The Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, 5 April, passed The Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022, paving the way for the unification of three municipal corporations of Delhi.
The Bill was tabled by the Government on Tuesday to unify the three municipal corporations of Delhi to ensure a robust setup for synergised and strategic planning and optimal utilisation of resources.
Rajya Sabha passed the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022, with voice vote.
The Bill seeks amendment to the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957, to unify three municipal corporations of Delhi into a single entity.
The development came after Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday questioned in Rajya Sabha the step-motherly treatment given to three Municipal Corporation of Delhi(MCD) by the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party government in the national capital.
“Questions have been raised on the government’s constitutional capacity to bring the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022. Those who call us power-hungry should look at themselves in the mirror,” Amit Shah added.
In his speech in Rajya Sabha, Shah emphasised the need for the smooth functioning of the three municipal corporations that control around 1,400 sq km of the city.
He also added that the trifurcation of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) was done in a hurry in 2012 which led to an imbalance.
“I searched the reason for which the municipal body (MCD) was divided but no reason was available in any file,” he said, adding that the objective for such a move was known only to the people who had brought it.
The Home Minister further added that after 10 years of division, the results were not as expected. All the three municipal corporations took different policies, he averred.
“There was no unanimity in the policies adopted for a city. This is because when they were trifurcated their financial resources and responsibilities were not properly addressed,” he said.
Last week, the Lok Sabha had passed the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022, to unify the three municipal corporations in Delhi.
On April 1, the Jat community of village Inayatpur of Majitha sub-division in district Amritsar, Punjab, announced a boycott of the Muslim Gujjar community also known as Heer Gujjars. The boycott has been called following the clash between the Jats and the Muslim Gujjars on March 22. As per reports, the Jats opened fire at Muslim Gujjars during the clash, leading to the death of two Muslim Gujjars identified as 35-years-old Ali and 18-years-old Surmuddin. The Police arrested two Jats, Billa and Jiddu, who were among those who had opened fire. Reacting to the arrest, the Jat community approached Panchayat and called for a boycott of the Muslim Gujjars.
Notably, not only the members of the Jat community of village Inayatpur have announced to boycott of Muslim Gujjars, but the Jats of nearby villages have also announced support. Reports suggest Sikhs, Nihangs and members of Kisan Unions have reached Inayatpur to show support for the Jat community. The members of the community of one of the nearby village Mohan Bhandari sent a document announcing a boycott to the Police as well.
As per the instructions given by the community leaders and Panchayat, no one would be allowed to support Muslim Gujjars. No one could sell fodder to Muslim Gujjars or buy milk from them. Earlier, they had issued a warning to Muslim Gujjars to ensure their animals do not enter the farms of the Jat community. Since the incident of March 23, police companies have been deployed in the village to maintain law and order.
According to a report by Hamdard Media Group, the locals alleged that Muslim Gujjars leave their animals near the river at the night. The locals use the water supply from the river and the presence of animals pollutes it. It is being seen as one of the reasons for a boycott of the Muslim Gujjar community.
The clash between Muslim Gujjars and Jats
On March 22, at around 8 AM, two Muslim Gujjar youths, Makkhan and Bagu, were going on their tractor to buy cow fodder. Meanwhile, two Jat youth Billa and Jiddu, were coming back to the village after buying fodder. The Jat youth parked the bullock cart in the middle of the road near the river. When Muslim Gujjar youth reached that spot, they requested them to move the bullock cart.
The Jat youth obliged and started pulling back the cart. However, during that process, the tractor hit the bullock cart, and it turned upside down. Makkhan and Bagu rushed to their help and picked up the cart. They also apologised to them for the accident. Meanwhile, Jiddu had already called home and informed us about the accident. Around 15-20 people rushed to the spot, but somehow everything calmed down.
Later, at around 11 AM, a group of Jat youth came back to the spot where Muslim Gujjars live near the river and opened fire on them. During the firing incident, two Muslim Gujjars identified as Surmuddin and Ali were fatally injured. Three other Muslim Gujjar youth identified as Saku, Bagu and Satto were injured and are currently under treatment at Guru Nanak Hospital.
