Days after dismissing his bail plea calling charges against him prima facie true, a Delhi Court has granted 3-day parole to Anti-Hindu Delhi riots accused Jamia ‘student’ Asif Iqbal Tanha to appear for his compartmental examination in December. Asif, a Jamia Millia Islamia student and member of the Student Islamist Organization (SIO) since 2014, was arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in May for purportedly being a part of a larger conspiracy behind the February riots in northeast Delhi.
After his bail application got rejected on October 27, Tanha moved the court seeking interim bail from November 30 to December 7 to prepare for three exams scheduled to be held in the first week. On October 21, he was granted one-day interim bail for taking the entrance examination for M.A Persian at the Jamia Milia Islamia University.
While passing the order Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh said that clearing the exams is necessary for Tanha to pursue M.A. in Persian, and that leniency must be shown to the accused by allowing him to appear for the said exams. He also directed the Tihar Jail superintendent to provide necessary assistance, provided it is within the permissibility of the jail rules, after Tanha’s advocate submitted before the court that her client did not have the required reading material to prepare for the upcoming exams.
It is pertinent to note here that prior to October 27, Tanha’a bail plea was also rejected on September 3. In fact, on both occasions, the riot-accused Asif Iqbal Tanha was denied bail by the same Delhi court. While hearing Asif’s case, Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat had then noted that the witness testimonies reflected his role in engineering the conspiracy and orchestrating a ‘chakka-jam’ that culminated into the riots. As per reports, protected witnesses have stated that Asif was one of the primary coordinators of the conspiracy.
The primary coordinator of the Jamia riots
As per the report, Asif Iqbal admitted to orchestrating riots and a march of 2500-3000 people from the Gate no.7 of Jamia Millia Islamia on December 12. He revealed that Sharjeel Imam gave a provocative speech to encourage ‘protestors’ to execute a ‘chakka jam’ on December 13.
Asif confessed to organising a ‘Gandhi peace march’ on December 15 from the Jamia metro station to the Parliament via Zakir Nagar and Batla House. He stated that the purpose of naming it after Mahatma Gandhi was to lure more people into joining the march. Moreover, in a statement made to the Special Cell of the Delhi Police, Delhi riots accused Asif Iqbal Tanha had also confessed that he wanted to turn India into an Islamic republic.
Amidst the ongoing ‘farmer protests’ along the Punjab-Haryana border, a video has gone viral on social media platforms in which a person claiming to be a farmer was heard saying that the farmers protests will be the defining moment of the geopolitics of not just India but also entire South Asia.
In the video that has gone viral now, one individual wearing black attire and a white turban can be seen arguing with the police officers demanding the opening of roads blockades along the Punjab-Haryana border that has been closed currently pre-empting the violent protests.
The protesting ‘farmer’ in the video can be heard saying that these farmer protests were nothing but an “Inquilab” (revolution). The person then goes on to subtly threaten the authorities saying that they were failing to understand the seriousness of the matter as this ‘revolution’ (protests) will define the next geopolitics of the entire country and South Asia.
Seen with a group of protestors at one of the blockades, the turban-clad man makes several misleading statements by citing the recently passed farm laws to claim that the lands of the farmers are being snatched away.
The person who has now become an internet sensation, thanks to his theatrics, is named Deep Sidhu, and he is not known to be a farmer. Deep Sidhu is a Punjabi film actor, who was once an associate of BJP MP Sunny Deol. Currently, Sidhu has been forefront at the farmers’ protests in Punjab and had participated in a protest at Batala last week.
Meanwhile, the video that has gone viral on the internet evoked mixed response as some social media users took a dig at Sidhu for portraying himself as an aggrieved farmer. Netizens also mocked the ‘urban farmer’ for connecting the farmer protests to impacting geopolitics in the region.
Deep Sidhu leading farmers protests, makes misleading claims about farm laws
Ever since the farmer began their ‘Delhi Chalo’ march to protest against the three farm bills that were passed by the Modi government, the actor Deep Sidhu has been part of the protest march. The actor has uploaded several videos for the last two days reporting on his journey from Punjab to Delhi.
In one of the videos he has uploaded on Facebook, Sidhu can be seen arguing with the police personnel asking them to remove blockades so that they can continue to drive to Delhi. Sidhu asking the police officers to show their written order to stop these protestors also claims that these protests are peaceful.
Continuing to argue with the police officials, the actor again falsely claims that the lands of the farmers are being snatched. Shockingly, the actor claiming to be a responsible farmer can be seen violating the COVID safety guidelines by neither wearing a mask nor maintaining social distancing in the public.
Here is the video in which Sidhu can be seen arguing with the police personnel.
As Sidhu continued to move towards Delhi, he seems to have further encountered police blockades restricting their movement towards Delhi. Bizarrely, in one of the videos, one can see how Sidhu’s theatrics on the streets are nothing but orchestrated events. In the video, one of the persons can be heard giving a cue by saying ‘Start Bhai’ to the actor asking him to begin his enactment of protests as the person records the video.
