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No interest in meeting her: MEA S Jaishankar cancels meeting with US politicians over inclusion of anti-India Congresswoman

OpIndia Staff
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No interest in meeting her: MEA S Jaishankar cancels meeting with US politicians over inclusion of anti-India Congresswoman

The External Affairs Minister of India, S Jaishankar has cancelled his meeting with a group of the United States lawmakers following their refusal to exclude anti-India Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal from the delegation that was scheduled to meet the top Indian diplomat. Jaishankar has rubbished Jayapal’s report saying it had an unfair characterisation of the situation in Kashmir.


Accusing Jayapal of having a prejudicial view on Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370, Jaishankar said that he had no interest in meeting her. “Don’t think her report has a fair understanding of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir or fair characterisation of what the Government of India is doing. I have no interest in meeting her,” External Affairs Minister revealed after speculations of cancellation of the meeting came forth.

On his visit to Washington this week, MEA Jaishankar was to meet the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Eliot L Engel, the committee’s top Republican, Rep. Michael McCaul and others, including Rep. Pramila Jayapal.

US media had reported that Indian MEA’s office had asked the committee to drop Jaypal from the scheduled meeting. When the committee did not agree, the meeting was called off.

Jayapal has been trumpeting Pakistani line on the situation in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Jayapal has been critical of India’s move to abrogate Article 370 and subsequent restrictions imposed in the state. In the first week of December 2019, Jayapal had moved a Congressional resolution urging India to end the restrictions on communications in Jammu and Kashmir as soon as possible. However, the Indian-American community felt betrayed by Jayapal’s move, terming it politically motivated.

MEA Jaishankar is in the USA for the 2+2 summit. The Congresswoman Jaypal has reacted to MEA Jaishankar’s statement, complaining that it was ‘deeply disturbing’ for her. She also claimed that India does not want to listen to any dissent, not explaining why exactly a sovereign nation should listen to foreign ‘dissent’ over internal governance matters.


Ever since India repealed Article 370, Pakistan has been incessantly concocting stories of human rights violations and state-sponsored excesses to draw international attention towards India’s internal matter in order to force India to roll back its decision apropos Kashmir.

On August 4, 2019, the Indian government hollowed out the archaic Article 370 that impeded the growth and true unification of Jammu and Kashmir with the Indian union. After the abrogation of Article 370, communication restrictions were imposed in certain sensitive areas of the state to curb misinformation, panic and fake news among people. The restrictions were gradually relaxed from some places based on the intelligence inputs and threats assessed by the on-ground agencies.

Can the anti-CAA protests hurt BJP or Narendra Modi electorally?

Rahul Roushan
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Can the anti-CAA protests hurt BJP or Narendra Modi electorally?

When Narendra Modi registered an almost unbelievable victory in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, even his haters had to admit that he had a nation-wide charisma and appeal that perhaps was matched only by Indira Gandhi in the history of Independent India. Haters deliberately chose Indira and did not go as far back as to Nehru, as comparing Modi with Nehru would have been blasphemy. Also, Modi will have to win a third term in 2024 to be eligible for that comparison.

But comparing Modi’s charisma and hold on politics with those of Indira, even though begrudgingly, was on purpose and with a secret desire. The purpose was to claim that Modi was as autocratic as Indira, and the secret desire was that like Indira, Modi will falter and impose an Emergency, which will lead him to be voted out of power. This is why the trope “there is an undeclared emergency in the country” is repeated on every possible occasion.

Modi haters are waiting for an Emergency to happen with far more passion and restlessness than any ‘Sanghi’ might be waiting for a Hindu Rashtra to happen.

The 1975 Emergency was preceded by large scale student protests that had snowballed into a public movement. Modi haters want a repeat of that. As a result, mere the sight of anyone looking like a student and shouting slogans gives them hope that emergency is coming and that their long-cherished dream would now come true.

They thought their dreams were about to come true in early 2016 when police arrested a few JNU students for organising an event where anti-India and pro-terrorist Afzal Guru slogans were raised. Just a week or two earlier, another student named Rohith Vemula had committed suicide after being frustrated with the far-left politics he was sucked into.

