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JDU to act against Prashant Kishor and Pavan Verma over their statements against Citizenship Amendment Bill: Reports

OpIndia Staff
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JDU to act against Prashant Kishor and Pavan Verma over their statements against Citizenship Amendment Bill: Reports

Unhappy over the comments made by the senior leaders of the party – Prashant Kishor and Pavan Verma over the issue of party’s support to the Citizenship Amendment Bill, the JDU has reportedly sent notices to both leaders for opposing party’s decision to support the bill.

According to India Today, the JDU will likely to take action against its national vice president Prashant Kishor and senior leader Pavan Verma for deviating from the party’s stand to support the Citizenship Amendment Bill in the Parliament.

The notice comes days after two of the party’s senior leaders Prashant Kishor who is the national vice president of the party and national spokesperson Pavan K Verma had come out in the open against their party’s stand on the Citizenship Amendment Bill, stating that the bill was unconstitutional.


The two JD (U) leaders had urged Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar to reconsider the decision to support the Citizenship Amendment Bill, keeping in mind the public sentiments.

Taking to Twitter, Prashant Kishor had said that the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill discriminates against the right of citizenship on the basis of religion. Prashant Kishor had further attacked Nitish Kumar for maintaining that his party’s move to support the Citizenship Amendment Bill was not in sync with the Constitution of JD(U).


“It’s incongruous with the party’s Constitution that carries the word secular thrice on the very first page and the leadership that is supposedly guided by Gandhian ideals”, Prashant Kishor had tweeted.

Read: Citizenship Amendment Bill – Myths and lies propagated against it, and the facts

Echoing similar sentiments, Pavan Varma, a former diplomat and a senior JDU leader on Tuesday, had tweeted, “The (Citizenship Amendment) Bill is unconstitutional, discriminatory, and against the unity and harmony of the country, apart from being against the secular principles of the JDU. Gandhiji would have strongly disapproved it”.


Following the rift within the party’s leadership, JDU state president and Rajya Sabha MP Bashistha Narain Singh had advised leaders to exercise restraint while airing their views.

“Our is a democratic setup. I will ask all leaders to keep their views on party forum and not toe a line which is different from the party’s official stand,” Singh had said on Wednesday.

Read: ‘Liberals’ who have suddenly discovered their love for Ahmadiyyas were silent when Asaduddin Owaisi was oppressing them

Initially, the JDU was hesitant to support the NDA over the Citizenship Amendment Bill but had supported the bill just a day before it was tabled in the Parliament on Monday by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

After a long and heated debate, both the houses of Parliament has passed the Citizenship Amendment Bill. On Monday, the bill was passed in the Lok Sabha. The Rajya Sabha has passed the CAB with 125 votes in favour and 105 against. The Bill will now be law once the President signs on it.

The historic Citizenship Amendment Bill, after being passed by Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha both, paves the way for hundreds and thousands of persecuted minorities from the three neighbouring countries who have been residing in India for the past many years.

‘Liberals’ who have suddenly discovered their love for Ahmadiyyas were silent when Asaduddin Owaisi was oppressing them

K Bhattacharjee
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‘Liberals’ who have suddenly discovered their love for Ahmadiyyas were silent when Asaduddin Owaisi was oppressing them

The Citizenship Amendment Bill was passed by the Upper House of the Parliament on Wednesday amidst much opposition. One of the many arguments raised against the Bill was that it doesn’t accommodate the persecuted Ahmadiyyas from the three neighbouring Islamic States. The plight of Ahmadiyyas was mostly highlighted by ‘Secular’ people as the Muslim bodies in even India do not consider them Muslims. Even Asaduddin Owaisi was mighty displeased with the fact that Ahmadiyyas are mentioned as an Islamic sect in the census of India.

The Majlis Tahaffuze Khatme Nabuwat (MTNK), a prominent body of religious scholars, slammed the Central Government for treating the Ahmadiyyas as part of the Muslim community in the 2011 census. According to MTNK, the Ahmadiyyas cannot be considered an Islamic sect and they follow a different religion.

In 2012, activists associated with the MTNK disrupted prayers in an Ahmadiyya Mosque in Hyderabad. The Ahmadiyyas were celebrating their formation day when 200 MTNK activists led by their city leader Mohammed Ali Ansar Khatim went to Masjid–ul-Hamd Ahmadiyya mosque in Saidabad and hurled abuses at the people present and demanded that they stop the prayers.  They told the Ahmadiyyas that they were not Muslims and staged a ‘rasta roko’.

In January this year, Ahmadiyya writer Basharat Ahmed’s talk was cancelled in Pune after protests from Muslim groups. Zahed Bhai, who led the protests, said, “Basharat Ahmed speaks against Islamic faith and his speech would have hurt the sentiments of the community. We had informed the police much earlier and had given a complaint about it. The organisers should not have invited a controversial person like Ahmed for the literary conference. However, they have been co-operative and told us that his talk has been cancelled.” There was no evidence that Basharat Ahmed was offending Muslims in any manner at all.

