Home Blog Page 3854

Jammu and Kashmir administration shifts 26 jailed suspected terrorists to Agra central jail, Amit Shah to arrive on a 3-day visit

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Jammu and Kashmir administration shifts 26 jailed suspected terrorists to Agra central jail, Amit Shah to arrive on a 3-day visit

Amid a series of targeted terror attacks on non-Kashmirs, The government of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) have shifted 26 suspected terrorists from various jails in the union territory to the central jail Agra of Uttar Pradesh. The decision of the shifting was taken ahead of a three-day visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah who is set to arrive on Saturday. 

These terrorists arrested under Jammu & Kashmir Public Safety Act 1978 were lodged in different jails of J&K, namely district jails of Baramula, Kupwara and Poonch, besides Central Jail Srinagar and Central Jail of Jammu (Kotbhalwal). These belong to four districts of Kashmir and one of them hails from Doda of Jammu division.

“In exercise of the powers conferred under section 10 (b) of the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act, 1978, the Government hereby directs to remove / shift the below mentioned detenues who have been detained under the provisions of Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act, 1978, from their present place of lodgment to Central Jail, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, with immediate effect,” the order issued by principal secretary to government Shaleen Kabra reads.

Copy of order issued
Copy of order issued
Copy of order issued

Kashmir based journalist Aditya Raj Kaul has shared the order copy and the list of suspected terrorists. “Major crackdown. Jammu & Kashmir Government has shifted 26 hardcore terror OGW PSA detainees in a special IAF flight from different jails in Jammu & Kashmir to Central Jail in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. Detainees believed to be hardcore elements involved in terror violence in Kashmir,” Kaul said.

A government functionary said that more people may be shifted in the coming days to jails outside Jammu and Kashmir.

Due to security reasons, in the past also Pakistan supported hardcore terrorists were shifted from jails of J&K to Agra central jail. For instance, in August 2019 as many as 70 terrorists were shifted to Agra Jail before the Article 370 and Article 35A were revoked. 

However, in the order copy issued on October 21, there are no details of their involvement in the crime. But from the order, it is evident that they have been arrested this month (October) when Jammu and Kashmir witnessed targeted killings of Hindu minorities. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) was asked to investigate these killings by Pakistan supported Islamic terrorists. The NIA has carried out raids and also arrested some suspects. The security forces also launched a major offensive against terrorists in the Valley, gunning down many during the course of action.

The possibility can’t be ruled out that these suspected under-trials might have been arrested for their involvement in the killings of civilians and sudden spurt in terrorist activities in Valley.

Their shifting and the visit of Amit Shah to the Valley has have come at a time when Pakistan is desperately trying to revive terrorism in the Valley where so far 12 civilians have been killed. Security forces neutralized 14 Islamic terrorists whereas nine security personnel also made supreme sacrifice.

What is Joe Biden doing with his hands? US President caught in bizarre pose during CNN town hall, commits goof ups

OpIndia Staff
-
0
What is Joe Biden doing with his hands? US President caught in bizarre pose during CNN town hall, commits goof ups

Ever since Joe Biden became the President of the United States, there is a growing concern among an overwhelming section of the American population about his deteriorating mental state. Those concerns were rekindled on Thursday when the US President committed a series of inexplicable goof ups and was caught in a strange pose during his CNN town hall. 

During the event, organised by the CNN, and hosted by Anderson Cooper, Biden spoke on a range of issues, spanning from China’s aggression, high inflation, abolishing the filibuster and gas prices. He also shared details on the stalled negotiations to pass his multi-trillion-dollar social safety net bill.

However, what caught public attention was not his unremarkable comments on a host of issues but his demeanour that suggested there was something wrong with the US President. The gaffes committed by the US President sparked concerns among netizens about Biden’s mental capacity to lead the world’s most powerful nation.

Here are some of the unusual moments that became the talk of the town on and off social media platforms. 

Imaginary podium

In the town hall that was organised in July, Biden had dismissed price rise as a short term phenomenon. Last week, economists told the Wall Street Journal that high inflation will likely remain to 2022, and Cooper asked whether the President agreed with the assessment or not. 

