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The ‘right’ and ‘left’ of sexual harassment victims and perpetrators in India

Nirwa Mehta
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The ‘right’ and ‘left’ of sexual harassment victims and perpetrators in India

A Twitter thread by one Dr Nicole Bedera of University of Michigan has been going viral on social media where she talks about her study of victims as well as perpetrators and their political leanings. The Johnny Depp-Amber Heard trial was the trigger which got her to write about her observations on the same.

She claimed how the perpetrators do not quite pick victims based on their political beliefs, but within victims, the ones who were conservative were more likely to tell her not to believe the ‘other’ women. To put it crudely, the ‘conservative’ in America is the ‘right’ or ‘Sanghi’ equivalent for India.

She then ‘observed’ that these women (conservatives, i.e. American ‘Sanghans’), express their anger towards other women who speak up because it ‘ruins their own credibility’.

Interesting observation. Since in India, it is quite the other way round. You see, during the peak of #MeToo movement in India back in 2018, we saw a lot of ‘liberal’ women, who identify themselves as ‘feminists’ and claim to be fighting for women’s rights, were actually at the forefront of defending men accused of sexual harassment.

In October 2017, a damning list of academics in Indian institutes was put up on Facebook by a student, where she had accused the professors mentioned in the list of engaging in sexual harassment. At that time, champion of naming and shaming sexual harassers, the Leftists cabal had taken it upon themselves to prove how this naming and shaming was ‘blackening faces’ and they were uneasy with the name and shame list. 

The statement was signed by 12 self proclaimed feminists including Ayesha Kidwai, the Leftist professor from JNU, who believes she is a parallel judiciary by leading a public inquiry against the Vice-Chancellor of JNU, Nivedita Menon, who believes Kashmir is not an integral part of India, Vrinda Grover, the advocate who rallied to save terrorist Yakub Memon and Kavita Krishnan, pro-Naxal ideologue activist who tried to pass off Diwali as a non-religious festival.

Professors, politicians, lawyers – they all had come together to not ‘name and shame’ the accused – because they all were from non-right political ideology. In fact, a girl, who was allegedly raped by a lawyer, who was fighting the case of Kathua rape and murder victim, did not raise her voice because she thought calling out a man who raped her would ‘damage the bigger cause’. That is how deep the rot is in the ‘left-liberal’ side, the crusaders of women’s rights and feminism.

Empathising with men accused of abuse

Dr Bedera then in her thread then talks about how the ‘conservative’ women like to take side of accused/perpetrator because they want to ‘appear cool’. Or how the woman would defend her rape accused son even if she knows he’s a rapist.

Amusingly, in India, the same is being played out as well, except here it is not ‘conservative’ or ‘Sanghans’ who do it, but the ‘liberal-left-feminist’ women who stand by their rape, sexual harassment accused men.

When Veteran journalist Vinod Dua was accused of sexual harassment, his daughter, ‘comedian’ and Bollywood entertainer Mallika Dua had rallied behind him. In her statement, soon after the allegations rose, addressed to the victim, Mallika Dua reiterated that she supported #MeToo movement but rued the fact that the victim had “dragged her name” in a controversy involving her father.

After expressing displeasure with the victim naming her, Mallika Dua went on to abuse people who were asking her to speak up. She termed these people as ‘bhakts’ and ‘RW trolls’ and asked them to ‘f*ck off’. She reiterated that she stands by the #MeToo movement. ‘Bhakts’ and ‘RW trolls’, to put it mildly, are the ‘conservative’ equivalent for India. A liberal, feminist woman abusing ‘bhakts’ because a woman (who was not really a ‘bhakt’ herself by a long stretch of imagination) had accused her father of sexual harassment.

She ended her statement by saying that she stood by her father in this battle. Eventually, the left propaganda website The Wire, where Vinod Dua was then employed, disbanded the probe committee set up to look into the allegations of sexual harassment against Dua after he refused to face the woman.

A year later, Mallika Dua engaged in victim shaming. She took digs at the woman who had accused her father of sexual harassment. Vinod Dua passed away last year without really facing any ramifications of the allegations of sexual harassment against him.

Like Dua, another feminist-liberal filmmaker Nandita Das has also stood by her father, Jatin Das, accused of sexual harassment. Noted Conservationist Nisha Bora had accused Jatin Das of grabbing her and forcefully kissing her during a dinner in 2004. When the allegations surfaced, many questioned the silence of Nandita Das, who had earlier issued a statement to take a firm stand against sexual harassment and not to work with those people who are accused of sexual misconduct against women.

