Months after the brutal murder of Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur, the son of the Hindu tailor has pledged not to wear slippers until the killers of Lal are hanged.
While speaking to news agency ANI, Yash said, “I have pledged to not wear slippers until the accused are hanged till death. I have not been able to recover from the incident.”
He had stopped wearing slippers since the day after the beheading of his father on June 28, 2022. Yash goes outdoors barefoot, without slippers and shoes.
I have pledged to not wear slippers until the accused are hanged till death. I have not been able to recover from the incident: Yash, son of Kanhaiya Lal who was beheaded on June 28 by two men in Udaipur, #Rajasthanpic.twitter.com/P7pOeuLOSm
On June 28, a Hindu man named Kanhaiya Lal was brutally murdered in Udaipur, Rajasthan, over an alleged post in favour of former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma. The post was allegedly made by accident from Kanhaiya Lal’s phone by his 8-years-old son while playing a video game.
His neighbour Nazim filed a complaint against Kanhaiya Lal, following which he was arrested. Nazim also leaked Kanhaiya Lal’s number, photograph, and address to his community groups. After being released on bail, he continued to receive threats.
Fearing for his life, Kanhaiya Lal shut his shop for six days and approached Police for protection. Instead of giving him protection, the Police asked him to compromise with the Islamists who were threatening him.
After six days, when he opened his shop, two Islamists came as customers and beheaded him. They were identified as Mohammed Riyaz Akhtar and Mohammed Ghaus. The case was later taken over by NIA under the Ministry of Home Affairs’ direction. The central agency on July 23 arrested the eighth accused in the case.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has ended up hurting the credibility of India after he lied about BMW setting up a plant in Punjab. According to a report by News18, the Diplomats of the Ministry of External Affairs have expressed their anger over the lie and said that his statement hurt the credibility of India.
News18, citing government sources, reported that the incident had left the diplomats ‘very embarrassed’ and had ‘hurt the credibility’ of the country and Indian diplomacy abroad. “Such exaggerated and unwarranted claims were inadvisable. The CM was representing the country abroad and our diplomats had arranged the meeting (with BMW). Now, the blowback of this gaffe comes to the diplomats. It hurts the credibility of the country and government”, the Diplomat told News18.
It is pertinent to note that the Punjab government had claimed in a statement that during his Germany visit, CM Bhagwant Mann secured investment from BMW as the company has agreed to set up its auto part manufacturing unit in the state. It was claimed that a decision for this investment was taken during Mann’s visit to BMW headquarters in Munich today.
The Punjab govt claimed that after Mann ‘showcased the Punjab government’s exemplary work to promote industry in the state’, BMW group agreed to set up its auto component unit in state. The statement added that it will be the second plant of BMW in India, after the existing one in Chennai.
The company, however, denied the claims made by Bhagwant Mann. In a press release, BMW said, “BMW Group India has no plans for setting up additional manufacturing operations in Punjab.” The company said that “BMW Group is firmly committed to its Indian operations with its manufacturing plant in Chennai, a parts warehouse in Pune, a training centre in Gurgaon NCR and a well-developed dealer network across major metropolitans of the country,” and it has no plans to make additional investment for a new plant in Punjab.
The company also said in its press release, “Along with cars and motorcycles, BMW Group’s activities in India comprise financial services for its premium clientele. BMW India and BMW India Financial Services are 100% subsidiaries of the BMW Group and are headquartered in Gurgaon (National Capital Region).”
Indian Diplomats cite another incident where AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal embarrassed India
The Diplomats seem to see a pattern in the conduct of AAP and its leaders, if the News18 report is to be believed. While talking about Bhagwant Mann, they also cited another example of how AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal embarrassed India earlier. They recalled the incident where Kejriwal had claimed that a Singapore variant of COVID-19 was adversely affecting children.
After Arvind Kejriwal made these comments, Singapore had taken strong exception. Singapore had lodged an angry protest with the external affairs ministry and India’s high commissioner there was summoned. External affairs minister S Jaishankar was constrained then to clarify that “the Delhi CM does not speak for India”.