In the 19 seconds that Anderson took to put out the question, Biden placed his forearms with his fists clenched in air such that they gave an impression that he was resting his hands on a podium. 

Several Twitter users pointed out that there was no podium there. Many others also mocked the president saying it looked like he was holding an “imaginary jet pack”. 

Joe Biden shows zero with his index finger and thumb held close to his eye

Moving ahead, when Biden was asked about the possibility of tax rises for the wealthy, the US President said “don’t pay a cent”. And while he responded asking corporations to not pay a dime, he made a circle with his index finger and thumb and held it up to his eye.

Source: CNN

“You have 55 corporations, for example, in the United States of America, making over $40 billion, don’t pay a cent—not a single little red cent,” he added.

Joe Biden forgets the name of America’s second largest port—Long Beach Port

The United States President faced another embarrassing moment when Cooper had to interject to remind him of the name of America’s second largest port. 

Biden was speaking on the supply chain woes ahead of the holiday season when he stammered in his speech, unable to call to mind the name of Long Beach Port. Cooper had to intervene to remind the US president he was talking about the aforementioned port. 

“Forty percent of all products coming into the United States of America on the West Coast go through Los Angeles and … what am I doing here?” said Biden.

Cooper chimed in: “Is it Long Beach?” To which Biden replied: “Long Beach. Thank you.”

Biden mistakes Congressman Kweisi Mfume for the mayor of the Baltimore

Another faux pas by the US President took place when he pointed to a man in the audience and alleged he was the mayor of the Baltimore. 

As it turned out, the man whom Biden was pointing out was not the mayor of the Baltimore. He was Congressman Kweisi Mfume, whose District includes Morgan State and was never Mayor of Baltimore.

This is not the first time that Joe Biden has been a part of torrid public appearance. Since his election to the post of US President, there have been umpteen incidents that have led people into questioning if the President is suffering from dementia and losing his mental acuity.

In fact, even during the run-up to the US presidential elections, political observers and commentators had raised concerns about Joe Biden’s cognitive decline and ominous signs of senility creeping in, which they claimed would seriously cloud his ability to function as the President of the most powerful country on Earth.

After sector 47, residents in Gurugram sector 12 protest against Namaz at public place, raise ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans

OpIndia Staff
-
0
After sector 47, residents in Gurugram sector 12 protest against Namaz at public place, raise ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans

Residents of Gurugram have continued their protests against namaz being offered at a public ground opposite the State Vigilance Bureau office in Sector 47. Now, a video has surfaced online wherein people in sector 12 are also seen protesting against Namaz being conducted in the open.

Reportedly, apart from locals in the area, Hindu groups like Viswa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal etc participated in the protest. The locals allege that a huge crowd gathers at the time of Namaz at the open area, which blocks the main road disrupting traffic. Moreover, the movement of people living in the area also gets disrupted when namaz prayers are offered at the public place.

After a large crowd gathered to protest against the namaz, police teams arrived at the spot to prevent any law and order issue. In the video, some local Muslims are seen offering Namaz in the open, while the opposers keep chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans to protest against the same. As can be seen in the video, there is heavy police deployment in the area.

According to Hindu groups protesting against the namaz in open, the place is government property and it has been used for offering namaz prayers without permission from the administration.

On Friday (October 15) afternoon around 100 people carrying placards, singing bhajan and raising slogans came to the ground. They were carrying a portable speaker and a mic. They were also shouting slogans against Manohar Lal Khattar government for failing to stop namaz in public places. Their placards read ‘Namaz ki jagah khaali karo’ and they kept chanting and singing ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ and bhajans.

Sunil Yadav, president of the residents’ welfare association of Sector 47 who is at the forefront of stopping namaz in public places has repeatedly told the media that it created lots of disturbances including traffic jams. The protesting residents said that Muslims should offer Friday prayers at the mosques or on Waqf Board land, and not in public places.

