Two days after a frenzied Muslim mob attacked an ISKCON temple in Wari in Dhaka Division of Bangladesh, alleged ‘historian’ Audrey Truschke tried to cast aspersions about the authenticity of the crime.
In a series of tweets, Truschke claimed that a tweet posted by the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) regarding the temple attack was ‘fake’. She alleged that the deletion of the said tweet by HAF was somehow an ‘admission of guilt.’
The ‘historian’ claimed that the ‘disinformation’ about the hate crime was further peddled by OpIndia and Rober Spencer, the founder of Jihad Watch. “Going forward, folks should think carefully about their sources for information, especially of a sensitive communal nature. As they say: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me,” she had tweeted.
Screengrab of the tweets by Audrey Truschke
In response, the Hindu American Foundation slammed Audrey Truschke for quoting it out of context. “No AudreyTruschke, we didn’t share “disinformation”. Original tweet said that we’d provide more info as we got, which we did,” it tweeted.
However, HAF soon fell into the ‘leftist trap’ of trivialising Islamist barbarism when it claimed that a storage build owned by ISKCON was attacked and not a temple.
Screengrab of the tweets by Hindu American Foundation
The attack on ISKCON temple in Bangladesh
On Friday (March 18), OpIndia had reported how a strong Islamist mob of 150 people, led by Mohammed Israf Sufi (31), and Haji Shafiullah (62), lay siege on the Sri Sri Radhakanta Jiu Mandir in Wari in Dhaka.
We had reached out to one of the temple authorities, who confirmed that the Islamists were eyeing the temple property for a long time. Our source informed that the local Muslims tried to encroach the temple land in the past, which forced the administration to file a case.
“Yesterday evening (On March 17 evening), they destroyed the temple wall, and ransacked our property and stole valuable items,” he had informed. OpIndia also had a telephonic conversation with one of the victims named Nehar Haldar, who in turn, shared a copy of the complaint filed with the Wari police in Dhaka.
Screengrab of the police complaint by Sumantra Chandra to Wari police
As per the police complaint (that was reproduced in our report), the frenzied Muslim mob was armed with sticks, rods, sickles and hammers. They destroyed the southern wall of the temple, old structures and raised provocative Islamist slogans.
The police complaint emphasised that the mob stole ₹5 lacs worth of valuable items from the temple. Complainant Sumantra Chandra had also pointed out that the miscreants pelted stones at the ISKCON temple and threatened to bury the devotees alive.
ISKCON seer denies social media claims of ‘temple being unharmed’
After alleged ‘historian’ Audrey Truschke tried to cast aspersions on the authenticity of the incident, followed by the HAF tweet ‘validating’ the leftist narrative, OpIndia reached out to the seer of the Sri Sri Radhakanta Jiu Mandir via Whatsapp video call.
Dressed in a saffron robe, temple seer Rupanug Gaur Das Brahmachari rubbished claims that the temple did not come under the attack of Islamists. He said, “They first destroyed the boundary wall of the temple, then broke into the temple godown, vandalised the idols and stole valuables.”
On inquiring whether there was some ‘truth’ in the social media claims, the ISKCON seer reprimanded, “In Sanatan Dharma, the temple is not limited to a prayer room or the sanctum sanctorum. We have a vidhyashram (old age home), goushala (cow shed), all of which is located within the temple premises. The property that was destroyed belonged to the temple and is thus an attack on our Faith.”
Screengrab of the Whatsapp video call with Rupanug Gaur Das Brahmachari
“If tomorrow someone destroys the wall of a masjid, will it be considered as an attack on a wall or attack on the masjid itself? How can anyone downplay the atrocity by claiming that the vicious attack was limited to a wall and godown?” he inquired.
Rupanug Gaur Das Brahmachari informed that attempts are being made to downplay the act of temple desecration so that the blame for the absence of law and order did not fall on the incumbent Bangladeshi government.
On being asked about police action in the case, he lamented that no accused was arrested until Saturday (March 19) evening. He added that a police team was deployed at the site of the attack due to which no further attack had taken place since Thursday.
“I exist only till the temple exists. I feel protected as long as my temple remains protected,” he responded on being asked about concerns regarding his personal safety.
Jago Hindu Parishad President on the matter
OpIndia also briefly spoke to Sujan Das, who is the President of Jago Hindu Parishad of Bangladesh. During our conversation, he informed how the Wari police had been reluctant to even lodge a First Information Report (FIR) in the case.
He said that the FIR was registered only on the morning of March 18, despite the temple administration frequenting the police station immediately after the Islamist attack. After the FIR was registered, the police initially refused to provide the case number. It was more than 15 hours since the attack on the temple that the authorities were finally able to secure the FIR copy.
Sujan Das claimed that the attack was pre-meditated to coincide with the birth anniversary of ‘Bangabandhu’, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He said that the Islamists knew that the police would be deployed in official government events, leaving them a scope to attack and encroach upon temple property.
Surrounded by Western criticism of India over the purchase of crude oil from Russia amidst its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, reports have now suggested that Indian oil imports from the US are set to rise by 11% this year.
India’s oil imports are majorly directed by Iraq which supplies 23% of our oil needs, followed by Saudi Arabia at 18% and the UAE by 11%. According to a Government source as reported by Reuters, the US is set to emerge as the fourth-largest player in India’s oil import market. With an overall increase of 11% as compared to last year, the US will now supply 8% of India’s total imports in crude oil.
This comes after India is facing a barrage of unworthy criticism from Western analysts over its purchase of crude oil from Russia amidst its invasion of Ukraine. While the Western countries have given clarion calls to boycott Russia, their experts and think-tankers all over the world tried mounting pressure on India for its deal with Russia. India went ahead with buying cheap crude oil from Russia in a deal that was signed recently. Top oil refineries in the country including the Indian oil corporation ordered 3 million barrels of Russian oil whereas Hindustan Petroleum ordered 2 million barrels of oil which will be unloaded in May.
It is notable that while European Union nations have imposed several sanctions on Russia, they themselves continue to import gas and oil from Russia. The European nations are heavily dependent on Russia for oil and gas, and therefore they have continued to pay Russian billions of dollars to buy the fuel. And at the same time, the same countries criticise India for importing Russian oil, despite that fact that Russia’s share India’s oil import is very less.
