The Congress party has said that the comments made by party MP Charanjit Singh Channi in support of Khalistani MP Amirtpal Singh are his own and he does not represent the party’s views. Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications Jairam Ramesh posted a tweet distancing the party from Channi’s comments.
“The views expressed by Charanjit Singh Channi, MP on Amritpal Singh are his own, and do not reflect in any way the position of the Indian National Congress,” Jairam Ramesh posted on X (Twitter).
This comes after the former Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi attacked the union govt in parliament for keeping Waris Punjab De chief and Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha MP Amritpal Singh in jail. Channi alleged that there is “undeclared emergency” under the Modi govt and claimed that “free speech” of the Khalistani leader was being curbed.
Speaking during the debate on the Budget 2024, Charanjit Singh Channi said, “They (BJP) speak about Emergency every day. But what about the undeclared Emergency in the country today?…This too is Emergency that a man who was elected as an MP by 20 lakh people in Punjab is behind bars under the NSA. He is unable to present the views of the people of his constituency, here. This too is Emergency.”
He alleged that there is an undeclared emergency in the nation while stating that Sidhu Moose Wala, one of the famous singers of the nation was killed and justice has not delivered to his family. Channi said, “Today in the country, a financial emergency-like condition is emerging and the BJP is responsible for that. They talk about the 1975 emergency but about today’s undeclared emergency in the country? It is also an emergency that Sidhu Moose Wala, one of the famous singers of the nation was killed and justice has not given to his family.”
Notably, while Channi blamed the NDA govt at centre for Amritpal Singh’s arrest, the fact is Singh was arrested by Punjab Police and the NSA has been slapped against him by the Punjab govt run by AAP. Last month, the AAP govt in Punjab extended detention of Amritpal Singh and his nine aides, currently lodged in Dibrugarh Jail in Assam, by a year under the stringent National Security Act (NSA).
The order was issued by Punjab government’s home affairs and justice department on 3rd June. Therefore, it is the Congress ally AAP govt which is keeping Amritpal Singh in jail, not the Modi govt at centre.
Launching a scathing attack on former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday compared YSRCP chief to slain Columbian narco-terrorist, Pablo Escobar.
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu released a white paper in the assembly and claimed that Andhra Pradesh had become the “Ganja capital” of the country under Reddy’s rule.
He stated, “Pablo Escobar is a Colombian drug lord, he is a Narco terrorist. He turned politician and then started his cartel to sell drugs. He earned 30 Billion Dollars at that time, now it’s 90 Billion Dollars’ worth. He was arrested in 1976 and in 1980 he became the number one richest drug lord in the world.”
“One can become richer by selling drugs as well. What was the aim of former Chief Minister (YS Jagan)?” He further said, “Tata, Reliance, and Ambani have money and he aspired to become richer than them. Few have needs, few have greed and few have mania and these maniacs do these kinds of things.”
The TDP fought the Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections as well as the Lok Sabha polls in partnership with the BJP and the Jana Sena Party.
Chief Minister Naidu had led the TDP-BJP-Jana Sena National Democratic Alliance to a landslide victory in the Assembly as well as parliamentary elections. The TDP holds the majority in Andhra Pradesh’s 175-member assembly with 135 MLAs, while its allies, the Janasena Party, have 21 and BJP has eight. The opposition YSR Congress Party was confined to 11.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
The Central Government has allotted a new office space to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), following the orders of the Delhi High Court. Bungalow No. 1, Ravi Shankar Shukla Lane, New Delhi will be the new address of the Aam Aadmi Party headquarters.
The house has been allocated to the party on a temporary basis for 3 years, while the govt finds land to be given to the party for the construction of permanent office. The urgent decision came after the Delhi HC set a time limit for the same, as the AAP has to vacate its current office on the Supreme Court’s orders.
On July 16, the Delhi HC granted 10 days to the Centre to decide the request of AAP for temporary allotment of land for office space. The Center had sought four weeks to decide on the request of AAP, but the court granted only 10 days.
Advocate Rishikesh Kumar representing AAP, said that the High Court had passed a judgement supporting them on June, 5 and said that the place must be allotted to AAP. He said that the party will see the suitability and other factors for the allocated house, adding that the party has time till 10 August to vacate its present office premises at Rouse Avenue.
Notably, AAP wanted a place for its office on the Deen Dayal Marg, where its current office apart from the offices of BJP and Congress is located. But no place was available to be allocated to the party, and now the govt has allocated a Lutyens Bungalow instead.
