On Wednesday, the Kochi cyber Police booked an Islamic cleric named Waseem Al Hikami for hurting the religious sentiments of the Christian community and passing derogatory comments against Jesus Christ. The Police filed the case against the accused based on the complaint registered by BJP leader Anoop Antony.
According to the reports, the cleric is a resident of Kondotty in the Malappuram district of Kerala. He had uploaded a video on YouTube in December 2021 in which he had passed derogatory remarks against Christians. BJP leader Anoop Antony, who is a former Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) national secretary registered a complaint against Hikami stating that the cleric had hurt the religious sentiments of the Christian community.
In the complaint, he also mentioned that Waseem Al Hikami had passed indiscreet comments against Jesus Christ’s birth. “Many people had complained about the remarks which were derogatory to Jesus Christ and offensive but no legal proceedings were undertaken. Following that, I handed over a complaint directly to the Director-General of Police of the State and also registered a petition in the Ernakulam Cyber Cell. The response was not as I expected and I approached the Ernakulam Chief Judicial Magistrate and the honorable court directed that the matter needed to be addressed, following which the State police registered an FIR”, BJP leader Antony was quoted.
He added that he will be following up on the case and will be pursuing it further till it is resolved. The Police have registered the case dated June 28 under the direction of Ernakulam Chief Judicial Magistrate Court under sections 153-A (promoting enmity between different religious groups), 295A (outraging religious sentiments), and 505 (statements conducive to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Earlier, the Muslim cleric was also booked in January 2022 under similar circumstances based on the complaint filed by a person named Abel Francis. Antony stated that the Kerala Police had also speedily arrested PC George for similar reasons but didn’t do anything about this case. He reiterated that he will pursue the case against the cleric named Waseem Al Hikami who hurt the religious sentiments of the Christians.
On Wednesday, the Ajmer Police who arrested Ajmer Dargah Khadim Salman Chishti for issuing open death threats against BJP ex-spokesperson Nupur Sharma stated that the accused is a history-sheeter with over 13 cases filed against him, including murder and attempt to murder. The Police also claimed that the accused had made the controversial video while he was drunk.
“It was brought to my notice that Salman Chishti, Khadim of Ajmer Dargah shared an objectionable video & FIR was filed. He was nabbed from his house & is being questioned. It seems he was in an inebriated state when the video was made. He is a history-sheeter”, said Additional Superintendent of Police, Vikas Sangwan confirming the arrest of the accused last night.
Ajmer, Rajasthan | It was brought to my notice that Salman Chishti, Khadim of Ajmer Dargah shared an objectionable video & FIR was filed. He was nabbed from his house & is being questioned. It seems he was in an inebriated state when video was made. He is a history-sheeter: ASP pic.twitter.com/uH3ukU2PDR
— ANI MP/CG/Rajasthan (@ANI_MP_CG_RJ) July 6, 2022
As reported earlier, Ajmer Dargah Khadim Salman Chishti had published a video on social media in which he threatened to kill the former spokesperson of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Nupur Sharma. In the video, Chishti had claimed that he would hand over his house to anyone who cut Sharma’s head. “I swear by my elders, I swear by my mother, I will shoot her openly. I swear by my children, whoever brings Nupur Sharma’s head, I will give this house to him”, he had said. A case was immediately filed against him by the Ajmer Police.
Further, he also described himself as a ‘true soldier of Khwaja’ and tried to incite Muslims. Reportedly, Khadim Gauhar Chishti of Ajmer Dargah had given a provocative speech during a silent procession taken outside the Dargah on June 17, in which slogans of “Gustakh-e-Rasool ki Ek hi saza, sar tan se juda’ were raised.
It is important to note that after Kanhaiya Lal was murdered, Ajmer Dargah Deewan Zainul Abedin Ali Khan claimed that Muslims in India would never allow the Talibanisation mindset to become a norm in the country. “No religion promotes violence against humanity. Especially in the religion of Islam, all the teachings act as sources of peace. In the gruesome video that surfaced on the internet, some non-ethical minds committed a brutal attack on a poor man, which is received as a punishable sin in the Islamic world”, he had said in the statement.
