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‘Hindus burned their own houses’: Bangladeshi media outlet tries to whitewash Rangpur violence by Islamists

OpIndia Staff
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‘Hindus burned their own houses’: Bangladeshi media outlet tries to whitewash Rangpur violence by Islamists

On October 18, Bangladeshi news media outlet Basherkella shared a video of a burning Hindu temple and accused Hindus of burning their own houses amidst violent attacks by Islamists against the minority population in several districts.

In the tweet, Basherkella wrote, “Some #Hindu of Pirganj Upazila of Rangpur ignite their own houses to malign about the non-sectarian image of #Bangladesh: locals say.” Notably, they tagged CJ Werleman, one of the most notorious anti-India and anti-Hindu fake news peddlers.

Bangladeshi media outlet Basherkella accused Hindus of burning their own houses. Source: Twitter

Rangpur violence

The radical Islamists in Bangladesh have continued their violence against the minority Hindu community for 5 days straight. In a fresh attack on Sunday (October 17), they carried out arson at a village and burnt 20 Hindu homes in Pirganj Upazila in the Rangpur Division of Bangladesh.

As per reports, Muslims in Jelepolli in Majipara had alleged that a Hindu man had posted ‘content dishonouring religion’ on Facebook. The frenzied mob of radical Islamists targeted three villages namely, Majhipara, Bottola and Hatibandha villages in Pirganj Upazila.

Attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh

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. The Durga idol of Sri Shamshaneshwar Shiva Vigraha Mandir was vandalized by Islamic extremists in the Firingibazar area in Chittagong, Bangladesh, on Sunday.

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.

South Africa Hindu Maha Sabha condemns the unprovoked attacks on ISKCON temple and other Hindu temples in Bangladesh

OpIndia Staff
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South Africa Hindu Maha Sabha condemns the unprovoked attacks on ISKCON temple and other Hindu temples in Bangladesh

The South African Hindu Maha Sabha, the country’s national Hindu body, has issued a statement strongly condemning the attack on the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) temple in Bangladesh’s Noakhali district, Chittagong Division. On Friday (October 15), a frenzied mob of radical Islamists attacked the Bangladesh unit of the temple which left one Hindu monk killed.

ISKCON has shared the statement on its official Twitter handle.

Slamming the perpetrators who carried out the unprovoked violence and attacks on the ISKCON and the other Hindu temples in Bangladesh, amidst the ongoing violence against the Hindu community in various parts of the country, the organisation said the attack “resulted in the senseless loss of life, aside from the shameful damage and horror caused to the devotees.”

Religious intolerance and hate crimes are poisons that are suffocating societal harmony and sinking deeper holes in a divided society, said the South African Hindu Maha Sabha.

The organisation has asked the Bangladesh government to assure the victims’ safety and well-being, as well as their right to freedom of religion.

The full statement by South African Hindu Maha Sabha can be read below:

The Sannyasa Spiritual Council of South Africa is a national institution of Hindu Monastics that not only upholds the peaceful and universal teachings of Hindu Dharma but importantly promotes peace and tolerance between multifaith communities, working tirelessly towards social cohesion and harmony between diverse communities, encouraging mutual co-operation, understanding and respect.

It is with this mandate that we strongly condemn the unprovoked violence and attacks on the ISKCON Temple in Noakhali and other Hindu Shrines in various areas in Bangladesh during the sacred Navaratri Prayers, which resulted in the senseless loss of life, aside from the shameful damage and horror caused to the devotees.

Religious intolerance and hate crimes are a poison that is killing social harmony and digging deeper trenches in a world that is divided. As leaders, we need to take a firm stand and commit to working toward a more peaceful and united civilization. We must respect human rights, human dignity, religious freedom and diversity, and cultivate respect, tolerance and mutual understanding.

We, therefore, stand in solidarity with all those who were affected by the attacks and call upon the Bangladesh Government to take swift action and implement the appropriate justice upon the perpetrators of these crimes. We further request the Bangladesh Government to ensure the protection and well-being of the victims as well as safeguarding their right to freedom of worship.

Islamist mob attack unleash terror on the Hindu community attack ISKCON temple in Bangladesh

On Friday (October 15), a frenzied mob of radical Islamists attacked the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) temple in the Noakhali district in the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh. The dastardly attack comes days after radical Islamists vandalised Durga Puja pandals under the pretext of blasphemy.

In a tweet, the official handle of ISKCON wrote, “ISKCON temple & devotees were violently attacked today by a mob in Noakhali, Bangladesh. Temple suffered significant damage & the condition of a devotee remains critical. We call on the Govt of Bangladesh to ensure the safety of all Hindus & bring the perpetrators to justice.”

