On Monday, 26th August, the Bandra police in Maharashtra’s Mumbai district nabbed a man for tricking families of jail inmates by acting as BJP MLA Ashish Shelar’s assistant (PA). According to the reports, the accused, Amin Irfan Bendrekar, 24, allegedly approached lawyers and obtained information on their clients before extorting money by offering assistance from the Maharashtra government.
According to the Bandra police, Advocates Vijendra Roy and Yasmin Wankhede, among others, approached Shelar and informed him that they had been contacted by one Sharma, who pretended to be the MLA’s PA and Mantralaya secretary. They also stated that the impostor indicated that the administration intended to release certain prisoners owing to congestion in cells.
Maharashtra | Accused Amin Irfan Bendrekar arrested for duping relatives of jail inmates, posing as BJP MLA Ashish Shelar's PA. The accused allegedly contacted lawyers obtained information about their clients and extorted money by promising aid from the state government. Further…
On this foundation, he asked advocates for information about their jailed clients and their relatives. The victims said that they trusted the con because he sounded like Shelar’s PA and supplied the information.
Bendrekar then allegedly reached the relative of an accused, disguised as Shelar’s PA, telling them that the convict had fallen in prison and needed money for medical treatment. According to the FIR, a relative paid Rs 8,000 to the accused through their lawyer, Arfin, and Bendrekar employed a similar strategy to deceive others. However, the lawyers grew increasingly suspicious and eventually approached Shelar.
A case initially was brought against an anonymous individual under sections 204 (impersonation of a public servant), 318 (cheating), 319 (cheating by impersonation), and 356 (defamation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, based on the charge of MLA’s actual PA, Navnath Satpute. However, the accused was identified as Amin Irfan Bendrekar and arrested.
On Monday, 26th August, a drone crashed into a 38-storey high-rise building in Russia’s Saratov region, damaging homes and restricting flights in the region. Russian officials confirmed the incident and affirmed that it was a Ukrainian drone. A woman, as a result of the attack, has been injured and is being treated at the hospital.
As per regional governor Roman Basurgin’s confirmation to Reuters, a residential complex in Saratov has also been damaged by falling debris from drones destroyed by Russia’s air defense systems. “A woman was hospitalized in serious condition. Doctors are fighting for her life,” he said.
Saratov is about 900 kilometers (560 miles) from the Ukrainian border. According to Russia’s RIA news agencies, flights at the provincial Saratov airport have been prohibited, citing the airport’s press service.
BREAKING: Drone Crashes into 38-Storey High Rise Building in Russia's Saratov | WATCH pic.twitter.com/dITjZhPtFN
Earlier, Basurgin stated that emergency services had been deployed to impacted areas in Saratov and Engels, two significant cities in the region located several hundred kilometers southeast of the capital. Russia maintains a key bomber military station in Engels, which Ukraine has repeatedly attacked since February 2022.
As of now, it is difficult to state to what extent the damages have occurred as a result of the drone crash. A video of the incident is making rounds on social media in which a high-rise residential building in Saratov can be seen damaged on one side and several windows have been blown out on three other levels.
According to the report, the top story of a residential building in Engels is also said to have been damaged. OpIndia could not independently confirm the stories. Meanwhile, no comment has been made by Ukraine. Both sides deny targeting civilians in their assaults, which they claim are intended to damage critical infrastructure supporting war activities.
On 24th August, at least 200 people were killed, including civilians and armed personnel, and 140 were reported injured in a terrorist attack in central Burkina Faso. The terrorist group linked to al-Qaeda, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), has claimed responsibility for the attack. The incident took place in Barsalogho, located 40 km north of the strategic town of Kaya. According to reports, Barsalogho is home to the last standing force protecting the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou.
The terrorists opened fire on a group of people who were digging trenches designed to protect security outposts. Following the attack, several soldiers went missing, and the terrorists seized their weapons along with a military ambulance. JNIM also posted some horrifying videos of the aftermath of the attack to claim responsibility.
Al Jazeera’s Nicholas Haque, reporting from Dakar, Senegal, said in a statement, “We see men, women, and children lying inside the trenches they were digging themselves. Effectively, they have turned into mass graves.” Medical teams were called from Kaya to treat the injured. Reportedly, the Burkina Faso Army was aware of the possible attack and had called on the people to help dig trenches.
