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Demographic changes in Jharkhand: Why HC directed state govt to identify illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators in six districts, slammed lackadaisical approach of administration

OpIndia Staff
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Demographic changes in Jharkhand: Why HC directed state govt to identify illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators in six districts, slammed lackadaisical approach of administration

The Jharkhand High Court recently directed the state government to utilise its ‘Special Branch’ for identifying infiltrators/illegal immigrants in the Santhal Pargana region. The Court also noted that the issue of infiltration has been considered as an external aggression by the Supreme Court. 

Notably, a petitioner named Danyaal Danish, a resident of Jamshedpur, has filed a PIL before the court. The PIL highlight that there has been wide-scale infiltration of foreigners who are “mainly coming” from Bangladesh, especially in six districts – Godda, Jamtara, Pakur, Dumka, Sahibganj and Deoghar. 

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad and Justice Arun Kumar Rai is hearing the matter. In its order dated 8th August, the bench took note of a document submitted by the petitioner on the changing demographic composition in the state, particularly the Santhal Pargana region (as per Census data 1951-2011).

The Counsel, representing the petitioner, submitted that the percentage of tribal population in the Santhal Pargana region had “decreased drastically”. From 44.67% in 1951, it has come down to 28.11% in 2011. In contrast, the Muslim population had “increased manifold” and it had jumped from 9.44% in 1951 to 22.73 % in 2011.

The counsel further stressed that due to infiltration, illegal immigration etc., the demographic set up of Jharkhand in particular Santhal Pargana Region is changing rapidly. It is pertinent to note that Santhal Pargana is only 15 kilometers away from Bangladesh and it borders West Bengal.

The petitioner’s counsel highlighted that if the population of the Scheduled tribe decreases in the Santhal Pargana region then it would jeopardise the interest of the State of Jharkhand in particular the tribal community.

The petitioner also submitted before the court that Bangladeshi infiltrators in Santhal Pargana are converting native women by marrying them and grabbing their lands through gift deeds. According to the petitioner, after marrying tribal girls, the infiltrators are indirectly running the reserve posts. In his petition, he has also submitted that infiltrators have established a large number of mosques and madrassas in districts bordering Bengal. 

The court noted that the matter appears to be very serious. It stated that in addition to the issue of illegal immigrants, it was also the question of the extinguishment of the tribal community from the State for which the State of Jharkhand was created to protect their interest and also for securing their rights. 

Responding to the petition, the state argued that the local authorities including the police administrations have been facing difficulty in identifying infiltrators. 

To which, the bench replied that it failed to understand why services of the “Special Branch” were not being utilised for this purpose which is supposed to give such information.

Criticising the district administrations, the bench said that this also revealed the “lackadaisical approach” of the district administration. The court noted that ration cards, voter cards and Aadhar cards were reportedly being prepared based on documents that “cannot be said to be genuine”. Based on such documents the “infiltrators are utilising the beneficial schemes” of the state which are meant for the welfare of the local people, the court noted.

The bench directed, “Therefore, the State is directed to utilise the Special Branch for the purpose of identification of infiltrators/illegal immigrants. The Deputy Commissioner of the concerned districts since have already been directed to file an affidavit, hence, let such exercise of identification of the infiltrators having Ration card, the Voter card and the Aadhar Card be conducted on the basis of the ‘record of rights’.” 

It is pertinent to note that a record of right is a document which have details of land and its ownership.

The bench also directed the Deputy Commissioner of the concerned districts to ensure that documents like Ration card, Voter card, Aadhar Card or B.P.L. Cards etc. are issued only after verifying the ‘record of rights’, directing them to issue orders to that effect. 

Additionally, the Court also made the Director of the Intelligence Bureau, the Director General of the Border Security Force (BSF), the Chief Election Commissioner of India, and the Director General of the Unique Identification Authority of India parties to the case. Subsequently, the court issued notices to them and asked them to file a response in the matter. The next date of hearing in this matter is 22nd August. 

The High Court also noted that the issue of infiltration has been considered as an external aggression by the Supreme Court. Thus the high court said that the services of the Intelligence Bureau would be “effective” in dealing with the issue and directed it to submit a report on the issue in a sealed cover. 

Nishikant Dubey had raised the matter in Parliament

Earlier, on 25th July 2024, Godda MP Nishikant Dubey had raised this matter in the Parliament. He had demanded implementation of NRC in the Santhal Pargana region. 

The BJP leader said that everywhere the voters increase only by 15-17% but in this region, it has increased by 123%. He added that in the assembly constituency falling in his Lok Sabha constituency, about 267 booths saw the Muslim population increase by 117%. 

Dubey said, “There are 25 such assembly seats in Jharkhand where the population has increased by 123 percent, this is a matter of concern. He said that there was a riot in Taranagar area in Pakur district. The reason for this riot is that the Bengal Police and people coming from Malda, Murshidabad are driving away our people. The Hindu villages are getting deserted.”

Speaking in the Lok Sabha, BJP MP Dubey said that when Jharkhand was carved out from Bihar, the Santhal Pargana region had 36% forest dwelling population in 2000, which has now reduced to 26%. He asked the House where this 10% population disappeared. But no one talks about this in the Parliament.

Calling Hindus ‘malaun’, instigating attacks on temples: Read about ‘Basherkella’, used by AltNews’ Mohammed Zubair to whitewash attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh

Dibakar Dutta
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Calling Hindus ‘malaun’, instigating attacks on temples: Read about ‘Basherkella’, used by AltNews’ Mohammed Zubair to whitewash attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh

Amid reports of 205 attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, an X (formerly Twitter) handle named ‘Basherkella’ has been at the forefront of downplaying atrocities committed by Islamists against the minority community.

‘Basherkella’, with over 3,20,000 followers, has been the ‘go-to-source’ for radical Muslims in the Indian subcontinent ever since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina and the onset of violence against the Hindu community.

