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A Hindu tweeting dislike for an ad is more dangerous than violent mob throwing stones, and radicals chopping off limbs, for ‘Liberals’

Sanghamitra
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A Hindu tweeting dislike for an ad is more dangerous than violent mob throwing stones, and radicals chopping off limbs, for ‘Liberals’

In the last 7 days, a number of shocking, numbing incidents have happened in India. On Friday, October 15, a group of Sikh Nihangs brutally killed a man and hanged his body, along with his chopped limb, to boast about their actions.

There was more to the act than the lifeless body of poor Lakhbir Singh hanging alongside his chopped off hand. The body was hanged on the metal barricade placed by the police at the Singhu border, a clear message of what the Nihangs think of ‘rule of law’.

Within hours, a number of videos surfaced on social media. Each one was more viscious, more spine chilling than the other. The Nihangs had not just killed Lakhbir, it was much more than that. Lakhbir, a poor, Dalit Sikh, who was a daily labourer and an addict as per some reports, was accused of ‘blasphemy’.

The armed, colourfully dressed Nihangs had first attacked Lakhbir, cut his leg, chopped off his hand and gave celebratory speeches of their valour and boasted about how they are proud of their act. They had hanged a profusely bleeding, delirious Lakhbhir upside down and had interrogated him for god knows how long. They then dragged him, continuing with their boastful charade, and had tied him up at the metal barricade.

Videos of a semi-conscious Lakhbir babbling something incoherent, pleading with eyes enlarged with shock and terror, holding the bleeding stump of his hand are still doing rounds on social media. In a just world, the videos would have triggered an army of media persons, filled headlines all over the country and ruled news space for weeks to come. But sadly, Lakhbir was the ‘wrong’ kind of victim from the ‘wrong’ kind of state. He was not Muslim like Tabrej Ansari, not a resident of a BJP-ruled state, and not the son of a Bollywood celebrity.

Even though he was a Dalit, his murder could not be used to sling mud on Yogi or Modi, unlike Hathras case, so Lakhbir does not get op-eds in Washington Post or NYT. Lakhbir’s family does not get politicians flocking to their house, Lakhbir lays forgotten, buried under the garbage of ‘thank a farmer’ hashtags, and millions of words of the so-called Sikh pride, farmer politics and much more.

Most of India’s self-proclaimed ‘secular-liberal’ intelligentsia washed their hands off Lakhbir with barely a vague condemnation, if not total ignorance.

Osmanabad violence

Last week, on October 19, an unruly mob of around 150 people in Maharashtra’s Osmanabad took to the streets to protest against a social media post that allegedly criticised Mughal bigot Aurangzeb.

Four policemen including one Inspector sustained injuries when trying to control the violent mob. “The mob vandalized a hoarding, a police vehicle and an auto-rickshaw in Vijay Chowk area. Four policemen, including an officer, were injured while they were trying to stop the mob,” confirmed Osmanabad city police station’s inspector Suresh Budhwant to PTI.

The grievance of the mob was somebody had shared a Facebook post that was allegedly ‘offensive’ against Mughal ruler Aurangzeb. A Facebook comment against Aurangzeb was all it took for a mob of over 150 to wreak havoc in a city and start pelting stones. Is it a new phenomenon? No, though Aurangzeb is the new factor here, mobs getting violent over a mere Facebook post “ho chuka hai.”

In August 2020, in India’s tech capital Bengaluru, a Facebook reply by a Congress MLA’s relative triggered a Muslim mob so much that they attacked two police stations, burned the premises, torched dozens of vehicles and tried to burn the house of the MLA while his family was inside.

In our neighbourhood, the majority of Muslims had attacked Durga Puja pandals of minority Hindus, attacked their temples and caused rampant arson, vandalism, even rapes and murders, because someone had placed a copy of the Quran at a Pandal and had made a Facebook post. That someone has now been identified as Iqbal Hossain, who had deliberately triggered the violence against the minority Hindus.

The above incidents are just examples. We live in an environment where all it takes is a Facebook post, a vague blame of ‘beadbi’ (disrespect), or a ‘he said she said’ allegation made to settle scores for religiously fanatic mobs to resort to rampant vandalism, arson and even killing.

The biggest irony is, the above mobs are not named and shamed by the ‘liberal-secular’ intelligentsia of this country. Stone pelting men and women are called heroes protesting against oppression, vandals damaging telecom towers are ‘farmers’, political goons squatting on public roads are called ‘brave protestors’ when they belong to a certain religious and political group.

For Hindus, because it is mostly Hindus who had voted for the BJP, all it takes is a mild social media comment to be branded an extremist, a terrorist, or member of an ‘online mob’.

Rana Ayyub has declared India a ‘fascist state’ because Shahrukh Khan’s son was arrested for drugs and Shah Rukh Khan is a Muslim. Aryan Khan was arrested with a dozen others, none of them has got bail, but they do not matter. Just because Shah Rukh Khan is a Muslim, his son should never be arrested, this is the ‘Liberal’ logic.

Ran Ayyub says India is a fascist state because Aryan Khan is arrested

Not just Rana, a whole lot of so-called ‘journalists’ are going berserk over Aryan Khan’s arrest. As per their logic, as Shah Rukh Khan is (?) a superstar and is a Muslim, his son cannot be arrested.

The fact that courts have found the arrest legal, and allowed for custody does not matter. The fact that it is an ongoing investigation and a dozen others are also under investigation does not matter either. Just because he is Muslim and SRK’s son, he should not have been arrested, this is what they claim.