A day after the attack, Radharaman Das, ISKCON spokesperson in Kolkata, condemned the attack on the ISKCON temple in Bangladesh and requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to meet with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to break the cycle of violence.

“Cycle of violence in Bangladesh in past few days hasn’t stopped. There was dance of death inside ISKCON temple on Friday. ISKCON will continue to protest outside Bangladesh High Commissions across the world until the guilty are punished”, Radharaman Das said.

According to reports, ISKCON Kolkata has been protesting the dastardly attack in Bangladesh by singing ‘bhajan’ outside Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata, demanding speedy action against the perpetrators and the safety of the devotees.

Murder by Nihangs at Singhu border: Dalit organizations approach National Commission for Scheduled Castes, demand probe

OpIndia Staff
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Murder by Nihangs at Singhu border: Dalit organizations approach National Commission for Scheduled Castes, demand probe

Over 21 Dalit organizations from across the country have approached the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and sought an extensive probe into the murder of a Dalit Sikh man at the Singhu border by Nihang Sikhs.

On the other hand, to save themselves from embarrassment, Sikh religious bodies have tried to tone down the Dalit atrocity narrative in the case, claiming Nihangs have a notable number of Dalits among them and it is not a caste issue.

In fact, Akal Takht and Shiromani Gurudwara, the two highest Sikh bodies, have alleged that the whole incident was part of a ‘conspiracy’.

Bhartiya Baudh Sangh, Rashtriya Bhantu Sansi Samaj Vikas Sangh, Shri Guru Ravidas Vishwa Mahapeeth (Delhi Province), Jai Baba Rama Peer Janmotsav Committee, National Scheduled Caste Alliance, Delhi Prantiya Raigar Panchayat, Valmiki Mahapanchayat, Shri Sant Kabir Janmotsav Committee, Akhil Bhartiya Bairwa Vikas Sangh, SC/ST/OBC & Minority Employees Welfare Association, Jangpura Bhogal SC/ST Resident Welfare Association and several others from Punjab, UP, Delhi and other states are among the organizations who have approached the NCSC.

As per the report published in Economic Times, the organizations have asked for a time-bound investigation into the matter. Furthermore, they have asked for punishment for all those who are involved in the murder of the Dalit Sikh at farmer protests’ site.

Vijay Sampla, chairperson, NCSC, condemned sacrilege or disrespect of the text and said it is a severe offence among Sikhs, but “no one has the right to take the law into his hands”. He added, “We’ve already sent a notice to DGP Haryana and the chief secretary to take strict action on it and asked for a return report via fax.”

Sikh leaders claim it is not a Dalit atrocity issue

Dr Gurmeet Singh Sidhu, professor-in-charge, Guru Gobind Singh Chair, at Punjabi University, Patiala, was quoted by ET in the case. He claimed that the killing of Lakhbir Singh had been wrongly portrayed as Dalit vs Sikh incident. Blaming BJP and Akalis for making it a Dalit-Sikh issue, he said, “This is not a Dalit issue, but it is being made out to be one by some political parties such as BJP and Akalis that have tied up with the BJP.

Sacrilege assumes higher importance in Sikhism because the Guru Granth Sahib is not just a book, but a living guru.” He further added, “There is a reason why Punjab has the highest proportion of Dalit population because the religion makes a sincere effort to take everyone along. Even the attackers of Lakhbir were Dalits.”

However, the case is different in Punjab for Dalits. Several reports and studies in the past have suggested that Dalits do not get proper representation in politics or any other sector. They do not own land in Punjab and often work as labourers in the fields of upper-caste or Jat Sikhs. When a Dalit Sikh was made CM of Punjab last month, it was seen as a “turning point” of Punjab politics as he was the first Dalit CM of the state.

While trying to whitewash the problem of the caste system in Sikhism, some experts pointed out that Giani Harpreet Singh (Dalit Sikh), the Jathedar of Akal Takht and Bibi Jagir Kaur (Backward Community), head of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, belong to the non-Jat Sikh background.

Giani Harpreet Singh blamed the Police and law enforcement agencies for the incident that led to the murder of Lakhbir Singh. He said that over 400 incidents of sacrilege or disrespect of Sikh religious texts have happened in the past five to six years, and the justice system failed to bring the accused to justice even in one case. “There was no case in which the justice system could give worthy punishment to the accused that would have provided some solace to the hurt feelings of Sikhs,” he added.

Bibi Jagir Kaur blamed the central government for not finding a solution for farmer protests and alleged the incident would not have happened if the Centre had been serious in resolving the issues with Agriculture laws.