Several recent ground reports by OpIndia have shown that demography is changing rapidly along India’s border with Nepal. The number of mosques and madarsas is rapidly increasing in the area. From August 20 to 27, 2022, an OpIndia team visited several areas in Nepal bordering India to observe the ground situation. What follows here is the twelfth episode of the series of reports documenting the facts noticed by the OpIndia team.
In the previous report, we delved into the details of the vastly increasing number of mosques and houses of worship mushrooming along the road from Balrampur district headquarters to Nepal’s Jarwa border. In this article, we will tell you what the village heads and public representatives of these villages have to say about the rampant Islamisfication underway along the Indo-Nepal border.
Muslims purchase more land than Hindus
During our trip to several districts along the Indo-Nepal border, one Shivendra Kasaudhan, a local businessman from Balrampur’s Maharajganj Terai area, greeted us at Tulsipur Bazar tehsil. He also attested to the fact that the Muslim population in the district is growing much faster than the Hindu population. He further stated that the native Muslims have been steadily settling their relatives and kins here by purchasing land from Hindus. Shivendra claimed that many Hindus sell their properties to these Muslims because they pay more than the normal market rate.
Balarampur’s Shivendra Kasaudhan in conversation with OpIndia staff
Shivendra went on to say that Rizwan Zaheer is the most powerful leader in the area and that only the Yogi administration (Yogi Sarkar) can keep him in check. Despite the presence of a well-known temple such as Devipatan, he maintained that the number of Islamic places of worship in the area grew significantly under the previous Samajwadi Party regime.
Shivendra maintained that any increase in the Muslim population in these places is due to both locals and the gradual influx of outsiders who have come and settled in these areas. He also admitted that incidents of communal violence in these Muslim-dominated areas have risen over time and urged local authorities to take notice.
Muslim community outnumbers Hindus in this area
Pradeep Kumar, the priest of Baba Mukteshwar Nath Dham on his way to Jarwa from the Nepalese border, informed us that the temple is built in a Muslim-dominated area. According to the Mahant, the Muslim community not only outnumbers the Hindus in that area, but they have also surpassed them economically and politically.
Priest Pradeep Kumar stated that the temple is the centre of faith for the local Hindus, and it is here that they receive religious education. The priest informed us that the leader of the village council in which this temple is located is Muslim.
Pradeep Kumar, the priest of Baba Mukteshwar Nath Dham
Muslim population increased manifolds during the last 10 years
Nankan Mishra, an uncle of the local village head and a resident of Ratanpur Jhingha hamlet near Jarwa district along the Nepal border, spoke to OpIndia. He told us that he operates a school called ‘Bhagwati Adarsh Vidyalaya’.
Nankan Mishra’s nephew defeated Siraj Khan in the presidential election. Before him, the hamlet was led by a Muslim woman named Noor Jahan. According to Nankan, the Muslim population in his village is approximately 50%, and this percentage has grown over the last ten years.
He stated that the majority of the Muslim population in his village has come and settled from Nepal, with the remainder from various parts of India. Mishra referred to these migrant Muslims as ‘NRI type people’.
Nobody ever investigated these outsiders
Nankan Mishra stated that no officer or govt employee has ever inquired as to who these outsiders are or where they have come from. Mishra likened his neighbourhood to a lodge and stated that whoever wanted to reside there can do so without restriction.
According to Mishra, along with the population, mosques and madrasas in the area have also grown in the same proportion.
Nankan Mishra
Number of mosques and madarsas grown drastically in every border village
Nankan Mishra told us that the number of mosques and madarsas has grown in all border villages, not just his own. Reminiscing his childhood days, the 50-year-old Nankan stated that there were only two mosques, at least what he is aware of, in his area at that time, but today many Saudi-style mosques have mushroomed in the area. Mishra further stated that the same is true of the nearby Mahadeva hamlet. He estimated that the majority of the people in the village of Tandwa, located in Siddharthnagar Zone, Uttar Pradesh were also Muslims.
Urdu and Arabic names inscribed on taps
Nankan Mishra went on to describe how the taps put in his hamlet and adjacent areas have details in Urdu and Arabic inscribed on them. Mishra reported that the village’s public taps were installed with funding coming from Saudi Arabia.
