Mithun Chakravarty’s cult film Gunda has its own fan-base and nothing like invoking the legendary film with epic dialogues than on the day he joined the BJP ahead of Bengal Assembly elections.
Author Arnab Ray, who had his own separate fan-base in 2000s because of his blogs as Mithun fanboy, tweeted the popular dialogue of the film.
To paraphrase the prophecies of Gunda: Zalzala jaag utha hai. Abh gangwar suru hone waala hai. Assembly seats aise tapkegi jaise kisi nanhe munhe bacche ke….you know the rest.
Gunda film has all dialogues in sing-song rhyming manner and for the longest time was one of the top-rated film on IMDb, only because it was brilliant, but because of the cult following it had.
All #mithunchakraborty needs to say today is “do char chaaye aat dus. Bus”. That’s it. That’s the tweet.
Ray, of course, as a true-blue Mithunda fan, unleashed a few more dialogues upon unsuspecting netizens which went quite well with the flavour of the season.
His legendary fight scenes also made it to viral tweets.
So this #mithunchakraborty has always been a closet fascist. He even worked in a movie titled "HitIer" where he played the title role. It all happened in front of our eyes and we couldn't realise! Let that sink in! Anyway, the mask is off finally! Cancel him now! pic.twitter.com/P7ip7DXkKW
Boss at OpIndia also took the opportune moment to plug his book. This reporter fact-checked it and can confirm that the book of Sanghi who never went to Shakha starts with a song from Mithun’s film. You could buy your copy here.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to start Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) campaign in West Bengal ahead of the upcoming assembly elections by addressing a mega rally at the Brigade Parade Grounds in Kolkata on Sunday. The party got a massive boost in the state before PM Modi arrived at the venue, as veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty formally joined the party.
West Bengal: Actor Mithun Chakraborty joins Bharatiya Janata Party at PM's rally at Brigade Parade Ground, Kolkata pic.twitter.com/fj7bB5EQzb
Mithun Chakraborty arrived on the stage much earlier, and was joined by BJP leaders in the state like Kailash Vijayvargiya and others.
PM Modi’s rally will be the culmination of the BJP’s “Parivartan Yatra”, and the party expects that around 10 lakh people will attend the rally. This is PM Modi’s first visit to West Bengal since the state’s assembly election dates were announced last week.
Earlier, PM Modi had visited the state three times in the past few months. The stage is all set to welcome Prime Minister Modi to Kolkata, and the state unit of the party has made massive arrangements in the run-up to the much-anticipated rally.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address a public rally at Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata today pic.twitter.com/45TZyJPEhk
At the historic Brigade ground, a 72-feet long main stage has been set up. Two other stages have also been set up, one for Tollywood actors and another for other important personalities.
Apart from the massive crowd that has already gathered to witness PM Modi addressing the rally, another thing that is sure to annoy CM Mamata Banerjee is chants of Jai Shri Ram that the BJP supporters are already chanting at the ground. The CM is known to have particular hatred for the chant, and have attacked Hindu crowd for chanting it in front of her.
TMC rebels to join the rally, BJP expects Sourav Ganguly to be present
More than 28 Trinamool MLAs who missed out on party tickets are also expected to be present at the PM Modi’s rally. There were rumours that former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly may also be present at the Brigade Ground to witness PM Modi’s rally. However, it is not sure yet whether the current BCCI President will attend the event.
Meanwhile, the BJP has not yet given up on BCCI president Sourav Ganguly joining the Brigade show. Recently, amidst the rumours of him joining the BJP, the former Team India captain had told a private channel that he was a sportsman and would not take political questions.
Ahead of PM Modi’s rally, BJP supporters from across the state have started converging at the Brigade ground in Kolkata. Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh and state minder Kailash Vijayvargiya visited the venue on Saturday to oversee arrangements.
More than 1,500 CCTV cameras have been installed across the city for security purposes. Security arrangements have been put in place, and drone cameras will also be used to monitor the venue. The rally is expected to be attended by at least 7 lakh people.
The BJP workers have reached out to households with written invitations for the rally. The party has also appealed to Hindu organisations to mobilise its cadres for the historic rally.
