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Y-category security provided to Karnataka HC judges who delivered the hijab verdict after Islamists issue death threats

OpIndia Staff
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Y-category security provided to Karnataka HC judges who delivered the hijab verdict after Islamists issue death threats

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has announced Y-category security to the three judges of Karnataka High Court who gave the verdict on the Hijab controversy including Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi and Justices Krishna S Dixit and JM Khazi. This came after Chief Justice Awasthi was targeted with a death threat over a Whatsapp video which was received by advocate Umapathi S.

On Sunday, while talking to the press, CM Bommai announced giving security to the judges to ensure their safety after the Hijab verdict. He asserted, “We’ve decided to give ‘Y’ category security to all three judges who gave the Hijab verdict. I have instructed DG and IG to probe the complaint filed in Vidhanasoudha PS thoroughly in which some people gave life threats to the judges.”

Last week, advocate Umapathi S. had received a video on her WhatsApp number purportedly using vulgar language and threatening to kill Chief Justice Awasthi after the bench announced the Hijab verdict. Referring to a murder of Jharkhand judge who was killed while he was on his morning walk, the accused in the video further stated that he knew where the Karnataka High Court Chief Justice goes for a walk in the morning. Soon, the clip went viral on social media.

Soon, Advocate Sudha Katwa filed a complaint with Bengaluru’s Vidhana Soudha Police. After a brief investigation, the police arrested two people belonging to the Tamil Nadu Towheed Jamaat (TNTJ) from Tamil Nadu on Saturday evening. The Police took custody of Kovai Rahamathulla from Tirunelveli and S. Jamal Mohammad Usmani from Thanjavur and the duo has been arrested after many complaints were filed against the accused in Karnataka and in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu.

Open discontent and threats have been are being given by Islamist groups after the Karnataka High Court pronounced its verdict on the Hijab issue. On March 15, the Karnataka HC upheld the state government order asserting rights to colleges over deciding uniform codes for students which meant a ban on the wearing of Hijabs and Burquas inside some college campuses. The three-member bench observed that while Hijab is not an essential religious practice in Islam, the requirement of uniform is a reasonable restriction on the fundamental right to freedom of expression under Article 19 (1)(a).

Ukraine President Zelenskyy bans 11 opposition parties over alleged Russian links

OpIndia Staff
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Ukraine President Zelenskyy bans 11 opposition parties over alleged Russian links

Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy has decided to ban the activities of 11 opposition parties, including some with alleged Russian links.

The largest of them is the Opposition Platform for Life, which has 44 out of 450 seats in the country’s parliament, largely from the Russian speaking eastern Ukraine. The party is led by Viktor Medvedchuk, who has friendly ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is the godfather of Medvedchuks daughter.

Other parties that have been banned include Opposition Bloc, Party of Sharia, Ours, Left Opposition, Union of Left Forces, State, Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine, Socialist party Ukraine, Socialists, and Vladimir Saldo Bloc.

President Zelenskyy spoke about this in a video address overnight Sunday, Ukrinform reports. Ukraine is currently under Martial Law since the Russian invasion, and these restrictions will stay till the Martial Law is in place.

In his address, President Zelenskyy said ,”I’d like to remind all politicians, from all camps: wartime exposes quite well the paucity of personal ambitions of those who try to put their own ambitions, their own party or career above the interests of the state, the people’s interests; those who hide in the rear, while pretending to be the only one who cares about defense.”

Further, he added, “Any activity on the part of politicians aimed at splitting (society – ed.) or collaborating (with the enemy – ed.) will not succeed. But they will face a tough response. That is why the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine has decided that, given the full-scale war being waged by the Russian Federation and the ties that some political organizations have with that state, any activity of a number of political parties will be suspended pending martial law.”

He said that the Ministry of Justice had been instructed to immediately take comprehensive measures to ban these opposition parties.

Ukraine has been under a Russian invasion since the 24th of February as Putin claimed he is trying to ‘de-Nazify’ Ukraine. Subsequently, Martial law was imposed in the country as the war rages on.