Hindus tweeting about FabIndia is ‘extremism’

While the Nihangs were casually chopping off people for alleged ‘blasphemy’, Muslims were pelting stones for disrespectful posts against Aurangzeb and in Bangladesh, Muslims were attacking and vandalising Hindu places of worship over a Facebook rumour, Hindus in India committed a major crime.

The fascists Hindus, blinded by their devotion to RSS and emboldened by the fascist Modi regime, unleashed brutal terror, on the internet, as per our ‘Liberals’. The Hindu terrorists were so blinded by hatred that they launched an online campaign against Urdu, the favourite language of Bollywood. Reading some tweets, you would think Hindu fanatics in India are out with swords and stones, pelting, cutting, wreaking havoc across cities. But no, the Hindus were tweeting.

A FabIndia ad that tried to call Diwali festivities as ‘Jash-e-Riwaaz’ had depicted morose, anorexic models sitting gloomily clad in Indian clothes, looking as if they are mourning. Hindus objected to it, pointing out that it is ‘Diwali’, not Jashn-e-Riwaz, and Diwali is about joy, food, frolic, brilliant rangolis, traditional clothes, happy faces, loud celebrations and lots of laughter, all of which was missing from the ad. Thus Hindus were branded, hateful bigots.

Since Hindus disliked the FabIndia ad, and some said they would not want to buy from a brand that doesn’t represent their culture well, they were indulging in acts of terrorism, as per ‘liberal’ journalists.

Here are some more examples of our ‘secular-liberal’ elites highlighting how the Hindus of India are spreading hatred and terrorism across the country.

Cartoon by Manjul
Ram Guha and Janta Ka Reporter on Hindus and Fabindia

Rana Ayyub peddled her article again with the example of the FabIndia controversy, asserting again that Hindus are hateful and fascist because they dislike FabIndia ad and tweet about it.

Rana Ayyub on FabIndia

It is notable here that for these so-called ‘liberals’, disliking an ad, tweeting about it, and announcing that they are not going to buy products from a particular brand is equal to ‘terrorism’, because it is done by Hindus.

These people live in the same country where lakhs of Islamists had marched calling for the public beheading of Kamlesh Tiwari, where Islamist mobs ran riots at Azad Maidan in Mumbai over Rohingya issue, where Islamists kill, behead, burn and loot over things as superficial and insignificant as Facebook posts.

They live in the same country where Nihangs chopped off a man into pieces while he was alive, and shot videos to boast about it. But Hindus are ‘terrorists’ because they tweeted about their dislike for brands misrepresenting Hindu festivals and giving them non-Hindu names.

This is the reality. A Hindu is painted as dangerous for merely sharing his/her opinion, expressing dislike for certain things in benign social media hashtags, while our elite ‘liberals’ ignore rampant violence and riots by real extremists.

Muslim man demands jobs for Muslims and Christians in institutions run by Hindu Temple money, files petition

OpIndia Staff
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Muslim man demands jobs for Muslims and Christians in institutions run by Hindu Temple money, files petition

A writ petition has been filed in the Madras High Court challenging the appointment of only Hindus to teaching as well as non-teaching posts at educational institutions run by the Department of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HRCE).

The HRCE is charged with the responsibility of the management and administration of Hindu Temples. As such, their primary source of revenue are the donations that are made to the Temple and other assets related to the management of Temples.

The petition is filed by one A. Suhail, a 37-year-old Indian Muslim candidate and an aspirant to the post of office assistant at the Arulmigu Kapaleeswarar Arts and Science College at Kolathur in Chennai. 

The petitioner has contended in his plea that “in the name of the word Hindu, the respondents cannot prohibit the other religious people from contesting.”

Suhail asserted that because of the norm that allows only Hindus to apply for the job, he could not participate in a walk-in-interview for the post of Office Assistant at the abovesaid college that was held on October 18, 2021. In his petition, Suhail argued that teaching and non-teaching posts had nothing to do with religious functions; everyone should be allowed to compete for them, irrespective of their religion.

Citing Article 16 of the Constitution, the petitioner said that the State cannot discriminate on the grounds of religion with respect to opportunities in public employment, adding that Article 16(5) permits the appointment of people professing faith in a particular religion only to offices connected to the affairs of a religious institution.

“Hence the condition imposed by the 3rd respondent that only the Hindus are eligible to be appointed to the above post is unconstitutional,” the plea said. 

The litigant said the reason behind appointing only Hindus to the posts in educational institutes run by HRCE is because the present government is criticised as anti-Hindu and in order to avoid such criticism, the respondents have decided to grant posts to Hindus only so that they can spread Hindutva ideology. 

‘Hindu’ is just a way of life so Muslims and Christians should not be stopped from getting Hindu-only jobs: Petitioner

In order to add ballast to contention, the petitioner cited the remarks made by the Supreme Court on what constitutes being a Hindu. He said the top court had said the word ‘Hindu’ does not denote any religion but a way of life. Pointing out this line of argument by the apex court, the litigant questioned on what basis the respondent authorities can decide the candidate as a Hindu.

Therefore, Suhail states that the HR & CE Department cannot prevent Indian Muslims or Christians or any others from applying and getting selected for various posts at the said college. 

He also states that religious institution as defined in section 6(18) of the HR& CE Act means only Math or Temples or specific endowment which include institutions maintained for a religious purpose.

Mr Suhail asked the court to quash the recruitment notification issued by the Kolathur college on October 13 calling only Hindu candidates to appear for a walk-in interview for the posts of assistant professor, physical director, librarian, assistant, junior assistant, office assistant, watchman, cleaner and sweeper on October 18. 