With ties to both the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), it has left no stone unturned to give a clean chit to Islamists involved in the anti-Hindu carnage.

On Sunday (11th August), Basherkella shared a misleading video by Akash Banerjee to falsely claim that Hindus are not under attack in Bangladesh (despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary).

OpIndia had reported how the YouTuber shrewdly cast doubts on the extent of attacks on the Hindu community and suggested that it could be the result of political violence and not religious targeting.

For the unversed, Basherkella came to the fore after the start of the trial by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh. ICT was formed to investigate atrocities committed by the Pakistani Army and their supporters, Razakars, Al-Badr, and Al-Shams, on civilians during the 1971 Liberation War.

It has infamously supported war criminals, propagated Islamic extremism and endorsed attacks on minority communities (particularly the Hindus).

Given its notorious reputation, Mohammed Zubair of Alt News reuploaded a video published by Basherkella on Tuesday (6th August).

He claimed that Muslims were protecting the famous Dhakeshwari temple without mentioning the ‘religion’ of those endangering the safety of the Hindu site. The video shared by the dubious fact-checker and Basherkella was meant to negate the Islamist role in the anti-Hindu attacks.

As pointed out by popular Twitter user ‘Year of the Kraken’, Basherkella was seen lying about Hindus ‘attacking’ the armed forces of Bangladesh alongside Awami League members.

It had also peddled the conspiracy theory of ‘Bhagwa Love Trap’ to unleash the Islamist lynch mob against a top Hindu cop Debdas Bhattacharya.

Basherkella has been the frontrunner in dehumanising, instigating attacks and shrewdly whitewashing them when caught red-handed.

Anti-Hindu diatribe, attacks and downplaying of violence

According to a report published by Asia Times in 2013, BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami carried out attacks on 319 temples, houses and shops of the Hindu community after the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) sentenced war criminal Delwar Hossain Sayeedi to death.

At that time, ‘Basherkella’ dehumanised Bengali Hindus with slurs such as ‘malaun’ and called for their murder. It announced, “We will kill all the Malauns and Bangladesh will be ‘Banglastan’ like Pakistan.”

A report by The Daily Star quoted the extremist account as saying, “In this subcontinent, if we and Pakistan unite, we won’t have to care about Malaun, atheist and Nasara. We will name this Islamic country as Islamic Republic of Banglastan or join with Pakistan where only Muslims will live.”

Basherkella accused Hindus of burning their own houses. Source: Twitter

During the Islamist onslaught on Bangladeshi Hindus in October 2021, Basherkella resorted to vicious victim-blaming. It openly peddled fake news to give a clean chit to Muslim mobs, which set fire to Hindu houses in Rangpur.

OpIndia had reported the incident at that time. In a tweet, Basherkella had alleged, “Some #Hindu of Pirganj Upazila of Rangpur ignite their own houses to malign about the non-sectarian image of #Bangladesh: locals say.” After being exposed on social media, the Jamaat mouthpiece quietly deleted the tweet.

At that time, The New Indian Express had reported, “The UK-based IT cell of the JeI, Basherkella (bamboo fortress), has been spewing anti-Hindu and anti-India propaganda for some time, giving traction to the view that the violence was planned in advance.”

A year later, Basherkella dehumanised Hindu women by posting a picture of a smiling dog with a ‘bindi (red dot)’.

In a vicious Hinduphobic tweet, Basherkella wrote, “Tip ader sanskriti, Musalman der not (Bindi is their culture and not that of Muslims).” It indicated that ‘bindi’ belonged to Hindu women, who were represented by the picture of a smirking dog.

‘Basherkella’ encouraged violence, economic boycott of Ahmadiyas in Bangladesh

In March 2023, ‘Basherkella’ was actively involved in provoking Muslims to attack the Ahmadiya community in Ahmednagar village in the Panchagarh district of Bangladesh.

The Jamaat mouthpiece had posted a series of tweets after violent Muslim mobs targeted Ahmadiyas, killing 2 and injuring three dozen others. An estimated 50 shops and 189 houses were set on fire.

‘Basherkella’ not only encouraged Muslims to continue violent demonstrations against Ahmadiyas but urged them to boycott businesses belonging to the minority community.

“A series of tweets from Basherkella has left the minority community shocked and bewildered…One of the tweets from the verified Basherkella account lists some renowned local brands, calling them “Qadiani owned” and asks all to boycott their products,” a report by Dhaka Tribune noted.

It also accused law enforcement authorities of taking the side of Ahmadiyas and attacking ‘anti-Qadiani protestors’ at the behest of the Sheikh Hasina-led-Awami League government, thereby fuelling more unrest.

At that time, the role of ‘Basherkella’ in inciting violence was confirmed by the then Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud.

Muslims had attacked Ahmadiyas after the latter announced plans to hold a 3-day religious program (Jalsa Salana) in Panchgarh.

Support for Al Qaeda

In November 2021, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) of Bangladesh police arrested a 21-year-old Muslim youth for amplifying the terror message of slain Al-Qaeda supremo Ayman Al-Zawahiri.

The accused was identified as Rasel Bin Sattar Khan. He had called for an Islamic uprising (intifada) in Bangladesh. Rasel was the admin of the Facebook page of ‘Basherkella’ and possessed jihadi books.

Despite being a third-year student, he had strong connections with Al Qaeda. Rasel was found circulating the audio message of Zawahiri, wherein he was heard calling for a mass uprising against ‘enemies of Islam.’

Screengrab of the news report about the arrest of Basherkella’s admin

The message also made references to the governmental crackdown on violence unleashed by Hefazat-e-Islam in Dhaka in 2020.

Pro-US interference and growing control

In October 2023, the ‘Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council’ pointed out how Basherkella was endorsing the visa restrictions imposed on media personnel by the US government.

