On Tuesday, August 23, a threat letter was sent to Asansol SPL CBI court judge Rajesh Chakraborty, demanding bail for TMC leader Anubrata Mondal. The letter threatens the judge with implicating him and his family in a false NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act) case in grave allegations of commercial quantity if he does not grant bail to the TMC leader, reports ANI.
Asansol SPL CBI court judge Rajesh Chakraborty claims of getting a threat letter demanding bail for Anubrata Mondal or else his family will be implicated in an NDPS case with a commercial quantity
TMC Birbhum dist pres Anudata Mondal is arrested by CBI in a cattle smuggling case
The judge, Rajesh Chakraborty has written to the District Judge and High Court seeking redressal. It is alleged that a person named Bappa Chatterjee wrote the threat letter.
“With great anxiety, I do hereby forward to you a letter by one Bappa Chatterjee addressed to the Officer-in-charge of this court threatening that if Anubrata Mondal is not released, my family members would be implicated in NDPS Case with commercial quantity. For that, I pray before Your Honour to take note of the fact and transmit the same to the Ld, Registrar, Judicial Service, Appellate Side, Hon’ble Calcutta High Court,” Rajesh Chakraborty wrote in his letter addressed to the District Judge of Bardhaman.
Letter written by Asansol CBI Judge Rajesh Chakraborty to the District Judge and High Court (source: @tamaghnaTOI)
Notably, Rajesh Chakraborty had on Saturday, August 20, rejected Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mondal’s bail plea in the alleged cattle smuggling scam and extended his custody with the central agency for four days till August 24.
Mondal’s lawyers, Sandipan Ganguly and Anirban Guha Thakurta have appealed for his bail citing his poor health as the reason, but the CBI counsel opposed his bail application saying that since Mondal is a “very powerful and highly influential person” he could “influence witnesses and tamper or manipulate evidence if granted bail”.
The CBI lawyer said that Mondal has been “non-cooperative from the very beginning” despite being issued summons 10 times. The counsel also claimed that Mondal had “pressurised” a doctor to prescribe “complete rest”. “Mr Mondal has good contact with the state government. He has used his bodyguard Saigal Hossain as a mediator. He used to take money from Enamul Haque. This entire business does not belong to a single man, but it is a chain. There is a conspiracy behind it. Anubrata Mondal has an important role. So he should be in CBI custody,” the CBI lawyer said in the court, after which Judge Rajesh Chakraborty extended his custody with the central agency for four days till August 24.
TMC leader Anubrata Mondal arrested by CBI
Notably, the CBI, in a rather dramatic arrest, picked up the heavyweight leader of Trinamool Congress (TMC) from his house in Bolpur, West Bengal, at around 10 in the morning of August 11 in connection with the multi-crore cattle smuggling case. The TMC leader, prior to his arrest, had skipped 10 CBI summons citing ill-health as an excuse. As per reports, a team of the CBI went to his residence with the CRPF being deployed outside and arrested Mamata Banerjee’s top aide. The CBI team was accompanied by a team of 100 CRPF personnel, who had surrounded the residence while the CBI officials entered the house and arrested the TMC leader.
A new political storm erupted in the state of Bihar after CM Nitish Kumar took a Muslim minister from his Cabinet to a temple in Gaya which bars entry of non-Hindus. Kumar offered prayers at Gaya’s iconic Vishnupad temple on Monday, escorted by Mohd Israil Mansuri, a cabinet member from his new ally Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
According to the reports, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stated that Kumar had deliberately insulted the Hindu community by taking along a Muslim Minister to an old temple where entry of people of other faiths is prohibited. ”We demand a public apology from the chief minister. Can he think of setting his foot inside Mecca? Why must Hindus always adjust their religious sensibilities in the name of tolerance”, said Bihar BJP President Sanjay Jaiswal.
He added that if the CM failed to apologize for the incident, he shall be ready to face severe protests by the BJP workers in the state and elsewhere including the state assembly. However, the temple authorities stated that they were not aware of the Muslim Minister’s entry inside the temple but notice outside the temple gate clearly states that ‘only those believing in Sanatana Dharma’ would be allowed in the temple. The temple has formed a committee to look into the incident.
BJP MLA Haribhushan Thakur Bachaul also condemned the incident and said that it was a heretic act of Mansuri to enter the temple. “When it is clearly mentioned that non-Hindus are prohibited from entering the temple, how did he do that? CM Nitish Kumar is answerable for it. He has hurt the sentiments of Hindu community and insulted the temple”, he was quoted.