Murder of Lakhbir Singh

On October 15 morning, it was reported that a dead body, identified as Lakhbir Singh, was found hanging on the Kundli border, one of the sites of farmer protests. Nihang Sikhs took responsibility for the killing and claimed, Lakhbir Singh, a Dalit Sikh had disrespected the Sikh Holy Text. They claimed that the “justice was served on the spot as per the Sikh rituals”. Three Nihang Sikhs have been arrested so far in the case.

It is noteworthy that Nihang Sikhs had barred Police from taking down the body. A large section of Sikhs has supported the action taken by Nihangs against Lakhbir Singh, claiming they would not tolerate disrespect of religious text.

Decoding the stability of Maha Vikas Aghadi Government in Maharashtra and politics in today’s scenario

Guest Author
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Decoding the stability of Maha Vikas Aghadi Government in Maharashtra and politics in today’s scenario

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray led Maha Vikas Aghadi government came to power in November 2019. Although the Congress and NCP, which fought against the Shiv Sena-BJP, were given the mandate to sit in opposition, it was Sena’s decision to part ways with BJP which led to the formation of Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

Now, let’s discuss what happened over the past 2 years and why BJP did not compromise with Sena to form its own government in spite of a favourable mandate. The results were BJP 105, 10 independents, Sena 56, NCP 54 and Congress 44. With this result, it was evident that BJP didn’t have the numbers on its own to reach the magical figure of 145 to form the government.

What went wrong with BJP?

I know many BJP supporters, who hate Congress and the NCP, advised the party to accept the demand of Shiv Sena and form the government in Maharashtra. However, in Maharashtra politics, BJP central leadership was of the opinion that they will either form the government as per the mandate on their terms or they would sit in opposition. A Bihar-like compromise was not acceptable to BJP in Maharashtra especially when the party was in a dominant position.

Under Devendra Fadnavis, BJP successfully completed the first 5 years. However, these were the 5 years that BJP had to face opposition from its own ally Shiv Sena. Shiv Sena, which was then in government, used to criticise BJP like a mainstream opposition party while sharing power. During these 5 years, a ground of enmity was created between BJP and Sena cadres. BJP cadres demanded Sena’s ouster from the government at the Centre and state after Sainiks started abusing Modi.

Uddhav went on to call Modi a ‘chowkidar’ who is a ‘chor’ (thief), a line parroted by Rahul Gandhi in the year 2018. However, in spite of all the enmity, BJP-Sena fought Lok Sabha elections together against the wishes of BJP cadres. The trouble between Sena and BJP started after Devendra Fadnavis was appointed CM of Maharashtra without consulting Shiv Sena. This situation was exploited by Sharad Pawar by lending unconditional support to BJP even without BJP asking for it.

Later, Sharad Pawar himself clarified in an interview that the support given to BJP was his ploy to create differences between BJP and Shiv Sena. Rumours in Maharashtra attribute several reasons to the rift between Shiv Sena and BJP. One of them is that Shiv Sena was asked to merge with BJP since two Hindutva parties are not required in Maharashtra. This is, however, just a rumour and there is no way to confirm if at all there was a meeting between Amit Shah and Uddhav Thackeray and whether a discussion about the merger came up, angering Uddhav Thackeray.

Story behind Maha Vikas Aghadi Formation

It is widely reported in media circles that Maha Vikas Aghadi was Sharad Pawar’s creation and the BJP was trumped by this decision. However, the fact of the matter remains no one knew what transpired in the meeting between Modi, Shah and Sharad Pawar exactly before the announcement of the Mahavikas Aghadi Government. But Mahavikas Aghadi government was formed because BJP refused to bow down either to Sena or the NCP’s demands.

Modi-Shah’s refusal to sacrifice Devendra and fear of survival led to this alliance. The idea of Mahavikas Aghadi was first openly opposed by Ajit Pawar within NCP and went on to form a Government with Devendra Fadnavis, for 80 hours, which was a shocker to all three parties and its supporters. BJP supporters then celebrated it as biggest masterstroke however disappointing them in later stage when the government fell after supreme court order denying secret voting.

This lead to further bad blood between BJP other parties. BJP’s image due to failed coup was further damaged and Uddhav Thackeray got natural sympathy. The insecurity of Sena and NCP for its survival lead to the formation of the unexpected Mahavikas Aghadi Government. No one expected Shiv Sena would ever ally with a political party like Congress which is known to be a rabid Islamist sympathiser among commoners. Shiv Sena’s image of hardcore Hindutva took a hit, however, politics of convenience and Sharad Pawar’s media management (Including Bollywood PR agencies) helped them with the new image.

