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‘Save yourself from Triple Talaq’, ‘will harm brothers and sisters if you complain’: Muslim woman thrown out because she voted for BJP in UP

OpIndia Staff
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‘Save yourself from Triple Talaq’, ‘will harm brothers and sisters if you complain’: Muslim woman thrown out because she voted for BJP in UP

A Muslim woman has been thrown out of the house by her in-laws allegedly for voting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the recent Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls. She had voted for BJP for the work it has done, including the law against Triple Talaq and free ration to the poor. The victim has been identified as Uzma. She got married to Taslim Ansari in January 2021. It was a love marriage. Uzma is the daughter of one Tahir Ansari, a resident of Ezaz Nagar Ghautia colony.

In a statement, she said, “I voted for BJP that has irked my husband’s uncle Tayyab. I voted for BJP because they brought a law against Triple Talaq. My family is very poor. My father is a labourer. We are five sisters. The government also provided us ration.”

She further added she had a love marriage over a year ago. “When BJP won the elections, my husband’s uncle said Yogi won again. I laughed and said I also voted for BJP. I told him he was doing good for the people. It is a good government. They brought law against Triple Talaq.”

She said he got irked by her statement and told her to save herself from Triple Talaq. She claimed they were living happily separated from her father-in-law and mother-in-law. “My husband is with his uncle on the matter. He is not supporting me. But I do not have any issues with my husband,” she added. When asked if her husband threw her out, she said, “Yes, he threw me out and threatened to divorce me. He has not given me divorce but threatened and challenged me to do whatever I can to save myself from Triple Talaq.”

When she said she would file a complaint, they threatened to harm her brother and sisters.

Husband and his uncle threw her out for voting BJP

Reports suggest a man named Maulana Tayyab, uncle of the victim, and Uzma’s brother-in-law Ayaz came to know that she might have voted for BJP in the Assembly polls. When they confronted her and asked who she had voted, she told them that she voted for BJP. Irked by the confession, they threw her out of the house. Uzma alleged Tayyab said as she voted for BJP, her husband would divorce her. He also challenged BJP if the party could stop the divorce.

Farhat Naqvi, sister of Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, met the victim and urged the government to take strict action in the case. Notably, Farhat also raised the issue of Triple Talaq in UP. Reports further suggested the in-laws of the victim had threatened her if she complained to the Police, they would kill he brother.

Naqvi said in a statement that Uzma had approached her and informed her about the incident. She further added they would file a police complaint about further action.

Maulana Shahabuddin Rizvi, National General Secretary, Tanzeem Ulma-e-Islam, was quoted by Live Hindustan saying every person has the right to vote for the party of their choice. He said, “Any man or woman can vote for the party of his/her choice as per the constitution. It should not be politicized. The in-laws and husband are threatening the victim of divorce as she voted for BJP. It is wrong. They should apologize to the victim. If they fail to do so, they will be deemed criminals as per Sharia.”

Under PM Modi’s leadership, BJP will complete every unfinished task: BJP Minister Jitendra Singh on re-integrating PoK into Indian territory

OpIndia Staff
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Under PM Modi’s leadership, BJP will complete every unfinished task: BJP Minister Jitendra Singh on re-integrating PoK into Indian territory

On Sunday (March 20), the Minister of State for Prime Minister’s Office Dr Jitendra Singh informed that the BJP government is firm in its goal of re-integrating the Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) into the Indian territory. He made the remarks after unveiling Maharaja Gulab Singh’s statue in Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir.

While speaking to the media, he said, “In 1994, a resolution was passed by the Indian Parliament under the leadership of Prime Minister Narasimha Rao that the only bone of contention between India and Pakistan is that of PoK.”

“It is our responsibility to ensure that the part of Jammu and Kashmir, which still remains under the illegal occupation of Pakistan, is re-integrated into the Indian territory,” Singh emphasised.

“When BJP sets out to achieve something, many don’t take us seriously or think about it deeply. When we used to talk about the abrogation of Article 370, many would poke fun at us. But, you saw it turning into a reality,” he pointed out.

Jitendra Singh added that many ridiculed the saffron party when former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee announced in the 1980s that BJP would come to power one day. “Under the leadership of PM Modi, BJP will complete every unfinished task,” the BJP Minister concluded.