It raised alarms over the Jamaat mouthpiece hailing US Ambassador to Bangladesh, Peter Haas’ as a ‘true friend.’

OpIndia had reported in November about the overt interference of Hass in the internal politics of Bangladesh. He had visited the house of a BNP leader named Sajedul Islam Sumon and even directed the Awami League to engage with the Opposition BNP.

Reportedly, Basherkellah has been an ally of Tarique Rehman, the son of BNP supremo Khalida Zia. Rehman has been living in self-exile in the United Kingdom since 2008.

After Sheikh Hasina was ousted as PM of Bangladesh and replaced with a US asset, we highlighted overwhelming evidence to show that the country was heading towards becoming an Islamist state.

With the increasing control of Jamaat-e-Islami and BNP in the political discourse of Bangladesh, extremist handles such as ‘Basherkella’ are going to gain more ground on social media in the coming days.

Apologise for past actions and lies: Maldives’ opposition party welcomes President Muizzu’s policy shift towards India, asks him to apologise for previous actions

OpIndia Staff
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Apologise for past actions and lies: Maldives’ opposition party welcomes President Muizzu’s policy shift towards India, asks him to apologise for previous actions

The main opposition party of Maldives, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has welcomed the sudden change in Indian policy of President Mohammad Muizzu-led government. The party asserted that the policy change has reaffirmed that India is the Maldives’ most reliable partner in times of crisis.

MDP chief Abdulla Shahid urged the Muizzu administration to issue a public apology “for the actions, lies and irresponsible comments from its officials which have resulted in significant damage to the Maldives’ foreign and economic outlook.” Shahid has served as the foreign minister of Maldives in the past.”

In a post on X, Shahid said, “The Maldives has always been confident that India will always be the first responder any time the Maldives “dials an international 911”. The current government’s initial stoking of anti-India sentiments through aggressive slogans, mockery and the branding of a time-tested friend and development partner as a regional bully, has caused a decline in Maldives international standing, economic loss, and many other unnecessary difficulties, and challenges.”

Shahid added, “With this in mind, the MDP welcomes the sudden recalibration of the Maldives-India policy of President Muizzu’s government, from its previous India Out policy. The Maldivian Democratic Party hopes that this shift will not be temporary or superficial, but consistent and meaningful in the best interests of the people of the Maldives. Further, the MDP calls on the Government of President Muizzu to issue a public apology for the actions, lies and irresponsible comments from its officials which have resulted in significant damage to the Maldives foreign and economic outlook.”

In an official press release issued by the Maldivian Democratic Party Secretariat, the party thanked Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar for India’s steadfast support to the people of Maldives. Furthermore, they welcomed the initiative to train 1000 civil service officers which was a key program during previous President Solih’s tenure.

The press note read, “During the past five years, India has assisted the Maldives in a variety of areas, including the funding of the largest infrastructure project in the country the Greater Male Connectivity Project. Other large-scale projects include the National College of Policing and Law Enforcement (NCPLE) in Addu City, the Coast Guard Building in Male’, the development of Maldives National Defence Force Harbour and dockyard in Uthuru Thila Falhu, the Addu Roads and Sewerage Development Project, the Development of Water and Sewerage projects in 36 Islands, the Koodoo and Felivaru Fisheries Expansion Project, Hanimaadhoo International Airport, IGMH Hospital.”

It added, “The Government of India has also extended grant assistance through the High Impact Community Development Projects scheme, for 47 projects in over 60 islands across the Maldives, amounting to over 250 million Rufiyaa. India also provided extensive support to the Maldives to tackle and overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, including through vaccines, medical consumables, financial assistance, and humanitarian assistance.”

Maldives-India relationship

With President Muizzu taking power in Maldives last year, the ties between India and Maldives went south quickly. Muizzu’s election campaign, including the “India Out” campaign, where his party promised the withdrawal of Indian military personnel from the Island nation led to tensions between the two countries. Furthermore, Muizzu’s pro-China stance was no help to repair the relations. After several talks, the military personnel were replaced by civilians.

In January this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to Lakshadweep Islands and promoted tourism. Though he did not take any names, some social media users urged Indian tourists to choose Lakshadweep over Maldives. The campaign initiated by Indian users on X irked some ministers of Maldives leading to some derogatory comments from them for India and PM Modi.

The incident spiralled into a diplomatic event and three of Maldivian ministers were suspended by the government. Furthermore, several Indians who had either booked tickets for Maldives or were planning to go there for holidays cancelled the tickets. Maldives is dependent a lot on tourists from India and such cancellations resulted in a fall in revenue for the country.

Muizzu, however, kept his anti-India stance intact for months. However, on 10th August, out of the blue Muizzu, called India “one of the closest allies” of Maldives and thanked PM Modi and the Government of India for its continued support.

Notably, Maldives holds importance in the Indian Ocean region as it is India’s key maritime neighbour. During the previous government under President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, the relationship between the two countries in overall bilateral ties, defence and security saw a lot of progress which changed drastically after Muizzu took over. However, India decided to keep supporting the Island nation and did not cut diplomatic ties.

360 One Wam refutes claims made by Hindenburg in fresh attack on Adani group, says its offshore fund had zero investments in Adani shares

ANI
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360 One Wam refutes claims made by Hindenburg in fresh attack on Adani group, says its offshore fund had zero investments in Adani shares

In a stock exchange filing on Sunday, 360 One Wam Limited, formerly known as IIFL Wealth Management Limited, said its IPE-Plus Fund 1 had made zero investments in any shares of the Adani Group — either directly or indirectly.

This clarification from the publicly-listed financial services company comes after US-based short seller Hindenburg Research in a report levelled fresh allegations against Adani Group. This time the short seller also raised questions about investments made by SEBI Chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch, and her husband Dhaval Buch.