However, when her own father was accused of sexual harassment, she said that one should be sure about these allegations to make sure that the ‘movement’ is not diluted. She stayed clear from criticizing her father for his alleged sexual conduct but instead stands by him terming it as ‘allegations just to dilute the movement’.

Sanghis deserve it

We have only spoken about the perpetrators and women around them. But what about the victims. Well, when a non-left woman alleges abuse, harassment, in India, the allegations are either almost always dismissed by the self-proclaimed champions of women’s rights or they justify them as ‘they deserve it’.

Women on the non-left have been on receiving end of online abuse and rape and death threats and even victims of rape and abuse. But their voices are almost always ignored by the mainstream media. Politicians like Smriti Irani have been a target of sexist slurs, mockery by the opposition leaders as well as ‘journalists’ and the attacks have only increased after she defeated the clown crown prince Rahul Gandhi in Amethi.

Rarely you will see the ‘feminists’ stand up for Irani and raise their voice against the casually sexist remarks against her. Smriti Irani totally deserves the abuse coming her way because she’s a ‘Sanghan’. This is how the left-liberals dehumanise the ‘right’ in India.

In all likelihood, this article will be mocked at by the left cabal as well, because for them, ‘Sanghis’ cannot raise voice against women’s sexual abuse because only they have monopoly on it. That is where the problem lies. For ‘Sanghis’ abuse is abuse, for ‘liberals’, ‘Sanghis’ deserve it for ‘being fascist enablers’.

From praising China to comparing India’s federation to EU, Rahul Gandhi steps up his sub-nationalism rhetoric in his speech at Cambridge University

OpIndia Staff
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From praising China to comparing India’s federation to EU, Rahul Gandhi steps up his sub-nationalism rhetoric in his speech at Cambridge University

Gandhi-scion Rahul Gandhi yet again courted controversy on Tuesday as he challenged India’s national unity by referring it to as a “union of states” and not a nation.

Speaking at an event titled ‘India at 75’ at Corpus Christi College at the Cambridge University hosted by a Congress party sympathiser Shruti Kapila, Rahul Gandhi once again promoted sub-nationalism besides instigating people by calling for a mass movement against the Indian state.

In what seems to be a scripted interview with Kapila, Rahul Gandhi shared several ideas that included his idea on India as a nation while casting aspersions on India’s electoral system and democratic credentials, including expressing doubts against the independent functioning judiciary of the country.

Responding to the question on the Congress party’s idea of India, the Gandhi-scion tried pushing sub-nationalist tendencies by claiming that India was a “union of states” and not a nation. He went on to add that several federal entities got together and negotiated to create what is today referred to as India, the Bharat. He said India as a political entity is nothing but a negotiation between the states.

In his interview, Rahul Gandhi claimed that there was a systematic attack on the institutions that allowed the countrymen to speak. He also added that the basic structures, the electoral system, parliament, and democratic system, are being captured by one organisation. He said the conversation about India is being stamped out, and the deep state, which as per Rahul Gandhi, is RSS, is capturing these spaces.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has alleged that there is a “systematic attack” on the institutions that allow India to speak, and as the conversation is being stamped out, the “deep state” is entering those spaces and redefining the way the conversations that are happening in the country.

During an event entitled ‘India at 75’ at Corpus Christi College at the Cambridge University on Monday evening, Mr Gandhi spoke on a broad range of subjects: from Hindu nationalism, the Gandhi family’s role within the Congress party and efforts to mobilise the people of the country as he fielded questions from a large diaspora of Indian students.

In a conversation with Shruti Kapila, Rahul Gandhi reiterated some of his points during last week’s conference, including the impact of the “deep state” on Indian politics.

“For us, India comes alive when India speaks, and India dies when India goes silent. What I see as going on is a systematic attack on the institutions that allow India to speak – Parliament, the election system, and the basic structure of democracy being captured by one organisation. And, as the conversation is being stamped out, the deep state is entering those spaces and redefining the way that conversation is happening,” he said.

As per Rahul Gandhi, the democratic contest depends on certain structures like a free and fair electoral system, an independent judiciary, and a fair press. Rahul Gandhi also lamented that the Election Commission is not responding to their appeals made against the electoral practices of the BJP while accusing the press of not providing give enough space to other political leaders, except Modi.

The Congress MP also claimed that the BJP has total dominance over the media and social media platforms which, according to him, is influencing the elections in India.

Rahul Gandhi compares India with European Union and compares states in India as independent entities

In his interview, Rahul Gandhi again brought up the issue of sub-nationalism to compare it with the other democracies. Interestingly, the Gandhi-scion compared India to confederations such as European Union and not to the federal democratic setup as the United States. As per Gandhi, India’s political formation is much like a loosely-connected supranational European Union, where multinational political unions together negotiated power as an arrangement.

