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The Granada massacre of 1066: When a Muslim mob crucified a Rabbi and murdered almost the entire Jewish population in a city

OpIndia Staff
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The Granada massacre of 1066: When a Muslim mob crucified a Rabbi and murdered almost the entire Jewish population in a city

The Spanish city of Granada, which forms the backdrop of the popular Korean drama ‘Memories of Alhambra’ has seen a bloody, violent history, with many conflicts over the centuries between religious groups. On 30 December 1066, the city witnessed a horrible massacre targeted against the Jewish community carried out by the city’s ruling Muslims.

The Muslim rule in Spain and the Jewish massacre

The city of Granada, located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains at the confluence of 4 rivers, has been the major urban settlement and capital of the Andalusian region of Spain for over a thousand years. Starting in 711 AD, the Muslim Umayyad conquest of the Iberian peninsula. A small Jewish population has been living in the area since ancient times.

In the 11th century, Granada became the hotspot of a political conflict between two groups of Muslims, the North African Arabs and Berber communities. The Zirids, a Berber group who were the supporters of the Caliph of Cordoba settled in the area and were granted control of the province of Elvira. After the Caliphate collapsed in 1009, the Zirid leader established an independent kingdom for himself, calling it ‘Taifa of Granada’. The city, with a mixed population of Muslims, Christians and Jews, gradually grew to be the main urban settlement in the area.

In 1020, Samuel ha-Nagid, a highly educated Jewish leader who had fled Cordoba after the caliphate collapsed, was appointed as the chief secretary of Muslim king Habbus ibn Maksan. Samuel ha-Nagid (Ismail ibn Naghrela in Arabic), was given many responsibilities, including tax collection and even control over the army under the next king Baddis. While Samuel was in power, the Jewish population in Granada enjoyed religious freedom and were not looked at as second-class citizens (dhimmis, non-Muslims living under Muslim rule) as per the norm in typical Muslim caliphates. Samuel had such power that the Muslim king was looked at as a mere figurehead.

After Samuel ha Nagid’s death in 1056, his son Joseph ha-Nagid (Joseph ibn Naghrela in Arabic) succeeded him as the vizier and rabbi, getting the same proximity to the Muslim king Baddis.

Joseph was lynched by a Muslim mob over allegations of betrayal

As Joseph’s influence over king Baddis grew, resentment against him started stirring among the majority of Berber Muslims in Granada. Joseph was described as arrogant and disrespectful towards all faiths. Joseph was accused of sending letters to the Muslim ruler of neighbouring Taifa of Almeira, rivals of Granada. As per Arabic accounts, Joseph had made a deal, to open the gates of the city to the enemies in exchange for being installed as the new ruler himself. However, the plan did not succeed. The ruler of the Taifa of Almeira dropped the plans at the last moment and the news leaked that Joseph had planned to kill the king and support the enemies.

On December 30, 1066, an angry mob consisting of the majority Berber Muslims of the city stormed the royal palace and grabbed Joseph. He was tortured and lynched to death, and his body was hanged from a cross. The mob, however, did not stop there. They proceeded to round up all Jewish families in the city, about 1000 of them and started a brutal massacre. Contemporary Jewish accounts write that over 4000 Jewish people were brutally killed by the Muslims on that single day.

There is documented evidence of the prominent Muslims in Granada spewing venom against Joseph and the Jewish community in general, trying to convince the people that the Jewish people do not deserve the high status that was granted to them in Granada. A poem written by Abu Ishaq, documented by historian Bernard Lewis depicts how the Jews are ‘inferior’ to the Muslims and should be killed.

“Do not consider it a breach of faith to kill them, a breach of faith will be to let them carry on. They have violated our covenant with them, so how can you be held guilty against the violators? how can they have any pact when we are obscure and they are prominent? Now we are humble, beside them, as if we were wrong and they were right.“

The first major act of violence targeted against the Jewish community in Europe

The 1066 massacre at Granada is often cited as the first major act of violence in Europe that was targeted against the entire Jewish community.