The Police arrested accused Ajmer Dargah Khadim Salman Chishti on Tuesday and have registered a case of abatement to murder against him. The case was filed after the controversial video of Chishti went viral on social media platforms. It is not clear why the police asserted that the video was made in an inebriated state because Chishti’s arrest has come more than a day after the video went viral.
On July 5 (local time), Aga Khan Museum issued a statement and tendered an apology for hurting the religious sentiments of Hindu and other faith communities. The statement was issued in context to the screening of the Hinduphobic film ‘Kaali’ by Kollywood director Leena Manimekalai.
In its statement, the Museum said, “Toronto Metropolitan University brought together works from students of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, each student exploring their individual sense of belonging as part of Canadian multiculturalism for the project ‘Under the Tent.’
Statement issued by Aga Khan Museum regarding Hinduphobic film ‘Kaali’ by Kollywood director Leena Manimekalai. Source(Aga Khan Museum’s website)
Toronto Metropolitan University’s project presentation was hosted once at the Aga Khan Museum on July 2, 2022, in the context of the Museum’s mission to foster intercultural understanding and dialogue through the arts. Respect for diverse religious expressions and faith communities forms an integral part of that mission. The presentation is no longer being shown at the Museum.
The Museum deeply regrets that one of the 18 short videos from ‘Under the Tent’ and its accompanying social media post have inadvertently caused offence to members of the Hindu and other faith communities.”
‘Taking steps to address the issue’ said Toronto Metropolitan University
Earlier, Toronto Metropolitan University also added a statement on the event’s details page. In the statement, the CERC Migration department of the University said, “We regret that certain content in our Under the Tent presentation on Saturday, July 2 has caused offense and we are taking steps to address this. We are committed to equity, diversity and inclusion while at the same time respecting the diversity of beliefs and points of view in our society. We acknowledge the need to explore and examine complex topics sensitively.”
Statement issued by CERC Migration, Toronto Metropolitan University, Source: University’s website
In reply to the query by Wion News, the University said that the film ‘Kaali’ would not be part of the further screening of the ‘Under The Tent’ event. It said, “We recognize the short film has caused sensitivities and have no further plans to screen it at this time.”
Indian High Commission requested to withdraw screening
It is noteworthy that the High Commission of India in Ottawa had urged the Canadian authorities to withdraw the screening of an objectionable film named after Hindu Goddess Kaali. The High Commission said in a statement, “We have received complaints from leaders of the Hindu community in Canada about the disrespectful depiction of Hindu Gods on the poster of a film showcased as part of the ‘Under the Tent project at the Aga Khan Museum, Toronto.”
The High Commission further added that it was informed that several Hindu groups had approached authorities in Canada to take action. The commission urged the Canadian authorities and the event organizers to withdraw all such provocative material.
Manimekalai said ‘I have nothing to lose’
After the film director Leena Manimekalai issued a poster depicting Maa Kaali smoking, there was an outrage on social media against the film. In reply to the criticism, Leena had remarked, “I have nothing to lose. I want to be with a voice that speaks without fear of anything until it is. If the price is my life, I will give it.” She has not issued any statement after the screening stopped.
On Tuesday, ‘fact-checking’ website Alt News took to social media to put out a statement giving itself a clean chit and tried to put on a blame to payment gateway website Razorpay. Alt News, in its statement, insinuated that Razorpay acted arbitrarily and disabled their ‘donation platform’ on receiving request from police authorities. Alt News claimed that Razorpay informed them that their account was reactivated by Razorpay after they got some clarity but they did not specify what the said clarity was.
Alt News then gave itself clean chit by claiming that if Razorpay had found Alt News violated terms of service, they would not have reenabled their account. Thereby insinuating that Razorpay reactivating their account was an evidence of their not being in violation of any rule of the platform.
