A video of Taliban men dancing inside a girls’ school has gone viral on social media. In the video shared by independent journalist Sajjad Nuristani, the armed Talibani men were seen dancing inside a girls’ school in Afghanistan after closing them.
According to the journalist, the Talibani fighters closed a girls’ school and celebrated their act by dancing inside the classrooms.
After the closure of the girls ‘schools, the Taliban group danced in the classrooms of the girls’ schools. This class is for girls at Weigel High School in Nuristan Province in eastern Afghanistan.#AfghanWomenpic.twitter.com/hFPidpkLRh
This classroom is from Weigel High School in Nuristan province in eastern Afghanistan. In the video, four fighters are seen with guns while the fifth person is making the video.
The Afghanistan-based journalist said that the men belonging to the Islamist group were ecstatic after closing the girls’ school.
The Taliban, which has firm control of war-torn Afghanistan, has decided to ban the higher schooling of girls. In Afghanistan, girls cannot study above the sixth grade. Meanwhile, the international community has been pleading with the Taliban to open schools and provide education to women.
Plight of women under the Taliban during its earlier stint
However, ever since the Taliban commenced its offensive to recapture Afghanistan last year, it has consciously sought to project greater moderation in its rule, something that is in stark contrast to its ham-handed rule from 1996 to 2001.
Back then, women were proscribed from attending school or working outside their homes, in conformity with Sharia Islamic law. Besides, they were also mandated to wear fully covered overgarments called chadaree and be chaperoned by a male relative whenever they went outside. The Taliban had also placed a ban on music and imposed severe punishments on those who violated the Sharia law, such as chopping off the hands of thieves, lashing women in public and stoning people over allegations of adultery.
The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), which has been at the forefront of anti-farm law protests, has expelled ‘farmer leader’ Rakesh Tikait from the organisation, according to reports.
Besides Rakesh Tikait, his brother Naresh Tikait has also been ousted from the position of the National President of BKU. Republic TV reported that the duo has been accused of playing politics and working for a political party’s interests. Not happy with the organisation’s involvement with politics, several leaders of BKU decided end their associations with Rakesh Tikait.
The farmer’s organisation has been split into two factions, with the breakaway BKU (Apolitical) faction being led by farmer leader Rajesh Singh Chauhan. While speaking about the development, Chauhan had accused the Tikait brothers of politicising BKU, which was supposedly created to serve the interest of farmers.
#BREAKING#RepublicExclusive | Rakesh Tikait, accused by farmer leaders of playing politics, expelled from Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU)
The new BKU (apolitical) chief remarked, “We have no comment on Rakesh Tikait, or Naresh Tikait, they can keep doing what they want to do. But the BKU was turned into a political zone. It was inspired by politics.”
He emphasised, “We spoke to Rakesh Tikait and expressed our concerns. We did a lot of hard work to create BKU, but he asked us to support one party. We object to that. Our motive is to look into the problems of farmers. We will not work for any party.”
On November 19 last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a startling announcement saying that the government had decided to repeal the 3 farm laws, which had become the bone of contention between farmer protestors and the Union government.
Naresh Tikait supported SP-RLD alliance, but Rakesh Tikait contradicted him
Earlier in January this year, a video had emerged on social media in which Naresh Tikait was heard throwing his weight behind the SP-RLD alliance ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls. This was despite the warning of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha that any farmer organisation contesting elections would have to leave the United Front.
Naresh Tikait had reportedly sent out messages to both the Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), encouraging them to contest the UP elections by labelling it as a ‘matter of prestige.’
A meeting was also organised in this regard at the Kisan Bhavan in Tikait’s native village Sisauli in the Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh. Rakesh Tikait was also present in the meeting, where support to the joint candidates of SP and RLD, fielded from Budhana and Meerapur found a special mention.
Rakesh Tikait, who was at the vanguard leading the farmers’ protest against the Modi government’s farm laws contradicted his brother’s claim. Clarifying that BKU has not favoured any political alliance, he said that his party would communicate the same through their official social media handle.