As the recording begins, Sidhu sneaks below the barbed wires to confront the police personnel across the barricades asking them to open the blockade. The police officers can be requesting the actor to return back and continue to march to Delhi when necessary COVID guidelines are issued. One of the officers also requests Sidhu and his aides to wear a mask.
However, the actor brazens it out as one of his supporters says nobody wore a mask in Bihar during the recently concluded elections and the police cannot ask them to do so.
“Lakhs of people are coming to Delhi. How will you ask them to wear a mask? The lands are being snatched and these farmers survive if their land is protected, otherwise this COVID, we are seeing it from two months,” the actor says propagating same misinformation on his Facebook live video.
In another video, Sidhu can be saying the farm laws are nothing but a form of ‘state terrorism’. The actor attacking the Prime Minister Modi says that he needs to understand that he is not running a tea stall but a country.
“They want to take away the land of the farmers. The farmers have broken barricades and took over water canons. Suspend these laws. This as a peaceful agitation. The government should treat them humanly,” the actor said in another Facebook live video.
Deep Sidhu a known Khalistan-terrorists sympathiser
Shockingly, Deep Sidhu, who is now portraying himself to be an aggrieved farmer in the video, is a known Khalistan sympathiser. Sidhu has time-and-again defended the terrorist activities of pro-Khalistan groups.
Just a few weeks back, Deep Sidhu had expelled a lawyer known Hakam Singh for ruthlessly objecting to the raising of the pro-Khalistan slogan by another pro-Khalistani sympathiser and for handing him over to the police.
The lawyer had reacted to the slogan in a harsh manner after a Punjabi youth had raised pro-Khalistani slogans at a morcha. The lawyer had immediately taken him to the police personnel deployed nearby and asked them to arrest him by registering FIR against him. Losing temper over it, he offered to become a complainant against him.
Reacting to the incident, Sidhu had released a video defending the sacking of lawyer from his morcha for acting against pro-Khalistan sympathisers. In the video, Sidhu had openly opposed the action of Hakam Singh while announcing his expulsion.
“Taking such a decision was very necessary because our quam has made scores of sacrifices for the cause of Khalistan. If anyone raises a slogan in its favour, our reaction to it cannot be so ruthless,” the actor had said defending the Khalistani movement.
Hailing the Khalistani terror movements, Deep Sidhu had said that the armed Sikh struggle fought during the 90s was an important phase of their overall present struggle for their basic rights. He added, “I would like to say again that neither armed Sikh struggle was wrong, nor a declaration of Khalistan. Raising pro-Khalistan slogans was also not wrong”.
Ironically, netizens mocked Deep Sidhu when he said this protests or ‘revolution’ would define the geopolitics of South Asia. However, if one looks at the pro-Khalistan affiliations of Deep Sidhu, his statements cannot be taken in a light-hearted manner as it may have been the real motive after all and these farmer protests are just facade to create unrest in the country.
Perhaps, in a Freudian slip, Deep Sidhu accidentally revealed the sinister plan of the Khalistani movement to use the opportunity of farmers protests to create instability in the region and incite Punjabi farmers against the Modi government in the name of protesting against the farm bills. Earlier, we had reported how the farmer protests are being hijacked by several Khalistani elements, posing a great risk for the security apparatus of the country.
Khalistani elements hijacking the farmer protests
On Friday, the ongoing farmer protests along the Punjab-Haryana border also saw the participation of pro-Khalistani elements, who tried to hijack the farmer protests to incite Punjabi farmers against the Modi government.
A few Khalistani terror sympathisers disguised as farmers were caught gloating over the assassination of the former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who also threatened PM Modi with a similar fate if their demands went unfulfilled.
In one of the videos from the protests, one of the demonstrators can be seen threatening PM Modi with dire consequences if the solution is not reached in the upcoming meeting between the farmers and the Centre over the agriculture bills.
“December 3 ko meeting hai, agar hal koi hua toh thik hai nahin toh…aap jaante nahin…hamare shaheed Udham Singh ne goro ko Canada me jake thoka…Indira thok di…Modi ki chhati mein…(If we can hit the whites in Canada, Delhi is nothing. We had bumped off Indira. A similar fate awaits PM Modi if the talks that are scheduled to happen on December 3 do not yield the desired results),” the Khalistani sympathiser threatened while talking to media.
Further, the protests, apparently carried out by the farmers, were taken control by the Khalistani supporters, who raised pro-Khalistani slogans hailing the face of Khalistani movement – Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.
Even in September 2020, shortly after the Parliament passed the agriculture bills and protests began in Punjab, pro-Khalistani slogans were raised by protesters who had gathered in Ambala. An Army cavalcade was blocked and pro-Khalistan slogans were shouted during the protests in Ambala. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered on a busy Ambala-Amritsar National Highway-1, shouting pro-Khalistani slogans and stopped the Army trucks from passing through the highway.
Death wishes made at the farmer protests
Slogans against PM Modi and the central government has been an integral part of the demonstrations carried out by the so-called farmers in Punjab. In one of the blockades organised to express their disapproval over the farm bills, protesters wished death upon PM Modi.