Alt News then ‘reiterated’ that they can receive funds only through Indian banks and that foreign credit cards were never enabled on Razorpay’s backend, thereby trying to prove that they did not receive any foreign funding. Alt News also categorically claimed that the reports regarding it receiving foreign funds were false.
Then, throwing Razorpay under the bus, Alt News tried to dog-whistle against it by claiming that Razorpay handed over their data to the police. And that this was done without informing them or without any ‘prior investigation’ of any violation on part of Alt News. Alt News then claims that for now it is continuing with Razorpay as platform to receive donation but will look for alternate source in the meantime.
This statement of Alt News triggered ‘privacy’ enthusiasts who were upset that an online payment platform such as Razorpay shared the data with law enforcement agencies ‘without informing’. To make things clear, as per terms and conditions of Razorpay, it may share the user data with government and regulatory agencies who are lawfully authorised for investigative, protective and cyber security activities.
The full text of their terms and condition for sharing user data is as follows: “Razorpay may share any Content (defined hereinafter) generated by the User or their Registration Data with governmental and regulatory agencies who are lawfully authorised for investigative, protective and cyber security activities. Such information may be transferred for the purposes of verification of identity, or for prevention, detection, investigation, prosecution pertaining to cyber security incidents and punishment of offences under any law for the time being in force.”
Hence, if police or other investigation agency reached out to Razorpay to share Alt News data, the company, may share the data. This is one of the terms and conditions Alt News had agreed to before registering on the platform. Ignorance of law is not an excuse to break them, experts say. Razorpay is not quite legally bound to inform Alt News before providing data to law enforcement agencies should they ask for it, unlike what is being insinuated by Alt News. Further, as a law abiding corporate, why would Razorpay tip off an accused by giving them a heads up on the investigation.
Now, here is where things get slightly dicey.
Alt News may or may not have received foreign funds via Razorpay. However, Razorpay is not the only platform the ‘fact-checkers’ use to collect money.
Alt News’ alternate platforms to receive funds
In February 2020, during the height of anti-CAA protests that had turned violent, just 10 days before the Delhi anti-Hindu riots, ‘journalist’ Sagarika Ghose had announced how she had paid to Alt News via a platform ‘Instamojo’. Instamojo accepts payment via various gateways like VISA, G-Pay, UPI, RuPay and others.
Instamojo payment
Hence, while Alt News is trying to put all the blame on Razorpay, there is no proof as such, till investigative authorities carry out investigation in the matter, that Alt News did not receive foreign funds. Further, even if Alt News did not receive foreign funds via any of these donation platform, they could have received foreign funds directly in their bank accounts via SWIFT. A thorough investigations of the financials will hold the key in this matter.
Subsequent to the dog-whistling by Alt News against Razorpay casting aspersions over privacy concerns, the payment gateway platform issued a statement saying that under section 91 of the CrPC (Criminal Procedure Code), Razorpay was mandated by law to comply with the regulations as per provisions of the law. Under section 91 of CrPC, any court of police officer in charge can seek data for investigation.
Further, a Razorpay spokesperson while speaking to moneycontrol said that the company did try reaching out to Alt News but did not receive any response from them. “We tried reaching out to the company [AltNews] but did not receive any response and hence could not inform them before sharing the data or deactivating the account for a brief period on July 4,” the spokesperson told moneycontrol.
Alt News accused of having received funding from Pakistan, Syria, etc in violation of FCRA
‘Fact-checking’ platform Alt News, through its holding company Pravda Media Foundation, is accused of having received foreign funding in violation of FCRA (Foreign Currency Regulation Act) rules. Amongst other countries it is said they received funds from countries such as Pakistan and Syria as well. Mohammed Zubair, along with Pratik Sinha and his mother Nirjari Sinha, are the directors of the company.
