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PETA files petition in Madras HC to take away Lakshmi the Elephant from her home at Manakula Vinayagar Temple in Puducherry again

OpIndia Staff
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PETA files petition in Madras HC to take away Lakshmi the Elephant from her home at Manakula Vinayagar Temple in Puducherry again

On Saturday, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) reportedly filed a petition in the Madras High Court in a bid to take away Lakshmi the Elephant from her home at Manakula Vinayagar Temple in Puducherry. The development comes two weeks after the elephant was returned back to the temple, following the intervention by Chief Minister of Puducherry, V. Narayanasami.

A Twitter user named Murali informed that Puducherry Forest Department is trying to enforce the Tamil Nadu Captive Elephants (Management and Maintenance) Rules 2011 to seek custody of Lakshmi the Elephant. In a video shared on Twitter, he informed that the temple elephant was happy and slept peacefully in the temple, following her return to her home in the temple after 40 days.

Indu Makkal Katachi informed that a case has been filed by PETA to take the Lakshmi the Elephant away from the Hindus. “We are warning PETA India it won’t be an online protest this time. We Devotees will go to any extent for our Lakshmi to be in our Temple,” the organisation said in a tweet.

PETA patronises on ‘animal cruelty’

On Sunday morning, PETA had tweeted not to torture or chain animals for recreational activities. The ‘animal rights’ organisation uploaded a picture of an elephant, accompanied by an overlay text that read, “Not Ours to Abuse.” In its tweet, PETA wrote, “Elephants are social animals who love to be with their families in the wild. Not on concrete floors, confined and chained to be tortured for rides and circuses.” Despite its overemphasis on animal cruelty, PETA India has spuriously talked about encouraging ‘kindness in animals’ amongst Muslims by sharing guidelines on how to slaughter them ‘kindly’.

PETA conspired to take Lakshmi away but failed

Lakshmi the Elephant was taken away from her home after PETA and the Animal Welfare Board intervened in the matter and accused the Temple of violating the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. BJP leader Maneka Gandhi, too, was involved in the whole affair and she requested Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry Kiran Bedi and Directorate of Forests and Wildlife to remove the elephant from the temple and shift her to a ‘safer’ location. At the time, Lakshmi the Elephant was forcibly removed from the Temple and shifted to the Krishi Vigyan Kendra at Kurumamber, where her health was reported to have deteriorated.

On July 18, the official Twitter account of Indu Makkal Katchi informed that Lakshmi the Elephant had returned to her home in Manakula Vinayagar Temple. Earlier, Chief Minister of Puducherry, V. Narayanasami, had directed the forest department to return Lakshmi back to her home at the Manakula Vinayagar Temple in the Union Territory. The development was confirmed by the IT cell of the Congress party on social media.

Pakistan bans dumping of animal waste generated after Bakrid sacrifices near airports as they can cause air crashes

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan bans dumping of animal waste generated after Bakrid sacrifices near airports as they can cause air crashes

The authorities in Pakistan have imposed a ban on dumping post-sacrificial animal waste near airports as it could risk flight accidents.

According to the reports, in a recent notification issued by the provincial government of Sindh, it has banned the dumping of animal carcasses that are expected to be generated after the sacrifice of animals during the Eid celebrations in Pakistan. The decision has been made to avoid aircraft accidents which may be caused by birds attracted to such animal waste produced during slaughtering.

The province has imposed Section 144 in the areas surrounding airports which will remain in effect for a month. The authorities have anticipated that there would be a large dump of animal carcass near airports after Bakrid celebrations in Pakistan, which may attract birds near the airport and cause risk to flights.

Bird Strikes are considered to be a significant threat to aircraft safety. A bird strike can cause significant damages all aircraft, including jet-engined ones. The jet engines are vulnerable to the loss of thrust which can follow the ingestion of birds into engine air intakes. This has resulted in a number of fatal accidents across the world.

