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How ThePrint tried to normalise relationship between 23 year old man and 13 year old girl in the Kashmir Sikh conversion controversy

K Bhattacharjee
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How ThePrint tried to normalise relationship between 23 year old man and 13 year old girl in the Kashmir Sikh conversion controversy

Days after the Grooming Jihad controversy in Kashmir over the alleged forced conversion of a Sikh girl, new developments have occurred in the matter. According to a report on ThePrint published on the 9th of July, Shahid Nazir Bhatt, the Muslim man the Sikh girl was allegedly married off to initially, has walked out of jail on the 2nd of July.

ThePrint journalist spoke to Shahid who made some rather intriguing comments over the matter. According to the report, Shahid and the Sikh woman Manmeet Kaur had been ‘in love’ for the past six years. But there is an issue here.

Headline of ThePrint report

Shahid is 29 years old and Manmeet Kaur is 19. Thus, if his claims are true, then it appears that a 23-year-old Shahid was ‘in love’ with 13-year-old Manmeet. This only seems to bolster the claims of Grooming Jihad in the matter.

The confusion regarding Manmeet’s age

According to Manmeet’s Aadhar Card, which was accessed by The Print, she was born in February 2003, which makes her 5 months over 18 years old as of today. In her affidavit filed on the 22nd of June 22, Manmeet, too, said that she was 19 years old.

In that affidavit, she had claimed that she had converted to Islam “without any pressure or fear” and went on to assert that she had been practicing Islam for a year. Thus, by her own admission, she is 18-19 years old.

According to ThePrint report, the relationship began when Manmeet was 13, possibly 12, and Shahid was 23 years old

So if the claims of six years of love are true, then the relationship between a 13 year old girl, possibly 12, and a 23 year old man does not fall under the ambit of acceptable relationship in civilised social settings.

Shahid, nonetheless, contends that she is 22 years old and insinuates that it was her parents who claim she is 19. He dares them to conduct a bone density test to determine her age but conveniently chose to ignore that it was Manmeet herself who claimed she was 19 in the affidavit that was filed.

Some Sikhs do not buy allegations of ‘forced conversion’, reports ThePrint

ThePrint talked to a Jagmohan Singh Raina, president of the All Party Sikh Coordination Committee, an influential Sikh body in the valley, over the matter who described the controversy as “drama for political gains”.

“When the case of Manmeet was flagged to me, I did not pay much attention as I was told that it was consensual and the woman converted and married the Muslim man out of choice but, then, someone informed Mr Sirsa and he posted a video on social media making these ‘love jihad’ claims,” Raina was quoted as saying.

“I was surprised that so many people were gathered and there was a protest. They said that conversions of Sikh women happen at gunpoint, which is totally false. Then these leaders met the woman’s family, started getting photos clicked, met senior ministers and even got the woman remarried to someone else,” he added.

According to Raina, it was an attempt to “create a rift between the two communities”.

Why the relationship is problematic

It does not need special elaboration as to why the relationship between a 13-year-old girl (possibly 12) and a 23-year-old man is problematic. A 13 year old is a minor and civilised societies do not considers minors to have agency and for good reason.

At that young an age, no one is matured enough to make significant decisions. It is why children under the age of 18 are not allowed to vote, or consume alcohol or have a driving license. Civil society accepts that children are not mature enough to be granted the same rights as adults are. Consequently, adults are charged with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the child and serve as their guardians.

That is why, such relationships are not considered legitimate in the eyes of the law. If such relationships were considered legitimate, then pedophiles will have a field day and removes the protection that children have from sexual predators because children can be manipulated, threatened and blackmailed into a ‘relationship’ with an adult. Even adults can be, yes, but the threat is much greater for children.

It is also pertinent to note that Grooming Gangs in the United Kingdom would especially target girls as young as 13 or 14 or 15, sometimes even 11, because it is easier to manipulate children of such young age.

It is not just ThePrint that has attempted to normalise such ‘relationships’, The Wire too did the same when the SIT investigation into Grooming Jihad in Kanpur found criminality in 11 of the 14 cases it investigated.

The Wire claimed that 8 of the 14 cases were ‘consensual’ when, in reality, 8 of the 11 cases where the Police found criminality involved minor victims. Thus, the penchant for liberal media to describe relationships involving minor girls as ‘consensual’ is not new.

