On Wednesday, December 28, Mount Mary church in Mumbai’s Bandra reportedly received a threat mail warning about an attack by the Islamist terrorist organisation Laskhar-e-Taiba.
The church authorities have lodged a complaint at the Bandra Police Station. Police have registered a case under section 505 (3) of IPC against an unknown person.
Mumbai | The Mount Mary church in Bandra yesterday received a threat email warning of an attack by the terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba. Police have registered a case u/s 505(3) of IPC against unknown persons; probe underway: Police
In the complaint filed with Bandra Police, the church stated that on December 28, a church official received an email mentioning a threat of terror attack by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
The email was sent at around 7:28 pm by the sender who identified himself as a terrorist.
Notably, the church official received another mail at 7:29 pm following the first one. In the second mail, the sender claimed to be the mother of the child who allegedly sent the threatening email. In the email, the mother apologized for the first mail saying that it was sent by her mentally ill child.
Mumbai | Another email received following the first one where the sender claimed to be mother of the child who allegedly sent the first threat email. In it,the mother apologized saying that her child is mentally ill so he sent such a message. Police trying to verify matter:Police
In a sensational new twist to the death of former DMK Rajya Sabha MP D Masthan, the Guduvanchery police on Friday said he was strangled to death by five persons, including relatives, in a car at Palaveli in Chengalpattu district of Tamil Nadu.
The police said the MP’s death was not from a ‘cardiac arrest’ as claimed earlier. “On December 22, the former Rajya Sabha MP Masthan died in a car he was travelling in. He was on his way to extend an invite to his son’s marriage in Trichy, along with his cousin Imran Bhasha,” the Guduvanchery police said in a statement on Friday, adding that preliminary investigation had indicated that he died after suffering a cardiac arrest.
“The probe revealed that midway into the drive, four persons — Tamim alias Sulthan, Nazir, Thoufeek Ahmed and Lokeshwaran — joined Imran Bhasha in the car and strangled Masthan to death. We understand that he was killed for monetary reasons,” the police said, adding, “All the accused persons have been arrested.”
Masthan was rushed to a hospital but was declared brought dead.
According to reports, Masthan’s son, suspecting foul play, had insisted on a police investigation into his father’s death and even sought his autopsy report. He had lodged a complaint at Guduvancheri police station.
Later, Tambaram Commissioner Amalraj formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case.
“Imran Bhasha, who was driving the car, gave incoherent statements while being questioned, giving rise to suspicion,” the police said, adding that Bhasha, along with four others, killed him for financial reasons.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
In Atpadi Maharashtra, Christian Preachers Sanjay Gele and his wife Ashwini have sparked a wave of anger after their video of allegedly trying to cure a patient in the ICU using ‘miracle’ went viral. As the act of the Christian preacher was exposed, BJP MLA Gopichand Padalkar demanded a probe into the assets of Sanjay Gele in the assembly on 30th December 2022.
A wave of anger has erupted in Atpadi after a video of the alleged Christian preachers Sanjay Gele and his wife Ashwini went viral. The incident broke out after a video surfaced of the missionary religious activity they had committed by breaking into Varad Hospital in the city for the purpose of conversion. BJP MLA Gopichand Padalkar today raised an objection in the assembly and demanded a probe into the assets of Sanjay Gele. Padalkar also told the House that there was illegal conversion and construction of a church in Atpadi.
Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis replied after the notice raised by Padalkar. Fadnavis promised to conduct an inquiry by the government into the conversions and construction of the church through the Gele family and take action. Earlier, while pointing out, Gopichand Padalkar said, “Sanjay Gele and his wife Ashwini are both taking advantage of people’s ignorance and naivety in Atpadi. They are trying to convert by luring them. They have built an illegal church in Atpadi. Action should be taken against the Christian preachers and the construction of illegal churches should be removed. The Gele family owns luxurious hotels, JCBs, and Pokeland machines and land in many places. The source of this wealth should be investigated and action should be taken. The public sentiment in this regard is very strong. If action is not taken, there may be a law and order problem.”
There was an incident where an 18-year-old girl from the intensive care unit of Varad Hospital in Atpadi town of the Sangli district in Maharashtra was being treated and both Sanjay and Ashwini Gele had put their hands on her head and said prayers. A complaint in this regard was filed by Sampatrao Namdev Dhanawade.
According to the complaint, Sanjay Gele and his wife Ashwini Gele falsely informed that they were relatives of patients in the intensive care unit of Varad Hospital with the intention of allegedly curing the patient by sorcery by pretending to have divine power in their body. The couple also entered the ICU without permission. Sonali Shivdas Jire (age 18, a resident of Mapatemala in Atpadi) was the patient they targeted. They ran their fingers over her forehead and pretended to be undergoing a finger surgery by reading religious text on a tab.
A case of witchcraft and sorcery has been registered in this regard. Atpadi police arrested alleged Christian preacher Sanjay Gele in Sangli on Wednesday. Atpadi police inspector Sharad Memane and colleagues carried out the operation. A trap was laid on Wednesday night and Sanjay Gele was arrested in Sangli. His wife Ashwini is still absconding. The accused, Sanjay Gele, was produced before the Atpadi court and was remanded in police custody till the 31st of this month.
This was the first time that the type of conversion and spreading of superstitions came to light in the taluka. The incident has exposed the hidden work of the Gele couple. People from various communities and Hindutva organizations had demanded immediate action against the couple and their arrest. The incident was strongly condemned by taking out a march. On December 25, a day-long bandh was observed in Atpadi town.
The Atpadi police have arrested suspected Christian preacher Sanjay Gele. However, a massive rally was taken out on 30th December 2022 by the Sakal Hindu Samaj demanding an inquiry into all his affairs so far and wealth of Sanjay Gele. The participation of women in this march was significant. BJP MLA Ram Satpute joined the rally.
In Jafarabad, a Muslim-dominated area in the Balrampur district of eastern Uttar Pradesh, a Hindu woman has filed a complaint against her Muslim neighbours for allegedly pressurizing her to convert to Islam.
On Monday, an FIR was filed against the seven accused identified as Shahajadi, Moharma, Sahiba, Amirzade, Irfan, Sonu and Afreed under relevant sections, including the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021.