He mentioned that a local Maulana is getting these taps installed, but no one has investigated him yet. Locals, according to Mishra, do not complain to the government because they know no action would be taken against him, in fact, it would only create animosity between them and the Maulana.
Taps with Arabic engravings spotted by the Opindia team
We started our own inquiry to see how accurate Nankan Mishra’s information on the public taps with Arabic inscriptions was. We spotted several such taps placed along the road and throughout the hamlet. The taps at Premnagar, a village near Tulsipur police station, read ‘United Arab Emirates Association’ in Arabic and ‘Khair Technical Society India’ in English.
भारत नेपाल सीमा पर बदल रहे हालातों का जायजा लेते हुए हमने तुलसीपुर क्षेत्र में ऐसे नल देखे जिन पर अरबी भाषा में कुछ लिखा था
इसी के साथ उसी नल पर खैर टेक्निकल सोसाइटी इंडिया भी इंग्लिश में लिखा था
One such tap could be found near the main road, in front of Dr Ibadur Rahman’s clinic at the Khairi roundabout. People present there told us that the tap was installed using ‘zakat’ money and that more such taps can be found in both Hindu and Muslim homes.
As we delved further, we discovered that the ‘Khair Technical Society’ is headed by someone from Dumariaganj, a Muslim-dominated market in Siddharthnagar.
A creeping Islamisation of Nepal and its border areas appears to be underway, with Islamists steadily establishing their foothold in distant villages, including those on the Indian border. In the first four parts of this series, OpIndia documented the demography change ongoing in Nepal, as well as the worrying surge in the number of mosques and madarsas in the Himalayan nation’s border villages. Additionally, we also spoke about the rising incidents of love jihad in Nepal, as well as its Delhi connection and smuggling, and various other notorious activities that are going on along India’s border with Nepal.
In a significant development ensuring further elimination of violence in Assam, today the centred signed peace agreements with eight tribal militant organisations in Delhi in the presence of union home minister Amit Shah. The tripartite agreements were signed among the central government, the Assam government, and the militant groups.
The eight groups that returned to mainstream include five Adivasi militant groups and 3 splinter groups. The five main groups that signed the agreement are Birsa Commando Force (BCF), Adivasi People’s Army (APA), All Adivasi National Liberation Army (AANLA), Adivasi Cobra Military of Assam (ACMA) and Santhal Tiger Force (STF).
On the other hand, the other 3 organisations are splinter groups of BCF, AANLA and ACMA.
Cadres of these militant groups surrendered their weapons in 2012, and are living in designated camps since then. A total of 1,182 members of the groups had laid down their arms that year.
Apart from Ammit Shah, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, and senior officials of Assam govt and union home ministry were present on the occasion.
Calling it a historic agreement, Amit Shah said that it is another milestone towards PM Narendra Modi’s vision of a peaceful North East. He informed that with this agreement, 1182 armed cadres have agreed to abjure violence and join the peaceful democratic process.
The signing of the historic tripartite agreement between Govt of India, the Assam govt and representatives of eight Tribal groups of Assam at North Block, New Delhi. https://t.co/hopLMpW2nR
The agreement also provides for rehabilitation and re-settlement of armed cadres and measures for the welfare of the tea garden workers. The home minister informed that a Special development package of Rs.1000 crore, Rs.500 crore each by Govt. of India and Govt. of Assam, will be provided over a period of five years for the development of infrastructure in Adivasi inhabited villages/areas.
The agreement also provides for the setting up of an Adivasi Welfare and Development Council by the Government of Assam with the objective of fulfilling the political, economic and educational aspirations; protecting, preserving and promoting social, cultural, linguistic and ethnic identities.
During the meeting, Amit Shah said that the central govt has decided to end all border disputes among states in North East and sign agreements with all armed militant groups in the region by 2024. He also added that the development of the region will be accelerated to make it at par with the rest of the country.
The agreement provides for setting up of an Adivasi Welfare and Development Council by the Govt. of Assam with the objective of fulfilling the political, economic and educational aspirations; protecting, preserving and promoting social, cultural, linguistic and ethnic identities. pic.twitter.com/v63X3Cyil0
He said that Modi govt fulfils all the promises made, and so far 93% of the promises made in all agreements signed with various groups have been fulfilled, and assured the groups that signed the accord today that the promises made to them will also be realised in letter and spirit.
