On Monday (September 5), West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee courted controversy after she claimed to have built 500 IITs and polytechnic colleges in a span of 11 years.
She made the contentious remarks on the occasion of Teacher’s Day at the Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan in Kolkata. At about 45 minutes into the event, Banerjee claimed, “We have been able to do one thing – skill development. We are number one in it.”
While boasting about her achievements, she lost the track of numbers. “I have built about 500 IITs and polytechnic colleges.” During her speech, she made several claims and none appeared as far-fetched as her claim about the Indian Institute of Technology.
Interestingly, there are only 23 IITs in India. This has left many wondering as to what could possibly be the basis of such an outlandish claim. West Bengal BJP leader Keya Ghosh mocked the West Bengal CM and wrote, “500 IITs built by Mamata Banerjee’s Govt in last 11 years. IIT?? Seriously?”
500 IITs built by Mamata Banerjee’s Govt in last 11 years. . . . IIT?? Seriously? ?♀️?♀️ pic.twitter.com/tVbhFkneVD
A Twitter user (@tarunosrm) said that Mamata Banerjee perhaps wanted to discuss ITIs (Industrial Training Institutes) but ended up referring to the IITs. A disastrous slip of the tongue by the Head of a State would have drawn public ridicule but the West Bengal CM has somehow been immune to it.
Nonetheless, the remainder of Banerjee’s speech hinted at the possibility that she had the Industrial Training Institutes in mind and not the IITs. “Do you know the result of opening 500 IITs and polytechnic colleges?” she asked the audience.
Mamata Banerjee claimed that her efforts have helped pull a plug on unemployment by upskilling the job seekers. “We have created a portal to connect those undertaking training to the recruiters,” she said.
Screengrab of the tweet by Tarun
“Imagine, you are learning to drive. Once your driving licence is issued, a company offers you a job. In the following 15 days, I will provide employment letters to 30000 young boys and girls after they are hired through these skill development programmes,” she alleged.
It becomes evident that Banerjee intended to speak about ITIs, except she committed a verbal blunder. However, even then, her claims do not make sense.
According to the West Bengal Government’s Department of Technical Education, Training and Skill Development, there are only 75 government polytechnics in the State. At the same time, the total number of Industrial Training Institutes in West Bengal stands at 46.
In total, there are 121 ITIs and government polytechnics in the State, many of which existed prior to Mamata Banerjee’s rise to power in 2011. While the West Bengal Chief Minister has been misleading people with her claims of 500 IITs, the reality of the State’s education sector is shrouded in obscurity.
Despite being caught peddling information in a public event, neither Mamata Banerjee nor her party members bothered to apologise or issue a clarification about the matter.
On September 6, a report was published by article 14 on Christian conversions and alleged attacks on pastors in Punjab. Despite subtly acknowledging that conversion is on the rise in the state of Punjab, the author tried to water down the rampant conversions and blamed the state for coming up with the laws that criminalised forced religious conversions. To understand the situation and how Article 14’s report missed the actual situation in Punjab, it is essential to counter a few misleading facts mentioned.
The report started with the introduction of one pastor Raju Rangila who hails from Gurdaspur and claims to be among the first pastors in Punjab who recorded gospels in Punjabi. Pastor Rangila owns a bungalow in village Dhariwal, located 13 KM southwest of Gurdaspur, Punjab. He holds events for the people who “want to learn about Jesus Christ” six days a week in the hall of his bungalow that can easily accommodate 100 people.
Now the interesting part of the report was that they categorically mentioned that Raju Rangila was not the only one in the area who had a Church. There are dozens of such “independent” and “home” churches where the “pastors” spread the words of “Jesus Christ”. Quoting George Soni, president of the Punjab Christians United Front, the report noted, “Tough to put a number on it as we do not have lists of all such churches, but I would say there has been a 5-10% increase in the past three years.”
Here, Soni talked only about the past three years and said that the number of Christians has increased by 5% to 10% in that area itself. Such small churches are unaccounted for in any government records and often attract people, notably from the Dalit community and mazhabi Sikhs community, to join Christianity.
As per the 2011 census that Article 14’s report mentioned repeatedly, there were only 1.5% Christians in Punjab, almost a similar number of Muslims was recorded, Hindus were almost 36%, and the remaining over 60% were Sikhs in the state. However, in the past 12 years since the last census was released, the demographic change has happened at a drastic level in the state. The number of Christians, no matter whether they call themselves Christians on paper or not, has increased at a very alarming rate.
Thanks to pastors like Raju Rangila, Bajinder Singh, Ankur Narula, Deepti and others, a number of Dalits from both the Hindu and Sikh community have converted to Christianity. There have been several videos of these pastors making rounds on social media platforms where they could be seen indulging in superstitious ‘healing’ activities in front of lakhs of people in every meeting.
However, Article 14 nowhere raised the alarm over this. Another interesting aspect of the report was a statement of 46-year-old Monty Singh, who visited the Church of Signs and Wonders in Khambra village of Jalandhar, who is a regular churchgoer. Interestingly, Monty Singh is still a Sikh on paper, but speaking to Article-14, he said, “Even though I am Sikh on paper, I feel Christian at heart.”
