The Haryana Police have registered an FIR against Lakhbir Singh, the victim of the brutal murder at the farmer protest site at Singhu border, for alleged desecration of a Sikh holy book. Lakhbir Singh was tortured, his hand was chopped and his legs were cut, and killed by Nihang Sikhs on the allegation that he had desecrated the holy book, and now a case has been filed against the dead man on the same charges.
Dalit Sikh Lakhbir Singh has been booked under section 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code, which is known as the blasphemy law of India.
According to a report by the Indian Express, the FIR was registered at Kundli police station on October 17, four days after the death of Lakhbir Singh. It was filed on the basis of a complaint by one Balwinder Singh, a member of Udna Dal, a group of Nihang Sikhs. He belongs to that same group that comprise Bhagwant Singh and Govind Preet, two Nihang Sikhs who have been arrested by the Haryana police in connection with the case.
Confirming the FIR against the deceased, Virender Singh, deputy superintendent of police (DSP), Law and Order, Sonipat, said, “FIR number 612 was registered against Lakhbir Singh under section 295-A of IPC. A probe is underway.”
The FIR was registered by police against Lakhbir Singh after the Nihang Sikhs had threatened more violence if the case was not registered. They have also issued a warning to the police that if more arrests are made in the case, they will forcefully release the Nihang Sikhs already arrested for the crime.
Nihang leader Baba Ram Singh had said, “We have now given the complaint of sacrilege with the police and asked them to register a case against Lakhbir Singh. If now the police try to arrest any other person in this case we will make sure the four in the police custody are taken out by us. Right now we are cooperating with the police, but it doesn’t mean that we will tolerate any kind of excesses from them.”
So far four arrests have been in the case, Sarabjit Singh, Narain Singh, Bhagwant Singh and Govind Preet. Apart from first Sarabjit Singh, the other three were felicitated by fellow Nihang Singhs before their arrests. Narain Singh was felicitated in village in Punjab while the other two were felicitated at the Singhu border.
On the 15th October 2021, Vishal Jood, a young man from Haryana was released from prison in Australia. On September 2 (Local Time), Magistrate K Thomson’s Parramatta LC Court 13 ordered the release of Vishal Jood from an Australian prison.
Vishal pleaded guilty to three minor charges of altercations that happened between September 16, 2020, and February 14, 2021. During the final hearing, Vishal’s lawyer presented video evidence to prove that Jood was provoked by a group of Khalistanis that led to the altercation. For the charges he pleaded guilty to, Jood was sentenced to six months in Jail starting from the day of his arrest, April 16, 2021.
As soon as his sentence was over, Vishaal Jood came back to India, to be with his family, after the tedious moths where he paid the price for standing up for the nation and objecting to Khalistanis abusing the country.
Upon his return, Vishal Jood and his lawyer, Amrendra Singh, sat down for a detailed conversation with OpIndia’s Editor-in-Chief, Nupur J Sharma.
During the interview, several issues pertaining to Vishal Jood’s case were addressed by him and his lawyer. One of the most pertinent issues that was addressed is the chronology of the events. There were separate incidents that had taken place for which, Vishal has been in the news. The first incident was one at Quaker Hill where Khalistanis had congregated for a protest supporters farmers in India. In this incident, they were screaming offensive slogans like “Modi Kutta Hai” and other anti-India slogans. They were also insulting the Indian flag. Vishal had stood up to them and unfurled the Indian flag while standing on the park bench. After this, Vishal was viciously attacked by the Khalistanis.
The second occasion happened on the 14th of February. Right after the Republic Day violence by farmers and Khalistanis, Vishal Jood organised a Tiranga Rally to show solidarity with India. During that rally, Khalistanis started looking for Vishaal Jood. In fact, Jood reveals that while the Tiranga rally was one, the Khalistanis had lied to the Australian police authorities to allege that the participants of the rally were going to attack a Gurudwara. Despite having the required permissions, they were asked to end the rally and turn back.
As Vishal was nearing the starting point, Khalistanis found him and charged at him with a baseball bat. Jood, on his part, snatch the baseball bat and hit their car to scare them instead.
It was this incident for which he plead guilty for the possession of the weapons (a baseball bat which was not even his) and the assault (which was self defence).
Interestingly, the video footage of the Khalistanis attacking Jood was mysteriously missing and therefore, the Khalistani in both incidents, who attacked Jood, have not been charged.
Besides these incidents, Vishal and his lawyer also spoke about the ill-treatment that he received while lodged in prison. On his first day, a Sikh prison guard who was a Khalistani had threatened him. On another occasion, he had got a call threatening him with dire consequences. On both occasions, the prison guards were let off with a warning and Jood was simply moved to a different location inside the same prison.