Further, Nikhil Anand, the national general secretary of the BJP’s OBC wing and spokesperson of Bihar BJP alleged that the state CM never believed in Hindu religious texts and never followed the Hindu traditions. “The way Nitish Ji has deliberately tried to pollute the temple premises by breaking the ancient religious norms as well as rules and regulations, he must apologize to the Hindu faith and all those who believe in Sanatan Dharma globally. If Nitish Kumar Ji is suffering from secular-itis, he should better go to Mecca and Madina to offer Namaz”, he said.
Meanwhile, Mansuri, a Pasmanda Muslim who holds the Information Technology portfolio in the current Bihar cabinet said that he felt blessed after he visited the temple with CM Nitish Kumar. ”I feel blessed to have got the opportunity for a darshan of the temple with the honorable chief minister”, he said.
On Monday, the Karnataka High Court rejected a claim that the contents of Azan (Muslim call to prayer) violate the basic freedom provided to adherents of other religious faiths. The Court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation filed by Chandrashekhar R.
According to the reports, the petitioner in the PIL had claimed that statements used in Azan, such as ‘Allah Hu Akbar,’ offended individuals of different faiths. He also stated that the use of loudspeakers in mosques for Azan should be prohibited.
However, the Court led by acting Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice S. Vishwajith Shetty said that Azan is just a call to give prayers and that it was not that petitioner’s basic right granted under Article 25 of the Indian Constitution was being infringed in any way by calling Azan over loudspeakers or public address systems.
“Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution of India embodies the principle of religious tolerance which is a characteristic of Indian Civilization”, the bench added. While dismissing the case, the court further stressed that religious rituals such as Azan are not absolute rights but are subject to constraints in the Indian Constitution based on public order, morality, and so on.
The court meanwhile also ordered state officials to guarantee that loudspeakers, public address systems, sound-producing instruments, and other musical instruments are not utilized for any purpose that violates the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000.
Furthermore, the Court noted that in a previous case, it had urged state authorities to conduct a campaign to discourage the misuse of loudspeakers and public address systems. In light of this, the Court directed the authorities to provide a compliance report within eight weeks.
In a gruesome incident in the national capital, an 8-year-old minor girl was kidnapped, raped, and subsequently brutally murdered and dumped in the forest of Yamuna Khadar in Central Delhi by her mother’s friend. According to the Delhi police, the accused, namely Rizwan alias Badshah slit the girl’s throat and mutilated her face as the latter had seen him with her mother in a comprising position.
The police arrested Rizwan and the knife used in the crime was recovered. The accused reportedly confessed that he mutilated the minor’s face and hid her body in the jungle after the rape and murder.
Rizwan, who worked as a butcher in the Turkman Gate area, was also reportedly a drug addict.
Speaking about the crime, Central District DCP Shweta Chauhan told news agency ANI, “Rizwan alias Badshah used to visit the house and was in a relationship with the mother of the deceased. He is a butcher by profession. He confessed to the crime – the victim had seen him with her mother and he didn’t want it to come out in the open.”
Delhi | One Rizwan alias Badshah arrested for kidnapping, raping & murdering a minor girl after she saw him in a compromising position with her mother with whom he was in a relationship
DCP Central Dist says, “He confessed, he mutilated her face after rape-murder & hid her body” pic.twitter.com/eTouQ8sY4i
In what transpired, on the intervening night of August 4-5, a resident of Daryaganj reported that he was sleeping at his home with his wife and four children when he awoke around 4 a.m. to find one of his daughters missing.
After searching for her in the neighbourhood and failing to locate her, he filed a complaint and a case of kidnapping under Section 363 of the Indian Penal Code was registered, according to police.
On August 18, the body of the missing 8-year-old was found in the Yamuna Khadar area. The body had sharp injuries on it.
A senior police officer privy to the case said that after the post-mortem report was obtained, the FIR was amended to include sections 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act.
Giving details of the incident, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central), Shweta Chauhan said that a team of 50 police officers was formed to investigate the case, and a large search has been launched to find the perpetrator.
All nearby CCTV cameras were examined, but no evidence was discovered. According to her, approximately 200 people living in and around the Yamuna Khadar area were interrogated in order to obtain information about the perpetrator.
DCP further said that “secret information was received that one Rizwan alias Badshah who is a butcher by profession used to visit the jhuggi frequently and had befriended the victim with toffees and other things.
