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If Munawar Faruqui were ‘Charlie Hebdo’, he’d have been beheaded, not arrested, so cut the crap

K Bhattacharjee
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If Munawar Faruqui were ‘Charlie Hebdo’, he’d have been beheaded, not arrested, so cut the crap

Munawar Faruqui was arrested for insulting Hindu Gods in Madhya Pradesh following one of his new year performances. In their efforts to defend the comedian, liberals have now turned themselves into a joke. They are now dragging Charlie Hebdo and France in order to defend Faruqui, which does not appear to make any sense.

A senior Youth Congress leader, who only a few days ago was celebrating the Jio tower vandals in Punjab and inciting such vandalism across the country, claimed that ‘Bhakts’ are bigots who change stands to suit themselves. He clearly doesn’t see the irony here.

A co-founder of AltNews too jumped in to accused people of hypocrisy over the matter.

First of all, comparisons to Charlie Hebdo is absurd. Munawar Faruqui is no revolutionary who has committed himself to promoting freedom of expression. We will start taking him seriously on that front, and his supporters, when they draw a few cartoons on the prophet of Islam and share it with others.

Furthermore, Faruqui has only been arrested as per the law of the land. He has not been killed for speech, like Kamlesh Tiwari was, or Charlie Hebdo which suffered a terrorist attack for exercising their right to freedom of expression.

Munawar Faruqui is well and alive and only legal procedures have been initiated against him for violating the law of the land. Equating supporters of Indian laws to violent Islamic terrorists is absurd and outrageous. But surely, the comedian’s defenders are well aware of it. That they are still indulging in such false equivalences anyway only reveals their sinister agenda.

The larger objective here is to trivialize the brutal murder of Kamlesh Tiwari, Charlie Hebdo cartoonists and Samuel Paty in recent times. The objective is to whitewash the severity of Islamic fundamentalism and the grave threat that radical Islam poses to world stability. By equating such incidents to the Faruqui incident only reveals that such people are not bothered by freedom of expression at all, their only concern is whitewashing the threat of Islamic extremism.

It also needs to be remembered that none of these elements came forward to defend Kamlesh Tiwari for his controversial speech. When he was killed by Islamic extremists, liberals were more concerned about the mythical backlash that ordinary Muslims might have to face.

In the aftermath of Tiwari’s murder, such people were busy trending ‘prophet of compassion‘ on social media and ranting against supposed Hindutva intolerance. Some of them were also urging Muslims to organize themselves and not for peaceful purposes. And this was right after Tiwari was murdered.

Now the same brand of people are busy claiming that ‘Bhakts’ are apparently intolerant. It is important to note here that they were more than comfortable with the arrest of Kamlesh Tiwari for his speech. In fact, they are always comfortable when someone is arrested for some speech against Islam. It’s only when people are arrested for insulting Hindu Gods that their allegiance towards freedom of expression surfaces.

A Congress leader is defending Munawar Faruqui in the Court as it so happens. But then again, it is no surprise considering the fact that leaders of the same party slaughtered a calf in Kerala on the street and cooked it and ate it to insult Hindu sentiments.

The core matter, however, is the fact that legal action against an individual for violating the law of the land cannot be equated with the killing of people for insulting the prophet of Islam. Those who do make such false equivalences do so with the explicit objective of whitewashing the threat posed by Islamic extremism and not because they have any love in their heart for freedom of expression.

After refusing to take ‘BJP vaccine’ for coronavirus, Akhilesh Yadav does a u-turn

OpIndia Staff
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After refusing to take ‘BJP vaccine’ for coronavirus, Akhilesh Yadav does a u-turn

A day after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav announced that he will not get inoculated, claiming the vaccine to be BJP’s, he now seems to be having second thoughts.

In a tweet on Sunday, he said, “Vaccination against coronavirus is a sensitive process. As such, the BJP must refrain from making it a show-off event and conduct the programme only after necessary arrangements for the same are done. This will affect the lives of people. So, we cannot risk their lives by making improvements to the vaccine later. The government must also declare a fixed date for the immunisation of poor people.”

U-turn of Akhilesh Yadav

While Akhilesh Yadav has not made any comment about his earlier decision to snub the vaccination programme, his tweet on Sunday marked a departure from his earlier comments. Yesterday, he tried to create panic in the society by stating that he would get vaccinated when his government will be formed after the next election and claimed that he would give free vaccines to all.

