A contempt of court complaint has been filed against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi after he posted a video of proceedings of Karnataka High Court. Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Girish Bharadwaj has written to the Registrar General of High Court of Karnataka seeking to initiate contempt proceedings against Rahul Gandhi for violation of Copyright Act and for misquoting the proceedings of the court.
The matter relates to a tweet that Rahul Gandhi had posted on July 5th, in which he had posted a video of proceedings of Karnataka High Court where a judge was saying that he was getting threats. Posting the video, the Congress leader had added, “A HC judge has been threatened for exposing BJP’s corrupt govt in Karnataka. Institution after institution is being bulldozed by the BJP. Each of us must stand with those fearlessly doing their duty.”
A HC judge has been threatened for exposing BJP’s corrupt govt in Karnataka.
Institution after institution is being bulldozed by the BJP.
In the video, the judge had alleged that he was threatened with transfers for his remarks against the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) saying that it had become a “collection centre”. The Judge had said that he will not bow down, even if he has to lose his job.
Justice HP Sandesh was heard saying in the video, “Your ADGP is so powerful and some person spoke with one of our High Court judge that came and sat with me and he says giving an example of transfer of one of another judge to another district.” He added that the other judge told him that there was a threat to the court.
However, according to the VHP leader, Rahul Gandhi violated laws by posting the video. He said that as per law, video recordings of court proceedings are not allowed to be reproduced, transmitted, uploaded, posted, modified, published or re-published in any form. He added that while such videos can be used only for training, academic and educational purposes, they can’t be used for promotional purposes, sharing on social media or advertising in any form.
Girish Bharadwaj has written that any unauthorised use of live stream of court proceedings is punishable under Indian Copyright Act, IT Act, and other provisions including law of contempt. He said that despite clear disclaimers, prohibitions and restrictions, Rahul Gandhi violated them and used the video for political purposes, which is highly objectionable.
“This act of Mr. Gandhi is a concerted attack on the judiciary for petty political gains and to gain electoral dividends. This malafide & motivated action has to be dealt in accordance with the law. I request your good self to take cognizance of this act, which is not just contempt of court but also an insult to our constitution, and initiate further legal action in accordance with the law,” Girish Bharadwaj added in his letter to the registrar of the high court.
He also posted relevant provisions of Rules for Live-streaming and Recording of Court Proceedings. According to rule 9.2, authorised persons or entities are not allowed to record, share and/or disseminate live-streamed proceedings of the courts. The rule states that any unauthorised usage of the Live-stream will be punishable as an offence under the Indian Copyright Act, 1957, Information Technology Act, 2000, and other provisions of law, including the law of Contempt.
Rules on Live Streaming and Recording of Court Proceedings
The Supreme Court of India had formulated the Rules on Live Streaming and Recording of Court Proceedings after the courts in India started conducting court proceedings through video conferencing during the Covid-19 pandemic.
On July 1, National Commission for Scheduled Caste issued summons to the Vice-Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia, Professor Najma Akhtar, to appear in person before the Commission on July 19, 2022. The summons was issued by the Chairman of the Commission in a case related to caste-based atrocities and removing the constitutionally guaranteed reservation of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in appointment and promotion by the university authority based on the complaints filed by one Harendra Kumar before the Commission. Notably, notices were served by the Commission to the University earlier as well, but the University Authorities failed to comply, following which the Commission had to use its powers to issue summons to the VC.
The case related to caste-based atrocities
In his complaint, Kumar, who belonged to Scheduled Caste, alleged that he had faced discrimination by the University authorities. Kumar was appointed as a guest computer teacher in a school run by the University. He alleged that he was illegally terminated from the University from his job following a conspiracy hatched against him by the top officials of the University. The Commission had summoned the VC in the case in 2021 as well.
VC of Jamia summoned by Commission.
As per the complaint of the petitioner, a fabricated complaint was filed against him through a female teacher by the Principal of the school. In the details provided by Advocate Sushant, who is representing Kumar, it was alleged that Kumar was asked to do menial work such as making tea and washing the utensils for the Principal. He said, “The genesis of the complaint was deeply embedded in caste and religion-based discrimination.” When Kumar resisted doing such work as it was a public denigration of his identity, a conspiracy was allegedly hatched against him, and he was falsely accused of harassing a female employee of the school.
NCSC had directed the formation of a three-member committee to look into the facts of the complaint. After the committee submitted its report to the Executive Council, the complaint filed by the Principal was withdrawn. Notably, the whole process took around four years, and during that time, Kumar had to live with the stigma of false accusations.
In a statement, Kumar said, “I was asked to wash the leftover utensils in the Principal’s chamber and prepare tea for him and his guests. Mursaleen, the Principal, would be demeaning me for every petty issue and would tell me that I have occupied one seat of Muslim and I don’t deserve to be in the school because I am a Hindu and that too, a scheduled caste. He would often say that he has got enough contacts in the university administrations, and I would be shown the door if in case I disobey him in any manner.”
Kumar further alleged that he was once forced to download a porn video on his mobile that he straightforward denied. Kumar said, “He took ill of it and started to abuse me with caste signalling words. He told me, ‘Chamaar, I will finish your career. You bastard.’ Some school teachers intervened, and the matter was put under control.”