“It was revealed that on the day of the incident, Rizwan had come to Yamuna Khadar… Rizwan was searched and overpowered. On sustained interrogation, he confessed to the crime,” she said.
According to the DCP, Rizwan revealed that during his visits to the Yamuna Khadar area, he developed intimacy with the victim’s mother and befriended the minor girl. He also stated that the victim witnessed him engaging in a sexual encounter with her mother, so he decided to eliminate her.
Rizwan stated that he went to the victim’s neighbourhood and smoked weed on the day of the incident. He waited until it was dark and all members of the victim’s family were asleep. He then entered the family’s hut and he saw the young girl sleeping inside with her family. He kidnapped the minor girl and took her to a remote location in the Yamuna Khadar forest area, where he raped her. “He then slit her throat and mutilated her face,” Chauhan informed.
On August 23, Bharatiya Janata Party suspended T Raja Singh for an alleged post on Prophet Muhammad. In the letter issued by the Central Disciplinary Committee, it was mentioned that Raja’s views were contrary to Party’s stand on various matters, and he violated Rule XXV 10(a) of the constitution of the Party that reads, “Breach of discipline includes acting or carrying on propaganda against any program or decision of the Party.”
BREAKING on @IndiaToday: BJP suspends Telangana MLA T. Raja Singh, issues showcause notice to him asking why he shouldn’t be expelled from the party. pic.twitter.com/FJQU4apZcu
Raja was earlier arrested on Tuesday after severe protests broke in Hyderabad last night at South Zone DCP office, where protesters demanded immediate action against Singh and chanted ‘Sar Tan Se Juda,’ an Islamist chant calling for his beheading for ‘blasphemy’ against Prophet Muhammad.
According to the reports, the BJP MLA had posted a comedy video on Monday in which the demonstrators claimed that he used abusive language toward Prophet Muhammad. Multiple people filed a complaint against Singh and said that he had hurt the religious sentiments of the Islamists.
Notably, former spokesperson of BJP Nupur Sharma was also suspended on similar grounds after a clip of her remarks on Prophet Muhammad during a debate went viral on social media. Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair had shared an incomplete video of Nupur Sharma’s debate on Times Now where she was defending her faith after a fellow co-panellist mocked the Shivling discovered at the Gyanvapi compound. The row escalated after Zubair and his supporters on Twitter sought help from the Muslim accounts from the Middle East, creating a diplomatic nightmare for the Indian missions in the Persian Gulf.
Sharma, along with Naveen Jindal, were suspended on June 5. In the letter to Sharma, BJP told Sharma that she had expressed views contrary to the Party on various matters which violate the Party’s constitution. Days later, Islamists killed Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur and Umesh Kolhe in Amravati for merely expressing their solidarity with the beleaguered leader.
Manish Sisodia, the deputy chief minister of Delhi, has been summoned before a Chief Judicial Magistrate’s court in Assam’s Kamrup district in relation to a defamation lawsuit Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had brought against him. Manish Sisodia has been ordered by the court to appear before it on September 29.
Assam | Kamrup’s CJM court summons Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia on September 29, in connection with the defamation case filed by Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
In June of this year, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had filed a criminal defamation suit against Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia over his accusations of corruption in the acquisition of PPE kit at the onset of the Covid-19 outbreak.
In a media briefing on June 4th, Manish Sisodia claimed that the Assam government had given purchase orders for PPE kits to JCB Industries, a business headed by Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, without following proper procedures.
The accusations were backed by a piece written by the Leftist propaganda website The Wire that made identical claims. The report claimed that while Himanta Biswa Sarma served as the health minister in the previous Sarbananda Sonowal government of Assam, a company owned by his wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma was given an urgent work order to provide 5,000 PPE kits despite having no prior experience in the distribution or production of medical supplies and protective clothing.
Thereafter, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma denied the claims made in The Wire article and said she didn’t receive any payment for providing the PPE kits. She claimed that the PPE kits were a CSR donation that she made to the National Health Mission and that no money was exchanged for them. In response to the accusations, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma sued Sisodia for defamation in the amount of Rs 100 crore on June 21, 2022.
