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Congress leader Rashid Alvi claims halting trade with Pakistan will cost India more, calls for ‘strict steps against Pakistan’

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Congress leader Rashid Alvi claims halting trade with Pakistan will cost India more, calls for ‘strict steps against Pakistan’

Congress leader Rashid Alvi termed India’s decision to halt all direct and indirect imports from Pakistan as a “cosmetic step” on Sunday, claiming that with bilateral trade effectively halted, it is India which will be affected more as it won’t be able to take advantage of the trade deficit.

“All these are cosmetic steps, but we are not opposing it. In fact, closing down export and imports hurts us more. The balance, deficit is around 300 billion dollars which used to benefit us, that is why this affects India more,” Rashid Alvi told ANI in Delhi.

“But still the government feels this is correct, and they have taken the step and we are with the government.”

Calling for “strict action” against Pakistan, Alvi criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi of focusing on attacking Congress and going to election rallies in Bihar rather than going to Kashmir or meeting the victims of the Pahalgam attack.

“Indian government should take strict steps against Pakistan. In the last 10-12 days it feels that whatever steps the government is taking, such as attacking Congress, speaking against the party, saying that Congress is Pakistan Working Committee, with all these talks it feels that government wants to dilute the issue of Pahalgam. Even the PM sometimes goes to Bihar to meet with Nitish Kumar (Bihar CM). He has not gone to Kashmir, not met with victim’s families,” Alvi said.

On May 3, India imposed an immediate ban on the direct or indirect import and transit of all goods originating in or exported from Pakistan, regardless of their import status, effectively halting bilateral trade flows, according to a notification by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Prohibition on Import from Pakistan. Direct or indirect Import or transit of all goods originating in or exported from Pakistan, whether or not freely importable or otherwise permitted, shall be prohibited with immediate effect, until further orders. This restriction is imposed in the interest of national security and public policy. Any exception to this prohibition shall require prior approval of the Government of India,” the Commerce and Industry Ministry’s notification added.

The move comes amid the growing tension between India and Pakistan following the dastardly attack in Pahalgam in which 26 tourists lost their lives.

The Central government had also announced several diplomatic measures, like holding the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance. Other efforts included closing the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari, suspending the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) for Pakistani nationals, giving them 40 hours to return to their country, and reducing the number of officers in the High Commissions on both sides.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also assured the country that the terrorists responsible for this attack, along with those who conspired it, will face punishment beyond their imagination.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

UP: Hindu woman kills herself after being sexually harassed and threatened to convert to Islam, accused Rizwan arrested

OpIndia Staff
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UP: Hindu woman kills herself after being sexually harassed and threatened to convert to Islam, accused Rizwan arrested

A 19-year-old Hindu woman tragically ended her life in Kadampur village in the Usrahar police station area of the Etawah district in Uttar Pradesh after facing sexual harassment by a Muslim man named Rizwan. As per reports, Rizwan used to harass the victim and send her obscene messages on her phone. He was also forcing her to convert to Islam and marry him. The victim used to live with her mother, while her father and brother worked in Delhi.

Tired of Rizwan’s threats, the victim consumed poison

The victim’s brother said that Rizwan, who was their neighbour, threatened the victim to kill her entire family. When her father and brother arrived on 25th April, she told her father about Rizwan’s threat. The victim’s father went to talk to Rizwan’s family about his activities, but they did not listen and threatened him instead. On 26th April, the victim’s father filed a complaint against Rizwan and his two friends. However, the same day, the victim consumed poison. She was admitted to the Uttar Pradesh University of Medical Sciences, Saifai, where she passed away a week later on Friday (2nd May).

The victim’s family blame police inaction

In the complaint, the father alleged that Rizwan used to send obscene messages to the victim and used to force her to meet him. When she refused, he threatened to kill her brother. He used to stop her and harass her when she used to go to college on her bicycle. The victim’s family said that the police did not take swift action on their complaint, which led to the loss of her life. Her brother alleged that after his father filed the complaint, Rizwan came to their house as threatened the family but the police did not take any action.

Her family alleged that Station House Officer Mansoor Ahmed sided with the accused and did not take action against him.

A case filed by the police

SSP Sanjay Verma said that a case has been filed by the police based on the complaint of the victim’s father under sections 115(2), 352, 351(3) of the BNS and section 66D of the IT Act. Rizwan and his brother Salman have been arrested. A heavy police force has been deployed in the area.