“I am not going to get vaccinated for now. How can I trust BJP’s vaccine, when our government will be formed everyone will get free vaccine. We cannot take BJP’s vaccine,” Akhilesh Yadav said on Saturday. However, on Sunday, he appealed to the same BJP government to go ahead with the vaccination programme but also requested to launch a fixed date for vaccinating the poor.

At at time when the political parties needs to be united and dispel rumours about the misinformation about vaccines ahead of the drive, it is rather shocking that Samajwadi Party chief has indulged in low-level politics by discrediting a vaccine that has been duly developed and tested enough.

DCGI approves Bharat Biotech vaccine, PM Modi expresses gratitude

Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) approved the manufacture of Coronavirus vaccine by Serum Institute of India(SII) and Indian company Bharat Biotech on Sunday. PM Modi tweeted that the new move would accelerate the ‘road to a healthier and Covid-19 free nation’. “A decisive turning point to strengthen a spirited fight,” he emphasised.

While thanking the scientific community, PM Modi further informed, “It would make every Indian proud that the two vaccines that have been given emergency use approval are made in India! This shows the eagerness of our scientific community to fulfil the dream of an Aatmanirbhar Bharat, at the root of which is care and compassion.”

Flashback: When Pakistani cricket fans invaded the pitch and beat up a steward because they thought Pakistan won

Dibakar Dutta
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Flashback: When Pakistani cricket fans invaded the pitch and beat up a steward because they thought Pakistan won

Cricket, which was once limited to British aristocrats and the elites, has evolved to become one of the most popular game in the Indian subcontinent. It is a common sight to see cricket fans in Southeast Asia to remain glued to their TV for hours in anticipation of what is to come.

While it is not unusual for ‘passionate’ and over-enthusiastic cricket lovers to get into heated arguments over a game or engage in unruly behaviour in the stands, it is seldom that we witness fanatic mobs go berserk, disrupt a match and rough up authorities. One such disgraceful event took place on June 17, 2001, during the NatWest series between Pakistan and England.

The match was being played at Headingley in Leeds. England’s batting line-up was ripped apart by the legendary Pakistani bowler Waqar Younis, who managed to get 7 wickets while conceding just 36 runs in 10 overs. A superlative bowling attack by the Pakistani side ensured that England was wrapped up at a paltry score of 156 in 45.2 overs. With 157 runs to win the game, the Pakistani cricket team was all set to clinch the match.

Screengrab of the scorecard (Photo Credits: ESPN Cricinfo)

With a stellar batting performance of all-rounder Abdul Razzaq, the match was in Pakistani’s court. The team has managed to put 153 runs on the scoreboard in just 39.5 overs. Azhar Mahmood and Younis Khan were on the crease and set to score the winning runs.

Pakistani cricket fans invade the pitch

And then something unexpected happened. Hordes of unruly Pakistanis jumped over the fence, shoved the ground staff on the way and invaded the pitch, prompting the English cricketers to run to safety. While they weren’t satisfied with disrupting the match, the mob roughed up a ground steward (whose responsibility is to ensure that fans abide by the rules) and inflicted grave injuries during the stampede. And the next thing that the Pakistanis did was fight amongst themselves for the possession of stumps.

“A massive pitch invasion as Azhar flicks one down to long leg for 4 or 6 not sure what was called Pakistan still need runs to win this game…one of the stewards has been injured in the celebratory invasion…,” a commentator noted. The actions of the Pakistani cricket fans, reminiscent of ignorance, was thus out for the world to see.

(Video Courtesy: Youtube/robelinda2)

How the authorities can let this happen?… They are all over the pitch. They are all over the square. This is absurd… This is complete nonsense. It can (compromise) safety of players and spectators,” he added. Hinting at their poor comprehension skills, the commentator remarked, “It’s 2 to win. That’s all. Surely these people (Pakistanis) can read scoreboards.”

Aftermath of the pitch invasion

Since the England captain Alec Stewart decided to not return to the pitch, keeping in mind the safety of the players, the match was conceded to the Pakistani team. An article by sports writer Ralph Dellor, detailing the events of the day, read, “Such was the scale of the pitch invasion, and with a steward lying near the wicket with internal and head injuries, the game had to be regarded as finished.”

