On Monday (August 9) afternoon, BJP Sarpanch Ghulam Rasool Bhat and his wife Jawahara Banoo were gunned down by Pakistan-sponsored Islamic terrorists. The incident took place at Lal Chowk area in Anantnag district of South Kashmir.
The development was confirmed on Twitter by Kashmiri journalist Aditya Raj Kaul. “BJP Sarpanch Ghulam Rasool Bhat and his wife Jawahara Banoo killed by terrorists inside their house in Lalchowk of South Kashmir’s Anantnag. Terrorists escaped after the terror attack. Cold blooded murder by Pakistan sponsored Islamist terrorists. More details awaited,” he informed.
#BREAKING: BJP Sarpanch Ghulam Rasool Bhat and his wife Jawahara Banoo killed by terrorists inside their house in Lalchowk of South Kashmir’s Anantnag. Terrorists escaped after the terror attack. Cold blooded murder by Pakistan sponsored Islamist terrorists. More details awaited.
While speaking to Kashmir News Observer (KNO), an official informed that the duo was rushed to the Government Medical College (GMC) in Anantnag for immediate medical attention. However, they succumbed to their injuries and were declared dead on arrival. The official added that the area has been cordoned off to nab the terrorists.
As per a report in Greater Kashmir, the IGP has stated that Let terrorists are behind the murder.
Past attacks on BJP leaders in Jammu and Kashmir
Earlier in March, a group of terrorists opened fire at the guard post of BJP leader Anwar Khan’s residence in Nowgam, North Kashmir. One sentry who was critically injured in the attack succumbed to his injuries. In 2018, terrorists had opened fire at Anwar Khan in the Pulwama district where a police officer who was guarding him was injured in the attack. Khan however had escaped unhurt. In March, a Municipal council meeting in Sopore, which was being chaired by State Secretary of BJP Fareeda Khan, was attacked by unidentified terrorist/terrorists. It resulted in the death of two people including one police personnel.
In June this year, BJP leader Rakesh Pandita was shot dead by terrorists. Prior to that, in February 2021, the popular Krishna Dhaba in Srinagar was attacked, where the owner’s son was critically injured. The young man had later succumbed to bullet injuries.
Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty Kundra is again in news after her husband’s arrest in a pornography case. Days after the Bombay High Court rejected husband Raj Kundra’s application challenging the magistrate court’s remand order and seeking immediate release, Lucknow police have registered two FIRs against the actress and her mother in an alleged fraud case.
The FIRs have been registered at Hazratganj and Vibhuti Khand police stations in Lucknow.
The police officials have said that the actress and her mother Sunanda Shetty have been accused of cheating in the name of running a wellness centre. According to reports, the duo runs a fitness chain named Iosis Wellness Centre, where Shilpa Shetty is the chairman while her mother is the director.
The first complaint against the duo was filed at Vibhuti Khand police station by one Jyotsna Chauhan, a resident of Omaxe Heights. The next was filed by one Rohit Veer Singh at Hazratganj police station. Both have accused the duo of cheating and fraud.
It is being alleged that Shilpa Shetty and her mother had taken crores of rupees from these two persons in the pretext of opening a branch of their wellness centre, which never happened.
Based on the complaint, the Hazratganj Police and Vibhuti Khand Police sent notices for questioning to Shilpa Shetty and her mother.
DCP (East) Sanjeev Suman said that the investigation officer, in this case, will leave for Mumbai on Monday to question actress Shilpa Shetty and her mother Sunanda. He will examine all the points in this matter.
Raj Kundra, husband of actress Shilpa Shetty arrested in pornography case
For the uninitiated, on August 7, Bombay High Court had rejected Kundra and his aide Ryan Thorpe’s applications challenging the magistrate court’s remand order and seeking immediate release.
Shilpa Shetty’s husband Raj Kundra is already in jail for his alleged role in creating and publishing pornographic films on some mobile applications. He was arrested on July 19 by the Mumbai police.