Manish Sisodia continued to accuse Himanta Biswa Sarma of corruption despite Riniki Bhuyan Sarma’s explanations, claiming that Himanta Biswa Sarma awarded contracts for government purchases to businesses run by his wife and close friends. Himanta Biswa Sarma then filed a criminal defamation action against Manish Sisodia on June 30 at the Kamrup Rural Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court. The complaint was filed under Indian Penal Code sections 499 (harming reputation), 500 (defamation), and 501 (publishing defamatory matter).
Manish Sisodia under scanner
It is worth noting that the Delhi Deputy Chief Minister is facing the wrath of investigative agencies in a slew of cases. Following hours of raids into the suspected excise fraud, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) named 15 suspects, including Manish Sisodia, in an FIR recently. The excise department, which the deputy chief minister controls, introduced a new policy last year that mandated the closure of government liquor outlets and the licencing of private enterprises.
It has been alleged that irregularities were committed in changes to the Excise Policy, granting excessive favours to licensees, waiving/reducing licence fees, extending L-1 licences without authorisation, and so on. It is further claimed that illegal earnings from these crimes were channelled to concerned public personnel by private parties, who then made fraudulent entries in their books of accounts.
The Delhi High Court recently justified child marriage by upholding the legality of a 15-year-old minor girl’s marriage, stating that she is of ‘Marriageable Age’ under Islamic Sharia Law.
The court held that a Muslim girl who is less than 18 years old but has attained puberty is free to marry anyone as per the Muslim Personal Law. The court observed that the minor Muslim girl can not only marry without the consent of her parents but can also reside with her husband even when she is less than 18 years of age.
Delhi HC’s single bench of Justice Jasmeet Singh made the observation while granting protection to a Muslim couple who married in March 2022 according to Islamic rites and rituals. The couple moved the court seeking directions to ensure that no one separates them.
The couple had filed a plea in court after the parents of the minor girl opposed the marriage and registered an FIR under IPC Section 363 against the husband. Subsequently, Section 376 and Section 6 POCSO were invoked in the case.
The girl reportedly told the court that she was beaten on a regular basis by her parents and had eloped and married of her own volition.
Meanwhile, as per the status report filed by the respondent, the girl was born on August 2, 2006, making her only 15 years old at the time of the marriage.
The status report further mentioned that the girl was brought back from the custody of her husband and handed over to her parents in the month of April. A medical examination was conducted on her at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital (DDU), Delhi. The medical test revealed that the couple has had sexual intercourse and that the 15-year-old was then pregnant.
Granting protection to the couple, the Court observed: “It is thus clear that as per Mohammedan Law girl who had attained the age of puberty could marry without the consent of her parents and had the right to reside with her husband even when she was less than 18 years of age and thus otherwise minor girl.”
The court also ruled that the POCSO Act cannot be applied in the aforementioned case because it is not a case of sexual exploitation, but rather one in which the couple fell in love, married according to Muslim laws, and then had physical relationships.
Punjab and Haryana HC cites Sharia to justify child marriage
Interestingly, this is not the first case where a court has held the marriage of a minor Muslim girl legal. Recently, Punjab And Haryana High Court also justified child marriage by grantingprotection to a 16-year-old Muslim Girl who married a 21-year-old Muslim boy while noting that she is of Marriageable Age under Muslim Personal Law.
Last year too, the same verdict was passed by Justice Alka Sarin of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. While hearing the plea filed by a 36-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl, she gave the verdict relying on various court rulings and article 195 in ‘Principles of Mohammedan Law’, an authoritative textbook by Muslim personal law jurist Sir Dinshah Fardunji Mulla, that states: “Every Muslim with a mature mind who has attained puberty can contract marriage. Minors who have not attained puberty can be validly contracted in marriage by their parents.”
It is noteworthy that the Parliament had earlier introduced the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill 2021 to increase the marriageable age of girls to 21, equal to that of boys. Furthermore, while introducing the bill, the government said that it would be applicable to every girl irrespective of religion.
On August 21, a Hindu Sadhu identified as Jawahar Giri was brutally assaulted by Islamists after he accidentally reached their area to seek donations for Janmashtmi. As per reports, he was held in a room and beaten up. The accused also snatched around Rs 35,000 that he had collected for the Janmashtmi celebrations that have been happening in Karsa Village in Sitapur.
Hindi Daily Aaj noted in a report that on Sunday morning, Jawahar Giri went to collect donations for the Janmashtmi celebrations. He unknowingly entered the Muslim-dominated area. When the local Muslim residents saw a Hindu saint roaming in the area, they grabbed him and started beating him. Reports suggest there were around 30-50 people who assaulted the saint.
