The Indian Railways is gearing up for a major transformation over the next few years. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw shared while speaking to ET that the government plans to introduce 1,000 new trains in the next five years. One of the biggest goals is to start running the bullet train commercially by 2027.
Vaishnaw said the vision is to make Indian Railways not just more efficient and affordable for Indian passengers, but also a strong global player in train manufacturing and exports. He pointed out that India has added 35,000 km of railway tracks in the last 11 years – almost equal to Germany’s entire rail network. In just one year, 5,300 km of tracks were laid.
To support this expansion, 30,000 wagons and 1,500 locomotives are now being made every year in India – more than what North America and Europe make together. Investment in the railways has also seen a huge jump – from ₹25,000 crore earlier to ₹2.52 lakh crore now, with an extra ₹20,000 crore coming from public-private partnerships.
On the logistics front, Vaishnaw explained that transporting cargo by rail is much cheaper and more eco-friendly compared to roads. Railways currently handle 29% of all freight in India, and the aim is to increase this to 35% shortly.
Talking about the bullet train project, which is being developed with help from Japan, the minister said the prototype should be ready in 2026, and full commercial operations are expected in 2027. Institutes like IIT Madras and IIT Roorkee are helping in research and design. Many components of the high-speed rail are now being made in India and even exported abroad.
For passengers, the focus is on improving affordability and comfort. In the past two years, 2,000 general coaches have been added, and new trains like Amrit Bharat and Namo Bharat have been launched. The minister said Indian railway fares are cheaper than those in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Safety has also improved. Derailments have dropped from 170 per year to under 30, and rail accidents are down by 80%. Vaishnaw made it clear there are no plans to privatise the Railways completely. Instead, India will follow countries like Japan and Switzerland, where railways are well-integrated and professionally managed.
Ahead of the assembly elections in Bihar and the monsoon session of Parliament, the opposition parties have unleashed their usual playbook. Outrage over a non-issue, amplify the noise and drama as a larger ‘democratic’ cause, use it to disrupt the functioning of Parliament and then peddle ‘Democracy khatre mein hai’ bogey.
In this vein, Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, along with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav, on 9th July 2025, led the ‘Bihar Bandh’ protest in Patna against the Election Commission of India’s decision to undertake the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls.
महाराष्ट्र में जनादेश छीना, अब बिहार में मताधिकार – तरीका नया, साज़िश पुरानी।
हम इन संविधान-विरोधी ताक़तों को बेनक़ाब करते रहेंगे – जनता और युवाओं के साथ मिलकर मुंहतोड़ जवाब देंगे। pic.twitter.com/tE1XD7VUPy
Several senior leaders of the INDI Alliance, including CPI General Secretary D Raja, CPI (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation leader Dipankar Bhattacharya, Bihar Congress President Rajesh Ram, Kanhaiya Kumar, and Sanjay Yadav, also participated in the protest.
#WATCH | Patna | On 'Bihar Bandh', a Congress worker lying on the road to block it, says, "… Entire Bihar has been successfully shut down. The Mahagathbandhan is united against the rigging done by the Election Commission… We will not get up even if a car tramples us…" https://t.co/enxDNkFQErpic.twitter.com/njV74H0YuZ
As part of the protest, Congress workers blocked the railway track at Sachiwalay Halt station, demanding a rollback of the ECI’s move.
Speaking to reporters, NSUI national in-charge Kanhaiya Kumar said, “We are on the streets to protect democracy because it is said that if streets become silent, the parliament goes astray (Agar sadke suni ho jaayen to sansad awaara ho jati hai.”
Additionally, Sanjay Yadav, firing shots at ECI, said that the electoral rolls revision is “completely non-transparent and misleading.”
“Electoral rolls revision in Bihar by the Election Commission is completely non-transparent and misleading. This is a ploy to snatch the right of people to vote. We are asking questions to the Election Commission, but answers will come from the BJP. It shows the Election Commission has become a unit of the BJP,” he said.
Roads are being blocked with burning tyres by local leaders in areas like Sonpur and Hajipur. In Jehanabad, the student wing of the RJD has even blocked railway tracks.
What is Special Intensive Review, and why is the Election Commission undertaking it in Bihar?
To conduct free and fair elections, enhance transparency, and eliminate ineligible entries from the voter list, the Election Commission has decided to initiate a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar ahead of the assembly elections. The SIR is being implemented as an urgent corrective measure to rectify the electoral rolls.
Notably, the last comprehensive SIR in Bihar was conducted in 2003. Contrary to the ‘votebandi’ assertions by the opposition, the SIR is being carried out to address issues like rapid urbanisation, unreported deaths, new voters, the potential inclusion of ineligible foreign nationals, particularly, Rohingya and Bangladeshi infiltrators. These are standard administrative rationales for electoral roll revisions; it does not mean that the ECI is acting with partisan malice.
The SIR is not a de novo exercise, scrapping the entire voter list as claimed by the opposition parties and their supportive ecosystem. In fact, it is but a revision to verify and update existing rolls. While the opposition is projecting the special review as some sort of deliberate exclusionary purge being carried out in haste ahead of the elections, it is a robust process involving booth-level officers conducting door-to-door verification, assisting voters with form submissions, and taking live photographs to ensure transparency.
Explaining the rationale behind conducting the SIR, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has said, “Not a single political party is satisfied with the current status of electoral rolls for different reasons. During the past four months, all 4,123 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), 775 District Election Officers (DEOs), and 36 Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) have conducted nearly 5,000 meetings with 28,000 political party representatives. The ECI has also invited all recognised political parties for interaction. No one was satisfied with the current status of the electoral rolls for one reason or another.”
The Election Commission started the verification process on 25 June 2025 and it will continue till 26th July. After the exercise is over, a revised and correct voter list will be published on 30th September. As part of the verification process, Booth Level Officers (BLO) are visiting all houses across the constituencies. They carry the forms, which they hand over to the people and ask people to fill in their details, such as names, addresses and attach some documents. These documents are needed to ensure that the person is eligible to vote.
If a voter’s name is on the voter list of 2003 (when the verification process was last carried out in Bihar), then he or she just has to confirm his/her information. If their parents’ names are on the list, then no additional documents are needed. However, if their parents’ names are not on the old list, then they need to provide some documents, like a birth certificate or any other relevant document.
The ECI has listed 11 admissible documents: Any Identity card/pension Payment Order issued to regular employee/ pensioner of any Central Govt/State Govt/PSU, Any Identity Card/Certificate/Document issued in India by Government/Local Authorities/Banks/ Post Office/LIC/PSU prior to 01.07.1987, Birth Certificate issued by the competent authority, passport, matriculation/ education certificate issued by recognised boards, Permanent Residence certificate issued by competent State Authority, Caste certificate, Forest Right Certificate, NRC (not applicable in Bihar), Family Register, prepared by State/Local authorities, any land/house allotment certificate by government.
While these are the listed admissible documents, the enumeration form has fields wherein the voters can fill in their Aadhaar number and Electronic Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) number as well.
The ECI has also said that voters can challenge the ERO’s decision and also submit documents during the claims and objections period, further mitigating risks of arbitrary deletions.
Notably, over 87 per cent of Enumeration Forms, that is 6,86,17,932 forms out of 7,89,69,844 forms have been distributed to voters as of last week. The said number of voters are the ones who have been enrolled as on June 24, 2025.
According to ECI, the Special Intensive Revision in Bihar is progressing well, with 3,70,77,077 Enumeration Forms, which is 46.95 per cent of the total of 7,89,69,844 (nearly 7.90 crore) electors in Bihar, were collected (at 6:00 PM) in the first 14 days since the issuance of SIR instructions on June 24.
Tejashwi Yadav gets fact-checked by ECI, his own party workers are cooperating for SIR
Interestingly, while RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav is outraged over SIR, his own party workers are cooperating with the process, and over 47,000 booth-level agents of RJD are working for SIR. This, however, is not surprising since this has been the modus operandi of the anti-BJP parties for years. They claim that the Election Commission is compromised, the entire electoral process is rigged, and yet they participate in the elections and accept the results declared by the same ECI when they win and cry hoarse when they lose.