In simple words, Monty Singh has already converted to Christianity but did not reveal the conversion on paper. There is a high possibility that Monty Singh would lure other Hindus and Sikhs from his neighbourhood to join him for Sunday Mass and try to convince them to “join the fold”. This is any way how they convert people to Christianity. First, a family gets converted, then they convert four others and then the four new Christian families would convert four new families. It is like a multilevel marketing scheme but involves religious conversions.
Another 22-year-old churchgoer named Happy Kaur also mentioned in the report that she has a family of 11, and all go to Church. These 11 people have also retained their caste certificates. Kaur knows if she reveals her conversion on papers, her caste privileges or the benefits like reservation would be stripped from them. People like Kaur are converts. They do not believe in Hinduism or Sikhism and only have faith in Christianity. They will happily go out and spread the words of Jesus Christ but do not tell the government that they have converted in order to retain the privilege.
With such worrying details emerging from Punjab, where Sikhs and Hindus are converting to Christianity but retaining their original name and even caste certificate if they are Dalit, the issue of “reservation for Dalit Christians” becomes far more worrying. Essentially, it is evident that there is not only rampant conversion in Punjab but stealth is being employed to ensure that the real percentage of Christians remains unknown. On top of that, Dalit Hindus who convert to Christianity and have no faith in Hinduism are retaining their caste certificate to get benefits from the state. If Dalit Christians are given reservation, it would only act as an incentive for more such nefarious activity to take place.
The growing number of churches worried Sikh and Hindu leaders
Hindu organisations like Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal have been voicing against the rampant conversions in Punjab for a long time. Initially, Dalits were getting converted at a mass scale, and Sikh leaders were not bothered that much. The situation took a drastic change in the last 2-3 years after videos of several Pastors dressed as Sikhs started circulating on social media platforms, and locally, it became visible that Sikhs, especially Mazhabi Sikhs or Dalit Sikhs, were converting to Islam.
Last year, Shri Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) announced a program to put a stop to the rampant conversion in the state, but the Sikh leadership has not achieved much in breaking the chain. A point that Article 14 raised linked to the statements given by Sikh leaders was that there had been an alleged increase in attacks on pastors and churches. Local Sikh bodies and Nihang Sikhs have clashed with Christian missionaries, which was highlighted in the Article 14 report.
The reality is different from what has been projected. In general, no one has any problem with any religious program happening in Punjab. I am from Punjab and have seen events happening in harmony for a long time. The issue started with missionary programs mushrooming in areas where no Christians live, or the number of Christians is almost negligible.
Article 14 specifically pointed out a May 2022 incident where locals had stopped a Christian event in Zirakpur. OpIndia had exclusively covered the event, and Article 14 linked the source as the video published by one of the church members who had recorded the whole incident. There are a few points that need to be considered.
First of all, though they had permission from the local administration, the residents of Green City, Mamata Enclave and Laxmi Enclave surrounding the location of the event were not informed, or permission from the residents’ association was not sought. There was not even a single person from these three localities who were part of the event. All of them were outsiders that raised red flags.
The local BJP leaders and Hindu organisation members, along with the residents, resisted the Christian event, and they got irked when they found out that the pastor was using a car with Police written on it. The car allegedly belonged to an on-duty Police officer who was a member of the Church. Using such a car was against the law, and the BJP leader demanded action against them and stopped the car from being removed. It was allowed to go only after Police issued a challan and promised action.
Article 14 report mentioned that the pastor was allegedly attacked in this incident. As someone who was present at the scene the whole time, I can say that it was completely false. No one was attacked by the Church. In fact, female members of the Church were sent in front of the car to push the BJP leader, of which we have the video proof.
In other cases as well, like the recent case of Village Daduana, it was reported that the local Sikh leaders have been complaining to the administration against the Christian events and said people were forcefully converted. The Nihang Sikhs swung into action only after the administration failed to take any action on the complaint of the locals against the Church.
Demographic change on and off the paper is a concern for all communities
Article 14’s report said the attacks on the Church are based on the “conspiracy theories” of the demographic change, similar in other states. They mentioned 2011 data as the source that demographic change was just a conspiracy theory, but the report itself has contradictory statements. First, the report mentioned there is an increase in small churches in rural areas.
Secondly, George Soni himself said while speaking to Article 14, “If we make a list of all the members of major churches, we can approximately say that up to 15% of Punjab are Christians.” If he is to be believed, only in 11 years did the number of Christians go from just 1.5% to a whopping 15%, but it is still not an alarming change in demography as per Article 14. Notably, most of these 15% are converts, and it cannot be confidently said how many more have not said publicly that they have shunned their previous faith and accepted Christianity just to ensure they keep getting caste benefits.
Emanuel Nahar, chairman of Punjab’s Minority Commission, has said in a statement that the official number of Christians remains low because the Dalit Sikhs do not formally convert to Christianity but continue going to Church.
The identity crisis faced by the Christian converts was pointed out in February as well. AAP leader Rohit Khokkar, who was previously associated with BSP, had told Indian Express that 98% of the Christians in Punjab were converts. He had also embraced Christianity but did not let go of his caste identity for obvious reasons.
Rohit Khokhar said that these people don’t even want to convert officially because they get the benefits of reservation while sticking to the original faith, at least on paper. He further added, “If there is some issue of religious persecution, a person will vote as a Christian. If there is some Dalit rights issue, they may vote as Dalit.” In the end, the vote was not going to the matters related to development in the region but to matters related to caste or religion.