So far, Burkina Faso forces have lost control of half of their territory to JNIM and other terrorist groups linked to al-Qaeda. According to News Central Africa, the Burkina Faso forces said in a statement that despite the severity of the attack and the high number of deaths due to the terrorist attack, the armed forces managed to counter the attack and neutralised several terrorists, which prevented an even greater tragedy.
In 2022, the military leaders of Burkina Faso came to power in a coup. However, since then, they have faced several attempted coups due to discontent over the way these leaders have fought against the terrorist groups. Thousands of people have been killed, and over two million people have been displaced in Burkina Faso over more than a decade. The situation is so severe in the country that it topped the recent Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) list of the world’s most neglected displacement crises.
When the military leaders took over the country, France and other Western countries were helping Burkina Faso tackle the terrorist groups. However, after coming to power, the military leaders severed ties with them, resulting in a rapid loss of territory. Now, Burkina Faso has called for help from Russian mercenary fighters for support to help put an end to attacks by terrorist groups.
In 2023 alone, 8,400 people were killed, which was double the number compared to 2022. Al-Qaeda and Islamic State-linked terrorist groups have been initiating attacks in Burkina Faso since 2015.
Amid reports of Islamist onslaught on Hindus in Bangladesh, the Editor of the popular English daily ‘Dhaka Tribune‘ attempted to whitewash the atrocities committed against the minority community.
In a vicious article published on Friday (23rd August) and titled ’10 things India needs to know about Bangladesh’, Zafar Sobhan rationalised attacks on Hindus as an aftermath of anarchy and lawlessness in the country.
At the very onset, the propaganda artist claimed, “Hindus are not in danger. Yes, in the initial chaos following Sheikh Hasina’s fleeing, there was a short period of anarchy and lawlessness, and, yes, unfortunately, some of those who were targeted were members of the Hindu community.”
Screengrab of the article in the Dhaka Tribune
Almost immediately, the Editor of the Dhaka Tribune laid the foundation to justify the targeted attacks as ‘regular events’ in the context of the Indian subcontinent.
Zafar Sobhan wrote, “At times like this, those targeted are often the most powerless and as we all know in south Asia, minorities sadly always remain vulnerable.”
As typical of those whitewashing atrocities on Bangladeshi Hindus, the Editor of the Dhaka Tribune was quick to dismiss violence orchestrated by violent Muslim mobs as the aftermath of political targeting.
Editor of Dhaka Tribune negated religious motivation behind attack on Hindus.
“But the notion that Hindus were the subject of some kind of pogrom and that their targeting and dispossession was in fact an integral prong of the revolution is a fiction,” Zafar shrewdly negated the religious motivation behind the attacks on Hindus.
A similar strategy was previously used by the UK’s national broadcaster BBC, which relied on selective ‘fact-checking’, false equivalence and cherry-picking to downplay attacks on the Hindu community.
Zafar was seen siding with the perpetrators and peddling the misleading narrative of Muslims ‘protecting’ temples from being attacked without specifying the religious affiliation of those endangering the Hindu religious sites.
Temple protectors have religion but attackers don’t
“Things have already calmed down considerably and as important as the reports of minorities under attack were, the accounts of Muslims and Hindus teaming up to protect temples and minority neighbourhoods were far more typical, widespread, and noteworthy,” the propaganda artist claimed.
It’s indeed an interesting case where alleged protectors of temples are identified with the religion but not the attackers.
Zafar Sobhan makes dubious comparisons between India and Bangladesh
To further nullify legitimate concerns among Indians about the religious persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh, the editor of the ‘Dhaka Tribune’ claimed that minorities were safer in Bangladesh as compared to India.
“Things are far from perfect in Bangladesh when it comes to minority rights, but minorities in Bangladesh are much safer and more secure than in, say, India, just to pick a random country by way of comparison,” he brazened out.
Zafar Sobhan was unable to explain how the ‘minority’ Muslim population in India surged from 9.84% in 1947 to 14.09% in 2011 despite supposed ‘lack of safety’ while the Hindu population in Bangladesh has been on a serious decline.
Lies of Bangladeshi ‘journalist’ find takers in Indian media
The anti-Hindu propaganda peddled by Zafar was reproduced by the Indian leftist news portal, Scroll, which itself has a rich history of downplaying Hinduphobia.
View from Dhaka Tribune: 10 things about a Bangladesh in transition that Indians should know https://t.co/2absAMZphH
Veteran ‘journalist’ Shekhar Gupta, who runs The Print, also amplified the lies of the Editor of ‘Dhaka Tribune.’