— Election Commission of India (@ECISVEEP) July 9, 2025
However, the question here arises that if the opposition is against the SIR, why is it cooperating in the exercise? If RJD, Congress and other opposition parties in Bihar are have deployed their workers to cooperate with ECI in conducting the Special Intensive Revision, why are they protesting and staging a ‘Bihar Bandh’? One cannot support and oppose a process at the same time, until its all but pretence. The answer to this lies in what Prime Minister Narendra Modi once said about how the opposition behaves ahead of any parliament session.
Opposition using ‘foreign spark’ to disrupt parliament sessions since 2014: PM Modi said this year
Addressing the media ahead of the beginning of the budget session of the Parliament in January 2025, Prime Minister Modi stated that this is perhaps the first parliament session since 2014 when no ‘foreign spark’ came and was used by the Opposition and vested interest groups to spread chaos and mayhem just before the parliament session.
“You must have noticed, since 2014, this is the first Parliament session which saw no ‘videshi chingari’ (foreign interference) in our affairs, in which no foreign forces tried to ignite a fire. I had noticed this before every budget session. And many in our country leave no stone unturned to fan these sparks”, PM Modi said.
#WATCH | #BudgetSession | PM Narendra Modi says, "You must have noticed, since 2014, this is the first Parliament session, which saw no 'videshi chingari' (foreign interference) in our affairs, in which no foreign forces tried to ignite a fire. I had noticed this before every… pic.twitter.com/WWPDw0LGmS
Before the Parliament session, the Opposition invents a baseless non-issue to create chaos
For years, the Opposition and their media allies have been using hollow rhetoric and irrelevant issues to create noise and mayhem before almost every parliament session. From the Rafale hoax and Adani-Hindenburg issue to baseless allegations of Pegasus snooping, the Opposition has picked up irrelevant and empty claims to disrupt the parliament. Almost all these issues have had nothing to do with the public’s welfare and have no factual basis to stand a fair probe or legal scrutiny. The opposition bloc has constantly been using dubious ‘reports’ published by controversial organisations, mostly backed by regime change specialist and known Modi detractor George Soros, to target the Modi government and disrupt the functioning of the parliament.
Ahead of the budget session in 2023, the Congress-led opposition used the hit job published by Hindenburg Research, a now-shut-down US-based short-selling firm, accusing the Adani Group of fraud and stock price manipulation. The report came days ahead of the 2023 Budget Session of the Parliament, which began on 31st January. While the Adani Group trashed the report, Opposition disrupted the parliamentary proceedings and brought an Adjournment motion. They created a ruckus throughout the session, demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Adani-Hindenburg controversy, impeding the normal legislative functioning of the Parliament.
Opposition’s mindless attacks on the Adani Group and their sinister attempts at establishing the narrative that somehow PM Modi and the central government were complicit in crony capitalism, corruption and whatnot fell flat after the Supreme Court refused to order an SIT probe on the allegations made by short-selling firm against the Adani Group saying that third-party reports, without any verification, cannot be relied on as proof.
Not to forget the ruckus created by the opposition over an already debunked Pegasus snooping story. The opposition kept flogging the dead horse to mar Parliamentary functioning. Unsurprisingly, the origin of this conspiracy theory was foreign too. The Leftist propaganda portal and its partners were fed the information by two very dubious organisations – one was Amnesty International, and the other was Forbidden Stories.
While Rahul Gandhi claimed that his phone was being tapped and that Pegasus software was being used to snoop on opposition leaders, the Supreme Court on 25th August 2022, said that no conclusive proof had emerged to support the claim that the Indian govt was using the Pegasus spyware to snoop on people.
In January 2023, just days ahead of the 2023 Budget session, the BBC released a propaganda documentary about PM Modi’s role during the 2002 Gujarat riots, citing claims that were already termed as lies by courts in India, including the Supreme Court of India. The opposition created a ruckus and disrupted Parliament proceedings while raising the issue of the government banning the BBC documentary on PM Modi. While the Supreme Court refused to lift the ban on this propaganda documentary, the opposition parties and their ecosystem screened the propaganda spun by a foreign entity even as it challenged the sovereignty of Indian courts.
Similarly, in September 2023, some iPhone-using Opposition leaders claimed that they received mysterious “threat alerts” from Apple. “ALERT: State-sponsored attackers may be targeting your iPhone,” the threat notification sent on iMessage and Apple Mail read. They dubbed it as Pegasus 2.0 to blame the ruling BJP for trying a ‘cyber attack’ on their Apple devices, including iPhones. However, the ecosystem failed to drag the issue when things started to unravel, and the issue died a premature death before the 2023 Winter Session could begin on 4th December as Apple issued a clarification refuting the opposition’s “state-sponsored threats” claim. Amusingly, the security threat messages were from a dubious Soros-linked foreign NGO named Access Now.
Interestingly, what set the disgraceful precedent for the opposition’s manufactured outrage triggered by lies, conspiracy theories, and propaganda peddled by foreign sources was the anti-Rafale agitation ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. While the Modi government signed a deal with the French government to procure 36 Rafale fighter jets to improve IAF’s aviation capabilities and have a competitive advantage over Pakistan in the US-made F-16 fighter jet market, the Congress party used former French President Francois Hollande’s statement wherein he claimed that Dassault Aviation had been allegedly forced by the Modi government to collaborate with Reliance Defence of India to comply with its “offset policy”, to attack PM Modi.
The Congress party then accused Prime Minister Modi of prioritising an Indian company and even engaging in crony capitalism by supporting Anil Ambani’s company. On the other hand, the BJP consistently refuted these claims, asserting that the government entered into the agreement to fulfil the combat needs of the Indian Air Force and played no part in selecting the local partner of the French manufacturer.
Rahul Gandhi even called the Rafale deal a scam during the 2019 general elections and coined the slogan ‘Chowkidar chor hai’, which spectacularly backfired as the BJP-led NDA registered a thumping victory. Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi was reprimanded by the Supreme Court for misusing its name and disseminating falsehoods purely for political smear tactics aimed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The matter was even dragged to the top court by Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, All India Trinamool Congress (AITC/TMC) leader Yashwant Sinha and others, alleging that the Rafale Fighter Jet Deal had significant procedural flaws. The bench, however, rejected the appeal for a court-monitored investigation on 14th December 2018 and noted that there were no anomalies in the price, decision-making procedure or choice of off-set partner.
The opposition used the warp and weft of lies and propaganda concocted by the foreign and Indian leftist media groups for its political gains. Not to forget, the opposition created a ruckus demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the Rafale deal signed by the Modi government. The opposition hampered the functioning of the Parliamentary sessions in 2021 with the dubious media organisation fanning falsehoods within a fortnight’s gap with that year’s Parliamentary sessions.
Interestingly, the NGO that filed a complaint against the Rafale Deal was partnered with anti-Modi regime change specialist and philanthropist George Soros’ Open Society, Misereor, and Oxfam, among others.
However, Congress’s reliance on ‘foreign spark’ is not surprising given the party’s prince Rahul Gandhi has for many years been seeking direct foreign intervention in India’s internal affairs during his foreign visits and also has a record of mollycoddling with China.
George Soros-backed NGO ADR files plea against SIR: Again, Rahul Gandhi’s political interests are aligned with foreign organisations
Unsurprisingly, a George Soros-backed so-called electoral reform NGO, the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR), has filed a plea before the Supreme Court calling the ECI’s order regarding SIR ‘arbitrary’ and claiming that “millions of voters could be deprived of their right to vote”. Not to forget, this entity, funded by Omidyar and Ford Foundation, has been involved in peddling lies about the Rafale deal, electoral bonds and casting aspersions on the integrity of the Election Commission. Under the pretext of pushing for electoral reforms and advocating for democratic values, such foreign-funded outfits are operating as tools of foreign interference in India’s socio-political affairs.
