On Tuesday, the British Broadcasting News (BBC) published an article on the arrest of Mohammed Zubair, the co-founder of leftist propagandist portal Alt News and indicated falsely that Zubair was arrested for being a ‘vocal critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government’.
In its article, the BBC reported, “Police in India have arrested the co-founder of a fact-checking website who has been a vocal critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government”. The media organization called Zubair ‘a prominent Indian journalist’ and praised AltNews for ‘its diligent work in combating misinformation and fake news.
This is a day after Zubair was arrested by the Delhi Police for sharing hateful and derogatory posts against Hindu Gods and Goddesses and hurting the religious sentiments of the Hindu community. He was arrested based on a complaint filed by a social media user who referred to one of his derogatory tweets from 2018. FIR has been filed under IPC sections 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups) and 295-A (malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings).
“He is known to keep a hawk-eye on hate speech and his Twitter posts on comments made by supporters of the BJP have invited intense backlash”, the report mentioned. Further quoting the opposition leaders, the BBC reported that Zubair’s arrest was ‘a clear attempt by the Hindu-nationalist government to clamp down on those who expose hate speech’.
Notably, Zubair had taken a statement out of context from a TV debate and had released it on social media targeting ex-BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma. His tweet had forced an army of trolls and Islamist protesters to act against Sharma and demand her death. Severe Islamist protests influenced by Zubair’s tweet against Sharma disturbed the law and order and peace in the Indian cities of Kanpur, Prayagraj, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Solapur (Maharashtra), Ludhiana (Punjab), Belagavi (Karnataka), and also in the states of West Bengal and Jharkhand.
The BBC on June 28 reported that after the episode of Nupur Sharma’s alleged ‘blasphemous’ remarks, the Hindu nationalists have deliberately drawn attention to past comments made by Zubair and demanded that he be prosecuted for hurting their religious feelings.
Similarly, the New York Times which usually hires anti-Hindu, anti-Modi candidates even for an entry-level job, reported the false reason behind Zubair’s arrest. It claimed that the alleged ‘fact-checker’ was arrested for being a critic of PM Narendra Modi. Quoting a few leftists, journalists, and opposition leaders, the New York Times reported, “The detention of Mr. Zubair is part of a broad crackdown on critics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party’s Hindu nationalist worldview”.
The Indian authorities arrested Mohammed Zubair, the co-founder of a fact-checking website, in what journalists and activists say is part of a broad crackdown on critics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party’s Hindu nationalist worldview. https://t.co/DECYVDWYyA
— New York Times World (@nytimesworld) June 28, 2022
For years now, the New York Times has been accused of being brazenly Hinduphobic and anti-Modi in the content that is published on its website. Earlier, it had provided its platform to propagandist Kunal Kamra to peddle the anti-Modi propaganda, had used coronavirus pandemic to propagate Hinduphobia and had also targeted PM Modi through spinning a web of lies about Citizenship Amendment Act. It reaffirmed its hate for PM Modi and the Hindu religion on June 29 by reporting false reason behind Zubair’s arrest.
Zubair was arrested on June 27 for posting derogatory remarks against Hindu Gods and Goddesses. In the year 2018, he tweeted an image of the hotel named ‘Honeymoon Palace’ and blatantly replaced its name with ‘Hanuman Palace’, hurting the religious sentiments of the Hindus. Stating the same reason, the BBC also mocked the incident and blatantly termed Lord Hanuman as ‘the Hindu monkey god’.
Reportedly, Zubair’s arrest comes weeks after his old social media posts mocking and insulting Hindu Gods and Goddesses had gone viral on the internet, following which he deleted his Facebook account and pulled down the controversial tweets.
Marathi Actress Ketaki Chitale who was arrested for allegedly posting derogatory comments about NCP Supremo Sharad Pawar revealed on Tuesday that she was molested by the NCP workers while she was in the Police custody. Claiming that she did not speak about Sharad Pawar in the first place, she slammed the MVA government for misusing the power against her.
“I did not speak about Sharad Pawar. I was unlawfully picked up from my house without any prior notice, without any statement. I was molested by the NCP workers during the police custody”, she said in an exclusive interview with Times Now.
I was unlawfully picked up from my house without any prior notice, without any statement. I was molested during police custody by NCP workers: Ketaki Chitale, Actor@thenewshour AGENDA @PadmajaJoshipic.twitter.com/JGklSFZUgg
She stated that there was no claim regarding Sharad Pawar in the entire post that she had shared on social media. “It is the NCP workers who interpreted that the post was about Sharad Pawar and filed more than 20 cases against me”, the actress said adding that the wrong interpretation by the NCP workers about the post was enough to showcase their ‘trust’ in NCP supremo’s leadership. “Are NCP workers trying to say that whatever the poem was written accordingly, whoever this Pawar was, is the same as Mr Sharad Pawar is? Are they agreeing that Sharad Pawar is like that”, she questioned the NCP workers.
Ketaki Chitale further narrated the incident that occurred on the day she was arrested. She said that the NCP female workers threw black toxic chemicals at her in the name of black ink. “They molested me in the public. I was wearing a saree that day. They didn’t pull my clothes, they molested me. My saree pallu was forcefully pulled and they were hitting me from everywhere”, she said.
