Meeting to give update on £12 million Northampton Hindu temple plans

People in Northampton are being invited to an ‘open forum’ next Friday where an update on plans to build a new £12 million Hindu temple in the town will be revealed. The Indian Hindu Welfare Association (IHWO) were given planning permission to build a new temple on land off Lings Way in Lumbertubs in 2012, after plans were revealed in 2008. The new facility, which will be known as the Northampton Kutumb Centre, will...

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HC Acquits Muslim Youth Accused of Raping Hindu Girl

A Muslim youth, accused of raping a teenaged Hindu girl he married nine years ago after eloping, has got reprieve from the Delhi High Court which upheld his acquittal, observing that religion was the "biggest hurdle" in their matrimonial alliance. Hasim, a hairdresser in southeast Delhi, and the 14-year- old schoolgirl were in love with each other and had twice ran away from home to be together. In 2005, the couple apprehending trouble from their respective families, left for Moradabad after their 'nikah' (marriage) in Delhi and applying...

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Multicultural festival to celebrate Hindu deity

      Members of the Swindon Puja Committee. PEOPLE across Swindon will gather to honour the Hindu goddess of knowledge and wisdom next week. The Swindon Puja Committee has organised the second annual Hindu festival on Tuesday to celebrate Saraswati Puja, an event devoted to the ...

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Indian Consulate looking into ‘Vedic pandits’ disappearance

Consul General Ausaf Sayeed said none of the pandits had sought any assistance from the Consulate for their repatriation to India. The Indian Consul General in Chicago has said that no complaints or information has been received from either the Iowa-based Maharishi Vedic City, or from any one of the 130 “Vedic pandits,” or religious scholars brought here from India for studies and training, who have said to have gone “missing” in the last seven months. In an email to The Hindu Consul General Ausaf Sayeed said none of the...

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Only 5% Vedic Pandits Missing in US, Claims Vedic Univ

The Iowa-based institutions of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi have said about only five per cent of the 2,600 Vedic pandits, who were brought to the US from north Indian villages, have gone missing in recent years. "Each of these cases the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have been informed about Vedic pandits leaving their United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and State Department approved programme at its Iowa campus," said William Goldstein, Dean of Global Development and General Counsel...

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5-year-old Hindu girl raped in Sibi

Rapist is said to be drug addict and is being interrogated, Sibi police says. PHOTO: FILE QUETTA: A five-year-old Hindu girl was abducted and raped before she was left unconscious near the Railway Colony in Sibi district on Wednesday. The police traced the accused, with the help of sniffer dogs, and arrested him. The rapist is said to be drug addict and...

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UGC suggests courses in spoken Sanskrit in varsities

The idea is to impart basic knowledge about the language All universities in the country may soon have centres offering certificate courses in spoken Sanskrit, if the University Grants Commission (UGC) has its way. The UGC has suggested this idea to impart basic knowledge about the language among students, teachers, and the public. Shrinivasa Varakhedi, Dean, Karnataka Samskrit University, who has been appointed to a three-member...

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Hindu bodies blame Pak of discrimination

Various Hindu organisations have blamed Pakistan of discrimination against Hindu pilgrims aspiring to visit Pakistan on religious occasions and have urged the Indian government to take up the issue with the neighbouring country on priority. “Pakistan High Commission had rejected visas to young Hindu boys during Katasraj pilgrimage in 2013,” said Sri Durgiana Temple Committee General Secretary Ramesh Sharma. He said not only were Hindus discriminated...

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Vedic Pandits go 'missing' in US: report

  A Kashmiri pandit (Hindu) devotee lights oil lamps during the annual Hindu festival at the Kheer Bhawani temple in Ganderbal. (Representational pic) Chicago:  In a shocking revelation, as many as 163 Indians, most of them brought to the US as teenagers from villages in northern India to be trained into Vedic Pandits by two institutions set up by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi of transcendental meditation fame, appear to have...