This rally will be the first of the Prime Minister’s 20-odd rallies scheduled to be held in the state ahead of the assembly elections. The rally also comes a day after the party announced its first list of 57 candidates for the polls. Two days before, the incumbent Trinamool Congress had announced its contestants for the 291 constituencies while leaving three seats for its ally Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.
The Congress party has aligned with the left parties and radical Islamic cleric Abbas Siddiqui’s ISF to take on the TMC as well as the BJP in the battle for Bengal. The eight-phase Assembly polls for the 294 Assembly seats in West Bengal will begin on March 27. The results will be announced on May 2.
Twitter has suspended the account of StandWithKashmir, an Islamist organisation, for “artificially amplifying or suppressing information or engaging in behaviour that manipulates people’s experience” on the platform. The organisation has a history of supporting terrorists and extremism related to Kashmir.
StandWithKashmir (SWK) describes itself as a “Kashmiri diaspora-driven independent global citizen grassroots group committed to standing in solidarity with the people of Kashmir in ending the occupation and supporting their right to self-determination.”
In the past, StandWithKashmir has supported terrorists such as Yasin Malik who has ties with the LeT, Riyaz Naikoo, a senior commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen who was eliminated by security forces. SWK also calls Asiya Andrabi a ‘sociopolitical activist’ despite her known links to terrorists.
Intriguingly enough, a member of the SWK is a member of the Joe Biden administration. Sameera Fazili of Kashmiri origin has been appointed as the Deputy Director of the National Economic Council. She is a member of SWK and has made problematic comments in the past.
She once said in a statement, “We urge people of conscience to come out and show support and solidarity for the people of Kashmir as authoritarianism and Islamophobia rise around the world, from India to the United States to Europe. Come show your support for human rights, international law, and democracy.”
On Saturday, the veteran journalist and the editor of The Print, Shekhar Gupta, faced the wrath of Congress party leaders and supporters after he published a video criticising the Congress party and its leader Rahul Gandhi.
In his weekly show ‘National Interest’, Shekhar Gupta spoke in detail about the state of Indian politics and the absence of any opposition to the ruling Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party. Criticising the Congress party’s leadership, especially Gandhi-scion Rahul Gandhi, Shekhar Gupta opined that the grand old party seems to have lost interest in the country’s politics as they have failed to put pressure on the ruling government.
Lamenting on the inability of the opposition parties, especially the Congress, to check the Modi juggernaut, Shekhar Gupta went on to blame the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi for the state of opposition parties in the country and the lack of fire in their bellies to take on the BJP. Throughout the show, Shekhar Gupta was, in fact, suggesting the opposition parties to step up their pressure on the government and hit streets against the Modi government.
However, as usual, Shekhar Gupta did with all the subtlety as he expressed his agony by blaming the Congress party for failing the ‘liberals’ and its ecosystem by not aggressively taking on the BJP.
Sharing a poem written by some Majrooh Sultanpuri, titled, “Aag lagi hum ri jhopadiya mein, hum gawain malhar/dekh bhai kitne tamashe ki, zindagani hamaar (my hut is on fire, but I am singing Raag Malhar, the happy rain raga/see what fun my life is), Shekhar Gupta picturised the state of Congress party and its lack of leadership.
The controversial ‘journalist said it is always hazardous questioning a government, irrespective of the party in power. However lately, the journalists are facing double trouble as they are being cursed for questioning the opposition parties. In his show, Shekhar Gupta further said that he has been so fearful of drawing this for the last few months and he was fearful of writing anything critical or even vaguely negative about the Congress party or Rahul Gandhi.
“I am now walking into that minefield with this question: We can keep complaining about the undermining of institutions, misuse of the ‘agencies’, sectarian and socially discriminatory laws, use of provisions like sedition as if it was a parking ticket, rail-roading of legislation through Parliament, even a GoM activity like this one on the media. But, would it have been a fraction as easy as it is now if Congress had just 100 seats in the Lok Sabha? Or the UPA about 130-150?” asked Shekhar Gupta in his show.
