Home Blog Page 3108

Kolkata: Woman killed and several injured as cop opens fire near Bangladesh High Commission before shooting himself dead

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Kolkata: Woman killed and several injured as cop opens fire near Bangladesh High Commission before shooting himself dead

When thousands of Muslims had gathered at Park Circus area in Kolkata demanding arrest of former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma over her comments on Prophet Mohammed, a shocking incident happened close to that protest site today. In that incident, a police constable had killed a woman near Bangladesh High Commission at the Park Circus area in Kolkata. The incident took place at 2:30 pm on Friday (March 10). After that, the cop killed himself using the service weapon.

The accused was identified as Kolkata Police Armed police constable Chodup Lepcha. He began firing indiscriminately using his riffle at the crowd during which several people were injured. Two of his bullets hit a car, one hit a tree trunk and another hit a female pillion driver, killing that woman. Reportedly, the fatal bullet had grazed past a bystander before it pierced through the spine of the woman who was riding pillion on a bike. After she was hit by the bullet, the woman fell on the ground and died on the spot. The biker was also hit but he kept riding and managed to flee from the spot.

After this mayhem on the street, constable Chodup Lepcha killed himself with his service gun.

An eyewitness named Arafat Molla informed, “The man came out of an alley holding the gun and was shouting at the top of his voice. He stood in the middle of the road and started firing. We initially thought he was joking with a fake gun but then two bullets hit a car beside us and almost grazed past my brother as we all started running for cover”.

Another local said that the whole incident lasted for around 5 minutes.

According to a local shopkeeper, the fatalities would have been more if the firing had taken place after the Jumma Namaz was concluded. On being informed, a large contingent of police reached the spot and pacified the situation.

While speaking about the matter, Additional Commissioner (Kolkata Police) Praveen Tripathi said, “He (Chodup Lepcha) was with the fifth battalion of Kolkata Armed Police. We are tracking the CCTV footage and speaking to witnesses for further information. The constable was probably under depression but we need to confirm”.

Amidst confusion about whether protests by Islamists after Jumma Namaz were influenced by the killing of a woman by the police constable, journalist Tamil Saha dismissed all such rumours.

“The firing in Kolkata has no link with protests happening at Park Circus area post Friday prayers. one constable posted outside Bangladesh high comm had suddenly opened firing without any warning. There was no protest happening near him. One passerby killed. He then shot himself,” he tweeted.

A large team of police reached the spot and removed the bodies. The police have started a probe into the incident.

WB: Protests against Nupur Sharma continues for second day in Howrah as mob burn down vehicles and police booths, large protests in Kolkata too

OpIndia Staff
-
0
WB: Protests against Nupur Sharma continues for second day in Howrah as mob burn down vehicles and police booths, large protests in Kolkata too

A day after Islamists blocked the National Highway connecting Howrah and Kolkata, a large mob disrupted the vehicular movement in the Park Circus area in Kolkata. Following the Friday prayers (Jumma Namaz), Islamists began gathering on the road and demonstrating against the remarks made by BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma. Such protests erupted in a large number places across India today after the Friday prayers, and the West Bengal capital was also no exception.

Videos from the area show thousands of Muslims on the street demanding arrest of Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal. The road was blocked by the protesting crowd for several hours during the day.

A video shot from atop the Maa flyover showed the mob, chanting slogans of ‘Allah Hu Akbar.’

Popular Twitter user Ankita urged the State to respond but to no avail. “Where’s police administration? Mamata Banerjee should stop this immediately, the common people are being harassed,” she wrote.

Similar scenes were seen in Kolkata’s twin city Howrah, where Muslim mobs again resorted to violence and vandalism after similar acts yesterday. The mobs burnt down vehicles and police booths during the violence protests.

The National Highway 116 near Anjurhati in Howrah was blocked due to the protests and vandalism by the protesters. Apart from setting vehicles and booths to fire, the mob also burnt tyres on the road, forcing a halt of traffic on the busy road also known as Delhi-Kolkata National Highway. The road was blocked for over 10 hours as the police failed to control the mob. The road blockade started around 10.30 am today and continued till evening.

BJP office burnt down

The Islamist mob also burnt down a office of BJP in Howrah, as informed by Bengal BJP leader Amit Thakur. “The Bhartiya Janata Party office is a place of worship for us, today thousand of mad fundamentalist have came and set fire to that place of worship,” he tweeted.