In June of 2008, prominent Muslims had called upon the then Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YSR Reddy to demand that Ahmadiyyas be denied the permission to hold a public meeting in Hyderabad. The person leading the delegation was none other than Asaduddin Owaisi. Consequently, the Chief Minister ordered the Police to not allow the Ahmadiyyas to hold their conference.

There were genuine security concerns after Muslims groups decided that they won’t allow the Ahmadiyya conference to go through ‘come what may’. This was decided after a meeting at the headquarters of Owaisi’s party. The Muslim groups led by AIMIM had also threatened to lay siege to the venue to prevent the Ahmadiyyas from holding their conference. Ultimately, the Conference was not organized.

In India, the Ahmadiyyas were officially recognized as an Islamic sect in the 2011 census. They are not permitted to perform the pilgrimage to Mecca. In September 2011 in Delhi, a Quran exhibition held by Ahmadiyyas were called off after shrill protests from Jama Masjid Imam Ahmed Bukhari and an All-India Muslim Personal Law Board member. The Ahmadiyyas are not even represented on the AIMPLB.

G Farhan Mubash, an Ahmadi, recalling particular incident persecution faced by the community in Bhagalpur, Bihar, told Youth Ki Awaaz, “They (other Muslims) organised a jalsa (gathering) on Khatme Nubuwwat (anti-Ahmadiyya organisation). On the last day (of the congregation), they announced a social boycott of the Ahmadis. We were not allowed to take water from public water taps, we were not allowed to buy vegetables and groceries from the shops that were around. After this fatwa was announced, even our cousins stopped talking to us.”

Thus, quite clearly, the Muslims in India have great problems with the Ahmadiyyas. The ‘secularists’, who are now crying over the fact that Ahmadiyyas have been excluded from the CAB, were silent on the persecution faced by the community all these years. They have even made heroes out of people like Asaduddin Owaisi who have been at the forefront of the ostracisation of Ahmadiyyas. But now that the CAB seeks to address a particular issue, they have suddenly rediscovered their lost love for the Ahmadiyya community.

There’s a good reason why India should not be overeager to accept Ahmadiyyas from Pakistan. The Muslims in India have shown enough inclinations that their opinions of the Ahmadiyya community are not at all different from their counterparts in Pakistan. Therefore, we cannot and should not risk a situation where we are importing Islamic sectarian strife into the country.

Furthermore, if only Ahmadiyyas were to be included, it could put the Ahmadiyyas in India at risk from fellows Muslims who, no doubt, would be angered by the fact. It is not the responsibility of the Indian government to provide a solution to the sectarian strife within Islam. Ahmadiyyas are Muslims and they must be treated that way because they demand to be treated that way. Not doing so would be infringing upon their dignity which is already compromised all the time by Pakistani Muslims and Muslims in India such as Asaduddin Owaisi and his ilk.

Bhopal: Woman given triple talaq by husband, raped by ‘healer’ Anwar Khan on pretext of Halala

OpIndia Staff
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Bhopal: Woman given triple talaq by husband, raped by ‘healer’ Anwar Khan on pretext of Halala

A 22-year-old Muslim woman resident of Bismillah Colony in Aishbagh area, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh was allegedly given triple talaq by the husband and then sent to a ‘healer’, who allegedly raped her on the pretext of halala. Both the husband and the healer named Anwar Khan, who was hired by the woman’s family as the ‘Nikai Abba’ during their marriage, have been arrested, said police.

As per some Muslim practices, at the time of marriage, someone from the bride’s side becomes ‘Nikai Abba’. Both are married only after the Nikai Abba’s signature. The Nikai Abba is a witness. Also, if there is a dispute between the husband and wife, he comes for a settlement.

CSP Aleem Khan said, “Both the accused were arrested and produced before a court, they have been sent to jail.”

In what transpired on November 23, a man allegedly gave triple talaq to his wife after a dispute broke out between them. Later when the man attempted to resolve the issue, the man Anwar Khan who was the ‘Nikai Abba’ during their marriage told the husband that the woman needs to perform halala before getting back with him, for which the man agreed.

Anwar Khan then took the woman to a flat and raped her in the name of ‘halala’, the police official said. Even after all this, when the husband refused to take her back, the woman approached the city police and filed a complaint against the duo.

According to police, the 22-year-old woman resident of Ashoka Garden is a homemaker. She was married on April 29, 2019. Anwar Khan (51) used to visit the woman’s marital house regularly. The woman had alleged that Anwar Khan’s behaviour was objectionable towards her but her husband’s family had a deep reverence for Khan.

Khan used to visit the house during odd hours especially in the absence of her husband and in-laws. The woman had tried to complain to her husband about the healer’s ill intentions several times in the past, but the man allegedly never believed his wife.

SP Khan said that a case had been registered and action has been taken against her husband under the Muslim Women Protection Act. A case has also been registered against the healer,” said Khan.