ThePrint allows Shahid to attempt to whitewash his alleged crime

It is quite shocking that ThePrint appeared to take the side of a man who was possibly in a relationship with Manmeet when she was only 13 years old and he was 23. The report, headlined “‘Will fight to get my wife back’ — Muslim man in Kashmir Sikh ‘conversion’ row won’t back down”, says that Shahid was determined to “fight till the end to get my wife back”.

“They snatched away my love, my legally wedded wife, while I was in jail. How can they do that? My heart broke when I saw her wedding pictures soon after I came out of the prison. I felt enraged and helpless at the same time,” Shahid was quoted in the report.

He also stated, “I had a nikah. A statement before the court has been given by Manmeet that she married me out of choice. And still I am here, sitting helpless without my wife, while she is suffering there. She was tricked. Is this justice?”

Shahid also accused Manmeet’s parents of ‘tricking’ her and accused them of marrying her off at gunpoint. According to him, he could see “the pain in her eyes in the photos” from the wedding ceremony.

He said, “At one moment, I thought I would just go to Delhi. But the way these people have politicised this issue, I know if I go there, I may get killed. But I will not give up. I cannot imagine a life without her. Even if it takes me years to fight this legally. She is my wife, my love and I will get her back.”

It is indeed extremely weird that ThePrint has provided him the platform to peddle his narrative over the matter without any counter at all even though they are surely themselves aware that if Manmeet’s own version is accurate, then the relationship began when she was 13 year old, which totally undermines whatever Shahid might say.

But ThePrint treats the fact as if it is a minor inconvenience and does not matter at all. Manmeet was later married off to a Sikh man, following which the issue was deemed to have been settled. However, Shahid now says he will approach the Court over the matter.

Lucknow Al-Qaeda module: Terrorist Maseeruddin made a DIY bomb using an e-rickshaw battery, built explosives in ₹3000

OpIndia Staff
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Lucknow Al-Qaeda module: Terrorist Maseeruddin made a DIY bomb using an e-rickshaw battery, built explosives in ₹3000

A day after two Al-Qaeda terrorists named Minhaz Ahmed and Maseerurddin were nabbed by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in Lucknow, it has now come to light that the duo had successfully made a DIY cooker bomb using their own resources.

As per reports, the two terrorists have been building DIY bombs that cost as low as ₹3000 by purchasing components required for the explosive materias. One of the terrorists named Maseeruddin aka Musheer even built a bomb using the battery of an e-rickshaw. Both of them conceded that they worked for the Al-Qaeda and that they were building the bombs on the behest of the terror outfit. Reportedly, Al-Qaeda terrorists had reached out to them via the internet.

While speaking to Aaj Tak, ACS (Home) Awnish Awasthi informed, “Links with Al Qaeda are confirmed in the investigation. It’s a big challenge for us as it is such a big nexus and yes, UP was on target. These modules work independently as their systems are separate. Intelligence agencies and ATS will be given much power and weapons to deal with all these. The module could have turned fatal. We can’t share much in the public domain. The two arrested were planning big and could have done much damage in the state. They always target sensitive areas where they may cause heavy damage.”

Officials informed that the two men were planning to carry out a blast in crowded places in the State on Independence Day. A preliminary investigation has also revealed that they were in the process of selecting targets for the attacks. Ahmed and Maseeruddin had links with Ansar Ghazwatul Hind. During interrogation, the arrested accused said that their associates had managed to escape. During the interrogation, they also revealed about planning the use of human bombs in executing terror attacks in Uttar Pradesh.

Terrorists had contacted handlers through Telegram

As per Republic TV, further probe into the matter has unearthed how the terrorists were in touch with their international handlers via the Telegram app. The ATS is now monitoring the Telegram and Whatsapp chats of the nabbed terrorists. The Anti-terrorism Squad had also seized laptops, documents, and burnt papers. Besides, foreign handles, the duo was also in touch with other people in various districts of Uttar Pradesh. They will be produced before the Court on Monday.

ATS unhappy with live TV telecast of operation

While ADG was interacting with media during the Press Conference, he was not happy with how the live telecast of the operation ran on several news channels. He said that Police would share information on a need-to-know basis as soon as operations were over. He said, “There are guidelines that restrict everyone from telecasting live feed of operations that are of national security.” The Police will share more information if they feel it can be shared.

