INDIA

Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Saturday endorsed the protests by Hindus in Shimla, who are opposing what they claim is an illegal mosque in the Sanjauli area. Singh commended the unity of the Hindu community and advocated for similar protests across India to tackle unauthorized constructions, especially mosques. Addressing the issue, Singh praised the protesters for standing firm against the Waqf Board, which is accused of unlawfully occupying land. “The Hindus in Himachal Pradesh have shown what unity can achieve. The Shimla model should be adopted nationwide to ensure no one can take our land,” Singh remarked. He further alleged that there are "three lakh illegal mosques" across India, warning that these could become centers for militancy. Singh’s remarks came as demonstr...

Veteran Left leader and CPM General Secretary Sitaram Yechury passed away on September 12, 2024, at the age of 72, after battling a respiratory illness. He had been receiving treatment at AIIMS in Delhi since August 19, where he was admitted to the ICU with a pneumonia-like infection. Yechury, a stalwart of Indian leftist politics, had a long career, serving as a member of the CPM's Politburo for over three decades and as a Rajya Sabha member from 2005 to 2017. Yechury, an alumnus of St. Stephen's College and Jawaharlal Nehru University, began his political journey with the Students' Federation of India, joining the CPM in 1975. His political career took off during the Emergency when he was arrested. He played a crucial role in Indian politics, including drafting the Common ...

Ajaz Ahmad Guru, the elder brother of 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, will contest the upcoming Jammu Kashmir assembly elections as an independent candidate from the Sopore segment. Ajaz Guru, who retired from the animal husbandry department in 2014 and is now a contractor, plans to submit his nomination form either Tuesday or Wednesday, with the final deadline for filing set for Thursday, Hindustan Times reported. At 58, Ajaz Guru stated he is entering the election race to address issues related to youths allegedly wrongfully arrested, including his own son, Shoiab, who has been detained for nine months under what he claims are false charges. He pointed to the recent success of Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid's son Abrar Rashid in campaigning for his father as inspiration...

Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday to include Ladakh in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, granting law-making powers to local people to protect their land and cultural identity. On September 1, Wangchuk and around 75 volunteers embarked on a foot march from Leh to New Delhi to request the Centre to resume dialogue with Ladakh’s leadership regarding their demands. At a virtual press conference, Wangchuk said he has not received a response to the memorandum of demands submitted to the prime minister during the latter’s visit to Dras for the 25th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas in July. Wangchuk also said the creation of five additional districts in Ladakh could be “indirectly linked” to their protest. “However, we still do not...

A troubling incident at Hilton Convent School in Amroha, Uttar Pradesh, has ignited outrage after a seven-year-old Muslim student was allegedly expelled for bringing non-vegetarian food to school. The event, which took place on Thursday, has led to accusations of discrimination and Islamophobia against the school's administration. The situation escalated when the school's principal, Avnish Mishra, reportedly suspended the student following a tense exchange with the child's mother. The confrontation, captured on video, has since gone viral on social media, drawing widespread condemnation. In the video, the student’s mother vehemently denies the accusation, stating, “My son did not bring non-vegetarian food in his tiffin.” Despite her protest, Principal Mishra maintained that ...

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during a rally in Jammu, assured the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood after the upcoming assembly elections. These elections, he emphasized, are historic, as they will be conducted under the national flag and Constitution following the revocation of Article 370 by the Modi government. Shah, in his speech, criticized the Congress-National Conference (NC) alliance, accusing them of trying to reinstate the "old system" that, according to him, allowed for terrorism, regional autonomy, and injustice towards certain communities. He emphasized that the NDA government will not allow the return of terrorism or the marginalization of communities such as Gujjars, Paharis, Bakerwals, and Dalits, who have been granted reservation benefits under the BJ...

A video showing a woman being raped in public in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, has sparked outrage and political debate. The incident, which took place on September 4, was recorded by bystanders and shared widely on social media. The police acted swiftly, arresting the accused, Lokesh, within hours of the woman filing a complaint. City Superintendent of Police, Om Prakash Mishra, confirmed that the complaint was filed at Kotwali police station, and a special team arrested Lokesh two hours later. The accused has admitted to the crime and was presented before a court, which sent him to Bherugarh jail. The incident has fueled a political war of words between the Congress and BJP, with Congress leaders criticizing the state government for failing to ensure women's safety. BJP leade...

In Barpeta district, Assam, 28 Bengali Muslims were detained and taken to a transit camp on September 2 after being declared foreigners by the Foreigner Tribunals. Emotional and tense scenes unfolded as families wept while their loved ones were forced onto a police bus. The distressing atmosphere drew a crowd, witnessing the heart-wrenching moment. Each of the detainees, one from 28 families, was summoned to local police stations under the pretense of signing documents but were instead transported to the transit camp in Goalpara district, 50 kilometers away. https://twitter.com/dhruvrahtee/status/1830937978438353261 The Foreigner Tribunals, quasi-judicial bodies under the Foreigners Act of 1946, had deemed these individuals as foreigners. According to a recent Assam Home Dep...

Modi-led government scaled up the Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS) nationally, disregarding multiple internal warnings about its vulnerability to corruption and evidence from a failed experiment in Madhya Pradesh, according to internal documents. The PDPS, part of the PM Aasha scheme introduced before the 2019 elections, aimed to protect farmers from volatile prices of pulses and oilseeds by topping up their earnings if they fell below the government-set Minimum Support Price (MSP). However, the scheme was implemented despite significant concerns from various states, including BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, which cautioned that the scheme might benefit corrupt traders rather than farmers, Reporters Collective reported. The Union government imposed the scheme on states even though ...

An FIR has been filed against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mayur Borgohain from Charaideo district in eastern Assam, following serious allegations of assault and threats against Bengali-origin Muslim workers. The complaint, lodged by nine workers, accuses Borgohain’s associates of attacking them after Assamese nationalist groups called for Miya Muslims to leave Upper Assam. “Miya Muslims” is a term used for Muslims of Bengali origin, who are often wrongly labeled as “illegal immigrants.” Upper Assam, a key region in Assamese politics, is home to a diverse range of ethnic communities. The FIR, registered on August 26, includes charges under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, encompassing unlawful assembly, rioting, being armed with deadly weapons, causing hurt,...