Meanwhile, Icchadhari protestor Yogendra Yadav has also moved a similar plea in the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the Special Intensive Revision in Bihar.
Interestingly, another Soros-funded research-cum-propaganda machinery, The Reporters Collective, has also jumped on the bandwagon to paint the SIR exercise in Bihar as some sort of deliberate exclusionary purge intended to weed out anti-BJP voters, especially Muslims.
Their chagrin is that the ECI is conducting SIR even as the Special Summary Revision report of the review undertaken by ECI last year came out in January 2025. Reporters Collective finds it suspicious that the ECI is conducting SIR ahead of elections, even as the last SIR was conducted in 2003. By TRC’s logic, if the SIR was not conducted over the years after 2003, it should never be carried out.
Also, SSR is not as detailed and comprehensive as SIR. SSR is an annual process to update electoral rolls by adding new eligible voters, deleting ineligibles and correcting entries. It relies on existing rolls and minimal verification, conducted summarily. In contrast, SIR is a comprehensive and infrequent exercise for a detailed house-to-house verification, fresh enrollment, and stringent documentation to eliminate duplicates and fake voters to ensure a clean electoral roll comprising only genuine voters.
The immediate need to conduct SIR arose as all the political parties in Bihar were not satisfied with the current status of the electoral rolls for various reasons. In the past four months, all 4,123 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), 775 District Election Officers (DEOs), and 36 Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) conducted nearly 5,000 meetings with 28,000 political party representatives. The ECI has also invited all recognised political parties for interaction, and none of them were satisfied with the current status of the electoral rolls.
Much like the opposition parties and their media allies, the Reporters’ Collective also fearmongered that stringent documentation requirements and tight timelines are ECI’s measure to disenfranchise marginalised groups; however, the ECI has already addressed this by allowing submission of enumeration forms without immediate documents.
The ECI has allowed the voters to submit their documents (from the list of 11 admissible documents) later and even dispute the rejection of the enumeration form during the claims and objections period. The commission is also providing field support to assist voters, to ensure that a routine exercise in no way becomes a rushed or exclusionary process. While the TRC cries ‘chaos’, with around 46.95% of enumeration forms collected in the first 14 days, the exercise is going on smoothly.
The opposition parties and their extended media ecosystem have a penchant for picking up a baseless issue to create noise before every single parliament session to disrupt the functioning of democracy and then cry how democracy is under threat. Now the opposition parties are using yet another non-issue to cause ruckus in Bihar, derail the SIR, chase political clout and, most importantly, disrupt the entire monsoon session of the parliament.
Media portal The Print was recently seen spreading fake news about a purported study being conducted by the Central government to analyse a pattern “to assess the pattern of sudden deaths” in India after the COVID-19 pandemic. The Print published a news article on July 8, 2025, in which it claimed that the health research department (DHR) of the Union Ministry of Health is collaborating with INCLEN (The International Clinical Epidemiology Network) International, a New Delhi-based health research organisation, to conduct a national, community-level study to examine the rise in deaths among people under 45 years of age.
Screenshot of the news article published by The Print
Quoting INCLEN International Executive Director and proposed lead analyst N.K. Arora, the Print further claimed that “the new nationwide assessment will aim to document sudden deaths at the community level across states”. It added that “this larger study will analyse the trend of such deaths in an attempt to determine the risk factors for such mortalities”.
However, the Print news article was fact-checked by the PIB, which termed the claims made in it as fake.
In a news report, @ThePrintIndia has claimed that the Centre has commissioned a nationwide study to assess the pattern of sudden deaths in India.#PIBFactCheck
The PIB posted on X, “In a news report, @ThePrintIndia has claimed that the Centre has commissioned a nationwide study to assess the pattern of sudden deaths in India. No such nationwide survey has been commissioned by the Centre or @DeptHealthRes (DHR).”
Claims linking sudden deaths to COVID vaccine
Several claims linking sudden deaths caused by heart attack to the COVID-19 vaccine have been spreading across social media for years. However, the central government debunked all these claims earlier this month, on the grounds of two extensive studies conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research(ICMR) and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. The studies found that there was no direct link between sudden deaths by heart attack and the COVID-19 vaccines.
Besides, studies by the ICMR and National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) affirmed that COVID-19 vaccines in India are safe and effective, with extremely rare instances of serious side effects. Sudden deaths due to heart attacks can be linked to a wide range of factors, including genetics, lifestyle, pre-existing conditions, and post-COVID complications.
To understand the causes of sudden, unexplained deaths, especially in young adults between the ages of 18 and 45 years, the ICMR and the NCDC conducted a study across 47 tertiary care hospitals in 19 states and UTs. Another study conducted by AIIMS with ICMR funding also examined cases of sudden cardiac deaths and found genetic mutations, pre-existing conditions, and lifestyle as the primary causes of these deaths and no correlation with Covid-19 vaccination.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday, 9th July, countered the ‘baseless’ charges leveled by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) over alleged irregularities in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, an exercise that has triggered a major political showdown in poll-bound Bihar.
The controversy erupted after RJD leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav took to the social media platform X on Tuesday, 8th July, accusing the ECI of conducting the voter revision campaign in an “unconstitutional and disorderly” manner. He alleged that the SIR process was being misused to manipulate electoral data ahead of the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections.
Tejashwi alleges widespread electoral fraud
In his post, Mr. Yadav stated that Bihar, the birthplace of democracy, was witnessing a violation of basic voter rights. He raised serious concerns about the ECI’s 2025 voter revision drive, claiming it was riddled with “chaos, confusion, and illegal practices.”
He alleged that fake forms were being submitted without documents or verification, and that oral instructions were being issued to fill in forms without complete details. He further claimed that officials were obtaining fake signatures, declaring literate people as illiterate to obtain thumb impressions, and uploading voter data without individuals’ knowledge.
लोकतंत्र की जननी बिहार में मतदाता अधिकारों का चीरहरण!
बिहार में भारत निर्वाचन आयोग द्वारा चलाए जा रहे विशेष गहन मतदाता पुनरीक्षण अभियान 2025 में जो अव्यवस्था, अराजकता और असंवैधानिक कार्यप्रणाली सामने आ रही है, वह अत्यंत निंदनीय और लोकतंत्र के लिए घातक है।
“Data entry operators and supervisors are being assigned the impractical target of uploading 10,000 forms per day. All this is being rushed before the July 10 Supreme Court hearing to hide the truth through manipulated data,” Tejashwi posted.
He also flagged discrepancies in documentation norms, saying some officials were accepting Aadhaar as sufficient while others said no documents were needed at all — leading to massive confusion among voters. Calling the entire exercise a “live show of forgery,” he alleged that a pre-planned conspiracy was underway to delete genuine voters, especially the poor and backwards, from the electoral rolls.
“There are no resources, no training, no internet, no clear guidelines, and yet there is pressure to complete the process in haste. Is this not an attempt to tamper with democracy?” he asked, announcing a chakka jaam protest across Bihar against what he described as “dictatorial actions.”
ECI responds with fact-checks and clarifications
In response to these serious allegations, the Election Commission firmly rejected RJD’s charges and shared a detailed clarification on X. It stated that the SIR exercise is being conducted as per established norms and protocols and that the allegations being circulated are factually incorrect and misleading.
— Election Commission of India (@ECISVEEP) July 9, 2025
Sharing a post on X which claimed that the RJD had appointed 47,504 booth-level agents who were actively working on the ground, and that nearly 4 crore forms (50% of the target) had already been collected under the SIR initiative. However, ECI’s official fact-check unit flagged this post as misleading.
Another RJD leader’s false claim also flagged
Adding fuel to the fire, another senior RJD leader, Manoj Kumar Jha, shared an image of an ECI letter on X, questioning the Commission’s refusal to meet the party representatives after 10th July. He accused the ECI of first agreeing to a meeting post-July 10 and then backing out.
