In a case from Maharashtra, a Muslim customer allegedly threatened a bhel seller when his demand for raddi paper was not met by the bhel seller. The accused threatened the street vendor by saying, “Let riots happen, we are prepared”. This incident took place in Shrirampur of Maharashtra on Wednesday, 20th April, at around 10 PM when a bhel seller named Nitin Shivaji Lambole was running his stall at the Gondhavani Road in Shrirampur. A case has been registered against accused Akil Sunnabhai who threatened and abused Nitin Lambole.
According to a report by Deshdoot, a non-cognizable offense has been registered in the Shrirampur urban police station against accused Akil Sunnabhai. In this complaint, Nitin Shivaji Lambole, a resident of Gondhavani Road near Jhirange Vasti in Shrirampur said that accused Akil Sunnabhai arrived at his bhel stall with his wife to buy some bhel when Nitin Lambole’s elder brother Nilesh Lambole was selling bhel there. Along with the bhel, the accused Akil Sunnabhai asked Nilesh Lambole to give him 2 kilograms of waste papers (Raddi Papers). Nilesh Lambole said that there is no raddi paper there with him. This response infuriated Akil Sunnabhai for some reason who used expletives towards Lambole and said, “Let riots happen, we are fully prepared.” Then he threatened Nilesh Lambole before leaving the place.
After Nitin Lambole filed a complaint in the Shrirampur urban police station, Police Inspector Machchhindra Khade visited the spot. A non-cognizable offense has been registered in this case against 55-year-old accused Akil Sunnabhai, a resident of Gulshan Chowk, ward number 2 of Shrirampur under section 504, 506 of Indian Penal Code.
The incident comes to light at a time when many parts of the country are witnessing communal tensions after the recent stone-pelting incidents during Hindu religious processions. Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti processions came under attack in several states of India, including the capital Delhi. The stone-pelting incidents were followed by justifications for the stone-pelting and several inflammatory statements from some Muslim leaders.
Days after Supreme Court commuted death sentence of one Mohd Firoz, convicted of rape and murder of a 4-year-old girl, saying “every sinner has a future”, another case of brutality against a minor has been reported. A man in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, reportedly drowned a 3-year-old girl in a well after she opposed his attempts to molest her. The accused has been arrested and taken under police custody.
According to the reports, the incident took place during a marriage function in Laxmipura village of Chittorgarh district where the victim had traveled with her family from Jahazpur village. However, her family found that the girl was missing and started searching her in the neighbourhood.
On enquiring, the victim’s family discovered that the girl was last seen playing with a man identified as Ramesh Dhakad of Kishanpura village in Bhilwara. They found that even the man was missing. A few people then rushed to Kishanpura, caught Ramesh and brought him back to Laxmipura.
Ramesh told the victim’s family that the girl was playing near the well located in the vicinity of the venue where the marriage was scheduled to take place. The police was informed about the missing girl, following which they sent a civil defence team from the district headquarters. The well was emptied and the girl’s body was recovered from it. She was rushed to a nearby hospital where the doctors pronounced her dead.
As per police, the accused took the girl to an enclosure next to the house at night and tried to molest her. When she opposed her, he threw her in the well, leading to her death by drowning. The police were waiting for the postmortem report, which would reveal whether the minor was raped.
The police have filed a case against the accused and arrested him.
Besides, the victim’s family has also alleged that Ramesh was a serial offender and before targeting the girl, he had inappropriately touched a boy and bitten his private parts. Ramesh was spooked after the boy cried out and fled from the spot but not before taking the three-year-old girl with him, who was asleep at that time.
On Saturday, the Congress party took to Twitter to share a purported video of a temple demolition to claim that the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh had demolished around 200 temples, including a Shivling, to build the Kashi Vishwanath corridor.
In a tweet, Varanasi Congress claimed that about 200 temples and a Shivling had to be demolished to build the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor.
The Congress unit of Varanasi also added that a Bharat Mata temple which was about 5000 years old, was also demolished. A temple was unearthed as they demolished the houses, the Congress party claimed.
Sharing a video of a temple demolition, the Congress party said this is about Banaras, also known as Varanasi and added that Prime Minister Modi was the MP of Varanasi.
However, in a hurry to attack PM Modi and the BJP, the Congress party resorted to sharing unrelated videos of temple demolition to claim that the BJP government had demolished around 5000 temples in Varanasi to build the Kashi Vishwanath corridor.