IPE-Plus Fund 1 is a fully compliant and regulated fund that was launched in October 2013 and operated until October 2019, 360 One Wam informed stock exchanges.

“Throughout the fund’s tenure, IPE-Plus Fund 1 made zero investments in any shares of the Adani Group either directly or indirectly through any fund.”

The fund also said that 90 per cent of its investments were in bonds and only 10 per cent in shares

“At its peak, the fund’s Assets Under Management (AUM) reached approximately USD 48 million, with over 90 percent of the fund consistently invested in bonds.”

The exchange filing also said that the fund was managed as a discretionary fund by the Investment Manager and that investors have no role in making investment decisions.

“No investor had any involvement in the fund’s operations or investment decisions. Mrs. Madhabi Buch and Mr. Dhaval Buch’s holdings in the fund were less than 1.5 per cent of the total inflow into the fund,” said the financial advisory services firm in the stock filing.

It reaffirmed that all its funds are fully compliant with all applicable regulations, and “we adhere to the highest standards of corporate governance.”

Earlier on Saturday, US short seller Hindenburg had alleged, “We had previously noted Adani’s total confidence in continuing to operate without the risk of serious regulatory intervention, suggesting that this may be explained through Adani’s relationship with SEBI Chairperson, Madhabi Buch.”

“What we hadn’t realized: the current SEBI Chairperson and her husband, Dhaval Buch, had hidden stakes in the exact same obscure offshore Bermuda and Mauritius funds, found in the same complex nested structure, used by Vinod Adani,” the report by the US hedge firm said.

Hindenburg Research said it has made the new allegations based on documents provided by a whistleblower and investigations carried out by other entities.

Earlier in the day, hours after US-based short seller Hindenburg Research allegations SEBI Chairperson Madhabi Buch and her husband issued a joint statement rejecting the allegations. Madhabi Puri Buch and her husband accused Hindenburg Research, against whom SEBI has taken enforcement action, of character assassination.

In the joint statement released to the media, they said, “Our life and finances are an open book. All disclosures as required have already been furnished to SEBI over the years. We have no hesitation in disclosing any and all financial documents, including those that relate to the period when we were strictly private citizens, to any and every authority that may seek them. It is unfortunate that Hindenburg Research against whom SEBI has taken an Enforcement action and issued a show cause notice has chosen to attempt character assassination in response to the same.”

In January 2023, Hindenburg published a report accusing the Adani Group of financial irregularities, leading to a significant drop in the company’s stock price. The group at the time had rubbished these claims.

The Hindenburg report alleged stock manipulation and fraud by the conglomerate. The case is related to the allegations (part of a report by Hindenburg Research) that Adani had inflated its share prices.

After these allegations were published, there was a sharp fall in the shares of various Adani group companies’ stocks.

In January 2024, the Supreme Court refused to transfer the probe into the allegations of stock price manipulation by the Adani group to an SIT and had directed market regulator SEBI to complete its probe into two pending cases within three months.

Earlier this year the SC also dismissed a plea seeking to review the verdict that had sought investigation by the market watchdog SEBI in the Adani-Hindenburg case.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Mobocracy prevails in Bangladesh: Top officials forced to resign with threats of ‘dire consequences’; Interim leader Muhammad Yunus admits ‘heinous’ attacks on minorities

OpIndia Staff
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Mobocracy prevails in Bangladesh: Top officials forced to resign with threats of ‘dire consequences’; Interim leader Muhammad Yunus admits ‘heinous’ attacks on minorities

Even days after the ouster of the country’s elected leader, Sheikh Hasina, social unrest, chaos and anarchy continues to prevail in Bangladesh as Islamist mobs have so far forced several top officials in judiciary, finance, and educational sector to step down. Several key officials, including the country’s Chief Justice, central bank governor and Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University have been forced to resign as rioters accuse them of being Sheikh Hasina loyalists. 

Facing violent protests, Bangladesh Bank governor Abdur Rouf Talukder has resigned from his post. However, as per reports, his resignation has not yet been accepted. According to Reuters, the Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University, ASM Maksud Kamal was also forced to step down from his post. Notably, the so-called student protests initially started from Dhaka University.  

Earlier in the day, on Saturday (10th August), the rioters directed their attacks on the country’s highest court and its judges. The protesting ‘students’ and the Interim government alleged that judges of the Supreme Court were involved in a “conspiracy”. Demanding en-mass resignation of judges, thousands of rioters gheraoed the Supreme Court. While they demanded the resignation of all judges of the apex court, the rioters gave Chief Justice 2 hour ultimatum to tender his resignation or face “dire consequences”.  

The situation escalated, with reports indicating that the Chief Justice may have fled the premises and later resigned from his post. Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan, appointed last year, was accused of being a Hasina loyalist. 

The rioters directed their attack against the Supreme Court after the Chief Justice convened a full-court meeting allegedly without consulting the newly formed interim government. Following the development, the ‘student’ protesters alleged that the judges were involved in a conspiracy. 

They also received support from Asif Mahmud, the adviser to the Youth and Sports Ministry of the Interim Government. Taking to Facebook, Mahmud had demanded the unconditional resignation of Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan and the cancellation of the full-court meeting.

Interim leader Muhammad Yunus calls targeted attacks on minorities as “heinous”

Meanwhile, on Saturday, Interim leader Muhammad Yunus condemned the attacks on minorities and urged the Bangladeshi youth to protect them. He described the targeted attacks as “heinous” and asserted that restoring law and order remained the top priority of the Interim government. 

He said, “Are they not the people of this country? You have been able to save the country; can’t you save some families?… You must say – no one can harm them. They are my brothers; we fought together, and we will stay together.” 

It is pertinent to note that following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina, Hindus and other minority groups have been facing targeted persecution at the hands of Islamist mobs. Strikingly, more than 205 incidents of attacks on Hindus and other Minorities have been reported across 52 districts of Bangladesh since 5th August when Sheikh Hasina resigned and was forced to flee to India to save her life. Scores of Hindus have been severely injured in the attacks on their homes, temples, and businesses. 