“If someone comes to our house, we say ‘we are with you’. We are not telling anyone whom to vote for. We have decided that we will not support anyone. Even if we are against the government, everyone (the people) knows what they have to do,” Rakesh Tikait had claimed.
In Uttar Pradesh, Saharanpur police have busted an illegal arms manufacturing factory. As part of the drive being carried out under the directions of the SSP, the SWAT team of the Crime Branch and the Badgaon police station have arrested one of the accused and recovered a huge quantity of illegal and sub-fabricated weapons. The police have also found all the tools to make pistols from the spot. The accused father-son duo were making illegal weapons together. The father was caught and his son managed to escape. The police are also investigating where and to whom the arrested accused have supplied the weapons.
According to a report by Navbharat Times, SSP Akash Tomar said on Friday 13th May 2022 that as part of the ongoing drive to nab the culprits, the SWAT team of the crime branch and Badgaon police station busted an illegal arms manufacturing factory and arrested one of the accused and recovered a huge quantity of illegal arms from his possession. The SWAT team and the Badgaon police station received information from the informer that on the empty kiln near Idgah in village Ambehata Mohan illegal pistols were being made. Police raided the spot and arrested one of the accused.
According to the SSP, during interrogation, the accused told his name Mustakeem, son of Shaukat, a resident of village Sapla Bakkal police station Deoband. Mustaqeem’s son Naeem fled from the spot. Police are looking for the absconding accused.
This is not the first time that an illegal arms unit is busted in western Uttar Pradesh, especially in the Saharanpur district. In fact, the Muzaffarnagar and Saharanpur district is a hub of illegal arms factories. Uttar Pradesh police have busted many such illegal weapon-making units in the recent past.
As opponents of the Bharatiya Janata Party from political and media fraternities keep blaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi for suppressing freedom of speech and expression in India during his regime, back-to-back arrests are seen in Maharashtra for social media posts against the leaders of ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance. Now, in another recent incident, NCP goons have beaten a BJP spokesperson named Vinayak Ambekar in Pune for a Facebook post criticizing Sharad Pawar. It is notable that Sharad Pawar is being criticized in the last few days for his controversial remarks about Hindu deities which he made while hiding behind the shield of a piece of poetry penned by Jawahar Rathod.
शरद पवारांवर सोशल मीडियावर वादग्रस्त पोस्ट करणे भाजपच्या विनायक आंबेकर यांना भोवले; राष्ट्रवादीच्या कार्यकर्त्यांकडून मारहाण#pune#ncp#bjppic.twitter.com/cKc3xEA59Q
In the video of this incident, it is seen that Vinayak Ambekar who was sitting in his office was visited by a group of NCP goons to ask him a clarification about his Facebook post. Though Vinayak Ambekar was answering them patiently and was about to give an explanation, an NCP goon slapped him on his face.
BJP spokesperson Vinayak Ambekar had actually made changes to his original post and reshared it. The modified post says, “Last two lines in my poem were written by mistake. There was no bad intention behind writing those lines. But my leader Girish Bapat has conveyed to me that people’s feelings are hurt due to this. I apologize to those whose feelings are hurt. Now my poetry is as follows – “
Below, Vinayak Ambekar wrote, “I am tired of setting people on fight with each other, but I am yet not content. I held a post for a long, but could not do anything. I am just a gossiper, no one calls me father. I myself say that I am a father because there is no contentment in my heart. My nephew and my grandson, both don’t listen to me.”
Sharad Pawar attracted much criticism after he recently called himself the father of the Hindu deities by quoting poetry. Arrests after such criticism have become normal and a large chunk of the regional leaders and media are seen supporting such arrests rather than protecting the freedom of expression and speech. Marathi actor Ketaki Chitale was arrested on 14th May 2022 for sharing an allegedly derogatory post on Facebook against NCP supremo Sharad Pawar. A youth named Nikhil Bhamre from Nashik was arrested for a critical social media post made against NCP president Sharad Pawar.
On Saturday (May 14), the Congress party courted controversy after it tried to give a clean chit to Mughal emperor Aurangzeb for the destruction of the Kashi Vishwanath temple.