Though triple talaq is now a punishable offence carrying a three-year jail term, rampant cases of domestic violence and physical assaults related to the evil practice of triple talaq are reported regularly.

Recently, it was reported that a woman from Rajasthan was allegedly raped by her father-in-law and his brother after she refused to accept the triple talaq given to her by her husband. The victim had also alleged that she was beaten up her husband’s brother.

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

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

Following the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Bill by both the Houses of Parliament which grants citizenship to persecuted religious minorities of three neighbouring countries,  Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, there is a sense of jubilation and newfound freedom among minorities especially Pakistani Hindus who are currently residing in the country.

It was evident as the passing of the legislation was welcomed with bursting fireworks, loud cheers in these refugee camps and was celebrated with a festive mood across the country as these persecuted minorities found their new home in India.

On Thursday, speaking to OpIndia team, Pakistani Hindus living in north Delhi’s Majnu ka Tila expressed joy following the passing of Citizenship Amendment Bill in both houses of Parliament.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efJ5uthX1D4]

Speaking to OpIndia team, several families, who had come to India years ago after fleeing Pakistan said that they had left the country on the pretext of visiting India on a religious trip. Sharing their horrific experiences in Pakistan, the persecuted Hindus said they were subjected to forcefully abductions and religious conversions which were overlooked by the authorities in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

“Our temples were attacked, we were not allowed to celebrate the Hindu festivals. Our children are forced to study Islamic texts and prayers at schools. The Hindu women were harassed and we were not allowed to come out of our homes,” said a lady.

These families stated that the Pakistan government did not even intervene to stop these human rights violations on Hindus. “The police officials in Pakitan neither take cognizance of our complaints nor act against those perpetrators”, said another refugee.

“Soon after independence, Pakistan chose to become an Islamic country. Only Muslims enjoy all benefits in Pakistan unlike India where Hindus, Muslims, Sikh, Christians all can co-exist together,” he added.

The refugees said that they have come to India nearly a decade back with a valid visa issued by the Indian government. The refugees added that they had to leave their families in Pakistan, who according to them are in lakhs, facing persecution in Pakistan.

“Currently, the Indian government has stopped issuing a visa to Pakistani Hindus, which has led these minorities to stay back in Pakistan. The visa cost is also high. Our families cannot come to India with these rules. More than 400 families are still facing threats in Pakistan,” the family added.

Read: Cultural Marxism: Liberals oppose the CAB because of Hinduphobia which dictates that Hindus must never be recognized as Victims

Tarachand, another Pakistani refugee said the Hindus are facing severe atrocities in Pakistan for religious reasons. “We are not allowed to enter hotels. We are treated as untouchables. They do not serve us food or water,” said Tarachand.

“Quran is forced on us. We are here in India for religious reasons. We have received a lot of love in India for the past five years. A lot of our relatives are still staying in Pakistan. The forced abductions of Hindu girls are rampant in Pakistan. Despite all these persecutions in Pakistan, we did not give up practising Hinduism” said another lady who has fled from Sindh province of Pakistan.

Ever since they came to India, a refugee said they have been treated well in the country and has never faced any difficulties here. Expressing happiness over being eligible for citizenship, the lady added that she feels like a bird who has been let out of a cage. It feels like we are independent now, she added.

Baldevi, a mother of two, who had arrived in India with her husband and sister, said that India is a secular country but in Pakistan, Hindus are treated with the utmost contempt. “The hatred for Hindus is extreme in Pakistan and they do not allow us to even drink water from their wells or serve food to us in restaurants. We are subjected to economic boycott,” said Baldevi.

“We are happy that we are citizens of this country. We do not want anything other than Indian citizenship. I am grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for granting citizenship. Modi has come to help us, Hindus,” added Baldevi.

The refugees also hoped that since the Modi government has given citizenship to them now, they will also be provided with basic amenities in these colonies and infrastructure such as schools, sanitation and basic healthcare.

“The place we are staying is a burial ground. We have converted this place into heaven,” said Baldevi.

Another family residing in the resettlement colony has named their newborn daughter ‘Nagrikta’ (citizenship) in the honour of the bill that will now ensure they are the legal citizens of India.

“I have named my son Bharat and daughter as Bharati. Now, as my granddaughter was born in India, we have decided to call her Nagrikta,” said the grandmother with a big smile on her face.

In addition to these families, the makeshift tents and unplastered walls with metal roofs in north Delhi’s Majnu ka Tila area are home to about over 750 Pakistani Hindus who fled the neighbouring country to seek refuge in India. Apart from these refugees, many others also live in resettlement colonies in Rohini Sector 9 and 11, Adarsh Nagar and near the Signature Bridge.

With both the houses of Parliament passing the historic Citizenship Amendment Bill, people belonging to six minority communities of three Islamic countries – Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, will now be granted citizenship in India provided they had arrived here on or before 31 December 2014.