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Nepal Supreme Court orders President to appoint Sher Bahadur Deuba as Prime Minister

OpIndia Staff
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Nepal Supreme Court orders President to appoint Sher Bahadur Deuba as Prime Minister

Overturning Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s May 21 decision to dissolve the House of Representatives, the Supreme Court of Nepal has ordered President Bidya Devi Bhandari to appoint the President of Nepal Congress party Sher Bahadur Deuba the new prime minister.

A five-member Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court on Monday has asked the President to complete the appointment before 5 pm on Tuesday. 

President Bidya Devi Bhandari for the second time in five months had dissolved the 275-member lower house on May 22. The decision was taken at the recommendation of Prime Minister Oli and had announced snap elections on November 12 and November 19.

However, the SC’s ruling came after hearing 30 writ petitions, including one filed by 146 lawmakers of the House including Deuba demanding that the court issue a mandamus order to the President to appoint Deuba as the prime minister.

The five-member bench is headed by Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana and includes Justices Deepak Kumar Karki, Mira Khadka, Ishwar Prasad Khatiwada and Ananda Mohan Bhattarai.

As per Article 76(5) and with the support of 149 lawmakers of the 275-member Parliament, Deuba had staked the claim to form the government. His claim, however, was rejected by the President remarking that it was ‘insufficient.

Deuba within 30 days of his appointment, will have to win the vote of confidence as per Article 76 (4) of Nepal’s constitution.

The power struggle within the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) had led to the dissolving of the House by President Bhandari in December last year.

Himachal Pradesh: Cloudburst results in flash floods damaging public property, NH blocked in Shimla

OpIndia Staff
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Himachal Pradesh: Cloudburst results in flash floods damaging public property, NH blocked in Shimla

After the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a warning of moderate to heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh, a cloud burst has triggered flash floods in Dharmashala. 

While there has been no report of loss of life, visuals of cars being washed away and rivers overflowing have been circulating on social media. Additionally, the national highway near Jhakri in the Rampur area of Shimla district has been blocked following heavy rainfall.

As per a Times Now report, the state government and the local administration have swung into action. The Met department has revised its warning and escalated it to an orange alert with the prediction of heavy to very heavy rains in plains and mid-hills on July 12 and 13 July and a yellow weather warning for July 14 and 15.

As per a News18 report, the torrential rains in Chamba and cloudburst has also wreaked havoc in the region. 

Images of tourists thronging the state while giving Covid-appropriate behaviour a miss had recently gone viral on social media. While the state government welcomed the tourists, it was compelled to take stricter measures and issue a warning to get people to follow the Covid-19 protocols. 

Himachal Pradesh CM Jairam Thakur took to Twitter to inform that he has called for report of damage due to the cloudburst. He said he has directed the administration to carry out relief and rescue work. He urged residents and tourists to stay cautious in the bad weather.

Model Apeernah, who accused 9 Bollywood celebs of raping and harassing her, now gets death threats, alleges inaction by Mumbai police

OpIndia Staff
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Model Apeernah, who accused 9 Bollywood celebs of raping and harassing her, now gets death threats, alleges inaction by Mumbai police

A 28-year-old model, Apeernah, has been receiving death threats after Mumbai police refused to take action against 9 Bollywood celebrities accused of raping and molesting her.

As per reports, the model had filed a complaint at the Bandra police station and an FIR was registered on May 26. Accusing the police of inaction, she said that her perpetrators should be held responsible if anything unnatural was to happen to her before the case was concluded. She had named photographer Colston Julian, actor Jackky Bhagnani, Krishan Kumar (T-series), Nikhil Kamat, Sheel Gupta, Ajit Thakur, Gurjot Singh, Vishnu Induri and Anirban Blah (Kwan Entertainment) in the FIR. The woman has accused the men of ‘gang-stalking’ her using fake Instagram accounts.

“I have blocked hundreds of fake accounts and have reported some as they had rather explicit pics and wordings as well as triggering usernames like @bitchurdead887, @terimaak231__, or something like @bulletzngunzz. I told the investigating officer regarding the death threats being sent after I registered the FIR against these high-profile men. He suggested I visit the nearest police station to register a fresh case. But I am not willing to visit the police station again as it took me weeks to register the first FIR and none of the accused has been arrested till now,” the model informed Mid-Day.

The woman said that she had no enemies in the world other than the accused. She informed that accused Anirban Blah had earlier moved the Court to seek anticipatory bail but was rejected on July 5. “The police have not arrested him yet. I don’t know in what direction the investigation is going,” she lamented. Apeernah said that she was forced to delete her Facebook account and had to stop using Instagram for 2 years.