Read: Rohith Vemula frustrated with worldly affairs, did not commit suicide over University action: inquiry commission

“Gayaa! Ab Dalit vote bhi gayaa!” (it’s gone! Now even the Dalit vote is gone!) – this is how gleefully a Modi hating ‘journalist’ had reacted after she heard about Rohith Vemula’s death. Note that this happened in January 2016, when BJP had lost two elections in the previous year, first in Delhi and then in Bihar. Delhi was supposed to have taken away Baniya votes of BJP – recall the famous ‘main baniya hoon’ speech by Kejriwal – and Bihar was supposed to have taken away the OBC votes. The ‘liberal’ journalist was excited with Vemula dying as it could take away BJP’s Dalit votes too.

Whether it’s a suicide, a murder, a protest, an accident, a business deal, or a creative product – how it will affect the electoral prospects of Modi is all that the liberal crowd cares. The celebration or opposition by liberals depends on whether something will help or damage Modi. Student protests give them hope of an impending emergency, inherent in which is the hope of Modi being defeated like Indira was defeated post-emergency in 1977 elections.

With this hope, they had made heroes out of part-time-students-cum-full-time protestors from JNU. Rohith Vemula’s death was milked to the hilt at various educational campuses. There were student protests at FTII due to Gajendra Chauhan being appointed Chairman and that too added to the momentum. They even dressed up someone like Hardik Patel as a student leader. Students were restless on campuses and off it, they said. Then they created ‘mahaul’ around lynchistan, the murder of Gauri Lankesh, ghar wapsi, etc. and presented it all as signs of undeclared emergency.

Read: Here are the false, convoluted media narratives that were peddled in 2019 and failed miserably

The emergency is here, they shouted. The emergency is here, they dreamt. Revolution they awaited.

However, their dreams were shattered in 2019, when Modi returned with an even bigger mandate. But as it happens, a liberal is never wrong. It’s the people who are wrong. In his mind, a Modi hating liberal is totally convinced that Modi was all set to lose the 2019 elections but Balakot airstrikes changed the environment and stupid people were fooled with hyper-nationalism.

So in the second term of Modi, Modi haters are just repeating everything they did in his first term, with even more restlessness and added viciousness. They are once again dreaming of student protests and revolution, this time around the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

First, the Islamist protests at AMU and Jamia were dressed up as student protests. Then the police action against rioters at Jamia was presented as a crackdown on students. Sundry protests at other campuses were then organised and presented as ‘uprising’ in support against ‘crackdown on students’. And all this was followed up with carefully choreographed protests led by Bollywood actors and actresses to show how the student protests are turning into a public movement.

Read: Khilafat 2.0: How Useful Idiots in the media and political parties were fooled by Jamia students associated with the ‘blood brother’ of a banned Radical Islamic outfit

Smooth. No one can stop Emergency now. Anurag Kashyap even tweeted with the Emergency hashtag. QED. The emergency is here.

So will history repeat? Will it fail again like the last time and 2024 could see even more massive mandate for Modi?

Well, 2024 is too far away and no one can say with certainty what will happen, but I do think that Modi is poised to benefit as his haters have refused to learn anything from the 2019 defeat. The nationalism sentiment was ignited among common people much before Balakot airstrikes thanks to the imagined student protests at JNU in 2016. “Bharat tere tukde honge” everyone heard despite clever propaganda by the Left ecosystem to claim that JNU videos were doctored.

Read: Liberals want Bharat ke tukde so that they can feed the pieces to Bangladeshi illegals

Similarly, the current imagined student protests around CAA could ignite Hindutva sentiments among the general electorate, simply because the anti-CAA protests are nothing but either naked Islamism or apologia of Islamism. This despite the clever propaganda being run again to claim Hindus in scullcaps indulged in violence. Notice that they are repeating “JNU videos were doctored” strategy again by coming up with such laughable conspiracy theories. They are just repeating everything they did in Modi’s first term.

If Modi haters are hell-bent upon repeating the history, then history will definitely oblige them and 2019 will repeat in 2024, at least that’s what I feel today.

