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Communal violence grips Bhainsa in Telangana yet again, police enforces section 144: What we know so far

OpIndia Staff
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Communal violence grips Bhainsa in Telangana yet again, police enforces section 144: What we know so far

On March 7, Hindus and Muslims clashed and reportedly pelted stones at each other in Bhainsa, Nirmal district, Telangana. As per initial reports, ten people, including media persons, civilians and police personnel, were injured, and two houses and at least one auto-rickshaw were set ablaze during the incident. Three of the injured were rushed to the Nizamabad district hospital for treatment.

Reports suggest that the clashes took place at around 8:30 PM when a biker and members of other community had an argument on the road in Zelfekar lane. According to reports, the violence took place around Zulgiqar Mosque in the town. The argument led to two groups clashing. When the police learned about the incident, they rushed to the spot. Section 144 has been imposed in the area. Adilabad Superintendent of Police Vishnu S Warrier was also rushed to Bhainsa. The additional force was placed in the area to ensure law and order. Some videos have surfaced showing people setting a house on fire and pelting stones

Police force was seen in area after the clash.

Arvind Dharampuri, BJP’s Member of Parliament, Nizamabad, Telangana urged Telangana Police take immidiate action. He said in a tweet, “Apparently, Some disturbing visuals of communal clashes are coming up from Bhainsa. I request @TelanganaDGP to immediately take stock of the situation and deploy additional forces before it flares further and causes more damage.”

Bhainsa has a history of violence

This is not the first time Bhainsa has seen communal tension. In January 2020, a clash broke between Hindu and Muslim communities that left around 11 people injured. Reports suggested that 18 houses were set on fire in Korbagalli street, and several bikes were torched. BJP MLA Raja Singh was put under house arrest. He had alleged that AIMIM was behind the attack on Hindus in Bhainsa. On February 3, it was reported that the Telangana government filed a case against a journalist for reporting how Muslim mobs attacked Hindu homes amidst chants of “Allah ho Akbar”.

‘Aren’t fake 33 cr Gods enough’: Abusive tweets of AAP MLA go viral, while Netizens demand ouster, MLA peddles ‘hacked theory

OpIndia Staff
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‘Aren’t fake 33 cr Gods enough’: Abusive tweets of AAP MLA go viral, while Netizens demand ouster, MLA peddles ‘hacked theory

On Monday, a controversy was sparked after several of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Virender Singh Kadian’s old tweets went viral on social media. The contentious tweets, expressing vile abuses at women, Hindus, journalists and political opponents, have led to demands of his ouster from AAP.

It must be mentioned that Kadian was handed the election ticket by Arvind-Kejriwal led AAP and he secured his seat from the Delhi Cantt constituency in South-west Delhi. In a vile Hinduphobic tweet, Virender Singh Kadian said, “All Godmen are ch*tiyas. The biggest ones are those who go to listen to their religious lectures. Mama’s boy, aren’t the fake 33 crore gods not enough?”

Some have said that the MLA used the phrase ‘Maa ke Laadlo’ to mean ‘Maa ke l*vdo’ which is deeply offensive and appears consistent with the rest of the tweet.

Screengrab of his tweets

Several old tweets from 2017 dug out by netizens show Virender Singh Kadian targeting his political dissenters with objectionable and highly misogynistic language. “Wake up you motherf*ucker! Dumba**, stop f*cking your sisters,” read one tweet. “Tell me the charges of your sister. She f*cks me for free,” read another tweet. In another misogynist tweet, he said, “Teri maa ka lajpat nagar“.

Screengrab of his tweets

He also compared a Twitter user to a pig and said that pigs never change. The AAP MLA was also seen abusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a derogatory tweet, Virender Singh Kadian wrote, “Illegitimate child of Modi, get lost from here!”

