On Sunday, India welcomed the first group of 11 Sikhs and Hindus from Afghanistan. Nidan Singh Sachdeva, who was recently released from captivity after being kidnapped by Islamists, was also among them. The government of India has facilitated their arrival to India seeking permanent residency and eventually citizenship.
Two days back, Delhi BJP had issued a statement in which they named of eleven members of Sikh and Hindu community that came via a special flight as Nidan Singh, Makand Lal, Sanmeet Kaur, Balendra Singh, Charan Kaur Singh, Balvan Kaur Singh, Gurjit Singh, Manmeet Kaur, Mandeep Singh, Poonam Kaur and Praveen Singh. Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta said, “With the enactment of the CAA, the refugees living in India will also get the status of Indian citizens and avail the benefits of various social welfare schemes and facilities of the government.”
#BREAKING: First delegation of Afghan Sikh families who sought refuge in India due to persecution and terror attacks in Afghanistan (by Pakistan based terror groups) have reached India. Nidan Singh Sachdeva also reaches New Delhi. BJP/AkaliDal leaders receive them at airport. pic.twitter.com/IIQwhpz9jE
The Sikh and Hindu group was welcomed into India by members of BJP and Akali Dal.
Anurag Srivastava, spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said in a tweet “1st group of 11 members of Sikh & Hindu minority community of Afghanistan, including Mr.Nidan Singh Sachdeva who was recently released from captivity, reached Delhi today. GoI is facilitating the return of Hindu & Sikh community members seeking permanent residency & citizenship in India.”
1st group of 11 members of Sikh & Hindu minority community of Afghanistan,including Mr.Nidan Singh Sachdeva who was recently released from captivity,reached Delhi today.GoI is facilitating return of Hindu & Sikh community members seeking permanent residency & citizenship in India pic.twitter.com/LKE0GB4ll2
Indian mission in Kabul had earlier said that the eighth batch of stranded Indian citizens had left Kabul by Kam Air to Delhi. “Travel of some members of the Hindu and Sikh Community, interested in moving to India, was also facilitated,” they added.
Indian govt thanks Afghanistan officials
The external affairs ministry in a previous statement said that Afghan Sikhs and Hindus would get “short-term” visas initially. The ministry thanked the Afghanistan government for providing necessary support for safe returns of the 11 people. The statement read, “We appreciate the efforts of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in extending necessary support for the safe return of these families.”
ANI quoted Nidan Singh Sachdeva as saying, “I don’t know what to call Hindustan — whether it is my mother or my father — Hindustan is Hindustan.” He was abducted from the gurudwara in Afghanistan. He was beaten and forced to convert to Islam while in captivity. “I repeatedly told them I have my own religion and I would not convert,” he added.
India to bring 700 Hindus and Sikhs facing persecution in Afghanistan
India has planned to provide a home to 700 Afghans of Sikh and Hindu community who are constanly facing religious persecution, harassment and torture in the hands of Islamist radical groups. The MEA issued a statement after his release and blamed Pakistan for supporting extremists in the area. MEA said, “The targeting and persecution of minority community members by terrorists at the behest of their external supporters remain a matter of grave concern.”
Many members of the minority communities from neighbouring countries have shown interest in shifting to India. In December 2019, India passed Citizen Amendment Act to facilitate the citizenship process of the refugees. It came in to force on 10th Jan 2020. Since then, those who have been living in India and completed the formalities of stay and the required duration can now be eligible for Indian citizenship. Minorities from the neighbouring countries, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan have applied for visas. CAA provides an easier route to citizenship offered the applicant can prove religious persecution in their home country.
An asylum seeker from Rwanda who has been living in France for several years was arrested by the police on Saturday for setting blaze the famous Nantes cathedral. The 39-year-old accused volunteered as a warden at the 15th-century Gothic cathedral in France. His lawyer informed about his confession on Sunday.
The officials have refused to make his name public. He was taken into the custody by the police on Saturday after he confessed for the crime. He was released after his previous arrest during the investigation. His lawyer, Quentin Chabert, said, “With these confessions, there’s a kind of relief: it’s someone scared, who is somehow overwhelmed.” It was important for him to show his sincerity with the cooperation, he added. Chabert declined to go into the details behind his client’s actions.
Chabert claimed that his client regrets his actions and feels remorse. An arson inquiry was opened on 18th July by the prosecutors. He was taken in custody for questioning the very next day, but he was released without charge. At that time, the cathedral’s rector said he trust him like he trusts all the helpers.