Jitendra Singh shared a throwback video on PoK hours after Russia annexed parts of Ukraine

Last month, Singh shared a snippet from a 2019 speech in the Lok Sabha to commemorate the historic Parliamentary resolution on Jammu and Kashmir that was adopted on February 22, 1994. The development coincided with the decision of the Russian government to identify rebel-held territories in Ukraine as independent nations.

While speaking in the Lower House of Parliament, the BJP lawmaker had said, “There are no two opinions about the fact that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. This Parliament had passed a resolution about the same in 1994. It was done by the government of PV Narasimha Rao and we had supported it then. The only dispute that exists is how and when we can retrieve the other part of Kashmir that continues to remain under the illegal occupation of Pakistan.”

The Parliamentary resolution of February 22, 1994, read, “On behalf of the People of India, this House firmly declares that the State of Jammu & Kashmir has been, is and shall be an integral part of India and any attempts to separate it from the rest of the country will be resisted by all necessary means.”

Bihar: Hindu man dead after being taken in custody for playing music on Holi, cops say killed by ‘bees’, irate mob kills cop over alleged custodial death: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Bihar: Hindu man dead after being taken in custody for playing music on Holi, cops say killed by ‘bees’, irate mob kills cop over alleged custodial death: Details

On March 20, Bihar Police arrested at least 14 people in connection to the incident where an agitated mob killed a constable and injured three others following an alleged custodial death of a villager. Reports suggest that Hindu man Aniruddh Kumar alias Amrit Yadav was arrested by the Police for the violation of prohibitory order for playing DJ music on Holi.

On Saturday, a DJ system was being played on the occasion of Holi. There was prohibitory order in place. Block Development Officer (BDO) Meera Sharma and CO Manish Kumar confiscated the DJ system and sent it to the police station.

Yadav was the driver of the DJ team that was playing the music on a truck on Holi. Yadav, who was a resident of Aryanagar under Balthar Police station, had gone to the police station to get the DJ system released. He died allegedly after getting beaten up by the Police.

Praveen Kumar, DIG, Champaran Range, was quoted by Hindustan Times saying, “So far, 14 people have been arrested in connection with Balthar incident as per the information available. Search for other accused is on.”

Kanhaiya Yadav, Aniruddh’s brother, accused Police of beating his brother to death. Alleging cops themselves burnt the police vehicles, he said, “After he died, the policemen fled from the police station, setting the vehicles on fire themselves.”

Upendra Nath Verma, Superintendent of Police, Bettiah, claimed Yadav died after he was attacked by bees. He said, “He was not as such under our custody or kept in police lockup. Rather, he was attacked by a swarm of bees when he was drinking water, using a hand pump on the premises of the police station. He was taken to the hospital but died. Bees also emerged from his ear cavity.”

Kundan Kumar, a sub-divisional police officer (SDPO), Narkatiaganj, told Hindustan Times that a policeman died after a mob attacked the police station. He further added the miscreants set six vehicles on fire, out of which three belonged to Police, two were private vehicles, and one was a fire brigade vehicle. The deceased police officer was identified as Ram Jatan Rai. He was posted at the Prushottampur police station. Three injured police officers were admitted to the hospital.

Reports further suggested the Police had to open fire to control the mob. A total of 15 rounds were fired. The police personnel at Prushottampur and Gopalpur police stations had to flee the scene to save themselves.

Clashes over the unveiling of Shivaji statue in Nizamabad, BJP says AIMIM and TRS workers pelted stones, section 144 imposed

OpIndia Staff
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Clashes over the unveiling of Shivaji statue in Nizamabad, BJP says AIMIM and TRS workers pelted stones, section 144 imposed

Section 144 has been imposed in Bodhan town of Telangana’s Nizamabad district after AIMIM and TRS workers violently opposed the unveiling of a Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue, said the local BJP MP Arvind Dharmapuri.

Taking to Twitter, MP Dharmapuri said, “The same crooked mindset..Demolish ours—Accomplish theirs! MIM & TRS goons trying to thwart the unveiling of the statue of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj & destroy the statue set up at Bodhan Ambedkar Chowrasta accepted by a municipal resolution!”.

The MP shared a video of the incident as well where a large mob could be seen gathered around the statue.

