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After Muslims complain about ‘idol worshiping’, PUBG removes a mode from their mobile game that allegedly involved it

OpIndia Staff
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After Muslims complain about ‘idol worshiping’, PUBG removes a mode from their mobile game that allegedly involved it

After the latest version of the PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) video game sparked a huge controversy among Muslim players the developers have now rolled back the update. The Muslim players had accused the game developers of promoting ‘idol worshipping’.

Reportedly, the controversy erupted after PUBG released a new feature titled ‘Mysterious Jungle’, which triggered a backlash in Islamic societies for allegedly pushing forms ‘idol worshipping’.

The online game PUBG Mobile had released a latest ‘Mysterious Jungle’ mode and it is reported to be exclusive to the ‘Sanhok’ map. The reason for the outrage was due to a feature present in the new update where players can pray in front of a totem in order to restore their health.

It is pertinent to note that any form of ‘idol worshipping’ is prohibited in Islam. The idolatry has been considered as the “worship of false gods” and is forbidden in Islam. 

Following this update, many Muslim players took it as an insult to their religion as idol worship is prohibited in Islam. The took to Twitter to slam the creators of PUBG for promoting idol worshipping and asked fellow Muslims to uninstall PUBG.

Another user asked Muslims to uninstall PUBG, if he was a true Muslim.

Outrage in Muslim-majority nations

A number of preachers from the Middle East had also warned against the recently released PUBG update, in which players appear worshipping idols. The preachers had demanded authorities to act swiftly to save children from these concepts.

According to Gulf News, Dr Bassam Al Shatti, Professor of faith at the College of Sharia, Kuwait University, said video games feature many pros and cons, but PUBG has violated Islamic beliefs regarding prostration and bowing to idols, and this is the greatest sin in Islam because prostrating and bowing is worship and glorification solely and exclusively to Almighty Allah.

Another Islamic preacher, Dr Rashid Al Alimi, Professor at the College of Basic Education, added that these games are dangerous for Muslims since they can create generations who do not know Tawhid or the defining doctrine of Islam, which declares absolute monotheism – the unity and uniqueness of Almighty Allah as the creator and sustainer of the universe.

“The special draw of gaming that makes it the preferred pastime of so many millions of kids and adults is not just entertainment, it is dangerous because it teaches them polytheism, so they prefer it and become addicted to it,” said Al Shatti.

Similarly, in Saudi Arabia, Dr Aref Bin Mazyad Al Suhaimi, Professor of Faith in the College of Da’wah and Fundamentals of Religion at the Islamic University said, “Islam promotes tolerance, balance, equality, consensus, reformism, and all things that take the middle path to materialise the best interest of people. So Sharia permits games that have a preponderant interest, such as shooting, racing, swimming, horse riding, etc.,” he said.

PUBG removes the new mode after backlash from Muslims

Following the outrage by Muslims,  South Korean firm Bluehole Inc, which developed the PUBG, has removed the ‘Mysterious Jungle’ mode from the game.

PUBG Mobile has released a statement regarding the controversy, stating that, “This new Jungle Adventure Mode was causing dissatisfaction among various players due to some of the dynamics of the mode. PUBG Mobile also said that they respect the traditions, cultures, and practices of their players and continue to value them. They are trying their best to provide a safe and better playing environment and experience to all players across the globe.”

The insistence of Muslims bullying and threatening creative developers to follow the principles of Islam to develop products that are in line with Islam is a disturbing trend. The attempt to ‘Halal-ise’ every product may now pressurise creative technicians such as game developers, movie makers to seek Halal certification for every product they develop.

Pakistan: Blackout in Karachi triggers ‘Indian planes coming’ fear, residents confuse PAF planes as Indian fighter jets

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan: Blackout in Karachi triggers ‘Indian planes coming’ fear, residents confuse PAF planes as Indian fighter jets

Late night on Tuesday, panic gripped across Pakistan after several social media users tweeted that the Indian Air Force fighter jets had crossed the Line of Control and flew over Karachi, leading to authorities in Pakistan blacking out the city.