Other reports suggest it was not Jats who attacked Muslim Gujjars first. After the initial clash, the reports said Muslim Gujjars attacked the houses of Jats. The Jats opened fire in retaliation. Some reports suggest that the clash between the communities reached the tipping point after Muslim Gujjars’ buffalos entered the farms of Jats after the initial spat between the youth of the two communities in the morning. A few videos emerged where Muslim Gujjars could be seen allegedly attacking Jats in large numbers.
The Police were informed about the clash and firing incident. Jat youth Happy, Ladi, Manjinder Singh, Billa, Jiddu, Simar, Angrej, Nishan, Gullu and Avtar were identified as involved in the firing incident. Out of these, Police arrested Billa and Jiddu.
Sarpanch narrated Jats’ side of the story
Speaking to The Khalas TV, Inayatpur Sarpanch Nirmal Singh said he came to know about the firing incident around 11 AM. When he reached the spot, the injured and dead were already taken to the hospital by the Police.
He said everything started after the bullock cart of Jats got hit by Muslim Gujjar’s tractor. The bullock cart overturned, and a person sitting on it got injured. There was a verbal argument between the two sides, after which the Muslim Gujjars, who always carry batons etc., with them, hit the Jats, and one of the Jats sustained injuries on the head.
At around 10 AM second scuffle broke out between the two communities. Several people were injured. Jats claimed Muslim Gujjars burnt the straw themselves, but Muslim Gujjars claimed Jats burnt it. Later at around 11 AM, the firing incident happened.
After that group of Muslim Gujjars came to Jats’ house and started banging the houses, there were hundreds of people gathered in the village. He said no one knows who fired the shots. It is notable he claimed Police were present at the scene, but they were outnumbered.
Singh, who himself had shifted from the village three months ago, said the main reason for him leaving the village was Muslim Gujjars. He said when they started shifting to the village, he had requested them to ensure their animals did not cause any trouble to the locals. However, they did not listen. “The area around the river remains dirty because of the buffaloes of Muslim Gujjars,” he said. Other reports have also mentioned that the locals had an argument with the Muslim Gujjars in the past because of the problems caused by the animals.
‘No one knows from where they came’
Singh said the Muslim Gujjars came to the village around ten years ago. When questioned where they came from, he said no one knew their background and no one ever asked them. He further added there were three Muslim Gujjar families, and all of them had over a hundred animals. Only a few of them are registered, voters.
Jats left the village for a few days
He further said after the incident, the Jats got so scared of the Muslim Gujjar community that all the Jat families temporarily left the village. In the report, Khalas TV had mentioned that the families started to come back with heavy police presence on March 29.
He said most of the men of Jat families had rushed to hospital. There were only women in the houses when people of the Muslim Gujjar community reached the village and started banging doors of the houses.
Contents of the FIR
An FIR under Sections 302, 307, 341, 436, 148, 149, 25 and 27 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered in the matter. OpIndia accessed a copy of the FIR based on the complaint registered by Surmu’s father Ferozdeen. In his complaint, 50-years-old, Ferozdeen said that he had lived in the village for a long time and indulged in cattle farming. Since the day he shifted to the village, everyone was against him and wanted him to leave. He alleged when the daughters of his house go out to buy fodder, the young men of the village gather and harass them.
FIR copy. Source: Punjab Police
On the day of the incident, when his relative Karim was going to buy fodder with his sons Makkhan and Bagu on their tractor trolley, Billa and Jindu blocked the road with their bullock cart on which they were bringing fodder. When his relative requested them to move the bullock cart, they moved it a little on the side. Makkhan tried to take the tractor from the side, but it hit the bullock cart and turned it upside down. Ferozdeen said he was present at the scene with his son.
His relative apologized to Billa and Jindu and helped them in getting the cart fixed. However, Jindu called his home, and around 15-20 men rushed to the spot. They allegedly beat up Karim and others. Ferozdeen and his son somehow pacified the situation.
