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Bangladesh: Hindu victims in Narail recount how Islamist attack turned their lives upside down

OpIndia Staff
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Bangladesh: Hindu victims in Narail recount how Islamist attack turned their lives upside down

Two days after an Islamist mob wreaked havoc in the Narail district of Bangladesh, Hindu victims recounted the horror that transpired on the night of July 15 this year.

Following the Friday prayers (Jumma Namaz), the extremists had attacked properties belonging to the Hindu community. They set three houses on fire, besides dozens of Hindu shops.

The Islamists claimed that an 18-year-old Hindu college student named Akash Saha has hurt their religious sentiments through a Facebook post. Under the pretext of blasphemy, the vicious mob set out to destroy the livelihood of the 108 Hindu families living in the Sahapara village in Narail’s Lohagara Upazila.

Screengrab of the news report by The Daily Star

One of the victims of the dastardly attack was 62-year-old Deepali Rani, whose house was burnt down in front of her eyes. “After one group looted all our valuables, another group came and found our door open. As there was nothing left to loot, they set our home on fire,” she told The Daily Star.

Deepali was forced to hide in a shed, located in the vicinity of the house. She was accompanied by her son Gobinda, who is a betel leaf trader. The duo crawled under a bed to avoid being spotted by the Islamist mob.

“They could not break in as it (the shed) was locked. They then attacked the temple next door and vandalised the idol,” she lamented. The elderly woman pointed out how the belongings of her granddaughter Rai Saha were turned into ashes.

Life of Hindu turned upside down in Sahapara village

Deepali Rani is not related to Akash Saha in a way. Despite this, her shelter was not spared by the Islamist mob. “Only because the student is Hindu and I too am Hindu, my house was burnt down,” she emphasised.

The 62-year-old stated, “I don’t know how long this threat of violence will haunt us. Who will give us justice? Who will give us security? … If I were in the house while they set it on fire, I would have died. God saved me. But is this any way to survive? All I have now is the sari on my body.”

Despite assurance from the Narail district administration, Deepali is unconvinced. She is still seeking answers. “Why was my house set on fire?” she asked. Her daughter-in-law, Chandra Saha, was not in the Sahapara village at the time of the attack.

On returning home, Chandra learnt about the tragedy that befell her family. She told The Daily Star, “I don’t want to stay here with my children. I don’t want to be a victim.”

One fertilizer dealer named Gopal Saha recounted how he was mercilessly assaulted by the Islamists. He informed that he has been doing business in the Dighalia market for 22 years.

“The only reason they beat me up was that I was Hindu. The accused boy’s house is far away from mine. How is this my fault? … As a Hindu, I don’t feel safe in this village anymore,” he said.

Islamist attacks trigger a mass exodus

According to an ex-member of Dighalia Union Parishad, Beauty Rani, a large number of Hindus have left the Sahapara village after the onslaught by Islamists.” Almost all houses are locked. Only the elders of some families are home. They too are scared,” she informed.

Rani lamented, “When we were being attacked, the police were there. They were watching from a distance and no one came to our rescue. The police can no longer be trusted and that is why people are leaving the village.”

When The Daily Star correspondent Dipankar Roy visited the village, he found only 2 old men in a small hut. Reportedly, one of them was the President of the Radha-Govinda temple of Sahapara village named Shibnath Saha (65).

“Police are on guard in the village, but we cannot trust them. After detaining Ashoke on Friday, the officer-in-charge and Upazila Nirbahi officer told everyone that they were deploying additional forces and that our community would be safe. The attack took place within a few hours,” he said.

According to Dighalia Union Parishad member, Azgar Ali, the government has assured to provide Tk 26000 (₹22,124) to the affected families and rebuild their houses.

Anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh over ‘blasphemy’

In the wee hours of October 13,2021, radical Islamist Iqbal Hossain entered the Nanuar Dighir Par Durga Mandir in Cumilla district of Bangladesh and placed a copy of the Quran on the feet of the idol of Lord Hanuman. His actions triggered a series of violent attacks against the minority Hindus in the country.

