Youth Congress worker Nikhil Paili on Monday was taken into custody in connection to murder of SFI worker Dheeraj Rajendran at Government Engineering College, Idukki. Eleven activists of KSU, Congress’ student wing, were injured in the clashes in Maharaja’s College, Ernakulam.
Dheeraj, a Kannur resident, was stabbed at around 1 PM on Monday. While he was immediately taken to hospital, he succumbed to the injuries. Two other SFI members, Abhijith and Amal were also critically injured and are currently hospitalised. As per police, college elections are underway and hence there have been clashes between various students’ organisations in past few days. As per students, it was the Youth Congress worker who attacked Dheeraj and stabbed him and then ran away from the place.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan took to Facebook to condemn the murder of SFI worker and said that attempt to create riots in colleges will not be tolerated.
After SFI worker’s murder, CPM activists and its students’ wing took out protest marches across the state. This led to further clashes with Youth Congress workers. In Malappuram, Congress workers clashed with DYFI while Congress workers countered DYFI by raising slogans. In Kannur, SFI workers pelted stones at the Congress office. Windowpanes of Congress office at Thrichambaram were vandalised and flagposts dismantled.
Similarly, Congress office at Perambra in Kozhikode was also attacked and stones pelted. The SFI-DYFI workers also tried to vandalise Kollam MP N K Premachandran’s car at Chavara. Glasses and bonnet of the car was smashed.
The controversy over honouring D.Litt to the President of India Ram Nath Kovind by Kerala University has escalated further as Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan came down hard against the vice-chancellor, expressing his staunch disagreement with the letter written by him.
What is the controversy about?
It all started when Governor of Kerala Arif Mohammed Khan, in his capacity as a Chancellor of Govt. universities gave a proposal to VC of the Kerala University to confer upon an honorary doctorate in Literature to President Ram Nath Kovind. According to the protocol of the University, any such matter concerning giving an Honourary doctorate is discussed before the University syndicate. However, the proposal was turned down by vice-chancellor Mahadevan Pillai in a hand-written letter and in response to the request by governor Khan, the VC responded that the university syndicate had turned down the proposal.
Appalled by this gesture, Arif Mohd. Khan spoke to the media and narrated the entire incident. “I was shocked by the language of the letter used by the vice-chancellor of the University of Kerala and it took me 10 minutes to recover from the shock”. What astonished Arif Mohammad Khan was that the person of the stature of VC was unable to write two lines in a letter without mistakes.
Kerala Governor Arif mohd Khan almost cried while addressing media. He was asked about extreme casteist remarks made against President of India by communist while denying doctorate degree. Shame on these rabid Communist for insulting a Dalit president of India. pic.twitter.com/tCjPaUkndY
It was earlier confirmed that The Vice-chancellor had altogether rejected the request of honouring the President with D. Litt without consulting the University syndicate. ”The members of the Syndicate turned it down” said the VC in the letter to Khan. The Congress-led opposition accused VC Pillai of failing in his duties by rejecting the proposal without placing it before the Syndicate for discussion. Following the controversy, Congress leader KC Venugopal wrote a letter to the President accusing the Kerala Governor and the State Govt of dragging the President’s office in political disputations.
Arif Mohammad Khan shocked after VC rejects his request without consulting with University Syndicate
Accusing the Vice-Chancellor of his irresponsible actions, Arif Mohd. Khan spoke to the media on January 10. He said, “In reply to the instruction, the VC responded that the university syndicate had turned down the proposal. When I asked to give it in writing, he handed over a two-line handwritten statement to the Governor. The language of the letter has shocked me as the VC of the oldest university in the country could not even write two lines without mistakes.”
Following the turn of events, Khan wrote a letter to the Pinrayi Vijayan Government over the University’s conduct in this matter and the government provided three letters to the Governor.
Over allegations of dragging the President’s chair in controversies, he said, ”there is no political interference. But I am firm on what I said. I am aware of protocols and other limitations from the time when was elected as a legislator and then a union minister at a young age.”
The ties between Governor Khan and the Communist government had strained over the appointment of VCs in the state-run Universities. He had also accused the Vijayan government of forcing him to sign a letter of re-appointment of Kannur University Chancellor Gopinath Raveendran. Earlier on January 4, amidst escalating controversy, Arif Mohammad Khan stepped down from his duty as a Chancellor of Universities. Last month, Khan had alleged that he was unable to work in an environment where there was ‘too much political interference’.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind President Maulana Mahmood Madani slammed former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav for his remarks on Jinnah, stating that Indian Muslims have rejected his idea and chose India over Pakistan. We are Indians, not by chance but by choice, Madani said. In a forthright statement, Mahmud Madani stated that the Muslims chose India and accused Jinnah of sabotaging the cause of Indian Muslims.
The Uttar Pradesh assembly elections have been officially announced. Elections in Uttar Pradesh will be contested in seven rounds, with results expected on March 10. In a discussion, held by Aaj Tak to obtain a sense of the political pulse in the state, Maulana Mahmood Madani responded on the topic of “whom Muslim community will vote for.”