Dalit Sikhs are stuck in the conversion traps for a “better life”
But why do Sikhs convert to Christianity? The reason is the caste system that is much prevailed in Sikhism as well. Most of the “Dalit Sikhs” or Mazhabi Sikhs accepted Sikhism with the hope of getting better treatment from their fellow Sikhs from the Jat community. However, things did not turn out well in their favour, and until recently, there were reports that Dalit Sikhs have separate Gurudwaras, and they are often not allowed to Gurudwaras managed by Jat Sikhs. Details about Dalit Sikhs can be read here.
According to reports, the inhabitants of Goalpara town deliberately razed a Madrasa and a house close to it on Tuesday, which had previously been used by two suspected Bangladeshi nationals. Two Bangladeshi nationals reportedly utilised the Dargar Alga Madrassa in Pakhiura Char under Matia police station and the neighbouring house for terrorist operations.
The use of the Dargar Alga Madrassa buildings for anti-national activity was discovered following the arrest of Jalaluddin Sheikh, a madrasa cleric. Both of the absconding Bangladeshis who worked as instructors at this Madrasa are said to have interacted with Jihadi terrorist Jalaluddin Sheikh between 2021 and 2022. The absconding Bangladeshis, Aminul Islam alias Usman alias Mehdy Hasan and Jahangir Alom, were reportedly linked with Al-Qaeda Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT).
On Tuesday, residents of Goalpara bulldozed the building by themselves to show their support for the government’s current battle against Madrasas having ties to terrorism. It’s noteworthy that no public money was used for the demolition. The northwest part of the state has seen the demolition of four madrasas so far. Three others had already been demolished by state authorities.
According to authorities, the building next to the Madrasa housed illegal Bangladeshi immigrants with ties to the terrorist organisation Ansar-ul-Bangla. Jihadis would masquerade themselves as religious teachers and infiltrate the state, carrying out subversive and anti-state operations.
Crackdown on Madrasas in Assam
The Assam government is getting more stringent in tracking down and penalizing madrasas accused of having ties to terrorist organisations. Madrasas were demolished at Moirabari, Morigaon district, on August 4, Dhakaliapara, Barpeta, on August 29, and Jogighopa, Bongaigaon, on August 31.
The Jamiul Huda Madrasa in Moirabari was razed by the Morigaon district administration on August 4. On August 29, the district administration and police in Assam’s Barpeta district razed a Madrasa managed by Maulvis Akbar Ali and his brother Abul Kalam Azad, who had been arrested for their ties to the Bangladesh-based terror outfits AQIS and ABT. On August 31, officials in Bongaigaon demolished a madrasa with connections to terrorist organisations AQIS and ABT.
In one of the largest anti-drug operations in India, the Special Cell of the Delhi Police on Saturday arrested two Afghan nationals for possessing drugs worth crores of rupees. The Police also recovered 312.5 kgs of methamphetamine and 10 kgs of heroin worth over Rs 1,200 crores in the international market.
According to the reports, both the Afghan nationals arrested were living in India since the year 2016. The seizure of methamphetamine drugs from the two accused is the largest in the country. The Police confirmed the incident and said that they arrested the Afghan individuals and later interrogated them to recover 606 bags of methamphetamine from a godown in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
It is one of the largest seizures of methamphetamine drugs in the country’s history. Both Afghan nationals were living in India since 2016. Further interrogation had led to the recovery of 606 bags from a godown in Lucknow: HGS Dhaliwal, Special CP, Delhi Police https://t.co/Kp2sGGGdGhpic.twitter.com/B2Ix04K4NK
“It is one of the largest seizures of methamphetamine drugs in the country’s history. Both Afghan nationals were living in India since 2016. Further interrogation had led to the recovery of 606 bags from a godown in Lucknow,” said HGS Dhaliwal, Special CP, Delhi Police.
Reports mention that methamphetamine is one of the world’s most costly illicit substances. It is a highly addictive and strong stimulant that affects the central nervous system. It is chemically identical to amphetamine (drug), which is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy, a sleep condition. In the foreign market, the best quality medication might cost up to Rs 30,000 per gram.
Methamphetamine crystals resemble glass pieces or sparkling, bluish-white boulders. It is typically a white, bitter powder or tablet. According to the reports, BJP politician Sonali Phogat, who died under strange circumstances was force-fed methamphetamine.
Also, previously on September 4, the Delhi Police Crime Branch, in collaboration with the Gujarat Anti-Terror Squad (ATS), busted an international drug smuggling ring and detained an Afghan citizen in the Vasant Kunj neighborhood of the national capital, recovering 4 kg of high-grade heroin from him. The substance confiscated was worth Rs 20 crores in the global market.
The state of Uttar Pradesh has filed a Statement of Objections, sworn to by the Deputy SP, STF Unit Agra, Uttar Pradesh, the Investigating Officer in the Hathras conspiracy case, opposing the bail plea of UAPA accused Siddique Kappan. Kappan claims to be an independent journalist, however, Uttar Pradesh in its affidavit has provided details of the investigation where they have demonstrated his deep links to Islamist outfit PFI. In the affidavit, the UP government has said that the investigation has revealed Kappan’s personal links to the top leadership of PFI and CFI, their student organisation. The affidavit further makes a connection between CFI and Al Qaeda, the Islamic terrorist organisation, through organisations like IHH in Turkey.