Adding to her ordeal, she said that when she complained against the NCP workers, the Police refused to do so. “No complaint was filed by the Police against the NCP workers. They were set free. The people who molested me were not low-level NCP workers, one of them has plans to contest the upcoming elections. They all are in good positions. They also had hit the Police inside the Police station which is unlawful”, she added.
The actress, meanwhile, slammed the opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, Mahua Moitra, Jairam Ramesh, Shashi Tharoor, Owaisi, Derek O’Brien, organizations like Amnesty India, Digipub, and a few journalists like Rana Ayub, Arfa Khanum Sherwani, etc for selectively raising their voices. She referred to the recent arrest of Mohammed Zubair, the co-founder of leftist propagandist portal Alt News and said that the opposition leaders and journalists had spoken up against Zubair’s arrest but opted to remain silent when she was arrested. “Zubair is a hero and I am not. Is this justice?” the actress pondered.
She also slammed arrested Zubair for running the Altnews as an NGO. “Altnews is registered under section 8 of the Companies Act. It is an NGO. Where does it get funds from? How are they used? How can exposing fake news be a social service”, she said. She also added that Zubair must face the same consequences as faced by her or Nupur Sharma. “Either everyone should be free or everyone must face the same consequences”, she said.
The 29-year-old actress was arrested on May 15 for a Facebook post where she had shared a verse, allegedly written on Pawar, calling him a person who hates Brahmins. Soon after the post was shared, the actress got several cases registered against her under charges of defamation and promoting enmity between two groups. A case under the SC-ST Act had also been filed against her. The cases were filed in multiple police stations in Mumbai and its suburbs.
She was granted relief in the FIRs lodged against her on June 28 when the Bombay High Court ruled that police should not take any coercive action against her. She was charged under sections 500 (defamation), 501 (printing or engraving matter known to be defamatory), 505 (2) (making, publishing, or circulating any statement, rumour, or report promoting enmity, hatred, or ill will between classes), 153 A (spreading disharmony among people), of the Indian Penal Code. The complaints noted that the post was likely to cause conflict between political parties.
A day after tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur was brutally beheaded by Islamists for supporting Nupur Sharma, the union govt has handed over the case to to the NIA. The Home Minister Amit Shah’s Office (HMO) today issued a statement that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has directed National Investigation Agency (NIA) to take over the case of Kanhaiya Lal’s murder. In a tweet, HMO said, “MHA has directed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to take over the investigation of the brutal murder of Shri Kanhaiya Lal Teli committed at Udaipur, Rajasthan yesterday. The involvement of any organisation and international links will be thoroughly investigated.”
MHA has directed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to take over the investigation of the brutal murder of Shri Kanhaiya Lal Teli committed at Udaipur, Rajasthan yesterday.
The involvement of any organisation and international links will be thoroughly investigated.
— गृहमंत्री कार्यालय, HMO India (@HMOIndia) June 29, 2022
Accordingly, a team of NIA officers already have been rushed to Udaipur in Rajasthan. Reportedly, the NIA team includes a Deputy Inspector General (DIG)-rank officer. The probe tram is likely to file a case under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act after visiting the crime spot. The case is going to be considered as a terrorism case.
Murder of Kanhaiya Lal
On June 28, a Hindu man named Kanhaiya Lal was brutally murdered in Udaipur, Rajasthan, over an alleged post in favour of former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma. The post was allegedly made by accident from Kanhaiya Lal’s phone by his 8-years-old son while playing a video game. Kanhaiya Lal was arrested for making the post after his neighbour Nazim filed a complaint about the same.
After getting released on bail, Kanhaiya Lal continued to receive threats. He noticed 5-7 people, including Nazim, continuously did Recee of his shop, and he was threatened not to open his tailoring shop. Kanhaiya Lal approached Police for legal action against those who were threatening him and requested Police protection so that he could open the shop.
The Police, instead of arresting those who were threatening him and providing proteciton to Kanhaiya, called them and made them sign a compromise agreement. Kanhaiya Lal had submitted another application on the same day that he did not want legal action following the compromise. Scared for his life, Kanhaiya Lal kept his shop shut for six days. On the 7th day, when he opened his shop, he was brutally murdered by two Islamists identified as Mohammed Riyaz Akhtar and Mohammed Gos. Notably, Kanhaiya Lal’s photograph, address and other information were distributed by Nazim and others. They had urged their community members to kill Kanhaiya Lal if they see him the open or he opened his shop.
Questions are being raised about Police inaction over Kanhaiya Lal’s complaint as no protection was provided to him despite continuous threats to life. Both murders have been arrested by the Police.
On June 28, a Hindu tailor named Kanhaiya Lal was brutally murdered by two Islamists identified as Mohammed Riyaz Akhtar and Mohammed Gos for an alleged post in support of former spokesperson of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Nupur Sharma. It has now come to light that his name, photograph and location were leaked and made viral by his neighbour Nazim who had also filed a complaint against Kanhaiya Lal for the alleged post.
On June 15, 2022, five days after the initial complaint by Nazim, Kanhaiyal had approached Police for legal action and had sought protection. In his application to the Police, he said few days prior to the complaint, his son accidentally shared a post on Facebook while playing games on his mobile phone. Two days after the post was made, two men approached him at his shop and demanded to see his phone. They told him about the post, to which Kanhaiya Lal replied that he did not know how to operate the phone, and his son used it to play games. They deleted the post and warned him not to repeat it.