Myth of Government Stability and its survival

After the formation of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, people thought that this government wouldn’t survive 6 months. However, credit goes to Sharad Pawar who made this government that it is stable till now. Even Devendra Fadnavis was issuing statements continuously that the government isn’t stable and will fall on its own.

Over the top Marathi media made a habit of running the story ‘Operation Lotus’ to ensure it doesn’t happen. It was the Marathi Media led liberals who wanted BJP out of power more than politicians. Marathi Media openly took sides and aggressively did whatever it could to protect the image of this government. They even went on to run fake stories. But the fact remains that BJP didn’t topple the government. The most interesting fact is that BJP didn’t topple the government even when it had an opportunity to topple it by constitutional means but went on to help Uddhav Thackeray by giving clearance for elections.

BJP supporters on social media furthered conspiracy theories of the MVA government falling and even went on to attack CM personally. Some of them were hunted by the state government and were sent behind bars. MVA leaders made it a habit of attacking BJP Maharashtra by challenging BJP to oust them from power. In spite of such provocation, the government remained stable.

If BJP’s central leadership wanted to topple the government, it could. The obvious question to ask, then, is why BJP wants this government to survive especially when the economic capital of the country is not under its wing, at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi envisioned to make India a USD 5 trillion economy and a global power house by 2024-25. The answer to this is political. BJP wants to take over the entire opposition space and become the sole political bearer of Hindutva. 

  1. By allowing the formation of the MVA government, BJP is a step closer to achieving its goal. For the average Hindu, Shiv Sena is no more a pro-Hindu party.
  2. BJP wants to keep Congress as its sole opponent, so the formation of MVA has revived Congress to some extent. Now BJP expects NCP to disintegrate and split between Congress and BJP.
  3. BJP wants absolute power without any blackmailing factors to rule smoothly to achieve its economical and ideological goals.

These are the 3 primary reason MVA was allowed to form and survive till date.

Secret behind Sanjay Raut’s statement on Pune Muncipal Corporation and politics within Maha Vikas Aghadi

Sanjay Raut’s statement of seeing Shiv Sena Mayor in PCMC and PMC is seen primarily as a divide within MVA alliance partners. However, the statement is of Sharad Pawar’s more than of Uddhav Thackeray. An interesting fact is no one from NCP even reacted to the statement of Sanjay Raut. In Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad, the political fight is between BJP and NCP. BJP is the ruling party in both the corporations, however, the opposition NCP is learned to be loyal to Ajit Pawar’s faction.

Sharad Pawar knows that Ajit Pawar still holds organisational grass root control of the party. Therefore, incase of imminent split within the party, many Ajit Pawar loyalists will side with Ajit Pawar, making NCP weaker. Sharad Pawar, who is planning to handover the mantle of NCP leadership to his daughter Supriya Sule, is aware of the fact that unless he wrests the control over the organisation from grass root level, it’s impossible to get a smooth transition within as both Ajit Pawar and Supriya Sule are ambitious, however Supriya Sule is not a mass leader and more of an AC politician whereas Ajit Pawar has his ears on ground.

He starts his meeting early morning at 6 am and continues till late 11 pm. Therefore, Sanjay Raut’s statement is a ploy by SP to weaken Ajit Dada’s NCP by giving a mayor position to Shiv Sena. NCP will keep all powerful positions, including the standing committee which decides funding of corporations. Giving token Mayor position to Sena will help Sharad Pawar to control the Corporation indirectly, thereby weakening his nephew’s organisational control. People loyal to Ajit Dada will soon shift loyalties to SP and thereby, it will become easy for the NCP supremo to handover NCP to his daughter. Here, the real fight is within MVA and BJP will add fuel to it. The entire raids on Ajit Pawar by central agencies is the handiwork of Internal TIP within MVA to agencies.

Future of BJP and Maha Vikas Aghadi

BJP central leadership has unleashed all the agencies and even MVA leaders allege that its BJP which has misused the agencies but the fact remains that agencies were involved due to mistrust within MVA leaders, Court interventions and Bureaucratic procedures. 

It was after alleged the suicide of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput that central agencies entered Maharashtra. With drugs involved, NCB got busy with multiple raids and questioning. In the process, relatives of MVA leaders were arrested and thus, MVA leaders started accusing centre of misusing agencies against them. But the fact remains that agencies were always given free hand and they acted on the intelligence inputs, private complaints and many other leads which they found during investigations.

It was the Supreme court which ordered a CBI investigation and on CBI’s request, NCB started probing the drugs angle. All these agencies were formed during Congress era and none of them are creations of BJP. The reason why BJP is accused of strong handedness is because of the no nonsense image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his refusal to interfere politically in bureaucratic actions. Top leadership also wants actions against these mafias, however as far as political interference in concerned, they will only intervene if any top political leader has to be prosecuted. Because such actions do have political ramifications.