Screengrab of his tweets

He had also referred to Home Minister Amit Shah as a ‘motherf*cker’ and claimed that he has turned Mother India pale. Virender Singh Kadian has also hurled abuses at BJP leader Kapil Mishra. “Wake up motherf*cker, how long will you f*ck your sisters?” he said. As evident from his tweets, Virender Singh Kadian has weaponised misogyny to get back at his political opponents. In his old tweets, he did not hesitate from demonising women to settle political scores.

Screengrab of his tweets

AAP MLA Virender Singh Kadian abuses journalists

In a series of tweets dating back to 2018, the AAP legislator was seen hurling choices of expletives at former India TV journalist Sushant Sinha. “You sister’s d*ck, are you BJP spokesperson motherf*cker? Have some shame. How far will you stoop, pimp? “

Screengrab of his abusive tweets

In another tweet, the AAP MLA was seen abusing Sushant’s mother and accusing him of incest. “You are a true motherf*cker. Did you have sex with your mother that resulted in your birth.”

Crossing all societal norms of civility, he was seen hurling abuses at those who watch Zee News.

Screengrab of his abusive tweets

Netizens demand action against AAP MLA Virender Singh Kadian

After the tweets of Virender Singh Kadian went viral on social media, BJP spokesperson Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga demanded his expulsion from AAP and an apology from the Chief Minister for hurting Hindu sentiments. He wrote, “Shame on Arvind Kejriwal for giving ticket to Anti Hindu Virendra Singh Kadian. I am going to file FIR (through my advocate) against him tomorrow. I demand Kejriwal to throw him from his Party immediately and apologise to Hindus.”

Twitter user Ajay Shukla tagged Chairperson of the Women’s Commission (Delhi) and said, “Please take action against this man for harbouring such misogynistic mentality. Also, find out if the women in his house are safe and free of danger.”

“AAP leader is increasing the dignity of women and the society. Manish Sisodia (Delhi Education Minister), will you transform Delhi like this? Expel him from the party,” wrote another user.

Another user tweeted, “Wow, Arvind Kejriwal! What kind of politician have you kept in the party? Very good. He has already shown his character and upbringing through his tweets. He (Virender Singh Kadian) has shown us how he treats her mother and sister at home.”

“Arvind Kejriwal’s party isn’t a common one. It has goons, thugs, terrorists and blasphemers,” concluded another user.

AAP MLA peddles usual ‘hack theory’, claims foul play

After being caught off guard, the AAP MLA alleged that his Twitter account was hacked. “I want to inform everyone that my verified account has been hacked. Someone has tweeted utterly vile tweets from my account. I am taking legal action against that person.”

Screengrab of AAP MLA’s last tweet

Several users pointed out that his disturbing tweets date back to 2017, which has no relevance to the fact that his account has been allegedly hacked now. Virender Singh Kadian then made his account private and later deleted it, in the hopes of not exposing himself further. However, several of his Hinduphobic and misogynist tweets are now available in the public domain in the form of screenshots, thereby foiling his plans to avoid public accountability. Amidst the controversy, the demand for his ouster from Aam Aadmi Party has gained momentum on the micro-blogging platform.

‘How dark is he going to be’: Prince Harry’s wife Meghan says the British royal family was ‘concerned’ about their child’s skin colour

OpIndia Staff
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‘How dark is he going to be’: Prince Harry’s wife Meghan says the British royal family was ‘concerned’ about their child’s skin colour

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle have been in the news for months now after they decided to ‘leave’ the British royal family and give up their titles. There have been a lot of rumours about the pair facing an unpleasant situation in the royal family’s sphere and talks of Meghan being discriminated against. In an explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan Markle has confirmed the suspicions of facing racial discrimination.

Speaking to Oprah, Meghan Markle said that she was terribly concerned when she and Harry learned that the UK royal family is going to provide no security staff to Harry or Archie, their child.

Archie was not going to be called a prince, no security, no titles

Meghan said to Oprah that when she was pregnant, there was a lot of ‘conversations’ going around in the royal family sphere, about how the coming baby of Meghan and Prince Harry, formerly the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, may not be given any royal title, and may not be given the title of a prince. When Oprah asked whether it was because of Archie’s ‘race’ (Meghan is of African-American descent), Mackle paused for a second and took a deep breath.