Numerous reports of kidnapping, sexual assault, and other heinous crimes against woman have also rocked Bangladesh. Additionally, Bangladeshi Hindus, in thousands, have also attempted to cross over to India to seek refuge and avoid religious persecution in the country that is fast becoming an Islamic fundamentalist state under the interim government. 

Following days of unhinged attacks, thousands of Hindus started raising voice against targeted attacks and religious persecution and continued staging protests in various parts of the country. 

Bangladeshi Hindus unite to raise voice against ongoing religious persecution and targeted attacks

Hindus in Bangladesh have come out in large numbers in various cities of Bangladesh protesting against the attack on Hindus and temples by Islamists after the fall of Sheikh Hasina government. Large protests erupted in Shahbag in Dhaka, Shariatpur, Chittagong, Barishal, Dinajpur, Mymensingh and other places, demanding protection of religious minorities.

In Chittagong, there was a massive gathering of Hindus, with some media reports claiming that over 7 lakh Hindus assembled at Cheragi Pahar Square, the cultural centre of the port city. They held placards saying ‘why we are not independent’, ‘why attack on our temples’, ‘why threat to leave the country, nation wants answer’ etc.

Apart from Bangladesh, Hindus also came out in large numbers in India, UK, US and member nations of European Union to raise voices against persecution of Hindus and other religious minorities in Bangladesh. 

The Hindu community in Bangladesh have raised the following specific demands –

  • Establishment of a ministry of minorities.
  • Formation of a minority protection commission.
  • Enactment and Implementation of strict laws to prevent attacks against minorities.
  • Allocation of 10% of parliamentary seats for minorities.
  • Investigation on attack on minorities, arrest and appropriate punishment of culprits.
  • Compensation to the Hindu minorities who have faced vandalism, loot and torture.
  • Transform ‘Hindu Kalyan Trust’ as an autonomous body, free from Govt’s influence and interference.
  • Bring back minorities who have fled villages in the border areas and protect them against threats.
  • Ensure and arrange security for the Hindu homes, businesses, temples.
  • Increase representation of the Hindu minorities in different Govt. entities.

Manipur: Bomb blast at former MLA’s home in Kangpokpi kills his wife, suspected IED was hidden in garbage

OpIndia Staff
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Manipur: Bomb blast at former MLA’s home in Kangpokpi kills his wife, suspected IED was hidden in garbage

On 10th August, 59-year-old Charubala Haokip, wife of former Saikul MLA Yamthong Haokip, died after a bomb blast at their home in Manipur. The incident took place at around 3 PM in district Kangpokpi of Manipur. Charubala was from the Meitei community. She was living at Ekou Mulam in Kangpokpi district which is a Kuki-Zomi-dominated area.

Charubala’s husband, 64-year-old Yamthong Haokip, is a former MLA who won from Saikul seat twice in 2012 and 2017 on a Congress ticket. Before the 2022 Assembly elections, he switched to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Charubala is the second wife of Haokip.

As per reports, she was cleaning the courtyard of the part of a house abandoned by their son a few months ago when the bomb exploded, which was planted there by unknown attackers. She was rushed to the Saikul Primary Health Sub Centre after the blast, and then she was sent to Kangpokpi District Hospital. But she succumbed to her injuries. The explosion caused severe injuries to her, and the doctors could not save her.

The former MLA and their daughter were also at home at the time of the blast but they escaped unharmed. A complaint has been filed by Haokip at Saikul police station in the matter. Charubala is survived by her husband and two daughters.

The incident took place on Saturday but was reported a day later on Sunday morning. A police officer said that locally made IED was placed among waste material in the house. He said, “When the deceased burned the waste material, it exploded. Everybody else is okay. There are no other fatalities or injuries.”

The Saikul Police Station has launched an investigation into the incident, but the attackers’ identities and motives remain unclear. By the time this report was published, no arrests were made.

Police suspected that the incident was the result of a family dispute. The police official said, “The former MLA had purchased some land adjacent to one of his uncles’ grandsons and there was a dispute. We suspect this was related to that. We are investigating the matter.”

Anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh: Protests erupt in Downtown Toronto over attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh

ANI
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Anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh: Protests erupt in Downtown Toronto over attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh

Thousands of Canadians staged a protest on Sunday across downtown Toronto to stand in solidarity against the violence against Hindus in Bangladesh, after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation.

Canadians of Hindu, Christian, Buddhist and Jewish origin gathered in Downtown Toronto. People in the protest held in Downtown Toronto were seen chanting, “We want justice – Bangladesh Bangladesh”.

The protesters urged the Canadian Government to press the Dhaka Government to protect Hindus in Bangladesh.

One of the protesters lamented that they also sent emails to the Bangladeshi mosques in Toronto, but they have not responded yet.

“We have also sent emails to Bangladeshi mosques in Toronto. So far, we have not heard any response from them, maybe we will, maybe they are busy because of the weekend,” he said, adding, “Whatever is happening in Bangladesh, is to their own brothers…”

The protester further said that the community has gathered in an unprecedented number, which is a good sign.

“We would love if they would also stand in solidarity. The community is here in unprecedented numbers which is a good sign. What is disappointing is the involvement of Canadian politics. They are disproportionately not listening to us after emails, tweets and calls…,” he stressed.

Moreover, the community leaders showed their concerns over attacks on Hindus. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also called for the “safety and protection” of Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh in a message on X on Thursday.

“My best wishes to Professor Muhammad Yunus on the assumption of his new responsibilities. We hope for an early return to normalcy, ensuring the safety and protection of Hindus and all other minority communities. India remains committed to working with Bangladesh to fulfill the shared aspirations of both our peoples for peace, security and development,” PM Modi said in a post on X.