Copy of complaint filed by Kanhaiya Lal on June 15. Source: InfinityTarun/Twitter
On June 11, 2022, he received a call from the Dhanmandi Police station about a complaint filed against him. He was called to the Police station, and upon reaching there, he found that the complaint was filed against him by his neighbour Nazim. He told Lal that the complaint was filed under pressure by his community. Nazim also claimed he knew Lal did not know how to operate the phone and could not have shared the post.
Copy of complaint filed by Kanhaiya Lal on June 15. Source: InfinityTarun/Twitter
Later, Lal found out that Nazim and five other people from his community were doing Reece of his shop. They did not let him open the shop. He alleged in his complaint that five to seven people kept doing reece at his shop and would have killed him if he had opened the shop.
Kanhaiya Lal further alleged in his complaint that Nazim and others leaked his information, including his photograph and address, in their community groups. They allegedly provoked the members of the community that if they saw Kanhaiya Lal anywhere or if he opened a shop, they should kill him. He said, “They are pressuring me not to open my shop. If I open my shop, they will kill me.”
He requested Police to help him open his shop and provide protection.
Police allegedly ignored his plea
Reports suggest that the Police did not provide security on Kanhaiya Lal’s plea. ASI Bhanwarlal called those who were threatening him and had initiated a ‘compromise’ between Kanhaiya Lal and the others. He told Lal nothing would happen as there was a compromise between Lal and the other party. He told Lal to take care and inform the Police if he suspected anything.
Lal also submitted a letter to Police that as there was a compromise, he did not want any legal action against the five. Now, after Kanhaiya Lal has been killed, ASI Bhanwarlal has been suspended, and ADG Law and Order Hawasingh Ghumaria said they would question the five who signed a compromise agreement regarding how the incident took place despite the compromise.
Copy of application filed by Kanhaiya Lal on June 15 stating he did not want legal action. Source: AdityaRajKaul/Twitter
Questions raised on the inaction of Rajasthan Police and administration
Questions are being raised about the inaction of the Rajasthan Police in the matter. Executive Editor TV9 Network, Aditya Raj Kaul raised several questions on the inaction of the Rajasthan Police. He questioned why security was not given to Kanhaiya Lal. Further, why those 5-7 Islamists who were threatening Lal were not arrested by the Police. He also questioned why the Rajasthan government failed to fix the responsibility of the cops who did not act timely. He questioned if there was political pressure to save the culprits.
1) Why did Rajasthan Police not give #KanhaiyaLal security?
2) Why were those 5-7 Islamist radicals not arrested for threatening him?
3) Why has Rajasthan Govt not fixed responsibility and acted against the cops who didn’t act?
Kashmiri Hindus were similarly betrayed by their own neighbours
The way Kanhaiya Lal’s location was leaked, the way he was threatened, and the way he was have been murdered are quite similar to what had happened to Kashmiri Hindus during the exodus. It is very much similar to the brutal murder from 1990 when terrorists had come searching for engineer BK Ganjoo, who had hidden in a rice barrel. He would have been alive today had his location not been disclosed to the terrorists by his own neighbours. He was shot dead by the terrorists who fired multiple rounds at the rice barrel allowing the blood to drip out of the container. The rice soaked in the blood was then forcefully fed to Ganjoo’s wife. The incident was also depicted in the film The Kashmir Files.
Another victim Girija Tickoo was also called by her colleagues to collect her paycheck. As per reports, her movements were informed to local Islamists and Tickoo was kidnapped from a colleague’s home, to be tortured and later cut into pieces with a saw.
Hours after the brutal murder of a tailor named Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur, Rajasthan Police in the city declared a curfew and imposed prohibitory orders banning people from assembling in the area. The Police imposed section 144 and also suspended the internet service in a bid to avoid the escalation of the communal tensions.
According to the reports, section 144 has been imposed across the state for a month whereas the internet services have been suspended for the next 24 hours. The Police declared the curfew at 8 pm on June 28, hours after Kanhaiya Lal was murdered by the Islamists.
Two Islamists identified as Mohammed Riyaz Akhatari and another Mohammed brutally murdered the tailor in the broad fay light for supporting ex-BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma for her alleged ‘blasphemous’ remarks. Reports mention that Kanhaiya Lal was being threatened previously for sharing a social media post in support of Sharma. He continued to receive death threats since his 8-year-old son had shared the post from Kanhaiya Lal’s mobile.
Reportedly, the Police had also arrested Kanhaiya Lal in the past for his social media support to Sharma. Even after arresting Kanhaiya Lal, the murderers were threatening to intimidate him and kill him. On this, the victim had informed the Dhan mandi police station and requested protection but the police did not take the matter seriously.
On Tuesday, the Islamist assailants who have published videos claiming responsibility for their action found an opportunity to behead the tailor in the name of ‘Allah’. The incident took place near the Bhoot Mahal on Maldas Street in Udaipur. The duo was arrested from the neighboring district of Rajsamand.
Soon after the brutal murder, violence broke out in several parts of the state where the furious mob pelted the stones at the state police. Two motorcycles were also set on fire in the Hathipole area of Udaipur. Reports mention that 2 youngsters and a Police personnel were injured in the stone-pelting.
Meanwhile, the Police have also asked the cyber police stations across the city to intensify social media monitoring and flag posts, images, and videos with the potential to inflame communal tension. The Police have issued prohibitory orders and have banned gathering of more than four or five persons across the state for a month. Internet services have also been suspended for the next 24 hours.
