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Supreme Court stays Election Commission order that barred Kamal Nath from being the star campaigner of the Congress party

OpIndia Staff
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Supreme Court stays Election Commission order that barred Kamal Nath from being the star campaigner of the Congress party

The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the order of the Election Commission of India (ECI) preventing ex-Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Kamal Nath, from being the ‘star campaigner’ ahead of the by-polls in the State. It must be remembered that the nodal election body had earlier delisted the Congress leader on October 30 for repeated violation of Model Code of Conduct.

A 3-Judge Bench of the Supreme Court comprising of CJI SA Bobde, Justices V Ramasubramanian and AS Bopanna ruled that ECI had exceeded its powers through the delisting of Kamal Nath as the star campaigner. “We are staying your order. Who has given the power to you delist a candidate from being a star campaigner or a leader of the party under Section 77 of the Act? We have read it,” CJI Bobde emphasized.

Kamal Nath claims no notice was issued prior to delisting

In his petition to the Supreme Court, Kamal Nath argued, “ECI cannot arbitrarily revoke the name of Petitioner from the list of ‘star campaigners’ when the entire statutory framework of Section 77(1) of Representation of People Act, 1951 does not grant such powers to the ECI.”

He further added, “The order is passed in complete violation of basic canons of natural justice and in negation of fairplay and therefore, deserves to be quashed. Further, no notice has been issued to the Petitioner with regard to the impugned Order in complete violation of principles of natural injustice.”

He alleged that no action was taken by the nodal election body against the BJP despite making statements, which allegedly violate the Model Code of Conduct. Kamal Nath was represented by Kapil Sibal, who argued that the order was arbitrary and that no notice was issued prior to the delisting as the star campaigner.

Election Commission tells SC that the matter was ‘infructuous’

In its defence, Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, representing the ECI, stated that the matter was ‘infructuous’ as the election campaign for the by-polls were over. he added that the elections are scheduled to be held tomorrow. Dwivedi urged the Court to seek a reply from the nodal election body instead of putting a stay on the order. However, the apex court refused to agree.

Kamal Nath disregarded EC’s warnings

The Election Commission had barred Kamal Nath from being the Congress party’s star campaigner for disregarding the warnings of the nodal election body and repeatedly violating the Model Code of Conduct. During a public gathering in Dabra, the senior Congress leader referred to a Dalit BJP leader Imarti Devi as an ‘item’.

“Wo kya hai… main uska naam kyun lun… aapko mujhe satrak karna chahiye tha kya item hai… (Who is she… what’s her name? You all should have warned me… what an item!),” Kamal Nath said as the crowd of Congress supporters yelled Imarti Devi’s name. Following the public backlash, the EC delisted him for breaching ‘ethical and dignified behaviour’.

Bangladesh: Fifty thousand Islamists take to streets, threaten to destroy French Embassy in Dhaka if still open after 24-hour ultimatum

OpIndia Staff
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Bangladesh: Fifty thousand Islamists take to streets, threaten to destroy French Embassy in Dhaka if still open after 24-hour ultimatum

A massive demonstration was taken out by thousands of Muslims in Bangladesh on Monday against French President Macron as he refused to condemn the caricature of Prophet Mohammad in defence of free speech. According to reports, the demonstration was called by Hefazat-i-Islam which is one of the biggest Muslim political groups in Bangladesh and protesters attempted to march towards the French Embassy.

The protestors began their march from Baitul Mukarram mosque towards the French embassy but they were stopped at a distance from the French embassy by security forces. The organisation gave a 24-hour ultimatum to the Bangladesh government to close down the French embassy. Junaid Babuagari, a leader of Hefazat-i-Islam, warned that if the demands of the protestors were not met, the next demonstration would not stop until they reach the embassy and destroy it.

“Showing respect to the duty of law enforcement officials, journalists, and the emotion of the participating Muslim brothers, we are stopping here today,” Junaid Babunagari said before adding, “We will not stop here in our next program. We will go to the embassy and destroy it if our demands are not met.”

He called on the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina condemn the French President in Parliament and severe all diplomatic ties with France. He urged the United Nations to take strict action against France. Babuagari demanded provision for death penalty for anyone who insulted Prophet in Bangladesh.