However, do I really believe that the Modi government is protest proof? That no amount of student protests or public protests can damage its electoral prospects? What if someone says that the current anti-CAA protests should not be compared with the 2016 JNU protests but with the 2011 anti-corruption protests? After all, some guys have cleverly coined the term “IAC” again – then it stood for India Against Corruption and now it stands for India Against CAA.

This is a good argument that should be analysed on its merits. Could this be Anna moment for the Modi 2.0? Could history repeat, but not as 2019 repeating in 2024, but 2014 repeating in 2024?

For that, we’ll have to see why Anna movement succeeded and how it damaged the Congress party, and if the same applies to anti-CAA protests and the BJP.

The major difference between the two protests is the subject. Corruption is something that touches every Indian, while the threat of losing citizenship does not. The anti-Modi strategists made a mistake here. They kept shouting that CAA+NRC was anti-Muslim, and thus they indirectly said that non-Muslims need not bother. It was not a problem like corruption that touched every citizen.

Read: Modi government dispels myths about CAA: Here are 19 FAQs and their answers

The Left now realises that it was a big strategic mistake. To control the damage, people like Farhan Akhtar spread highly misleading pamphlets claiming that the poor, the Dalits, the Adivasis, the transgenders, and other motley groups could also lose their citizenship. That made no sense really. He essentially was saying that almost 90% of India will be stateless and deported. Deported where? Who will believe such stupid propaganda?

It’s too late for them to convert this protest into some secular-humanist protest, though attempts are on with the help of an ever-obliging mass media. However, they have already indulged in so much of fear-mongering about CAA+NRC being anti-Muslim, that Islamist mobs have now taken things in their hand, which will make sure that the issue continues to be seen as a Muslim issue only.

The other difference is how the two protests affect the respective parties in power. The 2011 anti-corruption protests were instrumental in making the Congress party synonymous with corruption. Not that it was seen as some squeak clean party earlier, but Congress’ image, especially among urban youth, was damaged considerably. Congress ceased to be an option if corruption was your concern.

If we are to admit that the anti-CAA protests are like anti-corruption protests, the worst damage it can inflict upon the BJP is that it will make the party synonymous with being anti-Muslim. Umm…

Let me drop any political correctness here even though I have none, is that really something that can damage BJP more than it has already damaged? Is BJP really seen as a pro-Muslim party currently, or even a party that gets the support of Muslims? And such protests led by Bollywood actors and with support of ‘intellectuals’ most appeal to the urban English-speaking youth. This section has already been bombarded with much more impactful anti-BJP propaganda in shape of stand-up comedy and other sundry ‘activism’.

It does not, however, mean that an average Indian, or rather an average Hindu, doesn’t care if you have an anti-Muslim image and thus BJP has got nothing to worry. In fact, an average Hindu is so much guilt-ridden for just being a Hindu that he could indeed feel that BJP is being unfair to Muslims and thus he should punish BJP.

But this is where the violent protests by Muslim mobs kick in. Such visuals are not going to let Hindus be guilt-tripped into seeing Muslims, especially Bangladeshi and Rohingya infiltrators, as some poor victims. Strengthening of such sentiments will further be helped by ingrained Hinduphobia of the Left; it’s just a matter of time before placards mocking cow, beef, temples, etc. will come out in support of the protests. Some smartass ‘comedians’ are already doing it actually. This behaviour negates any guilt that might have been induced in ordinary Hindus.

Read: Watch: 9 videos of stone-pelting, arson, vandalism by Muslims mobs and action by police during anti-CAA riots in UP today

Obviously, it depends that how far these images and videos of violent Islamic mobs and ‘woke’ liberals mocking Hindus go. The JNU’s “tukde tukde” slogans reached millions. I remember a friend of mine telling me that he had to go near JNU and took an auto, and the auto wallah referred to JNU as Pakistan. The ‘hyper-nationalist’ and anti-Pakistan sentiments were ignited then only, much before Pulwama and Balakot. The same could repeat now and it could fuel anti-Islamist sentiments. A fear that ‘secular’ India has allowed far too many violent infiltrators in who can put the neighbourhood on fire.

