After Trinamool Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray demanded the Custodial interrogation of Kolkata Commissioner of Police and the ex-principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in connection with the rape and murder of the trainee doctor at the hospital, the police have issued him a notice accusing him of spreading “wrong information”. Ray has been asked to appear at the police headquarters at 4 pm today, as per reports.
Sukhendu Sekhar Ray had posted a tweet on X raising several questions regarding the investigation into the horrific crime. He had claimed that sniffer dog was used at the crime scene 3 days after the incident, and asked the reason for the delay. He also questioned who patronised main accused Sanjoy Roy to be so powerful.
CBI must act fairly . Custodial interrogation of Ex Principal and Police Commissioner is a must to know who and why floated suicide story.Why wall of hall demolished, who patronised Roy to be so powerful, Why sniffer dog used after 3 days.100s of such questions. Make them speak
He also said, “CBI must act fairly. Custodial interrogation of Ex Principal and Police Commissioner is a must to know who and why floated suicide story.”
The police claimed that Ray’s claim that sniffer dogs were deployed at the crime scene after three days was incorrect, and therefore he is accused of spreading “wrong information”. They added that sniffer dogs were sent twice, the morning after the crime and then 3 days later.
“The information that sniffer dog was sent after three days is completely wrong. Sniffer dog was sent twice, on 9th and then on 12th (August). A notice under Section 35(1) of BNS has been sent to Sukhendu Sekhar Ray,” the Kolkata Police said in a statement.
The party leaders also criticised Ray for his comments. Senior Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh called slammed Sukhendu Sekhar Ray for demanding the questioning of Kolkata Commissioner of Police in connection with the case, saying that he strongly opposes this demand.
Ghosh claimed that Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Kumar Goyal tried his best in the case, and he was personally handling the case. He added that this kind post, that too from a senior party leader, is unfortunate.
I also demand justice in RGKar case. But strongly oppose this demand regarding CP. After got information He has tried his best. Personally CP was doing his job and investigation was in a positive focus. This kind of post is unfortunate, that too from my senior leader. https://t.co/quLVsUEXCd
The TMC leader tweeted, “I also demand justice in RG Kar case. But strongly oppose this demand regarding CP. After got information He has tried his best. Personally CP was doing his job and investigation was in a positive focus. This kind of post is unfortunate, that too from my senior leader.”
Notably, Kunal Ghosh didn’t defend Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
Notably, the Calcutta High Court slammed the police heavily for mishandling the case, and allowing a mob to vandalise the hospital. The court lambasted the police for not even being able to protect themselves from the mob. Notably, several TMC supporters have been arrested for vandalising the hospital.
It has also been revealed that the mob wanted to the seminar room on the third floor, where the body of the victim was found. But due to a confusion over floor number, they vandalised the second floor instead, and the crime scene was protected by chance, while the cops were hiding in bathrooms and behind protesting medical students.
Earlier, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray had joined the protests over the incident, earning ire of the party.
The Bombay High Court recently held that minority educational institutions cannot admit economically and socially disadvantaged children under the RTE Act, even if they chose to do so “voluntarily”. The HC’s Aurangabad bench ruled that allowing such admissions would violate the constitutional protections that exempt minority educational institutions from tha mandate of the RTE Act.
Notably, the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 (RTE Act), mandates every school to reserve 25% of seats for children from disadvantaged and weaker sections of society. Students enrolled under this quota are provided concessions on school fees – the state governments have to then reimburse private schools. However, minority-aided and unaided educational institutions are exempted from the mandate of the RTE Act, courtesy 93rd Constitutional Amendment, 2005.
The bench of Justices Mangesh Patil and Shailesh Brahme upheld the exemption for the minority institutions while hearing petitions filed by Izak English Medium School and Anand Medical and Education Foundation. Both of them are minority-run English-medium schools in Ahmednagar. The petitions had challenged a government circular dated 15th March 2013, that excluded minority schools from admitting students under the RTE quota.
