Vishal P. Singh, a video journalist of Indian origin, was knocked out with a punch to his face during a protest at West Hollywood in California, USA. A video of the incident was shared by journalist Andy Ngo. According to Ngo, Singh is a “militant Antifa activist”.
From the video, it is not clear who initiated the fight or why the fight ensued. In a comment in response to Ngo’s tweets, Vishal Singh shared a longer video of the incident but there is still ambiguity about the actual cause of the fight.
— Vishal P. Singh (They/He) (@VPS_Reports) July 30, 2021
Allegations appear to be flying from both sides and Vishal Singh was later kicked by an individual as well. According to his bio on Twitter, Singh is a non-binary advocacy journalist. He claims to be a documentary filmmaker and his videos appear on Washington Post, Slate, Newsweek and The Intercept. Singh uses the pronouns They/He.
Singh has spoken on the matter saying, “I know my attackers will celebrate this, but I believe it’s important to document my injuries. I also think it’s important to say I succeeded in defending the bystander they were attacking. I will never turn my back on a community member in danger.”
According to claims on social media, the attacker is a man called Mike Ancheta. Singh has allegedly suffered a concussion. Antifa is an umbrella term for people who subscribe to far-left Communist ideology and is short for anti-fascist. Rioters associated with the ideology have been involved in multiple violent protests in recent times in the USA.
On Thursday night (July 29), prominent Indologist ‘Bharadwaj Speaks’ was forced to deactivate his Twitter account after receiving legal threats over a Twitter thread on Assam-Mizoram controversy. ‘Bharadwaj Speaks’, who earlier went by the username of True Indology, took to Twitter to speak about the violent clash between the locals of Lailapur village (Cachar district) in Assam and Vairengte village (Kolasib district) in Mizoram, and posted some historical facts about Mizoram. After the tweet thread, former Mizoram governor and former adviser or Mizo National Front Swaraj Kaushal threatened to file FIR against him, following which Bharadwaj deactivated his Twitter account.
He had written, “To be sure, Assam is not the only state Mizoram is at loggerheads with. Mizoram also has conflicts with other states on its border. Last year, Mizoram targeted a village on Tripura border because Hindus of the village planned to construct Shiva temple. For Mizoram, which does not celebrate “International Yoga Day” because Church considers Yoga “anti Christian”, building a Hindu temple was too much. Mizoram Government imposed section 144 because “a Hindu temple would disturb peace and tranquility”.
The Indologist pointed out that Mizoram was once a district in Assam by the name of ‘Mizo Hills’ before it was carved out as a separate State. Back then, it had a population of 1.96 lac people which has now increased to 10.91 lacs. “This region was ruled by Ahoms & then British. But there is not a SINGLE mention of “Mizos” or “Mizoram” until 19th & early 20th century. In-fact, it was officially known as “Lushai Hills” until 1952. Who are the “Mizos”? Earlier, this region was inhabited by Reangs (Hindu) & Chakmas (Buddhist).There was no trace of any “Mizo”. Who we now refer to as “Mizos” are actually a collection of distinct tribes like Lushai, Kuki, Paite & Hmar. They all came to India in 18th century,” he emphasised.
Screengrab of the tweet by Bhardwaj Speaks
Bharadwaj Speaks discussed in detail about the emergence of ‘Mizo racial identity’
According to Bharadwaj Speaks, the ‘Mizo’ tribes were natives of Sinlung in South-East China. He said, “They established themselves in Chin hills (present day Burma) by 17th century. However, there was no common “Mizo identity” among these tribes and they were warring with each other. Abducting each other and head hunting was the norm. Infact, the earliest known picture of any Mizo was that of a Lushai woman captured by a Southern tribe called Mara. When the Mizo tribes first encountered the Hindus of Assam,their feeling was of admiration.”
He emphasised that the Mizo tribes were influenced by plain Hindus (vai). And the Christian missionaries were wary of the growing influence. As such, the evangelists forced the complete boycott of traditional Mizo dress, music, culture, religion and customs. The missionaries first conceived the idea of inculcating a distinct ‘Mizo racial identity.’ “The Baptist church wrote that “the ethnicities of Lushei,Kuki & Chin can be classified as one race. They are sturdy hill warriors unlike the effeminate Assamese and Bengali.” Soon enough, the traditional Mizo animist temples were converted to Churches,” he noted.