As per Jewish accounts, Joseph’s wife had managed to flee the city with her son. She was granted refuge in another city. However, her son died at a young age.

The surviving Jews fled the area after the massacre, selling their properties. Though some of them did return eventually, they never got the social status they once enjoyed under Samuel ha-Nagid.

The Muslim rule in Granada continued till 1492, when, after months of siege by a Catholic army under Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, the Muslim ruler of Granada finally gave up and surrendered the castle. January 2, 1492, marked the finale of the Catholic Reconquista against Islamic rule in parts of Spain. It is still celebrated by the Christian community and mourned in the Muslim world. What followed in the city was another story of violence, when Isabella’s loyal Catholic hardliners ordered the Muslim population to either convert, flee or die.

Islamists, leftists and Congress supporters celebrate the death of PM Modi’s mother Heeraben

Dibakar Dutta
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Islamists, leftists and Congress supporters celebrate the death of PM Modi’s mother Heeraben

Hours after the death of Heeraben Modi on Friday (December 30), the usual suspects took to social media to mock and hurl abuses at the mother of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Heeraben Modi passed away at the U. N. Mehta Institute of Cardiology & Research Centre in Ahmedabad at 100. Soon after, the coterie of Islamists and left-liberals began rejoicing at the news of her death.

Underneath an Instagram post by leftist propaganda outlet NDTV, one Usama mocked the Indian Prime Minister as ‘Butcher of Gujarat’ (despite him being given a clean chit by the Supreme Court of India).

Another user (@manojzack007) wrote, “Slow down bootlicker (a reference to Adani’s takeover of NDTV), will you now upload a full gallery of images (for Heeraben Modi).” One Mehdi Zafar even vowed to unfollow the news channel for covering the news of the death of PM Modi’s mother.

Screengrab of the comments

Others ridiculed the death of Heeraben as ‘Nautanki’ and demonised the deceased as a mother who gave birth to a jinn (referring to PM Modi).

One Instagram user (@name_is_soni) mocked, “ Ab ye photoshoot kis ke saath karega (Modi do his photoshoots now with whom now?)” One Babar Khan expressed happiness that 2023 has started with the death of the BJP.

With no regard for basic human decency, leftists, liberals and Islamists attempted to politicise the death of Heeraben Modi. One Instagram user alleged that the death of PM Modi’s mother would be marketed by Godi Media (a term invented by Ravish Kumar to delegitimise anyone calling out leftist propaganda).

“Now how he will take picture with her during elections to gain sympathy from andhbhakts…” wrote another user. One Samir Samuel then claimed that PM Modi exploited his mother to further his political ambitions. “Godi Media will cry now,” wrote another user.

Screengrab of the comments

Besides, supporters and trolls of the Congress party also took to social media to mock the demise of Heeraben Modi. One Richa Sharma, who happens to a believer in Gandhi & Nehruvian ideology, claimed that flower petals were being wasted for the last rites of Heeraben.

“Never seen rose petals being wasted the way they do for Modi and related people,” she wrote. One Congress troll (@ThanosVsAvenger) suggested that PM Modi should have got his estranged wife, Jashodaben, for ‘photoshoot’ on the occasion of his mother’s death.

After being called out on social media, Richa Sharma defended her act of mocking Heeraben’s death. She claimed that people always abuse Rahul Gandhi’s mother, grandfather, maternal grandmother and maternal grandfather. “Irony just died for these illiterate sanghis,” she further remarked.

It must be mentioned that it is not a new phenomenon within the Congress ecosystem to celebrate or mock the death of a rival political leader. We had earlier observed similar mockery of the deaths of BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley.

False moral equivalence invoked to defend hate directed at Heeraben Modi after her death

Politicians are subject to public scrutiny but there is a thin line between holding them accountable and ridiculing their demise or their relative’s deaths. The coterie of leftists, liberals, Islamists and Congress trolls seem to forget this every time.