Meghan then told Oprah that during her pregnancy, a member of the Royal family had even talked to prince Harry about ‘how dark the child’s skin colour is going to be when he is born’. The reply seemed to have shocked Oprah so much that she was left speechless for a moment. When Oprah asked who was having ‘that’ kind of conversation with the expecting parents, Meghan told that she cannot reveal the name because it is going to be very damaging to them.

The royal family cut Prince Harry off financially

In the same interview, Prince Harry has also opened up a lot about the pressure and emotional challenges of being a part of the royal family. Harry has stated that his family had cut him off financially in the first quarter of 2020 and all he had was what his mother, the late Princess Diana, had left him. He also added that probably Princess Diana ‘saw it coming’.

Prince Harry also told that he had felt ‘trapped’ in the royal family and he could never have left had it not been for Meghan. Harry and Meghan are also currently expecting their second child and the couple revealed that they are going to have a girl this time.

About the conversation about Archie’s skin colour, Harry stated that he is never going to share that conversation as he never going to be comfortable with it.

Prinece Harry and his wife Meghan, an American actress and social activist, began dating in 2016 and were married in 2018. They had announced that they would be leaving their royal titles and duties in early 2020. The couple were stripped off their royal security and royal purse following the announcement. Prince Harry is the sixth to the line of the British throne.

There has been a lot of tabloid stories and media hype over Harry and Meghan’s relationship. Meghan is regarded as the first ‘person of colour’ to be married to a British prince. Many celebrities had opined that Meghan was subject to undue scrutiny and unfair treatment, was unnecessarily vilified because of her race.

Switzerland: People vote to ban burqa or niqab in public spaces, Islamic group calls it ‘dark day for Muslims’

OpIndia Staff
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Switzerland: People vote to ban burqa or niqab in public spaces, Islamic group calls it ‘dark day for Muslims’

On March 7, during the referendum, 51% of the voters in Switzerland cast their vote favouring banning people from covering their faces completely in shops, restaurants and streets. However, full facial veils will be allowed inside places of worship and for ‘native customs’. It has to be noted that covering the face for health and safety reason will not be affected by the ban. That means wearing a mask in situations like the Covid-19 pandemic are exempted from the law.

The final results on Sunday showed that out of 26 cantons in the country, just six rejected the initiative. The turnaround was a little over 50% which is above average. Justice Minister Karin Keller-Sutter said that only a fraction of the Muslim women population wears such veils in Switzerland. The result should not be seen as a blanket “vote against Muslims.” She welcomed the fact that several Muslim voices took part in the campaign and noted that some of them were even in favour of the ban.

The proposal was introduced by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP). They campaigned for the proposals with slogans like “Stop Extremism.” Apart from Switzerland, several other countries like France, Austria, Bulgaria, Belgium and Denmark have already banned the hijab in public places.

Opposition and criticism on hijab ban

The Parliament of Switzerland and the seven-member executive council that constitutes the federal government of the country had opposed the proposal of the referendum. They instead proposed an initiative to force people to lift the facial covering when asked to confirm their identity to the government officials.

The Muslim groups have also criticized the ban. Calling the referendum a ‘dark day’ for Muslims, Central Council of Muslims said, “Today’s decision opens old wounds, further expands the principle of legal inequality, and sends a clear signal of exclusion to the Muslim minority.” It further said that the decision would be challenged in the court by the group.

Ines Al Shikh, a member of the feminist collective Les Foulards Violets, said that the decision is an attack against Switzerland’s Muslim community. “What is aimed here is to stigmatize and marginalize Muslims even more.”

Several hoteliers and tourism professionals, especially from Berne and Geneva, where tourists from Arab countries are frequent, fear that the decision may hurt their business. Nicole Brändle Schlegel of the HotellerieSuisse umbrella organization said that it would damage the country’s reputation as an open and tolerant tourism destination.

