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Kanpur violence: Hindus singled out by name and assaulted, CM Yogi orders police to invoke Gangster Act against rioters, FIRs registered

OpIndia Staff
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Kanpur violence: Hindus singled out by name and assaulted, CM Yogi orders police to invoke Gangster Act against rioters, FIRs registered

In the violence that erupted in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur district on May 3, Friday, Islamists had singled out the Hindus by their names and assaulted them, reports Zee News. The violence had erupted over a call by Islamists to shut down the shops in the area in protest against BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma for allegedly committing ‘blasphemy’ against Prophet Muhammad

After Friday prayers, the Muslim mob began forcing Hindus in the Beconganj district to close their shops. When they objected, the enraged mob began throwing stones at Hindus. The Islamists insisted on knowing the names of the people, and those who were Hindus were attacked.

As per the report by Zee News, a rickshaw puller passing by was stopped by the enraged Islamists and asked for his name. The rickshaw puller identified himself as Mukesh. The Islamists brutally assaulted him after learning he was a Hindu. He was struck in his head which left him critically injured. The Islamists fled leaving Mukesh in a pool of blood. The critically injured driver was later rushed to the hospital, where his condition remains critical.

CM Yogi Adityanath invokes Gangster Act against perpetrators

Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, has taken cognizance of the incident and directed the UP Director General of Police (DGP) and state Chief Secretary, as well as the additional chief secretary, home, to use the Gangster Act and the National Security Act (NSA) against the troublemakers, imposing the strictest sections to serve as a deterrent to others.

Yogi Adityanath has further ordered authorities to act against the perpetrators under the National Security Act (NSA). The police have been ordered to confiscate the properties of the perpetrators and use bulldozers if necessary so that, in future, no one dares to spoil the atmosphere in the state by spreading communal fury.

Meanwhile, the police have registered 3 FIRs in connection with the violence that erupted in Beaconganj, Kanpur, on Friday. Two FIRs have been filed by the police, while the third FIR has been filed based on the complaint received by the assaulted victims. In the FIR, 40 known people have been named as accused. Additionally, 1000 unidentified people have also been named as accused in the case.

ADG (law and order) Prashant Kumar gave an update on the event, saying that additional forces, including 12 companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary, had been sent to the area. He informed that as of now, 18 people have been arrested and CCTV footage has been obtained, based on which the criminals would be identified and action taken against them under the Gangster Act.

Kanpur violence

On Friday, June 3, OpIndia reported how days after BJP Spokeswoman Nupur Sharma received death threats for allegedly committing ‘blasphemy’ against Prophet Muhammad, severe violence erupted in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur district over it. The Muslim community had given a call for a shutdown in the area to protest against Sharma, and the shutdown turned violent after the Friday prayers.

According to the reports, the members of the Muslim community clashed with the State Police and other civilians and pelted stones in the Becongunj area near Yatimkhana. Controversy erupted after Muslim leader Hayat Zafar Hashmi called for a ‘market bandh’ in protest against the alleged remarks made by Sharma last week.

Hundreds of Islamists joined the protest on June 3 and began to pelt stones after the Friday Namaz. The Police responded to the violence and lathi-charged some of the protesters. While they tried to get the situation under control, fierce stone pelting continued intermittently.

Reports mention that the Islamists also carried out a procession to protest against the BJP spokesperson and a couple of shots were also fired. At least six people have been injured in the violence.

Jammu and Kashmir: Two non-local workers injured after terrorists hurl grenades at them in Shopian

OpIndia Staff
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Jammu and Kashmir: Two non-local workers injured after terrorists hurl grenades at them in Shopian

On Friday (June 3) night, two non-local workers were injured in a grenade attack carried out by terrorists. The incident took place in Aglar Zainapora in Shopian district in the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

Taking to Twitter, the Kashmir Zone Police informed, “Terrorists lobbed a #grenade at Aglar Zainapora, area of #Shopian, resulting in minor injuries to 02 outside labourers. Area has been cordoned off. Further details shall follow.”

Targeted killing of Hindus in Kashmir Valley

On Thursday (June 2), two non-local workers were shot at by Islamic terrorists in Magraypora, in the Chadoora area in Budgam district of central Kashmir. One of them succumbed to the injuries while the other remained in a critical state.