Kumar thought that the matter was over, but to his surprise, a complaint was filed against him by a female teacher. “I was forced to sign an apology letter on a very different matter as I was threatened to get my job terminated, and being the only bread earner for my family, I signed a letter dictated by him. He used this letter with his personal remark about my character to get me terminated without following any laid down guidelines. I was never asked to explain the matter and was handed over my dismissal letter most unlawfully,” Kumar said.
As he was not getting a response from the authorities about his termination and character assassination, he decided to file an official complaint with the Police. Initially, he was unable to get the FIR registered, after which he approached Saket court and got court orders for FIR. Simultaneously, he also filed a complaint at NCSC.
Kumar alleged that the University authorities did not share the entire report of the three-member committee and also let the accused Principal retire without any disciplinary action against his malicious and concocted letter, which was withdrawn by the Executive Council of the University. He said, “The Principal, on the other hand, had the audacity to go to my village and threatened my parents to ask me to withdraw the case. I can only say that ‘Satyamev Jayete’ and I will have the justice delivered to me.”
The case of abolishing reservation for SC/ST in appointment and promotion
Jamia Millia Islamia, which is a Central Government-funded University, is under the scanner for doing away with the reservation for SC/ST in appointments and promotions based on the complaint by Kumar. Notably, Jamia Millia Islamia has been avoiding appointments and promotions of the candidates from the SC/ST community despite being a Centre-funded university.
Letter issued to appear in atrocities against SC/ST issued by NCSC.
There is a pending case in the Delhi High Court challenging National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI) order that granted Religious Minority Institute status to the University in 2011. The NCMEI had said in its order, “Jamia was founded by the Muslims for the benefit of Muslims, and it never lost its identity as a Muslim minority educational institution”. It added the University was thus, “covered under Article 30(1), read with Section 2(g) of the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions Act”.
The order was challenged in the Delhi High Court soon after the orders were passed. Despite the pending case, the University scrapped SC/ST reservations and approved religion-based appointments and reservations in 2014, citing the NCMEI order of 2011.
Speaking to OpIndia, Kumar’s advocate said another case is pending in the Supreme Court of India in the matter. The two cases pending in the apex court and the High Court of Delhi nowhere ordered a stay on appointment and promotion of candidates from SC/ST community under reservation as per the Law. Kumar, however, did not seek any directions on the pending cases but requested the Commission to restore the reservation of the SC/ST community in the appointment and promotion in both teaching and non-teaching positions.
As per Article 338 of the Constitute of India, the Commission has the right to take appropriate steps to investigate and monitor all matters related to safeguards provided to the people of the SC/ST community under the Constitution and under any law passed by the Government of India.
The Centre had opposed the NCMEI order granting Jamia minority status
In 2018, the Government of India submitted a fresh affidavit in the Delhi High Court against the affidavit submitted by the previous government and opposed the minority status given to the Jamia Millia Islamia University by NCMEI. As per reports, in the fresh affidavit, the GoI cited the Supreme Court’s decision in the Azeez Basha Vs Union of India case of 1968. The Centre said that the first affidavit submitted by the previous government did not take the said judgment into consideration. In the 1968 judgment, the apex court had said that a university incorporated under an Act of Parliament could not claim the status of a minority institute.
The concerns over demographic change in Jamia
In 2021, a report published in Swarajya Magazine pointed out the demographic change that had happened since the 2011 order of NCMEI granting the university minority status. As per the reports, 50% of the seats in admissions are reserved for Muslim students, where 30% of seats in each programme are reserved for Muslim applicants, 10% for Muslim women applicants and 10% for Muslims hailing from Other Backward Classes or OBCs and Scheduled Tribes or STs.
Furthermore, 5% of seats are reserved for those who pass their Class 10 and Class 12 Exams from Jamia School. Another 5% are reserved for students from Kashmir. Similarly, 10% of seats are reserved for students from foreign countries and 5% for disabled students. The admission process is completely in favour of Muslim students, which was not the case before the 2014 resolution of the University based on 2011 NCMEI orders.
Jamia and controversies around the University
There have been numerous cases where Jamia Millia Islamia has come under the scanner and faced strong criticism over different issues. In June 2022, the students at the University barred students of ABVP from holding a program on Waste Management.
In March 2022, a professor from JMI Khalid Moin and two others were arrested for issuing fake structural certificates for the projects in exchange for bribes.
During the infamous anti-CAA protests held at Jamia in December 2019, stones were pelted at the Police personnel present outside the University. It was reported that over 150 members of radical outfits had entered Delhi in December and his in Jamia for two days before the protests. Following the incident, Jamia authorities also refused to hand over CCTV footage to the Police investigating the matter. In June 2020, when UAPA was slapped on the anti-CAA protesters, the students of Jamia allegedly called for violence and carried out Minneapolis-style protests.
The Chief Minister of Punjab Bhagwant Mann will get married to Dr Gurpreet Kaur from Chandigarh on July 7. Mann is getting married for the second time, and the functions will only close family and friends are reportedly invited for the wedding.
Mann, who got divorced almost six years back, has two children from the first marriage who live in the USA with his ex-wife Inderpreet Kaur. The preparations for the wedding are ongoing in Chandigarh.