Sometime in early 2024, maybe Narendra Modi will do a grand puja at the newly constructed Ram Temple in Ayodhya or some other such thing. Then liberals will say Modi communalised the ensuing Lok Sabha elections to win it. Truth is, they have communalised it already.

Burhan ‘headmaster’s son’ Wani 2.0: despite being exposed as terrorist and Jihad supporters, Barkha Dutt stands by her Jamia ‘sheroes’

OpIndia Staff
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Burhan ‘headmaster’s son’ Wani 2.0: despite being exposed as terrorist and Jihad supporters, Barkha Dutt stands by her Jamia ‘sheroes’

Despite the Jihadi ideologies of Barkha Dutt’s ‘sheroes’ from Jamia already being exposed by OpIndia and social media users, the controversial journalist continues to refuse to accept their reality. The female students of Jamia Milia Islamia university, Ladeeda Farzana and Aysha Renna, had become ‘sheroes’ of Barkha Dutt after a video had gone viral showing them protecting a male student from police lathi charge. The incident had happened during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protest that had turned violent, prompting police to use force to control the situation.

After Barkha Dutt made the students heroes, whom she calls ‘sheroes’, and interviewed them, social media users were quick to find that these students harboured jihadi ideologies. Ladeeda Farzana, who uses the name Ladeeda Shakhaloon for her social media accounts, had openly given call for jihad. She had said that people should “learn about our ‘Jihad’”. She had also glorified the early Muslims who had scored victories against ‘Kaafirs’. Aysha Renna has been sharing jihadi and anti-India posts of Ladeeda.

Read: Jamia, AMU and many other anti-CAA agitations are “protests of entitlement”

The social media posts of Ladeeda are so radical that even committed ‘secularists’ are finding it hard to believe that she actually posted those ideas. She has now deleted her Facebook account, where she had posted the radical Islamic messages. But when media house India Today talked to her, she defended the views presented on those posts. She also refused to explain her opposition to secularism.


But despite the fact that these women have radical Islamic ideologies which they themselves do not refuse, Barkha Dutt continues in her mission to elevate them as some sort of heroes. Yes, they did try to protect one of their friends from police lathi charge, but that does not change the fact that they are deeply indoctrinated Islamic fundamentalism.

Barkha Dutt tries to emphasis on the fact the women are very young, just 22-year olds. But she ignores that Jihadi terrorists who blow themselves to kill Indian security forces are also from similar age group. It is easy to radicalised young minds, that’s why so many Islamic terrorists are so young. Pulwama terrorist Adil Ahmad Dar was also 22 years old, Burhan Wani was 22, Ajmal Kasab was just 21 when he opened fired on hundreds of innocents in Mumbai. Therefore, being of young age does not matter if someone believes in radical Islamic fundamentalism.

The controversial journalist has a history of defending terrorists. She had tried to garner sympathy for Burhan Wani by introducing him as the son of a poor school headmaster. These girls have not gone to the extent of taking up arms against India, but they have expressed support for such acts, and they can’t be made heroes or sheroes just because they are young and took police beating.

2008 Jaipur blast case: Special court awards death penalty to all four Islamist terrorists

OpIndia Staff
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2008 Jaipur blast case: Special court awards death penalty to all four Islamist terrorists

The Jaipur court has awarded death sentence to all the four convicts of the 2008 Jaipur blast case.

According to the reports, the Jaipur court announced the quantum of sentence to all the four convicts – Mohammad Saif aka Carreon, Mohammad Sarwar Azmi, Mohammad Saif alias Saifurrahman Ansari and Mohammad Salman. All the four convicts have been awarded the death penalty while the fifth accused was acquited on the benefit of the doubt.


On Wednesday, a special court in Jaipur had convicted four people for the 2008 Jaipur blasts, which killed nearly 80 people and left many others injured. The quantum of sentence was announced on Friday by the special court.

The special court convicted the four accused under sections of IPC, Prevention of Unlawful Activities Act, Explosives Act, and PDPP Act. The Rajasthan Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) investigated the case and a charge-sheet was filed against five people. The court had also held banned terror outfit Indian Mujahideen responsible for the same.