As the videography and survey of the disputed structure of Gyanvapi mosque is going on, popular Twitter handle (@IndiaHistorypic) had uploaded an old picture of a destroyed wall of Kashi Vishwanath temple on Twitter on May 12th. The image was sourced from the archives of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
“1890 :: Wall of Kashi Vishwanath Temple ( Temple Was Destroyed by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb) Now Part of Gyan Vapi Mosque , Varanasi,” the handle had tweeted, crediting ASI for the photo.
1890 :: Wall of Kashi Vishwanth Temple ( Temple Was Destroyed by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb) Now Part of Gyan Vapi Mosque , Varanasi
— indianhistorypics (@IndiaHistorypic) May 12, 2022
Given that the picture and the associated caption portrayed Aurangzeb as a tyrant, the Congress party came to the defence of the Mughal ruler. The official handle of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Sevadal insinuated that the ancient Hindu temple was not destroyed by the Mughal emperor, by claiming how the photograph taken in 1890 can prove that Aurangzeb had destroyed the temple when the Mughal emperor had died almost two centuries ago.
“Aurangzeb died on 3 March 1707. How a photograph clicked in 1890 can show that wall which is allegedly broken by a person who died in 1707?” the tweet by Maharashtra Congress Sevadal read.
Screengrab of the tweet by Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Sevadal
Allegations by Congress Sevadal junked
Twitter user ‘IndiaHistorypics’ refuted the claim by responding that the same destroyed wall is also seen in a lithograph made In 1834 by British scholar James Prinsep, which had mentioned that the temple was destroyed by Aurangzeb.
“Further you may take up the matter with ASI and British Library as the source belongs to them,” the popular handle told Congress Sevadal.
https://t.co/TpsNKAdxQB please see this link of 1834 Lithograph by James prinsep Which Shows the Wall of Temple and that Aurangzeb destroyed the original temple
Further you may take up the matter with ASI and British Library as the source belongs to them https://t.co/Ogj6SEYzKx
— indianhistorypics (@IndiaHistorypic) May 14, 2022
In another tweet, it emphasised, “Same Wall of Destroyed Kashi Vishwanath Temple Shown In This Lithograph Made In 1834 by James Prinsep. It Also Says That The Temple Was Destroyed by Aurangzeb”
Same Wall of Destroyed Kashi Vishwanath Temple Shown In This Lithograph Made In 1834 by James Prinsep
It Also Says That The Temple Was Destroyed by Aurangzeb
— indianhistorypics (@IndiaHistorypic) May 14, 2022
James Prinsep (1799-1840) was an architect and European scholar who holds the distinction of deciphering the edicts of the ancient Indian emperor Ashoka. He is credited for reforming the Indian system of weights and measures and introducing a uniform coinage system.
Congress Sevadal tried to dismiss the fact that Aurangzeb had destroyed the temple to build just because a photograph of the partially destroyed wall was taken decades later. But the fact is, it is an undeniable fact that the original Kashi Vishwanath temple was destroyed during the regime of Arungzeb and the mosque was built on its ruins. Even the Muslims don’t deny this fact, they only justify this by saying that Aurangzeb had ordered to demolish the temple after spotting some crimes by the priests in the temple.
The Congress asked “how a photograph clicked in 1890 can show that wall which is allegedly broken by a person who dies in 1707”, which is a baseless question. Because while the temple was destroyed, it was not completely demolished, as seen even now, parts of the demolished temple were used for the mosque. Therefore, the photograph posted by IndiaHistorypics showed a partially destroyed wall. Also, the tweet clearly mentioned that this is wall of original Kashi Vishwanath temple which is now part of the Gyanvapi mosque. Walls of the temple are seen on the mosque even today, but still Congress tried to question the fact.
Congress Sevadal continued to defy
Despite the clarification that the images are from ASI and British Museum and that the wall of the destroyed temple is now part of the mosque, Maharashtra Congress sevadal continued to question the well-known fact. Instead of conceding, they brought up the matter of the Bhagyalaxmi Temple, located next to Charminar in Hyderabad. They said that to prove that Gyanvapi mosque was built after destroying the Kashi Vishwanath temple, they need before and after photographs, which shows the place in different points of time. As an example, they posted two images of the Charminar in Hyderabad from different. The second colour photograph showed the Bhagyalaxmi Temple next to Charminar, while the first black and white photo does not have the temple. The temple was constructed in 1960s, and is a disputed structure, expansion of which have been stopped by Telangana High Court.