BJP leader Swapan Dasgupta said that different parts of Kolkata and outskirts were under mob rule, while police is in retreat mode. “State-sponsored disturbances in W Bengal. Citizens in panic. Is this going to be an everyday story in this state?” he asked on Twitter, adding that it is time for Indians to lose sleep.

It is notable that just yesterday, West Bengal Cm Mamata Banerjee had appealed the Muslims with folded hands not to protest in the state, and she had advised them to protest in Delhi. However today it was proved that the Muslims do not care about her appeal.

Islamists blocking roads in Howrah, Mamata advises to protest in Delhi instead

On Thursday (June 9), a mob of frenzied protestors blocked the National Highway connecting Howrah and Kolkata, thereby resulting in traffic woes and public inconvenience. The demonstration comes days after the BJP suspended its spokesperson Nupur Sharma over alleged ‘blasphemous’ remarks against Prophet Muhammad.

The protestors, dressed in skull caps and lungi, created a ruckus on NH116. They yelled Islamist slogans and burnt tyres. In videos that have now surfaced on social media, dark smoke could be seen engulfing the skies.

Reportedly, the blockade began from Nibra (Kona Expressway-NH16 junction) at around 10:30 am and ended at 9:30 pm. Located at about 12 km from the second Howrah bridge, it extended up to the AJC Bose Road in Kolkata.

Instead of acting against the mob that had brought traffic to a near halt in Howrah, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asked them to disrupt public life in other states instead.

She remarked, “Why should we suffer due to communal politics of some with an aim for narrow political gains? Go protest in UP, Gujarat…states where BJP is in power. But they are not in power in Bengal, so don’t do this for publicity in here.”

AAP leaders claim Satyendar Jain was beaten up in ED custody; pictures suggest otherwise

OpIndia Staff
-
0
AAP leaders claim Satyendar Jain was beaten up in ED custody; pictures suggest otherwise

On Thursday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials sought five more days of custody for Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain who has been arrested in a money laundering case. Accordingly, Jain who was arrested on May 31, will remain in the ED custody till June 13, 2022. However, AAP leaders started mounting a propaganda campaign, insinuating that Satyendar Jain was assaulted by the ED in its custody.

AAP leaders claimed Satyendar Jain was beaten in the custody

Reportedly, the AAP leaders on June 10 began to play the victim card on behalf of Jain. Sharing the image of the Delhi Health Minister while he was rushed to a nearby hospital after he complained of uneasiness, the AAP leaders claimed that he was tortured and physically assaulted by the ED in the custody. Right from AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj to AAP MP Sanjay Singh almost all the AAP supporting people shared the deceitful image of Jain and claimed that ED had beaten up the Delhi Minister in the custody.

“This is the person who gave the model of Mohalla Clinic to the country and saved Rs.300 crores for the people of Delhi in the construction of 5 Flyovers. This picture of Satyendar Jain is a black stain on Modi and his Maina (ED). This country will never forgive you”, tweeted AAP MP Sanjay Singh.

Meanwhile, AAP leader Atishi said that her heart was broken to see the ‘tortured’ picture of Jain. “The man who gave the country the model of Mohalla Clinic that gives free and luxurious treatment to the people of Delhi. Heartbroken to see him like this”, she tweeted with a broken heart emoji.

Also, AAP MLA Kuldeep Kumar, leader Sarita Singh, AAP Media Coordinator Vikas Yogi, etc joined the saga to claim that Jain was allegedly assaulted in the ED custody. Meanwhile, Saurabh Bharadwaj, the spokesperson of AAP, stated in his tweet that Jain was looking pale and vulnerable as he had quit eating food ever since he was lodged in the custody.

“Satyendar Jain has given up food. He used to eat food only after going to the temple every day. For 11 days he is eating only fruits. The ED has kept him in custody only to harass him. Prayers of millions of people are with Satyendar Bhai, who has a very strong intention and has full faith in God”, he tweeted.

Propaganda by AAP leaders exposed

While AAP supporters kept making fake claims about Jain being beaten up in the ED custody, images available on social media suggest the contrary. The image of Jain that has blatantly publicized Jain as a ‘victim’ and ED as a persecutor, was clicked from outside the car whose window featured the reflection of a huge tree. The propaganda by the AAP leaders was exposed by activist Vijay Patel who asserted that the image shared by AAP leaders had the reflection of a tree.