The petitioners’ counsel submitted that the school should be allowed to admit students under the 25% quota as a “voluntary gesture”. They, however, sought reimbursement from the State government for admitting these students during the previous years.
The Court dismissed their submissions stating that by permitting the admission of students under the RTE Act, these institutions would violate their constitutional rights under Article 30(1). The Article says that all minorities, whether based on religion or language, shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.
On 14th August, the two-judge bench observed, “Once the constitutional bench of the Supreme Court has held the RTE Act itself being ultra vires Article 30(1) of the Constitution, this Court in exercise of the powers under Article 226 of the Constitution cannot permit the minority institutes like the petitioners to subject themselves to the provisions of the RTE Act. Even if they [minority institutions] are ready and willing [to admit students under the RTE quota], allowing them to do so could be only by making the provisions of the RTE Act applicable to them, which in itself is prohibited by virtue of the declaration in Pramati Educational and Cultural Trust (supra).”
The bench added that allowing the institutions to do so would amount to making RTE applicable to them. The court based its ruling on Section 1(5) of the RTE Act which explicitly exempts minority institutions from its applicability.
The court underlined that the RTE Act “expressly excludes” aided or unaided minority schools, Madrasas, and Educational Institutions primarily imparting religious instruction.
However, while dismissing their petitions, the bench said that admittedly Izak English Medium School had previously enrolled students under the RTE quota and had not been reimbursed for the academic years 2017-18 to 2019-20. Subsequently, it directed the government to undertake “scrutiny of the claim” and reimburse the school within six weeks.
RTE heavily skewed against Hindu Educational Institutions (HEI), tens of thousands of HEI closed down because of the RTE mandate
The 93rd Constitutional Amendment which exempted minority institutions from the mandate of RTE, has often faced severe criticism from Hindu advocacy groups and legal experts as it discriminates against Hindu-run private schools and makes them unable to compete effectively with minority-run institutions. It has put the onus to serve poor students solely on privately-run educational institutions, run by Hindus, to reserve 25% of seats for poor and disadvantaged students. They are also expected to spend their monetary resources on their textbooks, uniforms, transport, etc.
In theory, the government compensates this expense, however, in reality, this puts Hindu-run institutions at the mercy of the government to seek a refund which takes a long time. This has led to the closure of tens of thousands of Hindu-run schools which has translated into them ceding ground to minority institutions in this regard. According to a 2017 CAG report, the government took as long as 307 days to release these funds to schools. A recent report estimated that the RTE is responsible for the shutting down of more than 10,000 Hindu-run schools.
In contrast, the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions Act (NCMEI Act) 2004 liberally grants minority status to schools established by minority groups. Ever since the act came into effect in 2005, thousands of minority institutions across the country have applied for and secured the minority tag which has often become a way to prevent themselves from the ambit of RTE mandate. The data emphasises how there is a direct and strong correlation between the introduction of the RTE Act and the mushrooming of institutions securing minority status and circumventing RTE’s 25% quota, albeit at the expense of Hindu educational institutions, which have closed down in tens of thousands in the last decade or so.
The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a penalty of ₹ 3 lakh on Sriram’s IAS for misleading advertisement. The decision was taken to protect & promote the rights of consumers as a class and ensure that no false or misleading advertisement is made of any goods or services that contravenes the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
In view of the violation of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, the CCPA, headed by Chief Commissioner, Nidhi Khare, and Commissioner, Anupam Mishra issued an Order against Sriram’s IAS for misleading advertisement regarding the UPSC Civil Service Exam 2022.
