On Friday, the Supreme Court issued extended the bail already granted to Abdul Rehman Abdul Majid, a convict who co-conspired in carrying out the Godhra Train Carnage in 2002. Majid, who was sentenced to life imprisonment has been given bail till March 31, 2023, on account of his wife suffering from cancer and his children being specially abled.
A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justices Hima Kohli and JB Pardiwala maintained that the bail granted to Majid on May 13, 2022, should be extended as his wife is terminally ill and his two children are specially-abled. Abdul Rehman Abdul Majid is currently serving a life sentence after his conviction in the case.
Senior Advocate Sanjay Hegde, representing for Majid, told the court that Majid has already spent 20 years in jail and that his plea, which is currently pending before the court, would most likely take some more duration. Majid filed an appeal against the Gujarat High Court verdict upholding his conviction on October 9, 2017, which has been challenged before the Supreme Court and is awaiting a decision.
According to the petition seeking an extension of bail, Majid’s wife has ovarian cancer and has been undergoing treatment since 2019. “Further, the appellant’s two daughters are mentally retarded from birth and dependent upon their father, the appellant,” the application adds. Majid’s complaint further states that the sole claim against him is that of pelting stones at the firefighter and harming public property by damaging the firefighting vehicle.
The Gujarat High Court order which upheld the conviction stated that Majid, along with Bilal Haji and others, threw stones at the firefighter vehicle, causing injuries to the employees and restricting their ability to perform their duties, while the train coach No. S6 of the Sabarmati Express train was combusted by spraying petrol, burning several people, including women and children.
The Gujarat High Court indicated that the obstruction was deliberately carried out intending to continue the burning of the coach consisting of Kar Sevaks. 20 years ago, 59 Hindus were brutally burnt alive in Godhra, Gujarat. Not only were the Hindus burnt alive, but the bloodthirsty Muslim mob returned to inflict more damage after murdering 59 Hindus and later the entire ecosystem meticulously tried to invalidate accounts of eyewitnesses and victims so they could save the Muslim mob. The mob had targeted karsevaks returning from Ayodhya onboard the Sabarmati Express, and torched several coaches when the train halted at Godhra station on 27 February 2002, on its way to Ahmedabad. 59 Hindus, including women and children, were burnt alive in the attack.
On 11th November 2022, Rajasthan’s tourism minister Vishwendra Singh threatened Hindu saints and seers protesting against illegal mining and stone crushers in Bharatpur. Vishwendra Singh said that if the protesters bully, the government will deal with it in its own way.
Some points regarding the demand for the removal of the crushers could not be agreed upon at the district collector’s office on Wednesday 9th November 2022. Due to this, the saints and seers took a tough stand and announced an agitation from December 1 demanding the removal of the crusher. Around 3000 Hindu saints gathered in Pasopa and staged a dharna for about one and a half hours, then marched towards Kedarnath at around 10:30 pm, warning of agitation. It is notable that, earlier in July 2022, a monk named Vijay Das immolated himself in connection with the same issue. The local administration is now to face the sit-in protests by the Hindu Sages.
In response to the tough stand by Hindu sages, cabinet minister Vishwendra Singh said, “Mining at the Adibadri mountain is stopped as promised by the government. But we have not promised to shut the crusher plants. The crusher plants will continue to operate as they are having licenses. If sadhus and babas try to do more bullying, then the government will handle this in its own way.”
The Chaurasi Kos Yatra, which started from Shri Man Mandir Seva Sansthan, Gahwar Van Barsana, had stopped at Pasopa. About 3000 saints and seers were involved in this. Radha Krishna Shastri, executive president of Shri Man Mandir, Pasopa Trust, submitted a memorandum to Dig SDM Hemant Kumar. It demanded the removal of all the stone crushers from the Braj region.
Shastri said, “If the crushers running illegally are not removed, then all the saints will agitate. Any kind of loss of life during this time will be the responsibility of the government and administration. Right now we have postponed the agitation till November end.” However, the administration’s stand on this issue is that they have thoroughly checked if there is any illegal stone crusher unit and that they have formed a team for checking this. The administration also noted that illegal mining is completely stopped in this area.
While speaking to OpIndia, Radhakant Shastri of Braj Parvat Paryavaran Sanrakshan Samiti said, “Almost 20 stone crushers are operating there. When the crushers are operating, then illegal mining and theft of the stones are bound to happen. Therefore, for the last 7 to 8 days, there was a tense situation here. The Sadhus warned of agitation. The administration says that they have told the government, but the government is not ready to remove those crushers. Therefore, there is unrest among the Sadhus and Saints.”
He added, “The government had promised the last time that the leases will be cancelled. Accordingly, the leases are cancelled. But the crushers operating in the surrounding area are not removed yet.”