And on being called out for their abusive behaviour, they often resort to whataboutery and peddle victimhood. The criticism directed towards Rajiv Gandhi, Indira Gandhi or for that matter Jawaharlal Nehru is due to their policies that have impacted India in a negative way. They were public figures whose decisions impacted millions of Indians.

Therefore, every citizen has the right to criticise them for the choices they made during their reign. Nobody celebrated their assassinations or expressed glee over their deaths. Criticism directed at Rajiv Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, or Jawaharlal Nehru was and is limited to the realm of politics, not over their personal lives.

Therefore, this cannot be conflated with the case of Heeraben Modi, who was not a politician and did not hold any position of power. The visceral hatred for Prime Minister Narendra Modi has engulfed the ecosystem so severely that they now do not hesitate from even celebrating the death of his mother.

Despite this, they have the gall to draw a false equivalence and justify their actions.

India strongly reacts to brutal beheading of Hindu woman in Pakistan’s Sindh province, says Pakistan should take responsibility for keeping minorities safe

OpIndia Staff
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India strongly reacts to brutal beheading of Hindu woman in Pakistan’s Sindh province, says Pakistan should take responsibility for keeping minorities safe

Citing the recent incident wherein a 42-year-old Hindu lady named Diya Bheel was gang raped and brutally beheaded Sinjhoro area in Pakistan’s Sindh province, India on Thursday condemned Pakistan for its continuous atrocities against Hindus. In a strong response to the incident, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi asked the Pakistani government to take serious measures to safeguard the minorities in the country.

Speaking at the weekly media briefing of the Ministry of External Affairs, spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “We have seen reports about it, but we don’t have specific details on the case, but we have reiterated that Pakistan should protect its minorities along with their safety, security and well-being, which is their responsibility.”

On December 29, another case of gang rape and brutal murder of a 42-year-old Hindu woman came to light in Sindh’s Sinjhoro area. A Hindu woman named Diya Bheel, belonging to the Bheel community, was gang-raped, beheaded, and her breasts chopped off by unidentified persons. Before dumping her body in a wheat field, the perpetrators also de-skinned the deceased victim’s head.  

Reportedly, a sharp weapon was used to cut the body parts of the Hindu woman. The skin and the flesh from the separated head were removed by the murderers, exposing the skull. They also removed the breasts and a large portion of flesh from the chest of the woman, exposing the ribs.

The deceased victim Diya Bheel belonging to the Bheel tribe was a widow and had five children. 

Police have registered FIR, however, none of the accused has been identified or arrested so far.

The Islamic country of Pakistan has been a hotbed of religious persecution, especially for those belonging to minority Hindu, Christian and Sikh communities. In October of this year, a Hindu woman in Pakistan’s Punjab was undressed, raped, and tortured for demanding her daily wage.

2022: The year when ‘Gustakh-e-Rasool’ led to riots, beheading, murders, a cautionary tale

Nirwa Mehta
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2022: The year when ‘Gustakh-e-Rasool’ led to riots, beheading, murders, a cautionary tale

While the ‘liberals’ often shame us that ‘this is not the India we grew up in’ to cry ‘religious intolerance’ against Hindus, they turn a blind eye to the India that has become now where ‘sar tan se juda’ fanatics are running wild ready to behead you the moment you say something that they can perceive as ‘blasphemy’ on their divine figures.

The ‘seculars’ in India have often taken pride in the ‘Ganga-Jamuni’ tehzeeb (the peaceful coexistence of two different communities – Hindus and Muslims) in India where usually the onus of maintaining such ‘tehzeeb’ is squarely on the shoulders of Hindus. Whenever this is pointed out, the ‘secular liberal’ elites of the country will call you communal and bigoted. If 2022 is anything to go by, any comment on the Muslim community in India is like walking on eggshells because as we have seen even quoting their religious text about their divine figures (peace be upon them) leads to riots and beheadings.