“High Court has meticulously considered the chargesheet, case diaries and evidence against the Petitioner before finding a prima facie case is made out and only then rightly refused bail,” the affidavit read. The affidavit further opposed the bail plea of Kappan saying that the accused knew how to take advantage of the loopholes in the law and that if he was released, it would pose a credible threat to the lives of the witnesses in the case.
In the affidavit, the Uttar Pradesh government also meticulously listed in a table the issues that Siddique Kappan had lied about and the facts he had suppressed from the court in order to secure bail.
1. Misrepresents his employment in Saudi Arabia and links to PFI
In his bail plea, Siddique Kappan categorically states that he was “employed” in Saudi Arabia from 2002 – 2011. It is further stated by Kappan that in 2011, he “resigned from his job in Saudi Arabia and settled in Kerala” and that “since he was very passionate about journalism and was an occasional writer…he opted to join as a sub-editor of the ‘Thejas’ Newspaper at Kozhikkode. In this, he fails to mention who his employers were in Saudi Arabia, for whom, he reportedly worked for almost a decade.
Uttar Pradesh government’s investigation revealed that at least from 2009, Siddique Kappan was employed with Gulf Tejhas Daily in Jeddah as a reporter. In the FSL analysis of his laptop in Agra, word File titled “Sidhique Kappan Resume.docx” was found by the police which lists his employment details.
Resume for Siddique Kappan
The affidavit says, “‘Thejas’ is a Malayalam language mouthpiece of the extremist organization Popular Front of India (PFI) with six editions in Kerala and international bureaus in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain. The publication was compelled to shut down in India in 2018 amidst reports (including by a Kerala High Court-appointed independent committee) that the paper’s coverage was aimed at creating religious discord”.
The UP government’s affidavit further states in May 2011, after the US had neutralised Islamic terrorist Osama Bin Laden, the magazine that Kappan worked for published its edition with his picture on the cover along with a Quranic verse and the word “Martyr” on it.
Tejhas cover from 2011
The verse of the Quran on the cover page translates to, “Do not think they are dead; the people who killed in the way of Allah; they are living with Allah; they are provided resources (gifts)”.
The affidavit says that as per his own admission, Siddique Kappan was employed with the magazine when this cover was published and has been associated for over a decade with an employer that espouses a terrorist ideology.
2. Kappan lies, says he was not carrying the Tejhas ID card when he was arrested, on his way to Hathras
In his bail plea, Siddique Kappan claimed that when he was arrested on his way to Hathras, he was not carrying the ID card of Tejhas, but was only carrying the Press Club of India card. However, the Uttar Pradesh affidavit exposes this lie peddled by Kappan as well.
In the affidavit, it is mentioned that when Kappan was arrested on the 5th of October 2020, while on his way to Hathras, 4 ID cards were recovered from his possession. 2 of which were of Thejas Daily, 1 was of the Delhi Union of Journalists (which itself noted Siddique Kappan’s employment with Tejhas) and 1 was a card of Press Club of India.
ID cards of Kappan
3. Siddique Kappan says that he was not deployed by PFI/CFI to go to Hathras
Kappan says that he was deputed by his “present employer” and not by PFI or CFI to go to Hathras. The Uttar Pradesh govt has given details of the people he was travelling with when he was on his way to Hathras and how he is connected to PFI and CFI.
The govt said he was travelling with persons who were named accused in previous riots, namely:
Atik–ur–Rahman, National Treasurer of CFI, accused in relation to Muzaffarnagar riots (Case Crime No. 1161/2019, PS Kotwali Nagar, Muzaffarnagar)
Masood Ahmad, former General Secretary of the Delhi chapter of CFI, was accused in relation to the Behraich riots (Case Crime No. 225/2020, PS Jarwal Road, Behraich)
The 3rd co-accused in the car, i.e. the driver Alam, was the brother-in-law of co-accused Danish Khan, who is also an accused in relation to the Delhi riots (Case Crime 59/2020, PS Crime Branch Cell, Delhi).
The government’s contention is that if he was merely carrying out his journalistic duties, why was he travelling with the riot accused? This question was posed to Kappan and he was unable to provide a satisfactory answer for the same.
The affidavit further says, “Per contra, it has come out in the investigation that the Petitioner was actually part of the PFI/CFI delegation to meet the family of the Hathras victim and foment discord and spread terror. The investigation has revealed that the said delegation was sent to Hathras on the directions of co-accused Rauf Sharif (National General Secretary, CFI, prime fundraiser and financial transaction handler for PFI/CFI), who had also provided finances for the trip”.
Further, Rauf Sharif sent a Whatsapp message to Kappan at 12:26 pm on 05/10/2020. The affidavit says, the WhatsApp message “specifically stated: “What’s the status there” meaning thereby that Sharif was well aware of the Petitioner’s whereabouts on the date. The same is also confirmed by co-accused Rauf Sharif’s 161 statement in the present case”.
The fact that Kappan was deputed by PFI/CFI is further evidenced by the fact that even the statement of the Editor of Azhimukhum nowhere states that the said publication had deputed the Petitioner to cover the Hathras incident, it merely states that the Petitioner had at 12.10 am on 5.10.2022, sent the office a whatsapp message that he is going to Hathras.