Thousands of Bangladeshi Hindus have been fleeing to neighbouring India to escape the violence.

Hindus, who make up about 8 per cent of Bangladesh’s 170 million population, have traditionally supported Hasina’s Awami League party, which has faced backlash following violent clashes between anti-quota protesters and security forces last month.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Bangladesh: Former PM Sheikh Hasina alleges USA role in her ouster for refusal to hand over St Martin Island for a US Air Force base

OpIndia Staff
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Bangladesh: Former PM Sheikh Hasina alleges USA role in her ouster for refusal to hand over St Martin Island for a US Air Force base

Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has alleged that the USA is behind her ouster from power. On 11th August, the Economic Times published Sheikh Hasina’s statement making the allegation conveyed through her associates to the newspaper. Hasina, who is currently taking refuge in India after she was forced to leave Bangladesh following violent protests, said that the USA orchestrated her removal from the post of PM because she refused to hand over Saint Martin Island to the US which would have enabled the western superpower to have “sway over the Bay of Bengal”.

She also urged the people of Bangladesh not to get manipulated by the radicals in the country. Notably, OpIndia had reported on the day of her resignation how the US could have played in political turmoil in Bangladesh leading to the removal of Hasina from the post of Prime Minister.

In her statement, she said, “I resigned so that I did not have to see the procession of dead bodies. They wanted to come to power over the dead bodies of students, but I did not allow it, I resigned from the premiership. I could have remained in power if I had surrendered the sovereignty of Saint Martin Island and allowed America to hold sway over the Bay of Bengal. I beseech to the people of my land, ‘Please do not be manipulated by radicals.”

According to the former PM, the USA wants the island because they want to build a military base on it.

Hasina said if she had stayed in the country, more people would have died and more resources would have been destroyed. “If I had remained in the country, more lives would have been lost, more resources would have been destroyed. I made the extremely difficult decision to exit. I became your leader because you chose me, you were my strength,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina expressed her anguish over the reports of leaders of the Awami Party being killed, workers being harassed and their homes being vandalised and burnt. She said, “My heart cries upon receiving news that many leaders have been killed, workers are being harassed and their homes are subjected to vandalism and arson…With the grace of almighty Allah, I will return soon. Awami League has stood up again and again. I shall forever pray for the future of Bangladesh, the nation that my great-father strived for. The country for which my father and family gave their lives.”

Referring to the protests over quota in the country, she clarified that she never called the students “Razakars”. She emphasised that her words were distorted and used to incite the protesters. She said, “I would like to repeat this to the young students of Bangladesh. I have never called you Razakars. Rather My words were distorted to incite you. I request you to watch the full video of that day. Conspirators have taken advantage of innocence and used you to destabilise the nation.”

This is not the first time Hasina has accused the US of pursuing a strategy of regime change in Bangladesh. In April, before the quota movement started in the country, she had informed the parliament about the alleged plan of the US to remove her from power. She said, “They are trying to eliminate democracy and introduce a government that will not have a democratic existence.”

ET report suggested that Awami League leaders who are close to Sheikh Hasina, have blamed the USA for the regime change in Bangladesh. They accused a senior USA diplomat who visited Dhaka in May of being responsible for what happened in the country. They further alleged that the diplomat attempted to put pressure on Hasina to pursue initiatives against China.

Notably, American Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas favoured the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) as alleged by one of the Awami League leaders. Haas finished his term in July. Not only Bangladeshi leaders including Hasina have accused the USA of being behind the regime change, but Russia has also warned about the possibilities.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in December 2023 at a press conference that in case Hasina comes back to power in the 2024 elections, the USA would use all its power to overthrow her government. Zakharova had warned that America would create a situation like the “Arab Spring” to bring a chaotic regime change. Not to forget, the Arab Spring was initially led by University, College and School students.

Saint Martin Island and alleged USA plot for a military base

Saint Martin Island is a small island located near the Southern tip of Bangladesh, around 9 km south of the tip of Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf peninsula. The island forms the southernmost part of Bangladesh. It is about 8 kilometres west of the northwest coast of Myanmar, at the mouth of the Naf River. The island can be reached by ships and boats. Although Bangladesh administers the island, Myanmar also lays claim to it. Burmese forces occasionally target fishermen from the island on the sea.

This is not the first time that Sheikh Hasina has accused of USA of trying to take over the island. Last year in May, she had claimed that before the elections, a ‘white man’ had assured her a hassle-free re-election if she allowed a foreign country to set up an air force base on the island.

She said, “The offer came from a white man. It may appear that it is aimed at only one country, but it is not. I know where else they intend to go. There will be more trouble. But don’t worry about it. If I allowed a certain country to build an airbase in Bangladesh, then I would have had no problem.”

Later in June 2023, she said that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party wanted to sell St Martin’s Island to grab power. “The BNP came to power in 2001 by giving an undertaking to sell gas. Now they want to sell the country. They want to come to power by selling St Martin’s Island,” she had said.

“Now if I say that I will lease out St Martin’s Island or our country, there will also be no problem for me to stay in power. I know that,” the then PM had said. Sheikh Hasina had also said that there was a plot to carve out “a Christian state like East Timor,” taking parts from Bangladesh and Myanmar.

At that time, Dhaka-8 MP Rashed Khan Menon had claimed that the US is after St Martin’s Island as it wants to build an air base on the island. “The US wants St Martin’s Island, and they want Bangladesh in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad). They are doing everything to destabilize the current government,” he had said.

Notably, reports mention that Washington has been eyeing St. Martin Island for many years for its second air force base in the region. However, in June last year, the US officially denied having discussions on taking over St Martin’s Island.

“I will just say that it is not accurate. We respect Bangladesh’s sovereignty, and we have never engaged in any conversations about taking over St. Martin’s Island,” said Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the US Department of State last year.