Coaching Institutes and online edtech platforms use pictures and names of the same successful candidates to influence prospective aspirants (consumers), without disclosing the courses opted for by such candidates & length of the course so attended, CCPA stated
Sriram’s IAS in its advertisement made the following claims-
“200 plus selections in UPSC Civil Service Exam 2022”
“We are India’s No.1 Prestigious UPSC/IAS Coaching Institute”
CCPA found out that it Sriram’s IAS advertised various types of courses but the information with respect to the course opted by the advertised successful candidates in the abovementioned UPSC Civil Service exams results was deliberately concealed in the advertisement. This has the effect of consumers falsely believing that all the successful candidates so claimed by the Institute had opted for the paid courses advertised by the Institute on its website.
Section- 2(28) (iv) of the Consumer Protection Act talks about misleading advertisements in relation to deliberately concealing important information. Information regarding the course opted by successful candidates is important for the consumers to know so that they can make informed choices while deciding which course and coaching institute to join.
Sriram’s IAS in its response submitted the details of only 171 successful candidates against its claim of 200 plus selections in UPSC CSE 2022. Out of these 171 candidates, 102 were from Free Interview Guidance Programme (IGP), 55 were from the Free Test Series, 9 were from the GS Classroom course and 5 candidates were from different States under the MoU signed between the State Government and the Institute to provide free coaching. This fact was not disclosed in their advertisement, thereby deceiving consumers.
It is a well-known fact that successful candidates of the Civil Services Examination have to clear all the 3 stages of the Exams. Viz., Prelims, Main Exams and Personality Test (PT). While the Prelims is a screening test, the marks obtained in both the Mains Exams and Personality Test are counted for getting finally selected. The total marks for Main Exams and PT are 1750 and 275 respectively.
Thus, the contribution of the Personality Test is 13.5% in the total marks. The majority of candidates had already cleared the Preliminary and Mains examinations by himself/herself, with no contribution from Sriram’s IAS. By concealing this important fact, such false & misleading advertisement creates a huge impact on those consumers who are UPSC aspirants without letting them know that Sriram’s IAS had offered guidance to only such successful candidates who had already cleared Preliminary and Mains examinations of the UPSC examination. Thus, the advertisement has violated the consumer’s right to be informed so as to protect himself against unfair trade practices.
Nidhi Khare, Chief Commissioner of CCPA, emphasized that an advertisement shall contain truthful & honest representation of facts by disclosing important information in such a manner that they are clear, prominent and extremely hard to miss for consumers. She highlighted the importance of consumer rights and the obligation of advertisers to provide accurate information to consumers.
On 17th August, a Dalit man identified as Suraj was found hanging from a tree in Fatehganj West of Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. Notably, his dead body was discovered only six days after he allegedly eloped with a 16-year-old minor girl from a Muslim community. In a complaint to the police, Suraj’s family alleged that the relatives of the minor girl killed him.
Speaking to media, Additional Superintendent of Police (Bareilly), Mukesh Chandra Mishra, said, “Suraj had eloped with a minor and was living in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand. The girl’s family had lodged an FIR under sections of abduction against him. After the girl was found, her statement was recorded by police on Friday. On Saturday, Suraj was found hanging from a tree on the village outskirts where his uncle lives. His body was handed over to the family after autopsy and the kin was assured of strict action against culprits.”
Reports suggest that Suraj was working in Rudrapur, Uttrakhand, at a private firm and the girl was living with him. An FIR has been registered under Sections 191-2 (rioting), 103-1 (murder), 238 (causing disappearance of evidence), 352 (intentional insult) and 351-2 (criminal intimidation) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) along with the SC/ST Act against 10 persons. The investigation into the matter is underway.
SP Mishra said, “Action will be taken as per the evidence collected and findings of the autopsy report. We’ve deployed police personnel in the village to maintain peace.” Father of the girl Chuttan, her brother Tasleem, Irshad Hussain Patrkar, Ashfaq, Rehman and others have been named as accused in the FIR.
Accusing the family of the minor girl’s kin of honour killing, several villagers and Hindu activists gathered where Suraj’s dead body was found and demanded strict action in the matter.