BHU Dharma Vigyan students deserve an apology for being labelled as ‘bigots’

Abhishek Banerjee
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BHU Dharma Vigyan students deserve an apology for being labelled as ‘bigots’

A few weeks ago, headlines went viral about protests at BHU against a newly appointed professor of Sanskrit who happened to be Muslim. This was of course immediately sucked into the “intolerance” narrative against BJP ruled India. The global liberal media did not lag behind. After all, these days anything perceived to be wrong with India is big news, even if it is vegetable prices.

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And why not? After all, how can students in a learning environment possibly dictate that their professors should belong to a specific religion? What has the religion of the professor got to do with teaching a language?

So much of the left and the right weighed in on this story, most sensible people inclined to condemn the protesting students for their “bigotry.” Some celebrity journalists went a step further, putting the students on the kangaroo court of cable news though not letting them speak and hammering them on air.

Read: How the BHU students were demonised and the ones who refused to be ‘secularised’ unfairly called ‘bigots’

Slowly, but surely, a second narrative began to emerge. The students insisted that they had absolutely nothing against a Muslim teaching Sanskrit or any other language. It just so turns out that the Sanskrit Vidya Dharma Vigyan (SVDV) department to which Feroz Khan had been appointed, is a rather unique institution at BHU, which teaches Hindu Shastras and Hindu rituals.

This obviously has to do with the special history of BHU, conceived by Mahamana Madan Mohan Malviya as a centre for both secular and religious education. The appointment of a Muslim to teach Hindu Shastras in the Vedic tradition may, therefore, be seen as roughly equivalent to appointing a Muslim to work as a priest at a Hindu temple. It is not unreasonable to protest against this and doing so can hardly be considered a form of bigotry.

Read: BHU: SVDV students finally vindicated, Dr Firoze Khan resigns, will join Arts faculty to teach Sanskrit

But few wanted to listen. The initial burst of viral headlines were simply too powerful.

However, the events of the last few days leave no doubt that the students had a legitimate point, which had nothing to do with religious fundamentalism.

OpIndia headline

Feroz Khan will continue to teach Sanskrit at BHU. He will just be teaching it in the Sanskrit department at the Faculty of Arts, where Sanskrit is taught in a secular fashion like any other language.

And the reaction of the protesting students?

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Even the NDTV reporter gets it now.

No student ever protested against a Muslim teaching Sanskrit at BHU. All they ever demanded was that a non-Hindu should not be teaching Hindu religion.

And yet, the impression was created (deliberately?) across India and across the world that these students were bigots, opposing a professor simply because he happened to be a Muslim.

The protesting BHU students deserve credit for making their point resolutely. For being unfazed before bullies from all over the world. The media elite, sometimes taking advantage of their relatively weak English speaking skills, tried to bury their narrative. But it was not to be.

Read: BHU protests: Students seek ‘Bheeksha’ to raise awareness for their cause, RSS reverses stand, Mahants come out in support

It can now be safely concluded that the BHU story should be a lesson in how not to cover news and why we should not jump to conclusions based on viral headlines. The whole thing was an internal matter of the university, relating to the unique history of the institution. Outsiders getting involved and shooting their mouths off without knowing the full story, did not help anybody.

A liberal may ask here: what about JNU? How come I want BHU protests to be an internal matter, but I had no qualms commenting on JNU? Well, it’s quite simple: JNU protests were about hostel fees, mess charges, etc. Common concerns that we can all understand and relate to. Concerns that are universal in nature. The BHU case simply wasn’t about any such thing. Most universities don’t have the unique history and traditions of BHU. The matter was far too specific to one department at one university.

Read: BHU students organise Rudhrabhishek as part of agitation against the appointment of non-Hindu to the faculty of theology

And now the protesting BHU students and the administration have reconciled all their differences in a manner that is fair to all. Prof. Feroz Khan will continue to teach Sanskrit at BHU and absolutely nobody questions his academic expertise. The students have happily called off their protest and will continue with their Hindu religious education at their department.

Seems everyone is a winner here. Except those of us who rushed to judge without making certain of the facts first.

Indian Union Muslim League represented by Kapil Sibal move SC against Citizenship Amendment Bill, seek to declare it ‘illegal’

OpIndia Staff
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Indian Union Muslim League represented by Kapil Sibal move SC against Citizenship Amendment Bill, seek to declare it ‘illegal’

The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) on Thursday moved the Supreme Court to challenge the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019, which has been cleared by both Houses of Parliament and is awaiting the President’s assent before it becomes a law.

After the historic bill passed the Lower house on Monday, it also sailed through the Upper House, where the government lacks a majority, on Wednesday.

According to reports, senior Congress leader and SC advocate Kapil Sibal will represent the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) in Supreme Court. IUML, which is an ally of the Congress in the state of Kerala, in its petition pleaded the SC to declare the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019 as ‘illegal and void’ as it alleged that the bill violates the fundamental Right to Equality of the Constitution.