Bharadwaj Speaks further remarked, “Even at this point, Churches were not built in Christian style. They were still the old thatched huts with the traditional drum hanging out. Drum had great significance in Pre Christian Mizo religion. By early 20th century, Mizos began shedding their traditional costumes which they themselves referred to as “primitive”. They adopted western style, costume, religion & script. Bands of Mizos children raised up in Churches began touring all over India to sing Christian choirs. The new Lushai tribe converts formed a “Young Lushai Association” in 1935.”
As per the Indologist, one of the primary objectives of the association was to remove pre-Christian pagan culture from the tribes. The Association called for a ‘common identity’ for all converted tribes. Thus, the blanket identity of ‘Mizo’ became commonplace as opposed to any specific tribe. Soon after, the ‘Young Lushai Association’ changed to ‘Young Mizo Association’ and ‘Lushai Hills’ was renamed to ‘Mizo Hills’. Another group named ‘United Mizo Freedom Organisation’ (UMFO) was formed at the time of Indpendence to call for merger with Burma instead of India.
“They claimed that they were ethnically closer to Burmese Chin than Hindus. When their demands of separate nationhood were ignored, Mizo separatists formed a terr0rist organization named Mizo National Front (MNF) in 1966. Their aim was to “kick India out of Mizoram through violent means if necessary”. They began killing Assamese, Hindus & Army Men. MNF then received funding and training from Pakistan’s ISI. Many of Mizo youth escaped to East Pakistan(Bangladesh) to receive military training. The Present CM of Mizoram, Zoramthanga, was a member of this terrorist group MNF. He himself confessed it in a media conversation,” Bharadwaj Speaks added.
Zoramthanga was a member of terrorist group MNF: Bharadwaj Speaks
He informed, “When India defeated Pakistan in 1971, Mizo CM was hiding in Pakistan along with his comrades. He was involved with an MNF unit named “Joshua”. It was named after the Biblical commander Joshua who defeated, killed Pagan Canaanites and ended their Pagan kingdom in Israel. Here, as Mizoram CM himself confesses in his interview, he was in Islamabad until 1975 as part of ISI training to MNF. When Indian army conquered Dhaka, he managed to escape narrowly. He calls it “James Bond type escape.”
Bharadwaj Speaks added, “During the Mizoram insurgency, Hindus were targeted. Violence was unleashed on Hindus and 34,000 Hindu Reang(Bru) were kicked out of Mizoram. They are still living in refugee tents of Tripura. The Hindus Reangs were original inhabitants before Mizo migration. However, they were ruthlessly targeted. “Quit Mizoram” notices with deadlines were posted in Reang villages. “Mizoram is for Mizos only” said Pu Laldenga. He later became Mizoram CM. Mizo insurgency lasted for 2 decades. The MNF finally gave up militancy when they signed Mizoram peace Accord in 1986.”
While highlighting how Mizoram became a part of India, he pointed out, “In return, India gave statehood to Mizoram, and Special category status to Mizoram. India also revoked all criminal cases on MNF members and lifted ban on MNF. In addition, Mizoram was given special privilege. No Act of Indian Parliament would be legalised in Mizoram unless the state government approves it. Then the MNF gave up militancy and became part of Indian democracy. Also, Mizoram is accorded special and disproportionate share of Budget. These were the doles given out to MNF and they agreed to sign Mizo accord.”
‘Governor Swaraj’ threatens Bharadwaj Speaks with legal action
Swaraj Kaushal, the former Governor of Mizoram and the husband of late Sushma Swaraj, warned of impending legal consequences for such a writeup. “Probably you know the consequences of what you are writing. One FIR and you will spend many years of your life facing trial. Think again,” he cautioned.
Screengrab of the tweet by Swaraj Kaushal
He further added, “Somebody is spreading hatred against the Mizos. It is an offence to create disaffection against an ethnic group. A police officer in Aizwal will register an FIR. He can ignore my advice and do what he pleases.”
Screengrab of the tweet by Swaraj Kaushal
Following the controversy, ‘Bharadwaj Speaks’ clarified that it was only a historical examination of the ongoing conflict and that he did not intend to slander Zoramthanga and Mizos. Prior to deleting his Twitter thread and account, he said, “Mizos are as much Indian citizens as anyone else. Personally, all I want is peace, tranquility & progress in Mizoram. I condemn racism against Mizos.”
This caused massive outrage on Twitter, with social media users slamming the former governor for misusing his power to scuttle freedom of expression. However, Mr Kaushal stood his ground, maintaining that the tweets by Bharadwaj have offended the people of Mizoram.
Swaraj Kaushal claimed that the tweets by Bharadwaj can jeopardise the peace in Mizoram which is the result of the Mizoram Peace Accord. Claiming that he has his entire life for the peace accord, he implied that Mizos will now return to violence because of the tweets. When people countered why the history can’t be told, he was adamant, saying that ‘no Mizo will ever listen to anything of the kind that was written’.