Sharing the ‘fit and fine’, real picture of the Jain from the very same day, Patel stated that the AAP leaders were deliberately targeting the ED and the Modi-led government. He also slammed the AAP IT cell for sharing selective images on social media that made Jain look like a victim.

Interestingly, Jain looked fine in the image that was shared by Patel on the same day while Jain was being taken to the nearby hospital after he complained of uneasiness. The picture is clear enough to show that there are no bruising marks on his mouth and that the claims made by the AAP leaders of Jain being beaten in the custody are fake.

It is important to note that Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has time and again defended Jain as an honest person and had said that he is being framed in a false case. CM Kejriwal said in a press conference that he had himself examined the case against Jain and that it was ‘fake’. He said, “I have studied the case against Jain. It is completely fake and motivated by political reasons. We have faith in the judiciary. Jain is following the path of truth, and he will come out clean.”

Case against Satyendar Jain

ED had recently raided the residence of Jain and his aides only to recover bundles of hard cash, gold coins and biscuits from their premises. According to the reports, the ED recovered Rs 2.23 crores of cash from Ram Prakash Jewellers, Rs 41.5 lakh from Vaibhav Jain and Rs 20 lakh from GS Matharoo. Along with hard cash, 133 gold coins weighing 1.8 kgs were also recovered from Vaibhav Jain.

In August 2017, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed an FIR against Satyendar Jain in a money laundering case. The ED had registered a criminal case against the AAP leader based on this FIR which was lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in which it had been alleged that Jain could not explain the source of funds received by four companies in which he was a shareholder. The companies have reportedly laundered money to the tune of Rs 16.39 crores from 2010 to 2014.

In November 2019, the Home Ministry approved the prosecution of Delhi minister Satyendar Jain in cases related to disproportionate assets and money laundering. In April this year, the Enforcement Directorate provisionally attached immovable properties worth Rs. 4.81 crore owned by companies named Akinchan Developers Pvt. Ltd, Indo Metal Impex Pvt Ltd, and others under the PMLA, 2002. The action was taken in connection with the disproportionate asset and money laundering case registered against AAP minister Satyendar Jain, his wife Poonam Jain, and others.

‘Only objective of news channels is to mock and insult Islam and Muslims’: AIMPLB appeals Islamic clerics and scholars to not appear in TV debates

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘Only objective of news channels is to mock and insult Islam and Muslims’: AIMPLB appeals Islamic clerics and scholars to not appear in TV debates

Amid massive protests by Muslims all across the country demanding arrest of former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma over her comments on Prophet Mohammed on a TV debate, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board has issued an appeal to Islamic scholars and clerics to refrain from appearing in such shows.

In an appeal published today, the AIMPLB has said that the officials of the board have issued a joint statement with this appeal. The statement says that Muslim clerics and Islamic intellectuals should not appear in arguments and debates on those TV channels whose only objective is to make fun of Muslims and insulting them.

AIMPLB says that by participating in the programs, the Muslim leaders are not able to do any service of Muslims and Islam, instead they indirectly insult and mock Muslims and Islam.

The statement said, ‘The objective these programs are not to arrive at any conclusion based on constructive discussions, but to insult Islam and Muslims and defame them. These channels want to include one Muslim face in the debates to prove their neutrality. Our clerics and intellectuals become victim of such conspiracies unknowingly. If we boycott these programs and channels, then not only their TRP will reduce but they will also badly fail in their objectives’.

According to the statement, AIMPLB general secretary Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani informed that the appeal has been issued jointly by board president Mohammad Rabey Hasani Nadwi, vice president Jalaluddin Umri and several others.

It is notable that after suspending Nupur Sharma, BJP has also guidelines for its spokespersons and leaders who appear in TV debates. Reportedly, the party has asked them to not comment against any religion, religious heads, worshipers, and religious symbols. The party has also asked them to use restrained language, and not get agitated. They are not to violate party’s ideology even if provoked by the anchors or other panellists.

All this started when a debate on discovery of Shivling at Gyanvapi mosque on Times Now, objecting to insult of Shivling and Hinduism by Muslims on social media, Nupur Sharma had questioned what if Hindus also start quoting uncomfortable facts of Prophet Mohammed from Islam texts.

While this went unnoticed initially, as English News channels have very low viewership, the clip went viral after Islamist propagandist and cofounder of Alt News, Md Zubair posted it on Twitter, inviting his troll army to attack Nupur Sharma. However, what happened after that was probably not even anticipated by Zubair also, as the matter was amplified several radical Muslims, who tagged influencers and media houses from Gulf countries demanding action against the BJP leaders.