Radha Kant Shastri said, “Adibadri area has been declared a protected forest. Therefore, now it is not legal in any case to have crushers here, because these crushers no longer have any source for stone procurement. We have had discussions with the administration many times, but the administration is still not able to fully understand the feelings of the saints. On August 24, we demanded the government immediately remove the crusher from here or else illegal mining will continue. It did not happen. There is a lot of anger among the saints about this and they have all become ready for the protests again.”
According to a report by Dainik Bhaskar, Braj Das said, “From December 1, sadhus and saints will start an indefinite dharna on Adibadri. We do not take responsibility for any saint. They are free, they can do anything. If any untoward incident takes place in such a situation, then all the responsibility will be on the government and administration.”
Due to the visit of saints and the warning of Baba Narayan Das, the police, and administration had arranged a large number of forces in the Pasopa and Adibadri area. During this time, 700 policemen including District Superintendent of Police Shyam Singh and administration officials were present in Pasopa. Talks were also held between the administration and saints. After this, around 10:30 pm, the Braj Chaurasi Kos Parikrama Yatra of Man Mandir Barsana left for Kedarnath.
According to the renowned Katha Reader Ramjilal Shastri, “We respect the Chief Minister of Rajasthan that he declared both the mountains as protected forests even though late, but in accordance with the spirit of saints. But unless the crushers are removed from here, illegal mining will not stop from these mountains. Until the two mountains are safe, our movement will continue.”
Adi Badri and Kanakanchal mountains are considered sacred in the Dig and Kaman regions of Bharatpur. The saints consider them to be the sacred land of Lord Krishna. The movement of saints was going on for about 2 years to stop the legal as well as illegal mining going on in these areas. On July 20, 2022, 65-year-old Mahant Vijay Das of Pasopa’s Pashupatinath temple in Dig immolated himself in protest against mining. He passed away while undergoing treatment at Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital at around 3 am on July 23.
Earlier on July 4, 2022, Baba Haribol Das, who was associated with the movement, threatened to immolate himself outside the CM House if mining did not stop. Along with Baba Haribol Das, 14 saints warned of self-immolation. Baba Vijay Das was one among those 14.
On Thursday, the dead body of a renowned dentist named Dr Krishnamurthy was found on a railway track at Hattiyangadi near Kundapur in Kerala. The doctor was reported missing from Badiyadka in the Kasaragod district of Kerala and his body was found in mysterious circumstances on November 10.
According to a report by Organiser, the doctor had received threats from leaders of the Muslim League and some other locals to extend support to another dental hospital recently opened in town. The doctor had also received extortion threats and was forced to shut his clinic or face threatening consequences, as per the report.
Another report by Manorama mentioned that the dentist was accused of sexual harassment by a 32-year-old woman. Following this, the accused persons, local Muslim League leaders had come to Dr Krishnamurthy’s clinic and threatened him. They had threatened to file a police complaint if he did not meet their demands. After the threats, Dr Krishnamurthy had gone missing.
BJP leader Kuntaru Ravish Tantri and several Hindu organizations in the state including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal organized a protest against the incident and demanded the arrest of IUML leaders who were involved in threatening the veteran doctor.
Vishva Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal organised a massive protest against the brutal murder of renowned dentist Dr Krishnamurthy of Badiyadka and demanded arrest of Jihadis and Muslim League leaders.@VHPDigitalpic.twitter.com/j53awod0mK
The doctor had gone missing a few days ago. The incident came to light after his wife and other family members filed a missing report at the local police station. The assistant of the doctor during the complaint mentioned that he was threatened by some local Islamists at the clinic.
The doctor’s body was reportedly found near Udipi railway station, badly damaged by a speeding train.
The locals also discovered his bike and immediately informed to the police about the incident. The Police then lodged an unnatural death case and arrested Muslim League Kumbdaje Panchayat Secretary Ali Thuppakallu, Muslim League Badiyadka Panchayat office bearer Muhammad Hanif Yane Anwar, Kumbdaje resident Ashraf, Annadka resident Muhammad Shiabuddin and Vidyagiri Muniyuru resident Umarul Farooq for abetment of suicide and other relevant charges.
The initial investigation revealed that a group of people led by Ali and Anwar threatened to harm Dr Krishnamurthy in the clinic before he went missing a few days ago.
On Friday (November 11), the Delhi Police informed that a 10-year-old girl was allegedly molested inside a mosque in Maujpur, Delhi. The reported incident took place on November 9, and the accused identified as Mohammed Arman has been arrested after the parents of the minor victim lodged a complaint at the Jafrabad police station.
A case has been filed against the accused under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint) of the Indian Penal Code, as well as section 10 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, according to a senior police officer.