While India jumped on the opportunity to buy cheap oil from Moscow at discounted rates, it has also opened its gates for the US on the other side. India’s strategic geopolitics in securing its interests has been an act of maintaining a fine balance after the Russia-Ukraine crisis broke. Alike others, the country faces threats of rising inflation and restricted energy sources during its recovery from the pandemic-hit economy.
Talking about the western hypocrisy to challenge India, a government official told Reuters that India cannot be prohibited from importing Russian oil and gas when European countries continue to do so as well. “Countries with oil self-sufficiency or those importing themselves from Russia cannot credibly advocate restrictive trading,” said the official asserting that India’s legitimate energy demands should not be politicised.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan praised India’s independent foreign policy while slamming his political opponents in a public meeting at Malakand in Pakistan. Imran Khan was criticizing his main political opponents, Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif, who recently advocated condemnation of Russia for Ukraine’s invasion.
Imran Khan said, “When I was asked by the representatives of the European Union to condemn Russia, I asked them, do you have the courage to ask the same question to India? Pakistan is with you for peace and not for war.”
The Pakistan Prime Minister furster said that he is working for a foreign policy that will give priority to the betterment of the citizens of Pakistan and not the interests of other nations and their policies. While explaining his point, Imran Khan gave the example of India’s foreign policy.
? “India is a part of QUAD with US, yet they are importing Oil from Russia, this is India’s foreign policy”: Pak PM Imran Khan pic.twitter.com/0KsOBPqAJg
Imran Khan said, “Today, I salute India, our neighboring country. It has always maintained an independent foreign policy. India is a member of the QUAD alliance with the United States as one of its members. But still, it calls itself neutral. India is importing oil from Russia which is facing sanctions. This is because India’s foreign policy is for its people.”
Imran Khan also commented on the Indian Army and the Indian government. He said, “India’s Foreign Policy is better than Pakistan. They work for their people. India’s army is not corrupt and they never interfere in Civilian government.”
JUST IN:? “India’s foreign Policy is better than #Pakistan, they work for their people, India’s army is not corrupt and they never interfere in Civilian govt”: Pakistan PM Imran Khan
These comments come amidst a no-confidence motion against Imran Khan which will be taken up by the Pakistan National Assembly on 25th March 2022. Many members of Imran Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehrik-E-Insaf, are about to vote against the government of their own party in the house.
On Friday 18th March 2022, PTI (Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf) workers forcefully entered the Sindh House in Islamabad after protesting for hours outside against the dissident Members of the National Assembly(MNAs) staying in the building. 12 PTI workers were arrested by the police for attacking Sindh House. Two PTI leaders, who are elected Members of the National Assembly, namely Attaullah Niazi and Faheem Khan were also arrested.
The box office success of The Kashmir Files has astonished business analysts. The film without any big banner, without any so-called superstar, without hit songs and dance numbers, and most importantly, without any big marketing budget is a massive hit on the box office. Even on the ninth day, it continued its increasing graph of the box office collection. This performance made trade analysts recall another such historic performance by the movie Jai Santoshi Mata that was made in 1975. Jay Santoshi Mata gave a tough fight to Sholay at the box office in 1975.
Film critic Taran Adarsh has tweeted about the immense success of The Kashmir Files. Taran Adarsh, in his tweet, recalls the time of 1975 when the film Jai Santoshi Maa was released in cinema halls. He told how this film was released with Sholay but still, it was a success. It is notable that a week before the release of The Kashmir Files, Nagraj Manjule’s much-awaited film Jhund was released. Amitabh Bachchan played the lead role in Jhund. Star music composers Ajay-Atul are the musicians of this film. Akshay Kumar starrer Bachchan Pandey and Alia Bhat starrer Gangubai Kathiyawadi are among the other mainstream Bollywood films whose business is dented by The Kashmir Files.
Taran Adarsh wrote, “I was witness to the unparalleled hysteria of Jai Santoshi Maa in 1975. It faced a mighty opponent in Sholay, yet rewrote HISTORY then. It’s happened the second time, after 47 years, The Kashmir Files is also creating HISTORY. Demolishing records, setting NEW BENCHMARKS.”
I was witness to the unparalleled hysteria of #JaiSantoshiMaa in 1975… It faced a mighty opponent in #Sholay, yet rewrote HISTORY then. It’s happened the second time, after 47 years… #TheKashmirFiles is also creating HISTORY… Demolishing records, setting NEW BENCHMARKS. pic.twitter.com/yfabnNLyI4
Jai Santoshi Maa was released on 15th August 1975, the same day on which the film Sholay was released in Mumbai. Sholay is one of the biggest hits of Indian cinemas. But in the first week, Sholay was a flop. Whatever glory it attained at the box office is due to the momentum it gained in later weeks. Sholay was the first film of director Ramesh Sippy. It had a big star cast including Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini, and Jaya Bhaduri. RD Burman, one of the biggest musicians of that era gave music for this film. Salim-Javed, the famous writer duo penned the film. Singers like Lata Mangeshkar and Kishor Kumar gave playback voices to the songs in Sholay. Despite all this, Sholay, made with a budget of 3 crore rupees was a flop in the first week or two. It was only after it was released in other parts of the country on 11th October that Sholay went on to collect 35 crore rupees at the box office.
But Jai Santoshi Maa, a film made with a budget as low as 25 lakh rupees went on to become a massive hit though it had big films like Deewar and Sholay to compete with at the box office. Jai Santoshi Maa had a not-much-known star cast. The film had Bharat Bhushan among the main actors but even his era was on a sharp decline by 1975. C. Arjun gave music to the film while Usha Mangeshkar and Mahendra Kapoor gave their voice to the songs. As the people started talking about the devotional film, crowds automatically turned to the theatres which made this film a bumper hit. Jai Santoshi Maa caught the public nerve so accurately that viewers used to leave their footwear outside the cinema hall as if they were going to worship the deity in some temple. People used to decorate the screen with garlands of flowers on the side frames. Devotees used to offer coins as they watched the deity in this film.
At that time, Jai Santoshi Maa surprised everyone by earning the highest amount after Sholay. People used to come from far and wide on the bullock cart to see this film. The film had earned Rs 56 in the first show, 64 in the second and Rs 98 in the evening show, and barely Rs 100 in the night show. But after this, the film’s impact on the people was such that the film remained on the screen for months. According to current information, the worldwide collection of Jai Santoshi Maa was around Rs 10 crore, with which it became the highest-grossing film after Sholay that year. The success achieved by The Kashmir Files at the box office thus made people remember the commercial success of the film Jai Santoshi Maa that was released on the same day as other big-budget films Sholay and Deewar.