The protestors demanded a boycott of French products and burnt the effigy of President Macron raising slogans of “No defamation of the Prophet Mohammad”. They warned that the political parties that refused to condemn French President’ remarks would have to pay a price.

The visuals of the massive protest were shared by people on social media. A Twitter user going by the name @MbMukit shared a video on Twitter claiming it to be that of the protests carried out today in Bangladesh.

In the video, speakers can be heard blaring as a sea of people are seen moving on the streets of Bangladesh. Some other visuals of the protets were shared by another Twitter user named @Imran23266260.

Muslim world turns against France

French President’s strong stance against radical Islam and in support of freedom of speech has infuriated Islamic nations like Turkey and Pakistan that have condemned France and French President alleging Islamophobia. Pakistan’s National Assembly had even passed a resolution demanding its government to recall their non-existent envoy from France. Muslims across the globe have been taking out protests against France including in India. India had expressed solidarity with France and condemned the attacks on French people by Islamic terrorists.

Faizal Khan, one of the four booked for offering Namaz at the Mathura temple despite the objection of devotees, arrested in Delhi

OpIndia Staff
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Faizal Khan, one of the four booked for offering Namaz at the Mathura temple despite the objection of devotees, arrested in Delhi

A joint team of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh Police have arrested Faizal Khan, one of the four who were booked by the Uttar Pradesh police for reading Namaz (Islamic prayers) within the premises of Nandmahal temple in Nandgaon area in Mathura district’s Barsana on Saturday (October 29).

A complaint was filed after a photo of the duo, reciting Islamic prayers within a Hindu temple, went viral on social media. While a complaint was registered against Faisal Khan and Mohammed Chand for offering Namaz inside the temple premises, the other 2 were booked for recording the act and circulating the video on social media, as per the FIR. Faizal Khan is now being questioned by police, ACS Home Awanish K Awasthi was quoted by news agency ANI as saying.

Faizal Khan was nabbed near Jamia Gaffar Manzil on Monday. The other accused – Mohammad Chand – is yet to be arrested by the police. Chand and Khan have been booked under Sections 153-A, 295, and 505 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

According to reports, the Uttar Pradesh government suspects that the incident was an attempt to incite communal sentiments. Assuring strict action, BJP leader and member of UP Legislative Assembly Shrikant Sharma said: “There are some people who are trying to spoil the environment in Uttar Pradesh. They cannot digest the way we are operating. So, in some or other way, they are attempting to incite communal tension. The cocktail of Congress and BSP has always practised communal politics and not development. This government is not like that. If anyone tries to disturb the peace, strict action will be taken.” 

Meanwhile, ABP News quoted Faizal Khan as saying that it was only “goodwill and no conspiracy was involved” in offering Namaz inside the temple premises.

UP police files case against four for reading Namaz inside temple premises in Mathura and recording and circulating the video of the act

On October 30, the duo had offered namaaz at the Nand Baba Mandir in Mathura. As per reports, the case was filed, following a complaint by the temple server Kanha Goswami against Faisal Khan and Mohammed Chand, who had reportedly done the ’84 kos’ yatra to reach the temple by bicycles. They were accompanied by two other ‘Gandhian activists’, namely, Nilesh Gupta and Alok Ratna.

In the morning, different media houses had different reports. While, News 18 reported that Hindu devotees had expressed displeasure at their actions and asked them to refrain from doing so, a Patrika report had stated that the temple priest himself had given permission to the duo to read Namaz.

Meanwhile, several Hindu rights groups and saints have objected to the incident and had sought strong action from the district administration. They have asked whether Masjids would similarly permit conducting Arti, Bhajan and Puja inside their premises.

PFI links of Faisal Khan and Mohammed Chand

Interestingly, the Facebook ID that posted the contentious picture initially is a vocal advocate of the four radical Islamists from People’s Front of India (PFI), who were apprehended on their way to Hathras. The case was taken up by Barsana police station before being transferred to the Intelligence Department. A probe has been initiated for determining the motives behind the act and making the picture viral on social media.