'Hindus are not in danger in Bangladesh. Minorities are safer there than in India'@ZafarSobhan, editor, Dhaka Tribune, lists his 10 points he wants India to keep in mind https://t.co/aeOXsjtggQ
Zafar Sobhan belongs to the family of the man who masterminded the Great Calcutta Killings
Zafar Sobhan is the son of late Bangladeshi activist and barrister Salma Sobhan, who in turn is related to the ‘Butcher of Bengal‘ Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy.
On August 16, 1946, Kolkata witnessed one of the most violent episodes in its history – Direct Action Day. It was carried out at the behest of Muslim League leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
Muslim mobs orchestrated massive violence against Hindus on the directives of the then Bengal’s Chief Minister Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy.
Newspaper cutting of Amrita Bazar Patrika from 17th August 1946
Suhrawardy delivered provocative speeches to large Muslim crowds and encouraged them to attack Hindus. He promised them that the police and army would not stop their carnage.
He also manipulated the police force and ensured that they did not respond to calls for help from Hindus. The political and legal immunity granted to Muslim mobs allowed them to carry out widespread killings, looting, rapes, and displace lakhs of Hindus.
Suhrawardy’s primary aim was to intimidate Hindus into submission and ensure Bengal’s inclusion in the proposed Muslim-majority Pakistan. Encouraged by the success of Direct Action Day, radical Muslims went on to carry out anti-Hindu pogroms such as the Noakhali riots.
In the Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh, a Hindu youth and a burqa-clad Muslim girl sitting together in a garden were attacked by Islamists. A video of the incident shows the duo sitting as a few men approach them angrily asking about the details. The Islamists also slapped the duo and asked the Hindu youth to show his Aadhaar Card.
Meanwhile, the Hindu youth called someone he claimed was in the police and asked him to come to the location. The Hindu youth said that the Muslim girl was like his sister, however, the Islamists were adamant about seeing their Aadhaar Cards.
EXCLUSIVE: A Hindu boy and Muslim girl were thrashed by Muslim goons, as they were seen sitting together at Company garden, Bareilly.
As the video of the incident surfaced online, Bareilly Police came into action. Responding to an X post, Bareilly Police said that the inspector in charge of the relevant police station has been directed to investigate the matter and take the required action.
“The Inspector in Charge of Kotwali, Bareilly has been directed to investigate and take necessary legal action,” Bareilly Police said.
प्रभारी निरीक्षक कोतवाली, बरेली को जांचकर आवश्यक विधिक कार्यवाही करने हेतु निर्देशित किया गया है।
Notably, in recent times several incidents of Islamists assaulting Hindu men for being in relationship with Muslim women, or simply being seen with them. These Islamists peddle the theory of ‘Bhagwa Love Trap claiming that Hindu men were trapping Muslim women deliberately in love affairs and then assaulting them.
In May this year, a Hindu auto-rickshaw driver was attacked by several Muslim youths on 17th April for picking up a burqa-clad Muslim woman passenger in Karnataka.
In April, a Hindu professor of Shibli PG College, in UP’s Azamgarh was assaulted and threatened on 24th April while brandishing a pistol by a Muslim mob alleging a ‘Bhagwa love trap’. The accused also tried to incite religious sentiments by making a video of the incident viral online.
Last year, OpIndia’s undercover investigation exposed several WhatsApp groups made to keep a watch on the women of their community. They also prevented Muslim women from hanging out with men from other communities (especially the Hindu Faith) through coercion, moral policing and real-life attacks
A 30-year-old daily wage labourer was brutally beaten to death in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district, Police said on Sunday (25th August). According to Police, nine individuals including a Pastor have been booked in this case. The victim was suffering from seizures and used to scream. When his family sought help from a pastor named Jacob Masih, the pastor along with eight others brutally thrashed the victim claiming to remove the devil from his body. However, the brutal assault resulted in the victim’s demise.
According to reports, the victim has been identified as Samuel Masih. He is a resident of Singhpura village in Gurdaspur’s Dhariwal. The Police said that he was suffering from seizures and used to scream.
They added that his family invited a local pastor identified as Jacob Masih to their home to hold a prayer for Samuel on Wednesday.
Pastor Jacob told them that Samuel was possessed by the devil and added that they would “force the devil away” from his body by beating him up. They had brainwashed the family by assuring them that nothing would happen to Masih.