As per reports, the deceased worker was identified as 17-year-old Dilkhush Kumar. He was a resident of Arniya village in the Vaishali district of Bihar. Dilkhush was rushed to the Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital in Srinagar where he was declared dead on arrival.

The other victim named Rajan, who belongs to Punjab, was also injured during the attack by terrorists. His condition was said to be stable. The duo worked as labourers in a brick kiln in the Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir.

The development comes amidst a recent spike in the targeted killing of Kashmiri Hindus especially those employed under the Prime Minister’s Package in the Valley. Opindia had reported how Islamic terrorists shot dead a bank employee named Vijay Kumar, who hailed from Hanamangarh in Rajasthan.

He was the Bank Manager of Elaqahi Dehati Bank. On May 31, the Kashmir Zone Police informed that a Hindu migrant teacher named Rajni Bala was killed in Kulgam district’s Gopalpora area.

Owing to concerns about their safety, Hindus have begun to leave Kashmir in large numbers, thereby prompting fears of another exodus.

Hyderabad gang-rape: All 5 culprits identified, one Saduddin Malik arrested, police say MLA’s son not involved but juvenile son of a VIP involved

OpIndia Staff
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Hyderabad gang-rape: All 5 culprits identified, one Saduddin Malik arrested, police say MLA’s son not involved but juvenile son of a VIP involved

In a significant development in the incident of gang-rape of a 17-year-old minor girl in Hyderabad, the police have identified all five accused in the case. Out of the five, three are juveniles and the rest two are adults. Police has confirmed the arrest adult so far in the case.

Addressing the media to brief the development of the case, Hyderabad West Zone DCP Joel Davis said that the victim minor girl could identify only one of the accused, and the rest were identified with the help of CCTV footage. He said that the police have identified 5 culprits as per CCTV footage and as per the statement of the victim

He informed that out of the 5 culprits that were identified, three are minors. One of the adult culprits have been arrested, who have been identified as Saduddin Malik. The police had located one juvenile accused, but could not apprehend him because of night time.” I’m hopeful that we will be able to apprehend him tomorrow. He is the son of a VIP”, informed the police official.

However, the DCP refuted the rumours of involvement of a son of a MLA. “There were a lot of allegations in the media on MLA’s son. As per the statement of the victim, CDR analysis, and the CCTV footage, he was not among those 5,” he said.

After the gang-rape case came to light, it was being reported in media that sons of two VIPs were involved in the crime. One was reported to be son of a AIMIM MLA, and the other was reported to be son of a TRS leader. However, now that police have said that the MLA’s son was not involved, and also said that one minor accused is son of a VIP, it can be said with certainty that it is the TRS leader’s son who was involved. Reportedly, the Mercedes car used in the case also belongs to the same TRS leader.

It is notable that before the police statement, several media houses had reported that the son of the TRS leader, who also happens to be Waqf Board Chairman, has already been arrested. But now police have clarified he was not arrested in the night as he is juvenile.

Screenshot of ET Tweet

The DCP also said that the allegations that the grandson of the Telangana home minister was also involved in the crime is not true. Telangana Congress and several others on social media had alleged that home minister’s grandson is one of the culprits. The official Twitter handle of the state unit of the Congress party posted, “Telangana Home minister’s grandson & another MLAs son gang-raped a minor after abducting her from a pub in Hyderabad. The home minister must resign for an impartial probe into this gruesome crime.” It is notable that 70-year-old Mohammad Ali of Telangana Rashtra Samiti is the home minister of Telangana.

Screenshot of Telangana Congress Tweet

The minor girl was gang-raped in Telangana’s capital Hyderabad on 28th May 2022. The Mercedes car in which the crime took place belongs to the TRS leader. The victim girl had gone to attend a party at the Amnesia and Insomnia Pub in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad. Reportedly, the culprits took her out of the party in the Mercedes car and then gang raped her.

In his complaint to the jubilee hills police station on June 1, the girl’s father said that some boys in a Mercedes car brought his daughter out of the pub and took her in the car, and then gang-raped her.

According to the father’s complaint, his daughter had gone to a party in the pub on the afternoon of May 28. At around 5.30 pm, some boys took her away in a red Mercedes numbered TS09 FL6460. Along with this, some boys came there in an Innova with a temporary registration number.