Mahmood Madani went on to say that because Akhilesh Yadav is the leader of a political party, he must have admired certain aspects of Jinnah’s life. “We, on the other hand, have nothing to do with Jinnah. I’m not sure in what context Akhilesh Yadav cited Jinnah. He said out of context, which was a stupid decision.” He added In terms of voting, Mahmood Madani stated that Muslims should vote where they feel most comfortable. Muslims should not vote in order to oppose a certain political party. It is incorrect to state that a party must be defeated at any cost. It is a mistake for any community to decide to defeat a political party. He stated that if Asaduddin Owaisi’s candidate is competent, Muslims should vote for him.
Maulana Madani supported NRC, said Kashmir was an integral part of India
Speaking in 2019 about the National Register of Citizens (NRC) of India, which was conducted in Assam to determine the number of foreigners living in the north-eastern state, the general secretary of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, Maulana Mahmood Madani, stated that the NRC should be implemented throughout India to determine how many intruders and foreigners are staying in the country.
M Madani on'what if govt decides to implement NRC in entire country?':Mera jee ye chahta hai ki main demand karoon ki saare mulk mein karlo, pata chal jayega ki ghuspetiye kitne hain. Jo asli hain unke upar bhi daag lagaya jata hai toh pata chal jaega, mujhe koi dikkat nahi hai https://t.co/YQ8BYcgkGYpic.twitter.com/gPLyrQs29p
Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind also passed a resolution calling Kashmir an important part of India and slamming Pakistan as an “enemy country” for spreading a false narrative about Muslims being dissatisfied in India. The resolution passed at the Jamiat Ulema-e-general Hind’s council meeting in Delhi reaffirmed that Kashmir is an intrinsic part of the country and that all Kashmiris are our compatriots. It further stated that any separatist movement is injurious not just to the country but also to the Kashmiris.
Mahmood Madani, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind: We have passed a resolution today that Kashmir is an integral part of India. There will be no compromise with security and integrity of our country. India is our country and we stand by it. pic.twitter.com/pxhi2t4peH
Madani added, “Kashmir was, is and will be ours and ours alone. We are always with India”. It is notable that Madani had met RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in September 2019 in the Sangh’s office at Delhi’s Keshav Ganj. The meeting was organised by former BJP general secretary and senior RSS leader Ram Lal. RSS had said that the meeting was held between two of the largest non-political social organisations and its aim was to discuss harmony between the two communities.
‘Apple can’t leave China’ is a myth that still lures many people, including the American-Chinese scholar Doug Guthrie, who believes Apple and China’s destiny is inextricably linked. In his podcast with Chris Marquis, which was published on 7th January 2022, the scholar made a case against Apple’s recent efforts to reduce its dependence on China and propagated the myth that Apple cannot sustain without the help of China.
Dough pitted Apple’s extensive presence in China with its emergence in India and Vietnam, stating that the American behemoth would have a hard time replicating its success in the new countries, given the conditions of infrastructure, lack of skilled labour and the governance method in these countries that would practically make it impossible to churn out its devices with the same ferocious efficiency as is the case in China.
Guthrie says conditions in Vietnam and India are not conducive enough for Apple to leave China. However, he conveniently glosses over the fact that Apple has already started manufacturing line in India, and quickly expanding its India operations, including the manufacturing of its latest flagship device, the iPhone 13, whose trials have already started for the same.
Apple first entered into the buoyant Indian manufacturing space in 2015, and since then the company has aggressively expanded its market share as well as augmented its manufacturing capabilities in the country. Apple products are being assembled in India and under the ‘Make in India’ initiative, the American tech giant has been steadily developing its manufacturing capacities outside its traditional base of China.
What did the American scholar on China say?
In the podcast, Chris Marquis has asked Doug Guthrie that “Do you think that companies like Apple and Tesla are then maybe too tied to China? It’s not like they can move their production elsewhere. I mean, you mentioned it’s about the components and modules and going down the supply chain, a variety of integration that’s happening, where you really can’t replicate that. But then that gives China and Chinese companies and the Chinese government really a lot of leverage.”
Answering this question, Dou Guthrie has said that “I think that there are three levels to the complexity of that relationship. I just think China has tremendous leverage. I’ve heard leaders from Congress and the former president talk about companies like Apple should just move to Vietnam or move to India, but we don’t have the leverage that we think we do for these three reasons. The first is the floating population. There are 350 million people that are what we call “float” around the country, but they’re actually moved by the government.”
He further elaborated on the reasons why companies prefer China over others. “The second thing is the infrastructure that ties the system together. India doesn’t have the infrastructure that links the states of India together. And then the third piece is what I like to refer to as industrial clusters. So many different cities in China have developed their entire system around focus on a very specific component or module. So it’s hard for me to imagine that a company like Apple or Tesla could leave China, ” Doug said.