This tweet was to make you aware of the legal consequences. Now I am putting you on a legal notice. Mizo people have screenshots of all the objectionable tweets. All such tweets will entail prosecution under the law. Please note. https://t.co/2GcUkdbyob
Today he posted more tweets claiming that while he is an expert in Mizo issues, Bharadwaj does not know anything about it. He ended his long rant in two days saying that he is putting Bharadwaj Speaks on legal notice. This means, he is taking legal action against a person for repeating history just because he thinks it will break the peace accord in Mizoram.
On Friday between 10:30 am to 12:30 pm as many as 20 journalists from Shimla received threatening pre-recorded calls from pro-Khalistan group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ). The caller identifying himself as Gurpatwant Singh Pannun from the US, the general counsel for SFJ, warned that Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur should not be allowed to hoist the tricolour on Independence Day.
In a bizarre incident, the recorded message to several journalists talked about a separatist movement in Himachal Pradesh. “Himachal Pradesh was part of Punjab and we are seeking a referendum in Punjab. Once we liberate Punjab, we will make sure that we take over areas of Himachal Pradesh which were part of Punjab,” said the recording.
Pannun also provoked farmers and pro-Khalistan Sikhs to come on tractors and disallow Jai Ram Thakur from hoisting the tricolour.
Some locals in Himachal Pradesh also claimed to have received similar phone calls.
“Fully capable of securing the state” says police
Taking cognizance of the matter, the Himachal Pradesh police Tweeted, “Himachal Pradesh Police is fully capable of securing the State & preventing anti-national elements to thwart peace & security in HP.”
Himachal Pradesh Police is fully capable of securing the State & preventing anti-national elements to thwart peace & security in HP. pic.twitter.com/hmpPiDyTtt
— Himachal Pradesh Police (@himachalpolice) July 30, 2021
Sharing a note, the police also stated, “We are in receipt of pre-recorded message from pro Khalistani elements from overseas sent to some journalists from HP and seized of the matter. HP Police is fully capable of securing the State and preventing anti-national elements to thwart peace and security in HP in cooperation with Central security and intelligence agencies.”
Note by Himachal Pradesh Police. Image Source: Twitter
Following the threat, the Himachal Pradesh police have beefed up security for Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, BJP national president J P Nadda and union minister for I & B Anurag Thakur.
Khalistani posters
Earlier this week, we reported how now slogans in support of the terror outfit and its ideologue Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale were found scribbled on the road milestones in the Sri Naina Devi-Kolanwala Toba road in Himachal Pradesh. Besides, posters bearing pro-Khalistani slogans were also seen on the roads leading to the town.
One of the messages on the road milestones in Himachal Pradesh said it was the start of the Khalistani territory. Another message said, “You are to Khalistan”. Similarly, other messages included slogans hailing Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and Khalistan.
Slogans of “Khalistan Zindabad”, “Join Khalistan”, “Referendum 2021”, and “Join SFJ” were written in the Punjabi language. In some places, it was written with paint, while in other places, it was scribbled with a marker pen.
The defacing of milestones and the recorded threats come at a time when thousands of devotees are travelling from Kolan Wala Toba to celebrate Shravan Ashtami in Shri Naina Devi and when the state readies to celebrate Independence Day.
In a surprising decision, the newly-appointed state BJP president of Tamil Nadu K Annamalai announced that the Tamil Nadu BJP unit would protest against the decision of the Karnataka government to go ahead with the Mekedatu project.
According to the reports, K Annamalai, the IPS officer-turned-politician, addressed a press conference on Thursday to speak on various issues pertaining to the activities of BJP in Tamil Nadu. During the press conference, the BJP leader said that while dealing with inter-state issues, the Tamil Nadu unit of BJP should question the Central BJP and neighbouring Karnataka BJP.
Chennai | Newly appointed Chief Minister of Karnataka, Basavaraj Bommai has said that they will build Mekadatu Dam. In spite of being in the same party, we will stage a fasting protest on Aug 5 against the Karnataka govt over this: BJP’s Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai pic.twitter.com/LA27qg9vH2
The Tamil Nadu BJP has also planned a one-day fasting protest on August 5 in the Cauvery Delta region to protest against the decision of the Karnataka BJP government to start the Mekedatu drinking water project. More than 10,000 farmers and BJP workers are expected to join the protests.
Reportedly, BJP state chief Annamalai has informed all the state office bearers about focusing on local issues and directed that the state BJP start functioning as a state party ahead of the upcoming civic polls.