Things escalated quickly in the last few days, with BJP distancing from the comments and suspending Nupur Sharma, and soon after that, several Islamic countries issued statements condemning her remarks and demanded apology from the govt. Along with that, Muslims has started to protest demanding her beheading and arrest. The first violent protests took place in Kanpur on last Friday after the Jumma prayers, and today the protests and violence spread to dozens of cities after the weekly namaaz.

Prophet Muhammad comment row: Tricolour defaced in Telangana, Ashok Chakra replaced with Kalma during protests by Islamists

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Prophet Muhammad comment row: Tricolour defaced in Telangana, Ashok Chakra replaced with Kalma during protests by Islamists

Amid pan-India violent protests against remarks on Prophet Muhammad, Islamists running riot in Telangana defaced the Indian tricolour, replacing the Ashok Chakra at the centre with Muslim Kalma.

According to Times Now broadcast, the incident took place outside Masjid-e-Rahmath mosque in Mahbubnagar, where hundreds of Islamists had gathered to stage a protest against the comments made on Prophet Muhammad. The crowd reportedly shouted slogans against Nupur Sharma and the BJP and submitted a memorandum to the Collector demanding strict action against the former BJP spokesperson.

However, the uproar saw disrespect being meted out on the Indian tricolour as the Islamists defaced it and replaced the Ashok Chakra with a Kalma.

Kalma is a declaration, or statement of faith, which literally means “word”. Recitation of the Shahadah or Kalma the “oath/testimony”, is the most important of the Five Pillars of Islam for Muslims.

Pan-India protests erupt after Friday prayers over remarks on Prophet Muhammad

On June 10, Friday, massive protests emerged in multiple cities across the nation against Nupur Sharma, the former BJP spokesperson who has come under the attack of Islamists for quoting Islamic Hadiths on the Prophet Muhammad. After today’s Friday Namaz or Jumma, a large number of people gathered in protest against suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma outside Delhi’s Jama Masjid. Visuals emerged from the location showed Muslims raising slogans against the ex-BJP spokesperson and former BJP leader Naveen Kumar Jindal and demanding their arrest.

In Karnataka’s Belagavi, an effigy of suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma was found hanging on the Fort Road, highlighting the grim nature of protests that have convulsed the nation days after AltNews co-founder Mohammed Zubair dog-whistled about her comments on Prophet Muhammad.

Demonstrators in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj took to stone pelting after Friday Namaz to mark their protest against Nupur Sharma for her audacity to make comments on Prophet Muhammad that are mentioned in authentic and reliable Islamic Hadiths.

The violent protests by Islamists against former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma also reached the Jharkhand capital of Ranchi. Violent protests broke out in the city on Friday, 10th June, over what the frenzied crowd of Muslim protesters called ‘blasphemous’ comments by Nupur Sharma.

In Hyderabad, the capital of Telangana, similar scenes were witnessed as Muslim protesters, after offering Friday Namaz, went on a rampage, raising hateful slogans against former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma and causing law and order problems in the city.

Jharkhand: Violent protests by Islamists in Ranchi over Nupur Sharma’s remarks, Police officer injured in stone-pelting, curfew imposed

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Jharkhand: Violent protests by Islamists in Ranchi over Nupur Sharma’s remarks, Police officer injured in stone-pelting, curfew imposed

The violent protests by Islamists against former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma also reached the Jharkhand capital of Ranchi. Violent protests broke out in the city on Friday, 10th June, over the alleged ‘blasphemous’ comments by Nupur Sharma, and as per the police, the protests gathered pace after the Friday Namaz.

Since Friday morning, Islamists started their protests against Nupur Sharma, protests which were going to turn violent very soon.

Islamists took to the streets in protest against the remarks of Nupur, and all the shops in the area were closed as a part of the protest. After the Friday prayers, the protests grew in intensity and resulted in stone-pelting with police using lathicharge to try and bring the situation under control. During the violence, a local Police officer was also injured during the violence along with some other police personnel.

Police Officer injured during the protests

During the protests, a video also went viral on social media where a policeman can be heard begging for reinforcements from his superiors to face the stone-pelting Islamists. The policeman even cries while making the request to his superiors.