Screnshot of Congress Sevadal tweet
Congress brought a completely unrelated topic to defend Aurangzeb. The Bhagyalaxmi Temple is a completely different issue in a different state, and as the temple was constructed just a few decades ago, photographs of the place without the temple are available. But it bizarre to demand photographic proof of the existence of the original Kashi Vishwanath temple, which was demolished centuries before photography was invented. Moreover, there are physical proofs of the temple, as the forms of walls and other ruins in the mosque, and there are several historical and literary evidence, but still Congress party claims it is not enough to prove that Aurangzeb had demolished the temple.
For some reason, they also pointed out the Char Kaman near the Charminar in both the images. The Kamans were built in 16th century after the completion of the Charminar, and it is known what point Congress party wanted to prove by showing it in both the images.
Gyanvapi mosque dispute and survey
The Gyanvapi Mosque complex is a disputed structure built over the ruins of the desecrated old Kashi Vishwanath Temple by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb after it was desecrated multiple times by Islamic monarchs such as Qutb al-Din Aibak and Aurangzeb.
To this day, parts of this ancient temple are clearly visible on the outer walls of the mosque, especially the western wall which has been kept intact. Even from afar, the statues of the bull Nandi and Maa Shringaar Gauri can be seen. Moreover, there are enough historical evidences of the demolition of the temple, building the mosque, and the rebuilding the temple at the current adjacent site.
The Kashi Vishwanath Temple complex, which is adjacent to the disputed mosque complex and where devotees can do puja and prayers, was built by Ahilya Bai Holkar of Indore in 1780.
A Varanasi court on May 12 allowed a videographic survey of the disputed structure. Varanasi’s Civil Judge (Senior Division) Ravi Kumar Diwakar issued guidelines for the same and added that the survey will now be held and a report to be submitted by May 17.
In a historic achievement, Indian shuttle badminton team has won the Thomas Cup 2022. The historic feat was achieved on Sunday as Indian shuttlers as they defeated the mighty Indonesian team in an unassailable lead of 3-0 margin.
This is India’s first Thomas Cup title, a tournament which is often considered the world cup of shuttle badminton. India emerged victorious after they crushed 14-time champions Indonesia into defeat in the final held on Sunday.
Kidambi Srikanth defeated Indonesian player 21-15, 23-21 to register a historic win for India in the Thomas cup 2022, which is considered to be the world cup of shuttle badminton.
Earlier, Lakshya Sen beat Anthony Ginting 8-21, 21-17, 21-16 to give India a 1-0 lead.
In the second match, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty registered a win in the first doubles to win 18-21, 23-21, 21-19 against Mohammad Ahsan and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo in the final at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
The Indian Men’s Badminton Team had reached the final of the Thomas Cup after defeating Denmark 3-2 in the tournament’s semi-final to achieve the remarkable feat.
In the Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh an incident of grooming jihad has surfaced, prompting activists from several Hindu organisations and the family of the victim to approach the SSP office and request assistance. The accused, an auto driver named Amjad, allegedly entrapped a woman in a ‘love affair’ before implicating her in a child theft case.
Amjad allegedly changed his name to dodge their daughter and then escaped with her, according to the woman’s relatives. After which she was implicated in a false case of child theft by him and sent to jail. When she was freed from jail after eight months, she was afraid to come home. She was subsequently placed in a shelter home.
The victim’s mother stated that her daughter is a BA student who used to take a three-wheeler to college every day from the bus stop. Amjad, an auto driver, trapped her daughter in a love affair. “Not only that, but he is already married and has two children,” she explained. “Amjad did not take her to his residence; instead, he took her to a relative who was hospitalised. He then kept her there for two days. Then, as part of a plot, they accused her of child stealing and implicated her,” she further added.