According to reports, along with Indian Union Muslim League opposing Citizenship Amednment Bill, four other Members of Parliament, which include, PK Kunhalikutty (Lok Sabha IUML MP representing Kerala), ET Mohammed Basheer (Lok Sabha IUML MP representing Kerala), Abdul Wahab (Rajya Sabha IUML MP from Kerala) and K Navas Kani (Lok Sabha IUML MP from Tamil Nadu), have also filed a petition in the apex court against the Citizenship Amendment Bill, on grounds that it violates the Right to Equality under Article 14 of the Constitution.

Read: Hindu massacres and a demand for Sharia: The story of Rahul Gandhi’s ally IUML, an offshoot of Jinnah’s Muslim league

This development comes merely a day after the bill found a smooth passage in the Rajya Sabha, with 125 voted in favour of the bill in the Upper House, 105 MPs voted against it.

Similarly, the bill, which amends the Citizenship Act, 1955, to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan if they faced religious persecution there, sailed through in the Lok Sabha on Monday with 311 ayes and 80 nos.

Congress veteran leader Kapil Sibal and out-on-bail leader P Chidambaram, both members of the Upper House, had questioned the Modi government over the legal validity of the Bill during the discussion in Parliament.

The historic Citizenship Amendment Bill, after being passed by Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha both, paves the way for hundreds and thousands of persecuted minorities from the three neighbouring countries who have been residing in India for the past many years.

Read: Citizenship Amendment Bill – Myths and lies propagated against it, and the facts

The Bill had faced intense opposition from the Congress and like-minded parties who had earlier vouched for the provisions enshrined in the Bill during past regimes before doing a complete U-Turn in 2019. Shiv Sena, a party that claims to be a Hindutva party, after voting in favour of the bill in the Lok Sabha, had taken a complete U-turn and walked out as the voting began in the Rajya Sabha.

‘Activists’ and ‘Intellectuals’ had joined the liberal mob in opposition to the Bill. Numerous bizarre arguments have been made to oppose the Bill. Certain people have deemed it to be anti-Muslim even though the Bill had nothing to do with Indian Muslims.

There was a meltdown among the ‘Liberal’ crowd on social media after the Bill was tabled and eventually passed in the Lok Sabha. Eventually, such baseless opposition to the Bill has been rejected by both Houses of the Parliament and President Kovind will soon sign the historic Bill into law.

Ranchi: Lawyer who represented Richa Bharti against Quran distribution order shot dead, property dispute suspected

OpIndia Staff
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Ranchi: Lawyer who represented Richa Bharti against Quran distribution order shot dead, property dispute suspected

Ram Pravesh Singh, a 47-year-old lawyer in Ranchi was shot dead on Monday night in Ranchi. As per reports, the incident occurred in Road number 5 in Sarvodaya Nagar, under the Kanke police station limits.

In a CCTV footage that has been going viral on social media, Ram Pravesh Singh can be seen standing near his car, in his lawyer’s robes, when the assailant had approached him casually. The assailant was seen slowly and casually walking towards the lawyer and suddenly raising the gun he had kept hidden in his hands behind his back. Ram Pravesh Singh was shot dead from a point-blank range and the bullet had gone through his head, causing instant death.

He was taken to RIMS for treatment but the doctors there had declared him brought dead. The incident happened close to the lawyer’s house. Police have stated that Ram Pravesh Singh had a property dispute going on with a person named Chhotu Lakra regarding a plot of land in Misir Gonda. He had also registered an FIR against Chhotu Lakra on 23 October following a fight. The police have taken Lakra and his relative Ramesh into custody for interrogation.

Reports say the murderer and his associate had conducted a recce of the area around Singh’s residence. The bike-borne associate had helped the murderer escape after shooting Singh.

The lawyers of Ranchi Bar Association have severely condemned the brutal murder of a colleague. Kundan Prakash Singh, the General Secretary of Ranchi District Bar Association has stated that it is a cause of deep concern that a lawyer has been gunned down by criminals so daringly. He added that the crime shows the boldness of criminals and the anarchy. He had also emphasised on security for the lawyers stating that losing clients often consider the lawyer as their enemy.

The murder of a lawyer in the capital city so close to the assembly elections has created a stir in the region. The lawyers have called for a strike and have boycotted work on Tuesday, taking a silent march in the capital’s streets.

It is notable here that the deceased lawyer Ram Pravesh Singh had represented Ranchi girl Richa Bharti, who had been in news headlines after a Ranchi court had ordered her to distribute copies of the Quran over a complaint against one of her Facebook posts.

Read: Ranchi Bar Association boycotts the judge who had ordered Ranchi girl to distribute Quran as bail condition

Richa Bharti had declined to distribute the Quran copies, saying it violates her rights to free speech and rights to religion. The case had created headlines across the nations, and lawyers of the Ranchi Bar Association, led by Kundan Prakash, had then taken out protests too, demanding the transfer of the judge Manish Kumar Singh, who had issued the order.

Following widespread outrage against such an order, the Ranchi court had finally modified the order. The case had created national headlines and had stirred many people to volunteer to contribute towards Richa’s legal expenses.