Attacking the Congress party over not keeping the BJP in check, Shekhar Gupta said that in a democracy, the primary accountability of respecting institutions, citizens’ liberty and constitutional guarantees lies with the ruling party. However, as per Gupta, it is also the primary responsibility of the opposition to fight for these.
Shekhar Gupta calls Rahul Gandhi’s Kerala campaign as an useless stunt
Speaking on Rahul Gandhi’s trip to Kerala last week, Shekhar Gupta lambasted the Gandhi-scion for his theatrics, asking whether Rahul Gandhi swimming with fishermen would turn into votes.
“Think then, about the de facto chief of our largest opposition party, with still 51 members in Lok Sabha and the control of three major states, heading for election in another four states and one UT, in each one of which his party has a stake. And here he was, showing off his phenomenal fitness to school children. I would never trivialise school children, I know how hard they are to impress. But, for a 50-year-old to dazzle them with his muscle power?” Shekhar Gupta noted in strong words.
Ending his monologue on the Congress party, Shekhar Gupta once again reminded that the joyful, viral visuals from the ever-so-cool Kerala brought back to him a line from the 1974 Dilip Kumar-Saira Banu film Sagina. He said that the Lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri had no idea he was writing a line that would fit so perfectly with the Rahul Gandhi-Congress party situation, “Aag lagi hum ri jhopadiya mein, hum gawain malhar/dekh bhai kitne tamashe ki, zindagani hamaar (my hut is on fire, but I am singing malhar, the happy rain raga/see what fun my life is)”.
“Sorry, Majrooh sahib, I stole this. But no sorry Rahul Gandhi. This was written for you,” said Shekhar Gupta.
Congress party upset with Gupta’s analysis, calls him a pliable journalist
As Shekhar Gupta’s show gained a little bit of traction on the social media platforms, the Congress was perturbed. Perhaps, the Congress party was shocked to hear such harsh words from their very own Shekhar Gupta, who is believed to be one of the prominent faces of the ‘left-liberal’ media ecosystem in the country, which largely resonates with the ideology of the Congress party.
The Congress party, which could not digest the betrayal, soon started to attack the veteran journalist for criticising their leader Rahul Gandhi.
Pawan Khera, the party spokesperson who has been elevated as a leader due to paucity of leadership in the party, attacked Shekhar Gupta for speaking against Rahul Gandhi. Giving it back to Shekhar Gupta in the same poetic language as the latter, Khera altered the lyrics of the same Majrooh Sultanpuri’s poem to accuse Shekhar Gupta of being a pliable journalist.
Saral Patel, who was busy spreading fake news on social media last week, also tried his hands in carrying out ‘intellectual’ attacks on Shekhar Gupta. Criticising Shekhar Gupta’s journalism, Saral Patel said that it was easy to criticise the opposition, however, it was neither healthy for democracy nor journalism if someone is focussed on mindless bashing the opposition more than holding the government accountable.
The Congress leader referred to the style of Shekhar Gupta’s journalism as “D”. However, OpIndia could not decipher Saral Patel’s cryptic insult.
Sanghamitra, another Congress supporter too admonished Shekar Gupta for criticising Rahul Gandhi. The social media user said the journalists like Gupta, who were allegedly asked to bend, are now crawling in front of the government. The article written by Shekhar Gupta was itself evidence for that fact, she said.
Sonali Ranade, a Congress party troll, was quick to target Shekhar Gupta for speaking against the Congress party and its leadership. Sonali Ranade, who Shekhar Gupta gave a platform in the past, did not let go of her former boss and said that it was typical of Gupta to vent his ire on Rahul Gandhi for what the Modi government did to him.
Swati Chaturvedi, a troll masquerading as a journalist who often empathises with Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party, was not happy about Shekhar Gupta’s take on the Congress party. Targeting Shekhar Gupta indirectly, she said it was easy to target Rahul Gandhi and be mum Modi’s assault on democracy.
She said that the latest attempt by Shekhar Gupta to attack Rahul Gandhi was his attempt to protect the real estate rather than the fourth estate, i.e. media.
Another Congress supporter Laly Randolf said that she never imagined Shekhar Gupta to be such a ‘bootlicker’. She said that she knew him to be doing a disservice to journalism, but downgrading himself to this extent of losing soul is pitiful, she said.