At 8:47 in the above video, the protesters chant, “haye haye modi mar gaya, mar gaya bhai mar gaya” which roughly translates to the death wish for PM Modi. At another instance in the video, the demonstrators shout, “Ikki dukki chakk deyange, dhaun te goda rakh deyange (Every Tom, Dick and Harry will be knocked out, their necks will be under our feet).”
Interestingly, Deep Sidhu, who poses to be a farmer, was forefront at these rallies where death wishes against PM Modi were made. He was leading the protests against the police officials demanding them to open the blockade.
Earlier, we had also reported how Islamic organisations and left-wing elements are also attempting to hijack the farmer protests by fanning these protestors to continue to protest against the Modi government. The Congress parties links to inciting the so-called protestors have also emerged.
To sustain these protests, mosques and Islamic organisations in the national capital, who had an active role in the Delhi Anti-Hindu Riots, are getting involved in the farmer-protest posing a great risk for the security apparatus of the country.
The saga of the farmer protest in India started after the Modi government passed 3 bills: The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020. The objective of the three proposed laws was to make way for creating the Modi government’s ambitious vision of ‘One India, One Agriculture Market’. The law intends to end the monopoly of Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMCs) in carrying out the trade of farm produce in the country.
While the bills aimed to remove middlemen, empower farmers and increase their income, inexplicably, farmers from Punjab were not happy. Soon after the bills were passed, politicians from AAP and Congress, coupled with Left activists joined hands to spread misinformation regarding the bills and fan protests.
As soon as the misinformation started, protests erupted in Punjab and parts of Haryana.
As many as two dozen farmer organisations, including Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), All India Farmers Union (AIFU), All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), and All India Kisan Mahasangh (AIKM), came together for the ‘Bharat Bandh’ on September 25 to protest against farm Bills passed by Parliament amid massive protests from 18 opposition political parties. According to reports, 31 farmer organisations in Punjab and Haryana were already protesting and had then, alligned with political parties and called her a bandh.
These protests have now escalated massively in Punjab. Farmers from Punjab embarked on a journey to forcefully cross the border and reach Delhi. Several ‘farmers’ resorted to violence and worrying slogans, supporting Khalistan were also raised. With pro-Khalistan and anti-Indian slogans being raised during the ‘farmer protest’ along the Haryana-Punjab border, questions are being raised over the alleged involvement of SFJ in instigating Punjab farmers to protest against the Modi government under the pretext that the three farm bills are ‘anti-farmer’ in nature.
The shady role of the SFJ is being analysed as more and more details are emerging that points towards the possible interference of pro-Khalistan elements to hijack these farmer protest.
It is important to note that the Khalistan organisation SFJ, funded by Pakistan, had earlier declared a grant of $1 million for farmers in Punjab and Haryana in lieu of their support for Khalistan.
On 23rd September, it was reported that the SFJ had attempted to capitalise on the ongoing protests by farmers and had declared that it would distribute $1 million among farmers who had defaulted on agricultural loans.
“From October 1 to October 8, any farmer — irrespective of his faith — can register 25 votes for the Khalistan Referendum 2020 and get a grant of Rs 5,000 as assistance to repay their agricultural loans,” SJF said. The security agencies have since received inputs on the latest offer by SFJ.
Claiming that the Indian government’s new farms laws as a “colonial agenda to ultimately turn the farmers landless”, SFJ General Counsel, Gurpatwant Singh Pannu had tried to incite the farmers of Punjab by saying that the Modi government wanted to enslave the farmers of Punjab and Haryana by turning them into destitute. The SFJ had included farmers of Haryana also because they consider Haryana as part of Khalistan.
SFJ announced door-to-door campaign, tried to lure Sikhs to join Khalistan movement
Earlier in September itself, the banned pro-Khalistani group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) had announced a door-to-door campaign for registration of voters supporting its separatist agenda called ‘Referendum 2020’.
The anti-terrorist agencies had then alerted the law-enforcement agencies in the states after the announcement. However, the Punjab government led by the Congress seems to have taken the Khalistan threat lightly resulting in Khalistan groups taking advantage of current farmer protests.
The US-based pro-Khalistani group, after failing to attract supporters for ‘Referendum 2010’, had come up with a new plan on Canadian and Russian portals announcing to recruit 1000 ambassadors for ‘Referendum 2020’. These ambassadors who will be provided with a monthly stipend of Rs 7,500 by the SFJ. The SFJ had aimedto cover 12,000 villages in Punjab within 30 days starting from September 21.
The terrorist group had earlier tried to lure farmers of Punjab by offering Rs 3,500 to each farmer as grant ahead of Referendum 2020. The group had announced that it would be providing money on a monthly basis to farmers who could not pay their loans. The MHA had ordered the properties of SFJ leaders to be attached earlier this month on the recommendation of the National Investigating Agency (NIA).
The Ministry of Home Affairs had declared the SFJ an unlawful association under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Its leaders including, Pannun, Najjar were also declared as terrorists under the Act.