Raj Kundra and his associate have been booked under sections 420 (cheating), 34 (common intention), 292 and 293 (related to obscene and indecent advertisements and displays) of IPC besides relevant sections of the IT Act and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act.
After issuing threats to the Chief Ministers of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, UP and Punjab, pro-Khalistan banned group Sikhs For Justice have announced a reward for anyone who stops Prime Minister Narendra Modi from unfurling the Indian national flag on Red Fort on the upcoming Independence Day.
SFJ General Secretary Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in an audio note has announced a cash reward of US 1 million dollars by the pro-Khalistani group for the one who stops the Indian Prime Minister from hoisting the flag on Red Fort on Sunday.
In the garb of supporting the so-called farmers, Pannun in the audio note furthered the secessionist movement and claimed to snatch Punjab from ‘India’s occupation.’ He further says that the Khalistanis will also annex Delhi from India and unfurl the Khalistani flag on the Red Fort.
He also urged the citizens of the national capital to either join his movement or move on.
Similar threats ahead of Republic Day and Nishan Sahib on R-Day riots
Similar threats were issued ahead of Republic Day celebrations earlier this year. After the ‘tractor rally’ planned by so-called farmers sitting on the Delhi-border culminated into riots after a mob desecrated the Red Fort, pro-Khalistan elements had expressed happiness over the same. During the riots, some of the ‘farmers’ had unfurled the Sikh religious flag called the Nishan Sahib on top of the Red Fort where traditionally the PM unfurls the national flag on Independence Day.
#SanctionPakistan is among the top trending hashtags on Twitter as Afghans have taken to the microblogging website to demand sanctions against Pakistan for its incriminating role of facilitating and enabling the Taliban.
The hashtag is being trended amidst an intensifying Talibani offensive that threatens to subvert the democratic institutions in the country and plunge Afghanistan once again into the abyss of tyranny and fundamentalism.
Scores of Afghan social media users have started trending #SanctionPakistan to draw the world’s attention towards Pakistan’s involvement in supporting and fortifying Taliban.
A Kabul-based journalist urged people to raise their voice against Pakistan and call out their support to terrorism in Afghanistan.
If you are Afghan or a friend of Afghanistan, speak up. Use whatever platform you have to support the Afghan call for ending the proxy war. Afghanistan is under attack and needs you the most now.#SanctionPakistan
Another social media user tweeted that 96 per cent explosives used in IEDs in Afghanistan come from Pakistan. While the claim cannot be independently verified, it is yet another indicator of public perception of Pakistan among Afghan nationals.
96% of explosives used in IEDs in Afghanistan come from Pakistan.#SanctionPakistan
Not just online supporters, but Afghans also came out in streets in various places across the world to mark their protest against Pakistani support to Taliban. Afghans in Sweden demonstrated on streets, calling on the United Nations to impose sanctions on Pakistan for their direct involvement in inciting a war in Afghanistan.
Canadian diplomat Chris Alexander also lent his support to Afghanistan and called on the United Nations to impose sanctions on Pakistan.
“Pakistan’s invasion of Afghanistan constitutes an armed attack & act of aggression under Chapter VII of the UN Charter,” Chris Alexander tweeted.
Pakistan’s invasion of Afghanistan constitutes an armed attack & act of aggression under Chapter VII of the UN Charter.
The international community must take action under Articles 41 or 42 to uphold international law & the rules-based international order.#SanctionPakistan
Pakistan continues to remain safe haven for Talibani terrorists
As crisis in Afghanistan exacerbates, many political analysts and observers have ascribed the resurgence of Taliban to neighbouring Pakistan, whom they claimed have stake in keeping the pot boiling in Afghanistan.
As such, evidence has also revealed Pakistani support for the rise of Taliban. Various reports have highlighted that Talibani terrorists are treated with kid gloves in Pakistan.
The Afghan envoy to the UN recently alleged that Pakistan and its Army provide a safe haven to the terrorists and their affiliates. It not only trains terrorists, provides them with weapons and ammunition, but also tends to the injured Talibani terrorists in Army hospitals, the envoy said.