The Hindu community had insisted vehemently that nobody among them had placed the Quran at the Puja Pandal and the incident was a deliberate plan to attack the Hindu community.

For over five days, houses and temples of the Hindu community in Bangladesh remained under attack. Videos of broken idols, demolished pandals and Moorti of Maa Durga being thrown in a pond emerged on social media platforms along with other videos of attacks on Hindus.

The police identified Iqbal after analysing video footage at the puja venue, informed Comilla Superintendent of Police (SP) Farooq Ahmed. On October 21 night, the Cox’s Bazar police arrested the accused Iqbal Hossain at around 11 pm.

The development was confirmed by the additional DIG (Crime and Operations) of Chattogram Range Zakir Hossain Khan to the Daily Star. Hossain was handed over to the Cumilla police for further probe in the matter.

After analysing the CCTV footage, it was also found that the accused incited people to commit violence in the morning and gave hate speeches against Hindus.

Award-winning Imam blames women’s exposed thighs for soaring meat prices

OpIndia Staff
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Award-winning Imam blames women’s exposed thighs for soaring meat prices

An award-winning Imam in Muslim-majority Kyrgyzstan has blamed women’s thighs for the skyrocketing prices of meat in the country. He said that women have cheapened them by showing too much of their skin.

Imam Sadybakas Doolov said in a program in the capital city of Bishkek, “Do you know when meat prices go up in your town? It goes up when women’s flesh cheapens. A woman’s meat becomes cheap when she bares skin and exposes her thighs like a thumb.”

The 53-year-old award-winning cleric, who formerly served as the president of an Islamic university, urged senior men to bring an end to this shame and prohibit women from wearing scant attire. Doolov’s words triggered a flood of outraged responses in the Muslim majority country when a video of his preaching was uploaded on social media. Some accused the Imam of insulting and discriminating against women and demanded a criminal investigation against him.

The country’s highest Islamic authority, on the other hand, has defended the Imam, saying his remarks did not violate any rules. Doolov’s provocative remark has been investigated by the state-backed Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kyrgyzstan (DUMK). According to the DUMK, Doolov’s words did not breach any Islamic regulations, did not disrespect anyone’s honor or dignity, and did not meddle with politics. According to the report, the investigation looked into Doolov’s remarks using those three criteria.

The agency also talked with the Imam, who won the coveted DUMK Aikol Award in 2020. Doolov’s remark, according to the DUMK, was simply misinterpreted by many. The DUMK inquiry came after two Kyrgyz activists requested an investigation from the State Committee for National Security and the Prosecutor-General’s Office.

Doolov claims that critics took his statements during a 30-minute lecture out of context and misconstrued them. The outspoken Imam stated that he intended for people to evaluate their own moral standards rather than blame authorities or traders for everything. He said, “There were some words on why you’re talking about the high price of meat but your honor is not offended when women walk around with their naked bodies.”

The Imam stated that he had no intention of demeaning women. However, numerous Kyrgyz social media users accused him of chauvinism, stupidity, and religious misrepresentation.

One of the critics commented on social media, “Simply genius! Now, please check on Google the price of meat in some Arab countries [where women are covered head-to-toe] and see if your theory works there, too.”

Another Kyrgyz woman sarcastically wrote, “Women must be behind the economic crisis and bad roads, too.” She also said that She would not have worn short skirts if she had realized the repercussions.

Doolov’s words, according to one Kyrgyz, indicated radical notions, and his understanding of Islam should be investigated by security forces. Several others expressed worry that religious individuals with dubious ideologies are teaching Islam to the next generation.

Doolov is very active on social media, frequently sharing videos with more than 124,000 Instagram followers and over 200,000 YouTube subscribers. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he reportedly acquired his religious education at a private madarasa in the neighboring country Tajikistan. Doolov was the head of at least two Islamic schools in Kyrgyzstan, according to Kyrgyz media sources. He presently works as an Imam in Bishkek’s Sverdlov district.