He further added, “Rather than going out again when the pitch was eventually cleared, Stewart decided that England would accept the inevitable and so the unique entry in the record books: England conceded the match.” Alec Stewart had demanded strict measures from the International Cricket Council (ICC) to ensure that such events are not repeated in future.

“The warnings must be heeded before an unfortunate incident becomes a major tragedy. That is not a question of “if” but “when”. The effects that would have on cricket and the social structure of the country do not bear thinking about,” Dellor concluded.

Pakistan draws up smokescreen again, ‘arrests’ LeT commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi ahead of FATF meeting

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan draws up smokescreen again, ‘arrests’ LeT commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi ahead of FATF meeting

Ahead of meetings of the global watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in January and February, the terror-state of Pakistan has arrested Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operations commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi on charges of using terror funds.

According to the reports, nearly five years after he was released on bail in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks case, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of Pakistan has picked up Lashkar terrorist and commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi on charges for orchestrating terrorist acts.

“Following an intelligence-based operation conducted by the CTD Punjab, proscribed organisation LeT leader Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi was arrested on charges of terrorism financing,” said the Counter-Terrorism Department police adding that the 61-year-old terrorist was arrested in a case of terrorism financing registered in a police station of CTD Lahore.

“Lakhvi is accused of running a dispensary, using funds collected for terrorism financing. He and others also collected funds from this dispensary and used these funds for further terrorism financing. He also used these funds for personal expenses,” the CTD said.

The CTD said that in addition to belonging to proscribed organisation LeT, Lakhvi is also an UN-designated individual. His trial will be held before the Anti-Terrorism Court in Lahore, the CTD added.

Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi was designated a terrorist on December 10, 2008, by the UN Security Council Sanctions Committee for directing the LeT operations in Chechnya, Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan and south-east Asia. After the Mumbai attacks on November 2008, the Pakistani authorities had arrested Lakhvi for training and directing 10 terrorists to carry out attacks in Mumbai that left 166 people dead. However, he was granted bail by the Lahore High Court in April 2015.

Meanwhile, it is understood that the so-called arrest of the Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Lakhvi is just another eyewash by the Pakistani government to dodge global terror watchdog Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF’s) Blacklisting rather than to bring to justice the LeT commander for the 2008 attacks that left 166 dead.

Arrests of terrorists ahead of FATF session is just an eyewash by Pakistan

It had now become a routine exercise for Pakistan to orchestrating such arrests of key terrorists just before FATF meetings.

In July 2019, three months before the FATF plenary session in which Pakistan almost feared of getting downgraded to the ‘blacklist’, had arrested LeT founder Hafiz Saeed as to show that they are acting on terror. The FATF session had, however, retained Pakistan in the greylist despite failing to complete a 27-point action plan to curb terrorism financing and money laundering.

It had also registered fake FIRs against the terror groups that they have been safeguarding for all this while to mislead the global community ahead of the global meeting.

In October again, the ‘top four leaders’ of the banned LeT/JuD were arrested on charges of terrorism financing ahead of the Financial Action Task Force’s crucial plenary meeting scheduled to be held in Paris that year.

In addition to that, it was revealed that Pakistan had also silently removed the names of almost 4,000 terrorists from its terror watchlist. The terror-state had removed names of LeT leader and Mumbai attack mastermind Zakir ur Rehman Lakhvi and many others to evade the international scrutiny over funding terror.

Again this year in August, ahead of the FATA plenary session, Pakistan had tried the same tactic by imposing tough financial sanctions on 88 banned terror groups and their leaders, including Hafiz Saeed, Masood Azhar and Dawood Ibrahim, by ordering the seizure of all of their properties and freezing of bank accounts.

In its previous plenary session in October 2020, the 39-member FATF had decided to give Pakistan three months more to complete the action plan even after the terror-state has failed to comply 6 out of 27 points in FATF’s action plan. Pakistan will be kept in the grey list for FATF till February 2021.

Pakistan, over the years, has managed to keep itself out of the FATF blacklist with the diplomatic support of countries like China, Turkey, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and few other Middle East countries. However, because it has not managed to garner enough support, it has not been able to get out of the grey list.

How what happened to Satpal Nischal is not doing of Pakistan, but Indian secularism and political Islam

K Bhattacharjee
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How what happened to Satpal Nischal is not doing of Pakistan, but Indian secularism and political Islam

Satpal Nischal was shot dead by terrorists in Kashmir merely weeks after he received a domicile certificate that granted him the right to purchase immovable property and other such crucial rights. The 70-year old had been living in Kashmir for the past forty years and on Thursday, he became the first person to be killed for having received the domicile certificate.