Various social media users took to Twitter express their fear over another Indian Air Force action inside Pakistan. According to the local residents of Karachi, the city was put under ‘blackout’ after rumours of Indian Air Force fighter jets went close to Karachi and other parts of Sindh.

Pakistani journalist Wajhat Kazmi, took to Twitter to express his fear after social media users pointed out that Indian fighter jets were hovering around the port city of Karachi. Kazmi said that it was after 27th Feb 2019 – the night of Balakot airstrike, he was hearing PAF jets patrolling the sky and hoped that situation was not serious.

Wajahat’s tweet

Salman Manzoor, a Karachi resident also shared a video on Twitter claiming that Pakistan Air Force had begun “JF17 Thunder” and Mirage” patrolling over Karachi and the border areas of Sindh after the formation of Indian jets was identified near LOC.

Similar videos from Karachi have emerged on social media platforms claiming that IAF jets had indeed crossed LoC and flew over Karachi, which resulted in the blackout of the city.

However, Pakistan Armed Forces has remained tight-lipped over the issue and its propaganda arm ISPR has yet to put any official statement over rumours of Indian Air Force jets crossing the LoC and the subsequent patrolling of PAF jet over Karachi and other parts of Sindh. The Indian Air Force has denied any such activity. In fact, it seems that the Pakistanis mistook PAF aircrafts for IAF aircrafts.

Meanwhile, social media users in India did not leave the golden opportunity to take a dig at Pakistani citizens. Ever since Balakot strikers occured, the Pakistani citizens have begun to be fearful of another action by the Indian Armed Forces, which was evident by their reaction on social media on Tuesday night following the rumours of IAF jets crossing LoC.

Many netizens from the country took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the Tuesday’s ‘blackout’.

A user named Rahul reminded Pakistan of its bravado by posting a tweet put out by Pakistani Air Force just a day before the Balakot airstrikes, that stuck deep inside the Pakistan.

Image Source: Rahul
Indians have no chill.

Meanwhile, Pakistanis on Twitter continued to put up a brave face to claim that they are not afraid of Indian Armed forces.

One Pakistani said the community which is not afraid of corona cannot be scared by the ‘toys’. If you want biryani, we will send it through China. In an unrelated note, India responded to ceasefire violations by Pakistan earlier this morning. Pakistanis somehow thought that their country panicking is India’s shamelessness.

Pakistan violates ceasefire

Following the scare along the Line of Control, the Pakistanis have resorted to their usual tactics of violating ceasefire along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir’s Nowshera sector on Wednesday.

Reportedly, the Pakistan army resorted to small arms firing and intense mortar shelling along the LoC at Nowshera Sector of Rajouri district at around 7.30 am on Wednesday. The Indian Army has also retaliated to Pakistan’s shelling.

Why are some journalists so eager to defend Rahul Gandhi when questions are asked to him: Babita Phogat takes jibes at Congress’ love for China

OpIndia Staff
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Why are some journalists so eager to defend Rahul Gandhi when questions are asked to him: Babita Phogat takes jibes at Congress’ love for China

While the standoff at the LAC with Chinese troops has stirred up a diplomatic puddle between India and China, there is also a fierce rhetoric playing on the social media between the ruling party and the opposition. Meanwhile, wrestling champion Babita Phogat lashed out at the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his alleged ‘love for China’.

She wrote on her Twitter account, “One thing I want to ask Rahul Gandhi. Is he inclined towards India or China? Nowadays his love for China overflowing. Does he have no faith in India?”

Phogat had hinted at the Congress party’s strange fixation with China.

Reacting to this, Congress’s Media coordinator Radhika Kheda wrote, “One thing to ask you too. Do you worry about the security of the country or Modiji’s failure?”

