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China sues German anthropologist who had exposed atrocities on Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, demands compensation for losses

OpIndia Staff
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China sues German anthropologist who had exposed atrocities on Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, demands compensation for losses

Dr Adrian Zenz, one of the world’s leading scholars on China, has been become the latest target of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Zenz, who is instrumental in exposing China’s human rights violations against minorities in Tibet and Xinjiang, is now facing legal suits from Chinese companies.

According to the reports, several enterprises and individuals in Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region have decided to sue German anthropologist Adrian Zenz for his role in bringing to light the Chinese government’s campaign of repression and persecution directed against ethnic Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang. The state-backed companies and individuals in Xinjiang have labelled Zenz a ‘rumourmonger’.

The Chinese government mouthpiece Global Times reported that the local people said that Zenz spread “forced labour” and other rumours related to Xinjiang, which damaged their reputation and caused them to suffer economic losses. They have filed a civil lawsuit with a local court in Xinjiang, demanding that Zenz apologize, restore their reputation and compensate them for their losses.

Who is Adrian Zenz?

Adrian Zenz, a German researcher and an expert on China, has done extensive research on the human rights violation carried out by the Communist Party of China on its minorities in several provinces. He has studied the plight of the Uighur Muslims and other ethnic minorities living in China.

In 2017-2018, Dr Zenz’s analysis played a significant role in exposing the Chinese government’s repression and mass internment campaign against ethnic Uyghur persons in Xinjiang. In 2019, Dr Zenz had also testified before the US Congress about state exploitation of the incarcerated Uyghur persons.

Zenz had carried out a detailed investigation for years to reveal the ugly truth about how the Chinese government treats the Uighurs residing in occupied East Turkistan.

A few months ago, he had released a report titled “Coercive Labour in Xinjiang: Labour Transfer and Mobilization of Ethnic Minorities to Pick Cotton”, which showed how China had forced more than half a million Uighur and other ethnic minority labourers from Xinjiang to pick cotton by hand.

According to Zenz, the Chinese Communist Party, under the excuse of ‘poverty alleviation’, has carried out coercive state-mandated labour transfer programs that forced Uyghurs to pick cotton by hand, despite cotton-picking being mechanised in other parts of China. The report also showed that in 2018, three regions in Xinjiang alone provided 570,000 Uighur and ethnic minority labourers.

In March 2021, Adrian Zenz released another report, titled “Coercive Labour and Forced Displacement in Xinjiang’s Cross-Regional Labor Transfer Program”, that provides new evidence of Chinese human rights violations. The report alleged that the CPC was carrying out forced labour transfers not just for economic purposes, but it was trying to force the Uyghurs and other ethnic labourers to move away from their homeland and traditional occupation. The Chinese government wanted to reduce the population density of Uighurs in Xinjiang, the research paper said.

China carried out crimes against Humanity, says research by Dr Zenz

As per international criminal law experts, the Chinese government’s labour transfer scheme meets the criteria for ‘Crimes Against Humanity of Forcible Transfer and Persecution’ as defined under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

The reports published by Dr Zenz has been instrumental in exposing China’s Human rights violation against its own population. The United States, Canada and the Netherlands have taken a strong note of these new studies and classified the CCP’s actions in Xinjiang as genocide against the Uyghur people and other ethnic minorities.

Perhaps, the severe backlash has unnerved the CCP that has in response chosen to act against Dr Zenz and many other such scholars and institutions that are trying to expose the truth.

We had earlier reported in detail regarding how China has been exploiting Uyghur slave labour to supply cotton to the Western markets.

Pervasive surveillance, indoctrination, and state repression: Tools employed by China against Tibet’s Buddhist monasteries

OpIndia Staff
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Pervasive surveillance, indoctrination, and state repression: Tools employed by China against Tibet’s Buddhist monasteries

Ever since China forcibly took hold of Tibet in the early 1950s, it has strived hard to culturally assimilate the region into the Mainland. As a part of this campaign, it has come down hard against Buddhist monks, suppressed dissenting voices and expression of religious beliefs that it regards as incongruous to the idea of China.

It was this campaign of repression against the fellow Tibetans that forced their spiritual leader Dalai Lama to flee China in 1959 and seek asylum in India. Since then, the clampdown in Tibet has only increased.

Repression in Tibet an outcome of CCP’s efforts to “Sinicise” religions and exact loyalty

Though the Communist regime in China has a long history of curtailing religious freedom, especially in the restive province of Tibet, with the authoritarian leader Xi Jinping at the helm of affairs, its efforts have become increasingly hostile towards religion and initiated campaigns to “Sinicise” them.