Subsequently, pastor Jacob and eight others started beating Samuel Masih. Samuel was badly beaten and died on the spot. His family buried his body on the next day.
Two days after his demise, Samuel’s mother and his wife lodged a complaint against Pastor Jacob Masih and others.
On Saturday, Police exhumed his body for a post-mortem examination. Police stated that the entire exercise was conducted under the supervision of duty magistrate Inderjit Kaur.
Police officials further stated that a case has been registered against the pastor and eight others under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
It is pertinent to note that a similar incident was reported in the Atlanta area of the USA earlier this year on 9th January. Back then, a decomposed body of a South Korean woman was found in the trunk of a car. She was lured to the Atlanta area by a “religious organisation” with promises of “finding God”. As per reports, it was later found out that she was beaten to death by ‘Soldiers of Christ’ ‘to exorcise demon spirit’.
According to Fox News, the prosecutors stated that 33-year-old Sehee Cho was allegedly killed during a brutal initiation into the “Soldiers of Christ”. It is said to be a fanatic religious group which is led by two South Korean brothers.
Seven individuals, mostly family members were accused of holding Cho captive in their basement for weeks. During her captivity, they assaulted her with a belt, subjected her to ice baths, and starved her to death. Her body was found in September 2023.
Law enforcement believed that they had arrested all the “soldiers” involved in this case. Strikingly, the apprehensions of cult activity deeply unsettled “The Seoul of the South” which is a predominantly Korean community in Gwinnett County, Georgia. A cult expert had warned that similar groups may be operating covertly across the country.
During a recent press conference, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma asked a journalist for his name. Coincidentally, the journalist hailed from the Muslim community which prompted the leftist-Islamist gang as well as the opposition parties to exploit the development. They targeted CM Sarma and dubbed him ‘communal’. Now, days after the incident, CM Sarma has hit back at the usual suspects stating that he asked the journalist’s name as it was necessary for security reasons.
Responding to the opposition and its ecosystem’s ‘communal’ charge for asking the name of the journalist, CM Sarma explained, “There is a rule in press conferences that journalists ask questions after introducing themselves by name. This is also mandatory for security.”
However, Sarma lamented that in Assam if someone asks the name of Shahjahan or Shahjalal, then intellectuals play the “victim card”. He has also shared the video of his remarks over the journalist’s name row on his official X handle.
प्रेस वार्ता में यह नियम होता है कि पत्रकार अपने नाम का परिचय देने के बाद सवाल पूछते हैं। यह सुरक्षा के लिए भी अनिवार्य है।
लेकिन असम में अगर शाहजहाँ या शहज़लाल से नाम पूछें, तो बुद्धिजीवी “victim card” का उपयोग करते हैं। pic.twitter.com/UIlqzlengq
He added that since his government has been taking stern action against Land Jihad in Assam, they are being targeted by the ‘Toolkit’ gang.
He explained the Toolkit of Land Jihad stating that once one or two people enter a region, they start eating a ‘certain kind of animal’, cows. Then the nearby people start to leave. There is a complete pattern. These are the things that are happening in Barpeta, Mangaldol.
Along with the video explaining ‘Land Jihad Toolkit’, CM Sarma wrote, “I am fighting against the changing demography in Assam and because of this fight, there is a huge threat to me and my family. People in the ecosystem can abuse me as much as they want, but I will not back down.”
लैंड जिहाद का Toolkit जानिए।
असम में बदलते जनसांख्यिकी के खिलाफ जो मैं लड़ाई लड़ रहा हूँ, उससे मुझे और मेरे परिवार को बहुत बड़ा खतरा है। Ecosystem के लोग मुझे जितना भी गाली देना चाहें, दे सकते हैं, लेकिन मैं पीछे नहीं हटूंगा। pic.twitter.com/M47AOHMLWe
Slamming Congress and other opposition parties for recent incidents that pose challenges to the law and order situation in the state, CM Sarma said, “The pattern is same, after the Lok Sabha elections in Assam, in the areas where a party increased its vote share, the supporters of this party, i.e. a particular community, got so much courage that they could assert their dominance. The incidents of atrocities on Hindu women are the result of this.”