Shekhar Gupta’s The Print slanders the Gita while justifying Islamic verse advocating violence against Kafirs: Here is how they are out of their mind

K Bhattacharjee
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Shekhar Gupta’s The Print slanders the Gita while justifying Islamic verse advocating violence against Kafirs: Here is how they are out of their mind

The Print, headed by the former chief of Editor’s Guild, published an article on Monday that could only ever be interpreted as apologia for Radical Islam. The author of the article, Zainab Sikander, who appears to be on the payroll of The Print precisely to produce such garbage, has once again performed a stellar job at whitewashing the crimes of Islamic terrorists.

The Print has made significant efforts towards making strawman arguments and made some preposterous comparisons in the process. They wrote, “Prophet Muhammad captures the imagination, belief system and rapturous devotion of about 1.8 billion people in the world, even after 1,400 years of his existence. And those 1.8 billion people are expected to not get offended by vulgar depictions of the prophet because it apparently is ‘freedom of expression’. Is bullying freedom of expression too? Is pornographic content freedom of expression too? Is substance abuse freedom of expression too?”

Headline of the Zainab Sikander article

No one expects Muslims to not get offended here and no one claimed that Muslims taking offence at the cartoons is the primary cause of concern. The core issue here is Islamic terrorists beheading people due to cartoons and Radical Muslims issuing death threats over the same. Murder, terrorism and death threats are the primary concern here, not Muslims taking offence at cartoons. The argument that The Print columnist appears to make is that beheading people is justified for offensive cartoons.

The other sleight of hand played by the columnist is that offensive cartoons of the prophet is equated with bullying, pornography and substance abuse. It is an amazing assertion here. Issuing death threats and terrorism is not bullying but a cartoon is. And how can cartoons even legitimately be compared to pornography and substance abuse? It is a bizarre assertion.

The Print did not stop there obviously. She even justified a verse from the Islamic scriptures advocating the murder of Kaafirs. We are not exaggerating, she did really go that far. After quoting the verse verbatim, she argued, “But no one bothers to understand, even when told, that this verse was revealed when Muslims on the Hajj pilgrimage were attacked and killed by the Quraysh tribe who had signed a treaty with the Prophet to not attack the pilgrims.”

Once again, it is the famed ‘context’ that is brought up as justification even though the verse clearly states, “…such is the penalty of the disbelievers.” By now it should be evident that an individual who can compare cartoons to bullying and pornography and drug abuse has the capability to make comparisons between anything and everything under the Sun.

Thus, we should not be surprised when Zainab Sikander compares sanction for violence in Islamic scriptures with that in the Geeta. Again, she is engaging in a remarkable sleight of hand. She pretends that all forms of violence are evil when we know for a fact that it is not the case. The Police using violence to crack down on rioters cannot be compared with rioters running amok on the streets destroying public and private property. However, it appears Zainab Sikander would have us believe both are equally bad.

She asks, after quoting a random verse out of context, “How is this any different from Lord Krishna telling Arjun in the Bhagavad Gita to fight as his dharmic duty?” In this context, we need to touch upon the concept of the Mosaic distinction. The term, coined by professor Jan Assmann, refers to the fact that it is only the Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) that make a distinction between the ‘One true God’ and ‘false Gods’.

Advocating the existence of only ‘One true God’ and consequently, advocating violence and persecution against devotees of other Gods is the exclusive legacy of Abrahamic faiths alone. Hinduism simply does not have the concept where violence is advocated against other devotees of other Gods merely of religious belief. Exclusive worship of one God and the consequence advocacy of violence against those who do not abide by this rule is the gift of Abrahamic faiths to the world.

When Krishna asks Arjuna to go to war for Dharma, Krishna does not say that the Kauravas ought to be slaughtered for their religious belief. Arjuna was asked to go to war because the Pandavas were robbed of their inheritance by the Kauravas, because Draupadi was dishonoured, because the principles of Dharma had been violated. In short, the Mahabharata was a Dharmayuddha, it was not a religious war at all. Therefore, it is preposterous for The Print columnist to draw a comparison between the two.

