Ravish Kumar, the poster-boy of the left-liberal jamaat, has sparked outrage on social media yet again while trying to absolve the radical Islamists of their complicity in the Bengaluru riots that took place on August 11.
In his usual sober voice, which helps propaganda sound seamlessly soothing, Ravish claimed on Friday, “Jo dangai hota hai vo dangai hota hai. Na toh unha Hindu mazhab see koi matlab hota hai na hi koi Muslim mazhab see koi matlab hota hai (A rioter is a rioter. He has nothing to due with Hindusim or Islam.)”
Muslims can be ‘protectors’ not ‘rioters’, suggested Ravish Kumar
Ravish further claimed, “Rioters look for a reason to be provoked. Those who know this game plan are well acquainted with the fact that a post can attract mobs who will unleash.” Through his claims, Ravish tried to deny the ‘communal angle’ in the Bengaluru carnage. Besides, in the same show, the reporter referred to the radical Islamist mobs as ‘rioters’ but deliberately chose to call the so-called protectors of a nearby temple as ‘Muslims.’ The primetime show implicitly suggested that a Muslim can only be a ‘protector’ and not a ‘rioter.’
‘Hindu mob’ lynched Pehlu Khan, Ravish claimed earlier
In a video shared by the Millat Times in January, the NDTV journalist had claimed that a ‘Hindu mob’ lynched Pehlu Khan and Subodh Singh. On being asked whether the current BJP government is anti-Hindu or anti- Muslim, Ravish said, “I am against communalism… 100 people went to kill one Pehlu Khan and one Subodh Singh. The 100 people involved in their killings were Hindus. This politics is aimed at turning Hindus into rioters.”
In stark contrast to his recent statement where he claimed that rioters have no religion, Ravish had earlier explicitly claimed that the lynchers of Pehlu Khan and Subodh Kumar were all Hindus. While Ravish Kumar has preached on ‘journalistic ethics’ on multiple occasions, his doublespeak and contradictory stance on the religion of ‘mob’ certainly casts aspersion on his ‘fairness’ and ‘objectivity’.
As the Tricolour unfurled in all its glory at the ramparts of the Red Fort, a nation of a billion-plus people listened to the address of the 4th longest serving Prime Minister of our country with a sense of anticipation. In 2014, he came with a promise of providing equal opportunity to fellow Indians, a proclamation of minimum government and maximum governance and a resolve to not only challenge but also change the status quo.
Since then, for the past 6 years the Prime Minister of India has not limited his efforts to public discourse; instead has diligently dedicated each day of his 6 year journey in office to living up to every expectation, every promise made to the citizens of India. Never before has a Prime Minister ignited the Nation’s imagination on large infrastructure projects, espoused economic measures, presented publicly the implementation pathways and successes backed by data and in equal measure given prominence to welfare programs which touch upon the basic needs of the ordinary Indian.
Many a female politicians, activists who study each program of the Government from the lens of gender justice have found solace in the unabashed support of the Prime Minister to the national purpose of women led development. I recall the clarion call given by the PM from the ramparts of the Red Fort to help build toilets to facilitate the lives of women especially school going girls.
That our Nation was bereft of a solution to basic human need in over 6 decades of democratic churn did not astound anyone; in fact it was accepted as a way of life if you were born poor. 11 crores toilets built in the past 6 years bridged the gap between administrative laxity to service the needs of the poor and the desire of a multitude to live a life of dignity.
Today, I heard the Prime Minister speak of the service rendered by Jan Aushadi Kendras with regards to menstrual hygiene products and sale of 5 crore sanitary pads at the cost of rupee 1 each. From toilets to sanitary pads, a public declaration of services, support and a promise that women’s issues need to be discussed threadbare, has become the mainstay of this government.
Truth be told, if ever a left liberal was asked about the administrative capacity of the right wing to address the needs of modern Indian women, they would paint our ability to deliver on issues of gender justice with a brush of disdain. Thrust with untruths of how the right wing are proponents of a regressive approach on women, the 6 year journey of Narendra Modi’s prime minister-ship is an example to the contrary.
The fact that it is under his leadership that the Nation’s first ever Menstrual Hygiene Protocol, was shared to aid administrative endeavours, does not find a mention in narratives that critique gender issues is not surprising. Neither is his decision to amend the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act which aligns reproductive rights of Indian women with 21st century medicine oft spoken of.
But then that has been the underlying essence of the politics of Narendra Modi, he serves so that he can better the prospects of our citizenry and not so that he is celebrated in the hallowed halls of Lutyens. A testimony to his capacity to engage with challenges which are otherwise considered harbinger of political disconcertion is his Government’s approach to addressing the needs of Muslim women in our country.
For decades Indian polity steadfastly refused to provide to legislative solutions to married Muslim women abandoned under the pretext of Triple Talaq as the cost of delivering justice was hefty considering its impact on an electorally profitable vote bank. The law to banish the injustice of triple talaq from the realms of our democracy is an assertion that Narendra Modi can bite the proverbial political bullet irrespective of its political cost for he truly believes in justice for all and appeasement of none.
Additionally, with a sense of delivering societal & economic justice, today we proudly proclaim that amongst the 25 crore MUDRA loans given, 70% of our beneficiaries are women. That of the 40 crore Jan-dhan accounts opened 22 crore belong to women, that when the Government under PM Modi’s leadership revisits an education policy after 3 decades; it finds in it for the first time ever a special effort made under the aegis of Gender Inclusion Fund to financially assist academic aspirations of our young girls encapsulating the spirit of cooperative federalism which manifested itself in support of our school going daughters by building toilets across all government schools in the country in less than a year.