The Resistance Front (TRF), a terrorist outfit, claimed responsibility for the murder and called those who had receive domicile certificates “RSS agents”. They also had a warning: “We know your names, we know where you live and we know what you do and we are coming for you.”

Unfortunate as it is, Satpal Nischal is only the most recent person who has lost his life over the Civilizational War that is underway in Kashmir. He has not been murdered because he is not a Kashmiri or he posed any legitimate threat to Kashmiris, he was murdered because he was not a follower of Islam.

Rohingyas from Myanmar have managed to reach the state and are living under no threat whatsoever. But Kashmiri Pandits were forced out of their homes and they have not been able to return even after three decades. Why is that?

Some people suffer under the delusion that the terrorism in Kashmir is related to Kashmiri self-determination and Islam has very little to do with it. Propagandists in the media work double hard to peddle that narrative as well. But the fact that an illegal Rohingya Muslim immigrant can find refuge there but Kashmiri Pandits are chased away and Hindus from other regions of India are called “RSS agents” only reveals that it is not about Kashmiri at all, it is about Islamic terrorism.

Unfortunately, the name of Satpal Nischal will be forgotten in a few days. And the cycle of violence that has been underway in Kashmir for decades will continue for decades more. And even after all this time, authorities will console themselves saying that Pakistan backed terrorists are responsible for the murder.

Maybe the terrorists are backed by Pakistan but Pakistan itself is only a manifestation of the problem. Does anyone seriously believe that the condition of Hindus in Kashmir would be any different from Pakistani Hindus if there were no Indian soldiers on the ground? And yet, we are force-fed a diet of Kashmiriyat propaganda to gloss over the very real problem of Islamic radicalism.

To be fair, there is no easy solution to any of this. Ultimately, blood is the price that one must pay for Civilizational wars. And history is evidence to the fact that a lot of blood has already been sacrificed for it and a lot more will continue to be spilt.

The enemy that the Indian State and Indian citizens is facing in Kashmir is political Islam, there’s no sugarcoating it. The Indian brand of secularism, on the other hand, works overtime to prevent ideological clarity on the matter so that the threat can be effectively countered.

Liberals are often wrong but there is something they claim to have great commitment towards that is very true for Kashmir. Multiculturalism is our strength when it comes to Kashmir. The only way to neutralize the threat of political Islam in Kashmir is the region’s cultural enrichment.

If “Diversity is indeed our strength”, then Kashmir is the most fertile place in India to test it. But when such suggestions are made, secular-liberals in our country start screaming fascism. It is important to recognize that Satpal Nischal was murdered because he is representative of the diversity that Islamic terrorists in the valley fear the most.

Satpal Nischal was murdered because Islamic terrorists in Kashmir cannot permit cultural enrichment of the region. But be that as it may, the Indian government cannot shy away from the path it has chosen to tread after the tragedy. Instead, it must bring fire and fury to the monsters who robbed the 70-year-old of his life.

That is the only path forward. Secular-liberals are more than willing to ally with ethnic-supremacist Islamic terrorists to undermine Indian interests but even on the face of enormous pressure, the feet cannot be taken off the peddle. If the feet is taken off, then all the progress that Kashmir has made since the abrogation of Article 370 will be lost.

Munger Firing Case: Bihar Government appoints IPS officer Lipi Singh as Saharsa SP

OpIndia Staff
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Munger Firing Case: Bihar Government appoints IPS officer Lipi Singh as Saharsa SP

Months after the Election Commission removed the then Munger Superintendent of Police Lipi Singh after the police brutality on Durga idol visarjan procession that had left one dead and several injured, the Bihar government has appointed the controversial IPS officer as the Saharsa SP.

Several IAS/IPS officers transferred

About two days ago, the Bihar government ordered a large scale transfer of IAS and IPS officers. Twelve districts magistrates (DM) along with 13 superintendents of police (SP) have been changed in a late-night notification. However, the transfer of Singh, accused of unleashing violence Durga devotees in Munger, has raised several eyebrows.