Bird strikes usually happen during the take-off, initial climb, approach and landing phases due to the greater numbers of birds in flight at lower levels. With severe dumping of animal carcasses around airports, it will lead to more numbers of birds at the airport risking aviation safety.

The diktat from the Singh government comes months after Pakistan faced one of the deadliest air crashes in Pakistan’s aviation history after PIA flight PK-8303 travelling from Lahore had crashed near Karachi’s Jinnah international airport. Following the crash, there were demands from several quarters to the aviation department to increase safety to avoid such tragedies.

Chief Minister of Sindh Murad Ali Shah had earlier directed authorities to allocate specific areas for animal sacrifices ahead of Bakrid. “If animals are slaughtered in streets everywhere, this will lead to the spread of diseases,” he had said asking authorities to establish designated places at the Union Council level.

PIA flight crash

A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) passenger plane crashed near the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi on May 22, 2020, just minutes before landing.

According to the reports, the PIA flight PK-8303 travelling from Lahore was about to land in Karachi’s Jinnah international airport when it crashed at the Jinnah Garden area near Model Colony in Malir, Karachi. It was reported that at close to 100 passengers and crew members were inside the aircraft when it went down over a residential area.

Chattisgarh: Naxal terrorist gives up arms as a gift to his sister on Rakhsabandhan

OpIndia Staff
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Chattisgarh: Naxal terrorist gives up arms as a gift to his sister on Rakhsabandhan

On Saturday, a Naxal terrorist gave up his arms in Dantewada, Chattisgarh to fulfil his sister’s wish on Rakshabandhan. According to the reports, his sister asked him to surrender to the police and join the mainstream. She informed the SP herself and said, “My brother is back home and will not do anything wrong. He will stay with me.”

Malla Tamo, who has eight lakh Rupees bounty on his head, went to Dodi Tumnar of Bijapur 14 years ago to meet his uncle. He joined platoon number 13 of the Naxals there. He was operating as a deputy commander of the platoon and knows how to operate several weapons. On Saturday, Linge, Tamo’s sister reached police line in Karali along with her husband. She had already informed the SP on the phone before coming that Tamo has returned and wants to join the mainstream on her request.

After learning about Tamo’s return, the police officers reached Karali where Tamo surrendered in the presence of SP Dr Abhishek Pallav and DIG (CRPF) Vinay Kumar Singh. Linge said in her statement that Tamo came to meet her after 14 years. She convinced him to surrender as a gift to her on Rakshabandhan. She informed about his wish to surrender with the help of DRG personnel and reached Karali after talking to the SP.

Not the first time brother-sister love overpowered Naxal movement

This is not the first time the bond between brother and sister overpowered Naxal movement. A week ago, Dasmi Kuhrami, who had a bounty of Rs.5 lakh on her head, surrendered in front of police. She urged her brother to surrender as well and said that she would wait for him on Rakshabandhan. In 2018, Vetti Rama, who was a Naxal and later joined mainstream as an officer, came face-to-face to his sister, who was still operating as a Naxal. He said that as a Raksha Bandhan gift, he asked his sister to surrender. Rama still awaits his sister’s return and hopes she will soon give up arms and return.

Watch: Cow for slaughter lifted from rooftop through crane falls to death in Pakistan on Bakri Eid

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: Cow for slaughter lifted from rooftop through crane falls to death in Pakistan on Bakri Eid

Horrifying visuals have gone viral on social media where a cow being lifted through crane loses its balance and falls to its own death as people around stand and watch.

Disclaimer: Disturbing visual. Viewer discretion advised.

One can see that the cow is being lifted from top of the two-storied building when it loses balance and falls to her death.

The video is reportedly from Karachi, Pakistan. However, it cannot be independently verified. There are more such videos on social media where cows are being lifted with cranes from top of houses to be taken for slaughter.