Pierre Sennes, the Nantes prosecutor, said he had been charged with “destruction and damage by fire. He may face up to 150,000 euros ($175,000) in fines and ten years in prison.” Sennes added that he admitted during his first appearance for questioning before the investigating judge that he set three fires in the cathedral: at the main organ, the smaller organ, and the electrical panel.
On 18 July, a sudden fire had damaged the iconic cathedral that is one of the most iconic monuments in France. The construction of the cathedral was started in 1434 and had taken 457 years to finish, in 1891.
Famed grand organ, stained glass, precious painting destroyed
On 18th July, the fire broke down from inside of the Gothic structure of the Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. The famous grand organ along with stained-glass windows and a 19th-century painting was destroyed.
Before and after images of the Nantes cathedral’s famed grand organ, image via Richard Gowers on Twitter
The authorities had said that there were no signs of a break-in and the fire was started in three different places within the building. The chief architect for France’s historical monuments, Pascal Prunet, said it would take at least three years to restore the building. Firefighters had to work for several hours to contain the fire. The church was the last hit in 1972. It took 12 years for the experts to restore the building at that time. Laurent Ferlay, regional fire chief, said the damage caused by the fire is much lesser compared to 1972 blaze.
The cathedral had survived bombing in the World War 2.
Around 15 months ago a fire broke down at the Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris. It raised many questions regarding the security and fire safety protocols in place at the historic churches of France.
Live statistics and tracking of news related to COVID-19 coronavirus with focus on India. (Last updated as of 27 July, 2020, 9:00 AM)
Total affected in India
14,35,453
Total recovered in India
9,17,568
Total deaths in India
32,771
Total affected in world
16,420,287
Total recovered in world
10,048,052
Total deaths in world
652,256
India data compiled from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare website. World data is compiled from worldometers. The helpline number for coronavirus is +91-11-23978046. 1075 is the toll-free number. Helpline mail id is ncov19[at]gov[dot]in. The government has advised social distancing and avoiding mass gatherings to contain the infection.
Latest news on coronavirus
After 31st May, India has entered the Unlock phase. Shops, shopping malls, work places and places of worship have opened up. However, social distancing guidelines need to be followed. Cinema halls, gyms and swimming pools continue to remain closed. Citizens are advised to follow the guidelines issued by officials to help contain coronavirus.
India has crossed 2 lakh figure in total coronavirus positive cases. The lockdown which concluded on 17th May 2020 was extended till 31st May. However, the states are given the power to decide on opening up of small businesses and public transport as well as taxi service. E-commerce has also resumed in most part of the country. Moreover, India has recently shown early signs of flattening the curve, though there is a long way to go.
The 40-day lockdown across India has come to an end on 3rd May 2020. Some stores across country have opened with restrictions and guidelines on social distancing. While movement within green zones is freely allowed, restrictions are there in orange and red zones. Containment zones remain completely sealed.
The Tablighi Jamaat chief, Saad, was booked under PMLA for money laundering by the Enforcement Directorate.
The lockdown period was extended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to go upto May 3rd.
Tablighi Jamaat members were found defecating in the corridor at the quarantine centre in New Delhi’s Narela. An FIR was registered regarding the same. The Indian Army was later called in to take over the facility. The Central government in consultation with state governments will decide on whether to extend the three-week lockdown that ends on 14th April 2020.
A 30-year-old man was shot dead in Prayagraj over his remarks on Tablighi Jamaat’s role in the spread of coronavirus. China was found to have sold back the PPEs Italy had initially donated it to the country when the coronavirus outbreak was at its peak in China.
As factories stay shut and vehicles stay off the roads amidst coronavirus lockdown, the water quality of the rivers have improved. Ganga is much cleaner in Kanpur and Varanasi and mountain ranges like Dhauladhar in Himachal Pradesh are visible from Jalandhar, Punjab. Over 22,000 Tablighi Jamaat members and their contacts have been traced and quarantined. Despite Jamaat disaster, India has managed to flatten the curve to certain extent.
Nizamuddin in New Delhi has emerged as the latest hotspot for the coronavirus in India. The Islamic evangelical event took place in the national capital on 21 March 2020 even as the administration had announced bans on huge public gatherings. Dozens of cases across India were traced back to the Tablighi Jamaat. The Ministry of Home Affairs confirmed that 22,000 Tablighi Jamaat members and their contacts have been traced and put into quarantine. 295 persons out of the total 485 confirmed new positive cases of Wuhan Coronavirus were detected within a single day had attended the Tablighi Jamaat held at the Nizamuddin Markaz
The Chief Medical Officer of the District MMG Hospital in Ghaziabad had written a letter to the Ghaziabad police informing about the criminal behaviour of the Jamaatis. The CMO had written that the members of the Tablighi Jamaat who as kept at the isolation ward of the hospital have been roaming in their wards naked with their pants. The letter states that obscene comments and songs are being heard from the ward, and inmates are asking for beedi-cigarette from the staff of the hospital. The CMO also writes that those people are also making lewd gestures towards female employees of the hospital.