The petitioner further alleged that he could not approach the court before the conduct of the interview since the court was closed for Dussehra vacation. He was resolute on his stand to get the notification quashed and demanded that he be allowed to compete for the post of office assistant.

200 Hindu migrant families from Pakistan in Delhi’s Adarsh Nagar wait to get access to electricity: Read why they are being denied the same

रवि अग्रहरि
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200 Hindu migrant families from Pakistan in Delhi’s Adarsh Nagar wait to get access to electricity: Read why they are being denied the same

The Centre has Friday, opposed a petition seeking electricity connections for 200 Hindu migrant families from Pakistan, who are currently residing in North Delhi’s Adarsh Nagar. The central government told the Delhi HC that the camp built by these refugees at Delhi Jal Board Maidan is an illegal encroachment on defence land.

The court last month had issued a notice to the Delhi government and Centre on the petition seeking relief for the families who have migrated from Pakistan.

For years, the lives of 800 Pakistani Hindu immigrants residing in the Adarsh Nagar neighbourhood of North Delhi have been dismal. These families have been forced to live in the dark for many years. The reason is that these 200 families living in the slums do not have access to electricity.

For years, they had been living in deplorable conditions in Pakistan, with the sole aim of gaining Indian citizenship one day. They have been placing all of their hopes on the Modi administration. They don’t even want to return to Pakistan because life there is so much more difficult for them. In such a situation, one such Hindu migrant named Hariom filed a petition in the Delhi High Court seeking electricity connections for the 200 Pakistani Hindu migrant families currently residing in North Delhi’s Adarsh Nagar.

‘Migrants have illegally encroached on defence land”, Centre while opposing electricity connections to Pakistan Hindu migrant families living in Adarsh Nagar

The central government has, however, during the hearing today, opposed the petition seeking electricity connections.

These refugees, shackled by government laws, have been hoping for a bright Diwali since last month, however, their dreams shattered as the central govt in its reply to the Delhi HC stated that these migrants have illegally encroached on defence land, hence they could not be provided with electricity.

The Centre told the court that the 70.253-acre plot of land was transferred to the Defence Research and Development Organisation in August 2018 and that it has been following up with the district administration and police on the elimination of “unauthorised occupation/encroachment” on defence territory. According to the Centre, the Ministry of Defence has also taken up the matter of disconnecting the “unauthorised inhabitants'” electricity and water supply with the Delhi Jal Board and North Delhi Power Limited.

The petitioner, meanwhile, claimed that the migrants had also approached Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL), the concerned power distribution company. The petitioner further stated that despite the fact that the migrants showed their Visas/Aadhar Cards to TPDDL, their application was denied on the grounds that while the Aadhar card can be used as proof of identity, it cannot be used as proof of occupancy.

The Delhi High Court had, last month, listed the matter for further hearing on October 22, 2021. Today also there appeared to be no definite decision coming out of the hearing. The Central government’s response has dashed the hopes of these migrants who hoped to get Indian citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Similar situation prevailing in Majnu Ka Tila and Signature Bridge in North Delhi

However, the Hindu immigrants residing in the Adarsh Nagar are not the only ones suffering. Even in the camp near Majnu Ka Tila and Signature Bridge in North Delhi, where Hindu refugees from Pakistan live, the lives of these Hindu refugees have come to a stand still due to lack of electricity and proper toilet facilities.

“We’ve been trying for electricity for the last seven years,” Dharamveer, the head of Majnu Ka Tila Camp, told OpIndia. “Snakes and scorpions keep pouring out every day.” What should we do if life is in danger here and there (Pakistan)? If we receive electricity, we’ll work hard to pay the bill.

Let us remind you that Majnu Ka Tila Camp, on the banks of the Yamuna, is also on Central Government territory and that these refugees have been waiting for rehabilitation for the past seven years.

Hari Om, a petitioner who works for the welfare of minority refugees’ in India from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, informed the media about the Adarsh Nagar camp that the migrants are from Pakistan, predominantly from Sindh.

These immigrants came to India from Pakistan as a result of religious persecution by Pakistan’s majority Muslims. They hope that emigrating to India will provide a bright and safe future for their children, yet without electricity in the slum, their current existence is devastated.

According to reports in the media, the petition submitted by advocates Samiksha Mittal, Akash Bajpai, and Ayush Saxena stated that during the pandemic, when all schools have switched to online mode, the children of these Hindu migrants are suffering due to lack power in the slums.

The petition filed by Hariom further added that the majority of the migrants have long-term visas and Aadhaar cards. The power company has, however, argued that while Aadhaar can be used as confirmation of identity, it cannot be used as proof of occupation of the premises.

According to the petition filed last month, the electrical company has refused to grant them connections due to a lack of legitimate ownership proof of the applied address.

The petitioner had requested that the court order his clients to offer electricity connections based on the Aadhaar card and visa.

Catholic college students in Minnesota organise ‘sex competitions’ to see who can have sex with most women, investigation ordered after outrage

OpIndia Staff
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Catholic college students in Minnesota organise ‘sex competitions’ to see who can have sex with most women, investigation ordered after outrage

Students of a Roman Catholic college in Minnesota in the US have been embroiled in a controversy after they were caught organising ‘sex competitions’ on the campuses. According to sources, a group of students from St. John’s University, an all-male university, launched a competition to see who could lure the maximum number of female students from their sister school, the College of St. Benedict, an all-female college, and have most sexual encounters with them. The competition was organised by students living in Saint Patrick Hall of St. John’s University.