In January this year, a young man from Dhadhuka in rural Ahmedabad, Kishan Boliya alias Kishan Bharwad was shot dead by two men of Muslim community.

Kishan had shared a video which showed an image of Prophet Muhammad. Muslims firmly believe that visual depictions of Muhammad is forbidden. Islamists believe that such a visual depiction is blasphemy and an ‘insult’ to Muhammad, and beheading the one who blasphemed is the appropriate punishment.

Terrifying, isn’t it? Unfortunately, many are still unaware about such terrifying laws of blasphemy in Islam.

Kishan was a simple boy with a simple life. He was into farming, loved cows and his wife had just had a baby. Whose face he never got to see because he was killed by Islamists over a WhatsApp status as it was ‘blasphemy’. The Muslim celebrities of India, who cry ‘Indian Muslims are under threat in Modi regime’ have not condemned this act by their coreligionists.

In fact, a source informed me that the local Muslim residents and religious leaders had collected money to build mazaar in the names of the two men who were involved in the murder. “If they get the death sentence or whenever they die, these two will be celebrated for having done jihad for the faith,” I was told. A mazaar is a shrine/tomb of saints or notable religious leaders.

It should be noted that in Pakistan, Mumtaz Qadri, who assassinated politician Salman Taseer who was against the blasphemy laws, has a shrine in his name. Qadri had gunned down Taseer in 2011 and now his followers believe he has earned a place for himself next to Prophet Muhammad. But even before that, before the partition of India, Mahashay Rajpal, publisher of Rangeela Rasool, was assassinated for publishing a satirical take on Prophet Muhammad. Unsurprisingly, his assassin, Ilm Ud Deen is also celebrated and his shrine/mazar in Lahore is revered by his followers.

Kishan Bharwad was a forgotten memory and the news cycle moved on. The court-ordered videography of Gyanvapi took place where at the disputed structure, was found the Shivling. The same Shivling which the original Nandi ji looks at from inside the new Kashi Vishwanath temple premises. The disputed structure is referred to as Gyanvapi mosque and Shivling was found at the wuzukhana, the place where people who offer namaz inside the mosque clean their dirty hands and feet.

You see, when the Mughals and other Islamic invaders demolished our temples, they didn’t destroy them fully. Many were kept broken as a reminder, to humiliate Hindus, on how their places of worship were destroyed.

And if you thought jihadis are only the ones who behead, blow themselves or planes or tall towers up, you are wrong. Many are also sort of ‘digital jihadis’ who dog whistle to the ones on the ground who then carry out the dirty work.

During a television debate on Gyanvapi and Kashi Vishwanath mandir, BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma said something about Prophet Muhammad which has been written in the holy scriptures. Except, some Islamists ‘felt bad’ about the ‘tone’ used and, well, now Nupur is a marked target. In days that followed, there were riots in various parts of the country and about half a dozen people were murdered only for supporting Nupur’s right to speak something that was already written in the Islamic holy books.

Till now, not a single maulana or ‘fact-checker’ or maulanas masquerading as fact-checkers have fact-checked Nupur. None of them have refuted the claims made by her or pointed out to the particular verse in their holy books which proves Nupur lied and was ‘spreading hate’ or ‘blaspheming’. But here we are, 7 months down the line, where Nupur continues to live under the cloud of fear.

This threat to her life because she ‘blasphemed’ will never go away, because as we have seen, Salman Rushdie, who wrote the satirical book ‘The Satanic Verses’ which is supposed to be a satirical take on Islamic holy scriptures, was stabbed in New York, over 30 years after a bounty was announced on his head for ‘blasphemy’.

In the late 80s, after Rushdie wrote the book The Satanic Verses, believed to be a satire on the Quran and life of Prophet Muhammad, fatwas were issued against him. India, under Rajiv Gandhi government, was the first country to ban the book.