In their hurry to attack Shekhar Gupta for putting out his opinion on the state of Congress party, the Congress party leaders and its ecosystem scored a self goal by proving Shekhar Gupta right. Gupta, who had claimed that it is fearful these days to speak on the Congress party as it would lead to personal attacks on him, turned out to be right as the Congress ecosystem pounced on him just a few hours after his show was published.
Ironically, the Congress party proved that it does not entertain any criticism or exhibits tolerance to the views of its own ‘journalists’ by launching a battle against Shekhar Gupta.
On February 26, a car laden with explosives was discovered in close proximity of Antilia, the residence of Mukesh Ambani and his family. As per the police, it was a well-planned act and committed by seasoned criminals. At the spot, the police had also found several number plates from inside the vehicle, some of them matched the number plates of vehicles used by the Ambani family’s security team.
Later, Islamic terror outfit Jaish-ul-Hind took responsibility for placing bombs outside Ambani’s residence. However, the case took a shocking turn when the owner of the vehicle, Mansukh Hiren, was found dead in mysterious circumstances. As per the initial reports, he allegedly committed suicide by jumping into Kalwa Creek. However, later it came to light that his mouth was tied with handkerchiefs.
It has to be noted that this is not the first time Ambanis have been targeted, and the person who could have helped in solving that case was found dead under mysterious circumstances as well.
Anil Ambani’s helicopter was sabotaged
Twelve years ago, on April 23, 2009, during the inspection of the helicopter that belonged to Anil Ambani, technicians Bharat Borge and Ramshankar Chauhan found the filler cup of the gearbox fitted on the reverse side, and the fuel tank was open. When the fuel tank was further checked, they found pebbles and sand inside. On April 28, 2009, Government Railway Police Commissioner A K Sharma made a statement in which he confirmed that one of the technicians, Bharat Borge, was found dead by the police, and a letter was found on him.
On April 24, 2009, Anil Ambani Group had alleged that its business rivals might be behind an “attempt to murder” the industrialist by trying to sabotage his helicopter. However, when the reports came out about Borge’s death, the group decided to keep mum. It was believed that the pebbles were put in the helicopter after the April 22 ride that Anil Ambani took with nine of his company employees.
Airworks India, where the helicopter was parked, confirmed the death of its employee Borge and said that the demise was unfortunate and tragic. As per reports, Borge’s body was found on the railway tracks between Vile Parle and Andheri Suburban stations. It was suspected that he was run over by a Churchgate-bound fast local train near Vile Parle.
The Mumbai Police, after consulting with the Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and aviation experts, said that in case the helicopter had taken off, the pebbles would have damaged one of the two engines, and the pilot would have had to opt for an emergency landing.
Two helpers Uday Wanekar and Palraj Thewar, were arrested by the police in the case and were booked under the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Civil Aviation Act and under various sections of IPC. However, the court had acquitted them in November 2010 due to a lack of evidence.
Milan based Fashion house Dolce & Gabbana has filed a defamation suit against US bloggers Diet Prada for criticising their allegedly stereotypical ad campaign from 2018.
The bloggers alleged that the depiction of Chinese woman trying to eat Italian food via chopsticks were stereotypical and sexist. After the fashion bloggers criticised the fashion house, one of the designers, Stefano Gabbana also posted alleged anti-China comments, calling it country of sh*t.
Diet Prada immediately ‘cancelled’ the designers. Subsequently, the Asian consumers had boycotted D&G brand. Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi had announced on Weibo that she will not be attending the Dolce & Gabbana show, and neither she nor her team will be buying any D&G products moving forward. Other Chinese celebrities who were scheduled to attend the fashion show such as Li BingBing, Dilraba Dilmurat, Huang XiaoMing, Mu ZiYang had also boycotted the event. Model agencies Bentley and Xing Li too pulled out their models from the show.
A few hours later, D&G claimed on Instagram that their and their designers’ accounts were hacked and the post where Gabbana called China ‘sh*t’ country were unauthorised.
D&G also cancelled their fashion show in Shanghai, four hours before it was scheduled to start. However, Diet Prada had then claimed that the show was actually cancelled by Cultural Affairs Bureau of Shanghai.