Residents question whether the state government and local administration will allow Hindus to occupy public places for prayers and bhajan. Local residents alleged that most of the Muslims joining prayer here come from far-away places like sectors 7 and 8. They have options and spaces in their own area to offer namaz but they only come here with the intention to create trouble and encroach land.

Resentment of local residents is not unfounded since the problem is not limited to Sector 47. In May 2018, BJP’s Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had stated that namaz should be read in mosques rather than in public places.  The remark was in the context of public places being occupied for namaz that cause inconvenience. Within Gurugram district in 2018 namaz was offered at public places at as many as 76 locations and arrangements were made for the same by the local administration. 

Jains in Karnataka’s Belagavi take out protest march against religious conversions, urge state govt to pass anti-conversion law

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Jains in Karnataka’s Belagavi take out protest march against religious conversions, urge state govt to pass anti-conversion law

A group of Jains in the Belgaum district of Karnataka took to the streets on Thursday against the rampant conversions taking place in the region. The protest march started from Rani Channamma circle and culminated at the Deputy Commissioner’s office, where the representatives of Jain community submitted a memorandum demanding action against proselytisers undertaking religious conversions. 

The Jain community has alleged that conversion activities are taking place on a large scale in Kittur, Bailhongal, Khanapur and Belagavi talukas. 

The leaders representing the minority community interacted with the media out the DC’s office, urging the state government to take cognisance of the conversions taking place in the region and initiate stringent action against the culprits responsible for the same. 

Jain Yuva Sanghatana leader Kunthinath Kalmani said anti-conversion law is absolutely essential to stop the curb of religious conversions. The protest march was also attended by members of Jain International Trade Organizations, Karnataka Jain association Bengaluru, Dakshina Bharat Jain Sabha, Bharatiya Jain Sanghatana, and others. 

Rampant religious conversions taking place in Karnataka

Religious conversions in Karnataka, especially rural Karnataka, is taking place at an alarming pace. It is reported that Christian missionaries are using means of inducements, fear and superstition to convert indigenous people into the Christian fold. 

Owing to the widespread reports of conversions taking place across the state, the Backward Classes and Minorities Welfare Department had asked officers to survey both official and non-official Christian missionaries operating within its borders.

As per BJP MLA Gulihatty D Shekhar, more than 40 per cent of Christian missionaries in the state are not officially recognised. He had raised the issue of religious conversions in the Assembly during the Monsoons sessions. In a poignant address to the assembly, Shekhar had revealed that his own mother was influenced and converted to Christianity by the missionaries. 

BJP MLA Gulihatti Shekhar reveals the extent of the menace of conversions afflicting the Karnataka society

Gulihatti Shekhar had stated that his mother had been told by the missionaries not to apply Kumkum or Tilak on her forehead. So much is the extent of brainwashing and influence that his mother stopped looking at the idols of Hindu Gods and Goddesses, the MLA had said then.

The MLA had said that his mother was first politely invited by Christian missionaries ‘to attend prayers’ near their house. Gradually, their influence worked so much that the lady stopped worshipping Hindu Gods, changed her phone ringtone to Christian prayers and even started objecting to Hindu religious practices inside the house.

As per reports, MLA G Shekhar stated, “Large scale conversions are taking place in the Hosadurga area. Around 20,000 people have been converted to Christianity recently.” He further explained that the missionaries primarily target the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe community and if any Hindu group or individuals try to prevent it, they are trapped in false cases of rape and caste atrocity.

SC issues notice to former Twitter India MD Manish Maheshwari in Ghaziabad fake ‘Jai Shree Ram’ hate crime video case

OpIndia Staff
-
0
SC issues notice to former Twitter India MD Manish Maheshwari in Ghaziabad fake ‘Jai Shree Ram’ hate crime video case

The Supreme Court on Friday issued a notice to former Twitter India Managing Director Manish Maheshwari in connection with a petition of the Uttar Pradesh government challenging an order of the Karnataka high court quashing a notice issued by Uttar Pradesh police to Maheshwari related to a communally sensitive video.