According to the FIR, complainant Deepa Nishad has alleged that Muslim women spit on a temple built in her house and said that “your temple has been desecrated, now you have become Muslim.”
In her complaint, Deepa Nishad alleged that the neighbouring Muslim families harass her to convert to Islam, and she was also being pressurised to sell her house or leave the locality. Nishad allegedly was also receiving death threats for the same.
Acting upon Deepa Nishad’s complaint, Balrampur has so far arrested three women accused (Shahajadi, Moharma, and Sahiba).
Victim Deepa Nishad stated that her home is surrounded by Muslim families’ homes. Amirzade and Irfan, two of the seven accused, frequently threatened to kill her if she did not convert to Islam or sell her house and leave. In her complaint, the victim also claims that the accused Irfan, Sonu, and Afreed repeatedly threatened and assaulted her and her family members for refusing to convert to Islam.
Circa: 2022 In Secular New India.. Darra hua mzlmans dragging & beating up a hindu woman for refusing to convert to Izlam Balrampur, UP pic.twitter.com/Uc3oRAoNeZ
Recalling the incident that took place on December 17, Deepa said that she and her sister were beaten. Accused Amirzade also gave his mobile number to Deepa and pressurised her to talk to him over call.
Moreover, the accused Muslim women would often spit on the temple inside victim Deepa’s house and sometimes throw water.
As per an India Today report, victim Deepa has released videos of Muslim women hurling abuses at her and threatening her family.
Reportedly, all the accused women denied pressuring the Hindu victim to change her religion. However, when the video of them spitting on the temple was shown to them, they had no answer.
Tulsi Ram, Deepa Nishad’s brother, reportedly claimed that he was being pressured by his Muslim neighbours to drop the case. He also stated that he was recently attacked while returning home.
In a video byte tweeted by Balrampur Police, Balrampur Superintendent of Police (SP) Rajesh Kumar Saxena said “a woman has alleged that her neighbours have pressured her to change her religion, sell her house, assaulted her and her family for refusing to do so.”
#BalrampurPolice थाना रेहरा बाजार पुलिस द्वारा थाना स्थानीय पर पंजी0 मु0अ0सं0 257/22 धारा-147/323/506/295 भा0द0वि0 व 3/5(1) उ. प्र. विधि विरुद्ध धर्म संपरिवर्तन प्रतिषेध अधिनियम 2021 से सम्बन्धित 03 अभियुक्त गिरफ्तार उक्त प्रकरण के संदर्भ में #SPBalrampur की बाइट pic.twitter.com/xk2qk7wuH2
“Three accused women have been arrested and efforts are being made to arrest the other four accused,” SP Saxena added.
In another tweet, Balrampur police informed that a case has been registered under Section-147, 323, 506, 295 of the Indian Penal Code and the Law Against Religion Conversion Prohibition Act 2021.
#BalrampurPolice प्रकरण के संबंध में थाना रेहरा बाजार बलरामपुर पर मु0अ0सं0 257/22 धारा-147/323/506/295 भा0द0वि0 व 3/5(1) उ.प्र. विधि विरुद्ध धर्म संपरिवर्तन प्रतिषेध अधि0 2021 पंजी0 करते हुए अभियुक्तगण गिरफ्तार कर।मा0न्यायालय के समक्ष प्रस्तुत किया गया जहाँ से उन्हे जेल भेजा गया।
“In relation to the case M.A. No. 257/22, Police Station Rehra Bazar Balrampur, M.A. registered FIR under section-147/323/506/295 of I.P.C. and Law Against Religion Conversion Prohibition Act 2021 and arrested the accused. The arrested accused were presented before the honourable Court from where they were sent to jail,” Balrampur Police tweeted.
Two days after Tamil actor Siddharth alleged that Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel harassed his family and ‘deliberately’ spoke to them in Hindi, an airport staffer has now rubbished his claims.
While speaking about the matter to Daily Thanthi, the official informed that the officer-in-duty at that was a Tamil woman. “Siddharth arrived at Madurai Airport with his family to go to Chennai. At 4:15 PM he reached the CISF security force’s checkpoint,” the official was quoted as saying.
“Siddharth was asked to remove his mask and show his ID card. This is standard security practice. The belongings of Siddharth and his family were searched. A woman CISF personnel hailing from Tamil Nadu was on duty when Siddharth’s checking happened,” the official further informed.
The Madurai airport staffer emphasised that the female officer-in-charge hailed from the Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu, she is a native Tamil speaker and she did not speak to Siddharth or his family in Hindi.
The official said the Tamil actor was miffed with the ‘recurrent’ searches. At that time, a Telegu-speaking officer intervened to pacify the situation, following which Siddharth reportedly stormed off the boarding area with his family members.
“None of the CISF personnel spoke in Hindi and behaved harshly towards Siddharth. Siddharth’s allegations are false. The footage from his arrival at the airport to his departure has been recorded on the CCTV camera.”, the official told Daily Thanthi.
The Background of the Controversy
On Tuesday (December 27), Siddharth alleged that he and his family members were harassed by Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, stationed at the Madurai airport.
In a now-disappeared Instagram story, Siddharth claimed that the jawans spoke in Hindi despite being asked to talk in English. “Harassed for 20 minutes at empty Madurai airport by CRPF,” he wrote.
“They made my senior parents remove coins from their bags! And repeatedly talked to us in Hindi before being told to speak in English. Rude AF (as f*ck),” he continued his tirade.
Screengrab of the Instagram story by Siddharth, image via Republic TV
“When we protested they said in India this is how it is. Jobless people showing off power,” Siddharth concluded with a ‘vomit’ emoji. The actor, who has been out of work for some time now, had courted several controversies in the past, including rude, derogatory remarks towards ace badminton champ Saina Nehwal and actor Samantha.
Over the years, several conversion rackets have been unearthed in various parts of the country. These conversion rackets, which are typically backed by foreign organisations, Islamic outfits and influential Christian missionaries, prey on economically vulnerable Hindus and tribals by tempting them with money, two square meals, clothing, education, and other materialistic inducements. Often, these individuals, in their bid to escape the grinding poverty, accept the offer and convert their religion, only to realise later that the reprieve has been temporary and there has not been a drastic change in their predicament.