Cases involving Dalits and Muslim community spiked in recent times
the Kushinagar police in Uttar Pradesh arrested a Maulvi on charges of rape and illegal conversion of a minor Dalit girl. The arrest came after the mother of the victim lodged a complaint against the Muslim cleric on 8th August, 2024. In her complaint, she accused Maulana Muhammad Owais, a resident of West Bengal, of kidnapping, rape and illegal conversion of her daughter. Maulana Muhammad Owais has been teaching in a Madarsa in Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh for the past two years.
On 9th August, people from the Dalit community accused a Muslim mob of attacking them with weapons and brutally assaulting them. It is also alleged that the accused hurled casteist abuses at them and threatened to kill them. During the attack, the accused also targeted a woman. 3 people have suffered serious injuries in the attack and they have been admitted to the hospital. Based on the complaints of the victims, the Police registered a case against 5 accused including Ishaq, Sahil and Asghar.
The conflict between Dalit and Muslim community has also surfaced several times in educational institutes. On 15th July, Delhi Police registered an FIR against Professor Nazim Hussain Al Jafri, Mohammad Nasim Haidar and Professor Shahid Tasleem of Jamia Millia Islamia University under Sections 3(1)(p) and 3(1)(q) of the SC/ST Act. The FIR was registered on the complaint of Ram Niwas Singh who was working as an Assistant in the Faculty of Natural Sciences at the University. OpIndia accessed copy of FIR. Nazim Hussain Al-Jafri is the Official Registrar, Nasim Haider is the Deputy Registrar and Shahid Tasleem is a professor at the University. Ram Niwas Singh, who is a Dalit employee at the University, has accused them of misconduct including hurling caste-based slurs against him, dehumanising treatment and forcing him to convert to Islam. In his complaint, Ram Niwas Singh accused Al-Jafri of using castiest slurs. During a meeting, he told Ram Niwas Singh, “You belong to a lower caste, you are a Bhangi, and you should remain as such. People like you get jobs based on reservations but still do not know their place. Do not forget that Jamia is a Muslim university, and your job is at our mercy.”
The students and junior doctors continue to protest at the RG Kar Medical College & Hospital over the murder and alleged sexual assault of their female colleague on August 9 in the West Bengal city of Kolkata.
The incident has sent shock waves across the country. Doctors have held protests in many cities of the country like Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Mumbai.
The case has been transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation from the state police following an order from the Calcutta High Court. Earlier, on August 9, a postgraduate trainee doctor was allegedly raped and murdered while on duty at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata, sparking nationwide strikes and protests by the medical community.
On August 14, the protest site and the hospital campus at RG Kar were vandalized by a mob, prompting security personnel to disperse the crowd.
To maintain law and order, Kolkata police have imposed section 163 around the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital for seven days, effective from August 18.
Amid the ongoing protests, the Kolkata Police imposed Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (formerly Section 144 of the CrPC), around the Medical College and Hospital for seven days, effective from August 18.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
Days after Islamists unleashed mayhem on the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) attempted to downplay the hate-filled religious motivation behind the targeted attacks.
The UK’s national broadcaster resorted to cherry-picking, selective ‘fact-checking’ and drawing false equivalences to give a political spin to the Islamist onslaught against Hindus.
An article to this effect was published by the BBC on Sunday (18th August). Titled, ‘Far-right spreads false claims about Muslim attacks in Bangladesh’, the vicious piece was co-authored by Jacqui Wakefield and Shruti Menon.
Screengrab of the article by the BBC
Despite more than 205 targeted attacks on Hindu shops, temples, and businesses, BBC sought to fact-check ‘some videos’ to whitewash the systematic cases of religious persecution in Bangladesh in its entirety.
“We found that many of the videos and claims shared online are false,” it had claimed. BBC pointed out how Sheikh Hasina’s party Awami League was targeted and that it comprised both ‘Hindu and Muslim members.’