A bench comprising Chief Justice NV Ramana, Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli which agreed to hear the petition of Uttar Pradesh asked senior advocates AM Singhvi and Siddharth Luthra to accept the notice. They appeared for Maheshwari who had filed a caveat against the petition of the Yogi Adityanath government. “Take notice. We have to hear this matter. Yes issue notice,” the CJI remarked during the hearing.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta who appeared for the Uttar Pradesh government questioned whether the Karnataka High Court had jurisdiction over a matter related to Uttar Pradesh. “There is a question of law that needs Your Lordships examination. For the time being, ignore the fact the reason why summon was issued. It was a 41 A notice so there is no question of arrest etc. The question is the territorial jurisdiction of the High Court,” Tushar Mehta submitted before the Supreme Court.   

The case is related to a fake communally sensitive video uploaded on Twitter in June this year. It was claimed that an elderly Muslim man named Abdul Samad Saifi was assaulted in Loni Ghaziabad for refusing to chant Jai Shri Ram. It was alleged that Hindu miscreants had forced him to chant “Jai Shri Ram”, and his beard was also chopped-of. The Uttar Pradesh police quickly investigated and clarified that a fake video of a fake incident was being mischievously circulated to create communal hatred, as it was found that Saifi was assaulted by one Parvev Gujjar because a tabeez given by Saifi didn’t work as expected.

But despite clarifications and cautions from police, this fake news went viral in no time. Some Congress-Left friendly journalists willfully spread this misleading and fake news. On June 15, Ghaziabad Police had registered an FIR against The Wire, Alt News cofounder Muhammed Zubair, Rana Ayyub, Salman Nizami, Maskoor Usmani, Sama Mohammad, Saba Naqvi, Twitter Inc and Twitter Communications Pvt Ltd for spreading false news that created communal tension in Uttar Pradesh.

During the investigation of Loni fake ‘hate crime’, Uttar Pradesh police had issued notices to Maheshwari under section Section 41A of the Code of Criminal Procedure to record his statements. Police accused Twitter of not taking cognizance when fake news was spread through Twitter to disturb communal harmony. Maheshwari had filed a petition before Karnataka High Court to challenge the police notice. A single bench of Justice G Narender of the Karnataka High court on July 23 quashed the police notice calling it a tool of harassment. The High Court said that Uttar Pradesh police issued the coercive notice without verifying whether Maheshwari had any control over the contents posted on Twitter.

‘Totally hurt’: Actress Sudhaa Chandran opens up on being asked to remove artificial limb during airport ‘grill’, appeals to PM Modi

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘Totally hurt’: Actress Sudhaa Chandran opens up on being asked to remove artificial limb during airport ‘grill’, appeals to PM Modi

Actress and Bharatnatyam dancer Sudhaa Chandran has shared a post on Instagram to reveal how it pains her when she is asked to remove her artificial limb each time she is going through security “grill” at the airport while on a professional trip.

Captioning her post: “Totally hurt ….each time going thru this grill is very very hurting….hope my message reaches the state Nd central govt authorities….and expecting a prompt action …..,” the actor has appealed to PM Narendra Modi to issue special cards to disabled people, similar to one issued to senior citizens, which would save them from such harassment, stating that it “hurts.”

The 56-year-old Sudhaa Chandran had lost her leg in an accident on May 2, 1981. She had returned to dancing and acting again using a prosthetic foot.

The actor, while narrating her harrowing experiences at airports every time she travels for work, said that despite requesting the airport authorities to conduct an “ETD (Explosive Trace Detector) for her artificial limb,” they ask her to remove it every time.

In a video, she said: “Good evening, this is a very personal note that I want to tell to our dear Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji, this is an appeal to the central government, I am Sudhaa Chandran, an actress and dancer by profession, who has danced with an artificial limb and created history and made my country very proud of me.”

She further added: “But every time that I go on my professional visits, each time, am stopped at the airport and when I request them at the security, to the CISF officers that please do an ETD (Explosive Trace Detector) for my artificial limb, they still want me to remove my artificial limb and show it to them. Is this humanly possible, Modi ji? Is this what our country is talking about? Is this the respect that a woman gives to another woman in our society? It is my humble request to you Modi ji that please give senior citizens a card that says they are senior citizens.”