The father has also stated in his complaint that these boys also abused and assaulted his daughter, due to which she suffered minor injuries on her neck. At that time, the girl was in deep shock and was unable to tell the exact details of what happened.

Based on the complaint of the minor girl’s father, a case has been registered against the accused under Sections 354, Section 376, and Section 323 of the IPC and Sections 9 and 10 of the POCSO Act.

China conducting military drills on Russian border while Putin remains focussed on Ukraine

OpIndia Staff
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China conducting military drills on Russian border while Putin remains focussed on Ukraine

The Chinese government is conducting military drills on its North-Eastern border with Russia while the Russian government remains occupied with Ukraine. These drills have raised concerns that China may well be planning to push into Russian territory taking advantage of the current situation.

The Klaxon, an investigative Australian newspaper reported that they have obtained images and details of China’s airforce and army conducting secretive exercises in the Russian border areas along the Ussuri River. These exercises were reportedly conducted in February and March this year.

As per Klaxon, the drills involved Chinese Airforce fighter jets and bombers, including live-fire exercises, out of its north-eastern Harbin Air Base, and China’s 78th Group Army running tank and armored vehicle tactical drills. The drills were carried out near Khabarovsk and Ussuriysk regions of Russia.

As per Klaxon’s sources, the Airforce started its drills in the first week of February and carried them out through March, while the Chinese Army carried out the tank and armored vehicle tactical drills in the same region in the last week of March.

The timing of these military drills is very interesting as Russia is currently engaged militarily in Ukraine with their ‘special military operation‘. With the bulk of the Russian forces concentrated in the west against Ukraine and their friends from NATO, China conducting these drills in the east raises suspicions about China’s intent.

China has previously supported Russia during this war in Ukraine and refused to join the America-backed sanctions against Russia. Chinese premier Xi Jinping even met Russian President Vladimir Putin on 4th of February, less than 3 weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine. However, with Russia distracted in Ukraine, China seems to be making its own moves in the east against Russia.

Hyderabad: 17-year-old girl gang-raped in Mercedes car of TRS leader, 5 accused include sons of AIMIM MLA and TRS leader

OpIndia Staff
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Hyderabad: 17-year-old girl gang-raped in Mercedes car of TRS leader, 5 accused include sons of AIMIM MLA and TRS leader

A minor girl was gang-raped in Telangana’s capital Hyderabad on 28th May 2022. The names of kins of a All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MLA and a TRS leader have appeared in connection with the gang rape. One of them is the son of an AIMIM MLA, while the other is the son of a leader associated with TRS. The MLA’s son is being interrogated by the police in this case. The car in which the crime took place belongs to the TRS leader.

According to a report by The News Minute, the Telangana BJP has alleged that three of the five boys involved in the sexual assault incident are the sons of political leaders. One of these boys is the son of an MLA belonging to AIMIM led by Asaduddin Owaisi. One is the son of the chairman of the state’s minority board and the third is the son of the leader of chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s party Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).

Telangana Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson K Krishnasagar Rao said that the Hyderabad police have not yet nabbed the accused due to the involvement of the AIMIM MLA’s son. He said that the police are under political pressure from AIMIM and TRS.

BJP spokesperson Rao said, “The BJP is demanding the arrest of five criminals. I am questioning why the Hyderabad police did not arrest them despite the car being seized. In this case, the girl’s parents lodged a complaint on June 1. In addition, all circumstantial evidence is also available. Are the police awaiting permission from CM KCR or AIMIM chief Owaisi?”

According to the report, a police officer said that CCTV footage has shown that the son of a leader was getting in the car in which the girl was allegedly raped. The footage showed him soon exiting. The officer says that since most of the accused are also minors, the police are confirming from multiple sources before proceeding in the case.

Among the accused boys, the victim was able to identify and name only one of them. This accused is also a minor. On the other hand, the family members of the AIMIM MLA have claimed before India Today that the MLA’s son was not in the vehicle when the crime took place. According to them, he went to the club in that car and stayed there for some time. But when the victim girl was gang-raped, at that time he was not in the car and he is not involved in the crime.

As it happened

On 28th May 2022, a 17-year-old minor girl had gone to attend a party at the Amnesia and Insomnia Pub in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad. The party was hosted by two of her friends. Some other boys also met her in the same pub.