However, the box office success was not the success of Jai Santoshi Maa, it had achieved which no other movie has achieved. The movie had actually introduced a large number of Indians with a Hindu Goddess they had not heard about before. Yes, before the release of Jai Santoshi Maa, not many people had heard about Goddess Santoshi. But after the release of the movie, lakhs of people had become her devotees. Temples were built for Santoshi Maa, and religious rituals were started. Thus, Santoshi Maa is also called “celluloid goddess”.
For years, the denial of the Kashmir Hindus genocide has been ossified into the collective psyche of the country. With the help of silence, apathy, counter-narratives, and conspiracy theories that pass the buck of the exodus on to the victims, the perpetrators have never been held accountable.
The issue of the Kashmiri Hindus exodus, and the genocide they endured, was treated like a political hot potato. No political party or the eminent civil society members bothered to speak the truth, or raise their voice in support of the persecuted minorities.
Even when they mustered the courage to speak on the atrocities faced by the Kashmiri Hindus, their efforts were in accordance with the “secular” narrative. The narrative that refrains from holding Islamism in the Valley responsible for the fate of the Kashmiri Hindus.
Panun Kashmir’s genocide bill: A long awaited decision
‘Panun Kashmir’, an organisation fighting for the resettlement and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Hindus, had proposed a bill for the recognition of the genocide orchestrated by the radical Islamists in the early 90s. The draft of the bill was released on December 28, 2019, and was named, ‘Panun Kashmir Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Bill 2020‘.
“To help prevent acts of genocide and other atrocity crimes, which threaten national and international security, by enhancing State of India and its Government capacities to prevent, mitigate, and respond to such Crises,” the objective of the Bill read.
It stated that India was a party to the United Nation’s Convention on Prevention and Punishment of Crime of Genocide in 1959, but did not enact any law on it. “It has been a resolute and consistent view of Panun Kashmir that Government of India accepts the campaign of destruction and violence against the Hindus of Kashmir, leading to the religious cleansing of Kashmiris as an act of genocide since it fulfills all the criteria laid down by the UN Convention on Genocide,” it added.
The proposed bill sought to penalise genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide, attempt to genocide and complicity in genocide. The Panun Kashmir Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Bill 2020 further proposed varying degrees of punishment, ranging from life imprisonment to death penalty, for aiding, abetting or committing genocide.
The said bill recognised the notion of ‘cultural genocide’ and ‘economic genocide’. It also called for the creation of a catalogue of all the Kashmiri Hindu religious places within the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
‘Panun Kashmir’ sought the constitution of a 15-member Governing Board to serve as the apex authority for the administration of the Act. The powers and duties of the Board are listed as:
General matters concerning all Hindu religious places in Kashmir Division shall be handled and attended to by the Governing Board in accordance with the provisions of this Act and rules and regulations framed there under.
It shall be the duty of the Governing Board to ensure that every Prabandhak Committee elected to deal with all or any of the matters specified in this Act, performs its duties and functions in accordance with the provision of this Act or the Rules, made there under.
The general administration and superintendence over all such committees under the provisions of this Act shall in the Governing Board.
“The Governing Board may after the approval by simple majority of the total strength of the Governing Board by notification make rules to carry out the purposes of this Act,” it emphasised.
The proposed bill also laid down provisions for the establishment of a 9-member ‘Prabandhak Committee’ in every tehsil of the Kashmir Division of the Union territory. The committees would develop, manage and control religious places of worship, owned or entrusted to the Kashmiri Hindu genocide survivors.
‘Panun Kashmir Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Bill 2020’ also sought the constitution of a Genocide Commission within 30 days of the commencement of the Act.
The Commission should have a Chief Commissioner (Supreme Court judge/ Chief Justice of High Court), and 2 Commissioners appointed by the Union Government. Some of the key functions of the Genocide Commission are listed below:
Determine the causes which culminated in a genocide.
Assist aggrieved persons in seeking legal remedies provided under this Act
Constitute an independent Inquiry Committee consisting of 5-members to determine, or identify the perpetrators, connivance of investigating authority, complacency, if any ,of any or a government agency or authority.
Declare all sale of properties, post the forced exodus, whether religious, residential, agricultural, commercial, institutional, educational or any other immoveable property as null and void.
Conduct a census of Hindus of Kashmir who have been victims/ survivor /survivors of genocides present and past and putting up in various parts of India and elsewhere if need be, central government will provide all assistance whether human resources, scientific testing, laboratories or any other resource required for the census.
The proposed bill stated that the Supreme Court would have original jurisdiction in matters pertaining to the Act. “Any person aggrieved by any order of the commission may file an appeal against the order in Supreme Court within 45 days from the date on which the order was passed,” it concluded.
‘Panun Kashmir’ hopes to capitalise on growing public support for Kashmiri Hindus
Ever since the release of ‘The Kashmir Files’ on March 11 this year, there has been a surge in public support for the Kashmiri Hindus. The movie is inspired by the true stories of Kashmiri Pandits. It takes viewers back to 1989, when conflict erupted in Kashmir due to rising Islamic Jihad, forcing the great majority of Hindus to flee the valley.
According to estimates, roughly 100,000 of the valley’s total 140,000 Kashmiri Pandit inhabitants migrated between February and March 1990. More of them fled in the years that followed, until just about 3,000 families remained in the valley by 2011.
While speaking to Opindia, ‘Panun Kashmir’ activist Tito Ganju stated, “Kashmiri Hindu community has been raising their voice with great resilience since 1991 under the movement of Panun Kashmir.”
Furthermore, he added, “Panun Kashmir has played a vital role in exposing Jihadi terrorism in India, and worldwide through various campaigns, press conferences, conventions, protests and representations with consecutive governments of India. They have been at the forefront of awakening the civilisational consciousness of India and building narratives about the truth of Articles 370 and 35A demanding their abrogation since 1991 itself.”
“These narratives have galvanised and shown results over a period of 3 decades. Especially after the release of the film ‘The Kashmir Files’, the nation has finally started listening to the voice of Kashmiri Hindus. Therefore it becomes a necessity for people to give their full support to the demands of Kashmiri Hindus. The pre-requisite of such demands being Enactment of the mentioned Genocide Bill proposed by Panun Kashmir,” Tito Ganju added.