The blasts were a series of 9 synchronized bomb blasts that took place on May 13, 2008, at different locations in the capital of Rajasthan, especially crowded market areas and near a Hanuman temple in Jaipur killing more than 70 people. The special court upheld that Saif planted the bomb at Manek Chowk while Sarwar planted it at Chandpole Hanuman temple. Salman planted a bomb at Sanganeri Gate Hanuman Temple and Rahman at Phool Walon Ka Khande in the name of ‘jihad’.

The kingpin of the blasts, Aatif Amin was killed in Batla House encounter in Delhi in September 2008.

RDX was suspected to be used, which was set off from cycles near Tripolia Bazar, Johari Bazar, Manas Chowk, Badi Choupal and Choti Choupal, which were located within a 2km radius of the old city.

Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islam, a terrorist organization based in Bangladesh was suspected to be behind the attack. Terror group Indian Mujahideen’s co-founder Yasin Bhatkal was also suspected to be the mastermind of the attacks in Jaipur.

Watch: 9 videos of stone pelting, arson, vandalism by Muslims mobs and action by police during anti-CAA riots in UP today

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: 9 videos of stone pelting, arson, vandalism by Muslims mobs and action by police during anti-CAA riots in UP today

The protests against the Citizenship Act have turned violent in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur, Firozabad, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Amroha and various other cities.

Reportedly, violent mobs are targetting police officials in Uttar Pradesh’s Firozabad during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protest. A police post has also been damaged and three vehicles were torched by an unruly mob, following which the police used tear gas to control the situation.


According to News18, the violent mob attacked the police personnel in Hapur, Uttar Pradesh.


According to ANI, rioters threw stones at police forces in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh during the ongoing Citizenship Amendment Act protests.


Similarly, several cops and protesters have been injured as rioters indulged in vandalism in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr. The Police had to lathi-charge after protesters engaged in stone-pelting, giving a violent turn to Citizenship Protests.


In a similar incident, security personnel had to baton charge violent rioters at Amroha and Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh.


The situation in Kanpur also turned violent after protesters went unruly in the city. The violent Muslim mobs chased a police jeep and ransacked public property.


Similarly, anti-CAA Protests in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar also took a violent turn as protesters set vehicles on fire.


On Thursday, Sambhal, a stronghold of Samajwadi Party, witnessed a large-scale protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act as four buses of UPSRTC and six police vehicles were vandalised by protesters who also hurled stones at security personnel and media persons.

Following the violent protests, the Uttar Pradesh police have registered a case against several accused persons including Samajwadi Party (SP) leaders Shafiqur Rahman Barq and Feroz Khan for indulging in violent protests in Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh, reports ANI. Burq is the sitting MP from Sambhal.

Reportedly, over 250 unnamed persons have been booked for violent protests in Sambhal district. At least 30 people have been arrested in connection with the anti-CAA protest violence in the district.

As per reports, over 3000 people have been named in FIRs by UP Police for violence and riots. Mobile internet service has been suspended in over several districts in the state.

Can’t join protest while on duty, absence will be considered unauthorised: TISS issues circular to faculty and staff on anti-CAA protests

OpIndia Staff
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Can’t join protest while on duty, absence will be considered unauthorised: TISS issues circular to faculty and staff on anti-CAA protests

The Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) in Mumbai has issued a notification to its faculties informing them that absence from duty on account of protests against the Government of India will be deemed as unauthorised leave. The circular from TISS has come at a time when anti-CAA protests have turned into riots.


Earlier this week, anti-CAA protests were organised in Mumbai which saw participation from some of the on-duty staff and faculties of the TISS.

Taking stern action against truancy exhibited by some faculties, the TISS administration released a notification for all staff and facilities stating that since the Institute is funded by the Government of India, the staff and faculty cannot join any kind of protests while on duty.

Read: Media, celebrities spreading falsehoods, CAA being misinterpreted: Pune law students issue statement supporting the Act

The circular further added that it is against the conduct rules and the absence from duty to join the protests will be treated as unauthorised. The circular was issued with the Director’s approval.

The protests against the passage of Citizenship Amendment Act intensified after Delhi Police took corrective action against the hoodlums at the Jamia Millia Islamia indulging in acts of arson and vandalism under the pretext of carrying out peaceful protests against the enactment of the Citizenship Law.