In his complaint to the jubilee hills police station on June 1, the girl’s father said that some boys in a Mercedes car brought his daughter out of the pub and took her in the car, and then gang-raped her.

According to the father’s complaint, his daughter had gone to a party in the pub on the afternoon of May 28. At around 5.30 pm, some boys took her away in a red Mercedes numbered TS09 FL6460. Along with this, some boys came there in an Innova with a temporary registration number.

The father has also stated in his complaint that these boys also abused and assaulted his daughter, due to which she suffered minor injuries on her neck. At that time, the girl was in deep shock and was unable to tell the exact details of what happened.

Based on the complaint of the minor girl’s father, a case has been registered against the accused under Sections 354, and Section 323 of the IPC and Sections 9 and 10 of the POCSO Act.

Later, the girl was sent to the counseling center and counseled by senior women police officers. During this time, the minor told the police officer in detail about the incident that happened to her. After the victim’s statement, the police got her medically examined and on the basis of that, section 376 of the IPC was added for gang rape.

Google canceled a talk by anti-Brahmin ‘activist’ for creating divisions among their workforce, Washington Post insinuates Sundar Pichai’s caste could be the reason

Dibakar Dutta
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Google canceled a talk by anti-Brahmin ‘activist’ for creating divisions among their workforce, Washington Post insinuates Sundar Pichai’s caste could be the reason

In April this year, tech giant Google canceled a talk by an alleged anti-Brahmin activist named Thenmozhi Soundararajan, owing to the fear that it might create ‘division and rancour’ in the workplace.

Thenmozhi, who serves as the Executive Director of Equality Labs, was invited to speak to Google News employees by its senior manager Tanuja Gupta. Her talk was supposedly aimed at raising awareness about ‘caste bias’ and ‘caste discrimination’ in tech companies on the occasion of ‘Dalit History Month.’

However, Google decided to not go forward with the scheduled talk. While speaking about the matter, Google spokesperson Shannon Newberry clarified, “Caste discrimination has no place in our workplace. We also have a very clear, publicly shared policy against retaliation and discrimination in our workplace.”

She emphasised, “We also made the decision to not move forward with the proposed talk which — rather than bringing our community together and raising awareness — was creating division and rancour.”

Resignation of Google employee Tanuja Gupta

Following the cancellation of Thenmozhi’s talk, Google News senior manager Tanuja Gupta tendered her resignation from the tech company. She claimed that her decision to invite the anti-Brahmin activist was influenced by the testimony of two co-workers in September last year, who allegedly experienced caste discrimination in the workplace.

Gupta further stated that the invite was extended to Thenmozhi as part of Google’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programme. She blamed the tech firm for allegedly retaliating against its employees, especially women, over internal criticism.

“Retaliation is a normalized Google practice to handle internal criticism, and women take the hit,” she suggested. Tanuja Gupta pinned the blame on her boss Cathy Edwards, who serves as the Vice-President of engineering at Google, for being oblivious about ‘caste’ and vetting the talk by Thenmozhi.

After her request was turned down by Google, Gupta conducted an interview with the anti-Brahmin activist on Youtube on May 4 this year.

Allegations levelled by Thenmozhi Soundararajan

The Executive Director of Equality Labs alleged that a disinformation campaign was led against her by Google employees to prevent her from speaking on caste bias. She claimed that the employees labelled her ‘Hinduphobic’ and ‘anti-Hindu’ to bolster their allegations.

After being de-platformed by the tech giant for causing divisions at the workplace, Thenmozhi Soundararajan compared herself to an ‘abuse survivor’ who is not being allowed to speak on the #MeToo movement. Reportedly, the anti-Brahmin activist wanted to talk to 60 odd Google employees about ‘caste equity’ in Newsrooms.

“She planned to explain the makeup of mainstream Indian publications and the importance of highlighting Dalit journalists when reporting on issues such as climate change or elections, because of the insight they could bring from the perspective of the most vulnerable,” reported The Washington Post.

Thenmozhi Soundararajan alleged that 7 Google employees wrote to the management against allowing the anti-Brahmin activist to conduct her talk. She alleged that they used ‘inflammatory language’ to claim they would be harmed by her discussion.

After being vetted by Google, her aide Tanuja Gupta tried to make a pitch again for the anti-Brahmin activist. Gupta posted a link to a petition in an email group with 8,000 South Asian employees, hoping that she could coerce the tech firm into submission.