So BJP supporters who accuse BJP of not taking things to logical conclusion must understand that once investigation is in process, it’s a long fight and its effects cannot be seen immediately. Now let’s come to ED investigations against MVA leaders.

Only leader who appears to be not bothered about recent raids is Ajit Pawar. It is believed that the raids on Ajit Pawar was due to inputs shared to the agencies from within MVA. But the most disturbed leaders within MVA due to raids belong to Sharad Pawar’s team. I am saying this based on their reaction. Anil Deshmukh is absconding, Hasan Mushrif created a havoc when Kirit Somaiyya wanted to see irregularities in his constituency, Nawab Malik is furious because his son in law was arrested by NCB.

Whereas Ajit Pawar, barring few statements of disappointment, chose not to react in similar way like other ministers close to Pawar reacted. It is evident that Modi Shah won’t topple this government and neither are they using agencies to topple it, but agencies are involved because of the information it gets due to disgruntled leaders. However, to cover up the struggle within MVA, the likes of Sanjay Raut, with help of PR and Marathi Media, are unleased on BJP and the centre is blamed for everything wrong happening to them. BJP leadership is patient and has given clear message to its cadres that there will be no alliance in future and BJP will go solo on its own. BJP cadres will have to remain patient and see how politics unfolds in coming days.

Note: The article has been authored by Vipin Menon, a researcher from Maharashtra. He tweets at @vvmspeaks.

VHP calls for end to mass-conversion in Punjab, urges state govt to bring anti-forced conversion law

OpIndia Staff
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VHP calls for end to mass-conversion in Punjab, urges state govt to bring anti-forced conversion law

On October 18, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) called for an end to mass-conversion happening in Punjab. The organization also urged the state government to bring anti-forced conversion law in the state to punish those who indulge in such activities by luring people to convert in exchange for money and other facilities. VHP called for freeing Punjab, the holy land of the Guru, from the curse of conversion.

As per the press release, Dr Surendra Jain, Central Joint General Secretary of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, welcomed the voice raised by Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) president Bibi Jagir Kaur and the Akal Takht Jathedar Giant Harpreet Singh against the illegal religious conversions in the state by the Church. He added that VHP would extend all support in stopping the incidents of mass conversion in the state.

While addressing a press conference, Dr Jain said that Punjab has a long history of struggles and sacrifices to protect Dharma. “The proselytizing missionaries show the audacity not only to humiliate these sacrifices but also the teachings of the Gurus,” he added. Dr Jain said that the Christian missionaries in Punjab are using force, fraud and allurement to convert the people of Punjab.

“If the Changai Sabhas (Abracadabra Healing Congregations) really does heal people, then why are their pastors hospitalized when they are sick? Many padres/chaplains/priests also lost their lives to the infection of the COVID-19 pandemic. They could not save Mother Teresa even after arranging for her treatment for several months. When no Abracadabra Healing Session could cure even their loved ones, then why do they fool the innocent people of Punjab?” he questioned. He also challenged the missionaries to prove their power by healing all the patients lodged in hospitals in Punjab with serious diseases.

Recalling the latest expose that showed how over 3,30,000 children were sexually abused by padres, he said, “Today the Church has become infamous all over the world. Recently, a French commission released an exploratory but horrifying report that revealed that more than 330,000 children were sexually abused by padres. Even Vatican City is no exception to the allegations of sexual abuse of nuns. In India, several nuns have even committed suicide because of this. Bishop Franco of Jalandhar is accused of sexually assaulting nuns and is facing trial in a Kerala court. Churches all over the world are apologizing for the sins of their priests.”

VHP also appealed to the Punjab government to enact an anti-forced conversion law. He said, “We warn the missionaries to immediately stop the conversion activities, or else they will be forced to pack up and leave Punjab.”

SGPC launched a mass program against religious conversion in Punjab

VHP’s statement has come in the light of the mass program launched by SGPC in Punjab to stop the widespread of incidents of religious conversions in the state. On October 11, it was reported that the SGPC campaign named ‘Ghar Ghar Andar Dharamsala (sacred shrine within every home)’ has adopted the same means as used by Christian preachers and is going door-to-door to spread Sikh teachings. Just like evangelists who travel village to village to spread the alleged ‘Word of God,’ 150 teams comprising seven preachers each would visit villages in Punjab to distribute Sikh literature and create awareness among the masses.