The UK’s national broadcaster thus shrewdly laid the foundation to justify attacks on Hindus as an aftermath of political turmoil in the Islamic republic.
BBC gives political spin to religious violence against Hindus
In that way, people around the world voicing concerns about the plight of Bangladeshi Hindus could be accused of peddling misinformation.
As such, BBC did not disappoint when it claimed, “far-right influencers in neighbouring India shared false videos and information that gave a misleading view of the events.”
The idea was to shield radical Muslim mobs, which carried out violence in the first place by attributing a political angle to the attacks.
Demonises India for speaking out against atrocities in Bangladesh
Given that the Modi government supported Sheikh Hasina’s regime in Bangladesh, BBC saw to it that India was frequently mentioned in the article.
It insinuated that ‘fake online videos’ about attacks on Hindus and their labelling as hate crimes was a larger ploy by India and accounts espousing ‘Hindu-nationalist values’.
This was one of the strategies employed by the BBC to give political colour to religious violence against Hindus.
BBC distraught after Hindus get global support
To further bolster its narrative, the UK’s national broadcaster roped in ‘hate speech expert’ Sayeed Al-Zaman. “Fear-mongering by these influencers is inflaming the tension,” he was quoted as saying by the BBC.
The UK’s national broadcaster was distraught by the fact that attacks on Hindus could not be swept under the rug despite levelling accusations of peddling ‘fake news’ against popular global handles.
“Some of these posts falsely claiming that Hindus have been targeted by Muslims have been shared by accounts far removed from either Bangladesh or India,” it claimed.
Difficult to assess motives behind attacks on Bangladeshi Hindus: BBC
While cherry-picking fake videos and selectively fact-checking them to whitewash genuine cases of atrocities on Bangladeshi Hindus did not prove fruitful, the UK’s national broadcaster claimed that assessing motives behind attacks was difficult.
“Working out exactly what has happened in Bangladesh over the last few weeks has proved difficult. Many real incidents and attacks have taken place across the country, but the motivations are difficult to assess: religion or politics,” it alleged.
BBC then immediately imparted a political angle to the attacks by claiming that Hindus were largely ‘supporters of Sheikh Hasina’ and that any attack on them was the consequence of their political affiliation and not religious identity.
It cited controversial ‘fact checker’ Qadaruddin Shishir to bolster its claims. “Right-wing Indian accounts are spreading these politically motivated attacks as religious ones,” he was quoted as saying.
The missing context and population demographics
“Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, a non-profit established to protect minority human rights, reported five Hindu people killed. Two have been confirmed as Awami League members. The AFP has put the count of Muslim Awami League leaders’ who have been killed at more than 50,” the BBC further pointed out to suggest that attacks on Hindus were devoid of religious motives.
The UK’s national broadcaster conveniently forgot to mention that Muslims constitute 91% population of Bangladesh.
It is thus obvious that Muslims form the bulk of the members of the ruling Awami League and have died disproportionately in political targeting by violent mobs comprising Muslims opposed to Sheikh Hasina.
As such, the death of only Hindu Awami League members as opposed to 50 Muslims does not disprove the angle of religious violence. BBC has not been able to explain why only Hindu temples and not mosques were targeted if the attacks were solely political.
Temple protectors have ‘religion’ but attackers don’t
To further downplay attacks on Hindus, BBC highlighted photo ops about Muslims allegedly protecting temples.
“When false claims about attacks on Hindus went viral online, some Muslim protesters decided to guard Hindu temples,” it claimed.
Interestingly, BBC did not explain who was endangering the Hindu religious sites or the religious affiliation of the perpetrators. It’s an interesting case where alleged temple protectors are identified with their religion but not the attackers.
Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair and Jamaat’s mouthpiece ‘Basherkella‘ had also engaged in similar rhetoric on social media to whitewash the Islamist onslaught against Hindus.
A 34-year-old cycle rider was killed in a hit-and-run case when a speeding Mercedes allegedly mowed him down near Ashram in south Delhi, police said.