Anticipating a speedy response, she expressed hope that her appeal reaches the government.

Sudha Chandran is an Indian actress and an accomplished Bharatanatyam dancer. She started her career with Telugu film Mayuri, which was based on her own life. She had won the special jury award at the National Film festival for the movie. Recently, Sudhaa has been seen in TV shows like ‘Kaahin Kissii Roz’ and all the seasons of ‘Naagin’. 

Meet actor Alec Baldwin: From assault and harassment to accidentally killing crew member at a movie shoot

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Meet actor Alec Baldwin: From assault and harassment to accidentally killing crew member at a movie shoot

American actor and producer Alec Baldwin is in the news again for ‘accidentally’ shooting a cinematographer with a prop gun on the set of a movie called the ‘Rust’. Reportedly, the director of the movie was injured and the director of cinematography Halyna Hutchins was killed in the incident.

The shooting is suspected to be an accident and no charges have been filed yet according to the police leading the investigation.

The latest media reports showed the shooting venue cordoned off while the police investigate the death.

The Hollywood Actor has been known over the years for his violent antiques and eccentric behaviour, from fights with photographers to calling his then eleven-year-old child Ireland Baldwin a “rude, thoughtless little pig”. Let us recall some of Baldwin’s past incidents that have made headlines.

Fight with a photographer in 1995

In October 1995, the actor sprayed shaving cream on a photographer Alan Zanger’s car windows outside his Woodland Hills, California, home. This led to a ‘scuffle’ between the actor and the photographer where Zanger claimed that Baldwin had broken his nose. Then the actor had defended himself saying that he just ‘slapped’ the camera out of the photographers’ hands, as reported by People magazine.

Misbehaving with American Airlines staff in 2011

Baldwin was expelled from an American Airlines flight for using offensive language and misbehaving with the Airlines staff in 2011. The actor had then said, “Flight attendant on American reamed me out for playing ‘Words With Friends’ while we sat at the gate, not moving,” and also added “Last flight with American. Where retired Catholic school gym teachers from the 1950s find jobs as flight attendants.”

Another fight with a photographer in 2012

A Daily News photographer Marcus Santos had claimed that he was punched by the actor to which Baldwin’s representative had replied, “As Alec and his fiancée [Hilaria Baldwin] were leaving City Hall, a ‘civilian’ walking in front of Alec positioned himself to obstruct the view of a photographer aggressively trying to shoot the couple. The photographer was clearly frustrated, pushed past the bystander and assaulted Alec with his camera. There were no punches thrown, and any subsequent physical contact was simply Alec protecting himself.”

Arrested for riding his bike the wrong way in 2014

The actor was arrested for riding his bike the wrong way on Fifth Avenue ignoring the warnings issued by the authorities. NYPD spokesperson informed that Baldwin refused to slow and went the wrong way even after receiving warnings. The spokesperson also accused Baldwin of disorderly conduct.

Punching a man in 2018

The New York City Police Department had charged the actor with assault and harassment in 2018 after Baldwin had punched a man on East 10th Street between University Place and Broadway. It was reportedly a row over a parking space.

‘Don’t bullshi*t a bullsh*tter’: Joe Biden is quite abusive and uses the f-word frequently, former and current aides say

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘Don’t bullshi*t a bullsh*tter’: Joe Biden is quite abusive and uses the f-word frequently, former and current aides say

US President Joe Biden has quite a ‘potty mouth’, according to several of his former and current aides, Politico has reported. His language is quite profane and drops the f-word frequently.

According to his aides, Joe Biden is known to use cuss words such as “F*ck them,” “What the f*ck are we doing?” “Why the f*ck isn’t this happening?” “bullsh*t,” “dammit” and “f*ck”. He is known to say sometimes, “don’t bullsh*t a bullsh*tter.”