The fact that he not only enabled but celebrated the role of women in combat roles in our armed forces gives way to a social acceptance that Indian women are no longer considered less than equal. They are an equal partner, an equal contributor in the development processes we undertake as a Nation.
Today, as the Prime Minister waved goodbye to the young assembled to celebrate this day of Independence, I saw hope for the future; for the change he has ushered in has helped evolve a new disposition in our country – no longer will women in our Nation be looked upon as hapless counterparts waiting to be administratively and socially rescued. A new India now has significantly moved from Women’s development to Women-led development.
The article was authored by Smt. Smriti Irani, Union Cabinet Minister for Textiles and Women & Child Development.
Independence is the perfect occasion to pay tribute to numerous freedom fighters who had struggled to get independence for the country from British rule. While we know about national-level freedom fighters, most of them from Congress party, there were several others who contributed equally towards the struggle. On this occasion of 74th Independence Day, let us remember five such freedom fighters from the North East India.
Maniram Dewan
Maniram Dutta Barua (1806-1858), popularly known as Maniram Dewan, was a nobleman and a tea planter in Assam who led the first major fight for independence in the state around the time of sepoy mutiny. Maniram Dewan came from an influential family in Assam and his ancestors had held high positions in the Ahom kingdom. In his early life, he was a loyal official of the British government, who was appointed as a Tehsildar and a sheristadar. It was Maniram Dewan who had informed the British officials about the Assam tea grown by local tribes, which led to the British starting tea plantation in Assam.
Maniram Dewan
But later, Dewan’s loyalty shifted to the titular Ahom king Purandar Singha, who had appointed him as the Prime Minister, and he resigned from the posts appointed by British govt. Gradually, Maniram Dewan become an opponent of the British rule, due to various reasons like the unjust tax system, exploitation of local economy, introduction of opium cultivation etc. He was also critical of appointment of Marwari and Bengali people at the post of Mauzadars in Assam, ignoring locals.
Maniram Dewan had filed a petition at the Sadar Court in Calcutta demanding that the administration by Ahom king should be reintroduced, which was rejected by the court. After that, while in Calcutta, he started networking with others working to overthrow the British government. After the Sepoy mutiny started in May 1857, Maniram Dewan saw it as an opportunity to restore the Ahom rule in Assam. With the help of king Kandarpeswar Singha and others, he planned to launched a rebellion against the British, with support from the sepoys deployed in Assam. Several local influential leaders had supported this plan, and were able to enlist sepoys for rebellion.
They had planned the revolt in August 1857, with Maniram Dewan coordinating from Calcutta, and decided that Kandarpeswar Singha will be installed as the king on Durga puja at Jorhat, and after that other towns like Sivsagar and Dibrugarh will be liberated.
Unfortunately, this plot was revealed before it could be executed, as some letters among the leaders were intercepted by British officials. Maniram Dewan was arrested in Calcutta, and was shifted to Jorhat in Assam.
Special Commissioner Captain Charles Holroyd, the officer who had intercepted the letters, was also the judge in the trial, where Maniram Dewan was identified as the main kingpin of the plot. On 26th February in 1858, Maniram Dewan and his associate Piyali Barua were publicly hanged.
Apart from being a govt official and later a freedom fighter, Maniram Dewan was also a prolific businessman. After discovery of tea with his help in Assam, he was appointed as the Dewan of Assam Tea Company in 1839. But after around a year he had left the job to start his own tea plantation, and became the first Indian to grow tea commercially in Assam by starting two tea gardens. Apart from tea, he also ventured into gold procuring, salt production, iron smelting, manufacturing of goods, boat and brick making, ivory work, ceramic, agricultural products etc.
After his death, the tea estates of Maniram Dewan at Senglung and Cinnamara were auctioned by the British govt, which were purchased by British tea company George Williamson at a very nominal price. But this proved a bad investment for the company, as the labourers, who were loyal to Maniram Dewan refused to work with the British owners. Later, Cinnamara tea estate was purchased by Jorehaut Tea Company, now owned by Assam Tea Corporation. The Senglung Tea estate was, however, abandoned and it was lost in time, before it was re-discovered in 2014.
Rani Gaidinliu
Rani Gaidinliu, popularly known as Ranima, was a Rongmei Naga spiritual and political leader from Manipur. She had led a movement against the British rule in 1930s, to uproot the British govt from Manipur and Nagaland. She was born in Nungkao village in present-day Tamenglong district district in Manipur in January 26, 1915. As she was from a very backward place, she didn’t receive any formal education.
Rani Gaidinli
At the age of 13, she joined the Heraka religious movement, started by her cousin Haipou Jadonang. This movement was started to revive the Naga tribal religion. Within the Heraka faith, Rani Gaidinliu was considered as an incarnation of the Goddess Cherachamdinliu.
Later, this religious movement turned into a political movement seeking to drive out the British from Manipur and the surrounding Naga areas. The members of the organisation arranged guns from Cachar, and they started an armed struggle against the British government. By the age of 16, Rani Gaidinliu had become a leader of guerrilla forces fighting against the British forces.
After Jadonang was arrested and hanged by British govt in 1931 following a mock trial, Rani Gaidinliu became the leader of the religious and political movement. She had openly rebelled against the British rule, and had appealed the people to not pay taxes.
Her movement was so successful that the British govt had launched a manhunt to capture her, but she managed to evade the govt forces, moving through several villages in current day Assam, Manipur and Nagaland. The British govt had even announced a 10-year tax holiday for any village that will provide information on her.