The videos shared by the Congress party are not concerned with Varanasi whatsoever. The video that was shared by the Congress party to spread disinformation pertains to the temple demolition drive carried out by the Coimbatore city corporation officials in Tamil Nadu in July last year.
The Coimbatore civic body officials had carried out demolition drives at the Muthanankulam bund and had razed down seven temples. In the presence of officials, earthmovers had demolished Amman Kovil, Bannari Amman Kovil, Angala Parameswari, Karupparayan Kovil, Muneeswaran Kovil and a few other temples.
Reportadly This happened in coimbatore!! As usual no outrage! Keep sleeping & see the great fall!! pic.twitter.com/k83TiQNRsG
The demolition of seven temples, especially a 100-year-old, had fueled massive outrage on social media platforms. Netizens had accused MK Stalin-led DMK government of attacking century-old Hindu temples in Tamil Nadu.
Instead of condemning its alliance partner in Tamil Nadu, the Dravida Munnetra Khazhagam-led government, the Congress party is busy spreading misinformation against the BJP on social media platforms.
After being caught spreading misinformation on social media, the Congress party deleted the tweet.
As several states across the country has increased demolition of illegal structures, opposition parties led by the Congress party has starting using the same to attack the BJP. Today Congress MP Rahul Gandhi used the bulldozer theme to target the Modi govt over economy, suggesting the govt has failed to contain inflation.
The MP from Wayanad in Kerala posted a tweet saying that while inflation has gone up to 6.95%, the Fixed Deposit interest rate has gone down to 5%. “Forget depositing ₹15-lakh to your bank accounts, PM Modi’s ‘masterstrokes’ have demolished your hard earned savings.”
While it is true that keeping money in bank fixed deposits no longer covers the impact of inflation, what the Congress scion has missed is that it is not recent phenomenon. Inflation rate has been more than bank deposit rates for several years now, and in fact, the difference between then two has come down in recent times.
Which means, the inflation-adjusted real value of FD returns has gone up comparatively, contrary to what Rahul Gandhi is saying.
The inflation rate was at its peak during the UPA government led by economist Dr Manmohan Singh, which was almost double the bank FD rates. During the UP-II govt, the Consumer Price Index growth rate was in double digits in multiple years.
The annual inflation in 2009 was 10.88, which had gone up to 11.99 in 2010. The rates for the next three years were 8.86, 9.31 and 11.06. The inflation rate declined sharply after BJP formed the govt at the centre. Since 2014, the average annual inflation rate has been below 7%.
Annual inflation rate
On the other hand, bank deposit rates have been hovering in the range of 5-9%, and every year, it was less than the inflation rate. For example, when inflation had reached 12% in 2010, the average return on FD was around 6% to 7% according to RBI data for deposits of less than 3 years.
Which means, the difference was more than around 5% to 6%, against the current difference of 1.95% as per Rahul Gandhi’s data. The similar trend was seen other years as well, with the difference between annual inflation and average term deposit rate being in the range of 3% to 6%.
Therefore, during the UPA regime led by the Congress party, the difference between the inflation and bank deposit rates were much more than the current difference. Which means, depositors lost more value of their money by keeping it in the bank, compared to the current scenario.
Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders keep scoring such self-goals by highlighting the difference between UPA and NDA govts. Most of the time Congress leaders use economic indicators to target the Modi govt, it turns out the numbers were worst during their own govt. Similarly just a few months ago, Congress had attacked BJP over bribery in defence deals, while the bribes were paid during the UPA govt.
Hours after the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson landed in India for a 2-day visit, Pakistani-origin Labour Party MP Naz Shah raked up the issue of Islamophobia to thwart bilateral ties between India and the UK.
Shah, who is a Member of Parliament from Bradford West constituency, had claimed on Thursday (April 21), “My message to Boris Johnson on his visit to India is that our nation’s foreign relations must not just be based on trade & internationalism but also on human rights.”
“My plea to the UK Prime Minister is to raise the growing issue of Islamophobia with the Modi Government…The rising tide of everyday hate & mob lynching against Muslims in India is becoming worrying,” she further alleged.
The rising tide of everyday hate & mob lynching against Muslims in India is becoming worrying.
Dr Gregory Stanton who warned of early signs of genocide in Rwanda has now stated “There are early signs and processes of genocide” in India & Kashmir. (2)
In a desperate bid, the Pakistani-origin MP alleged that Muslim women in India are being forced to choose between their education and religion. She, however, forgot to add that the Karnataka High Court had upheld that the hijab is not an essential practice in Islam and that the uniform is a reasonable restriction on the Right to Religion.