The HMO has initiated NIA investigation in the case.
While the world talks about tolerance, freedom of expression and liberal views, fundamental Muslims have taken to the opposite direction, with an increase in violence against alleged blasphemy that allegedly includes insults to Islam and Prophet Mohammed. Islamic literature and interpretations of the Quran have prompted to avenge the criticism or visual depiction of the Prophet, in the wake of Jihad. According to scholars, particularly the Hadiths from Nasai and Sunan Abu Daud, have supported punishment for Blasphemy while narrating that a Jewish woman slave was killed by her master for her repeated blasphemous behaviour against the Prophet. According to the story, when this was brought before Prophet, he declared no retaliation against the master.
Islamic juridical texts have also prescribed death punishment for blasphemy and are ‘agreed by all Islamic scholars of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama’ah’ as claimed by Mufti Obaidullah Qasmi from Deoband. In modern-day parlance, however, avenging the acts of blasphemy by killing the blasphemer is the only rule of law. In the countries of the Indian Subcontinent and Africa where the state has often surrendered before Islamist fundamentalism, ‘gustakh-e-Rasool ki ek hi saza, sar tan se juda sar tan se juda’ is a war cry often justified. In Islamic nations like Pakistan, Iran etc, people are executed or jailed for years for alleged blasphemy, if not already killed by Islamist mobs before arrested by police.
On the occasion of the death anniversary of Prophet Mohammed on June 8, here are ten most well known murders by Islamist mobs due to alleged ‘Blasphemy’ which have rocked the world.
Kamlesh Tiwari
On 18th October 2019, unknown assailants brutally stabbed and then shotd former Hindu Mahasabha leader Kamlesh Tiwari who had earlier spent 9 months in jail over his comments on Prophet Muhammad. Tiwari was killed in his office-cum-residence in Lucknow after a group of Islamists barged in to punish him for his comments on Prophet Muhammad made in 2015. One of the most heinous murders that were fanned citing ‘blasphemy’, Tiwari was shot and his throat was slit by the murderers.
The post-mortem report revealed that the Hindu leader was stabbed 15 times while The attackers had also shot a bullet into his face to make sure that he dies in the attack. Chargesheet filed by an SIT in the case named 13 accused under charges of murder, criminal conspiracy and violating the arms act. A Bareilly cleric, Sayyed Kaifi Ali, was arrested by the ATS on charges of helping the accused. A Delhi-based lawyer named Mohammad Naved Siddiqui was arrested for allegedly providing logistical support and helping the murderers hide.
Salman Taseer
Pakistani politician and former Governor of Punjab, Salman Taseer was gunned down in 2011 after coming in support of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman who was charged to be executed for alleged blasphemy. Taseer, publically in a press conference, had appealed to the then Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari to pardon the woman’s sentence citing that such laws had no place in the modern world.
Taseer believed that Asia Bibi was a poor Christian woman and the sentence against her was a crime against humanity. Over his public position outrightly condemning blasphemy law in Pakistan, Salman Taseer was assassinated by his bodyguard Mumtaz Qadri in January 2011. While the celebratory killing over ‘blasphemy’ was not enough, that Taseer’s assassin Qadri was instantly held as a hero for upholding the Jihadist cause.
Since then Mumtaz Qadri has garnered significant support from the Pakistani masses. It should be noted that he also has a shrine in his name. Qadri had gunned down Taseer in 2011 and his followers, to this day, believe that he has earned a place for himself next to Prophet Muhammad. The Pakistani court went further in awarding death sentence to Asia Bibi, the first woman to receive the death penalty in the country.
Samuel Paty
In November 2020, a high-school teacher Samuel Paty was beheaded by an Islamic terrorist in Paris in France for allegedly showing caricatures of the Prophet of Islam to his students. A Muslim youth stabbed his 47-year-old teacher in his throat while shouting “Allahu Akbar”. The attacks occurred in the suburb of Conflans-Saint-Honorine, northwest of Paris.
The victim was a history-geography professor, who had shown his students cartoons of the Prophet of Islam from Charlie Hebdo during a class debate on freedom of expression. This had sparked complaints from a number of parents and one of them had lodged a complaint against the teacher. After that, a Islamist Terrorist had beheaded the teacher near his school in Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron had called the incident as an “Islamist terror attack” and urged the nation to unite. He said the victim was murdered because he was a teacher and taught freedom of expression.
Days after the barbaric beheading of teacher Samuel Paty on the streets of Paris, the locals projected huge images of Charlie Hebdo cartoons and the images of Samuel Paty on a local government building as a symbolic tribute to the deceased teacher. The terror attack in Paris had prompted a strong response from the French government, including banning of radical Islamic organisations that expressed support to the terrorist and dissolving radical Islamist organisations in the country.
Mahashay Rajpal
In the 1920s’ communal riot-stricken undivided India, the Muslim community published two particularly offensive books to Hindus – “Krishna teri geeta jalani padegi” used derogatory and vulgar language against Shri Krishna and other Hindu deities whereas “Unniseevi sadi ka Maharshi” contained offensive remarks on Arya Samaj founder Swami Dayanand Saraswati (incidentally written by an Ahmadi).