Delhi | Case registered under POCSO Act at Jafrabad Police Station against one Mohammed Armaan for allegedly molesting a 10-year-old girl in a mosque in Maujpur on November 9th. The accused has been arrested & further investigation is underway: Delhi Police
The police informed that 24-year-old Arman, a resident of Kishanganj in Bihar, used to teach students inside the mosque and is now under judicial custody. He had come to Maujpur a few days ago.
The victim reportedly visited the mosque alone after her classes on November 9 when the accused molested her, according to the police, who added that an investigation is ongoing and necessary action will be taken.
Crime against minor girls and boys are on a dramatic rise in the last few months in several states. In October, a 52-year-old Maulana was booked under POCSO Act for molesting a 12-year-old girl in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore.
In Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao, a 5-year-old Hindu boy who used to attend a madrasa was forcibly circumcised by one Maulvi Aslam, who was later arrested.
An Imam named Maulana Abdul Qadir of a mosque in Amroha of Uttar Pradesh was arrested on 15th October 2022 for raping a minor girl in a mosque. The girl used to come to the mosque for religious studies. The accused Imam was taken into custody by the Didauli Kotwali police.
Construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya began in August 2020, almost a year after the Supreme Court delivered its verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi case and allotted 5-acre of separate land to the party contesting for Babri Masjid. The Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF), which has been set up for the construction of the mosque then appealed to the people to donate an amount for not only the construction of the mosque but also other public facilities like a hospital, library, community kitchen, and research institute on the five-acre land in Ayodhya’s Dhannipur village.
While people promised to raise Rs 1 crore for the construction, Rs 10 lakh was immediately collected by the Trust when its president Zufar Farooqui visited Farrukhabad on August 12 for making a donation appeal. Also, the Trust already had collected Rs 25 lakh for the construction of the mosque. However, even after three years of the SC’s decision, the construction of the Mosque has not begun. Reports emerged on Friday stating that the maximum amount for the construction of the Mosque on the land has been donated by Hindus.
An exclusive report by Dainik Bhasker revealed that around 40 per cent of the donations received by the Trust are given by Hindus, while Muslims have only contributed 30 per cent. The other 30 per cent of the total donations are corporate donations. Foundation secretary Athar Hussain confirmed that the Trust has to date received Rs 40 lakhs of donations and 40 per cent of it has been contributed by the Hindu community.
“In August 2020, we issued bank details for cooperation in the construction of the mosque. So far we have received a donation of Rs 40 lakh. Tax exemption is provided to the donors under Section 80 G of the Income Tax Act. About 30 per cent of the donation has come from the corporate, 30 per cent has come from the Muslim community, and the remaining 40 per cent has come from the Hindu community”, said Hussain.
However, he claimed that the construction of the Mosque has not yet begun as the land allotted by the Court for the purpose is agricultural land. “15 days back we came to know that the land we got is of agricultural use, we cannot do construction in it. We have applied to Ayodhya Development Authority to change the land use and construct a 7-story building on it,” he said.
The first cheque of donation for the Mosque was from a Hindu
Hussain also recalled the first cheque of donation received by the Trust and said that it was from a Hindu person. “The first donation to build the mosque was given by Rohit Srivastava, a member of the Faculty of Law, Lucknow University. The amount of donation was Rs 21,000. Along with this, many Hindus including Professor RK Singh of Avadh University have donated”, he said. He added that the Trust had visited Farrukhabad and appealed to people for donations. “On August 12, many big businessmen of the city, retired officials, and others organized a fundraising program in Farrukhabad. We got a donation of Rs 10 lakh in one visit. Similarly, from Mumbai and various districts of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, people are calling the Foundation team. We are now making our ‘route map’ so that all these places can be visited and funds raised”, he added.
First cheque given by Rohit Shrivastav (L)
He said that the Muslim side contesting for the Babri Masjid in the Supreme Court wholeheartedly accepted the 5 acres of the land allotted for the construction of the mosque. “The Muslim community tried to give a message to the whole country that we have no regrets in our hearts. After the verdict, the Sunni Bakf Board approved a trust to be formed to build the mosque. The name of the trust is Indo Islamic Cultural Foundation”, he said.
Other facilities to be developed by the Trust along with the mosque
Reports mention that the registry of the land was executed ten months after the Court verdict. The Trust now plans to build a mosque on the land along with other facilities for the people of Ayodhya. It plans to build a mosque in which more than 2 thousand Muslims will be able to offer Namaz together. The Masjid Trust will also build a 300-bed multi-speciality hospital on the land offering free treatment to the patients. A community kitchen will also be built on the land, in which more than 1000 people will be able to eat food every day for free.
According to Hussain, a research centre will also be built next to the mosque on the land. “In this, it will be taught, and told what is the contribution of Hindustani Muslims in nation building. This will eliminate the escalating hatred in society”, he said.