Ranchi was hardly an isolated case, news of violent protests against Nupur Sharma after Friday Namaz came from several cities in Uttar Pradesh. Mass protests were also seen outside Jama Masjid in the capital Delhi and Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad.

Curfew imposed in Ranchi after the violence

Following the violence during the protests against Nupur Sharma, a curfew has been imposed in the violence-hit areas in Ranchi. Ranchi District Administration announced.

When the State weakens, men become monsters: How long do we have till effigies turn real?

Sanghamitra
-
0
When the State weakens, men become monsters: How long do we have till effigies turn real?

Did you see those pictures of a saree-wearing effigy hanging from a high wire in Belagavi? Looked disturbingly real, didn’t it? It is scary. They have even put a face on it, a picture of Nupur Sharma, the BJP spokesperson who is now persona non grata, has multiple bounties on her head and it is suddenly in vogue in the secular, democratic republic to announce that she should be beheaded.

Nupur Sharma’s effigy hanged from a wire in Karnataka’s Belagavi

It looks surreal, doesn’t it? It is terrifying if you think about it. That is what a lot of people want to do to a woman, a lone woman whose words they did not like. As we have been conditioned to think and behave, we stare at the picture for a few seconds, then we tell ourselves, “Nah, this is India, not Afghanistan or Syria, such things cannot happen here”.

There is some truth to it. Yes, such things do happen in Afghanistan. Not long after they grabbed power in 2021, the Taliban started hanging bodies from cranes. Those images were scary too. They were viral. They had even hanged a body from a helicopter. Not effigies, actual people murdered and hanged in the public to make a spectacle out of the murder, to send a message.

September 2021, the Taliban had hanged 4 bodies from cranes in Herat, image via The Pioneer

In Herat, Afghanistan, they were not effigies. They were actual people. 4 men accused of ‘kidnappings’ were first killed and then hanged in the public. Scary things happening in distant, war-torn countries, aren’t they?

The thing is, while this article is being written, as of now, there are thousands of people running wild all over India demanding that they want to see the real Nupur Sharma hanged, beheaded, limbs chopped off and worse. Many of them would like to see her raped first. That scary effigy is a declaration of intention.

Just yesterday, a mosque in Jammu blared from loudspeakers that Nupur Sharma should be beheaded. It also announced that Hindus, since they ‘drink cow urine’, are not fit to be considered on par with Muslims.

Yesterday, a large mob also protested in Howrah, demanding the beheading of Nupur Sharma.

Delhi’s Jama Masjid, UP’s Saharanpur, Prayagraj, Jharkhand’s Ranchi and many other places are currently witnessing large mobs announcing that they want to see the real Nupur Sharma hanged or beheaded. For over a week now, Maulanas, religious leaders and politicians have openly announced that Nupur Sharma does not deserve to live. The State is silent. A few arrests here and there for breaking law and order, and some FIRs for spewing religious hatred have been done. But is that enough?

“Still, it is just an effigy, let us not overthink.” We trust the State. We think that since we have a government, a secular, democratic, and modern government at that, we should be ok. That effigy will never be a real corpse. We live in a functional democracy with functional law and order system.

Have we forgotten the faces of Palghar Sadhus already?

Kalpavrukshagiri Maharaj, just before he was brutally beaten to death while Police watched

Kalpavrukshagiri Maharaj was 70 years old. With his frail hands, he had pleaded to a police officer, and with his old, lined face, he had smiled, in hope that the power of the State, present before him in the form of several uniformed police officers, would protect him from the bloodthirsty mob. He was proven wrong within seconds. The police watched while the mob beat him and his associate to death, and kept beating their dead bodies.

Palghar incident was 2 years ago. The State failed. Ruling party leaders never so much as spoke for them. Sparing UP CM Yogi Adityanath, no prominent leader ever mentioned, offered condolences or expressed sadness for them. Kalpavrukshagiri Maharaj died believing that the State would come to his rescue.

The State has been failing quite frequently, even with all the might of modern technology, an overwhelming mandate to rule the country, force, and information available at their service.

Lakhbir Singh probably wasn’t literate or aware enough to believe that he would be rescued. While his dismembered body lay in a pool of his own blood, his eyes widened in shock. He kept trying to speak, making gestures. Probably he was pleading to be rescued, to be helped, or to be given some water.

Lakhbir’s assaulters had also made a spectacle out of his murder. They danced around his brutalised body brandishing their swords. They had no fear of the State.