But on October 17 in 1932, Rani Gaidinliu and her associates were arrested after a surprise raid by an Assam Rifles contingent led by Captain MacDonald near Kenoma village. After a trial, she was convicted of murder and abetment of murder, and was sentenced to life imprisonment. She lodged in jails in Guwahati, Shillong, Aizawl and Tura. When she was in Shillong jail, Jawaharlal Nehru had met her, and promised to pursue her release. He had also given her the title ‘Rani’, calling her the Queen of the Nagas. Subsequently, Nehru had appealed to the British government her release, which was rejected.
After the interim govt of India was set up in 1946 ahead of full power transfer by the British, Rani Gaidinliu was released from Tura jail on the orders of Nehru, who was the Vice President of the Executive Council in the interim govt.
But her struggle didn’t after India’s independence and her release from jail. She was opposed to the Naga separatist movement seeking secessionism from India. She had advocated for a separate Zeliangrong territory within the Union of India. She also tried to revive the Naga traditional animist religion Heraka, for which the original movement by her cousin was launched. Therefore, both the separatist leaders and Baptist Christian missionaries became her opponents. The Christian leaders had threated of serious consequences if she tried to revive the Heraka religion. As a result, she went underground in 1960. After six years in 1966, she and her followers came overground with an agreement with the union government.
On 17 February in 1993, Gaidinliu died at the age of 78 years. She was conferred with the Padma Bhushan award in 1972, Vivekananda Seva Award in 1983, and was conferred the Birsa Munda Award posthumously.
Pa Togan Nengminja
Pa Togan Nengminja is considered as the first Garo freedom fighter in Meghalaya. He was a Garo warrior, who is known for ambushing a troop of British soldiers in the state. Nengminja was born in Samanda village near Williamnagar in East Garo Hills region of Meghalaya.
Statue of Pa Togan Nengminja
In the year 1872, a contingent of British soldiers from Tura went to East Garo Hills to complete the conquest of the region. The British forces were facing resistance from the Garo tribe who were refusing to give way the control of their homeland to the western invaders. The soldiers set up a camp in a village named Matcha Rongkrek near Chiso Bibra.
In an attempt to prevent the British from conquering the region, Pa Togan Nengminja planned an attack on the camp. Accordingly, he and other Garo warriors attacked the camp in the night when the soldiers were sleeping. Though the attackers achieved success initially, the other soldiers roused from sleep by the noise of the attack, and they immediately started a retaliatory attack. The Garo warriors equipped with traditional weapons were no match for British soldiers with gun, and they were soon overpowered.
The team of attackers suffered heavy losses and Pa Togan Nengminja died on the spot due to gunshot.
Pa Togan Nengminja and his warriors had used shields made of plantain banana stems to protect themselves from bullets. He had thought that as soon as the bullets hit the shield, they will cool down and lose its momentum. Needless to say, it didn’t work, but it does point towards the planning of the warrior before the attack.
Kushal Konwar
Kushal Konwar was a freedom fighter from Assam who had participated in the independence movement led by Mahatma Gandhi. Kushal Konwar was born in 1905 at Balijan near Sarupathar in the current District of Golaghat in Assam. While studying at school, Kushal was inspired by the Gandhi and he had participated in the non-cooperation movement against the British. He left school at the age of 21 with many other students to take part in the freedom struggle actively.
Kushal Konwar
He had also established a primary school and worked there as an honorary teacher. But as his economic status had deteriorated due to this, he later started working at a tea garden at the insistence of his father. First, he worked in a tea garden owned by a British planter, but soon switched job to another estate owned by an Assamese planter in 1927.
He worked in the garden as a clerk, but in 1936, he left the job to fully devote to the freedom struggle. Kushal Konwar had joined the Congress party and led the party in the Satyagraha and non-cooperation movement in his area. He had become the president of the Sarupathar Congress Committee, and had become a prominent leader in the party due to his organisational skills.
In 1942, the Congress Working Committee passed the Quite India resolution in a meeting in Bombay, and Gandhi appealed everyone to join the movement. While the British govt quickly arrested all prominent Congress leaders, the movement was led by the public at large. In Assam too, state level Congress leaders were arrested, and local level leaders like Kushal Konwar took the responsibility of running the movement.
Although the call was for non-violent movement, it had turned violent with the formation of ‘Mrityu Bahini’ (suicide squad) by some Congress workers. Several incidents derailing trains, burning bridges etc were done by this squad, to prevent the movement of British military. A believer in Gandhi’s ideology, Kushal Konwar didn’t approve the methods used by the Mrityu Bahini.
On 10 October 1942 at around 2 a midnight, a train carrying British soldiers derailed near the Sarupatha Railway station. It is said that around one thousand soldiers were killed in the accident, which was handiwork of the Mrityu Bahini. They had removed the fish-plates from the track, causing the derailment.
Immediately after the accident, the British army cordoned the entire Sarupathar area and rounded up a large number of innocent people, assaulted and harassed them. Since Kushal Konwar was a prominent Congress leader in the area, he too was arrested, and falsely implicated in the case. Kushal Konwar was not aware about the plan to derail the train, but he was painted as the mastermind behind the plot. The trial for the case was conducted by the District Commissioner of Sivasagar district, not a regular British court.
After a trial only in name, Kushal Konwar, Dharmakanta Deka, Ghanashyam Saikia and Kanakeswar Konwar were sentenced to death, while others were awarded various jail terms. Later, the Governor of Assam revoked the death sentence of other three, but Kushal Konwar’s death sentence remained.