The suit was filed back in 2019 but it became public earlier this week after Diet Prada posted it on their Instagram account. As per reports, the suit demands damages to the tune of €3 million for Dolce & Gabbana and another €1 million for Stefano Gabbana himself. The suit also seeks over €8.6 million for the cancellation of the Shanghai show, another €8.6 million for staff expenditures and €89.6 million for lost Asian sales from November 2018-March 2019.
Last Monday, Tony Liu and Lindsey Schuyler, the bloggers who run Diet Prada, filed a defence of their freedom of speech.
An image has gone viral on the internet with claims that the Bharatiya Janata Party, the ruling political party in India, has launched a ‘branch’ in Sri Lanka.
The image is of one V Muththusami, who is described as a leader of Sri Lanka Bharatiya Janata Party. This made many people wonder that the BJP has opened a branch in Sri Lanka.
Media reports on BJP’s branch in Sri Lanka and Nepal
Chinese government mouthpiece as well as Pakistani government broadcasters had recently made claims that the ruling party in India is planning to ‘interfere’ in politics of neighbouring countries by opening ‘branches’ in countries like Sri Lanka and Nepal.
Radio Pakistan on BJP’s branch
Radio Pakistan had cited Chinese government mouthpiece to claim that the BJP will establish branches in Nepal and Sri Lanka to fight elections and form governments in these countries.
Hence, with the above image going viral coupled with the news published in Pakistani and Chinese media, social media was rife with speculations whether the above claims are true.
Has BJP opened its new branch in Sri Lanka?
The image making rounds on social media is real. However, the newly launched political party in Sri Lanka has nothing to do with the Indian BJP.
On March 6, a Colombo-based Tamil hotelier of Indian origin, Velusamy Muthuswamy, addressed the press conference to announce the formation of a new political outfit called Ilankai Bharatiya Janatha Katchi (IBJK) or Sri Lanka BJP, to further the socio-economic development of all Sri Lankans.
The party chief announced the decision in Jaffna in Northern Sri Lanka on Saturday. The party would be known in English as Sri Lanka Bharathiya Janatha Party (SLBJP) and in Sinhala as Sri Lanka Bharathiya Janatha Paksaya (SLBJP).
Most importantly, Velusamy Muthuswamy has categorically denied any links to the Bharatiya Janata Party, India’s ruling political party. “There is no link with India’s BJP so far. But I admire Mr Modi. His schemes are progressive, and he is achieving results,” said IBJK chief Muthuswamy.
“We planned this six years ago. We will engage in political activities later as we must work with the government. We will not stage any demonstrations against the government. We will engage in activities in the Central region, Northern region and Eastern provinces. If India is assisting us, we will inform the media about it.
M Indrajith, the secretary of the new outfit, said that Modi was a popular name, and hence the party decided to use it. Bharatiya Janata Party has not expressed its displeasure to us yet, he added.
New political party will be working for the benefit of Tamils
Launching the new outfit, IBJK chief Muthuswamy said the party would work on the issues of Tamils in the plantation areas and the war-torn Northern and Eastern provinces. It will promote education, multiple language skills, sports and entrepreneurship, Muthuswamy said.
Releasing the party’s manifesto, Muthuswamy said that the IBJP will be a trans-ethnic and trans-religious party and open to all ethnic and religious groups. The party will work for the welfare of the downtrodden in all communities and aim to uplift educational standards among Indian Origin Tamils and the Tamils in the war-affected Northern and Eastern Provinces, he said in the press conference.
“Educational standards are poor among the Indian Origin Tamils in the plantation areas and have fallen steeply in Jaffna. The Ilankai Bharatiya Janata Party hopes to seek and provide facilities to teach English and also Sinhala as these two languages are essential to get employment. I will also get businessmen to teach entrepreneurship,” said IBJP chief.
From the above, it is clear that the newly launched outfit has nothing do with Indian BJP as claimed a few social media users.