Uttar Pradesh: Farmer files complaint against Lord Indra for lack of rain in Gonda, Tahsildar forwards it to district admin

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Farmer files complaint against Lord Indra for lack of rain in Gonda, Tahsildar forwards it to district admin

In a bizarre incident, a farmer has lodged a complaint against Hindu God Indra seeking action against him for lack of rain in the Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh. It is notable that Indra is considered the God of rain in Hinduism.

As per reports, a farmer named Sumit Kumar Yadav submitted the complaint against the heavenly God at a Sampurna Samadhan Divas that was observed on 16th July 2022. After receiving the complaint, the Tahsildar forwarded it to the District Magistrate for necessary action.

Sampurna Samadhan Divas – Total Solution Day – was observed in the Gonda district on Saturday. At this event, the farmer named Sumit Kumar Yadav wrote a complaint to the Tahsildar of Colonelganj asking for action against Lord Indra as it did not rain well for the last so many months in the area. Sumit Kumar Yadav lives in the Katra Bazar block which falls under the Kaudiya police station area in the Jhala village in the Colonelganj Tahsil of the Gonda district.

In his complaint (complaint number 684 as seen in the picture) lodged against Lord Indra regarding scarce rains and droughts in the area, Sumit Kumar Yadav wrote, “With this complaint, the complainant hereby wishes to bring this to the notice of honorable officers that it has not rained for the last so many months. People are in great trouble because of the droughts. This situation has caused adverse effects on animals and agriculture. The women and children in families are facing great difficulties due to this. Therefore, we request you to take proper action in this case and oblige.”

The Tahsildar has apparently forwarded this letter to the DM’s office for further action. The complaint letter has the official seal of the Tahsildar and a remark that reads ‘forwarded for next action’. As the letter went viral, it was being discussed in the locality that either the Tahsildar was overstressed in his work or he is so careless that he did not even read the complaint properly before forwarding it to the higher authorities.

In the complaint, Sumit Kumar Yadav named “Indra Devata (Bhagwanji)” as the party against whom the complaint has been submitted. Upon receiving this complaint, the tahsildar forwarded the same to the higher authorities. The complaint has the ‘agrasarit’ stamp on it, which means forwarded. It also has the signature and the stamp of the Tahsildar.

After the copy of the complaint viral on social media, the district authorities have taken up the matter, and have assured a probe. DM Dr. Ujjwal Kumar said that the district administration has taken the matter seriously. He said that the case has been handed over to CRO Jay Yadav for investigation. Yadav will be reaching Colonelganj for the probe.

However, the Tahsildar has denied any knowledge about any such complaint. According to a report by Dainik Jagran, Tahsildar Narsinh Narayan Varma was shocked when he was asked about this viral complaint letter. He said, “No such matter came to me. The seal seen on that complaint letter is a duplicate seal. The complaints received in the Sampurna Samadhan Divas are nominated to respective departments and these complaints are never forwarded to any other offices. So, this whole thing looks concocted. This is being investigated.”

As the Tahsildar has denied knowledge of the complaint, it is being speculated that the complaint was received and forwarded without reading it.

‘Community awards 25 lakhs for marrying a Hindu woman’: Salman, Kalu Khan, and Aslan threaten to kidnap and marry a Hindu girl in Jaipur

OpIndia Staff
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‘Community awards 25 lakhs for marrying a Hindu woman’: Salman, Kalu Khan, and Aslan threaten to kidnap and marry a Hindu girl in Jaipur

In Jaipur, Rajasthan’s capital city, a shocking case of love jihad has emerged, in which the accused Kalu Khan and two others threatened the victim’s mother, saying they would kidnap her daughter once she reached adulthood on July 15. They said they will do it because their community awards 25 lakh rupees for marrying a Hindu girl and converting her to Islam.