मा. @ECISVEEP जी ….ये आपका ही पत्र है ना ? जब हमने 10 जुलाई दोपहर बाद का समय आपको इंगित किया तो पहले तय करने के बाद अब आपके लोग मिलने से इनकार कर रहे हैं।मैं एक अदना नागरिक आपसे आग्रह करता हूं कि किसी पोलिटिकल पार्टी के इशारे पर काम आपको नहीं करना चाहिए बल्कि धारा 324 के तहत… pic.twitter.com/7GLFNvDBuE
The ECI responded to this, too, calling the claim “misleading.” It reiterated that procedural integrity is being maintained and that its communication with political parties has been transparent.
The Commission also clarified that as of now, there has been no official communication or response from RJD President Lalu Prasad Yadav or his authorised representative Tejashwi Yadav, regarding the matter.
According to a letter issued on 3rd April, 2025, Manoj Jha was not authorised by the RJD president to represent the party in any official dialogue with the Election Commission. He was only authorised to attend the 2nd July meeting, which he did.
— Election Commission of India (@ECISVEEP) July 9, 2025
So far, the Commission has held consultations with five national parties and four regional parties as part of the SIR process.
Why don’t the claims hold ground
Independent fact-checkers and analysts have pointed out inconsistencies in the allegations made by RJD leaders. While Tejashwi Yadav claims voter data is being manipulated, there is no documented proof or formal complaint to the Commission from the RJD leadership.
Furthermore, the viral claim about booth-level agents and form collection was proven to be inaccurate by the ECI’s verification.
Even within the party, contradictory messaging has emerged, with different leaders presenting different versions of events. The Commission maintains that it is following standard protocols and that allegations of selective voter deletion are unfounded and politically motivated.
Opposition comments raising the political showdown
The RJD’s campaign against the ECI appears to be part of a broader narrative being pushed by the Opposition. Speaking to the media at Patna airport, Congress leader Allavaru accused the BJP of orchestrating a behind-the-scenes operation to remove Dalits, minorities, and backwards caste voters from electoral rolls.
He said, “The BJP is using the ECI in Bihar just like they did in other states. This is a massive conspiracy to prevent poor and marginalised voters from participating in the upcoming elections.”
Congress leader Mr. Kumar also alleged that the revision drive was being hurriedly executed with the intent to disenfranchise Congress and Grand Alliance supporters. “The documents being demanded cannot be produced by many from backwards communities in such a short time,” he said.
Terming the ECI a “victim” of BJP pressure, he claimed similar voter deletions had occurred in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra in recent elections.
Earlier on 25th June, in a meeting with the Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar along with political parties, the Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) had strongly voiced criticism against the revision of the voters’ list before the Assembly election in Bihar.
RJD spokesperson Chittaranjan Gagan, headquarters in-charge general secretary Mukund Singh, and State general secretary Madan Sharma were representing the party.
In the meeting, Mr. Gagan raised the question that the Bihar Assembly election is on the horizon and in such a scenario, it will not be practical to conduct a verification in a short time.
He had alleged that there was a “well-planned conspiracy” to deprive lakhs of poor people of Bihar of their right to vote. He stressed the question that since the special revision has not been done since 2003, what is the need to conduct it now, when the Assembly election is a few months away.
A woman in Ohio in the USA has been sentenced to 19 years in prison for getting a dog to attack her 6-year-old son in August last year. 28-year-old Angelina Williams, mother of the boy who suffered a torn throat from the pit bull attack, has been sentenced to 19 years and a maximum of 23.5 years in prison by Ashtabula County Court of Common Pleas. Judge Dave Stimpert of Ashland County Common Pleas Court chastised the mother as he imposed the term.
The judge stated that she allowed her son to be used as the animal’s “chew toy.” Her indictment revealed that Williams punished the little guy for refusing to pick up dog feces in the yard with his bare hands by handcuffing him around the wrists and ankles. The youngster slipped and fell to the ground as she was tying him to a chair with rope and the pit bull dog viciously attacked him.
It clamped down on his throat and wouldn’t let go which caused him to sustain severe neck lacerations. The dog belonged to her uncle and the owner of the house Robert Michalski Junior. After the incident, he promptly left the scene with his pet to prevent it from being taken away from him. The victim miraculously recovered completely.
The incident transpired in August 2024 while the kid and his elder sister were visiting their mother because she lost their custody in 2019. The judge was informed by an Ashland County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office lawyer that Williams had brought her 8-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son, to spend time in Ohio’s Savannah in the south of Cleveland. However, she began disciplining children with handcuffs and ropes during the stay and even shared a picture of her daughter in handcuffs on social media.
The boy and his sister are residing together in the care of a legal custodian where they are receiving appropriate support and protection, authorities said.
Days before her trial began in May, Williams pleaded guilty to four counts of child endangerment, obstruction of justice, possession of criminal instruments and kidnapping. The 361 days she has been imprisoned without bond since her arrest in August of last year will be deducted from her sentence.
Judge Stimpert pronounced, “That dog tried to rip out his throat. To see the pictures of the bruising around his eyes and his face from the force and the pressure that dog put on his throat, and then to see the wounds on his neck, I’m not sure that there are words that adequately describe it.”
During her video appearance from the Ashland County Jail, Williams attested to the veracity of these facts. A $300,000 bond was imposed on her. “I feel like that’s high. I feel like the dog’s not even my dog, the cuffs aren’t even my cuffs. I didn’t even know that the cuffs were illegal or anything was wrong with it. My uncle told me that it was ok and I never meant any harm, I really didn’t,” she claimed during her trial.
Michalski was also found guilty on several crimes for his role in the attack along with another man named Taylor Marvin-Brown, who authorities informed was a lover of Williams. The two shackled the young boy by the wrists and ankles to discipline him.
Later this month, their sentencing is scheduled. Williams will serve her time at the Ohio State Reformatory for Women after being moved from the Ashland County Jail.
In a major crackdown on illegal immigrants, the Odisha government has detained 444 suspected Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingyas in the Jharsuguda district of Odisha, who are undergoing a verification process that started on Monday (7th July). Out of the detainees, 265 persons have been temporarily kept at Surabhi Kalyana Mandap, and the remaining are lodged at a holding centre on the premises of Black Diamond College of Engineering and Technology.
As per reports, Police are verifying the documents of the detainees, many of whom have been working as labourers, masons, hawkers and house painters in different parts of the district. The action of the state government is part of the broader operations launched on the directions of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to identify foreign nationals illegally staying in the country.
Addressing the media on Monday, Northern Range IG Himansu Kumar Lal said the verification of the detained individuals is going on, and further action will be taken accordingly. Jharsuguda Superintendent of Police (SP) Parmar Smit Parshottamdas said that a Special Task Force (STF) was formed as per the guidelines of the MHA to identify the foreign nationals living illegally in the state.
Their document verification is also being carried out in compliance with the guidelines issued by the MHA and the Odisha government. “These people were mainly working in the construction sector, while some were engaged in the mining sector. All 444 of them are men,” the SP said on Tuesday (8th July). “A drive was launched by the STF within different police limits in the district during which 444 people were identified and shifted to two holding centres for verification,” he added.
TMC MP Mahua Moitra claims that the detainees are from her constituency
While the verification process of the suspected Bangladeshis and Rohingyas is still going on, TMC MP Mahua Moitra claimed that the detainees are ‘Bengali workers’ and 23 out of them are from her constituency.
23 workers from Mirzapur village Panighata GP in my constituency are being illegally detailed with 421 other Bengali workers at interrogation centre by Orient Police Station in Jharsuguda, Odisha despite full documentation @DGPOdisha@SecyChief@Naveen_Odishapic.twitter.com/nlvmW6Zfoc
“23 workers from Mirzapur village Panighata GP in my constituency are being illegally detailed with 421 other Bengali workers at interrogation centre by Orient Police Station in Jharsuguda, Odisha despite full documentation,” Moitra wrote on X on 9th July.
