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Jharkhand: Chief Minister Hemant Soren withdraws sedition cases against Pathalgadi armed separatists

OpIndia Staff
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Jharkhand: Chief Minister Hemant Soren withdraws sedition cases against Pathalgadi armed separatists

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has decided to withdraw sedition cases registered against the supporters of Pathalgadi movement, an armed struggle which dismissed the authority of state and central government and considered only the gram sabha as the real constitutional body. Cases will also be withdrawn against those who had opposed the proposed amendments in Chhota Nagpur Tenancy (CNT) Act and Santhal Pargana Tenancy (SPT) Act.

Cabinet Secretary Ajoy Kumar Singh reportedly informed that the cases related to Pathalgadi as well as opposition to tenancy laws will be dropped and the FIRs which were lodged in various police stations will be withdrawn.

Read: Jharkhand: Month after snubbing Uddhav Thackeray, Rahul Gandhi attends Hemant Soren’s swearing in ceremony

Since 2017, in nearly 200 villages in Jharkhand’s four districts: Khunti, Gumla, Simdega and West Singhbum, huge stone plaques known as ‘pathalgadi’ in local language, were put up at the entry points. These stone structures, painted green, warned ‘outsiders’, especially government officials, and prohibited them from entering the villages. Essentially, they had announced that the law of the land does not apply there.

After the BJP-led government came to power in Jharkhand in 2014, Chief Minister Raghubar Das tried to amend the land tenancy laws. Tribal groups and opposition parties opposed the move. In My 2017, Jharkhand Governor Draupadi Murmu returned the bills for reconsideration and few months later in August they were withdrawn. Tribal groups believed that the new laws will undermine the rights of tribal people on forest resources and land.

A total of 19 cases of sedition were registered against over 150 people which will now stand withdrawn.

France: 19-year-old abused by Church priest charged for ramming a crucifix down the pedophile’s throat and murdering him

OpIndia Staff
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France: 19-year-old abused by Church priest charged for ramming a crucifix down the pedophile’s throat and murdering him

A 19-year-old teen, identified in the French media as Alexandre V. has been charged with jamming a crucifix down the throat of and murdering a pedophile Church priest after he had heaped sexual abuse on him. It is being reported that the accused and his father, both were sexually abused by Father Roger Matassoli before Alexandre jammed a crucifix down the priest’s throat and murdered him.

“We now know that [the suspect’s] father was a victim of the priest. “We also know that this papa tried to protect his children and then, after the divorce, he fell back into the clutches of Matassoli. Alexandre mentioned facts that were likely to disturb him deeply. There was talk of Alexandre cleaning the house naked for the priest”, the suspect’s lawyer reportedly told Franceinfo.

Reportedly, Alexandre has been arrested and remanded in custody on charges of aggravated murder, acts of torture and for resisting arrest. According to Franceinfo, the teen has said that he has no recollection of committing the murder.

Read: Bishop Franco case: Sister Lucy’s autobiography recounts rampant sexual abuse in churches, reveals ‘unholy’ practices of priests

The 90-year-old Christian priest was found tortured and murdered in his home on the 7th of November 2019. When the priest was found, there were signs of torture to the body like blows to the head, abdomen and face. In 2009, the Priest was removed from his duty after accusations of sexual allegations had surfaced, however, Matassoli stayed on the bishop’s payroll until 2018.

The priest was the subject of a church investigation shortly before his death. The inquiry was dropped after he died, with no report ever being sent to Rome, according to Franceinfo. The outlet also noted that three people had contacted the local bishop’s office with information regarding abuse by the priest since July 2018.

Read: After facing pressure from the Church, Madras HC judge withdraws his observation on sexual abuse in Christian institutions

According to a local paper, thelocal.fr, the public prosecutor’s office reported two complaints in 2018 “concerning sexual assaults committed on two young boys when, aged 10 to 14, they were altar boys in Father Matassoli’s parish”. The case had not moved forward because under French law the complaints were time-barred, since they were committed in 1962 for one of the victims, and between 1976 and 1980 for the other.

After the murder of the priest, a local woman spoke up against the horror that the Christian priest had unleashed on her brothers.

“Some people say that he was transferred [in 1967] to Saint-André because he touched children in his other parish in Clermont”. She recounting that both of her brothers were abused by the priest. She discovered the abuse when her younger brother, Paul, told her he had showered with the priest.

Read: Catholic Church pays 1 Million USD to sex abuse victims in the ‘Spotlight’ case

When she approached her older brother, Jacques, about the incident, he “dissolved into tears,” describing eight years of abuse that included the priest molesting her brother as he sat at the family’s dinner table, among other horrors, reported FranceInfo.