The accused also said that if the family members of the girl tried to interfere in the matter, they will meet the fate of Kanhaiya Lal. A case has been lodged at the Jaisinghpura Khor police station in Jaipur and an inquiry into the matter of love jihad has been initiated.

According to media sources, the victim’s mother has filed a police complaint. She said in her complaint that Asalan and Kalu Khan harassed her teenage daughter repeatedly when she was a student at a school in the Chaksu neighbourhood. They had even kidnapped the girl about a year earlier, the cops found the girl after a complaint was filed. A few days later, the accused abducted the girl yet again. Later, she was found and taken to a shelter house by Mansarovar police. Since then, she has remained there.

On July 7, Salman, Kalu Khan, and Aslan threatened the girl’s mother to kidnap the girl once more since she would be 18 on July 15. The woman and her husband were threatened with the same fate as Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur if they resisted.

The accused allegedly threatened to kill the girl or divorce her after their marriage since he was just getting married to her in order to receive the 25 lakhs that their community awards them for marrying a Hindu girl, according to the girl’s mother.

Jaisinghpura Khor Police Station SHO Satpal Yadav stated that the police have received the complaint and are investigating the matter. He said that the police have been apprised of earlier incidents of similar threats.

‘This man roams around as a big Hindu leader, beat him’: Islamist mob assaults Bajrang Dal leader in Surat

OpIndia Staff
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‘This man roams around as a big Hindu leader, beat him’: Islamist mob assaults Bajrang Dal leader in Surat

A Bajrang Dal activist was attacked by a group of Islamists in Surat on Saturday, July 16, 2022. Bajrang Dal’s Surat city Satsang President Pinkesh Rana was returning to his home in the evening on Saturday when he was attacked.

As he reached the Brahman Faliya area near Begampura, three men passed by on a Pulsar bike hitting Pinkesh Rana’s moped. This caused a heated exchange of words between Pinkesh Rana and the attackers. This led to a scuffle as the three men assaulted Pinkesh Rana. In his complaint, Pinkesh Rana said that the attack was carried out because of a complaint he earlier made against unrest.

The complaint mentions that the three attackers thrashed Pinkesh Rana down from his moped and started beating him up with a sickle. One of the attackers also hit Pinkesh Rana with a belt. In the meantime, a crowd gathered around. The man beating Pinkesh Rana with a belt dragged him on the road and said, “This man is roaming around as if he is some big Hindu leader. Beat him.”

CCTV footage of the incident. Image Courtesy: OpIndia Sources

Yagneshbhai Patel is the Bajrang Dal coordinator of the Shahpore area in Surat. He was passing by coincidentally. Identifying Pinkesh Rana, he intervened along with another person to disperse the crowd and saved Pinkesh Rana. In the complaint, Pinkesh Rana alleged that he was attacked because in the police Lok Darbar he had raised the issue of the properties purchased by Muslims in the Golwad and Mahidharpura areas and the unrest created thereafter. Pinkesh Rana claimed that the attackers were already angry at him because he raised these questions in front of the police in the Lok Darbar, that is – the public hearing.

Bajrang Dal leader Yagneshbhai Patel, who witnessed the incident in the matter, told OpIndia, “I was standing near a Chinese food stall at the same spot when this incident took place. When the mob was beating Pinkesh Rana, I identified him and intervened in the scuffle with the help of another friend and rescued him. Meantime, the mob also attacked me. A crowd of thirty to forty people arrived suddenly and had we not intervened, there could have been a serious incident. This does not seem to be an accidental incident because many people in the mob had some or other weapon in their hands. I suspect that this is a pre-planned attack.”

In connection with the entire incident, Pinkesh Rana lodged a legal complaint in the Mahidharpura police station against Nasir, Arman, Zaheer, Javed, Adil, Asif, Javed Langda and Yusuf, etc. On the basis of the complaint, the police registered a case under sections 323, 143, 147, and 504 of the IPC and took further action.