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Guard shot-dead outside Hindu temple in Peshawar

Unidentified motorcycle-borne gunmen fatally shot-dead a constable guarding a Hindu temple in Jhanda Bazar area in Peshawar on Sunday morning. Local police told The Hindu over the phone that the constable's name was Ghulam Mohammed and the incident took place after 8 a.m. However, even the first information report (FIR) did not name the Hindu temple and merely referred to it as the one in the Jhanda Bazar area, police said. There...

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Magh Mela in Allahabad

Hindu devotees take holy dips at the Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna river, during the annual month-long Hindu religious fair of Magh Mela in Allahabad. (AP Photo) Hindus serve blessed sweets during the annual month-long Hindu religious fair of Magh Mela at the Sangam. (AP Photo) A man serves food to Sadhus, or Hindu holy men, at a community feast during the annual month-long Hindu religious fair of Magh...

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Tough Times: Reds Cite Vedas to Win Hearts

Its mythology over ideology for the Communist party of India as a survival strategy. Left staring at a rapidly shrinking support base, and unable to attract the new generation of voters, the Communist Party of India (CPI) is turning to the power of Hinduism to stay relevant. Today, a three-day seminar begins in one of the last red bastions in the country which will focus on the “power of the past”. The Kannur meet—aptly called Bharateeyam—will...

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Dharma school students on Buddhist path to knowledge

Calming the mind: Students at Daylesford's Dharma School begin their day with 15 minutes of meditation. Photo: Angela Wylie   The dawn of a new day at the Daylesford Dharma School begins not with the bark of an automated bell, nor with a loudspeaker, but with gentle reverberations of a Tibetan singing bowl. For the past five years, this traditional harmonic gong has acted as the sign for children to line up outside, to quiet themselves,...

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Whole town invited to join Hindu celebrations at Swindon Puja

Members of the Saraswati Puja festival committee. Back, from left Rita Dey, Kakoli Saha, Suzana Saha, Noyon Sarkar, Labony Roy,Front, from left, Priyonti Dey, Pollob Dey     PEOPLE from across the town will come together to honour the Hindu goddess of knowledge and wisdom next month. The Swindon Puja Committee has organised the second annual Hindu festival on February 4 to celebrate Saraswati...

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Hindu leaders meet with police after temple armed robbery attempt

Leaders from about a dozen Hindu temples met in Scarborough recently not to discuss spirituality, but safety and security. Last Sunday night, a man and a woman burst into the Sri Varasiththi Vinayagar Hindu Temple at Kennedy Road and McNicoll Avenue and attempted to rob worshippers at gunpoint. “It’s terrible what happened in temple because it’s a worship place. We go there to pray,” said Jeya Rajah of the temple. “Those...

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Kota Tinggi BN Youth Lodge Police Report Over Facebook Posting Insulting Hindus

KOTA TINGGI, Jan 24 (Bernama) -- Kota Tinggi Barisan Nasional (BN) Youth today lodged a police report over Facebook postings that insulted Hindus celebrating the Thaipusam festival. The postings were uploaded by Facebook users using the names of Man Namblast and Mohamed Hidayat. Kota Tinggi Umno Youth head Muhammad Fadzli Hassan, speaking to reporters after lodging the report on behalf Kota Tinggi BN Youth, said Kota Tinggi Umno also strongly condemned such insensitive postings. "Malaysia being a multi-racial country, we must all...

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Two Bills Passed Amid Opposition Protest

Amid strong protest of Left members and a walkout, the Assembly passed The Travancore-Cochin Hindu Religious Institutions (Amendment) Bill, 2013 and The Madras Hindu Religious And Charitable Endowments (Amendment) Bill, 2013, envisaging a new pattern for the number of members for the Travancore Devaswom Board and Malabar Devaswom Board, doing away with the changes effected by the former LDF Government. Tearing off copies of the Bill while leaving the House, Opposition members alleged that the changes were against women, SC/STs and youth. Doing ...