As a concerned reader, you can extend your support to the long-standing demand for the ‘Panun Kashmir Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Bill 2020’ by digitally signing the change.org petition. The online petition has so far received over 12000 signatures.
A married woman in Ahmedabad has lodged a complaint against a man named Nasrukhan Pathan saying that he had raped her after pretending to fall in love with her. It is now revealed that the culprit Nasrukhan Pathan had trapped her pretending to be a lover, took her to Ajmer dargah and many other places, and raped her for months. Finally, the woman was saved by her husband.
According to a report by News18 Gujarat, the married woman from Ahmedabad befriended a man named NK Pathan on Facebook. The accused developed the trust of the woman and made physical relationship with her at Ajmer in Rajasthan pretending to fall in love. The accused then threatened to defame the woman and took around Rs 2.5 lakh in instalments and took her to a house on Patwa Street near Teen Darwaja in Ahmedabad and raped her repeatedly. The police have now started a probe after the woman lodged a complaint in this regard.
The 31-year-old woman, who lives in Fatehwadi, lives with her family and works as domestic help. Her husband runs a rickshaw-selling business. The couple has an 11-year-old daughter. About six months ago, the woman accepted the friend request from an account named N.K. Pathan on Facebook. She then had a conversation with the man for about eight to ten days on Facebook and the two introduced to each other. It was found that this NK Pathan is Nasrukhan Tajkhan Pathan who lives at Taj Residency behind The Royal Akbar Tower, Juhapura in Ahmedabad.
He gained the confidence of the lady and both exchanged their phone numbers. The two then started talking over the phone. About twenty-five days later, the woman and Nasrukhan Pathan had both traveled in his car from Sarkhej to Datar Unjha. This was their first journey together. About a fortnight later, both of them went to the Ajmer Dargah on night trips from Shahibaug. They reached there in the morning and stayed at the guest house there. In the guest house, the two had a physical relationship for the first time.
Both then left Ajmer at night and returned to Ahmedabad. Then, about a fortnight later, both the woman and Nasrukhan Pathan went to a drive from Ahmedabad in an auto-rickshaw to Mahmadabad. Then, about fifteen and twenty days later, they went to Datar Unjha once again. It was then that Nasrukhan Pathan began to assert his possessive rights over the woman. Therefore, she had limited the conversation with Nasrukhan Pathan. After that, Nasrukhan told the woman, ”From now on, I will not doubt you. Forgive me.” The married woman trusted him again and resumed the conversations.
The two of them then went to Abu Road where they both stayed in a hotel at night. Nasrukhan Pathan again made a physical relationship with the woman there. In the morning, they left for Ahmedabad. After this Nasrukhan Pathan started to mentally torture the woman. He would ask, “Who are you online with? Who are you talking to?” The woman got fed up with the Nasrukhan Pathan and switched off the SIM card. After this, Nasrukhan Pathan repeatedly told her through some friends that she should talk to Nasrukhan Pathan at least once in a while. So the woman spoke to Nasrukhan Tajkhan Pathan from the newly purchased mobile number. This is how Nasrukhan Pathan got her new phone number.
Then about three months ago, Nasrukhan Tajkhan Pathan started threatening the woman saying ‘Give me the money for the expenses that have been spent for tours at various places wherever we have been. If you don’t have a physical relationship with me, I’ll tell your husband about our physical relationship.’ The woman, therefore, started obeying the orders of Nasrukhan Tajkhan Pathan so that her husband does not know about the relationship between the two. Nasrukhan Tajkhan Pathan took the woman to his house on Patwa Street near Ahmedabad’s Teen Darwaja area where she was forced to make physical relationship with him against her will.
The woman succumbed to his threats and remained silent so that the husband or the family did not know about the affair. But after some time, the woman got fed up with it and switched off the mobile phone. Nasrukhan Tajkhan Pathan started roaming around the woman’s house. He started getting updates like what she does and whom she meets.
Then a few days ago, Nasrukhan Tajkhan Pathan came to the woman’s flat and demanded money. The woman said she does not have any. The woman was so fed up with the harassment that she herself called her husband and informed him of this entire affair.
Later the woman took an autorickshaw and went to the riverfront to commit suicide. She gave her mobile phone to the rickshaw driver and walked for a distance before she fell unconscious. When she regained consciousness, her husband and her husband’s friends had arrived. She was then persuaded and brought back home. The husband and wife discussed with each other and decided to complain about the matter. The woman complained of threats and rape in Sarkhej. The police have registered a case and started an investigation.
Actress and Model Sherlyn Chopra has hit back at ‘Fact-checker’ Mohammed Zubair after he questioned her ‘double-standards’ on Twitter. Admitting that at a time she used to be ‘woke’, Chopra has said that there is a limit to dumbfoundedness (Ch*tiyapanti) as well.
It all started with actress Kajol putting a video on Holi while urging her fans to ‘save water’ while celebrating a ‘safe Holi’. The actress soon faced ire on social media for her sermonising on the Hindu festival, including Sherlyn Chopra who wrote, “Why is this wisdom served only during Holi and Deepawali? Why do we have so much trouble with our festivals???” She later asked, “Why does nobody speak during Bakri Eid or Eid-ul-Azha?”
ज्ञान सिर्फ़ होली और दीपावली के समय क्यों पेला जाता है? इतनी दिक़्क़त क्यों होती है हमारे त्योहारों से???
— Sherlyn Chopra (शर्लिन चोपड़ा)?? (@SherlynChopra) March 18, 2022
Sherlyn Chopra suggested that while questions are not raised when goats are slaughtered en masse and gallons of water is wasted during the Bakri Eid, it is only on Hindu festivals when people are sermonised. Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of ‘Alt-News’ found an opportunity in hitting back at Sherlyn by pulling out her tweets from the past on Holi.
In his quintessential Alt News-fact-checking style, Zubair pointed out a tweet by Chopra from 2013, where Chopra could be seen giving her wishes on Holi with the hashtag ‘let’s not forget to #SaveWater.” Replying to Zubair’s accusation, Chopra hit out at him confessing that there used to be a time when she was ‘Woke’.