The Chinese Communist Party has exhibited eager alacrity in ‘Sincising’ all religions, in an attempt to tighten its grip over civil society. Just as it deployed sophisticated surveillance system to keep a tab on Uyghur Muslim minorities in Xinjiang, China is using new tools of surveillance to control the Tibetan Buddhist monks and turn them into a tool of CCP, a new report titled “Party Above Buddhism: China’s Surveillance and Control of Tibetan Monasteries and Nunneries” has revealed.

China’s pervasively intrusive surveillance of Buddhist monks and monasteries

The report that was released on 10 March 2021 documents measures and policies undertaken that force Buddhist monks and nuns to serve the interests of the Communist Party. The changes affected by the new policies empower CCP with direct supervision of Buddhist monasteries and nunneries. Party cadres and police have been placed inside religious institutions, in a bid to pressurize the monks. They are also forced to denounce Dalai Lama for the sake of China’s unity, the report says.

According to the report, the current budget of the United Front Work Department, the agency that now has direct oversight of all religions in Tibet, has risen three times what it used to be in 2016. In a matter of 4 years, the budget shot up from 23.9 million yuans in 2016 to 62 million in 2020 underscores China’s commitment to strengthening the control of the Tibetan region.

Similar to that in Xinjiang, China also runs detention centres in Tibet that are euphemistically called “reeducation” camps by the communist leaders. In these reeducation camps, monks and nuns are hustled into extending their loyalty to the CCP, often at the expense of their religious beliefs. China has also enforced a “Four Standards” policy that basically requires monks and nuns to serve as propagandists for the government.

The report outlines how the Sinicisation of Tibetan monasteries requires Tibetan monks, nuns to shun their moral visions and conform to the CCP’s ideology. As a part of “policing monasteries”, police officers are deployed in Tibetan monasteries to keep an eye on their activities.

Besides the obvious purpose of surveillance, the decision to have police officers inside the monasteries in Tibet was taken with the aim of stopping incidents of self immolation. Monks, in an attempt to awaken the public conscience over the atrocities committed by the Communist authorities set themselves on fire. The morbid incidents garnered global attention, giving voice to the oppression underway in Tibet.

In addition to this, local government authorities and Communist Party officials also interfere in the working of the monasteries through the way of “management committees” the report highlights. The communist cadres have a direct role in the management of monasteries through “management committees”. Monasteries are also mandated to fly Chinese flags and have portraits of the CCP leaders in their precincts.

When unrest flares up in the Tibetan region, the spotlight inevitably falls on religious institutions for being responsible for stoking the disruption. Buddhist monks and nuns are made scapegoats by the local authorities hard-pressed by the senior leaders to identify the cause of the upheaval and bring to “justice” those responsible for it. During the political upheaval in 2013-2014, monks and nuns were arrested for participating in a peaceful protest and for supposedly planning future protests.

Buddhist monks and nuns subjected to indoctrination

Not only are monks and nuns are subjected to extensive surveillance, but they are also heavily indoctrinated to generate loyalty and obedience. A report published in 2018 chronicled how the monks in Tibet were subjected to political indoctrination. Tibetan religious leaders were asked to take mandatory “training” that aims to reduce the influence of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama while at the same time attempts to build loyalty to the communist party.

Though the Chinese constitution grants religious freedom to its citizens, it is a fact that the Chinese Communist Party has placed many constraints on it, especially in Xinjiang and Tibet. Repressive measures are used to discourage people from manifesting their religious inclinations, and dissent against restrictions on religious activities is treated as an insult to the CCP, often resulting in arbitrary imprisonment at “reeducation” camps.

Devotion to exiled Dalai Lama is one of the core tenets of Tibetan Buddhism and China is determined to end this religious observance. Intrusive official presence in monasteries, widespread surveillance, regular reeducation campaigns, curbs on travel and communications, discouraging religiosity are some of the tools used by China to bring an end to this devotion to Dalai Lama and align the residents to the CCP ideology.

Prime Minister Modi’s mother Heeraben receives the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine

OpIndia Staff
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Prime Minister Modi’s mother Heeraben receives the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday announced that his mother Heeraben has received the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

Taking to Twitter, PM Modi said that he was happy to share that his mother has taken the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine on Thursday. The Prime Minister also urged people to help and motivate eligible people to take the vaccine.