“In our system, if you are going to compare the United Kingdom. Think of India much more like Europe than you think of England. India is much closer to Europe than it is to England. It is much more accurate to think of India as Europe and think of a Europe that is politically and economically united. That is what India achieved 70 years ago. By the way, Europe has not achieved that. What was achieved 70 years ago was a powerful unique thing. But it requires a conversation between these states. Now where the question of BJP and Congress comes in. The national party is the party that stitches up the conversation. So actually, I do not see it as a real challenge to the Congress party. I see it as a huge opportunity for the congress party reacts to it properly,” Rahul Gandhi said.

With this speech, Rahul Gandhi took a step ahead in openly professing his sub-nationalism rhetoric as he almost declared federal units in India as independent entities, while placing the national identity of the nation at a superficial level by comparing it with European Union. It is important to understand that European Union is not a national identity but a political formation by the European nations for their political-economic convenience. No shared identity or value system represents European Union, unlike India, which is a civilisation state.

Rahul Gandhi is now dangerously pushing for an idea to weaken India’s cultural and civilisation identity by instigating sub-national identities to flourish in one of the world’s most complex societies, i.e. India.

On the question of the two-party system in India, Rahul Gandhi also claimed that there were only two political parties in many states in India, including Uttar Pradesh, while indirectly agreeing that the Congress is no longer an entity in India’s largest state where the Nehru-Gandhi family’s political fortunes once flourished.

Rahul Gandhi on Big-tech and monopolies

Yet again, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi bashed the social media platforms for their alleged partial and biased stand and accused them of having a major say in the Indian political system. Even though the Big Tech is accused of pushing the Left narrative, Mr Gandhi peddled a contrary claim that the social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp favoured the ruling political party in India and that its respective CEOs never met, never considered the opposition parties.

“I do not believe that the large social media companies are neutral. The way the Indian elections are being fought, they are essentially being fought on these platforms. They are being fought on WhatsApp, not so much on Twitter but Facebook and WhatsApp definitely”, he said. Gandhi was speaking at the event that was organised by the School of the Humanities and Social Science at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge University, as part of a series of events celebrating the 75th year of Indian independence.

The Congress leader further specifically took a jibe at Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and stated that he favours the Prime Minister of India and his party. “The head of Facebook has never met an Indian opposition leader. He comes, meets the Prime Minister and goes home. The CEO of Facebook in Delhi was also a BJP person. So how can we say that these social media platforms are impartial? Major politics happens on these platforms”, he claimed.

He, meanwhile, also cited his personal example to claim that his new Twitter followers stopped growing from 40,000 daily to zero. Gandhi, in August 2021, had held protests seeking justice for a nine-year-old Dalit girl who was raped, murdered and then cremated by the perpetrators in Delhi. However, he had revealed the minor’s identity on social media, following which Twitter removed his tweet, which also contained a picture of the parents of the deceased minor girl.

“On my Twitter account, I used to get 40,000 Twitter users a day. I went to Delhi for the protest, and after that, magically, my Twitter users went to zero. We wrote to Twitter and sought the reason, but no satisfactory answer was provided. Three months later, we contacted the Wall Street Journal and the day before the article was scheduled to publish, my users were back to 40,000 a day. The same is with WhatsApp. I don’t believe that these are neutral platforms,” Rahul Gandhi said while lamenting that the big-tech companies are working against him.

At the event that marked the conclusion of Gandhi’s UK tour, which began last week, the Congress leader also accused the Indian Media of opera functioning. “Around 140-160 media entities are owned by one person. There’s a media monopoly, and then there are multiple business monopolies supporting and financing the Bharatiya Janata Party”.

Rahul Gandhi says China is creating prosperity in India’s neighbourhood

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also defended China’s rising influence in the Indian sub-continent and claimed that China wanted the countries around it proper.

Speaking to Shruti Kapila at Cambridge University, Rahul Gandhi left no stones unturned to defend the dragon, where he said, “There are two competing visions now on the ground. One is the western, India is part of it, which is a maritime vision, and the other is a terrestrial vision, the Belton road, where most trade moves from China through the old silk road to Europe and China dominates that trade. That is the clash.”

Continuing, “That is what China is building. What China is offering to countries around it is the idea of prosperity. China is saying allow us to build your infrastructure. Allow us to put in the communications backbone. Allow us to put in 5G. We will give you the money. You build your own infrastructure, and then we will have prosperity together. That is what they are offering, and it is a very powerful thing to offer. But it is not in our interest. It is not in India’s interest for China to expand out like this.”