An FIR was filed against 6 Tablighi Jamaat members for their lewd behaviour in Ghaziabad.
Interestingly, despite the massive jump in cases due to Tablighi Jamaat, India managed to flatten the curve. It remains to be seen if the trend can be continued.
A shrimp seller woman in Wuhan is reportedly identified at patient zero of the coronavirus outbreak. People of 24 villages home quarantined in Punjab as ‘super spreader‘ Sikh preacher Baldev Singh infects 28 people.
As Chinese coronavirus pandemic engulfs India, Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government indulges in blame game. As per reports, midnight announcements were made in colonies where UP-Bihar migrant workers lived informing them that they will be taken to Anand Vihar bus terminal from where they could board buses to their villages. This, despite the fact that state governments have sealed borders in a bid to contain the pandemic. AAP leader Raghav Chadha indulged in spreading fake news that UP government got migrant workers returning to UP beaten up. An FIR has been registered against him.
Saudi-return woman in Delhi, who had infected her anti-CAA protestor brother at Jahangirpuri, has also infected the Mohalla Clinic doctor she visited. The doctor, his wife and daughter have also tested positive for COVID-19. Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba has told the state governments that 15 lakh international travellers came to India over the last two month but there appears to be a discrepancy between the actual monitoring for COVID-19 and the total arrivals. In Maharashtra, 12 people were tested positive for COVID-19, 4 of whom had returned from Haj and Rajasthan registered its first death. An analysis also revealed that half of India’s imported cases were from the Middle East.
In his address to the nation, Prime Minister Modi announced complete lockdown of the entire country for 21 days starting midnight. Essential services like milk, groceries, medicines will be available. Fake news about possible corruption and favouritism on the part of the government in choosing a Gujarat based company to manufacture Covid-19 testing kits became viral, which was debunked comprehensively. Interestingly, while crying racism, China refused to allow discussion in the UNSC regarding the Wuhan Coronavirus and blocked a bill that called for full trasnparency of the outbreak.
The state administration is instructed to ensure the lockdown is implemented strictly. Delhi hasn’t registered a single new case in past 40 hours. AltNews founder and Shekhar Gupta amongst others indulged in sharing fake and unverified news made by a fake Twitter account.
As India observed a Janta Curfew on Sunday as called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the union government and several governments announced major moves to curtail the spread of Wuhan Coronavirus. The Indian Railways announced the cancellation of all passenger train still 31st March. All metro trains in the country have also been cancelled. All 75 coronavirus affected districts were put under complete lockdown. Apart from that, as many as 15 states have enforced lockdown, ordering that all public transport, non-essential shops and offices will remain shut.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Modi had addressed the nation and urged citizens to practice self-isolation “Janta Curfew” on Sunday between 7 AM to 9 PM and not step out of the house. He has also urged citizens to come out to the balconies and clap and appreciate the healthcare workers who are fighting this pandemic from the frontline.
The union govt on 21st March allowed NABL accredited laboratories to conduct tests for Novel Coronavirus. ICMR has issued detailed guidelines to be followed by private laboratories in this case. ICMR has also stipulated that the maximum cost of the test can’t exceed Rs 4,500, while appealing the laboratories to offer the test at free of cost or at subsidised rates. The test at govt labs remains free. Earlier, 18 international and Indian companies were issued licenses to conduct the test.
On 21st March ICMR had issued revised guidelines for Covid-19 tests, saying that all asymptomatic direct and high-risk contacts of confirmed cases should get themselves tested once between day 5 and day 14 of coming in his/her contact.
Ministry has informed N95 masks are available in sufficient quantity in India. Ministry has urged people not to panic or pay heed to rumours. Ministry has reiterated that there is no community transfer of the virus in India and we are sufficiently equipped to handle the crisis. The government has announced that no international commercial scheduled passenger flight will be allowed to land in India from 22nd March onward for a period of 1 week.
Oscar award winning sound designer Resul Pookutty on Sunday night took to Twitter to reveal that the Hindi film industry shut down its doors for him after he won the award.