PM Modi’s mother, who is 90-year-old, is eligible for vaccination under the ongoing Phase 2 of the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination drive, which intends to immunise all people above the age of 60 and people above the age of 45 with co-morbidities.

Earlier this month, PM Modi had kickstarted the next phase of the Covid-19 vaccination drive in the country by taking the first dose of indigenously-developed Covaxin vaccine, developed by Hyderabad-based firm Bharat Biotech. The second phase of vaccination started on March 1.

The countrywide vaccination drive was launched on January 16, with healthcare workers receiving the vaccination. On February 2, the immunisation of frontline workers was also started.

As per the latest figures, until Thursday, nearly 2.52 crore jabs have been inoculated in the country. Out of the 2,52,89,693 vaccine doses administered, 71,70,519 healthcare and 70,31,147 frontline workers were given the first dose, while 39,77,407 healthcare and 5,82,118 frontline workers have been given the second dose.

In addition to that, 9,29,359 people aged 45 years and above with comorbidities and 55,99,143 senior citizens have also been inoculated with the first dose of vaccine.

India downgraded by around 25 unknown ‘experts’ working for an organisation advised by JNU leftist and Pakistani politician: Details

OpIndia Staff
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India downgraded by around 25 unknown ‘experts’ working for an organisation advised by JNU leftist and Pakistani politician: Details

Anytime some foreign organisation releases some report or study saying how ‘democracy in danger’ in India under Modi government, the Indian left-liberals laps it up. The latest such report that has become favourite of India left-liberals is by a little known Swedish organisation, named V-Dem, which ‘downgraded’ India’s status as a democracy. V-Dem stands for Varieties of Democracy, and the institute claims that it is a new approach to conceptualizing and measuring democracy. They publish various reports ranking the countries on various subjects.

The latest report published by V-Dem is its Democracy Report 2021, where it has declared that India is no longer a democracy. The organisation claims that India has turned into “an electoral autocracy”, as the country’s democratic process is ‘on a path of steep decline’. According to V-Dem, India ‘lost’ its status of electoral democracy, and became an electoral autocracy.

While liberals want the people to believe that V-Dem is a ‘prestigious’ organisation and the Indian government should take its verdict seriously, the facts present a different picture.

First, a glance at the members of International Advisory Board organisation shows its anti-India bias. The board has two Indians, and both are known haters of the Modi government. They are Centre for Policy Research Chairman Pratap Bhanu Mehta and JNU professor Nirja Gopal Jayal. Both of them are known critic of Modi government’s policies, including the CAA. It may be noted that V-Dem has used the CAA as one of the main examples as proof of India turning autocratic.

It may be noted that for some unknown reason, Pratap Bhanu Mehta’s name was been removed from the list on the V-Dem website today. He was listed as an advisor on the website, as can be seen in an archive of the webpage.

Another member of the advisory board is a Pakistani national, lawyer-politician Aitzaz Ahsan.

Apart from the advisory board, another major concern is the so-called country experts, the people who provide the insight, based on which V-Dem ranks the countries. Shockingly, the Sweden based organisation judges whether a country is democracy or not based on the opinion of around two dozen people. The methodology adopted by V-Dem makes it clear that their report is not based a large-scale survey, but based on ‘data’ provided by 5 person per country for each indicator.

Screenshot from V-Dem website

As the report is based on five indices, this means around 25 persons per country. The V-Dem website confirms this in their website by saying, “We endeavor to have a minimum of five experts for each indicator per country. This typically means we have twenty-five or more experts per country, since each expert only codes indicators in his/her areas of expertise.”

Another matter of concern is that the 25 experts who give data on a country may not be from that country. V-Dem says that “two-thirds of Country Experts providing data on a country should be nationals or permanent residents of that country”. This means, 8 or 9 ‘experts’ out of 25 giving opinion on a country are foreigners.

With people like Pratap Bhany Mehta and Nirja Gopal Jayal on the advisory board, it is not difficult to estimate the ideological leaning of the experts selected by V-Dem for providing their opinion on the status of democracy in India.

These facts make it clear that the ranking of India in the V-Dem report is nothing but a propaganda by the left-liberals in India, who want to downgrade India’s image in front of the world for their severe hatred for the Modi government.