The driver of the Mercedes identified as Pradeep Gautam has been arrested, and the car was seized, police said.
According to the police, the victim Rajesh died on the spot when the speeding Mercedes hit him from behind on Saturday morning and escaped from the location. Later, the car driver surrendered at a police station in the evening, police said.
The police traced the ownership of the car and figured that the owner had given the car to Pradeep one month ago to sell it.
According to the police, the body of the deceased was found on the roadside and his cycle was found about 150 metres ahead.
Habi Prasad, the uncle of the deceased, told ANI that the deceased was going to duty when the Mercedes hit him.
“The Mercedes driver hit him (Rajesh) from behind and dragged him to 7-8 metres. He died on the spot. The cycle was dragged at least 100-150 metres.” Habi Prasad told ANI.
The postmortem of the deceased will be conducted on Sunday.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
An air hostess, working with Air India, was brutally attacked by an unknown assailant at a London hotel earlier this week.
Air India has confirmed the incident and stated that a complaint has been filed with the police, who are now investigating the matter. The airline also assured that the air hostess was receiving psychological support and emphasised that they were fully standing by her during this difficult time.
“We are providing all possible support to our colleague and their broader team, including professional counseling. We are deeply anguished by an unlawful incident of intrusion at a hotel, operated by a major international chain, that affected one of our crew members. Air India is also working with the local police to pursue the matter to the fullest extent of the law and with the hotel management to ensure such incidents are not repeated. We request that the privacy of those involved be respected,” an Air India spokesperson said.
The airline further said that it is taking the incident very seriously and is committed to seeking justice for the air hostess. The airline has also emphasised the importance of respecting her safety, privacy, and well-being during this time.
“Air India accords foremost priority to the safety, security, and well being of our crew and staff members. We are deeply anguished by an unlawful incident of intrusion at a hotel, operated by a major international chain, that affected one of our crew members,” the statement read.
She was later admitted to a hospital in London due to the severity of her injuries.
According to sources, the attack on the Air India air hostess occurred after midnight while all the crew members were asleep. The intruder, whose identity remains unknown, allegedly entered one of the air hostess rooms and attacked her with a hangar. Her screams alerted the hotel staff and with their timely intervention, the matter was under control.
The officials said that an investigation into the matter is underway and the air hostess has since been brought back to India.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
On Sunday, 18th August, the Federation of Indian Associations NY-NJ-CT-NE has planned the India Day Parade to mark the 78th Independence Day of India. One of the main attractions of the India Day Parade will be the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple float. However, some of the anti-Hindu organisations, including Hindus for Human Rights, Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), and others have objected to the float. They have started a campaign to write to local leaders against the float in the planned parade using fake reports and misinformation.
These organisations have claimed that VHPA, an offshoot of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) “has been designated as a militant religious organisation by the Central Intelligence Agency’s World Factbook”. The organisations who wrote the letter conveniently skipped the fact that while it is true that VHP and Bajrang Dal were designated as “militant religious organisations” on 4th June 2018, the names were effectively removed from the list by 25th June 2018. It was a mistake to call these two organisations “militant” and the CIA itself had rectified it in less than a month.
Source: IAMC
The organisations then claimed that Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) was under active FBI investigation for forced labour and exploitation of lower-caste labourers from India. Interestingly, again, a recent fact was skipped from the assertion that over a dozen artisans withdrew from the case of forced labour and human trafficking against the BAPS temple saying that they were coerced into making false allegations. In July 2023, OpIndia reported that the artisans under the banner of Bharatiya Majdoor Sangh and Patthar Gadhafi Sangh stated they were threatened to be part of the deep-rooted conspiracy to stall the construction of the grand Hindu Temple.