The Pakistani PM Imran Khan has also been known to have a soft spot for the Taliban. He is also been called as Taliban Khan. Pakistani leadership has also met senior leaders of Taliban and have made glowing remarks for the terror organisation.
By now, everyone on social media has heard about the incident involving NDTV. You see NDTV had put out a tweet mentioning the number of new Covid cases in India and possibly thought nothing of it. It so happened that the accompanying image was that of a visibly Muslim man, with a skull cap and beard. This set off a wave of condemnation on social media among NDTV’s core viewers. Then, a Muslim “activist” demanded to know the name of the NDTV employee who had dared used the image, and encouraged other NDTV employees to disclose the name through DMs. The subtext of demanding someone’s name was obviously chilling.
To her credit, NDTV’s Editorial Director Sonia Singh took on this individual. She pointed out that the accompanying image merely showed an Indian taking a Covid test. She also asked him to “stop trying to intimidate” the NDTV team with his agenda.
Soon after, the tweet was gone. Not the tweet from the Muslim “activist.” But the original tweet from NDTV, with the supposedly controversial image.
Whether you believe that NDTV was intimidated or not, we can all see that Sonia Singh stood no chance against the woke liberal patriarchy.
Understandably, there was a bit of alarm among the liberal elite over what happened. Most did not dare to tweet about it, but some did. The Muslim radicals, now basking in the glory of their “win,” shut up the former by calling them Islamophobic. The liberal elites did not dare to press the issue further.
The scuffle broke out only yesterday. But on the liberal side of the Indian political spectrum, the differences have been simmering. How did this happen? And what do we need to know about this?
The problems actually began a few weeks ago, with the reactions to the murder of that Indian photojournalist in Afghanistan. You might remember how some liberals such as Ravish Kumar played it safe, sending “hazaar lanataein” to the bullet that killed the man. Others advertised their wokeness by celebrating the “humanity” of the Taliban, and choosing to bash the Sangh instead. Here is one such individual, a professor of some sort at an educational institution in the United States.
‘Good Taliban’
But those liberals who sought to show off their wokeness by calling the Sangh names such as “Hindu Taliban” were in for a rude shock. Their core supporters were no longer happy even with the RSS – Taliban comparison. They argued that the comparison diminishes the moral standing of the Taliban. How dare Indian liberals insult the Taliban?
The liberal elites had been blindsided. They had underestimated the extent to which their foot soldiers had become radicalized.
That’s where the tension began. And it just exploded yesterday. You should see the discourse on social media. The liberal elites put up a weak defense of their position, if at all. But the radicals will have none of it. They are labeling the liberal elites as rabidly Islamophobic, as Sangh agents in disguise and much worse. The radicals will accept nothing short of total subjugation. They have the numbers and they are laying down the new laws.
For the liberal elite, the wheels on their “too clever by half” strategy are finally coming off. What did the liberal elite do all these years? They kept quiet as the most regressive elements took over the minority community. In that community, child marriage remains legal to this day, a daughter receives half the inheritance of a son and until a few years ago, instant triple talaq was still legal. In Jammu & Kashmir, they are still carrying the can for Article 370, which infringes on property rights of women and allows for people to be put in jail for homosexuality. On a range of issues, Indian liberal elites were on the same page as the Taliban. But the liberal elite pretended not to notice.
What did the liberal elite do instead? They demonized every practice of the majority Hindu community. Because the Hindu community is open to change and willing to act on its faults, this ensured that the liberal elites could make a living out of this.
The liberal elite is now trapped. On the one hand, they cannot acknowledge anything good about India’s Hindu majority. That would destroy everything they have said so far in their lives. So they signed up politically with the minority community and offered to lead them in the fight against “Hindutva.” For this, they had to define “liberalism” as anyone who despises the idol worshipers. From sarees to diyas to rasam to Hanuman shirts, the liberal elites found new ways each day to demonize the Hindus.
But, the radicals in the minority community are now getting restive. Why should they accept leadership from the liberal elite? The radicals have the numbers. They want to assert themselves and make the rules for their side.