Later they came and burnt down the dry fodder at his relative’s house. When his relatives tried to stop them, they thrashed his relatives. Later at around 11 AM, they came with weapons, including pistols and rifles. They fired shots at the Muslim Gujjars, and one of the bullets hit Sumurudeep. Another bullet hit Ali, who also fell down.
Three arrests so far
Speaking to OpIndia, SHO Harsandeep Singh said that the Police arrested three of the accused. Out of these three, one was sent to judicial custody by the court, and two were in Police remand. They were scheduled to appear in court on April 5. When asked about the boycott of the Muslim Gujjar community by Jats, SHO Singh said he got no such information.
Minority panel sought report
After the incident, a two-person delegation of the Punjab State Minority Commission visited the village to take stock of the situation. Lal Hussain and Dr Subhash Masih Thoba, accompanied by SP Detective Manoj Thakur and DSPs Gurmeet Singh and Ravinder Singh, visited the village and talked to the family members and investigation officers. They sought a report by the Police by March 30.
Farmer unions blamed Muslim Gujjars
On March 29, members of the farmer union Bharti Kisan Union (Rajewal) protested outside the District Administrative Complex (DAC) and handed a memorandum to the Jalandhar DC for the Chief Minister. They demanded action against the members of the Muslim Gujjar community and alleged the whole incident started because of them.
They alleged the Muslim Gujjars hit the bullock card, and an elderly of the Jat community got injured. Later, when the Jats went to the house of the Muslim Gujjars to complain against them, their family members attacked them, resulting in a clash between the two groups. The protesting farmer union members said, “We demand strict action against the members of the Muslim Gujjar community and withdrawal of FIRs against the farmers. The Punjab CM must intervene in the matter and deliver justice to the farmers.”
Notably, a day before farmer unions approached DC, SSP (Amritsar Rural) Deepak Hilori had refuted claims of any bias in the investigation. He had said, “We are investigating every angle. A special investigation team (SIT) is working on it. As far as action against Muslim Gujjars is concerned, we have not received any complaint against them so far. Only the accused have fled the village. Protection is being given to those who have returned home.”
The Uttar Pradesh Police on Tuesday arrested Hafiz Imran Warsi for issuing a bounty of Rs 1 lakh and a ‘fatwa’ against Dr Mohammad Nizam Bharti for supporting the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Bharti had showered flowers on the RSS members who had participated in a rally (padsanchalan yatra) on the occasion of Gudhi Padwa on April 2.
The rally was organized in the Mainathar area of Moradabad and Dr Mohammad Nizam Bharti and his family members had participated in the event. According to the reports, the fatwa was issued against Dr Bharti as many of the Muslim people in the locality objected to his act of showering flowers on the RSS members.
The fatwa issued by Hafiz Imran Warsi reads that Dr Mohammad Nizam Bharti should not be allowed to enter mosques and the entire Muslim community should ostracise him. The fatwa also clearly mentions that anybody who kills Dr Mohammad Nizam Bharti would be rewarded with Rs 1 lakh.
“I am a Muslim but I am also a nationalist”: Dr Nizam on his support for RSS
Dr Mohammad Nizam Bharti, meanwhile, said that he has been a staunch follower of the BJP and RSS and that he is a nationalist. “I have been following BJP and the RSS rally was passing by my residence. So I and my family showered flowers on the RSS members as a token of respect. I am a Muslim but I am also a nationalist”, he said.
He further added that Hafiz Imran possesses Talibani’s thought process. “Hafiz Imran has Talibani thought process and he is threatening the Muslim community to outlaw us. He wants me killed at any cost for supporting RSS”, he stated.
However, the Moradabad Police has confirmed that a Muslim doctor from Moradabad was threatened for his links with the RSS. The Police have registered an FIR based on the complaint filed by Dr Mohammad Nizam Bharti and have arrested Hafiz Imran Warsi in the case. The investigations are underway.
After a public exchange over Elon Musk’s poll on Twitter over the awaited ‘edit’ button, Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal has jow formally welcomed the American billionaire to the company board. “I’m excited to share that we’re appointing Elon Musk to our board! Through conversations with Elon in recent weeks, it became clear to us that he would bring great value to our Board,” he wrote on the social media platform.