Administrator Praful Khoda Patel booked in Dadra and Nagar Haveli MP Mohan Delkar’s suicide case

OpIndia Staff
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Administrator Praful Khoda Patel booked in Dadra and Nagar Haveli MP Mohan Delkar’s suicide case

Abhinav Delkar, son of late Dadra and Nagar Haveli MP Mohan Delkar who was found dead in a hotel last month, has made some serious allegations against Dadra and Nagar Haveli administrator Praful Khoda Patel. Abhinav Delkar has reportedly alleged in his police complaint that Praful Patel had demanded Rs 25 crore from his father. He further alleged that Patel wanted to take over Delkar’s educational trust.

Praful Patel wanted to usurp the land of SSR College for Pharmacy and Management: Delkar’s son

“Patel had demanded Rs 25 crore as extortion from my father and threatened to jail him under PASA (Puducherry Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Act) if he doesn’t do so”, Abhinav alleged. He added, “Patel wanted to take control of SSR College for Pharmacy and Management, which is a renowned educational institute in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and belongs to a trust established by Delkar. Patel wanted to usurp the college’s land which is worth Rs 100 crore in today’s market and was intimidating Delkar through administrative actions”.

Abhinav Delkar had come to meet Maharashtra CM and Home Minister on March 9.

Patel conspired with key bureaucrats to harass Mohan Delkar: Delkar’s son

It has been further alleged by Abhinav Delkar that Patel conspired with some bureaucrats of Dadra and Nagar Haveli including District Magistrate (DM) and Superintendent of Police (SP). He said that Patel had been harassing his father through various means for over a year and therefore his father took the extreme step. Abhinav’s statement was recorded on Tuesday by Marine Drive police. An FIR was registered on the basis of his statement. Abhinav has reportedly named nine people in his complaint including Praful Patel, DM Sandeep Singh, then SP Sharad Darade, deputy DM Apurva Sharma, sub-divisional officer Manasvi Jain, police inspector Manoj Patel and Rohit Yadav, Fatehsingh Chauhan and Dilip Patel (Talathi).

“If a 7-term MP has to take such a step, then you can realise the extent of harassment and humiliation. Maharashtra government and Mumbai police should take action at the earliest”, said Abhinav.

Mohan Delkar had said that he would be left with no option but to commit suicide if the harassment did not stop

Abhinav has reportedly mentioned several incidents in the FIR highlighting how his father was being harassed by the local administration. He pointed how his father’s name was removed from the official ceremony of Dadra and Nagar Haveli Liberation Day breaking a 66-year-old tradition just to humiliate him. He cited a letter of deputy DM Apurva Sharma dated September 2, 2020 in which his father was insulted. Delkar was not invited to another government function in which a Union Minister had reportedly participated. Abhinav alleged that an old case (CR 137/2003) was reopened against his father by police inspector Manoj Patel on the directions of then SP Sharad Darade. He alleged that Dilip Patel had made a false complaint against his father last month.

It was mentioned in the FIR that Mohan Delkar had made complaints on December 18, 2020 and January 19, 2021 to Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Lok Sabha Standing Committee President Bhupendra Yadav against the accused people. “If harassment to me is not stopped, then I would be left with no option but committing suicide”, Delkar had said during the hearing of his complaint in Lok Sabha Standing Committee.

Patel and eight accused booked under various provisions of law

Police have booked Praful Patel and eight other accused under sections 306 (abetment to suicide), 506 (criminal intimidation), 389 (putting person in fear of accusation of offence, in order to commit extortion), 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and sections 3(1)(n), 3(1)(p), 3(2)(ii), 3(2)(va) of the Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989.

Dadra and Nagar Haveli Member of Parliament Mohan Delkar was found dead under mysterious circumstances Mumbai’s Marine Drive hotel. He has been a seven time MP and been associated with Congress and BJP before joining the JDU in 2020.

From ‘attacked by 5 people’ to ‘it was an accident’: How Mamata Banerjee did a U-turn and police report confirmed eyewitness account

OpIndia Staff
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From ‘attacked by 5 people’ to ‘it was an accident’: How Mamata Banerjee did a U-turn and police report confirmed eyewitness account

Just a day after Mamata Banerjee alleged that she was injured after she was pushed by 4-5 people at Nandigram, she has retracted her allegation, as she gave a different version of the incident today. The West Bengal chief minister released a video message from her bed at the Smt Sucheta Kriplani Hospital located in the Lady Hardinge Medical College in Kolkata, appealing to her supporters to remain calm.