Asaduddin Owaisi denies persecution of Hindus and other minorities in Islamic nations in a shameful interview

OpIndia Staff
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Asaduddin Owaisi denies persecution of Hindus and other minorities in Islamic nations in a shameful interview

The Citizenship Amendment Bill being tabled in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha has created a political slugfest where several “secular” politicians are fear-mongering and spreading lies about the bill. In a shameful interview to Leftist portal The Logical Indian, AIMIM chief Asaddudin Owaisi made wildly fallacious claims including denying persecution of Hindus and other minority groups in Pakistan and other neighbouring Islamic nations.

In response to a question by the interviewer, Owaisi said, “I asked the ruling government in the Parliament whether they had the numbers or data to prove that there was pervasive persecution of Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, Sikhs, and Christians. Amit Shah said ‘lakhon-crorodon’ (lakhs and crores) – which is a very tall and unverified claim and not even remotely substantiated. I asked him for the exact number, broken down nation-wise between the three Islamic nations, and there was no answer given”.

In this shameful statement by Owaisi, he has clearly attempted to deny the persecution of Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Christians and Parsis in neighbouring Islamic countries where there exists ample evidence of the religious persecution faced by these minorities.

Owaisi said he had asked the government for data on the quantum of persecution of minorities in Islamic nations and he has not got those statistics yet. Insinuating that the persecution that is being cited to provide refuge to minorities of neighbouring Islamic nations might be completely concocted or the quantum might not be as much to require refuge.

Read: When 200 Hindu women were raped by Muslims: Read why HM Amit Shah mentioned the Bhola violence in Bangladesh

Owaisi might do well to realise that Islamic nations, as a matter of state policy discriminate against Hindus and other minorities and any communities that are not Muslims. For example, in Pakistan, Islam is the state religion. It also stated that all laws would have to be brought into accordance with the injunctions of Islam as laid down in the Quran and Sunnah and that no law repugnant to such injunctions could be enacted. In 2019, Pakistan Assembly rejected a bill that sought to ensure that non-Muslims could too become the Prime Minister or President of Pakistan. The bill was introduced by a Christian legislator. In fact, that it was rejected was hailed by Pakistan saying that no law which does not conform to Islam can be passed. By the very virtue of Islam being the state religion of Pakistan, Bangladesh etc, the state is predisposed to discriminating against minorities.

Besides the basic law that discriminates against minorities, firstly, there is no denying that the tenets of Islam itself discriminate against other religions and we have seen that time and again. Secondly, there are ample reports and even global condemnation that has accrued to Pakistan, Bangladesh etc that point towards widespread persecution of minorities in neighbouring Islamic nations.

There have been thousands of Hindu, Sikh and Christian girls who have been abducted, raped and forced to convert to Islam. In October this year, a young girl named Chandri Kolhi from Noukot, Mirpurkhas was abducted, converted and married to Allah Dino. The family of the girl filed a complaint alleging that she was abducted and forcefully converted to Islam.

Read: By speaking against Rasalullah, you have invited your own doom: When Asaduddin Owaisi had threatened Kamlesh Tiwari

Earlier, following an allegation of blasphemy against a Hindu school principal, Hindu temples, shops and homes of minority Hindus were ransacked by Muslim rioters. However, later it was revealed that the attack on Hindus was a pre-planned event to cover-up a child abduction incident. The school principal had thwarted efforts by giving refuge to one of the Hindu girls, who was abducted by associates of child kidnapper radical Islamist Mian Mithoo.

The violence against Hindus in Pakistan’s Ghotki came months after a series of abductions and forceful conversions of minority Hindu and Sikh girls. In March, two underage Hindu girls Raveena (13) and Reena (15) were abducted from the Ghotki in Pakistan’s Sindh on the eve of Holi. The girls were later forcefully converted and married off to older Muslim men.

Earlier, Jagjit Kaur, a Sikh girl was abducted and forcibly converted to Islam in Nankana Sahib which had caused a huge uproar. In another horrific incident, a 13-year-old Pooja Sotahar Kumari, daughter of Fatan Rathore, resident of village Bakhsho Laghari in Hyderabad district’s Hosri Taluka, was kidnapped, forcefully converted and subsequently married off to a man identified as Syed Irshad Shah.

Recently, a Christian girl was abducted and forcefully converted to Islam before being married off to her abductor.

Read: Pakistani parliament rocked by one Hindu lawmaker exposing the brutalities heaped against Hindus in the Islamic state

Many instances of Pakistani Christian women being married to Chinese men and then being forced into prostitution have emerged in several areas in Pakistan. In a recent case, a 27-year-old woman named Rimsha had reached out to her family members in Lahore via a messaging app, claiming that her Chinese husband has been physically abusing her and forcing her into prostitution.