Islamists associated with Tamil Nadu Towheed Jamaat booked for issuing death threats to Karnataka High Court judges over hijab verdict

OpIndia Staff
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Islamists associated with Tamil Nadu Towheed Jamaat booked for issuing death threats to Karnataka High Court judges over hijab verdict

On Saturday (March 19), the Madurai police booked three people associated with the Islamist outfit Tamil Nadu Towheed Jamaat (TNTJ). The development comes 2 days after they issued death threats to Karnataka High Court judges, who delivered the verdict in the hijab case.

A complaint was filed against TNTJ functionaries for making derogatory remarks and issuing threats to judges. Three members of the Islamist outfit were booked by the police under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 153a (promoting enmity between religions/groups and classes), 505 (1c) (inciting violence), 502 (2), and 506(1) (criminal intimidation).

The Madurai police informed that a search has been initiated to nab the three accused.

The Background of the controversy

On Tuesday (March 15), the Karnataka High Court held that Hijab is not an essential practice in Islam and that uniform is a reasonable restriction on the Right to Religion.

Two days later on March 17, Tamil Nadu Thowheed Jamath (TNTJ) leader Covai R. Rahmatullah announced that if Karnatka High Court judges get killed over the hijab case verdict, then, they will themselves be responsible for their death.

The Islamist insinuated that the Judiciary had sold itself to the BJP and that the court’s decision was both invalid and illegal. Rahmatullah had alleged that the Karnataka High Court pronounced the verdict on the behest of Amit Shah.

While casting aspersion on the intent of the High Court, the Tamil Nadu Thowheed Jamath leader said that judges should be ashamed of themselves for their ‘biased’ judgment. He claimed that court verdicts must be based on the constitution and not on the personal beliefs of the judges.

Covai R. Rahmatullah was also heard saying that while sadhus could roam naked in India, Muslim girls were being prevented from wearing modest clothing like the hijab.

“If you attack on Muslims, we will get on the ground…We are not afraid of Modi, yogi and Amit shah. We are only afraid of Allah. Don’t make us lose patience. If we lose patience, then, you won’t exist,” he had warned.

A Twitter user named Vishwatma (@HLKodo) pointed out how young children were made to give death threats and raise violent slogans.

After the video by TNTJ went viral on social media, BJP (Tamil Nadu) chief K Annamalai wrote a letter to the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, seeking action against the accused.

“We have seen a video recently wherein some radical elements threatening our Judiciary & our Hon. Judges of dire consequences based on the judgments rendered by them,” he had said.

Maharashtra govt includes rubber dildos in family planning kits, ASHA workers face the challenge of demonstrating the use

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra govt includes rubber dildos in family planning kits, ASHA workers face the challenge of demonstrating the use

A challenge has grappled the minds of ASHA workers in Maharshtra after the state government decided to include rubber dildos in family planning kits. ASHA workers across the state are opposing this move as they are posed with a question of demonstrating the sexual simulation tool for women in villages and interior districts.

The move comes as a part of the State Health department’s measures to spread awareness about family planning. It has been reported that Asha workers were shocked to see the inclusion of dildos in family planning kits. While sources from the department have confirmed that ASHA workers have been asked to demonstrate the kits, there has been no official announcement on the issue from the government.

ASHA workers across the state are opposing the inclusion of dildos in the kits of family planning. While many are themselves unaware about the tool, a challenge has been posed before them to demonstrate the same in the villages. While family planning remains a contentious issue to discuss in open, the Government’s insistence on the usage of sexual stimulation devices like dildos has added to the sensitivity of the notion. Women rights activist from the state Tabassum Hussain has criticised the decision terming the move as derogatory and shameful.

ASHA workers form a community of accredited social health activists instituted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare as a part of India’s National Rural Health Mission.

Netizens react

When the news broke out on Indian social media, people registered their reactions in many ways. While some ridiculed the decision by the instant shock of reading the news, some sympathized with the ASHA workers being left alone in this challenge to create awareness among the populace – given the ‘progressive’ nature of the move.

However, some Twitterati was reminded of Swara Bhasker’s much talked about controversial ‘vibrator’ scene in Veere di Wedding. Netizens did not miss this opportunity to take a dig at Swara and her advocacy of the use of vibrators on the silver screen. Some have reacted that it must be the actress-turned-activist herself, who might have suggested the government include dildos in the kits.