In the prison, Jood was also denied certain basic rights. He suspects it was the Khalistani prisoner who was responsible for it. On occasion, he would not get his food on time, or was not allowed to make a call to his family.
Aside from these issues, the lawyer of Jood also revealed that the Indian media and parts of the Australian media had misreported that Vishal had been deported from Australia. In reality, he was not deported. He was given the option to get a lifetime visa of Australia but had denied and wanted to come back to India.
The Vishal Jood Case
24-year-old Vishal Jood hails from Haryana and currently pursuing higher studies in Australia. He was arrested for his alleged involvement in three crimes in Sydney on April 16. Reports suggest that he was picked by the Australian Police after a group of Indian nationalists clashed with Khalistani elements in Australia. He was charged with damage to property, affray, and assault.
Interestingly, in all three cases, Khalistanis were named as victims. These Khalistani elements are believed to be Indian-origin, however, they do not identify themselves as Indians but prefer bein
The matter got escalated to the point where both groups gathered at Harris Park and indulged in a gang fight. Jassi, the main culprit in the case, was badly injured. However, Jassi did not back down and continued to threaten Hindus, suggesting he would thrash Haryanvis if he comes across them alone. The tension further escalated between Indians and pro-Khalistani elements once again after the passing of farmer bills in the country and the subsequent protests that began in Punjab in September last year. The protests led by rich farmers and arhatiyas (intermediaries), instigated by Khalistani elements, reached Australia too.
While farmer protests were happening in India, Khalistani elements held similar protests in Australia and used abusive language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A few months later, on January 26, the alleged farmers camping at the Delhi border, joining hands with Khalistani elements, had unleashed violence on the streets of New Delhi and desecrated the national flag at Delhi’s Red Fort. The incident sent shockwaves across the world, and the Indian diaspora across the world, including in Australia, condemned the incident.
Reportedly, an Indian flag was also burnt at a Gurudwara in Sydney, but OpIndia could not verify the details. As a retaliation, a Khalistani flag was burnt by Indian students that irked the Khalistanis further. A Tiktok video went viral from a pro-Khalistan account that showed many Khalistanis beating someone up brutally. Soon, they declared they had bashed an individual named Vishal Jood who had ‘insulted their flag’. However, a day later, it came to light that the Khalistanis had ended up beating some random guy, not Vishal.
On February 28 this year, the Khalistanis entered the localities near Sydney’s Harris Park, where Indians live and vandalised cars and properties. On April 16, a few weeks after the alleged crime, Vishal was arrested from his house in Sydney. The Australian police stated that there is an outstanding warrant against him since 2018 for “other crimes”. The family accused Australian police of deliberately delaying to please Khalistanis and alleged that Indian High Commission was not helping them too.
On September 1, Jood’s lawyer came to an agreement with the prosecutors, and Vishal pleaded guilty in two cases that included charges of minor altercation. Rest of the charges were dropped. The Australia Today quoted Vishal’s brother saying, “By the grace of Bajrang Bali Vishal will be with us soon, we are looking forward to his release from Sydney Prison.”
OpIndia talked to a few Indian nationalists who said that hostilities between the Indian diaspora and the Khalistani extremists existed for a long time but took a violent turn on August 28, 2020. The fight started after Jassi, a Khalistani, started posting pro-Khalistani and anti-India content on TikTok.
India has achieved another momentous feat in its Covid vaccine drive. India crossed the 100 crore vaccinations mark today. With an ambitious vision of vaccinating all of India’s 944 million adults by the year-end, PM Modi had launched the countrywide vaccination programme on January 16. As of now, 75 per cent of the country’s adult population have got at least one dose and 31 per cent have had two.
Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the efforts of healthcare professionals and conveyed his gratitude to doctors and nurses as India passed the 100 crore vaccine doses milestone in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
PM Modi took to social media to praise the incredible effort put in by doctors, nurses, and Indian citizens in attaining this historic milestone for the country. He also described the achievement of this milestone as a “triumph of Indian science.”
After the milestone was achieved, Modi paid a visit to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. The Prime Minister interacted and congratulated the hospital staff for achieving remarkable feet. Modi was accompanied by Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.
Many Indian and world leaders have also come up to congratulate India and the government for scripting history.
As India celebrates the ‘Vaccine Century’ today and the success of Indians scientists, it is pertinent to remember how the so-called ‘intellectuals’ the usual naysayers who virtue signal for a living, pontificating on every issue, had tried to dismiss the Indian government’s efforts.
These are the people who on several occasions, led a nefarious online campaign, not only to defame and discredit the Modi government’s vaccination drive but also to create panic and cast aspersions about the efficacy of the ‘Made In India’ Covid vaccines.
Not long ago, author and columnist Chetan Bhagat had suggested that India would achieve its vaccination target only by late 2024. On May 10, while the government was trying to expedite the Covid vaccination process in every nook and corner of the country, Chetan Bhagat had done ‘simple math’ to deduce that India would finish the vaccination target only by the second half of 2024.