As Doug dismisses Apple’s transition out of China, here’s how India is scaling its manufacturing capabilities
‘Make in India’ is one of the prestigious campaigns by the Modi government to promote manufacturing in India, which will create jobs domestically, as well as reduce imports, thereby saving decreasing the country’s reliance on imported goods, and saving prestigious foreign exchange. Under Make in India, and due to the conducive ecosystem created as a part of the campaign, the number of mobile phone manufacturing units in India has gone up to 120 in 2019 as compared to just 2 before 2014.
India’s association with Apple, especially when it comes to manufacturing, dates back to 2015 when PM Modi had given the mantra to ‘Make in India’. Foxconn, the manufacturer of Apple’s iPhones had then announced plans for creating 10-12 facilities in India, which would include factories and data centres. Since 2017, Apple started manufacturing in India rather than simply running its assembly line.
Apple had entered into an agreement with Taiwanese contract manufacturer Wistron to manufacture its iconic iPhone in India. Wistron has set up a plant in Bengaluru where they initially started operations by assembling the iPhone SE and later started making the 6s model also. The plant was further scaled up to manufacture more models of the phone. This attracted a violent reaction by the indigenous ideological siblings of the Chinese Communist Party. Attempts were made to vandalize the plant and communist links in those incidents had emerged.
Expansion of mobile phone manufacturing in Modi Government 2.0
So on one hand there were attempts to demoralize aspiring India from within. While the leaders of the opposition kept questioning the mobile phone manufacturing throughout the first tenure of the Modi government, Indians had already started buying ‘Made in India’ iPhones as early as 2018. No doubt that the wings were bound to expand in the second tenure and that is what exactly has happened. Let’s see how.
Ministry of Electronics and Information and Technology had approved proposals by 16 phone makers under the Production Linked Incentive Scheme (PLI) for Large Scale Electronics Manufacturing. The PLI scheme was notified on 1st April 2020 announcing incentives of 4% to 6% on incremental sales (over a base year) of goods under target segments that are manufactured in India to eligible companies, for a period of five years subsequent to the base year (FY2019-20).
The companies approved under Mobile Phone (Invoice Value Rs 15,000 and above) segment had proposed a production of over Rs 9,00,000 crore. The approved companies under Mobile Phone (Domestic Companies) segment had proposed production of about Rs 1,25,000 crore and the companies under the Specified Electronic Components segment had proposed production of over Rs 15,000 crore. The companies approved under Mobile Phone included Foxconn Hon Hai, Wistron and Pegatron which are contract manufacturers for Apple iPhones. Apple accounts for around 37% of the global sales revenue of mobile phones and this scheme is expected to increase their manufacturing base manifold in the country.
It is notable that all this was happening right in the middle of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking at the inaugural session of the 23rd edition of the Bengaluru Tech Summit held virtually, former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had said that even during the COVID-19 pandemic period, the government was able to bring nine of their operating units along with component makers from China to India.
Doug Guthrie’s three levels of complexity were already destroyed quite easily
Doug Guthrie has spoken about the three levels of complexities involved in relocating companies like Apple from China to elsewhere – say India or Vietnam. But he seems to be ill-informed about the destruction of his claims which has taken place even before he would have made any. Let us have a look at how. The first one was about the floating population. The reason behind the Chinese government moving their labours every now and then is not only limited to skills. This floating population does not consist of 100 per cent labourers. Actually, it is more of the poor who move from one place to another because of significant income disparity. In fact, China already has an excess of labour which makes shuffling obvious.
Secondly, Doug Guthrie has mentioned infrastructures and transport and it is this part of his statement where he missed it the most. Doug Guthrie seems to have forgotten that companies like Foxconn never decide to relocate overnight. Even before finalizing Chennai as their plant location, thorough studies were made to check possibilities of setting up a factory at other places like The Five Star Industrial Corporation at Shendra near Aurangabad in the state of Maharashtra. It must be noted that this industrial cluster is a part of the DMIC that is the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor. The 1500+ kilometre-long corridor ensures that various sorts of big industries and their component suppliers reside in close vicinity so that smooth production is assured. In the southern part of the country, Bengaluru-Chennai shares a similar corridor. Besides, there are many more such corridors in different parts of the country to serve different sectors of industry.
Manufacturing clusters like these and skilled labour has already been a plus point of India which proved to be one of the key attractions to the leading mobile manufacturers. The amount these companies are investing is a reflection of the trust they have shown in India, which itself destroys the third level of complexity Doug Guthrie has spoken about. Be whatever the leverage Doug Guthrie thinks China enjoys, Indians are all set to buy a Made in India iPhone13.
A unique case of Gharwapsi has come to the fore in Karnataka’s Yadgir district. A man whose family converted to Christianity close to 50 years ago is returning to the fold of Hinduism along with his wife and three children.
The incident pertains to one Timothy Hosmani, a 55-year-old labourer who lives in the Kanikal village of Gurmitkal taluk in the district, is all set to return to the Hindu religion along with his wife and children nearly 5 decades after his parents had converted to Christianity.
In his interview with Times of India, Timothy said he is unaware of the circumstances that led his parents to eschew Hinduism and embrace Christianity 50 years back. But now, he is preparing to return to his original religion.