और तो और, हम बक़रीद के दिन, #MyFavouriteMuttonRecipe की चर्चा भी करते थे!!! धीरे-धीरे समझ में आया कि चूतियापंति की भी हद होती है! @zoo_bear
— Sherlyn Chopra (शर्लिन चोपड़ा)?? (@SherlynChopra) March 20, 2022
She wrote, “There was a time when we used to be woke. On the day of Holi, we used hashtags like ‘Save Water’ + ‘Save Animals’ and on the day of Deepawali, we raised slogans like ‘Stop Pollution’. She added further, “If this was not enough, on Bakri Eid, we used to talk about our favourite Mutton Recipes. Soon, I understood that there is a limit to dumbfoundedness (Ch*tiyapanti) too!
The movie The Kashmir Files by Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri that released on 11th March, 2022, has made many groups in India very uncomfortable.
Everyone in India is aware of the role of Pakistan and its intelligence agency ISI on terrorism. A movie that is a reminder that Pakistan and ISI are behind the terrorism, the ubiquitousness of weapons in Kashmir and resultant genocide of Kashmiri Hindus should not have been a surprise. We all know that Pakistan has been the perpetrator of terrorism anywhere in India, and hence behind the primary genocide of Kashmiri Hindus of 1990.
Instead, the movie shifts its focus on others who enabled and facilitated it. Other players who had hereto never been talked of. These are the people now getting restless because of this movie and engaging in active and tacit denial of the facts shown! The deniers include many parties today. Mainly, Kashmiri Muslims at large. But the ones that are losing their marbles most are – the Lutyens Media, the eminent Civil Society and of course, Congress party and National Conference.
In short – “The System”.
The perpetrators of the second genocide by way of silence and denial. Guilt of their own role in making this tragedy real is making them squirm now. The fear of tough questions that are going to be asked now, of the masks that have been stripped off. A simple analysis of each of these groups will make you understand the different reasons behind their discomfort. Let’s analyze and rip each of them one by one. The System and their masks.
Media
Every non-Kashmiri, who comes out of the theatres after watching The Kashmir Files is asking just one question, repeatedly. “Why didn’t we know all these facts for past 32 years?” Well, simply because the facts were deliberately hidden from you. You were lied to. Deliberately, Repeatedly and Brazenly.
The duplicitous role played by Vishu ji (the journalist in the movie) sums it all…
The all-powerful media (which surely must have been free and all powerful then, since the fascism hadn’t touched India yet) not just maintained a deliberate silence, it made heroes out of the villains. Yasin Malik became “Yasin Sahib” for the TV channels.
— Priti Gandhi – प्रीति गांधी (@MrsGandhi) March 18, 2022
Feted and hailed as a Youth Icon. Burhan Wani was only the innocent son of a school headmaster. Those who professed Jihad against India were branded Gandhians with gun and given ample platform to propagate separatist narrative. But the voice of minuscule minority victims like Kashmiri Hindus was muzzled.
At the India Today Conclave 2008, where Yasin Malik – the mass killer of Kashmiri Hindus was branded as Youth Icon, Kashmiri Pandit youth activists from a peaceful organization “Roots in Kashmir” were not just denied entry and opportunity to get their voice heard – but manhandled and put in lockup. All this while a man who should have been on gallows was on the hallowed dais. Irony anyone?
Today, the masses are discovering all this.
Instead of being the voice of the voiceless, likes of Barkha Dutt propagated narratives to blame Kashmiri Pandits themselves – by declaring the 2% minority as a predatory class that had seemingly cornered all the plum postings and power in the state, thereby leading to their alienation from the majority community, which thereby insinuating justification of the genocide.
Not once did anyone in media or intelligentsia bother to critically analyze this. How could a community which was so minuscule, that it could not even ever get one of its own community member elected as an MLA, which had absolutely no presence in the corridors of political power, baring token appointments it never had any faces in state cabinets – really be accused of this. Or what really were the jobs majority of Kashmiri Pandits held?
The one in 1990 was the 7threcorded exodus of Kashmiri Pandits over centuries of hostile rule in the valley. Over centuries, Kashmiri Pandits came to understand that the only asset that the barbaric rulers could not rip them off was our education. So its no wonder that the community always gave prime importance to education and has long prided itself as a 100% literate community, including women folk.
Is that cornering power and a sufficient reason for alienation to justify a genocide? The maximum jobs in state government that the KPs held were as teachers. Here is an open challenge. Ask any Kashmiri Muslim (aged 45 or above, and hasn’t studied entirely in madarasa) about their schoolteachers and you will find that at least half their teachers were Hindus. Not just 2%, half – or probably even more. Is that being privileged class? Even that – back in 1990, there were barely ~15000 out of 5lakh KPs in state govt employment. Is that monopolizing?
But when have facts ever mattered for the mainstream media. They happily blamed the victim. Wined and dined with the terrorists and cornered plum awards for themselves.
And old habits die hard. They still haven’t given up. The level of their obstinance is such that they are still creating new lies to confuse and deflect. Like journalist Piyush Babele creating the reverse timeline, pinning the happening of Jan 1990 as a repercussion of Advani’s Rath Yatra, which happened at the end of 1990. Time machine genocide.
Piyush Babele’s tweets
And now, suddenly when the audience figured this out after the movie – everyone is now wondering, what else have they still hidden from us?
. @DeccanHerald said this on FrontPage today Openly spat on our lived trauma Denied my genocide & exodus, yet again
As paying subscriber, prbly had false notion that some South of Vindhyas are diff No. Media is all same
The symbolic portrayal of Urban Naxal narrative in ANU, recreation of some real bile spewed by likes of Nivedita Menon and Arundhati Roy in the movie by Radhika Menon lays bare the mindset with which the civil society has been gnawing away at the roots of India. The movie, while giving ample room to their point of view – shatters some of the lies they peddled for decades.
Civil society, JNU liberals, champagne intellectuals – all peddled in unison – Kashmir was never an integral part of India, but forcefully amalgamated by Patel in 1947. After all, how could an entirely Muslim population have anything common with Indian mainland. Evidently, by virtue of their dominant Muslim population they are naturally a separate nation. These ignited minds effectively stamped the two-nation theory over and over again in Kashmir debate (but will do a somersault and chant Savarkar on the same question on other occasions).
While peddling this narrative, in cahoots with the media, they also established some divine rights for the armed jihadis in Kashmir – and even elevated some to Gandhians with Guns. Radhika Menon’s picture with Bitta Malik and its real life version are viral for a reason today.