While yesterday she had alleged that she was pushed by some people when she was trying to get into her car, and they had slammed the door on her hitting her leg, today Mamata Banerjee changed her narrative. In the video message, she said that she was sitting on the bonnet of her car, greeting the people with folded hands. ‘When I was doing namaskar towards the crowd from the top of the bonnet, suddenly I felt a huge pressure/push, and my legs were crushed by the car’, the chief minister said.

From this statement, it is clear that Mamata Banerjee has retracting her allegation of conspiracy, and agreed that she was injured after she suffered an accident, and she was not attacked.

She further said that she was badly hurt, and she is still feeling pain on her hands and legs. The chief minister requested her followers to maintain peace, and urged them to not do anything that will cause inconvenience to the people. Mamata Banerjee added that she hopes to be back in the campaigning within 3-4 days. She added that problems with her legs may remain, but she will manage, and will use a wheelchair if needed.

Although the CM today changed her version from attack to accident, it still does not match with the eyewitness accounts. Several locals, who had witnessed the CM suffering the injury had said that she was greeting the crown from her seat by keeping the car door open, and keeping her legs out of the car. They said that the open door of the moving car had hit a short iron pillar on the side of the road, which had caused the door to close and hit the CM’s legs.

The accident theory also has been confirmed by a preliminary report submitted by the police with the election commission. Although a final report is awaited, based on preliminary enquiry, the police have said that the WB CM suffered injuries due to an accident, not an attack. Based on statements from local police and eyewitnesses, the police report said that Mamata Banerjee’s car had hit a small iron pillar, causing her to suffer injuries.

TMC’s Madan Mitra blames RSS for ‘attack’ on Mamata, compares it to Godhra carnage

OpIndia Staff
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TMC’s Madan Mitra blames RSS for ‘attack’ on Mamata, compares it to Godhra carnage

TMC leader Madan Mitra on Thursday in a veiled attack on the RSS claimed that the alleged ‘attack’ on Mamata Banerjee was carried out by ‘trained men in nikkars (knickers)’. Banerjee on Wednesday injured herself when her car door hit against a pillar. She had accused ‘4-5 men’ of attacking and pushing her. However, the eyewitnesses said otherwise.

Comparing the ‘attack’ to Godhra carnage, Mitra claimed that had the same incident taken place in any other states, like Gujarat, it would have become ‘another Godhra’. In 2002, a Muslim mob set a train on fire in Godhra, Gujarat, killing 59 karsevaks returning from Ayodhya. Subsequently, violent communal riots broke in Gujarat, leaving hundreds dead.

While Mitra did not explicitly compare the incident with Mamata Banerjee to the Godhra carnage, that he believes that the incident would ‘lead to Godhra like riots’ could mean only one thing. He believes that the ‘attack’ on Mamata was like the Godhra carnage.

Kerala: Thrissur administration bans Hindu devotees from performing rituals at Kodungallur Devi temple on Meena Bharani

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala: Thrissur administration bans Hindu devotees from performing rituals at Kodungallur Devi temple on Meena Bharani

In a controversial decision, the Kerala government has banned Hindu devotees from performing ancient rituals at the Kodungallur Bhadrakali temple in Kerala and has deployed the police force to block the devotees from performing the same.

According to the reports, the Thrissur administration has restricted the ancient rituals at the temple dedicated to Maa Bhadrakali, citing coronavirus restrictions. The decision to ban the ritual has been taken arbitrarily by bureaucrats and devaswom employees without consulting with the Hindu devotees.

Hindu devotees and local Hindu leaders have made repeated requests to authorities to allow them to practice their rituals and celebrate the Meena Bharani festival. The oracles had earlier protested the scaling down of festivities by performing their ritual dance called Thullal. However, the district administration has canceled the celebrations without paying any heed.

According to the Hindu activist group ‘Reclaim Temples’, District Collector Shanavas banned the ancient rituals at the Kodungallur Bhadrakali temple in Kerala. The district administration had deployed a massive force to ensure the devotees and Oracles do not perform any ritual at the temple.

Hindu devotees perform annual ritual at Kodungallur temple on Meena Bharani

Every year in March, the Oracles from all over the state visit the Sree Kurumba Bhagavati Temple at Kodungallur for the auspicious Meena Bharani, which marks the news year celebration. They encircle the temple in their traditional attire, and as they attain divine trance, they hit their foreheads with their sickle-shaped swords. Then, the Oracles nurse the wounds with turmeric powder. They believe that the wound will heal due to divine intervention.