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann will get married in a close private ceremony at his house in Chandigarh tomorrow with Dr Gurpreet Kaur. CM Delhi & AAP National convener Arvind Kejriwal will be in attendance. CM Mann was divorced from his earlier marriage almost 6 years back.
The wedding will take place at the official residence of the CM. Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia are expected to attend the wedding with their families. As per the report in Navbharat Times, Raghav Chaddha, Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab, is taking care of the preparations. The wedding will take place as per Sikh rituals.
On May 27, 2022, at 11:31 AM, Alt News cofounder Mohammed Zubair set in motion things which have by now led to death of at least three people, two of which were murdered by Islamists just for ‘supporting’ a woman Zubair had initially dog-whistled against. Here is the tweet:
Zubair’s tweet
In the tweet, Zubair had accused Times Now for providing platform to ex-BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma to ‘speak rubbish which can incite riots’. He even referred to her as ‘rabid communal hatemonger’.
Subsequent tweets
In subsequent tweets, he calls Kumar a ‘clown’ by putting out an emoji and says how she has been running shows for a week by referring to the Shivaling discovered in the wuzukhana of Gyanvapi structure where the original Kashi Vishwanath Mandir once stood as ‘Shivling’. “But when someone says it’s a fountain, her sentiments are hurt,” he said, insinuating that Hindus who had their sentiments hurt over inappropriate jokes on the Shivling are clowns. He also appeared upset Kumar was running a hashtag that referred to the Shivaling as Shivaling. He then tagged her boss, Vineet Jain, Chairman of Times Group, and accused Kumar of ‘speaking against a community’.
Speaking for Hinduism was referred to as ‘speaking against a community’, thereby Zubair continued to espouse the us vs them theory that was in the root of Jinnah’s two-nation theory that led to creation of Pakistan.
From his tweets, it appears his initial target could have been Navika Kumar and Times Now. However, Nupur pointed out that the clip he had shared was not a full version and asked him to upload it. Zubair had cleverly edited out portion where the Muslim cleric was insulting the Shivaling and provoking other panelists and only put up portion where Sharma’s comments on Prophet Muhammad could be heard.
When Sharma pointed it out, Zubair again used clown emojis for a woman and asked Vineet Jain to put up the video of Dharam Sansad, that took place in December 2021.
Zubair brazening it out
It is imperative to note that in his original tweet also he had talked about said Dharam Sansad and Yati Narasighanand Saraswati of Dasna temple, who is already been facing death threats. Wonder what was the motive of speaking about something that had happened over five months back and was not even connected to the debate on hand on the Shivaling at Gyanvapi structure.
About an hour and a half later, he tweeted another tweet quoting the same tweet by Sharma and urged the Delhi Police to file an FIR against her for ‘inciting communal violence’. He referred to her comments on Prophet Muhammad as ‘giving hate speeches targetting a religion.’
Zubair talking about FIR against Sharma
Zubair wanted an FIR against Nupur Sharma for her comments on Prophet Muhammad. Essentially, under the blasphemy law.
A few hours later, Nupur Sharma started getting death and rape threats for ‘Gustakh-e-Rasool’ (insulting the Prophet).
Threats to Nupur and Zubair’s response
Here, Zubair justified the threats she was getting because of what she said on live TV. Similar sentiments were echoed by the Supreme Court judges recently blaming the events that followed on Sharma’s ‘loose tongue’. He again accused Nupur of ‘triggering hate and violence’. Zubair then referred to himself as a journalist doing his duty, but as a ‘fact-checker’, he has not yet fact-checked whether what Nupur said in the Times Now debate was mentioned in the Islamic holy scriptures or not. It has been over a month and no fact-check has been done by the ‘fact-checkers’ yet who even ‘fact-check’ a meme to keep themselves occupied and appear busy.
Soon, Alt News cofounder Pratik Sinha came to Zubair’s rescue and gave him a clean chit that his tweets referring to Nupur as ‘rabid hatemonger’ and selectively showing only her clip on Prophet Muhammad which resulted in death threats against her, were not his fault at all. Zubair, too, played victim that he was now getting ‘attacked’.
Zubair’s tweet
Zubair now started referring to Nupur’s comments as ‘derogatory’. It shifted from ‘inciting violence’ to ‘derogatory’. Basically, blasphemy. So was the original concern about ‘hate speech targeting a particular community’ or ‘blasphemy’? Because, Zubair and Pratik themselves have indulged in derogatory comments on Hindu gods and goddesses and what is good for the goose should be good for the gander.
His subsequent tweets were about Times Now taking down the debate video and some random quote which he first wrongly attributed to Edward Snowden. Again, Zubair refers to himself as ‘fact-checker’ but clearly doesn’t even carry out basic checks before uploading things.
24 hours after Nupur Sharma started getting beheading and rape threats after Zubair’s dog-whistling, Zubair started a donation drive for Alt News.
donation drive
People from the ‘ecosystem’ and ‘ummah’ contributed generously to Alt News, as can be seen from various retweets by Zubair and gang. Imagine making money when a woman is facing death threats because you ‘exposed’ how she ‘made derogatory comments’. Within hours, Alt News had collected 1 lakh in donation. The donation campaign lasted all the way till May 29.