Since the publishing of the book that is considered ‘blasphemy’ by Muslims, Rushdie has been living under the threat because of the fatwa issued against him. On August 12 when he was about to give a lecture at Chautauqua Institution in New York, he was attacked by one Hadi Matar, who seems to be inspired by Iran leaders. Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini also issued a fatwa, calling for Rushdie’s death. A bounty was offered to anyone who kills Rushdie.

More than three decades after the bounty on his head was announced, Rushdie was stabbed publicly in New York.

He has now lost vision in one eye and use of one hand.

So much is the fear of ‘sar tan se juda’ fanatics that even those Muslims who identify themselves as ‘atheists’ or claim to respect all faiths equally or are ‘liberal’ are too afraid to condemn those who attack and kill others in name of ‘blasphemy’. Which is why you will never see celebrity Muslims ever condemn these deaths.

No one, no one has said in as many words that ‘Gustakh-e-Rasool’ should not be punishable by death. These calls for death by these zombies are normalised. ‘Sar tan se juda’ slogan (full chant – Gustakh-e-Nabi ki ek hi saza, sar tan se juda, sar tan se juda) calls for literal beheading of the one who has ‘blasphemed’. If you have said anything that could hurt the religious feelings of ‘believers’, beheading is permitted by the Islamic law.

Further, if you ask any Islamist, they would quite likely say how Quran is above the constitution for them. Safdar Nagori, 2008 Ahmedabad bomb blast convict had quite infamously said the constitution holds no value for him and Quran is above all. A resident of Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, 54-years-old Nagori was associated with the banned Islamic terrorist organization Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). He was the main conspirator of the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts.

After SIMI was banned, some members started other outfits like PFI and SIO and others and they have been at the forefront of raising hateful slogans against Hindus including demanding their beheading.

When Hindus feel offended that the Shivling found inside the wuzukhana of disputed Gyanvapi structure is referred to as ‘fountain’ and jokes are cracked, many Hindus themselves accuse them of being ‘too sensitive’.

“My faith is not that weak that it can’t take a joke,” they would say to justify how Hindus should not feel offended at the idea that those who offered namaz at the disputed structure were washing their dirty hands and feet in the wuzukhana where the Shivling was found. That they knew and they still did it. The same people would then blame Nupur for her comments for triggering riots.

What is good for the goose should be good for the gander. Just because Hindus don’t take to street power and don’t run riots or give calls for beheading those who mock our faith, it is they who must be mindful of not hurting others’ religious feelings. Because the other side knows how to play victim and get away with it because of the ummah.

They may ‘condemn’ threats (many of which follow their own dogwhistling), but will not say in as many words that ‘Gustakh-e-Rasool’ ki saza should not be ‘sar tan se juda‘.

National Commission for SC issues notice to Bigg Boss, Colors TV after a casteist remark was made to a contestant Congress leader in the show

OpIndia Staff
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National Commission for SC issues notice to Bigg Boss, Colors TV after a casteist remark was made to a contestant Congress leader in the show

On Thursday, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes issued notice to Endemol India Pvt Ltd, the maker of the TV Show ‘Bigg Boss’ after one of the candidates of the show named Vikas Manaktala, allegedly referred to another cast member, Archana Gautam, as “Neech jati ke log,” which is an indictable offence under the SC/ST Act. The Commission also sent the notice to the Mumbai Commissioner of Police and Viacom 18 Media Pvt Ltd seeking action against Manaktala.

The Commission in the notice stated that the remark made by Manaktala was casteist and that it took suo-motu cognizance of the incident. “Suo-Motu cognizance has been taken on information received through social media regarding Manaktala calling Gautam ‘neech jati ke log’ (a low caste person),” the notice also issued to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and Colors TV read.

“According to Indian law, this is clearly an offence punishable under SC/ST Act, and the Commission has decided to investigate the matter in pursuance of the powers conferred upon it under Article 338 of the Constitution of India. You are hereby requested to submit an action taken report to the undersigned within seven days of receipt of this notice,” it added.