I’m excited to share that we’re appointing @elonmusk to our board! Through conversations with Elon in recent weeks, it became clear to us that he would bring great value to our Board.
Agrawal’s tweet came after the news of Elon Musk buying a 9.2% stake in Twitter Inc came. Musk had been hinting at building an alternative to Twitter which serves as ‘the de facto public town square’. While many people replying to Musk’s tweets expressed that the platform has failed to adhere to free speech principles, Musk further asked whether an alternative platform was needed in his exchange on March 25.
On the 4th of April, the news of Elon Musk becoming the largest shareholder in Twitter came. The share price of the Twitter stock rose about 28% in pre-market trading on the day. With his USD 3 Billion stake, Musk contributed 20% of Twitter’s network on his very first day. On Tuesday, CEO Paraga Agrawal said on Musk’s induction, “He’s both a passionate believer and intense critic of the service which is exactly what we need on Twitter, and in the boardroom, to make us stronger in the long-term. Welcome, Elon!”.
The Tesla Motors CEO has often been critical of Twitter and has made his stand unapologetically through his tweets. In December last year, when Twitter announced that Parag Agrawal would be taking over from Jack Dorsey as the company’s CEO, Musk had posted a cryptic meme that depicted Agrawal as Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin and Dorsey as Soviet secret police head Nikolai Yezhov being shoved into the water.
TWITTER INC – WILL APPOINT MUSK TO COMPANY’S BOARD TO SERVE AS A CLASS II DIRECTOR$TWTR
On the 4th of April 2022, Delhi Jal Board issued a circular announcing approximately 2 hours of leave daily for its Muslim employees during the month of Ramzan. However, the online outrage over the discriminatory treatment while several Hindus are also fasting has led to the withdrawal of the order from the Board.
Withdrawing the order, the new circular said,”A circular was issued bearing No. F. No. 524 (18)/DJB/AC(W)/2022/e-office No. 1087701 dated 04.04.2022 for short leave (approx. two hours a day) to the Muslim employees during the days of Ramzan.
Delhi Jal Board withdraws its circular for short leave (approx two hours a day) to all its Muslim employees during the days of Ramzan issued earlier. pic.twitter.com/bXJd2gXaeo
Now the competent authority vide their order has decided to withdraw the above said circular with immediate effect, the new circular added.
After Delhi Jal Board announced the leave for the Muslim employees during Ramzan while ignoring the Hindus fasting during Navratri, it led to widespread anger among the netizens. Several people expressed their anger at this selective policy.
Delhi Jal Board announced that Muslim employees would be granted a daily leave of 2 hours during the month of Ramzan. Delhi Jal Board is an agency under the Arvind Kejriwal कितने चेहरे है @ArvindKejriwal ? pic.twitter.com/ZSsRPDUahg
Delhi Jal Board announces 2 hour leave for #Muzlim employees during #Ramzan, no concession for #Hindus observing #Navratri
वाह केजरीवाल जी वाह ????
— Nishant Azad/निशांत आज़ाद?? (@azad_nishant) April 5, 2022
For now, the Delhi Government has decided to withdraw even the Ramzan leaves instead of extending the same privilege to Hindus observing Navratri fast.
Looking at whitewashing as an art, one would find the left-liberal cabal as the best artists around. Following on similar lines, a fresh attempt is being made, with a concealer brush dipped in calcimine, to whitewash the grave offences of former JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University) student Umar Khalid, who is imprisoned on charges of instigating riots.
In a mid-day opinion piece, author Ajaz Ashraf has attempted to downplay the culpability of Umar Khalid under the guise of his girlfriend’s sorrow. Stating the grief, that Banojyotsana Lahiri, the girlfriend of Umar Khalid said she is going through, Ajaz has tried to portray Umar as a mistaken pickpocketer who is missing the normal life inside the jail.