Amit Shah said that the central govt is working towards making North East and Assam drug-free, terrorism-free and dispute-free. He further said that PM Modi has given the vision of developing the eight north-eastern states as Astha Lakshmi, and the govt is committed work towards that goal.
Cadres of these outfits have been living in designated camps since 2016 when their 1,182 cadres laid down arms & returned to mainstream.
I'm sure today's historic pact that promises adequate rehabilitation of the once misguided youth will usher in a new era of peace in Assam.
“I’m sure today’s historic pact that promises adequate rehabilitation of the once misguided youth will usher in a new era of peace in Assam,” Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a tweet. He called the signing of the peace agreement a historic moment, and said that it is another milestone Assam has achieved due to caring guidance of PM Narendra Modi and special initiatives of home minister Amit Shah.
The CM said that today’s historic pact that promises adequate rehabilitation of the once misguided youth will usher in a new era of peace in Assam.
Except ULFA (I) led by Paresh Baruah and Kamatapur Liberation Organisation, all other armed militant groups that were active in Assam have laid down their arms and signed peace agreements with the government.
In 2020, cadres of all factions of the Bodo militant group National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) had surrendered their arms, and a tripartite agreement was signed in presence of Amit Shah. The agreement had ended almost three decades long violent protests demanding a separate state for the Bodo community, as the militants returned to mainstream accepting the greater powers given to the Bodoland Territorial Council that governs the Bodoland Territorial Region established under 6th Schedule of The Constitution of India.
After that, various peace agreements were signed with Tiwa Liberation Army, United Gorkha People’s Organisations, Kuki Tribal Union militants, etc.
Police in Raigad has arrested a Muslim cleric for allegedly molesting 3 minor girls in Karjat. The girls were aged between 5 to 12 years. The accused, identified as Hussain Rampurwala, delivers religious lectures to children at a Jamatkhana in Karjat, where the alleged crime took place.
The accused has been sent to police custody till Friday after a case was registered against him under section 354 of the IPC and the relevant sections of the POCSO Act.
Maharashtra | Police in Raigad arrested a muslim cleric for allegedly molesting three minor girls in Karjat. He was arrested after the parents of an 11-year-old girl approached police with their complaint on13 Sep. He has been sent to police custody till tomorrow: Raigad Police
The accused was arrested after the parents of an 11-year-old girl approached the police with their complaint on September 13. According to police, the parent of the girl had taught her about good touch and bad touch and when she realised that the cleric was trying to touch her inappropriately, she complained to her parents when she went back.
As per the complainant, the cleric was touching the girls from five years old to 12 years old inappropriately. Based on the complaint, the police arrested the cleric.
The cleric used to teach holy books to the girls from the age of 5 years to 12 years in the Jamatkhana. Police are checking with the other girls there to see if they had also faced abuse at the hands of the cleric.
The district court in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, delivered a crucial decision in the Shringar Gauri-Gyanvapi Masjid dispute on Tuesday. The court ruled in favour of the Hindus accepting the maintainability of the petition seeking to worship Hindu Gods and Goddesses in the mosque premises and rejected the plea of the Anjuman Committee that had petitioned the court to dismiss the plea by the Hindus. Following this, Haji Mehboob, a former party in Babri Masjid- Shri Ramjanmbhoomi land dispute, made a made a controversial statement saying that there will be bloodshed in the country if the final verdict in the Gyanvapi case is against the Muslims.
He said that if Gyanvapi verdict turns out to be like the Babdi verdict, it will not be good and the nation will have to pay the price for this and there will be nothing left in the country other than bloodshed and murders. He said that what is happening in Gyanvapi is not right, and Muslims will not accept the court’s verdict if it goes against them, unlike the way the Babri verdict was accepted. Haji Mehboob said that Muslims lost the Babri site because they showed no interest in opposing the Supreme Court verdict, and that’s why the matter has died down, but the same will not happen with Gyanvapi.