This is the classic struggle between the “classes” and the “masses” on the liberal side. On one side are the liberal elites. They pretend to hate the system, and India’s Hindu majority. But secretly, they love it. It is this system in which they made a living and became so successful. They are not radicals, they just play one on TV. They are least excited about the idea of living in Taliban ruled Afghanistan, or in any other country where women are not allowed on the street without a male guardian.
On the other side are the “masses” who now make up the biggest votebank for the liberals. These people don’t have much of a stake in the system. They never got very much from it. Many of them don’t have a modern education, and have not been taught to care for one. But they are not fools. They sense that their supposed thought leaders in the liberal elite do not share their values, and are simply taking advantage of their votes.
The liberal elites can try, but the coalition is not going to hold much longer. On the liberal side of the Indian political spectrum, the “masses” are going to stand up to the “classes.”
For the liberal elite, there is only one way out of this mess. They have to acknowledge everything they have done wrong. They pandered to the most regressive elements in the minority community. Instead, they demonized the only group of people that is genuinely open to positive social change. Their redemption begins with a heartfelt apology to the majority community. And then assuming an intellectually honest position on community relations in India.
On August 9, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the ninth installment of financial benefit under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) via video conferencing. PM Modi interacted with the beneficiaries of PM-KISAN during the event. A total of Rs.19,500 crores were transferred to 9.75 crores beneficiary farmer families.
While addressing the gathering, PM Modi talked about the sowing season and hoped that the amount farmers would receive under the ninth instalment of PM-KISAN will help them. He added that the scheme of Kisan Infrastructure Fund with Rs.1 lakh crores corpus also completed its one year. The initiatives like Mission Honey-Bee has helped hundreds of thousands of farmers to increase their annual income. PM said that the Honey mission has resulted in the export of honey worth Rs.7 lakh crores results in additional revenue for the farmers.
While talking about the 75th Independence Day, he said that the people of India should take it as an opportunity to decide where they want to see India in the coming 25 years. He added that agriculture and farmers are going to play a vital role in determining the condition of India in 2047 when the nation completes 100 years of independence.
अब से कुछ दिन बाद ही 15 अगस्त आने वाला है।
इस बार देश अपना 75वां स्वतंत्रता दिवस मनाने जा रहा है।
ये महत्वपूर्ण पड़ाव हमारे लिए गौरव का तो है ही, ये नए संकल्पों, नए लक्ष्यों का भी अवसर है।
इस अवसर पर हमें तय करना है कि आने वाले 25 वर्षों में हम भारत को कहां देखना चाहते हैं: PM
“It is time to give direction to India’s agriculture to face new challenges and take advantage of new opportunities,” he added. PM said that with the changing time, the agriculture in India is facing new challenges, and the sector has to take advantage of the new opportunities. He praised the farmers for record production despite the ongoing pandemic.
While outlining the steps taking by the Government to ease the hardship of the farmers, PM Modi said that the Government had ensured an uninterrupted supply of seeds, fertilizers and access to the market. While the cost of DAP was increased by several folds in the market, the Government managed to control it in the Indian market by allotting a special package of Rs.12,000 crores for the same.
Record procurement of produce
The PM said that during the Kharif and Rabi seasons in recent times, the Government had made the biggest ever purchase from the farmers at Minimum Selling Price (MSP). The money was transferred directly to the farmers’ accounts via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). Rs.1,70,000 crores were paid directly to rice farmers while Rs.85,000 crores were paid directly to wheat farmers.
सरकार ने खरीफ हो या रबी सीज़न, किसानों से MSP पर अब तक की सबसे बड़ी खरीद की है।
इससे, धान किसानों के खाते में लगभग 1 लाख 70 हज़ार करोड़ रुपए और गेहूं किसानों के खाते में लगभग 85 हज़ार करोड़ रुपए डायरेक्ट पहुंचे हैं: PM @narendramodi
PM praised farmers for an increase in the production of pulses
A few years ago, there was a shortage of pulses in the country. At that time, PM Modi had urged the farmers to increase the production of pulses in the country. As a result, there has been an increase of almost 50% in the production in the last six years. PM Modi praised the farmers for their achievement.