The victim passed away on Friday morning, but her body was sent for postmortem later in the evening, almost 10 hours after her death. Her body was initially kept in a dysfunctional deep freezer, but after her family raised objections, it was shifted to a different deep freezer.

Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati ‘expels’ Rahul Gandhi from Hinduism over ‘Manusmriti protects rapists’ comments, says he should be banned from temples

OpIndia Staff
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Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati ‘expels’ Rahul Gandhi from Hinduism over ‘Manusmriti protects rapists’ comments, says he should be banned from temples

Jyotirmath Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwarananda Saraswati has ‘expelled’ Congress MP Rahul Gandhi from Hinduism over his remarks on Manusmriti. The Shankaracharya on Saturday said that Rahul Gandhi’s comments on Mannusmriti in Parliament insulted Sanatan Dharma, and as he failed to reply to requests seeking clarification, he has been ‘excommunicated’ from Hinduism.

The Shankaracharya said at the Shankaracharya Ashram in Badrinath that he waited three months for a reply from Rahul Gandhi clarifying his claims that Manusmriti protects rapists. The seer said that a reminder was also sent to the Congress MP, but he ignored to respond. He said that Rahul Gandhi was acting against Hinduism. 

The Hindu seer said, “During his speech, he first targeted ruling party members and then made the comment against Manusmriti. It is our dharm-grantha. Pointing a finger at the ruling party’s benches, Gandhi had said it is written in ‘your book’, which means he does not regard himself as a Hindu. A person who does not regard Manusmriti as his text cannot be a Hindu.”

The Shankaracharya added, “we took a decision that he should be banned from temples and priests should not perform pooja for him.” During the Kumbh Mela earlier this year, the seer had threatened to oust Gandhi from Hinduism over his derogatory remark on Manusmriti.

In December last year in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi had claimed that Manusmriti protects rapists, contrasting the Hindu book with the constitution. He had claimed that for BJP, Manusmriti is superior to the constitution.

Referring to the Hathras rape incident in his Parliament speech, Gandhi said that he visited the victim’s house where he was told that the rapists were roaming freely, while the victim’s family was confined to their house. “Where is this written in the Constitution? It is written in your book, it is written in Manusmriti. It is not written in the Constitution. And if you say that you rule in UP and the Constitution does not apply there. Manusmriti applies there,” Rahul Gandhi had said.

Notably, the controversial Shankaracharya had supported and defended Rahul Gandhi’s similar attack on Hinduism in parliament last year. He had claimed that Rahul Gandhi’s speech did not contradict Hinduism.

He had said, “We heard Rahul Gandhi’s entire speech. He is clearly saying that there is no place for violence in Hinduism. I saw his entire video and found out that he had not said anything wrong.” He had claimed that video of Rahul Gandhi’s speech was edited and only a part of the speech was being circulated to defame the Congress leader.

Suhas Shetty murder: Accused Adil Mehroof paid ₹3 lakhs to the killers from monetary compensation provided by Karnataka govt

OpIndia Staff
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Suhas Shetty murder: Accused Adil Mehroof paid ₹3 lakhs to the killers from monetary compensation provided by Karnataka govt

Karnataka Police have made a startling revelation in the Suhas Shetty murder case. According to the police, one of the key accused, Adil Mehroof, allegedly financed the murder using a portion of the Rs 25 lakh compensation awarded to his family by the Congress-led Karnataka government. The money was originally meant as relief following the murder of Adil’s brother, Mohammed Fazil, who died in a communal clash in 2022.

Money meant for justice used for murder, say police

Police found during the investigation that Adil paid Rs 3 lakh from the government aid to co-accused Abdul Safwan as part of the deal to kill Shetty. The funds, which were meant to support the victims’ family, have instead allegedly facilitated a revenge killing.

Suhas Shetty was hacked to death on 1st May 2025 in the Kinnikambla area of Bajpe in Karnataka. He was the prime accused in the high-profile 2022 murder of Mohammed Fazil. According to reports, four masked men attacked Fazil on 28th July 2022. The then BJP-led Bommai government had not extended any ex-gratia aid to Fazil’s family. However, when the Congress-led government under Siddaramaiah came to power in 2023, they provided financial aid to four families affected by the incident, including Fazil’s.