It is pertinent to note that transfers of officers are a common phenomenon. State governments routinely transfer their personnel for better management and effective resource utilisation. However, what is being here is the Bihar government’s decision of entrusting significant responsibilities to an officer accused of unleashing brutality on the citizens.

Singh’s father is close aide of CM Nitish Kumar

Interestingly, Lipi Singh is the daughter of JDU MP RCP Singh. RCP Singh is the national president of JDU and considered to be close to Nitish Kumar. The home department is also with the JDU, which the Legislative Councillor Sanjay Paswan had demanded to be handed over to the BJP, citing law and order in the state.

Death of Anurag Poddar

Singh had earned the title ‘General Dyer’ after the Munger firing. People associated with the Durga Puja Committee claimed at Singh oversaw the beatings meted out to the devotees involved in immersion. The idol of Durga Mata was lying deserted on the road that night.

A young man named Anurag Poddar was killed in the firing that night after police crackdown against the devotees. An FIR was filed in this case against the policemen based on the statement given by Anurag Poddar’s father. In his complaint, Anurag’s father blamed the police firing as the reason for his son’s death.

Ahead of the assembly state elections in the state, Bihar was shaken with a horrifying episode of violence when the police personnel mercilessly attacked Durga Procession devotees in the Munger district. The devotees were charged with batons and shots were fired at them, claiming the life of one 18-year-old Hindu boy.

First shot was fired by the police, says CISF report

The CISF report was issued a day after the incident confirmed that the first round of fire was shot by police. It said at the request of Munger Kotwali police station, a detachment of CISF troops was sent to the district school for the protection of the Durga immersion procession ceremony. The report mentions that the troops sent by CISF that contained 20 personnel were divided into two groups of 10 each. One group was posted along with SSB and Bihar Police personnel at Deendayal Upadhyay Chowk, Munger.

Congratulations India: PM Modi expresses gratitude as DCGI approves Made in India Bharat Biotech vaccine for Coronavirus

OpIndia Staff
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Congratulations India: PM Modi expresses gratitude as DCGI approves Made in India Bharat Biotech vaccine for Coronavirus

Hours after the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) approved the manufacture of Coronavirus vaccine by Serum Institute of India(SII) and Indian company Bharat Biotech, PM Modi tweeted that the new move would accelerate the ‘road to a healthier and Covid-19 free nation’. “A decisive turning point to strengthen a spirited fight,” he emphasised.

While thanking the scientific community, PM Modi further informed, “It would make every Indian proud that the two vaccines that have been given emergency use approval are made in India! This shows the eagerness of our scientific community to fulfil the dream of an Aatmanirbhar Bharat, at the root of which is care and compassion.”

He had also expressed his gratitude for health workers, doctors, sanitation workers and other frontline warriors, who had put their lives in risk in the most adverse of circumstances.

“We reiterate our gratitude to doctors, medical staff, scientists, police personnel, sanitation workers and all Corona warriors for the outstanding work done, that too in adverse circumstances. We will remain eternally grateful to them for saving many lives,” PM Modi tweeted.

Modi govt plans to roll out Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine

After India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) approved the emergence use of Covishield (developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca) vaccine on Friday, plans are underway by the Modi government to roll-out the immunisation programme.

As such, a dry run was scheduled yesterday in at least three ‘session sites’ in every state capital and districts with poor logistical support. The objective of the government, behind this exercise, is to assess the on-field situation of the vaccination process. At the same time, a total of 96000 vaccinators have been trained to execute the inoculation programme.

India first to culture new Coronavirus strain in the UK

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Saturday said that India has successfully isolated and cultured the new strain of coronavirus that causes Covid-19. ICMR further added that no other country has yet reported successful isolation and culture of the UK-variant of SARS-CoV-2. Viral culture is a laboratory technique in which cells are grown under controlled conditions, generally outside their natural environment.

Malaysia: Cartel sold fake halal meat sourced from China and other countries to Muslims for over 40 years

OpIndia Staff
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Malaysia: Cartel sold fake halal meat sourced from China and other countries to Muslims for over 40 years

In a startling revelation, a cartel in Malaysia has been facilitating the sale of fake Halal meat, imported from China and other countries to Muslims, for the past 40 years.

As per reports, it is believed that the cartel often bribed government officers in slaughterhouses overseas, to certify low-quality, non-Halal meat as ‘Halal’. Such products made in China, Brazil, Bolivia, Canada, Colombia, Mexico, Spain and Ukraine were smuggled to Malaysia. This is despite the fact that Malaysian companies are only permitted to import meat from the US, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, India, South Africa, Pakistan, Japan, and New Zealand.