Ajaz Ashraf has based his article on his conversation with Banojyotsana where she says that she misses Umar and that she “cannot survive without being strong.” Ajaz has written about Umar’s love for meat and how he misses his fondness for meat in Tihar because the authorities there only serve vegetarian meals. He also claimed that Banojyotsana feels guilty when she eats mutton or chicken because her lover cannot.
Writing more on his obsession with meat, Ajaz has mentioned that in late August 2020, when he was summoned for interrogation, Umar was so sure he would be arrested that he decided to order “chicken pasta with white sauce” as his last meal in freedom.
More is said about how they converse on the phone during the day and how she buys her a fresh set of books whenever she sees him in Tihar. Throughout the sob tale, Ajaz has ignored all of the severe accusations and charges levelled against Umar and focused on the couple’s struggle to celebrate their romance.
One can imagine how important it would be that rioting accused is unable to consume meat while on trial and have a romance with his girlfriend.
This is not unique since it is the tactic used by leftists and Islamists to whitewash the dirty deeds of severe crime offenders. The same thing happened to Burhan Wani, who was killed by Indian security personnel in 2016 on terrorism charges. He was hailed as a hero and a martyr by politicians and citizens across the length and the breadth of this nation.
Wani was lauded as the son of a headmaster, a liberation warrior, a mass leader, and whatnot. Similarly, in an article by The Quint, terrorist Osama Bin Laden was portrayed as magnanimous.
The objective here is not to equate Umar Khalid to Burhan Wani or Osama Bin Laden, but to question why a narrative is being pushed to make the offender’s conduct appear minor. If Burhan Wani and Osama Bin Laden were terrorists then they were terrorists only. There can be no alternative to their image because they have committed a crime and their identity is of a criminal.
Umar Khalid is in the same boat. If he has been charged with rioting and is on trial for it, bringing his girlfriend’s version of his love affair with her will not lessen the severity of the offence.
One thing to note is that this exercise in whitewashing is exceedingly exclusive. The cabal strongly opposes the presentation of any story that is not in accordance with the liberal and Islamist agendas. The same kind of preferential treatment was not extended to Surinder, Nitin and Shiva—whose predicament, in all likelihood, is not known to a majority of the people. More than 2 years after the Delhi Riots roiled the national capital, a court on Monday this week acquitted Surinder, Nitin and Shiva, who were accused of attacking one Azim Ansari, stating that there was no conclusive evidence to prove the allegations against them.
This interview with Umar’s girlfriend will be acknowledged and discussed widely, but the stories of injustice meted out to Surinder, Nitin and Shiva and many others were neither told nor, in all probability, the Left will bother to speak about them. Their stories won’t invite any sympathy since they are Hindus and thus, treated as fair game in the Left’s ideological battle against a resurgent Hindutva.
On Monday, April 4, Uttar Pradesh police booked Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Shazil Islam, party’s district unit vice president Sanjeev Kumar Saxena and some other party leaders for threatening Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and making provocative statements against him. The action against the SP leaders was taken based on a complaint filed by Anuj Verma, the district in charge of Hindu Yuva Vahini.
Bareilly’s Senior Superintendent of Police Rohit Singh Sajwan informed that the FIR has been filed at the Baradari police station in Bareilly under sections 504 (disturbing peace), 506 (threatening), and 153A (making provocative statements with the intent to incite riots).
In his complaint, Anuj Verma accused Shazil Islam of targeting Chief Minister Adityanath at a function organised by Sanjeev Kumar Saxena to honour SP MLAs at Akash Puram in Bareilly.
Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Shazil Islam issues threats to BJP, Yogi Adityanath
According to reports, Anuj Verma lodged the complaint against SP MLA and others on the basis of a video clip of Islam’s statement that went viral on social media in which he was seen issuing threats to the Bharatiya Janata Party and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath. In this video, he said that as there are more SP MLAs in the assembly than earlier, they will now fire a bullet for every word said by Yogi Adityanath.
Shazil Islam is an MLA from the Bhojipura assembly seat in the Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh. His video had rapidly gone viral on social media after which Anuj Verma, the district in charge of Hindu Yuva Vahini filed the above complaint.