On this, Babita Phogat replied saying, “Tell Rahul Gandhi Ji that this is new Hindustan, one that enters and kills inside the premises of enemy. We have faith in our leadership and military. Please explain this to Rahul Ji that excessive use of sugar is bad for health. Congress seems to be terrified of Modiji that is why they are resorting to China to gain political mileage?”

After this, the Print’s Zainab Sikandar replied to Phogat, “Phogat madam, first understand the meaning of nationalism. The nation is India, not the BJP. And reduce the dialogues. This is not an Aamir Khan film. It is a matter of foreign policy.”

The BJP leader replied to her, ” If love for China is nationalism then I congratulate Congress on that. Complimenting the enemy country and speaking bad for own country. Such foreign policy can be a strategy for Congress only. The leadership of the country is in strong hands and we are proud of the army of the country. Rest, the film was made when the tricolor was raised.”

When Babita continued to question Congress and Rahul Gandhi, another journalist, Prashant Kanuajia entered the discussion and questioned Babita’s film ‘Dangal’ that was a super hit in China. Babita replied, “I have earned something for the country. Unlike you who tarnish the image of the country. I have upheld the glory of India even while in China. What to do with a journalist like you who is sold in the hands of the Congress.”

It is notable here that most ‘liberals’ and Congress leaders often try to peddle the narrative that it was Aamir Khan’s movie ‘Dangal’ that made the Phogat sisters ‘famous’. While the reality is that the movie was based on the Phogat sisters’ achievements and their stellar contribution to Indian sports.

Noting that so many defenders of Rahul Gandhi have jumped to question and attack her, Babita Phogat wrote, “The questions are being asked to Rahul Gandhi. but some particular journalists are coming to answer. Is it because brother Rahul Gandhiji does not know how to answer a question? There can be no compromise with the honor and self-respect of the country. Congress should understand this very well. The love for China and Pakistan will destroy the Congress party one day.”

Babita used the Hindi term ‘Pattalkaar’, a jibe at dishonest journalists who compromise with the ethics of their profession for favours and monetary gain.

Rahul Gandhi and China

The Gandhi-scion, not once but twice, was caught meeting Chinese officials, raising suspicion among the policymakers regarding the intent of his secretive meeting with the Chinese.

The first meeting had taken place in 2017, when Rahul Gandhi had a meeting with Chinese Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui, especially at a time when India and China were in the middle of a stand-off at Doklam. At first, the Congress party had denied such meetings and had termed news reports suggesting that the Gandhi-scion had indeed met Chinese officials as ‘fake news’.

Again in 2018, Rahul Gandhi had himself revealed regarding the secret meeting with a couple of Chinese ministers during his trip to Kailash Mansarovar in September 2018. The meeting was kept secret initially but later Rahul Gandhi had revealed the details of the meeting accidentally leading to people to speculate even more as to why both the Congress party and China were trying to hide the meeting.

It is notable that Wrestling champion Babita Phogat had joined the BJP last year before the Haryana assembly elections. She had contested elections from the Dadri assembly and had lost.

Maharashtra: BMC Deputy Commissioner Shirish Dixit dies of coronavirus

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: BMC Deputy Commissioner Shirish Dixit dies of coronavirus

Shirish Dixit – the deputy commissioner of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, who was forefront at battling the coronavirus in Mumbai has succumbed to the Chinese pandemic on Tuesday.

According to the reports, the 55-year-old Deputy Municipal Commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had tested positive for coronavirus only on a day before but was asymptomatic.

Shirish Dixit was the chief engineer of the water supply project and his department was responsible for ensuring a smooth supply of water to Mumbai. Dixit also held the additional charge of the special engineering department.

Dixit had played a key role in the setting up of coronavirus facilities such as the NSCI Dome and at the Race Course.

On Monday morning, the family members of Dixit had called health services after he was feeling unwell. By the time the team arrived at his Mahim home, the BMC official had died.