According to Timothy, their family belonged to Scheduled Caste and added that his family—wife Sharadamma, sons Abhishek, Jnanamithra and Neil Armstrong—have been observing Hindu rituals and traditions for the last several years.
Timothy says his elder son is a labourer in Bengaluru while the other two are still completing their studies. As per sources quoted by TOI, Timothy’s parents were against reconversion to Hinduism. His father departed 10 years ago and his mother passed away 6 years ago. The family is now planning to organise a simple ceremony to return to their former religion.
As the family plans to retrace their roots, it is worth noting that there have been several isolated incidents from across Karnataka where those converted from Hinduism are reverting back to their original faith. However, this would be the first such instance in Yadgir in recent years.
Earlier last month, nine members of a Christian household re-converted to Hinduism. At an event at the Rama Bhajan Mandir in Jannapur, VHP and Bajrang Dal members took the initiative to convert them to Hinduism as part of ‘Gharwapsi.’ The development came days after the Karnataka Government passed the Anti-Conversion Bill in the Legislative Assembly that provided for jail terms for those engaging in mass religious conversion.
On Sunday, seven people were detained when police raided a wife-swapping network in Kottayam. The police crackdown occurred when a woman claiming to be the wife of one of the racket’s participants made shocking internet revelations.
The lady, a housewife, also filed a complaint with Karukachal police, alleging that her husband pushed her to have sexual intercourse with someone else. The arrest of the accused, a Karukachal local, led the authorities to unearth a larger network. According to the authorities, around 1,000 couples were involved in the racket.
The detained individuals are from the districts of Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, and Alappuzha. The scam operated on multiple social media sites, including Facebook and Telegram, according to Karukachal police.
According to officers, the sex racket’s participants also comprised some professionals and members of society’s upper echelons. Member couples that meet on a regular basis swap women, and there have been occasions where a lady was shared by three men at the same time. Money was also exchanged in exchange for the provision of their companions.
According to a report in The Times of India, the authorities discovered social media groups where members could engage in wife-swapping, cuckolding, threesomes, and unnatural sex. Some organisations had over 5,000 members. Many professionals, including attorneys and physicians, have joined these forums under false names. Many people, including women, willingly engaged in such sexual practices. However, some women were coerced into such acts by their husbands.
The police suspect that the operations are the result of a well-established scam. The gang communicated using the chat apps Messenger and Telegram. The gang reportedly swapped photos and scheduled meetups on various networks. Some guys involved in the wife-swapping business were claimed to charge money for passing over women to others.
Similar case reported in Gujrat in 2021
In a similar case reported last year, a 34-year-old lady from Gujarat’s Ahmedabad accused her husband of attempting to force her to participate in a wife-swapping agreement with his elder brother. The lady, a mother of two children, also claimed that her husband attacked her when she refused to follow him.
The woman went on to say that her husband’s brother had abused her. She told a few mutual acquaintances about her traumatic situation, and they tried to talk to her husband and his brother. Her spouse is accused of threatening their mutual pals. The woman then decided to go to the police station.
On Thursday, January 6, a video had emerged from Kundikala hamlet in the Sarguja district in Chhattisgarh, showing Hindu locals swearing to boycott Muslims. After the video went viral, OpIndia subsequently reported how the action by the miffed Hindus was deliberated by a scuffle that took place between residents of Aara village and Kundikala village on January 1. The Hindu villagers of Kundikala were reportedly enraged by the bias of the Chhattisgarh police whom they accused of threatening and intimidating Hindu victims while shielding the Muslim accused. Hindu victims had come on camera to reveal how they were assaulted by the Muslim accused. They further narrated how the police instead of providing them assistance, rebuked them and asked to remain silent.
Now, OpIndia has spoken to local Congress MLAs, who, instead of condemning the police apathy towards the Hindu victim family or the assault on them by the Muslims of the adjoining village, denounced the Hindus for swearing to boycott Muslims.
Chhattisgarh Congress slam Hindus instead of denouncing police apathy
Congress MLA from Ambikapur Chintamani Maharaj told OpIndia, “The manner in which an entire group of people took the oath will not send a positive message to society. This was a bad decision that should be opposed”.
Meanwhile, local Congress MLA Dr Pritam Ram accused the BJP and RSS members of giving the incident a communal colour by encouraging Hindus to vow to ban Muslim sellers, boycott any commercial transactions with members of the Muslim community and prohibit the sale or lease of any land to a Muslim.
The Congress MLA opined that every victim family obviously wants that the accused is given the strictest of punishment, but actions are always taken only under legal provisions. “I’ve contacted all of the administrative officers and requested that they take the necessary steps. In the interim, some members of the BJP and RSS attempted to turn the debate into a Hindu-Muslim one, with a video of an oath being shown in the midst. The villagers are wise and will not be fooled by their deception,” said Dr Pritam Ram.