Earlier also foundation secretary of the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF) had said that the maximum donation to the Trust for the construction of the Mosque was being provided by non-Muslims. “Not only Muslims, but people from other communities are also trusting the Foundation. Initially, non-Muslims donated a lot to the Foundation but now Muslims have also started showing interest in participating in a big way,” he was quoted.
Donation to build a mosque on the 5-acre land is ‘haram’: Owaisi
To note, earlier many Islamic organizations and leaders unhappy with the Supreme Court’s verdict had claimed that contributing amount towards the construction of the mosque on the 5-acre land would be ‘haram’. All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaaduddin Owaisi also said that construction of the mosque on the allotted land in Ayodhya is not permissible in Islamic law.
“Performing prayers and contributing for the construction of that masjid is haram (not permissible). It must not be called a masjid and prayers cannot be performed there”, he had said while addressing a public meeting in Bidar, Karnataka. He had also requested Muslims not to contribute money for the construction of the mosque in Ayodhya.
Threats issued by Islamists to demolish Ram Mandir
The Islamists meanwhile had also issued threats saying that they would demolish the Ram Mandir in the future and build Babri Masjid at the same spot instead. On August 5, 2020, when the Bhoomi pujan of the Ram Mandir was performed, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) issued a threat against the construction of the Ram Mandir and demanded to undo the alleged ‘injustice’ that was meted out to them by the country’s judiciary in the Ram Janmabhoomi case. The controversial Islamic body also had said that the demolished Islamic structure ‘Babri Masjid’ would remain a mosque for them till eternity.
Then, Islamic cleric Maulana Sajid Rashidi, the President of the All India Imam Association made provocative statements against Hindus and issued threats to demolish the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. He had asserted that the Babri Masjid was not built after demolishing a Hindu temple at the disputed site, but it would happen in the future. Also, the recently banned Islamist terrorist organization named Popular Front of India (PFI) had planned to demolish Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir as they wanted to build Babri Masjid instead at the same spot.
Why mosque construction has been stalled for 3 years?
According to Hussain, there are two approach roads to reach the land that has been allotted by the Supreme Court. One connects to the east and the other to the west. “Both these roads are 4.10 meters wide and if a multi-story building is to be built on the land, large vehicles would want to come inside for construction, and for this 12 meters wide road is required”, he said.
Application sent by the Masjid Trust to the DM to widen the road
“The map has not yet been passed from the Ayodhya Development Authority. For such construction, 15 types of NOC ie No Objection Certificates are required. 14 were made available by the Ayodhya Development Authority however, we were asked to get the NOC of the fire department ourselves. When we started the process of getting fire NOC, it came to know that no NOC can be obtained due to the narrow road”, he added.
He further said, “We went to Ayodhya Development Authority with an application for widening the road. But the officials told us after 3 years that the map cannot be passed as the land allotted for the mosque is suitable for agriculture and not for construction. They’ve asked us to change the land use. We applied on November 5, 2022. The day the map will be passed, the construction work will start the very next day,” he said.
Speaking on the issue, Ayodhya Development Authority Secretary Satyendra Singh said, “We ourselves want to get the map of the mosque passed as soon as possible. Every kind of legal process is being completed so that there is no problem in future”.
Singh said that a 2-story building can be built on agricultural land but the Masjid Trust wants to build a 7-story building. “There is a need to change the land use for this. We attached the documents 20 days ago. The application was however sought on November 5, 2022. Now the application will be passed as soon as the ADA board meets. After this, the land use will be changed and the Trust will be able to start the construction work soon. All types of NOCs including fire have been cleared”, he confirmed.
Politicians often resort to grandstanding to project nobility and exaggerate their accomplishments to woo voters and build their political capital. So when senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is on a monthslong container yatra or ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ as his supporters refer to it, harked back to his past visit to Kedarnath years ago, one got the intuition that he is probably muddling facts to build his case.
In a political rally at Nanded during the container yatra, Rahul Gandhi distinguished himself from an RSS man, whom he claimed to have taken a chopper to reach the daunting heights of Kedarnath shrine.
The Gandhi scion on Thursday said that while he walked to the Kedarnath shrine, the RSS worker flew in a helicopter to reach the temple.
“I was talking about ‘Tapasya’ and ‘Tapasvi’….let me tell you something…it could be controversial, but let me speak out,” he said before recalling the incident.
Gandhi said, “Some years ago, I wanted to visit Kedarnath…we had a Chief Minister (in Uttarakhand) at that time…so when I asked him, he told me that I should go in a helicopter….but I said that I was going to the place where Lord Shiva resides. Lord Shiva is known for being one of the biggest ‘Tapasvi’, so can I not undergo a ‘Tapasya’ of walking 15 km to his abode? I would like to trek there.”
Gandhi then elaborated on an alleged chance encounter he had with an RSS worker at the Kedarnath shrine.