“Karnataka cannot construct the dam as per the legal norms, and the union water resource minister has assured that Karnataka will not be allowed. This message should be taken up to the masses,” Annamalai said to BJP workers.
What is the Mekedatu project?
Mekedatu is adeep gorge situated in Karnataka at the confluence of the river Cauvery and its tributary Arkavathi. The Rs.9,000 crore project intends to store and supply water for drinking purposes for Bengaluru city. The project also aims to generate around 400 megawatts (MW) of power.
The Karnataka state government first approved the project in 2017. The drinking water project, which is being planned to end the water woos of Bengaluru city, has received approval from the Ministry of Jal Shakti, however, it is waiting for approval from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
Mekedatu project/ Image Source: Dristi
The Mekedatu project will submerge nearly 63% of the forest area of the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary.
However, the government of Tamil Nadu and all the political parties in the state, including the Bharatiya Janata Party, have opposed the proposed Mekedatu project by Karnataka in the Cauvery river. The two states have a long time dispute on Cauvery water sharing, and the project has further escalated tensions between the states.
Members of Karni Sena in Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia have been accused of stopping an allegedly consensual interfaith marriage of an 18-year-old Dalit girl. The girl who had been missing for a few days was found in a burqa registering her marriage at the registrar’s office.
While the Karni Sena alleged it to be a case of Love Jihad, reports suggest that the girl eloped willingly. Here is what happened.
Broken marriage
As per a Dainik Jagran report, the girl was married off to a boy from her community three months ago. However, she returned to her home in just a couple of days after the marriage.
However, early last week the girl had gone missing from her home after which her family had filed a missing report.
Karni Sena intervenes
The girl allegedly was found in a burqa with one Dilshad Siddique (24) in Padri village at the marriage registrar’s office. On the basis of suspicion, the members questioned the girl about her name, age and village.
When the girl confessed to being a Hindu, the members allegedly created a ruckus. Karni Sena accused Siddique of Love Jihad and claimed that the girl was coerced into marriage.
With police intervention, the 18-year-old girl was handed over to her parents.
Viral video
Allegedly in a video that has gone viral on social media, the girl confesses to marrying Siddique at her will. In the video, a man can be heard asking, “What is your name… What caste are you from? Which caste does the boy belong to? Is he Muslim? Why are you getting married to him?”
This Dalit girl clearly says that she is 18 year old and has come to court to marry a muslim man Dilshad willingly. But still Dilshad has been booked for “Kidnapping”. Arrest these Karni Sena goōns @balliapolice and release Dilshadpic.twitter.com/dtwNm55VPD
— Adab e Hindustan ❤️ ?? (@adabehindustan) July 30, 2021
Refuting claims of forceful conversion, Siddique’s cousin said, “They (the man and the woman) both knew each other for the last couple of years. They both wanted to marry, but their families were against it. The woman was forcefully married to a man in Shahjahanpur last year, but she returned home after a few months. I think they both got married secretly and went to court to register their marriage.”
“Now, some politically connected people have influenced the woman’s father and they are trying to make it look like a case of forceful conversion,” he added.
Police registered a case of kidnapping
In a statement to the Indian Express, Ballia’s Superintendent of Police, Vipin Tada informed, “We have lodged a case on a complaint from her father that his daughter had been kidnapped. We will present her in court soon, where she will record her statement. Further action will be taken based on her statement, as the woman is an adult.”
“Some people alleged that illegal conversion was taking place but nothing of that sort was found. Some people had brought her to the local police station, levelling allegations of conversion,” he added.
OpIndia tried to get a statement on the matter but could not get through.
Gyaneshwar Mishra, SHO, Ubhaon police station, where the case against Siddiqui was lodged informed that a missing complaint was lodged after the girl’s father Jai Prakash alleged in his complaint that his daughter had not returned home for two days.
Jai Prakash in his complaint also mentioned that he learnt about his daughter’s whereabouts from the villagers who informed him that his daughter was being coerced into marrying a Muslim.
“He lodged the complaint on Wednesday evening after the ruckus at the court in the afternoon,” SHO Mishra said.
As per Tada, the girl will soon be presented in court to record her statement.
Something rather inexplicable happened on Thursday night. A former Governor of an Indian State appeared to threaten a Twitter account, True Indology, for a series of tweets on Mizoram and the origins of Mizos. The tweets appeared sourced from government archives, media reports and other reliable publications.
Inconvenient as they may be, everyone has a right to state facts that are on public record. There was no incitement to violence or libel or slander, or anything of that sort and if the states caused someone else to resort to violence after reading them, the account True Indology cannot be held liable for it. How could he be blamed if someone he does not even know goes ahead and commits violence after reading his factual comments?