Revenge, old rivalries, and a deadly plan

Police investigation revealed that Adil, who is a truck driver by profession, was driven by revenge for his brother’s murder. He reportedly hatched a plan with Abdul Safwan, who had a separate personal feud with Shetty dating back to 2023. Media reports suggest that Abdul was allegedly assaulted by Shetty’s associates. Abdul agreed to join Adil in the plan to eliminate Shetty owing to his personal feud.

Police sources indicated that the plan came into motion over a month ago. However, the execution was delayed as the accused felt it was not the right time to attack Shetty. Eventually, Adil and Abdul formed a group comprising other accused who monitored Shetty’s movements and finalised the hit.

Eight arrested, no terror angle yet

So far, eight individuals have been arrested in connection with the murder. Police believe that two more individuals were involved in tracking Shetty’s whereabouts. Police maintained that there was no indication of terror links in the case so far. The murder appeared to have stemmed from personal vengeance and communal animosity.

Apart from Abdul, Mohammed Muzammil, a recently married salesman working in Saudi Arabia, and Mohammed Rizwan from Jokatte, also employed in Saudi, were arrested. Additionally, Kalandar Shafi from Kulshekar, Ranjit Nagaraj, and Adil Mehroof, the brother of the deceased Fazil (whose murder Shetty’s killing was allegedly meant to avenge), were also implicated in the case.

The deal was struck at Rs 5 lakh, and Rs 3 lakh were paid in advance.

Shetty’s killing triggers unrest in Mangaluru

Shetty’s murder sent shockwaves across Mangaluru. Communal tension escalated quickly in the city. The vehicle that was carrying Shetty and five of his associates was intercepted at Kinnipadavu Cross. The attackers came in a Swift car and a pickup truck. They unleashed a brutal assault on Shetty using sharp weapons, leaving him fatally injured.

Following the murder, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) called for a bandh on 2nd May. Reports of stone-pelting and assaults emerged in different parts of the city. Bus services to suburban regions were suspended by the administration as a precaution.

Indian Army receives new supplies of the Russian-origin Igla-S shoulder-fired Very Short Range Air Defence System missiles

ANI
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Indian Army receives new supplies of the Russian-origin Igla-S shoulder-fired Very Short Range Air Defence System missiles

In a major boost for its capabilities amid tensions with Pakistan over the Pahalgam attack, the Indian Army has received new supplies of the Russian-origin Igla-S missiles.

The Very Short Range Air Defence Systems (VSHORADS) are an important part of the air defence protection of the Indian Army, and the new supplies of the Igla-S missiles have been received as part of a contract inked under the emergency procurement powers given by the Centre to the forces.

The new supplies of the Igla-S air defence missiles have been received by the Indian Army a couple of weeks ago and are being provided to the forward formations for taking care of the threat from enemy fighter aircraft, choppers and drones on the borders, defence sources told ANI.

The contract worth around Rs 260 crore is expected to boost the strength of the air defence troops in the forward areas especially on the western sector, they said.

The Indian Air Force has opted for a similar contract for the air defence missiles which are Infra Red sensor based VSHORADS.

The Indian forces have been boosting their inventories through emergency and fast-track procurements over the last few years, where a major focus has been on the spares and other equipment to keep the fleets running through high tempo operations.

Along with the fresh deliveries of the Igla-S missiles, Indian Army has also issued tender for buying 48 more launchers and around 90 missiles of the VSHORADS (IR) under fast track procedures.

The forces are also looking at acquiring new versions of the laser beam-riding VSHORADS soon.

The Igla-S is the advanced version of the Igla missiles, which have been in use since the 1990s.

The existing inventory of older version missiles has also been refurbished by an Indian firm in the country itself.

The Indian Army requires a large number of missiles as well as enhanced drone detection and destruction capabilities, given the threat from all types of unmanned aerial vehicles used by the Pakistan Army on the western front.

The Army has deployed the Mark 1 of the indigenous Integrated Drone Detection and Interdiction System which can detect, jam, spoof and kill drones from a distance of over 8 kilometers.

The systems are also fitted with lasers which can burn and bring down drones. The Army Air Defence units had recently brought down a Pakistan Army drone using the same systems opposite the 16 Corps area in the Jammu region.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation has also developed a longer range and high powered direct energy weapon which can take down large size drones, cruise missiles and aircraft in times of conflicts.