According to police sources, the police took action after the FIR was registered. The police traced and arrested three accused in connection with this attack on the Bajrang Dal activist in Surat. The arrested accused are currently being interrogated. According to the guidelines, the arrested accused will be presented in court after their corona test.

This is not the first case of such an attack. Earlier, an Islamic mob had entered the house of a youth in the Sagbara area of the Narmada district and attacked him.

Journalist Pritish Nandy raises ‘Muslim PM bogey’ ahead of presidential elections, here is why it is dumb and evil

Dibakar Dutta
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Journalist Pritish Nandy raises ‘Muslim PM bogey’ ahead of presidential elections, here is why it is dumb and evil

Ahead of the 2022 Presidential election, ‘journalist’ Pritish Nandy today cast aspersions on India’s inclusivity and the integrity of the country’s electoral system. While a tribal woman is becoming the president of the country for the first time, he questioned whether a Muslim will become prime minister or president, implying it will never happen.

In a tweet on Sunday (July 17), he lamented about the supposed lack of diversity when it comes to the highest electoral office of the country.

“An Indian-origin woman is Vice-President of the US. An Indian-origin man has a shot at being Prime Minister of Britain. But will an Indian-born Muslim be Prime Minister or President of India ever again?” he inquired.

Screengrab of the tweet by Pritish Nandy

“Can you make 1 out of every 7 Indians ineligible for high political office?” Nandy further asked. From the very onset, the journalist did not spare any opportunity to limit political offices to ‘religious identity.’

Shifting goal posts out of political inconvenience

While he talked about the ‘Indian race’ in the case of Kamala Harris (US Vice-President) and Rishi Sunak (potential UK PM candidate), Pritish Nandy was quick to shift the goalpost to religion in the Indian context.

And he zeroed in on a religious group, which is proportionately the largest among all religious minorities in the country. Through his tweet, the ‘journalist’ also suggested that the interests of Muslims can be served only if there is a Muslim Prime Minister or President.

The same ecosystem had recently snubbed Presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu by claiming that her tribal identity alone will not serve the interests of the ST community.

Pritish Nandy resorts to political tokenism

Pritish Nandy insinuated that there would ‘never’ be a Muslim Prime Minister or a President again, under the current political climate. This is a part of an attempt to create hysteria among the Muslim community that they will not find a political representation in Modi’s India.

Such well-thought-out aspersions effectively play into the narrative of ‘Muslims are under threat in the country,’ despite a plethora of evidence to the contrary.

Nonetheless, India has a history of being inclusive and accommodating of all religious communities and social groups. The incumbent Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, belongs to the OBC community while the current President Ram Nath Kovind belongs to the SC community.

Our upcoming President belongs to the ST community. The Bharatiya Janata Party, which is often demonised as averse to the Muslim interests, had given the country its most beloved President – APJ Abdul Kalam.

Not just the BJP, but even its predecessor Congress had appointed 2 Muslim Presidents – Zakir Hussain (1967-1969) and Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed (1974-1977), although the latter’s legacy is tainted for proclaiming ‘Emergency’ in 1975.

India also had a Sikh President Giani Zail Singh (1982-1987) and Sikh Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (2004-2014), however for left liberals, only minorities in India are Muslims. We should also not forget Muslim Vice-President Hamid Ansari (now under scanner for compromising India’s national security).

While Pritish Nandi praises USA and UK for racial diversity of their presidents and prime ministers, and complains about not having a Muslim PM in India, he conveniently forgets that none of those countries had a non-Christian head of the government or head of the state, despite being democratic countries for much longer then India.

Moving beyond social constructs

Political tokenism and social constructs have plagued this country for a long time. After 74 years of Independence, we cannot limit our political representatives to mere religious and caste identities.

While diversity and representation must be encouraged, meritocracy should also remain a determining factor. Pritish Nandy and his ilk will never appreciate such an ‘idea of India’ where tokenism becomes futile.