Screengrab of Chetan Bhagat’s May 10, 2021 Tweet
In fact, the author had gone a step further to analyse what might be impeding India’s vaccination effort. Too eager to dismiss Made in India vaccines and the efforts of healthcare workers, Bhagat Tweeted as to “what’s likely to happen” and why India would lag behind.
Chetan Bhagat’s Tweet
Bhagat, who was relentless in his push for the very expensive Pfizer vaccine, had declared that India will only get ‘leftovers’ and will have to struggle and beg to get its people vaccinated.
Likewise, the former Prasar Bharati CEO and Trinamool Congress’ appointed member to the Rajya Sabha, Jawhar Sircar, had also undermined India’s vaccination efforts. On May 3, Sircar had Tweeted: “It’s taken 3 months to fully vaccinate 3 crores. Will it take us 100 months (8 years plus!) to vax 100 crore that is critical for India?”
Screengrab of Jawhar Sircar’s Tweet
Taking an obvious dig at the BJP ruled states, The Wire journalist Rohini Singh, another campaigner for the Pfizer vaccine, had also cast aspersions at India’s vaccination efforts.
She had opined that while countries all across the world were reserving vaccines, the state governments are busy in “cow cabinets, special task force for cows, love jihad, etc, because people have voted for cow cabinets. Not vaccines.” As per Rohini, the Indian government was doing nothing to get vaccines for Indians.
Rohini Singh’s Tweet dated Nov 19, 2020
Many other members of the leftist brigade had also come out to discredit the Modi Government’s vaccination drive. ‘Journalist’ Swati Chaturvedi also joined the bandwagon. Hailing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s prophecies declaring India’s doom and gloom, Chaturvedi claimed “it will take years before all Indians are vaccinated.
Image credit: Political Kida
Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo Tejashwi Yadav, the Congress party and Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP had also jumped on the bandwagon to malign the Modi government’s ambitious vaccination drive.
Image credit: Political Kida
Image credit: Political Kida
Back in August, when India achieved the momentous milestone by administering over 1 crore doses in a single day, the Gandhi scion, took the lead to politicise the country’s vaccination drive. However, in his haste to attack the government over its vaccine programme, Rahul Gandhi has spread widespread falsehoods about the government, instilling vaccine hesitancy among the general public.
Other liberals too eagerly discredited the Modi government’s vaccination drive.
Image credit: Political Kida
Likewise, many media houses, which have often been critical of the Indian government had also doubted India’s vaccination efforts. India Today had almost written off India’s vaccination program saying that at the current pace it would take 12 years to vaccinate the entire population.
Business Today in October predicted India will take 10.8 years to administer both doses to 70 per cent of its population.
First Post published a report on April 25, 2021, in which it said that at the current rate of 2.2mn doses per day, India can only cover 30 per cent population by end-2021.
The report published by First Post dated April 25, 2021
In February, an article in The Hindu suggested that India would reach barely 15% of its July end vaccination target, or 6 crore doses instead of the 40 crore doses. That article was widely mocked when India crossed 40 crore doses in mid-July itself.
SS of the report published by The Hindu
The success of the world’s largest vaccination drive in India and its exemplary efforts to supply vaccines to more than 60 other countries seems to have not gone well with a certain section of western media, who had also mocked and discredited India’s success story.
In a similar attempt to discredit India’s vaccination drive, Amy Kazmin – the Chief of Financial Times’ South Asia bureau, had earlier resorted to weaving conspiracy theories around Prime Minister Modi and had concocted a story saying he might have already been inoculated with a ‘foreign vaccine in secret’ as he did not trust the two Indian made vaccines.
Similarly, BBC had wondered whether India has enough doses of vaccines to inoculate all the adults in the country.
Screengrab of a BBC report
Many other liberal foreign media outlets joined the bandwagon.
Article in Vox
However, regardless of all the propaganda, misinformation, assumptions and aspersions, India has achieved what no other country has achieved so far. India scripted history on Thursday for administering a billion COVID-19 doses. The five states that have administered the highest number of doses are Uttar Pradesh, followed by Maharashtra, West Bengal, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh.
VK Paul, a member of the NITI Aayog and the head of the government’s vaccine panel, said the achievement of 1 billion doses in just over nine months after the vaccination programme began in India was extraordinary.
In an interesting podcast, Dr Omar Ali, a Pakistan origin blogger validated what Indians were otherwise taking as a joke for the past few years. The netizens on several occasions have highlighted the stark similarity between the statements delivered by Congress party leaders and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.
From belittling Veer Savarkar to constantly attacking the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) or blaming ‘Hindutva’ for everything, the two have been singing the same tunes of late.