The Army also has to get the low-level transportable radars for a quicker detection and destruction of enemy drones and aircraft operating a lower levels.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Newslaundry downplays the rape of minor Hindu girl by 65-year-old Muhammad Usman as ‘affair’ and ‘small incident’

OpIndia Staff
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Newslaundry downplays the rape of minor Hindu girl by 65-year-old Muhammad Usman as ‘affair’ and ‘small incident’

On Saturday (3rd May), Newslaundry released the 535th episode of its podcast titled ‘Hafta’ with the theme of World Press Freedom Day and the Pahalgam Attack. During the programme, one of the panellists, Raman Kirpal, cunningly tried to downplay the recent incident of the rape of a 12-year-old girl in Nainital by a 65-year-old Muslim man, Muhammad Usman, as a ‘Muslim boy having an affair with a Hindu girl’.

The panellist went on to describe the situation as one where Muslims were being targeted because of the incident in Nainital, Uttarakhand, and further claimed that Hindus attacked them only because there was an affair between a Muslim boy and a Hindu girl.

Kirpal called it a ‘small incident’ and stated, “In Nainital yesterday, one boy had an affair, or some problem, with a girl. They started beating the Muslims. They shut down those shops, very prominent shops in Nainital. They beat them up, and today the entire place is closed. They are going against the Muslims.” Abhinandan Sekhri and Manisha Pande agreed to the statement.

He further added, “So, they are isolating. And all these incidents have been happening, and Modi has never spoken about it.”

Tensions erupted in Nainital as a 65-year-old Muslim man raped a 12-year-old minor Hindu girl

On 30 April, the Nainital Police arrested a 65-year-old contractor with the Nainital Public Works Department, Muhammad Usman, for raping a 12-year-old minor Hindu girl. The victim had informed her family about the incident after which the family filed a police complaint. Usman was booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the POCSO Act.

The incident took place on 12 April when the victim had gone to the local market to buy some groceries. The accused allegedly lured her by offering Rs 200 and took her to his house. He raped her in his garage and threatened her not to disclose the incident to anyone. Scared by the threat, the victim did not tell her family.

The victim stopped going to school and the family noticed changes in her behaviour. She refused to talk to anyone. The family called her maternal grandmother, but the victim did not tell anyone about the rape and the threats.

Eventually, both sisters stopped going to school, and their maternal grandmother got their names removed from school on 16 April. Finally, she told her mother what happened, and then a complaint was filed against Usman at the Mallital Police Station.

Newslaundry attempted to misrepresent the horrific rape of a 12-year-old Hindu girl by a 65-year-old Muslim man as a mere ‘affair’ between a ‘Muslim boy and a Hindu girl’. It is not only a gross distortion of facts but also a shameful betrayal of journalistic integrity. Such reckless framing waters down the seriousness of the crime, undermines the trauma faced by the victim, and fuels a false narrative against the Hindu community for retaliating against the crime.

Pune: Chand Shaikh urinates on the idol of Goddess Annapurna, arrested along with his father Naushad who claimed ‘Hindus can’t do anything’

OpIndia Staff
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Pune: Chand Shaikh urinates on the idol of Goddess Annapurna, arrested along with his father Naushad who claimed ‘Hindus can’t do anything’

Tensions mounted in Paud village of Pune in Maharashtra after a Muslim youth was captured on CCTV camera urinating on an idol of the Goddess Annapurna at Nageshwar Temple on Friday (2nd May).

Angry locals thrashed the accused Chand Shaikh (19) and his father Naushad Shaikh (44) and brought them to the police station.

Naushad had reportedly mocked the bystanders by claiming, “You Hindus can’t do anything to us.”

The villagers took out a protest march on Saturday (3rd May), condemning the disgusting act of Chand Shaikh. They chanted slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Pakistan Murdabad’ during the march.

Senior Inspector of Paud police station, Santosh Girigosavi, said that when the villagers informed Chand Shaikh’s family about his act, his father used abusive language with them.

As per reports, a case has been filed by the Paud Police against Chand Shaikh and his father. An investigation is going on in the case.

“Regarding the matter, Shivaji Waghvale (a resident of Paud) filed a complaint at the Paud Police Station. He said in the CCTV footage it was seen that the accused, Chand Naushad Shaikh, came to the Nageshwar temple, took down the idol of the deity, and desecrated it. Locals then went to his home to talk to his father. However, the boy’s father used threatening language and abused them,” the police said.