Reportedly, a total of 55 BMC employees have died in the city because of coronavirus.

On Tuesday, Mumbai coronavirus tally reached a total of 51,100 positive coronavirus cases. The death toll in Mumbai has reached 1760.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra has recorded 120 coronavirus death in the state as it crossed the 90,000 cases mark. The death toll in the state is 3,289.

After the Kerala elephant case, 12 arrested for killing a jackal in Tamil Nadu using country-made explosives

OpIndia Staff
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After the Kerala elephant case, 12 arrested for killing a jackal in Tamil Nadu using country-made explosives

Twelve Narikuravars, members of a tribal community from Tamil Nadu, were reportedly arrested on Monday for killing a jackal using country-made explosives near Jeeyapuram in Tiruchy. The miscreants had stuffed the bomb inside a piece of meat that was used to lure the animal. Upon eating, the bomb exploded and ripped the jaws of the jackal.

Miscreants stuff carcass in a bag

According to a senior forest department official, the accused had gone to a village to harvest honey. However, on spotting a jackal, they hunted the animal for its teeth and meat using country-made bombs. The accused were spotted by a police constable from Jeeyapuram station drinking tea near Mekkudi village and carrying a bag with the carcass stuffed in it. On suspecting something uncanny in their bag, the cop inquired and discovered the dead body of the animal. Under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, the jackal has been classified as a Schedule-I animal.

12 Accused arrested

The police constable then informed the Trichy forest department officials who then arrested the miscreants. The Forest Department also investigated as to how the accused had got hold of the country bombs. The Deputy Superintendent of Police (Jeeyapuram) C Kokila had confined the chain of events leading to their arrest. The miscreants who belong to the Pulankudi Colony near Thiruverumbur have been identified as Raju, Ramraj, Saravanan, Yesudas, Sarathkumar, Devadas, Pandian, Vijayakumar, Sathyamoorthy, Sarathkumar, Rajamanikam, Raju, and Patampillai.

Elephant killed with explosives in Kerala

A one-month pregnant elephant died in Palakkad on May 27, days after it injured its jaws due to explosives packed in a pineapple that it had eaten. Reportedly, some locals saw the female elephant on 25 May when she came to their village and she died on May 27 after standing in water for the whole day. The Kerala police had arrested one person identified as P Wilson in connection with the case. Palakkad Superintendent of Police G Siva Vikram has named two other accused, namely, Abdul Kareem and his son Riyasudheen who are still on the law enforcement authorities.

The Wire founding-editor Siddharth Varadarajan justifies using an individual’s image without his permission in lukewarm apology

OpIndia Staff
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The Wire founding-editor Siddharth Varadarajan justifies using an individual’s image without his permission in lukewarm apology

The Wire founder-editor Siddharth Varadarajan issued a half-hearted apology on Twitter on Tuesday when a user highlighted how his organisation had used the maps prepared by him without his permission in a discussion between Happymon Jacob and Lt Gen RS Panag(retired) for the media portal.

The Twitter user, who goes by the handle @KesariDhwaj, accosted Siddharth Varadarajan on Twitter for not seeking his permission before using his maps in a discussion aired on ‘The Wire’. The maps were about the position of Chinese and Indian troops along the Ladakh border.

“@thewire_in has used maps made by me without my permission in a discussion between @HappymonJacob and Lt Gen Panag @rwac48…see screenshots…@savaradarajan and @HappymonJacob- Whatever happened asking for permission before using other people’s stuff?” the user tweeted while sharing the screenshots of the unauthorised images used by ‘The Wire’ in its video.

Taking cognisance of the Twitter user’s grievance, ‘The Wire’ founder-editor Siddharth Varadarajan tendered a lukewarm apology for the mistake committed by his team. Defending the assumptions made by his team that it is “sufficient” to acknowledge credit supposing the images were in “public domain”, Varadarajan reiterated the user’s stance that permission should have been sought before using the image in their video.