At the dawn on 15th June in 1943, freedom fighter Kushal Konwar was hanged to death by the British in the Jorhat jail.
U Tirot Sing
Tirot Sing, also known as U Tirot Sing Syiem, was a chief of the Khasi tribe in Meghalaya. Born in 1802, he had declared war against the British for their attempt to colonise the Khasi Hills.
U Tirot Singh
After taking control over Assam following the Treaty of Yandabo with the Burmese govt in 1826, the British sought to establish network of roads to reach the various areas under this territory. As part of that strategy, David Scott, the Agent of the Governor-General for the entire eastern frontier, planned to build a road from Guwahati to Sylhet.
As the road have to pass through Meghalaya, Scott met local leaders in the area for permission to build the road. As U Tirot Singh was one of the constitutionally chosen chiefs or ‘Syiems’ in the province of Nongkhlow in the Khasi Hills, Scott arranged a meeting with him. The route through Nongkhlow was chosen by the planners as it would be the fastest route to Sylhet and the rest of the Bengal.
When the British govt approached Tirot Sing for the same, he welcomed the idea, believing that it will improve connectivity in the area, the road will provide him and his tribe access and control over duars or check posts into Assam, and they will be able to extend trade upto the Surma Valley in present-day Bangladesh.
After the consent for the road was given by Tirot Sing and other local leaders in 1827, the construction began soon. But after several months, the king of Ranee in present day Assam disputed Tirot’s claim over the check posts. Tirot Sing went to confront him with a troop of soldiers, believing that the British will take his side. But instead the British forces blocked his path.
By this time, Tirot Sing was also becoming suspicious of British plan in Meghalaya, as he got information that the British govt planned to levy heavy taxes after the road is completed. He also learnt that British forces had brought reinforcements to Guwahati. As a result, he convened a durbar and ordered the British to vacate Nongkhlow. But the British administration ignored his order.
Infuriated, Tirot Sing launched a sudden attack on British officers on 4th April in 1829. His soldiers killed two officers. David Scott had a narrow escape, as he had left for Cherrapunjee shortly before the attack.
Shocked by this sudden attack, the British forces were mobilised immediately for retaliation. British troops were brought from Sylhet and Kamrup, and they were confronted by the soldiers of Tirot Sing. The Khasis used guerilla warfare, and used their knowledge of the hilly terrain to their advantage. But, they were armed with only native weapons like bows, arrows and swords, which were not enough to resist the firepower of guns of the British military.
Facing defeats, several chiefs surrendered before the British, Tirot Singh was also injured and he took refuge in the forest. But he was forced to come out from hiding after his location was revealed by a local bribed by the British. On 9th January in 1833, he surrendered before the British govt. After a brief trial, he was deported to Dhaka, where he died in jail on 17 July 1835.
A teenage girl was molested by some members of the Muslim community in Tandwa Bankatwa village of Bhinga town of Uttar Pradesh. When the molesters were opposed and their actions were condemned, they instead created a ruckus over the matter.
Armed with sticks and sharp weapons, the accused barged into the houses of the victim’s family and attacked her relatives. About 8 people have been injured in the incident. The condition of two of them is said to be critical.
According to a report published in Jagran, a case has been filed against Mijan, Meraj Ahmad, Samsud, Samuddin, Alamgir, Kamruddin, Mehtab Alam and Gulzar and 25 unidentified men under various charges including assault, attempted murder and many others.
Members of Muslim community molested a teenage girl returning with her father
The incident occurred when a teenage girl was returning home from a clinic with her father Manohar Lal Yadav. While they were returning, Meraj and Samsud, who were sitting at a tea shop, passed lewd remarks for the girl. When her father opposed the indecent comments made against his daughter, he was abused and assaulted by the duo.
Hearing the commotion, Sipahi, Sanvli, Durgesh and Dilip ran from their house to rescue the teenage girl and her father. However, by then, a huge mob of Muslims had gathered at the spot. The accused, along with others, attacked the victim’s father with sticks and other weapons. This sparked panic among the people and they rushed to their homes, locking themselves in, for the fear of being beaten up by the violent mob.
However, the rampaging mob continued its assault as the assailants started barging in the houses of the nearby people who had gathered in the region and charging them with axe and batons.
In the meantime, the assaulters attacked Sanvli with the intention of killing him. Other members of family were also beaten up. The police arrived at the spot and took control of the situation. The injured were admitted to the District Hospital for treatment. Sanvli, who has been badly injured in the attack, has been transferred to a hospital in Lucknow.
Police SHO abruptly disconnects call when asked about the incident
When OpIndia contacted the Station Head Officer of the Bhinga police station, he abruptly disconnected the call after dodging questions about the incident. When he was contacted again, he claimed that he is not authorised to speak on the matter and referred us to the media cell of the police. However, the contact number of the media cell shared by the Police SHO is out of coverage area. We will update the story as soon as we get more details of the case.
The recent riots in Bengaluru where a Muslim mob went on a rampage due to an alleged blasphemous post against the prophet of Islam have revealed, once again, that the mainstream media is truly an enemy of the people. A concerted campaign of character assassination appears to be underway against P Naveen Kumar, the person who is accused to have made the said Facebook post, in order to justify the violence by the Muslim mob.
After Deccan Herald painted Naveen as a ‘serial offender‘, now India Today has published a ‘character profile’ of the nephew of the Dalit Congress MLA on the basis of which it has been claimed that the 35-year old is a fan of Sunny Leone. Great emphasis has been laid on that particular fact, for reasons known best to India Today, considering the fact that Sunny Leone has no relevance whatsoever to what happened on Tuesday night.