BJP youth worker shot dead in West Bengal, party names TMC-backed goon Qasim Ali as perpetrator

OpIndia Staff
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BJP youth worker shot dead in West Bengal, party names TMC-backed goon Qasim Ali as perpetrator

West Bengal has long been marred by political violence. On October 17, Sunday, a youth BJP leader named Mithun Ghosh from Itahar in the North Dinajpur district of West Bengal, was killed outside his home in the Rajgram village. Ghosh was shot outside his house by two motorbike-borne assassins. BJP has alleged TMC goons to be behind the attack.

Condemning the killing of the BJP youth worker in West Bengal, Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said that the party would not forget the killing of Mithun Ghosh. He tweeted: “BJYM VP Uttar Dinajpur dist. Mithun Ghosh has been shot dead by assailants at Itahar. This is TMC’s handiwork written all over it. The bloodthirsty antisocial hound dogs who executed their master’s orders would be taken to task when the tide turns.”

According to reports, at around 11 pm on Sunday, Ghosh was standing in front of his house in Rajgram village when the incident took place. Two bike-borne assailants shot him dead in cold blood. Ghosh was rushed in a very critical condition to the Raiganj medical college and hospital, where the doctors declared him brought dead. The doctors revealed that several bullets were fired in his stomach.

Ajit Ghosh, the brother of the deceased has reportedly named Sukumar Ghosh and Santosh Mahato as his brother’s killers. He had told the police that Mithun Ghosh had given him the names on the way to the hospital. 

BJP state committee member Pradeep Sarkar, who rushed to the hospital on receiving the news said that TMC-backed goon Qasim Ali shot the BJP youth member. He also revealed that Ghosh was attacked once before also.

Though WB police said that a case has been registered and investigation is underway, no arrest has been made so far in the case.

It may be recalled how the TMC goons have unabatedly unleashed political violence in the state, which increased manifolds after the results of the state’s Vidhan Sabha was declared. Besides brutal killings of BJP karyakartas TMC goons have allegedly burnt down BJP party offices to ashes at various locations. The brutal attacks have compelled many BJP families to leave the state. The BJP has alleged that the number of party workers killed since the announcement of poll results on May 2 is over two dozen. 

Bhopal: Muslim mob forces woman to take off Burqa and Niqab in Islamnagar for travelling with Hindu man, claim insult to Islam

OpIndia Staff
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Bhopal: Muslim mob forces woman to take off Burqa and Niqab in Islamnagar for travelling with Hindu man, claim insult to Islam

A video of a Muslim mob forcing a Muslim woman to remove the burqa in the middle of the road is making rounds on social media platforms. As per reports, she was riding pillion on a scooter with a Hindu man. A group of fundamentalists stopped the scooter when they were crossing Islamnagar, Bhopal. Though the identity of the two victims could not be asserted, the accused believed the woman was Muslim.

In the video, the accused were heard saying that she was disrespecting Islam and the Muslim community by travelling with the Hindu. Despite a repeated request by the woman and the man who was with her, the Muslim mob forced the woman to remove the burqa.

The mob did not stop there. They forced the woman to remove the Niqab as well. Tormented by the incident, the woman kept crying, and the man kept pleading them to leave the Niqab, but no one among the Muslim mob paid heed to their request. Towards the end, a woman was seen snatching Naqab from the woman. The man who was with the woman kept trying to hide her face from the camera while the mob forced her to look into the camera.

After the Police learned about the incident, they arrested two of the accused and took them into preventive custody. However, the woman did not file any complaint. The duo was presented in front of the court on Sunday and was granted bail.

In a statement, Irshad Wali, DIG Bhopal, said, “No one can talk unnecessary or force anyone. So that’s why they are arrested. There is no complainant, so it’s not appropriate for us to speak publicly about them.”

Similar incidents of Muslim fundamentalists attacking women

A series of similar incidents have happened in the past where a mob of Muslim fundamentalists attacked Muslim women for travelling with Hindu men. In September 2021, a Hindu boy was beaten up by a mob for travelling with a Muslim girl in Hyderabad. A similar incident had happened in Nizamabad district, Telangana, where a Dalit man was abducted by a group of Muslims for travelling with a Muslim woman. In another incident, a Hindu man was attacked in Bengaluru for riding with a Muslim woman. 

MP: Wife treats husband and girlfriend to chappal-beating after catching them doing ‘masti’ on bike, Triple Talaq case ongoing in Court

OpIndia Staff
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MP: Wife treats husband and girlfriend to chappal-beating after catching them doing ‘masti’ on bike, Triple Talaq case ongoing in Court

A video clip of a wife thrashing her husband and his alleged girlfriend is going viral on social media. The incident is from Bhopal where a woman named Urba Shahi (26) can be seen hitting her husband Talha Shameem and his alleged girlfriend with footwear. 