AAP is entitled to 1,000 square metres of land for its party headquarters given its national party status.
“On 5th June, the High Court had given a judgment in our favour and said that the place should be allotted to Aam Aadmi Party. There was a time limit of 6 weeks which expired on 17th July. On 16th July, the Union govt asked for more time. The court rejected their application and asked the Union for allotment by the 25th of July,” said Advocate Rishikesh Kumar.
“The union while complying with the court’s directions has offered us an allotment. The Party team is examining the place and after that, we will decide on further course of action…” he added.
AAP had moved the High Court seeking allotment of space to use as its party office till the permanent allotment of land for the construction of its office. The High Court had said that the Aam Aadmi Party is entitled to use a housing unit as its party office till the permanent allotment of land for the construction of its office.
The court had cited Consolidated guidelines for allotment of GPRA to Political parties which says that the National Political Parties, recognised by the Election Commission of India, shall be allowed to retain/secure allotment of one housing unit from General Pool in Delhi for their office use on payment of the normal licence fee. The said accommodation will be provided for a period of three years during which the party would acquire a plot of land in an institutional area and will construct its own accommodation for the party office, the guidelines add.
The High Court said that a perusal of the said clause indicates that National Political Parties have a right to retain/secure allotment of one housing unit from General Pool in Delhi for their office use on payment of licence fee and the said accommodation will be provided for a period of three years during which the party would acquire a plot of land in an institutional area and will construct its own accommodation for party office.
The Delhi High Court added that even though always there is pressure on the Pool of houses available for allotment to the officers, it can’t be the reason to deny the right to a house to use as its party office.
However, the high court said that whether the Petitioner would be entitled to a plot of land in Central Delhi or not is the subject matter of another Writ Petition.
The Aam Aadmi Party has been asked to vacate current office on Deen Dayal Marg as the office is situated on land allocated to Rouse Avenue Court. The Supreme Court in March this year slammed AAP over alleged ‘encroachment’ of land meant for Delhi judiciary, and asked it to vacate the premises by 15 June. Slamming Aam Aadmi Party for ‘illegally occupying’ the encroached land, the three-judge SC bench emphasised that AAP has no lawful right to continue occupying the allotted land.
However, the apex court had allowed the party to use the office till the Lok Sabha elections. The party had agreed to vacate the office, on the condition that it be given an alternate location as per its entitlement given its national party status.
The party had denied encroachment charges saying that the office was allocated to it in 2015 by the AAP govt in Delhi. However, the Land and Development Office (L&DO) under the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry allocated the land for the expansion of the District court complex, and the party was asked to move out.
Before the allocation of the Rouse Avenue house, AAP operated its office from rented premises.
Speaking to the media, Delhi Minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj, “…Attempts were being made to oust AAP from its office and push it onto streets, that it be trampled on and finished. This is a common courtesy in politics that you allot an office to a party. Unfortunately, we have to approach the Court even for this. We welcome that with the Court’s repeated directions, the Centre was compelled to allot an office to AAP. But it’s unfortunate and they should have allotted the office before we moved the court.”
India condemned the vandalisation of temple in Edmonton and strongly taken up the matter with Canadian authorities in Delhi and Ottawa, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Thursday.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday that India has strongly taken up the vandalisation of temple in Edmonton with Canadian authorities in Delhi and Ottawa, adding that India expects Canada to take swift action.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that India expects the local authorities to take strong action against those behind the act.
Asked about India’s response on temple vandalization in Edmonton, Jaiswal stated, “We have strongly taken up the matter with Canadian authorities, both here in Delhi and in Ottawa. We condemn the vandalization. We expect the local authorities to take swift and strong action against those responsible.”
“These attacks against temples have become a recurring occurrence and are done with a purpose which is not very difficult to fathom. We have seen a number of such incidents in recent times in Canada. Lack of action against the perpetrators has further emboldened such criminal elements. Those advocating and responsible for extremism and violence need to be brought to justice, or else the rule of law and respect for pluralism in Canada will continue to be severely undermined,” he said while addressing a weekly media briefing.
Jaiswal’s remarks come after the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Edmonton was vandalised. Canada’s Member of Parliament for Nepean, Chandra Arya, voiced deep concern over the escalating incidents of hate-fueled violence directed at Hindu-Canadian communities.