Zubair was arrested on June 27 over allegations of hurting religious sentiments. Subsequent to his arrest, more sections were added as investigation revealed more discrepancies. It must be pointed out that only organisations with FCRA licences can accept foreign contributions. According to AltNews’ founder Pratik Sinha, the alleged fact-checking company does not have an FCRA licence.
On July 5, netizen Vikas Pandey started a petition addressed to the members of the Parliament urging them to initiate Impeachment Proceedings against Justice Surya Kant and Justice JB Pardiwala for the oral statements they gave during hearing a plea filed by former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
I just made a petition which shall be given to MPs. It’s for the Initiation of Impeachment Proceedings against Justice Surya Kant & Justice J. B. Pardiwala – Sign the Petition! https://t.co/exBxgaYnn5
In a tweet while sharing the petition link, that was created on Change.org, Vikas said, “I just made a petition which shall be given to MPs. It’s for the Initiation of Impeachment Proceedings against Justice Surya Kant & Justice JB Pardiwala – Sign the Petition!”
Speaking to OpIndia, Vikas said, “I shall be forwarding this petition to MPs and try to get their support.”
‘Concerned about the recent developments’
Addressed to all the members of the Indian Parliament, the petition read that the citizens of India are concerned about the recent developments in the country, especially the recent hearing in the case of Nupur Sharma before the Supreme Court of India. Sharma had submitted a plea in the court requesting to club the FIRs and criminal cases against her and transfer them to Delhi. In her plea, she had stated that she was receiving death and rape threats from the radical Islamists.
The petition received over 10,000 signatures in less than 12 hours. Source: Change.org
It read, “When the matter was taken up by both the Judges of the Supreme Court on 01.07.2022, without even going into the facts of the case and without considering the death and rape threats to this young lady, they made observations accusing Nupur Sharma of being single-handedly responsible for setting the entire country on fire and indirectly held her responsible for the unfortunate killing at Udaipur.”
‘Shocking statement relied upon by Taliban’
It further read, “Such shocking statements have been relied upon by the radical Islamist forces and anti-India forces like Taliban and by national and international media to show Hindus and our country in poor light. Supreme Court judges have acted irresponsibly and without any material on record, made such statements which are not only unconstitutional but also against the values and ethos of this great nation.”
The petitioners sought the support of the members of the Parliament for the impeachment of the two sitting judges.
Remarks did not feature the order
On July 1, after the observations made by the Supreme Court judges, there was a sharp reaction across the country as the remarks of the judges was deemed unfair and violating of a citizen’s rights. However, when the orders were passed by the Supreme Court, the remarks were not added, and it simply allowed the petitioner to withdraw the petition and approach lower courts.
On June 28, comedian and ‘The Daily Show’ host Trevor Noah took potshots at the Democratic party for failing to take proper action after the US supreme court overturned the landmark verdict in Roe Vs Wade.
“The Supreme Court is shutting everything down. People are rising up in the streets, and the Democrats? Well, they responded in a way that only the Democrats can,” he was heard as saying.
Trevor Noah mocked the theatrics put out by the Democrats, such as sending fundraising emails and making emotional speeches, in the aftermath of the court’s decision.
He mentioned how Michigan Representative Andy Levin posted a photo of himself in a weird yoga pose to calm himself down. While pointing at the picture, Noah said, “I feel like that’s the perfect yoga pose for Democratic leadership…Very little action and your head is basically up your own ass.”
“I don’t know if anybody voted for the performative aspect. People just want things done. No one cares about Kente cloths or singing on the Capitol steps, and especially not poetry… Why do Democrats do this?” he inquired.
‘The Daily Show’ host emphasised how Republicans such as Mitch McConnell refrain from such theatrics and instead channelise their energy in getting things done. He said that Democrats had a long time to plan things out, given that the draft decision had leaked in May
“Maybe voters should change things up. Maybe you should do a new thing in America. Instead of fundraising emails, you should do fund-rewarding emails. Make the Democrats show you what they’ve done, and then you donate to their cause,” Trevor Noah sought accountability from the party.