Dear @shekharkapur ask me about it, I had gone through near breakdown as nobody was giving me work in Hindi films and regional cinema held me tight after I won the Oscar… There were production houses told me at my face ”we don’t need you” but still I love my industry,for it…. https://t.co/j5CMNWDqqr
He revealed that production houses told him on his face that they don’t “need him”. “I had gone through near breakdown as nobody was giving me work in Hindi films,” he said. Pookutty stated that it was the regional film industry which held him tight. He was responding to filmmaker Shekhar Kapur’s reaction to musician A R Rahman’s revelation that Bollywood gangs have been working overtime to stop him from getting work in Hindi film industry.
@shekharkapur … again all that for the work I have done here… There will always people to run you down but I have far more faith in my people than anybodyelse!
He added that in Bollywood, despite all the good work he has done, there will always be people who run him down. “But I have far more faith in my people than anybody else,” he said. He further added that winning the Oscar was the biggest reality check for him.
@shekharkapur …and much later when I discussed this with my @TheAcademy members friends they told me about #OscarCurse! It’s faced by everybody! I enjoyed going through that phase, when you are on top of the world &when you know people reject you,it’s the biggest reality check!
He said that the low phase after winning the Oscar when people reject you after being on top of the world was the biggest reality check for himself.
Pookutty made his debut in 2004 with Sanjay Gupta’s Musafir and went on to win the Oscar for Slumdog Millionnaire in 2009.
Amid the raging nepotism debate in Bollywood, legendary musician A R Rahman opened up about the vicious Bollywood ‘gangs’ which have been working tirelessly to ensure he finds less work in Bollywood. Rahman added that he is now forced to do ‘dark’ movies and not the good ones as several people have ganged him against him, without realising that they are ‘harming’ his career prospects.
Tamil actress Vijayalakshmi on Sunday evening attempted suicide after uploading a video on her Facebook page. She is currently undergoing treatment at a Chennai hospital. In her video, she alleged harassment from NTK (Naam Tamilar Katchi) party and Hari Nadar (Panankattu Padai) and accused them of humiliation and torture.
In her video, she said that NTK politician Seeman and his partymen were allegedly humiliating her regularly on social media. She had said in her video that she has taken a few tablets to bring down her blood pressure and that she will fall unconscious and die soon. She said that Seeman would torture her because she was born in Karnataka.
“As a woman I have put up with it to my highest capabilities, I won’t be able to handle the pressure anymore. I am from the Pillai community, the same community LTTE leader Prabhakaran is part of. Prabhakaran is the only reason Seeman is who he is today, but now he has been harassing me on social media continuously. You slut shamed me to make me feel the pain and it is up to me to decide on what to do after facing such insults from you. I request my fans to not let Seeman away from this case, he should never get an anticipatory bail. My death should be a big eye opener to everyone. I don’t want to be a slave to anybody.” she said in her video.
Former filmmaker Seeman is a vocal supporter of Sri Lankan Tamil people and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and is a devout follower of LTTE founder Prabhakaran.
Founding Editor at The Wire, Siddharth Varadarajan, has hit out at former interim-director of CBI M Nageswara Rao after the latter spoke out against what he calls “Project Abarahamosation of Hindu Civilisation”. American citizen Varadarajan took great offence at the IPS officer for exercising his freedom of expression as guaranteed by the Indian Constitution.
Unbelievable communal paranoia from a senior, serving police officer who was put in charge of the CBI when Modi ousted Alok Verma. Verma was also ‘committed’, no doubt, but Modi-Shah’s ‘New India’ demands showy allegiance to RSS and its anti-Muslim claptrap. https://t.co/NVMC03rlUA
In the tweet in question, Nageswara Rao highlighted the fact that there is an organised attempt underway to relegate the Hindu Civilisation to the dustbins of history. According to him, there is a deliberate attempt to deny Hindus knowledge of their history and vilify Hinduism as a collection of superstitions.
Nageswara Rao also says that the education system has been Abrahamised and so have been the media and entertainment industry. He said an attempt has been made to shame Hindus about their identity and consequently, if the glue of Hinduism ceases to exist, then Hindu society withers away.
Furthermore, the IPS officer attached four photos to his tweet which highlights the phases in which subversive elements attempted to undermine Hindu society. In the first phase, the attached picture says that the Ministry of Education was under the hands of people such as Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Humayun Kabir and Nurul Hassan and leftists.
1st ohase of deracination of Hindus according to M Nageswara Rao
During this phase, there was the distortion of history at an industrial scale and an attempt to whitewash the crimes of the genocidal Muslim invaders. Leftist and pro-minority academicians and scholars were patronised by the government while their Hindu Nationalist counterparts were deliberately sidelined.