Some of them contacted Rajasthan High Court Advocate Aaditya SB Soni. They informed him that an advocate from the US named Swati Sawant had misled them into making the complaint, and now they want to withdraw from it. “These artisans have made strong claims that Swati Sawant and her companions impressed upon them and misled them, using false temptations, to make a complaint against the temple management,” the press release read.
“These artisans have made strong claims that Swati Sawant and her companions impressed upon them and misled them, using false temptations, to make a complaint against the temple management,” the press release read.
The next claim these anti-Hindu organisations made was that the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya stands on the ruins of the historic “Babri Mosque” which was demolished in December 1992. “In November 2019, the Supreme Court of India controversially awarded the site to Hindus for the construction of the temple, thereby legitimizing an egregious act of violence against a Muslim place of worship. Despite this, the court acknowledged the criminality of the mosque’s destruction, noting it as an “egregious violation of the rule of law”,” The letter added.
Source: IAMC
The letter further said, “The proposed float for the parade is a blatant attempt to glorify the illegal demolition of the historical Babri Mosque and celebrate ongoing violence and terror against 200 million Indian Muslims. This is not merely a cultural display but a vulgar celebration of anti-Muslim hate, bigotry, and religious supremacy.”
Now, coming to the assertion that Ram Mandir stands on the ruins of a mosque is completely false. First of all, it was a disputed structure for centuries and Hindus used a legitimate legal system to claim the land. Furthermore, the disputed structure in question stood on the ruins of the Hindu Temple which was proven not only in the Archaeological Survey of India’s report on the land but also during the excavation for establishing the foundation of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya in 2020. Pillars of old temples with Hindu symbols were found and duly reported. In May 2020, OpIndia reported that during excavation, remains of Hindu stone sculptures, including a Shivling, broken idols of Hindu deities, and carved pillars had been found near the site.
List of the organisations opposing Ram Mandir float
The list of the organisations that are opposing Ram Mandir float are:
Indian American Muslim Council
Council on American-Islamic Relations
Council on American-Islamic Relations – New York
Hindus for Human Rights
The Federation of Indian American Churches of North America (FIACONA)
New York State Council of Churches
Genocide Watch
Muslim Public Affairs Council
Association of Indian Muslims of America
Center for Pluralism
India’s Civil Watch International
American Muslim Institution
Crescent School
Islamic Circle of North America
The Sikh Coalition
Dalit Solidarity Forum
Great Truth
Justice For All
Asian Children’s Education Fellowship
CAIR-NJ
Sadhana: Coalition of Progressive Hindus
Ambedkar King Study Circle
Indian American Muslim Council and Hindus for Human Rights are known for their anti-Hindu and anti-India propaganda. In fact, because of their anti-India actions, their X accounts are withheld in India.
The Human Rights Practices report further used the Government of India’s decision to block accounts of organisations like Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR) and the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) on X as examples of transnational repression. The report did mention the reason for the association of HfHR with Soros but in a very questionable tone, as if the Indian government “conspired” against these organisations as they were “working to advance human rights and religious freedom”.
OpIndia has detailed reports on both organisations and how they work against India. The Indian Americal Muslim Council has links [pdf] with the banned Islamic terror outfit, Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). Besides, the Indian American Muslim Council has ties with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) through its founder Shaik Ubaid. The IAMC is a Jamat-e-Islami-backed lobbyist organisation claiming to be a rights advocacy group. In the past, it had reportedly collaborated with and even paid money to various groups in the USA to get India blacklisted by the USCIRF (United States Commission on International Religious Freedom). IAMC had been caught spreading fake news and misinformation to further the Islamist cause in India. It had also been slapped with the UAPA in 2021.
Interestingly, the three organisations had formed another outfit called the Alliance for Justice and Accountability (AJA). As per an article in The Hindu, the Alliance for Justice and Accountability had been at the forefront of leading demonstrations against the visit of PM Modi to Houston on September 22, 2019. Sunita Vishwanath, the co-founder of ‘Hindus for Human Rights’ had also tried to create hysteria and panic among Indian Muslims about the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in 2019. She is also the co-founder of an organisation named ‘Women for Afghan Women’, which is funded by George Soros’ Open Society Foundations (OSF)/ Open Society Institute (OSI).