Khalistan elements hijacking the farmer protest
It was earlier reported how the farmer protests are being hijacked by several Khalistani elements, posing a great risk for the security apparatus of the country. On Friday, the ongoing farmer protests along the Punjab-Haryana border also saw the participation of pro-Khalistani elements, who tried to hijack the farmer protests to incite Punjabi farmers against the Modi government.
A few Khalistani terror sympathisers disguised as farmers were caught gloating over the assassination of the former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who also threatened PM Modi with a similar fate if their demands went unfulfilled.
In one of the videos from the protests, one of the demonstrators can be seen threatening PM Modi with dire consequences if the solution is not reached in the upcoming meeting between the farmers and the Centre over the agriculture bills.
Further, the protests, apparently carried out by the farmers, were taken control by the Khalistani supporters, who raised pro-Khalistani slogans hailing the face of Khalistani movement – Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.
A Hindu girl has knocked the doors of the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh after she became the latest prey to the menace of Grooming Jihad. The victim has reportedly approached the State Home Minister Narottam Mishra to complain against a Muslim youth named Salman who concealed his identity to befriend and lure her into marrying him and for the past year has been threatening her to covert to Islam.
The victim had reportedly approached the past Congress Government also but did not receive any help.
Following the complaint, Mishra has ordered the Bhopal DIG to investigate the matter seriously and ensure that the victim gets justice.
भोपाल की एक युवती ने डरा-धमकाकर शादी करने और धर्मांतरण के लिए विवश किए जाने की शिकायत की है। पीड़ित युवती की फरियाद सुनने के बाद डीआईजी भोपाल को मामले की गंभीरता से जांच कर कार्रवाई करने के निर्देश दिए हैं।@DGP_MPpic.twitter.com/k8Uy9TCjbD
Speaking to the media, the victim revealed that Salman, a resident of GehunKheda in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, had introduced himself as Umesh a year ago. He entrapped the victim into a relationship. The two married each other in a temple following all Hindu rituals and customs.
The victim said that after a few days of marriage it was revealed that her husband’s name is not Umesh, but Salman. She has said that Salman has not only been torturing her for the last several weeks to convert to Islam but has also tried to kill their child. Home Minister Narottam Mishra has called for strict action against the culprit.
पीड़ित युवती के परिजनों ने डरा-धमकाकर और धर्म छुपाकर शादी कराए जाने की शिकायत @INCMP के शासन में भी की थी लेकिन उस पर कोई कार्रवाई नहीं की गई। अब @BJP4MP की सरकार में धर्म स्वातंत्र्य विधेयक की चर्चा होने पर डरे-सहमे लोग सामने आने का साहस कर रहे हैं।@AmitShah@JPNadda@BJP4Indiapic.twitter.com/ct1dHADcG0
Victim had approached the past Congress govt but did not receive help
The Madhya Pradesh Home Minister revealed that the victim had also approached the past Congress government under Kamal Nath’s regime and sought justice. She had informed the then Congress government of how this Muslim youth’s family had been threatening her and forcing her to take up Islam, but Kamal Nath’s government paid no heed to her appeal. Now, she has once again reached out to the BJP state government seeking justice.
Madhya Pradesh government to also bring law against Love Jihad (Grooming Jihad)
It is pertinent to note here that like Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, Madhya Pradesh government led by Shivraj Chouhan is also in no mood to spare the perpetrators who indulge in forceful religious conversion through fraudulent means under pretext of love. Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra had earlier said that the government is preparing to introduce Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Bill, 2020 in Assembly which would provide for 5 years of rigorous imprisonment to the perpetrators who coerce vulnerable girls to convert their religion, either by allurements, force or fraudulent means.
In a big blow to controversial media network NDTV, India’s capital market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has found its promoters Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy guilty of making undue gain from insider trading. As a penalty for the financial crime, SEBI has barred them from trading in the securities market for two years, and directed them to return the illegal gain of Rs 16.97 crore they had made from the insider trading more than 12 years ago.
Apart from Pranoy Roy and Radhika Roy, former NDTV CEO Vikramaditya Chandra, senior advisor Ishwari Prasad Bajpai, group CFO Saurav Banerjee also have been found guilty of insider trading.
According to an investigation conducted by SEBI, Pranoy Roy and his wife Radhika Roy have violated the Prohibition of Insider Trading (PIT) Regulations. They are accused of possessing Unpublished Price Sensitive Information (UPSI) during 2007-2008 relating to discussion on reorganisation of New Delhi Television Ltd.
The discussion pertained to the restructuring of NDTV into news-related businesses and investments beyond the news business in the year 2008. According to SEBI, the promoters of the company had traded shares of the company while in possession of price-sensitive and unpublished information related to restructuring of NDTV.
The investigation pertained to a period of almost two years, divided in two parts, the period from 31 July 2016 to 7 September 2007 was Price Sensitive Information (PSI) period, while from 7 September 2007 to 16 April 2008 was Unpublished Price Sensitive Information (UPSI). During PSI, price sensitive information is disclosed to stock exchanges, while during UPSI it is not disclosed.
