INDIA

An alarming government report has revealed that 557 farmers died by suicide between January and June 2024 in the Amravati administrative division of Maharashtra, which includes the districts of Amravati, Akola, Buldhana, Washim, and Yavatmal, news agency Press Trust of India reported. The report indicates that Amravati district had the highest number of suicides at 170, followed by Yavatmal with 150, Buldhana with 111, Akola with 92, and Washim with 34. The primary reasons for these suicides include crop failures, inadequate rainfall, overwhelming debt, and the lack of timely farm loans. The government has provided assistance to the families of 53 deceased farmers, but 284 cases are still under investigation. Balwant Wankhade, Congress MP for Amravati, expressed deep concern over the...

In Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, three Hindu saints were brutally attacked by Hindutva supporters who mistook them for Muslims. The assault occurred near Prahlad Nagar, in front of the Lisari Gate police station. The victims, Gaurav Kumar, Gopinath, and Sunil Kumar, are members of the Nath sect and hail from Haryana. Local reports indicate that the saints were accused of being Muslims involved in a child kidnapping gang. They were violently beaten with sticks and forced to recite the Hanuman Chalisa and other Hindu mantras to prove their identity. One of the attackers recorded the assault and circulated the video on social media, showing the saints in visible pain. Following the attack, Meerut police took the saints into custody. After verifying their identities, the police confirmed they w...

Police in Bijnor have apprehended three individuals—Rahul, Sachin, and Brijpal—for possessing two quintals of beef. According to statements from Bijnor police, the men were arrested while transporting the meat in a car. Police reported that they had taken two bulls to a forest, where a butcher named Mustafa slaughtered them, after which the men attempted to sell the meat. Although the three accused have been detained, the butcher remains at large. This incident is part of a broader pattern, with previous cases involving Hindu activists in cow slaughter reported in Agra and Muradabad. Acting on confidential information about the slaughter of bulls, police intercepted an Innova car in the forest where they recovered beef and cutting tools. The suspects initially attempted to e...

Students and activists gathered outside Delhi University’s (DU) Academic Council meeting today to protest the proposed inclusion of Manusmriti in the undergraduate law program. The protest, organized by the All India Students' Association (AISA), aims to reject what they call the brahminisation and saffronisation of education, read a press release issued to The Kashmiriyat. Despite media reports suggesting the proposal had been dropped, it remains listed in the meeting agenda's annexure. "The move to introduce Manusmriti follows a series of controversial syllabus changes perceived as efforts to saffronise education from kindergarten to postgraduate levels," AISA stated in a press release. In recent years, DU has faced criticism for introducing Savarkar in the BA Political Scien...

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has declared a renewed farmers' protest against the Union Government. This decision emerged from the SKM General Body meeting on July 10, 2024, in Delhi. Key demands discussed included the establishment of a Guaranteed Minimum Support Price (MSP) Law, loan waivers, crop insurance, pensions for farmers and farmworkers, and the reversal of power sector privatization. The SKM's demands also include a separate budget for agriculture, exemption of agricultural inputs from GST, amendments to the GST Act to enhance state taxation rights, and a national water resource policy. Additionally, the SKM has called for a Martyr's Memorial at the Singhu and Tikri borders to honor the 736 farmers who died during previous protests. On July 16, 17, and 18, 2024, the S...

Police arrested a man in Uttar Pradesh after a video showing participants waving a Palestinian flag during a Muharram procession went viral, officials confirmed on Tuesday. Sachchidanand Pandey, the Station House Officer (SHO) at Aurai police station, reported that the incident occurred on Sunday night when a group of youths conducted an unauthorized procession on the National Highway in Madhosingh. They displayed a Palestinian flag and chanted slogans during the event. The video garnered significant attention online on Monday, prompting an investigation. Pandey identified Sahil, also known as Badshah, and another individual named Gorakh as participants in the procession. Sahil was arrested on Monday night under Section 197 (2) of the Bharat Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Police are acti...

Amid heavy rains, more than 4,600 pilgrims left Jammu city in the early hours of Wednesday for the twin base camps in Kashmir to join the annual Amarnath Yatra, officials said. This was the 13th batch of pilgrims that left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here for Baltal and Pahalgam base camps in Kashmir. The batch of 4,627 pilgrims left in 185 vehicles around 3 am amid chants of “Bum Bum Bholey”. They were escorted by a CRPF contingent amid area dominations by the Army, the officials said. While 2,773 pilgrims left in 95 vehicles through the 48-km traditional Pahalgam route, 1,854 devotees left in 90 vehicles via the shorter but steeper 14-km Baltal route, they said. With this, a total of 72,325 pilgrims have left the Jammu base camp for the Valley since June 28, when Lieutenant ...

In Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district, the police have filed an FIR against the YouTube channel Hindustani Media for reporting that a Muslim man was lynched by a mob. On Friday, the channel posted a video claiming that Firoz Qureshi, a Muslim man, had been beaten to death by a mob on suspicion of theft in Jalalabad town, Shamli district. The report was based on complaints and allegations from the deceased's family members. Hindustani Media, which has over 300,000 subscribers, is run by Sadaf Kamran, a journalist from Bihar. This is the second report filed against journalists and media organizations in connection with their coverage of mob lynching in the BJP-led state. The FIR was filed at Thana Bhawan police station. The channel was booked under section 196 of the Bharatiya Nyaya...

Police have arrested a man within hours of a temple being vandalized and set on fire on the outskirts of Jammu. The accused, Arjun Sharma, confessed to the crime. The incident occurred on Saturday night at a temple in the Narayan Kho area, where idols were damaged, and vessels were burned. Following a complaint, the Nagrota Police registered an FIR and swiftly launched an investigation. A team of experts from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and the Crime Branch, assisted by sniffing dogs, were brought in to assist with the investigation. CCTV footage led to the arrest of four suspects, with Sharma identified as the main perpetrator. Superintendent of Police Brijesh Sharma praised the timely arrest, which he said prevented tensions from escalating in the area. “We are gratefu...

Satish Mahaldar, a prominent Kashmiri Pandit currently residing in Delhi, has garnered widespread appreciation from the Kashmiri community for his recent donation to the victims of the devastating Bohrikadal fire. Mahaldar, an engineering alumnus, expressed that his primary motivation was to assist those in dire need, drawing from his own painful experiences. “In this devastating fire, I saw people of all ages, including men, women, children, and the elderly, losing their shelters. No one can understand their pain as deeply as we do,” he said. Reflecting on his family's forced displacement from Kashmir, Mahaldar noted the enduring struggles faced by those displaced. "When we left Kashmir in distress, we have not been able to rebuild the same. These people have suffered greatly, and t...