To her surprise, the respondents lambasted her for sowing societal division and promoting reverse discrimination in the United States. “Most institutions wouldn’t do what Google did. It’s absurd. The bigoted don’t get to set the pace of conversations about civil rights,” Thenmozhi Soundararajan claimed in her defence.

Caste baiting, Anti-Brahmin and anti-India motives of Equality Labs & its Executive Director

In February last year, Opindia reported how the Equality Labs is a prominent anti-Brahmin Caste activism group in the United States. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey had once stoked a massive controversy when he held an anti-Brahmin placard that said ‘Smash Brahminical Patriarchy’, a poster designed by Thenmozhi Soundararajan.

Equality Labs had collaborated with the Organisation for Minorities in India (OFMI), among other organisations, for a report titled ‘Caste in the United States: A Survey Of Caste Among South Asian Americans’.

The OFMI was founded by Bhajan Singh Bhinder, a known ISI operative, and his puppet Pieter Friedrich was part of the organisation too. Equality Labs also campaigned hard against Amit Jani, who had worked in the Joe Biden campaign, accusing him of supporting ‘Hindu Fascism’.

The Caste Activist organisation had also inserted a ‘Dalit’ angle to the anti-farm law protests even though the demonstrations were clearly an attempt by the dominant caste groups in Punjab and Haryana to preserve their privilege.

In November 2021, Thenmozhi Soundararajan joined white supremacists in targeting Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal over his caste. They falsely assumed him to be a Brahmin and targeted him over the same. Thenmozhi went to the extent of claiming that it was a tradition for “White cis-men” to transfer power to “Brahmin cis-men” in Silicon Valley.

She said on Twitter, “In the grand silicon valley tradition of white cismen passing the torch to Brahmin cismen, Jack Dorsey is stepping down and Parag Agarwal is the new CEO of Twitter. Will he also remain silent about Caste?”

The Washington Post and its obsession with Sundar Pichai’s caste

After the controversy surrounding the cancellation of Thenmozhi Soundararajan’s talk settled down, The Washington Post raked up the issue in an article titled ‘Google’s plan to talk about caste bias led to division and rancour’.

The article, written by Nitasha Tiku, was published on Thursday (June 2). Tiku suggested that the decision by Google was a manifestation of India’s rising ‘Hindu nationalist movement’, which has somehow gained momentum in the United States through its diaspora.

She tried to trick the Hindus into guilt over a decision made by a private tech giant, which it felt was in the best interest of the company. The writer repeatedly made references to the ‘upper caste’ lineage of Google CEO Sundar Pichai to insinuate that his ‘dominant’ caste must have been a contributing factor.

Screengrab of the news report by The Washington Post

“Soundararajan appealed directly to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, who comes from an upper-caste family in India, to allow her presentation to go forward. But the talk was cancelled, leading some employees to conclude that Google was willfully ignoring caste bias,” the article in The Washington Post claimed.

By citing Thenmozhi Soundararajan, Tiku highlighted how the Google CEO hailed from a Brahmin family in Tamil Nadu. She cast aspersions on his claims about Google’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and pontificated how his upper-caste credentials are barring him to allow a talk on ‘caste equity’.

“There is no way you grow up in Tamil Nadu and not know about caste because of how caste politics shaped the conversation. If he can make passionate statements about Google’s commitments in the wake of George Floyd, he absolutely should be making those same commitments to the context he comes from where he is someone of privilege,” The Washington Post quoted the Anti-Brahmin activist as saying.

Uttarakhand: CM Pushkar Singh Dhami secures landslide victory in Champawat by-polls defeating Congress cancidate Nirmala Gahtori, to continue as the CM

OpIndia Staff
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Uttarakhand: CM Pushkar Singh Dhami secures landslide victory in Champawat by-polls defeating Congress cancidate Nirmala Gahtori, to continue as the CM

Pushkar Singh Dhami, the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, won a landslide victory in the critical by-polls held for the Champawat constituency seat on Friday. For Dhami to keep his CM’s position, he needed to win this election. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader defeated Congress candidate Nirmala Gahtori by a significant margin of over 55,000 votes.