Speaking to OpIndia, Bajrang Dal District Head Sandeep Awasthi said the local Hindus came to know about the incident and rushed to help the saint. They somehow managed to bring the saint from the Muslim-dominating area. Baba Jawahar Giri reached back to Parma Kuti Ashram and informed his Guru Sitaram Mitrasen Naga Baba about the incident. Meanwhile, Bajrang Dal was also informed about the incident, after which its members rushed to the village.
The Police were informed about the incident, following which Station in-charge Om Prakash Tiwari reached the spot with the heavy police force. The additional force was called from Thangaon, Tambore, Sadarpur, and Biswan Police Stations. By the time the Police reached Tyagi Baba, members of the Bajrang Dal sat in protest. The Police convinced them to take the saint to the hospital at Rausa, from where he was referred to Sitapur Hospital owing to internal injuries.
Though the reports suggest Baba Jawahar Giri was in critical condition, Bajrang Dal’s district chief Sandeep Awasthi said, “Fortunately, Baba did not sustain life-threatening injuries. He was kept in the hospital for a while and was discharged after getting the required treatment. He has reached his ashram safely and will rest further till he fully recovers from the injuries.”
Awasthi mentioned that as the saint was not from the region, he did not know that where he was going was a dominating Muslim area. When Muslims saw him in Bhagwa clothes, they got angry and grabbed him on the pretext that he was there to “pick up children.” He said, “They brutally assaulted him and threw him in a room. He sustained several injuries on his head.”
Awasthi further added that initially, Police did not take any action against the accused, but after they sat in protest, the Police started arresting the accused. BJP leader Gyan Tiwari also intervened.
— Mohit Mishra ! मोहित मिश्रा (@mohitmishra1987) August 22, 2022
As per Aaj’s report, the main accused in the case, identified as Lakhati s/o Asgar, was arrested by the Police. Awasthi said around 6-7 accused were arrested by the Police whose names were in the FIR. However, there were several unnamed accused in the FIR who were roaming freely.
On Tuesday, the Telangana Police arrested Raja Singh, BJP MLA from Goshamahal for his alleged blasphemous remarks against Prophet Muhammad. This came hours after the Police booked the leader for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of the Islamist community.
According to the reports, severe protests broke out in Hyderabad last night at South Zone DCP office where protesters demanded immediate action against Singh. Singh on Monday had posted a video in which he, according to the Islamists, used abusive language towards the Prophet Muhammad.
BREAKING: BJP MLA Raja Singh arrested for Prophet comments under 3 sections of IPC pic.twitter.com/2MIAVsPfGN
Several people then gathered at the South Zone DCP office in Hyderabad and staged a protest against the BJP MLA. Hundreds of them shouted Islamists slogans like, “Allah-hu-Akbar”, “Gustakh E Rasool ki ek he saza sar tan sejuda, sar tan se juda” and demanded the arrest of Raja Singh. They also yelled slogans like, “Raja Singh Murdabad, Murdabad” and reiterated that the BJP MLA had allegedly insulted the Muslim community and their God.
#BreakingNews Communal Tension in Hyderabad: Syed Abdahu Kashaf takes up the protest with slogan “Gustak E Rasool saw ki ek he saza sar tan sejuda.. “ against BJP MLA at Hyderabad City Police commisoner. We demand immediate arrest of BJP MLA Raja Singh. pic.twitter.com/MQTcRY6xby
The protests were reportedly led by Syed Abdahu Kashaf who calls himself a political strategist and Social and Civil Rights Activist. After Singh’s arrest on August 23, he posted a video congratulating all the Islamists of the city and said, “we made it a national issue and it happened”. He also thanked the Hyderabad Police for taking swift action against the BJP MLA who is accused of passing blasphemous remarks against Prophet Muhammad.
Syed Abdahu Kashaf is a Jawaharlal Nehru University pass out and works as a Digital Content Creator at Crimson Media Company. He seems to be associated with the AIMIM party and its supremo Asaduddin Owaisi as he has worked as Social media Head of the party from 2012 to 2019.
Screenshot of the Google profile created by Syed Abdahu Kashaf
Earlier today, the Police booked the BJP MLA under IPC section 153A (Promoting enmity between two groups) and similar sections at the Dabeerpura police station. DCP South Zone, P Sai Chaitanya confirmed the action and said that the Police has begun the investigation into the case.