Haji Mehboob further said that if the government and the RSS do anything wrong, the country will face widespread violence. He also stated that Gyanvapi is and will continue to be a mosque. It is notable that the Muslim side has stated that they will appeal the court’s ruling to a higher court.
Haji Mehboob is known for his controversial statements, and he was a party on behalf of Babri Masjid in the Ramjanmabhoomi dispute. The construction of Ramlala’s magnificent and grand Ram temple is underway at the Janmabhoomi.
When Haji Mehboob threatened ‘nationwide agitation’ if the court rules in favour of Hindus
This is not the first time Haji Mehboob has made such provocative remarks. In the month of May this year, when the Varanasi court ordered the sealing of the palace inside the Gyanvapi Masjid after the court-ordered survey was conducted and a Shivling-like structure was found, Haji Mehboob had alleged that the developments around the Gyanvapi and Mathura case are nothing but the conspiracy of the RSS and BJP. He had then also threatened a “nationwide agitation”. Haji Mehboob also called the Shivling found inside the Wazukhana of the Gyanvapi Masjid a ‘Fawwara’ (fountain).
One of the greatest Tennis players of all time, Roger Federer has announced his retirement from competitive Tennis. The Laver Cup, an event Federer founded, scheduled for next week will be the last time we will get to see Federer playing professionally. 41 years old Roger Federer shared this news via his Twitter handle on Thursday, September 15, in an emotional 4 minutes 34 seconds long video.
Sharing the news, Federer said, “As many of you know, the past three years have presented me with challenges in the form of injuries and surgeries. I’ve worked hard to return to full competitive form. But I also know my body’s capacities and limits, and its message to me lately has been clear.”
“I am 41 years old. I have played more than 1500 matches over 24 years. Tennis has treated me more generously than I ever would have dreamt, and now I must recognise when it is time to end my competitive career”, he further added.
Federer has been struggling with injuries over the past few years and hasn’t played since the 2021 Wimbledon battling knee injuries.
Starting his professional career in 1998, Roger Federer won pretty much everything there is to be won in professional tennis. In his 24 years long career, Federer won 20 Grand Slams, only behind his frequent opponents Nadal (22) and Djokovic (21) on the all-time list. In total, Federer won the Wimbledon 8 times, the Australian Open 6 times, US Open 5 times, and the French Open once.
In total, Roger Federer won 103 singles titles during his career, the 2nd most in the history of the Open Era, only behind Jimmy Connors at 109. He retires with a win-loss record of 1251-275, giving him an 82% win percentage.
On Thursday, the Uttar Pradesh Police arrested six persons named Faiz, Lalu, Ayaaz, Varun, Arbaz, and Abdul Kadir alias Jilani for operating a hookah bar in the name of a family restaurant in Budaun district. The Police have also recovered stolen bikes, cash, and firearms from the arrested persons. This is after several videos of youngsters smoking hookah went viral over social media.
According to the reports, the incident is said to have happened in a private hookah bar which was being operated by a person named Arbaz under the pretext of a family restaurant. In the viral video, a person can be seen smoking hookah and then dancing to vulgar Bollywood tunes. A teenage girl can also be seen smoking hookah and enjoying an inappropriate dance with the men in the video.
बदायू में हुक्का बार संचालक अरबाज खान बार में आने वाली हिन्दू लड़कियों का एंट्री रजिस्टर से मोबाइल नंबर निकाल कर मुस्लिम समुदाय के लड़को को देता था और मुस्लिम लड़के वीडियो बनाकर हिंदू लड़कियों को ब्लैकमेल किया करते थे pic.twitter.com/RYYxYixp8A
It is believed that the person wearing a white shirt in the viral video is none other than Arbaz who operates a hookah bar. He has displayed a board saying family restaurant outside the bar. The Poice had sealed the bar on September 12 and had arrested Arbaz for running the bar illegally. However, on September 15, the Police arrested the other five accused in the case.
The video was shared by several media reporters who claimed that Hindu women were being targeted at the bar and that love jihad was being promoted there. ANI reporter Vipul Kashyap shared the video and said that Arbaz used to ask Hindu women to register their identity and mobile numbers in a book and then used to share the details with his Islamist friends. The Islamist men then used to record videos of the Hindu girls and used to blackmail them.