“Apologies for this, sir. Our team mistakenly thought it was sufficient to acknowledge credit since they had assumed these were in the “public domain”. Permission should have been sought from you before using them in the video. Thank you for your understanding,” Varadarajan tweeted.

The Wire accused of stealing and illegally possessing and using copyrighted material

The Wire also holds the distinction of stealing copyrighted material, as alleged by the Rajya Sabha TV in a legal notice sent to the leftist propaganda website. In the legal notice, RSTV has also accused The Wire of coming into possession of copyright material of Rajya Sabha TV in an “unauthorised and unlawful manner suggestive of either stealing or obtaining and making use of the stolen property”.

On 17th September 2018, The Wire had published a story headlined, “RSTV benches anchor for the question about Vajpayee’s role in Quit India Movement’. The notice says that in the story, they had used a video clip where an anchor was discussing Atal Bihari Vajpayee with another senior journalist.

The notice says that the video clip used by The Wire in its story is the exclusive property of Rajya Sabha TV and that the clip used by the portal doesn’t even carry the logo of Rajya Sabha TV. The notice also says that The Wire did not seek any permission from RSTV for the use of this clip.

Javed Akhtar wins the Richard Dawkins Award: Here is how the drama unfolded

OpIndia Staff
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Javed Akhtar wins the Richard Dawkins Award: Here is how the drama unfolded

A strange series of events unfolded on social media ever since Shabana Azmi announced that her husband, Javed Akhtar, had won the Richard Dawkins Award which is awarded by the Center For Inquiry (CFI) for contributions towards furthering the cause of reason and science. The same fact was covered by the entirety of Indian media but strangely, no such confirmation has come as yet from the CHI itself.

On the 7th of June, Shabana Azmi had said on Twitter, “Javed Akhtar wins Richard Dawkins Award 2020 for critical thinking, holding religious dogma up to scrutiny, advancing human progress and humanist values.” She was clearly overjoyed by the prospect.

Shabana Azmi congratulated Javed Akhtar on social media for winning the award
The tweet by Shabana Azmi congratulating Javed Akhtar

Javed Akhtar and his wife also expressed his jubilation on winning the award while giving statements to the media. He told the Indian Express, “Validation is for someone who has even an iota of doubt about what he or she thinks. But I have always been so sure about my thinking. But I am thrilled for this one because it is the first time I have been awarded for my views, my thought process, my rationality, my thoughts on religion. It is the ultimate recognition because it comes from a huge institution.”

“I am thrilled! I know what a hero Richard Dawkins has been for Javed. The award gains all the more significant because, in today’s time when secularism is being attacked by religious fundamentalists of all hues, this award comes as a validation of Javed’s long service to rational thinking,” said Shabana Azmi.

As it turns out, the story got a little complicated henceforth. For a long time, there was no announcement or press release from CFI confirming the same.

When one searches for ‘Akhtar’ on the CFI website

If that wasn’t enough to fuel speculations, a screenshot of an alleged text from an NDTV employee has gone viral which claimed that Javed Akhtar had, in fact, not won the award yet and worse, the lyricist mistook the nomination for the same. The screenshot claimed that Javed Akhtar was nominated by a group of rationalists and activists based in London and the proposal was then sent to Richard Dawkins. Javed Akhtar was apparently in the copy of the mail that was sent.

However, Javed Akhtar mistook the nomination for the actual award. Consequently, he shared the good news with his acquaintances in India Media which promptly shared the news with the wider public although there was no official statement regarding the same. Now, the group which had mad the proposal is now pressurising CFI to give the award to Javed Akhtar because if he isn’t now, then liberals in India will be shamed by ‘rightwing bigots’ and ‘neo-fascists’.

The viral text

Shabana Azmi had then come forward and strongly denied these claims. According to her, they had received an email from Richard Dawkins on the 5th of June and Robyn Blumner who heads the CFI. She said that claims to the contrary were ‘preposterous’ and made by trolls.