But is Kashmir indeed alien to India? Was Kashmir never really connected with mainstream India? The narrative was shattered subtly but conclusively by the movie. If Krishna Pandit’s monologue towards the end didn’t explain it enough for you – I would recommend you listen to some of the talks given by Sushil Pandit available on YouTube delving deep on the Indic roots of Kashmir or rather how Kashmir is the fountainhead of Indic civilization .
Mask#2 – Ripped off.
Congress & National Conference
Though names were never taken in the movie – references to ‘friendship before nation’, ‘chief minister who was only interested in golf and romancing heroines’, ‘the PMO which didn’t want to offend its friendly ally in the state’ and such give the audience enough homework to dig deeper into.
Chor ki daadi mein tinka, as they say. Even before the audience could do their homework on this, the guilt conscience of the culprits gone them angsty – resulting in the blame game, denials and deflection by Congress (refer tweets by INC Congress and statements of denial by several Congressmen and NC, Farooq Abdullah etc).
And their argument hinges on?
On 19th Jan 1990 – Congress was NOT in power in Delhi, as Rajiv lost the general elections in Nov 1989 paving way for VP Singh as prime minister – who was running a coalition govt (externally supported by BJP/Communists).
On 19th Jan 1990 – NC was NOT in power in the state, as Farooq had abruptly resigned on 18th Jan 1990 (and flown out to London, for more golf perhaps) – right in middle of the worst crisis in state, where terrorists were running amok and had brazenly declared to take over state on 26th Jan 1990.
On the face of it, it is all correct. VP Singh reappointed Jagmohan Malhotra as Governor to bring things under control. Jagmohan arrived in valley only on 21st Jan 1990… but things had collapsed beyond repair already by then.
Blaming VP Singh here is akin to blaming Bhagwant Mann right now, if a drug menace death were to happen in Punjab today. He is the CM today – but the menace didn’t erupt overnight after he took oath. Not that VP Singh govt didn’t do blunders – starting with the capitulation at his home minister’s daughter getting kidnaped by JKLF and release of five dreaded terrorists.
But lets look back a bit. Terrorists started killing innocent Hindus in the valley from Dec 1988. Bomb blasts and targeted killings went on unabated all through 1989. Tikka Lal Taploo was killed in Sept 1989. More than a dozen KPs before and soon after including Justice Ganjoo. All during Rajiv and Farooq reign.
Political commentator Sunanda Vashisht gave a crisp and brutal summary of their capability here.
But they did nothing. Instead, Farooq released 70 hardened terrorists that security forces had captured and enabled the immediate swelling of JKLF ranks, giving a big flip to terrorism in the state – just ahead of the 1989 general elections. Why? He was never hauled over coals for this by anyone.
Some of the notorious names: Mohammed Afzal Sheikh of Trehgam Rafiq Ahmed Ahangar Mohammad Ayub Najar Farooq Ahmed Ganai Ghulam Mohammed Gujri Farooq Ahmed Malik Nazir Ahmed Sheikh Ghulam Mohi-Ud-Din Teli
Could this have been possible w/o the knowledge of Union Govt of 1989?
Governor Jagmohan had been incessantly sending SOS messages to the central govt about the developing dark clouds in the state. But the Rajiv government stonewalled him, all to keep their buddy in Srinagar happy. The secessionist movement gained ground during this period of apathy from center and state through those years and resulted in Kashmiri Hindu genocide. So can Congress really wash its hands off, merely because they weren’t in power on 19 Jan 1990?
Congress is yet to respond to this open letter Jagmohan was forced to write to Rajiv Gandhi implicating him.
But they didn’t stop there. As Pushkar Nath alludes in the movie – Yasin Malik did indeed roam the corridors of power and hobnob with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, while the slain airforce men awaited their justice.
Yasin Malik pumped bullets into Sq Ldr Ravi Khanna.
MMS welcomed Malik at PM’s residence while Ravi’s wife was left to fight a lonely battle to get justice.
MMS didn’t even consider Ravi as a Martyr, today his name is on the National war Memorial.
The duplicitous role of these two political parties can fill volumes, but the bottom line is – their role in Hindu genocide can not be dismissed. Its not for no reason that Kashmiri Hindus – who were almost entirely Congress supporters in Kashmir turned total Congress haters in 1990. Of course, smart-alecs will say that Pandits shifted loyalties in 1990 because of change in government in 2014.
— Sharnarthee शरणार्थी – ललित कौल (@Sharnarthee) March 19, 2022
Liberal Creative-wood
“Why make a movie that will hurt feelings. Art should heal and comfort…”
The film world maintained an eerie silence before the movie was released. Probably expecting it to pass off without getting noticed. Now that it has become a runaway success – sly compliments are being passed with sermons of how it should have been handled instead. For example, this tweet by noted actor – Adil Hussain demanded that the truth must be spoken tenderly and with beauty.
Adil Hussain’s tweet
Maybe this is something only the creative minds will understand. For the non-creative me, I am left wondering what is he suggesting. How should the facts shown in this movie have been shown tenderly and with beauty?
Show BK Ganjoo dying of heart attack on a bed of roses, when he hears gunshot fired in background – instead of the brutal way he was really killed inside a rice drum?
Show his wife eating ‘red’ thai curry with rice – instead of blood soaked rice?
Show Girija Tickoo wasn’t brutally chopped alive with a saw – she died of bruises received from rose stalks hurled at her by a friendly mob?
Did anyone ever demand that Schindler’s List should have shown a more humane side of Hitler, his so-called vegetarianism, his good habits too.
Why is there no tenderness and beauty shown in art when the villains have a different colour?
Mask#3 – Ripped off.
The narrative
Their entire common narrative against the movie – of denial & obfuscation, primarily aimed at deflecting away from their owns masks that have fallen.
“Propaganda Hai… it’s all lies…”
So, all of them have resorted to discrediting the movie in unison – branding it “propaganda” and full of lies. Now, anyone who actually has seen the movie can go independently and validate all the events depicted in the movie. Every single incident is a real gory event that happened to some KP victim of the genocide. There is even no need to relist all the names here – BK Ganjoo, Girija Tickoo, Sarwanand Koul Premi & son, Neelkanth Ganjoo, Tikkalal Taploo and the massacres of Nadimarg, Wandhama etc. The discerning ones in the audience have got this clear already.
Yet – they will keep saying ‘propaganda’.