Rahul Gandhi also referred to the ongoing cold war between the US and China as a civilisation rivalry and said it would have severe consequences for India. He said the United States defends one vision, and China is placing another vision on the table. He said,

“My problem is, you [the US] cannot say to India that we will have a defence pact and we will fight with China without the prosperity part. If there is an alternative vision, that vision actually needs to create prosperity. It needs to create wealth,” the Wayanad MP said.

The event, organised by the School of the Humanities and Social Science at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge University, as part of a series of events celebrating the 75th year of Indian independence, marks the conclusion of Gandhi’s UK tour, which began last week.
 

‘My God is Viraajman there, it is sacrilege’: Lawyer Vishnu Jain says the Muslim side drilled a hole in the Gyanvapi Shivling to claim it as a ‘fountain’

OpIndia Staff
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‘My God is Viraajman there, it is sacrilege’: Lawyer Vishnu Jain says the Muslim side drilled a hole in the Gyanvapi Shivling to claim it as a ‘fountain’

On May 24, during a debate on the disputed structure at Gyanvapi, the Hindu side lawyer Vishnu Jain alleged that the Shivling was willfully desecrated by the Muslim side to install a fountain-like structure. He added that a 63cm hole was drilled in the Shivling to make it look like a fountain structure.

Jain said the said structure was still present in the storage room and the Muslim side tried to remove it but CRPF had stopped them.

Vishnu Jain was speaking at CNN-News18’s program The Right Stand hosted by anchor Anand Narasimhan. When Anand asked if the Hindu petitioner can prove maintainability, Jain said, “We can definitely prove that our case is maintainable. Yesterday I applied to court that to examine the maintainability of the case, it is crucial and important that the commission’s report must also be read along with the maintainability issue. The court has asked for the officers of both sides. The issue now is whether the character of the structure is a Hindu temple or the temple has been converted into a mosque. Our submission is if you see the ground reality after submitting the report, my deity is standing there. My deity is visible there. My deity is Viraajman there.”

He added, “I am asking myself, in whose favour the Places of Worship Act is attracted? They are speaking about section 4. I would like to tell them kindly have a look at section 3. After the commencement of the Act, no one can change the religious character of the property in question. It is an admitted fact that for the past so many years, my deity has been trampled upon. There has been sacrilege. I want to ask Maulana Ji, we have given an application to remove the wall in Wazukhana and see the size of the structure you call a fountain. Let’s see where the water is coming from. But your advocates are challenging it in the court. How you and your advocates are giving contradictory statements? If you really want to prove it is a fountain, let’s join the issue and tell the court that the wall should be removed in Wazukahana.”

He added, “Shivling was in their possession in Wazukhana, and they did sacrilege. They created a structure on the Shivling with cement. That structure is placed in their storeroom. A few days ago, they tried to remove the structure, but they were stopped by CRPF. We know they did sacrilege to our deity. We are fighting for it. We have found the Shivling, and it is every Hindu’s duty to worship that Shivling.

When Maulana said we respect the Hindus and their religion, Jain lashed out at him and said, “Your advocates said in Supreme Court that wazu must happen there. What kind of respect is this?”

Maulana then tried to bring the Deen Muhammad case that took place pre-Independence, but Jain interrupted him and said Hindus were not even party in that case then how can that case be referred to today.

When Anand asked about the alleged incident where the Muslim side tried to remove the so-called fountain structure from the premises, Jain said, “I am speaking with complete authority. The structure that they had placed on the Shivling is still in their storeroom. They were trying to remove it. We will show videography and photograph of the storeroom in the court. How they desecrated the Shivling, we will show in the court. We will show how there is a 63cm hole was made in the Shivling.

Rahul Gandhi hails China’s Belt and Road Initiative and debt traps as ‘prosperity’, says India-US relations need similar plans

OpIndia Staff
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Rahul Gandhi hails China’s Belt and Road Initiative and debt traps as ‘prosperity’, says India-US relations need similar plans

On May 23 (local time), Congress leader Rahul Gandhi defended China’s rising influence in the Indian sub-continent and claimed that China wanted the countries around it to prosper. Gandhi was speaking to The Print columnist Shruti Kapila at the Cambridge University event that was organised by Congress party linked organisations.

When she asked about his views on China as a rising global power in relation to its neighbours, particularly India, Gandhi left no stones unturned to defend the dragon.

Gandhi said, “There are two competing visions now on the ground. One is the western, India is part of it, which is a maritime vision, and the other is a terrestrial vision, the Belt and Road, where most trade moves from China through the old silk road to Europe and China dominates that trade. That is the clash. That is what China is building. What China is offering to countries around it is the idea of prosperity. China is saying allow us to build your infrastructure. Allow us to put in the communications backbone. Allow us to put in 5G. We will give you the money. You build your own infrastructure, and then we will have prosperity together. That is what they are offering, and it is a very powerful thing to offer. But it is not in our interest. It is not in India’s interest for China to expand out like this.