To respond to this literary provocation, Pandit Chamupati Lal, wrote a short biography of the Islamic Prophet, Mohammed. Titled “Rangeela Rasool” this short pamphlet was published by Mahashay Rajpal from his publishing House ‘Rajpal and Sons’ in Punjab. The book was a satirical take on the domestic life of the Prophet. Because of the sensitive nature of the pamphlet, Pandit Chamupati made Mahashay Rajpal promise that he would never reveal the name of the author. It was published anonymously under the name “doodh ka doodh aur panee ka panee”.
A news article in a Lahore daily reported the death of Mahashay Rajpal in 1929.
Though historically accurate and written after due research of hadiths, this caused outrage among the Muslims of Lahore. The primary organized opposition to the judgement was driven by the Khilafatists and the Ahmadis. Ahmadis printed posters in several cities urging a total economic boycott of Hindus in response to the perceived insult to their prophet.
While the first edition was quickly sold out, the British govt had banned it in June 1924 before the second edition could be printed. Subsequently, Muslims had filed a criminal case against Mahashay Rajpal.
During the trial, he was offered to give up the name of the real author of Rangeela Rasool and go scot-free, but he declined it and upheld his promise. In legal proceedings that lasted close to three years, in May 1927 Mahashay Rajpal was acquitted of all charges. The judge contended that Sec. 153A does not prohibit historical analysis of ‘prophets’ of different religions and if it were to be so applied, works of serious historians could also be subject to it.
There were massive protests by Muslims against this verdict and riots had broken out various places. There were calls for his murder by Muslim groups, saying that the punishment for insulting the prophet is death and it is legally permissible under Sharia to kill those who insult the prophet. As a result, there were several attempts on the life of Mahashay Rajpal. Finally on April 6th, 1929 a 19-year-old carpenter named Ilm Ud Din stabbed Mahashay Rajpal on his chest eight times in an attack in which he lost his life.
Deborah Samuel
In a recent shocking incident from Nigeria, a Christian student, Deborah Samuel was beaten to death by an Islamic mob over an allegation of blasphemy in her college in the northwestern region of Sokoto. The violent mob, which comprised of her fellow college mates in a WhatsApp group, was upset over some of her comments and had declared her a ‘blasphemer’.
The victim who studied in the Shehu Shagari College of Education in Sokoto State faced an ire after her comment after someone had shared an Islamic post in the college Whatsapp group. Deborah had objected to religious content being shared in a college WhatsApp group. What followed was a brutal assault on the girl by a mob that comprised of male Muslim students of the college who mercilessly beat, stoned Deborah to death and then burned her body.
In a separate video, her killers proudly admit to their crime while chanting “Allahu Ahkbar”. One of them brandishes the matchbox with which he lit her corpse on fire, while the body continues to burn in the background… pic.twitter.com/DsAq8LEaJh
Deborah’s killers who had taken it upon themselves to take a ‘revenge’ for blasphemy, shot a video of themselves executing the brutal murder and proudly admitted for doing the same. Deborah’s killers could be seen shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ and showing off the matchbox with which they burned her battered corpse and rejoicing in the violent deed. The state had given up on protecting the victim helplessly after the mob turned violent.
It should be noted that the Sokoto state which lies in northern Nigeria, is heavily Muslim dominated. It was brought under the Islamic Sharia law in 1999.
Safoora Bibi
A teacher in Pakistan, Safoora Bibi, was killed earlier this on the allegation of blasphemy. It all started when three teachers from the Jamia Islamia Falahul Binaat seminary in Pakistan’s Dera Ismail Khan accused one of their colleagues of committing blasphemy in an argument. As the spat went out of the way, a woman stabbed the victim, Safoora Bibi with a knife before slitting her throat.
Teacher at a madrassa in Dera Ismail Khan murdered by her colleagues over allegations of blasphemy as seen in a dream. pic.twitter.com/YRgKKuS1xB
In the Police statement, the three accused women disclosed that one of their relatives, a thirteen-year-old girl, had seen in her dream that the Prophet had revealed that Safoora Bibi had committed blasphemy against him. Apparently, the Prophet also ordered them to slaughter the victim, as seen by the girl in her dream. The three accused women, who taught at the seminary “materialised the dream seen by the fourth one,” according to Police reports.
Kishan Bharwad
Kishan Bharwad, a youth from Gujarat’s Dhandhuka, was shot and killed by two bike-borne assailants on January 25, 2022, after he published a social media post with a visual image of Prophet Muhammad. Kishan had shared a video which showed an image of Prophet Muhammad. 27-year-old Kishan Boliya was shot dead by radicalised men inspired by maulanas (Islamic religious leaders) who instigated them to carry out the jihadi activity of killing a man who had ‘blasphemed’.
At least six clerics have been arrested across India in the aftermath of Kishan Bharwad’s murder. So far, eight persons have been arrested in connection with the case. While many agencies are looking into the matter, it is believed that Bharwad’s death was part of a broader conspiracy hatched with tentacles in Pakistan.
Harsha
On the night of February 20, Bajrang Dal activist Harsha was stabbed to death near a petrol bunk in the Shivamogaa district of Karnataka. A tailor by occupation, Harsha was a member of the Hindu organisation, Bajrang Dal, and was seen sporting saffron shawls to demand uniformity in the dress code of schools and colleges during the Karnataka Burqa controversy.