Reportedly, Shahi with her sister reached Souza Fitness Centre where she saw her husband sitting on a bike with another girl whom she alleged is her husband’s girlfriend. 

She then created a commotion and accused Shameem of having an affair with the girl. Denying the allegations, Shameem started abusing his wife in public. However, the verbal fight soon turned into a physical assault when Shahi started hitting the other woman with footwear.

When her husband tried to intervene claiming that the girl was just a ‘friend’, Shahi thrashed him as well. She can be seen pulling his hair out and hitting him with footwear. 

One can also hear Shahi say, “Abandoning your kids alone, you are having an affair.” She also says that their triple talaq case is currently active in court.  

While the group (Shahi, her sister, Shameem and his alleged girlfriend) was busy fighting amongst each other, some members of the gym captured the scenes on their mobile camera and uploaded on social media. 

Both the parties then filed a case at the police after the incident. As per the report, Shahi on October 15 had also filed a case of dowry harassment against Shameem at Shahjahanabad police station. 

Radio Mirchi RJ, ‘journalists’, Congress leaders play down the killing of UP-Bihar migrants in Kashmir by Islamic terrorists, give ‘context’

OpIndia Staff
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Radio Mirchi RJ, ‘journalists’, Congress leaders play down the killing of UP-Bihar migrants in Kashmir by Islamic terrorists, give ‘context’

In the past couple of weeks, several migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were killed in Kashmir by the terrorists. In the recent attack, two migrants from Bihar were shot dead while one was critically injured. While people are condemning these attacks and demanding strict action against the terrorists, there is a section that is busy giving context to the brutal killings and playing them down.

From Congress leaders to RJ and journalists, the list of such elements is long. Radio Mirchi’s RJ Sayema, in a tweet, said, “Everything about Kashmir needs to be understood ONLY by Kashmiri people. Only and only by them. Period.” Interestingly, the one who was talking about Kashmir here is herself, not from Kashmir.

Sayema, a Delhite, said non-Kashmiris have no right to talk about Kashmir. Sournce: Twitter

She later claimed that she meant to say one must understand about Kashmiri people only from Kashmiri people and not ‘by’ Kashmiri people. Essentially, an Indian cannot have an opinion on other part of India if it is Kashmir.

Journalist Saba Naqvi said, “The problem takes a twisted turn and just, so we are clear what was done on August 5 two years ago has not helped.”

Journalist Saba Naqvi blamed abrogation of Article 370 for attacks in Kashmir. Sournce: Twitter

Vinay Kumar Dokania, National Co-Coordinator, Social Media, Indian National Congress, shared the fake circular that called for giving shelter to non-locals at police stations etc. Despite Police refuting the circular, the Congress member did not delete it. He said, “First they said Demonetization broke the backbone of terrorism in Kashmir. Then they said Abrogation of Article 370 ended terrorism in JK. Fact is terrorism has increased in Kashmir like never before bcoz Tadipar has failed.”

Congress’s Vinay Kumar Dokania shared fake circular. Sournce: Twitter

Congress leader Salman Nizami said, “Two more killings, this time innocent labourers from Bihar. I condemn it- a cowardly terror act. Total Civilian killings in last 7 days touches 12. What has BJP achieved by revoking Article 370 in J&K except bloodbath? Let’s be together & establish peace & harmony!”

Congress’s Salman Nizami blamed abrogation of Article 370 for the attacks. Sournce: Twitter

Former NDTV journalist Purva Chitnis, “Heartbreaking news coming in from #Kashmir almost everyday. What is the centre doing? Where is the intelligence, Mr. Doval? Wasn’t Kashmir supposed to be a peaceful land after the abolition of Article 370? As I maintained always- things are always grey in Kashmir, nvr BnW!”

Purva Chitnis also hinted abrogation of Article 370 should be blamed for the attacks. Sournce: Twitter

Journalist Vijaita Singh said, “The series of attacks on civilians come days before Home Minister Amit Shah is to make his maiden visit to Srinagar and Jammu after Article 370 that gave special status to the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir was read down by Parliament in August 2019.”

Journalist Vijaita Singh echoed others in blaming the abrogation of Article 370 for the attacks. Sournce: Twitter

This ‘context’ comes at a time when the terrorists have made it very clear that these people were targeted because of their religious identities. That they were Hindus. The terror group United Liberation Front said that they carried out the attack on ‘non local Hindutva stooges’ in Kashmir as some sort of retaliatory action. But the ‘liberals’ are giving context.