कुछ साल पहले जब देश में दालों की बहुत कमी हो गई थी, तो मैंने देश के किसानों से दाल उत्पादन बढ़ाने का आग्रह किया था।
मेरे उस आग्रह को देश के किसानों ने स्वीकार किया।
परिणाम ये हुआ कि बीते 6 साल में देश में दाल के उत्पादन में लगभग 50 प्रतिशत की वृद्धि हुई है: PM @narendramodi
PM Modi again emphasized self-reliance in edible oil and highlighted National Edible Oil Mission-Oil Palm, i.e. NMEO-OP, as a pledge for the same. He added that the Government would invest Rs.11,000 crore in the cooking oil ecosystem to ensure India becomes self-reliant in the sector. The Government will provide better facilities and high-quality seeds to the farmers.
इस मिशन के माध्यम से खाने के तेल से जुड़े इकोसिस्टम पर 11 हज़ार करोड़ रुपए से अधिक का निवेश किया जाएगा।
सरकार ये सुनिश्चित करेगी कि किसानों को उत्तम बीज से लेकर टेक्नॉलॉजी, हर सुविधा मिले: PM @narendramodi
PM-KISAN: India among top 10 agriculture exporters
PM Modi noted the fact that for the first time in history, India has reached the list of top 10 countries of the world in terms of agriculture exports. He said that the country had set new records during the Covid-19 period. “Today, when India is becoming recognized as a big agricultural exporting country, it is not right to stay dependent on imports for our needs of edible oil,” he said.
आज भारत कृषि निर्यात के मामले में पहली बार दुनिया के टॉप-10 देशों में पहुंचा है। कोरोना काल में देश ने कृषि निर्यात के नए रिकॉर्ड बनाए हैं।
आज जब भारत की पहचान एक बड़े कृषि निर्यातक देश की बन रही है तब हम खाद्य तेल की अपनी ज़रूरतों के लिए आयात पर निर्भर रहें, ये उचित नहीं है: PM
PM Modi said that the Government is more concerned about the small farmers, and they are being given utmost priority while formulizing agriculture policies in the country. A series of programs like PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, Kisan Credit Cards, Food Parks, Kisan Rails and Infrastructure Fund has helped crores of farmers across the country. He said that the steps taken by the Government would increase the small farmer’s access to the market and his bargaining power through FPOs.
On Sunday (August 8), a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team recreated the suspicious ‘road accident’ that led to the death of the Jharkhand Aditional District Judge (ADJ) Uttam Anand. The Judge was hit by a three-wheeler at 5:00 am on July 28 and was declared dead on arrival at the Dhanbad Medical College.
As per reports, the CBI team reached the crime scene at 5 am on Sunday with the autorickshaw that was involved in the accident. The two accused, namely, Lakhand Verma and his associate Rahul Verma were also present at the Randhir Verma Chowk, the site of the accident. The ‘crime scene recreation’ and ‘digital mapping of occurence’ were also done earlier on Saturday by the CBI team along with the Central Forensic Science Lab (CFSL) experts.
During the ‘recreation process, the CBI team made the driver and his aide seat inside the autorickshaw and recreated how he had knocked the judge on the ground. The CFSL team, equipped with speed scanner machines, recorded the speed of the vehicle at the time of the accident and the speed at which it escaped after hitting the judge. They also collected ‘blood-soaked clay’ from the crime scene. A senior police official informed that this would help the CBI to understand how the incident took place.
The central agency has been investigating the case since August 4 after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Jharkhand police failed to conclude whether the death of Judge Uttam Anand was an accident or murder. The 20-member CBI team, investigating the case, is led by ASP Vijay Kumar Shukla. It must be mentioned that the SIT was constituted on the orders of the Jharkhand High Court. The accused were booked under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and were sent to 5 days in judicial custody.