The ban is for everyone without explicit mention of a burqa

The supporters of the ban do not see it as an attack on anyone’s freedom. The referendum text does not explicitly mention Islam or burqa, or niqab. They suggested that the ban on facial masks will stop violent street protesters and football hooligans from wearing masks. Notably, their campaign, however, mentioned the role of Islam in public life.

SVP’s campaigns to ban Islamic symbols 

The initiative to ban face covers was introduced by the Egerkingen Committee in 2016. It is linked to the populist right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP). The same organization successfully pushed for a vote to ban the construction of new minarets in 2009. At that time, SVP said that minarets are signs of Islamisation. During the current campaign against face cover, the ads showed a woman wearing a niqab and sunglasses with the slogan “Stop extremism. Yes to the veil ban.”

Uttar Pradesh becomes first state in India to administer 20 lakh coronavirus vaccines

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh becomes first state in India to administer 20 lakh coronavirus vaccines

Uttar Pradesh has emerged as the first state in India to administer 20 lakh Chinese coronavirus vaccines. CM Yogi Adityanath has directed the state administration to update the vaccination details on the portal every day by 5 PM.

On Sunday, the UP CM held a meeting at his official residence to take stock of the vaccination drive in the state. He said that the integrated command and control centre must be utilised for the vaccination purpose. Yogi said that while there has been a significant reduction in the infection rate, the threat of coronavirus still lingers. Hence, it is necessary to maintain vigilance.

UP CM said that through the E-Sanjeevani app, more and more people have taken benefit of online consultation with doctors. As per reports, almost 6 lakh people have consulted doctors online through the app. He said that more people should be connected through the app.

On Saturday, 22,984 people were vaccinated in Uttar Pradesh. 364 vaccination sessions are conducted in which Covishield and Covaxin vaccines were administered. 14,85,447 people have been registered first dose while 5,29,142 people have been registered second dose in Uttar Pradesh. In India, over 2 crore people have been vaccinated till now. On Saturday itself 14,24,693 people were vaccinated in India.

The vaccination drive in India started on 16th January 2021 for frontline workers. For senior citizens and for people age 45 years and above with co-morbidity, the vaccination started from 1st March 2021. Prime Minister Modi took his first dose of vaccine on 1st March 2021 in the morning at AIIMS in New Delhi.

French MP and businessman Olivier Dassault, whose family owns the firm that makes Rafale planes, dies in helicopter crash

OpIndia Staff
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French MP and businessman Olivier Dassault, whose family owns the firm that makes Rafale planes, dies in helicopter crash

French billionaire and right-wing politician Olivier Dassault died in a helicopter crash in Normandy, France. He was 69 years old. Dassault was the grandson of Marcel Dassault, who founded the firm that manufactures the Rafale planes.

As per reports, the helicopter carrying him crashed shortly after taking off from Normandy coastal resort in Deauville where he had a holiday home. The pilot was also killed in the crash. The cause of the crash is not yet known.

Olivier was the eldest son of Serge Dassault and inherited his father’s estate along with his two younger brothers and a sister in 2018. His personal fortune is estimated to be about €6bn (£5.2bn).

French President Emmanuel Macron took to Twitter to express his condolences on the death of Dassault. “Olivier Dassault loved France,” he tweeted.

The French air accident investigation bureau (BEA) reported that the aircraft, an Aérospatiale AS350 Écureuil, had crashed on take off from a private ground. The BEA has opened an inquiry and five investigators were being dispatched to the scene for investigation. As per reports, an involuntary manslaughter investigation is also underway.

Dassault was an MP for the conservative Les Republicans party since 2002 and was considered the 361st richest man in the world along with his siblings.

Fans slam England cricket team’s head coach after he does not rule out breaks for players during Ashes test series

OpIndia Staff
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Fans slam England cricket team’s head coach after he does not rule out breaks for players during Ashes test series

Chris Silverwood, head coach of the England cricket team, has announced that the rotational policy, which has come under intense criticism following the test series defeat against India, will continue into the summer. He further said that key players may be given breaks during the Ashes as well.