As shown in the video, those who cannot afford goat for sacrifice for Eid rear animals like cows on second and third floors of the houses in Karachi. On the day of qurbani, these cows are brought down through crane. As per the video, the man had reared cows on 2nd and 3rd floors of his house to be sold on Eid. Each of the cow is reportedly sold for Rs 5 lakh.

Similar such videos emerge every year.

The cows are reared on the rooftop ahead of Eid.

Apparently, they get them as calves and rear them for long time by feeding and taking care of them to be sold ahead of Eid for qurbani.

Pakistan: Thousands of people take out a procession in Peshawar to hail the killer of an elderly blasphemy accused inside court

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan: Thousands of people take out a procession in Peshawar to hail the killer of an elderly blasphemy accused inside court

Days after an elderly Ahmadiyya man was shot dead in front of the judge in a local court in the Peshawar city of Pakistan, thousands of radical Islamists hit the streets to express solidarity with the assassin. The victim, Tahir Ahmed Naseem, was a US citizen and had been facing trial under blasphemy charges for allegedly ‘insulting’ the Muslim Prophet Muhammad since 2018. Following the incident, the police arrested the killer Khalid Khan.

Defying social distancing guidelines amidst the Coronavirus outbreak, thousands of Pakistani men who believe in the death penalty for blasphemy took out a procession in support of the killer of Ahmed. With banners in hand, the radical Islamists chanted slogans of ‘Allah hu Akbar’ and ‘Naara-e-Takbeer’ and hailed the assassin.

Earlier, the killer was praised as a ‘hero’ on social media, people had hailed him as the ‘Lion of Islam’ for killing the ‘blasphemer’. Claiming that he saved ‘Islam’, many in Pakistan have been justifying Khalid Khan’s heinous crime as an act of bravery and hailing him as some sort of a ‘hero’ for killing an unarmed elderly man inside a courtroom.

The killing of Tahir Ahmed

A lawyer, who witnessed the incident, said that a case had been registered against the deceased under blasphemy laws. The accused was brought to court from Peshawar Central Jail. “During the hearing of the case, the complainant said that the accused was an Ahmadi and asked him to recite the Kalima-e-Tayyaba,” the lawyer said, adding that the complainant then fired at the elderly man and killed him. Tahir Ahmed Naseem was on trial for ‘insulting’ the Muslim Prophet Muhammad. He was in jail since 2018.

Reportedly, the court is situated in a high-security zone in the cantonment area next to the provincial assembly building, the Peshawar High Court, the chief minister’s secretariat, and Governor House. It is not clear how the armed attacker managed to get into the court despite the court is situated in such a highly secured area.

‘Filing criminal charges against woman not against feminism’: Sushant Singh Rajput’s brother-in-law takes on Barkha Dutt’s interview with Sushant’s ‘therapist’

OpIndia Staff
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‘Filing criminal charges against woman not against feminism’: Sushant Singh Rajput’s brother-in-law takes on Barkha Dutt’s interview with Sushant’s ‘therapist’

Vishal Kirti, the brother-in-law of the deceased Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput on Sunday slammed YouTube journalist Barkha Dutt for her insensitivity and the lack of professional ethics in reporting the death of Sushant Singh Rajput after the controversial journalist pushed the actor’s alleged therapist to divulge confidential medical records of the actor saying that he had bipolar disorder.

In an interview, Susan Walker Moffat, who claimed to be a therapist to the deceased actor, said that Sushant had Bipolar disorder prompting social media users to raise serious questions on both Barkha Dutt and Susan Moffat’s credibility and their respect for client’s confidentiality.

Following the Barkha Dutt’s interview with the therapist, Vishal Kirti, the brother-in-law of Sushant Singh Rajput has lambasted the former NDTV news anchor stating that Sushant Singh Rajput’s death was not an opportunity to spread awareness about mental health.