“Jai Shri Ram Uttar Pradesh mein bhi chalega, Bengal mein bhi chalega, aur poore desh mein bhi chalega (Jai Shri Ram will work in Uttar Pradesh, Bengal and all over India),” said Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
He was speaking at the Uttar Pradesh Conclave show organised by news channel News Nation. “Remember the beginning of 1990s decade, some people were opposing the Jai Shri Ram slogan even in Uttar Pradesh. Today the country and the world is seeing where they stand. And this is not a new thing. It has been there since the time of Ramayana. Those who are against Ram do not get a place anywhere. May god bless them with good sense that at least they do not ban the ‘Jai Shri Ram slogan’, he said.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been visibly agitated quite a few times whenever she heard Jai Shri Ram slogans. In fact, she had even said that she will continue to oppose the slogan as it is ‘against the secular character of India’.
“Hence, the people of India will not accept this. The people of Bengal have made up their minds that those who are with Lord Ram, they will be with them,” he said.
Rahul Gandhi is ‘ehsaan faramosh’
At around 21 minutes in the above video, Chaurasiya asked Yogi Adityanath’s comment on Rahul Gandhi’s north-south divide he had made in Kerala. “This is called ehsaan faramoshi (ungrateful). This divisive thought has become the reality of Congress. If these people did not exist then why would Congress die? These kind of comments will only destroy Congress,” he said. “Next he will go elsewhere and badmouth the people of Kerala,” he added.
Former Amethi MP, while addressing a rally in Kerala recently had claimed that he the people he represented in Parliament earlier did not have deeper understanding of things the way people of his current constituency do.
Focus on Agriculture, MSME
Speaking on the promises made in the budget, Yogi Adityanath said that over last four years, his government has focused on agriculture and MSME. “We put these two sectors on global level which has helped. We also managed to increase income. Under VAT, the income generated was approximately Rs 49,000 crore. We increase this to Rs 1,00,000 crore. This increase of income is being used for development of the state,” he said.
He added that all the leakages of income have been plugged. “We stopped filling of pockets of politicians and this has increased the income of state treasury,” he said.
Speaking on the reforms his government brought in, Yogi Adityanath said, “Every good work gets opposed. If people are opposing then that means you are doing something right. We had the aim that we want to change the face of Uttar Pradesh, change people’s perception towards it. We wanted to change the prejudice against people of Uttar Pradesh.”
Law and order
“In past four years, we have worked on zero tolerance policy in Uttar Pradesh. Whoever the criminal, he has been warned that if you commit a crime, you will be a criminal in the eyes of law and it will take its course. In four years, not a single riot took place in state. The kidnapping has been almost zero. If you ignore personal rivalries, the organised crime has been minimal. We can with a lot of pride say that Uttar Pradesh law and order is best in the country. This has increased confidence of women and businessmen,” he said.
“We have not demolished anyone’s house. If anyone has built up a mansion by illegally occupying government land, then law will have to take action. The law will not stay silent. Law is equal for all,” he said.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday launched a Global Encyclopaedia on Ramayana in an e-book format. The book is prepared by the Ayodhya Research Institute. While launching the same, Yogi Adityanath said that Ramayana and Mahabharata, the other Hindu epic, give the best life lessons and will help envision a better India.
“This encyclopaedia will motivate us to visit Ayodhya as it will introduce everyone to the untouched aspects of science and spirituality,” he said.
'ग्लोबल इनसाइक्लोपीडिया ऑफ रामायण' प्रकृति और परमात्मा के समन्वय को दर्शाने का कार्य करेगा।
यह विज्ञान और अध्यात्म के अनेक अनछुए पहलुओं को जानने का अवसर भी प्रदान करेगा।
“It was Lord Ram’s greatness that while tolerating a common man’s problems and sufferings, He lived life of human dignity,” he said.
The Uttar Pradesh chief minister further said that there are still some people who raise questions on the existence of Lord Ram in Ayodhya. However, the historical facts cannot be denied, he added.
Social media websites are awash with a viral video about a row at a wedding in Ward No.41 of Aman Vihar, Delhi. The Hindu activists have alleged that a minor Hindu girl was converted and being married off to a 40-year-old Mohammed Intezar Hussain. They have also accused Delhi Police of not cooperating in halting the criminal act. On the other hand, Delhi Police has rubbished the allegations, stating that both the marrying individuals are adults and have the agency to decide whom to marry.