Banojyotsna Lahiri, the girlfriend of Delhi anti-Hindu riot accused Umar Khalid has taken to Twitter to warn legal action against social media users who have been spreading her pregnancy rumours. Notably, Umar Khalid, one of the prime accused of the Delhi anti-Hindu riots 2020, was apprehended by the Delhi police on September 13, 2020, and charged on November 22, 2020, under several provisions of the UAPA and the Indian Penal Code. Khalid has been since then lodged in Delhi’s Tihar jail.
Banojyotsna Lahiri posted two Tweets on April 5. In the first Tweet, she threatened social media user @mahimax03, who was apparently the first one to tweet about Lahiri’s pregnancy, with legal action.
Dear @DelhiPolice this woman is spreading deliberate misinformation against me, slandering and assasinating my character! This tantamounts to defamation and targeted harassment! I have initiated legal action against her already, but please take note! https://t.co/aUR3akBqFA
Her next Tweet was aimed at another social media user going by the Twitter handle @BrishtiSengupta6, for furthering the rumours.
Dear @DelhiPolice this woman is spreading deliberate misinformation against me, slandering and assasinating my character! This tantamounts to defamation and targeted harassment! I have initiated legal action against her already, but please take note! https://t.co/f3z2bW5mjj
In both her Tweets, Banojyotsna Lahiri tagged the Delhi police and wrote, “Dear @DelhiPolice, this woman is spreading deliberate misinformation against me, slandering and assasinating my character! This tantamounts to defamation and targeted harassment! I have initiated legal action against her already, but please take note!”
Lahiri’s response was deliberated by a Tweet first posted by Twitter user @mahimax03. In the Tweet which has now been deleted, @mahimax03 had shared the screenshot of a report published by the Bengali newspaper Anandbazar Patrika. She captioned her Tweet, “Umar Khalid girlfriend is pregnant and she is sad that her kid won’t be able to see father because Umar Khalid is in jail for two years.
The ss of the deleted Tweet posted by @mahimax03
Evidently, the Twitter user @mahimax03’s speculation about Banojyotsna Lahiri’s pregnancy was not based on reality. Anandbazar Patrika’s report, published on April 4, nowhere talks about Lahiri’s pregnancy. The Bengali media house had, in fact, picked up a report published by news agency Mid-Day on April 4. The entire Anandbazar Patrika report is based on the information provided in the Mid-Day report with due credit to the latter.
Report published by Anadbazar Patrika on April 4, 2022
The Mid-Day report, which Anadbazar Patrika curated was also published on April 4. The report was titled, “And she waits for Umar Khalid”. The Mid-Day report is based on an interview with Umar Khalid’s girlfriend Banojyotsna Lahiri, in which the writer Ajaz Ashraf expresses deep sympathy for the riot accused’s girlfriend for being separated from him since the “night of September 13, 2020, when Umar Khalid, the student leader and her soulmate, was arrested.”
Report by Mid-Day
The report talks in length about the Banojyotsna’s and Umar Khalid’s melancholy and predicaments but at no point does it talk about Banojyotsna Lahiri’s pregnancy.
Since the report does not mention the pregnancy and Banojyotsna Lahiri herself has refuted the claims, it is safe to assume that the social media user had made a false claim.
Umar Khalid was booked under UAPA
The Delhi Police apprehended Umar Khalid on September 13, 2020, and charged him on November 22, 2020, under several provisions of the UAPA and the Indian Penal Code. In July 2021, Khalid filed a bail application.
It may be noted that Khalid’s bail plea has been rejected thrice since his arrest in September 2020. Most recently, the Delhi Court had refused bail to so-called activist and former JNU student Umar Khalid on 24th March in connection with a case pertaining to the bigger conspiracy in the 2020 Delhi riots, involving offences under the Indian Penal Code and UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act). The order was issued today by Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat.
The FIR filed against Khalid includes serious allegations such as Sections 13, 16, 17, 18 of the UAPA, Sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act, and Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act of 1984. He is also charged with a number of offences listed in the Indian Penal Code of 1860.