She posted a video showing a large hall with the detainees, where a man can be heard saying that they are Indians, and they have been detained as they were suspected to be Bangladeshis. He appealed to the West Bengal chief minister to take action on the matter.
In March this years, Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi informed the state assembly that 3738 Bangladeshi infiltrators have been identified in Odisha so far, who have been living in different parts of the state, including Bhdrak, Kendrapara, Bhubaneswar, Jagatsinghpur, Malkangiri and Nabrangpur. He said that the state government has been coordinating with the central government for the identification and deportation of the Bangladeshi infiltrators.
Kerala High Court Judge VG Arun recently spoke at an event organised by the Kerala Yukthivadi Sangham, where he strongly emphasised the importance of raising children free from any ‘religious influence’. “The hope for the future lies in children who are unbound by the notions of religion,” he claimed during his address.
Children raised without religion, caste are the hope for future: Kerala High Court Justice VG Arun
Justice Arun praised parents who choose to raise their children without attaching religious or caste identities to their names. He remarked, “I laud each of you who send your children to school and teach them without linking their identities to religion or caste. These children are the promise of tomorrow. They will be the ones to ask the right questions, without fear, even in the face of societal opposition.”
His remarks echo his 2022 judgment in which he upheld the right to be recognised as non-religious in a secular country like India. The judgment came in response to a petition filed by a group of students who had passed their Class XII examinations and sought community certificates in the non-religious category for college admissions.
In the judgment, Justice Arun observed, “As has often been held, the objective of secularism is to ultimately reach a classless society. The declaration by certain citizens that they and their progeny are non-religious can only be perceived as a bold step towards that constitutional goal.”
The event was held to commemorate Pavanan, a prominent rationalist and writer known by his pen name. Another noted rationalist author, Vaisakhan, was felicitated for his contributions to rationalist discourse.
Muharram is viewed as one of the most revered months in Islam, second only to Ramzan. It is particularly significant for the followers of Shia, the second largest branch of Islam, who commemorate and grieve the death of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, during the Battle of Karbala. However, like other Islamic occasions, it is often marred by violence and unrest, where Hindus are targeted, maintaining law and order turns into a challenge and communal tensions grip entire regions.
The situation has deteriorated progressively over time. This year similarly witnessed multiple incidents from different parts of the country as the weapon wielding processions attacked Hindus, their temples as well as authorities and even raised Pakistan’s flag. Such instances have become the norm nationwide where Muslim mobs create chaos and disorder under the pretext of religious processions.
The following list details multiple major incidents in which law and order was rendered ineffective as the unruly “mourners” rampaged and assaulted Hindus, cops and destroyed properties, during Muharram gatherings from 2011 to 2024.
Hindus assaulted, a youth killed and beheading threats
On the evening of 19th July 2024, some individuals began to play drums in front of a temple, during the Muharram procession in Gausganj village of Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly which led to a dispute between the two communities. Subsequently, the disagreement escalated into a confrontation as the stone pelting ensued.
The members of Muslim community started hurling stones at Hindus and their houses from the street and harassed women. Numerous individuals sustained injuries as a result which created a tense atmosphere in the area. 26-year-old Tejpal was brutally thrashed and later died while being treated at Bareilly Medical College.
Two individuals, Alamgir and Nizakat, were taken into custody by the police, a day earlier. Alamgir was shot in the leg. A motorcycle and a pistol were found at the scene. It was disclosed that they wanted to instigate trouble during the procession. The police apprehended 35 individuals and conducted a search for those who had fled.
The administration also identified 16 structures, including a place of worship and residences of two primary perpetrators, related to this matter. The houses were demolished as a significant number of police personnel from various stations were stationed in the vicinity.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Manush Pareek infromed that two cases had been registered in relation to the occurrence. It was also revealed that the accused had unlawfully occupied land belonging to the village community and hence, the administration took it down.
Meanwhile, during the intervening night of 16th-17th July, murderous clarion calls such as “Sar Tan Se Juda” were chanted outside the residence of a Bharatiya Janata Party councillor in Kanpur. “Hindustan main rehna hoga Allahu Akbar kehna hoga” (One must say Allahu Akbar if they wish to live in India) was also heard during the Muharram procession.
Shop attacked and looted
On 17th July 2024, Shubham Kirana Store was vandalized and looted during a Muharram procession and the shopkeeper was assaulted with sticks when he protested. The incident which was recorded on CCTV camera happened in Madrasa Gali of Raja Bazar in Patna, the capital of Bihar. Afterward, a large number of cops were stationed in the area and the administration urged the public to uphold peace.
The CCTV footage showed how the shop was relentless attacked by the assailants. The refrigerator was also damaged and when the shopkeeper attempted to intervene, he was struck with a stick as well. He expressed that he had no enmity with anyone. “The attackers claimed that the Muharram procession was approaching and instructed me to close the shop. I lowered the shutter, but they came and started breaking the refrigerator.”
Nevertheless, he refuted the accusation of vandalism following his meeting with the police. His family members stated that the matter pertained to their locality and they did not wish to engage in conflict with anyone as they had to live and conduct business there. They only wished that such an incident should not repeat itself in the future and caution was exercised regarding this matter.
Bricks, stones and attack on police
Bricks and stones were thrown, resulting in numerous injuries, during the Muharram procession at the Karbala ground in Donwa village, located in the Sakra police station area of Muzaffarpur, Bihar, on 17th July 2024. The police rushed to the scene promptly after receiving reports of unrest in the wake of the disturbances during the Tazia procession.
Earlier, a police team that had arrived to confiscate a DJ in Sipahpur Bakhri neighbourhood which is under the jurisdiction of Ahiyapur police station in Muzaffarpur was also attacked. The Muslim crowd targeted the cops with stones, resulting in injuries to around 12 officers, including women. They chased the police for a kilometer, continuing to throw stones at them.
Those who could not flee were assaulted by the throng. Several police vehicles, notably the 112 unit, were subjected to attack. Somehow, the Ahiyapur police and the official automobiles managed to leave from there. The mob also blocked the road and initiated a commotion. People who were traveling through the area were also attacked and stones were thrown at the vehicles.
Over twelve vehicles, both large and small, including buses and cars, were damaged and two passengers experienced head injuries, while one person suffered a broken arm due to the stone pelting. Moreover, Palestinian flag was waved during the Tazia procession in the Mehsi police station area of Motihar after which a youth was caught by the police and was questioned after the video gained traction on social media.
Shopkeeper, his staff assaulted
On 15th July 2024 Muslim youths abused and attacked the owner of Das Music, on the main road in Ranchi following an argument over a forced Muharram donation from a store close to Sankat Mochan Mahavir Temple. The entire incident was captured on CCTV camera and it soon became viral on social media.
The victim, Rinku Das, filed a complaint at the Lower Bazaar police station, stating that two unidentified individuals arrived at his shop and inquired about a donation for Muharram. He refused to contribute and they started to abuse him. His son who was also present there tried to step in but they attacked him and their employee with a rod which wounded the two. The police then arrested the accused.
Jharkhand Bharatiya Janata Party president and former chief minister Babulal Marandi took to social media to condemn the instance and stated that these occurrences could jeopardize the peace and harmony of the entire city.
Hindu family targeted with swords, sticks
On 14th July 2024, a Hindu family inside a car was attacked with sticks and swrods by young Muslim men who took part in the Muharram procession in Dalsinghsarai of Samastipur district in Bihar. They were hurt and their vehicle was wrecked. Afterward, five persons were arrseted by the police after a FIR (First Information Report) was launched.