The UPSI period was from 7 September 2007 to 16 April 2008, and the Roys had sold shares of the company on 17th April 2008, making a profit of Rs 16,97,38,335. This was violation of PIT Regulations, as people holding UPSI are prohibited from trading in shares before the expiry of 24 hours from disclosing the information to stock exchanges. They had also bought shares on December 26, 2007, during the UPSI period.
They had bought 48,35,850 NDTV shares on December 26, 2007 at the rate of ₹400per share. On April 17, 2008, they sold 49,13,676 shares at the rate of ₹435.10per share. Therefore, they made a gain of ₹16,97,38,335 on the 48,35,850 shares bought during the UPSI period.
This was not only violation of PIT regulations, but also a violation of NDTV’s own ‘Code of conduct for Prevention of Insider Trading’. As per the clause 3.2.2 and clause3.2.4 of the Model Code specified in the Schedule I of the PIT Regulations, 1992, when trading window is closed, employees/ directors shall not trade in company’s shares and the trading window shall be opened 24 hours after the UPSI was made public.
As NDTV had disclosed the information about the discussion on restructuring on 16 April 2008, the trading window was closed up to 17 April. But Pranoy Roy and Radhika Roy sold shares during this closed window period, thereby the gain of Rs ₹16.97 crore they made is considered illegal as law.
Part of SEBI order
Now they will have to disgorge the gain amount, either jointly or individually, along with 6% interest per annum.
Other than Pranoy Roy and Radhika Roy, several other officials are also found guilty of insider trading by SEBI. They are, Mr. Vikramaditya Chandra, Group Chief Executive Officer & Executive Director at that time, Mr. Ishwari Prasad Bajpai, Senior Advisor, Editorial and Projects and Mr. Saurav Banerjee, Director Finance & Group Chief Financial Officer. Although they didn’t purchase any NDTV shares during the probe period, there were issued ESOPs during the period when they were holding PSI and UPSI. All three had sold shares during these periods, making them guilty of insider trading.
SEBI has found that Vikramaditya Chandra made an illegal gain of ₹ 6,67,385, Ishwari Prasad Bajpai gained ₹ 882,780, and Saurav Banerjee lost ₹47,000 from selling shares during the restricted period.
Accordingly, Chandra and Bajpai have been asked to disgorge the illegal gain amount along with 6% interest. Along with that, all three has been barred from trading in the securities market for a period of one year.
In the third order issued by SEBI, NDTV advisor Sanjay Dutt, his wife Prenita Dutt, and three entities linked to him have also been found guilty. The three firms are, Quantum Securities Private Limited, SAL Real Estate Private Limited and Taj Capital Partners Private Limited. Both the Dutts and the three companies have NDTV shares, and they also had traded in the shares during the restricted period. They also have been ordered to disgorge the illegal gain amount totally ₹2.2 crore, and they have been barred from the capital markets for 2 years.
In what can be termed as an unabashed use of public exchequer for minority appeasement, the Telangana government in the state has so far spent a whopping Rs 5,639.44 crore in the last 6 years towards minorities-centric benefits in the state.
Whether it is education or scholarships, financial assistance for marriage or development of religious places, employment or subsidies, the K Chandrashekhar Rao government in Telangana has been too generous to dole out a panoply of benefits for the state minorities, a report published in the Telangana Today said.
The Telangana government had gone out of the way to dispense benefits based on one’s religious identity. Residents belonging to minority communities such as Muslims, Sikhs, Christians have been at the receiving end of the state’s largesse. Whereas Hindus, the majority in the state, have been deemed ineligible on account of their faith to qualify for these welfare benefits.
The schemes launched by the Telangana state government aimed to court the minorities include Shaadi Mubarak, Minorities Residential Schools and Junior Colleges, scholarships on par with SC/ST communities, overseas scholarships for minorities, coaching for UPSC examinations, allowance for Imams and Muezzins, financial assistance schemes through the Telangana State Minorities Finance Corporation (TSMFC).
Besides, the state government also splurges on gift packages distributed to the minorities on their religious festivals. Special funds are earmarked for the development of places of religious significance for the minorities. In addition to this, the Telangana State Minority Study Circle was set up to assist students from minority communities to prepare for competitive examinations.
The state government has been too magnanimous towards its Muslim minority, declaring Urdu as the second official language on the grounds that 12.69 per cent of the state population was Urdu speaking. The government also appointed 66 Urdu translators designated as Urdu officers in several departments to help in translation works. In 2017, the KCR government increased quotas for Muslims from 4 per cent to 12 per cent in government jobs.
Shaadi Mubarak
Since 2014 when it was first launched, the Telangana government has provided financial assistance of Rs 1,241.47 crore to nearly 1.7 lakh minority families. Through this scheme, every family is provided with a monetary aid of Rs 1,00,116. When launched, the initial aid was pegged at Rs 51,000 but six years down the line, the sum has nearly doubled.
Education
In the last six years, a total of 8,17,242 students from minority communities have availed the benefits extended by the Telangana government. About Rs 1241.47 crore has been spent on scholarship for students doing schooling and higher education.