But it is not at all surprising that The Print columnist would attempt such an endeavour. Only recently, she demanded that Charlie Hebdo mock the holocaust if it wanted to publish cartoons on Islam. Because quite obviously, cartoons mocking a religion are the same as ones mocking the victims of a genocide, right? Somehow, in her twisted mind, that is not bullying.

That the article published the editorial muster of The Print only further demonstrates that the media outlet run by the former editor-in-chief of the Editors Guild of India does not really have any editorial standards. Anything that justifies Radical Islam and helps whitewash the crimes of Islamic terrorists will be given space on the platform. There have been quite a few distasteful justification of Radical Islam that has been offered by liberal outlets but this takes the cake by miles.

Moments after Nagpur Court granted bail, Sameet Thakkar arrested by Mumbai Police: Details

Jinit Jain
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Moments after Nagpur Court granted bail, Sameet Thakkar arrested by Mumbai Police: Details

The Mumbai Police on Monday rearrested social media user Sameet Thakkar from the court premises after a Nagpur court granted him bail. Thakkar was arrested on October 24 in Nagpur for allegedly making critical remarks on Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and his son, Aaditya Thackeray.

Sameet arrested by Mumbai VP Road police from Nagpur Court premises

Confirming the development, Sameet’s brother, Rishi told OpIndia that his brother was picked up by the Mumbai VP Road Police from court premises as soon as he secured a bail from the Nagpur court. He will be taken to Mumbai in Nagpur-Mumbai Duronto Express this evening, he added.

“After being in police custody for 7 days, my brother(Sameet) was granted bail by the Nagpur Court today. However, just after he got bail, he was once again arrested. This time by Mumbai VP Road Police who are now taking him to Mumbai in Nagpur-Mumbai Duronto Express,” Rishi said.

Rishi alleged that his brother has been arrested by a well-thought-out conspiracy. He said multiple FIRs were registered against Sameet, so if he manages to get bail in one, he could be arrested on the basis of another FIR.

“They have filed multiple FIRs against Sameet at different places. So the moment Nagpur Court accorded him bail, Mumbai VP Road Police was ready to arrest him and take him to Mumbai,” Rishi said.

Speaking on the legal recourse that Sameet’s family is taking in order to secure his release, Rishi added that they have already filed a petition in the high court, whose hearing is listed for tomorrow. A petition has also been filed in the Supreme Court in connection with the matter, Sameet’s brother added.

Sameet Thakkar being led by men with a rope, his face covered in black cloth while bringing to court

Earlier last week, an unsettling video of Sameet being tied with a rope and his face was covered with a black cloth and being led by police officials had surfaced on the internet. The video was from October 30, when Sameet was being taken to the court which extended his police custody till November 2.

In the video, it could be seem that a man with a black cloth wrapped around his head was being led by a man with a rope. The video was captured from a distance and there are policemen clearly visible. Sneha Singhvi, the person who shared the video on Twitter, confirmed to us that the man with a black face cover was indeed Sameet Thakkar.

Sameet’s brother Rishi Thakkar had then reacted that it was gross “human rights’ violation by police as his brother’s hands were tied & face was covered with black cloth when he was brought to court. Rishi Thakkar also added that his brother was being treated like a hardened criminal.

He further told ANI, “My brother is paying the price of calling Maharashtra CM a modern-day Aurangzeb & his son, a baby penguin – the terms coined by NCP leaders who are currently in govt with them”.

Highlights of the case

Multiple FIRs have been registered against Thakkar in Nagpur and Mumbai for his remarks where he has allegedly referred to the Maharashtra Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray as “baby penguin”.

He submitted a plea in Bombay High Court seeking protection from arrest and quashing of FIRs against him. Court directed Thakkar on October 1, 2020 to cooperate with police in investigation and record his statement VP Road police station. Thakkar had escaped from police station when he went there to record his statement on October 5 fearing arrest. He told this before the Bombay High Court after which the Court ordered the police not to take any action against him.

He was ordered to appear in police station on October 16 but he did not comply. His lawyer Abhinav Chandrachud refused to appear for Thakkar and returned his brief. Advocate Raspal Singh Renu informed the court on record that Chandrachud has returned the brief and asked for time to appoint new counsel. The hearing in the matter was scheduled for November 3, 2020.