Just like the unnamed corpses of Herat, Lakhbir was tied up to the scaffolding of a police barricade, left there for everyone to see.

A mutilated body of Lakhbir Singh was found near the Singhu-Kundli border farmer protest site on the morning of October 15

The State had watched while for months, people threatened to kill and chop the PM, rapes were reported, traffic was halted and policemen were attacked in the name of farmers’ protests. The State had watched while the Tricolour was thrown from its place in the Red Fort and a yellow flag was placed.

Since the State’s humiliation and weakening were for all to see, the whole world had watched when dozens of police officials were swept down from the tall walls of the Red Fort. The State gave up before anarchists. Symbols of democracy were defiled on the very day the Republic celebrates its Constitution.

Images are powerful. Images last in memory. Images tell stories. Unfortunately for us, there have been too many images to tell the story of a State’s weakening, of its helplessness before the mob. When the State weakens, the resulting power vacuum welcomes anarchists, fanatics and monsters. Lawlessness spreads like a pandemic. Despair breeds like locusts.

Fanaticism is a slippery slope. Anarchy is a bleak place, law and order cease to exist there. It does not matter which God the fanatics pray to, which book they take orders from, or which toolkit the anarchists follow. It is only the might of the State that can prevent a populace from the threat of fanaticism and lawlessness. When that State’s power fails to prevent lawlessness, fanaticism rises. Human depravity takes over and men become monsters. From that point, it only takes a short time for effigies to become actual bodies.

Hyderabad: Large number of Islamists protest outside Mecca Masjid demanding arrest of Nupur Sharma

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Hyderabad: Large number of Islamists protest outside Mecca Masjid demanding arrest of Nupur Sharma

On Friday, Muslims launched protests against suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma after Friday Jumma prayers in several places in the country. The Muslims are demanding arrest of Nupur Sharma for her remarks on Prophet Mohammed during a TV debate. Like several places in the country, such a protest erupted in the city of Hyderabad, Telangana, as Islamists gathered outside the Mecca Masjid after the Friday Islamic prayers and demanded the arrest of former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma. The protesters raised slogans against Sharma for her alleged ‘blasphemous’ remarks against Prophet Mohammad.

According to the reports, some young Islamists, after the Friday Namaz, organized a rally from outside the Mecca Masjid to Moghalpura fire station. Hundreds of them joined to demand the arrest of former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma and also Naveen Jindal.

Hyderabad Police, taking the cognizance of the event, deployed heavy force and CRPF staff on the spot. The officers tried to pacify the situation and dispersed the Islamists from the spot. Reports mention that similar protests were held also at Kalapather, Mehdipatnam, Chandrayangutta, Shaheennagar, Saidabad, and other places in the city.

This is a day after youngsters under the banner ‘Youth of Hussainialam’ rallied from the Barigalli Hussainialam to the Hussainailam police station in the old city of Hyderabad. Holding banners with slogans condemning the statement of Nupur Sharma, the youngsters marched along the streets chanting ‘Nupur Sharma down down’ and ‘Arrest Nupur Sharma immediately’.

Earlier, BJP had distanced itself from Nupur’s remarks, and the party had suspended Nupur Sharma and expelled Delhi BJP spokesperson Naveen Kumar Jindal for their ‘objectionable’ remarks on Prophet Muhammad. In its suspension letter, the BJP told Sharma that she had expressed views contrary to the party’s on various matters which violate the party’s constitution. “The party respects all religions and is against any ideology that insults or demeans any sect or religion”, it stated.

Following the suspension, the media had freely shared Nupur’s and Naveen Jindal’s addresses online, putting them at risk with multiple death threats coming their way daily. Reportedly, the Delhi Police on June 6 registered a case on a complaint by Sharma in which she stated that she received continuous death threats over her alleged remarks on Prophet Muhammad. The Delhi Police registered a case against unidentified people.

Similar protests in Prayagraj and Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh

On June 10, Islamists also protested in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh after the Friday Namaz and pelted stones at the police force. The incident took place in the Kareli Police Station area of Atala in the Prayagraj district. The protest staged against Sharma turned violent after the Islamists began sloganeering. As reported, Rapid Action Force (RAF) and Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) lathi-charged the protestors to clear the area. However, the stone-pelting continued intermittently despite the best efforts of the security forces.