His next tweet on this topic was on 29th May where he asked one Muslim leader who led the Shaheen Bagh protests that turned violent to not participate in television debates.
Zubair’s tweet
On May 29, two days after kicking up the storm, Zubair suddenly asked Muslim leaders and maulanas to not go to television debates. He urged Muslims to boycott TV debates. Maulanas in recent times have said certain provocative things during television debates, including giving derogatory statements against the Hindu faith. In one TV debate in November 2021, one maulana had claimed spitting and licking utensils is faith. This was a debate after many Muslim men were found spitting in food in various viral videos.
Zubair wanted Muslims clerics, scholars, maulanas to not go to television debates so that they don’t ‘become punching bags and get insulted’.
In a series of tweets he urged Muslims not to go on TV debates as they are ‘insulted’.
Zubair was upset M Sajid Rashidi, a ‘tour operator’ was referred to as ‘Islamic scholar’ in a tv debate. However, Maulana Mohammad Sajid Rashidi is President of All India Imam Association and on the foundation laying ceremony of Ayodhya Mandir had said that a masjid will be built after breaking down the Ram Mandir. He had also justified the mockery of the Shivaling at Gyanvapi.
Does Zubair want to suppress the voices of Islamic scholars because their controversial statements could expose what the religious heads of other faith actually think of Hinduism and thereby pour water all over the ‘Ganga-Jamuni tehseeb’ farce?
Soon after, Zubair shifted from attacking Nupur and Navika to urging Muslims to boycott TV.
He also ‘demanded’ arrest for those who were calling for Nupur’s beheading.
Zubair’s tweet
Here also he first put it up as Abbasi was earlier BJP leader. That he is currently associated with an Islamist party becomes secondary.
On 30th May, too, along with sharing few ‘fact-checks’, Zubair continued to ask Muslims not to attend TV debates.
What was he afraid of? That the radicalised thoughts that are confined will now be out for all to see?
Indian News Channels invite some random guy Ali Qadri & introduce him as an ‘Islamic Scholar’. They pretend to represent all the Indian Muslims during a debate and become a punching bag & get insulted from other panelist. #WhenWillMuslimsBoycottTVDebatespic.twitter.com/Dbxj16azAk
Zubair really doesn’t like Ali Qadri. Zubair calls him ‘random guy’ because likely he does not know him. On an unrelated note, Alt News team had ‘fact-checked‘ with terrorists whether they had issued a threat letter to Hindus in Kashmir.
By 31st May, Alt News had raised almost 8 lakh in just 3 days when a dog-whistle by their co-founder laden with abuses led to death threats to a woman.
Zubair was one of the first people to point out how calls were made to boycott Indian products in Middle East and how subsequently Sharma was suspended as party spokesperson. He excitedly shared data of top trends in Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, the Islamic countries where ‘blasphemy’ of Prophet Muhammad is punishable offence.
Stores in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain etc remove Indian products after insulting tweets against Prophet Mohammad by @BJP4Delhi Media head and Spokesperson @naveenjindalbjp. He deleted both tweets now. Tweets archived ( Don’t want to share it here) pic.twitter.com/7uTZkNvUvu
He shared tweets by Pakistani propaganda handle to boast how stores in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and other place were removing Indian products ‘after insulting tweets against Prophet Muhammed’ by Naveen Jindal. Zubair was elated that after triggering such events, Nupur Sharma of the BJP had to apologise and how it was not his fault.
Correction: BJP suspends Nupur Sharma, Naveen Kumar Jindal over inflammatory remarks against Prophet Mohammed (Not minorities) https://t.co/GrXqkjxPEz
Zubair corrected news agency ANI that Sharma and Jindal were not suspended over their comments on minority (Zubair has till now maintained Nupur’s comments were targeted at minority, he did not say it was against Prophet Muhammad).
Zubair has still not ‘fact-checked’ Nupur’s claims on Prophet Muhammad.
Seriously? You respect all religions? Go through your old tweets, There are several old tweets of you using derogatory language in your tweets against Prophet Mohammed. I don’t want to share it here but your tweets are still available. Also archived. https://t.co/2k4D28voWM
Dog-whistling continued ten days later as well even when Sharma and Jindal had apologised.
Zubair was very excited that the day when Nupur apologised and Middle Eastern Twitter handles were attacking India by running hashtags, the Vice President of India Venkaiah Naidu was in Qatar at that time.
By now, Qatar had summoned Indian envoy and demanded public apology from government of India on Nupur’s comments.
Qatar summons Indian convey over remarks of BJP members. Demands “public apology & immediate condemnation of remarks from Indian Govt, allowing such Islamophobic remarks to continue without punishment constitutes grave danger human rights & will create a cycle of violence & hate” pic.twitter.com/wnJpM7zN9g
GoI : “Ambassador conveyed that the tweets do not, in any manner, reflect views of the Govt of India. These are views of fringe elements. In line with our civilisational heritage & strong cultural traditions of unity in diversity, GOI accords highest respect to all religions. pic.twitter.com/G6bO5znI7K
And as soon as India was embarrassed on an international platform, Zubair immediately made a call for donation, again.