“The Hindu temple BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Edmonton is vandalised again. During the last few years, Hindu temples in the Greater Toronto Area, British Columbia, and other places in Canada are being vandalised with hateful graffiti,” Arya said in a post on X on Tuesday.
The recent attack adds to a string of similar incidents documented in recent years, underscoring a distressing trend of religious intolerance. Last year, a Hindu temple in Windsor suffered defacement with anti-India graffiti, sparking widespread condemnation and calls for action from both Canadian and Indian officials. Earlier incidents in Mississauga and Brampton saw temples similarly targeted, drawing strong reactions from the Indian community in Canada.
Arya, a Liberal member of Parliament known for his advocacy on multicultural issues, pointed to the impunity enjoyed by Khalistani extremists in Canada, citing instances where their rhetoric has openly incited hatred and violence.
“As I have always been saying, Khalistani extremists seem to get away with ease with their public rhetoric of hate and violence. Again, let me put it on record. Hindu Canadians are legitimately concerned. Like a broken record, I again call on Canadian law enforcement agencies to take this issue seriously before these rhetorics get translated into physical action against Hindu Canadians,” Arya reiterated.
“Gurpatwant Singh Pannun of Sikhs for Justice last year publicly called for Hindus to go back to India. Khalistan supporters publicly celebrated in Brampton and Vancouver the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and brandishing images of deadly weapons,” Arya further said.
The incident was also raised on social media by another Canadian political leader, who termed the incident a display of “hateful rhetoric”.
Earlier today, the Edmonton BAPS Mandir was vandalised with paint, displaying hateful rhetoric on the walls of what should be a place of refuge. Hate has no part in Canada – much less in places of worship & prayer. This incident is wrong & goes against the values of our city,” Randy Boissonnault, Member of the House of Commons of Canada, said in a post on Tuesday on X.
Canadian law enforcement agencies have been urged to take proactive measures to address these threats and ensure the safety and security of all religious communities in Canada. The incidents have prompted renewed discussions on bolstering security measures around Hindu temples and enhancing efforts to combat extremist propaganda.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) members protested at Vandana Convent School in Madhya Pradesh’s Guna, after the Principal Catherine Vattoly stopped sixth-grade students from chanting Sanskrit verses during the morning assembly on 15th July. A First Information Report (FIR) was registered against her, per the authorities. The institution is one of the district’s oldest English medium schools and was founded in 1974 by the Sisters of the St. Elizabeth.
Saksham Dubey, a 26-year-old Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activist filed the formal complaint which stated three students attempted to recite the Sanskrit shloka (verse) “Sarve Bhavantu Sukhina” on 15th July between 8 am to 9 am when Principal Catherine got upset and snatched the microphone from the students and stopped them from giving the speech.
The complaint highlighted, “Sister Catherine said all this Shayari (poetry) will not be allowed and asked the students to speak in English. The statement of Sister Catherine equating shokla to Shayari has hurt our Hindu religious sentiments. The students have to also face mental harassment. The seeds of missionary mentality were sown by Sister Catherine, which affected all the students following the Hindu religion.”
— Free Press Madhya Pradesh (@FreePressMP) July 23, 2024
Catherine Vattoly, who was holding a microphone, addressed the demonstrators and apologised in the hope that they would leave after ABVP activists staged a protest at the school gates. “It was a day to speak in English, so the student was stopped. If anyone’s feelings were hurt, I apologise. I respect all religions,” she claimed. The agitation commenced after ABVP members read in a Hindi newspaper that the Principal took away the mic from the students and pushed them to speak in English.
On July 21, District Education Officer (DEO) Chandrashekhar Sisodia sent a show-cause notice to the institution which asked the management to clarify. The notice highlighted, “What kind of program was conducted in your school in which the children were snatched from the microphone and stopped from speaking Sanskrit verses and Hindi, and were asked to speak in English.”
It further stated, “In the above sequence, you should immediately provide your explanation along with evidence in writing to the undersigned. If the explanation is not received or is not found satisfactory, a proposal for disciplinary action against the school as per rules will be sent to the competent authority.”
The administration of the school alleged that selected pupils usually deliver presentations in Hindi and English during morning assembly. Speeches that day were expected to be given in English as per the school, but the students started speaking in Hindi. He was requested to speak in English by the teacher. Everyday prayers include the recitation of several religious quotes.