OpIndia talked about possibility of US’s hand in removing Sheikh Hasina from power

It is pertinent to note that the coup in Bangladesh is being widely speculated to be a regime change operation by the US deep state. The protests in Bangladesh, violence and departure of Sheikh Hasina from the country have raised questions if there was a US deep state behind the coup. It has to be noted that despite the quota, against which the protests were happening, which was abolished by the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, the protests never faded away. They only intensified leading Hasina to order the use of force against the protesters and several hundred protesters were killed in the process. After the departure of Hasina and the Army took over the country, the violence intensified and Hindus became prime targets of the violent Islamist mobs across Bangladesh.

The role of foreign forces in toppling Hasina’s government has become a topic of discussion as well as concern. One of the organisations whose name has popped up repeatedly is the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The main objective of USAID is clearly, to further US interests abroad and regime change has been one of the interests of the US. USAID has been accused of being directly involved in regime change in Nicaragua and Venezuela.

BRAC has received funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and USAID that tuned into millions. For example, BRAC received USD 1.5 million from the Gates Foundation to build preparedness and emergency response capacity​. Furthermore, BRAC has teamed up with USAID in projects like the Bangladesh America Maitree Project, which aims to enhance the capacity of local NGOs through funding and training.

Not to forget, there are allegations that USAID is in front of the CIA, the foreign intelligence organisation of the US government. Furthermore, just before the recent General Elections in Bangladesh, Washington sanctioned members of Sheikh Hasina’s party and promoted a government involving BNP and Jamaat. It aligned with broader discussions about US foreign policy strategies aimed at fostering governments favourable to its interests.

In June this year, Sheikh Hasina made a shocking claim that a plot is being hatched to carve out “a Christian state like East Timor,” from parts of Bangladesh and Myanmar and that she will not let it happen. She claimed that a “white man” who visited with her before the Bangladesh elections in January of this year assured her that there would be “no problems” if she permitted them to establish an airbase on Bangladeshi soil.

Last year, the US also extended support to the Islamist Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its Jihadist ally Jamaat-e-Islami during its protests against the PM Hasina-led government. The US and other Western countries expected the Awami League government to step down and hand over power to a caretaker regime, and release all jailed BNP and Jamaat leaders to ensure ‘free and fair’ elections. However, India and China, despite their disputes, backed Sheikh Hasina in dealing with US pressure resulting in her return to power for the fifth time.

Since there have been reports of the United States attempting to meddle in the elections in Bangladesh by imposing sanctions on Bangladesh’s Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and some officials alongside placing visa restrictions on Bangladeshi officials, it is being speculated that the airbase offer was made by the US.

In November 2023, OpIndia reported that there were clear signs of foreign interference in Bangladesh’s internal affairs. With just two months away from the elections, the United States government, its agencies and the embedded media were called out for orchestrating a ‘regime change operation’ in Bangladesh.

Cases of restaurants delivering Non-Veg food to vegetarians keep rising: KFC delivers chicken burger to a vegetarian woman, asked to pay Rs 12,000 as fine

OpIndia Staff
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Cases of restaurants delivering Non-Veg food to vegetarians keep rising: KFC delivers chicken burger to a vegetarian woman, asked to pay Rs 12,000 as fine

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission of Chandigarh has asked the manager of the local branch of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) located in Sector 35 of the city to pay Rs 12,000 to an aggrieved vegetarian customer for delivering her a non-veg burger instead of a veg burger. 

Notably, Anirudh Gupta, a resident of Chandigarh, stated that he and his wife are regular customers of KFC. His wife hails from a Brahmin family and is a devout vegetarian. In his complaint, Gupta recalled that on 3rd May 2023, he ordered a chicken bucket for himself and one classic vegetarian crisper for his wife. He placed the order through the online app of KFC and paid Rs 696.59 via UPI. 

Gupta added, “When my wife took the first bite of the burger delivered to us, she experienced something unfamiliar. She immediately called me and showed me the burger. I was shocked to find that the burger had chicken. Since my wife is a pure vegetarian, she immediately started vomiting.”

The complainant further submitted that because of this act of the KFC manager, his wife was under immense mental stress. 

However, in defense, the KFC manager went on blaming the customers and accused them of filing the false case to extort money from them and defame the brand. 

The KFC manager alleged, “The complaint has been filed on false and frivolous grounds with malafide intention and ulterior motive to extort money from KFC and defame the brand. The complainant concealed that the order placed was a takeaway order which was collected by the person after checking the same on the premises.”

KFC also argued that every customer gets a message on their mobile number used for placing the order. In this message, they get the description of their order. They also claimed that all orders have red and green markers displayed on the package to inform customers whether the order has any product of animal origin, meat, or eggs etc.  

However, based on the receipts of the order, the Commission rejected the defense submitted by KFC. It held that “it (the order) clearly indicates that the KFC outlet, instead of delivering a veg krisper burger as mentioned in the receipts, delivered a non-veg krisper burger stuffed with chicken which is fairly apparent from the pictures of the burger and same amounts to clear cut deficiency in service and negligence on the part of the KFC manager, especially when the manager has miserably failed to rebut the evidence led by complainant by way of any cogent documentary evidence”.

The Commission further observed that one thing is clear that the KFC manager was negligent while rendering service to the complainant. It wrongly delivered a non-veg food item to the wife of the complainant who is a pure vegetarian, thereby hurting her sentiments which caused a lot of mental agony and stress to her.

Consequently, the Commission directed the KFC manager to pay Rs 7,000 to the complainants as compensation for causing mental agony and harassment to him and his wife. It has also been asked to pay Rs 5,000 towards costs of litigation.

It is pertinent to note that this was not a one-off incident when a fast food joint or an eatery had been penalised for hurting the sentiments of vegetarian customers in the recent past. 