Vishal Kirti stated that he personally believed that there should not be a “special” stigma around mental health issues as just like physical health, mental health is also an outcome of biology and the environment. Kirti also said that his reason to explicitly mention “special” is that it is nearly impossible to completely eliminate stigma from health issues.

“However, since there is an enormous amount of stigma today, mental health information is protected by the law of the land. Disclosing mental health information by a psychotherapist/psychologist is not only unethical but also illegal (except for certain circumstances which don’t apply here). I leave it to my father-in-law to press charges on this matter.

Calling for criminal charges against Rhea is not misogynistic, says Kirti

In a long post written by Kiri, he said that he too was a feminist and cared about women’s issues but calling criminal charges against Rhea Chakraborty as ‘misogynistic’ is an incorrect assessment of the situation. “My first point is that caring about women’s issues is not incompatible with filing criminal charges against a female suspect,” wrote Kirti.

Questioning the validity of claims made by the so-called therapist of Sushant, brother-in-law Vishal Kirti made some relevant observations saying that diagnosing mental disorders is an arduous task and diagnosing someone Bipolar was even more complex. He said that not only someone has to observe the person very closely, but also over long periods of time. Challenging Susan’s claims, Kirti said that the therapist worked with the actor for over two months, which was a very short time to conclude that the actor had such symptoms.

Kirti notes that it takes at least six years on an average to diagnose the onset of symptoms. He slammed Susan for her audacity to disclose this information in the public domain.

“If we are to believe Susan, another thing which does become clear is that it was Rhea indeed who was seeking treatment for Sushant and not Sushant himself. Prior to October/November 2019 (and certainly prior to meeting Rhea), as far as I know, no one who has lived with Sushant has ever complained about his mental health, nor has Sushant himself,” revealed Vishal Kirti.

Brother-in-law raises suspicion over the role of Rhea in Sushant’s death

Raising suspicion over Rhea Chakraborty’s role in the death of Sushant Singh Rajput, Kirti pointed out the FIR that said how Sushant was perhaps given psychotropic drugs by Rhea covertly, which he said was illegal.

Vishal Kirti wrote, “There could be many explanations of this sudden onset of mental health issues in October/November of 2019. This could be a result of covert medication and withdrawal of psychotropic drugs (perhaps the covert medication stopped during their Europe trip in October 2019 [perhaps because of eating out mostly so no opportunity to covertly medicate him with food? or perhaps intentionally not medicating?], which led to withdrawal symptoms).”

Further, Kirti raises the suspicion that Sushant Singh Rajput was taken to the psychotherapist under the pretext of care. He also expressed his surprise over the manner in which appointments were set up by Rhea, who was also present all the time which could have been a sign of keeping a tab on Sushant’s conversations with the psychotherapist and keeping evidence of mental health issues so that it can be used later for blackmail or to justify the firm control on his resources.

Sushant was gaslighted by Rhea, says Vishal Kirti

According to Kirti, the actor may not have got the opportunity to highlight the gaslighting and blackmail done by Rhea to his therapist as there was no privacy with Rhea’s presence.

“Sushant seemed to have suffered gaslighting at the hands of Rhea, based on the information in the public domain. Antisocial Personality Disorder is the more technical term for sociopathy/psychopathy and could be potentially diagnosed for Rhea (I am not diagnosing, only suggesting). Based on what happened, gaslighting seems to fit the bill, in addition to other methods of confinement and control…Based on the evidence in the public domain so far and the claims in the FIR, Rhea is the prime suspect in this case. It will indeed be a shocking surprise to the entire nation if it is found in the court of law that she was a loving partner and not an opportunist who eliminated most of Sushant’s ties with his family and friends,” Kirti noted while pointing fingers at Rhea Chakraborty for her role in the death of the 34-year-old actor.

Barkha Dutt needs to conduct herself better

Finally, expressing his disappointment over the manner in which Barkha Dutt conducted herself in reporting Sushant Singh Rajput’s case, Vishal Kirti said that he was very disappointed with the path she chose in this matter. 