In a similar scheme aimed at minority students, tuition fee of around 6,55,218 students was reimbursed. The reimbursement were given to students who were pursuing professional and post graduation courses in the state.
The KCR government has also assisted the minority students who choose to pursue their higher studies outside India. Every student intending to pursue higher education in a foreign university is accorded Rs 20 lakhs from the state exchequer. The government has so far spent Rs 260.98 crore and 1,937 students have benefited so far.
Development of religious places
KCR-led TRS government has been unapologetic in pandering to the minorities of the state. If Shaadi Mubarak and assistance in Education was not discriminating enough against the majority community in the state, the Telangana government has also showed an eager alacrity in dispensing funds for the development of religious places belonging to the minority government.
About Rs 8.48 crore was authorised for the gentrification of the Mecca Masjid, an auditorium at the century-old Islamic University, the Jamia Nizamia, which was constructed at a cost of Rs 14.65 crore by the Telangana State Wakf Board and the State Minority Welfare Department.
Rs 50 crore were sanctioned by the state government towards the developmental work at Dargah Jahangeer Peer. Likewise, Rs 9.60 crore were spent at Dargah Hazrath Baba Sharfuddin at Pahadishareef for building a concrete cement ramp. The government has allocated Rs 20 crore the Dargah Hazrath Syed Khaja Hasan Barhana Shah Sahed at Edi Bazaar.
According to Telangana Wakf board chairman, Mohd Saleem, a multi-storied building is under construction up at the Nampally Aneesul Ghurba orphanage at a cost of Rs 20 crore. An Islamic and Cultural Convention Centre is also being constructed in Hyderabad at a cost of Rs 40 crore while Rs five crore was authorised for the construction of Rubaat at Dargah of Mohiuddin Chisti at Ajmer.
Economic Assistance scheme
The Telangana government has also doled out economic assistance to ‘uplift’ the minorities in the state. The state has distributed 542 Maruti Swift Dzire cars at a cost of Rs 24.04 crore under the Driver Empowerment Programme, the Telangana State Minorities Finance Corporation (TSMFC).
1,744 auto-rickshaws were distributed to the minority beneficiaries at a cost of Rs 12.76 crores through the ‘Own Your Autorickshaw scheme’. The State Minorities Finance Corporation has also distributed 10,072 sewing machines at the cost of Rs 8.03 crores. As many as 20,176 persons were granted loans by the corporation and an amount of Rs 172.77 crore was transferred to the beneficiaries.
Telangana’s Hindu majority left out from the welfare benefits extended to minorities
It is pertinent to note that the majority in Telangana, Hindus, are not extended the same benefits which are given to the minorities because of their faith. From economic assistance to scholarships to minority students, minorities benefit from the state government’s generosity but their Hindu counterparts are not provided with the same benefits. Though the Constitution of India forbids extension of benefits on the basis of one’s religion, several state governments, including Telangana, have continued implementing welfare schemes that discriminate on the grounds of one’s faith.
It is also worth noting that only Hindu temples and institutes are under the control of the state government. The State has no control over the minority institutes and religious places. The funds sourced from Hindu religious places are often used by the state governments to fulfil its pet schemes and projects aimed at appeasing minorities but Hindus, being in majority, are deprived of state-sponsored welfare schemes.
A suicide bomber blew himself at an ice cream shop in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu killing at least seven people. The Islamic terror organisation Al-Shabab, an affiliate of Al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for the terror attacks.
According to the reports, ten others have also been injured in the terror attack carried out by Al-Shabab on Friday. Senior police officer Mohamed Dahir said that the death toll could rise as the injured are currently under the critical situation in hospitals.
The Gelato Divino restaurant is located near K4 Junction in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, near the international airport.
The terror attack occurred just hours after acting US Secretary of Defence Christopher Miller had visited Mogadishu to meet the US ambassador and military personnel. Initially, it was not clear who was responsible for the blast on Friday, but the armed group al-Shabab – which is allied with al-Qaeda – frequently carries out bombings in the capital and elsewhere, including the attack on November 17.
This latest attack comes days after a similar suicide attack had taken place in Mogadishu on November 17, Five people had died after a suicide bomber detonated himself up in a restaurant near a police academy.
The Islamic terror group – Al-Shabab has wreaked havoc in Somalia by killing thousands of people in the past 30 years.
Early in August, 10 civilians and a police officer were killed in a gun-and-bomb terror attack by Al-Shabab on a beachfront hotel in the capital. In August, at least seven people were killed in a terror attack when a car bomb exploded at an army base in Mogadishu where members of the Somali National Army (SNA) were stationed.
Days after Yogi Adityanath government cleared the draft ordinance against unlawful religious conversions, the Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel also gave her assent to the ordinance on Saturday. Soon after the approval by the Governor, the ordinance has come into force in the state. The Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020 has been promulgated with the approval of the Governor, an official said.
The Bill against unlawful conversion named Vidhi Virudh Dharmantaran 2020, which has been promulgated with the approval of the Governor, will now land offenders in jail for up to 1 to 5 years and attract a fine of Rs 15,000. Moreover, under the new law, the offender’s proven guilty for mass conversion will attract a jail term of 10 years.