On the condition of anonymity, two people familiar with the matter spoke to the student publication The Record. They confirmed that the students were running the competition through a group chat. It began with them sharing the names of all the Benedict girl students the boys were expected to seduce.

Male students of Minnesota college were assigned point values for different sex acts

Though the other rules of the competition remains a secret, reports have it that the male students were assigned point values for having sex with the maximum number of females and for different sex acts. It is, however, not known as to how many students have participated or exactly how it has evolved since the idea was conceptualised and implemented.

The incident drew widespread outrage when it was originally reported in September, prompting the universities to initiate an investigation.

The catholic college spokeswoman Katie Alvino could not disclose the nature of the allegations or whether they involved criminal acts or sexual assault due to the ongoing investigation in the case, but confirmed that the schools were taking the matter very seriously.

“We will not tolerate sexual misconduct in any form,” she told DailyMail. “We are utilizing trained, impartial, third-party investigators to determine the responsible parties. We are committed to creating and maintaining an environment in which all members of the community respect the rights and human dignity of all”, added Alvino.

As per media reports, the St. John’s administration in Minnesota sent an email to students last week informing them of the investigation and inviting anyone with knowledge of the competition to contact them. To address the charges, the college also organised residence hall meetings for residents of the St. John’s dorm at the centre of the allegations to discuss the issue.

‘Harmful behaviour by male students has historically been swept under the rug’, female students demands action against the male students

Meanwhile, hundreds of students attended an outdoor demonstration and sit-in organized by the College of St. Benedict’s Institute for Women’s Leadership to protest against the alleged competition.

Emily Berg Paup, a communication and gender studies professor at the colleges, called the allegations “disturbing.” She attended the event and praised the students for uniting together to condemn the purported competition.

“It’s obviously indicative of … a broader cultural problem,” she said, adding: “This is an issue on college campuses all around the country, all around the world.”

Recollecting how the college, in the past, has overlooked such outrageous behaviour of male students, Olayinka Fadahunsi, a St. Benedict junior studying global business leadership, said she hopes the colleges will hold the St. John’s students accountable for their actions. Harmful behaviour by male students has historically been swept under the rug,” she said.

Actor Alec Baldwin kills crew member during movie shoot in suspected accident, old tweet about wrongfully killing someone goes viral

OpIndia Staff
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Actor Alec Baldwin kills crew member during movie shoot in suspected accident, old tweet about wrongfully killing someone goes viral

On Thursday, actor Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun and killed the Director of Photography (DoP) Halyna Hutchins of his upcoming film ‘Rust.’ Besides the DoP, the film’s director Joel Souza was also injured. The shooting is suspected to be an accident.

The incident took place at Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe County in New Mexico during the shoot of the film. A probe has been initiated into the matter and no charges have been filed against the actor so far. As per reports, Souza is currently undergoing emergency care at the Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center. Halyna Hutchins was taken to the University of New Mexico Hospital but she succumbed to her injuries.

In the aftermath of the shooting, an old tweet of his has gone viral on social media.

In a tweet on September 22, 2017, Alec Baldwin wrote, “I wonder how it must feel to wrongfully kill someone.” His tweet came at the backdrop of a case in Southern California wherein a Huntington Beach police officer police officer shot dead a young man in front of a 7-Eleven store. His four-year old tweet resurfaced on social media after the news of accidental killing of Hutchins came to light.

Screengrab of the tweet by Alec Baldwin

“A 13 year-old boy, left to fend for himself and his younger brother following the death of their parents in 1880’s Kansas, goes on the run with his long estranged grandfather after he’s sentenced to hang for the accidental killing of a local rancher,” reads the synopsis of the movie ‘Rust.’ In fact, the upcoming film of Baldwin is also based on accidental killing.

Following the incident, Rust Movie Productions LLC stated, “The entire cast and crew has been absolutely devastated by today’s tragedy, and we send our deepest condolences to Halyna’s family and loved ones. We have halted production on the film for an undetermined period of time and are fully cooperating with the Santa Fe Police Department’s investigation. We will be providing counseling services to everyone connected to the film as we work to process this awful event.”

Halyna Hutchins hailed from Ukraine and was dubbed as the ‘rising star’ in 2019 by the American Cinematographer magazine. Prior to ‘rust’, she worked as the DoP for the 2020 action film ‘Archenemy’. Alec Baldwin, the co-producer of ‘Rust’ is a renowned actor who has featured in several shows and movies since 1980s. He had portrayed the role of Donald Trump for a sketch on Saturday Night Live show and was praised by the entertainment industry. An Emmy award-winning actor, Baldwin is hailed for his role of Jack Donaghy in the sitcom ’30 Rock (2006-2013).’

Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, father of Umar Khalid, met Akhilesh Yadav, told him he is hatching a conspiracy to help SP: What Yogi Adityanath said

OpIndia Staff
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Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, father of Umar Khalid, met Akhilesh Yadav, told him he is hatching a conspiracy to help SP: What Yogi Adityanath said

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday revealed that Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, father of Delhi riots accused Umar Khalid, was hatching a conspiracy in favour of the Samajwadi Party (SP) led by Akhilesh Yadav.

“Father of this man came to meet Samajwadi Party president and he assured him not to worry as he is hatching a conspiracy for SP,” Yogi Adityanath said. This meeting took place on October 2. Rasool Ilyas is the national president of the Welfare Party of India and his party has announced support to Samajwadi Party in upcoming assembly election scheduled in 2022.