After several doubts were cast on whether or not Javed Akhtar had actually won the Richard Dawkins award, finally, today Dawkins tweeted confirming the award.

There is another intriguing aspect of the whole affair here. The Bollywood entertainers are obviously overjoyed by the prospect of winning the Richard Dawkins Award. But it appears a little inconsistent with their stance on politics in India. Richard Dawkins had once compared Islam to Cancer. The renowned missionary of atheism had also said that Islamophobia is justifiable, which of course goes completely against the political stance of Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi.

After Washington, #BlackLivesMatter protestors vandalise Gandhi statue in London’s Parliament Square, injure 35 police personnel

OpIndia Staff
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After Washington, #BlackLivesMatter protestors vandalise Gandhi statue in London’s Parliament Square, injure 35 police personnel

Days after some #BalckLivesMatter protesters in the US vandalised the statue of Mahatma Gandhi outside the Indian Embassy in Washington DC, some similar unruly elements have desecrated another Mahatma Gandhi statue on Parliament Square, London. The miscreants defaced the statue on Sunday with scribbling ‘racist’ on its plinth and splattering it with white paint. They also taped placards with anti-racism messages on it.

Mahatma Gandhi statue defaced along with Winston Churchill’s

The Mahatma Gandhi statue was installed in 2015 along with 11 other prominent British, Commonwealth and foreign political figures, such as Abraham Lincoln and Nelson Mandela and Winston Churchill. The statue was defaced along with a few other statues installed in the square, one being that of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, which was also defaced and spray-painted with the word ‘racist’ on Sunday.

Statue of Mahatma Gandhi and Winston Churchill defaced on Sunday in London’s Parliament Square

Along with vandalising these statues the rioters also attacked Metropolitan police personnel who were reportedly unarmed at that time. The Black Lives Matter (BLM) protestors pelted glass bottles and missiles at the police. leaving 35 of them injured.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the demonstration on Sunday a “betrayal of the cause they purport to serve” and condemned the “thuggery”, saying the protesters had no right to attack police. He said that those responsible will be held to account.

Mahatma Gandhi statue vandalised outside the Indian Embassy in Washington DC

Prior to this incident, using the background of the ongoing #BalckLivesMatter protests in the US, some unruly elements have vandalised the statue of Mahatma Gandhi outside the Indian Embassy in Washington DC. 

Massive protests over George Floyd’s murder

George Floyd, an unarmed black man, had died on 25th May after a Minneapolis police officer placed his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes after an altercation. Massive protests have erupted across the USA against racial injustice. However, as the protestors ran amok, countless incidents of vandalism, looting, assault and arson have been reported. Many shops of luxury brands have been looted too.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal tests negative for coronavirus

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal tests negative for coronavirus

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal who had undergone a test for Coronavirus today, after developing a sore throat and fever, has been tested negative for Coronavirus.

Earlier in the day, sources in the Aam Aadmi Party had confirmed that Kejriwal’s condition is stable and is feeling slightly better.

Arvind Kejriwal isolated himself after devoloping the symptoms

The Delhi Chief Minister has been experiencing the symptoms since Sunday, raising fears that he has contracted the virus.

Arvind Kejriwal has cancelled all his meetings since Sunday and has isolated himself, as per reports. He was last seen during an online media briefing on Sunday where he announced the government’s decision to reserve all Delhi government and private hospitals for the citizens of Delhi only. 

Coronavirus situation in Delhi worsens

Meanwhile, the Deputy CM of Delhi Manish Sisodia today said that the coronavirus cases in Delhi is likely to reach 5.5 lakh by the end of July. To tackle the situation the Delhi government will need at least 80,000 beds by the end of July, Sisodia said.