It’s actually quite unique. That the filmmakers put a very detailed ‘disclaimer’ at the start of the movie, which is hardly a disclaimer. It’s a statement of ownership of the movie and an open challenge to disprove. Unlike usual disclaimers, the filmmakers clearly state upfront that every incident shown here is based on true incidents.
Nevertheless, these Goebbelian deniers will keep saying “its lies, its propaganda…” without even one of them saying which thing in the movie are they contesting.
“Stop the movie. The movie will spread hate”
Someone said –
“If the truth makes you comfortable, don’t blame the truth. Blame the lie that made you uncomfortable”.
There is no better answer to this fig leaf of a criticism. What is this convoluted definition of love – where a perceived peaceful harmony is brokered by the silence on historic facts and denial of real events of history. If the real facts are bitter, and these facts emerged from real society, does burying head in sand make it go away?
“The movie is anti-minority”…
This is where the obfuscation reaches spectacular heights. Though it will get tough to judge which lie is more absurd, as read other such frauds peddled further below. Minority? Which minority are they referring to here? Kashmiri Pandits were a miniscule 2% or so minority in the valley, when the genocide was perpetrated. Did the media ever tell you these stats ever? Then why are we repeatedly reminded of the same stats when even a cricket ball hits a church window.
“This is no genocide. Only a few hundred were killed…”
These very people, who are the first to tell us how government statistics are not to be trusted ever, are hiding behind official numbers (219 dead). Since, the situation of lawlessness and chaos was such – where local police had joined hands with JKLF and the administration had totally collapsed in the valley, it is no surprise that not all killings and disappearances are recorded in police stations.
There is ample documentation (Panun Kashmir) of over 1400 KP’s killed by Islamist terrorists. And then, there was the second wave – of death and sickness forced on Kashmiri pandits by a life in hostile conditions of exile. KP bodies have documented in detail the post exodus trauma and its impact on especially on aged and women. Nevertheless – these very groups chant “even one minority person killed is a death of humanity” whenever there is even a single person from Muslim community is killed elsewhere in India. But any number of Kashmiri Hindus is insufficient for them. Maybe only the complete annihilation of our community is the bare minimum that would suffice.
By the way, UN Charter defines “Genocide” in Article II. Readers can read and decide for themselves.
UN charter
“Even the local Kashmiri Muslims were killed…”
Of course, no Kashmiri Pandit denies that, nor does this movie. The movie also states that moderate Muslims were killed by Islamist Jihadis as well. However, every movie has a story and this story is about the untold tragedy inflicted on a mere 2% minority population of Kashmiri Hindus in name of religion. The story of select moderate Kashmiri Muslims who were killed is another story and hopefully will unravel even more intriguing web of how terror sympathizers too (including some Hurriyat leaders like AG Lone and Mirwaiz Farooq) were killed by competing Islamist groups – because there was even a contest of who is the real follower of the ‘path’.
But none of that whataboutery takes away from the fact that KPs were targeted viciously and inhumanly – only and only for their religious identity.
“If it was religious, why weren’t the Sikhs of Kashmir targeted…?”
Firstly – its not that Sikhs weren’t targeted in 1989. There were multiple Sikhs killed as well and many families had to escape Kashmir for survival. A short film made by Ashoke Pandit in 1992 “And the world Remained Silent” now available on YouTube – you will see Sikhs as well in the refugee camps. But its true that Islamist Jihadis didn’t target Sikhs in as big a way – as they went after Kashmiri Hindus.
Why? This is an interesting question that everyone knows the real answer to – but no one dares say it.
But don’t take my version. Here is Amaan Bali, a Kashmiri Sikh author answers it in simple and clear words in his thread on Kashmir here:
But then don’t forget the Chattishsinghpora massacre of Sikhs later in March 2000 – just to make a statement to former US President Clinton. Guess Khalistan movement subsiding had changed the tide by then.
“Hey! No one evicted Kashmiri Hindus. It was a ploy of Jagmohan…”
Aaah, come on! This argument – a fig leaf used repeatedly and shamelessly by both the local populace and Congress/NC is so ludicrous, its almost hilarious. No point ridiculing it again here. This is amply addressed here. Congress and NC use it to deflect attention from their own role. Locals use it to wash their guilt away. And the most bizarre is media aiding them in this – because they aiding both all along obfuscating the truth.
“Don’t blame the local Muslims for what happened to Kashmiri Pandits. It was all handiwork of foreign jihadis and ISI…”
Amazing argument. And shameless too.
JKLF – the pioneer of the armed jihad in Kashmir was entirely formed of local boys who had crossed over to POK for arms training by ISI under General Zia’s Operation Topac project. They started killing in the valley from late 1988. 1989 was full of bomb blasts and targeted killings executed by JKLF… Foreign jihadis appeared on the scene a while later – flowing in from the subsiding Afghan war.
No further evidence is needed beyond Bitta Karate’s brazen and remorseless confession on video to Manoj Raghuvanshi (recreated in the movie), where he proudly admited to having killed dozens of Kashmiri Pandits on orders of his JKLF masters. Both Bitta and his JKLF supremos like Yasin Malik were entirely local muslims.
When these self-professed butchers returned back to valley, the masses thronged in thousands to give them a hero’s welcome. Is this any sign of disassociation from what JKLF had done to Kashmiri Hindus? Then how can the locals dare wash off this blood from their hands?
Here is Yasin Malik getting a hero’s welcome upon release from jail in 2002.
The lady who called back terrorists and pointed them to where B.K.Ganjoo was hiding to save his life – resulting in his brutal killing inside a rice drum – was that neighbour ISIS recruit?
When five dreaded terrorists were released in exchange of Rubaiya Sayed – who were the lakhs of people giving them in a hero’s welcome? Taliban?
Who were the people operating mosque loudspeakers on 19Jan1990 – and shouting the most threatening slogans (in Kashmiri) at the minority? Who said “Raliv, Galiv, Chaliv?” or “Yeti banne Pakistan, Battav Ros’, Batnevy saan”?
Who was identifying Kashmiri Hindu names mohalla-wise and putting up the target hitlists?
“More than 15000 Muslims have died in Kashmir since 1990. We live under the shadow of army now. Why fret over 3000-4000 Hindus killed then?”