Turns out, our neighbour actually gets ideas from the Congress party and it was after all not a joke but a harsh reality.
The Brown Pundit blog
Dr Omar Ali in his popular blog ‘Brown Pundits’ has touched upon various topics from Kashmir to the Aryan debate to even interviewing BJP spokespeople such as Shazia Ilmi.
Ali who generally interviews people on his podcast, this time took the hot seat himself to answer questions on ‘Pakistan-myths and realities.’ Interviewed by guest blogger Maneesh Taneja, Ali spoke about the ideology of Pakistan, India-Pakistan partition, why the army rules Pakistan, how the India-Pakistan thing is likely to evolve and more.
‘The confession’
It is amidst this candid conversation that Ali revealed that Pakistan actually takes clues from the ‘Liberal’ Indian establishment to attack India and create anti-India, anti-Hindu narratives.
Around 14 minutes into the interview, Taneja asks Ali about Pakistan’s perception of Gandhi and Nehru.
“They are looked at as Hindu leaders and if portrayed as someone who tried to be inclusive, they are brushed off as clever two-faced people fooling the Muslims,” said Ali revealing that calling Hindus double faced is extremely common in Pakistani discourse. However, this is where it gets interesting.
Taneja then moves on to ask Ali about Veer Savarkar and BR Ambedkar to which Ali says, “Savarkar is not even found in Pakistan’s conversations. It is also only now that he is mentioned as proto-fascist which they have started to pick up from Indians.”
“It is mainly on social media or the ones who go to study abroad with Indian students who come from the liberal side and regard Savarkar as Hitler’s prodigy. So these things we (Pakistanis) have picked up from you guys,” said Ali further.
Talking about Imran Khan attacking India over Savarkar and Hindutva, Ali said, “We are not the movers in this propaganda. This narrative of fascism and nazism comes from India and it just becomes convenient for us to pick it up and amplify.”
Well, Ali is not wrong at all. “While the Nazis hate was directed at the Jews, the RSS directs it towards the Muslims and to a lesser extent towards the Christians. They believe that India is exclusive for Hindus and others are not equal citizens,” Imran Khan had said at the United Nations General Assembly last year.
Surprisingly, in April 2019, the Congress IT Cell head had shared a morphed image of Adolf Hitler to compare him to Narendra Modi.
Pakistan and their ‘copy paste’ agenda
It is almost embarrassing to find our neighboring enemy country responsible for bloody terrorism on our land, follow the suit of Indian opposition to attack us on domestic as well as global platforms.
Pakistan’s PM while delivering a speech at UNGA this year, in no different language had said, “The hate-filled ‘Hindutva’ ideology, propagated by the fascist RSS-BJP regime, has unleashed a reign of fear and violence against India’s 200 million-strong Muslim community.”
Top quote by PM Khan. Image Source: Associate Press of Pakistan
This was turned into a ‘top quote’ by the Associated Press of Pakistan for their digital platform.
Khan on Kashmir matter in July had said, “We can tell India that we (Pakistan) have been waiting for a long time to coexist as civilised neighbours…but what to do? The ideology of (the) RSS has come in between.”
“The feeling of love, brotherhood that exists amongst you all is being ruined by the people of BJP and RSS. Your composite culture was attacked, your brotherhood was attacked and they weakened you before snatching your statehood. You can see for yourself that the Union territory’s economy, tourism, business are badly hurt,” was yet another statement, not by Khan, but Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
In fact, the Pakistani PM on some occasions has even quoted the Congress leaders to validate his attack on the RSS and BJP. Here is one such example.
So when Ali mentioned that Pakistan now simply speaks the language used by the Indian opposition to attack India, he was not entirely wrong.
Same script-same statement
We had reported earlier of several instances when Imran Khan picked up rants from the Congress party.
Imran Khan has always maintained that the abrogation of Article 370 was illegal and has vehemently opposed the move. He had also appealed to the international bodies to meddle in Indian internal affairs.
Interestingly, the Congress party has also had the same stand on the matter. In a resolution adopted by the Congress Working Committee on the 6th of August, 2019, the party had claimed that ‘every principle of Constitutional law, States’ rights, Parliamentary procedure and democratic governance was violated’ during the abrogation of Article 370.
Imran Khan had claimed that two million ‘Indian Muslims’ have been ‘stripped of citizenship’, a blatant, baseless lie. The Congress party, too, has opposed the NRC tooth and nail.
Khan in 2020 had also managed to pin the blame of the Delhi anti-CAA riots and farmers’ protest on the RSS/BJP ideology.
While we kept making our observations, the Pakistan origin blogger confirmed the shared template used by the Indian opposition and Pakistan PM Imran Khan to get at India on global platforms.