The epidemic of sexual abuse of young boys by Christian priests is all too familiar. In November, two Catholic priests were sentenced to 40 years in prison in Argentine for abusing deaf children in a Church-run school.

Read: Grand Jury’s scathing comments against the Catholic Church and large scale sexual abuse in Pennsylvania

Apart from the global trend, the country has also been rocked by repeated rapes and other abusive incidents at Churches, as recently Franco Mulakkal, a Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jalandhar, was arrested and released on bail later for allegedly raping a 44-year old nun at a guest house in Kuravilangad in May 2014. Similarly, Father Johnson V Mathew, a priest of Malankara Orthodox church was accused in the rape and sexual abuse of a married woman belonging to the fold was arrested in July 2018.

In February, the Mysuru police had arrested three pastors (religious leaders associated with protestant Churches) for allegedly raping a teenager in Mangaluru. All the three Christian priests have now been charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, as per reports.

Read: Pope Francis and Catholic Church shamed after Chile gets tough against child sexual abuse scandal

In another incident, a 60-year-old pastor named Chandra Kumar belonging to a local church in Nagaland was arrested for allegedly raping a 10-year-old girl in Assam’s Karbi Anglong district.

In another incident, a 33-year old Catholic priest, Father Prakash Damor was arrested in Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh for abetting a 17-year-old girl’s suicide.

Recently, a special Mahila Court in Cuddalore had sentenced a church priest to 30 years in prison and nine others to life in prison for their involvement in the horrifying 2014 Tittakudi rape case, which involved two minor girls.

La ilaha illallah: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor attacked by radical Muslims for cautioning against Islamist extremism

OpIndia Staff
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La ilaha illallah: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor attacked by radical Muslims for cautioning against Islamist extremism

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor came under the attack of Muslims on social media for cautioning against religious fundamentalism. The Thiruvananthapuram MP was commenting on shouting of Islamic chant La ilaha illallah during anti-CAA protests.


Today Shashi Tharoor reacted to a video posted on Twitter 2 days ago where anti-CAA protesters were chanting La ilaha illallah, the Islamic Shahada which means “There is no god but God”, where the second God means Allah. The chant is often followed by muḥammadun rasulu llah, which means “Muhammad is the messenger of God”. The religious chant represents the central philosophy of Islam, that Allah is the only god, and there is no other god.

Tharoor said that their “fight against Hindutva extremism should give no comfort to Islamist extremism either”. He said that the fight against the Citizenship Amendment Bill is fight to defend inclusive India. “We will not allow pluralism & diversity to be supplanted by any kind of religious fundamentalism,” he added.


This was objected to by many Muslims, saying that La ilaha illallah is said by Muslims every day, and there is no religious fundamentalism about it. Tharoor was accused of soft bigotry for his comments, and said that it is “their fight”, asking him to stop telling what to do.


After the backlash from Muslim social media users, Tharoor tried to explain that the struggle is for India, not Islam. “It’s about our constitutional values & founding principles. It’s about defending pluralism. It’s about saving the soul of India. Not one faith vs another,” he tweeted.

But Muslims didn’t agree with him, saying that as Muslims are the most affected party and it is their fight, Muslim chants during anti-CAA protests are justified.


While Tharoor tried to emphasis that the anti-CAA protests were for constitutional values, most people opposing the CAA differed with him, asserting that the protests were to protect the rights of Muslims. That’s why Islamic chants proclaiming that the Allah is the only god is justified.

Moreover, Tharoor was not objecting to Muslims saying La ilaha illallah five times a day, he was referring to the specific slogan in the video, which also contained the chant tera mera rishta kya, la ilaha illallah. This basically means a call for Ummah, a Muslim nation. The Ummah was the basis of partition of India, as Muslims wanted a separate nation. La ilaha illallah in general means Allah is the only god, which implies that all other gods of other faiths are not real gods.

Several users, including moderate Muslims, replied to Tharoor that several Hindu slogans are also used in day to day life, like Jai Bajrang Bali, and therefore the Islamic slogan’s use outside prayer is acceptable. But there is a difference, none of other slogans say that other gods are not real gods, they only hail the god they refer to. They don’t claim that god is superior to other gods. In that context, the Islamic chants are not comparable to non-Islamic religious chants.

Tharoor wanted to say that as Chanting La ilaha illallah outside prayer means claiming supremacy of Allah over other gods, and that is not acceptable in a plural, inclusive India. But it was lost on Muslims, and they attacked him accusing of bigotry and asked him to not to interfere in ‘their’ fight.