He called it a civilizational rivalry and said it would have severe consequences for India. He said the United States defends one vision, and China is placing another vision on the table. He said, “My problem is, you [the US] cannot say to India that we will have a defence pact and we will fight with China without the prosperity part. If there is an alternative vision, that vision actually needs to create prosperity. It needs to create wealth.”

When Kapila mentioned the Sri Lanka-China story did not work out well, Gandhi said, “Of course, Sri Lanka has gone very wrong. The Chinese have put in a huge amount of money. A huge amount of money has been stolen. It did not pan out. But the idea that the Chinese are proposing is prosperity. They have given a hundred billion dollars to Pakistan. They have a very clear vision of what that is trying to do. It is a powerful idea. It’s not that it does not have a basis. But from our perspective, I think we need to have an idea that provides prosperity. Of course, there is a defence angle to it, but there has to be an economic angle, and currently, I don’t see an economic angle. Our relationship with the United States, for example, is hugely about defence. When we talk to Americans and Americans talk to us, we talk about defence. We do not talk about how we jointly create prosperity and create a democratic model that can make people rich.

China’s vicious debt traps

Contrary to what Gandhi described, China has been taking over infrastructure projects in countries like Sri Lanka after these countries failed to repay hefty loans. What China is doing is it gives out loans to countries that want to create infrastructure but do not have funds. For the time being, these countries prosper, but when it comes to repaying the loan, there are not enough funds for these countries. As a result, as per the agreement of the loan, China takes over the infrastructure.

In Sri Lanka, China took over a port using similar tactics. In such conditions, even if China uses the infrastructure for military purposes, that country would not be able to do anything. China is also attempting to grab land in neighbouring countries, including India, Nepal and Bhutan, by making changes to its map.

Gandhi talked about the 5G infrastructure that China is offering to other countries. Interesting, China has been accused of spying on the countries that are using its technology, especially in government and academic institutes.

Rahul Gandhi now says India is not a nation like UK, but a political arrangement like European Union

OpIndia Staff
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Rahul Gandhi now says India is not a nation like UK, but a political arrangement like European Union

On May 23 (local time), Congress leader Rahul Gandhi once claimed India is not a nation. Speaking to The Print columnist Shruti Kapila, Gandhi said India’ is more like a union of states likes European Union and not a nation like Britain.

Gandhi claimed India has been described as a union of states in the constitution. He said, “The exact line is ‘India, that is Bharat, is a union of states’. And the implication of that is there is an ongoing negotiation between this union of states. In the Congress party, we see India as a negotiation between its people. The RSS views India as a geographical entity. That’s the big difference.”

While he is correct that Indian Constitution’s preamble does describe it as ‘union of states’ it does not mean that India as a nation is not described in it. There are multiple times India has been described as a nation in the Constitution. India is a nation, one single country while European Union is a union of various countries.

Later in the interview, Kapila tried to imply that the ‘idea of India’ was different from the other large democracies like Britain or America as those countries have a two-party system. But in India, there always had been one national party and many regional parties. She said, “That was the story of the Congress, and now do you think it’s the change of hands or something else is going on?”

Replying to the question, Gandhi emphasized India being a union of states and not a nation. He said, “It is a wrong characterization. If you view India as a union of states, tell me which state has more than two parties. Tamil Nadu has two parties. UP broadly has two parties. Madhya Pradesh has two parties. Rajasthan has two parties.”

He further added, “In our system, if you are going to compare the United Kingdom. Think of India much more like Europe than you think of England. India is much closer to Europe than it is to England. It’s much more accurate to think of India as Europe and think of a Europe that is politically and economically united. That is what India achieved 70 years ago. By the way, Europe has not achieved that. What was achieved 70 years ago was a powerful unique thing. But it requires a conversation between these states. Now where the question of BJP and Congress comes in. The national party is the party that stitches up the conversation. So actually, I don’t see it as a real challenge to the Congress party. I see it as a huge opportunity for the congress party reacts to it properly.”

Rahul Gandhi’s theory of the ‘union of states’

For the past few months, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been sharing his thought on the ‘idea of India’ by defining it as a union of states and not as a nation. Rahul Gandhi had described that India is not described as a nation in our constitution, but like India, that is Bharat, it is a union of states. Rahul Gandhi also claimed that the design that was developed by Mahatma Gandhi, which emerged from the freedom movement, was a negotiation between the states, identities and religions, and all these states got together and created a negotiated peace.