The Police has arrested 130 attackers in connection to the attacks on Hindus by the Muslim mob in the Chowmuhani market area, Begumganj Upazila, Noakhali, on October 15. Reportedly, two people had died in the temple attacks, and several were injured. Overall, 72 cases have been registered in connection to attacks that happened at different locations. A total of 450 attackers have been arrested.
Shahidul Islam, Superintendent of Police, was quoted by Bangla Tribune on Thursday to confirm the arrests. He said 18 cases were registered in the district against the attackers against 285 named and around 5,000 unnamed persons. Sections including assault, vandalism, arson, looting and murder were including the cases filed.
The first death reported was of 42-years-old Jatan Kumar Saha, who died after sustaining fatal injuries during the riots in Chowmuhani. On Sunday, Pranto Das was found dead in a pond next to the ISKCON temple in Chowmuhani.
Violent attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh
A series of attacks had happened to start from October 12 on Hindus. There were allegations that the Quran was desecrated at a Puja Pandal in Comilla that led to the days of attacks by Muslims against minority Hindus. Several temples and houses of Hindus were attacked. Some temples and houses were burnt down. Some shops and business establishments were also assaulted during the riots.
On October 15, the ISKCON temple was severely damaged by the attackers. During the attacks that happened over a period of five to six days, 101 Hindu temples and pandals, 181 houses and shops were burnt down by the Islamists. What adds to the shame for the neighbouring country, just two days before the attacks, they had celebrated the ‘Ganga Jamuna Cultural Festival’ celebrating diversity and communal harmony.
On October 20, 35-years-old Iqbal Hossain, son of Nur Ahmed Alam from the Sujanagar area of Comilla, was identified by the Police as the person who had placed Quran in the Puja Pandal that led to the attacks. Reports suggest that Hossain is absconding.
One Md Foyez Ahmed, who had posted the video of the Comilla puja mandap that triggered the violence, was arrested by the Police on October 13 itself.
Three juveniles, all aged between 11 and 8 years old, have been arrested in Assam over the murder of a 6 year old child at Missa in Kaliabor, Nagaon district. The murder is believed to have been fueled by the porn addiction of the children.
Unfortunate murder of 6 yr old girl at Missa, Kaliabor solved within 24 Hrs. 3 Juveniles, 1 adult arrested. Accused aged between 8 and 11 are porn addicts capable of conspiracy and gruesome execution of a dastardly crime. Seems it’s time for introspection and Social Intervention. pic.twitter.com/y4B7iW1ubF
Nagaon Superintendent of Police Anand Mishra lamented that family and social intervention could have prevented the four lives from being destroyed.
Family/Social intervention & institutional guidance to the kids could have saved these 4 young lives. 1 Lost Life, 3 Lost for Life. It can happen with anyone of us or anyone around us
If our upcoming generations fail on socio-moral standards, Responsibility lies greatly upon us! https://t.co/KqjjKQTnwh
The three accused juveniles were arrested from Missa at Kaliabor, Nagaon on Wednesday, a day after the gruesome murder. The parents of the 11 year old accused, on whose phone pornographic material was found, were also arrested over the matter.
The 6 year old child’s body was recovered from a toilet in Missa on the 13th of October. The toilet was behind a stone crusher. There were no injuries to the private parts of the girl, and the injuries were limited to her head and chest, leading investigators to conclude that there was no sexual assault.
It was confirmed by the medical team that the girl was hit on her head and chest with a stone-like object, leading the police to suspect that the murder could have been committed by a stone-crusher. Further investigation revealed that the family of the watchman lived in the vicinity of the stone crusher that was no longer operational.
The Police initially suspected that the watchman could have been involved in the crime. They learnt that he was not present at the scene of the murder on the day in question, but his son was. Later, the father confessed that his son had murdered the girl.
The truth behind gruesome murder in Nagaon, Assam: Porn addiction and more shocking facts
“We have done old-school policing, there was no scientific investigation as such. We interrogated each and every person related to the case and their statements did not seem to add up and that was when we figured out that they were lying and they knew what had happened, after which the father confessed that his son had committed the crime,” Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Kalibor Police Station, Mrinmoy Das, told EastMojo.
The watchman’s son was given a smartphone to attend online classes. He was a student of 6th Grade at an English Medium school and had not managed to get past the 6th Grade in the past two years. The other two studied at a Government School in the area.
Police investigation revealed that the 11 year old made his friends and cousins watch porn with him. They found that he surfed pornographic websites, taking advantage of his parents’ lack of awareness about smartphones. According to the EastMojo report, he was earlier caught in a ‘compromising position’ with his sister. The other two accused used to watch porn with him as well.
On the day of the murder, the three accused tried to reenact porn scenes with the 6 year old girl. The girl was hit with a stone on her head when she resisted. When the crying girl threatened to tell her parents about what they had done, the accused took her to the toilet where they hit her on the chest with a stone, killing her instantly.