Rahul Kanwal tweet sharing the India Today report
The tone and tenor of the character profile makes it abundantly clear what the objective of India Today is. The objective is to portray Naveen as the villain of the whole episode in order to absolve the crimes of the Muslim mob and justify the violence that was perpetrated against the family of the Congress MLA.
The character profile begins ominously, “A commerce graduate, P. Naveen Kumar, now under arrest, shot to infamy overnight after his alleged blasphemous post plunged Bengaluru into its worst night of violence in decades.” And throughout the report, India Today did not find one good thing to say about him.
The sub-headings of the character profile prove it quite abundantly. ‘NO RIGID POLITICAL IDEOLOGY’, ‘A SUNNY LEONE FAN’, ‘NO STRANGER TO CONTROVERSY’, ‘NOT A BRIGHT STUDENT’ are some of the sub-headings that have been used. Furthermore, the content does not justify the sub-headings at all.
The post was blasphemous, rules India Today
For instance, it is claimed that Naveen does not have a rigid political ideology because he wished the Muslim community on Eid. It says, “A deep-dive into his Facebook handle, which has since been deactivated, suggests Naveen had no rigid political ideology. He would join his uncle and Congress MLA R. Akhanda Srinivas Murthy in wishing Eid to the Muslim community.”
The character profile continued, “In a post about Janmashtami greetings, he appears to be taking pride in India’s secularism with a picture showing a burqa-clad woman and children dressed up as Shri Krishna and Radha.” These are the justifications provided by India Today to prove that Naveen does not have a rigid political ideology. It is actually quite hilarious. These comments actually paint Naveen as secular, a fact that a liberal media house like India Today should be celebrating, not criticising.
For its much-publicised claim of Naveen being a Sunny Leone fan, India Today stated, “Sunny Leone seems to be another role-model for Naveen. On May 12, he posted her picture with a caption reading she “proved our past never decides our destiny”.” As evidence, a screenshot of a birthday wish to the former adult movie actress was attached. That is all the evidence on the basis of which Rahul Kanwal and India Today are screaming from the rooftop that Naveen is a Sunny Leone fan. Yes, just because Naveen wished the actress on her birthday, he became such a big fan of her that it became the most important factor in his profile prepared using ‘digital forensics on his social media accounts done by India Today’s Open Source Intelligence Team’, and it found a place in the headline.
This was reason enough for India Today to brand Naveen a Sunny Leone fan
It appears as if India Today was too lazy to even pretend that the sole purpose of the character profile was anything other than the character assassination of the nephew of the Congress MLA. It says, “A security guard and a driver in the area for a decade told India Today that Naveen was never seen going to work. Instead, he was often seen “chilling with friends”.”
Throughout the profile, India Today downplayed the fact that Naveen would often share pictures and posts conveying the message of communal harmony. Such messages that he shared was interpreted as him not having a rigid political ideology. Thus, quite clearly, the news network had a vendetta against him and proceeded to slander him in the name of journalism.
By the end of it, it appears that India Today felt a compulsion to punish the individual who dared to insult the prophet of Islam. Unlike previous occasions, when they would justify the violence committed by Muslims mobs, this time, they were so troubled it seems, that in addition to justifying the attack on the Dalit Congress MLA’s house, they have also decided to punish Naveen in their personal capacity for the apparent insult to their beloved prophet.
The mainstream media, which pretends to care a lot about Dalits, proves yet again that they will gladly throw Dalits under the bus and blame Dalits if they are attacked by violent Muslim mobs. Their abject surrender to the radical elements within the Muslim community appears utter and complete. Deccan Herald and India Today appear to be leading the pack when it comes to submission to Radical Islam.
During the flag hoisting on the event of India’s 74th Independence Day in Hooghly in West Bengal, a clash reportedly broke out between the Trinamool Congress and the BJP workers in Khanakul in the Arambagh subdivision. The scuffle between the two parties, followed by bombing, led to the death of a BJP booth worker named Sudarshan Pramanik.
As per the report, the chaos between the BJP and the TMC ensued during the flag hoisting ceremony at 9:30 am on Saturday. Both the parties had hoisted the tricolour in adjacent locations. The scuffle began after a verbal confrontation took place between the leaders of the two parties. This also led to the bombing in the area.
Sudarshan Pramanik was declared dead on arrival
During the fight, a BJP worker, Sudarshan Pramanik, was gravely injured with a sharp weapon, after which he was rushed to the Primary health centre in Natibpur block. He was declared dead on arrival by the doctors at the hospital. This led to a surcharged political environment in the Daulatchak area with the BJP supporters demanding action for the death of one of its workers. The Khanakul police have now initiated a probe into the matter.
Sudarshan Pramanik, booth worker from Arambagh was brutally murdered while flag hoisting on Independence Day. Suspects are from the ruling party who are on a killing spree even on the Independence Day. We must take a pledge for a #MamataMuktoBengal today. pic.twitter.com/zSPvilpUwg
Another BJP worker, block general secretary Smarajit Samanta was seriously injured in the attack. He has been admitted at the hospital.
Sudarshan Pramanik was a booth worker for BJP at booth number 246. BJP’s Arambagh district president Biman Ghosh said, “when our workers had assembled for hoisting the flag, they were attached by the miscreants from Trinamool. The attackers have killed our booth worker Sudarshan Pramanik. Apart from him another worker has been admitted in critical condition.