She then raked up the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and the abrogation of Article 370 to further sensationalise the issue.
“We must not forget the grave situation of human rights in Indian-administered Kashmir. The revocation of Article 370, international black-outs, mass unmarks graves, Kashmir’s half-widows & the people of Kashmir deserve their voices heard. We have a historic duty to Kashmir”, she had tweeted.
I ask @BorisJohnson when the alarm bells of genocide, the daily lynching of Muslims, calls for rape of Muslim women & the systematic nature Islamophobia in India is being normalised, as someone who claims to be a champion of human rights, will you raise these issues with PM Modi?
Naz Shah had further claimed, “I ask Boris Johnson when the alarm bells of genocide, the daily lynching of Muslims, calls for rape of Muslim women & the systematic nature Islamophobia in India is being normalised, as someone who claims to be a champion of human rights, will you raise these issues with PM Modi?
“The UK prides itself on human rights and successive UK Govt’s have worked to protect the rights of women & girls worldwide. To be silent, whilst a minority Muslim population in India is being persecuted & Muslim women are at the centre of such hate, would be cowardice,” the Bradford West MP added.
The Pakistani-origin Labour MP also pleaded with the Conservative Party leader Boris Johnson to not just speak on trade, on internationalism but also on the human rights of minority communities in India and its Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Boris Johnson ignores Naz Shah, Indian Minority Affairs Minister responds
While reacting to the comments made by Naz Shah, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Times Now anchor Rahul Shivshankar, “MPs say a lot of things… it’s not the job of one country to preach to another.”
British PM #BorisJohnson tells me “MPs say a lot of things… it’s not the job of one country to preach to another.’’ This when asked to respond to British MPs (like Naz Shah) who demand he raise rising alleged Islamophobia & rights abuses with PM Modi.
While slamming the Labour Party MP, Indian Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi tweeted, “Please, don’t convert your prejudiced agenda of “India Phobia” into “Islamophobia”. Every Indian citizen including Minorities is safe and secure in India. “Co-existence” is our commitment and “Inclusivity” is our culture.”
Please, don’t convert your prejudiced agenda of “India Phobia” into “Islamophobia”. Every Indian citizen including Minorities is safe and secure in India. “Co-existence” is our commitment and “Inclusivity” is our culture. ??? @NazShahBfdpic.twitter.com/yBpeHvzXfR
When Naz Shah was suspended over Anti-Semitic remarks
After securing a seat in the British Parliament in 2015 and becoming the Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to John McDonnell the following year, Naz Shah courted controversy over the brazen display of anti-semitism in a 2014 Facebook post.
In her post. the Pakistani-origin British MP superimposed a distorted map of Israel on top of the US map and touted that the migration of the Jewish nation was the only option to resolve the Israel-Palestine crisis. “Problem solved and save you bank charges for £3 billion you transfer yearly,” she had tweeted.
Screengrab of the Facebook post by Naz Shah
She was seen reiterating the statements, often made by Islamists to claim ‘illegal occupation’ by Jewish people on alleged Palestinian land. “Only problem with that is Israel would need to return all the land and farms it has stolen and give the Palestinians rights which is not possible (therefore I will tweet Barrack Obama and David Cameron and put this idea to them?)”, Naz Shah had commented.
Screengrab of the Facebook comments by Naz Shah
The Pakistani-origin MP was also seen endorsing claims of Israel committing war crimes against the Palestinian people. “The Jews are rallying”, one of the captions read. Owing to her brazen anti-Jewish rhetorics, Naz Shah was suspended from the Labour Party in April 2016.
Screengrab of the Facebook post by Naz Shah
She also resigned from the post of PPS to John McDonnell. However, she was reinstated back into the party by July of that year.
While speaking about the matter, Naz told the BBC, “I wasn’t anti-Semitic, what I put out was anti-Semitic…The truth is that some of the stuff I have since looked at and understood, I didn’t know at the time.”
“The language I used was anti-Semitic, it was offensive. What I did was I hurt people and the language that was the clear anti-Semitic language, which I didn’t know at the time, was when I said, ‘The Jews are rallying. I had never come across it. I think what I had was an ignorance,” she had remarked.
Naz Shah was re-elected from the Bradford West constituency yet again in 2019.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday registered a money laundering case against the Jahangirpuri violence prime accused Mohd Ansar and other suspects under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
This is a day after Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana had written to the ED Director to probe the prime suspect under the PMLA. The ED began its probe based on several complaints registered by the police officers against the accused.