The demonstrators demanded that the Principal be fired and that the Sanskrit verse that the youngster had been prevented from uttering be incorporated into the school’s daily prayers. They also wanted an FIR against the school administration. It took around two hours for the protest to end. After reassurances from the school authorities, the situation subsided when the district education officer arrived.
“I also come from an English medium school. It is a global language and in South Indian states this is the language that is used. I also speak in English. We did not have an issue with the language. The school Principal is denying freedom to these children. We wanted to bring these anti-national practices to the administration’s notice,” said ABVP district convener Piyush Mishra.
“After the uproar and protest by the student organisation, the police took cognisance of the matter and registered an FIR against the school Principal. The matter is being investigated,” informed Guna Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mansingh Thakur. The official complaint was filed under sections 299 (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious sentiments of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 196 (Promoting animosity between different groups on grounds of religion, etc.) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). These sections provide for a maximum sentence of three years for the convicted individuals.
On Thursday, 25th July, the Uttar Pradesh government invoked bulldozer action demolishing the illegal flower market set up in the city of Lucknow since 2001. The land on which the flower marker was being operated belonged to Hussainabad Trust who had leased the land on 100 years lease. The state in the year 2024 canceled the lease and ordered the shopkeepers to vacate the land. However, the state administration razed off the illegal structure. As per the local reports, the flower market has now been shifted to ‘Kisan Bazaar’ in the Gomati Nagar area of Lucknow.
This bulldozer action executed by the state has affected more than 100 farmers who sold their flower supply in this particular flower market. It is believed that the flower market contributed to Rs 2-3 lakhs of trade on a daily basis. During the seasons of festivals or weddings, the trade exceeded Rs 10 lac daily in this market.
— आदित्य तिवारी / Aditya Tiwari (@aditytiwarilive) July 25, 2024
The flower market earlier operated from the 2000 sq ft of land behind the Imambada area of the city. It was shifted to the Hussainabad Trust land in the year 2001. The administration is said to have issued notices to the farmers to shift their business to ‘Kisan Bazar’ but the farmers protested. With special efforts and cooperation of the district administration and police department, all types of flower trade in Chowk, Lucknow, then were transferred to Kisan Bazaar, Vibhuti Khand, Gomati Nagar, Lucknow in 2019.
The District Magistrate in 2022 issued a letter to terminate the lease of the flower market and remove the encroachments. Further, in the year 2023, the Trust issued a notice asking the farmers to vacate the land.
In the year 2024, the lease of the Hussainabad Trust was canceled and the farmers were issued notice again to vacate the land. The farmers again launched a protest. However, the state executed the bulldozer action demolishing the illegal structure in Lucknow.
The Flower Market Welfare Committee had requested Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak to save the flower market. A month ago, the Committee’s people also went to meet him. However, the administration issued notices in June 2024 to vacate the illegal market instead. “If not complied with by 2:00 PM on 26-06-2024, the flower market and other illegal encroachments will be forcibly removed, and the entire expense will be recovered from them,” the notice read.
Reacting to Kerala government appointing a Secretary for External Cooperation, the Ministry of External Affairs said that foreign affairs are the “sole prerogative” of the Union Government and not concurrent or state subject, adding that the state governments should not intrude into matters that are beyond their constitutional jurisdiction.
This comes after Kerala government ‘appointed’ senior IAS officer, K Vasuki, as a secretary in charge of “matters concerning external cooperation”.
“The Constitution of India, under the 7th Schedule list 1–Union list, item 10, clearly specifies that foreign affairs and all matters which bring the Union into relation with any foreign country, are the sole prerogative of the Union Government,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in the weekly press briefing on Thursday.
“Foreign affairs is not a concurrent subject and definitely not a state subject. Our position is that State governments should not intrude into matters that are beyond their constitutional jurisdiction,” he added.
The order by the Kerala government dated July 15, stated that the secretary (labour and skills) K Vasuki “will hold the additional charge of the matters connected with external cooperation.”
It also mentioned that the Resident Commissioner at Kerala House in the national capital will be supporting Vasuki in matters concerning external cooperation and will liaise with the Ministry of External Affairs, Missions, and Embassies.
This announcement attracted strong criticism from the Centre as well as the Bharatiya Janata Party.
BJP State President K Surendran slammed the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Kerala government, saying that it is a “blatant overreach” and a violation of the Union List of the Constitution.