“When the boys were grilled, they confessed that they had committed the murder. The watchman’s son used to notice his brother and his wife, as well as his parents perform sexual acts and then there was the smartphone. So, a lot of factors led to the boy attaining puberty pre-maturely. It is more alarming that these children made attempts to cover up the crime,” Mrinmoy Das said.
The Delhi Police Crime Branch in its closure report of the Burari Deaths has stated there is no evidence of foul play in the tragedy, Times of India has reported. It said that the deaths appeared to be the result of a suicide pact among the members of the family. The dead bodies were discovered on the 1st of July, 2018.
The closure report was submitted to the Court on the 11th of July. The Court is expected to take up the matter in November. A murder case was registered initially but an investigation that spanned over three years has concluded that the deaths were the consequence of a suicide pact.
The deceased included Narayan Devi, her son Bhavnesh, Lalit and daughter Pratibha, Bhavnesh’s wife Savita and children Nitu, Monu and Dhruv, Lalit’s wife Teena and their son Shivam and Priyanka, daughter of Pratibha.
A diary had been recovered from the house that detailed the manner in which the hanging was to take place. The circumstances of the hanging matched the details listed in the diary entries. Later, a handwriting analysis confirmed that the entries were made by occupants of the house, Priyanka and Lalit.
A source was quoted by ToI as saying, “The family members put their mobile phones on silent mode and stowed them collectively in the bag in the mandir in the house. The diary entries and the manner of their hanging also suggested they were involved in some sort of a ritual. The handwriting analysis determined that most of the diary entries were made by Priyanka and Lalit. CCTV footage also showed no other person entering the house on the day of the incident besides the occupants.”
As per the diary entries, it appeared that Lalit believed that he was communicating with his deceased father Bhopal Singh. His father had passed away back in 2007. The diary entries appeared to suggest that the family members did not expect to die when they hanged themselves from the ceiling. It was part of a ritual, from which they expected to emerge more prosperous on the other side.
House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths
The tragedy was the subject of a Netflix documentary series ‘House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths’. The three-part documentary series was released on the 8th of October, 2021. Directed by Leena Yadav, it drew upon archival footage and statements by the Police and acquaintances to narrate the events of the incident.
The documentary suggested that Lalit suffered from psychosis as a consequence of head injuries and a traumatic near-death experience. The documentary emphasised on the mental health aspect of things and said that Lalit was recommended psychiatric treatment, which he did not receive.
However, there are more questions that remain unanswered about the tragic incident. And there are secrets that are unlikely to be ever revealed.
Some time ago I read a viral tweet by a teenager from Delhi University, claiming Punjabi farmers are lower caste and therefore the govt is not listening to them. None of the admirers of that tweet seemed too concerned with the fact that Punjabi farmers are the most dominant caste in Punjab, far more than any other caste in any other state.
Then, when a Dalit day labourer, Lakhbir Singh was ceremoniously murdered by these farmers for religious “blasphemy” at the Singhu border protest site last week, the same great-granddaughter of Einstein was missing in offering a caste analysis.
Nothing even when Lakhbir Singh’s family in Punjab was intimidated into disowning him and he was denied religious last rites. It reminded me of another tweet by another young girl claiming vegetarianism is a tool of caste oppression. I’m pretty sure all of us have read such bold but selective claims made with supreme confidence that has made us doubt our own sanity. WOKEISM.
Most educated and socio-politically active Indians today know there is something called Woke Culture or Wokeism that is sweeping Universities and colleges across liberal democracies. In India, it is dominating new age popular culture.
All OTT platforms have the same themes on loop – caste, gender, Islamophobia etc. In North America, it has already progressed to become an electoral force too. But what is this woke culture? A political movement? A social theory? Economic model? Or something that encompasses all this and more, like an Abrahamic religion?
I will try to list out some signs that it is indeed a new age Abrahamic religion. As India has struggled against invasions by Abrahamic religions for a millennium, this comparison is relatable.
10 signs of Abrahamic Religions:
1.Us vs Them false dichotomy
The world is divided into believers and nonbelievers, oppressors and oppressed. This language has easy appeal as it satisfies our genetic tribal urges of belonging to a group while pretending to espouse egalitarian values.
2. Destroy the ‘other’
Seeking complete destruction of opponents is common. Be it cancelling someone who said something ‘wrong’ or completely wiping out civilisations. There is no room for co-existence. Dehumanising the opponent is key. The glee when Hindus were killed in Bengal followed the logic that ‘while I hate human suffering, Sanghis are not human’.
3. Membership matters, not your actions
Your membership to the group and adherence to gang code decides your value, not the merit of your actions. Gang members will always be backed, even if they are terrorists or rapists. Therefore, there is no mention of common human morality in Abrahamic literature.