CCTV footage of Dhanbad Judge’s ‘road accident’ raised questions, judge had refused bail in high-profile case
A CCTV footage of the road accident that claimed the life of district and session Judge Uttam Anand had earlier emerged, which raised several questions about the incident. The footage showed a three-wheeler suddenly turning to the extreme left of the road and hitting the Judge. It did not stop even for a second and fled the scene. Hindi daily Jagran reported that the auto that was seen hitting Judge Anand belonged to one Sugni Devi.
It was reported stolen a night before the accident. Kriti Sinha, the wife of Judge Anand, filed an FIR at Dhanbad Police Station against unknown people. Hindustan Times had reported that Judge Anand had recently rejected a bail plea filed by an alleged contract killer Ravi Thakur and Anand Verma from Uttar Pradesh, who are linked to gangsters Abhinav Singh and Aman Singh. Ravi Thakur is currently lodged in Dhanbad jail for his alleged involvement in a high-profile murder case of Ranjay Singh.
SCBA president demanding CBI probe had earlier demanded CBI probe
The incident was brought to the notice of the Supreme Court by Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Vikas Singh who demanded a CBI probe into the shocking incident. Singh had mentioned before the SC bench of Justice DY Chandrahcud that the murder of a judicial officer for not granting bail to a gangster is an assault on the judiciary.
Bollywood actress Juhi Chawla has finally broken her silence clarifying her stance on the much-talked-about 5G lawsuit initiated by her. Chawla who was fined Rs. 20 lakh fine by the Delhi High Court for abusing the process of law has released a video on Instagram asking people to decide ‘if it was a publicity stunt’.
Here’s what the actress had to say.
Chawla began the video defending her petition saying all she wanted was a certification that said 5G is safe for humankind, the environment and the animals. Her previous RTIs from 2019 and 2020 demanded studies on the harmful effects of 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G but to no avail.
Juhi Chawla then narrated the reason that led her to raise her voice against the unmonitored and untested deployment of 5G and other cellular technologies. Chawla said that in 2010 she saw 14 cellular towers suddenly crop right across her home at the Sahyadri Guest House.
Quoting a report from the Tehelka magazine, she said it is then that she got to know of the harmful effects of cellular radiation on human health. That is when she decided to call up agencies who could help her find out if she and her family were affected by radiation from cell towers.
The agency called then submitted a report specifying the various areas of her home which recorded harmful levels of radiation. Allegedly these radiations could lead to multiple health issues such as headaches, memory loss and irregular blood pressure.
Juhi Chawla then chased multiple organizations and parliamentary committees to discuss the issue. She then started giving presentations, filed PILs and petitions seeking removal of the towers outside her home. As per Chawla, it was found that 13 out of 14 towers were illegally installed and were removed.
This was when her campaign snowballed and people from across the country started seeking her advice on how to fight against the cell towers cropping up outside their homes.
She also quoted case studies from Mumbai which proved the rise in cases of cancers in buildings that were in close proximity of the cell phone towers. Chawla also attached the details of the cases filed by her, RTI responses and concluded the video by asking if she did anything wrong by raising a question regarding the safety of mankind and the environment.
Bad press but heartwarming responses
Chawla, emotional about the experience, in a statement, said, “Whatever transpired in June, left me feeling hurt and confused. On one hand, I received some bad press and publicity, on the other, I received heartwarming messages from unknown people telling me they were genuinely and completely in support. One such message was from a group of farmers in Maharashtra which brought tears to my eyes, they wished to carry out a voluntary drive to collect a small sum of money from each of their 10,000 farmer community to help me pay the hefty penalty, I had been fined with.”
“Moments like these made me grateful that no matter what, I had lent a voice to the health concerns of many, many simple people of my country. When the storm died down, and I could see more clearly, I became calm and strong because I realized what an important, timely, relevant and impacting question I had raised. Had it not been so, would the world have erupted the way it did?!” she added.
“All this while I remained silent because I believe silence has its own deafening sound, but now I’d like to bring forth some very important and shocking details of happenings, in my 11-year journey of discovering EMF radiation, its health effects and the glaring ignorance of certain authorities in this regard. I hope you can make some time to watch this video,” Chawla said further in her statement.