While the bold move instantly reminded internet users of the actress’ act of using dildos in a motion picture, the challenge thus posed before the ASHA workers to spread awareness about the usage of sexual simulators to curb population remains monumental.

FIR registered against Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s son in fraud case

OpIndia Staff
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FIR registered against Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s son in fraud case

Vaibhav Gehlot, son of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, has landed in trouble as an FIR has been registered against him for fraud. Gehlot, also the president of Rajasthan Cricket Association, has been accused of duping a Nashik resident of crores of rupees.

According to reports, the Nashik police has registered an FIR against Ashok Gehlot’s son Vaibhav Gehlot over allegations of involvement in a case of fraud. The FIR has been filed by a person named Sushil Patil, who has accused Gehlot and 15 others of duping him of crores of rupees.

The complainant alleged that Sachin Valera, who introduced himself as someone close to the Vaibhav Gehlot, fraudulently obtained Rs 6.80 crore from him on the pretext of granting him a contract with the Rajasthan government.

“He asked me to become a partner in a private limited company dealing with government contracts. I have invested Rs 6.80 crores through that company. When returns on my investment stopped, I started bugging them. A video call was arranged between me and Vaibhav Gehlot where Gehlot assured me of returns to my investment,” said Sushil Patil in his complaint.

Patil has sought government security as he is apprehensive of his safety after registering an FIR against Rajasthan Chief Minister’s son.

“I have filed a complaint against powerful people. I am fearful about my life,” he said.

Meanwhile, Vaibhav Gehlot has rubbished the allegations, saying it is being done as elections are approaching in the state.

“I have no information and no connection to the case in which my name has been dragged into the media. We all know that as the elections approach, false allegations, as well as manipulated stories, will surface,” Vaibhav Gehlot said.

Following the allegation against Chief Minister’s son, Rajasthan BJP state president Satish Poonia demanded an explanation from the Chief Minister on the matter, saying the people of Rajasthan wish to know only the truth.

“The name of the chief minister’s son is being heard in the Marathi news, the honorable chief minister must clarify. The people of Rajasthan wish to know only the truth”, Poonia said.

Pakistan: Multiple massive explosions take place in Sialkot cantonment area, video viral

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan: Multiple massive explosions take place in Sialkot cantonment area, video viral

Multiple massive explosions occurred in Sialkot, Pakistan on Sunday, news agency ANI reported citing the local media. The explosion reportedly occurred inside the Pakistan Army cantonment in the Northern city of Sialkot. Initial indications are that the fire is in an Ammunition storage area.

The video of a large fire and explosions quickly went viral on the internet. Sialkot, close to Indian border, is one of the oldest and the most important Army cantonments in Pakistan.

This incident is the latest headache for Imran Khan who has been under severe pressure of late. While bomb blasts in the country continue as usual, Imran Khan is also under pressure to save his chair. Facing a rebellion from within his coalition, and a revitalized opposition, Imran Khan is trying every trick to save his government.

In the midst of all that, Imran Khan definitely doesn’t want explosions inside the army cantonments of the country.

Karnataka: Amidst tight security, tricolour hoisted on iconic Kolar clock tower after removing Islamic flags

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka: Amidst tight security, tricolour hoisted on iconic Kolar clock tower after removing Islamic flags

For the first time in nearly 75 years, the Indian tricolour was hoisted on Kolar’s clock tower in Karnataka on Saturday.

According to the reports, the Islamic flags hoisted on the famous clock tower in Kolar, painted in green for over seven decades, are now replaced with the Indian national flag. The clock tower was repainted in white colour as the police provided security to the workers, which included the deployment of the Rapid Action Force.

Superintendent of Police of Kolar D. Devaraju was on the spot on Saturday as the district authorities removed Islamic flags hoisted on the clock tower. A tense situation occurred in the city after the district authorities removed the Islamic flags. However, no untoward incidents occurred on Saturday as the police were able to manage the situation.

Later, the Kolar district police involved the public, including local Muslims, to unfurl the Indian national flag at the newly decorated clock tower.

The video of the incident has gone viral on the internet, with several netizens praising the district officials for taking control of the clock tower.