Jharkhand: Pieces of meat thrown near Shiv temple causes outrage among devotees, road blocked for 6 hours

OpIndia Staff
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Jharkhand: Pieces of meat thrown near Shiv temple causes outrage among devotees, road blocked for 6 hours

Several pieces of prohibited meat were thrown near a temple on Sunday (December 29, 2019) at Karamdaha on the border of Dhanbad and Jamtara district of Jharkhand to incite religious sentiments of Hindus. This incident happened near Dukhiya Mahadev temple. Police have termed it the handiwork of some mischievous elements. An FIR has been registered against unknown people in this case. Hearing the news of meat in the temple, which was presumed to be beef, the angry locals blocked the road for about 6 hours. After that, the police reached the spot and pacified the anguished crowd.

In this regard, OpIndia spoke to Dainik Jagran’s local journalist Pramod Chaudhary, who said that the area was already sensitive due to the Muslim-majority population. Chaudhary said that there is a long history of Hindu-Muslim tension here. The incident also led to clashes between the local people and the police. When the police assured the immediate arrest of the culprits, the people calmed down. OpIndia also tried to contact SDPO Arvind Upadhyay but could not talk to him.

The incident happened in a deserted area. The said temple is situated on the ghat of the Barakar River. The road from Govindpur to Sahibganj passes through this vicinity, which was blocked by angry people for 6 hours. Jamtara MLA and Congress leader Irfan Ansari, reacting to the incident, said: “The people of Jamtara have elected me with a great majority. I assure that the culprits will not be spared. Those who have lit the fire, they will also go to jail. Those who have thrown a piece of meat in the temple will also be caught and sent to jail. I will not allow dodging and cheating here. The terrorists will soon be under the grip of the police. You can trust me.”

This is the same area where a year ago a person named Minhaj Ansari had circulated photo of Beef on social media. He later died in police custody, after which there was a lot of ruckus. 22-year-old Minhaj circulated a photo of chopped cow on WhastApp along with inflammatory statements. Later, his family members alleged that he was tortured and killed by the police. According to the police, his condition worsened in custody, after which he was admitted to RIMS, where he died later.

Delhi: Muslim Uber driver Naseem asks Pakistani Hindus to get off his cab, flees without taking them to Majnu Ka Tila camp

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi: Muslim Uber driver Naseem asks Pakistani Hindus to get off his cab, flees without taking them to Majnu Ka Tila camp

BJP Delhi spokesperson Tajinder Bagga today took to Twitter to share that one Uber driver Naseem asked Pakistani Hindu refugees living in Majnu Ka Tila camp to get off his car and drove away.


A programme was organised in Delhi’s Connaught Place in solidarity with Citizenship Amendment Act. Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) makes it easier for persecuted religious minorities in three neighbouring Islamic countries, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who have come to India before 31st December, 2014, to get Indian citizenship. Other immigrants could apply for citizenship following the due procedure. CAA does not affect Indian citizens, Muslims or otherwise, in any which way. Pakistani Hindus, who have been living in the camp at Majnu Ka Tila, had also participated in the same.

Read: ‘Like a bird who has been freed from a cage’ says Hindu refugee from Majnu Ka Tila on CAB: OpIndia Exclusive

The Pakistani Hindus, who will be benefitted under the CAA, needed help in going back to their camp and hence an Uber cab was booked for them. However, when the two men informed the driver that they needed to go to the Pakistani Hindu refugee camp in Majnu Ka Tila, the driver asked them to get off the car and without any explanation, drove away.

OpIndia has reached out to Uber for a statement. At the time of this report, Uber has not yet responded to the above allegations. We shall update the report when we hear back from Uber.

Sexist protest by Congress: Youth Wing attempts to burn Yogi Adityanath’s effigies clad in Saree and bangles, detained by Police

OpIndia Staff
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Sexist protest by Congress: Youth Wing attempts to burn Yogi Adityanath’s effigies clad in Saree and bangles, detained by Police

The Youth Congress has been protesting against the Uttar Pradesh government over the alleged manhandling of senior party leader Priyanka Gandhi. However, as it turned out, it was actually Priyanka Gandhi’s goons who heckled the female police officers, who were simply doing their jobs.

On Sunday, again, the Youth Congress staged a protest where they crossed all boundaries of decency and civility. They brought effigies of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath clad in bangles and sarees in order to symbolize a weak state government during their protest in front of the Uttar Pradesh Bhawan in Mumbai, Republic TV reported. They had attempted to set the effigies on fire but were prevented from doing so by the Police. The protesters were detained immediately and taken to the nearby police station.