In July 2023, BJP leader and Union Minister Smriti Irani questioned Rahul Gandhi for his alleged connections to IAMC’s president Tazeem Ansari and said Ansari has connections with Jamaat-e-Islami. “Even in Bharat Jodo Yatra in Karnataka, the Global Vice President of the Open Society Foundation funded by George Soros was found accompanying Rahul Gandhi. What is extremely distressing is the link with the Islamic Circle of North America. Those in the public domain who will research how the registration process for NRI interaction with Rahul Gandhi in New York ensued will find the contact of Tazeem Ansari – he has an organisational link with Jamaat-e-Islami,” Irani said.
Hindu organisations hit back at propaganda
Hindu organisations in the US have hit back at the propaganda being run by these organisations. Hindu American Foundation strongly condemned the statements made by these organisations. In a post on X, HAF said, “After the thus far unsuccessful attempt to scuttle a Lord Ram parade float in NYC, @CAIRNational @IAMCouncil & partner fringe groups are asking for a federal investigation into Hindu temples and community orgs. These same groups’ actions were previously condemned by NJ legislators for anti-Hindu hate when they pushed a @teaneckdmc resolution asking that prominent Hindu groups like HAF undergo FBI surveillance. We strongly condemn this latest escalation of threats & scare tactics aimed at prominent Hindu temples such as @BAPS & Siddhivinayak temple that serve immigrant Hindu communities from around the world in New York and New Jersey. We ask@NYCMayor @TheJusticeDept @TishJames @DirectorWrayFBI to condemn this atrocious #Hinduphobic targeting emanating from a simple local dispute over a parade float.”
After the thus far unsuccessful attempt to scuttle a Lord Ram parade float in NYC, @CAIRNational@IAMCouncil & partner fringe groups are asking for a federal investigation into Hindu temples and community orgs.
— Hindu American Foundation (@HinduAmerican) August 18, 2024
Executive Director of HAF, Suhag A Shukla wrote, “Could never imagine that the same groups that protested surveillance of Muslims and their mosques after 9/11 now demand that exact surveillance of prominent Hindu temples & Hindu community orgs—because they didn’t like a parade float. Yet here we are.”
Could never imagine that the same groups that protested surveillance of Muslims and their mosques after 9/11 now demand that exact surveillance of prominent Hindu temples & Hindu community orgs—because they didn’t like a parade float.
OSINT handle ‘Disinfo Lab’ had earlier shared that the HfHR was actively promoting the misleading narrative of ‘Hindu Vs Hindutva’. The same organisation was also seen endorsing the ‘Dismantling Global Hindutva’ conference. As per Disinfo Lab, HfHR was formed in the year 2019 by Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) and the Organization for Minorities of India (OFMI).
On Friday (16th August), the West Bengal police arrested a youth for criticising Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the rape-murder of a junior doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
As per reports, the accused was identified as 23-year-old Sagnik Laha. A polytechnic student by occupation, he had lashed out at the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo in a social media post. It was alleged that he used ‘derogatory words’ against Mamata Banerjee
Soon after, the young man was hounded by TMC supporters. A police complaint was eventually filed against Sagnik Laha, leading to his arrest from Alipurduar Junction on Friday night.
Arrested Sagnik Laha, images via ETV Bharat
According to his lawyer Deepshika Roy, Laha was booked under Sections 79, 294 and 296A of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and 67A of the Information Technology.
A day later, he was produced before the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate and sentenced to 14 days in custody. “There is one non-bailable charge, others are bailable offences…His bail has been rejected. He will be in custody till 31st August,” Roy remarked.
While speaking to ETV Bharat, Sagnik Laha said, “I am trying to pass my days because of my parents. Thank you so much.”