“The appointment of an IAS officer as ‘Foreign Secretary’ in Kerala by CM Pinarayi Vijayan is a blatant overreach and a violation of the Union list of our Constitution. The LDF government has no mandate for foreign affairs. This unconstitutional move sets a dangerous precedent. Is CM Pinarayi Vijayan trying to establish Kerala as a separate nation?” Surendran said on X.
Reacting to the criticism, Kerala Chief Secretary, Dr V Venu, clarified, saying the appointment was part of an effort to establish new relations for the development of the state. He further said the move was not meant to engage in diplomatic relations, which was under the central government’s jurisdiction.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor also reacted to the appointment and said that there was nothing unusual and that the appointment of the young officer was a focal point of responsibility within the government.
(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 Thursday, July 25, BJP leader Ravneet Bittu confronted Congress MP Charanjit Channi in the Parliament after Channi made a remark about Bittu’s grandfather, former CM of Punjab Beant Singh. While speaking in the Parliament, Congress MP Charanjit Channi said that Bittu’s grandfather actually died after Bittu left Congress.
Responding to Channi’s comment “Bittu Ji, your grandfather was a martyr, but he died when you left the Congress”, Ravneet Singh Bittu, a state minister in the NDA government, responded that his grandfather didn’t die for the Congress party, but for the nation.
Ravneet Bittu also said that Charanjit Channi is the richest person in Punjab and he should not talk about poverty, since he is worth thousands of Crores.
Notably Ravneet Singh Bittu was earlier a member of the Congress party but he left them to join Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The Lok Sabha was adjourned for 30 minutes following the argument between Charanjeet Singh Channi and the Ravneet Singh Bittu.
Beant Singh Assassination
Punjab CM Beant Singh, who was the Chief Minister of Punjab from 1992 to 1995. Beant Singh was assassinated outside Punjab Secretariat in 1995 by Khalistani terrorists. He was the 12th Chief Minister of Punjab and a member of Indian National Congress.
He was assassinated in a bomb blast at the secretariat complex in Chandigarh on August 31, 1995. The blast claimed the lives of 17 others including 3 Indian commandos. Khalistani outfits Babbar Khalsa and Khalistan Commando Force were held responsible for the assassination.
Fourteen individuals including Babu Panicker, a member of the CPM Kollam district committee, have been found guilty by a special CBI court in Thiruvananthapuram of killing 44-year-old Congress member Anchal Ramabhadran, at Yeroor in Anchal in 2010. The court will pronounce the sentence on 30th July. Meanwhile, four others including S Jayamohan, chairman of the Cashew Development Corporation and a member of the district secretariat, Riyaz, Markson Yesudas and Roykutty who were charged in the case were acquitted due to lack of evidence.
CPM activists killed INTUC office bearer Ramabhadran on 10th April 2010, at approximately nine o’clock at night in his rented Yeroor home. Ramachandran was having a conversation with his kids in the kitchen when the accused burst into the residence. Ramabhadran attempted to flee the house upon witnessing them, however, they went after him and hacked him to death. Ramabhadran was taken to the hospital right away, but the next morning he passed away from his wounds.
The testimony of his wife and two kids, who revealed that the perpetrators mercilessly and cruelly ended the life of Ramabhadran in front of them played a vital role in the case. They were deemed culpable under Sections 20 and 27 of the Arms Act as well as Sections 302, 120 (b), and 201 of the Indian Penal Code. The culprits were identified as Girishkumar, Padman, Afzal, Najmal, Shibu, Vimal, Sudheesh, Shan, Ratheesh, Biju, Ranjith, Sally alias Kochunni, Riaz alias Muneer, DYFI leader Riaz, Markson, former CPM Anchal Area Secretary PS Suman, CPM ex-District Committee member Babu Panicker, Jaimohan, Roykutty, and Ravindran.
The murder trial started late. After Ramabhadran’s family petitioned the court, dissatisfied with the results of the initial inquiry conducted by the local police and the crime branch, the probe was turned over to the CBI. Initially, the local police detained sixteen CPM employees but Bindhu, the wife of Ramabhadran, filed a case with the High Court, asserting that the Left government’s inquiry was unfair which resulted in the CBI’s involvement.
Ramabhadran was an INTUC local leader and the vice-president of the Congress for the Eroor seat. According to the CBI inquiry, Ramabhadran’s attempts to boost the Congress party’s popularity and recruit CPM members to the party were the reason behind the murder. The crime was the result of an altercation between the local Congress workers and the first accused, Girish, a CPM member. The murder was considered to have been caused by animosity over a fight that broke out during a temple celebration in the area, following which Ramabhadran assisted some of the people who had been jailed in obtaining bail, based on other reports.