PM Narendra Modi congratulated the Uttarakhand CM on his massive win. Modi thanked the voters for restoring faith in BJP. “Congratulations to Uttarakhand’s dynamic CM @pushkardhami for the record win from Champawat. I am confident he will work even harder for the progress of Uttarakhand. I thank the people of Champawat for placing their faith in BJP and laud our Karyakartas for their hard work,” Tweeted the PM.

Many other BJP leaders also congratulated Dhami on his record win. Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma congratulated Dhami for winning a massive mandate from Champawat, Uttarakhand. He attributed Dhami’s landslide victory to the people’s unwavering faith in the BJP’s beliefs and policies, driven by PM Narendra Modi’s vision.

“Congratulations Shri @pushkardhami ji on winning a massive mandate from Champawat, Uttarakhand. This victory is dedicated to people’s abiding trust in the principles & politics of @BJP4India guided by vision of Adarniya Pradhan Mantri Shri @narendramodi ji,” wrote the Assam CM on Twitter.

Yogi Adityanath, who campaigned for Dhami in Uttarakhand before the by-election, also sent his heartfelt congratulations to the leader. “Heartiest congratulations to the successful Chief Minister of Devbhoomi Uttarakhand, Shri Pushkar Dhami ji for winning the historic victory in the Champawat Vidhan Sabha by-election. This victory is dedicated to the people’s welfare policies of the respected Prime Minister, your developmental leadership and the hard work of BJP workers,” said Adityanath in a Tweet in Hindi.

“Congratulations CM Sri @pushkardhami on winning by elections from Champawat by a huge margin of 55025 votes (secured 58258 votes). All other candidates including @INCIndia candidate (3233 votes) lost their deposit . Well done Team @BJP4UK@madankaushikbjp,” BJP leader BL Santosh Tweeted.

Meanwhile, news agency ANI shared a video wherein Dhami was seen getting teary-eyed while addressing the people in Champawat upon registering a victory in the bye-elections.

Dhami expressed his gratitude to the people of Champawat shortly after the victory was announced, saying he would repay the “people’s blessing through development efforts.”

“I thank the people of Champawat for this big win. This is the victory of Champawat. I’ll try to return the people’s blessing through development works, the chief minister was quoted as saying by the news agency ANI.

“We’ll make Uttarakhand an ideal state by 2025. There’s a lot of scope for development in the state’s villages in religious tourism. Many villages are yet to connected to road and internet connectivity, we aim to fulfill all these needs,” Uttarakhand CM further said after he won the by-polls.

On Tuesday, bypolls were held in Champawat, Uttarakhand, Brajarajnagar, Odisha, and Thrikkakara, Kerala.

Dhami had to run for the seat in a bypoll to become a member of the state Assembly, which was a constitutional obligation he had to meet within six months of being sworn in as chief minister. He had lost from Khatima in the state assembly polls held in February. Former BJP MLA Kailash Gehtori had resigned from the seat to allow Dhami to run for the state legislature again.

Dhami was in a straight fight with Congress’ Nirmala Gehtori for the seat in the state’s Kumaon area. Manoj Kumar Bhatt of the Samajwadi Party and Himanshu Garkoti of the Independent Party were the other two candidates in the race.

Dhami secured 57268 votes with Congress at 3147, Samajwadi Party at 409, and independent candidate Himanshu Garkoti at 399 votes. 327 of the votes were given to the NOTA option. 

India accuses US of playing vote bank politics in international relations with its International Religious Freedom report

OpIndia Staff
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India accuses US of playing vote bank politics in international relations with its International Religious Freedom report

India has said that the United States of America is playing vote bank politics, referring to the U.S. State Department 2021 Report on International Religious Freedom released yesterday. Strongly objecting to India’s portrayal in the report, the ministry of external affairs issued the statement saying that the report contains ill informed comments by senior US officials.

“We have noted the release of the U.S. State Department 2021 Report on International Religious Freedom, and ill informed comments by senior U.S. officials,” said a statement issued by MEA official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi. He further added, “It is unfortunate that vote bank politics is being practiced in international relations. We would urge that assessments based on motivated inputs and biased views be avoided.”

The statement by MEA also said, “As a naturally pluralistic society, India values religious freedom and human rights.”