Then, the non-Halal meat would be smuggled via the country’s ports without inspection and adulterated with Halal certified beef and repackaged with a fake Halal logo by the cartel. And this has been the case for the past 40 years. Malaysian Muslim Consumers Association has said that the cartel influenced the lawmakers and convinced officials that ‘it was cheaper to import the meat products than produce them locally’. Around 1,500 tonnes of frozen meat ($9.8 million) were seized in Senai in Johor along with fake labels and rubber stamps, which led to the probe.

Aftermath of the Halal meat scandal

Following the controversy, Malaysia is now planning to establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate the matter and mitigate the fears of the Muslims living in the country. While no members of the cartel have been named, one accused has been arrested.

Once the scandal unearthed, Singapore informed that they have launched a probe in the case. As such, traders and hawkers association in Kuala Lumpur has directed its 6000 members to temporarily stop the sale of beef. Democratic Action Party MP Steven Sim stated, “The issue of meat cartels is not just a problem for Muslims. Now, the quality and nutrition of all our food is a question mark. If non-halal meat can enter (Malaysia) due to corruption, is it possible that diseased or contaminated meat can also get through?”

Islam is the most professed religion in Islam, constituting over 60% of the total population. Non-halal meat is prohibited as per Islamic practice.

What is Halal meat?

Halal process for meat can only be performed by a Muslim man. Thus, non-Muslims are automatically denied employment at a Halal firm. There are certain other conditions that must be fulfilled that makes it quite clear that it is intrinsically an Islamic practice.

The Department of Halal Certification of the European Union makes it even more clear that employment opportunities at a Halal firm will be exclusively available to Muslims. It says, “Slaughtering must be done by a sane adult Muslim. Animals slaughtered by a Non-Muslim will not be Halal.” It states further, “The name of Allah must be invoked (mentioned) at the time of slaughtering by saying: Bismillah Allahu Akbar. (In the Name of Allah; Allah is the Greatest.) If at the time of slaughtering the name of anyone else other than Allah is invoked (i.e. animal sacrificed for him/her), then the meat becomes Haram “unlawful.”

‘Comedian’ Munawar Faruqui, who mocked Hindu victims of the Godhra riots of 2002 in his shows, sent to judicial custody

OpIndia Staff
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‘Comedian’ Munawar Faruqui, who mocked Hindu victims of the Godhra riots of 2002 in his shows, sent to judicial custody

Munawar Faruqui, the controversial ‘stand-up comedian’, who was arrested on Saturday by the Indore police along with four others for passing indecent remarks about Hindu deities and Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a show in the city, has been sent to judicial custody.

According to the reports, a local court in Indore rejected the bail pleas of the accused and sent them in judicial custody. Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Aman Singh Bhuria refused to grant bail to Faruqui and other four and remanded them in judicial custody till January 13.

Congress leader Anshumaan Shrivastava defends Faruqui

Advocate Anshumaan Shrivastava, representing Farooqui, claimed the FIR had been registered with a political motive and claimed that the accused had constitutional provisions of freedom of speech. Shrivastava is former Deputy Advocate General of Madhya Pradesh government and state spokesperson and secretary of legal cell of Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee.

However, opposing bail applications, lawyer Dinesh Pandey said the show was held without the administration’s permission and it hurt religious feelings.

Kamlesh Sharma, the in-charge of Tukoganj police station said that a case was filed late on Friday night against Munawar Faruqui, a resident of Junagadh in Gujarat and four Indore-based persons based on a written complaint filed by Hindu activist Eklavya Singh Gaur.

As per the complaint, ‘Comedian’ Munawar Faruqui had passed indecent remarks were passed against Hindu gods and goddesses and Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the show, Sharma said. The other arrested persons were identified as Edwin Anthony, Prakhar Vyas, Priyam Vyas and Nalin Yadav. The controversial comedy show was held at a cafe in 56 Dukan area of Indore on Friday.

The Madhya Pradesh police also picked up one of the accused to a police station on a motorbike on Saturday after a complaint was registered against the self-proclaimed comedians for making indecent comments on Hindu gods.