Local BJP MP Arvind Dharmapuri said that a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji was planned to be erected at the Ambedkar crossroad of Bodhan town, which shares a border with Maharashtra.

Vishnu Varshan Reddy, the State General Secretary of Andhra Pradesh also took to Twitter to say that AIMIM supporters and workers were pelting stones at those unveiling the statue saying that the statue was being installed in “their area”.

Reportedly, to ensure that matters don’t escalate further, section 144 has been imposed in the area.

MP Arvind Dharmapuri has also alleged the tacit involvement of the police and the state administration. Taking to Twitter, Dharmapuri said that the police and the state administration were opposing the installation of a Shivaji Maharaj statue while allowing the construction of illegal structures called “mosques”.

“Now, the ruling party TRS’ counsellor openly threatening to disrupt law & order of the Bodhan town, if #ShivajiMaharaj’s idol is installed!” he further said posting a video on Twitter.

Reportedly, clashes erupted after AIMIM and TRS workers were pitted against BJP and Shiv Sena workers who were installing the statue.

Dispute leads to a clash between two groups of Sikhs in Nankana Sahib, Pakistan, where they beat each other with baton, pull hair: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Dispute leads to a clash between two groups of Sikhs in Nankana Sahib, Pakistan, where they beat each other with baton, pull hair: Details

On March 20, two groups of Sikhs fought on the streets of Nankana Sahib, Pakistan. As per the Times of India report, the scuffle broke over financial matters. Three people were injured in the clash, and one of them got a head injury. Police have arrested at least five Sikhs in the case.

A video of the clash went viral on social media in which groups of Sikhs could be seen fighting with each other. In the video, a Sikh man could be seen beating another Sikh with a baton while the other one pulled him with his hair. Screams could be heard throughout the 26-second video shared by journalist Ravinder Singh Robin. He wrote in his tweet, “What could be worse than that? Two groups of Sikhs of Nankana Sahib brought up their fight to the streets of Nankana Sahib. As expected, local police arrived after they had brutally injured each other & arrested 5 persons.” He added money was said to be the reason behind the scuffle.

As per the TOI report, one Amarjit Singh, a resident of Nankana Sahib, took a loan from other Sikhs to open a cosmetic shop in the Shahdara area. He did not pay back the loan in the prescribed time. The Sikhs who had loaned the money asked him several times to pay it back but could not get their money back. On Sunday, they formed a group and went to forcefully take over the cosmetic shop that led to the scuffle.

The police were informed about the incident, after which five people, including Amarjit Singh, were arrested. Mohinderpal Singh Sikh Member Provisional Assembly told TOI that the Gurudwara was trying to mediate between the groups. He said, “local Sangat had requested both the groups to resolve the issue at Gurdwara and not in a police station or court.”

OpIndia Exclusive: Bangladesh ISKCON seer rubbishes claims of ‘temple not damaged’, asks whether attack on masjid wall will not be regarded as attack on masjid

Dibakar Dutta
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OpIndia Exclusive: Bangladesh ISKCON seer rubbishes claims of ‘temple not damaged’, asks whether attack on masjid wall will not be regarded as attack on masjid

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.

India’s oil Imports from the US set to increase by 11% even after India purchased crude oil from Russia amidst the war crisis

OpIndia Staff
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India’s oil Imports from the US set to increase by 11% even after India purchased crude oil from Russia amidst the war crisis

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.

Imran Khan praises India’s independent foreign policy, says India gave priority to its people and not western pressure over Russia-Ukraine war

OpIndia Staff
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Imran Khan praises India’s independent foreign policy, says India gave priority to its people and not western pressure over Russia-Ukraine war

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.

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.”

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.

David vs Goliath: When Jai Santoshi Maa had given a tough fight to Salim-Javed’s Sholay in 1975

OpIndia Staff
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David vs Goliath: When Jai Santoshi Maa had given a tough fight to Salim-Javed’s Sholay in 1975

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.”

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”.

Kashmiri Hindus demand the enactment of ‘Genocide Bill’. Here is everything you need to know

Dibakar Dutta
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Kashmiri Hindus demand the enactment of ‘Genocide Bill’. Here is everything you need to know

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.
  • Conduct Nuremberg type trials to bring the perpetrators of genocide to justice.
  • 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.

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