On Muharram this year, several incidents of mob violence and raising of slogans like ‘Sar tan se juda’ or ‘Hindustan mein rehna hai to Allah hu Akbar kehna hai” have been reported in various parts of India. However, there was no “idea of India khatre mein hai” or “lynchistan” type outrage on the ground or on social media. Why? Because the victims were Hindus and the perpetrators were Islamists. In Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly district, an incident of mob lynching has been reported wherein a Hindu youth named Tejram was brutally lynched by a Muslim mob on 18th July after Hindus objected to Muslims playing “dhol” outside a Hindu temple during a Muharram procession on 17th July in Gausganj area.
An altercation ensued over Hindus stopping Muslims from playing Dhol [drums] in front of a Hindu temple on 17th July during the Muharram procession. The accused Muslims then started attacking the Hindus and pelting stones at their houses and harassing the women. The ruckus had continued even after the arrival of the police. The Muslims later called more people from Rampur, CB Ganj, Mirganj, Devarniya and other neighbouring areas and attacked Hindu houses on the night of Friday with stones, sticks and other things.
Tejram was dragged out of his home to a mosque and mercilessly beaten, autopsy report reveals horrifying details
During the attack on Hindus by accused Muslims on the night of July 18th, Tejram sustained severe injuries on the head. An IndiaToday report said that some 80-100 persons arrived in the Gausganj neighbourhood and began pelting stones, breaking into houses, vandalising them, and beating up the residents. The villagers said that the Muslim attackers dragged Tejram from his house to the mosque and brutally thrashed the 26-year-old youth. Tejram’s family has said that he was attempting to defuse the matter. The Hindu youth was rushed to the hospital, however, Shahi Police Station in-charge Amit Kumar said that the victim succumbed to his injuries during treatment. Subsequently, the deceased victim’s body was sent for postmortem examination.
The postmortem report mentions the brutality inflicted by the attackers during the lynching of Tejram. The report said that the skull bones of victim Tejram were damaged during the mob lynching as a result of strikes from large stones and iron rods, and blood clots had developed in his brain. While Tejram was trying to escape, his both hands and shoulders bleeding.
Police books attackers, 35 arrested
After the mob violence, a case was then filed by the Hindu community against 50 identified individuals and 15 unidentified individuals. The Police eventually began an investigation into the case and arrested around 35 persons including Afsar Ali, Imran, Mukhtiar Ali, Abdul, Salam, and others. When police tried to arrest some accused, the accused had opened fire on police personnel too. The police had to open retaliatory fire. This resulted in injury to one of the accused identified as Alamgir. After this incident, one Najakat Ali was also arrested by the police. A constable was injured by shrapnel in the firing.
Yogi government takes bulldozer action
On Tuesday (23rd July), the district administration of Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly razed over nine houses belonging to the Muslim accused in the case. Before this, the administration demolished 11 buildings belonging to the accused persons after finding that they constructed houses on Gram Samaj’s government land.
Houses of the accused persons razed by the Bareilly district administration (Source: IndiaToday)
During the demolition drive, the house of the main accused Bakhtawar was also razed to the ground. In addition, the illegal houses of accused Babu, Hasan Ali, Kader Ali, Hanif, Haseen, and Riyasat have also been marked for demolition.
थाना शाही क्षेत्रान्तर्गत ग्राम गौसगंज में दिनांक 19.07.2024 को घटित घटना के सम्बन्ध में पंजीकृत अभियोगो में 35 अभियुक्तों की गिरफ्तार आदि की कार्यवाही होने के सम्बन्ध में पुलिस अधीक्षक दक्षिणी बरेली की बाइट।#UPPolicepic.twitter.com/BeJjVLJAvg
No outrage on Tejram’s lynching by a Muslim mob and the silence of the media
Do you remember Akhlaq? Do you remember Pehlu Khan? Yes, you do! These names have been etched in your memory since the entire media, left-liberal ecosystem and political vultures made sure you do, and feel “ashamed as a Hindu” and guilty. A mere mention of these two names refreshes one’s memory of how the anti-Hindu cabal and placard gang berated Hindustan as “lynchistan” to assert that somehow the Muslim ‘minority’ is no longer safe under the Modi-led ‘Hindutva’ government.