Thanks for all the praises & appreciation for the work we do. ✊? ?? As you are aware, @AltNews runs on ONLY public donations, WE GET PAID BECAUSE YOU DONATE. Please consider contributing/donating to fight Dis/Misinfo & Hate propaganda. Donation link ??https://t.co/s5tbky6YeCpic.twitter.com/v7SwuQrhhd
Several BJP Members, MLAs, MPs, BJP Spokespersons, BJP IT cells, Right Wing verified trolls, RW websites and their editors wanted me to be booked by Police, They ran a non stop campaign against me and others 2-3 for exposing this. ?? https://t.co/esxVVoJxIh
He taunted Times Now if they will have another debate now.
Hello @vineetjaintimes, Will there by any action against @TimesNow News Anchor for allowing/encouraging these ‘Fringe Elements’ to speak against Islam and Prophet on a Live TV debate?
Meanwhile, donations, many from his coreligionists, continued to pour in for Alt News.
Zubair thanking for donation
On June 6, Zubair decided to get corporates, brands to stop putting advertisement on Times Now.
Are the advertisers aware about Times Now regularly organising propaganda debates by inviting hatemongers to abuse a religion & demean a community. pic.twitter.com/IxkX7gUN8w
When Zubair, along with other Islamists like Washington Post columnist Rana Ayyub and her brother Arif Ayyub, started getting called out for appearing elated over India’s embarrassment in Middle Eastern countries, he again shifted focus on news channels for ‘providing platforms’ to ‘self proclaimed Islamic scholars’.
Why is @ZeeNews@sudhirchaudhary inviting people like Ilyas Sharafuddin who is seen insulting Hinduism and laughing at Hindu beliefs on a Live TV where Lakhs of people are watching the debate. This self proclaimed ‘Islamic Scholar’ is regularly seen in News debates on Godi Meida. pic.twitter.com/T4P0acqBfd
He was joined here by others from the ‘ecosystem’ to call out the ‘Godi media’ calling ‘fake maulanas’ for debate.
Do watch @sakshijoshii talk on issue of why self proclaimed Maulanas and Mahants are invited to TV debates on Godi Media channels. pic.twitter.com/8qbyVDoq4M
Wonder if they should start calling the maulanas accused of raping young children in madarsas for debates now? Or will Zubair now give out authenticity certificates to maulanas?
WOW! That awesome feeling when you see Ravish Sir discussing ur twitter thread on well planmed Maulana/Mahant Hindu-Muslim debates by Godi Media. Hope people speak against Maulana-Mahant being invited for TV debates. Do watch & share it with your Family Whatsapp groups. ? 1/n pic.twitter.com/7pieJvaFvt
‘The purpose of these programs is not to reach any conclusion thru constructive discussion, but to ridicule & defame Islam & Muslims. If we boycott these TV channels debates, it will not only reduce their TRP but they’ll also fail miserably in their objective.’ #BoycottGodiMediapic.twitter.com/R92Xv9SOSl
On June 10, All India Personal Law Board appealed to maulanas to stop appearing on tv debates as their only purpose is to ‘insult and ridicule Islam’. For a community that takes their faith a little too seriously and many members are okay with beheading someone over blasphemy and blowing themselves up in name of Allah, this kind of statement can instigate an average Islamist to perhaps take law into own hands and attack tv studios, journalists because they are told that they only ‘ridicule Islam’ is nothing short of dog-whistling and something that could be dangerous for society.
Next day, when even mainstream politicians in India started giving beheading threats to Nupur Sharma, Zubair posted how this was ‘hate speech’.
Here is AIMIM leader and MP Imtiyaz Jaleel provoking a crowd of thousands by stating, “Isko phansi dena hai to Aurangaband ki isi chourahe pe de.”. This is hate speech, pure and simple. pic.twitter.com/QfuSjvbqJ3
Hate speech is about creating hatred towards a community, race, religion. However, when it is a call to behead someone specific, it is not ‘hate speech’, it is instigating for murder. For rest of the day he sticks to sharing ‘fact-checks’.
On June 10, Friday, five days after Nupur Sharma was suspended from BJP and subsequently apologised for her statement and almost a dozen Islamic countries had issued statements on internal matter of India, violence broke out in Prayagraj after the Jumma namaz when Islamists were protesting against Nupur Sharma’s comments. Same day, riots broke out in Ranchi, too, after Friday namaz. From Delhi to Moradabad to Saharanpur to Kolkata, the country witnessed multiple incidents of violence. In Belgavi, an effigy of Nupur Sharma was hanged on a crane to send a message to those who ‘insult Prophet’.
OpIndia could not find a single tweet on Zubair’s timeline condemning the violence or urging people not to take to violence over ‘blasphemy’.
However, when violence accused Javed Pump’s house was demolished by Prayagraj authorities over illegal construction, Zubair quickly extended support to his daughter, JNU ‘student’ activist Afreen Fatima.
On June 13 he continued to target maulanas who appeared on TV and did not toe the line as they should be. Again, no condemnation of violence, no appeal for peace. From June 13 to 18, he only tweeted links of Alt News on obscure ‘fact-checks’.