Only a small piece of this pervasive and ongoing conversion racket comes to light whenever such defenceless Hindus are rescued or when individuals, gone adrift, revert to Hinduism or undertake Ghar wapsi.
As this year comes to a close, here is a compilation of this year’s cases where vulnerable Hindu families or individuals, who were forced to convert to either Islam or Christianity, later returned to the folds of Hinduism after realising how they had fallen into the trap of evangelists or Islamists who initially lured them with financial aid and food and then brainwashed them to convert to Christianity or Islam.
Ghar Wapsi in Bulandshahr
On December 26, OpIndia reported that over 100 people belonging to 20 Valmiki families in Khurja of the Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh reverted to Hinduism. The ‘Ghar Wapsi‘ initiative was organised by Rashtriya Chetna Mission along with Valmiki Sangh with the help of local MLA Minakshi Singh.
Singh said those who reverted to Hinduism took an oath to pray to Sri Ram, Sri Krishna, and other Sanatan deities from now on.
Ghar wapsi in Koppal, Karnataka
On December 16, an incident of Ghar wapsi has been reported from Karatagi village of Koppal district in Karnataka. According to reports, Shankar K and his family, who were compelled to convert to Christianity four years ago owing to financial constraints, contacted Koppal’s Hindu organisations seeking Ghar Wapsi. The Hindu Jagarana Vedike performed the rites at Karatagi village as per the requests of the family members, and the individuals reverted to Hinduism.
Ghar wapsi in Mandsaur
In a Ghar wapsi event from Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur on December 12, 2022, a man named Afsar Mansoori quit Islam and embraced Hinduism after chanting Vedic mantras and taking a Panchgavya bath. After his reversion, Mansoori gave himself a new name- Krishna Sanatani after the Vedic rituals at a temple.
80 people in UP’s Muzzafarnagar quit Islam and embrace Hinduism
On December 11, 2022, around 80 people of 12 families in Muzzafarnagar quit Islam and embraced Hinduism in presence of Mahant Swami Yashveer Maharaj at Yog Sadhana Ashram, Bagra. The 80 members, belonging to the Dalit community, alleged that they were earlier Hindus and were forced to convert to Islam by Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan.
The members undertook Ghar wapsi by chanting Gayatri Mantra and by embracing the Hindu religious thread ‘Janeu’.
Jharkhand’s Muskan Khatun embraces Hinduism, marries Ram in a Hindu temple
On November 24, OpIndia reported that in Jharkhand’s Godda district, a Muslim girl named Muskan Khatun embraced Hinduism and got married to her Hindu partner Ram. Muskan Khatun said that she likes the Hindu Dharma and is very happy with her decision.
Muskan converted to Hindu Dharma and amidst the chants of ‘Har Har Mahadev’, got married to Ram in a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony on November 22.
Reportedly, several Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bajrang Dal, and RSS activists were also present during the wedding. While Muskan’s family members had threatened to kill her as she changed her religion and married a Hindu man, Ram’s family had accepted their marriage.
Akshay Gaur reverts to Hinduism after filing complaint against mosque caretaker who converted him to Islam
On Friday (November 18), in Madhya Pradesh’s Khandwa district, the caretaker of a mosque was booked on the charges of forcefully converting a Hindu man named Akshay Gaur to Islam.
Akshay Gaur of Prabhu Prem Puram locality filed a police complaint alleging that Alim Qadri converted him to Islam taking advantage of his family problems. After formally lodging a complaint, he said that his Hindu friends found out about his forceful conversion. They spoke to him and convinced him after which he reverted to Hinduism by giving him Gangajal. “I later changed my name from Akshay Gaur to Mohammad Fahim Khan and announced it on Facebook.” When my Hindu friends found out about it, they called me and persuaded me for three days. “They helped me get rid of the illusion I was caught in,” he said.
Akshay Gaur whom Alim Qadri converted to Islam taking advantage of his family problems
500 tribals in Odisha revert to Hinduism
On October 20, 2022, around 500 people, who belong to the Schedule Tribes, in Odisha embraced Hinduism. Vishwa Kalyan Mahayagya was organized in the village Jamurla of Sundargarh district for the Ghar wapsi of these people who were previously converted to Christianity. The event was organized by Dharma Jagran Coordination Department, Odisha in collaboration with Arya Samaj, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal.
5 members of a family in Bijnor, who were converted to Islam 8-years-ago, reverts to Hinduism
A five-member family living in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor district, who had converted to Islam 8 years ago, reverted to Sanatan Dharma in October this year. Mohammad Ahmed, the patriarch of the family was renamed Sandeep Saini, and his wife Sania was again named Seema Saini.
Sandeep Saini and his family embrace Hinduism
Saint Yashveer of Yashveer Ashram, who helped the family to revert to Hinduism by performing Yagna and springing Gangajal on the family members for purification, had said how the Saini family was lured and converted to Islam 8 years ago. “I would call it Ghar wapsi instead of conversion,” the Hindu saint said.
Mohammed Nisar willingly embraces Sanatan Dharma In Mandsaur, MP
In September this year, it was reported how one Mohammed Nisar out of his own will embraced the Sanatan Dharma at the Gayatri temple in Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh and adopted the new identity as Sonu Singh. After embracing Hinduism, Sonu Singh said that his inclination was towards Hinduism from the beginning and after marrying a Hindu girl, he started worshipping at home but was always afraid of the consequences if he embraced Sanatan Dharma.
“I would have adopted Sanatan long ago, but there was no one to give me the courage. My grandfather’s name was Chand Singh. Our forefathers were Hindus, so I named myself Sonu Singh and converted to Hinduism. I do not know how to read Namaz, nor have I ever read Quran. I liked living like a Hindu. That’s why I used to apply Tilak. The law of India allows me to follow the religion of my faith,” Nisar had said after embracing Hinduism.