दलसिंहसराय में मधुबनी के रहने वाले कार में सवार एक परिवार पर ताजिया जुलूस में शामिल लोगों ने तलवार से हमला कर गाड़ी के शीशे तोड़ डाले. कार मालिक का कहना है कि उसने मौके पर @Samastipur_Pol को एवं एसपी को फोन किया पर कोई रिस्पॉन्स नही मिला. एसपी फोन नहीं उठाते ये सही है, अनुभव है pic.twitter.com/Put7hxZfbY
— Bishnu K Jha | Darbhanga (@bisnujha) July 14, 2024
The procession was organized to collect soil for Tazia and participants were engaging in sword stunts while the assembly moved along the main road. During this period, Abhitesh Kumar, a resident of Madhubani district, was traversing the area on his way to Patna. His wife and son were present with him. He had parked his car along the roadside. The culprits broke the windows of his four-wheeler as well as injured him and his family.
The accused also shattered glasses of other vehicles and assaulted bike riders as well as pedestrians. The incident caused unrest as people felt scared of individuals armed with swords and sticks and vacated their vehicles to escape. The police present with the procession reportedly did not take any action and the perpetrators soon absconded.
Common people, police assaulted
On 30th July 2023, unrest broke out during the Muharram procession in the Nangloi area of Outer Delhi, leading to injuries to several policemen and pedestrians. Multiple automobile on the road, including police vehicles, were also damaged. The police indicated that the Tazia procession had more than 10,000 participants. There were attempts to divert the procession from its prescribed route and to forcibly enter the Maharaja Surajmal Stadium, which is located near the Maharaja Surajmal Stadium Metro Station.
The cops attempted to halt their movement as they lacked authorization to access the place which resulted in a confrontation and stones were thrown at the police. Several policemen and bystanders sustained wounds as well as various DTC buses and cars including those belonging to the police were hit. Some officers also incurred injuries.
According to the official complaint filed on Station House Officer Nangloi Prabhu Dayal’s statement, the organizers of the Tazia procession, who arrived on 6-7 carts, began to provoke the crowd to enter the stadium. They were armed with weapons such as swords, knives, iron rods and sticks. When the police denied entry, they retaliated by throwing stones and a member of the crowd assaulted a sub-inspector with a knife.
They also launched stones at people who were walking on the road. They destroyed the glass windows of the passing buses, frightening the passengers. Hundreds of youths were seen racing down the road as people closed their shops and left the area. Traffic was severely congested on the Nagaloi Rohtak road.
Senior police officials including Joint Commissioner of Police also arrived at the scene accompanied by a significant police presence, as cops had to resort to lathichrge to disperse the mob. A case was lodged against the accused under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Pro-Pakistan slogans raised
During a Tazia procession on 29th July, 2023, anti-India and pro-Pakistan slogans were shouted, leading to the arrest of 33 individuals in Godhna village of Mirganj police station area in Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur district. The action followed the circulation of a 30-second video clip on social media, which captured Muslims chanting slogans such as Allahu Akbar, Nara-e-Takbir and Pakistan Zindabad.
The police immediately took cognizance of the video and submitted a case against 33 people under sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration, if made in a place of public worship, etc), 259A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), 188 (wilful disobedience of any order duly promulgated by a public servant empowered by law to do so) and 505(2) (hate speech) of the Indian Penal Code.
A similar instance happened in Jaunpur in 2022. A Tazia procession was held in the neighbourhood on 10th August when pro-Pakistan chants were yelled. Four people were apprehended by police after a video of the incident went viral.
Minor girl gang-raped
A 17-year-old girl who went to attend a stunt show involving sticks during Muharram was gang raped by two local boys, Mohammad Ashfaq and Mohammad Mumtaz. They abducted her and brought her to a field where they violated her sequentially. The incident occurred in a village within the jurisdiction of the Forbesganj police station in Araria of Bihar, on the night of 28th July 2023.
The perpetrators escaped the scene, leaving her in an unresponsive condition. The victim’s mother stated that she went missing during the event after which a search was carried out and she was discovered naked and unconscious in a nearby field. The culprits were nabbed and thrown behind bars after the minor girl unveiled their names.
Hindus attacked and wounded, swords brandished
On 9th August 2022, violence erupted in Kardhana, located within the jurisdiction of the Mirzamurad police station in the Varanasi district of Uttar Pradesh. Individuals transporting Tazia from Jansa village arrived at the Kardhana market via Pampapur. There was a Jamun tree along the path and the people in the procession tried to cut its branches.
However, the Hindus stopped them, but the mourners attacked them and started to throw bricks, stones and even used sticks. Witnesses indicated that swords were also brandished. Adarsh Jaiswal (19), Rajan Jaiswal (25), Rahul Jaiswal (22), Khaderu Jaiswal (55), Bablu Jaiswal (56), Satya Prakash Jaiswal (29), Monu Jaiswal (30), Jamuna Jaiswal (65) and Jwala Jaiswal (60) were gravely injured.
The atmosphere in the Lohta police station area of Varanasi was equally strained. When the Tazia procession from Korauta village arrived at a person named Bhagelu Singh’s doorstep in Kotwa, the participants climed onto his door while shouting slogans which provoked a clash when people voiced their objection. Dinesh Kumar Maurya, the Kotwa outpost in-charge, swiftly reached with his police team and brought the situation under control.
On the other hand, stones were pelted at stores in Bhojipura’s Majhoua Gangapur neighbourhood in Bareilly, on the same day. The footage of the incident, which featured even women from a particular community taking part in the violence, landed on social media. According to reports, the stone-throwing lasted for almost 30 minutes before the police arrived and made an effort to defuse the situation.
The Hindu residents of Majhoua hamlet reportedly filed a complaint against the procession organisers for incorporating DJ music, which caused chaos in the vicinity. They charged that a new custom was being established thereby unsettling the social order. “If anyone tries to start a new tradition, strict action will be taken against him. Hunt is on to nab the stone pelters,” declared the authorities.
Arson, rioting and stone pelting
On 9th September 2019, chaos was witnessed at the Shajapur district headquarters in Madhya Pradesh after stones were allegedly thrown at the Muharram procession which led to a riot as arson and stone pelting commenced. Pankaj Srivastava, the Superintendent of Police for Shajapur district, mentioned that during the late-night Muharram procession, unknown assailants suddenly hurled stones at the procession on Nai Sadak Nathwada, due to which a stampede took place.
He pointed out that during the stampede, unidentified individuals initiated acts of vandalism and arson. As a result, three motorcycles were entirely consumed by fire. Later, senior police officials arrived at the scene and managed to restore order and legal proceedings were started against the anonymous accused. Cops were deployed to the area as a preventive measure.
Hindu man, two others attacked in car
On 9th September 2019, a ruckus transpired during the Muharram procession near Arya Kanya Chauraha (square) in Mutthiganj in Prayagraj of Uttar Pradesh when a car was vandalized and the individuals inside were assaulted. The protesters blocked the square, calling for the arrest of the perpetrators. Police officials, with the support of local leaders, successfully placated the situation by providing reassurance to the public.
The procession was advancing from Arya Kanya Square to Mutthiganj Square at night when the vehicle of a man named Ravi Kesarwani, son of transporter Anil Kumar, was targeted. The glass of his car was smashed and he along with Saurabh Gupta and Ravish Verma, who were accompanying him were assaulted. Ravi was seriously wounded. Once the news spread, residents of the area began to gather and demanded action against the accused. However, they returned after officers assured them.
Cops attacked, violence erupted in many areas
Multiple instances of violence came to light during the Tazia procession in the Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh and its neighboring regions of Uttar Pradesh on 27th September 2018. A Taziadar was electrocuted, after which the mob not only assaulted police officers but also set a police vehicle ablaze. A sub-inspector was left battered and covered in blood, in Bhathat. They also damaged other cars on the road.
This incident occurred in Pipraich, close to Gorakhpur. A young man, who was seated on a DJ vehicle during the Tazia procession, died after he came into contact with the electric wire from the Doordarshan Center in Bhathat. Afterward, the crowed stormed the police station and assaulted a sub-inspector and a home guard who sustained serious injuries. They also vandalized the sub-inspector’s vehicle.