“I met an RSS worker at the shrine who weighed around 100 kg. He told me that he took a helicopter to reach the top. He was along with his servant who was carrying a basket on his head…I asked him what was it…he told me that these are fruits to be offered to the Lord….he then asked me how I came to which I replied that I trekked the distance,” he said.
Gandhi further added, “We went to the temple….once we came out of the temple, he asked me what I sought from the Lord…I then asked him, what he had asked…he told me that he asked for ‘sehat’ (good health)….I did not tell what I asked…but if he had walked, he would have got ‘sehat’,” he said.
By recalling the alleged meeting, whose occurrence cannot be independently verified, Rahul Gandhi not only tried to cast himself as a virtuous Shiva devotee undertaking the penitential trekking as a mark of respect to God but also continued with his perennial attack against the RSS—the ideological fount of Hindutva that dominates the current political narrative.
However, Rahul Gandhi’s attempt to distinguish RSS and Congress jibes perfectly with his brand of politics, which involves ceaselessly vilifying the Hindu group to paper over his party’s inadequacies and shenanigans. For years, Rahul Gandhi has been targeting the RSS over Hindutva while brushing aside the minority appeasement politics that Congress continues to champion.
Perhaps, Rahul Gandhi retrofitted the anecdote he shared on Thursday in his visit to the Kedarnath shrine years ago, to lend an air of legitimacy to the probable fiction he peddled in his bid to insinuate that RSS’ commitment to the Hindu cause is shallow and superficial.
Even as Rahul Gandhi virtue-signals on undertaking ‘Tapasya’ in the form of trekking to the Kedarnath shrine, he had, however, in April 2015, when he visited the Hindu temple, said that he did not opt to fly in a helicopter to the shrine as that would be an insult of 2013 Kedarnath flood victims.
What Rahul Gandhi said after he visited the Kedarnath shrine in 2015
Speaking about why he chose to trek instead of using a helicopter, Rahul said: “I chose to walk to Kedarnath because many people lost their lives in the [June 2013] tragedy that struck Kedarnath. I felt that flying by helicopter to the shrine would insult them. They walked to the shrine and so I chose to do the same.”
It is worth noting that Gandhi’s visit to Kedarnath came on the heels of mounting criticism of the Gandhi scion, who had been on a 57-day sabbatical before having a sudden heart change and visiting the shrine that endured unprecedented floods in 2013, killing thousands and leaving infrastructure in shambles.
While Gandhi had then claimed that he was in Kedarnath to pay respects to the victims, Congress faced criticism for its shoddy work in providing relief material for the victims of the Uttarakhand floods. Trucks full of relief material that was flagged off by Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi with much fanfare were stranded on their way to Uttarakhand after running out of fuel. The party drew criticism for similar other incidents that plagued their relief measures.
Changing political objectives of the Congress party dictate contrary stands of Rahul Gandhi on his visit to Kedarnath
Amid public opprobrium, Rahul Gandhi came back from a sabbatical and undertook a visit to Kedarnath, presumably to quell criticism and salvage the party’s standing among the voters. He had then claimed that he visited Kedarnath for the victims of the flood and to declare trekking to the Hindu shrine was safe once again.
Seven years on, Rahul Gandhi now gives a religious spin to his trek to the Kedarnath shrine, which was in all likelihood a PR spectacle, inventing a 100-kg RSS worker in his fecund story and claiming that he trekked as a mark of obeisance to Lord Shiva, the biggest of all ‘Tapasvis’.
Back in 2015, it was convenient and politically beneficial to express solidarity with the victims of the tragedy, so Rahul Gandhi revelled in it. In 2022, since Congress continues to face tough headwinds from the BJP, particularly because of the consolidation of Hindus, the Gandhi scion is trying to cause a dent in the saffron party’s share by dint of weaving fictional tales and attributing unverifiable motives to his 7 years old visit to the Kedarnath shrine.
On Friday, 11th November 2022, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced “Kejriwal’s 10 guarantees” in view of the upcoming Municipal Corporation of Delhi elections 2022 to be held on December 4. On this occasion, he said that the Bharatiya Janata Party will be reduced to only 20 seats in this election.
The 10 guarantees are being considered as the manifesto of the Aam Aadmi Party for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi elections. While announcing the ’10 Guarantees’, Arvind Kejriwal said that we will win the municipal elections and the BJP will lose. He said, “I appeal to the people of Delhi not to vote for those who stop the works. Instead, vote for them who do the work.”
हमें मिलकर दिल्ली को एक साफ़-स्वच्छ और सुंदर शहर बनाना है। नगर निगम चुनाव के लिए दिल्लीवासियों को आम आदमी पार्टी की 10 गारंटी। https://t.co/0fPWBDysCQ
He alleged that the BJP leaders are spreading false propaganda that the AAP government in Delhi does not provide funds to the MCD. He also accused the BJP government in the center of ‘stopping the Yoga classes’ in Delhi.