Uttar Pradesh government approves ordinance against unlawful religious conversions
In a cabinet meeting, headed by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on November 24, the government had cleared the ordinance against forced conversions, which the Yogi Adityanath government has been mulling ever since the cases of the purported crime had been gaining its foothold in the state.
The new law will also make it mandatory for people who want to marry outside one’s own religion to get prior permission from the District Magistrate of the concerned district. For this, two months advance notice has to be given prior to the marriage. It also says that the person who flouts the rule would be entitled to a fine of Rs 10,000 and may attract a jail term of 6 months to 3 years. Moreover, the marriage forcefully for religious conversion by either fraud or cheating will be declared null and void.
With the recent spate in such crimes where Muslim men pretend to be Hindu to lure Hindu girls into relationships, a phenomenon dubbed as ‘love jihad’ (Grooming Jihad), many BJP ruled states like Haryana and Madhya Pradesh have decided to deal strictly with the offenders and bring the law to curb this emerging menace too.
Madhya Pradesh and Haryana government to also bring law against the crime
Like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh government led by Shivraj Chouhan is also in no mood to spare the perpetrators who indulge in forceful religious conversion through fraudulent means under pretext of love. Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra had earlier said that the government is preparing to introduce Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Bill, 2020 in Assembly which would provide for 5 years of rigorous imprisonment to the perpetrators who coerce vulnerable girls to convert their religion, either by allurements, force or fraudulent means.
Similarly, the Haryana government has been mulling over introducing a law to deal with the cases of love jihad. The gruesome murder of a 21-year old college student named Nikita Tomar in broad daylight due to attempted love jihad in Mewat had necessitated Haryana Government to take some stringent action to stop the growing menace in the state.
Child grooming gangs, predominantly comprising of Muslim men from Pakistan or Bangladesh, have been for years operating in various parts of England with impunity, hooking their minor victims on drugs and sexually abusing them.
In one such case reported from Rotherham in South Yorkshire, North England, a Muslim man from Rotherham, Karim Khan alias Zayn groomed and abused an 11-year-old girl. The Muslim man who is 31-years-old pursued his victim over social media. After the case came to the fore, the South Yorkshire Police arrested him and produced him before the Sheffield Crown Court, which sentenced him to 4 and a half years imprisonment on November 25.
According to the Yorkshire police, Karim Khan sent over 4000 messages over a three month period to the minor girl on Snapchat and WhatsApp, including “lewd” photographs of himself. He convinced her that he loved her and wanted to marry her. After brainwashing her, he even pressurised her to send naked pictures of herself to him, which the minor, refused. Khan also inappropriately touched her on two occasions in February and March 2019.
His perverse actions came to light when the minor girl’s mother went through her daughter’s phone and found Khan’s messages. Her distressed daughter then broke down and confessed everything in front of her mother, who in turn dialled the police.
Investigating Officer, Rachel Scott, said: “Khan preyed on his victim over a period of months, taking full advantage of her age, and her vulnerability. He manipulated her in to thinking he was her boyfriend, and it was normal for him to send her such explicit messages.
Scott informed that Khan was a repeart offender and on two previous occasions assaulted a 13-year-old girl. He had tried to inapropriately touch her and incited her to engage in sexual activities and engaged in sexual communication with the child.
Khan was sentenced to four and a half years of imprisonment by the Sheffield Crown Court on November 25. He will also be placed on the Sex Offender Register, informed the investigating officer.
Muslim Grooming Gangs have been operating in Britain for decades
Muslim grooming gangs have been operating actively in Britain for decades now. According to the official figures, it is being estimated that nearly 19,000 minors were sexually groomed in England in the last year. The latest figures showed a sharp increase in the number of child grooming victims over the last five years. Though the highest rates of child grooming victims in Britain are reported in areas like Birmingham, Lancashire and Bradford, Rotherham has also been affected badly, identifying more than 1,500 victims in the last few years. As many as a thousand girls are feared to have fallen prey to the gangs over the years. However, unfortunately, the establishment in Britain is still not prepared to prioritize the safety and security of their children over hurt sentiments of certain groups.
Grooming Jihad in India
In a case that was widely termed as one of ‘Love Jihad, a girl in Sonbhadra was beheaded and buried, shabbily, when she refused to convert to Islam by a man she had married. Her dismembered body was found when women saw a dog, walkabout nonchalantly with her severed hand in her mouth. In Haryana, a woman named Nikita Tomar was shot in broad daylight by one Tauseef because she refused to return his advances.
Her parents say she was also being forced to convert to Islam. In fact, it was revealed that Tauseef’s mother had called Nikita and asked her to convert to Islam. She refused. She was killed. In the case of the Kausambhi rape, the barbarians had asked the minor girl to plead for mercy in the name of Allah.
The atrocity does not stop there. There are cases where Muslim men pretend to be Hindus and when their identity is revealed, either by accident or by design, forcing the girl to convert to Islam, they kill the Hindu woman they had wedded. One remembers Subhologna Chakraborty, shot dead by her soon-to-be-husband Sultan who was posing as a Hindu.