A few weeks earlier, the Ludhiana district consumer disputes redressal forum penalised food delivery app, Swiggy, and an eatery named Behrouz Biryani, for mixing up orders and delivering a non-vegetarian dish to a woman who ordered a vegetarian dish. The commission directed Behrouz Biryani, and Swiggy, to pay Rs 50,000 to the complainant, Vasu Gupta.

A similar incident was reported yesterday in the Indian Railways where a vegetarian passenger was served Non-veg food in a thali that had the sticker of a Veg special thali. Consequently, the accused eatery, Sagar Barbeque, owned by Faiz, was ‘deactivated’ from the list of vendors serving food on Indian Railways.

Numerous incidents of mental agony and hurting sentiments of vegetarian customers widely reported in media

Earlier, several shocking cases emerged from eateries in several parts of the country. 

Earlier this week, on 4th August 2024, chaos broke out after non-vegetarian biryani was served to pilgrims who were returning to Delhi from Haridwar via Kandhla after taking Gangajal. The accused hawker named Tanveer was apprehended by authorities, and he was subsequently brought to the police station.

In April, this year, Gujarat Police raided a Vadodara-based samosa shop, ‘Huseni Samosa center’, and arrested six persons, including eatery owners Yusuf and Naeem Sheikh for selling samosas stuffed with beef. A similar case was reported in Pune, Maharashtra, where condoms, stones and tobacco were found stuffed inside samosas in the canteen of Tata Motors. The police have registered an FIR against 5 people in this case. It was revealed that the accused – Rahim Shaikh, Azhar Shaikh, Mazar Shaikh, Azar Shaikh and Vicky Shaikh – committed the crime in anger after the company cancelled their contract. 

In January 2024, a vegetarian passenger hailing from the Jain community, was served chicken pieces in her veg meal on an Air India flight. Enraged, she complained about the same to the cabin crew but no action was taken on the matter. Finally the passenger, Veera Jain, shared the incident on social media. Air India responded to her post on X, and requested her to delete the tweet.

In July 2022, an incident surfaced at the Jamia Millia Islamia University of Delhi, in which a vegetarian student was allegedly served a non-vegetarian sandwich in the varsity’s central canteen. Upon complaining to the canteen staff, the student was shoved aside and told that there is no pure vegetarian food available in the canteen.

Incidentally, in March 2024, food delivery aggregator Zomato gave up with the idea of starting a new service ‘Pure Veg Mode’ to serve its pure veg customers to mitigate the growing complaint and criticism from ‘pure veg’ users who had at times found non-veg items in their food order. 

Malicious, mischievous, and manipulative selections of public record for personal profiteering: Adani group rejects latest Hindenburg allegations

ANI
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Malicious, mischievous, and manipulative selections of public record for personal profiteering: Adani group rejects latest Hindenburg allegations

The latest allegations by Hindenburg Research are malicious, mischievous, and manipulative selections of publicly available information to arrive at pre-determined conclusions for “personal profiteering with wanton disregard for facts and the law”, an Adani Group spokesperson said on Sunday hours after the US-based short seller shot off fresh allegations against the conglomerate.

“We completely reject these allegations against the Adani Group which are a recycling of discredited claims that have been thoroughly investigated, proven to be baseless and already dismissed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in January 2024,” the Adani Group spokesperson informed stock exchanges in a filing dated August 11.

Adani Group reiterated that its overseas holding structure is “fully transparent”, with all relevant details disclosed regularly in numerous public documents.

The spokesperson said that Adani Group has “absolutely no commercial relationship with the individuals or matters mentioned in this calculated deliberate effort to malign our standing”.

“We remain steadfastly committed to transparency and compliance with all legal and regulatory requirements,” the brief statement by the Adani Group spokesperson concludes.

Earlier in the day, shortly after US-based short seller Hindenburg Research on August 10 alleged that SEBI Chairperson Madhabi Buch and her husband had stakes in “both the obscure offshore entities used in the Adani money siphoning scandal,” the SEBI Chairperson and her husband issued a joint statement rejecting the allegations.

Madhabi Puri Buch and her husband accused Hindenburg Research, against whom SEBI has taken enforcement action, of character assassination.

In the joint statement released to the media they said, “Our life and finances are an open book. All disclosures as required have already been furnished to SEBI over the years. We have no hesitation in disclosing any and all financial documents, including those that relate to the period when we were strictly private citizens, to any and every authority that may seek them. It is unfortunate that Hindenburg Research against whom SEBI has taken an Enforcement action and issued a show cause notice has chosen to attempt character assassination in response to the same.”

Earlier on Saturday, US short seller Hindenburg had alleged, “We had previously noted Adani’s total confidence in continuing to operate without the risk of serious regulatory intervention, suggesting that this may be explained through Adani’s relationship with SEBI Chairperson, Madhabi Buch.”

“What we hadn’t realized: the current SEBI Chairperson and her husband, Dhaval Buch, had hidden stakes in the exact same obscure offshore Bermuda and Mauritius funds, found in the same complex nested structure, used by Vinod Adani,” the report by the US hedge firm said.

Hindenburg Research said it has made the new allegations based on documents provided by a whistleblower and investigations carried out by other entities.

In January 2023, Hindenburg published a report accusing the Adani Group of financial irregularities, leading to a significant drop in the company’s stock price. The group at the time had rubbished these claims.

The Hindenburg report alleged stock manipulation and fraud by the conglomerate. The case is related to the allegations (part of a report by Hindenburg Research) that Adani had inflated its share prices. After these allegations were published, there was a sharp fall in the shares of various Adani group companies’ stocks.

In January 2024, the Supreme Court refused to transfer the probe into the allegations of stock price manipulation by the Adani group to an SIT and had directed market regulator SEBI to complete its probe into two pending cases within three months.

Earlier this year the SC also dismissed a plea seeking to review the verdict that had sought investigation by the market watchdog SEBI in the Adani-Hindenburg case.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

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