FIR registered against Facebook page ‘Mangalore Muslims’ for defending Harsha murder
While the primary investigation into the case has noted that the killing of Harsha was because of his fierce stand against wearing the Burqa at college campuses, an Islamist page ‘Mangalore Muslims’ on Facebook in 2015, had threatened Harsha with physical harm for his remarks on Prophet Muhammad. The post read, “Harsha, a member of Hindutva terrorist group, has put out objectionable posts targeting Prophet Mohammad and Allah and has shared morphed images of holy Kaaba on social media platforms. We request the people of Shivamogga to file a case against him in the nearest police station and also give “proper treatment” to him.”
Many social media fatwas were declared against Harsha for allegedly committing Blasphemy.
Priyantha Kumara Diyawadana
In Pakistan’s Sialkot, a Sri Lankan man Priyantha Kumara was tortured and burnt to death by an irate Islamist mob that believed rumours of blasphemy. The victim was a general manager at Rajko Industries in Sialkot, a company that makes T20 gears for the Pakistani cricket team.
The GM of Rajko Industries in Sialkot, who was a Sri Lankan, was killed and set on fire by the people of the factory. The G.M allegedly tore the poster of Holy Prophet (PBUH) and threw it in the trash. May allah enlightened us the path of Hidayat ?#Sialkot#Rajkoindustriespic.twitter.com/EKIUTWJvIC
The Srilankan man was killed and set on fire by the people of his factory over the rumours that he allegedly tore the poster of Holy Prophet (PBUH) and threw it in the trash. workers of private factories attacked the export manager of a factory and burnt his body after killing him. In a video that went viral, the irate mob can be heard chanting “Nara e Taqbeer” and “Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah”. Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah essentially means “Here I am at your service, Oh the Messenger of Allah”. Other slogans that could be heard as the fanatics burnt the man to death were ‘gustakh-e-nabi ki ek hi saza, sar tan se juda sar tan se juda’.
Charlie Hebdo killings
The most well known and heinous murder by Islamists over alleged blasphemy is the Charlie Hebdo killings, when the terrorists has barged into the office of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and opened fire on the staff. The incident happened on January 2015, when Islamist terrorists had gunned down 12 people in and around the Charlie Hebdo offices for publishing caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. Charlie Hebdo, a satirical newspaper, had published cartoons that depicted Muhammad, which is strictly prohibited in Islam. Offended by Charlie Hebdo’s actions, two Islamic terrorists attacked the office of Hebdo in 2015 and killed 12 people and 11 injured. The terrorists had stated that the attack was an act of revenge for depicting the Prophet Mohammad.
The terror attack led to the deaths of twelve people and in subsequent days, a policewoman and four Jews were murdered. The event was a watershed moment in recognizing the threats posed by Islamism and religious fundamentalism that goes unchallenged by puritanical translation of ancient Hadiths in the modern world.
Charlie Hebdo was unfazed by the attack, and continues to publish material that can offend followers of various religions, including Islam. In 2020, the publication had republished the cartoon that had led to the killings.
Kanhaiya Lal
On June 28, in Rajasthan’s Udaipur, a Hindu man named Kanhaiya Lal was brutally hacked to death with sharp weapons by two Islamists named Mohammed Riyaz Akhatar and Mohammad Gos for sharing a social media post in support of ex-BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma who was hounded by Islamists for her statement on the life of Prophet Muhammad.
Kanhaiya Lal, a tailor by profession, was in his shop when the two assailants entered as customers, while the victim took measurements, the murderers brutally struck his neck, killing him execution-style, while filming the entire incident on camera.
The murderers had then also shared a video boasting how they had killed Kanhaiya Lal, brandishing their knives and declaring that they would kill PM Narendra Modi in a similar manner. Kanhaiya Lal had been receiving threats of murder from Islamists for days because of a social media post that was shared accidentally by his minor son. He was also arrested by the police. Despite reporting to the police that his life is under threat, he was not given protection. Hours after the gruesome incident, the murderers were arrested from Rajasamand district.
On June 28, a Hindu man named Kanhaiya Lal was brutally beheaded in Udaipur for an alleged post on social media in support of former spokesperson of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Nupur Sharma. The two Islamists who murdered the poor tailor Kanhaiya Lal in broad daylight made a video of the murder and published it on social media, stating they had killed him as he had insulted Prophet Muhammad.
They also threatened to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a similar manner, brandishing their knives with glee on their faces.
The killers, identified as Mohammed Riyaz Akhtar and Mohammed Gos, were arrested within hours of the incident, but by then, an older video of one of the killers also went viral where he had talked about ‘killing the ones who commit blasphemy’. He also provoked other Islamists to kill anyone who dares to insult Islam.
Notably, after the said post, a complaint was filed against Kanhaiya Lal by his neighbour. He was arrested for the same but later released on bail. He was receiving continuous threats from Islamists, and he had approached the Police for protection. However, the Police ignored his plea. As per reports earlier, Police had called a few Islamists who had been threatening Kanhaiya Lal and made them sign an agreement stating they would not act on the threats. The Police allegedly used the agreement signed between Kanhaiya Lal and the other side as an excuse to ignore his plea for security.
The statement by the Police over a series of events
The Police said a case was filed against Kanhaiya Lal for the alleged post on June 10. HS Ghumariya, ADG Law and Order, said, “On June 10, a case was filed against victim Kanhaiya Lal for propagating objectionable remarks made against (Prophet) Muhammad. He was arrested and bailed out. On June 15, he complained of a death threat, Police took action and called the concerned party threatening him.”