BJP condemned the ‘murder’ of its worker
The official Twitter handle of BJP Bengal uploaded a picture of the deceased Sudarshan Pramanik and wrote, “Sudarshan Pramanik, booth worker from Arambagh was brutally murdered while flag hoisting on Independence Day. Suspects are from the ruling party who is on a killing spree even on Independence Day. We must take a pledge for a MamataMuktoBengal (Bengal free from Mamata Banerjee) today.”
My roots lie in my ancestral village located in South Haryana. No matter where I go, a flash of memories of the green fields, canopies of trees, chirping of sparrows, synchronized screams of peacocks, my grandmother feeding cows and buffalos have always evoked a magically comforting effect on me. Whenever I call my family members in my village, if I hear the scream of the peacock in the background, I feel as if I have been transported back to my roots.
Late evening on the 5th of August when I made a video call to my 17-year-old cousin residing in my village, I could see several glowing Diyas (earthen lamp) in his house. I asked him the reason for lighting the diyas and he innocently replied “Today Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan is there” and thus, every house in the village is lighting at least one diya.” He asked me how many diyas I had lit – one or five?
I knew very well about Bhoomi Poojan on 5th August. Here, in my flat at Bangalore, I was watching the News channels debating the issue endlessly. They discussed whether it was appropriate to conduct Bhoomi Pujan amid COVID-19, Muharat during the Rahu Kal, who is there and who should be on the invitee list, the grandness of the Pujan, the colour of clothes of Ram Lalla, secular fabric of our country and whether chants of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ was intimidating to Muslims.
Once I was done with the call, I wondered whether were are getting a little too absorbed in this era of 24 hours news updates, live debates, questioning and cross-questioning. Are we in the bargain, distancing ourselves from simplistic and obvious reception of auspicious event like the celebration being done in my village? My mind took me to a nostalgic trip down memory lane where I could again smell the soil of my village.
In my childhood, the trend of going on vacation to new cities was totally unheard of. For us, summer vacations meant visiting my father’s village or my mother’s village, which we eagerly looked forward to. Spending time with my grandmother was the best part of vacations – even better than a break from studies. Every time I met her, I touched her feet and greeted her with “Ram Ram”, to which she always replied back “Ram Ram Beta”. This is the way everybody still greets each other there.
I remember walking with her in the streets of the village and enthusiastically greeting each elderly woman we met on the way with “Ram Ram Maa ji”, and the elderly men with “Ram Ram Baba”. I remember how she related everything to Ram. She used to tell me bedtime stories and when there was some incidence of a miracle in the plot of the story, she attributed it to Ram.
She thanked Ram for good rains and crop with her folded hands pointing towards the sky and saying “Ram Kripa” (Ram’s blessings). If rains were less, she used to pray “Ram Kripa Karo” (Ram please bless). If someone got a government job in the neighbourhood, she used to say “Ram ki Kripa hui uss par” (Ram blessed him). She used to take me to the village temple for Pooja where the Poojari of temple chanted “Siya-Ram, Siya-Ram, Jai Jai Ram” and each tile of temple wall had Sita-Ram written on it.
Once on the way back home from the temple, she explained to me how in the village, most parents chose the name for their children with Ram in it – Ram Swarup, Ram Chandra, Daya Ram, Ram Kishan, Ramfal etc. so that they can recite Ram name while calling the kid! This was especially so, as the excruciating work involving their agricultural fields and cattle would not leave them much time for Bhajan and Kirtan. Every Diwali, she would not leave any corner of the house without a lit Diya.
Close relatives of my parents reside in various villages of Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi and Western UP. I have visited them on various occasions and have never found a single village where “Ram Ram” is not the way of greeting and Ram is not ingrained in daily life events- whether good or bad. Ram resides in the heart and soul of our country and Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan was indeed a great and auspicious event which calls for celebrations.
Every year, India celebrates Diwali on Amavasya day of Karthik masa, when Ram returned to Ayodhya after completing Vanvasa of 14 years. But on the 5th of August Ram Lalla returned to his rightful abode after Vanvasa of more than 500 years and that is a special Diwali which is bigger than what all of us celebrate annually.
Ram Mandir has been a hot political issue since decades but should that reduce the glory of this auspicious day? If we speak in political terms, nobody can deny the fact that no government, whatever may be the reason, could pull the Ram Mandir out of the legal labyrinth in the last 70 years. It is correct that Honorable Supreme court gave the judgment in the favor of Ram Mandir but due credit should also go to the Modi Led BJP government. The current government pursued the case in the apex court till its conclusion with a genuine intent of finding the solution, unlike previous governments which were hell-bent to protract it.
At this august moment, grateful citizens of India are rightly thanking Modi for paving the path for Bhoomi Poojan. The opposition parties, blinded by hatred for Modi, should not demean the importance of Ram in our life by questioning the requirement of Ram Mandir.
For those, who are unable to accept and admit the contribution of the Modi led BJP govt in the reclamation of Ram Janmabhoomi, I have few questions – Had it been UPA or any govt other than BJP at the centre, would Bhoomi Pujan have been possible even after Honorable Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in favour of the Mandir? Had it been Samajwadi govt in UP, would the Bhoomi Pujan be possible even after Honorable Supreme Court ruling? If not for the remaining tenure of the Modi govt, would we hope that we would see the completion of the temple? Probably not.
As I was getting lost in the memories of my village with my phone lying near my pillow, a message alert ring on Whatsapp brought me back to my senses. I checked it – my cousin had sent me a picture of a glowing diya placed near the matka (earthen pot) on a rectangular platform in the centre of the courtyard of his house.