4. Siddique Kappan claims in his bail plea that no incriminating evidence was collected from his possession upon arrest
Siddique Kappan has played the victim and claimed that no incriminating evidence was recovered from him when he was arrested on his way to Hathras, however, the UP govt has contested the claim and called it “patently untrue”.
They say, “3 sets of a 17-page pamphlet with the front page having the words “Justice for Hathras victim” and another page having the words “Am I not India’s Daughter (made with Carrd) were recovered from the car. A perusal of the pamphlet would demonstrate that it is nothing more than a “Rioting 101” for rioters, teaching them how to, inter alia, conceal themselves from the police, which “riots” to attend, to “recognize the place you are rioting in“.
5. What did Siddique Kappan get money for?
Kappan in his bail plea has claimed that the Rs 25,000 he got in September in cash and the Rs 20,000 he got in October was not meant for (i) conducting a secret workshop in September and (ii) making the trip to Hathras in October to foment religious discord and spread terror.
The UP govt says that Kappan’s assertions are untrue based on their investigation and also, according to his own submissions in the high court, the statements seems contradictory.
The govt’s affidavit says, “In the present Petition, the Petitioner has claimed that the Rs. 25000 of 15.09.2020 was money deposited by him which he had saved to construct a house and that the Rs. 20000 of 4.10.2020 was money that had been borrowed by friends and returned to him. However, in his Supplementary rejoinder before High Court, the Petitioner has (at p. 364) states that “the alleged payments made to the applicant are relating to his salary paid for working at Tejas Daily.” Thus, there is a clear contradiction in the Petitioner’s own version of the source of the said funds”.
Further, the govt says that there are chats between Kappan and Kamal KP, General Secretary, PFI (comprising largely of voice notes) that reveal that there was a secret workshop in September that Kappan had to conduct. Kappan, in his voice note to Kamal KP also tells him to “delete the voice note after he hears it”. It was after this workshop that Kappan was paid Rs 25,000 in two tranches. The affidavit says, “Further, the Section 161 statement of co-accused Rauf Sharif (Annexure R/7) stated that Kamal KP deposited cash in the account of the Petitioner for the purpose of the Hathras journey. The Petitioner has, later in the High Court, pleaded that the workshop referenced in the 09.01.2020 voice note was merely a Wikipedia workshop; however the same begs the question: why would the Petitioner ask the recipient (Kamal KP) to delete the voice note if it were for something as innocuous as a Wikipedia workshop”.
6. Siddique Kappan claims he had no personal connection with PFI/CFI leadership beyond his employment at Tejhas
The affidavit, countering this claim by Kappan says, “This is patently untrue. The investigation (detailed hereinafter) has revealed a close nexus and deep connection of the Petitioner with the extremist PFI and its chapters including CFI, a close nexus with top leadership of PFI/CFI (which is basically formed of ex-SIMI members), who in turn have been found to have connections with Al Qaeda linked organizations like IHH in Turkey. An analysis of the Whatsapp chats between the Petitioner and the said top leadership of PFI reveal that his relationship with them was not, as claimed, merely in relation with his so called journalistic work with Thejas, but rather, went much deeper, in which he warned them of government suspicions of PFI, discussed his ambitions, has written articles in other publications on the directions of such PFI members, and has, in one chat specifically even admitted that he is a “PFI person”.”.
The Supreme Court will hear Kappan’s bail plea for final disposal on 9th September. There are several shocking revelations in the response filed by the Uttar Pradesh government, however, it is amply clear that the “journalist”, who has found support from several liberal quarters, is closely associated with the PFI, was on his way to Hathras on their instructions and has lied in his bail plea application to the Supreme Court according to the UP government.
Siddique Kappan among 4 arrested under UAPA by Uttar Pradesh police
Siddique Kappan was arrested by the UP Police on October 5 while he was proceeding to cover the Hathras case where a 19-year-old Dalit woman had died after a strangulation attempt. He was arrested along with three other persons, under stringent sections of UAPA and sedition charges for attempting to create a caste-conflict in the state amidst the ongoing Hathras case controversy.
Apart from Kappan, Siddique of Nagla in Muzaffarnagar, Masood Ahmed of Jarwal in Bahraich district, and Alam of Kotwali area in Rampur district were arrested.
According to the FIR, the UP Police has charged all the accused under Section 17 of the UAPA that deals with raising funds for a terrorist act. The four people who were apprehended from Mathura on October 5 were then sent to 14-day judicial custody.
Reportedly, all the arrested four had connections with radical Islamic organisations Popular Front of India (PFI), and were planning to cause caste-based unrest in the state.
While the Arvind Kejriwal-led-Delhi government has been browbeating about its education model, it has now come to light that a prestigious college of Delhi University is forced to work for only 5 days.
As per a report in The Times of India, the Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) college has cut down its operating hours to save electricity and keep costs down. DDU is funded by the Delhi government, which has not released electrical and maintenance grants or funds so far.
To add to the woes, the Delhi government has not even paid the salaries of the teachers for the past 2 months. This has prompted them to participate in protests against the Aam Aadmi Party government.