“When he gets going he definitely gets going,” one White House official said. US Vice President Kamala Harris, on the other hand, uses “motherf*ck-ah” the most. She has hinted at it in an interview as well.

Joe Biden is not the first US President known to cuss often in the White House. Former President Barack Obama admitted that he cussed more often during his presidential tenure than he did previously. Donald Trump was, obviously, known to cuss and cuss often.

About Biden, one source told Politico, “When he cusses around women, it is always, and I mean always, followed by an immediate apology.” “He’s from a different generation but if there’s people that are younger than him, especially women, he feels like, ‘Hey, how would I feel if I was cussing around my daughter or my granddaughter?’”

Some find Biden’s rants endearing and others noted that it is true as long as they are not at its receiving end.

Biden is at the receiving end of some stick from US citizens as well. Chants of “F*ck Joe Biden” has become increasingly popular in recent days, in light of his vaccine mandates, his handling of the economy and general dissatisfaction with the direction the country is headed in.

Punjab HM says he will probe Captain Amarinder Singh’s Pakistani friend Aroosa Alam’s links with ISI: Here is what was said

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Punjab HM says he will probe Captain Amarinder Singh’s Pakistani friend Aroosa Alam’s links with ISI: Here is what was said

Following the acrimonious fallout between former Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh and the Congress party, Punjab Home Minister Sukhjinder Randhawa called for a probe into whether Amarinder Singh’s Pakistani friend Aroosa Alam has links with the country’s notorious intelligence agency ISI. 

“Since Captain claims Punjab is facing a threat from the ISI, we will be probing the relation of his friend Aroosa Alam with the ISI,” Randhawa told NDTV in an interview. Alam is a defence journalist and is widely regarded as a close friend of Captain Amarinder Singh. 

Randhawa said he has asked the Punjab police chief to probe the allegations of Alam’s link with Pakistan’s military officers and the ISI. 

“Captain has been harping on the issue of drones coming over from Pakistan for the last four-and-a-half years. So Captain (sahab) first raised this issue and later got BSF deployed in Punjab. So it seems a big plot which needs to be probed,” Randhawa said. 

The state home minister also alleged that the former CM got the inquiry into the January 2017 Maur bomb blast case stalled and promised to open the probe. 

He said, “We are set to order a re-inquiry into the case and will surely send culprits to jail.” Significantly, the blast had taken place close to an election rally venue of Congress leader Harminder Singh Jassi. Two inquiries ordered into the incident had pointed to the involvement of the Dera Sacha Sauda. Jassi’s daughter is wedded to the Dera chief’s son.

The attack against Singh came a day after he slammed the Congress party for its duplicity in its criticism of his plans to ally with the BJP. Singh had pulled up Congress saying it had no authority to sermonise others on secularism when it joined hands with the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra and had inducted many leaders from the BJP, including the current PCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu. 

Captain’s remark was in response to Congress’s Punjab in-charge Harish Rawat, who had called Mr Singh’s announcement “shocking” and said it appeared that he had “killed the secular Amarinder within him”. 

Nevertheless, the call for ordering an inquiry into Singh’s Pakistani friend’s links with the ISI is the sharpest attack yet on the former Congress leader. 

Who is Aroosa Alam?

Aroosa Alam is a former Pakistani defence journalist and was known in Pakistani circles for having close ties with the military establishment. Alam is the daughter of Akleen Akhtar, also known as the famous General Rani, a socialite who was described by the Pakistani media as the “muse and mistress” of Pakistani leader Yahya Khan. 

General Rani was also considered as the brains behind Khan and certain access to him. Consequently, she became the gateway to the General, and her importance in military establishment scaled new heights. Alam inherited her mother’s military network. 

Alam was widely credited for her investigative reports on the Agosta-90B submarine deals that reportedly led to the arrest of then Pakistan naval chief Mansurul Haq in 1997.

However, she rapidly rose into prominence after joining the South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA) that was involved in promoting peace and friendship between the Indian and Pakistani journalists.