The little Diya that lit up his courtyard
Almost immediately, I started searching for my diyas. I took five of them, filled them with oil, lit them up at the entrance of my flat. I could not stop myself clicking a picture of diyas and sending it with a smiley and a caption “Ram Ram” under it to my cousin in my village.
I wanted to tell him to show that photograph to my grandmother and say “Ram Ram” loudly near to her ear on my behalf as her hearing capacity was reduced. I knew that seeing glowing diyas at the entrance of my flat would have made her extremely happy. But it was wishful thinking; I could not tell him so because suddenly the reality dawned on me and tears started rolling down the cheeks. She had passed away in February after taking ill. I still regret I could not make it to my village for attending her last rites which involved chanting of “Ram Nam Satya Hai”.
India, today, is celebrating its 74th Independence Day. This also happens to be our first Independence Day since the reclamation of Ram Janmabhoomi. Unfortunately, some of the challenges before us are those that have persisted since the moment of our independence. At the same time, there are others that have risen anew during the course of recent years.
While India must adjust its perspectives to suit its necessities for the 21st Century, it must also recognise the changes that we ought to avoid. Wisdom is the capability to discern between courses of action that would be beneficial to us from those that will cause us harm. It is in this context that on this Independence Day, we must demand that the government undertake concrete measures to prevent the mainstreaming of the toxic ideology of Gender Identity politics in the country.
First and foremost, it needs to be made clear outright that gender identity has nothing to do with sexual orientation. The latter denotes the gender towards which a person feels sexual attraction while gender identity denotes the gender with which an individual personally identifies with. Thus, when we speak of the toxic ideology of gender identity, we are not referring to homosexuality.
However, it is also to be noted here that the Gender Identity Overlords have managed to push through their ideology by associating it with homosexual rights and gays and lesbians have been the most vocal advocates of the ideology. They have managed to mainstream a toxic ideology in the West by associating it with ‘civil rights’ and ‘human rights’.
The toxic ideology of Gender Identity Politics dictates that if a man claims to be a woman, then society must treat him as a woman even though his biological features make it abundantly clear that he is not a woman. The ideology dictates even men can menstruate and can get pregnant and give birth to children and women can have penises.
Furthermore, the core doctrine of the ideology is that the gender identity of an individual is completely independent of biological sex, a radical claim that is not backed by the flimsiest of science. It claims that there is basically an infinite number of genders and as observers have noticed, the number of approved genders keeps increasing every few months.
At OpIndia, we have documented in quite a lot of detail the manner in which Gender Identity politics irrevocably harms children. The harmful effects of the mainstreaming of such ideology are more than apparent in the West. Due to the activism of Gender Identity Overlords, gender reassignment therapy for prepubescent children is legal. Prepubescent children can now receive and do receive, puberty blockers to permanently alter the normal course of their biological development.
The consequences of it all is, predictably, terrible as many minors who undergo the procedure come to regret it later but by then, it is much too late. Moreover, there is no evidence that every child who suffers from gender dysphoria needs to undergo such therapy. Research indicates that an overwhelming majority of such individuals, over 90% of them, grow out of the feeling and go on to lead perfectly normal lives.
The ideology not only has an impact on children but also affects women terribly. Due to the mainstreaming of Gender Identity Politics, women sports is under serious threat. LGBT activists have bullied their way into having organisers admit transgender women into sports for women. The result has been that due to their masculine biological features, they have a disproportionate advantage over their female rivals.
While Gender Identity Overlords staunchly assert that transgender women have no inherent advantages over their female rivals, the results speak otherwise. Transgender women, in whichever competition they have participated, have smashed records set by top female sportsmen. It is not only female sportsmen that are impacted by this ideology, it affects all women.
Gender Identity Overlords in the West are also campaigning for transgender women to be allowed into female only spaces. One does not have to think too hard to guess how this might lead to tragedies. In the West, there have been multiple cases of transgender men raping inmates after being locked up at a female-only prison.
Thus far, such perversion has been limited to the West and hasn’t gained widespread acceptance in our society. However, as we have exposed in a series of reports, the ideology is now coming to India. And it has been happening surreptitiously for quite some time. Children in Indian schools are being brainwashed into the ideology and if this is allowed to persist, the outcome of it will not be too different than what is happening in the West.
We must remember that when Gender identity Overlords claim that they are fighting for the ‘oppressed’, they are lying. The ideology has the explicit support of American hegemony, the only superpower in the world, it has support of every single multinational corporation and enjoys complete support from the ‘civil society’ nexus.
Thus, we must reject it outright when it is claimed that it is an ideology of the oppressed. An ideology that is backed by the most powerful institutions across the world and irrevocably harms the weak, that is, our children, by definition cannot be for the oppressed. The ideology is now being questioned by prominent individuals across the world, including people such as J.K. Rowling.
Therefore, on this Independence Day, it is of paramount importance that the Indian Government take a pledge to root out this toxic ideology from Indian society hook, line and sinker and prevent it from gaining ground ever again. There will be great opposition from usual suspects but it is something that must be done to secure the safety of our children.
Propagandists at the NDTV were called out once again, this time, by an assistant professor at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru for spreading deliberately mischievous misinformation to cast aspersions on the efforts made by Indian scientists. In the headline of its report, NDTV claimed that Indian scientists were using urine to make space bricks when the scientists were, in fact, using urea.