Yogi Adityanath said this while addressing Samajik Pratinidhi Sammelan of the BJP where he referred to the recent meeting of Akhilesh Yadav with Rasool Ilyas. He claimed that during the meeting, the father of Umar Khalid assured Akhilesh Yadav that he was hatching a conspiracy in favour of his party.

“Opposition can go to any extent. You must have seen who recently came to meet the Samajwadi Party president. It was the father of Umar Khalid who says Bharat tere tukde honge,” Yogi Adityanath charged the SP for crossing all limits.

JNU student Umar Khalid was arrested in September last year for allegedly instigating anti-Hindu riots in northeast Delhi in February last year. Riots caused a heavy loss of life and properties. Umar Khalid was booked by Delhi Police under provisions of the stringent anti-terror Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for his crime. Yogi Adityanath asked: “what do you expect if these people come (to power)?”

Yogi Adityanath has won laurels for robust and effective management to control Covid 19 and subsequent vaccination drive despite a vicious campaign to defame him.

But had the pandemic in Uttar Pradesh taken place in Congress, SP and Bahujan Samaj Party, the situation could have been different, said Yogi Adityanath. But had the pandemic in Uttar Pradesh taken place in Congress, SP and Bahujan Samaj Party, the situation could have been different, said Yogi Adityanath.   

“Just imagine what would have happened had this pandemic come during a Congress government. The brother and sister would have fled to Italy,” Yogi Adityanath took a jibe at Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

“Had pandemic taken place during the regime of the SP, there would have been a who should grab how much race between the uncle (Shivpal Singh Yadav) and nephew (Akhilesh Yadav) without caring for the poor and how to give contracts to the mafia,” Yogi Adityanath said. And had it taken during the regime of “Behenji Mayawati toh bhagwan hi malik hota (God knows what would’ve happened under Mayawali),” he said.

Yogi Adityanath alleged previous Congress, SP or BSP governments destroyed the social fabric of Uttar Pradesh and set the state on the fire of riots. He alleged instead of standing by the poor these parties for their self-interest had mortgaged Uttar Pradesh to mafias and criminals. But the situation changed after the BJP came to power.

Yogi Adityanath said that people have the rights to feel proud of their caste but they should give preference to nationalism.

He recalled atrocities that Mulayam Singh Yadav had unleashed upon Hindus during Ram Janmabhumi agitation where hundreds of Ram Bhakta were shot dead by police in Ayodhya on November 2, 1990.

“They were Ramdrohi who had ordered fire on them for the vote bank. No one had dared to open fire on them had there been a BJP government in Uttar Pradesh,” Yogi Adityanath said. He asked people to discard the SP stating: “Jo Ram ka nahin wah hamare kisi kaam ka nahin.”

Iqbal Hossain was given the Quran by mosque caretakers, arrested for triggering mob violence against Hindus in Bangladesh

OpIndia Staff
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Iqbal Hossain was given the Quran by mosque caretakers, arrested for triggering mob violence against Hindus in Bangladesh

A day after the police investigation revealed that a Muslim man named Iqbal Hossain had deliberately placed a copy of the Quran at a Durga Puja pandal in Bangladesh, new CCTV footage showed the culprit meeting a caretaker of the local Dargabari Mazar, reported Dhaka Tribune.

Hossain had collected a copy of the Quran from the local shrine and placed it at the feet of a Hanuman idol at a Durga mandap, creating a situation that later became a Facebook post and used as an excuse by Muslims to attack and burn Hindu places of worship.

Dhaka Tribune reported that the two caretakers were identified as Hafez Humayun and Faisal by the chief custodian Ahmedunnabi Mashuk. Following the meeting of the duo with Iqbal Hossain at 11 pm on October 12, caretaker Hafez Humayun left a copy of the Quran for the culprit in a closet in the adjoining mosque.

Later, Iqbal Hossain was seen collecting the ‘Holy Book’ at about 2:12 from the masjid on the night of October 13. The culprit then went to the Nanuardighi Durga Puja mandap and committed the deliberate act of ‘blasphemy’ to implicate the Hindu community.

Two caretakers met Iqbal Hossain, left a copy of the Quran in the nearby mosque, image via Dhaka Tribune

A video of CCTV footage shared by journalist Pooja Mehta on October 21 showed Iqbal leaving the masjid with a copy of the Quran. She wrote, “CCTV footage shows one Iqbal Hossain has been identified as the main suspect – placing the Holy Quran at the Durga puja mandap in Comilla leading to violence, says Bangladesh Police. He continues to remain at large.”

35-years-old Iqbal Hossain, son of Nur Ahmed Alam from Sujanagar area of Comilla, had placed the Quran at a Durga Puja mandap at Nanua Dighir Par in Comilla on October 13th, which had triggered a series of communal violence against minority Hindus in the country. The police identified Iqbal after analysing video footage at the puja venue, informed Comilla Superintendent of Police (SP) Farooq Ahmed. 

Iqbal Hossain is a drifter by profession, and it is unknown whether he has any involvement with any political party. Cumilla SP Faruk Ahmed said more details will be revealed in a press briefing on Thursday.

Arrest of Iqbal Hossain

On Thursday (October 21) night, the Cox’s Bazar police arrested the accused Iqbal Hossain at around 11 pm. The development was confirmed by the additional DIG (Crime and Operations) of Chattogram Range Zakir Hossain Khan to the Daily Star. Hossain was handed over to the Cumilla police for further probe in the matter.