Also, a similar protest was reported from Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh where Islamists pelted stones at the police force and the civilians, injuring many. Sharma has been facing threats including death threats from Islamists since she made some comments as per the Islamic texts on Prophet Muhammad that irked the Muslims. She argued that since people are mocking the Hindu faith repeatedly, the Hindus can also mock other religions by referring to Islamic beliefs and the life of Prophet Muhammad.

Sharma’s statement was taken out of context by Alt News co-founder and alleged fact-checker Mohammed Zubair, who released an army of trolls and Islamists after Sharma. Multiple FIRs have been registered against Sharma after the remarks and open calls for her death have also been made. Sharma meanwhile also received threats from extremist organizations across the border. The Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) supporters from Pakistan announced a cash reward of Pakistani Rupees 5 million (Around 19.5 lakhs INR) to anyone who would behead Nupur for allegedly committing ‘blasphemy’.

Prophet Muhammad comment row: How Scroll is trying to save a teenage stone pelter during Kanpur violence on a technicality

Jinit Jain
-
0
Prophet Muhammad comment row: How Scroll is trying to save a teenage stone pelter during Kanpur violence on a technicality

On June 7, four days after Islamists went on a rampage on the streets of Kanpur over remarks on Prophet Muhammad, a teenager surrendered at the Colonelganj police station after coming across posters that police had made viral about rioters responsible for wreaking havoc in the city.

Violence enveloped the city of Kanpur on Friday, June 3, after hundreds of Islamists took to the streets and began pelting stones after the Friday Namaz. The rioters clashed with the police and locals, who refused to heed their call for ‘bandh’ over remarks made by former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma on Prophet Muhammad.

A day after violence erupted in Kanpur, the Uttar Pradesh police launched an investigation to identify the culprits responsible for it. The police scanned the CCTV footage available and put up posters of miscreants accountable for plunging the city into chaos and disorder. Police said 40 people had played an active role in the violent protests that left several injured.

Among the jihadists who had taken to violence on the streets of Kanpur was a 16-year-old boy who surrendered after police made his pictures viral. According to the police, the minor was one of the accused responsible for the violent riots that swept Kanpur earlier this month.

Far-left media organisation Scroll tries to save 16-year-old Kanpur violence accused on a technicality

But for the far-left media organisation Scroll, which remains perenially occupied in the service of defending Islamists, the arrest of a teenager Muslim accused of participating in and perpetuating riots was yet another opportunity to cast aspersions on the UP Police.

In an article titled ‘Collateral of Nupur Sharma’s remarks: Muslim family allege minor boy beaten by the police in Kanpur’, Scroll insinuated that the teenage boy who surrendered before police for his role in the Kanpur riots may have been a victim of the UP police’s clampdown against the rioters.

Source: Scroll

The police said the Muslim boy was one of the many rioters captured in photos throwing stones after Friday prayers at the Yakeem Khana mosque. He is slapped with ten offences, including rioting, criminal intimidation and an attempt to murder, which is regarded as a “heinous offence”.

The accused, who is 16 years old as per police records, could be tried under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, which allows individuals between 16 and 18 to be tried as adults if they are accused of committing “heinous offences”.

But the prospect of a Muslim teenager being tried under the Juvenile Justice Act does not seem to have sat well with Scroll, which leaned on the statements made by the accused’s family to undermine his culpability. In what appeared as an attempt to avoid the trial under the Juvenile Justice Act, the article quoted the accused’s family and lawyer conveniently claiming that the boy is 15-year-old.

Furthermore, the article quoted the family to shift the blame for the violent protests on the streets of Kanpur on the BJP and Nupur Sharma. The accused’s family blamed the BJP for not taking timely action against Sharma.

“If you had suspended her 10 days ago when the statements were made, then [the teenager] would be here with us today,” the Scroll article quoted the boy’s cousin as saying.

However, what such a spurious argument does is that it subconsciously legitimises the violent protest that broke out in response to comments made by Nupur Sharma and links it to the action taken against the former BJP spokesperson.

How Scroll leans on the emotional outburst of the stone pelter’s family to undermine UP Police’s action against miscreants

As expected, the Scroll article did not elaborate on how taking to violence regardless of action against Nupur Sharma is criminal and could invite legal proceedings. Moreover, this line of argument echoes with shameless defences proffered by the left-leaning liberals, who play down murderous Islamist tendencies as a fallout of an untoward incident in the past.