And his contentious tweet comes at a time when Draupadi Murmu is all set to win the Presidential elections. No wonder, Balasaheb Thackeray lamented about sending the ‘idiot’ journalist to Rajya Sabha.

Burning smell noticed in vents of Air India Express Calicut-Dubai flight, diverted to Muscat: DGCA

OpIndia Staff
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Burning smell noticed in vents of Air India Express Calicut-Dubai flight, diverted to Muscat: DGCA

On July 17, it was reported that a Dubai-bound Air India Express aircraft VT-AXX operating flight IX-355 that took off from Calicut was diverted to Muscat after a burning smell was noticed from one of the vents in the forward galley. News Agency ANI reported the incident quoting the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

As per reports, the burning smell was coming from one of the vents in the forward galley. The pilots diverted the plane to Muscat and landed it safely. The investigation into the matter is underway.

This is the latest incident in a series of close shaves during flights in India recently. DGCA further said that on July 16 (Saturday), a Bangkok-bound Ethiopian Airlines aircraft that took off from Addis Ababa had made an emergency landing at Kolkata airport due to a pressurization issue. A day before that, on Friday, a plane of Sri Lankan airlines had made an emergency landing at Chennai airport following a hydraulic issue.

Indigo flight diverted to Karachi

Earlier on July 17, a Sharjah-Hyderabad Indigo flight had to make an emergency landing at Karachi, Pakistan, after the pilot reported a technical snag. As per the latest reports, the replacement aircraft has already reached Karachi, and all 125 passengers will leave for Hyderabad soon.

On July 14, Indigo’s Delhi-Vadodara flight had to make a precautionary landing at Jaipur after vibrations were observed in the engines. On July 5, a SpiceJet flight made an emergency landing in Karachi following a technical glitch.

‘Is it a sin to be a Hindu’: Nambi Narayanan reacts to complaints of his portrayal as a Hindu in his biopic ‘Rocketry: The Nambi Effect’

OpIndia Staff
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‘Is it a sin to be a Hindu’: Nambi Narayanan reacts to complaints of his portrayal as a Hindu in his biopic ‘Rocketry: The Nambi Effect’

Former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan has reacted to criticism of his portrayal as a Hindu in his biopic ‘Rocketry: The Nambi Effect‘, where R. Madhavan is playing his role. A video clip from one of his interviews went viral on social media in which Nambi Narayanan asked if it is a sin to be a Hindu.

‘Rocketry: The Nambi Effect’ was released on 1st July 2022. R Madhavan has written and directed the film. He has also played the lead role of Nambi Narayanan. The liberal and leftist media and film critics have outraged on portraying Nambi Narayanan as a practicing Hindu in this film. In an interview with Deccan Vahini, Nambi Narayanan said, “It is funny sometimes. You know somebody wrote a review saying that Nambi Narayanan is shown as Hindu. Nambi Narayanan is doing some Utsavam, reciting Suprabhatam, this, that, and all kinds of things. He is a Brahmin. He is a Hindu. Hindutva is being shown. I just wanted to ask you – I am a Hindu. I mean I have no shame in saying that. Is it a sin to be a Hindu?”

Nambi Narayanan further said, “When I am a Hindu and my story is shown, they will show me as a Hindu only. They can’t put me as a Muslim or as a Christian. So what is it that we are talking about? Is it a sin to be a Brahmin? I am not a Brahmin, that is a different question. Is it a sin? If there is a Brahmin fellow, you will just cut him short. There are so many Brahmins, who have given their lives for this country. Not just one. I can give you a list. So the point I am making is we are unnecessarily coloring the issue.”

Narayanan made the comments when at the end of the interview, he was asked if has any political ambitions. While he replied that he remains a scientist and he has no interest in joining politics, he opened up about politics being played in his name.

Nambi Narayanan further added that he received support from politicians from two opposite ends of the ideological spectrum, and that matters to him more than any controversy. He said, “We see Narendra Modi as a BJP leader, not as a Prime Minister. For your information, I will tell you. Forget about Narendra Modi. Do you know that the present chief minister of Kerala has given me excellent support? In what way his support is less? He has cut down on the fighting of my case. So you will call me a communist fellow?”