After analysing the CCTV footage, it was also found that the accused incited people to commit violence in the morning and gave hate speeches against Hindus. Faruk Ahmed, SP (Cumilla district), added that 12 CCTV footage has been collected, 10 of which showed Iqbal walking with the copy of the Quran between 2:10 and 3:10 am.

Earlier, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal had informed said authorities had identified the person behind the Comilla incident. “I hope the prime suspect in the Comilla incident will be arrested soon. He has been changing locations frequently to avoid getting caught. We’ll be able to unfold the Comilla incident once he’s arrested,” the minister had said.

What happened in Bangladesh?

The attacks happened over the alleged incident of ‘sacrilege’ at a Puja Pandal. However, Police found that the man who triggered communal violence against Hindus by placing Quran at the Durga Puja venue was Iqbal Hossain, a Muslim.

The Hindu community had insisted vehemently that nobody among them had placed the Quran at the Puja Pandal and the incident has been a deliberate plan to attack the Hindu community.

For over five days, houses and temples of the Hindu community in Bangladesh have been under the attack of radical Islamists. It started on October 12 when multiple incidents of idol vandalism took place ahead of Puja. On Sunday, Islamic extremists vandalized the Durga idol of Sri Shamshaneshwar Shiva Vigraha Mandir in the Firingibazar area in Chittagong, Bangladesh.

On October 14, it was reported that several other Puja pandals were vandalized. Videos of broken idols, demolished pandals and Moorti of Maa Durga being thrown in a pond emerged on social media platforms along with other videos of attacks on Hindus.

On October 16, the ISKCON temple was attacked by a 400-500 strong Muslim mob. On October 17 and October 18, the attacks continued, and houses of Hindus were vandalized. Many were reported injured, and some reported dead after the attacks.

PM Modi congratulates India for achieving the milestone of 100 crore vaccine doses, encourages citizens to go local this festive season

OpIndia Staff
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PM Modi congratulates India for achieving the milestone of 100 crore vaccine doses, encourages citizens to go local this festive season

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address to the nation on Friday, congratulated the country for administering 100 crore doses of the Covid-19 vaccine and taking another step forward in defeating the pandemic. 

“India successfully crossed the bridge of ‘anxiety to assurance’ by administering 1 billion vaccine doses on 21st October to 130 crore Indians who have been behind this success,” said PM Modi at the beginning of his address. 

Talking about the speed at which the 100 crore doses were administered, PM Modi said that the country managed to sidestep the VIP culture and ensured the vaccine reaches everyone in the urban and rural areas of the country.

‘We adopted a completely scientific approach’

The Prime Minister further shared that India had adopted a completely scientific approach to combat the pandemic. 

“Science and scientific approach has been the building blocks to develop our vaccine and overcome all the shortcomings in the past 1.5 years to deal with this pandemic. It is a matter of pride for all of us that the entire vaccination program of India has been ‘science born’, ‘science driven’ and ‘science based’,” said Modi. 

He also said that immense planning went into calculating which state needs how many vaccine doses and how to take vaccine doses to the hinterlands of India. 

‘Go Vocal for Local’

Highlighting the government of India’s initiatives such as PM Gati Shakti to boost India’s economic growth, PM Modi said, “Today, not only record investments are coming in, but new employment opportunities are also being created for the youth.”

As we are in the middle of the festive season, PM Modi said, “There was a time when there was a fad of ‘Made in this country’, ‘Made in that country,’ but today we need to encourage ‘Made in India.” 

“We not only have to support ‘Vocal for Local’ but instead imbibe it in our attitude when we step out this festive season to buy goods for our near and dear ones. Today, every single citizen of India realizes that the power of Made-In-India is immense,” he said further. 

“Let us ensure that we buy every little thing, which is Made in India, which an Indian sweats hard to make,” PM Modi added. 

Concluding his speech, the Prime Minister urged the citizens to remain vigilant and not drop guards as the battle against the pandemic is still not over. 

“India’s vaccine campaign is a living example of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas aur Sabka Prayas’. Only because of this mantra we are also set on a path of unprecedented economic progress and many milestones to achieve,” said Narendra Modi. 

Is NCB really doing a hit-job against ‘Muslim superstar’ son Aryan Khan and Bollywood celebrities? Here is the truth

OpIndia Staff
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Is NCB really doing a hit-job against ‘Muslim superstar’ son Aryan Khan and Bollywood celebrities? Here is the truth

Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan’s arrest in connection to a drug case has rattled not just the Bollywood industry but even the political cartel (and some alleged journalists too). Collectively, the establishment has come to defend Aryan Khan and even cast aspersions on the NCB.

Bloomberg Quint’s Priya Ramani is rewatching ‘My Name is Khan’ in 2021 because, “As India’s most popular Muslim (with 3.5 billion global followers according to one estimate) battles to save his son Aryan in what increasingly seems like a vendetta, it’s clear why Khan’s ability to make Indians believe in the power of love might be perceived as a threat in present-day India,” says Ramani.

Several ‘notable journalists’ have claimed that this is targeted harassment of a ‘Muslim superstar’. But is that the case? Let’s look at why Khan has been refused bail by the special court. 

Aryan Khan denied bail

Kartikeya Tanna, a lawyer, in his recent Twitter post said, “More I dwell into this case, more I realize that NCB may not be keen to pursue a case against Aryan Khan. Then why does it still want his custody? Because he can lead NCB to the real prize – the supplier network. Oddly, Aryan Khan doesn’t wish to disclose those names. Why?”

He also shared a nugget from the court order which read, “As argued by learned ASG though no criminal antecedents are there, from Whatsapp chats of applicant no. 1it is reflected that he was indulging in illicit drug activities.”