Nageswara Rao calls the 1980s the phase of ‘inadvertent re-Hinduisation’. During this phase, the Ram Janmabhoomi gates were opened and the appearance of television shows such as Ramanand’s Ramayan and Lav-Kush ‘re-Hinduised’ Hindu society on a massive scale. Furthermore, “the sustained hard work of RSS/VHP” aided in the same.
Image Source: M Nageswara Rao/Twitter
Nageswara Rao says the second phase of the deracination of Hindus began from 1990s after “Anti-Hindus understood the process of re-Hinduisation in 1980s”. The Anti-Hindus, he says, “started an intensive and extensive de-Hinduisation of every aspect of education and public institution.”
The IPS officer says that de-Hinduisation is underway at a massive scale in mass media, art, literature, entertainment and cinemas. He said, “In fact, Cinemas have gone a step ahead by Christo-Islamisation- one hardly finds Hindu imagery nowadays but Christo-Islamic imagery is in abundance both in lyrics & visuals even though the plot and characters are Hindu.”
Second phase of deracination of Hindus according to Nageswara Rao
While people may disagree with individual components of the officer’s reasoning, hardly anyone will disagree with the fact that there is a concerted attempt underway to undermine Hinduism. Similarly, it is widely recognised that Indian history has been distorted and the crimes of the Islamic invaders have been deliberately whitewashed. Even ‘secular liberal’ intellectuals bemoan the fact that history was distorted due to politics which they blame for the rise of Hindutva in the country.
The abundance of anti-Hindu propaganda on platforms such as Netflix and even Bollywood movies, something we have reported on extensively, is testament to the accuracy of the assertions made by Nageswara Rao. In addition to this, the manner in which the mainstream media covered the anti-Hindu Deli Riots and the frequency with which it spreads fake news to undermine Hinduism further proves his assertions as well.
The hysterics of Varadarajan, no doubt, was exacerbated by Rao’s usage of the term ‘Christo-Islamisation’. The term refers to the alliance between the two monotheistic religions to undermine the Hindu Civilisation. It is known that such an alliance exists. For instance, after the CAA was passed by the Indian Parliament, Christian organisations and priests opposed the Act for the persecuted minorities of three neighbouring Islamic countries even though it had the provision for Christians from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
The protests against the CAA was the biggest demonstration of the alliance between Christian and Muslim fundamentalists. Furthermore, it is also known that Christian missionary organisations from abroad fund missionaries to convert Hindus in India and Islamic organisations radicalisation of Muslim youth in the country. Thus, there was hardly anything extraordinarily controversial about what Nageshwar Rao said.
Yet, Siddharth Varadarajan and certain other ’eminent citizens’ of the country descended upon the high ranking official and ascribed personal motives to his comments. The objective, quite clearly, is to paint as a ‘conspiracy theory’ the obvious threat to the Hindu Civilisation. Thus, in order to keep Hindus oblivious to the threat to their way of life, it is of paramount importance to paint such observations a consequence of ‘communal bigotry’.
Ironically, with his frenzied proclamations, Siddharth Varadarajan only further proved Nageswara Rao correct in his statements. Amusingly enough, it was only today that The Wire published an article where it was claimed that Muslims have a greater claim over India than the Hindu community. Thus, quite clearly, the founding-editor of The Wire is greatly bothered only because the nefarious designs of his ilk have been found out.
In a shocking interview with the Triggernometry, rape survivor Dr. Ella Hill has revealed that at least half a million Non-Muslim (Kaffir) girls have been raped by grooming gangs, operated by Muslim men in the United Kingdom, in the past 40 years. The interview was conducted by two comedians, Konstantin Kisin and Francis Foster.
Recounting her tale of horror from 20 years ago, Hill informed that she was targeted as a teenager by her Pakistani Muslim boyfriend. She said that the relationship soon turned into a ‘controlling, obsessive, and religiously charged’ one. She reminisced about being taken to different flats around Rotherham, Sheffield, and Bradford and subsequently raped, tortured, and strangled. “You know (I) was covered in bruises that lasted over a year.” Her Pakistani boyfriend also threatened to kill her and her parents if she confided in them, the harrowing tale of brutality. As such, she was coerced into silence.
When she tried to run away from her perpetrator, he stalked her and then barged into her house. The Pakistani man tried to execute an ‘honour killing’ along with his friends but Hill survived to tell the story. She was hospitalised for a week and had suffered multiple fractures and lacerations. Her only way out from the Pakistani grooming gang was to change her name, shift somewhere else, and start life afresh. “At that point, the police told my parents to move me away and change my name which is what they did.. and that’s how I got out of it,” Hill narrated.