He also lambasted the Senate judiciary committee for doing ‘too little and too late’.
US ’liberals’ denigrate Trevor Noah for seeking accountability from the Democrats
Days after Noah had urged his audience to fund Democrats only if they stand up to their expectations, liberals in the United States were miffed at his plans to hold the Democratic Party accountable for its actions.
“Point taken, but with respect, here’s the difference, “Trevor Noah.” One party is about policy and writing legislation to solve problem – which takes time. The other: sabotage and fear-mongering – that any dumb fool can do on Fox News,” claimed one Karl Schwartz.
Point taken, but with respect, here’s the difference, “Trevor Noah.” One party is about policy and writing legislation to solve problem – which takes time.
The other: sabotage and fear-mongering – that any dumb fool can do on Fox news.
Another liberal asserted, “This is the kind of transactional bullshit thinking that helped get us here. Trevor Noah can take his “interesting proposition” and shove it.”
This is the kind of transactional bullshit thinking that helped get us here.
— Down And Out Bad In DFW (@Kennymack1971) July 4, 2022
“People like Trevornoah are out there trying to bash Democrats because we fundraised after the Roe decision. We’re not apologizing for that…ever. We’re going to use that money to get people to vote. What are YOU doing, Trevor?” wrote another liberal.
People like @Trevornoah are out there trying to bash Democrats because we fundraised after the Roe decision.
We’re not apologizing for that…ever.
We’re going to use that money to get people to vote.
“This is just another example of why people should stop listening to Trevor Noah as he frequently says dumb things,” remarked one Prince Daniel III.
This is just another example of why people should stop listening to Trevor Noah as he frequently says dumb things https://t.co/sTJvDMXQDp
— Prince Daniel III – The Ultimate Hater (@go_ACC_) July 4, 2022
However, this is not the first time that ‘The Daily Show’ host was hounded by liberals. In March this year, he was targeted on social media for hosting Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev to discuss the ‘Save Soil movement.’
On Tuesday, a few Indian Cricket fans were abused and made to feel low about their skin shade at Edgbaston on day 4 of rescheduled fifth test of India against England. Sharing the visuals and messages on social media, the Indian fans stated that they were called ‘smelly p**’ and ‘curry c**ts’ by the spectators who were standing in the south lower stand at Edgbaston, UK.
According to the reports, many of the Indian fans reported the incident to the campus stewards but were asked to sit down in their seats allegedly allowing the racist behavior by the English spectators. “Racist behavior at Edgbaston towards Indian fans in block 22 Eric Hollies. People calling us Curry C**ts and paki bas**s. We reported it to the stewards and showed them the culprits at least 10 times but no response and all we were told is to sit in our seats”, tweeted one of the victims.
Racist behaviour at @Edgbaston towards Indian fans in block 22 Eric Hollies. People calling us Curry C**ts and paki bas****s. We reported it to the stewards and showed them the culprits at least 10 times but no response and all we were told is to sit in our seats. @ECB_cricketpic.twitter.com/GJPFqbjIbz
The other one meanwhile revealed that the UK spectators also passed racist comments against the Indian Cricket team players. “Disappointed to hear and see racist slur against Indian players Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Siraj by the spectators in the south lower stand at Edgbaston, UK. Cricket is no longer a gentlemen’s game here in the UK”, he posted with a sad face smiley.
Further releasing the image of a few English people teasing the Indian in the stand, one Twitter user named Dhruv Patel said that the language used by the spectators was horrible. “The most disgusting racist behavior and language I have ever seen and experienced today Edgbaston. Never in my life did I expect this could happen. Racism is rife in 2022”, he tweeted raising his voice against racism.
The allegations were also highlighted by English cricketer Azeem Rafiq, who plays for Yorkshire County Cricket Club. “Disappointing to read”, these words by Rafiq were taken cognizance of by the Edgbaston who apologized for the incident and assured to investigate into the matter as soon as possible.