When OpIndia asked him why the Chhattisgarh police did not invoke the SC/ST act against the Muslim perpetrators as the victims in the case were Adivasis, the Congress MLA said, “I’ve also had a conversation with the Sarpanch (Mukhiya/Pradhan).” On the basis of the facts acquired by the police on the site, action has been taken. In this case, the locals have spoken the truth. The minor also failed to file a written complaint regarding molestation or other violations, which would have prompted the police to take action under the POCSO Act and other provisions. I’m keeping a close eye on the situation.”
In this regard, OpIndia also spoke with Ambikapur’s Additional Superintendent of Police, Vivek Shukla. He stated that the FIR was filed earlier in the incident, which occurred on January 1, New Year’s Day. That FIR’s inquiry was still ongoing. Appearing to be defending the prime accused, in the case- Ilyas Paksh, Shukla added that Ilyas, enraged by the same incident, committed an act of violence in Kundikala village.
Hindu victim family recalls the horrific attack by Muslims
“The Yadav family filed a police report about the event. We have acted in accordance with the rules. The incident has thus far resulted in the identification of 13 suspects. They were apprehended and taken to court. We’re still looking for the rest. The case is still under investigation,”, added Ambikapur’s Additional Superintendent of Police.
The victim’s family member and village secretary Virendra Yadav also spoke to OpIndia. He informed that the accused initially had an issue with the sons of the Sarpanch of Kundikala village. For a few days, everything was quiet, but then the Muslim side launched an attack on Kundikala village. The Muslims intended target was the sarpanch’s family, but as they passed by the village secretary’s house, Virendra Yadav, he was also attacked and blamed for the brawl.
He stated that six perpetrators were previously apprehended in this case, but that they were all freed on the same day. After that, seven more suspects were arrested, and all of them were freed on the same day. There isn’t a single one of the 13 attackers in jail, Yadav lamented.
Yadav said that the Gagar river flows next to their village. There’s a dam near the river area, which attracts a lot of visitors, said Yadav. “Some claim that the conflict between the two sides began there, while others claim that it began with the market. Our village is comprised of Dalit people. The assailants had come to kill the family members of the Sarpanch’s family, as their initial dispute was with the Sarpanch’s son but instead, they targeted mine.
Yadav added that the accused had previously also lodged a complaint against the village Sarpanch’s family.
Recalling the horrific incident, Yadav further told OpIndia that he knew Ilyas from before still the latter assaulted him and his family. Ilyas and his aides have always been involved infelonious activities, said the village secretary, adding that Half of the people of Ilyas’ Aara village, which is around 4-5 kilometres away from his Kundikala hamlet, are Muslim and half are Hindu.
Meanwhile, the members of the Yuva Morcha of the Bharatiya Janata Party have visited the victim’s relatives and assured them assistance.
Members of the Yuva Morcha of the Bharatiya Janata Party visit the Hindu victim’s relatives
They openly threatened to kill all the Hindus and burn down the entire village: Victim family laments
It may be recalled that in our report, we had revealed how the Hindu victim had informed that the main accused Ilyas, who is a Block Development Council (BDC) member, had not only threatened to kill all the Hindus but also burn down the entire village.
In what transpired, a Muslim family from the Aara village, which falls in neighbouring Balrampur district, had travelled to Kundikala village on January 1 to celebrate the New Year. On that day, the Muslim visitors allegedly got into a tussle with a local Hindu resident and thrashed him up. The victim alleged that the six Muslim visitors barged into his house and beat him up and two family members, including his niece.
Subsequently, the victim family lodged a complaint against the Muslim assaulters. Based on the complaint the Chhattisgarh police arrested six people under sections 147, 294, 323, 506, 452 of the IPC, but all of them got bail from a local court the same day.
The Hindu villagers of Kundikala were enraged by the bias of the police. They accused police of shielding the accused by invoking trivial sections of the IPC in the case instead of the SC/ST Act. As the accused burst firecrackers and celebrated their bail, the miffed Hindus gheraoed the Lundra police station, in Surguja district, Chhattisgarh, on 5 January (Wednesday), claiming that the complaint should have been filed under SC/ST act as the victims were Adivasis. Accusing the police of being biased, the villagers gave the police a 10-day ultimatum, asking them to either take strict action against the accused or be prepared for a bigger protest.
The January 5 video appears to be a fallout of this brawl between residents of the two villages on January 1.
Meanwhile, another video has emerged from the day of the incident where, Dilbagh Singh, in charge of the local police station, was seen harassing a journalist who went to the victim’s village to cover the incident.
The YouTube channel Bharat Samman, which visited Kundikala village in Chhattisgarh to cover the news, also interviewed a girl who is seen in the above video with a bandage on her head. The girl in the video, who appears to be a minor, claimed that she was pulled out of her house, beaten up by the accused who also attempted to drag her into a car.
The Chhattisgarh police apathy
The mother of the minor had also revealed how the police had rebuked them when they sought to express their distress to the authorities.
Meanwhile, many other villagers present there demanded in unison that the accused be charged with molestation and attempted murder. They criticised the police for being sympathetic towards the accused rather than helping the victims.