Terrorist attacks in Kashmir

In the last couple of weeks, several attacks on civilians have happened. The majority of those who were killed belonged to minorities in the valley or the migrant workers from other states. On October 17, two migrants from Bihar died, and one was critically injured in an attack by terrorists. ULF took responsibility for the attack. A day before, on October 16, a migrant was killed in the valley. Similarly, a poor vendor was killed on October 5, and a local Sikh principal and local Hindu teacher were killed on October 6.

4 ‘non-locals’ killed by Islamic terrorists in 24 hours, migrant workers start leaving Jammu and Kashmir with families

OpIndia Staff
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4 ‘non-locals’ killed by Islamic terrorists in 24 hours, migrant workers start leaving Jammu and Kashmir with families

Fear has gripped a large part of the ‘non-local’ workforce in Kashmir since the targeted killings of non-locals in the valley intensified in the last few days. Despite the significantly increased operations by security forces against Pakistan-backed Islamic terrorists, the trepidation amongst the non-locals have compelled them to leave the valley.

Many media reports have chronicled the testimony of many such non-locals who have either left or contemplating leaving Kashmir due to the recent spurt in the targeted killings in the valley.

According to Deccan Chronicle, Ravinder Kumar, a carpenter from Bihar, who come to the Valley every summer for the past two decades left for his hometown on Sunday (October 17) morning. “We had decided to leave by this time as Diwali is approaching and we want to celebrate it with our families back home. The local people have been very good to us, but it is true that all of us are filled with fear after the killing of two non-local street vendors and a carpenter,” he said.

“I have decided to leave early. I think I must leave the moment the work is complete. It may take two or three more days,” said one Ravichandran, a false ceiling worker, who came to Kashmir in March to earn his livehood but returned home by mid-November.

The New India Express quoted one Mohammad Shaheen, a West Bengal native who now lives in Delhi, said he has worked in Kashmir for the past three decades. “It is the first time that non-local street vendors and labourers are being targeted in J&K,” he said. 

Describing the innate fear midst the non-locals in the valley due to the continuous attack on them, Shaheen said that the people who used to travel on the roads until 9 pm but now they want to return home latest by 6 in the evening. Adding that people won’t risk their lives to earn money, the WB native said that if more killings took place, non-locals might be forced to return to native places.

Speaking of the recent mass exodus from the valley, a cab driver in Srinagar said that in the last two weeks, around 30 cabs have been leaving for Jammu daily. “A fortnight back, only 10-15 cabs used to ply from Srinagar to Jammu daily,” he said, adding that many non-locals have left the Valley in the last fifteen days.

According to a Jammu and Kashmir Road Transport Corporation official quoted by Indian Express, a 48-seater bus leaves Srinagar for Jammu every day at 7.30 am, and roughly 40 passengers on the bus each day have been non-locals since last week.

Security forces intensify operations against Pakistan backed Islamic terrorists in J and K

The Jammu and Kashmir security agencies have, however, intensified operations against Pakistan backed Islamic terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. Army troops maintained their operation against terrorists hidden in the deep forests of Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch area on Sunday for the seventh day in a row.

TNIE quoted Jammu and Kashmir L-G Manoj Sinha as saying: “We’ll hunt down terrorists, their sympathisers and avenge innocent civilian’s blood”.

Targeted attacks on non-locals continue in Kashmir

The targeted killing of non-locals in the valley has continued unabated. On October 17, OpIndia reported how two poor non-Kashmiri people were killed in Kashmir by the terrorists. The first victim was identified as Arbind Kumar Sah from Banka district of Bihar who used to sell golgappa in Srinagar.

On October 5, Virendra Paswan, who hailed from Bhagalpur, Bihar, was shot dead in Kashmir by Islamic terrorists. Like Arvind, Virendra was also a street vendor who used to sell golgappa.

The second victim is Sagir Ahmad (58) from Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, who was shot in Pulwama. Ahmad was a carpenter by profession, and he was working in Jammu and Kashmir for the past one and half years.

On October 17, two labourers were killed while a third one was critically injured in the Kulgam district in South Kashmir when Islamic terrorists barged inside a house and fired upon the labourers who were staying there. The incident took place in Wanpoh area in Laram Gangipora in Kulgam.

The two deceased have been identified as Joginder Reshi Dev and Raja Reshi Dev, while the third victim Chunchun Reshi Dev has been admitted to GMC Anantnag for treatment after the attack.

Both assassinations are part of a wave of targeted killings of civilians in Jammu and Kashmir by Islamic terrorists, who are mostly targeting non-locals in order to instil fear and encourage them to return to their homes. Several civilians have been slain in the Valley in recent weeks, including Saturday’s tragedy. Among the victims of Islamic terrorism are prominent Kashmiri Pandit Makhan Lal Bindroo, school teachers Satinder Kaur and Deepak Chand, and others.

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