A person cannot be held liable for others’ actions without any evidence of incitement. And there was none here. Those interested in history could read the thread here if they so wish. Here, we would reserve our focus on the former Governor Swaraj’s comments and his flailing efforts to mount a credible defence, at which he failed terribly.
The tone and tenor of his initial response to True Indology were quite shocking, to be frank. Initially, it came across as a warning from someone who was concerned for the Twitter user’s own safety but before long, it became evident that it wasn’t a concern, it was a warning and a threat.
Source: Twitter
The series of comments posted by Governor Swaraj in response was littered with remarks that did not seem to have any relevance towards the matter in question. For instance, it is not clear why it should matter if TI is aware of Mizoram’s climate or forest cover.
The thread began with “One FIR and you will spend many years of your life facing trial” in the first tweet and ended with “A police officer in Aizawl will register an FIR.” It was bizarre, to be honest, and quite perplexing.
Source: Twitter
True Indology is extremely popular on the non-Left sections of social media and naturally, people were outraged by the former Governor’s conduct. Faced with a barrage of adverse comments, Swaraj attempted to defend himself from the onslaught.
And the mentality behind the defence is quite revealing. He said that he was concerned with how Mizos might perceive the thread. According to him, the thread by True Indology could jeopardise peace in Mizoram, although it is not clear how that could happen.
Also, one has to question the wisdom that comes to the conclusion that groups in the state would return to insurgency again because of a Twitter thread. Unlike the governor here, the journalist does not believe groups conduct themselves in such manner. There is usually other motivations if groups do resort to insurgency but I am not an expert on Mizo weather, therefore, I would have to add the caveat that I am ignorant and my comments are to be taken with a pinch of salt.
Source: Twitter
Needless to say, the comment did not help to assuage the angst of people on social media and the tweet attracted further criticism from people who support TI on the issue. Currently, Governor Swaraj is posting further comments on the whole issue but given the fact that they are laced with disparaging remarks against TI, it is unlikely that they will help his cause.
Jibes such as “You are a brave man” and “You are the new Socrates” can be found in abundance in the thread.
True Indology, meanwhile, has deactivated his account and left Twitter. He did so right after he was threatened with an FIR by the former Governor. But the Governor is clearly not done with him yet.
Source: Twitter
“You do not know what you are doing. You do not know Mizos and Mizoram. You cannot pronounce even a Mizo name correctly. You do not know the consequences of the venom you are spewing. It has the potential of jeopardising peace in Mizoram,” he bellowed on social media.
Then he went on to state something that we all know. That True Indology is not a historian. And that is perfectly alright. The right to speak the truth is a sacred sacrament bestowed on all those among the living. The truth remains silent only among the dead.
Swaraj said, “Chhimtuipui is a river and a district in Mizoram. How do you pronounce it ? What is the difference between Tam Dil and Rih Dil ? You are a Mizo historian. You should be knowing it. Photocopying papers does not make you a historian.”
Source: Twitter
But it is not only historians or journalists who have a monopoly over speaking facts. Every citizen of India has that unequivocal right, although it is fair to concede that the Constitution of India limits that significantly. But in this case, clearly, the Twitter user was well within his ordained rights.
Nonetheless, the interaction between the two does provide some very real insights into the realities of social media.
Lessons from the Governor Swaraj vs True Indology saga
First and foremost, the thread proves definitively that online clout is no substitute for real power. TI here has a huge following on social media and is quite a popular account but when confronted by someone with real power, actual power, he had no option but to flee the scene.
This is not an adverse comment on TI or an attempt to paint him a coward but just an honest account of events. It is a sensible decision to make. There’s no plausible reason to risk one’s safety and peace of mind over a Twitter thread. The cost is just too high and benefits negligible.
Of course, some could claim that one should be brave under such situations and hold on to the fort but it is easy to say that when one is not at the receiving end of it. That is why acts of valour are so treasured because they are rare and not everyone is capable of it.
Social media often tends to distort the real nature of power. The current instance once again demonstrated that there are very real consequences to speaking the truth on social media. Platforms such as Twitter and Facebook have given vast sections of the populace an opportunity to influence public discourse.
It leads most individuals on social media to believe that they can get away with harsh trolling of politicians without any real consequences. But that is not how it works. Power is power and there is no substitute for it.
The reason why most politicians do not bother going after their critics is that it is too much of a hassle and there are no gains to be had. And most politicians are not vindictive enough to take matters to that extent over cartoons on social media or some abuses.