My daughter could have been saved if this step had been taken earlier’: Nikita Tomar’s father on Haryana CM’s announcement of law against ‘Love Jihad’

OpIndia Staff
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My daughter could have been saved if this step had been taken earlier’: Nikita Tomar’s father on Haryana CM’s announcement of law against ‘Love Jihad’

Following Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar announcement that they are mulling over a new law to criminalise incidents of ‘love jihad’, the father of the Nikita Tomar said the law is long overdue and had it been brought before, his daughter would have been alive today.

“They should’ve taken this decision long back. If this law had been there, my daughter would not have died. All parties should come together & support this decision,” Nikita Tomar’s father said with respect to the Haryana CM’s comment on enacting a new legislation to prevent incidents of ‘love jihad’ in the state.

Nikita, a young college student, was was brutally shot dead in broad daylight by two assailants—Tousif and Rehan on October 26 in Haryana’s Ballabhgarh. Tousif was allegedly stalking and harassing Nikita and had been pressurising her to convert to Islam.

Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar says his government is mulling new legislation to curb ‘love jihad’

After the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh announced strict measures to curb the rampant love jihad cases reported in the state, Manohar Lal Khattar’s government in Haryana announced that they are also planning to introduce a new law to put a restraint to the menace of ‘love jihad’ afflicting the state. ‘Love jihad’ is a term currently being used to describe cases where non-Muslim women, especially young, even minor girls are being systematically targeted by Islamists to convert to Islam either by marriage under false pretences or by force.

Khattar, the chief minister of Haryana, on Sunday said that his government is also mulling over bringing in new legislation to prevent Hindu girls from being lured into relationships by Muslim men using false identity and subsequently forced into conversion.

Khattar was speaking in Karnal on Haryana Day when he hinted at legislating a new law to stop the scourge of love jihad. The Haryana chief minister said that the girl’s killing was “linked to love jihad” and that both the Centre and the state government were taking the issue “very seriously”. 

He also added that his government is seeking legal advice on the scope for laws to prevent a recurrence of forced conversions that were sometimes accompanied with unspeakable atrocities and on many occasions led to the killings of the girls, citing the recent incident in Ballabhgarh. “Legal provisions are being contemplated so that the guilty don’t escape and innocents are not punished,” Khattar said.  

Yogi Adityanath warns men targeting Hindu women under false names

Earlier on Saturday, Yogi Adityanath issued a stern warning to miscreants indulging in love jihad, saying that his government would soon be enacting a law to curb love jihad. “Allahabad HC said religious conversion isn’t necessary for marriage. Govt will also work to curb ‘Love-Jihad’, we’ll make a law. I warn those who conceal identity & play with our sisters’ respect, if you don’t mend your ways your ‘Ram Naam satya’ journey will begin,” he said.

Haryana and Uttar Pradesh remain among the list of states severely affected by the menace of this so-called love jihad. The decision being mulled over by the NDA governments in the two states comes in the wake of the outrage caused by the horrifying murder of a Hindu girl named Nikita Tomar, who was shot dead by two assailants, Touseef and Rehan, in Haryana’s Ballabhgarh on October 26.

In Uttar Pradesh, several cases have been reported where Hindu girls, often even minors, were targeted and entrapped in relationships by Muslim men pretending to be Hindu.

Horrifying murder of Nikita Tomar by Tousif and Rehan in Haryana’s Ballabhgarh

A terrifying incident of attempted love jihad and forced conversion of non-Muslim into Islam came to the fore with the blood-curdling murder of a 21-year-old student named Nikita Tomar in Mewat. She was shot dead in broad daylight by two men outside the Aggarwal college in Ballabgarh, Faridabad earlier this week.

One of the two assailants, Tausif had been repeatedly harassing her and making advances at Nikita. She had filed a complaint of molestation and harassment against Tausif last month, which was later withdrawn after an understanding between the families. An FIR was filed by Nikita just a day before her murder, against the accused Tausif of again harassing her and trying to convert her to Islam.