On June 17, the next ‘Jumma’, security was increased to avoid violence by Islamists.
By now, netizens had started digging out Mohammed Zubair’s old tweets where he insulted Hindu gods and goddesses. On June 22, he tweeted he got a notice that the Government of India wrote to Twitter saying his account violated law in India. No action was taken by Twitter on it. But Zubair sympathisers saw this as an attempt to stifle his free speech. The stage was set to play victim since on 27th June 2022 he was arrested over the complaint of a netizen who said his tweet hurt his religious sentiments.
In the course of investigation, Zubair has been going out of his way to hide his face as well as features by putting a hand on his ears so they could not be recognised. Police has said he has formatted his phone and laptop and accused him of the destruction of evidence. Along with this, Alt News has also been accused of being in violation of FCRA norms. An investigation is currently underway and Zubair is lodged in Tihar Jail in Delhi while in judicial custody.
BJP MP Dilip Gosh threw his weight behind former BJP leader Nupur Sharma, who is been under fire from Islamists over her comments on Prophet Muhammad.
Speaking at the India Today conclave 2022, Gosh backed the beleaguered leader whose comments had the Islamists across the country running riot, indulging in wanton violence, issuing death threats against her and killing those who extended their support to her, besides engaging in vandalism and arson.
“..Those who cannot win with arguments are trying to win with sword. Hindu ideology can never be destroyed with swords,bombs & guns. Despite multiple attempts to wipe us out,no one has succeeded. Those who lack arguments want to scare with swords..”#IndiaTodayConclaveEast2022pic.twitter.com/eMhn46lsNz
When the host tried to insinuate that the current spate of violence could be chalked up to Nupur Sharma’s comments on the Times Now debate, Gosh quickly retorted by asking him if Nupur Sharma was also responsible for the large-scale violence and riots that took place before India’s independence.
“Where was Nupur Sharma before India’s independence when there were riots and thousands were killed. The world is afraid to speak against the ideology that is behind this violence. Those who can’t win arguments are trying to win by swords,” Gosh emphasised.
He added, “If Nupur Sharma said something wrong, and if you have an argument to counter her, do that. Go on news debates and TV channels and call her out. But doing that would strip you naked because you know she has spoken the truth. Therefore, instead of argument, you are using the sword.”
Gosh further asserted that an ideology cannot be finished off with a sword, highlighting how Hindutva, despite being subjected to attacks for thousands of years, continues to blossom and flourish.
“If swords could be used to end an ideology, why is Hindutva not dead? Bombs, guns, swords, everything was used by the Muslim rulers. Thousands were slaughtered, but it could not bring an end to Hindutva,” Gosh said.
Violence and riots sweep India as Islamists run riot, issuing threats to Nupur Sharma and killing those who support her
Violence gripped several parts of the country in the wake of dog-whistling by Mohammed Zubair of Alt News, who whipped up Islamists against Nupur Sharma after she made remarks on Prophet Muhammad during a debate on Times Now. Islamists took to the streets, shouting slogans and ‘sar tan se juda’ chants against Nupur Sharma, running riot and indulging in violence, vandalism and arson.
Not just Nupur Sharma, but even those who extended support to her online were targeted by Islamists, who felt no qualms in killing people over mere solidarity posts in support of the former BJP leader. Recently, a Hindu youth in Bihar was assaulted by a Muslim mob over a Facebook post in support of Nupur Sharma.
On the night of 22nd June 2022, Chemist Umesh Kolhe was killed by some Islamists in Amravati of Maharashtra for allegedly sharing a social media post supporting former Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
Days later, 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.
On Wednesday, the opposition leaders in the state of Kerala protested against Minister Saji Cheriyan for his indecent remarks against the Indian Constitution. The Opposition leaders led by the Congress and the BJP held the placards and raised slogans in protest outside the State Assembly in Thiruvananthapuram and also demanded Minister Cheriyan’s resignation.
#WATCH | Kerala: Opposition MLAs protested outside the Assembly today in Thiruvananthapuram, against Kerala Minister Saji Cheriyan’s remarks against the Constitution.
Assembly was adjourned for the day following an uproar in the House over the minister’s remarks. pic.twitter.com/vldq11e0Qj
As reported earlier, State Fisheries Minister Saji Cheriyan had made contentious remarks against the Indian Constitution while speaking at an event in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta municipality. “We all would say that we have a beautifully written Constitution. But I would say the Constitution of the country has been written in such a manner to loot the maximum number of people,” said Cheriyan while addressing an event at Mallappally in Pathanamthitta district.
Cherian further said, “What the British people had prepared, Indians have penned down. After implementing it for the past 75 years, I would say it is a beautiful Constitution for plundering the people of the country. Though there are traces of a few good things such as democracy and secularism in the Constitution, but its aim is to exploit the common man.”
The contentious remarks made by Cherian sparked angry responses from a number of people, including the state Assembly Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan. “Saji Cherian, Kerala Minister, has made the most insulting statements about #IndianConstitution. Obnoxious words. He should resign or CM should demand minister’s resignation”, VD Satheesan tweeted.