Screengrab of the fake accounts blocked by Apeernah

Mumbai Police claims to have been following legal procedures

In their defence, the police claimed to have opposed the anticipatory bail of accused Anirban Blah in Court. Assistant Police Inspector (Bandra) Sagar Nikam said, “Anirban Blah’s bail was rejected only because the police objected to the application of the accused. We have been following all the legal procedures before nailing the accused. Also, Blah is not in Mumbai. He is somewhere in Hyderabad. We have sent him a notice through email. So far, we have recorded the statements of five accused in the case.”

According to Sagar Nikam, the Bandra police team visited all the crime spots mentioned by Apeernah. Requesting the victim to cooperate with the cops, he said that the CCTV footage have been recovered from a few of the locations. He added that statement of 20 individuals has also been recorded. On being quizzed about death threats, Nikam claimed, “I have told her to approach the nearest police station to register a fresh FIR.”

A Bandra police official said that police teams were not being sent to other States over fears of contracting Covid-19. “If the offence is fresh and heinous, we send our officers immediately to arrest accused hiding in other states. But this case is different as the offence took place a long time ago. So, our officers have been collecting all the electronic evidence and recording statements of people connected with it,” he said.

The Background of the Case

In an Instagram post on April 12, Apernah revealed how she was she was physically and emotionally abused by Julian Colston during a work assignment. She narrated, “(Colston said) You have a lot of potential! You’d do great in Indian market and even better internationally like New York and Miami .. because you have boobs .. not London they prefer stick figures. I prefer your body type and you have the face as well and a charming personality, most models I meet are like dead .. let me shoot some pictures of you and put them in some magazines .. and I can even see you doing the kind of commercial work I do”

She further added how the photographer manipulated her into believing that he can make her a model. “.. but you’re too nice models are supposed to be fake and pushy (LIKE I AM ) and you live too far away .. let me work on you! I’m sure you’ll be a big hit here! ..f*ck your agency I can make you a model .. come over let’s watch a movie and talk about this, don’t worry I see enough naked women around I won’t touch you, be comfortable…”

Apeernah emphasised that Julian Colston had sexually assaulted multiple women in a similar fashion but everyone is scared to speak out against him. “Forget the physical assault what about the mental and psychological trauma that he has caused over the years? Mother f*cker blocked me a long time ago and has never posted any of my pics let alone put them in any magazine so I thought maybe it’s time to appreciate his “boobs” and whatever all that is,” she pointed out.

The 28-year-old model concluded, “I had to stop attending fashion events and parties…because he’d approach, harass, and tell me to not talk to this guy, that guy… I can’t believe at some point I had respect for him. Now I could watch him get run over by a truck and not feel bad because that’s what he deserves. I have all the proof and messages and emails. It’s a little late for me but I am trying to protect the next girl.” She had shared pictures where Julian Colston could be seen naked in her room.

Over 600 frontline workers in Thailand get infected despite being jabbed with China-made Covid vaccine Sinovac: Read details

OpIndia Staff
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Over 600 frontline workers in Thailand get infected despite being jabbed with China-made Covid vaccine Sinovac: Read details

The health ministry of Thailand on July 11, 2021 (Sunday) informed that as many as 618 healthcare workers have contracted Covid despite receiving two doses of the China-made Sinovac vaccine. It is being reported that a nurse has died and another medical worker is in critical condition.

A senior health official, Sopon Iamsirithawon, told a news briefing on Sunday that from the month of April 2021 to July 2021, 677,348 medical personnel had been jabbed with the Chinese vaccines, out of which, more than 600 have been infected with Covid-19.

Now, experts are contemplating administering a third booster dose to the 677,348 medical personnel, who received the Chinese vaccine. This, they said, would trigger immunity for medical workers who are at risk.

The nation’s health ministry is weighing using either viral vector AstraZeneca or an mRNA vaccine for the booster doses. “This will be a different vaccine, either viral vector AstraZeneca or an mRNA vaccine, which Thailand will be receiving in the near term,” Sopon Iamsirithawon said, adding that the recommendation will be considered on Monday.

The announcement comes at a time when Thailand has reported a total of 336,371 confirmed infections and 2,711 Covid related deaths since the pandemic began last year.