Kejriwal’s 10 guarantees are the same promises that his govt has failed to deliver after 8 years in power
Arvind Kejriwal’s 10 guarantees include promises similar to those that Arvind Kejriwal’s Delhi government failed to deliver during its tenure since 2015. The promises enlisted are the beautification of Delhi, eliminating the mountains of garbage, corruption-free MCD, control of stray animals, better parking facilities, repairing streets, regularizing the workforce, easy licenses and permits of businesses, and developing parks and gardens.
Arvind Kejriwal said, “This time BJP will not get more than 20 seats in the MCD elections. I can give it in writing if you ask me so. The BJP fears AAP and they have planned these elections together so that Arvind Kejriwal’s time gets divided and he finds it difficult to perform in assembly and MCD elections simultaneously. But we will perform best in Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, and MCD too. We are so confident because we are performing.”
BJP criticizes the claims
South Delhi MP and BJP leader Ramesh Bidhuri criticized Arvind Kejriwal’s big claims. He underlined that all the AAP leaders can do is give hollow promises. He said, “Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who gave guarantees to the public, are now avoiding it because their credibility has been exposed among everyone. The BJP has always been committed to keeping its word.”
On Friday (November 11), the Delhi High Court denied permission for conducting ‘Maa Bhagwati Jagran’ at the Anand Bihar foot-over-bridge, reported Law Beat.
The event was scheduled for Saturday (November 12) and had received permission from Traffic Police, Municipal Corporation Delhi (MCD) and other concerned departments.
The petition, filed by ‘Mahila Hawkers Welfare Association,’ had sought direction from the Delhi High Court to Delhi Police (which had not responded to their requests) to allow the conduct of the Hindu festival.
#DelhiHighCourt to hear a plea by Mahila Hawkers Welfare Association seeking directions to grant permission to organize “Maa Bhagwati Jagran” on Nov 12, at Anand Vihar Footover bridge near in Gate of Anand Vihar ISBT.
It further sought adequate security arrangements from the Delhi police for the smooth conduct of the ‘Maa Bhagwati Jagran.’
The ‘Mahila Hawkers Welfare Association’ pointed out that the cops disrupted the event last year due to no prior imitation. Despite informing the Delhi Police well in advance, the petitioner argued that it did not provide any response.
“However, the Delhi Police has not responded to the same and based on the organizers’ the petitioner association is concerned that the Police will cause a hindrance in the conduct of the Jagrata, and thus they have approached the High Court”, the petition read.
Counsel for MCD informs that permission had been given subject to restrictions.
Counsel for petitioner association informs the court that only @DelhiPolice has not replied.
Court took note that MCD has given permission for event on a public land, it dismisses the petition.
The matter was heard by a single-Judge Bench of Justice Yashwant Varma. While noting that the event was scheduled to be held on ‘public land, he dismissed the petition of the Mahila Hawkers Welfare Association.
This was despite the fact that the counsel appearing for the MCD informed that permission was granted with some restrictions to avoid public inconvenience.
On Thursday, several Congress leaders were seen brandishing swords during the so-called celebration of Islamic tyrant Tipu Sultan at Bengaluru. The local Congress leaders carried swords in the celebration processions despite the fact that the use of any sort of weapons during religious functions is banned in Karnataka.
According to local media reports, local Congress leaders wielded swords during Tipu Jayanti celebrations on Thursday in Guddadhalli, Kantaka’s capital.
BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan, a Congress MLA from Chamarajpet, addressed the media while holding a sword.
The Congress MLA tweeted pictures from the reported celebration and wrote, “The Mysore Tiger Hazrat Tipu Sultan Jayanti celebrations organized by leaders Nawaz Pasha and others at Guddahalli Auto Station under JJR Nagar Ward of Chamarajpet Assembly Constituency and wished him well. Local Congress leaders were present on this occasion.”
ಚಾಮರಾಜಪೇಟೆ ವಿಧಾನಸಭಾ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರದ ಜೆಜೆಆರ್ ನಗರ ವಾರ್ಡ್ ವ್ಯಾಪ್ತಿಯ ಗುಡ್ಡದಹಳ್ಳಿ ಆಟೋ ನಿಲ್ದಾಣದಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಖಂಡರಾದ ನವಾಜ್ ಪಾಶ ಮತ್ತಿತರರು ಆಯೋಜಿಸಿದ್ದ ಮೈಸೂರು ಹುಲಿ ಹಜ್ರತ್ ಟಿಪ್ಪು ಸುಲ್ತಾನ್ ಜಯಂತಿ ಆಚರಣೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಭಾಗವಹಿಸಿ, ಶುಭ ಕೋರಿದೆ.