He has been refuted several times but continues to say the same story again and again. Interestingly, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy had tweeted over the matter and schooled him on how he was trying to change what BR Ambedkar had said in one of his statements about the structure of India.

In his tweets, the Union Minister laid out the discussion in the Constituent Assembly debates and the statement made by Dr BR Ambedkar on November 4 1948. He cited a statement made by Dr Ambedkar on November 4, 1948, where he had touched on various topics that included the special features of the constitution, the criticism of Fundamental Rights and the objection to the description of India in Article 1 of the Draft Constitution as a Union of States.

The Union Minister quoted the statement made by Babasaheb Ambedkar on this topic, saying, “The Drafting Committee wanted to make it clear that though India was to be a federation, the Federation was not the result of an agreement by the States to join in a Federation”.

USA school shooting: 18-year-old gunman kills 18 children, and three adults in Texas after killing his own grandmother

OpIndia Staff
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USA school shooting: 18-year-old gunman kills 18 children, and three adults in Texas after killing his own grandmother

In a horrific mass shooting in the United States, Texas, an 18-year-old gunman, identified as Salvador Ramos, killed 18 children and three adults, including a teacher, at Robb Elementary School on Tuesday.

According to the reports, the killings took place at noon at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, a small community about an hour from the Mexican border. More than 500 students, mostly Hispanic and economically disadvantaged, study at the school from second through fourth grade.

The killings came on the day when students were preparing to start summer break this week. The teacher killed has been named in US media as Eva Mireles, who has a daughter in college.

The gunman is identified as an 18-year-old man who had attended a nearby high school. The shooter reportedly abandoned his vehicle and entered the school with a handgun and may also have had a rifle. The teenager is suspected of shooting his own grandmother before going on a killing spree at the school.

Students were evacuated after the shootout/ Image Source: CNN

The gunman was shot dead by the police officers, the officials said, adding two more adults have also been killed in the attack.

The CCTV footage showed that small groups of children were being rescued through parked cars and yellow buses, even some holding hands as police escorted them from the school.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden addressed the nation following the deadly attacks on schools. He has ordered US flags on federal grounds to be flown at half-staff until sunset on Saturday to honour the victims of these “senseless acts of violence.”

The latest attack on a Texas school is one of the deadliest attacks since the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, where 17 people were killed. The attacks also come just a week after another similar gun attack at a supermarket in New York.

An 18-year-old identified as Payton Gendron had opened fire at a busy supermarket while live-streaming the attack on the streaming platform Twitch. The suspect entered the supermarket Tops on a busy afternoon with a rifle. He was wearing armour and had written the N-word on his rifle. More than ten people had lost their lives in the Buffalo supermarket shootout.

‘They were directed towards Sanghis’: The News Minute rationalises Islamist slogans calling for the death of Hindus at PFI rally

OpIndia Staff
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‘They were directed towards Sanghis’: The News Minute rationalises Islamist slogans calling for the death of Hindus at PFI rally

The Popular Front of India’s rally in Kerala’s Alappuzha sent shockwaves of alert with many flagging deep-rooted Islamist extremism in Kerala. The videos of the PFI rally that went viral on the internet prompted the police to take cognizance of the incendiary sloganeering witnessed during the protest when participants threatened Hindus and Christians with dire consequences if they did not live peacefully in the country.

However, The News Minute, a digital media organisation based out of Bengaluru, was quick to rush in the defence of the Islamists, whitewashing their murderous tendencies and rationalising the menacing slogans made against Hindus and Christians. A report published in The News Minute justified the inflammatory slogans saying that they were directed towards ‘Sanghis’, asking them to live ‘properly’ or they will have to get ready for their final rites.

Screengrab of the report by The News Minute

With such assertion, PFI’s Jihadist threats that highlight the religious nature of the war it is waging against Hindus and in this case, Christians as well were whitewashed. With the TNM report, we were made to realise that the extremism was political in nature and not a religious one. Hindus were stereotyped as ‘Sanghis’ – a hateful monicker for supporters of the BJP or the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)—and considered fair game for the Islamists to abuse and attack as per their whims. The TNM report alluded that the slogans, which were patently violent and provocative in nature, were completely acceptable since they were directed towards ‘Sanghis’, an artificial distinction that the Left had created to confuse ordinary Hindus into believing that the hatred is not aimed towards them.

Moreover, the slogans were merely depicted as ‘provocative’, meaning – they would provoke a reaction from the other side. The disturbing Islamist nature of the incident was further swept under the carpet when the news portal described the PFI demonstration as a ‘rally protesting against the RSS’. The source given for this claim was a quote by PFI state secretary CA Raoof in an internal note released by the radical outfit to the media.