Singapore officials raise doubts on the efficacy of the China-made vaccine Sinovac

Speaking about China’s Sinovac vaccine, last month, the top health officials in Singapore raised doubt over its effectiveness. According to reports, though the initial demand for the Chinese vaccine was strong in the country the Singapore government was hesitant in adding it to the national vaccination program. The country has instead, provided vaccines manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna under its national vaccination program.

Kenneth Mak, Director of medical services, Singapore said that he was worried over the vaccine’s effectiveness as reports coming from other countries suggest those who got Sinovac shot were still getting infected with Covid-19. He mentioned cases from Indonesia where health workers and doctors had to be hospitalized after contracting Covid-19 infection though they were vaccinated with Sinovac shot.

Countries which banked on the made-in-China Sinovac vaccine see a surge in Covid cases

Besides Indonesia, countries like Bahrain, UAE, Mongolia, Seychelles that relied on China-made Covid-19 vaccines have also seen a surge in infections.

China admits its vaccines “don’t have very high protection rates”

Interestingly, in April 2021, the top Chinese official for disease control had admitted that the current vaccines developed in the country don’t offer a high enough protection rate for the Coronavirus, therefore the Chinese experts were considering mixing different vaccines in order to boost effectiveness.

China currently has five vaccines approved for use in its mass vaccination campaign, three inactivated-virus vaccines from Sinovac and Sinopharm, a one-shot vaccine from CanSino, and the last from Gao’s team in partnership with Anhui Zhifei Longcom.

The effectiveness of these Chinese vaccines ranges from just over 50% to 79%, according to various International trials and the companies themselves.

The majority of Chinese vaccines are made by Sinovac, a private company, and Sinopharm, a state-owned firm. These vaccines have also been distributed to several dozen countries around the world including Mexico, Turkey, Indonesia, Hungary, Brazil, Pakistan and Turkey.

‘Won’t come back to politics again’: Actor Rajinikanth dissolves his political party Rajini Makkal Mandram

OpIndia Staff
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‘Won’t come back to politics again’: Actor Rajinikanth dissolves his political party Rajini Makkal Mandram

After briefly foraying into the realm of politics, actor Rajinikanth on Monday dissolved his fledgling political party Rajini Makkal Mandram (RMM), saying the party will continue as a fans’ welfare association.

“I had thought of starting a political party and getting involved in politics. But the timing was such that it was not possible. I have no intention of getting involved in politics in the future, so I kindly inform you that the Rajini Makkal Mandram will function as a fan charity forum for the benefit of the people,” superstar Rajinikanth said in the statement.

Earlier on Monday, the actor said he will be holding a meeting with members of the RMM and will announce whether he will be entering politics or not after that. He had also said that will be meeting members of the RMM in Chennai to decide on the group’s future as well.

Uncertainities continued to plague superstar Rajinikanth’s plunge into politics

Rajinikanth’s political plunge has been fraught with uncertainties. The Tamil superstar raised expectations of entering politics after he announced on New Year’s Eve in 2017 that he will be joining politics. The announcement received tremendous reception, with his fans and admirers waiting with bated breathe for his entry into politics. Since then, Rajini’s party has been in the making and soon, his fan clubs were reorganised as the Rajini Makkal Mandram, considered the precursor to the party.

Earlier in December 2020, the superstar had announced that he will finally be joining the political fray, ahead of the assembly elections scheduled to take place in Tamil Nadu in 2021.

However, weeks later, Rajinikanth made a dramatic about-face, saying that he would not be launching a political party due to health concerns.

“I regret to inform you that I cannot enter politics. I alone know the pain I went through while announcing this decision. I will do whatever I can for the public. But I apologise, I cannot start a party. I have always spoken the truth, and I am speaking the truth now as well,” he said in an open letter in Tamil to the public.

Rathayatra special: The story of the wedding of a princess from the South and the Gajapati of Kalinga

Sanghamitra
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Rathayatra special: The story of the wedding of a princess from the South and the Gajapati of Kalinga

The grand Rathayatra of Puri Shri Jagannath Temple holds enormous significance for the people of Odisha. It is not just a religious festival, it is the celebration of faith, of equality and solidarity. On this auspicious day, let’s discuss a beautiful story linked with the grand Rathayatra of Mahaprabhu Shri Jagannath.

The Gajapati dynasty of Kalinga (the old name of Odisha) was established by Emperor Kapilendra Deva in 1434. Under Kapilendra Deva’s rule, the territory of Kalinga took in large parts of today’s West Bengal, eastern Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh in the south. After Kapilendra Deva, his second son Purushottama Deva ascended the throne of Kalinga in 1467.