Lately, the traditions of Oracles, including animal sacrifices for Goddess Bhadrakali, have been stopped citing animal rights and religious reforms. The traditions have been replaced with the offering of the blood of birds called “Kozhikallu Moodal”, scheduled to be held this week. However, the Kerala administration has cancelled the rituals citing coronavirus restrictions.

Originally a Shiva Temple, it is believed that Parasuram himself installed the Kali murti near that of Bhagwan Shiva. The Kodungallur temple was also an important temple during the Chera period, with Kodungallur being their capital.

Administration cites Covid restrictions, bans performing rituals

Earlier, in a decision taken by the town council officials and elected representatives, the devotees were allowed to perform the rituals. However, the police rejected the proposals citing Covid-19 and have now closed three out of the temple’s four gates. Only a handful of devotees are being allowed to enter. 

Shockingly, the police have warned the local lodges and hotels not to rent out rooms for the devotees. The police are also stopping vehicles entering the city and are being sent back. No shops have been allowed to open in the vicinity of the temple.

The Kerala police have taken over the whole town and issued a strict warning to locals in the area not to allow guests. The police have promised further action to clamp down on this year’s festival.

Defying these threats, some ardent devotees have started to arrive and some oracles did perform their thullal and other rituals yesterday. 

In the video shared by ‘Reclaim Temples’, police personnel were seen all around the temple while devotees who came to perform rituals in front of the Goddess at Kodungallur Devi temple. However, the devotees performed rituals amidst the police presence.

British activist Nigel Farage insists nobody in ‘History’ has done more for people of colour than British royalty: Here’s why he is patently wrong

Jinit Jain
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British activist Nigel Farage insists nobody in ‘History’ has done more for people of colour than British royalty: Here’s why he is patently wrong

Meghan Markle kicked up a massive storm this week with her stunning revelations in an extraordinary interview with Oprah Winfrey. Markle confided that her life as a member of the British royal member had become so desolate that she contemplated suicide. She also accused the British royalty of indulging in racism, claiming that some of them expressed concerns about how dark the colour of the baby’s skin would be.

Shedding light on the couple’s dramatic exit from the royal life, Meghan said she was refused help during her mental health crisis, was targeted by falsehoods, and that there was official concern regarding the skin colour of her unborn son. 

“In those months when I was pregnant… we have in tandem the conversation of ‘he won’t be given security, he’s not going to be given a title’ and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born,” Meghan told Winfrey.

The British royal family has found itself mired in this raging storm after Meghan accused them of racism. On Tuesday this week, two days after the interview was telecasted, Buckingham Palace, in a statement on behalf of the Queen and the Royal Family issued a statement that they are “saddened” to learn about how challenging the last few years have been for Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle. The statement also termed the allegations of racism as “concerning” and assured that they were being taken “seriously” by the monarchy.

Nevertheless, the anodyne statements issued by the British Royalty did little to quell the raging accusations of racism being levelled against them. In fact, the allegations of racism by Markle only brought to fore the structural racism within the monarchy since its colonial days.

Meghan’s ordeal underscores the rampant racism practised by the Britishers since its imperial days. Be it the subjugation of its subjects in the Caribbean, Africa or South Asia, or the slave business of people of colour, history is a testament to the racial discrimination of the British empire, which was presided over by the royal family. The questioning of the potential darkness of Meghan’s son’s skin colour is a legacy of racism that was at its peak during the imperial rule of the British over the Commonwealth countries.

With allegations of racism being alleged against the British royal family, several monarchy apologists and sympathisers rushed in their defence, proffering specious arguments to defend the family from charges of racial discrimination. Many others went to the extent of exalting the family of being the biggest benefactor of the people of colour.

Nigel Paul Farage, a British activist, political commentator, broadcaster and former politician, in a recent interview, not only whitewashed the racist legacy of Britain’s monarchy but also patronisingly asserted that nobody in history has done more for the people of colour than the British royal family.

The wild and delusional claim was tossed out by Nigel Farage at a Newsmax appearance on Wednesday night.

Speaking at the program, Nigel tried to discredit Meghan by raising questions on the assertions made by her. “I don’t for one moment want to downplay the importance of mental health as an issue, but equally we cannot have people claiming mental health issues as a means of closing down debate. She looked very in control of the interview to me,” Farage said.

After rebuking Meghan and her husband for “tarnishing the reputation of the UK in the world”, Farage went on to tackle the issue of racism alleged by the couple.