OpIndia had also learnt that the local police station in-charge Dilbagh Singh, who is suspected of protecting the accused, is already under investigation since villagers had accused him of faking cases and threatening to murder them when he was stationed in Shankargarh district in Balrampur in 2020.
Aneesh Jasy, from Coimbatore who describes himself as an ‘ex-Muslim rationalist’, has been arrested by Tamil Nadu Police on December 29th, for posting supposedly anti-Islamic posts on Facebook. What can be known from Aneesh’s friend is that his arrest was done without a warrant while he was taken to the Police station asking for his presence concerning an inquiry about his colleague.
On December 29th, Aneesh who is a popular ‘rationalist’ among atheist groups in Tamil Nadu was arrested and taken to the Kuniyamuthur Police station. However, Aneesh’s friend has alleged that an FIR was made only after his arrest. At night, he was taken to the police station with a Police subjugate citing requirement of Aneesh’s statement concerning an inquiry about his colleague.
Sub-Inspector V Ganesh Kumar has stated that he was made aware of the ‘anti-Islamic’ posts by Aneesh insulting Islam, the Prophet and the Holy Quran. He confirmed that he has gone through the Facebook posts and copies of them have been attached in the FIR. According to a report by The News Minute, one of the posts included in the FIR is a meme saying ”people cry crocodile tears over a book that they insist is holy.” Featuring an ex-Muslim the meme says “he is ashamed when he reads the Hadith.” Another post on Aneesh’s profile can be seen him comparing prophet Mohammad to a self-styled Godwoman.
After assessing the posts, The rationalist has been charged under 295(a) [deliberate and malicious acts meant to outrage religious feelings], 153A(1)(c) [promoting enmity between different groups of religion, race place of birth etc.] and 505(2) [statement conducing to public mischief] by the Kuniyamuthur Police station.
Aneesh’s (unnamed) friend has raised serious questions over the intent and sequence of his enquiry followed by the arrest. He suspects the actions of conservative Muslims behind the arrest. It is important to note here that Aneesh has always been on the end of getting threatening criticism from orthodox Muslim handles over his social media accounts. “I don’t believe that the police themselves went looking for his posts and took it upon themselves to file a complaint. What Aneesh was doing was nothing new. People from various religious backgrounds have become atheists and written about the flaws of their previous faiths. Since Periyar’s time, this has been happening here. He was only criticising hypocrisy within the religion he had left.” He stated.
Aneesh, who now remains in the Coimbatore Central Jail was initially sent to the Perundurai sub-jail. A bail plea submitted by his friend was rejected on January, 05.
Note: Some identifiable details in this report are changed to respect privacy of the individuals in the case.
Surat is about 270 kms away from Ahmedabad in Gujarat. Like Vadodara, it is one of those cosmopolitan places where a lot of non-Gujaratis have come to call it their home. Its proximity to Mumbai and it being textile and diamond hub has also brought in people from other states.
One such family that has made Surat their home for the past 15 years is Pooja (name changed). Her family lives in the industrial area of Sachin, on the outskirts of Surat. Back in 2015, when she was 17 years old, she would often accompany her sister to her workplace, in an apparel manufacturing factory. There she got acquainted with one Dilshad.
Pooja explains that she met Dilshad where she used to work with her sister and mother. He used to sit next to her while working and got acquainted. One day, during tea break, Dilshad took her phone and obtained her phone number. A few days later, two days before Shivratri, he called her. “I got a call from an unknown number and I answered and that is when he told me that his name was Dilshad,” she said.
Dilshad told Pooja, who was a minor at that time, that he loves her and wants to meet her. She turned down the advances saying that her father is home and she cannot meet him. She also told him that she does not like him and hence nothing will happen between them. She said that despite that he would continue to call her. When she blocked the number, he would call from other numbers.
One day, he asked her to meet him. “If you meet me once, I will not call or message you again,” he told her. That day she was on a leave and she went to meet him near her place. “That is where they took me,” she said.
Pooja was kidnapped and taken to a village in Katihar, Bihar
After having turned down his advances a number of times, Pooja finally decided to go meet him to tell him that she does not have feelings for him the way he had for her. However, a shock was in store for her when she went to meet him.
Pooja then revealed that there were 2-3 people who took her away. She was first taken to a place called Sainath near Sachin where she was kept for a few days. Later, her parents and sister got suspicious and tried to get in touch with Dilshad but he never let her speak to her family. From Sainath, she was taken to Mumbai.
In Mumbai, there was one of his family member and his friend where they kept her for one day. From Mumbai, she was taken to Bihar.
“I cried, but they still took me,” she says.
“I want to marry you”
Dilshad then took her to Bihar where he said he wanted to marry her. Pooja said how her family members raised concerns that the girl he has brought to marry is not ready to marry. But then he gave money to get the marriage registered. She then said that he called a maulana for the nikah.
“My family members would keep calling him but he kept threatening me. One of his relatives worked in the same company where I worked. He would tell me that if I do anything, he will harm my family. Out of fear, I had to marry him. Those who came for the nikah also knew the marriage was not consensual. Even the person who facilitated court marriage knew this. But they all took money for the marriage,” she said.