The lady had been in jail for the last eight months on charges of child theft. Her relatives went to the jail to meet the woman after receiving the information. Then she revealed the actual story to them. She did not return home after she was released from prison on May 13 because she was afraid. The authorities then sent her to a shelter home. The authorities have assured the family of proper action against the accused.
Former Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Terrorist and Professor of Chemistry at Kashmir University, Altaf Hussain Pandit, has been sacked from his post on Friday. The decision came after Altaf Hussain Pandit’s links with terror groups were exposed.
It has been learnt that Pandit was an active terrorist with JKLF from 1990 to 1993. Despite his exercises in terrorism, he served as an executive member of the Kashmir University Teachers’ Association (KUTA) from 2015-17 and was its vice-president from 2017 to 2018. Pandit was involved in organising student protests against the Indian State, especially after the killing of Hizbul terrorist Burhan Wani in 2016.
Under Article 311 (2) C, the J&K government’s designated committee was scrutinizing cases on separatists active in the state. The committee recommended Pandit’s termination after it was found that he did not go the formal character and antecedent verification which is a mandatory requirement for government employees joining the service. A senior officer revealed that Altaf Hussain Pandit was one of the several others who managed to enter the public employment system despite challenging the security of the state because the system itself had become heavily contaminated.
Infamous as the ‘Geelani of Kashmir University’, Pandit peddled his separatist propaganda among the students in the university through his academic work. According to the dossier, Pandit often synchronised the university’s academic calendar with that of Hurriat’s Protest calendar in order to mobilize students toward secessionist agenda. He motivated students to join violent protests against the Indian administration and Army funded by separatist elements backed by Pakistan. He was reportedly surprised by the fact that no university student was killed during the 2016 protests after the killing of Burhan Wani.
The dossier by the investigation committee reveals that Altaf Hussain Pandit ran an anti-India cartel at the Kashmir University. For carrying out a separatist agenda for Pakistan and its local proxies in Kashmir, “Altaf was not a potential but a real danger,” according to an officer who has accused Pandit of influencing thousands of young minds in the university.
Who is Altaf Hussain Pandit?
Altaf Hussain Pandit, a separatist masquerading as a University professor, holds a PhD in Applied Chemistry from the Aligarh Muslim University. He joined as an Assitant Professor at Kashmir University in 2004. Brought up in the village of Wadoora in Sopore, Pandit was under the strong influence of Jammat-e-Islami since childhood. During his years as an active terrorist in the valley, he even crossed the LoC for arms training in Pakistan and returned to Kashmir in the same year when he was arrested. Further, he went to pursue higher studies at AMU while his association with JeM continued.
Pandit used to take the help of his like-minded colleagues and student in carrying out his operations at the University. Action against Altaf Hussain Pandit comes days after five government employees in the J&K administration were sacked in March this year over similar charges. It was revealed that the officers working under various departments were working as overground workers for the terrorist outfits. In April, Sheikh Showkat, Pro-Pakistan Principal of Kashmir Law College was removed after his association with tendentious personalities like Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Arundhati Roy and Prof. SAR Geelani were exposed.
A 54-member team, led by advocate commissioner Ajay Kumar Mishra, surveyed the Gyanvapi complex basement and the western wall on Saturday.
According to the reports, the survey team opened eight vaults of the disputed structure of Gyanvapi mosque, which stands on top of the original Kashi Vishwanath temple. The survey team also carried out detailed videography of five vaults on Sunday, three more will be video graphed on Monday.
The survey team also surveyed the western Wall and tomb of the disputed structure.
The remaining survey of the complex will be done on Monday, after which a report will be submitted before the civil judge (senior division) Ravi Kumar Diwakar.
On Saturday, the team surveyed the security cover of over 1,500 security personnel. The survey and videography work was performed without any hindrance.
“More than 50% of the survey work has been completed on Saturday. All four basements and the western wall of the mosque have been covered under it. The remaining survey will be done on Sunday. As the external part of the mosque had already been surveyed on May 6, only the domes and the main mosque building are left to be covered as ordered by the court,” DM Kaushal Raj Sharma had said.
The district officials also added that Anjuman Intejamia Masajid (AIM) members, who had earlier filed a petition against the survey, opened the gates and allowed the survey team inside.