Tripura is cracking down on illegal immigrants from Bangladesh: Read what happens when an infiltrator is caught in the State

Dibakar Dutta
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Tripura is cracking down on illegal immigrants from Bangladesh: Read what happens when an infiltrator is caught in the State

The North-eastern State of Tripura has been witnessing a large influx of Bangladeshis and Rohingya Muslims in the past 1.5 years.

The situation has been further exacerbated with the undemocratic ouster of Sheikh Hasina, coupled with the rise of radical Islamism in Bangladesh under the watch of ‘chief advisor’ Muhammad Yunus.

According to the data shared by Tripura police, a whopping 816 Bangladeshis and 79 Rohingyas had been apprehended while illegally entering India through the State between 1st January 2024 and 28th February 2025.

About 483 illegal immigrants came to Tripura after the fall of Dhaka on 5th August last year.

In recent times, there have been media reports of Bangladeshi infiltrators being apprehended from railway stations while transiting to other parts of India, like Kerala and Karnataka.

It is increasingly becoming clear that the illegal immigrants from our neighbouring country are using Tripura as the entry point to gain access to far-flung metropolitan cities of India.

This is further concluded in a research report published by the Jawaharlal Nehru University about the socio-economic impact of illegal Bangladeshis and Rohingyas in the National Capital.

The study analysed the residence of the Rohingya infiltrators and illegal Bangladeshis before heading towards Delhi.

Origin point of illegal immigrants before heading towards Delhi

Tripura featured in the 3rd rank in the list with 8.7% population using the Northeastern State as a gateway to reach the National Capital. As per 2016 estimates, there are more than 2 crore illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in India. 

Tripura has special forces to nab infiltrators

It is interesting to note that the Northeastern State of Tripura has a ‘Mobile Task Force’ (MTF) to nab illegal immigrants.

It was first set up in 1970 as a small unit under the control of the District Superintendents of Police. 5 years later, in 1975, a separate unit of the ‘Mobile Task Force’ was established to arrest infiltrators.

The objectives of the Mobile Task Force include –

  1. Detection of infiltrators
  2. Prosecution of illegal immigrants
  3. Deportation of infiltrators (particularly Bangladeshis) from India
  4. Conducting inquiries over the suspected nationality of individuals
  5. Conducting inquiries over fake/doubtful nationality certificates
  6. Involvement of Bangladeshis in religious fundamentalism and anti Indian activities
  7. Collection of intelligence involving trans-border crimes

The functioning of the ‘Mobile Task Force’ is based on guidelines received from the DGP (Tripura), Union Home Ministry and Home and Political Department of the Government of Tripura.

It must be mentioned that only Bangladeshis who came to India illegally after the cut-off date of 25th March 1971 (as per the Assam Accord) are treated as ‘illegal immigrants’

What happens after an illegal immigrant is caught in Tripura

Besides the Mobile Task Force (MTF) designed to apprehend illegal immigrants in Tripura, the Border Security Force (BSF) as well as the State Police have been empowered to nab infiltrators.

If the BSF catches an illegal immigrant within Tripura, it hands over the accused to the local police. A First Information Report (FIR) is thereafter filed in connection with the case. This was confirmed to us by one of our sources in the BSF.

The Standard Operating Procedure is to hand infiltrators over to the police. The Tripura police can arrest illegal immigrants under Section 4 of the Passport (Entry into India) Act of 1920.

The accused can be prosecuted under the Immigration and Foreigners Act of 2025 (previously known as the Foreigners Act of 1946).

It must be mentioned that the Union Home Ministry has empowered both States and Union Territories to crack down on illegal immigrants.

Unlike Assam, Tripura does not have permanent detention centres for illegal Bangladeshis or a well-established system of Foreigners Tribunals.

As such, once infiltrators are apprehended, they are produced in local courts. The accused are held in prisons during the course of their trial.

OpIndia talked to a high-ranking police official in Tripura, who on the condition of anonymity, further explained the process to us.

He added that the local courts (based on the degree of the offence committed by the illegal immigrant) impose fines and imprisonment. The infiltrators then serve time in prison and remain there until the completion of their sentence.

Once their term ends, the Bangladeshi infiltrators are deported to their home country by following the necessary SOPs. This includes handing them over to the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) at the border.

The high-ranking police official pointed out that deportation becomes difficult in the absence of documents that establish the infiltrator’s Bangladeshi identity. In such circumstances, BGB refuses to accept these individuals.

Those infiltrators are then transferred to temporary detention centres unless the matter is resolved with the Bangladeshi authorities.