The statement has earned him great criticism on social media. Fans were unhappy with the possibility of England not playing their best 11 players during Ashes, considered one of the most prestigious tournaments in cricket.

India hammered England 3-1 in the recently concluded 4-match test series with England failing to register any real challenge after going up 1-0 up in the series. The batsmen struggled to cope with Indian spinners on turning tracks.

The visiting side also faced criticism for its team selection which they changed frequently without any success.

Xi Jinping pushes for replacing Mongolian with Mandarin in Inner Mongolia amid protests against removing the local language from schools

OpIndia Staff
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Xi Jinping pushes for replacing Mongolian with Mandarin in Inner Mongolia amid protests against removing the local language from schools

While the ongoing atrocities on the Uyghur Muslims by the Chinese government are well known, the attempts of the Communist regime to Sinicize minority communities are not limited to the Uyghurs alone. The Sinicization project has intensified under the Xi Jinping regime, and its affect is being seen everywhere, from Chinese occupied Mongolia in North to Tibet in the South. The Sinicization project means eradication of all languages, cultures, religions and traditions that are not Han Chinese, all in the name of national unity.

The project is also going on in full swing in Inner Mongolia, the Chinese occupied Mongolian region that borders Mongolia to the north. The region saw large scale protests from locals there last year against a new directive aimed at reducing the use of Mongolian language in the region. The protests had started after the Chinese government had issued an order mandating Mandarin as the language of instruction in schools in place of Mongolian.

The new rule stipulates that three subjects, Chinese language and literature, ethics and law, and history, will be taught only in Mandarin in all schools in Inner Mongolia by 2022. This had triggered massive protests from people in Inner Mongolia, an uncommon sight in China. However, the protests were brutally subdued by the administration as schools were surrounded by armoured vehicles and dozens of protest leaders were arrested.

Chinese officials used both enticement and threats to make people accept the decision. Parents who had refused to send their children were threatened with layoff, fine, and expulsion of the students. Government and public sector employees were warned that they will be suspended or fired if they don’t send their children to schools. While students were also offered cash rewards to convince their peers to return to schools. Authorities had also announced that parents who sent their children to school would receive preferential access to government aid programs.

According to reports, at least 4000 to 5000 ethnic Mongolians were put under police custody last year for protesting against the new language policy. Arrest warrants were sent to the parents, along with printouts of their photographs in the protest venues taken from security cameras. In some places like Tongliao city where the protests were among the fiercest, cars were banned from the roads to prevent the protestors from gathering. Apart from that, social media posts about the protests were promptly deleted by the authorities.

President Xi Jinping openly called for Mongolians in China to switch to Mandarin language. ‘Inner Mongolia should unwaveringly promote the use of national common textbooks to correct “wrong ideas” on culture and nationality’, he had said on Friday. He also said that Inner Mongolians should “learn by heart that the Han ethnicity cannot be separate from ethnic minorities and that ethnic minorities cannot be separated from the Han ethnicity.” The Chinese president had added that the officials should do a good job in popularising the national common language.

Chinese government has defended the decision to impose Mandarin education on everyone, saying it will improve the education and employment opportunities for students from minority ethnic groups. Authorities also claim that Chinese-language books are of higher quality than Mongolian-language books. However, minorities like the Mongolians are not convinced with this, as they fear that it will lead to a gradual demise of their language and culture.

Mongolian is not the only language the Chinese government is trying to replace with Mandarin. The Communist regime has also implemented similar policies in Tibet and Xinjiang in the past. Earl, the government of the Tibet Autonomous Region had issued orders saying that Chinese and Tibetan languages were to be given “equal weight,” but now that policy has been changed. While Tibetan language has been retained in schools, Mandarin has been made the primary medium of instruction. A similar policy is also in place in Xinjiang, where Uyghur is being replaced by Mandarin in schools.