Pooja then reveals that after the ‘nikah’, her name was changed there. Her hair was cut and she was asked to wear a burqa and she was not allowed to go out. “I thought that if I stay properly and follow what they ask me to do, they may let me speak to my family. He used to also beat me up,” she said.
She says how Dilshad’s mother would come in the night when she would be sleeping and spread something where she would sleep. She stayed at Dilshad’s place for 15-20 days. She further revealed that she heard Dilshad speak to the maulvi who had come for nikah that they get money for bringing Hindu girl for marriage. “He was marrying me for this money only,” she said.
Dilshad’s mother used to make her read the namaz and force her to wear burqa.
The return
Pooja pleaded to Dilshad to let her speak to her parents because she was so well behaved. One day, he let her speak to her father where he informed her that her mother is seriously ill. “My father didn’t know where I was,” she said. Pooja then requested Dilshad to let her go and see her mother once. But Dilshad refused. He even threatened her with death threats to her father should he come to the village to rescue her with police.
Pooja revealed that her brother then reached out to someone about how his sister was abducted and taken away. She then got in touch with one Girish Ahir in Sachin, who is the secretary of Hindu Jagran Manch of Surat Mahanagar. Meanwhile, one day when Dilshad was away, she managed to get access to the phone and she called up her father and informed her about her whereabouts.
Somehow Dilshad got to know that her father was on his way to Katihar and so he beat her up. She then called up her father and asked her father to not go there with her father. That is when he told her that he is only going because her mother is ill. Even then Dilshad refused to let her go and gave her death threats.
“I then tried to convince them that I will return. I stayed there nicely so that they have faith that I will return. I had to do it and stayed for a few days,” She said. When her father came to ‘meet’ her, Dilshad first sent some people to check on him if he is alone or has police with him and only then he was allowed to meet her.
“My father cried a lot on seeing me,” she said. Pooja then asked for a copy of the ‘marriage certificate’ to take it along with her but neither Dilshad nor his mother allowed it. She said that while leaving she still managed to take a copy of the certificate. Her father finally managed to bring her home.
Back home, Pooja was taken to temple
Pooja then said that when she saw her mother so unwell and in ICU, she did not feel good. “My family members told me that when I would be sleeping, I would keep reciting the namaz. I did not know that,” she said. She said that one day she was feeling low. She did not want to stay back. Her father told her to stay back but she was not feeling right as everyone in the neighbourhood knew of her ordeal and she had to face a lot of societal pressure.
“I did not like hearing the comments of everyone about how I was taken away and what happened to me,” she said, pushing back her tears. Pooja then decided to go back to Katihar with Dilshad and left the house.
Her sister then again reached out to Girish Ahir, who had earlier helped her family to bring Pooja back. Girish Ahir and his team managed to spot Pooja on a train at Sachin station and got her off the train. Later, she was taken to meet one Deepika Bhavsar, who works extensively with women like Pooja, to counsel them, make them feel safe. Pooja said that Bhavsar got her to read about Hindu texts and regular prayers and that helped her feel better.
Fighting back her tears, Pooja says that had it not been for the ones who rescued her, she would not have been able to walk so confidently. “Had it not been for these people, I would have not been alive,” she said. She said that they helped her file cases and take the legal route. Pooja reveals that when she would offer namaz, she was taken to a temple. There a Pandit told her that when she was taken to Dargah, they had allegedly done some black magic because of which she has started reciting namaz.
Speaking to OpIndia, Girish Ahir said that Pooja’s case has been one of the most successful cases. While a police complaint was filed and police did try to catch the culprit, but nothing quite came out of it. It has been over 6 years now and the girl has also become an adult and the family is looking to get her married.
Ahir spoke about another case from 2016 of one girl Sheetal (name changed) who was a student in class nine. A Muslim man had eloped with her. Subsequently, an FIR was registered and he was given life imprisonment. The girl has since been married to a Hindu boy as per Hindu rituals.
First case of ‘Love Jihad’ in Gujarat was in Surat
The first case of ‘love jihad’ under the new anti-conversion law in Gujarat was filed in Surat’s Dindoli area. A 50-year-old Muslim man was accused of luring and impregnating a young Hindu girl using a false identity. He was also accused of trying to convert her to Islam. In 2018, 50-year-old accused Mohammad Akhtar Sheikh met a 22-year-old Hindu girl and introduced himself as Mukesh Mahavir Gupta. He slowly developed a friendship with the girl and claimed he was employed by the Indian Railways.
He had claimed he was unmarried and a year later in 2019 proposed marriage to the girl. The two got married as per Hindu rituals. The marriage was solemnised at the Hanuman temple, which is located in the Kadodara area of Surat. The accused soon impregnated the girl and the duo had a son together. He also began staying at her house. He also took Rs 12 lakh from the girl’s family members under the pretext of getting her a job.
However, it was only in 2021 she discovered the truth about him. She found his Aadhaar card and discovered that he was not Mukesh Mahavir Gupta but Mohammad Akhtar Sheikh. Not only that, he was already married and also had five children with his first wife.