In the earlier episode, both the contestants had engaged in a brutal fight after which Archana Gautam threw hot water on the other contestants. The video clip of the incident was shared by Colors TV in which Gautam could be seen restricting Vikas from making tea. “Yeh raha mera bartan (This is my utensil),” she yelled as Vikas snatches it from her and tosses away the utensil saying, “Mere muh ke saamne mat la (Don’t bring it near my face).” The video ended with Shalin Bhanot attempting to drag away an enraged Vikas.

Also, the duo could be seen fighting in one of the latest episodes over Vikas’s personal life. During the argument, contestant Archana made personal remarks about Vikas and stated that he would never be able to become a parent. She stated that her father had four children. Meanwhile, Tina Datta, Priyanka Chahar Choudhary, and other housemates advised her to heed her remarks. According to the reports, Vikas’s wife Gunjan suffered a miscarriage and Vikas happened to tell Archana the other day. The woman used the personal piece of information provided by Vikas in a brutal fight against him.

After the fight between the duo in the kitchen, Vikas’s wife Gunjan supported her husband and said, “He was very calm and composed in the beginning. Archana instigated him and threw the pan of boiling water. Vikas and Priyanka, who were standing close, could have been hurt. Even then, they didn’t make an issue about it. Had it been Archana, she would have demanded his eviction with immediate effect. She was the one who kept screaming and shouting, while Vikas and Priyanka maintained their dignity.”

To note, Archana Gautam joined Congress last year and contested the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls from Hastinapur. The winner of the 2018 Miss Bikini Universe India pageant, however, managed to secure only 1,519 votes while BJP’s Dinesh received 1.07 lakh votes and Samajwadi Party candidate Yogesh Verma received 1 lakh votes.

The National Commission for Scheduled Castes in the given case has taken suo moto cognizance of the incident and has demanded strict action against Vikas Manaktala.

Bigg Boss, now in its 16th season, airs from Monday to Friday at 10 pm on ColorsTV. The channel, however, broadcasts the show on Saturday and Sunday at 9 pm. Salman Khan, who debuted the reality show in its fourth season, hosts the show. He’s been the host for the past eight years.

Police refutes reports that men present at the spot looted money from Rishabh Pant’s bag after car crash

OpIndia Staff
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Police refutes reports that men present at the spot looted money from Rishabh Pant’s bag after car crash

UPDATE: After this Jagran report emerged, Uttarakhand police refuted reports that people present at the spot stole money from Pant instead of helping him. OpIndia report on the police statement. can be read here.

Cricketer Rishabh Pant has been in a serious car accident at the Narsan border of Roorkee in Uttarakhand. The badly injured cricketer was rushed to the Saksham Hospital Multispeciality and Trauma Centre.

After receiving initial treatment there, Rishabh Pant has been taken to Dehradun’s Max Hospital.

As per a report in Jagran, an eyewitness Kushal stated that while driving, Pant’s car collided with a pile of soil and rolled over multiple times. Spinning out of control, the car collided with guard rails on the side of the road and caught fire.

As per the report, Rishabh Pant was trying to get out of his car but was unable to do so due to his injuries. In the meanwhile, some men present in the area came near the burning car. Instead of trying to help the injured cricketer, they reportedly took money from a bag the cricketer had in the car and ran away.

The cricketer himself managed to come out of the car by breaking the window, called an ambulance and the police for help.

Shocking visuals of the charred car and the broken guardrails at the accident site at Hammadpur Jhal in Roorkie’s Narsan border area are now doing rounds on social media. The cricketer has injuries on his head, and leg and bruises all over his body.

Rishabh Pant was on the way to Dehradun from Delhi to spend New Year’s Day with his family. As per reports, the cricketer has a long road to recovery ahead and may lose a year in cricket.