Given the paucity of funds, the DDU college is now working only 5 days a week. A teacher told The Times of India, “It has been more than two years now that we have been facing this problem.”
“Earlier, the government said once the governing body was constituted with its representatives, the problem of funds would be addressed, but still the same problem is going on,” the teacher added.
Deen Dayal Upadhyay college is not the only Delhi University college left at the mercy of the Delhi government. In fact, a total of 12 DU colleges are directly funded by the Arvind Kejriwal-led-government.
According to The Times of India, Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) has met Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena and sought his urgent intervention to resolve the financial crisis. It lambasted the Delhi government’s Directorate of Higher Education for misleading about the release of grants to the said 12 colleges.
A K Bhagi, DUTA president, lamented, “On Teachers’ Day, teaching and non-teaching staff members have performed their duties diligently without fail, but the Delhi government has failed continuously for the past few years in providing the salaries to these employees and has also failed to build the basic infrastructure for the students in these 12 colleges.”
Delhi government spent ₹19 crores in ads for a loan given to 2 students
While colleges under the Delhi government are struggling for funds, last month, it came to light that the Delhi government spent ₹19 crores on advertisements for a scheme named ‘Delhi Higher Education and Skill Development Guarantee Scheme’ in 2020-2021, which benefitted only 2 students.
The AAP government launched the said scheme in 2015. The objective was to provide a loan facility of up to Rs 10 lakh to students in Delhi, studying in the 10th-12th standard, such that they can continue their education up to college.
In the financial year 2021-22, advertisements worth Rs 46,22,685 were given in print media and Rs 18,81,00,618 in television media. In all, Rs 19.27 crore was spent on advertising the scheme, while only two students benefited from the scheme during the financial year.
When India lost its match against arch-rivals Pakistan in the Asia Cup, propagandists viewed it as an ideal chance to divide Indians and slander India on the world stage. Bots impersonating Indian supporters began to criticise and insult Indian cricketer Arshdeep Singh for dropping a catch during the match. Arshdeep’s Wikipedia page was also edited by someone with a Pakistani IP address to add “Khalistani” to his profile.
These troll accounts and their trolling was given a boost from the Indian side by none other than Alt News cofounder Mohammed Zubair. Within minutes following Pakistan’s last run, Zubair had a series of screenshots of Twitter users who used the epithet “Khalistani” for Arshdeep Singh. A complaint has been registered against Zubair in this matter for inciting hatred through his tweets.
While the campaign to call Arshdeep a Khalistani and divide Indians was largely running from Pakistan backed by the useful idiots sitting in India, fans criticising Indian cricketers for underperforming or making a mistake in crucial matches is hardly a new phenomenon. With the passion for the game running high in the country, fans do tend to go overboard with their criticism on occasions, and even legends of the game like Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni don’t remain untouched in that case.
Here is a list of 5 incidents in which Indian cricketers have been attacked for not performing in crucial matches resulting in the loss of the Indian team.
Azharuddin’s effigies burnt after the 1996 ICC World Cup Semifinal.
The Wills World Cup semi-final match between India and Sri Lanka in 1996 ended in disaster for India, with the team losing in bizarre circumstances as the angry fans didn’t let the match finish. With India heading for a massive defeat, fans started throwing stuff on the ground making the resumption of play impossible, and the match referee handed Sri Lanka the victory.
Azharuddin, in particular, was insulted and booed when the Indian team exited Eden Gardens following the game. As a result of his decision to chase on a dry pitch after winning the toss, Azharuddin was accused of gifting the semifinal to Sri Lanka.
The uproar was not limited to Kolkata’s Eden Gardens. Effigies of Indian cricketers, particularly of Azharuddin, were set ablaze across the country. Security was also deployed outside the house of Azharuddin to prevent any untoward incident.
Houses of players stoned, effigies burnt after India’s poor start to the 2003 World Cup.
Even though India reached the Final of the 2003 World Cup, their start to the tournament wasn’t that great. After struggling to beat Holland in their first match, India slumped to a nine-wicket defeat against Australia sparking widespread outrage back home. Angry cricket fans took to the streets, with posters of numerous Indian cricketers being burned and residences of players being stoned.
Cricket fans burnt pictures of Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, top batsmen Sachin Tendulkar and Virendra Sehwag, and screamed chants such as “Down with Sourav.” According to media reports, the most violent protest was directed at the family home of batsman Mohammad Kaif. A crowd hurled plastic bags containing paint and black oil at Kaif’s residence in Allahabad.
Sourav Ganguly publicly criticised the Indian public’s fury and asked the players not to communicate with the media. Following this episode, India won eight straight games to reach the tournament final.
Tendulkar, Dravid, and Sehwag’s effigies burnt after India lost to Bangladesh in the 2007 World Cup
One of the lowest points of Indian cricket was the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean when a star-studded team crashed out in the first round itself after managing a solitary win against Bermuda. Hoping to go one better than the 2003 edition and win the whole thing, India suffered a huge upset when they lost to Bangladesh in their opening game.
Fans didn’t take the defeat lightly once more. Players’ homes were attacked with stones, and their effigies were set ablaze across the country. Senior players like Captain Rahul Dravid, Sahin Tendulkar, and Virender Sehwag were the main targets of this anger. Indian cricketers found it quite demoralising to be at the receiving end of this rage.