बदायूं पुलिस, हुक्का बार मालिक समेत 6 लोगों को दबोचा हुक्का बार संचालक अरबाज खान बार में आने वाली हिन्दू लड़कियों का एंट्री रजिस्टर से मोबाइल नंबर निकाल कर मुस्लिम समुदाय के लड़को को देता था और मुस्लिम लड़के वीडियो बनाकर हिंदू लड़कियों को ब्लैकमेल किया करते थे @abhishereporterpic.twitter.com/H0BG98FjMr
Another journalist named Tushar Srivastava from Zee Hindustan also shared a similar video and reiterated the claim that Hindu girls were being targeted by the Islamists inside the bar. The women in the viral video can be seen enjoying vulgar bollywood dance with the men around. According to journalist Rahul Sisodia the bar promotes the practice of Love jihad and boosts Islamist men to target Hindu women.
#LakhimpurKheri का दर्द सबने देखा ये तस्वीर बदायूं की हैं। जहां हुक्का बार के बाहर फैमिली Resturant लिखा था।पुलिस ने बार संचालक फैज उर्फ राजा को गिरफ्तार किया है। ऐसा आरोप है लव जिहाद को बढ़ावा दिया जा रहा था @KapilMishra_INDpic.twitter.com/NMQILgoEHA
The bar aka ‘family restaurant’ was inaugurated by MLA Mahesh Chandra Gupta. After the bar was sealed by the Police on September 12, Gupta said that the inauguration ceremony was conducted just for the formality and that it was a family restaurant at the time of the inauguration. He said that he had no idea about the hookah bar and was unaware of inappropriate activities ongoing inside the bar.
The hookah bar is located in the New Sarai Kacchi League area of Badaun district and the neighbours residing beside the bar came to know about the hookah bar only after the Police sealed the spot on September 12 and arrested the owner, operator Arbaz Khan.
OpIndia tried to contact the local people to know additional details about the incident. Sachin Chauhan, District Organization Minister of Rajput Karni Sena Badaun, while talking to OpIndia said that this place, which started in the name of the restaurant, was actually a hookah bar but very few people knew about it.
“There is a deep conspiracy ongoing from day one at the bar and Hindu girls are being targeted here. Karni Sena was not able to get any solid evidence of these claims which is why we had not given any statement on this matter till now. But now it’s all open”, Sachin added. Reports mention that the ‘family restaurant’ was visited by only those who knew that it was a hookah bar. The bar served the spoiled brats from around 10 in the morning till late at night.
The Budaun Police who have so far arrested Yash Verma, Faiz, Lalu Yadav, Ayaz, Varun, and Abdul Qadir alias Jilani in the case are probing the viral video to know whether it is from after September 12 or before that. Yash Verma is the son of a local wealthy businessman while other arrested persons are believed to be robbers. The Police have also recovered stolen bikes and lots of cash from the arrested persons. The bar was sealed by the Police on September 12 and its operator Arbaz Khan was also arrested on the same day. Further investigation into the case is underway.
The Uttar Pradesh government, led by Yogi Adityanath, has suspended Dr Tabassum Khan, Joint Director (Health), for a September 1 decision mandating all district health centres and government hospitals to display all signboards and nameplates in Urdu.
According to reports, Dr Khan took the arbitrary decision to include instructions on signboards and nameplates in Urdu along with Hindi without taking government approval for the same.
Dr Khan issued the order on her own, without taking higher officials of the department into confidence & without getting it approved from the govt.
Reports of adding Urdu along with Hindi on signboards & name plates in Uttar Pradesh govt hospitals also reportedly revoked (2/2)
Owing to this, the government of Uttar Pradesh suspended Dr Tabassum Khan for dereliction of duty. Raja Ganpati R, director (administration) of the health department confirmed the same to the media.
“The procedure for issuing the government order was not followed by her. The order directing CMOs to ensure that signboards and nameplates at government hospitals were written in Urdu was also issued by her without informing senior officers,” he said.
The government stated that Dr Khan was prima facie guilty of “severe indiscipline” for issuing the directive on her own without receiving approval from the right authority.