Read: Digital media platform MyNation provides recourse to expelled students from MP’s Makhanlal Journalism University, offers job without requirement of graduation certificate

Scores of vehicles were torched, public property damaged and stones pelted at the police forces as a party of the protest organised at the Jamia Millia university.

Following the violence, the Delhi Police entered the Jamia Islamia Millia University to flush out violent hoodlums hiding inside the university. This triggered solidarity protests in some parts of the country, including Mumbai.

Left, media destroying Sanatan Dharma, Hindus should unite to preserve Hinduism: Former Deputy PM of Nepal Kamal Thapa

OpIndia Staff
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Left, media destroying Sanatan Dharma, Hindus should unite to preserve Hinduism: Former Deputy PM of Nepal Kamal Thapa

As many leftist portals, political parties from Congress and the communists and Islamic organisations are busy spreading falsehood about the Citizenship Amendment Act, giving it a communal spin, the former Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal Kamal Thapa today called for all the Hindus of the world to unite in fight against the leftists who are hellbent on destroying the ‘Sanatan Dharma’.

Calling for Hindus of the world to stand against the left and preserve the glory of the Sanatan Dharma, the leader of Rashtriya Prajatantra Party of Nepal Kamal Thapa took to Twitter on December 20 to write: “This is true in Nepal’s context too. Nepal’s left and Nepali Congress along with some mainline media, academia are trying to destroy age-old Sanatan Dharma, culture, Nepali Maryada, parampara and identity.”


Thapa was responding to a tweet by Vedic Scholar Dr David Frawley, also known as Pandit Vamadeva Shastri. Frawley had said that Hindus have been under siege politically, religiously and demographically for centuries.

Read: Rajiv Gandhi govt threw out Hindu monarchy in Nepal, paving way for Communists and Chinese clout, reveals ex-special director of RAW

“India’s leftist media, academia and political parties from Congress to the Communists are now leading the charge. Hindus should have no illusions about their motivations and stand firm,” Dr Frawley said.


Responding to this Tweet Thapa said that similar to India, the leftists’ parties, media and the mainstream Nepali Congress too are trying to destroy the age-old Sanatan Dharma.

“Let’s all Hindus of the world unite in preserving the glory of Sanatan Dharma,” Thapa said.

Anti-CAA riots in Bihar: Vandalism, disruptions reported, Pappu Yadav marches wearing handcuffs and shackles

OpIndia Staff
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Anti-CAA riots in Bihar: Vandalism, disruptions reported, Pappu Yadav marches wearing handcuffs and shackles

Like many other states across the country, Patna in Bihar also turned into a war zone as the left-wing parties with support from around six Opposition parties in Bihar called for a statewide shutdown on Thursday in protest against the amended Citizenship Act and the proposed country-wide implementation of National Register of Citizens.

As per reports, Anti-CAA rioters took to the streets, resulting in large-scale traffic disruption, arson and vandalism. The rioters vandalised private and commercial vehicles in and around Patna during the bandh. In some districts including Patna, Ara and Darbhanga protesters disrupted rail routes.

Reports stated that workers of Jan Adhikar Party had indulged in vandalism in several areas of Patna. Stone pelting and arson incidents have been reported too.

Supporters of Jan Adhikar Party floated by former MP Pappu Yadav used burnt tyres to stop traffic on the streets adjacent to Rajendra Nagar terminus and also vandalised an ambulance while it was heading towards a residential area in Patna. Many of Yadav’s supporters squatted on the railway tracks to prevent trains from running on time.

JAP chief Pappu Yadav who had earlier claimed that he was placed under house arrest for extending support to the bandh said that “we have come out on the streets to oppose the Citizenship Act which is against the Constitution. It seems that the entire nation today has been held captive and needs to be released”.

Yadav marched on the streets accompanied by supporters wearing handcuffs and shackles, accusing the government of trying to smother dissent.

Moreover, supporters of the left parties created ruckus after halting a train at Lakhisarai on the Patna Kiul section under the Danapur division of East Central Railway.