All of them have been booked under IPC sections 295-A (outraging religious feelings), 269 (unlawful or negligent act likely to spread the infection of any disease dangerous to life) and other relevant provisions. Section 269 was invoked for allegedly ignoring COVID-19 safety protocol, the official said.

Hindu activists handed over Munawar Faruqui to the police

Eklavya Singh Gaur, an activist and the chief of Hindu Rakshak Sangathan, filed the complaint about the show after they had gone to watch the show. When they heard the “indecent” comments, they forced the organisers to stop the program.

The Hindu activist Gaur also submitted video footage of the show. Gaur had said he and his friends went to watch the show where Faruqui was performing as the main comedian.

“The show mocked Hindu deities by passing indecent comments. The Godhra incident and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were also mentioned inappropriately. We shot a video and stopped the show by taking the audience out of the cafe. Then we caught the comedians and organizers of the show and took them to Tukoganj police station,” the Hindu activist said.

Gaur also said that no physical distancing was maintained at the venue and the show had no permission from authorities. At least 100 viewers were sitting in the small hall of the cafe, he said. Gaur denied media reports that Faruqui was beaten up by the activists of Hind Rakshak.

Munawar Faruqui on 2002 Godhra Carnage, Amit Shah and Hindu Gods

During a show in April last year, Munawar Faruqui mocked the 2002 Godhra carnage where 58 Hindus returning from Ayodhya were burnt alive by a Muslim mob. In a part of the clip that had gone viral on social media, one can hear him refer to the carnage as a fictional film ‘directed’ by Amit Shah and ‘produced’ by RSS.

“I was watching The Burning Train on TV. My father came and told me not to watch such nonsense and turned off the channel. I was like, ‘why so?’ He was like this is the video of Godhra kaand. And this is a news channel. I thought it is a movie directed by Amit Shah, produced by RSS… I don’t know…,” he said. Munawar Faruqui then referred to the news about 2002 Godhra carnage as ‘cartoon’.

In a complaint filed with the police, Shivam Rawat, the founder of Pen of Dharma, he emphasised how the comments made by Faruqui hurt the sentiments of millions of Hindus including him. Rawat has stated how Faruqui had used Bollywood songs to make crass, disrespectful remarks on Hindu gods and belief system. He also pointed out how he mocked the brutal massacre of Hindus in the Godhra carnage by claiming, “Marney ke baad jaltay hai na? (Hindus get burnt anyway after death).”

Ho ja Rangeela re! After ditching Congress for Shiv Sena, Urmila Matondkar buys Rs 3.75 crore office space

OpIndia Staff
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Ho ja Rangeela re! After ditching Congress for Shiv Sena, Urmila Matondkar buys Rs 3.75 crore office space

Just weeks after joining the Shiv Sena, Urmila Matondkar has purchased a brand a new office space in Mumbai. The actor-turned-politician Urmila Matondkar has bought new office space in an upscale commercial complex in Khar area in Mumbai.

According to the reports, the former actress had finalised the property deal in the last few days of 2020. The new property spans a little over a 1000 square feet and is considered to be prime property due to its location.

The office building is located on Linking Road in Khar west and the usual rent for office spaces is reportedly anywhere between Rs 5 to 8 lakhs a month. The Rangeela actress bought an office on the sixth floor of the building and shelled out Rs 3.75 crore for her brand new office. 

According to the people who were part of the deal, the Shiv Sena leader has paid Rs 36,000 per square feet. Matondkar bought the property from businessman Rajesh Kumar Sharma.

Just a few weeks ago, the actress was inducted into the Shiv Sena and is now one of the 12 candidates who has been recommended by the state government to the state Legislative Council from Governor’s quota.

Urmila Matondkar joined Shiv Sena after quitting Congress, to be made an MLC

Bollywood actress-turned-politician Urmila joined Shiv Sena a few weeks back, a year after she resigned from the Congress party.

In the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Urmila Matondkar had joined Congress and had contested the elections on party ticket. However, she had lost the elections. Five months later she resigned from the party citing petty politics as the reason.

In her statement, Urmila Matondkar had said, “My political and social sensibilities refuse to allow vested interests in the party to use me as a means to fight petty in-house politics instead of working on a bigger goal in Mumbai Congress.”

Urmila Matondkar had contested the Lok Sabha elections from Mumbai North seat as a Congress candidate and had suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of BJP leader Gopal Shetty.

However, now she has joined Shiv Sena.

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