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Caste Hindu Wife Abducted by Parents: Dalit PhD Scholar

A Dalit PhD scholar from Thoothukudi has sought the help of an NGO here to rescue his Caste Hindu wife, who he claimed, was abducted by her parents and detained in their house in Silambinathanpetti of Cuddalore district. R Solaischamy (29), who sought the help of Evidence, a Madurai based NGO on Wednesday, said that he fell in love with Sandhya (name changed) while he was doing post-graduation in Physics at the Tranquebar Bishop Manickam Lutheran College in Porayar in 2009, where the girl too was pursuing her post graduation in Zoology. When...

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Britain’s first state-funded Hindu school plans large-scale expansion

Posted: Tue, 21 Jan 2014 16:42 Britain's only state-funded Hindu school, located in Harrow Middlesex, is planning a large-scale expansion which will make it one of the largest "faith schools" in the country. Avanti House School announced on Monday 20 January 2014 that it has identified Whitchurch Playing Fields under Harrow Borough Council as the site where the secondary section of the school will eventually be shifted. It is within...

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Control of temples

The article, “Freeing temples from state control” (Jan. 20), presented a true reflection of the anxiety that prevails in the minds of thousands of devotees about the maladministration of many Hindu temples by the government. For that matter, it is difficult to understand why only Hindu temples are sought to be brought under state control. There are disputes over non-Hindu religious institutions as well; why does not the secular government...

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Modesto Hindu temple promotes health

Maniben Ratanji gets her blood pressure checked while Sushila Gandi awaits the results with her as members of the Hindu community held their first health faire Sunday (01-19-14) afternoon at the Hindu Temple in Modesto. ELIAS FUNEZ — efunez@modbee.com Read more here: http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2014/01/19/3449923/hindu-temple-promotes-health.html#storylink=cpy The...

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PM Hasina Warns Bangladeshis Against Attacking Hindus

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today warned Bangladeshis against attacking the minority Hindu community, saying such assaults could have repercussions in neighbouring India. "Don’t forget that Muslims are the minority in India. So, if you attack Hindus here (Bangladesh), minority Muslims may be attacked in India," she told a rally in south-western Satkhira district. "People of all religious faiths would continue to enjoy equal rights in Bangladesh...I...

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Minor Hindu Girl Raped And Killed in Pakistani Punjab

A nine-year-old Hindu girl was raped and killed in Punjab province of Pakistan, officials said today. Basti Kata, a resident of Mauza Ghunia in Rahim Yar Khan district, located 400 km from provincial capital Lahore, said his daughter went missing while playing outside his home on Thursday. Kata informed police and registered a missing person's report. The girl's parents and other relatives made frantic efforts to find her but to no avail. Yesterday,...

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Hindu activists protest outside Kejriwal home

Ghaziabad, Jan 19 (IANS) Around 100 activists of the Hindu Raksha Dal staged a protest outside Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's house here demanding withdrawal of police cases against them. A member of the Hindu group said its members had been arrested over the Jan 8 attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) office here because of a police complaint filed by the AAP. The protesters demanded the immediate withdrawal of the case. "Certain...

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2 charged after armed robbery at Hindu temple

Police believe the minivan pictured belongs to a suspect in a hold-up at a Hindu temple in Scarborough on Jan. 12, 2014. HANDOUT/Toronto Police Service   Police released a security video still of a man wanted for a hold-up at a Hindu temple in Scarborough on Jan. 12, 2014. HANDOUT/Toronto Police Service Two people have been charged in connection with an armed robbery at a Hindu temple in Scarborough, and a third suspect...

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Hindu Temple Attacked in Bangladesh

Idols of Hindu goddesses were destroyed when unidentified persons attacked a temple in southwestern Bangladesh today, police said. The attackers ripped off the heads of the idols and threw them in the courtyard of the temple in Pirojpur district, Bdnews24 reported. The idols were found smashed and destroyed this morning, a devotee was quoted as saying by the media. A probe to find those responsible for the attack is already underway, said police official A Khalek. "The attackers will be found and punished," Mrinal Kanti Dey, chief executive...