Rimsha was married to a Chinese man who had promised that she will have a comfortable life in China. Rimsha’s family, like many Pakistani Christians, live a life of abject poverty and marginalisation. When the Chinese suitor had promised a comfortable life for Rimsha and also good jobs for her brothers, the family had delightfully agreed to get her married. However, soon after her wedding, Rimsha was reportedly subjected to physical and mental abuse. She was reportedly forced into prostitution by her husband.

The Associated Press had reported that as the Faisalabad racket targetting Christian women revealed an extended network of trafficking, the police were ordered to remain quiet over the issue for the fear of hurting economic ties with Beijing. The report also stated that Chinese Christian pastors and brokers inside Pakistan target and pursue poor Christian girls aggressively to trap them in fake marriages and subsequent trafficking and prostitution.

As for Bangladesh, one recalls the Bhola rape and violence incident which occurred in 2001, just after the Bangladesh National Party under Begum Khalida Zia came to power. After the election victory, the BNP and Jamat-e-Islami goons had wreaked havoc over Hindus in Bangladesh.

Read: Leader from Bangladesh opposition party confesses to leading arson attacks against Hindus in 2017

In October 2001, in Bhola districts, Lalmohan region, Hindus were attacked by Muslims. The attackers rushed into Hindu homes, looted their belongings, cut down their trees, destroyed their crops. In Bhola’s Char Fasson, BNP supported Muslims had attacked and raped over 200 Hindu women. The youngest victim was 8. The eldest was a 70-year-old woman.

Years later, a Judicial Commission inquiry in Bangladesh had concluded that over 25,000 leaders and local party workers of the then ruling BNP and Jamat-e-Islami were involved in the attack against Hindus and other minorities that had led to hundreds of deaths, injuries and had forced the Hindus in Bangladesh to flee into India.

In addition to all of this, there are hundreds and thousands of temples that are desecrated regularly in Islamic nations. One even recalls the images of caged Durga Puja pandals in Bangladesh as an example.

The fact remains that if one had to write a comprehensive report on the persecution that minorities face in neighbouring Islamic nations, merely an article would not be sufficient. That Owaisi is now questioning the very persecution that minorities face in Islamic nations points towards his deep-seated Hinduphobia. It merely proves beyond doubt that Owaisi is an Islamist who would even deny long-established facts to ensure the persecuted Hindus, Sikh, Buddhists etc don’t find shelter and refuge in India.

It is also interesting that a portal would publish this genocide denial without any counter questions posed to Owaisi. It shows the utter lack of honesty and ethics prevalent in the media and the fact that they are more than happy to provide a platform to radical Islamists who choose to spread their propaganda and are confident that it would go unchallenged by the concerned news agency.

Prime Minister Modi vows to safeguard Clause 6 of Assam Accord: Read its significance amidst CAB debate

OpIndia Staff
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Prime Minister Modi vows to safeguard Clause 6 of Assam Accord: Read its significance amidst CAB debate

As the Union government successfully passed the historic Citizenship Amendment Bill, Home Minister Amit Shah had stated in the Rajya Sabha that the government is committed to honouring the clause 6 of the Assam Accord.

Amit Shah had slammed the Congress for not implementing the same, despite signing the Accord back in 1985.

The Assam Accord was signed back in 1985 by the then Rajiv Gandhi government and the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) to put a stop to the protests and unrest continuing in the state from 1979.

Today, PM Narendra Modi again asserted that his government is committed to safeguarding the guidelines under clause 6 of the treaty.

 What is Clause 6 of the Assam Accord

The Clause 6 of the Assam Accord reads, “Constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards, as may be appropriate, shall be provided to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people”.

Clause 6 was meant to act as a safeguard against the effect of migration between 1951 and 1971 on Assam’s demography and the state’s culture.

Committee to oversee implementation of Clause 6

Despite ruling Assam for decades, the Congress party had not constructed a committee to implement the guidelines under Clause 6. It was the Modi government that had constructed the committee in January this year.

Read: Union government forms High-Level Committee for implementation of clause 6 of Assam Accord

Amit Shah stated, “In 1985, the Assam accord happened. There is a provision in clause 6 to protect the indigenous culture of the state. From 1985 to 2014, the committee was not constituted for Clause 6. I want to assure that NDA Government through committee to supervise clause 6 will protect rights of Assam. We have constituted the Committee and All Assam Students’ Union is part of the committee. I want them to send a report of the Committee quickly.”

The Assam government’s website lists several projects undertaken and funds sanctioned under the committee. Among those are the establishment of The Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra Society, The Jyoti Chitraban Film Studio Scheme, The Modernisation of the Jyoti Chitraban Film Studio Phase III, and special grant of funds for the protection of historical monuments in the state, among many others.

Opposition to CAB in Assam

Many political leaders, including the former leaders of AASU, who were a part of the Assam Accord, are opposed to the Citizenship Amendment Bill, claiming that the CAB will undo the Clause 6.