Moreover, another case of unrest in Gorakhpur emerged near Tarang crossing where angered people blocked the road after a youth was attacked with a weapon during a dispute over the movement of the Tazia. Police arrested one person in relation to the issue.
There have been reports of violent incidents in the nearby areas in addition to Gorakhpur. There was one instance in Kushinagar where a dispute over the route of the Tazia procession led to violence, injuring numerous people. At the same time, disagreements over the procession’s route caused Tazias to be obstructed at several locations in Maharajganj, which led to reports of unrest in the area.
Violence was also reported in Deoria. A young person was hurt in the the procession and apparently did not receive adequate medical attention after which the agitated mob damaged Rampur Chauraha, in the district’s Gauri Bazaar. Many automobiles, including an ambulance and police cars, were wrecked by the crowd.
Arson, vandalism and communal tension
On 2nd October 2017 communal tension spread concerning the movement of the Tazia without an established route, in Parampurwa located in the jurisdiction of the Juhi police station in Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh. It resulted in stone pelting between two groups.
Afterward, six individuals endured injuries and eight vehicles including two cars and four motorcycles were set on fire amidst vandalised, during the Muharram procession. Bricks and stones were also launched.
Param Purwa (Kanpur): Tension between 2 groups over Tazia procession route. Nobody reported hurt, situation under control (earlier visuals). pic.twitter.com/AGpANsht77
“The Muharram procession in Parampurva was to be taken out through a certain path but it was suddenly changed which led to a dispute between the two parties. The police force present on the spot managed the situation. But some unruly elements started setting fire to vehicles parked on the roadside. After that, stone pelting started,” highlighted Additional Director General of Police Avinash Chandra.
Law enforcement officials, including senior personnel, were deployed to uphold law and order and to take stock of the violence. The district and police administration requested that citizens stay indoors, owing to the critical situation.
Meanwhile, on the same day, violence was unleashed in Gujarat’s Vadodara during the immersion procession of Tazia, resulting in stone-throwing and three injuries. They wounded were taken to a private hospital. Police had to fire four tear gas shells and three rounds to bring the situation under control.
Violence led to imposition of curfew
On 1st October 2017, several individuals were injured during a Muharram procession in the Jamui district of Bihar after which a curfew was slapped in the area. A considerable number of police personnel were deployed. Superintendent of Police Jayant Kant informed that a minor argument between two groups transpired at Masaurhi Chowk, reported Aaj Tak. Afterwards, members of a specific community took part in arson during the Tazia procession, which resulted in violence and many persons were wounded, including police personnel.
Stone pelting and curfew
On 24th August 2015 curfew was imposed after stone pelting was reported in a locality over a dispute about the procession route.
Shops damaged, houses set on fire
On 5th November 2014, unrest transpired in various districts of Awadh in Uttar Pradesh during the Muharram procession. The crowd engaged in vandalism, damaged shops and torched them. Additionally, multiple instances of gunfire were reported. During the Tazia procession in the Bahraich district, a chaat cart was looted in Parampur of Rupaidiha as a dispute took place. Additionally, a hut was set ablaze and a flour mill was damaged.
The authorities managed to restore order after considerable effort. Likewise, disturbances were reported from Baundi and Payagpur. Another conflict started over climbing onto the platform of a religious place duirng Muharram procession in Mathura Bazar of Balrampur district. Afterward, numerous shops were set on fire and gubshots were heard.
The market remained quiet the following day as well. Police filed a case against several individuals and arrested four. Tensions ran high in Anbhula village of Rasulabad in Musafirkhana, Amethi district when a peg that was in the way of the procession was removed and a house’s thatched roof was put on fire by the participants.
Violence and assault on police personnel
Several individuals were wounded on 5th November 2014, as the Muharram procession in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara descended into violence. Jyoti Swaroop Sharma, an additional superintendent of police, was hurt when the Muslim residents of the old city threw stones at the cops. The crowd was then dispersed by the police using batons. 50 unnamed individuals were booked for rioting and stone-throwing and two were arrested.
A traffic bottleneck also resulted from the brief halt of the Muharram procession near Old Kuthcery Road. Sharma was struck in one eye by a stone that was thrown at him after police ordered the mourners to leave. Two young people were then apprehended for interrogation at the Bhimganj police station after the cops used lathi-charge.
This infuriated the crowd even further and the protesters demanded the their release, pausing the procession for about an hour. The procession was able to continue after the police intervened, but the mourners once more stopped at Tejaji Ka Chowk. After some time, the Muslim mob gathered at the same location and the police had to use force.
Muslim mob instigates terror against Hindus
On 15th November 2012, violence erupted in a bustling market located in the Bhadohi Kotwali area of Uttar Pradesh during the Muharram procession, resulting in a devastating situation in the city. Muslim mobs unleashed chaos in predominantly Hindu neighborhoods.
Additional Superintendent of Police, Shubham Agarwal, reported that 50-year-old Shamim Ansari, son of Hafiz Ansari, along with several associates, unleahsed terror on the area. They blocked the road, did vandalism, arson and threw stones at houses and trains.
Image via ABP News
Several sections of Indian Penal Code were slapped on him alongside 152 Railway Act, 4/5 Explosive Substances Act and 7 Criminal Law (Amendment) Act at Bhadohi police station. He was arrested last month following a tip-off from an informant.
Cops targeted, Hindus attacked
A disagreement began on 8th December 2011, when Muslims attempted to take out the Muharram procession by a different route from Malokhar village in the Dulhipur region under the jurisdiction of the Mughalsarai police station in the Chandauli district of Uttar Pradesh. However, members of the other community objected to the start of a new practice which enraged the mob which went on a frenzy and engaged in mayhem, claiming that Tazia was damaged.
A car, many motorcycles, a pumping set, hutments, fodder and mounds of upla (cawdung cakes used as fuel) were set on fire by them. The cops had to use force to break up the rowdy mob. However, the irate crowd started brick-batting, injuring many police officers, members of the media and even residents.
Two of the five seriously wounded police officers were transferred to Varanasi after they were taken to Chandauli District Hospital. 200 people from roughly 25 families were impacted by the violence. Section 144 was imposed on the area.
“After lodging of FIR (First Information Report) against 43 identified persons and over 400 unidentified persons for indulging in violence and arson and interrupting the government work, efforts for their arrest have been intensified. Video clippings are also being utilised to identify the demonstrators. The policemen suffered injuries during violence are out of danger,” stated Superintendent of Police, Chandauli, Shalabh Mathu while talking to The Times of India.
Conclusion
The aforementioned cases represent merely the tip of the iceberg, as Muslim mobs have historically, whether in the name of mourning or celebration, consistently exploited such events to attack Hindus and display their street power in the most reprehensible ways. They provoke with the most offensive slogans, brandish weapons, embark on a rampage and make a complete mockery of law and order. At the same time, the authorities and administration have also largely failed to control them or prevent such incidents.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday (9th July) refused to stop the release of the movie ‘Udaipur Files: Kanhaiyalal Tailor Murder’ by declining urgent hearing of a petition challenging the release of the movie. The plea was filed by Mohammed Javed, one of the accused in the brutal murder case of tailor Kanhaiya Lal. A vacation bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi said that the petition can be mentioned before the appropriate bench when the Supreme Court reopens after summer vacation on 14th July.
When the counsel for the accused apprised the court that the movie, set to be released on 11th July, will be released before the court reopens, the court said that let the movie release. “It is releasing on Friday Trailer was released on July 4. They are showing only the prosecution side,” the counsel for the accused said, to which the top court replied, “Mention before the court concerned on reopening.Let it be released”.
Counsel for Mohammad Javed, who is accused number 8 in Kanhaiya Lal’s murder case, contended before the court that the movie is being portrayed as a true story and therefore will prejudice the proceedings in the case. He tried to imply that the incidents shown in the movie actually didn’t take place.