The Congress party’s conduct during the anti-CAA protests has been extremely unfortunate, to put it mildly. The party had demonized Yogi Adityanath for crushing the outbreak of mob violence in the state that had the potential to unleash devastating anarchy in the state. The Congress also demanded his resignation for quelling the violent anti-CAA protests with an iron hand.

We have reported earlier how the Congress party had played a critical role in instigating protests across Universities in the country while maintaining the pretense that these were ‘spontaneous’ protests that had nothing to do with politics. It appears the Congress party has not yet given up on its desire to burn the state in order to gain political mileage out of it.

Uttar Pradesh: Congress worker who drove Priyanka Gandhi Vadra without wearing helmet challaned for Rs 6100

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Congress worker who drove Priyanka Gandhi Vadra without wearing helmet challaned for Rs 6100

On Saturday, after Lucknow Police stopped Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on the way to meet ‘anti-CAA activist’ ex-IPS officer SR Darapuri’s family, she hopped on to a two-wheeler which was being driven by a Congress worker and whizzed past.


Neither the rider, a Congress worker, nor the pillion rider Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were wearing helmets, thereby breaking traffic rules. As per reports, the Congress worker has now been challaned with a penalty of Rs 6,100 for breaking the rules. Darapuri was arrested from his Lucknow home on December 21, a day after anti-CAA riots broke out in the city. The UP administration has also issued notice to Darapuri to recover the cost of damage to public property.

When petrol-bombs replace placards, it is no more a student protest. It is by all means a political conspiracy

Ankit Jain
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When petrol-bombs replace placards, it is no more a student protest. It is by all means a political conspiracy

Note: This article has been co-authored by Navneet Sharma (@inavaneet) and Ankit Jain (@indiantweeter).

“Well, the rebel has arrived”, paints Kunal Kapoor on the walls of an old fort. The year was 2006 and the scene was from a movie ‘Rang De Basanti’ which went on to give the youth its anthem: Lose Control. The youth has a distinct character. It has always been attracted and infatuated by the idea of revolution and challenging the status quo. And being a rebel “for with a cause” has been the DNA of youth since time immemorial.

But, this very idea of revolution tends to misguide the youth when captured by the vested interest. The current protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is perfect example of youth being misled in the name of revolution by vested political interest.

A law that tends to provide support and relief to persecuted minorities from the three neighbouring Islamic countries, enacted after being duly passed by parliament after following all procedures established by law has become a reason for nation-wide protest because of selfish political interest that sees it as an opportunity to uproot a democratically elected government and that too in the name of democracy.

Read: Rana Ayyub sensationalises Muzaffarnagar anti-CAA riots, alleges RSS members of attacking Muslims, UP Police calls her bluff

The narrative underlining the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is a labyrinth of concocted facts, false rhetoric and an extremely fake concern for democracy. It is nothing more than a political opportunism in its worst form that is not shying away from using students as guinea pigs. It is a political conspiracy hatched by those who were snatched of their “entitlement” after the country choose to honour its democratic ethos in real terms in 2014. To understand this one just needs to unravel the happenings in the last one month and compare it with other student protests.

In 2016 following the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar arrest (for indulging in anti-national activities) there was a huge unrest in the JNU campus and some other campus across the country. There were usual rallies, anti-government sloganeering but none of it manifested in violence of the kind that was witnessed during protests in Jamia Millia Islami in Delhi this month.

Similarly, following the death of Rohith Vemula, a PhD scholar at the University of Hyderabad some of the university witnessed protests. But, here again at no occasion any violence, leave alone the kind that was witnessed in Jamia Millia Islami was registered.
It needs to be highlighted that when patrol-bombs replaces placards, it is no more a student protest, it is by all means a political conspiracy.

When a group of men and women resort to extreme measures like arson and violence, targeting police and state, it cannot claim it to be a student protest. It is by all means an act of terror and anyone resorting to act of terror will be dealt by the state in the same fashion as terrorists are dealt with. They cannot claim the compassion and courtesy, safety and safeguards provided to a bona fide students.

The second strand of the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is a complete disregard of minimum decorum required for a dignified dissent. How, would you react when you see a millennial protesting against a law holds a placard that reads, “Are you still virgin? Me too, let’s fuck the government”.

You know the protest has lost the plot.


The third strand of the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) manifest in extreme hypocrisy and doublespeak. How do you react to the fact that those happily seeking your identity proof for entering a comedy show rants that “Hum kagaz nahin dikhayenge” to the government?

The fourth strand of protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is underlined by extremely laughable ignorance of protesters which reminds of the comedy scene from the Hindi film ‘Bunty Aur Babli’ in which protestors are clueless about their demands and reason for demonstration.

How do one react to full-time celebrities and part-time bleeding heart activists protesting against a laws that they are completely ignorant about?