Bagchi also informed that India has been raising concerns about various incidents of human rights violence in the USA, like racist attacked, hate crimes and regular gun violence. The statement said, “In our discussions with the US, we have regularly highlighted issues of concern there, including racially and ethnically motivated attacks, hate crimes and gun violence.”

In the 2021 Report on International Religious Freedom prepared by the US State Department, it has been alleged that attack on members of the minority communities, including killings, assaults, and intimidation, occurred throughout the year 2021 in India. The report released by Secretary of State Antony Blinken mostly relied on left-liberal reports on so called attacks on minorities.

“Attacks on members of religious minority communities, including killings, assaults, and intimidation, occurred throughout the year. These included incidents of ‘cow vigilantism’ against non-Hindus based on allegations of cow slaughter or trade in beef,” said the report in its India section.

The report also quoted allegations made by NGOs such as United Christian Forum, United Against Hate, the Association for Protection of Civil Rights etc. The mentioned that cancelation of FCRA licence of thousands of NGOs as another example human rights violence.

India govt had rejected the earlier versions of the report also, saying US has no locus standi “to pronounce on the state of our citizens’ constitutionally protected rights.”

Gyanvapi case: Hindu seers seek permission to worship Shivling, demand abrogation of Places of Worship Act, 1991

OpIndia Staff
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Gyanvapi case: Hindu seers seek permission to worship Shivling, demand abrogation of Places of Worship Act, 1991

On Friday, seers of the Kashi Dharma Parishad proposed 22 recommendations in the Gyanvapi issue and demanded that Hindus should be allowed to offer prayers before the Shivling which was discovered in the disputed structure of the Gyanvapi Masjid.

“We should be given the right to worship Adi Vishweshwar Shivling found in Gyanvapi. If this doesn’t happen, there should be prohibition on offering namaz on the upper floor of the Gyanvapi complex,” the chief of the Parishad Mahant Balakdas was quoted.

According to the reports, the seers supported the statement made by the chief of the Parishad and stated that if Hindus are not given permission to worship the Shivling, the entry of the Muslims in the disputed structure should also be barred.

The seers who attended the meeting included Mahant Vijayram Das, Mahant Avadh Bihari Das, Mahant Rajaram Das, Mahant Satyaswaroop Shastri, Mahant Mahavir Das, Mahant Arihant Das, Mahant Mohan Das, Mahant Lucky Pathak, Mahant Anurag Das, Mahant Umesh Das, Mahant Narayan Das, Mahant Satyanarayan Das, Mahant Ishwar Das, Mahant Siyaram Das, Mahant Shravan Das, and Shyampriya Sakhi.

Along with the seers, the meeting was also attended by some of the well-kown historians, social workers and professors. One of the seers named Mahant Shravan Das Ji opined that Hindus have full right to worship the Shivling in the disputed structure of the Gyanvapi Mosque. He also suggested that Hindus must launch a mass movement to attain their religous right.

Considering the 4000-year-old history of Kashi, the Parishad also demanded that the sale and consumption of meat and liquor in the periphery of Varanasi should be strictly prohibited. “It should be declared a ‘no meat, no alcohol zone,” it said. Out of the 22 recommendations proposed by the seers, it has been mentioned that the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 violates the basic rights of Hindus and that it should be repealed.

Meanwhile, one of the professors at Banaras Hindu University presented a PPT document revealing that the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb had built the mosque in 1669 AD by demolishing the temple of Adi Vishweshwar.

ISIS terrorist Abu Musa gets life imprisonment: All you need to know about the 2014 Burdwan blast and the dreaded terrorist

OpIndia Staff
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ISIS terrorist Abu Musa gets life imprisonment: All you need to know about the 2014 Burdwan blast and the dreaded terrorist

On June 3, Friday, the special court of NIA convicted Islamic State (ISIS) and Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) terrorist Mohammed Mosiuddin alias Abu Musa and awarded him rigorous life imprisonment in the 2014 bomb blast that occurred in Khagragarh in West Bengal Burdwan district.

Notably, news agency ANI reported that the dreaded terrorist was arrested in 2017 but multiple reports suggest that he was arrested in July 2016 from the Biswa Bharati passenger train in connection with the 2014 Khagragarh bomb blast case. He was arrested for his link to terror groups like Islamic State and Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh.