“Unless proven in the court of law that Sushant took his own life because of a mental illness that happened without any foul play (gaslighting, blackmail, covert medication, or overt overmedication), this is NOT the example to use to create awareness around mental illness. Even if proven in the court of law, the only thing that can be even remotely used is the awareness aspect of it with the intention to help and never the intimate details of the diagnosis or disclosure of diagnosis from the mental health professional,” said Kirti.

Pointing out that Barkha Dutt could have chosen to emphasize the financial angle to probe the matter rather than discussing the mental health of the actor, the brother-in-law of the deceased actor said that Barkha still has an opportunity to amend by reflecting on the choice she has made and perhaps apologizing for not deliberating on this enough before hitting publish. 

Susan Walker Moffat’s qualification questioned

Several social media users have also questioned the authority of Susan to declare that Sushant was suffering from bipolar disorder. It has been pointed out that Susan is a Psychology Counselor, and not a Psychiatrist.

A Psychiatrist is a medical doctor, and only Psychiatrists can diagnose and certify that someone has a specific disorder, and can prescribe medicine or treatment for that, including counselling by a Psychologist. Susan Walker Moffat has done MSc in Psychology from London University, she has no medical qualification, and although she can advise tests and diagnose a condition, she is not authorised to confirm or certify that diagnosis, only a qualified doctor in psychiatry can do that. Moreover, The psychology course can be taken by Arts students too. Therefore, by declaring on Barkha Dutt’s YouTube channel that Sushant Singh Rajput had bipolar disorder, she has exceeded her authorities, apart from violating client confidentiality norms.

“I will rape you and cut you into four pieces”: Sameer Ahmed had threatened a girl in Delhi’s Maujpur area a day before riots broke out

रवि अग्रहरि
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“I will rape you and cut you into four pieces”: Sameer Ahmed had threatened a girl in Delhi’s Maujpur area a day before riots broke out

“He’s a hot-blooded boy, it happens,” said the family of the Muslim boy after he openly threatened to rape a girl alleges the family of the victim. The incident is of New Delhi’s Mohanpuri area in Maujpur where Hindu families live in 2-3 lanes surrounded by Muslims.

On 21 February 2020, when some were writing the blueprint of the riots which will take place in Delhi in few days’ time, a girl named Devanshi, who lived in Gali no. 8 (details changed to protect identity) took her pet dog for a walk. Mistakenly, she walks to dog till the turning of Gali no. 9 where dense Muslim locality begins. This was her biggest mistake as reaching the lane subjected her to abuses and threats of rape.

Speaking to OpIndia, Devanshi said that when she reached Gali no. 9, one Muslim boy, Sameer, who was already going somewhere on his bike, started abusing her. When Devanshi asked him to stop, Sameer said, “Don’t bring your dog to urinate here or rape you and cut you into four pieces.” In retaliation, she held her collar.

After the incident, Devanshi went back home and dialled 100 to file a complaint. PCR came and took Devanshi and her mother to Bhajanpura Police Station where they were made to sit for almost three hours. At around 10:30, IO Manoj Bhati took down the complaint but because of work overload, an FIR is not registered. Next day on 22nd February at 9 AM they were called to Bhajanpura police station. IO Manoj Bhati had gone to pick up Sameer based on Devanshi’s complaint. After two hours, when Devanshi sat at the station, Sameer’s family members along with more than 50 people from Muslim community reached the police station.

Devanshi tells OpIndia that SHO Bhajanpura, R S Meena changed his stand after a prominent member of Muslim community from the crowd met him. Earlier it was decided that an FIR will be registered on 22nd February. But now, they were pressurising the victim to ‘compromise’. Even after hours, an FIR was not registered.