Read: Low IQ Bollywood entertainers in their mad rush to appear ‘concerned secular citizens’ end up spreading falsehood, endorsing Pakistan

During a protest against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) when a reporter asked Actor Farhan Akhtar about the reason for the protest he responded by saying “If you go into the details, it looks like there can be something in there… If everything was okay, why would so many people be concerned?”

But among these various strands that include laughable ignorance, indecency, pitiable hypocrisy, the most dangerous is the first one that tries to masquerade this political conspiracy as a “youth unrest” or a student protest. And exposing it should be a duty of every youth of the country.

Andhra Pradesh: Four arrested in Temple Town of Srisailam for ‘actively propagating Christianity’

OpIndia Staff
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Andhra Pradesh: Four arrested in Temple Town of Srisailam for ‘actively propagating Christianity’

Four Christians were taken into custody in the Temple Town of Srisailam in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh for “actively propagating Christianity” in contravention of existing laws. They were booked under Section 3 of the Andhra Pradesh Propagation of Other Religions in Places of Worship or Prayer (Prohibition) Act, 2007 (Act 24 of 2007). The Act provides for three years of imprisonment or Rs. 5000 penalty or both.

The accused have been identified as M Timothi, a native of Vuyyur in Krishna district, Praveen, a native of Amrabad in Mahabubnagar district of Telangana State and M Jashuva and M Peter of Sunnipenta in Kurnool district. They allegedly performed the prayers on Friday but the matter came to light on Saturday. They were taken into custody by the Police based on the complaints filed by the locals.

The accused were found holding bibles and conspicuously reading out passages at Rudra Park in Srisailam on Friday. They were produced before the Nandyal court, which has remanded them to judicial custody. Of them, Peter was held under the same Act for a similar offence in 2018. That case against him is pending in court, Atmakur DSP Venkatrao said.

Earlier also allegations of non-Hindu activities in the temple town had emerged. In September this year, a vehicle reportedly canvassing Christianity was found by Hindu devotees. The vehicle had flex banners across the bonnet containing text from the Bible.

Local priests say that the entire hill town is part of the sanctum sanctorum and is sacred, and people from other religions are not allowed to propagate their faith in the area. Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga Temple is located in the town and is one of the holy pilgrimage site for Saivism and Shaktism sects of Hinduism. The Srisailam town is classified as both Jyotirlinga and Shakti Peetha.

Earlier, it was reported that experts have expressed their concerns regarding the spree of freebies doled out to the Christian communities by the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led Andhra Pradesh government. The freebies are not only causing a loss of public money, but these appeasement schemes are also aimed at encouraging ordinary Andhra citizens to convert.

Not happy that I can’t buy land in Kashmir, Kashmir Pandits and Buddhists in Ladakh are discriminated against: Indira Gandhi in 1981 letter

OpIndia Staff
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Not happy that I can’t buy land in Kashmir, Kashmir Pandits and Buddhists in Ladakh are discriminated against: Indira Gandhi in 1981 letter

A letter written by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to New York-based Dr Nirmala Mitra expressing her unhappiness on Article 370 and treatment of Kashmiri Pandits and Buddhists in Jammu & Kashmir has been doing rounds across social media. Dr Mitra is a pediatric neurologist, and a former Director of Kashmiri Overseas Association in USA.

In response to an earlier letter written by Dr Nirmala Mitra to late Prime Minister in December 1980 regarding the treatment of Kashmiri Pandits and Buddhists in Jammu and Kashmir, Indira Gandhi on January 8, 1981, wrote that she was too unhappy that she could not own small piece of land or home in Jammu and Kashmir due to Article 370 despite the fact that her forefathers came from the same land.

New Jersey based Rakesh Kaul, who claims to be the friend of Dr Nirmala Mitra, on Sunday shared the letter written by Indira Gandhi to Mitra sympathising for the cause of Kashmiri Pandits and Buddhists living in Jammu and Kashmir, who were discriminated by controversial Article 370.


Interestingly, Indira Gandhi in the letter also revealed how she could not take up the issue as both ‘Indian press’ and ‘international counterparts’ was busy depicting her as authoritarian that made it much more difficult to “do necessary things”.

In the end, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi wrote that Kashmiri Pandits and the Buddhists in Ladakh are being unfairly treated and discriminated.

When asked regarding the authenticity of the letter, Kaul said that the letter was 200 per cent genuine. He added that Dr Nirmala Mitra is a totally credible doctor who had met Indira Gandhi. In his tweet, he was ready to state facts and fight the conspiracy theorists on this issue. He also said that he has other correspondences on the issue.

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