Interview of Dr. Ella Hill
Modus Operandi of the grooming gangs
Dr Ella Hill defines the activities of the grooming gangs as ‘racially and religiously aggravated rape’, perpetrated by a group or network. She revealed that the grooming gangs primarily target underage girls but also victimise young and old women. “Well, it’s all over the UK. There are a lot of different towns that have been named as being involved. There’s Burnley, Blackburn, (and even) Oxford. Really, there are very few major cities that haven’t had some sort of grooming gang scandal.”
She then reiterated that there have been half a million victims of grooming gangs in the UK alone in the last 40 years. “And it’s predominantly white victims and the perpetrators are predominantly Asian Muslim,” Hill emphasised. On being asked as to why the issue has not been raised to the status of a ‘national scandal’, she stated that there have been multiple reports about crimes committed by the Muslim grooming gangs and that it was indeed a national scandal.
The medical practitioner informed that the National Crime Agency in the UK have been investigating historic cases related to grooming gangs for the past 15 years. She highlighted, “I think maybe about 20-25 perpetrators have been brought to justice in Rotherham and over 1000 under investigation by the National Crime Agency in Operation Stovewood in the South.”
Grooming gang crimes motivated by racial prejudice
Shedding pretentious nuances surrounding discussions related to race and religion, Dr. Elisa Hill emphasised, “A lot of it has to do with race and religion. A lot of people don’t like talking about it or they don’t like to hear about it.” She reiterated that crimes committed by the grooming gangs are motivated by religious and racial prejudice against the victim.
She narrated, “When I was being beaten, I was called a white slag, white whore and white cunt (sic).” Dr. Hill pointed out that her white skin was always on the mind of her Muslim perpetrator. She revealed that grooming gangs viewed white girls as ‘easy meat’ because they sing, dance, drink alcohol – things considered ‘immoral’ and ‘worthy of punishment (rape and beating in this case).’
Violation of Islamic teachings meant ‘punishment’
Dr. Hill informed that her Muslim perpetrator viewed anything contrary to Islamic teachings as worthy of ‘punishment.’ She said, “There are a lot of narratives within these grooming gangs which make hatred of white people a justification for what they are doing.” The medical practitioner highlighted how the grooming gangs use ‘scriptures’ to justify rape after a young girl hits her period. She said that the perpetrators rely on ‘vying’, a type of molestation that is devoid of vaginal penetration, to abuse minor girls if they are yet to have their period.
“It (My torture) was linked to his idea of what a good Muslim was and a bad non-Muslim was or a good believer and a bad unbeliever. ” Without mincing any words, she said that even though she was a devout Christian, yet, her Muslim perpetrator believed that she asked to be raped as she wasn’t ‘fully covered’ from her head to toe. She further revealed that non-adherence to Islamic rules and customs gave them a licence to use, throw, and abuse non-Muslim women. “If white girls look a Muslim man in the eyes that means they are asking to have sex with them,” Dr. Hill unearthed the distorted mindset behind the idea of grooming gangs.
Grooming gangs bolstered by police inaction
On being asked if she approached the police, Dr. Hill conceded, “I went to the police 5 times. But, they said that they can do nothing about it. Those were their exact words.” She said that as a teenager, she was unsure whether it was rape, even though her perpetrators said that they were going to gang-rape her. “I did not understand what the law was.. as he was my boyfriend.. but the police should have understood.
The interviewers then asked her about the indifferent behaviour of the police towards her. She said, “At that time, there was a culture of inaction. The same was found in a police review. Plus, it’s your words vs theirs.” Highlighting the dismal condition of the justice system, she said that most of the time, there is no evidence to prove sexual crimes due to a lack of eyewitnesses. In spite of documentary evidence of scars and fractures in her medical notes, the police refused to act.
Despite recent internal police investigating hailed it as a case of negligence on the part of the law enforcement authorities, the said officers could not be prosecuted or traced due to ‘missing notes’. This left the hosts shell-shocked about the cruel injustice meted out to the victim.
19,000 children sexually abused in England in 2019
According to the official figures, it is being estimated that nearly 19,000 minors in England were sexually groomed in England in the last year. Reportedly, the local authorities in England have identified around 18,700 suspected victims in 2018-19, up from 3,300 five years ago. The latest figures showed a sharp increase in the number of child grooming victims over the last five years. The highest rates of child grooming victims in Britain were reported in areas including Birmingham, Lancashire, and Bradford. Speaking to the media, Sarah Champion, the Labour MP for Rotherham, which has been targeted by child grooming gangs, said that figures show this type of exploitation ‘remains one of the largest forms of child abuse in the country’.