Eventually on insistence of SHO Meena and IO Manoj Bhati when Devanshi agreed to compromise, then she was threatened with an FIR herself. In the Police station itself Sameer had confessed to having abused her and threatened her of rape in front of his family members and neighbours, as per Devanshi. When she saw Sameer smiling, Devanshi, however, decided against it. Now she was convinced that she was not wrong in holding Sameer’s collar on having received rape threat. ‘If I committed a crime by holding his collar, then file FIR on me as well but an FIR should be filed on my complaint too,’ she said. Speaking to OpIndia on phone, Devanshi further alleges that when she asked for a written copy of the complaint, IO Manoj Bhati threw it away in the dustbin in front of Sameer and his relatives.

On seeing this behaviour when Devanshi went to meet the ASP, the police removed her from the cabin as well. By 22nd February evening, she had already dialled 100 which was transferred to the same Bhajanpura police station. When she approached National Commission for Women (NCW), she was asked to reach out to the DCP office in Seelampur. Here, NCW directs Bhajanpura police station to file an FIR in her case.

At around 8 PM she again requested to file a complaint on the incident that took place on 21st February, a day prior. Here she is informed that while the FIR will be filed, a copy can be made available only at midnight. Devanshi says that they kept such a time thinking that perhaps she will back off if she is called in late at night in such a communally sensitive area. She further says that despite giving address details of Sameer, son of Sharafuddin, the details were missing in the FIR. Further, she says that instead of making it a case of rape threat and abuses, it is reported as a misbehaviour and harassment case.

Copy of FIR filed in Bhajanpura

According to Devanshi, when she insisted that the FIR includes details of the complaint filed, she was informed that the FIR is done as per instructions of IO Manoj Bhati. She was further informed that if she wants the details changed, she will have to approach the court. When she asked them to talk to her lawyer, they delay the matter for next day but the FIR copy is not changed.

When asked under whose pressure was the change in FIR being delayed, Devanshi, while speaking to OpIndia, said that while she went to the police station with just her mother, Sameer had come there with a mob of over 50 people including prominent Muslim residents of the area.

On 24th February 2020, Devanshi registered a complaint in DCP office in Seelampur. In her complaint to the DCP she stated that the FIR did not include her grievances. But nothing came out of it either.

Letter to DCP

On 24th February 2020, the northeast part of Delhi erupted in violence. Seelampur, Bhajapura, Maujpur and such areas were greatly affected during the riots. Devanshi stayed at home in hopes that the police will ensure she will get justice. While normalcy returned in the area after a few days, the Hindus in the area still lived in fear.

The fear is such that some of the Hindus are leaving their homes and putting them up for sale. On 9th March, someone from Bhajanpura Police station comes and gives a court notice where she is asked to go and give her statement at the Karkardooma Court. However, the FIR still has different details. When she calls up the police station, Sub-Inspector Kiran Kumari informed her that only the court can decide on it.

Devanshi says that on 18th and 19th March she went to the court with her mother and spent entire day sitting there but her statement was not taken. She was informed that the statements in the Delhi riots case were being registered on priority and other statements will be registered later.

After over a month of waiting for justice, Devanshi wrote to BJP MP Manoj Tiwari seeking action against Sameer Ahmed as well as SHO R S Meena and IO Manoj Bhati.

Letter to Manoj Tiwari

It has been three months since she wrote to BJP MP Manon Tiwari. Sameer Ahmed, who would smile at her triumphantly earlier, two weeks back threatened her again. Earlier he used to only stare at her and make her feel uncomfortable, but now he has went on to make threats again. “You B*K@#*(L, what has police done? Earlier I had only said, now I will make good of the threat. Police is in my pocket,” he threatened her, Devanshi says.

Devanshi now seeks action against Sameer Ahmed. “He knows me from childhood. We used to study in same school in different sections. In spite of that he is threatening me. Tomorrow he may actually do it. I want that what is in my complaint gets admitted in the FIR and action is taken against Sameer. Action should also be taken against those who sided with the perpetrator under pressure because they got bogged down by a Muslim crowd instead of the victim,” she says.