Who is Mohammed Mosiuddin alias Abu Musa

The NIA, which was probing the 2014 Burdwan bomb blast case, had said that Musa was planning lone-wolf attacks for the Islamic States and was also accused of radicalising the youth and pursuing them to join the terror organisation.

Musa, during interrogation, had allegedly admitted to having links with top ISIS leaders and the JMB through e-mails, social networking sites and mobile calls.

During a joint interrogation by the CID, NIA and IB, Musa had reportedly admitted to his connection to Amjad Sheikh, a key member of the JMB, arrested in 2014 in connection with the Khagragarh twin blast case.

He reportedly also came in contact with Shafi Armar, a former Mujahideen operative, who later was seen as the dominant recruiter for India. Abu Musa also met Abu Sulaiman, a former member of the Jamaat-Ul-Mujahideen and the alleged mastermind of the Dhaka attack.

According to a report by The Indian Express, a charge sheet filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the Bankshall court in Kolkata on December 23, 2016, said that Musa had also planned to attack the Mother House, headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity located in Mullick Bazar in Kolkata. According to the NIA, during interrogation, Musa had reportedly revealed his plans to attack the Mother House, which he claimed to be a ‘soft target’.

According to media reports, Musa was also ordered to behead a Hindu man, rape the man’s companion, film both attacks, and email the videos to his handler across the border in Bangladesh. Abu Sulaiman had reportedly assigned Musa the job and advised him to choose non-Muslim targets.

The video was supposed to be sent to ISIS in Syria and then released on the Internet by the terrorist group’s communications wing. Post the release, ISIS had planned to make a public declaration in India about the founding of the ‘caliphate.’ Before however, the plan could be executed, Musa was arrested from Burdwan railway station by Bengal Police on July 6 based on the inputs provided by Intelligence Bureau and NIA.

ISIS terrorist Abu Musa attacks Judge with a shoe during the hearing of the 2014 Burdwan blast case, had slashed the throat of a prison guard

Reportedly, Abu Musa has a history of aggressive behaviour and attacking people. In February 2020, Mohammed Mosiuddin alias Abu Musa attacked the Chief Judge, City Sessions Court in Kolkata. Musa hurled the shoes at the judge during his trial in connection with the 2014 Burdwan blast case.

According to the reports, the ISIS terrorist from West Bengal, Abu Musa got furious during the hearing and hurled his shoe toward the judge Prasenjit Biswas. However, the shoe missed the target and hit a lawyer who was present in the court.

In January 2020, he attacked the warden in the Presidency Jail. In December 2017, he slashed the throat of a prison guard in Alipore jail with an iron nail and then raised Jihadi slogans. Abu Musa had been lodged in the Presidency jail under the NIA custody for his alleged role in the 2014 Burdwan blast case.

2014 Burdwan blast case

On October 2, 2014, a powerful bomb exploded on the first floor of a rented property in West Bengal’s Burdwan district’s bustling Khagragarh neighbourhood.

The members of the JMB had made an improvised explosive device (IED) that had accidentally gone off during the fabrication process. Two terrorists had died as a result of their injuries. The West Bengal Police initially filed the case, which was later taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on October 10, 2014. The NIA investigation revealed a plot by the JMB to radicalise, recruit, and train its members in weaponry and explosives in India in order to conduct terrorist acts and wage war against India’s and Bangladesh’s democratically elected governments.

IEDs, explosives, hand grenades, and training films were seized in huge numbers. The NIA has charged a total of 33 people in the investigation with various crimes. Thirty-one of the 33 accused were arrested. The NIA special court in Kolkata had already found 30 accused guilty and sentenced them to varied terms.

Last year, a special NIA court had also sentenced Kausar Ali alias Mohammad Jahid-Ul Islam alias Bomber Miyan, India head of Bangladesh-based terrorist organisation Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen (JMB) to 29 years in jail and imposed a fine of Rs 35,000 for his involvement in the 2014 Burdwan blast case. The court found Kausar guilty of violating sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Arms Act, and the Foreigners Act.

The NIA, in its charge sheet also said that the dreaded terrorist Kausar had links to the 2013 Bodh Gaya blasts. It is notable here that when Kausar alias Bomber Miyan was being interrogated in Bangladesh after his arrest, he revealed that JMB has close ties with the Rohingya terrorist group Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO) and JMB operatives have received training in firearms from RSO in exchange for lessons on explosives. 

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