Saji Cherian, Kerala Minister has made the most insulting statements about #IndianConstitution. Obnoxious words. He should resign or CM should demand minister ‘s resignation.#Constitution
Also, Union Minister V Muraleedharan, a BJP leader from Kerala, said that CPI(M) leaders such as Sitaram Yechury describe the constitution as a template of Indian nationalism but choose to ignore this deliberate attempt to disregard it. “Strongly condemn Saji Cheriyan’s statements against the Constitution of India. Such people cannot hold the office of a State Minister, which has been enabled by the very Constitution he ‘disrespects. Demand CM Vijayan Pinarayi to sack him immediately”, he added in the tweet.
Strongly condemn Saji Cheriyan’s statements against the Constitution of India
Such people cannot hold the office of a State Minister, which has been enabled by the very Constitution he ‘disrespects.’
Demand @VijayanPinarayi to sack him immediately.
— V Muraleedharan / വി മുരളീധരൻ (@VMBJP) July 5, 2022
Meanwhile, Kerala BJP chief K. Surendran also sought the immediate removal of Cheriyan and said he has no moral right to continue in the position. According to reports, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has asked minister Saji Cheriyan to tender an explanation for his controversial remarks.
On July 6, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra unfollowed the party’s official Twitter handle. The move allegedly came after TMC distanced itself and condemned the remarks by Moitra on Maa Kaali over a poster of the film where she was depicted as a cigarette-smoking Goddess.
When we checked the archived page of Moitra’s Twitter account on Archive.org, it showed the TMC leader used to follow two accounts. The earliest archive of her profile was available from June 27.
As per the archived profile of Mahua Moitra, she used to follow two accounts. Source: Archive.org
However, now Moitra only follows TMC chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on the social media platform.
Mahua only follows Mamata Banerjee on Twitter as of July 6, 2022. Source: Twitter
Moitra’s remarks and TMC’s reaction
On July 5, while speaking at India Today Conclave East 2022, Mahua Moitra made controversial remarks about Maa Kaali. She said for her, Maa Kali was a meat-eating, alcohol-accepting goddess. She added, “When you go to Sikkim, you will see that they offer whiskey to Goddess Kaali. But if you go to Uttar Pradesh, and if you tell them that you offer whiskey to the goddess as ‘prasad’, they will call it blasphemy.”
She further published a tweet where she claimed she did not support any film and asked people criticising her to visit Tarapith Temple. She wrote, “To all you sang his- lying will NOT make you better Hindus. I NEVER backed any film or poster or mentioned the word smoking. Suggest you visit my Maa Kali in Tarapith to see what food & drink is offered as bhog. Joy Ma Tara.”
TMC condemned Moitra’s remarks
Following her remarks, TMC quickly condemned the statement and distanced itself much before the controversy was further fired upon on the social media platform. In its statement, the party said, “The comments made by Mahua Moitra at the India Today Conclave East 2022 and her views expressed on Goddess Kali have been made in her personal capacity and are NOT ENDORSED BY THE PARTY in ANY MANNER OR FORM. All India Trinamool Congress strongly condemns such comments.”
Following TMC’s statement, Moitra published another tweet with the National Emblem without adding any comments.
The controversial documentary-film ‘Kaali’
On July 2, film director Leena Manimekalai announced the screening of her film Kaali with a poster depicting Maa Kaali smoking a cigarette. The poster attracted sharp criticism, and the chain of events led to the High Commission of India in Ottawa urging the local authorities to bar the film from screening. Furthermore, on July 5, Aga Khan Museum and Toronto Metropolitan University issued statements on the matter. While the Museum said the screening of the event had been stopped, the University removed the controversial film from the further screening of the program. Leena, whose first tweet on the film has been withheld in India after legal demand by the Government of India, has yet to issue any statement on the matter.
Islamists continue to issue threat to social media users for any hint of support for former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma. In one such incident, one Ahmedabad based lawyers have received threats for life after he used an image of Nupur Sharma as his WhatsApp status picture for just three minutes.
The 32-year-old lawyer Krupal Raval had uploaded Nupur Sharma’s image as his WhatsApp status in last month, but had removed it in just three months. But even in that short duration, Islamists took note of it. Raval said that soon after he had removed the status, he received threats for ‘supporting’ Nupur Sharma.
Around two hours after he had removed the image, he received a message on WhatsApp from a person who abused him using derogatory language and asked him why he was supporting Nupur Sharma. Krupal replied back asking for person’s identity, but then blocked the number.
A few hours later, he received a call on his phone from an unidentified person, who threatened to kill him for supporting Nupur Sharma.
Following the incident, Krupal Raval lodged a complaint at the Sabarmati police on Tuesday. Based on the complaint, Sabarmati police have registered a case against the person issuing the threat under section 507 (criminal intimidation by anonymous communication) of the IPC.
Raval said that after Nupur Sharma and her family was getting death threats for her comments on Prophet Mohammad, he had decided to show her support for her and had uploaded her image as his WhatsApp status on June 13. Be he had removed it within three minutes thinking that it may hurt the sentiments of his Muslim friends.
After receiving the threat, he had left the city, and later lodged the complaint with the police. He also informed that he has learnt from a friend that a London-based person named Safin Gena had taken screenshot of his WhatsApp status and circulated the same on various groups, resulting in the threat.