“This is the reason the Delhi cabinet had decided to reserve the beds only for the city residents but it was overturned by the LG. Now, who will take the responsibility if the cases keep on increasing and the beds are full?” he asked.

The remarks came a day after Lt Governor Anil Baijal issued an order striking down key announcements made by the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led government to reserve beds in private and Delhi government hospitals for city residents.

These nine incidents since 2017 of rapes, abductions and forced conversions of Hindus characterises Haryana’s Mewat as “Mini-Pakistan”

OpIndia Staff
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These nine incidents since 2017 of rapes, abductions and forced conversions of Hindus characterises Haryana’s Mewat as “Mini-Pakistan”

Amidst the coronavirus crisis in the country, Mewat of Haryana has hogged the limelight after an investigation report by 4-member team headed by former Justice Pawan Kumar asserted that Mewat is gradually turning into a graveyard for Hindus, especially Dalits. The report said that the rapes of girls, the kidnapping of women, thrashing and killing of Dalit residents with impunity and forced religious conversions have become par for the course.

The investigation team led by former justice Pawan Kumar made scathing observations on the plight of Dalits at the hands of Muslims in Mewat. In this article, we present a few of those incidents that possibly shaped the team’s views on the deteriorating conditions in Mewat, which in reality not only raise questions on the treatment of Dalits in Mewat but also of the democracy that condones and empowers the oppressors into perpetuating their behaviour.

Before delving into the specific incidents that bring to the fore the inequities faced by the Dalits in Mewat, it is pertinent to note the withering remarks former justice Pawan Kumar made in reference to the subjugation of Dalits in Mewat. Kumar observed that the plight of Hindus, especially Dalits left in Mewat might be worse than the minorities living in Pakistan. This pithy observation by former justice Pawan Kumar is consequential in determining the criminal mentality of the perpetrators.

  • In 2017, Mewat Model School of Haryana came under the spotlight after allegations of forced conversions by the school surfaced. It was alleged that Hindu students were hustled into embracing Islam and offering namaz. Refusing to adopt Islam invited beatings from the teachers. After the matter came to light, the District Magistrate swung into action and suspended the teacher Moinuddin and warden Arif. One other teacher accused in the case was transferred. A victim student recounted how students were slapped in the hostel for holding up against accepting Islam.
  • In the year 2018, a 16-year-old girl committed suicide in Nuh area of Mewat region. Investigations then revealed that before this suicide, 8 boys abducted and raped her a few days ago. After committing such disgusting misdeeds, he left her outside his house in a blood-soaked condition. The investigation also revealed that the accused belonged to an influential family in the village. Those who started pressuring the victim’s family to withdraw the case as soon as the rape complaint was filed.
  • A year later, in 2018, there was a report of a deadly attack on the Dalit family from village Mohalka, Nagina block of Mewat. In the investigation of the matter, it was revealed that a man named Islam had been pressurising the family of Kishan living in the village to shun their religion and accept Islam. But when Kishan’s family resolutely denied converting, Islam, Taufiq, Mosim, Atru, Asmeena attacked his family with batons and rods and humiliated them with casteist slurs.
  • A couple of years back, there was a case of forcible conversion, rape and abduction of a Dalit girl in Mewat. A woman named Farzana met the girl at the station after the Dalit girl left her house following a bitter quarrel with the family members. Farzana allegedly took the girl with her and gave her a new identity. The Dalit girl was purportedly fed with beef and was forced to offer namaz. Farzana had later tried to sell the girl to a 70-year-old man named Islam for Rs 40,000. However, fortunately, the matter somehow reached the police and the victim was rescued.
  • In another shocking incident from 2018, a minor girl was reported to have been raped in Haryana’s Mewat. According to media reports, the incident took place in Nuh’s Bhandka, in which the police arrested one Aslam for barging into the house of a 14-year-old girl and raping her. Aslam, along with two other men had entered the victim’s house and gang-raped her. The child’s father told that his daughter was sleeping in the home when Aslam and two other boys came and raped her. When the father of the girl came into the house, he saw Aslam raping her. Aslam was caught but the remaining two somehow escaped.
  • An issue of Love Jihad had come to fore in 2019 when a girl was abducted by Muslim youths- Akil Khan and Rashid in the name of Jihad. The girl was reportedly hexed before being forcibly converted. The incident stirred a state-wide outrage and communal tensions in the region flared as protesters took to the streets and blocked the Gurugram Alwar National Highway for 11 hours.
  • In February 2020, a gang-rape incident with a married woman was reported in a village in Tawadu, Mewat. After the woman somehow broke out of her captivity, she accused five men of kidnapping and gang-raping her for months. The women alleged that while she was held captive, she was administered with drugs by her captors and gang-raped. She also alleged that her kidnappers shot pornographic videos and threatened her of releasing them on the internet.
  • Not just women and girls but even animals were not spared from the wrath of some warped individuals in Mewat. Some time ago a case of rape of a goat had surfaced. This horrific crime was carried out in the village of Marodha in Mewat on the land of Haryana. Following the investigation, one Jafar Khan and Sahukar Khan were arrested in the case while there were a total of 8 people who had allegedly raped the goat.
  • In the most recent case—Mahant Ramdas Maharaj, the head of Muktidham Ashram in Punhana, Mewat district of Haryana, was assaulted by a mob of Muslim with the intention of murder. Hindu organizations in support of Mahanta had told OpIndia that on the morning of Wednesday (April 29, 2020), the perpetrators accused Mahant Ramdas Maharaj of making abusive religious remarks hurting their religious sentiments. The perpetrators also threatened to chase out other Hindu saints in the region. When Mahant Ramdas Maharaj reached out to the police to file a complaint, his demand was turned down by the police officials. When Opindia tried to seek a response from the police, Punhana police station SHO asked us to speak to the headquarters for any information in this regard. He said he did not know about any such incident.