The bail application of Umar Khalid, represented by Trideep Pais, Ld. Senior Advocate, filed under Section 437 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) read with Section 43D(5) of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) on 6th September 2021.
A certain section of mainstream media journalists has started openly displaying their Hinduphobia. In a recent development, a controversy has erupted over an alleged Facebook post of News Nation journalist Wajid Ali. While Ali was seen posting objectionable and hateful comments against Hindu deities, he has now been reportedly sacked by his employer ‘News Nation’ after his controversial comments made their way on social media.
It all started when Sagar Kumar, a journalist who works with Sudarshan News flagged Wajid Ali’s obscene and abusive remarks against Hindu Gods and Goddesses. In the concerned Facebook comment, Ali looks to have abused a host of Hindu deities including Bramha, Rama, Hanuman, Ganesha and Goddess Kali.
He asked a user, “Tell me whether Ram was a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian? Why did Bramha f*ck his mother? You accepted what is said in my Book (Quran) because you think there might be a logic to it when 160 crore (global Muslim population) people believe in this. Soon, 200 crore people will start believing (in the book). What you asked me is not written in the book. There’s a difference between the Quran and Hadis,” he remarked in the post.
— Sagar Kumar “Sudarshan News” (@KumaarSaagar) April 5, 2022
Wajid Ali further added, “We have logic for everything. You tell me, how did Hanuman gulp the sun who was born in a cave? How did an elephant’s trunk fit on a man? How does Kali have 12 hands just like they have among demons? There are many such questions, you only tell me whether Rama was a vegetarian or not.”
After being flagged by Sagar Kumar on Twitter, Wajid Ali’s hateful remarks triggered wide reactions. Ali’s Hinduphobic targeting of his fellow Facebook user drew ire upon his conduct as an employee of ‘News Nation’. People started questing the channel over Ali’s abusive exchange and inciteful remarks on Hindu deities. Soon after the screenshot of his comment went viral, Ali claimed in a Facebook post that his account was compromised.
He wrote, “Earlier, money used to be demanded by hacking an ID or making another ID, or blackmailing was done by making obscene videos. But, now an attempt is being made to defame any community by making hate comments in my name. This should be avoided. I have lodged a complaint.”
Wajid Ali’s clarification in a Facebook Post
News Nation was tagged and questioned by Twitter users for employing Hinduphobic individuals in their team. Soon, News Nation anchor Shubham Tripathi tweeted, “There’s no space for such Jihadis here. Such people are a blot in the name of journalism.”
ऐसे जिहादियों की कोई आवश्यकता न है यहाँ…..पत्रकारिता के नाम पर कलंक और धब्बा है ऐसे लोग https://t.co/8MFHlceJb5
When OpIndia spoke to Wajid Ali, he told that the channel has informed him about his removal in an e-mail. He claimed that he has not made these comments. He added, “I respect every religion. I go to the temple and also visit Dargah. I report stories from everywhere. When I checked, those comments were not found anywhere on my profile. I have lodged an online complaint with the cyber cell. I am suffering because of being named Wajid, obviously, no one will believe me. I grew up among Hindu brothers. Have eaten Gujiya on Holi and sweets on Diwali. We used to watch Ramlila together. Our Hindu brothers also eat Kheer on Eid,” in his defence.
Reportedly, Wajid Ali had reported about the Chaitra Navratri celebration at Delhi’s Zandewalan Mandir last week. In his report, he elaborated on how Goddess Durga takes the form of ‘Chandraghanta’ during Navratri to kill the demons.
On Monday (April 4), the South Delhi Municipal Corporation announced that all meat shops located within the vicinity of a temple will remain closed between April 2-April 11, in light of Navaratri celebrations.
The decision was taken keeping in view the sentiments of the public during Navratri when a strict vegetarian diet is followed by the devotees during the nine days of the festival. South Delhi Mayor, Mukkesh Suryaan, had noted that many often restrict the use of onion and garlic in their diets during Navaratri.