In one of the pictures tweeted by MLA Khan, he can be seen holding a sword.
Image tweeted by Congress MLA B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan
Notably, Tipu Sultan, the Islamic tyrant has been a subject of contention in the state, particularly since 2015, when the BJP and the Congress fought over the need to commemorate the 18th-century ruler’s birth anniversary.
During the Congress’s rule in 2017, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced the Tipu Jayanti celebration on November 10th.
Ananthkumar Hegde, a former Union minister from Uttara Kannada, condemned the state government’s decision to commemorate Tipu Sultan’s birth anniversary in 2018.
Notably, on July 5, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) raided the Bengaluru office and residence of Congress MLA BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan in Karnataka. Based on the Enforcement Directorate’s report, ACB officials also registered a case against Khan in the disproportionate assets case.
About Tipu Sultan, a mass murderer who slaughtered and forcefully converted Hindus
Tipu Sultan who is often dubbed as a warrior and freedom fighter of India by the left-liberal ecosystem and Islamists was a known Hindu hater who had openly declared that he would wage a Jihad against Hindus. Remnants of Tipu’s murderous assaults in, like in Kodagu, may still be seen in the region today. The Malabar city of Kozhikode bore the brunt of his attacks. The destruction in Kozhikode was so profound that it permanently altered the town’s fabric. In the city, there were about 7,000 Brahmin families and many more Hindu households. Tipu slaughtered about 2,000 of them, forcing many of the survivors to flee into the jungles.
To this day, the Mandyam Iyengars do not celebrate the festival of Deepavali, because over 700 members of their community were slaughtered on Tipu Sultan’s orders on the day of the festival.
One of the most widely held beliefs is that Tipu was a patriot who fought the British. Tipu Sultan’s various correspondences with the French are kept at the India Office in London and reveal how he conspired with them to drive out the British and partition India. Tipu also asked Afghanistan’s King Zaman Shah to invade India and aid the Islamic cause.
A UPSC tutoring centre based in Delhi named Drishti IAS has been trending on Twitter since Friday morning, with Netizens calling for the institute to be shut down. The outrage erupted after a video excerpt of one of the lectures by the managing director of the institute, Vikas Divyakirti, in which he is seen maligning Hinduism by mocking Hindu deities Lord Ram and Sita, went viral on social media.
In the purported video, the teacher audaciously compares Hindu Goddess Sita with “ghee contaminated by a dog.”
The aforementioned video, in which UPSC instructor Vikas Divyakirti is heard making inappropriate statements while teaching his UPSC students about the Sanskrit epic Ramayana was first shared on November 10, Thursday.
सुना है ये सज्जन कोई IAS कोचिंग चलाते हैं … ये माता सीता की तुलना कुत्ते द्वारा चाटे जाने वाले घी से कर रहे हैं कैसे IAS बनायेंगे ..सोच लो
ये सारे लिब्रु कोई कसर नहीं छोड़ते सनातन धर्म की तौहीन करने की …बाक़ी किसी भी धर्म के बारे में बोलने से पहले ये फेविकोल पी लेते हैं pic.twitter.com/bXDk8I7Lci
“कुत्ते द्वारा चाटें जाने वाले घी की तुलना माता सीता से “
दृष्टि IAS ट्रेनिंग के संस्थापक विकास दिव्याकीर्ति की यह काल्पनिक बातें भगवान राम के हर भक्त की भावना को आहत कर रही हैं। लेकिन क्योंकि इन्होंने हिन्दू धर्म का मज़ाक़ उड़ाया है इसलिए इनको FIR नहीं पुरुस्कार मिलेंगे। pic.twitter.com/D539sZgwFf
The video soon went viral with many Netizens chastising the UPSC professor for maligning Hinduism. On Friday morning, hashtag #BanDrishtiIAS started trending on Twitter.
After the video went viral, netizens dug out video excerpts of Vikas Divyakirti’s other lectures and claimed that the Drishti IAS coach, over time, has been subtly brainwashing and instilling Hinduphobia in the minds of his students under the guise of helping them prepare for the UPSC Civil Services Exam.
Along with videos where he was villifying Lord Ram and Sita, netizens also shared a snippet of one of his lectures in which Vikas Divyakirti was seen accusing the Modi government of being hand-in-glove with Adani, an over-used trope propagated by the left-liberals, opposition parties, especially the Congress and its allies. In the same video, the UPSC teacher is also seen canvassing for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Drishti IAS teacher compares Hindu Goddess Sita with ‘ghee contaminated by dog’
In the first video which has been doing the rounds on social media since Thursday (November 10), the UPSC coach is heard narrating one episode from Srimad Valmiki Ramayana to his students. He claimed, in a clear falsification of Hindu mythology, that Lord Ram told his wife, goddess Sita, “that just as food licked by a dog becomes unfit for consumption, you are no longer acceptable to be my wife.” Vikas chuckles as he makes the ludicrous statement. A few pupils can also be heard laughing in the background after hearing his remarks.