Cyberabad police have arrested Mohammed Ismail, a 50-year-old godman and his associate for cheating people. He was allegedly cheating the public claiming that he can cure coronavirus disease. Ismail was arrested on Saturday, the police charged them with cheating and relevant sections of the Epidemic Act.
He was “curing” the patients at his house in Marthanda Nagar in Hafizpet. On learning about his practices, police took suo-moto cognizance of the matter and arrested Ismail and his associates. Inspector S Venkatesh of Miyapur Police Station said that two victims had come forward to give their statements against the duo.
He was famous for curing seasonal fevers using his special prayers and was active from the last four years. When Covid-19 pandemic started to spread its roots in the country, he started claiming to provide treatment for the same. He also made his preaching available on WhatsApp groups.
Depending on the financial situation of the families, he was charging anywhere between Rs.5,000 to Rs.50,000 for the ‘treatment’. Recently, he took Rs.40,000 from a patient on the pretext of curing the deadly disease. He claimed that he has extraordinary powers to cure such diseases.
Police have requested the public to approach a doctor if they have Covid-19 symptoms instead of falling for such godman.
The Hindu spin to the whole narrative
One thing that did not change about this arrest is that almost every MSM house tried to give it a Hindu spin by calling him Corona Baba or Fake Baba instead of a Fakir or Maulvi which would have been the right term considering his religion. This is not the first time media has tried to frame Hinduism for spreading superstitions wrongly.
In May 2020, a newspaper used an image of a Saffron-clad Hindu priest while reporting about Moulvi Aslam who raped a woman and called him a Tantrik. In April 2018, Times of India carried an article in which they claimed that a Tantrik named “Warsi” was jailed for ten years for rape and extortion. In the same month, News18 reported that police arrested a Tantrik “Sajid” for raping a minor. Jagran called a Sufi godman “Tantrik Sufi Baba” who raped a woman. In 2017, India Today called a Christian pastor “Kerala Priest” while reporting that he demanded girls wearing jeans and t-shirts should drown in the sea.
Well, the year 2020 has changed a lot of things. The world is not the same old place anymore as the Chinese pandemic has altered most of the aspects of our lives. Nevertheless, there are certain things that have managed to save their essence in its pristine form. Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi’s lack of Mathematical comprehension is one of them.
Priyanka Chaturvedi, who was once infamous for her sycophancy towards Gandhi-scion Rahul Gandhi, later deserted the sinking ship called Congress to join Shiv Sena. The ‘secular party’ Shiv Sena elevated her by making a Rajya Sabha member recently. However, despite all this, the Rajya Sabha member from Shiv Sena has not lost her touch in spreading fake news on social media, just like her old days.
Days after former Congress President Rahul Gandhi, who was once Priyanka Chaturvedi’s numero uno, had taken to social media to attack the Modi government over the issue of special Shramik trains and accused the government of earning huge profits from running these trains that were meant to ferry migrant labourers back to their home states amidst the Coronavirus pandemic.
Armed with fake news, Rahul Gandhi had shared a Hindi news report to make misleading claims against the Modi government over the issue of deriving profits from running special trains. Rahul Gandhi had stated that the Indian Railways had received a profit of Rs 428 crores by ferrying stranded migrant workers home during the coronavirus lockdown.
Priyanka Chaturvedi makes false claims on Shramik trains
Priyanka Chaturvedi perhaps inspired by her former political boss Rahul Gandhi, made a similar claim on Twitter on Sunday, where she said that the Railway Ministry had lied about the losses incurred on running the special Shramik trains.
“Subsidies’ applied, yet profit derived. Many people died, yet Rail Ministry lied,” tweeted Priyanka Chaturvedi hinting at Modi government incurring huge profits at the cost of migrants by running the special trains.
Image Source: Priyanka Chaturvedi
Citing a Mumbai Mirror news report, Priyanka Chaturvedi made a similar claim as her former master Rahul Gandhi, to assert that Modi government had made profits from Shramik trains by ferrying migrants workers back to their native states.
The report shared by Priyanka Chaturvedi claimed that the Railways had received revenue of Rs 428 crores by ferrying stranded migrant workers home during the coronavirus lockdown. The report also added that the Indian Railways had ferried nearly 62 lakh migrant workers home since May 1, generating revenue of Rs 428 crore.
Fact check
Just like Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Chaturvedi too perhaps failed to comprehend the difference between the ‘revenue earned’ and ‘profit’. Contrary to the claims of Priyanka Chaturvedi that the Indian Railways earned huge profits by running special Shramik trains, the Railways has spent Rs 2,142 crore on running Shramik Special trains but earned a ‘revenue’ of just Rs 429 crore and did not incur any ‘profit’.