असम में लोक सभा चुनाव के बाद जिन क्षेत्रों में एक पार्टी ने अपना वोट शेयर बढ़ाया, वहाँ इस पार्टी के समर्थकों यानी एक विशेष समुदाय को इतना साहस प्राप्त हुआ कि वह अपना दबदबा बनाने के चक्कर में हैं। हिंदू महिलाओं पर जो अत्याचार की घटना आ रही है इसी का परिणाम है। pic.twitter.com/slgtoxaNk3
He further stated, “In Assam, crime against women is also a part of a large encroachment strategy. They scare families and then grab their land. The holy town of Dhing and the site of a recent crime against a Hindu minor, once had 90% Hindu population. Today, it has 90% Muslim population.”
In Assam, crime against women is also a part of a large encroachment strategy. They scare families and then grab their land.
The holy town of Dhing and the site of a recent crime against a Hindu minor, once had 90% Hindu population.
Earlier, on 21st August, during a media interaction, an online media journalist named Shah Alam asked a question to CM Sarma. Alam had asked whether the state government had taken any action against the cutting of hills in Mandakata, which falls under his Jalukbari constituency.
In response to his query, CM Sarman asked Alam if he had any video footage of hill cutting, and then he should share it adding that if the hill-cutting operation is going there then it will have to be stopped.
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma rebuked a reporter over his religious identity after the reporter asked a question on hill cuttings in his constituency Jalukbari.
Sarma asked him whether they (Muslims) will allow them (Hindus) to live in Assam, citing "demographic change". pic.twitter.com/Q0F4VXH1Pz
He, however, added that the cutting of Mandakata hill could not be the reason for the sudden flood in Guwahati, as it is located on the northern bank of Brahmaputra. During this interaction, the CM asked the journalist for his name. The journalist identified himself as Shah Alam. He then mentioned the name of a private university, whose founder and chancellor is a Muslim man named Mahbubul Haq. Earlier, Sarma had also held this university in Meghalaya responsible for the floods in Guwahati.
CM Sarma had stated that trees within the forest area were cut on a large scale for the construction of the campus of the University of Science and Technology, located near Guwahati in Meghalaya, which led to flash floods in Guwahati. He added that the gates of the university resembled Mecca (Islamic city of Saudi Arabia). He also mentioned that he would be approaching the National Green Tribunal (NGT) against the university.
The leftist and Islamist gangs as well as the opposition parties hyped up the matter and dubbed him communal. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had said, “What the Assam CM said is unacceptable and condemnable. A sick mind and a loud mouth are a toxic combination.”
On Sunday (25th August), Pune City Police booked over 300 people for illegally assembling, conducting a protest march without permission, and raising objectionable ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ slogans in front of the Pune Collector’s office.
According to the information received, the Islamist mob carried out the protest march on Friday, without taking necessary permission from the administration. According to Pune City Police officials, a case was lodged at Bund Garden Police Station on Saturday. The accused have been booked under sections 189(2), 190, 196, and 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), as well as sections 135 and 37(1) of the Maharashtra Police Act.
Incidentally, the protest where the Islamist mob raised the objectionable ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ slogans – which seek death punishment by beheading – against Saint Ramgiri Maharaj, was organised under the banner of ‘A Sarvdharm Sambhav Mahamorcha’.
During the march, the Islamist protestors demanded Sar tan se Juda [beheading] punishment for Ramgiri Maharaj for his recent remarks during a sermon in Nashik’s Sinnar region. It was seemingly the redux of the Nupur Sharma incident.
During the sermon on 16th August, the Hindu religious leader explained various significant verses from ancient holy Hindu scriptures and urged his followers to lead a righteous life. He indicated that several Islamists had disrespected women in the past because of the religious doctrine they followed.
However, the remarks sparked wide outrage in several districts of Maharashtra including Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nashik, Mumbai, and Pune with several Islamist leaders and organizations filing FIRs against Ramgiri Maharaj for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of Muslims.
The Islamists alleged that Ramgiri Maharaj passed derogatory comments on Prophet Mohammed during his sermon on 16th August which enraged the entire Muslim community. Since then they have been demanding ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ (death) punishment for Ramgiri Maharaj. However, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde had extended support to the Hindu saint.
Meanwhile, earlier, on Tuesday, a mob staged a protest against Mahant Ramgiri Maharaj in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior district.
Furthermore, it was reported earlier, on 22nd August, that Madhya Pradesh police took strict action against Islamists who pelted stones and created a ruckus in Chhatarpur Kotwali police station on Wednesday afternoon while protesting against Ramgiri Maharaj.