Mewat has a history of atrocities being committed against Hindus

Recently, many Hindu organisations have raised their voices against the rampant atrocities committed against Hindus, especially Dalits in Mewat. Not only the RSS and VHP activists, other institutions have also raised their concerns against the rising number of criminal incidents happening in Mewat.

A 2013 report of the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti states that these incidents happening in Mewat are not a matter of today. Rather, the attitude of the Muslim majority of people has been continuing for a long time due to which many activists were forced to call it a “mini-Pakistan”. The report states that the way Hindus in Pakistan are persecuted and stripped of their basic rights, similarly, the Dalits and Hindus in Mewat are subordinated by the Muslim majority and atrocities are committed against them.

Hindu Janjagruti Samiti report

The seven-year-old report of the committee mentions that the people of Tablighi Jamaat in Mewat motivated members of the local Muslim community to wage love jihad, jihad and forced conversion. Also, this report mentions an incident where Veer Singh, while making a statement on his father-in-law’s conversion to Islam, states that his father-in-law was converted to Islam a while ago and was later sent out for 4 months. However, when he returned, he once again started practising Hinduism, due to which he received death threats.

The condition became so dire that he had to go into hiding to escape retribution from fanatic Muslims. His wife and children were also harassed. He was accused of tearing the Quran, which later proved to be false. Apart from this, when his daughter was about to get married, some Muslims reached the marriage venue and started shouting that the girl cannot marry through Hindu customs because her father had converted into Islam and that she would have a “nikah” and that too only with a Muslim man. However, the girl’s mother later objected to this and eventually the marriage was completed under police protection.

The reports of the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti and former justice Pawan Kumar’s investigation team makes it beyond clear that the spread of Muslim fundamentalism in Mewat has been deep-rooted and firmly ingrained. The former judge while in conversation with OpIndia said that out of the 500 villages in Mewat, only 103 of them continue to be Hindus and there are only 4-5 families of Hindus left in 84 villages.

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