‘After 100 years a mosque will be built after demolishing Ram temple’: Maulana Sajid Rashidi spews hate, says Muslims will not be silent in future

OpIndia Staff
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‘After 100 years a mosque will be built after demolishing Ram temple’: Maulana Sajid Rashidi spews hate, says Muslims will not be silent in future

As the construction of a grand temple at the Shri Ram Janambhoomi continues in full swing, Maulana Sajid Rashid, the chairman of All India Imam Association has stoked controversy by saying that after 100 years when Muslims come to power in India, the Ram temple at Ayodhya will be demolished and a mosque will be built at its place.

Maulana Sajid Rashidi said, “Muslims are silent today. But m My children… my son, his son, his grandson….but after 50-100 years they will learn from history that our mosque was destroyed and turned into a temple.  A Muslim judge, Muslim ruler, or Muslim government may come to power at that time. Nothing can be said about whether there will be changes… So, based on that history, won’t a mosque be constructed by destroying this temple? It definitely will be.”

While speaking to Times Now Navbharat, Rashidi said that a history of India will be written wherein it will be stated that Babri mosque was destroyed and a Hindu temple was built in its place. Moreover, the Prime Minister of the country laid the foundation stone of the temple, in violation of the Indian constitution.

This, however, is not the first time that the All India Imam Association chairman has spewed venom. In November, Rashidi warned the government that “India will burn if the government dares to touch the private Madrasas. Rashidi made those inflammatory remarks after the Uttarkhand government announced that the madrasas in the state will be modernized.

Threatening the government, Rashidi had said, “We do not need anything from anyone… Do whatever you want in the government-run Madrassas. But don’t touch the private Madarsas; otherwise, India will be on fire.”

Maulana Sajid Rashidi earlier tried to corner the Uttar Pradesh government for surveying the unrecognized Madrasas. On September 14, he urged Madrasa authorities to welcome state surveying authorities with slippers and shoes.

Russian ambassador Denis Alipov bursts Manish Tewari’s ‘Hercule Poirot’ theory over deaths of 2 Russian nationals in Odisha

OpIndia Staff
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Russian ambassador Denis Alipov bursts Manish Tewari’s ‘Hercule Poirot’ theory over deaths of 2 Russian nationals in Odisha

On Thursday, December 30, Congress leader and former Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Manish Tewari tried some Agatha Cristie-style investigative theorising over the deaths of 2 Russian nationals in a hotel in Odisha.

“Two Christians cremated not buried! Why? Hercule Poirot says burnt bodies tell no tales”, Tewari tweeted sharing a September article published by CNN. The article stated that at least 8 prominent Russians have died in apparent suicides or accidents in recent months. The article further says that 6 of the 8 Russians were linked to Russia’s 2 largest energy companies, Gazprom and Lukoil.

While drawing suspicions over the recent deaths of Russian MP Pavel Antov and his friend Vladimir Bydanov in a hotel in Odisha’s Rayagada town, Tewari asked why were the bodies of the 2 Russians cremated and not buried, despite them being Christians.

Tewari quoted Hercule Poirot, the fictional detective in Agatha Cristie’s novels, that ‘Burnt bodies tell no tales’.

Soon after Tewari’s tweet, Denis Alipov, the Russian ambassador to India gave a ‘befitting reply’. Alipov stated that the Russian government appreciates the investigations launched by Indian authorities into the deaths of the two Russians.

He further fact-checked Manish Tewari, stating that cremations are as customary in Russia as burials.

“Meanwhile, it would be useful for some Hercule Poirot lovers to learn that cremation in Russia is as customary as burial. Idleness is the root of all evil”, the Russian ambassador told Manish Tewari.

The deaths of Vladimir Bydanov and his friend Russian MP Pavel Antov in Odisha

Two Russian nationals, a person named Vladimir Bydanov and his friend, Russian business tycoon and MP Pavel Antov, have died within days of each other in a hotel in Odisha’s Rayagada town. Bydanov, Antov and two other Russian nationals had checked into Rayagada Sai International Hotel on December 21. One of them, Vladimir Bydanov, was found dead inside the hotel room on December 22. Reports suggest that Bydanov died from a heart attack, and Pavel Antov allegedly committed suicide after attending his funeral on December 25.