The women then alleged that upon discovery of his true identity, Sheikh forced her to read namaz and also tried to force her to convert to Islam.
Constitution vs Muslim Personal Law
Kavita Dubey, a social activist, while speaking to OpIndia said that one of the major issues with such grooming jihad cases is the legal loopholes. In a lot of cases, the culprits get the girls’ confidence by telling them that they will get married under the Special Marriage Act and hence the girl will not need to change her religion. But soon after, they get her converted and have a nikah as per Islamic rituals.
Once the girl converts, the Muslim Personal Law Board is applicable and if she then is abandoned or the man gets another wife, she has very little legal recourse, Dubey said.
“It is the responsibility of parents to make sure the girls don’t fall into such traps. If the girl does not get love, comfort and warmth at home, she tends to fall on such wrong paths and then it gets difficult to bring these girls back,” she said. “In 90% cases, if a Hindu girl has eloped with a Muslim boy, she will not return despite realisation of mistake because of society. So society also needs to be more accepting of girls who come back. They need counselling, not our taunts,” she said.
However, what is unfortunate here is that in a major chunk of cases, victims are Hindu Dalit girls and other girls from lower income bracket who are easily lured.
SheThePeople is an Indian digital media website purporting itself to be a champion of women empowerment. On its website, the organisation says that it is India’s first women’s channel inspired by real stories and seeks to change the discourse on, about and for women. It provides a platform to women from various walks of life who shatter the glass ceiling in every sphere of life.
However, the reality is in stark contrast to what the organisation would want to have us believe. On the surface, it does appear to promote the cause of women, but that affirmation appears to be rather symbolic and selective, something which got exposed after actor Siddharth was found making crass sexual innuendos at Saina Nehwal following his disagreement with the Badminton champion.
For years now, SheThePeople hailed actor Siddharth as someone who is passionately working towards empowering women and fighting decades-old prejudices against them. He was listed by the media website among the list of Bollywood icons who are “true feminist icons” for the year 2019. It has also routinely engaged with the actor on issues plaguing women, including on how cinema has played a part in glorifying incidents of stalking.
This is a tweet of appreciation for @SheThePeople. It truly takes conviction & courage to promote someone as a feminist icon & then do an ostrich when he turns out to be anything but. pic.twitter.com/1mmc6nqCNU
It cited sporadic instances when Siddharth castigated the film industry for their brazen glorification of stalking and when he slammed advertisements that objectified women for declaring him as a “feminist icon”, fighting the social evils faced by women on a daily basis.
Actor Siddharth hurls crass sexual comments at Badminton champion Saina Nehwal
But, actor Siddharth turns out to be anything but a “feminist icon”, especially in the light of the recent remarks made by him against ace Badmintonist Saina Nehwal. On January 6, Tamil actor Siddharth attacked ace Badminton player Saina Nehwal with a crass, sexually derogatory comment. He said, “Subtle cock champion of the world… Thank God we have protectors of India. Shame on you #Rihanna.”
In her tweet, Saina had condemned the security lapse in Punjab during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Ferozepur.
‘Cock’ is a slang used for the male sexual organ. By twisting the badminton term ‘shuttlecock’, Siddharth was trying to insult Saina in a crass, sexual manner.
The crass sexual comment against one of India’s most prominent and successful women came soon after the same actor pretended to be concerned about issues of women safety and posed as a conscientious feminist.
As outrage over his comment swelled and NCW was asked to take cognisance of his tweets, Siddharth brazened out his remarks, stating that his “cock” reference was not meant to disrespect anyone and there was no insinuation in it.
“Cock and bull,” he said. “That’s the reference. Reading otherwise is unfair and leading,” he tweeted.
Apparently, this is not the first time that Siddharth has been in news for his cheap antics. Earlier in October 2021, Siddharth shared a veiled tweet targeted at actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu. Samantha’s divorce from Naga Chaitanya was on the news and the actor, who was once rumoured to be dating the actress, had shared a tweet saying “cheaters never prosper.”
The tweet received wide criticism, not just from Samantha’s fans but many others, who reminded the actor that it is not in good taste. He had later clarified that his tweet was not about Samantha, but rather a general comment.
The hypocrisy of SheThePeople in turning a blind eye to Siddharth’s sexist remarks
Nevertheless, SheThePeople did not issue any comment or distanced themselves from the actor. Now, the actor is found making sexual innuendos against the Badminton superstar and yet the media website that fashions itself as a crusader fighting for the empowerment of women, did not bother to condemn the actor for his remarks. Instead, they have ignored the controversy, pretending that Siddharth did not make those comments and that the outrage surrounding his remarks would die a natural death over the course of time.
This, in a nutshell, is how the liberal ecosystem operates. While they sermonise others on having strong moral principles and preen themselves on following higher standards of ideals, their own when one of their own is caught violating those principles and indulging in deplorable behaviour, they pretend as if nothing happened and that they are not obligated to issue either clarification or condemnation.