Ansar was arrested on April 17 when he was identified as the individual who initiated the violence by confronting the procession. As reported earlier, Ansar has been showing off his wealth on social media. Delhi Police suspect that gambling money was used by Ansar to purchase land and properties in various places.
ED also mentioned that his properties and bank details are under scanner and the case is no longer of rioting. The probe of illegal funds is also underway. With Ansar flaunting BMWs and massive gold chains, the authorities are zeroing in on his financial dealings.
On April 16, the Hanuman Jayanti procession was attacked by Islamists who pelted stones and glass bottles at the procession. Several people got injured as the violence escalated after 6 pm. They (Islamists) also fired gun stots amid the violence and injured a Police personnel.
It is important to note that the prime accused in the Jahangirpuri violence Mohd Ansar is suspected to be associated with the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi. He had actively campaigned for the Party during Delhi Elections Another accused arrested has been identified as Ghulam Rasool alias Gulli.
The Delhi Police has so far arrested 25 people and apprehended two juveniles in the case and lodged an FIR under provisions 147 (Rioting), 148 (Armed rioting), 186 (Obstructing duty of public servant), 353 (Assault on public servant), 307 (Attempt to murder), 427 (damage to property), and 436 (Attack by explosives) of the Indian penal code along with section 27 of the Arms Act 1959.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has released its curriculum for the academic year 2022-23 for classes 10th and 12th. Among the changes made in the new curriculum, CBSE has removed the excerpts from two poems by Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz from “Religion, Communalism, and Politics – Communalism, Secular State” section of the NCERT book, Indian Express reported on Saturday.
The curriculum document, which lists the Social Science course content for Class 10, states that the segment on religion, communalism, and politics will continue to be part of the course content “excluding images on pages 46, 48, 49.” The images refer to 2 posters illustrating Urdu poet Faiz’s poems and one political cartoon.
One of the posters illustrating Faiz’s poems is issued by NGO ANHAD, which has among its founders Delhi-riots accused Harsh Mander, and regular fake news peddler Shabnam Hashmi. The other one is issued by the Voluntary Health Association of India (VHAI) which calls itself one of the largest health and development networks in the world.
The excerpt of the first poem reads, “We remain strangers even after so many meetings, bloodstains remain even after so many rains.” While the second one reads, “Not enough to shed tears, to suffer anguish, not enough to nurse love in secret… Today, walk in the public square fettered in chains.”
The cartoon that has been axed was a political cartoon published in the Times of India and was made by Ajith Ninan. The cartoon shows an empty chair adorned with religious symbols with the caption, “This chair is for the CM-designate to prove his secular credentials. There will be plenty of rocking!”
The textbook was developed by a committee chaired by the late Professor Hari Vasudevan of the University of Calcutta’s Department of History following the revision of the National Curriculum Framework in 2005.
Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Hum Dekhenge controversy during Anti-CAA protests
During the anti-CAA protests in India towards the end of 2019, Faiz’s hum dekhenge poem had created quite a controversy over its use in the protests. Many people protested over the line sab but uthwaye jayenge (all idols will be removed) for the anti-idolatory tone of the words.
Other changes in the textbooks
Apart from Faiz’s poems, CBSE has also removed chapters on “democracy and diversity”, “Popular struggles and movements” focusing on Nepal and Bolivia, and “challenges to democracy”.
A chapter on “Central Islamic Lands” has also been removed from the History course for Class 11. It dealt with the rise of Islamic empires in Afro-Asian territories.
On Saturday, Shiv Sena workers thronged outside the residence of Amravati Lok Sabha MP Navneet Rana in Mumbai to protest against her decision to chant Hanuman Chalisa along with her husband MLA Ravi Rana outside ‘Matoshree’ the residence of Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray.
According to the reports, several Shiv Sainiks stormed into the residence of Amaravati MP Navneet Rana and her husband MLA Ravi Rana at Khar, Mumbai, to protest against the couple after they had vowed to recite Hanuman Chalisa outside Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s residence.
Shiv Sena workers also broke through the barricades and tried to enter the residence of Maharashtra MLA Ravi Rana and his wife, MP Navneet Rana.