The shocking incident was caught on camera, visuals of which had gone instantly viral in the aftermath of the brutal killing. Tousif and his accomplice Rehan were arrested by the police. It is also pertinent to note that the accused had earlier abducted the girl in 2018.

Many cases of targeting and forced conversions

The killing of Nikita Tomar for turning down the advances of Touseef is not a stray incident of attempted love jihad and forced conversions plaguing Haryana and in particular Mewat. A norm had emerged in the region where Hindu women, including Dalits, are increasingly targeted by Muslim men, who kidnap the girls and women and commit unspeakable atrocities on them. Besides this, Haryana’s Mewat is also known for being a hotbed of organised crime, cattle smuggling, among other things.

You can read how the Mewat region of Haryana has become flourishing grounds for illegal activities here.

Illegal immigrants from Bangladesh arrested by Mumbai police could have connections with AIMIM, 2 MLAs under probe: Report

OpIndia Staff
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Illegal immigrants from Bangladesh arrested by Mumbai police could have connections with AIMIM, 2 MLAs under probe: Report

The Mumbai police, which had earlier arrested three Bangladeshi immigrants staying illegally in the city, have found links of the accused with Assaduddin Owaisi’s party AIMIM (All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen), reported Times Now.

Two AIMIM MLAs in the dock

As per the report, the cops have seized letterheads of two AIMIM MLAs in connection to the case. The accused MLAs have been identified as Shaikh Aasif Shaikh Rashid and Mufti Mohammed Ismail. Citing sources, Times Now reported that the letterheads of 5 other MLAs have been seized but the police have not revealed their names or their respective political parties.

Besides, the cops have initiated a probe to determine whether the recovered letterheads are authentic or forged. A police official, however, conceded that it might be too early to reach a conclusion. He added, “It could be a fake letter pad or even a genuine letter issued to a genuine person. However, all documents seized cannot be fake.”

Mumbai police arrest 2 agents in possession of fake documents

The Mumbai police have also arrested two agents who were in possession of several counterfeit documents. One of the accused was arrested from Saki Naka area in Mumbai while the other was apprehended from Malegaon in Nashik. The latter was reportedly in possession of 8 ration cards, 34 passports, 28 PAN cards, 187 bank and postal department passbooks, 19 rubber stamps, 155 Aadhar cards and 29 fake school-leaving certificates.

While speaking on the development, BJP leader Atul Bhatkhalkar demanded an inquiry into the matter. He said that the revelation was shocking and the AIMIM MLAs should be jailed within 24 hours. He has sought for the transfer of the case to the NIA as the gang is operating throughout the country.

Maharashtra government deported 603 people to Bangladesh in the last 4 years

Earlier in March, the Minister of State for Home in Maharashtra, Shambhuraj Desai, informed the Legislative Assembly that 3,341 people staying in the state were suspected of being illegal immigrants from Bangladesh while 603 people had been sent back to their home country in the last four years. He added, “A total of 660 cases have been lodged against people for not having Indian citizenship.”

Old Hindu temple demolished, idols and relics thrown out in Karachi, Pakistan

OpIndia Staff
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Old Hindu temple demolished, idols and relics thrown out in Karachi, Pakistan

While Pakistan is outraging against France after French President Macron vocally criticised radical Islamist ideology, the country has terribly failed in protecting its own religious minorities. Crimes against religious minorities from abduction and forceful conversion of non-Muslims girls to desecration of temples are a routine in the country.

Recently, an old Hindu temple was reportedly demolished in Karachi, Pakistan. As per the information shared by Pakistani activist Rahat Austin on Twitter, the old Hindu temple was desecrated and the idols of deities were thrown out of the temple in Lee market, Sheetal Das, Ground Bheempura in Karachi.

Austin said that this was the third incident of desecration of Hindu temple in Pakistan in 20 days. “They think that they can force people to respect their religion and to stop them to criticise by beheading and terror. This is not 6th century Sir. You can only get respect if you give respect to others”, he tweeted.

Pre-partition Hanuman temples demolished in Pakistan

In August this year, a pre-partition Hanuman Mandir in Pakistan’s Lyari district was demolished by a builder at a construction site. The Hindu families living nearby the temple said that they were given assurance by the builder that the temple would not be harmed and yet the temple was demolished. According to locals, the builders took advantage of the lockdown as no one was visiting the temple.