According to Railway sources, the Bihar Sampark Kranti Express, which runs between Darbhanga and new Delhi via Hajipur was stranded at Laheriasarai for half an hour by the bandh supporters venting their ire against the CAA and the NRC.

RPF and GRP cops were alerted about the situation and moved to disperse the agitation.

Besides rail services, the bandh supporters had blocked the roads including the NHs across the state resulting into a complete halt of vehicles movements on roads.

The left-wing protestors were joined by members of several Muslim organisations to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act.

RJD which is the main Opposition party in Bihar didn’t participate in the bandh but provided “moral support” as they said that “the party has decided to organise a separate state-wide agitation against the issue on December 21”.

“We have called a bandh in Bihar on December 21 against the CAA. The act is unconstitutional and against humanity. It has exposed the divisive character of BJP,” RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav told ANI here on Friday.

Media, celebrities spreading falsehoods, CAA being misinterpreted: Pune law students issue statement supporting the Act

OpIndia Staff
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Media, celebrities spreading falsehoods, CAA being misinterpreted: Pune law students issue statement supporting the Act

Two days after it was reported that the students, alumni and faculty of the Indian Law Society’s Law College, Pune came out against the Citizenship Amendment Act, and supported the protests against it by students of Jamia Millia Islamia University and Aligarh Muslim University, a section of the college has now voiced their opinion in support of the Act.

On Wednesday, students of several educational institutions across the countries had issued statements supporting the anti-CAA protests by Jamia and AMU students. The ILS Law College in Pune was one among them, and the statement issued by them said, “We remind the state machinery that under our constitutional framework, the right to peaceful protest is safeguarded as a fundamental right under Part III. It ought not to come as a shock to the ruling establishments in various states where the protests are on-going that a vote is not a solemn declaration of irrevocable acceptance for all times to come. A vote is not a bargain for silence without dissent. We condemn the terrorizing of institutions of learning using the disproportionate weight of state machinery to stifle legitimate dissent. It is highly unbecoming of the state machinery to unleash violence on students. We stand in solidarity with the students who have suffered this indiscriminate brutality. We request the judiciary to take cognizance of these brutal acts by the state machinery and initiate an independent inquiry.”

But now it has emerged that only a handful of students were behind this statement, and many students in the law college do not agree with protests against the CAA, and in fact, support the amendment. These students have now issued a statement in support of the CAA. They say that they strongly reiterate their support for the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 and condemn the violent protests taking place across the country.

Read- Modi government dispels myths about CAA: Here are 19 FAQs and their answers

The students have said that the Act has been grossly misinterpreted to those who have not read the Act in its entirety and those who do not have access to the Act. “As educated people and law students/practitioners of India’s one of the most prestigious colleges, it is on us to educate the masses and correct the myths that are being circulated,” the statement reads. The students also allege that prominent media houses and celebrities are spreading false notions about the Act and are thus polarizing people in the name of religion.

A second-year BA LLB student of ILS Law College also an online poll on seeking the support of the statement supporting the CAA. While the statement received support from a large number of students of the college, the student organising the poll was hounded by left-leaning students on class WhatsApp Groups.

The full statement of the students of ILS Law College in Pune supporting the Citizenship Amendment Act is given below.

STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF CITIZENSHIP AMENDMENT ACT, 2019

We, the students and alumni of Indian Law Society’s Law College, Pune, in our personal capacity, strongly reiterate our support for the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 and condemn the violent protests taking place across the country.

The Act has been grossly misinterpreted to those who have not read the Act in its entirety and those who do not have access to the Act. As educated people and law students/practitioners of India’s one of the most prestigious colleges, it is on us to educate the masses and correct the myths that are being circulated.

First and foremost, it is an Act that has no provision whatsoever to snatch citizenship. It can only grant citizenship. Prominent media houses and celebrities are spreading false notions and are thus polarizing people in the name of religion. Indian Muslims are rightful citizens of our country and will not be touched by this Act. Muslim brothers of the neighboring countries will still be provided Citizenship through the legal front door as has been happening in the past.