While the Left dismisses these occurrences as a figment of the ‘right-wing imagination’, the cases are real. The dead bodies are also real and the threat is imminent.
In India, the only organised syndicate that we speak of now is the phenomenon of ‘Love Jihad’.
The NIA for example had observed this in 2017: “A pattern emerges from similar cases that have been reported from Kerala. In multiple cases, the persons who play a role in approaching young girls help them in conversion, give them shelter and get them married to Muslims, appear to be common. They seem to approach young girls who appear distressed because of disagreement with parents”.
What the NIA defines as ‘Love Jihad’ comes eerily close to what UK went through with the Grooming Gang phenomenon. However, there are several other categories of crimes that don’t fit into the narrow definition of ‘Love Jihad’ per se.
It is rather evident that non-Muslim women are at the heart of the Jihad that is waged by radical Muslims. From the categories of crimes we see in India, cases of ‘love Jihad’ to Tahharush, Grooming Gangs and also, the mass subjugation we saw in Bhola.
It is for these reasons that OpIndia had decided to use the term ‘Grooming Jihad’ instead of the prevalent term ‘Love Jihad’. The full article explaining the phenomenon can be read here.
In a bid to introduce reforms in the agriculture sector, the central government had introduced three bills: The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020, which were passed in the monsoon session of the Parliament. The objective behind introducing these bill was to get rid of the inadequacies in the existing laws and mechanisms dealing with the sale of agricultural produce and ensure that farmers received fair price for their produce.
Ever since the bills were passed in the Parliament, the government has been facing opposition regarding the bills. Long term NDA member Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) had announced its dissociation from the alliance soon after the bills were passed. Several attempts were made to spread misinformation around the bills. This was followed by protest rallies and demonstrations held by ‘farmers‘ and supported by the opposition parties. However, the protests have failed to pressurise the government into backtracking on the farm bills so far.
The issue has been raked up once again as ‘farmers’ from Punjab and Haryana are marching towards the national capital to protest against the farm bills. Amidst the revived protests by farmers, we present the views of some farmers who saw a ray of hope in the farm bills:
Farmer in Maharashtra gets compensation under new law
A maze farmer Maharashtra, Jitendra Bhoi had filed a case under the newly introduced Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020 against two traders for not paying him an outstanding amount of Rs 285,000. The bill mandates the buyers to make payment to the farmer within three days of transaction but Bhoi’s payment was delayed by four months. Bhoi approached the authorities in the first week of October. The concerned magistrate ordered the traders to immediately pay the outstanding amount to Bhoi or face criminal charges under the bill. The traders complied with the order and the case was closed on November 4.
Cardamom Farmers of Kerala
The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020 has proved to be of great help to cardamom farmers of Kerala in times of pandemic. Until now, the Spices Park was the only option available to the farmers to auction their produce and that has not been going well for the farmers due to pandemic. Due to restrictions on inter-state travel in the lockdown, sellers and buyers could not reach the Spices Park. But then Vandanmedu Greengold Cardamon Producer’s Company, which is a producer firm as well as a licensed auctioneer, started e-auction of cardamom under the provisions of the bill.
Now, a company called Idukki Progressive Spice Producer Company Ltd (IPSCL) has been registered by the Cardamom Growers’ Association which is expected to start an e-auction by the first week of December. The Spices Board at Puttady in Idukki and the Bodinayakanur in Theni district of Tamil Nadu were the only places where farmers could auction their produce. With the introduction of e-auction facility under the bill, more and more farmers are now auctioning their produce there.
Chairman of VGCPC, KS Mathew said that around 50,000 kg cardamom was sold during two e-auctions held recently. PC Mathew, Secretary of Cardamom Growers’ Association and the Chairman of the IPSCL said that they were in the process of creating a website and app for buyers. He said that e-auction would stop the system of deferred payment in which middlemen were engaged. “As per the news norms of the Spices Board, the payment should be done within 10 working days. Instead of payment, the auctioneers will lend money to the producers on a 33% interest rate. It is a highly lucrative business. We will only deal with buyers who can provide money on time”, he said.
Farmers have high hopes from farm laws
Farmers from Dibrugarh in Assam, are relieved with the introduction of farm bills. The farmers said that they will now be able to get direct benefits from the sale of their sales unlike before when the middlemen used to keep the lion’s share from the sale and would give a meagre amount to the farmers.
Farmers from Gaya also hold similar views regarding the farm laws. The farmers thanked the Modi government for introducing the farm bills. They said that now they would be able to directly reap the benefits of their produce that would until now was only benefitting the middleman. The farmers are hopeful that under the new laws they would receive a fair price for their hard work.
Farmers in Agra have also come in the support of the new farm laws. Farmers thanked the Modi government for bringing the new farm laws, saying that these will ease their lives. A farmer from Agra said, ‘PM Modi has done great. Farmers are very happy with the decision.’ Another farmer said, ‘Now because of Modi ji, we will be able to sell our produce directly,’