The month before, the construction of a new Sri Krishna temple was halted after radical extremists in Islamabad after they razed the boundary wall of the temple to the ground. The hardliners had opposed the construction of the temple claiming that it was contrary to the idea of Pakistan.

Houses of Hindus set ablaze in Sindh to force them to convert

Recently, days ago, the homes of Hindus belonging to the highly marginalised and socio-economically backward Bheel and Meghwal community were set on fire in Pakistan to force them to convert to Islam. In September, 171 Hindu men, women and children belonging to the Bheel community were forcefully converted to Islam in the Sindh province of Pakistan.

Religious minorities in Pakistan have to undergo humiliation and suffering every day with no redressal of their grievances.

Actor Aamir khan’s daughter Ira Khan reveals she was sexually abused as a minor by someone known

OpIndia Staff
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Actor Aamir khan’s daughter Ira Khan reveals she was sexually abused as a minor by someone known

Bollywood actor Aamir Khan’s daughter Ira Khan on Sunday revealed that she was sexually abused at age 14 by someone known to her and the family. She took to Instagram to speak about her battle with depression. In the 10-minute video she spoke about how she tried to figure out the reasons behind her condition despite having all the “privileges”. Ira opened up on personal issues like being sexually exploited by a known person when she was 14-years-old, dealing with a dreaded disease at the age of 6, her parent’s divorce, besides other challenges.

Without naming her perpetrator Ira Khan spoke about the sexual abuse she was subjected to at the age of 14: “I was sexually abused when I was 14. At that time I couldn’t understand whether the person realised what he was doing and I didn’t know how to confide in. It took me a year to be sure that the person was aware of his actions. I immediately wrote my parents an email and got myself out of that situation. Once I was out it didn’t feel so bad. I was not scared anymore. It’s not something that has scarred me for life”.

Speaking about the clinical depression she was diagnosed with a month back, Ira said that she tried and figured out the causes behind it. However, instead of getting support online, she was badgered with insensitive questions about her privileges, said Ira.

Ira said that it was because of her privileges that she hesitated to come out and let her family and friends know how she was feeling. “I never spoke to anyone about anything because I assumed that my privilege meant I should handle my stuff on my own”. It made me feel like I needed a better answer and until I had that answer, my feelings weren’t something I should bother anyone else with. No problem was big enough to ponder too long about. What would anyone do? I had everything. What would anyone say? I had said it all.

In her 10 minute video, Ira addressed all the privileges she got in life by being Aamir’s daughter and still getting diagnosed with depression. 

When talking about the reasons behind her depression, Ira said she couldn’t figure out what was making her sad. She revealed that when she was all of six, she was diagnosed with tuberculosis, but even that didn’t make her feel horrible. She added that even her parents’ divorce-Aamir and his ex-wife Reena Dutta- did not scar her as many would assume. She said that even the amicable divorce between her parents was a privilege she had, so that too couldn’t be the reason for her feeling sad and depressed.

Ira and Junaid are Aamir’s children with his first wife Reena Dutta. 

Ira Khan stepped into showbiz by making her directorial debut in 2019 with the stage production ‘Euripides’ Medea’.

Mumbai police cracks down on BJYM’s peaceful protest in another display of predisposition of Maharashtra govt to stifle dissent

Jhankar Mohta
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Mumbai police cracks down on BJYM’s peaceful protest in another display of predisposition of Maharashtra govt to stifle dissent

The Mumbai police came down heavily on the Bhartiya Janta Yuva Morcha (BJYM) workers staging a peaceful protest against the illegal crackdown on media and social media by the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra. The protests took place outside the Mantralaya in Mumbai today. The Mumbai police have detained BJYM Mumbai chief Tajinder Tiwana and several other workers from outside the Mantralaya.

According to BJP spokesperson Suresh Nakhua, Mumbai police reached the spot where the BJP youth wing workers were peacefully staging a protest, against the Maharashtra Government’s high-handedness and efforts to stifle the media, and forcefully stuffed the BJP workers in the police van.