Despite PFI’s known security threat potential to the nation in communalising the discourse with Islamism, The News Minute toed its propaganda while the threats for Hindus and Christians were given in open. The whitewashing of Islamist activities, at the cost of Hindu and Christian, lives in Kerala should not come as a surprise at a time when the 18th-century tyrant Tipu Sultan, who massacred Hindus and Syrian Christians in Malabar is hailed as a national hero.

At a PFI rally in Alappuzha, Muslim boy chants for death to Hindus, offering ‘Sujood’ at Babri again

In one of the two videos that went viral on social media, a boy can be seen shouting, “Be ready for your death rituals if you won’t live in our land quietly. Be ready with rice flakes to fill your mouth, if you won’t live quietly (For Hindus). Be ready to burn amber in your home if you won’t live quietly (For Christians).” This came as a direct threat to the Hindu and Christian population living in Kerala, with PFI warning the death penalty if they don’t fall in line.

Further, the boy said, “We are coming, we are your death. We won’t go to Pakistan or Bangladesh, you have to live here as we say, or else we know how to make you live quietly, we will kill you even if we are attacked. We take pride in being a martyr, we salute them. If you won’t live quietly, we know how to ask for ‘Azadi’. Be prepared for your death,” the PFI members shouted after the boy in Malayalam.

Besides, the mob also vowed to conduct ‘Sujood’ ( kind of prayer ) in the disputed building of Babri Masjid at Ayodhya again. Also, they have decided to continue ‘Sujood’ in the disputed structure called ‘Gyanvapi Mosque’ which is built on the ruins of a temple in Varanasi. They said they are not leaving for Pakistan or Bangladesh and if they do so, they will take the Sangh Parivar along with them

Jammu and Kashmir: Police constable shot dead by terrorists in Srinagar, his seven-year-old daughter critically injured in the terror attack

OpIndia Staff
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Jammu and Kashmir: Police constable shot dead by terrorists in Srinagar, his seven-year-old daughter critically injured in the terror attack

On May 24, Tuesday, a police constable Saifullah Qadri was shot dead by terrorists in the Soura area in the Srinagar district of Jammu and Kashmir. His 7-year-old daughter was also injured in the terror attack. The officials said Qadri was rushed to the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

The Kashmir zone police shared the information on Twitter about the same. Police mentioned how terrorists had opened fire at Saifullah Qadri leaving him critically injured leading to his death. His daughter also got caught up in the terror attack and was left injured. In a subsequent Tweet, police informed that the police constable succumbed to his injuries.

“The injured police personnel succumbed to his injuries and attained martyrdom. We pay our rich tributes to the martyr and stand by the family at this critical juncture. @JmuKmrPolice”, the Kashmir Zone Police Tweeted.

According to reports, police have now cordoned off the entire area to nab the terrorists.

The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has recently been witnessing an increase in the number of targeted attacks. Apart from murdering Kashmiri Hindus like Rahul Bhat, the terrorists are also targeting Muslims working for the Indian government. OpIndia reported how Manzoor Ahmad Bangroo, the Sarpanch of Goush-bugh village in Kashmir had been shot dead by terrorists on April 15th. Bangroo was elected as an independent candidate and wasn’t even affiliated with any political party. That was the 4th incident in the Valley this year when a Sarpanch was killed by terrorists.

Qutub Minar case: ASI opposes plea seeking restoration of Hindu, Jain temples; verdict reserved for June 9

OpIndia Staff
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Qutub Minar case: ASI opposes plea seeking restoration of Hindu, Jain temples; verdict reserved for June 9

The Archeological Survey of India (ASI) on Tuesday opposed the petition seeking restoration of Hindu and Jain temples inside the Qutub Minar complex stating that the existing status of the monument cannot be altered.

“Since 1914, Qutub Minar monument been a protected monument under section 3(3) of the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act, 1904 and is being maintained in-situ in the same condition. There is no provision under AMASR Act 1958 under which Worship can be started at any living monument”, it said as the Delhi Court concluded the hearing on a plea seeking restoration of Hindu and Jain temples inside the Qutub complex.

The Court was hearing the plea filed by advocate Hari Shankar Jain on behalf of Jain deity Tirthankar Lord Rishabh Dev which claimed that the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque inside the Qutub complex was built after the demolition of 27 temples. “It is the admitted position for the last 800 years, it wasn’t used by the Muslims. When there is a temple which was in existence much before the mosque, why it can’t be restored?”, Hari Shankar Jain was quoted as saying in a report published in Live Law.