“Respondent claimed that accused no. 1 is in touch with foreign national and other drug dealers who appears to be part of an international drug network and investigation in this regard is going on and the respondent is tracing out the criminal antecedents of said persons,” read the order further.

Court order. Image Source: Twitter

“During interrogation applicant/accused no. 1 did not disclose names of said persons. Accused no. 1 is the only person who could disclose the details of said persons which are in the exclusive knowledge of accused no 1. In such circumstances if applicant/accused no. 1 is released on bail there are every chance of tampering with evidence as argued by Ld. ASG,” it concluded. 

Judge Patil in the order denying bail to Khan also wrote, “It appears that there is a case of conspiracy and abetment as alleged by the prosecution.” 

Is NCB after Bollywood?

Right after Sushant Singh Rajput’s mysterious death, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has summoned multiple Bollywood celebrities in connection with possession or consumption of drugs since last year. 

It all started with the arrest of Rajput’s rumoured girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty. Since then, the left ecosystem calling it the centre’s hit-job against Bollywood has flooded several media and social media platforms painting the ones caught in connection to drug cases as innocents. 

However, in January this year, the NCB had busted a drug factory in South Mumbai, allegedly owned by gangster Dawood Ibrahim’s aide Chinku Pathan. 

The agency had recovered drugs worth crores, cash, and firearms reserves from the factory located in Dongri, which was once the strongholds of Dawood, and his associates. 

Gangster and henchman of Dawood Ibrahim, Chinku Pathan arrested

The NCB, in the raid, had also nabbed Parvez Khan alias Chinku Pathan, a henchman of fugitive Underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. 

Khan who is also a relative of late Karim Lala- a mafia don active in Mumbai in the early 80s, was picked up by a team of NCB sleuths led by Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede from his hideout. 

Reportedly, Khan also has links with some drug peddlers, who were arrested by the NCB for Mephedrone (MD) trade earlier. 

Gangster arrested after 1200 km chase 

In April this year, the NCB had arrested another gangster and drug kingpin who was allegedly involved in running a drug laboratory behind a vegetable van for Dawood’s aide Chinku Pathan in Mumbai.

A team led by zonal director Sameer Wankhede arrested Danish Chikna from Rajasthan with the help of the local police of Rajasthan after a chase of 1200km. 

Danish Merchant aka Danish Chikna, is the son of Dawood Ibrahim’s former aide Yusuf Chikna and was wanted in two cases by NCB. 

Apart from dealing and supplying Mephedrone, Chikna was also involved in supplying Codeine to street children and addicts across Mumbai through his operators. 

Drug supplier suspected to have links with Sushant Rajput case arrested

The NCB in June this year had arrested Haris Khan (25), known to be working for Dawood Ibrahim’s aide Chinku Pathan. 

He was a supplier who ran his network in areas close to Bandra Reclamation and was suspected to have links with Sushant Singh Rajput’s murder case. 

Khan supposedly a fan of Dawood, had his social media page full of images with him posing like the dreaded gangster. Cops also found pictures of illegal weapons and drugs on his phone.

Haris Kahn’s social media profile. Image Source: India Today

Haris too was arrested by a team of NCB led by Sameer Wankhede who raided the Bandra Reclamation-based tower where Haris resided with his family.

“Haris has a network of drug peddlers working for him and he is closely associated to Chinku Pathan, a drug lord, who had been neutralised by NCB some time ago. A lot of young people are suspected to be in the clientele of Khan,” said Wankhede after the arrest of Haris. 

Dawood Ibrahim’s brother Iqbal Kaskar arrested 

In the latter half of June, the NCB had arrested Dawood Ibrahim’s brother Iqbal Kaskar in a drug case after conducting raids at various locations in suburban Andheri, Lokhandwala and Bandra. 

Sonu Pathan arrested

Mohammed Khan alias Sonu Pathan, alleged to be an important member of the network of Dawood Ibrahim aide Chinku Pathan was arrested by the NCB in July. 

Another member of a gang run by Dawood Ibrahim’s aide Chinku Pathan arrested

The NCB in September had arrested Mohammad Arif Hingora, a drug peddler and a member of a gang run by Dawood Ibrahim’s aide Chinku Pathan in South Mumbai. 

As per the report, Mohammad Arif had made connections with African gangs in Mumbai after his regular drugs supply chain was hit after the arrest of Pathan.

NCP goes after Sameer Wankhede

As the NCB is tightening its noose around the drug cartel in Mumbai, several high-profile individuals have objected to the central agency’s operations. 

While threatening and taking personal digs at NCB’s Sameer Wankhede, NCP leader and Maharashtra Minority Affairs and Skill Development Minister Nawab Malik alleged that the raid was conducted on the luxury cruise liner on October 2 was ‘fake’ and that the department found no drugs during the raid. 

Malik claimed that BJP has misused the central agency to frame Aryan Khan. He had also asserted that a BJP person was accompanying the NCB team during the raid. Nawab Malik had levelled these allegations on Wednesday, October 6.

It may be recalled that the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had on July 10, submitted a 1,000-page charge sheet against Nawab Malik’s son-in-law Sameer Khan for procuring, purchasing, transporting, and distributing drugs. 

Sameer Khan was arrested for possession of drugs on January 13th this year.

Police arrests Dawood’s aides in extortion case

While the NCB is relentlessly cracking the drug nexus, the police on the other hand are making arrests in cases related to extortion and money laundering. 