Well… lets analyze this from the beginning. Tens of thousands of tourists used to visit Kashmir every year as tourists before 1990. Bollywood, Tollywood, Kollywood, the champagne chatterati of Lutyens… everyone. Any of them or Any of the readers are welcome to answer this. In any of your visits to Kashmir before 1989…
Did you ever see an army bunker anywhere in the valley before 1990? For that matter, did they even see a local beat cop carry anything but a wooden stick?
Ware there search and cordon operations happening anywhere before? Was there AFSPA imposed in the valley earlier?
Or any of things they today claim has alienated the youth forcing them to pick the gun?
They deliberately put the horse before the cart to confuse the narrative. Yes, there is AFSPA today. There are army bunkers and security checks etc. now because there are thousands of heavily armed terrorists in the valley. And eliminating the terrorists will not happen in vacuum – especially when they are sheltered and protected by the civilians. Side effects are unavoidable.
This is a case of a patient who smoked incessantly inviting cancer upon himself – and now complaining of the impact of chemotherapy.
There is an old adage in Kashmir “Anim Soy, Wavim Soy, Lajim Soy Panasyee” (I brought stinging nettle, I sowed stinging nettle, in the end stinging nettle stung me only). If you breed a snake pit of poisonous vipers, you will invariably get poisoned.
Or simply for others – “Boya ped babool ka, to aam kahan se hoye”.
It was the locals who invited the gun into the valley to attain the goal of pan-Islamic brotherhood… the Nizam-e-Mustafa. And when you make guns ubiquitous in the society, blood is only thing that will flow. Kashmiri Pandits, however, were neither partners to this script of death nor actors in this play – just sitting ducks for the target practice for the Islamist Jihadis. That’s why the burden of Muslims deaths in valley can not be laid at the door of Kashmiri Hindus, where as the reverse is entirely true.
Nevertheless, you won’t see the end of this obfuscation anytime soon. They have to cling on to this life line. They have no other choice. No other way to survive. The lies will keep getting repeated. Goebbels will be proud. The system still remains.
Days after the Marigudi Temple administration in Karnataka’s Udupi decided to allocate shops to only Hindu vendors in the annual fair, a similar decision has been taken by the organising committee of the historic Kote Marikamba Jatra in Shivamogga to allow Hindu shopkeepers during the five-day festival beginning on March 22.
According to the reports, members of the Hindu activists’ groups, leaders of the BJP, Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad, had requested the temple administration that the shops should be allocated only to Hindus, and non-Hindus should not be allowed to do business during the festival. Following the appeal made by the Hindu activist groups, the festival committee has decided to cancel the existing tender and allot the shops based on the recommendations of the Hindu activist groups.
Kote Marikamba Jatre, held once in two years, attracts lakhs of Hindus from neighbouring cities and districts. It was last held in February 2020. Some of the residents claimed that even a few Muslims and Christians also offer ‘harake’ to the deity to fulfil their wishes.
The temple administration committee had earlier allocated a tender of managing shops and collecting fees to another individual for Rs. 9.1 lakh. He had allotted shops to Muslim traders too. However, due to opposition from Hindu activist groups, Chikkanna, who was granted the tender, cancelled and demanded the return of his money from the committee.
On March 19, the committee again held a meeting with representatives of Hindutva groups. The issue was resolved after the tender was handed over to Hindutva groups for the allotment of shops as per their wish.
“The committee had never taken a stand against any particular religion all these years. But, some people launched a campaign on social media platforms against allowing Muslim shopkeepers. Only three days are left for the festival to start. We agreed to their demand in the interest of smooth conduct of the festival, which attracts thousands of people,” said SK Mariyappa, president of the committee.
Hindutva leaders have cited the murder of Hindutva activist Harsha at Shivamogga, who was recently killed by radical Islamists, as the reason to allow only Hindus to setup shops during the religious event.
Earlier, we had reported regarding a similar decision that was taken by the Hosa Marigudi temple in Kaup. The committee had decided to allow only stalls by Hindus during the annual event ‘Suggi Mari Pooja’ after Muslims in the coastal region shut down their shops on March 17 to protest against the Karnataka High Court’s decision on the hijab issue.
The temple administration committee had said that they had passed a resolution allowing only Hindus to participate in the auction of shops. The auction to allot shops to sell flowers, coconuts, hens, and other products would be open for Hindus. The temple administration committee had also added that the individuals who participate in the auction have been informed not to sub-contract their shops to any Muslim traders to avoid law and order issues.
The pro-Hindu organisations asked the temple committee to deny Muslims the stalls as they have been opposing the recent Karnataka High Court’s decision to ban hijab inside the educational institutions.
The Kashmir Files is currently running to packed cinema houses across the country, ‘hurting’ the business of other films released before and after its cinematic release. One of these films is the T-Series produced Jhund, which sunk without a trace on the box office. The Amitabh Bachchan starrer Jhund, directed by Nagraj Manjule, is based on the life of Vijay Barse.
Savita Raj Hiremath, one of the producers of the film, has now written on Facebook that she is perplexed with the decision to give tax-free status to The Kashmir Files, and not to her film Jhund. In her Facebook post, she wrote, “I recently watched Kashmir files and as the story of Kashmiri Pandits exodus, it is heartbreaking and is a story that needed to be told. It is a good voice for Kashmiri Pandits..!! But as the producer of JHUND, I am perplexed.”
After sharing some good words for The Kashmir Files, Savita Raj Hiremath introduced her main problem, the tax-free status accorded to it, and not to her film. She wrote, “After all Jhund is also an important film and has a story and a Big Message that has received tremendous acclaim and word of mouth from audience.” However, the box office collections of the film suggest it didn’t really get great response from the audience.
Further, in her Facebook post, she said, “So I want to find out what’s the criterion on which govt selects a film to support it so strongly by making tax free, endorsing it through social media and asking Offices to showcase the film or give half-day holiday to its employees.”
The Kashmir Files, based on the genocide of Kashmir Hindus, has been declared tax-free by several states in India. In an attempt to encourage more people to see this often forgotten part of Indian history, many states have come forward to exempt it from entertainment tax. The film has become a runaway success garnering over 140 Crores in first 9 days at the cinema halls, and is headed towards 200+ Crores.
Comparing the film’s subject to her own film Jhund, Hiremath wrote, “After all Jhund also has a subject that is so crucial to our country’s growth. Jhund is not just talking about the disparity between caste and economic disparity but also shows a way to make the lower strata of society find their success story.”