Screengrab of the data on Bangladeshi nationals deported to their home country

It must be mentioned that there is no specific treaty/ agreement between India and the Bangladeshi Government regarding the deportation of the latter’s citizens who entered India illegally.

In the absence of any treaty or agreement with the Bangladesh government, the number of deportations remains abysmally low.

Despite this, the Indian State of Tripura has deported 1,746 Bangladeshis between 2022 and 31st October 2024.

Tripura shares a 856-km-long border with Bangladesh on 3 sides, and some parts of the border are still unfenced owing to local disputes.

Illegal immigrants, who pose security threats to India, continue to make their way to Tripura without fear of being caught, only in the hopes of making their way to other parts of the country.

UP: Muslim women visiting Ayodhya Ram Mandir detained by police due to suspicious activities

OpIndia Staff
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UP: Muslim women visiting Ayodhya Ram Mandir detained by police due to suspicious activities

A Muslim woman visiting the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, was arrested by the police on the temple premises on Friday (2nd May) after a security person found her activities to be suspicious. The woman identified as Irin reportedly came from Maharashtra to visit the temple.

As per reports, she was exiting the temple premises after darshan when she was stopped by a security person. She had covered her head and face with a blue cloth. On being stopped, she started arguing with the security person, who informed his senior officials. Later on, she was taken for verification. CO Ayodhya, Ashutosh Tiwari, said that it was revealed after her verification that she is a resident of Vardha in Maharashtra. Her family was informed by the authorities. She was kept in the police station. Her family reportedly claimed that she suffers from a mental condition.

Earlier, a man was caught with camera glasses

Earlier, on 6th January, a man wearing sunglasses fitted with a spy camera was caught by security personnel inside the Ayodhya temple. The man was spotted by a security person when trying to take pictures of the temple near the ‘Singhdwar’. Mobile phones, cameras and other gadgets are not allowed inside the temple premises. The man was identified as a Gujarat-based businessman named Jani Jaikumar. Surprisingly, he managed to pass through all the security checkpoints with the sunglasses, said to be worth ₹50,000, without being caught. He was detained by authorities for questioning.

Bangladesh: Thousands of Islamists rally against proposed women’s right reforms, demand punishment for reforms commission members calling them anti-Quran

OpIndia Staff
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Bangladesh: Thousands of Islamists rally against proposed women’s right reforms, demand punishment for reforms commission members calling them anti-Quran

Thousands of Islamists gathered in Dhaka in Bangladesh, protesting against proposed reforms ensuring gender equality. Hefazat-e-Islam group organised the protest demanding the dissolution of Women’s Affairs Reform Commission, calling it anti-Quran. The Islamist group is protesting against proposals to give more rights to Muslim women, including property rights, saying that the such proposals are against Islamist Sharia law.

Over 20,000 people belonging to Hefazat-e-Islam rallied near the Dhaka University, some carrying banners and placards reading “Say no to Western laws on our women, rise up Bangladesh.” They have demanded that the interim government’s reforms commission be abolished. Not only that, they are also demanding that the commission members should be punished for the proposed changes.

Hefazat-e-Islam is a platform of mainly teachers and students of non-government or “kawmi” madrassa or religious seminaries in Bangladesh, and it is considered an influential pressure group.

Hefazat-e-Islam also announced a nationwide protest on 23 May, Friday, after the Jumma prayers. They also issued a 12-point declaration, and demanded the formation of a new women’s commission comprising of Islamic scholars and representatives from “devout segments of the female population.”

The Islamist leaders said that women’s social progress in Bangladesh should not be dictated by Western values but instead be grounded in the country’s religious and cultural traditions. “Men and women can never be equal,” a women’s madrassa teacher said during the rally, adding that the Quran has outlined specific codes of life for both genders and “there is no way we can go beyond that”.

They also called for reinstating “complete faith and trust in almighty Allah” in the constitution, urging the government to abandon the “suicidal concept” of pluralism and to protect the faith and religious practices of Muslims.

The group also opposed the iinclusion of terms such as “gender identity,” “gender diversity,” “gender equality,” “gender discrimination,” “third gender,” and “other genders,” saying that these terms are used to promote LGBT and transgender culture.

Hefazat-e-Islam further demanded laws prescribing the highest punishment for blasphemy against Allah and Prophet Mohammed. They have demanded to ban the Awami League, calling it a “terrorist organisation.” In another demand, they sought cancellation of bail granted to Chinmoy Das.

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