Krupal Raval said that he is shaken following the incident, as Islamists have already killed two persons, Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur and Umesh Kolhe in Amravati, for social media messages in support of Nupur Sharma.
Days after Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur and Umesh Kolhe in Amravati were killed over social media posts in solidarity with Nupur Sharma, a frenzied Muslim mob in Arrah, Bihar, attacked a Hindu boy for posting a social media post in support of the former BJP leader.
Deepak, the victim, had shared a post on Facebook in support of Nupur Sharma that drew the ire of one Islamist named Raees, who responded to the social media post with indecent remarks. The matter escalated on Tuesday evening when the war of the words spilt onto the streets in the form of a fierce fistfight between Raees and Deepak, following which Raees brought 20 to 30 men to beat Deepak up. Reportedly, the Islamists also vandalised the tea shop owned by one Sonu Kumar Singh.
SDM Jyotinath Sahdev and Assistant Superintendent of Police Himanshu Kumar, along with hundreds of police officers, rushed to the spot after being informed about the mob attack. The police claim tensions have been pacified, and the current situation is normal. However, the entire area has been converted into a cantonment, and a large contingent of the police force has been deployed in the region in order to avoid further clashes.
“A case of a tea seller being beaten up has come to the fore. The situation is in control now. Officials are present here. The incident of beating which has happened, if an FIR is filed then there will be arrests too. If anything happens because of a social media post, it is subject to inquiry, everything will come during the investigation,” Himanshu Kumar told reporters.
Speaking about the incident, Rajkumar, DM, Arrah, said, “Some people were drinking tea in a shop. The conflict happened between 2 groups due to a Facebook post. The violence happened, and now the situation is under control.”
Kanhaiya Lal, Umesh Kolhe killed for sharing social media post in support of Nupur Sharma
The assault against the Hindu man comes close on the heels of fatal attacks against Kanhaiya Lal and Umesh Kolhe—two Hindu men killed for extending support to former BJP leader Nupur Sharma over her remarks on Prophet Muhammad—although comments made by her find resonance with authentic and reliable Islamic Hadiths.
On the night of 22nd June 2022, Chemist Umesh Kolhe was killed by some Islamists in Amravati of Maharashtra for allegedly sharing a social media post supporting former Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nupur Sharma. Dr Yusuf Khan, Kolhe’s close friend, shared his social media post with another group called Rahebariya and informed his friends Sheikh Irrfan and others, and created hatred in their minds for Umesh Kolhe, resulting in the attack that led to his death.
Days later, on June 28, a Hindu man named Kanhaiya Lal was brutally murdered in Udaipur, Rajasthan, over an alleged post in favour of former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma. The post was allegedly made by accident from Kanhaiya Lal’s phone by his 8-years-old son while playing a video game.
His neighbour Nazim filed a complaint against Kanhaiya Lal, following which he was arrested. Nazim also leaked Kanhaiya Lal’s number, photograph, and address to his community groups. After being released on bail, he continued to receive threats
The Jharkhand Police on Wednesday arrested IAS officer Syed Riyaz Ahmed for allegedly assaulting an IIT student in the Khunti district of Jharkhand. Ahmed who is currently posted as Sub-Divisional Magistrate has been booked by the Police under sections 354A and 509 of the Indian Penal Code.
According to the reports, the accused was taken into custody on Monday night after a case was lodged at the women’s police station. The IIT student who registered the complaint stated that she was working as an intern at Khunti and was sexually harassed by IAS officer Syed Riyaz Ahmed who is Sub Divisional Officer (SDO) there.
यौन शोषण के मामले में खूंटी के अनुमंडल पदाधिकारी सैय्यद रियाज अहमद को गिरफ्तार कर जेल भेज दिया गया है। pic.twitter.com/4z4MYy9IHj
Narrating the incident, the victim stated that she was part of a group of eight IIT students who were invited by the Khunti district administration for a summer internship. The team reached Khunti on June 14. According to the victim, the incident is said to have happened on July 1 when the students were invited by the accused to his home. “On 1 July, all the students were invited by SDO Riyaz Ahmed to his residence. He ordered some liquor and started forcing all of us to drink. He was continuously consuming alcohol. During all this time, he kept staring at me with wrong intentions”, the girl mentioned in the FIR.
“After the party was over, the next morning i.e. on 2 July, he (Ahmed) took all the interns for a tour of his residence. During this, once he found me alone, he started kissing me while saying he has condoms. Due to all this, I became very nervous and somehow managed to run away. Even after I managed to flee, he kept calling my friends and telling them to send me to him,” she was quoted. Reportedly, the statement given by the victim was also recorded before a magistrate under Section 164 of the CrPC.
IAS Syed Riyaz Ahmed is a native of Nashik, Maharashtra, and has a wife who is also a civil servant. In one of the seminars posted on YouTube, Ahmed says that both his parents are not so educated and that they wanted something good to happen to him. The accused cracked UPSC in the fifth attempt in the year 2018 and attained rank 261.
The Police arrested him on the charges of sexual assault and booked the accused under sections 354A (sexual harassment) (i) (physical contact and advances involving unwelcome and explicit sexual overtures) and (ii) (a demand or request for sexual favours), as well as 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the IPC.