But every once in a while, there is a particular matter that is close to the heart of someone in power. And when that someone does not like it, he goes out of his way to dish out threats or other means to ensure that the action is not repeated again.
Look at Governor Swaraj for example. Mizoram is clearly very close to his heart and TI stated facts, in a reasonable tone, that he did not like. An overwhelming majority of people would not be stirred enough to cause any stir over the issue. But unfortunately for TI, there happened to be one with significant influence who did not like what he said.
And thus, we have him threatening a Twitter user with an FIR over something that in no circumstances merit a case. But such is the world we live in.
Secondly, people mistake the power of social media far too much. We have a former governor here who believes that a Twitter thread could jeopardise a peace accord nd lead to a return of insurgency. Sure, fake news can sometimes create law and order situations in a particular region but insurgency is indeed quite the leap.
In this particular instance, it was not even fake news. These are facts on public record. Yes, it could lead to a law and order situation if it manages to percolate into groups with an affinity towards violence but it is the duty of the state to maintain law and order and ensure that speaking facts do not create such situations.
If the state is not willing to defend the right of citizens to speak truth, then it is indeed quite a shameful capitulation to hoodlums.
In Rajasthan’s Sri Ganganagar, so-called ‘farmer protestors’ have reportedly attacked and assaulted BJP leader Kailash Meghwal. As per reports, Meghwal had arrived to participate in a BJP protest agains irrigation and inflation.
Rajasthan: Farmers protesting in Sri Ganganagar against the Central Government's three farm laws, tore the clothes of BJP leader Kailash Meghwal. The leader had arrived to participate in a BJP protest over inflation and irrigation when the incident took place. pic.twitter.com/GERDBpoqB2
The ‘farmer-protestors’ assaulted and tore the clothes of the BJP leader.
Videos of the incident have gone viral on social media. In the videos, the BJP leader can be seen surrounded and being assaulted by an angry, violent mob. Several persons can be seen pushing, shoving him and tearing his clothes while two police personnel run to rescue the BJP leader.
BJP Leader Kailash Meghwal Beaten and his Clothes Torn by Alleged Farmers in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan pic.twitter.com/rexizkdCOh
Meghwal is the chief of BJP’s SC Morcha in Rajasthan.
As per reports, BJP had organised a protest against the Rajasthan government near the DM’s office in Sri Ganganagar. The program was opposed by members of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha who started sloganeering against the BJP near the venue. When Meghwal arrived, they farmer protestors reportedly got agitated seeing the BJP symbols with the leader. Meghwal was attacked and shoved around by a violent mob of SKU members.
Speaking to OpIndia, BJP’s Rajasthan spokesperson condemned the incident. He stated that Meghwal is thread of BJP’s SC Morcha and the attack was against a Dalit person. He added that in the name of ‘farmer protests’ such incidents of mob violence are condemnable. He also blamed the Rajasthan government for failing to maintain law and order.
Tensions prevailed in the Kadayam area of Tenkasi district after Tamil Nadu police threatened to register false cases against a Hindu resident and forced him to remove saffron flags hoisted atop their house.
A video has gone viral on social media platforms in which a police inspector was seen arguing with Chelladurai, a resident of the Kadayam area in Tenkasi district in Tamil Nadu, for putting up a Hindu saffron flag atop his residence.
In the video, a police officer, identified as Inspector Reghurajan, can be seen approaching the residence of Chelladurai. The police officer picks up an argument with the family of Chelladurai and asks him to remove the saffron flag put outside his house. After he removes the Hindu Munnai flag, a bulldozer appears at the spot after some time which razes the compound wall of his residence.
A Hindu family is forced to remove saffron flag from their house, got beaten by police & house bulldozed.
According to a report by the Organiser, the incident occurred at Pulavanoor village near Kadayam. The police officer Reghurajan was present at the spot to act on the Chelladurai and his family after a church had filed a complaint against the family.
As police began to demolish the outer wall of Chelladurai’s residence, several villagers, including women, children sat on the road to protest against the registration of false cases against the members of Hindu communities.
Following the demolition drive, the agitated family members of the Chelladurai confronted the police, saying, “You are silent against atrocities committee by other religions, but you want us to remove the encroachment; We are ready; but first, ask the Christians to remove the illegal encroachment. Don’t we have a right to a flag of our choice of party we like?”
In response, the Inspector warned them, “Do not talk rules. If you do, I will book a false case. So remove the encroachment and the flag.”