We’re incredible sorry to read this and do not condone this behaviour in anyway. We’ll be investigating this ASAP.
Also, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) released an official statement to state that racism has no place in Cricket. “There is no place for racism in cricket. Edgbaston has been working hard to create a safe and inclusive working environment”, the statement highlighted. Meanwhile, Stuart Cain, the chief executive of the County said, “Having seen the initial tweets, I’ve spoken personally to the gentleman who raised them and we’re now speaking to the stewards in this area to establish what happened. Nobody should be subject to any form of abuse at Edgbaston. So, once we’ve got all the facts, we will make sure this issue is addressed swiftly”.
Edgbaston has been working hard to create a safe and inclusive environment. If you’ve experienced or witnessed any discrimination, find out how to report it here: https://t.co/M7NjhFVPwg
— England and Wales Cricket Board (@ECB_cricket) July 4, 2022
Defending the stewards, Cain noted that when the issue was reported to the stewards, they couldn’t pinpoint where the alleged abuse was coming from so they and the police monitored the area until the close of play. “We actively support police action in alleged cases of abuse and have provided them with CCTV imagery and further information which has led to them launching a criminal investigation. Racism has no place in Cricket”, he reiterated.
On July 5, during interaction with media at Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) Ahmedabad, Union Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that rapid work was underway to make social media accountable not only in India but at a global level. His remarks came amid the reports of Twitter approaching the Karnataka High Court against ‘take-down’ notices by the Government of India.
#WATCH | An ecosystem, thought process that social media should be held accountable, is spreading in our country as well as globally…Rapid work underway on how to make it accountable: Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to ANI pic.twitter.com/vQ2VjleVzK
He said, “Social media is a very powerful medium. It has a powerful impact on our lives. How it should be held accountable has become a valid question across the globe. The countries and societies are moving in the direction that it is essential to hold social media accountable. How can it be done? It has to start with self-regulation. Remove the content on our own that can have a harmful impact on society. Then comes the industry regulation, followed by the government regulation. An ecosystem, thought process that social media should be held accountable, is spreading in our country as well as globally.”
#WATCH | “Be it any company, in any sector, they should abide by the laws of India. This is the responsibility of everyone to abide by the laws passed by the Parliament,” says Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. pic.twitter.com/QPNhTpErY8
Speaking to news agency ANI, he said, “Be it any company, in any sector, it should abide by the laws of India. It is everyone’s responsibility to abide by the laws passed by the Parliament.”
He further stated that the content creators like news portals should get a share of the revenue generated by social media companies from their content.
Twitter approached Karnataka High Court against GoI take-down orders
On Tuesday, the microblogging website Twitter approached Karnataka High Court against some of the take-down orders issued by the Government of India, stating those orders did not fulfil the procedural requirements as per the IT Act. The government of India has not issued any statement particular to the reports of the plea submitter by Twitter in the High Court.
Tuesday, July 5, was not a good day for Spicejet. After a flight bound for Dubai landed safely at Jinnah International Airport in Pakistan’s Karachi owing to an indicator malfunction, another flight made an emergency landing in Mumbai after its windshield cracked mid-flight.
On 5th July, 2022, SpiceJet Q400 aircraft was operating SG 3324 (Kandla – Mumbai). During cruise at FL230, P2 side windshield outer pane cracked. Pressurization was observed to be normal. The aircraft landed safely in Mumbai: SpiceJet Spokesperson pic.twitter.com/DYypQXmTyk
In the middle of the flight, the outer windowpane of the windshield cracked. Even though pressurization was normal, and wasn’t affected by the incident, the plane had to make an emergency landing.
Earlier in the day, a SpiceJet SG-11 aircraft from Delhi to Dubai was diverted to Pakistan due to a technical malfunction. The aircraft made a safe landing at Pakistan’s Jinnah International Airport in Karachi. According to a statement by the company, nobody was injured and everyone was safe, including passengers and the staff.