India has only one religion and that is the Constitution of India. The Constitution is not a mere lawyers document, it is a vehicle of Life, and its spirit is always the spirit of Age. This Act is not in conflict with the Constitution. Article 14 guarantees to all equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India. However equal treatment should not be confused with identical treatment. There is a principle of “Reasonable Classification” under Article 14. The Test of Reasonable Classification says that the classification must be based upon “Intelligible Differentia” that distinguishes persons or things that are grouped from others that are left out of the group. Here the intelligible differentia is the persecution of religious minorities in the three bordering Islamic States. The reasonable classifications made are country wise (Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh) and community wise (Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, Jew, Parsi, Christian).There are several case laws thathas established these concepts, Budhan Chowdhuri vs The Union of India & Ors., 1951 AIR 41, 1950 SCR 869; Lachmandas Kewalram Ahujanand vs The State of Bombay, 1952 AIR 235, 1952 SCR 710 et al.

An Act need not redress every social wrong however it is also imperative to work on other issues. CAA is an Act that ensures religious minorities who are being persecuted in the neighboring countries are redressed. The Act is in the interest of human rights of several voiceless and powerless people and hence must be celebrated.

We condemn the unprecedented violence and bloodshed that followed. We are against the use of violence by anyone and would not take sides since a plethora of false news regarding the student protests has transpired. Of what is known, several interest groups and political parties had helped in orchestrating these nationwide protests. It has become a tendency of many interest groups to mislead the public when their political agenda fails to succeed. As rightly said by someone, truth is the best disinfectant and hence we reaffirm our faith in the Supreme Court to decide the truth of the events.

We also urge the government to publish simplified facts and narrow the gap between the executive and the masses in order to prevent any further spread of falsity.

It is our earnest request to you to show support in this pledge as future legal luminaries of our country.

Out-on-bail Islamist KA Najeeb of PFI, accused in Kerala professor’s hand-chopping case re-arrested by NIA

OpIndia Staff
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Out-on-bail Islamist KA Najeeb of PFI, accused in Kerala professor’s hand-chopping case re-arrested by NIA

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) re-arrested the out-on-bail accused and a member of the radical Islamist organisation Popular Front of India (PFI), KA Najeeb in connection with a professor’s palm chopping case in Kerala.

Najeeb was re-arrested on Wednesday after the Supreme Court stayed the order of the Kerala High Court granting bail to him.

Najeeb was booked under relevant sections of the IPC, Explosive Substances Act, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for “conspiring and facilitating the lethal attack on Professor TJ Joseph at Thodupuzha, Ernakulam district in Kerala on July 4, 2010.”

Najeeb was arrested by the NIA on April 10, 2015, in connection with the case from Coimbatore, but was granted bail by the Kerala HC on July 23, 2019, following delay in commencement of trial. Of the 31 people nabbed by the NIA in the case, 13 were found guilty and the rest were acquitted.

The NIA had challenged the Kerala HC’s order in the apex court, and following a stay by the Supreme Court the NIA team re-arrested him.

Professor TJ Joseph was the faculty of the Newmans College at Thodupuzha in Idukki. He was attacked by the members of Popular Front of India, a radical Muslim group, alleging that one of his questions in an internal examination paper, which was reportedly set by Joseph, had derogatory remarks on Prophet Mohammed.

The Muslim radicals attacked the professor as a punishment for the alleged irreverent reference to Prophet Mohammed in a question paper that he prepared.

On July 4, 2010, when the professor was returning home along with his family after attending Sunday mass, he was attacked and one of his hands was chopped off by the accused.

For the Malayalam question paper, Joseph had selected a paragraph from a short story by CPI(M) leader PT Kunju Mohammed to test students on punctuation. In the story, a nameless villager questions god. When setting the question, Joseph had named this villager Mohammed. This had created a furore after a newspaper affiliated with the Jamaat-e-Islami sensationalised the issue by equating it with blasphemy.

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

In another such case, former Hindu Mahasabha leader Kamlesh Tiwari who spent months in jail for allegedly insulting Prophet Muhammad was brutally murdered by few radical Islamist in Lucknow in October this year. It was reported that arrested suspects Shamim, Faizan and Mohsin Sheikh had admitted of killing the Hindu leader over his remarks on Prophet Mohammad’s sexuality.

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