“They opened the locks of the two basements in their possession while the lock of the third had to be broken as it did not open with a key. The fourth basement was in possession of the Vyas family, and it remains open,” the survey officer added.
A Satish Ganesh, Commissioner of Police, thanked all the parties for their cooperation, “As per the order of the court, the survey process has been done in a peaceful atmosphere.”
Meanwhile, the local authorities did not allow any other people to enter the complex. The survey team members were allowed to enter after they surrendered their phones. Only video cameras and lighting equipment were allowed inside.
Earlier, the police had blocked all the roads leading to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple-Gyanvapi mosque. The police did not allow the police and even pedestrians between the Maidagin and Godowlia areas where the complex is situated. The media was also stopped at these two points and denied movement towards the complex.
The team will video graph and survey the entire disputed structure, and all the vaults will also be opened so that it can be known whether the idols of Hindu deities are present or not.
Thane court in Maharashtra has sent Marathi actor Ketaki Chitale to police custody till 18th May 2022. Ketaki Chitale was arrested on 14th May 2022 for sharing an allegedly derogatory post on Facebook against NCP supremo Sharad Pawar. Ketaki Chitale’s post has created a major uproar in Maharashtra politics and along with NCP leaders and workers, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray and opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis have also opposed the use of so-called objectionable language for Sharad Pawar.
Maharashtra | Thane court sends Marathi actor Ketaki Chitale to police custody till 18th May
Marathi actress Ketaki Chitale was arrested for allegedly sharing a derogatory post on Facebook against NCP chief Sharad Pawar
Ketaki Chitale argued on her own in court without a lawyer to present her case. She was produced before the holiday court on Sunday 15th May 2022, in the morning itself. The police had informed the court that custody was required to further investigate the so-called objectionable post.
Ketaki Chitale is charged under sections 500 (defamation), 501 (printing or engraving matter known to be defamatory), 505 (2) (making, publishing or circulating any statement, rumor, or report promoting enmity, hatred, or ill will between classes), 153 A (spreading disharmony among people), of the Indian Penal Code. Till now, 5 cases have been registered against her at various places in Maharashtra.
Maharashtra | One more case under sections 153A, 500, 501 and 504, 506 and 34 of IPC has been registered against Marathi actress Ketaki Chitale at Bhoiwada police station in Mumbai
A total of 5 cases have been registered against her so far.
Maharashtra Housing Development Minister Jitendra Awhad had threatened that NCP workers and cadres will register offenses in “at least 100-200” police stations across Maharashtra in connection with the said Facebook post. NCP workers had also thrown eggs and ink at Ketaki Chitale while she was coming out of the Kalamboli police station in Navi Mumbai on Saturday.
What did Ketaki Chitale write in her Facebook post?
Ketaki Chitale was arrested for sharing a critical post written by Advocate Nitin Bhave. The post, which was in Marathi, made no direct mention of the NCP chief’s full name and mentioned the surname of Sharad Pawar and the age of 80. It is worth noting that the NCP patriarch is an 81-year-old octagenarian.
The post is in form of poetry which says, “Tuka says, hey Pawar, shut off the spray of your mouth. Hurry up, you are already eighty. The hail is waiting for you. All your residue canines are broken. You keep salivating frequently. You dare to insult Samarth. He is the father of your father. You are jealous of Brahmins. Who are you? Just a mosquito. Enough of the sins you have committed. Keep quiet, otherwise, there will be a ruckus. You have swallowed the things for free. That’s why your face is distorted. This man keeps looting people. He is the biggest fraudster.”
In this poetry, Samarth is probably implied towards Samarth Ramdas Swami who was contemporary to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Many people believe that he was one of the key figures whom Shivaji Maharaj respected like a Guru. However, many others including Maratha caste-centric ‘thinkers’ aligning themselves with NCP and Sharad Pawar deny this and keep spreading concocted lies about the seventeenth century Marathi Saint. This is one of the reasons why NCP and Sharad Pawar are repeatedly accused of setting up a dispute between two influential caste groups in Maharashtra viz. Brahmins and Marathas.