4. Blind faith
You cannot question an Abrahamic faith or put it to scrutiny. If your question, you are a heretic or a caste/race/gender traitor and you deserve even worse treatment than your enemies.
5. Expansionist victimhood
Enemy making, enemy seeking is core. Enmity is forced upon the target group. But an aggressor needs a grievance, hence always talk victimhood.
6. Dogma based
Dogma is supreme. Complete submission to dogmatic rules, no exception. When an LGBTQ activist merely mentioned that the Modi govt may not be anti-LGBTQ based on his reading of their policies, he is promptly cancelled. He went against the rule ‘Modi is right-wing; right-wing is anti-LGBTQ’.
7. Indoctrination of the young
Meticulous emphasis is placed on indoctrination at a young age. Constant lowering of teaching age for Critical Race Theory or Gender Studies is proof. Young people and women in show positions are considered very useful foot soldiers.
8. Self-righteousness
An unshakeable belief that you are right, even by ignoring or rejecting empirical or scientific data. When I tried to present data to support Aarey Metro shed, the data was simply ignored and all I got was ‘climate change is here dude’.
9. Controlling history
Expansionist religions have always sought to control the recording and reading of history. World history as we know it today is almost exclusively recorded by missionaries from Abrahamic faiths. Wokeism is no different. Try to post facts related to woke-sensitive topics on Wikipedia, and you will know how determined they are to record misleading narratives.
10. Replacing old Gods
Abrahamic religions recognise that as long as old systems of reverence and beliefs remain, minds can not be fully controlled. Hence the stress on removing idols and Hindu forms of worship or celebration. Traditional culture is enemy number one.
Here it is pertinent to note that this similarity between expansionist Abrahamic religions and Wokeism goes back to the very roots of Wokeism. The genesis of Wokeism lies in countries with a history of centuries of zealous religious movements.
The foundation of Wokeism, Critical Theory, comes from Germany, where Christian theologian Martin Luther had proposed Protestant reforms in the 16th century. Luther’s reforms were then implemented in England and America and shaped those countries, not unlike how Wokeism is being ruthlessly implemented in those countries today.
As to why some Indian academic institutions are following the same path, that has a much simpler explanation – aping the ‘superior West’. That, for another day. For now, please stay away from drugs and Wokeism.
Amidst the series of attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh during Durga Puja festivities from 13 to 17 October 2021, there is a rise in fear of how the Hindu victims are going to revive from the heinous crimes against them. The Bangladesh Chapter of the World Hindu Federation has come forward to stand with the victims in their time of need. Those who like to contribute to the cause, can use the following bank details for the same.
Account Name: DIPAN MITRA
Bank Name: Dutch Bangla Bank Limited. Dhanmondi Branch, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Account no: 1101510120712
Routing no: 090261183
Swift Code DBBLBDDH
BKash Number: +8801912174793 (Bkash is an online financial app that allows money transfer to Bangladesh via an international network of financial institutes)
In a press statement, World Hindu Federation’s Bangladesh Chapter said that the situation is getting worse. Describing the attack that happened on October 17, they said, “On 17 October 2021, at night a barbaric attack happened at Pirgonj in Rangpur district. The Muslims attacked Hindu villages and set fire on 300 Hindu Houses, and looted everything. All the 300 houses were totally burnt. Now they are living in the most vulnerable situation.”
Appeal for donation by World Hindu Federation, Bangladesh Chapter
Reportedly, on Sunday, 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.
The statement says that 17 Hindus are missing while several incidents of rape happened over the past few days. They appealed for financial help and alleged that the government was silent and action from the administration was non-visible. It added, “This is a pre-planned attack of Hindu cleansing from Bangladesh. Still, three crores Hindus are living in Bangladesh. Hindus have no demand. They want security and dignity to live as a Hindu in Bangladesh.”
It further read, “We are appealing to all to stand beside Bangladeshi Hindus. Your small contribution can make a great impact to protect and save the Hindus in Bangladesh. Your donation is highly appreciated. Please donate us through flank and BKash (Online Mobile Money) Transaction.” The organization is also working on enabling online donation or payment portals for donations.
The 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. 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.
Netflix employees staged a walkout on Wednesday after Dave Chappelle made “transphobic comments” in his special “The Closer”. In his last special for Netflix, Dave Chappelle declared himself to be ‘Team TERF’ while defending Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling.
Chappelle, asserting that Gender is a fact, said, “Every human being in this room, every human being on earth, had to pass through the legs of a woman to be on earth. That is a fact.” The special was littered with other jokes around similar issues as well.
The special has incensed the ‘Woke’ camp and ‘Woke’ employees at Netflix staged a walkout in protest. They are demanding that the streaming platform hire “transgender/nonbinary” people to executive roles and create a fun to support talents from these groups.