Nambi Narayanan told the journalist, “You are not asking me that question, why because you have some kind of mindset in this. You want to brand me as a BJP person etc. I am just trying to be very frank with you. Maybe I am wrong but you correct yourself either in your future questions or in understanding the issue. Now, tomorrow you will find, I am sure, it may be a Shiv Sena fellow or it may be a party that has nothing to do with me. When they support me, don’t color me with them. I am happy to note, actually speaking, that Narendra Modi and Pinarayi Vijayan both are two extremes. If they both support me, don’t you think I have a reason to be happy? Is it not proving that there is merit in my case? Otherwise, why the hell these people are coming and supporting me? So I am very happy about it and I have no inclination to color myself with that political line.”

It is notable that film critic Anupama Chopra reviewed the film and expressed her objections to showing Nambi Narayanan as a practicing Hindu in this film. She wrote in her review, “It’s admirable that the film has brought Narayanan’s many accomplishments into the spotlight, but the screenplay repeatedly underlines his patriotism and also leans pointedly into his religion. Our first visual of Narayanan is in the puja room at his home. At crucial moments, he prays. Narayanan is a true-blue Hindu patriot.”

Rajasthan: Bhilwara Police arrest five over death threats to man for supporting Nupur Sharma

OpIndia Staff
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Rajasthan: Bhilwara Police arrest five over death threats to man for supporting Nupur Sharma

On July 16, Bhilwara Police in Rajasthan arrested five people for giving death threats to a man identified as Ayush Soni. As per reports, he was receiving ‘sar tan se juda’ threats after he allegedly shared a social media post supporting former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma. He had shared the post on WhatsApp, after which he received these threats.

When Hindu organizations came to know about the death threats given to Soni, they demanded quick and strict action. Protests and bandh were called by the Hindu organizations in Bhilwara. Later on Saturday, the Police arrested five people for threatening Soni, and security was provided to his family.

Earlier, Soni’s mother had sought protection from the Police. In a statement, she said, “We are getting death threats every day ever since my son shared the post. I apologize for the mistake and beg for mercy. Those threatening us said my son would be beheaded.”

Threats to two businessmen in Udaipur

On Sunday, July 17, OpIndia reported that two businessmen had received death threats in the Dhanmandi Police Station area where Kanhaiya Lal was brutally murdered on June 28. They both had received death threats on WhatsApp from an Iranian number. Following the threats, Police was deployed outside their shops and houses.

Murder of Kanhaiya Lal

On June 28, a Hindu tailor named Kanhaiya Lal was brutally beheaded in Udaipur, Rajasthan. He was killed over an alleged social media post in which he had supported Nupur Sharma. As per reports, his neighbour Nazim had filed a complaint against him, following which he was arrested by the Police.

Kanhaiya Lal was later released on bail. Nazim also shared his information on his community’s WhatsApp groups. Kanhaiya continued to receive threats, following which he closed his shop for six days. After Police assured him nothing would happen as there was a compromise between him and those threatening him, he opened the shop on the seventh day. On the same day, two Islamists entered his shop, posed as customers, and killed him.

Another man identified as Umesh Kolhe was killed in Amravati, Maharashtra, for the same reason. Both the cases were handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). So far, multiple reports of similar death threats have come to light since Kanhaiya Lal’s murder.

Times of India columnist romanticises ‘Muslim tailors’ hiding their religious identity, what gives?

Nirwa Mehta
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Times of India columnist romanticises ‘Muslim tailors’ hiding their religious identity, what gives?

Barely weeks after Kanhaiya Lal, a tailor by profession, was beheaded in Rajasthan’s Udaipur by two Muslim men for merely supporting ex-BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma who is getting death threats over allegations of blaspheming against Prophet Muhammad, Times of India has published a column which tries to portray how Muslim tailors in India are rather under threat because of their religious identity.