Meanwhile, while interacting with BJP MP Manoj Tiwari who had visited the area to talk to those eloping the area after the riots, Devanshi reminded him of the letter she wrote to him. Tiwari has promised to have a look into the matter.

Devanshi wants to ensure that no one should be allowed to roam freely like the way Sameer is after making rape threats to girls.

The above article was originally published on OpIndia Hindi website. You could read the article here.

‘Ram Janmabhoomi Movement exposed pseudo-secularism and communal appeasement, we will restore past glory of sacred Ayodhya’: Yogi Adityanath

OpIndia Staff
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‘Ram Janmabhoomi Movement exposed pseudo-secularism and communal appeasement, we will restore past glory of sacred Ayodhya’: Yogi Adityanath

Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, penned an article for The Sunday Guardian on his vision for Ayodhya and the Bhoomi Pujan event for the construction of the Ram Temple in Janmabhoomi that is set to occur on the 5th of August. In his article, he paid homage to the sacrifices made by Ram Bhakts through all these years, paid tributes to his spiritual Gurus and also laid out his vision for the birthplace of Rama.

Image Credit: @CMOfficeUP

Yogi Adityanath said that the Bhoomi Pujan event will be a ‘befitting culmination’ of five centuries of “perseverance, reverence and penance” of crores of Ram Bhakts. “It is truly gratifying that Lord Ram has given our generation the opportunity to treasure this in our lifetime and leave a religious legacy to the posterity to revere and adore. It will also be an event to recall the sacrifice of thousands of devotees who are not with us to witness this monumental event,” he said.

The UP Chief Minister also remembered the contributions of Mahant Digvijaynath and Mahant Avaidyanath, the immediate predecessors of Yogi Adityanath as the Gorakshapeethishwar, towards the success of the reclamation project. He said that it was Mahant Digvijaynath who first espoused the construction of the Temple between 1934 and 1949 and he also hinted at the late Mahant’s hand behind the ‘magical appearance’ of the Murthi of Shri Rama inside the disputed structure in the winter of 1949.

Yogi Adityanath continued, “After his demise on 28 September 1969, Mahant Avaidyanath-ji adopted the resolve of his Gurudev and launched a decisive movement for the construction of grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya.” The UP Chief Minister said that his spiritual father was chosen to be the first President of Shri Ram Janam Bhumi Yagya Samiti on 21 July 1984.

He continued, “The whole movement managed to expose a few partisan thought processes of pseudo-secularism and communal appeasement, threatening the nationalist ideology, which was developed over the years by the penance of our great sages and saints. It was not to be though. It has also been a historic moment when the first spade was hit by Mahant Avaidyanath-ji and the much-revered saint Paramhans Ramchandra-ji Maharaj during the symbolic digging of the land for the construction of the Shri Ram temple.”

On his vision for Ayodhya, the Chief Minister said that the birthplace of Rama has been ignored for far too long. He said, “The Uttar Pradesh government, under the able guidance of Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi is committed to restore the past glory of this sacred town. Ayodhya has long been neglected due to political apathy.”

“We are working on a well-thought out plan to place Ayodhya-ji on the global map in terms of development and the facilities and make it as a symbol of modern culture. The world has already seen splendid Deepawali for three years and now is the time to perceive Ayodhya as a combination of religion and development,” he added.

Saying that the gathering of large number of devotees could not be permitted due to the Coronavirus pandemic, he urged Ram Bhakts to light a lamp in their respective houses on the 4th and 5th of August. Yogi Adityanath also urged the respected saints and Dharmacharyas to organise “Akhand Ramayan” in temples.

28-year-old fast of 81-year-old Urmila Chaturvedi to end with Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan

OpIndia Staff
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28-year-old fast of 81-year-old Urmila Chaturvedi to end with Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan

In 1992, Urmila Chaturvedi in Jabalpur vowed not to eat grains and practice fast till the construction of Ram Mandir begins in Ayodhya. After 28 years of fasting, the time has arrived for her to take blessings of Bhagwan Ram and break her fast. The family, who supported her during her fast, are happy that she will finally eat grains. For 28 years, Urmila survived all these years on fruits.