In order to implement the policy, the government has drastically reduced the number of teachers teaching in the minority languages. In fact, the government itself says that Mongolians should not complain abut the policy as they are not alone facing this, Tibetans and Uyghurs have already seen the language transition in their respective regions.

Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is known by Southern Mongolia by the local Mongolian people, to retain its association with Mongolia. For much of history, it was part of the greater Mongolia nation. But in 1947, the Peoples Republic of China occupied it, and established it as an autonomous region.

Pakistan: Five Hindus of a family found brutally murdered with knife and axe near Rahim Yar Khan city

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan: Five Hindus of a family found brutally murdered with knife and axe near Rahim Yar Khan city

Five members of a Hindu family were found murdered in their house in Abu Dhabi Colony, a short distance away from Rahim Yar Khan city in Pakistan. They were found with their throats slit with a sharp edged weapon on Friday. The Police are reported to have recovered the weapons of murder which include a knife and an axe.

One of the victims is believed to be 36 year old Ram Chand, a Meghwal Hindu. He reportedly ran a tailoring shop. According to a Pak daily, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has taken cognizance of the incident and directed authorities to arrest the culprits as soon as possible.

However, given the track record of violence against the Hindu minority in Pakistan, the directions of Buzdar does not inspire much confidence. The incident has left the Hindu community in Pakistan shocked. Social activist Birbal Das described Ram Chand as a peaceful man leading a happy life, The News International reported.

Atrocities against the Hindu community continues unabated in Pakistan. Late last year, it was reported that homes of Hindus belonging to Bheel community were attacked and looted by Islamists in Sindh.

In October, Islamists had burnt down houses of some Hindus in Sindh in order to exert pressure on them to convert to Islam. Rahat Austin had claimed that by carrying out such atrocities, these Islamists continuously try and create pressure on these marginalised Hindus to either take up Islam or have them work as slaves.

Forced conversions and abduction and rape of Hindu women continue in Pakistan while the international community turns a blind eye to the atrocities forced upon the minority Hindu community.

‘He is a Naxal, he has no credibility, no respect’: TMC MP Saugata Roy rants against Mithun Chakraborty after actor joins BJP

OpIndia Staff
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‘He is a Naxal, he has no credibility, no respect’: TMC MP Saugata Roy rants against Mithun Chakraborty after actor joins BJP

Superstar Mithun Chakraborty joined the BJP during the party’s massive rally at the Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata. Following the announcement, Trinamool Congress has come out in strong criticism of the actor who was once a Rajya Sabha MP from their party.

TMC MP Sougata Roy said, “Mithun Chakraborty is not a star of today. He is a star of yesteryears. He has changed parties four times. He was originally a Naxalite, then went to CPM, then he joined TMC and was made a Rajya Sabha MP.”

Sougata Roy went on to claim that Mithun Da was threatened by the BJP with the Enforcement Directorate. He added, “BJP threatened him with cases by Enforcement Directorate and he left Rajya Sabha and now he has joined BJP. He has no credibility, no respect, and no influence among the people.”

Mithun Chakraborty, after joining BJP, said about his decision of joining Trinamool Congress, “Trinamool made me an MP. I left and I will not point fingers at anyone. I will not say whose fault it was. I will say that it was my bad decision. We must end this discussion here.”

“I will have to hold someone’s hand if I have to fulfill my dream. You can call me selfish but there is only one reason behind my selfishness, I want to be with the poor people. I want to stand by the poor people. I want to fight for the poor people,” he said.

He told reporters, “BJP is making the government, that is for sure and if we can all fulfill Prime Minister’s dream that we will be able to make Sonar Bangla, then I will be the proudest man.”

Prime Minister Modi addressed the humongous crowd at the ground where he announced that the BJP wants ‘real poriborton’ in West Bengal. The state is set to go to polls on the 27th of March and the elections will be held in the state over right phases.

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