In fact, the Modi government had incurred a loss of nearly Rs 1,700 crores after it ran Shramik trains to ferry back the stranded migrant labours from various parts of the country.
According to the official data, the Railways have incurred a loss of nearly Rs 1,700 crores after it ran Shramik trains to ferry back the stranded migrant labours from various parts of the country.
According to the information received through an RTI application, the Railways has only earned Rs 428 crore till June 29 and ran 4,615 Shramik trains.
The national transporter shared information regarding its expenditure, which shows that it spent Rs 3,400 per passenger the Shramik Special trains, which amounts to Rs 2,142 crore for around 63 lakh migrant workers transported in total. The Railways managed to recover only 15 per cent of the cost of operations from states and the rest 85 per cent was borne by the ministry.
May be Priyanka Chaturvedi, who is now an elected representative of the Parliament, must enrich her Mathematics skills at least now, and learn the difference between revenue and profit/loss.
Uddhav Thackeray, Chief Minister of Maharashtra, has said that the ground-breaking ceremony for Shri Ram Temple construction in Ayodhya should be conducted using video conference amid Covid-19 pandemic. He said that he is ready to go to Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh for the ceremony but will it not be possible for the administration to stop lakhs of “Ram Bhakts” from going there.
Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the “Bhoomi Poojan” ceremony. They gave 3rd and 5th August as possible dates for the auspicious ceremony. PMO approved 5th August to be the date for the event. Thackeray, who has been invited for Bhoomi Poojan to represent Shiv Sena, has expressed concerns over the event.
PTI reported that Thackeray said in an interview published in the Shiv Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana‘ on Sunday, “The ground-breaking ceremony can be held through video-conference. This is an event of joy, and lakhs of people would be interested in attending the ceremony. Will we allow the spread of coronavirus?” He added that Shri Ram Temple has a background of struggle.
He suggested for Bhoomi Poojan via video link and said, “This is not an ordinary temple. Today, we are fighting the coronavirus pandemic, and religious gatherings are prohibited. I can go to Ayodhya for the ceremony, but what about lakhs of Ram bhakts. Will you stop them? You can do e-bhoomi poojan through video-conference.”
Thackeray said that when he last time visited Ayodhya, he was not allowed to perform ‘aarti’ at the Saryu river. Covid-19 pandemic just started to spread its roots in India at that time. He said, “Before that, I had seen huge crowds on the river banks. Ram Mandir is a matter of faith. How can you stop people from going there?”
Thackeray assumed office as the Chief Minister of the state under Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government with the support of NCP and Congress on 28th November 2019. He visited Ayodhya in March on completion of 100 days in office.
Legacy of Balasaheb undone
Though Balasaheb was not present at the site, Shiv Sena played a vital role in bringing down the disputed Babri Masjid. The Shiv Sena founder never shied away from praising the demolition. In 2018, while attacking PM Modi, Shiv Sena claimed that it was Balasaheb who took the responsibility of the demolition. They blamed BJP for not fulfilling the promise of Ram Mandir. In the editorial, they said that PM Modi does not speak a word about the Temple, which was one of the primary election promises.
In a statement on Babri demolition, Balasaheb had said, “I am glad that I have breathed life into the Hindus. Since the time of the Muslim invasion, nine centuries back, Hindus had lost their souls. The need to get their spine back, I did just that. That Rath even if it is power-driven appeals to the Hindu.”
This is the same Shiv Sena that played a crucial role in Ram Mandir movement, and now they have joined hands with likes of Congress and NCP for the post of Chief Minister. Uddhav Thackray, son of Balasaheb, has become a part of the crowd that is opposing Bhoomi Poojan directly or indirectly.
Attempts to stop Bhoomi Poojan
The opposition parties, Muslim groups and leftists groups are miffed with the Supreme Court judgement that favoured Ram Lala Virajman and Hindu groups. Since Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust announced that Bhoomi Poojan is going to happen in August and the temple will be constructed in the next 3.5 years, these groups are trying to cause trouble at every step.
Congress supporter Saket Gokhle had submitted a petition in Allahabad high court asking for a stay on Bhoomi Poojan, which was rejected. NCP leader Sharad Pawar has pointed fingers at the government saying while the country is fighting with coronavirus some people are planning to build temples. AAP leader Syed Asad Abbas got so rattled by the news of Bhoomi Poojan that he hurled sexist abuses at BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma during a debate. NCP even said that Pandit Nehru did not attend Bhoomi Poojan of Somnath temple but forgot to mention then-President Rajendra Prasad attended the function saying no one can stop him from following his faith.