The Gajapati Empire under Kapilendra Deva, image via Wikipedia

Purushottama Deva was wise, brave and young. His elder brother Hamvira Deva, who was denied the throne due to various reasons, had frought allegiance with the Bahamani Sultan Muhammad Shah Lashkari. With the help from Bahamani Sultan, Hamvira Deva had taken control of the southern half of the Kalinga empire, ‘gifting’ the territories of Rajahmundry and Kondapally to the Sultan. Purushottama Deva launched a massive offensive from Odisha, defeated the joint forces of Hamvira and the Bahamani Sultan and took back Rajahmundry and Kondapally.

After re-establishing the former boundaries of his empire, Purushottama Deva focused on the Southern parts, towards Vijayanagara and the Krishna-Godavari delta. During the initial days of Purushottama Deva’s reign, when Kalinga was busy fighting a civil war launched by Hamvira, Saluva Narasimha Deva, the then ruler of Vijayanagara had launched an offensive and had captured some important fortifications, namely Chandragiri and Udayagiri. After defeating Hamvira, and the Bahamani forces, Purushottama Deva clashed with Saluva Narasimha Deva.

The instances of the clashes between Purushottama Deva and Saluva Narasimha Deva form the backdrop of the famous Odia literary work ‘Kanchi Kaaveri Upakhyana’, penned by Purushottama Das in the 1500s.

The first war with the Kanchi ruler resulted in a massive loss for Purushottama Deva

Historical references, literary works and legends mention that Purushottama Deva’s first offensive against Kanchi ruler Saluva Narasimha Deva resulted in a massive loss to the Kalinga Army. Thousands of soldiers died and Purushottama Deva himself barely made it back alive. The ‘Kanchi Kaaveri Upakhyana’ says that Purushottama Deva, wounded and defeated, came back to Odisha and fell on the feet of his Lord, Lord Jagannatha of Sri Mandir, requesting him to save him and help him.

It is notable here that the Gajapati emperors had established themselves as the ‘servant’ of Lord Jagannath, signifying that Lord Jagannath is the ruler of Kalinga while the Gajapatis only serve at his feet. Odia legends, folk tales and songs say that Lord Jagannath assured Purushottama Deva that he will win in his next endeavour. In the second mission to conquer Kanchi, Lord Jagannatha and Lord Balabhadra themselves fought alongside Purushottama Deva.

Current Gajapati Maharaj performing the Chhera Pahanra ritual on Ratha Yatra, image via Shreejagannatha.in

The legend that Lord Jagannath and Lord Balabhadra both dressed as warriors and fought for the Kalinga Army is a part of Odia folklore. It is often depicted by artists in the form of Pattachitras, weaving and other art forms, including songs and plays. Legend says that on their way to war, the Lords met a milkmaid named Manika who offered them food and drink. As payment, the Lords gave her a ring, telling her that they are fighting on behalf of the Kalinga emperor and when he passes through the way with his Army, Manika should show him the ring, and collect her coins.

When Purushottama Deva was shown the ring by the milkmaid, he immediately recognised the jewel as that of Sri Jagannath from the Sri Mandir. Realising that the Lord has heard his prayers and is out to fight his enemies, Purushottama Deva awarded Manika and her family handsomely with an entire village named as ‘Manikapatana’.

The Gajapati emperor becomes a ‘sweeper’ for one day, in the service of Lord Jagannath

It has been a centuries-old tradition of the Rathayatra that the ruler of Kalinga becomes a ‘sweeper’ for one day. The Gajapati of the Suryavamsa gets up to the Ratha and sweeps the Lord’s chariot with a golden broom, a ritual known as ‘Chhera Panhara’.

As the ‘Kanchi Kaveri Upakhyana’ tells, Purushottama Deva had heard that Padmavati, the daughter of Saluva Narasimha Deva, is unparalleled in beauty and grace. He wanted to marry Padmavati so he sent a proposal. Saluva Narasimha Deva had sent emissaries to Kalinga who witnessed the ‘Chhera Pahanra’ ritual, finding it odd that the all-powerful Gajapati was performing the duties of a sweeper.

Saluva Narasimha Deva considered it an affront and declared that his daughter will never marry a mere sweeper. Purushottama Deva was enraged. This was an insult not just to him, but to the ritual and the culture of Lord Jagannath too. After his second conquest of Kanchi, where he emerged the victor and captured Saluva Narasimha Deva, Purushottama Deva had princess Padmavati brought to Kalinga, declaring that he will indeed get her married to a sweeper.