NDTV spreads deliberate misinformation
Soon, hatemonger Ashok Swain jumped on to the scene to take a dig at India and claimed that “India’s Obsession with Urine has reached the Moon”.
Tweet by Ashok Swain
Responding to NDTV’s fake news, Aloke Kumar made it clear that urine was not used. Visibly irritated, he advised the ‘news’ network to change their headline and “pay your people enough so that they properly read press releases”. NDTV does appear to have taken at least the first part of his advice seriously and rectified its headline.
Commenting on the chain of events where NDTV first spread fake news and then Ashok Swain used that fake news to mock the researchers, Kumar compared the whole affair to a circus.
So NDTV distorts our story to make ‘urine’ (which was not used) a headline and then Swain uses that to make fun of our research on space bricks.
Well boys and girls, the circus is in town and the clown master has spoken. https://t.co/zr08jFCq5c
Aloke Kumar told OpIndia, “We used urea in our study. Urea can come from many sources, and in our case it was an artificial additive. Some research labs are working on the use of urine as a urea source for such work, so that future moon colonies can exploit human waste in a constructive fashion.”
The IISc-ISRO Space Bricks Research
The press release by IISC makes it clear that urea is only one of the key components. It says, “In what could be a significant step forward in space exploration, a team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has developed a sustainable process for making brick-like structures on the moon. It exploits lunar soil, and uses bacteria and guar beans to consolidate the soil into possible load-bearing structures.”
The press release further said, “The process developed by the IISc and ISRO team uses urea — which can be sourced from human urine — and lunar soil as raw materials for construction on the moon’s surface. This decreases the overall expenditure considerably. The process also has a lower carbon footprint because it uses guar gum instead of cement for support. This could also be exploited to make sustainable bricks on Earth.”
The researchers “first mixed the bacteria (Sporosarcina pasteurii) with a simulant of lunar soil. Then, they added the required urea and calcium sources along with gum extracted from locally-sourced guar beans. The guar gum was added to increase the strength of the material by serving as a scaffold for carbonate precipitation. The final product obtained after a few days of incubation was found to possess significant strength and machinability.”
NDTV went out of its way to malign the research
As it turns out, the NDTV had only reproduced a report by PTI but it appears that they went out of their way to use a headline that would give people the impression that urine was being used. For instance, Economic Times which reproduced the PTI report did not use such a misleading headline. The headline ET used was, “Indian scientists develop sustainable process for making brick-like structures on the moon”.
Headline of ET report on space bricks
A casual glance at the headlines used by some of the other media networks reveals quite clearly the extent of the maliciousness of the NDTV headline.
Headlines of media reports on the matter
Thus, quite clearly, it was extremely mischievous of NDTV to claim that the scientists at ISRO and IISc were using urine for making space bricks. The breakthrough made by Indian scientists is indeed worthy of great praise and appreciation, however, consistent with its track record, NDTV chose to spread misinformation about it instead.
P Naveen, the nephew of Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy, whose social media post is alleged to have triggered the Muslim mobs to unleash violence on the streets of Bengaluru, on Friday asserted his links with the Congress party. According to a report by Kannada daily Vijayavani, Naveen, who is currently in police custody for his alleged Facebook post, has openly affirmed his association with the Congress party during the course of a police investigation into the Bengaluru riots case.
“Just because I am from Congress, should I not speak about Dharma,” the young Congress leader has reportedly quipped the Bengaluru police.
Reportedly, the nephew of the Congress MLA has revealed sensational information pertaining to Bengaluru riots to the police officials during his investigation. The Bengaluru police have registered a case against Naveen under IPC sections 153A and 295.
Naveen denies any wrongdoing, says his life is under threat
During the investigation, Naveen has also denied any wrongdoing or posting any derogatory content against any religion or faith. The arrested Congress party worker has also said that he has time-and-again responded to the anti-Hindu comments on social media platforms and alleged that few people are conspiring against him for protecting the interests of Hindus on social media platforms.
Naveen has also pointed out to the police that he has been receiving a lot of threats to his life following the incident.
It is pertinent to note that following the Bengaluru riots, Naveen has been receiving threats from Islamists, Muslim mobs for allegedly making derogatory comments against Islam. We had reported on how Islamists had descended on social media platforms to wish death for Naveen following riots in Bengaluru.
Earlier, Former Samajwadi Party leader and ‘social worker’ Shahzeb Rizvi had also announced a bounty of Rs 51 lakh on the head of a Karnataka Congress MLA’s nephew for blasphemy.
Even the FIR filed by the Bengaluru police in connection with riots had also made shocking revelations stating that the Muslim mob wanted to kill Naveen for the alleged posts and resorted to torching down two police stations after police tried to protect him.
War of words between Congress and BJP over his political affiliation
Days, after Muslim mob had unleashed riots on KG Halli and DJ Halli police station in Bengaluru over an alleged Facebook post made by Naveen, a war of words had broken out between the BJP and the opposition Congress in the state over the political links of Naveen.
The Congress party, holding on to its minority appeasement card, had disowned Naveen and had attacked him for allegedly making derogatory comments against Islam rather than condemning the Muslim mobs for unleashing violence. In doing so, the Congress party chief in the state DK Shivakumar had claimed that Naveen was a supporter of the BJP.
Responding to DK Shivakumar’s political tirade, Deputy Chief Minister CN Ashwath Narayan had provided proofs, including posters featuring DK Shivakumar and Naveen together to declare that the ‘blasphemy’ accused was a Congress worker.
Nevertheless, with Naveen himself confessing about his links with the Congress party, controversies surrounding his political affiliations seem to have now reached an end.