To note, the arrest comes a day after Syed Abdahu Kashaf instigated the Islamists to gather around the South Zone DCP office and protest against the BJP leader. On Monday night, he posted a video saying that he had received calls from many Islamist people who complained about the remarks made by Singh. He said that the Islamists would go on indefinite hunger strike if Singh is not arrested. “We want him to get arrested by today. He should be charged under various sections of 153, 153-A, 188, 295-A, 298, 505 (1) (B) (C), 505 (2), and 506 of IPC”, he said on August 22.
Dear @CPHydCity Sir If Raja Singh is not arrested till today we will call for Indefinite Hunger-Strike. We want him to get arrested by today. He should be charged under various sections of 153, 153-A, 188, 295-A, 298, 505 (1) (B) (C), 505 (2) and 506 of IPC. Cc : @hydcitypolicepic.twitter.com/IrZ8wFHHnj
In another video, he could be seen raising ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ slogans and instigating hundreds of Islamists to continue protests outside the South Zone DCP office. Speaking to India Today on Tuesday, he further said that he had no regret in using the ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ slogan to protest against the alleged blasphemous remarks. “Hyderabad is controlled by us”, he added.
“Hyderabad is controlled by us,” says @syedKashaf95, an influencer leading the ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ protests in Hyderabad. Tells @Akshita_N he has no remorse/regret in using the slogan to protest against prophet comments. pic.twitter.com/5RwHxsoqs3
Reports mention that the Islamists who protested outside the South Zone DCP office also offered Namaz in the area and continued to protest till Tuesday morning. The Hyderabad Police has reportedly detained hundreds for disturbing the peace and harmony in the area. Meanwhile, now arrested BJP MLA Raja Singh clarified that his statements are being misinterpreted and that he did not mean what he said. He added that he did not take anyone’s name in the video and that the Islamists were protesting based on what they assumed the video could be.
“I will soon release one more video. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Why has an FIR been filed against me? Are our Hindu Gods not important to us? Multiple FIRs have been filed against me and I don’t know why”, he said.
Six persons faced the wrath of ‘sar tan se juda’ ideology
To note, a similar incident happened in India when former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma uttered allegedly blasphemous remarks against Prophet Muhammad creating worldwide outrage. The outrage escalated after Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair shared an edited clip of Sharma on social media and instigated the Islamists to take action against the lady. The Islamists initially in India and then all over the world raised ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ slogans and demanded the immediate elimination of Sharma.
This growing radicalized outcry had overtaken the streets of the country, with people found in support of Nupur Sharma’s statement getting condemned brutally. Six people to date, including Amravati’s Umesh Kolhe, Rajasthan’s Kanhaiya Lal, Madhya Pradesh’s Nishank Rathore, etc have faced the wrath of the ‘sar tan se juda’ ideology.
Also recently, the ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ slogans were raised by Islamists in a Muharram procession in Madhya Pradesh’s Khandwa district. The incident happened on August 10 when the participants in the procession began yelling offensive chants. While one person could be heard shouting the Islamist war cry ‘gustakh-e-Rasool ki Ek hi saza, sar tan se juda sar tan se juda’, some others shouted, ‘gustakh-e-nabi ka sir chahiye’ (We want the head of the one who insulted the Prophet).
मध्य प्रदेश के खंडवा में मोहर्रम के जुलूस के दौरान कथित तौर से ‘सर तन से जुदा’ का विवादित नारा लगाया गया। वीडियो वायरल होने पर अब पुलिस ने कार्रवाई की बात कही है।#MadhyaPradeshpic.twitter.com/SKKIAZhbSh
Celebrity Islamists do not condemn ‘Sar tan se juda’
Pertinently, even Islamist celebrities, like financial fraud accused Washington Post columnist Rana Ayyub, The Wire’s Arfa Khanum Sherwani, Radio Mirchi RJ Sayema or even Alt News’ Mohammad Zubair for that matter – none have said it in as many words that so-called blasphemy should not be punishable with death.
In fact, they all ‘condemn’ alleged blasphemous statements and call it bigotry but never ask their coreligionists to not kill over them. Recently, when Salman Rushdie, author of allegedly blasphemous book The Satanic Verses, was stabbed in New York, Rana Ayyub tweeted wishing for his recovery, but deleted the wish hours later after Islamists cancelled her Muslim card for wishing well upon a ‘blasphemer’. While she claimed it was not because of Islamists, but she never again wished full recovery for Rushdie, and has not even said how he should not have been attacked for ‘blasphemy’.
AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan calling for beheading of Swami Yati
In April 2021, Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan had also called for the beheading of Dasna Devi Temple head priest Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati for his alleged critical remarks on Prophet Muhammad. “We can not tolerate such impertinence for our beloved Prophet Muhammad. This hateful insect should be awarded the most severe punishment by slitting his tongue and neck. But the law of the land does not permit us to do this, we have faith in the Indian constitution, and I want Delhi Police to take note of this,” Amanatullah Khan had tweeted along with the video of Narsinghanand Saraswati where he criticized the Islamic prophet.
Later, several videos surfaced on social media showing scores of children calling for the beheading of Swami Yati. The children, who did not look a year older than 7 or 8, a carried poster of Swami Yati garlanded with footwear and raised slogans- “Gustakh-e-Nabi ki ek saza, sar tan se juda, sar tan se juda”.
All that led to Kamlesh Tiwari’s murder is happening all over again. Makes me sick pic.twitter.com/C76T7uFG1G
Reports mention that the slogan ‘Gustakh-e-Rasool Ki Ek Hi Saza, Sar Tan Se Juda, Sar Tan Se Juda’ was first raised in Pakistan in the year 2011 when the governor of the Punjab province of Pakistan, Salman Taseer was murdered by his guard Mumtaz Qadri who disagreed with Taseer’s opposition to Pakistan’s blasphemy law.
However, it was first used in India 5 years ago when Kamlesh Tiwari of Lucknow gave a statement about Prohpet Muhammad. As reported earlier, Tiwari was murdered by the Islamists who stabbed him 15 times and left him with two deep cut marks on the neck, reflecting attempts to slit his throat.
In the current case, an FIR has been registered against Raja Singh, BJP MLA from Goshamahal for his alleged blasphemous remarks against Prophet Muhammad. The Police have also arrested the BJP leader and are investigating the case amid severe protests in the city.
On Monday, August 22, the 42-year-old BJP leader and TikTok star Sonali Phogat died of a heart attack. The BJP leader was in Goa at the time of her untimely death.
Haryana BJP leader and content creator Sonali Phogat passes away in Goa, confirms Goa DGP Jaspal Singh
According to reports, Sonali Phogat who was in Goa with some of her employees had complained of uneasiness to her staff on Monday after which she was rushed to the hospital, where she was declared dead.
Currently, the post-mortem is being conducted and the local police are on their way to the hospital.
The actor-politician had posted images and videos on Instagram shortly before her death. She was seen wearing a bright pink safa (turban) on her head in the photo.
Many TV actors and celebrities have taken to social media to mourn Phogat’s untimely demise. Haryana Chief Minister ML Khattar expressed grief in a Twitter post.
भाजपा नेत्री श्रीमती सोनाली फोगाट जी के आकस्मिक निधन का बेहद दु:खद समाचार प्राप्त हुआ।
ईश्वर दिवंगत आत्मा को अपने श्री चरणों में स्थान दें एवं शोकाकुल परिजनों को यह असीम दु:ख सहन करने की क्षमता प्रदान करें।
Sonali Phogat was most recently seen on the 14th season of the popular reality show Bigg Boss. She had entered as a wildcard contestant and quickly rose to prominence. Sonal Phogat made her acting debut in 2016 with the television series ‘Amma: Ek Maa Jo Laakhon Ke Liye Bani Amma. She later starred in the Haryanvi film Chhoriyan Chhoron S Kam Nahi Hoti. She has appeared in a number of Punjabi and Haryanvi music videos. She was most recently seen in the web series The Story Of Badmashgarh (2019). Sonali Phogat, was quite a star on TikTok. She went by the username ‘@sonaliphogat’. Her videos on TikTok are quite popular.
Phogat’s political career
Sonali Phogat was a BJP leader as well. In the 2019 Haryana elections, she ran for assembly from Adampur on a BJP ticket. She had run against Kuldeep Bishnoi, who had recently switched from the Congress to the BJP. Sonali was the National Vice President of the BJP’s Mahila Morcha and was in charge of the Haryana, New Delhi, and Chandigarh Scheduled Tribe wings. She was also a member of the National Executive Committee of the BJP. She was known for her work in Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh’s tribal areas.
In December 2016, Sonali Phogat’s husband Sanjay Phogat had been found dead at their farmhouse under mysterious circumstances. She is survived by her daughter Yashodhara Phogat.