On June 15, matter was resolved b/w both parties (Kanhaiya Lal &concerned people from Muslim community)threatening him.They reached a compromise in writing that misunderstanding has been cleared.We’ll now probe concerned people on why the matter escalated: HS Ghumariya, ADG (L&O) pic.twitter.com/KgXyp4usfs
He added, “On June 15, the matter was resolved between both parties (Kanhaiya Lal and concerned people from the Muslim community) threatening him. They reached a compromise in writing that the misunderstanding had been cleared. We’ll now probe concerned people on why the matter escalated.”
For six days, Kanhaiya Lal did not open the shop as he knew he was being watched. After six days, he opened his tailor shop, and on the same day, he was killed by the two Islamists. The Police will now question the people who had signed the agreement of compromise and why the incident took place.
Notably, the incident has a striking similarity with the brutal murder of Kishan Bharwad.
The murder of Kishan Bharwad
On January 25, 2022, Kishan Bharwad, a Dhandhuka (Ahmedabad) youth, was shot dead by two bike-borne assailants for a social media post about Prophet Muhammad. Notably, Islamists take offence if someone publishes an image of the Prophet Muhammad, and it is considered an act of blasphemy.
Islamists reached the Police station in the form of a large mob and pressured the Police to take action against Kishan. When Kishan reached the Police station, he was beaten up by the mob. His father alleged some Police personnel also joined the mob to beat him. Kishan was made to apologise.
Just like in the case of Kanhaiya Lal, things did not calm down even after Kishan’s apology. He was later arrested by the Police under Islamist pressure. On the same day, Kishan’s wife gave birth to a daughter. Kishan, who would have been proud to become the father of a baby girl, never got a chance to see her.
A day later, his father arranged bail for him, and Kishan was sent away to live with his uncle for a few days. In desperation to see his little child, Kishan left his uncle’s house with his cousin on a bike to another uncle’s house. At 4 PM, he came back and at 5:30 PM, he was assassinated by the Islamists.
Investigation revealed a racket led by a maulvi to murder anyone who allegedly commits blasphemy. Multiple arrests were made, and the matter is sub-judice.
The similarities between Kishan and Kanhaiya Lal’s murders
In both Kishan and Kanhaiya Lal cases, the deceased had apologised for the social media posts. They both were jailed and later got bail. Both Kishan and Kanhaiya Lal received death threats. Even after apologising, their lives never went back to normal. For days they tried to escape death, but in the end, they were brutally murdered for mere social media posts, because some people considered it ‘blasphemy’.
In every such case, no matter if it happened in India or elsewhere, once a target has been set by the Islamists on anyone for alleged blasphemy, his or her life can never become ‘normal’. It either ends with lifelong ‘looking over the shoulder’ or death. Take the case of late Kamlesh Tiwari. He was killed by the Islamists years after the alleged blasphemy, for which he had spent substantial time in jail as well.
In France, the alleged blasphemy by Charlie Hebdo continues to cause deaths. The office of Charlie Hebdo was attacked, and multiple people were killed. Last year, in connection to the case, a schoolteacher was killed by an Islamist for allegedly showing the ‘cartoon’ made by Charlie Hebdo magazine that had caused the controversy in his classroom.
In Pakistan, Madarsa teachers kill their colleagues ‘because Prophet told them in a dream that she is committing blasphemy and ordered her murder’. It is not something that had happened decades ago, but it is a recent incident that happened in March of this year.
Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has written to the state assembly and called for a special session on June 30, Thursday. The only agenda of the session is trust vote against Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has written to state Assembly secretary to convene a special session of the State Assembly on June 30, with the only agenda of a trust vote against CM Uddhav Thackeray pic.twitter.com/9M5htIIE9R
The rebel Shiv Sena MLAs who have been camping in Guwahati hotel in Assam are expected to leave for Maharashtra to be present in the Assembly tomorrow morning. Earlier in the day, the rebel MLAs visited the Kamakhya temple and offered prayers. Eknath Shinde, the Shiv Sena MLA who is leading the rebel MLAs said that they will return to Mumbai tomorrow and take part in the floor test while following all protocols.
The floor test will be conducted at 11 AM tomorrow and is to be concluded by 5 PM the same day. This came after Devendra Fadnavis, leader of opposition in Maharashtra Assembly approached the Governor along with 8 Independent MLAs and demanded a floor test.
On Tuesday, CM Uddhav Thackeray appealed to the rebel MLAs to come for talks. This comes days after Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut had threatened that the corpses of rebel MLAs would come to Mumbai instead. The Maharashtra crisis has reached the Supreme Court with plea filed by breakaway Shiv Sena group challenging disqualification proceedings against Shinde and 15 other rebel MLAs. The SC has deferred the disqualification till July 11.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena has questioned the Governor’s move for the floor test. Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi claimed the floor test was contempt of court since the disqualification of rebel MLAs has been deferred. Shinde, however, had said that the deferring of disqualification was a win for Hindutva of Balasaheb Thackeray and ideas of Anand Dighe.
Ex-BJP leader Naveen Jindal said on Wednesday that he got beheading threat with the video of Udaipur incident attached in an email from one Akbar Alam who threatened that he will come and cut his head off.