Kanhaiya Lal’s murderers had released a video where they wielded the butcher’s knives they used to behead him and gloated over how they they avenged the blasphemy. And now, Times of India provides platform to one Rituparna Chatterjee who romanticises Muslim men, tailors specifically, hiding their religious identity because ‘you know why’. Since Chatterjee did not explain ‘why’, one could assume it could be to cheat people? There have been times when Muslim men have hidden their religious identities and lured Hindu women into romantic relationships only to marry and force them to convert to Islam. Since the women are most obvious customers for ladies’ tailors, could ‘love jihad’ or grooming jihad as it is called, be one of the reasons, motivation for the same?

Now, let us go back to Kanhaiya Lal murder. The two men who killed him wore their religious identities on their sleeves. They kept the beard, wore the skull cap. They pretended to be his customers and when he was at his weakest moment, they beheaded him. The man who murdered Kamlesh Tiwari, who was also receiving death threats over allegations of blaspheming against Prophet Muhammad, Ashfaq, had befriended Tiwari by pretending to be ‘Rohit Solanki’ on Facebook. Tell me again why hiding religious identity is romanticised?

Chatterjee starts her column with vivid description of some garment she got fixed and some other blouse with beautiful work. When she saw the sequins work on it, she immediately told her tailor how the work was so good, he cannot be a Hindu. Eh? What kind of person’s first thought on seeing beautiful artwork is whether the person can or cannot be a Hindu! Who does she think constructed the Taj Mahal everyone seems to be in awe of. Islam came to India, the land of Sanatan Dharma, with invaders and if roots of Indian Muslims are traced, highly likely that their ancestors would be Hindus. So quite likely the tailor, who’s seemingly too good with his ‘work’ and ‘cannot be a Hindu’, has Hindu ancestors!

Chatterjee then says how Muslim tailors in India reveal their real religious identities only to those customers they trust. How does this not raise red flags. Chatterjee then moves on from tailors to maids and how many in Mumbai (the place she talked about) keep dual names, and rarely reveal their real religious identity: Muslim. Chatterjee then says how she spoke to many Muslim Uber drivers and they said that if the documentation was not necessary, they would not reveal their religious identity either. Considering how financial fraud accused Washington Post columnist Rana Ayyub confessed in her writeup Gujarat Files that she obtained fake government issued i-card very easily for a ‘sting’, one might now start wondering if the documentation submitted by some might also be fraudulent.

Chatterjee then blames those who wish to have Hindu maids or Hindu cooks. Employer-employee relationship is largely based on trust. If, say the maids or cooks hide their religious identity, they are lying even before getting hired, how does one trust them and well, make sure they won’t behead them at some point.

More than Muslims hiding their religious identity, the fact that this does not concern the likes of Rituparna Chatterjee is what is more troubling. India is home to over 20 crore Muslims. These kind of stories where they are portrayed as ‘Dara hua’ only add to the long line of victimhood. In her bid to make Muslims in India come across as ‘victims of intolerance’, Chatterjee has ended making them appear malicious men and women who lie about their faith.

Because why else, at a time when Hindus are expected to keep their festival celebration subdued so as to not to ‘provoke’ Islamists to pelt stones at them or when judiciary starts speaking about sharia (Islamic law) over constitution, why would the Indian Muslims, who are asserting and wearing their religious identities on their sleeves, need to be shown as such. It is because of people like Chatterjee and the columns like hers that there is an element of distrust about Indian Muslims, who like any other Indian, likely just wants to make a living and survive.

This kind of romanticising of criminal behaviour only makes it worse for rest of the Indian Muslims as it increases the distrust level. ‘Liberals’ are the worst allies Indian Muslims have.

PS: The police administration as well as Home Ministry should take cue from Chatterjee’s article and crackdown on those who are hiding their religious identities and make sure there are no criminal precedence and that they are legitimate citizens of India and not here on fake Aadhaar.

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