The under-construction house of Mahendra Singh Dhoni was also vandalised following the same match. The supporters, led by Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) activists, urged the state government to revoke the land given to Dhoni. A few pillars and several walls on the property were damaged by the mob.
Protest against Dhoni.
Yuvraj Singh’s house pelted with stones after India lost the 2014 T20 World Cup Final
After getting through to the final of the World T20 in 2014, Indian fans were expecting another World Cup for Team India. As Virat Kohli continued his good form in the tournament in the final, a win was very much looking like a possibility. However, Yuvraj Singh, who was returning after fighting cancer, got stuck at the other end and could only score 11 runs off 21 balls played.
Sri Lanka chased down the victory target with ease after that, and Yuvraj Singh’s knock received harsh criticism. His performance was seen as the reason India lost to Sri Lanka as he failed to generate any momentum in the middle and late overs.
Following the defeat, many people gathered outside his home in Chandigarh and shouted slogans against him asking him to retire. Some people even hurled stones at his house to express their anger over his performance.
Jasprit Bumrah trolled after No Ball in 2017 Champions Trophy
Jasprit Bumrah, the Indian fast bowler, was widely chastised for bowling a ‘No Ball’ during the ICC Champions Trophy final in 2017. Bumrah picked up the wicket of Pakistani opener Fakhar Zaman early on only to find that he has overstepped resulting in the No Ball. Fakhar went on to score a blistering century and played a pivotal role in handing Pakistan the Champions Trophy.
Following the defeat, Bumrah became an open target for trolls on social media for his ‘No Ball.’ Memes and jokes about Bumrah swamped Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
The matter escalated when the Jaipur Traffic Police used the No Ball as part of their traffic awareness advertising. Following that, Bumrah criticized Jaipur Traffic Police for using memes featuring him. “Well done Jaipur traffic police,” he tweeted, “this shows how much respect you get after giving your best for the country.”
Fans must keep their emotions in check while criticising cricketers after a poor performance or a mistake on the field. However, it doesn’t always happen and some fans do go overboard with their criticism. Propagandists sitting in India and their counterparts in Pakistan want to show that Indians attack only people from “minority religions”, like Mohammad Shami or Arshdeep, for making mistakes on the field. The reality though is that as we have seen, not even the God of cricket Sachin Tendulkar is safe from the wrath of disappointed Indian cricket fans.
Days after the Uttar Pradesh government decided to survey unrecognized madarsas in the state, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, led by several Islamic clerics, held a meeting in Delhi on Tuesday and extended support to the government. Maulana Mahmood Madani called for a meeting to discuss the strategies to ascertain unlicensed madarsas in the state.
The Uttar Pradesh government had on September 1 announced that it would survey unrecognized madarsas of the state to ascertain information such as several teachers and students, curriculum, and its affiliation with any non-government organization.
#CORRECTION | Delhi | Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind* holds a meeting on various issues, including the UP govt’s decision to conduct a survey of unrecognised madrasas in the state. pic.twitter.com/AQb9WYhdAl
Minister of State for Minority Affairs Danish Azad Ansari had said that the survey would be conducted as per the requirements of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) which wants to check on basic facilities being provided to students in madarsas.
The minister stated further that the survey would help gather other details also such as the name of the madarsa and the institution operating it, whether it is being run in a private or a rented building, and information regarding basic facilities of drinking water, furniture, electricity supply, and toilet, etc.
Maulana Mahmood Madani, the president of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind called a meeting on September 6 to discuss the matter amid other issues. It is reported that the Islamic clerics backed the state government’s decision to survey the madarsas in the state which are running without government help. Reports mention that Maulana Mahmood Madani will also address a press conference after the meeting.
Big message to ‘secular lobby’: Jamiat-Ulema-Hind holds meeting, back Yogi government’s decision to survey illegal UP #Madrassas and curriculum.@Sabyasachi_13 and Siddhartha Talya with more on the survey controversy. pic.twitter.com/QcMtbJkgEK
Earlier in the day, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) had questioned the Uttar Pradesh government’s decision to conduct the survey of unrecognized madarsas in the state. It said that the government was deliberately targeting minority institutions.
“Madarsas are being targeted in Uttar Pradesh and Assam. This is being done even though minority institutions are protected under the law. In Assam, the government has gone as far as to bulldoze some of the smaller madarsas while converting others to schools. If the issue is that of restricting religious education and promoting secular education instead, then why isn’t the government taking the same action against gurukuls”, Qasim Rasool Ilyas, an executive member of the AIMPLB, was quoted as saying.
Ilyas further added that there was no clear estimate of the total number of madarsas in Uttar Pradesh. He also cited a report published by the Sachar Committee and stated that around 4 percent of Muslim children studied in madarsas and that there are likely to be thousands of madarsas in the state.
According to the reports, there are a total of 16,461 madrassas in the state at present. 560 of the state’s total madarsas get government subsidies, but new madarsas have been excluded from the grant list for the previous six years.
On Monday, the Madhya Pradesh Police registered a complaint against a person named Janbaaz Mansoori alias Monu for forcing a Hindu woman to marry and convert to Islam. The police registered an FIR based on a complaint of the woman who alleged that the accused had been harassing her for a long time and had now started sending her threatening messages.