Drishti IAS managing director calls Lord Ram ‘casteist’
In another video, Vikas Divyakirti is seen brainwashing and subtly instilling Hinduphobia in the children’s brains by brazenly misrepresenting Ramayana and insulting the Hindu god Ram by labelling him a casteist.
Concocting yet another story and claiming it to be part of theancient Sanskrit epic, Vikas started by saying that there are many versions of Ramayan and that every individual writer has a unique style. He added that the writer may add or subtract certain things. Then he jumps to his main allegation. He claims that to ‘save’ Bhagwan Ram, Tulsidas omitted the episode of Shambuk.
Then he narrates the story about Shambuk to his students, a story which is not a part of the original Srimad Valmiki Ramayan but the controversial Uttara Khand. He starts by saying that once Lord Ram was walking in his kingdom when he came upon a man named Shambuk, who was sitting and meditating beneath a tee. He approached him and asked who he was and which caste did he belong to. When Bhagwan Ram learnt that Sumbhuk was a shudra (Dalit), Ram was infuriated that a Dalit was doing penance and he took his sword and slit his throat.
This is a clear distortion of facts. There is clearly no mention of any such thing in the original Srimad Valmiki Ramayan. Ramayana was originally composed by sage Valmiki in 6 Kandas (parts), which ended with the coronation of Lord Ram and his ascent to the throne of Ayodhya.
The fallacious assertion made by Vikas Divyakirti is mentioned in the controversial Uttara Khand, which experts believe was not an original component of the Srimad Valmiki Ramayan but a later insertion, the validity of which has never been confirmed.
Campaigning for AAP?
In one of his sessions, the Drishti IAS managing director spoke extensively against the Modi government and how the latter and the industrialist Gautam Adani are hands in glove with each other.
In the same video, the teacher sings plaudits for the Aam Aadmi Party, describing it as a party that is always working for the betterment of ordinary people.
An UPSC coach Vikas Divyakirti was making rounds of sm for absurd explanation of subject of Hinduism. Same coach was found literally campaigning for AAP in class, in fact his videos shared by many AAP official handlers. This one was shared in Nov’21. 1/ pic.twitter.com/wWw9chEzMS
Drishti IAS was founded in 1999 by Vikas Divyakirti and Dr Taruna Verma. As per the Institute’s official website, Vikas is the Managing Director of the institute and has served at the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India for some time through his selection in Civil Services Examination in 1996 and has also worked for some months as an Assistant Professor at Delhi University.
Screengrab from Drishti IAS website
‘Vision IAS’ spreading anti-Hindu propaganda in the guise of UPSC coaching
In February this year, a video of a faculty of Vision IAS went viral on social media in which she was teaching the students about the rise of the Bhakti Movement. She propagated that Bhakti Movement was started due to the spread of ‘liberal ideas’ of Islam where they talked about ‘equality’ and ‘caste-less’ society.
In the video, the female teacher, identified as Smriti Shah, asked the students about the purpose of the Bhakti movement. When the students said it was “equality”, she said, “Islam arrived in India in the seventh century. It was very liberal and talked about equality. There was no caste system either. PM Modi gifted a miniature of Cheraman Juma Masjid to the Saudi King, which was the first mosque built in India. Islam had not arrived in India yet, but it had started showing its influence. It was free from any rigidity and casteism. There was a speciality of Islam that talked about complete devotion to one God (Allah). They were talking about the concept of one God.”
She further added, “As Islam said, there was only one God, and he created all, it means everyone was same. Islam talked about the universal brotherhood that attracted people. Those who belonged to the lower class started to convert to Islam to raise their status. That was the time when Hindu civilisation felt threatened. As a result, the Bhakti cult was started. They wanted to tell Hinduism is the same religion as Islam, and there was no difference.”
After her video surfaced on social media, the netizens objected to the type of propaganda-filled content being shared by the coaching centres against Hinduism.
Following the backlash, Vision IAS issued a statement. Calling the controversial teacher an ‘esteemed faculty’, Vision IAS alleged that the video only presented ‘a small part of a discussion’. It said, “The said discussion, which is currently not available on any official Vision IAS platform, has led to divergent opinions and reactions.”
Note: We have reached out to Drishti IAS for their comment. We will update the report if and when they respond.
Update: Although we did not receive any response from Drishti IAS, the organisation has been trying to remove all criticism by filing copyright claims over tweets, articles, videos, etc. that criticizes Vikas Divyakirti and his lectures. Some of the embedded media in this news report is unavailable due to the same reason.