#WATCH Shiv Sena workers protest outside the residence of Amravati MP Navneet Rana in Mumbai as the MP plans to chant Hanuman Chalisa along with her husband MLA Ravi Rana outside ‘Matoshree’ the residence of #Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray pic.twitter.com/OR7CQQpWlk
“Around 8.45 am, angry Shiv Sena supporters broke through the barricades placed at a distance of around 50 meters from the apartment where the Ranas own a flat in suburban Khar. They tried to enter the apartment premises. Shiv Sena supporters raised slogans in support of Thackeray and dared the couple to step out of the residence,” the police official said.
The police brought the situation under control and stopped the party workers from going further, according to the Mumbai Police.
Earlier, Navneet Rana, an independent MP from Amaravati Lok Sabha, had challenged Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to recite Hanuman Chalisa. She also slammed the Maharashtra Chief Minister for not visiting the temple on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanthi. She had also dared the Shiv Sena workers to try and stop them from chanting Hanuman Chalisa outside ‘Matoshree’.
Navneet Rana and her husband had arrived in Mumbai on Friday morning ahead of the Hanuman Chalisa recital. However, Shiv Sena workers gathered at various locations in Mumbai, including Matoshree, threatening the Amaravati Lok Sabha MP and her husband against reciting Hanuman Chalisa outside Matoshree. The party workers had also warned Ranas of teaching a lesson if they turned up at the spot.
The police had deployed heavy security outside Thackeray’s residence in the Kalanagar area to prevent any untoward incidents.
Later, the Mumbai Police team led by DCP Manjunath Singe had visited the Rana residence and served them a notice from Kherwadi police station under section 149 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). As per the notice, the police have requested them not to disturb the peace and maintain the law and order situation.
Following a meeting in July last year between Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and members of the Assamese Muslim community from various locations to discuss the group’s socioeconomic problems, the state government formed a panel, which has now proposed issuing a notification recognising “Assamese Muslims” as a distinct group in a state racked by illegal migration from neighbouring Bangladesh.
The panel recommended that Assamese Muslims be issued identification cards or certificates to show their distinct identities. The committees also recommended that the Assam government conduct a census to identify and document Assamese Muslims, as well as pass legislation comparable to Article 333 of the Indian Constitution to give representation in the Parliament and the Assam Legislative Assembly.
The panel, which was divided into seven subcommittees, released its recommendations on Thursday after months of deliberation. The subcommittees were formed to make recommendations on issues such as politics, culture, education, health, skill development, and population stabilisation. The committees were made up of renowned Assamese Muslim journalists, intellectuals, lawyers, activists, and academics.
The indigenous Assamese Muslims are divided into three primary groups: Goriyas, Moriyas (from Upper Assam), and Deshis (from Lower Assam). The Deshis are descended from 13th-century converts from indigenous groups such as Koch Rajbongshi and Mech, whereas the Goriyas and Moriyas are descended from converts as well as warriors, craftsmen, and others who arrived in the region during the Ahom period. This category also includes smaller groups, such as Julha Muslims. These tribes are distinct from Bengali-speaking Muslims who have come from East Bengal or Bangladesh.
CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, who accepted the report on Thursday, stated that all of the proposals were “implementable,” but only in phases.
The report submitted by the panel included recommendations on education, health, skill development, and women’s empowerment. In terms of population stability, the panel recommended that underage marriage be prohibited and that indigenous Assamese Muslims be subjected to population control measures.
On Saturday, the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) issued a notification disallowing employment opportunities to Indian students who have acquired their degree certificates from universities in Pakistan. The regulatory boards advised the students not to travel to Pakistan for pursuing their higher education.
“Any Indian national or Overseas Citizen of India who intends to take admission to any degree college of Pakistan shall not be eligible for seeking employment in India on the basis of such educational qualifications acquired in Pakistan”, the notification by UGC, AICTE read on April 23.
Any Indian national or Overseas Citizen of India who intends to take admission to any degree college of Pakistan shall not be eligible for seeking employment in India on the basis of such educational qualifications acquired in Pakistan
However, according to the official letter, migrants and their children who have acquired higher education degrees in Pakistan and have been awarded citizenship by India would be eligible for seeking employment in India after obtaining security clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs.
According to the reports, the UGC and AICTE have issued notifications within a month of the warning issued by AICTE to Indian students against studying in China. Anil Sahasrabudhe, chairperson of AICTE had said that students and parents should not waste their money on pursuing education that won’t have parity in India.
Also, M Jagadesh Kumar, chairperson of UGC said that such notifications are issued in the interest of Indian students, He cited the recent example of Indian students studying in Ukraine who suffered due to the Russia Ukraine war and advised the students to prefer studying in India over other countries.