“The Queen and the royal family have spent the last seventy years touring around the commonwealth,” Nigel said, adding, “The vast majority of those people are Black and Asian.”

He continued, “I would put it to you that nobody in the world, in history, has done more for people of colour than the British royal family.”

Nigel’s remarks elicited sharp reactions on social media, where people slammed him for defending the racial inequities by the British royal family. One user said white folks don’t get to determine who has done what for people of colour.

Several others rubbished the claims made by Nigel, reminding him of Britain’s colonial history.

“Hey, Nigel. How did those countries end up in the Commonwealth?” asked Barry Malone, executive producer of Al Jazeera’s The Stream.

The racial reckoning of the UK’s royal family led many apologists to defend the monarchy. Those who rushed in the defence of the UK’s regal family resorted to hackneyed assertions that glossed over the atrocities committed by the British rule and exaggerated the British royal family’s contribution towards civilising and imparting the western liberal ideals to its subjects.

Nigel appeared to defend the palace by offering a feeble argument that the royal family could not be accused of racism because they have spent the last seventy years touring around the commonwealth, the countries which were earlier ruled by the Britishers. What Nigel seems to suggest here is that the 70 years of touring by the royal family is enough to condone the centuries of depredations by the British of their colonial subjects, most of whom were people of colour.

Perhaps, for Nigel and his ilk, Britain’s long and agonising history of brutal colonialism and slavery should be seen as a generous deed by the people of colour, especially in countries occupied by Britain. Nigel’s remarks also echo the views held by apologists of British imperialism, who argue that Britain’s mission of colonisation had a civilising influence on its subjects.

Apologists of the British imperial regime have long held that the British brought—democracy, the rule of law, infrastructural development—the touchstones of modern fulfilment that would have not been possible if it were not for the British rule. They conveniently brush under the carpet, the enduring oppression, the systematic torture, the financial exploitation and the slavery that accompanied their rule.

Britain’s exploitation of its colonial subjects, most of whom were people of colour

India, for instance, contributed about 25 per cent of the global GDP in the eighteenth century when the British were gradually expanding their control over the country. By the time they left the country in 1947, India’s contribution to the world GDP was just under 1 per cent. Besides the financial exploitation, Indians were tortured, killed, simply for demanding their rights. Even those Indians who chose to work for the British were not accorded the same respect and designations as were offered to their equally qualified British counterparts. If this isn’t racism, then what it is?

The Bengal famine in 1943 was perhaps the one in modern Indian history to not occur as a result of serious drought. It is widely documented that the Churchill-era British policies played a significant factor in contributing to the catastrophe that killed millions in its wake. According to Indian politician Shashi Tharoor, Churchill diverted food rations to the imperial army fighting World War II, even though they had sufficient stocks of ration stored. As a result, millions of people died of starvation in Bengal. When Churchill was informed about the devastation, he crassly remarked, if the shortages were so bad, why was Mahatma Gandhi still alive.

These are but a few instances of racism institutionalised and practised by the British rulers in the countries they ruled. There are similar horrifying stories of slave trading in Africa, where the British indulged in indentured labours, exporting the African natives to its colonies in the Americas and Europe.

Nigel’s statements shielding the palace from the charges of racism suggest that there is a sizeable constituency in Britain who still think that its imperial rule was an uplifting and edifying experience for its colonial subjects. It is time that this constituency is made aware of the fact that Britain has presided over the worst form of racism in the last two centuries. By citing leisurely tours undertaken by the royal family in pillaged countries, Nigel and his ilk cannot draw a veil over Britain’s problematic past that is steeped in racism.

Geeta is ‘Radha Waghmare’: Hearing and speech impaired woman finally reunited with family after 20 years

OpIndia Staff
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Geeta is ‘Radha Waghmare’: Hearing and speech impaired woman finally reunited with family after 20 years

Geeta, who was brought back to India from Pakistan by then-External Affairs Minister Late Sushma Swaraj in September 2015, has finally been reunited with her family in Parbhani, Maharashtra. When Geeta was merely nine years old, she accidentally crossed over to Pakistan. In 2015, Late Sushma Swaraj and the foreign office in Islamabad had a dialogue about her, and soon after, she was brought back to India. The journey, however, did not stop at that time.

The hunt to find Geeta’s family

As per a report in the Times of India, since the then 24-years-old Geeta arrived in India, finding her family was a big challenge as she can only communicate via sign language. Geeta was born deaf and had very vague memories about her childhood. The only thing she could remember about her time in India was a maternity home outside the railway station alongside a sugarcane farm. Since the hunt for her family started in India, several government agencies and NGOs spent hundreds of man-hours to locate the real family.