When incidences like the alleged lynching of Akhlaq in 2015 and cow smuggler Pehlu Khan occurred in 2017, there was massive criticism, media coverage, and outrage from a variety of sources, including liberals and self-proclaimed ‘human rights’ activists. Akhlaq’s lynching, in which he was suspected of storing beef, became a national issue, sparking debates about intolerance and mob violence in India against ‘minorities’ even as it turned out that while Akhlaq’s family had claimed the meat in question was mutton, the final report on the same confirmed it was from a cow. However, similar outrage and attention appear to be non-existent in the case of the lynching of Tejaram since he was a Hindu lynched by those belonging to an ‘oppressed’ minority. A man named Tabrez beaten to death in Jharkhand in 2019 over allegations of theft sparked more outrage than over a Hindu youth who spoke for his community being lynched by Muslims.
While news anchors conducted primetime debates to peddle the ‘darr ka mahaul’ narrative, long op-eds were written by anti-Hindu pens for hire in Indian and Western media passing off incidents of violence over cattle smuggling allegations as the lynching of Muslims by ‘Hindutva’ mobs, there is deafening ‘secular’ silence over the horrific lynching of Tejaram in Bareilly. Except for a few journalists, the mainstream media which takes delight in preaching to Hindus how they are becoming ‘intolerant’, is absolutely mum over a Hindu man’s lynching by Muslims, and incidents involving the raising of murderous ‘Sar tan se juda’ slogans during Muharram processions. You will not see primetime debates with ‘experts’ discussing where the country is heading.
If you have not heard about Teja Ram’s brutal lynching by Islamists on Moharram, I don’t blame you. “Secular silence”, as @AmanChopra_ puts it, is very real. Have a look at how the news is blacked out totally even by Google. pic.twitter.com/Zu7383W13o
While Hindus have the least expectations from biased media publications, their silence on incidents of religiously motivated violence against Hindus is dangerous. Their silence contributes to the normalisation of anti-Hindu violence. If narrative building is an art, Islamists and their media allies are its Picasso. On the one hand, Islamists and Muslim ‘journalists’ stir outrage even by peddling fake ‘mob lynching by Hindus’ narrative over incidents wherein the deceased happens to be a Muslim with no communal angle whatsoever, on the other, incidents of violence against Hindus do not get enough attention forget outrage and even the media forgets such incidents after one or two short articles or mentioning them in ‘100 fatafat’ news on television.
The media bias contributes to the perpetuation of a narrative wherein Muslims are permanent victims while Hindus are disregarded. Furthermore, it denies victims equal respect and justice because their cases do not receive the attention and advocacy that would help in getting justice for Hindu victims.
Apparently, the biased media and Hindu-hating political parties have successfully established the narrative that there are two types of mob lynching: one is “communal lynching” wherein the victim happens to be a Muslim regardless of the existence of any communal angle or not, and the other is “secular lynching” wherein Hindus are the victims of mob violence by Muslims. They have managed to convince the public that somehow only alleged ‘communal lynching’ is worth street protests, candle marches, social media outrage, primetime debates, celebrities crying ‘Not my India’ etc. It seems that the incidents of anti-Hindu violence are being deliberately downplayed to convince the Hindus that only the Muslim ‘minority’ can be victims and since Hindus are the majority community they are by default the oppressors.
Just imagine the outrage had Tejram’s name been Tabarez and it was the occasion of Ram Navami or Hanuman Jayanti instead of Muharram. Notably, in what seems like a deliberate cover-up, most mainstream media reports did not even mention that Tejaram was lynched allegedly inside a mosque. No wonder, the killers of Kamlesh Tiwari get bail while the deceased Hindu is forgotten while death anniversaries of cow smugglers and cow meat hoarders are observed by Islamists every year. The short-term memory of Hindus further helps them in downplaying anti-Hindu violence and whitewashing the crimes of Islamists as well as using the desperation of Hindus to hold moral high ground to guilt trip them over incidents wherein the deceased happens to be Muslim. Hindus are definitely losing the narrative battle despite being persecuted while Islamists, with the help of their media allies and politicians continue to control the narrative and even influence elections by playing perpetual victimhood. So far, the cases of grooming jihad [also called love jihad] are dismissed as ‘fiction’, ‘hoax’ and ‘conspiracy theory’, soon the cases of anti-Hindu violence will also be given similar tags.