Rukhsar Khatoon does Ghar wapsi and becomes Nisha, says was frustrated since father wanted to consummate his 5th marriage
On September 25, OpIndia reported that a Madarsa student named Rukhsar Khatoon adopted Hinduism as per Hindu rituals and customs. Rukhsar who hails from the Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh changed her name to Nisha after embracing Hinduism. After conversion, she married a Hindu man, the love of her life, Ram Ashish. Speaking about her decision, Nisha alias Rukhsar Khatoon discussed the aspects of Islam that she found objectionable. She said that her father already has four wives and is planning to consummate his 5th marriage, which she felt was wrong and which is why she chose a Hindu boy as her life partner.
Muslim woman embraces Hinduism after alcoholic husband gives her triple talalq
In another similar instance, an aggrieved Muslim woman named Rubina Khan of Haldwani in Uttarakhand wilfully adopted Hinduism and married a Hindu man named Prempal after her alcoholic ex-husband Shoiab threw her out of the house after giving her triple talaq.
Ikra becomes Ishika after willingly accepting Hinduism and marries a Hindu boy
In yet another similar incident, a Muslim woman named Ikra willingly converted her religion from Islam to Hinduism in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandasaur district and married a Hindu man in the month of September this year. The woman married her love Rahul Verma and accepted Hinduism as her new religion amid the religious chants at Gayatri Mandir.
After performing Ghar Wapsi, Ishika reiterated that she has converted her religion to Hinduism willingly and that she wants her family members to stay away from her husband and her new family.
Retired railway supervisor Abdul Jameel of Fatehpur embraces Hinduism
On Thursday 21st July 2022, a man named Abdul Jameel in Fatehpur in Uttar Pradesh quit Islam and embraced Hinduism at the Sankat Mochan Mandir amidst the holy chants of Vedic Mantras along with all the rituals according to the Sanatan Dharma. He will now be known as Shravan Kumar. Abdul Jameel – a retired government servant – said that he developed an interest in the Sanatan Dharma over the last many years.
Abdul Jameel said, “When my brother-in-law Babar alias Mustakim knew that I am converting to Hinduism, he locked me at home and he beat me. I believed in my deity, Lord Ram. I perform his puja at my home for the last three months.”
He added, “Lord Ram is the ancestor of the whole of India, and people should happily accept this fact.”
UP youth who was misled and converted to Islam reverts to Hinduism
A Hindu youth named Saurabh Rastogi, who was brainwashed into converting to Islam 11-years-ago returned to his faith in July this year. Saurabh who had started identifying himself as Muhhamad Suhail after conversion said that a Muslim cleric had brainwashed his father and other family members to eschew Hinduism and embrace Islam.
However, 11 years later, Saurabh Rastogi wrote to the District Magistrate of Bareilly Shivakant Dwivedi stating that he felt smothered in the religion of Islam and wanted to revert to Hinduism. Finally, on July 12, Saurabh Rastogi came back to the fold of Hinduism amid havan and puja rituals.
18 Muslims convert to Hinduism because they believe their ancestors were Hindus
In June this year, reports emerged that 18 Muslims retreated to Sanatan Dharma after worshipping at the Shiva temple in Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh saying that their forefathers were Hindus. They offered prayers at the Bhimnath Mahadev Temple in Amba. In the presence of Swami Anandgiri Maharaj, everyone took a bath with Gaumutra and wore Janeus. The individuals who adopted Hinduism signed an affidavit testifying that they converted of their own free will.
Muslim man Shaikh Jafar Qureshi does Ghar Wapsi in MP
On May 28, OpIndia reported that a Muslim man named Shaikh Jafar Qureshi renounced Islam and accepted Hinduism in the Mandasaur district of Madhya Pradesh. The 46-year-old Sheikh was given the initiation to Hinduism by performing ritual worship by Mahamandaleshwar Swami Chidambaranand Saraswati at the Pashupatinath temple. From May 28 Shaikh Jafar Qureshi was known by his new name Chetan Singh Rajput.
Elaborating on his feeling over having a new name, Chetan Singh Rajput said, “Forefathers of Muslims were Rajput. So I decided to consider Rajput surname for myself. I am a devotee of Lord Shiva and was fascinated by Sanatan Dharma since childhood”, he reiterated. He also stated that now he will support and encourage all those people who want to adopt Hinduism as a religion.
Muslim girl converts to Hinduism, called her family members fanatics
On May 23 it was reported a Muslim girl has converted to Hinduism in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly district to marry a Hindu youth, Bobby Kashyap. “My family members and relatives are of fanatic and fundamentalist ideology. They hate Hinduism but I have unwavering faith in Hinduism,” Lubna Shahjeen who became Arohi said after reverting to Hinduism.
Mohammad Gulnaz turns Virat Kumar after realising ‘what’s wrong and what’s right’
One Mohammad Gulnaz rejected Islam to adopt Hinduism in Uttar Pradesh Shahjahanpur district in the month of May this year. Gulnaz became Virat Kumar amid Hindu rituals and mantras, with the help of members of Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal.
After adopting Hinduism, Virat claimed that when he realized “what’s wrong and what’s right” he decided to get back to his original roots. “My ancestors were “Sanatanis” keeping that in consideration I returned back to my original religion. Sanatan Dharm is the oldest dharma and I returned to it on my own,” said Virat and also appealed to his family members to return to Hinduism.
A Muslim girl in Bareilly does Ghar Wapsi
On May 16 it was reported that a Muslim girl, Nazish, married a Hindu boy in the temple in Bareilly after undertaking Ghar wapsi. Nazish who started identifying herself as Niharika after reverting to Hinduism had said that she had immense faith in the Hindu religion and there was no pressure or coercion from anyone on her. Mahant of Agastya Muni Ashram had helped Nazish to embrace Hinduism according to Hindu customs and rituals.
Ex-AIMIM leader and wife want to quit Islam, adopt Hinduism
In April, the former district president of Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM (All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen) Mohd Ruved Sabir and his wife Samina Parveen expressed their desire to convert to Hinduism and reached out to Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath to seek help in the due process. The couple said that they have been compelled to take the decision after they did not receive any help from the leaders and organisations of their own community.
Uttar Pradesh: Eight members of two Muslim families revert to Hinduism
Eight members of two Muslim families reverted to Hinduism in the Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday, April 26, 2022. Mahant Swami Yashveer Maharaj and Swami Mrigendra Maharaj of Swami Yashveer Ashram Parishad at Bagra brought them back to the Hinduism fold after performing the havan and puja rituals. All of them became Hindu amidst the chants of holy mantras by doing Achamana of the holy Gangajal.