“The sight of meat being sold in open or near temples makes them (the people) uncomfortable. Their religious belief and sentiments are also affected when they come across meat shops or when they have to bear with the foul smell of the meat on their way to offer their daily prayers to the Goddess,” he had remarked.
During Navratri, 99% of households in Delhi don’t even use garlic & onion, so we’ve decided that no meat shops will be open in South MCD; the decision will be implemented from tomorrow. Fine will be imposed on violators: Mukkesh Suryaan, Mayor of South Delhi Municipal Corporation pic.twitter.com/zGCw3dOW4R
Along with Delhi’s SDMC, many parts of North India have prohibited sale of meat during the nine days of Navaratri. This has outraged a lot of people on social media.
Siddharth Vardarajan, the founder of The Wire, wrote, “Why should meat shops be shut during Navaratri in Ghaziabad or any other place? Those fasting or those who are vegetarian are free to do their own thing but why are their food habits being foisted on all Indians and hurting the business of meat vendors?”
Why should meat shops be shut during Navaratri in Ghaziabad or any other place? Those fasting or those who are vegetarian are free to do their own thing but why are their food habits being foisted on all Indians and hurting the business of meat vendors?https://t.co/9aQrcf57v9
Shekhar Gupta, the founder of The Print, claimed that it is impossible to find a city or a region in India where 99% of people are vegetarian. “Even if they were, it’s a free country & no majority can force its choices on people. And if indeed they could, vegetarians beware. A very wide majority of us Indians are meat-eaters, ” he had tweeted.
In no city or region of India are 99% people vegetarian. Even if they were, it’s a free country & no majority can force its choices on people. And if indeed they could, vegetarians beware. A very wide majority of us Indians are meat-eaters…
It must be mentioned that many in the Northern States of India refrain from eating non-vegetarian food during the 9 days of Navaratri. Some even fast on all 9 days. Having said that, Hinduism is diverse, pluralistic and festivities are influenced by local cultures. During the same period when North Indians abstain from consuming meat and non-vegetarian products, Bengalis consume fish and mutton and even offer them to Goddess Durga.
Meat and its politicisation
While sale of meat should be banned or not is a debate for another day, in recent times, meat has been politicised and used specifically to hurt religious sentiments of Hindus as well as Jains. Various ‘meat festivals’ including ‘beef festivals’ have been organised by certain section of society specifically to hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus and Jains.
In June 2019, a beef festival that was supposed to be organised in Kolkata was cancelled after the organisers allegedly received threats from people. The organisers had conceded that they could not ensure the safety of the attendees. In a Facebook post, the Accidental Note said, “If any one person is harmed, we would feel personally responsible, and we can not accept that.”
The menu for the ‘Kolkata Beef Festival’, which was eventually changed to ‘Kolkata Beep Festival’ after protests on social media, included some pork dishes as well. As per information received by OpIndia.com from sources, the menu initially did not include pork when the event was first announced, and it was added later on after Hindus registered their disagreement on social media.
In August 2018, a group of hackers named ‘Team Kerala Cyber Warriors’ had hacked the website of Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha and posted the recipe for traditional Kerala beef curry. It was in retaliation to the comments of Swami Chakrapani who alleged that the Kerala floods were a consequence of eating beef and disrespecting cows.
Prior to that in May 2017, Youth Congress workers in Kerala carried out public slaughter of cow. They also organised beef festivals. Hindus consider cows holy and for many Hindus consumption of beef is forbidden. The cow was slaughtered publicly by Youth Congress workers to specifically hurt the religious sentiments of those who hold the cow holy. As have been other ‘beef festivals’.
In September 2015, Shiv Sena had tried to cook chicken outside Jain temple in Mumbai. This was done during the time of Paryushan, the Jain festival where many Jains even abstain from consuming food and water. Jains are predominantly vegetarian community where some even hold fast to mourn the slaughter of goats on Bakri Eid celebrated by Muslims. Similarly, Shiv Sena, too, tried to sell meat on street during Paryushan, with an aim to irk the Jain community.
It is one thing to oppose ban on sale of meat, another thing to cook, sell meat right across temples of Jains with specific intention to hurt their sentiments.