The Thane police investigating the extortion case against former Thane and Mumbai commissioner Param Bir Singh, arrested one Tariq Parveen in September, who is reportedly a close aide of underworld fugitive gangster Dawood. 

On October 17, Mumbai Police’s Crime Branch also informed that it is on a hunt for Dawood’s another aide Riyaz Bhati who has been named in the FIR against former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh in an extortion case. 

As per a 2020 report, an aide of Dawood had allegedly dialled up now in hiding Maharashtra’s former Home Minister and NCP leader Anil Deshmukh after making calls to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

Meanwhile, Aryan Khan will continue to remain in custody till October 30 for further interrogation. 

With the history of NCB cracking down on the drug nexus, it becomes evident that the agency is not after Bollywood per se. In fact, it would seem that they are not even after Aryan Khan, however, they want to ensure that the international cartel peddling drugs in India are nabbed. Aryan Khan too, was denied bail because he refused to reveal the names of the foreign drug peddlers that he may be in touch with or have knowledge of. Any insinuation about the NCB “framing” Aryan Khan seems motivated, to say the least.

Singhu border murder: Accused Nihang had taken victim Lakhbir to protest site, Punjab govt forms SIT

OpIndia Staff
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Singhu border murder: Accused Nihang had taken victim Lakhbir to protest site, Punjab govt forms SIT

Last week, a group of Nihangs had brutally lynched a poor labourer named Lakhbir Singh to death. Lakhbir was brutally hacked with sharp weapons, beaten up, and one of his hands was chopped off. The Nihangs had posed with their weapons and had tortured Lakhbir while he begged for help.

Lakhbir was then tied up to a metal barricade and his chopped hand was tied beside him. His body was found early morning on October 15.

As per a report in Indian Express, the police investigation has revealed that Lakhbir, a poor labourer and allegedly an addict, was probably taken to the Singhu border protest site by a Nihang leader named Sarbjit Singh.

Sarbjit Singh was the first Nihang to be arrested by the police in the case. He was seen in the video footage of Lakhbir’s murder.

The Indian Express report stated that Sarbjit frequently visited Lakhbir’s village Cheema Kalan in Punjab Tarn Taran district. IE has quoted a top police official in Punjab as saying that Lakhbir was regularly in touch with Sarbjit Singh and it is possible that he was taken to the Singhu border protest site by Sarbjit Singh himself.

Sarbjit Singh was the first Nihang leader to be arrested by police after Lakhbir’s murder. He hails from Gurdaspur and had been ‘baptised’ as a Nihang in Hazoor Saheb at Nanded in 2017. Sarbjit had become a Nihang soon after his divorce in 2017, as per the report.

Punjab govt forms SIT

Though the murder case is under the Haryana Police, the Punjab government has formed an SIT to probe the claims of Lakhbir Singh being taken to the Singhu border. Many ‘farmer leaders’ had hinted at a conspiracy behind the alleged ‘blasphemy’ incident, claiming that Lakhbir may have been deliberately brought to the Singhu border.

Lakhbir Singh’s family had lodged a complaint, saying that he was ‘incapable’ of going to the Singhu border protest site from Punjab on his own, and he was taken there by some unknown people. The SIT will work under ADGP Varinder Kumar.

Soon after Lakhbir Singh’s murder, claims had surfaced that he was brought to the protest site with a promise of Rs 30,000. The Nihangs who had killed Lakhbir were seen in viral videos torturing a heavily bleeding and barely conscious Lakhbir, asking him whether he was paid.

It is notable here that a group of Nihangs had brutally lynched Lakhbir Singh over the allegations of ‘blasphemy’, for allegedly ‘disrespecting’ the Sikh holy book. Lakhbir was a poor Dalit man who worked as a labourer.

In another development, there are many allegations and counter-allegations floating among Nihang leaders about who is a ‘real’ Nihang and who is ‘fake’. Some reports have claimed that one Nihang leader named Baba Aman Singh had once met Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar.

Baba Aman Singh has now claimed that he was offered money to end the farmer protests. In a photograph, the Nihang leader is seen along with over a dozen people, meeting the minister. Aman Singh has also stated that the Nihangs are ‘fighting a religious war’ and demand justice for ‘blasphemy’ incidents. They are not sitting on Dharna for farmers, he added.

Aman Singh has also stated that on October 27, the Sangat will convene a meeting and then will decide whether to continue protests at the Singhu border or not.

Meanwhile, rather than the open barbarism and violence displayed by the Nihangs, the Punjab government seems more concerned with the internal politics of Nihang groups. Home Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhwa has reportedly spoken with Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh and has asked him to discuss with various Nihang leaders about real and fake Nihangs, including the claims over Baba Aman Singh.

4 Nihangs arrested so far

In the last week since Lakhbir Singh’s brutal murder, 4 Nihag Sikhs, namely Sarbjit Singh, Narain Singh, Bhagwant Singh and Govind Singh have been arrested over the incident. The murder accused, who were seen hailing and boasting over the helpless victim’s ravaged body, were cheered and adorned with garlands by the Sikh Nihangs while the police took them into custody.

Recently, the Nihangs had also declared that if the police arrests any more people, they will forcefully free the arrested persons. The Nihangs had also declared that they will continue killing over allegations of disrespect to their holy book.

It is notable here that victim Lakhbir Singh’s family had stated that he was a deeply religious person and it is totally unlikely that he would ever ‘disrespect’ the Guru Granth Sahib. They had stated that he was in touch with some unknown person and might have been taken to the protest site with the promise of money for doing labourer work.

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