemic to propagate Hinduphobia, NYT has done everything in its power to make a mockery of journalism by targeting Hindus.

Muslim youths abuse, assault Hindu men over petty brawl, indulge in stone pelting as it turns communal in Aligarh: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Muslim youths abuse, assault Hindu men over petty brawl, indulge in stone pelting as it turns communal in Aligarh: Details

Two people suffered injuries during stone pelting, following a scuffle, which broke out between some people over buying meat from a shop in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh, reported news agency ANI. 

As per the report, a brawl took place between some people at a meat shop with the shop owner, near Sarai Sultani Police Chowki, under the Sasni Gate Police Station limits which escalated to stone pelting, leaving two injured. The injured persons were immediately rushed to the hospital. A report by Jagran says that the incident turned communal where Muslim youths gathered around a Hindu man and beat him up. As per the report, a collision of bikes led to the brawl which quickly turned communal.

As per the Jagran report, at around 8:30 PM on Monday, one Dilip alias Akash, Himanshu and one more youth reached a shop near hotel Taj. There, their bike collided with some other bikes. It is alleged that the Muslim youths then started abusing them. When they protested against abuses, the Hindu youths were reportedly assaulted. Himanshu’s friend Ankit, who was passing by, saw this and stopped to help him. The Muslim youths and the employees at Taj hotel then allegedly beat them up.

“Stones were pelted after a scuffle broke out between some people over buying meat from a shop in Aligarh Some people went to a meat shop. An argument happened between the people and the shopkeeper and later stone pelting happened in which two people were injured,” Aligarh District Magistrate Indra Vikram Singh told ANI. 

“The matter is being looked into from all angles. The shopkeeper and the customers are from different communities. Names of some people have come to the fore. The situation is under control and the investigation is being done,” he added. The Jagran report says that in presence of the police, too, the stonepelting continued.

Notably, after getting the intimidation, teams from different police stations reached the spot and took the situation under control. 
Police’s investigation into this matter is underway. Three people have been injured till now. The angered Hindu crowd have demanded a probe in the incident.

‘Girls as young as 13 are being kidnapped, forcefully converted to Islam and married to older men’: UN experts on Pakistan

OpIndia Staff
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‘Girls as young as 13 are being kidnapped, forcefully converted to Islam and married to older men’: UN experts on Pakistan

On Monday (January 16), experts at the United Nations expressed grave concern about the alarming rise in kidnappings, coerced marriages, and forced conversions of minor girls belonging to religious minority communities in Pakistan.

The experts included Tomoya Obokata, Mama Fatima Singhateh, Reem Alsalem, Nazila Ghanea, Fernand de Varennes, Siobhán Mullally, Dorothy Estrada-Tanck, Ivana Radačić, Elizabeth Broderick, Meskerem Geset Techane and Melissa Upreti.

They called for immediate action to ensure justice for the underage victims. The UN experts emphasised, “We urge the Government to take immediate steps to prevent and thoroughly investigate these acts objectively and in line with domestic legislation and international human rights commitments.”

They added, “Perpetrators must be held fully accountable…We are deeply troubled to hear that girls as young as 13 are being kidnapped from their families, trafficked to locations far from their homes, made to marry men sometimes twice their age, and coerced to convert to Islam, all in violation of international human rights law.”

“We are very concerned that such marriages and conversions take place under threat of violence to these girls and women or their families,” the UN experts pointed out. They also expressed concern about the “lack of access to justice for victims and their families.”

They also questioned the complicity of the Pakistani justice system and security forces in facilitating the abductions and forced conversions of minor girls. “Family members say that victims’ complaints are rarely taken seriously by the police, either refusing to register these reports or arguing that no crime has been committed by labelling these abductions as love marriages,” the experts stated.

They further added, “Abductors force their victims to sign documents which falsely attest to their being of legal age for marriage as well as marrying and converting of free will. These documents are cited by the police as evidence that no crime has occurred.”

“Pakistani authorities must adopt and enforce legislation prohibiting forced conversions, forced and child marriages, kidnapping, and trafficking, and abide by their international human rights commitments to combat slavery and human trafficking and uphold the rights of women and children,” the UN experts concluded.

Pakistan: Minor Hindu girl abducted, forcibly converted to Islam and married off to Shaukat

In October last year, a 14-year-old Hindu girl was forcefully married to a Muslim man after converting to Islam as per a report by FirstPost.

The incident took place in the Islamkot tehsil in the Tharparkar district in Sindh, Pakistan. According to the report, the teenage girl was abducted from the village.

A cleric named Samaru Pir Jan Sirhandi thereafter facilitated the forced conversion, after which she was forcefully married to her abductor Shaukat, son of Murad Hanhrjo, her family members alleged. Hindus in Pakistan live in perpetual fear of persecution at the hands of the Muslim majority. 

The cases of abduction, forced conversion to Islam and marriage with the abductor who is an older Muslim man, is a crimes prevalent in the Sindh province of Pakistan where underage Hindu girls from poor families are the victims. Mian Mithoo, an influential and powerful cleric of the Barachundi mosque in Sindh’s Bahawalpur is said to be the person who organises and facilitates the forced conversions. The courts then hold the forced Islamic marriage valid and make the minor girls live with the abductor, citing strict Sharia laws.

As TMC leader Saket Gokhale continues to be in jail for over two weeks, Mamata Banerjee attacks Gujarat Police for not following procedure while arresting him on charges of fraud

OpIndia Staff
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As TMC leader Saket Gokhale continues to be in jail for over two weeks, Mamata Banerjee attacks Gujarat Police for not following procedure while arresting him on charges of fraud

Two weeks after Trinamool Congress (TMC) spokesperson Saket Gokhale was arrested for siphoning money, party supremo Mamata Banerjee alleged ‘procedural lapses’ in the investigation process.

Gokhale used to be a Congress-supporting troll who hailed Rahul Gandhi. He had suddenly joined TMC.

While addressing a public meeting in Murshidabad, she claimed, “On Saturday (January 14) night, the Gujarat police along with the Delhi police personnel illegally removed CCTV cameras from Banga Bhavan in Delhi. Won’t you journalists respond to this high-handedness?”

“Why don’t you raise these questions? Who stays in the new Banga Bhavan? I stay at my nephew Abhishek’s house (when I go to Delhi). If I visit the National Capital alone, then, I sometimes stay at the Banga Bhavan,” Mamata Banerjee further added.

She claimed, “Remember, the West Bengal Governor, Chief Justice and Judges of the Calcutta High Court, media persons stay there (at the Banga Bhavan). With that, they now have the footage of the privileged/confidential interactions between them? Who gave you the authority to take away the CCTV footage?”

“Remember, I do not endorse the ‘bulldozer policy.’ But those who try to run down democracy with a bulldozer, I warn them about their closure (in future),” Mamata Banerjee was heard as saying.

TMC leader Saket Gokhale was arrested for the third time in December last year by the Gujarat Police for siphoning off money in the name of activism. The police had found accounts linked to Gokhale where he was receiving money, which he claimed was being used for legal fees for activism-related cases but was instead being withdrawn by him for personal finance.

Saket Gokhale was arrested from Delhi’s Banga Bhavan. Mamata Banerjee has stated that the Gujarat police taking away CCTV footage from Banga Bhavan is illegal and it has been done without the due permission from the Bengal government.

“One of our party workers, who does social work, was wrongfully arrested from Banga Bhavan by the Gujarat Police. He was going to Rajasthan. He was arrested again even after being released on bail”, she added referring to Gokhale.

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