MP Bezbaruah, the first appointed Chairman of the high-level committee formed in January had quit in July when protests against the CAB broke out in Assam. Prafulla Mahanta, former CM of Assam and a leader of the Asom Gana Parishad, an NDA ally and BJP’s alliance partner in the state, stated that the CAB is extending the cut-off year from 1971 to 2014, thereby undoing whatever was promised under Clause 6.

The Assam Accord and the accompanying amendment in the Citizenship Act say that any person who entered the state before 25th March 1972 will be granted citizenship.

The protesting groups in Assam have been raising an objection to grant of citizenship rights to Bangladeshi illegal immigrants, regardless of their religious affiliation. The threat to demography and resources posed by Bangladeshi immigrants is profound in Assam and the people are seeing the CAB as a means that will enable lakhs of illegal immigrants and refugees in the state to become legal citizens.

BJP says CAB is needed in Assam to protect demography

Himanta Biswa Sarma, BJP’s key leader in the North East and Assam minister, has been asserting that the CAB will no way harm the ethnic residents of Assam, and instead, it is necessary to protect the state’s demographics.

Sarma had stated that without Citizenship Amendment Bill, many assembly seats in Assam will go to Muslims, and in future Hindus will lose their right to appoint their own CM.

“I strongly believe that if this bill is not passed, Assamese Hindus will become the minority in just the next five years. That will be advantageous for those elements who want Assam to be another Kashmir” He had earlier said.

He had also added that it is a hard fact even acknowledged by the Supreme Court, who had called influx of Bangladeshi Muslims post-1971 ‘external aggression’, and emphasised on the need of updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state.

Tihar starts preparing to hang Nirbhaya rapists, specials ropes ordered from Bihar’s jail, dummy execution done: Read details

OpIndia Staff
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Tihar starts preparing to hang Nirbhaya rapists, specials ropes ordered from Bihar’s jail, dummy execution done: Read details

The arrangements of execution of the four rapists convicted in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape case have already begun at Tihar Jail in Delhi, the officials confirmed.

According to reports, officers in Tihar, the largest prison in Asia, said special ropes for the execution are being brought from jail in Bihar’s Buxar, which also sent ropes for the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru in 2013. The authorities have also written to other states for services of hangmen and have begun inspections of the courtyard as well as the equipment that will be used to carry out the execution.

“We have ordered 10 new ropes from the Buxar jail. We are making preparations so that when the time comes, everything is in place. The ropes are made in Buxar jail by prisoners. They have to be of a particular type and should not break during the hanging or cut the throat. We had some old ropes but we did not want to take a chance,” said a Tihar officer speaking to Hindustan Times.

Pawan Gupta, Akshay Thakur, Vinay Sharma and Mukesh Singh are on death row for the gang rape and murder of the 23-year-old woman who was tortured on a bus that she and a friend boarded in south Delhi’s Munirka. A fifth adult suspect in the case, Ram Singh committed suicide in prison before the trial ended and another accused was a juvenile at the time of the crime.

Read: Delhi pollution is killing us anyway: Death row convict in Nirbhaya case mocks supreme court with the bizarre argument in the review petition

Reportedly, a dummy execution has also been carried out to test the gallows. The convicts are all in different cells and being monitored through CCTV. Arrangements for the hanging are being made in Jail Number 3, where executions are scheduled to be taking place.

An official in Tihar had recently said that they were in search for a hangman. “We don’t have a hangman. We will get one from some other state when needed,” ANI had quoted an unnamed Tihar Jail official as saying.

Anand Kumar, Director General (DG) of UP prisons administration and reform services, said that they have received a request letter from the Tihar prison through fax on December 9 (Monday) seeking services of the two hangmen of UP.

Read: Tihar Jail executioner crisis: Ravi Kumar from Shimla writes to President Kovind to appoint him to hang convicts in Nirbhaya case

Another Tihar officer has also confirmed that the department has written to not just Uttar Pradesh but to several states for the services of a hangman for the execution of Nirbhaya rapists.

“If we do not get a hangman, it can be done by any jail official. We have to follow the manual and the process. Before Afzal’s hanging, we used the services of a hangman from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh,” this officer said.

Last week, the Delhi government and the Centre had rejected the mercy petitions of one of the convicts – Vinay Sharma – and sent it back urging President Ram Nath Kovind to turn it down, clearing the way for the execution of the four convicts.

Read: Nirbhaya gangrape victim’s friend demanded money for appearing on interviews, claims journalist

Another convict, Akshay Kumar Singh, has also filed a review petition now. Akshay Singh, in a bizarre argument, has asked Supreme Court to spare him the death penalty since life in Delhi is anyway getting ‘short’ due to air and water pollution. The court has already rejected similar petitions from Vinay Kumar, Mukesh Singh and Pawan Gupta.

Delhi student Nirbhaya was brutally raped in the most barbaric manner inside a moving bus and was left to die on the road on December 16, 2012. She was later sent for treatment to Singapore but had succumbed to her injuries. The case had generated widespread public outrage both nationally and internationally and has made a huge impact in the psyche of the nation.

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