Source: Instagram
The walkout has received a great deal of support from people in the entertainment industry. Elliot Page, an actor who was known as Ellen Page before coming out as transgender, came out in support of the Netflix employees. She said, “I stand with the trans, nonbinary, and BIPOC employees at Netflix fighting for more and better trans stories and a more inclusive workplace.”
Lilly Wachowski of The Matrix fame, a transgender herself, said, “If you’re not standing up for trans lives, you need to take a good look at who you ARE standing with.” Comic Wanda Sykes stated, “Standing in solidarity with the Netflix employees speaking truth to power today and sending my full love and support.”
The protesters and their supporters are accusing Dave Chappelle of contributing to “real life hate” towards transgenders and people from the LGBT community.
I am here at the #NetflixWalkout. As a non-binary filmmaker who has helped create over 30 hours of Emmy winning original documentaries for @netflix, I will not stay quiet.
Transparent Creator Joey Soloway said, “This is gender violence. Sharing his outrage as comedic humiliation in front of thousands of people, and then broadcasting it to hundreds of millions of people, is infinitely amplified gender violence… I want trans representation on the Netflix board. A trans person on the f-ing Netflix board this fucking week.”
Actor Dan Levy said on the matter, “I stand with every employee at Netflix using their voice to ensure a safe and supportive work environment. I’ve seen firsthand how vital television can be when it comes to influencing the cultural conversation. That impact is real and works both ways: positively AND negatively. Transphobia is unacceptable and harmful. That isn’t a debate.”
Source: Twitter
LGBT rights group GLAAD also came out in support of the Netflix walkout.
Source: Twitter
Netizens slam the Netflix Walkout
Not everyone had good things to say about the Netflix walkout. Some said that it was an attempt by a “sensitive group” to ‘cancel’ a successful Black man.
#NetflixWalkout Is about a sensitive group trying to cancel a successful black man, that's basically what this is.
Others said that Netflix employees had not bothered to stage a walkout when the streaming platform screened Cuties, a movie with overt pedophile inclinations, but were staging a walkout over a comedy special.
Employees at Netflix have staged a protest outside of their job because they hate opinionated black men.
Notice Netflix trans employees didn't do the same when Netflix published cuties, a movie with obvious pedophile undertones. #NetflixWalkoutpic.twitter.com/pwCTu73X2w
Remember the Netflix movie “Cuties”- You know, the about scantly clad little girls, bending over, grinding and air humping? Netflix employees: Silence Comedian tells jokes: Sheer outrage. These are not serious people. #NetflixWalkout
Counter-protesters at the site responded to “Trans Lives Matter” chants with “We like jokes” slogans.
At today’s Netflix walkout, where “trans lives matter” chants are going up against Chappelle supporters shouting “I like jokes” pic.twitter.com/eX1qHgdj7R
The Dave Chappelle Comedy Special controversy: What CEO Ted Sarandos said
Earlier, the streaming platform had fired an employee for leaking confidential information regarding the Dave Chappelle special. It said in a statement, “We have let go of an employee for sharing confidential, commercially sensitive information outside the company. We understand this employee may have been motivated by disappointment and hurt with Netflix, but maintaining a culture of trust and transparency is core to our company.”
CEO Ted Sarandos, in a letter to a select bunch of employees, defended the special. He said, “Chappelle is one of the most popular stand-up comedians today, and we have a long standing deal with him. … As with our other talent, we work hard to support their creative freedom — even though this means there will always be content on Netflix some people believe is harmful, like Cuties, 365 Days, 13 Reasons Why or My Unorthodox Life.”
““I recognize, however, that distinguishing between commentary and harm is hard, especially with stand-up comedy which exists to push boundaries. Some people find the art of stand-up to be mean-spirited but our members enjoy it, and it’s an important part of our content offering,” he added.
In a letter a few days later, Ted Sarandos said that “content on screen doesn’t directly translate to real-world harm.” “The strongest evidence to support this is that violence on screens has grown hugely over the last thirty years, especially with first party shooter games, and yet violent crime has fallen significantly in many countries,” he said in that particular letter before adding, “Adults can watch violence, assault and abuse — or enjoy shocking stand-up comedy — without it causing them to harm others.”
Later, however, Sarandos claimed that he had “screwed up” but reaffirmed his belief that the comedy special was consistent with the content Netflix has to offer. “When we think about this challenge we have to entertain the world, part of that challenge means that you’ve got audiences with various taste, various sensibilities, various beliefs. You really can’t please everybody or the content would be pretty dull,” he stated.
Ted Sarandos added, “I do think that the inclusion of the special on Netflix is consistent with our comedy offering, it’s consistent with Dave Chappelle’s comedy brand, and this is … one of those times when there’s something on Netflix that you’re not going to like.”