Bareilly: Christian boy and Muslim girl undergo gharwapsi
In the same month, a Christian boy and a Muslim girl underwent Ghar wapsi and got married according to Hindu rituals in the Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh. According to reports, the Christian groom Sumit loved Sanatan values and culture, so he proposed to his lover Noor to marry him by becoming a Hindu. Noor immediately accepted the proposal and the duo decided to undergo Ghar wapsi and get married.
Ghar Wapsi of 1250 people in Chhattisgarh
In the state of Chhattisgarh, 1250 persons returned to Sanatan Dharma. This occurred at the Vishwa Kalyan Mahayagya held in Katangpali village in the Mahasamund district of Chattisgarh on Tuesday, March 22, 2022.
‘Ghar Wapsi’ in Pakistan
On March 14, a Pakistani national, Zakriya Hanif, who identifies as transgender, announced that she was leaving Islam and embracing Hinduism. In a tweet where she posted photographs of herself donning Tilak at a temple and the gate of the temple, she wrote, “Officially leaving muslimanity and joining Hinduism.” She also used the hashtag Ghar Wapsi, a term often used for people coming back to Hinduism.
61 tribal Christian families do Ghar wapsi in Jharkhand
In March this year, as many as 61 families of Vanvasi (tribal) Samaj in Jharkhand’s Sahibganj district converted back to their Sarna religion. According to reports, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) Department Minister Kalicharan Mandal had organised a program for the return of these 61 Sarna tribal families in the Sahibganj district.
झारखंड के साहिबगंज जिले में वनवासी समाज के 61 परिवारों के सैंकड़ों लोगों ने पूरे रीति-रिवाज के साथ की घर वापसी। ईसाई मिशनरियों ने प्रलोभन दे करवाया था धर्म परिवर्तन। विहिप ने चला रखा है घर वापसी का अभियान… pic.twitter.com/ncbzhpgJFB
181 Christians reconverted to the original tribal Sarna faith in Jharkhand
It’s worth noting that while Christian missionaries operating in the rural hamlets of Jharkhand have been luring vulnerable tribals with land and money in order to convert them, members of various Hindu outfits have been working tirelessly to free these innocent tribals from the clutches of such evangelists.
Prior to the aforementioned incident, as many as 181 members of a tribal community whose ancestors had embraced Christianity many years ago were converted back to their Sarna religion in different villages of the Garhwa district in Jharkhand.
The Dharma Jagran and Tribal Suraksha Manch organised the Saraedih Village Tribal Conference for the return of the Sarna tribals. In the program, all the Christian converts who wished to revert back to their original faith were welcomed as per the tribal tradition of washing their feet.
Malayalam director Ali Akbar renounced Islam and embraced Hinduism
A month after quitting Islam, Malayalam Director Ali Akbar officially reconverted to Hinduism in January. On the 10th of December, Ali Akbar announced that he was leaving Islam and would be known as Ramasimhan henceforth.
Ghar wapsi in Karnataka
On January 10, a unique case of Gharwapsi had come to the fore in Karnataka’s Yadgir district. A man whose family converted to Christianity close to 50 years ago had returned to the fold of Hinduism along with his wife and three children.
In his interview with Times of India, Timothy said he is unaware of the circumstances that led his parents to eschew Hinduism and embrace Christianity 50 years back. But now, he is preparing to return to his original religion.
The problem with romanticising history is that it reduces science to fantasy, and facts to propaganda. Indian intellectual space has long suffered this malaise, where the intellectuals, mostly leftists and closet communalists beat up historical facts so mercilessly to bring them into a shape of their liking that in the protest it lost any life it had. The telling of history ought to be lively so that it can help us define the future. The propaganda that influenced our reading of history to suit the political requirements of today made it useless for our future. To protect our future from the failures of the past is, to my mind, the primary reason for reading history.
As a school Principal was suspended for making the students sing a poem by Mohammad Iqbal and a slew of articles came out in close succession in the national dailies in support of the school functionaries breaching the set curriculum and making the kids sing a poem with allegedly religious tinge. Nostalgia-strained articles were written referring to the younger days of old intellectuals about how in the non-communal world of Nellie, Bhagalpur and Meerut before 2014, poems were sung without such interventions. Syeda Hameed wrote referring to various poems referring to Hindu deities that were sung and unlike Nahida and Waziruddin no one got suspended. She forgets that for a wounded nation, it is not only the work of art, rather the artist is also important before taking in his art into national school curriculum.
We cannot take Hitler’s paintings into the curriculum of Art Schools, where you have a much more mature audience, even to teach them how paintings should not be painted. Sayeeda Hameed challenges the 140 Crore people to put their hands on their hearts and then say whether they agree to this state action against a Mohammad Iqbal poem. She is not wrong. She knows we are a nation which had put the members of the Muslim League into the Constituent Assembly and made them participate in the making of the constitution of a nation which they had just broken into two. She also knows that we have been conditioned so well over the years, post-independence that we believe Iqbal to be a nationalist, freedom fighter with a secular outlook. She is so sure of the propaganda that she is not afraid of the truth. She leans on the trope of now-defunct due to the overuse Ganga-Jamuni culture which is nothing but a representation of the large-heartedness of the Majority population of India who allowed one of the two of their own rivers to represent the foreign faith.
While Mohammad Ali Jinnah is the political father of Pakistan, those who have read history know that Mohammad Iqbal, known by his pen-name Allama Iqbal was the ideological father of Pakistan. In order to exonerate the actual proponents of the Two-Nation theory, by alienating them from the Indian Muslims, an erratic policy, post-independence pushed the Muslims into their lap, by creating fake villains of Partition. There is no evidence to suggest even in the last, blood-tainted days, Hindus of Lahore or Dhaka were taken on board and agreed to the creation of a Muslims-only India out of a Hindu-Majority India. Apart from the loss of businesses, history and culture, this partition unfairly forced Hindus of the region to the point of sword resulting in the loss of their political relevance after almost two centuries of mostly Hindu fight for independence, if we leave it alone the small phase of Caliphate movement which was jointly carried forward by both Hindus and Muslims.