He said that the Uddhav Thackeray government’s fascism has thrown Maharashtra into a state of undeclared emergency, where journalists and social media users are being harassed and terrorised if they dare to speak against the Uddhav Thackeray government.

Following several cases where media and social media users have been facing the wrath of the Maharashtra Government recently, BJYM and BJP leader had organised a peaceful protest at 12 pm today, outside the Mantralaya- administrative headquarters of the state government of Maharashtra in south Mumbai to protest against the MVA Government’s predisposition to curb the voice of media.

Maharashtra government vs dissent

Several cases in the last few months have surfaced which has highlighted how the Maharashtra Government has always tried to choke the rising voices of dissent. The state government at the behest of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has tried to stifle freedom of expression by filing several random cases against journalists and social media activists who have dared to articulate their views against the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in the state.

Maharashtra Government vs Republic TV

The Maha Vikas Aghadi government and been in loggerheads with Republic TV and it’s Editor-in-chief, Arnab Goswami ever since the prime time show aired on Republic Bharat over the lynching of Hindu sadhus in Palghar. A sting operation had revealed that the MVA government, especially CM Uddhav Thackeray is vehemently against Republic TV and they want to shut it down in the state.

Several FIRs were filed against the editor-in-chief of the channel and he was called to the police station in Mumbai where he was grilled for more than 11 hours. A case was also filed against him and his channel Republic TV for broadcast on April 14 and 15 regarding the Bandra migrants incident.

Arnab had also alleged that one of his reporters and the camera person was unlawfully detained by the Maharashtra government when they were on a trail of an investigative story in Navi Mumbai. Another Republic TV journalist Pradeep Bhandari was reportedly recently encircled physically by the Mumbai Police and was detained illegally. It was alleged that Pradeep was assaulted as well and was not provided with access to lawyers. The channel had stated that it was Bhandari’s continuous perusal of the Sushant Singh Rajput’s death case had irked the Maha Aghadi government.

A few days back, Republic TV was also targeted in a TRP manipulation case when the Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh who claims soon fell flat.

Despite this, the witchhunt against the news channel by the Mumbai police at the behest of the Maharashtra state government only went on to intensify. After registering FIR against the entire editorial team of Republic TV, recently, Mumbai police demanded editorial access to the newsroom of the channel.

Twitter users become victims of intolerance of the Maha Vikash Aghadi government

In another case, a Twitter user Sameet Thakker became the victim of intolerance of the Maha Aghadi government. Thakker, a resident of Nagpur, was arrested for allegedly calling the son of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray ‘baby penguin’. A video emerged where he was seen tied with a rope and his face covered with a black cloth as he was being led by the Mumbai police officials. 

However, Sameet Thakker is not alone who has been in the front line of attack by the Maha Government. Another social media user Sunaina Holey was arrested for allegedly making ‘offensive’ comments against Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray and Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray on social media.

People on social media were outraged by the highhandedness shows by the Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government. The party was criticised heavily for attempting to curtail an individual’s right to freedom of speech and expression.

Retired Navy officer Madan Sharma attacked by Shiv Sena goons

Similarly, retired Navy officer Madan Sharma had also bear the brunt of the Maharashtra Government for sharing a cartoon on WhatsApp. He was mercilessly beaten up by Shiv Sainiks for sharing a satirical cartoon featuring Uddhav Thackeray and his allies Sharad Pawar and Sonia Gandhi. The CCTV footage of the incident had gone viral on social media, where one could see how the veteran was brutally attacked by a bunch of Shiv Sena goons.

Maharashtra Government goes after actor Kangana Ranaut

In addition to these, actress Kangana Ranaut was also hounded by the Uddhav Thackeray government for her unequivocal opinions. The faceoff between the Maha Vikas Aghadi government and Kangana which started after the latter had compared Mumbai to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir in the wake of Azaadi graffiti seen on the streets of the city, and the subsequent inaction of the Mumbai Police, landed up subjecting the ‘Queen’ actress to threats of violence, derogatory words by Shiv Sena leader and her house worth crores being demolished. The actor had then alleged that the BMC’s decision to demolish her property was a direct consequence of her comments against the Maharashtra government.

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