Tabassum took this decision on September 1, 2022, in response to a complaint from Mohammad Harun, a citizen of Unnao, who asked why, after Urdu was designated as the state’s second official language in October 1989, the names of hospitals and authorities were not written in Urdu along with Hindi.
Notably, Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav was chief minister when Urdu was accorded the status of the second language of Uttar Pradesh.
China’s expansionist policies have become a huge concern in many countries. While the Chinese regime is trying to gain control over other countries using various methods like debt trap and its Belt and Road Initiative, the country is trying to gain territories in its neighbouring countries, like its aggression seen in Ladakh in India. China’s other southern neighbour Nepal is also seeing a similar situation, leading to regular anti-China protests in the country.
But China has decided to retaliate against Nepal for anti-China sentiments in the Himalayan nation, and as a result, the upcoming Dashain festival is becoming a victim. This is because, China has completely shut down its trading points with Nepal, citing the Covid-19 pandemic, which means Nepalese traders can’t import essential items from China. It is notable that the Dashain festival is the Nepali version of the Vijaya Dashami or Dussehra festival of Hindus, and it is the biggest festival for Nepalese Hindus. Traders do hefty business during the festival, but due to the blockade by China, they don’t have much to sell.
China has been imposing strict restrictions on trade with Nepal for the last two years in the guise of Covid-19, but limited trade was still taking place. But last month, the Chinese government closed the Tatopani and Rasuwagadhi border points completely, putting a complete halt on bilateral trade through the two main trade points. This decision comes as a big setback for Nepalese traders who will be incurring losses worth millions of Nepalese rupees ahead of the Dashain festival.
This will be the third year in a row when the Dashain festival in Nepal will be ruined due to economic blockades by China. In the last two years too, China has closed its borders with Nepal citing the pandemic.
More than 300 Nepal-bound container trucks with goods worth billions of rupees, imported for the upcoming Dashain festival, were stranded at the checkpoints on the northern border when China announced the shutdown of the border trade points. Chinese officials say that the borders have been closed due to the increase in COVID-19 cases in Tibet.
But coincidently, the blockade comes after anti-China protests in Nepal over the last few weeks. Nepalese activist groups are protesting against China alleging encroachment of Nepalese territory. In the last week of June, civic group Rashtriya Ekata Abhiyan organised such a protest, after China expanded the wire fence within no-man’s land in Gorkha, and encroached into Nepalese areas on the northern border.
The protestors had marched towards the parliament in Kathmandu demanding action against illegal structures built by China inside Nepal. The activists were chanting anti-China slogans and carrying placards demanding that China withdraw from areas in Nepal.
While China claims the border blockade is for Covid-19, people in Nepal do not believe that. An editorial in Himalayan Times called it a lame excuse, and said that the blockade was an apparent show of displeasure over the handling of anti-China activities in Nepal by the Nepalese government.
Anti-China protests by Nepalese activists are not the only reason China is unhappy with Nepal, another matter is the presence of Tibetan refugees in the country. The refugees also hold anti-China protests from time to time, angering the Chinese govt.
While China has expressed commitment to ensure smooth trade operations, it has not been reflected in reality. During a recent visit to China by Nepal’s Foreign Minister Narayan Khadka, the re-opening of border points was one of the points discussed in the meetings. But soon after the visit, the border points were completely sealed by China.
Being a landlocked country, Nepal is largely dependent on India for the import of goods using Indian ports. However, the country is trying to diversify its import routes, and attempting to increase imports from China through land borders. But that move seems to have backfired, as China has other ideas, and the Communist regime in China has decided to use Nepal’s dependence on Chinese imports it to teach a lesson for anti-China protests.
Now, billions spent by Nepalese traders for imports of goods are stuck as the consignments are stuck at the border. It is notable that while the amount is significant for Nepal, it is nothing for China. The Chinese businesses lose almost nothing by blocking trade with Nepal, as being the largest exporter in the world, China’s export to Nepal is insignificant to the Chinese economy.
Therefore, China has been able to flex its muscle against Nepal, trying to force the government to crack down on activists. This has put Nepal in a tight situation, as it can’t directly defy the Chinese govt.