Church encroached Chelladurai’s land, forced him to remove the wall
As per Kutralanthan, a Hindu Munnani leader and advocate, the dispute between Chelladurai and a Christian group erupted six months ago. The Hindu residents of Pulavanoor village had protested against the construction of an illegal church on government land. They had even lodged a complaint with the police asking to take action against illegal encroachment by the church.
However, due to the strong influence of the Church on the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government, the police did not take any action against the church, said the Hindu activist.
“Because of the strong influence of the Christians, we have to fight against all. Had the police taken action against our complaint, things would not have gone to such magnitude. However, the partial action of the police is leading to communal clashes that can occur any time if the situation prevails in the area,” Kutralanthan said.
Narrating the incident in detail, he said that auto driver Chelladurai had built a house with a compound wall a couple of years ago. Later, a church was built in that area. The main entrance of the church was adjacent to Chelladurai’s compound wall. The revenue department details also showed that the land belonged to Chelladurai. Hence, Chelladurai built a structure with hollow blocks and put up a roof.
A few months later, another church was built near the left side of his house. The church people objected to the wall of his house, saying the wall was a hindrance to the church gate and asked him to remove the structures immediately. Anticipating the ulterior motives of the church, Chelladurai started a signature campaign claiming the church was built on government land and a water body.
Chelladurai registered a complaint against the church along with other residents, urging them to remove the illegal church built on the government land. However, the police did not take any action against the church.
Chelladurai was attacked by a mob instigated by the church, says villagers
A month after the incident, a mob entered his house, destroyed his auto parked outside before demolishing the compound. The mob also broke the glass window panes and other items. After the attacks on his family, Chelladurai registered another complaint against the Church pastor and another 15 members saying they damaged his auto, house, compound wall besides threatening him with dire consequences.
After severe protests, the local police finally registered a case and investigated the case. So far, eight persons have also been arrested in this connection who are on bail.”
Meanwhile, Hindu Munnani leaders visited Chelladurai’s residence and gave him Rs.10,000 as cash assistance to repair his house’s auto and compound wall.
“Christians with 30 per cent population unitedly pulled his building down and destroyed the auto-rickshaw after the transformer was off. No case was booked against the Christians for this heinous crime. Inspector Regurajan is supporting them. Revenue officials said both sides encroached on the government land, and action would be taken against both. We told them since you have admitted church has encroached. So you remove the encroachment first, we will ask Chelladurai to remove the same after it was marked. i.e. the area to be removed,” said Hindu Munnani leader Vijaykumar.
He alleged that the Christians are using the police as a tool to encroach on the land belonging to the Chelladurai family.
A few days after the attack, a police team led by Reghurajan visited Chelladurai’s house, as recorded in the video footage, to remove the remaining compound that allegedly blocked entry into the church. They asked him to remove the Hindu Munnani flag on the wall. However, Chelladurai came out with a can of kerosene and threatened to set himself on fire if they demolish the wall.
Instead of acting on the encroachers, the police arrested Reghurajan and took him to the station. Meanwhile, the Church has filed a case against Chelladurai, claiming that the police must pull down the wall adjacent to the church. The police have also arrested a youth who went to enquire about the well-being of Chelladurai.
“Inspector acted like a stooge of Christians, which is condemnable. We have taken up this with the district police superintendent,” said a Hindu leader.
The villagers alleged that the police officials razed the compound wall without the presence of the village administrative officer. They also alleged that the police pulled down the remaining wall after taking Chelladurai into custody. The village officer, who arrive later, said that Chelladurai was arrested for preventing the officials from doing their job.
The police officials have contended that Chelladurai was arrested for obstructing them to carry out their work. The police have released the few members of the church officials involved in the attack.
The issue of population control has become a topic of hot debate after the most populous state Uttar Pradesh published a draft for proposed population control bill. BJP ruled Assam has already passed a resolution in the assembly regarding the same, and have introduced measures discouraging people to have more than two children. Muslim organisations, in particular, are opposing such measures, and now Communist newspaper The Hindu has come up with a completely misleading to argue that there is no need for a population policy.
In an article titled “No need for a drastic population policy” authored by Subhanil Chowdhury and Saswata Ghosh published on July 29, they used wrong charts and misleading data to argue for their cause.
The article first argues that as per the Population Projection published in 2019 by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, UP will reach the total fertility rate of 2.1, which is considered the replacement rate, by 2025, and Assam should have already reached that rate by 2020. This means, the population of UP and Assam will not increase from 2025 and 2020 respectively, hence there is no need for population control measures, argues the Hindu article.