While the story is long and will need full attention, for now, let us go with the undeniable fact that religion as a basis for nation-making first raised its ugly head in the last phases of 1857 when the Muslim mutineers raised Islamic flags in the Red Fort, followed by the pro-British Sir Syed first raising the two-nation theory, in a speech he made in Meerut, on 14th of March, 1887. Savarkar was five years old at that time. It was in 1906, that Sir Aga Khan- III founded Muslim League and formalised this two-nation theory by obtaining a separate electorate for the Muslims. Hindu Mahasabha was founded in 1916, a reactionary movement of Hindus, years after the foundation of the Muslim League. In 1921, it removed the clause of being loyal to the British and made independent and self-ruled India its goal. Congress approved the Poorna Swarajya resolution in 1929.
In 1926, Justice Abdur Rahim from Midnapore gave a more definite shape to the Two-Nation Theory, in a speech he made in January at the 17th Convention of Muslim League, claiming that Indian Muslims are closer to Pan-Islamism than they are to the Hindu inhabitants of India. RSS, just as Hindu Mahasabha, was again formed as a reactionary force in September 1926. Every time Muslim leaders sought to separate themselves from Hindu India, the Hindus came together, perforce forming an organisation for Hindu unity. Coming to Mohammad Iqbal, born to Hindu ancestors, Sapru Brahmins from Kashmir, on 9th November 1877 at Sialkot. (Iqbal would write proudly about his Hindu caste credentials). Khushwant Singh wrote that Iqbal’s father Rattan Lal was caught in a case of embezzlement, in Afghanistan and to escape punishment, he converted to Islam.
This ordinary case of corruption created a separatist Islamic leader and thinker. Around 1907, Iqbal returned from England and started legal practice in Lahore. Unlike Jinnah who even in 1947 tried to distinguish Indian, and later Pakistani Muslims from Pan -the Islamist movement, Iqbal from the early one pushed the idea of Muslims being a part of Pan-Islam and considered any loyalty to nationalist feelings inconsistent with the teaching of Islam. In December 1930, Allahabad session of the Muslim League, Iqbal made a speech claiming that it was impossible for the Muslims to live together with the Hindus and demanded the creation of Muslim states. Arguing strongly against the idea that religion is a private affair and should not have a play in the political space, Iqbal pushed for an Islamic political entity. He said in this famous speech hidden away from public view in a secular India – I demand the formation of a consolidated Muslim state in the best interest of Islam and India.
Iqbal has been positioned to the people in India, in the minds of majority Hindus with the secular slant of thinking as the writer of Tarana-e-Hindi, known better as Sare-Jahaan-Se-Achcha in 1905. However, within the next five years, in 1910, after he had become a secretary in the Muslim League, he wrote Tarana-e-Milli on a similar rhythm and poetry structure but with a diametric opposition theme. No longer claiming himself to be ‘of hind’ (Hindi hain hum, vatan hai Hindostaan hamara), Iqbal is now a Muslim with no allegiance to his motherland, rather a citizen of Ummah or Pan-Islam with loyalty to the global Islam not to the nation (Cheen-o-Arab Hamaara, Hindustaan hamaara, Muslim hain hum, vatan hai, saara jahan hamara- China is ours, and so is India, we are Muslims and entire world is ours). The man who five years back claimed to be a Hindustani, writes in Nazm Wataniyat “baaju tera tauheed ki kuvvat se kavi hai, islam tera desh hai to mustafvi hai (Your arms carry the strength of monotheism, and your nation is Islam and you are a citizen of Prophet’s nation).
In 1922, the man who secularists in India would later project as a Nationalist freedom fighter got knighthood from the British Government. While he was very happy about Muslims getting the support of the Hindus in the Caliphate movement, he was disappointed when Turkey declared itself as a secular nation. He wrote in despair – If a nation gives up Islamic fanaticism and chooses a national fanaticism as the principle of order then for that nation preaching of Islam is meaningless, and it means it has no interest in the preaching of Islam. Read in plain English, Iqbal contends that unless a nation chooses the path of Islamic fanaticism, it cannot propagate Islam. Iqbal batted aggressively for Hijab for women. Annemarie Schimmel writes in her book Gabriel’s Wings that Iqbal saw the Western methods of female education as a greater danger to his dream of Muslim womanhood. A vocal opponent of women’s right to vote, Iqbal blames this political involvement of women on monogamy.
It is not so shocking that a religious prayer of the architect of Pakistan is being objected to, what is more, surprising is that our secular slant has kept the truth about Iqbal hidden from our masses. We have cultivated our intelligentsia in such a manner that out of some sense of inadequacy they cannot think of Sahir or Ashfaq who repudiated Pan-Islam and celebrated their nationalism as poets of repute to teach them in schools, rather we run after Pakistani heroes like Iqbal and Faiz. While we have awards constituted after the architect of Pakistan, in a way, honouring those who broke India to pursue their fanatic goals, Pakistan has no awards named after Indians who made great cities of Pakistan like Karachi. 1947 saw creation of Pakistan and destruction of India, it is strange that Pakistan has open animosity towards the Hindu ancestors of theirs who contributed towards developing the region, and in India we have intellectuals falling over one another to honour the Pakistanis.
The secularists of India would be shocked that while we seek unity on the account of similar cultural ethos and ideological moorings as the citizens of the same nation, Iqbal clearly denounced any such possibility. In a speech made in Aligarh in 1911, he said- It is not the unity of language, or country or identity or economic interest that constitutes the basic principles of our nationality. It is because we believe in a certain view of the universe and participate in the same historical tradition that we are a member of the society formed by the Prophet of Islam. An absolutely divisive Islamist, Iqbal was never a secular nationalist and was the nourisher of the thought which created a theocratic Muslim state, by severing India on which his ancestors grew. He wrote letter after letter to Jinnah persuading him to never settle for anything less than the creation of a Muslim homeland.