The incident took place on Friday, 5 March 2021. The row erupted after Hindu organisations reached the spot and opposed the Nikah ceremony that was underway. Tensions between the two communities in the region flared up, after which a contingent of the police force was deployed to avert any untoward incident. Additionally, Section 144 was imposed in the region.
Following the incident, OpIndia got in touch with the sparring parties to know more about the incident. While Mohammed Intezar’s family refused to talk to the media about the case, Bajrang Dal activist Vishal Singh Chandel shared his side of the story about the acrimonious quarrel between the two communities. Chandel said he received a tip-off that a 17-year-old girl studying in 7th standard was being married off to a middle-aged man.
The issue would have gone unnoticed, save for the dissonance between the age of the girl and the standard in which she was studying. Speaking about the discrepancy, Chandel said a fake Aadhar card was prepared to show the girl as an adult. He also added that based on this fake Aadhaar card, the Delhi Police declared the girl an adult.
Chandel also stated that he bears no grudge against the Muslims or is not prejudiced against them. Characterising the case as ‘Love Jihad’, he said the nikah ceremony was carried out in a Hindu dominated area amidst the din of DJs and music. He also alleged that the girl was converted to Islam, calling it an affront to the Hindu society.
“The Hindu family of the girl has been taken somewhere else by the police administration so that we, Hindu workers, cannot meet them. The top police officers called us and we had a meeting with them. They have assured that the authenticity of the Aadhaar Card will be checked, along with the girl’s school ID. However, the Delhi Police have not initiated any investigation into the matter and instead have imposed Section 144 in the area,” a visibly disgruntled Chandel said.
While talking to Sudarshan News, he said, “Why has the police converted the place into a camp?” Are Hindus terrorists? Do members of the Hindu community indulge in stone-pelting? We are a civilized society, we do not fight with anyone.”
At the same time, another VHP worker said, “I spoke to the father’s girl and assured him that if he is under duress or being pressurised, our organisation will help him financially and get his daughter married to a Hindu boy.”
The said VHP functionary further declared that they are ready to hand over a plot worth Rs 15 lakh to the girl. He said Mohammed Intezar could not even afford a good pair of slippers, how he would take care of the girl. He also said Intezar’s family could not even provide a square meal to the girl.
A local person in the area echoed similar sentiments, stating that the concerned Muslim family is poor and their financial condition is weak. He conjectured that the girl was brainwashed into marrying the middle-aged Muslim man. Quoting the girl’s aunt, the person said that even relatives staunchly opposed the marriage. Neighbours believe that there is something fishy behind the entire matter. Locals have reiterated the Hindu organisations’ assertion that the girl is a minor. Members of the Bajrang Dal in the area claimed the family members were unhappy with the marriage.
Bajrang Dal convenor Satish Gupta said the whereabouts of the girl’s family should be made public. Though the DCP had assured a legal inquiry into the matter, Gupta said he would raise the matter on a bigger platform. The video of the entire case has already gone viral on social media, in which relatives are seen talking about ‘Love Jihad in a Hindu Area’.
The Bajrang Dal activists have accused the police of trying to sweep the case under the rug. They have released a video on social media, stating that the entire area has been converted into a cantonment by the police. Chandel says this is the first time when he has witnessed a case of ‘Love Jihad’ in a predominantly Hindu-majority region.
This area comes under the Kiradi assembly constituency. Opindia spoke to former MLA and BJP leader Anil Jha here. He said the marriage will not be allowed since it was carried out under ‘Love Jihad’. He said he has recently reached Delhi and is keeping a close eye on the matter. He said, “It appears that the family members of the girl were paid money for the marriage. This is unacceptable. We will not allow this marriage to happen this way.”
We also contacted Rituraj Jha, the current MLA and AAP leader of Kiradi. But he refused to talk about it. He said he does not give statements on phone and would speak about the matter if he is asked about it in his office. DCP Pramod Kumar Mishra, while denying the allegations against the police, said both the girl and the boy are adults and rumours going around in the case are baseless.