आज सुबह क़रीब 6:43 बजे मुझको तीन ईमेल आयी है, जिसमें #उदयपुर में भाई कन्हैया लाल की गर्दन काटने का विडियो अटैच करते हुए मेरी और मेरे परिवार की भी ऐसी गर्दन काटने की धमकी दी गई है मैंने PCR को सूचना दे दी है।@DCPEastDelhi@CellDelhi@CPDelhi तुरंत संज्ञान ले। pic.twitter.com/rhzyLbbdNg
— Naveen Kumar Jindal ?? (@naveenjindalbjp) June 29, 2022
Jindal shared screenshots of the threatening email he received at 6:43 AM. In the same, one Akbar Alam had called Jindal a terrorist and said how next is his turn and he will come and slit his throat. In next mail sent a minute later, Akbar Alam had added more abuses and asked him to watch the video to see how his fate would be.
Both emails had the viral video of Udaipur Hindu man Kanhaiya Lal being beheaded by Islamists. Kanhaiyalal was beheaded after he had extended support to ex-BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma. Sharma has been on the receiving end of death and rape threats since a month now after a clip from a Times Now debate where she asked her Muslim co-panelist if she could make fun of their God would be okay, the way Hindu gods were being mocked. During the course of the debate, she made some remarks on Prophet Muhammad which are stated in the Islamic scriptures. Islamist apologist website Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair had shared that particular portion calling names to Sharma, thereby instigating an online mob to send her threats.
Eventually, fatwas were issued and bounty announced on head of Sharma. After that, for over two weeks various violent incidents took place, especially after Jumma Namaz where Islamists called for Sharma’s beheading. In bengaluru, an effigy was hanged from a crane with Sharma’s photo, Taliban-style, to send out a message.
After Sharma’s debate, ex-BJP leader Naveen Jindal had also made some comments on Prophet Muhammad. Mohammed Zubair had also shared those screenshots and instigated an online mob against Jindal as well who has been getting threats since.
While BJP suspended Sharma and expelled Jindal, the threats against the two have not stopped. People who have been supporting the two have also been targeted and as we have seen, one man was beheaded for now supporting Sharma.
In a video message, Jindal has said that he has informed Delhi Police regarding the threats he received.
Kanhaiya Lal, a Hindu tailor, beheaded in Udaipur for supporting Nupur Sharma
On Tuesday, multiple videos had gone viral on social media where two Islamists can be seen going to Kanhaiya Lal’s shop pretending to be customers. When he was taking measurements, suddenly one of them attacked him with knives. Seconds later, he was lying dead in a pool of blood.
In another video released by the two men who were seen attacking Kanhaiya Lal in the video, they could be heard saying how they hoped their knife reaches the neck of PM Modi as well. “Oh Narendra Modi, listen, you’ve started the fire and will we extinguish it. I hope this knife reaches your neck as well, Inshallah. Oh, the people of Udaipur, chant, “Gustakh e Rasool ki Sazah, Sar tan see Juda (The one who insults Allah has the only Punishment, which is the separation of the head from the body), the assassins could be heard saying.
Following this incident, stone pelting was reported on police from ‘particular community’. Earlier, Islamists have taken to stone-pelting from places like mosques to protest against various things including Hindu processions on festivals. Right now, the internet has been suspended and section 144 has been put in place. The two men who killed Kanhaiya Lal have been arrested.
Following the Islamist outrage against former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma for her comments on Prophet Muhammad, Congress-aligned news channel NDTV had interviewed Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah for some reason, who tried his best to downplay the threat posed by his fellow Islamists.
During his interview with NDTV’s Nidhi Razdan, the Bollywood actor stated that those threatening Nupur Sharma are just “empty vessels” and these are just hollow threats. He also went on to dismiss any threat against Nupur Sharma by stating that the state will provide her with enough security.
Bollywood Jehadi Naseeruddin Shah claims death threats to Nupur Sharma are by “empty vessels” pic.twitter.com/gKFA6YmRRW
However, the attempt by Naseeruddin Shah to downplay the threat by Islamists failed miserably as a couple of Islamists brutally beheaded a tailor in Udaipur just for posting a social media message in support of Nupur Sharma.
Beheading of a tailor in Udaipur by Islamists
Two Muslim men in Rajasthan’s Udaipur murdered a Hindu man, Kanhaiyya Lal, on Tuesday afternoon over his post in support of ex-BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma. In the videos that have emerged, the two men entered the tailor’s shop as customers and grabbed to behead him with a knife.
In the horrific crime that has emerged following the Nupur Sharma controversy, it has been learnt that the incident took place near the Bhoot Mahal on Maldas Street in Udaipur. The victim who is a tailor and proprietor of Supreme tailors was killed in broad daylight amidst the hustle-bustle on the adjoining road. The Udaipur Police rushed to the scene after the enraged merchants in the surrounding area complained of the inhumane incident.
Can Naseeruddin Shah Answer if it is still a hollow threat by empty vessels?
Not only did the Islamists behead the tailor in Udaipur for posting a message in support of Nupur Sharma, but they also urged fellow Muslims to behead anyone who dares to speak against Prophet Muhammad. In the light of this brutal daylight murder by Islamists, will Naseeruddin Shah be able to say again that the threats against Nupur Sharma are just hollow threats?
If someone is getting beheaded just for supporting Nupur Sharma, then we can only imagine the peril she is in. However, in his attempts to defend fellow Islamists, Naseeruddin Shah won’t be able to see that.