While I am totally against banning any work of art, to officially introduce the works of someone who was the ideological creator of Pakistan, to students who are innocent enough not to evaluate the value and meaning of a work of art, is not right. If this protest is being raised not because our intellectuals look at bigoted intellectuals of the past as a voice of free expression, then we must remember that the same Pakistan-loving class remained silent when a noted musician like Hridaynath Mangeshkar was sacked from All India Radio under Congress rule merely for composing a song of Savarkar. We as common citizens must listen to the silence with which action on a noted composer like Hridaynath Mangeshkar was received, and understand the noise with which a suspension notice to a barely known School Principle is challenged. One had put to music a song by an Indian leader, another had made young kids sing a song composed by innocent children.
A week after NDTV founders Prannoy Roy and Radhika announced that they are selling their most of stake in the media company to Adani Group, today Adani Enterprises Limited informed that it has completed the transaction. In a regulatory filing made with BSE and NSE on Friday, the Adani Group said it has acquired a 27.26 per cent equity stake in NDTV from Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy, thereby becoming the majority owner of the media firm.
Adani Enterprises Limited said in the statement, “RRPR, an indirect subsidiary of Adani Enterprises and member of the promoter/promoter group of NDTV, has acquired 27.26% equity stake in NDTV from Mr Prannoy Roy and Mrs Radhika Roy (“Sellers”) by way of inter-se transfer under Securities and Exchange Board of India (Substantial Acquisition of Shares and Takeovers) Regulations, 2011.
According to the filing made with the stock exchanges, RRPR will now hold a 56.45%equity stake in NDTV, as RRPR already held a 29.18 per cent equity stake in NDTV. The acquisition of shares from Roys was completed on 30 December.
The Adani Group also informed that Vishvapradhan Commercial Private Limited, an indirect subsidiary of the Adani group, holds an 8.27% per cent equity stake in NDTV. Therefore, Adani Group now owns 64.72% stake in New Delhi Television.
The statement by Adani Enterprises says that the company acquired the 27.26% stake from Roys at the price of ₹342.65 per share. This means that the company paid over ₹600 crore to Roys for the shares. According to the regulatory filing made by NDTV last week, Prannoy Roy transferred 86,65,209 equity shares and Radhika Roy transferred 89,12,467 shares to Adani group. This means both promoters transferred a total of 1,75,77,676 equity shares.
Number of shares transferred as mentioned in NDTV statement
At the price of ₹342.65 per share, the total cost of 1,75,77,676 equity shares translates to ₹602,29,90,681. The price paid to Roys is almost same as the current market price of NDTV shares.
The price paid per share as per Adani Group statement
The Adani Group statement also mentioned that they paid cash to Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy for the transaction.
It is interesting to note that the Adani Group paid a premium to Roys over the price paid in the open offer. The group paid ₹294 per share to acquire around 53.27 lakh shares of NDTV in the open offer, which means the promoters have been paid around 17% more. While laws say that the price paid in an open offer should be the same for all shareholders, this deal will be exempt from that rule. This is because, it was not an open offer but a transfer of shares from one owner to another owner, or an inter-se transaction. Because, the shares have been acquired by RRPR, which is an existing owner of NDTV. Moreover, the acquisition was announced after the open offer had ended.
The acquisition of NDTV by Adani Group began with the acquisition of Vishvapradhan Commercial Private Ltd (VCPL), a Reliance Group company, by AMG Media Networks, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Adani Enterprises Limited, in August this year. Vishvapradhan held warrants of RRPR, in exchange of interest-free loan, with the rights to convert them to 99.9% share in RRPR. RRPR was the holding company of Roys, through which they owned 29.18% in NDTV.
After acquiring Vishvapradhan, the Adani group executed the warrants acquiring RRPR, and became the 29.18% owner in NDTV. After that, the group made an open offer as per regulatory provisions, and Vishvapradhan Commercial Private Limited acquired an 8.27% stake through the open offer which was completed on 20 December.
On December 23, Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy said in a statement saying that they are transferring most of their shares in NDTV to Adani Group, as the group has become the single-largest shareholder in NDTV after the open offer. Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy have divested 13.44% and 13.82% of their shares respectively to the Adani Group, and have kept 2.5% shares each, remaining as minority shareholders.
The promoters had said that their discussions with Gautam Adani were constructive, and all the suggestions they made were accepted by him positively and with openness.
The Roys had said in their statement, “Mr. Adani has invested in a brand that is synonymous with Trust, Credibility, and Independence, and we are hopeful that he will preserve these values and expand upon them with all the responsibility required of a leader of an organization of this nature. We look forward to watching NDTV, and its entire extraordinary team, delivering the next phase of growth, one that India can be proud of.”
In a historic decision, a federal court in the United States ordered the Marine Corps to allow Sikh cadets with untrimmed hair and beards to start basic training instantly as a preliminary measure, while a district court considers the merits of a challenge against the elite unit’s boot camp grooming rule of trimming and shaving beards.
According to the United States Court of Appeals in Washington, the plaintiffs were enduring severe, immediate, and ongoing damage to the exercise of their faith as a result of the restriction. “The Corps recognizes that they are otherwise fully qualified to enlist in the Marine Corps, and they would join the Corps immediately but for the Corps’ refusal to extend existing hair and shaving exemptions to their exercise of faith or to accommodate their religious articles,” wrote Judge Patricia Millen on behest of her and Circuit Judges Neomi Rao and J. Michelle Childs.
The Justice also added that every day the Marine Corps refuses to let the recruits take the oath of service until they give up their religion causing irrevocable and irreparable harm. They are constantly compelled to choose between their faith and the important and noble responsibility of contributing to the protection of the rights and honor of the nation, and they suffer the indignity of not being able to serve for causes that, on this record, bear no relationship to their capacity to perform.
According to reports, three men identified as Milaap Singh Chahal, Jaskirat Singh, and Aekash Singh, as well as Captain Sukhbir Singh Toor, who is fighting for the right to dress his beard throughout a combat mission, filed a complaint to confront the Marine Corps’ grooming strategy on the grounds that its rejection to grant a religious waiver was arbitrary and discriminatory, as well as a violation of the constitutionally guaranteed religious freedom. On behalf of the Corps, it was asserted that the petitioners’ request for lodging was declined to ensure ‘disciplined uniformity’.
It was argued that exempting the plaintiffs from the recurrent process of shaving their faces and heads alongside fellow recruits and allowing them to wear a head covering would jeopardize the Corps’ compelling interest in fostering unit cohesiveness and a uniform mindset throughout boot camp. According to them, this was critical for the ‘psychological transformation’ via which civilians adopted the military branch’s team attitude and willingness to sacrifice.