According to the reports, the victim girl is a student of a nursing college and the incident is said to have happened in the Indira Circle area of Ashapur, Khandwa, Madha Pradesh. The accused had been harassing her and threatening her to convert to Islam. He recently sent her some pictures of him in which he was seen holding a gun.
The girl decided to register a complaint on September 5 after the accused blocked her way to home and showered her with flower petals. He asked the girl to marry him and accept Islam as her new religion. The girl in the complaint said that the accused also forcefully made her sit on his bike and drove the vehicle at full speed. The girl who got scared jumped off the bike and called for help.
Several people from the locality then gathered around the girl after she jumped off the bike. They also tried to trap Mansoori who till then had fled from the spot. Several members of the Hindu organization also reached the spot and helped the girl to reach the Police.
She informed the Hindu organizations and the Police that she was a first-year student in a private nursing college in the city. On September 5, at 3 pm, while she was on her way home in Ashapur, Mansoori who is a resident of the same village blocked her way, showered flowers on her, and asked her for marriage. “He also asked me to convert my religion”, the girl reiterated.
According to the victim, Mansoori has been following her for the past one year. She said that the accused had made several similar attempts to harass her earlier when she was studying at Harsud College in the city. The accused then also blocked her way and pressurized her to get married to him. However, the matter was settled after the girl informed her about the incident to her family who later complained to Masoori’s family members.
However, the boy continued to harass the victim and managed to get her phone number this time. He began sending her threatening messages and his pictures with a gun. “Get married or else I will kill your whole family. Convert to religion or else I will shoot you”, the threatening messages read.
The girl also mentioned that the accused had threatened her to destroy her face with acid if she refused to marry and convert to Islam. A complaint has been registered by the Police against Mansoori. Further investigations in the case are underway.
On September 4, India lost a match to Pakistan in the ongoing Asia Cup by 5 wickets. Following the defeat, propagandists from Pakistan and trolls on Twitter and other social media platforms ran a campaign to defame Arshdeep by calling him a ‘Khalistani’.
Arshdeep’s parents were also in Dubai to watch their son playing for Team India. When they arrived back, several media houses approached them and questioned their views on the controversy.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Arshdeep’s father, Darshan Singh, who has served with the CISF, said, “We went to watch the match. India-Pak match is always interesting. Fans get emotional, angry when their team loses and say a few words. We are taking it positively, and there is no problem.”
“We also watched the first match and the second match was also good but silly mistakes happen and can happen by anyone. People have a habit to say, let them say. If people are commenting on it, it means they love him,” says Daljeet Kaur, mother of Indian cricketer Arshdeep Singh pic.twitter.com/Cgk2webV1i
His mother, Baljeet Kaur, said, “We also watched the first match and the second match was also good, but silly mistakes happen and can happen by anyone. People have a habit of saying, let them say. If people are commenting on it, it means they love him.”
They spoke to Sports Tak at the Chandigarh airport in Mohali upon arrival in a detailed interview over the issue. When Arshdeep’s father was asked about the controversy, he said, “I do not want to comment on this. Fans want their teams to win, and when they lose, some fans criticise the players. It is part of the game. We should not take it negatively and use it to improve our game.”
The reporter repeatedly questioned him on his views over the use of the term ‘Khalistani’ that Arshdeep’s father categorically ignored and said, “I do not want to speak other than about the game. It is part of the game. Winning and losing are parts of the game. When we win, our drawbacks get overlooked, but when we lose, they become a matter of discussion. If Pakistan had lost the match, their player who dropped the catch would have faced a similar fate.”
He added, “Arshdeep told me that he himself is reading the comments. He is taking criticism positively and will use it to improve his game. There is a lot left in the tournament. He will shine.”
When the reporter asked his mother if she felt bad, she said, “No, I did not. There is every type of fan. Some criticise the players but the rest of them love the players.” Speaking about the allegations that Arshdeep intentionally dropped the catch, she said, “We cannot stop anyone from saying anything. Let them speak what they want to. We will take it positively and move forward.” She further added that they told Arshdeep to ignore the controversy and concentrate on his game.
Indian Express quoted Darshan Singh as saying, “As a parent, it feels really bad. He is only 23. I don’t want to say much about trolls. You can’t shut everyone’s mouth. Without fans, there is no game. There are some who stand by you no matter what and others who can’t digest a single loss. But at the end of the day, only one team can win.”
Quoting Arshdeep, his father said, “Before returning, we had a word with Arshdeep. His exact words were – I am laughing at all these tweets and messages. I am only going to take positives from it. This incident has only given me more confidence.” Arshdeep’s parents are planning to go for the finals if India qualifies for it.
Interestingly, AAP leader Harbhajan Mann, Alt News’ co-founder Mohammed Zubair and the entire left cabal were busy propagating that Indians are abusing Arshdeep for the catch he dropped and calling him Khalistani. Several Twitter users pointed out that many tweets name-calling Arshdeep originated from Pakistan, as did the Wikipedia edit of his page. Some prominent personalities from Pakistan and of Pakistan origin were also seen propagating the same.
Amidst all the campaigns running to defame India and Indians over the matter, the IT Ministry summoned Wikipedia India officials to seek an explanation of how Arshdeep’s Wikipedia page was vandalised and what were security measures in place to prevent such edits.