Aroosa Alam—a muse and a lady friend of Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh

Aroosa met Captain Amarinder Singh for the first time during one of his visits to Pakistan. Both were linked for the first time in 2007 when they were seen together a number of times. But, Aroosa had instantly clarified then that they were ‘just friends’. However, she subsequently shed her initial awkwardness and since then has been quite forthright about her relationship status with Captain Amarinder Singh. 

In Punjab, Aroosa is known to be a muse—a special, close, lady friend of the former Maharaja of Patiala and erstwhile chief minister of Punjab, Captain Amarinder Singh. She is a well-accepted hostess in Chandigarh, spending a considerable amount of her time among the elites of the city, regaling them with her love for yoga, and of course, Captain Amarinder Singh. 

Alam was a prominent face on the hustings for the Punjab assembly elections in 2017 where she was seen campaigning for Captain Amarinder Singh. Aroosa was amongst the distinguished guests who occupied the VVIP seats at the swearing-in ceremony of Capt. Amarinder Singh. While the Punjab chief minister has still been tight-lipped about his relationship with Alam, the latter has shunned all inhibitions to talk about her bond with Maharaj Saahab, as she addresses Capt. Amarinder Singh

Alam was also present at the launch of Captain Amarinder Singh’s biography ‘The People’s Maharaja’ in February 2020. It is pertinent to note that the book has a dedicated chapter on Singh’s relationship with Aroosa, who had openly described that her friendship with Singh was beautiful, will last long and was something that she was very proud of. 

Aroosa is also acutely aware of the eyebrows that are raised because of her association with Punjab chief minister. “My relationship is a sensitive issue even back home, I am a Muslim woman and you know how people back home think,” said Aroosa in February 2018 when she was in Chandigarh.

Amid violence against Hindu minorities in Bangladesh, ICCR postpones exhibition featuring Bangladeshi artist’s artworks

Vijay Deo Jha
-
0
Amid violence against Hindu minorities in Bangladesh, ICCR postpones exhibition featuring Bangladeshi artist’s artworks

Amid outrageous violence against the Hindu minorities in Bangladesh, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) has postponed an exhibition of the artwork of Bangladeshi artist Rokeya Sultana which was set to start from October 23 at the Lalit Kala Akademi in New Delhi.

The exhibition was to feature over 100 artworks, 35-40 photographs, animation videos, film and sculptures of this Bangladeshi artist. The exhibition aimed to capture 40 years of the journey of Rokeya Sultana.

Sultana had worked in Santiniketan under ICCR’s scholarship as a student under the guidance of Somnath Hore, Sanat Kar and Lalu Prasad Shaw. Safiuddin Ahmed and Mohammad Kibria remained her mentors in Bangladesh.

The exhibition was jointly organized by the Bengal Foundation of Bangladesh and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. The exhibition was planned to celebrate 50 years of India-Bangladesh diplomatic relations as well as Bangladesh ‘Mujibborsho’. ICCR had announced various cultural activities in India and Bangladesh.

Senior BJP MP and ICCR president, Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe however did not disclose any reason for the postponement of the exhibition at the eleventh hour. He said that a new date will be announced later on.

But in the wake of killings of innocent Hindus, destruction of temples and brazen suppression of religious freedom Hindu minorities in Bangladesh by Islamic fundamentalists during Durga Puja the authorities in India probably thought such exhibitions and cultural exchange may trigger controversies.

This exhibition was to be followed by shows in Kolkata and other cities. It was to be showcased at Rabindranath Tagore Centre, ICCR, Kolkata, from December 11 to January 2, followed by Bengal Shilpalay in Dhaka from January 21 to March 9.

Luva Nahid Choudhury, Director General, Bengal Foundation said that such things happen sometimes and they are “waiting for a new date and are absolutely looking forward to this exhibition.”

Inauguration of a monograph of works of Rokeya Sultana. Picture source DD News

In fact, the curtain-raiser of the programme aimed at Rokeya Sultana was launched at the Indian Cultural Centre, Gulshan in Dhaka. On this occasion, a monograph on Rokeya Sultana’s works was also launched.

1...3,8533,8543,855...7,679Page 3,854 of 7,679