Meanwhile, attorneys representing the Sikh recruits pointed to other rules which the Marine Corps has loosened in recent years to promote diversity, such as permitting tattoos and allowing women to wear natural haircuts. “I just want them to do this for Sikhs. I want them to do this for religious and racial minorities on the whole,” the attorney said adding, “I just think it’s unfair that (the Marine Corps) get to pick and choose based on their individual value judgments.”
Judge Millet said, while issuing a preliminary injunction on two of the three plaintiffs’ claims under the United States Religious Freedom Restoration Act, “They have shown not just a likelihood of success, but an overwhelming one, on the merits of their claim. The balance of equities and the public interest weigh strongly in favour of issuing the injunction.”
According to the verdict, Chahal and Jaskirat Singh can commence boot camp with their articles of faith right immediately. Aekash Singh’s case was remanded to the district court for review since he has subsequently registered in college and intends to attend Officer Candidate School.
As per the reports, this is a significant win for both religious freedom and the plaintiff-recruits of the minority sect, whose faith prevents all initiated male members from trimming their ‘kesh,’ or hair, which is one of the five items that signify their dedication to the Sikh rehni, or way of life.
The Pakistani film ‘The Legend of Maula Jatt’, which was scheduled to hit the screens in India on Friday (December 30), has now been postponed indefinitely, reportedPress Trust of India (PTI).
Citing an INOX official, PTI reported that no new dates had been announced for the release of the Pakistani film in India. “We have been informed by the distributors that the release of the film has been postponed,” the official told the news agency.
“We were told this two-three days ago. No further date has been shared with us,” the INOX official further shared.
The film is based on a 1979 Pakistani cult classic titled, ‘Maula Jatt.’ The remake features actor Fawad Khan as the hero ‘Maula Jatt’ who fights his nemesis and finest warrior in Punjab by the name of Noori Natt (played by Hamza Ali Abbassi).
After it was announced that the Pakistani film ‘The Legend of Maula Jatt’ will be released in India, it triggered massive outrage, as Pakistan continues to sponsor terrorism in India. Netizens had demanded a ban on the release of the movie in India. Moreover, the movie had also courted controversy for starting actor Hamza Ali Abbassi, known for his admiration of 26/11 terror mastermind Hafiz Saeed.
The Indian rights of the Pakistani film, which has grossed over $10 million worldwide, have been bought by Zee Studio. Recently PVR Cinemas announced that the movie will be released on 30 December. The movie was to be released in Punjab and Delhi where there Punjabi speaking people. But now the movie has been pulled down from cinemas.
It has been speculated that the release of the movie has been stalled due to protests and resistance from certain sections. “Zee Studios had acquired the rights of ‘The Legend of Maula Jatt’ as they were expecting the film to do well. But because of the resistance from certain sections, the decision was made to not release the movie,” an industry insider told PTI on the condition of anonymity.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena has taken credit for stalling the release of the movie. MNS cinema wing’s president Ameya Khopkar said, ‘After the warning given by MNS, the screening of Pakistani film ‘The Legend of Maula Jatt’ has now been completely cancelled. Not only in the state but also anywhere in the country, this film will not be released anymore.’
‘If anyone has feelings of love for Pakistani artists, then this one warning is enough for them,’ Khopkar added, congratulating his party workers ‘for the victory of MNS movement’.
Hamza Ali Abbasi and his support for Hafiz Saeed, 2-Nation Theory
OpIndia had reported on December 23 that Pakistani actor Hamza Ali Abbasi, who plays a crucial role in the movie, has been unabashed in his vocal support for the 2008 Mumbai attack mastermind, Hafiz Saeed.
The movie features actor Fawad Khan as the hero ‘Maula Jatt’ who fights his nemesis and finest warrior in Punjab by the name of Noori Natt. This character of Noori Natt is played by Hamza Ali Abbasi, who is known for being a terrorist sympathiser and an active proponent of the divisive ‘Two Nation theory.’
While responding to a tweet by Donald Trump in 2019, the actor claimed, “You unbelievable idiot! Hafiz Saeed publicly condemned the Mumbai attacks in an interview I conducted.”
Following the arrest of Hafiz Saeed by Pakistani law enforcement authorities in July 2019, Hamza Ali Abbasi extended his support to the terrorist and absolved him of any wrongdoing. He also applauded the extremists who came out in support of the 26/11 mastermind.
This will upset sum ppl but i must say wht i see as truth! I have know this man for yrs, i am quite familiar with their literature & the mindset of his followers…. HAFIZ SAEED IS NOT A TERRORIST! His only fault? He speaks for & rallies the youth for Kashmir! #IsupportHafizSaeedpic.twitter.com/IBBH7lY9kf
“Hafiz Saeed is not a terrorist! His only fault? He speaks for & rallies the youth for Kashmir!” the Pakistani actor claimed in a 2019 tweet, despite being sanctioned by the United Nations a decade earlier.
In one instance, the Pakistani actor went on to claim that Hafiz Saeed had done great work for non-Muslims of Pakistan and that he bore no ill will against India or Indians.
The brainwashed Pakistani actor has been a long-proponent of the divisive ‘Two Nation Theory’, which claims that ‘Hindus’ and ‘Muslims’ are not just two religious communities but nations in themselves (and cannot coexist).
On 14th August 1947, we got Pakistan bcz Jinnah sahab argued tht Muslims of SubContinent are in danger of being oppressed by the Hindu majority… and once more history proved him right bcz of Citizenship Amndmnt Act by Modi/RSS/BJP Hindutva raj, I thank Allah for PAKISTAN. ??❤️
Under the pretext of criticising the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), he unleashed his bigotry on Twitter. “On 14th August 1947, we got Pakistan because Jinnah Sahab argued that Muslims of the sub-continent are in danger of being oppressed by the Hindu majority,” he had claimed.
“…And once more history proved him right because of Citizenship Amendment Act by Modi/RSS/BJP Hindutva raj, I thank Allah for PAKISTAN,” Hamza Ali Abbasi had remarked.