Earlier, Muniswamy S, the Lok Sabha MP from Kolar, had vowed to replace Islamic flags hoisted on the clock tower and had assured the Kolar public that the Indian tricolour would be unfurled at the same place. On Friday, the BJP MP had staged a protest in the city after the district authorities had imposed Section 144 amidst the ongoing clock tower controversy.

The Lok Sabha MP from Kolar, S Muiinswamy, had challenged the authorities to stop him and had announced that he would continue to protest till the tricolour was hoisted on the clock tower.

On Saturday, Munsiwamy took to Twitter to announce that the flag of a particular community made way for the Indian tricolour at the clock tower after a wait of 74 years.

An important landmark in the town of Kolar, the clock tower was built by trader named Mustafa Saheb in 1930.

TMC leader spreads fake news regarding The Kashmir Files, gets called out by the director

OpIndia Staff
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TMC leader spreads fake news regarding The Kashmir Files, gets called out by the director

Vivek Agnihotri’s latest directorial venture, The Kashmir Files, has become an all time blockbuster at the box office. While the film is getting a lot of love from the Indian public, it has upset the Indian political opposition. From shifting the blame of the Kashmiri Hindu genocide to completely denying it, they have tried everything. Now, TMC leader Saket Gokhale, has come up with a new fake news to discredit the film.

In a tweet posted on Saturday by Gokhale, who has been previously accused of misappropriating public donations, he alleged that The Kashmir Files film was passed by the censor board without any cuts. He alleged that this happened because Vivek Agnihotri is a member of the censor board.

The allegation was picked up without any verification by leading newspapers like Times of India, and began circulating online. Incidentally, Times of India does have a fact-check division.

As previously reported on Opindia, The Kashmir Files was passed after 7 cuts, and given an A certificate by the Censor Board. The name of the University in the film was also changed from JNU to ANU. The news of the censor board cuts was shared by several prominent Bollywood websites as well.

However, Gokhale, it seems, didn’t bother to check any of the facts of the story, and having just found out that Vivek Agnihotri is one of the member of the censor board, concluded that there were no cuts in the film.

The film’s director, Vivek Agnihotri, finally called out Gokhale on Sunday in a tweet. Vivek wrote ,”Please stop spreading fake news, like always. Take a little break. At least to respect the dead.”

Meanwhile, The Kashmir Files continues to run to packed cinema houses everywhere. The film has already collected over 140 Crores at the box office, and is on track to hit 200 Crores within its second week of release.

Gujarat: Five Muslim men including one Maulvi arrested for forced religious conversion in Bharuch

OpIndia Staff
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Gujarat: Five Muslim men including one Maulvi arrested for forced religious conversion in Bharuch

A new case of mass-scale religious conversions has come to the fore in Gujarat. Four Muslims from Pursa village in Bharuch’s Amod taluka and one maulvi from Bharuch have been detained on allegations of converting a Hindu man to Islam by coercion. Pursa village is very near to the Kankaria village in Amod Taluka where in November 2021 an FIR was registered over forced religious conversion of 100 Hindus from tribal Vasava community.

The five accused in Pursa case are are Anvarkha Ibrahim Pathan, Gemalsang Bharatsang Singha, Imran Nurbha Malek, and Jahangir Gulam Sardar Malek. They threatened a Hindu man named Chhagan Rayaji Parmar about 12 to 15 years ago, telling him he had to convert to Islam or leave the village. They converted him to Islam and called him Abdul Rehman Parmar with the help of a Maulavi from Bholav named Maulvi Abdul Rahim Hafeji Napavala.

One of the offenders, Anvarkha Ibrahim Pathan, presented an affidavit providing the victim a plot, while Imran Nurbhai Malek made an affidavit promising to undertake the construction of a residential structure. The two others, Gemalsang Bharatsang Singha and Jahangir Gulam Sardar Malek, threatened the victim to convert to Islam or leave the village. The victim worked at the Pursa village’s Mariam Masjid. He said that he had not received his wages in two years.

As per the report, investigation has been handed up to the Jambusar DYSP. The accused have been charged in accordance with the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act.

Mass religious conversion in Bharuch

Mass religious conversions to Islam were recently reported in Bharuch, Gujarat where Muslims forcefully converted several people from tribal communities to Islam.