Juhi Chawla circulated video conferencing link of her hearing
The court after fining the actress had remarked that the petition was filed to gain publicity which was clear with Chawla circulating the video conferencing link of the hearing on her social media accounts. This had led to the hearing being disrupted by unknown miscreants who sang songs from the actress’s movies.
Moreover, the court had also noted that the plaint was defective and not maintainable. It ruled that Chawla did not comply with the mandate under Section 80 of the Code of Civil Procedure. It additionally said that the plaint was not verified.
On August 8, NDTV succumbed to the pressure from ‘Muslim activist’ Sharjeel Usmani and deleted a representational image of a Muslim man getting tested for COVID, which the media house used as the representational featured image for one of its articles. Despite the radical Islaimts’ veiled threat, now, another two media houses, the likes of NDTV have gone on to use similar representational images of Muslim women for their articles.
Both, Hindustan Times and Times Now have published reports on August 8 and 9 respectively in which they have also used representational images of Muslim women. While Hindustan Times shows a Muslim woman getting vaccinated against the pathogen, Times Now has used an image of a Muslim woman getting tested for Covid-19.
The report published by Hindustan Times on August 8
Times Now report published on August 9
Interestingly, while Hindustan Times published the report on the same day when NDTV was bullied into removing a similar image of a Muslim man getting tested for Covid-19, Times Now went on to publish the report on August 9 (Monday), a day after the controversy erupted.
Sharjeel Usmani had issued a not-so-subtle threat against NDTV, demanding that other employees disclose the name of the employee who used the representational image featuring a Muslim man getting tested for Covid-19.
One wonders if the representational images by HT and Times Now are a subtle message that they will not cower before an Islamist troll. While one could not say it for certain, the opportune timing of it does lead one to reach that conclusion.
On Saturday (August 7), the wife of a BJP worker was gang-raped by 5 goons at around 12 o’clock in the night. The incident took place in Amta in the Bagnan Vidhan Sabha constituency in the Howrah district of West Bengal.
News 18 Bangla reported that the BJP worker was not at home on that particular night. Sensing an opportunity, the accused men barged into the house and gang-raped his wife. The victim underwent a cerebral stroke a few days ago and had lost the ability to speak. The woman was found with her hands and legs tied by her son. Hearing his screams, the neighbours got alerted and rushed the victim to the Uluberia Sub-Divisional Hospital.
The BJP has accused the Trinamool Congress (TMC) party members of orchestrating the heinous crime. Reportedly, the Bagnan police initially refused to lodge a First Information Report (FIR) in the gang-rape case. Later, when the local BJP leaders intervened, a case was registered against the miscreants at Uluberia Ladies Police Station. Following the registration of the FIR, the cops swung into action and arrested TMC leaders Qutubuddin Mallick and Debashish Rana.
(Video Courtesy: Youtube/ News 18)
The remaining 3 miscreants are still on the run from the law enforcement authorities. When News 18 reached out to the TMC leader Pulak Roy, he refused to comment on the matter. While speaking about the incident to News 18, the victim’s husband remarked, “I left for Kolkata for my work at 11 am in the morning. Only my wife and youngest son was at the house. At around 12, the miscreants called her from outside the house.”
He further added, “She mistook them for me and opened the door. They then caught hold of her by her and sexually tortured her. This is the handiwork of those who are in charge of the TMC.” Besides the two accused already arrested in the case, he had named three others namely, Shahid, Joynal Mallick and Mahabul Mallick.
Rape as a tool for political violence
It is notable here that dozens of complaints of rape, murder, assault and threats have come to light against TMC goons who have been on a rampage after the party’s victory in the recently concluded state assembly elections. The National Human Rights Commission it its report has highlighted incidents of women being raped as a ‘revenge’ by TMC goons after the elections. BJP workers and supporters have been facing rampant harassment and violence from ruling party goons. The NHRC report had also state that the state police, in several of the cases, either ignored the complaints, or worked in collusion with the perpetrators to further traumatise the victims.