Here too, Scroll passes the buck on the BJP as it provides a one-sided narrative from the accused’s family, for whom it is patently hard to admit that their son might have erred.

The article also quotes the accused’s family to allege that the conditions of custody of the teenage boy violate several provisions of the juvenile justice law. Instead of providing concrete evidence to substantiate the claims, the Scroll relies on the emotional outburst of the family, which is probably overwhelmed with grief over the prospect of their son serving a jail term for his involvement in criminal activity.

Scroll conveniently fails to highlight maladies afflicting the Muslim society that pushes youth into radicalisation and extremism

Besides everything else, Scroll fails to highlight the ubiquity of radicalisation prevalent in young and impressionable minds. A 16-year-old Muslim teenage boy jeopardising his future and indulging in criminal activities over comments made on Prophet Muhammad, which were derived from Islamic Hadiths, speaks to the scourge of radicalisation and extremism that has plagued the Muslim society.

However, Scroll conveniently misses out on bringing to the fore the maladies afflicting the Muslim society and instead publishes a sob story to question UP Police’s conduct on the matter, effectively giving a clean chit to the rioter on account of the prejudiced comments made by his kins.

Islamists continue to target Nupur Sharma for comment on Prophet Muhammad, launch massive protests at Delhi’s Jama Masjid, UP’s Saharanpur demanding her arrest

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Islamists continue to target Nupur Sharma for comment on Prophet Muhammad, launch massive protests at Delhi’s Jama Masjid, UP’s Saharanpur demanding her arrest

On June 10, Friday, more protests have emerged in multiple cities across the nation against Nupur Sharma, the former BJP spokesperson who has come under the attack of Islamists for quoting Islamic Hadiths on the Prophet Muhammad. According to reports, after today’s Friday Namaz or Jumma, a large number of people gathered in protest against suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma outside Delhi’s Jama Masjid. Visuals have emerged showing the Muslims raising slogans against the ex-BJP spokesperson and former BJP leader Naveen Kumar Jindal and demanding their arrest.

The Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid has, however, said that no call for protest was given by the masjid.

Meanwhile, a similar protest has also been reported in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur area. In a video that has emerged from the protest site, tens of thousands of Islamists can be seen crowding on the streets raising anti-Nupur Sharma slogans. The police intervene and try to disperse the crowd but are seen being overpowered by the crowd.

According to Hindustan Times, the protestors tried to march toward the Ghantaghar in Saharanpur. Police had to then resort to light lathicharge to disperse the mob. The situation there is said to be tense but under control.

In another video shared by NDTV, Muslims in large numbers gathered in a locality in Saharanpur after the Friday Namaz and forced shopkeepers to shut their shops. They also raised slogans against the ex-BJP spokesperson and demanded her immediate arrest.

In another video of the incident shared by a social media user, a person in the crowd can be seen carrying a green flag, but it is not clear which flag is it.

Nupur Sharma’s effigy found hanging in Belagavi

Earlier in the day, it was reported how an effigy of suspended BJP leader and former spokesperson of the party, Nupur Sharma, was found hanging on the Fort Road in Belagavi. The local police said that the effigy was hanged at night on the cables on Fort Road in the city and it came to the notice of the police at dawn. The effigy has since been removed from the area described as ‘communally sensitive’.

How Nupur Sharma ended up in the crosshairs of Islamists

Islamists have continued to hound and threaten the ex-BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma and her family since the time Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair shared her video with a commentary on Prophet Mohammad to encourage trolls to attack her. In the last week of May 2022, during a news debate, Nupur Sharma asked what if she makes offensive remarks about Islam the way people were making offensive remarks about Shivling and Hinduism.

Since then, the intimidation campaign against the former BJP spokesperson has continued to flow thick and fast. Multiple death and beheading threats have come her way. A number of FIRs have been filed against her in various places. Despite her suspension and subsequent apology, the Islamists, baying for her blood, both within and outside India, have continued to make vile remarks and protests against her. There are multiple bounties on her head as well now ranging from 20 lakhs to 1 Crore.

Diplomatic storm over Nupur Sharma’s comments

Following her comments, even the Arab world joined in the outrage along with Islamists from India, and countries like Qatar, Kuwait, and Iran called on the Indian ambassadors to register their displeasure with the entire thing. There were hashtags trending in almost all Islamic countries calling for a boycott of Indian products over her remarks.

1...3,1073,1083,109...7,582Page 3,108 of 7,582