The authors cherry-picked only one data point from a 268-page document to argue that the population is going to stabilise in the two states very soon, which is completely wrong. According to the same Population Projection document cited in the article, the UP population is projected to go up from 23.1 crore in 2021 to 25.59 crore in 2036, an increase of 2.5 crores. Similarly, Assam’s population is projected to grow from 3.5 crore in 2021 to 3.94 crore in 2036. This shows both states are expected to see an increase of 11% in population in the next 15 years.
This means, the population projection does not say that the population in both the states are going to stabilise soon, as falsely claimed by the authors. Even though 2.1 TFR is considered the replacement rate, there are other factors affecting the population growth, like increase in life expectancy of the population due to availability of better healthcare, nutritious food, shift to non-hazardous occupations etc.
This was a minor offence compared to what The Hindu did next. They printed a completely misleading chart to prove that the population growth rate of Muslims and Hindus are the same. The proposed population control measures will be applicable to all the citizens, so it is puzzling what was the need to compare the fertility rate of Muslims and Hindus.
Citing the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-2 data, the article claims that the fertility rate of both Muslim and Hindu women in Assam, UP, Bihar and West Bengal are similar. They plotted the fertility data on charts, putting the Hindu fertility rate on the X-axis and the same for Muslims on Y-axis. At first glance, the charts show that the fertility rate for both communities is similar. But one looks closer, it can be seen how the authors manipulated the chart to arrive at that conclusion.
Mismatched units used by The Hindu for misrepresentation
While making the chart, they used different scales for Hindus and Muslims, while each unit on the X-axis represents 1% rate for Hindus, each unit on the Y-axis for Muslims actually represents a 2% rate. This means, for the same unit on the chart, the Muslim fertility rate is actually twice the Hindu fertility rate.
Moreover, the charts were prepared taking data for four districts each in the four states, and the important thing is, the article does not mention which districts were used. As the Hindu-Muslim population shares vary across districts in all the states, it is an important factor in comparing population growths.
Also, while the article mentions that the fertility rate for both Hindus and Muslims have declined, they fail to mention that the same for Muslims remains higher than Hindus. This means the proportion of Muslims in the total population will continue to increase, even at a lower rate. On the national average, the fertility rate for Muslims is 0.8% higher than Hindus, as per the NFHS data cited by The Hindu. 0.8% is not a small difference when the fertility rate is between 2% to 4% for most states. In plain terms, Muslim women give birth to almost one more child compared to Hindus.
From NFHS report
The article further mentions that the fertility rate of Hindus is higher than Muslims in 4 districts of Assam, 11 districts of Bihar, 22 districts in UP and 3 districts in West Bengal. This is completely misleading and useless information, because these are tiny portions in the total districts in these states. Because Assam has 34 districts, Bihar has 38 districts, UP has 75 districts and West Bengal has 23 districts.
This means, going by the article’s own admission, barring a tiny number of districts, the fertility rate of Muslims is Hindus is more in most of the districts. While the authors claim that higher population growth in Muslims is “is a figment of the right-wing imagination and not supported by facts”, the fact is completely opposite. The data show that the fertility rate among Muslims remains higher than Hindus, and the authors tried to contest that by cherry-picking data from a tiny number of districts, and wrongly plotting data on charts.
Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut who was banned on the micro-blogging platform Twitter continues to entertain her fans through her other social media accounts.
In her latest post, Ranaut referred to the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as ‘Tadaka’-a a female Asura from Ramayana. Sharing a picture of controversial lyricist Javed Akhtar and his wife Shabana Azmi with Mamata Banerjee, Ranaut remarked that the three met for a strategic meeting.
“Yesterday Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar met the Chief Minister of West Bengal who is popularly known as Tadaka for a strategic meeting and will now host smaller meetings in BollyDawood, pressurize the Khans who will then take everyone from a small to a big artist in their network to turn ‘Tadaka’ into a goddess,” she said in her social media post.
“BollyDawood” was Kangana’s sly on the Mumbai movie industry where many bigwigs are allegedly linked with mafia Dawood Ibrahim. She was hinting that it is possible the ‘Dawood’-linked actors will pressurize everyone in the industry to run promoted campaigns for Mamata and create a positive image for her nationwide.
Kangana Ranaut’s Facebook Post
“But I will expose every anti-national, be careful,” warned Ranaut.
Reportedly, Mamata Banerjee while Akhtar was addressing the media, asked him to compose a ‘Khela Hobe’ song for her party Trinamool Congress.
“Khela hobe se aapko ek gaan banana hai (you have to compose a song on khela hobe),” she said.
Banerjee arrived in New Delhi on Monday for a five-day visit, after being re-elected as the West Bengal Chief Minister for the third time.