Would a princess really marry a sweeper?

The tale further goes that while Purushottama Deva, in his anger and outrage, had declared that he would have Padmavati marry a sweeper, the ministers in his court were worried. The young emperor needed a queen, and it would be an injustice and affront to princess Padmavati to forcefully marry her off to a person beneath her status. On the other hand, they had their emperor’s orders to get the princess married to a sweeper.

The ministers waited for an opportune moment. On the day of Rathayatra, when Gajapati Purushottama Deva started sweeping the chariot with a golden broom, princess Padmavati was ushered forward by the ministers and priests. While the emperor was sweeping the chariot, literally a ‘sweeper’ at that time, the princess placed a garland on his neck, marrying him at that moment. The situation was resolved. The emperor’s orders were not violated, and both the emperor and the princess found a match worthy of their status and desire.

As per an article in History of Odisha, while many historians agree to the turn of events, some parts of the story are contested. Saluva Narasimha Deva was indeed a ruler of Vijayanagara and had fought with Purushottama Deva. Kapilendra Deva, Purushottama Deva’s father, had conquered Bidar, the territory of Bahamani Sultan and was called as ‘Kalabargeswara’. Historian KC Panigrahi had stated that Chandragiri was the seat of Saluva Narasimha Deva and it may have been known as ‘Kanchi’ in popular references, after the Pallava capital Kanchipuram.

Purushottama Deva had indeed defeated Saluva Narasimha Deva in his second attempt and had brought back the idols of Ucchista Ganesha of ‘Kanchi Ganesha’ and Sri Gopala as symbols of victory. The Ucchista Ganesha idol is now inside Sri Mandira and the Sri Gopala idol in Satyabadi, Puri district.

There are some conflicts about the name ‘Padmavati’ too. Some texts cite that Purushottama Deva’s wife was ‘Rupamvika’. It has been argued that it is possible that the daughter of Saluva Narasimha Deva was named Rupamvika whose name was later changed to Padmini or Padmavati as per an Odia custom that is still in use, of a bride changing her name and adopting a new name after marriage.

Conclusion

The tradition of Rathayatra still continues, as the custom of the Gajapati performing the duty of the sweeper during the Chhera Pahanra. The present Gajapati, the descendant of the glorious emperors, still performs this ritual on every Rathayatra. The culture and legend of Lord Jagannath have always been about equality and devotion, and that is reflected in every small ritual and custom associated with the Temple. In another article, we had discussed how Goddess Mahalakshmi had mandated that there will be no caste discrimination under the rule of Lord Jagannath. As the massive wheels of Mahaprabhu’s Ratha roll on the Grand Road of Puri today, the entire civilisation of Sanatana Dharma bows before the Lord of the universe, to receive his blessings.

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav casts aspersions on the arrest of two Al Qaeda terrorists, says he can’t trust UP govt’s terror crackdown: Details

OpIndia Staff
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SP chief Akhilesh Yadav casts aspersions on the arrest of two Al Qaeda terrorists, says he can’t trust UP govt’s terror crackdown: Details

Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday took up the cudgel for the arrested terrorists, raising aspersions and fuelling misapprehensions about the Yogi government’s anti-terror crackdown. 

The statement by Yadav came after UP Police on Sunday arrested two men suspected to be terrorists affiliated to Al Qaeda from Uttar Pradesh’s Kakori. When asked about his reaction on the latest arrests, the SP supremo said, “I can’t trust the actions of the Uttar Pradesh police and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government in the state.”

UP ATS team arrests two suspected terrorists associated with Al Qaeda

Earlier yesterday, the Anti-Terror Squad arrested two Al Qaeda terrorists from the outskirts of Lucknow. They were reportedly planning to execute explosions, including using “human bombs”, at several places in Uttar Pradesh. 

“ATS Uttar Pradesh busted a terror module and arrested two terrorists of Al-Qaeda’s Indian subcontinent module. One has been arrested from Kakori Police Station, while the other has been nabbed from Mariahu Police Station, ” said Prashant Kumar, ADG Law, and Order, Uttar Pradesh.

Kumar further added that the members of this terror racket belong to several other cities besides Lucknow, including Kanpur. Raids are being conducted at different places to apprehend associates of terrorists Ahmed and Maseeruddin, the ADGP had said.

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