As she became a headline in both mainstream and local media, many families came forward from UP, Bihar, Telangana, and Rajasthan, claiming they were her blood relatives. However, none of them cleared verifications. In two of the cases, agencies conducted DNA tests as well, but the results were negative.

While the hunt for her family was on, Geeta was getting training in sign languages and other skills. When she arrived in India, Madhya Pradesh’s Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan promised to do everything in his power to find her family. He also promised to do ‘Kanyadan’ in case her family could not be located. Interestingly, Geeta has rejected over 25 marriage proposals since then. The TOI report, citing the social workers who are helping Geeta, says that she is a very independent woman and has rejected all the proposals for marriage.

Indore Deaf Bilingual Academy was the first to get custody of Geeta when she arrived in India. She stayed with them for 58 months. In July 2020, her custody was transferred to Gyanendra Purohit of Anand Service Society in Indore, who tried to find her family. Purohit got some promising clues that helped a lot in locating her family.

Nose piercing was a major clue

One of the most important clues was the nose piercing. While it is common to get a nose piercing on the left side in Maharashtra, her nose piercing was on the right side. Such piercing is common on the southern side of Maharashtra. He zeroed on to Marathwada, a small region that is still carrying forward the tradition of nose piercing on the right side since the time of Nizams of Hyderabad’s rule.

He rented a house in Marathwada and began the hunt with local police, civic administrations, and Marathi journalists. Her memory of a maternity home outside the railway station with sugarcane farms was among the main clues that local teams looked for. Finally, Parbhani was deemed as the final destination where a maternity home is located outside the railway station.

When her story appeared in the local newspapers, one Mina Dinkar Pandhare approached Parbhani district administration and claimed Geeta might be her daughter who went missing in 1999-2000. Mina’s first interview with Prabhakar was fruitful. The age of her daughter matched the age of Geeta. They also noticed a striking resemblance in Mina and Geeta’s looks. When Mina was asked if she remembered any identification marks on Geeta, she told about a burn mark on Geeta’s stomach which turned out to be exactly as she had described.

The burn mark was from an injury Geeta had suffered while she was a child.

No need for a DNA test

A DNA test is mostly done when the custody of a minor is to be decided. As Geeta is 29, she is free to decide about her future. Suchita Tirkey, Joint Director, Madhya Pradesh’s Social Justice Department, said in a statement that she is meeting with her family regularly and getting familiar with the surroundings.

The first meeting and journey since then

Geeta is currently under Aniket Salgaoncar’s supervision, who heads Pahal Foundation in Parbhani. When Geeta first met her mother in a room at Pahal Foundation’s office in Parbhani, she broke down and fell into the lap of her mother sobbing.

While comforting Geeta, her mother said, “Your real name is Radha Waghmare and your father’s name is Sudhakar Waghmare. He passed away some years ago.” The social workers say that Geeta is not keen on moving in with her family as of now. She is also continuing her studies and vocational training with the help of the social workers.

The journey from now is, however, difficult for Geeta. Salgaoncar said that she is not so keen on moving to the village as she lived in a setup where her all needs are being taken care of. Her mother, on the other hand, runs her family by selling clay pots. Geeta’s priority is to clear her Class VIII exam through distance education. “Once she secures some basic qualifications, we will request the Maharashtra government to help her get a job,” Salgaoncar added.

Tirkey said that Geeta is meeting her family regularly, and when she feels comfortable moving with them, she will be handed over to the family. “My sense is Geeta wants to be financially independent before she goes back to being Radha,” said Salgaoncar.

It is unclear how she reached Pakistan

A nine-year-old accidentally crossing the border seems like a story out of a film. There are some theories that can explain how she reached Pakistan. She had a habit of running away from home when she was little. As there were no CCTV cameras at that time, it is unclear what happened. But it is believed that she boarded Sachkhand Express to Amritsar in Punjab that halts for a short time in Parbhani. She might have then boarded Lahore Samjhauta Express, which halts at Amritsar.

When the rangers in Pakistan spotted her, she was already missing for four years. She was handed over to social activist Bilquis Bano Edhi, who runs a foundation in Karachi. Unfortunately, there is no record of when she was handed over to Edhi as many people take shelter in the said foundation. Geeta’s story may have some blind spots, but she has found her family and hopefully will be able to live happily with them.

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