As OpIndia reported in November 2021, an FIR was filed against Fefdawala Haji Abdullah, Salahuddin Sheikh, and others on the complaint of one Pravin Vasava of Kankariya village in Amod Taluka of Bharuch district in Gujarat, alleging that religious conversion of people from the Vasava community (Scheduled Tribe) to Islam was carried out by luring them with financial gains such as a job, a house, and a prospective girl for marriage. The FIR detailed how donations from other countries were transferred to India to aid in the operations of the aforementioned religious conversion.

The network’s branches were also connected with the Uttar Pradesh mass religious conversion racket, which was discovered in June-July 2021, and Salahuddin Sheikh was one of the key suspects, along with Umar Gautam. It was claimed that donations were funnelled by Fefdawala and others through Sheikh’s NGO AFMI and utilised for anti-social activities. The Home Ministry terminated the NGO’s FCRA registration in December 2021. 

Ground reporting was also done by OpIndia on the issue of religious conversions in Bharuch which can be read here.

Did you know: Farooq Ahmed Dar aka Bitta Karate, the butcher of Kashmiri Hindus, is married to KAS officer, wife says it is an honour

OpIndia Staff
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Did you know: Farooq Ahmed Dar aka Bitta Karate, the butcher of Kashmiri Hindus, is married to KAS officer, wife says it is an honour

Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF)’s Farooq Ahmed Dar alias Bitta Karate, a notorious Pakistan sponsored Islamic terrorist who waged war against the Indian state for decades, is married to a bureaucrat working for the Indian state.

It is surprising to know, in 2011, Bitta Karate, the terrorist responsible for the mass killings of Kashmiri Hindus in the valley in the 1990s, got married to Kashmir Administrative Service (KAS) officer Assabah Arjumand Khan.

Assabah Khan, who holds a MA degree in mass communication and journalism from the University of Kashmir in 1999, worked as an editor in the Agriculture University of Science and Technology till 2007. In 2009, Khan passed the Kashmir Administrative Services (KAS) examination and subsequently was posted in the general administrative department. In the later years, Khan also did a course in Peace and Conflict Studies from Germany.

On the other hand, Farooq Ahmed Dar Dar was waging war against the country by mercilessly killing innocent civilians and the security personnel on the instructions of Pakistan. He was arrested in 1990 and charged with the genocide of Kashmiri Pandits. However, he was set free after 17-years.

Bitta Karate, the butcher of Kashmiri Hindus, was once again arrested in 2008 during Amarnath land row agitation. He was released eight months later, only to be picked up again in 2019 on terror funding charges.

Apparently, Karate and his government officer wife met at a friend’s house in 2008. Farooq proposed to her five months later, and Assabah agreed after initial hesitation. The two decided to marry a year later, but Assabah’s family resisted it. The family did not want her to marry a terrorist, but KAS officer Assabah was in no mood to relent.

Finally, after much drama, Assabah’s parents agreed.

Marrying Bitta Karate was an honour for me, says KAS officer Assabah Khan

In an interview, a close aide of Karate had revealed that many youths were at the forefront of the ‘armed struggle’ aka terrorism in the early nineties, and they were most sought after men for marriage in Kashmir.

“When the armed struggle was at a peak in the Valley in the early nineties, militants were the most sought after men. People used to accord them a warm welcome and give them all the respect,” said a close aide of Karate. The ‘armed struggle’ was terrorism targeted toward Kashmiri Hindus, backed by Pakistan and Pakistan sympathisers in India.

Shockingly, Assabah Khan, a government employee who ideally should have stood against terrorists like Karate, admired him as well. As per Khan, when they met, she had not qualified KAS.

“I cleared the exams later. Even if I had not been a KAS officer, I would have got married to him,” Khan said. However, Khan had cleared her KAS exams in 2009 and married the terrorist in 2011.

“Getting married to him (Karate) is an honour for me. When people around me came to know that I am tying a nuptial knot with a separatist, they showed a lot of concern initially, but I made them understand that there is nothing wrong in it,” added Khan, who married a dreaded terrorist after joining service in 2011.

As of December 2021, Publicity, 48-year Assabah Khan was serving as the Directorate of Rural Development, Kashmir.

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