Following the orders of CM Mohan Yadav, the police registered a case against 150 people involved in the ruckus. The FIR included 50 named and 100 other people who pelted stones at the police station injuring two officers. Later accused Haji Shahzad Ali’s house in Mastan Sahab Colony of Chhatarpur city was demolished with the help of a bulldozer.
A Madrasa student in Bangladesh was arrested on Friday for vandalising three Hindu temples. After the arrest, he said that he targeted the temples because of rumours that the ongoing floods in Bangladesh were caused by water released by India.
18-year-old Rabbi Hossain was caught by locals while vandalising the third temple after smashing idols and other items in two temples and handed over to the police. The incident took place in temples of Pakuria and Kaligram areas of the Rajshahi Bagha Upazila on Friday morning. According to the locals, Rabbi Hossen broke the locks of Hindu temples at Pakuria Palpara, Ghoshpara and Kaligram areas in the Pakuria Union, and vandalised idols and other items in the temples. The name of the targeted temples are Kaligram Sarvajanin Durga Temple, Panikamara Temple and Pakuria Temple.
He was caught red-handed while vandalising the temple in Kaligram’s Pundaripara in Bagh municipality. Arun Sarkar, president of the temple committee, filed a complaint against Rabbi after he was handed over to police.
Upazila Puja Celebration Committee President Sujit Kumar Pandey immediately visited the three temples after receiving the news. Talking about the incident, he said that Rabbi Hossain has admitted that he attacked the temples after seeing the rumours of floods in the country caused by water released by India.
Pandey said, “he smashed the idol in one temple, and vandalised other items in the other two temple. He has admitted in front of the people present at the police station that he did it alone, and nobody was with him. When asked why he did it, Rabbi said that he saw on his sister’s phone that water has been released from India. Because of this, the people of Bangladesh are drowning in flood water. He couldn’t sleep all night watching this video. Unable to control his emotions, he went to break the temples alone.”
In this regard, Bagha Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abu Siddique said that a case has been registered in the name of Rabbi Hossain in the vandalism incident. Later he was sent to jail by a court. It is being investigated whether anyone else is involved with him or not.
Notably, while Bangladesh is facing floods, anti-India circles in the country had spread a rumour that the floods in Feni, Cumilla, and Noakhali districts caused by release of water from Dumbur Hydroelectric Project on Gumti river in Tripura. Students protests against India over the rumour.
But Indian govt had denied the claim, and explained that the dam is too far away to cause any flood in Bangladesh. MEA said that the floods were caused by heavy rainfall in Tripura and Bangladesh in the downstream areas of the dam.
Rajashi Bagha upazila, where the temples were vandalised by the Madrasa student, is located along the border with West Bengal, far away from the places where floods were claimed to have been caused by water released from Tripura.
After the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, reiterated the demand for a caste census on Saturday, sparking fresh debate over the issue, Union Minister Chirag Paswan expressed his support for the initiative.
Paswan stated that a caste census is essential, as many government schemes are framed with caste considerations in mind.
Notably, Paswan was re-elected as the National President of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) on Sunday during the party’s National Executive meeting held in Ranchi.
While interacting with the media, Paswan said, “My party has always maintained a clear stance in favour of a caste census. We want the caste census to happen because many times, both state and central governments design schemes that take caste into account. These schemes are prepared with the intent of integrating different castes into the mainstream.”
“In such a situation, the government should have accurate information about the population of each caste. At the very least, this data should exist so that funds can be allocated proportionately. Whether it’s about implementing schemes or integrating certain castes into the mainstream, the government should have these figures,” he added.
When asked about his re-election as the National President of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Paswan said, “The National Executive meeting was held today in Ranchi, with executive members from across the country in attendance. The primary objective of this meeting was to elect the National President. I have been re-elected as the National President of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas).”
Earlier, addressing a gathering at the Samvidhan Samman Sammelan in Prayagraj, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said, “I checked the list of Miss India contestants to see if there were any Dalit, tribal, or OBC women, but there were none.”
He criticised the media for being indifferent to the concerns of farmers and labourers, stating, “The media still focuses on dance, music, cricket, and Bollywood, but it does not discuss the issues of farmers and labourers.”
Rahul further asserted that when Congress forms the government, it will conduct a caste census and remove the 50 per cent cap on reservations.
“We will conduct a caste census, and the 50 per cent cap on reservations, which I do not accept, will be removed. First, we need to have data regarding the participation of different castes in various institutions. Talks about reservations always occur, but they never materialise,” he said.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