In another recent incident, a SpiceJet flight from Delhi to Jabalpur (SG-2962) was forced to return to the Delhi airport on Saturday morning when the cabin crew spotted smoke inside the plane while flying at 5,000 feet.
SpiceJet has recently come under fire for a slew of mishaps that have raised concerns about passenger safety. The frequency of SpiceJet’s “safety issues” has also been a source of worry. On June 25, a SpiceJet flight from Patna to Guwahati was forced to cancel due to a technical fault. One of the aircraft’s rear doors had an automatic warning light lit.
On June 19, a Spicejet flight carrying over 185 people from Patna to Delhi caught fire shortly after takeoff and had to make an emergency landing. As per the airline, a bird struck the fan blades. On the same day, a Bombardier Q400 Dash 8 aircraft traveling from Delhi to Jabalpur was forced to make an emergency landing in Delhi due to a lack of cabin pressure as the plane reached high altitude.
According to a report by the regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), SpiceJet ranked second in terms of flight cancellations in the month of May. According to a recent LocalCircles report, SpiceJet also topped the list of airlines whose services are the least satisfying, followed by Indigo.
Despite the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (1890) being in place, animal abuse is still rampant in Pakistan. In a video that has gone viral on social media, a cow can be seen being lifted from the rooftop of a highrise building by a crane.
According to Reuters, the cow which is seen lowered 40 feet to the ground using a crane belongs to one Syed Ejaz Ahmad. Ahmed, as per the media outlet, rears cows in his rooftop bran and every year, ahead of Eid-al-Adha, he uses cranes to lower the helpless bovine and sells them for Qurbani.
Syed Ejaz Ahmad raises cattle in a rooftop barn and every year for the festival of Eid al-Adha he lowers them 40 feet to the ground using a crane before they are sacrificed for their meat pic.twitter.com/gTVoymkOeL
In the video shared by Reuters, the cow is seen cruelly restrained to the crane’s hoist rope as it is being lowered from a building’s rooftop in Karachi, Pakistan. Syed Ejaz Ahmad is heard saying how he makes the animals climb the staircase when they are young. He then rears the cows in his shed on the rooftop. When they grow up, they are lifted through a crane and taken from slaughter ahead of the festive occasion.
According to the media outlet, Ahmad has been carrying out this practice for the last 18 years.
Animal cruelty in the name of ‘enjoyment’: The tradition of crane-lifting cows continues in Pakistan
At the location, one can see a lot of children and adults gathered. A resident named Mohammad Hanzala told the media that this is an annual affair in the area. “It is fun to watch the animals being lowered, it’s a different kind of enjoyment. Last year I came to watch with my friends but this time I have come alone, said Mohammad Hanzala, as he excitedly watched the helpless bovine being hauled off a building by a crane.
According to Mohammad Hanzala, only two cows were lowered this year as opposed to five or six in previous years.
When the animal is brought down in such a manner, it not only feels terrified because of the height, but people surrounding it and making noise also tend to stress the animal out. Regardless, for years, ahead of the Islamic festival Eid al-Adha, the Pakistanis have been engaging in this egregious act of animal abuse in the name of ‘traditions’ and ‘rituals’.
In the year 2020, before the Islamic festival, a video had gone viral wherein a cow being lifted through a crane lost its balance and fell to its own death as people around stood and watched. The video was reportedly from Karachi, Pakistan. However, it could not be independently verified.
This act of cruelty is being carried out in Pakistan for years. Each year, before Eid-al-Adha, similar videos have surfaced on various social media platforms, wherein where cows are being lifted with cranes from the top of houses to be taken for slaughter.
According to reports, those who cannot afford goats for sacrifice for Eid rear animals like cows on the second and third floors of their houses in Karachi. On the day of Qurbani, these cows are brought down through a crane. Each cow is reportedly sold for Rs 5 lakh. Apparently, they get them as calves and rear them for a long time by feeding and taking care of them to be sold ahead of Eid for Qurbani.