He said “Releasing such a trailer at this juncture, portraying the accused as guilty and the story as conclusively true, has the potential to seriously prejudice the ongoing proceedings. It compromises the presumption of innocence and risks influencing public opinion in a manner that could affect the fairness of the trial. This directly impacts the right to a free and fair trial of the Petitioner, as guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India,” the counsel submitted before the court.
“The trailer and promotional material of the said film contain content that is provocative and communally sensitive, which has the potential to disturb the religious harmony of the country and interfere with the ongoing judicial proceedings, as the matter is currently sub judice before a Special NIA Court,” the counsel added.
However, the claims of the lawyer are baseless, as the killers of Kanhaiya Lal brutally beheaded him on camera. Moreover, after killing him in cold blood in broad daylight, they recorded a video remorselessly boasting about killing Kanhaiya Lal and threatening PM Modi.
Therefore, the contention that the movie is being portrayed as a true story, as it is in fact based on a true story. However, the case remains under trial and nobody has been convicted yet. While the accused number 8 Mohammed Javed may or may not be convicted based on evidence, there is no doubt that the two killers will be convicted.
Another petition filed by Islamic clerics’ body, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, challenging the release of the movie is pending before the Delhi High Court. The Islamic body has filed several petitions against the release of the movie in different High Courts. Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, which has a history of protecting terrorists, objected to a movie based on the life of Kanhaiya Lal and his eventual murder by two Islamic terrorists. It has approached the High Courts of Delhi, Gujarat and Maharashtra to stop the release of ‘Udaipur Files Kanhaiya Lal Tailor Murder.’
Brutal murder of Kanhaiya Lal Murder
In June 2022, a Hindu tailor named Kanhaiya Lal was brutally murdered by two Islamists identified as Mohammed Riyaz Akhtar and Mohammed Gos for an alleged post in support of former spokesperson of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Nupur Sharma. Two days after the post was made, two men approached him at his shop and demanded to see his phone. They told him about the post, to which Kanhaiya Lal replied that he did not know how to operate the phone, and his son used it to play games. They deleted the post and warned him not to repeat it.
But, Kanhaiya Lal’s neighbour, Nazim, leaked and circulated his details like name, photograph and location, and also filed a complaint against Kanhaiya Lal for the alleged post. Following Nizam’s complaint, Kanhaiya Lal had approached the police seeking protection as he was receiving death threats. He told the police that the alleged post was accidentally made by his 8-year-old son while playing video games on his mobile phone.
However, the police arrested him instead for the alleged post and did nothing to provide him protection after his release, which eventually resulted in his killing on 28th June 2022 by Muhammad Riyaz Attari and Ghaus Muhammad.
As the Bihar state assembly election approaches, the opposition has once again resorted to questionable practices. False allegations aimed at disrupting the functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI) have once again gained nationwide attention. Opposition parties, including Lalu Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and other Mahagathbandhan allies such as the Congress, Left parties, Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), and independent leader Pappu Yadav, have taken to the streets in Bihar to protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) being conducted in the state ahead of the assembly elections.
Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition, and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav are expected to join hands and lead a statewide protest in Bihar on July 9. Rahul Gandhi will participate in the protest march starting at 10 a.m. in Patna, from the Income Tax office at Golambar to the Election Commission office. The protest will be directed against the central poll body’s decision to revise electoral rolls and implement the new labour code.
Roads are being blocked with burning tyres by local leaders in areas like Sonpur and Hajipur. In Jehanabad, the student wing of the RJD has even blocked railway tracks. In Hajipur, RJD supporters have blocked the Gandhi Setu, while in Sonpur, RJD MLA Mukesh Roshan has led the blockade. Meanwhile, members of the RJD’s student wing have blocked train tracks at Jehanabad railway station.
The road blockade, or “chakka jam,” comes just ahead of the Bihar assembly elections. Interestingly, it coincides with the “Bharat Bandh,” a protest demanding minimum wage, a new labour code, and addressing several other issues.
Before we delve into why the opposition is engaging in such protests, it is important to understand why the Centre has initiated the Special Intensive Revision.
What is the Special Intensive Revision?
To conduct free and fair elections, enhance transparency, and eliminate ineligible entries from the voter list, the Election Commission has decided to initiate a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar ahead of the assembly elections. The SIR is being implemented as an urgent corrective measure to rectify the electoral rolls.
Launched on June 24, the initiative seeks to include the names of eligible citizens in the voter list while removing those who are no longer eligible. According to the ECI, multiple factors such as rapid urbanisation, the influx of illegal immigrants, inclusion of newly eligible young citizens, unreported deaths, and the presence of names of foreign nationals make this revision critically important.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has said, “Not a single political party is satisfied with the current status of electoral rolls for different reasons. During the past four months, all 4,123 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), 775 District Election Officers (DEOs), and 36 Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) have conducted nearly 5,000 meetings with 28,000 political party representatives. The ECI has also invited all recognised political parties for interaction. No one was satisfied with the current status of the electoral rolls for one reason or another.”
How will the process function?
To ensure smooth and hassle-free execution of the electoral process, the Election Commission has developed a detailed plan. As per the EC, the Electoral Registration Officers will provide enumeration forms to Booth-Level Officers (BLOs). These BLOs will then distribute the forms to voters via door to door visits. Voters will have the option to upload supporting documents online. Once submitted, the forms will be verified, and a preliminary electoral roll will be published on the websites of both the ECI and the respective Chief Electoral Officers. This draft will also be shared with political parties. Voters and political parties will be allowed to raise objections to the draft list. Once all objections have been reviewed and addressed, the final electoral roll will be released.
The Election Commission aims to publish the draft electoral roll on August 1 and the final list by September 30. As of now, nearly 87 per cent (6.86 crore) of Bihar’s 7.90 crore voters have received enumeration forms during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision, according to the ECI. The Commission also noted that 1.5 crore households have already been covered in the first round of visits by BLOs.
The Election Commission has made it mandatory for voters to submit at least one of 11 listed documents for verification. These include:
Birth certificates
Passports
Identity cards or pension payment orders issued to government employees or pensioners
Permanent residence certificates
Forest right certificates
Caste certificates
Family registers prepared by state or local authorities
Land or house allotment certificates issued by the government
Aadhaar is not included in the list of acceptable documents for verification.
Why are they protesting a legal electoral process?
The opposition has raised concerns about the process, claiming it may lead to the exclusion of legitimate voters through the misuse of government machinery. The Congress backed Empowered Action Group of Leaders and Experts (EAGLE) criticized the Election Commission’s move, suggesting that the revision of electoral rolls could end up causing more harm than the issue it intends to address.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also condemned the process, accusing the Election Commission of targeting the youth in Bengal under the guise of verifying voter lists. She pointed out that a new declaration form requires those born between July 1, 1987, and December 2, 2004, to submit their parents’ birth certificates to get enrolled—questioning the necessity and fairness of such a requirement. “What is happening in the name of full enumeration?” she asked, calling the directive irregular and troubling.
Tejashwi Yadav echoed similar sentiments, arguing that the Election Commission’s decision would ultimately disenfranchise poor and marginalised individuals who rely solely on Aadhaar as identification, an ID that the EC now deems unacceptable for verification.
In addition, a group of 11 parties from the INDIA bloc submitted a formal objection to senior Election Commission officials, labelling the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) as a serious threat to the foundational principles of the Constitution.
While the Election Commission maintains that the revision aims to enhance accuracy and transparency in the electoral process, opposition parties appear focused on undermining the initiative without offering concrete alternatives. Their increasingly aggressive demonstrations have begun to obstruct a lawful and necessary democratic procedure.
Rather than engaging constructively to strengthen the electoral process, the opposition appears more focused on inciting chaos for political gain. With Bihar heading into a crucial election, the priority should be safeguarding a fair, transparent, and inclusive voter roll, not turning voter verification into a battleground for partisan theatrics.