81-year-old Chaturvedi lives in Vijay Nagar area of Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh. In 1992, when the disputed structure of the Babri Masjid was brought down, and riots broke in the country, she vowed that she would only eat fruits till the construction of the Ram Mandir begins in Ayodhya. Her vow to fast till Ram Mandir is constructed was first reported in November 2019 when the Supreme Court of India gave the verdict in favour of Ram Lalla Virajman and ordered the government of India to form a trust to take care of the construction of the temple. At that time PTI quoted her son Amit Chaturvedi who said, “My mother was on a fruit and milk diet for the past 27 years. She was 54 at the time when she started this. She is very happy with the Supreme Court verdict.”

Urmila Chaturvedi was pleased with the decision. She said it took 28 years for the decision to come, but she is relieved that Ram Mandir will stand on its actual place. During these 28 years, she lost many relatives because of her fast. Many persuaded her to start eating grains, but she remained adamant. Her family’s support was always with her, and she was awarded for her courage and dedication in the public forum many times. Her family is planning to take her to Ayodhya and break her fast at the banks of Saryu River as soon as possible. Though Urmila Chaturvedi wanted to participate in the construction of the temple along with her family, but Covid-19 pandemic disrupted the plan.

Bhoomi pujan on 5th August

The Ram Janmbhoomi Trust has finalized 5th August for Bhoomi Pujan of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be present for the ceremony. He will place a 22.6 KG silver brick in the foundation. Many prominent leaders and saints are also going to take part in the ceremony. On 5th August, Bhagwan Ram’s portraits will be beamed on Times Square, New York. The Indian community in the US is organizing the event.

Jharkhand: Cow slaughtered on Bakri Eid, meat thrown near Narsingh Temple in Hazaribagh

OpIndia Staff
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Jharkhand: Cow slaughtered on Bakri Eid, meat thrown near Narsingh Temple in Hazaribagh

On Saturday, tension reportedly flared up between two communities in the Khapariyawan area of Hazaribag city in Jharkhand after a cow was allegedly slaughtered in a house near Narsingh temple on the occasion of Bakr Eid.

According to locals, they noticed blood flowing from a house in the village and approached the police vehicle which was parked near the temple. On learning about the police, the residents of the house fled the scene. Reportedly, the cops discovered cow meat at the said house and confiscated it. A First Information Report (FIR) was also registered at the Katkamdag police station.

Police attacked; vehicles vandalised near temple

As per reports, the incident of cow slaughter sparked off stone pelting from people belonging to two communities. When the Katkamdag police reached the spot, they were outnumbered and came under a volley of stones. As such, the cops initially failed to bring the situation under control. As per reports, the miscreants set a motorcycle on fire and vandalised several vehicles, adjacent to the Narsingh temple.

Reportedly, a team of Rapid Action Force (RAF) was deployed in the area at around 11 am who then resorted to lathi-charge and tear gas shells to disperse the unruly mob. While the SDPO Kamal Kishore chased the stone pelters with sticks, SDM Megha Bhardwaj tried to pacify the situation and urged people to return back to their homes.

Strict action to be taken for rumour mongering

During the scuffle between the two communities, several people were injured including police in-charge (Sadar) Ganesh Singh and police in-charge (Katkamdag) Dhananjay Kumar Singh. Deputy Commissioner-in-charge Sandeep Kumar Singh, who went to the spot along with RAF, has directed the cops to conduct an investigation into the case and bring the miscreants to justice. Singh has reportedly warned people against rumor-mongering or sharing videos of the stone-pelting incident on social media. Reportedly, attempts are now being made to hold a peace committee meeting to resolve issues between the two communities.

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