Family members of both Russians had okayed the cremation

As per reports, the local authorities had contacted the respective family members and proceeded to cremate them in Rayagada itself as per instructions from the family members. Antov had attended the cremation of his friend Bydanov and had apparently committed suicide by jumping from a third-floor window in the hotel. The hotel staff have told police that Antov was visibly upset and disturbed after the sudden death of his friend.

As per a report in Times of India, Antov was estranged from his close family members following his divorce from both his wives and used to stay alone in Russia. His daughter Antova Anna Pavlovna has confirmed to the media that cremation is a usual custom and Antov’s mother was also cremated in Russia a few years ago. Antova Anna Pavlovna and Vladimir’s son Bynanov Anton Vladimirovich had both sent their written documents giving Rayagada police the power of attorney to cremate the bodies of their fathers.

Antov and his 3 friends had arrived in India on tourist visas to celebrate his 66th birthday.

The Odisha government has launched a Crime Branch investigation into the case.

Rishabh Pant meets with an accident, escapes his burning car by breaking the glass, hospitalised: Here is what we know so far

OpIndia Staff
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Rishabh Pant meets with an accident, escapes his burning car by breaking the glass, hospitalised: Here is what we know so far

Indian ace cricketer Rishabh Pant has met with an accident at the Narsan border of Roorkee in Uttarakhand. The incident reportedly took place when he was returning home from the National Capital.

According to NDTV, the car carrying Pant collided with a divider and then caught fire. Reportedly, the fire was brought under control with great difficulty.

Disturbing images of the burnt vehicle are now doing the rounds of the internet. After the locals and the police learnt about the incident, they reached the spot and doused the fire with the help of the fire department. Superintendent of Police Dehat Swapna Kishore Singh was also present at the site.

As per a report by Jagran, the Indian cricketer was rushed to the Saksham Hospital Multispeciality and Trauma Centre, where he is currently undergoing treatment. Rishabh Pant has now been referred to Delhi.

Injured Rishabh Pant has been undergoing treatment Saksham Hospital Multispeciality and Trauma Centre, image via Jagran

According to the doctors, he suffered severe injuries on his forehead and legs. His condition is said to be stable. Reportedly, Khanpur MLA Umesh Kumar reached the hospital to inquire about the cricketer’s health condition.

As per sports reporter Abhishek Tripathi, that Pant was not wearing a seat belt turned out to be his life saver. As soon as his car caught on fire, he broke the glass and got out of the car.

According to him, Rishabh Pant was driving the car himself and was on his way to surprise his mother. His plan was to spend the new year with his family. He also said that the area where Pant met with an accident is regarded as a “black spot” since it is accident prone.

Tripathi also reported that Pant has a long road to recovery and he might lose a year in cricket.

Born in 1997, Rishabh Pant has represented India in 33 Tests, 30 ODIs and 66 T20 international matches.

Update: It later emerged how 2 good samaritans had helped Rishabh Pant escape the burning car. That report can be read here.

Brazil’s three-time World Cup-winning football legend, Pele, passes away at 82

ANI
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Brazil’s three-time World Cup-winning football legend, Pele, passes away at 82

Brazil’s three-time World-cup winning football legend, Pele passed away at the age of 82 following a cancer battle, Al Jazeera reported on Friday citing his agent Joe Fraga who confirmed the news of his demise. 

Considered by many to be the greatest footballer of all time, Pele was in poor health in recent months and has had quite a few stints in the hospital. The three-time World Cup champion, whose actual name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, was reportedly dealing with kidney and heart issues and was hospitalised since November with multiple ailments. 

In September 2021, Pele had a colon tumour removed, however on November 29, he was checked into the Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo, according to Al Jazeera. 

Pele, widely regarded as the game’s most gifted player, guided Brazil to three World Cup victories in 1958, 1962, and 1970. With 77 goals in 92 games, he continues to be the top goal scorer for Brazil.

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

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