The plea also sought permission to resume worship. However, the ASI asserted that Qutab Minar is not a place of worship and since the time of its protection by the Central Government, Qutab Minar or any part of Qutab Minar was not under worship by any community.

“Fundamental right cannot be availed in violation of any status of the land. The basic principle of protection /conservation is not to allow starting of any new practice in a monument declared and notified as a protected one under the Act. Revival of worship is not allowed wherever it is not practised at the time of protection of a monument,” it added.

ASI admits images of Hindu and Jain deities were used in the construction of the Qutub Minar Complex

The ASI however admitted that architectural members and images of Hindu and Jain deities were re-used in the construction of the Qutab complex. Also earlier, Dharamveer Sharma, the former Regional Director of the ASI had claimed that Qutub Minar was actually Surya Stambh. He said it was erected by Emperor Vikramaditya, not the Mughals. He also stated that the edifice was not built in sections as some historians claim.

Dharamveer Sharma is one of India’s most well-known archaeologists. He has served three times as Superintending Archaeologist at ASI’s Delhi division. Sharma explained that the tower was used as a constellation observatory. The Minaret has 27 binocular sites to compute 27 constellations. He further stated that Surya Stambh is mentioned on the third floor of the Minaret.

The National Monuments Authority (NMA) had also recently requested the ASI for the removal of two Ganesha statues from the Qutub Minar complex. The NMA chairman wrote to ASI, asserting that two Ganesh idols are known as Ulta Ganesh and Ganesh in cage be shifted from the Qutub Minar complex to the National Museum. He considered the placement of the idols insulting and felt their location should be changed.

The ASI on May 24 stated that one image of Lord Ganesha which is on the lower portion of the wall is protected with a grill to prevent any possibility of someone stepping on it. While another image of Lord Ganesh is in the upside-down position and is embedded in the wall, therefore, may not be feasible to remove or reset the same.

The Court has reserved 9 June for the verdict.

‘Dogs urinate on Ram Mandir bricks’: Gujarat Congress leader makes vile remarks against Hindus, Hardik Patel responds

OpIndia Staff
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‘Dogs urinate on Ram Mandir bricks’: Gujarat Congress leader makes vile remarks against Hindus, Hardik Patel responds

Bharatsinh Solanki, a senior Gujarat Congress leader and former Gujarat minister, has made vile and derogatory remarks about the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Bharatsinh Solanki stated at a gathering in Gujarat that the BJP had collected money in the name of Ram but dogs were peeing on the bricks of the Ram temple. Since he made those comments, he has received wide backlash on social media.

Solanki said, “women were so naïve that they would apply tilak on the bricks, worship them before they were sent to Ayodhya to be used in the construction of the Ram temple. What has happened to those bricks? Dogs used to pee on them.”

He went on to say, “What do you do with this collection, I asked a Ramsevak? Then he suggested that we collect them and toss them into the air. Rama takes what he needs, and we retain the rest for us.”

Solanki said that people from all across the country sent Ramshila for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, with great devotion and trust. “These bricks were stockpiled in villages to be used in the temple’s building. But, you must have seen dogs urinating on them,” he added.

The Congress party arranged the gathering in Vataman, Dholka. Bharatsinh Solanki, a former cabinet minister, also participated in the event.

Hardik Patel slams Solanki, calls Congress a Hindu-hating party

Following the Congress leader’s derogatory statements, Patidar leader Hardik Patel lambasted the Congress party on Twitter. Patel remarked in a tweet that the Congress party strives to hurt public sentiment. He said, “I had said earlier also that the Congress party works to hurt the sentiments of the people, always trying to damage the faith of Hindu religion. Today former Union Minister and Gujarat Congress leader made a statement that dogs urinate on the bricks of Ram temple..!”

“I want to ask Congress and its leaders what enmity do you have with Lord Shri Ram? Why hate Hindus so much? After centuries, a temple of Lord Shri Ram is also being built in Ayodhya, yet the leaders of Congress keep making statements against Lord Shri Ram,” he further added.

Controversies around Bharatsinh Solanki

Bharatsinh Solanki’s estranged wife, Reshma Solanki, had addressed a letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi in December 2021, outlining serious accusations against her husband. She accused Solanki of using his political influence to ruin the Gujarat Congress. She further accused him of having an illicit relationship with several women and of distributing election tickets to women he was acquainted with.

Congress questioned the existence of Ram

It should be noted that in 2007, the then-Congress government filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court claiming that there was no historical proof of Lord Ram. The Congress government told the Supreme Court, “Valmiki Ramayana and Ramcharitamanas are considered important parts of ancient Indian literature. But these texts cannot be considered historical records to prove the existence of the characters and events depicted in them.”

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