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Hindu Farmer Murdered in Bangladesh, Houses Burnt

By IANS - DHAKA Published: 12th January 2014 04:43 PM Last Updated: 12th January 2014 04:44 PM A Hindu farmer was stabbed to death while his wife and relative were injured Sunday by a masked assailant in Natore district of Bangladesh. In a separate incident, the rioters Saturday tried to burn two Hindu houses in Jhalokathi's Nolchiti area. The fire damaged a temple in one of the houses, reported bdnews24.com. Police said Haripad...

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Muslims in Bihar Better Off than Dalits, Finds Survey

By IANS - PATNA Published: 12th January 2014 02:42 PM Last Updated: 12th January 2014 02:42 PM The socio-economic condition of Muslims in the state of Bihar is better than that of the state's Dalit Hindus, but worse that upper caste Hindus and Other Backward Castes (OBCs), a survey has found."Muslims are better placed in comparison to Dalits in 31 of 37 districts of Bihar, but Muslims are at the bottom at the national level," Abusaleh...

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String of Attacks Rattles Bangladesh's Hindus

Bangladesh's Hindus have been rattled by a string of attacks linked to the recent controversial general election, with leaders of the minority community saying such violence can be stopped only if the government takes stern action against perpetrators. Activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami were blamed for attacks on the Hindus, who were accused of backing the Awami League which won the January 5 polls despite a boycott by the opposition. The activists torched,...

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B’desh EC Asks Authorities to Prevent Attacks on Hindus

Bangladesh's Election Commission today directed law enforcement agencies to tighten security across the country to prevent attacks on minorities, specially Hindus. "We have asked the law enforcement agencies to specially resist attacks on minority communities in different parts of the country in the wake of the January 5 parliamentary election," said Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad. Ahmad issued the order during a meeting with security agencies on maintaining law and order during re-polling in eight constituencies...

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Widespread attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh on polling day

Dhaka:  In the wake of widespread attacks on Hindus in the country, Bangladesh has decided to set up special tribunals to punish perpetrators of violence against the minority community. Culprits may be tried under the Terrorism Prevention Act - the Law Ministry has consulted the Supreme Court on the matter.Not a single Hindu died on or around polling day, but houses were allegedly torched, vandalised and looted allegedly by...

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BJP Questions Govt's Silence on Attack on Hindus in B'desh

The BJP today questioned the "silence" of the Centre as well as the Assam government over attacks on Hindus during recent elections in Bangladesh and said giving Indian citizenship to Hindu migrants should be considered favourably. "In the recent polls, Hindus were attacked in Bangladesh. Why Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Tarun Gogoi are silent? Why no step is taken to protect the lives of Hindus there?" BJP's deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters here. Suspected...

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Bangladesh Parties Join Hands to Protect Hindus

By IANS - DHAKA Published: 10th January 2014 05:07 PM Last Updated: 10th January 2014 05:07 PM Photos Hindus in the district's Sundargang, Sadullyapur, Palashbari and Govindaganj areas are now reportedly living in fear | File/AP Leaders of the ruling Awami League and the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have come together to protect the minority Hindu community in Gaibandha district.Houses of Hindus...

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Mason Assaulted by Caste Hindu Duo

By Express News Service - THOOTHUKUDI Published: 10th January 2014 10:41 AM Last Updated: 10th January 2014 10:41 AM Two caste Hindus were arrested for allegedly attacking a Dalit mason with liquor bottles at Prakasapuram near Nazareth on Wednesday. Sources said that Chinnadurai(27), son of Narayanan, a mason of Prakasapuram, on Wednesday evening was returning home. While  he was crossing a shop in Nazareth,  four persons on two bikes, who passed through the stretch, insulted him by calling his caste name. When Chinnadurai...

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No fun fair on temple grounds

THE Batu Caves Thaipusam task force, a coalition comprising Hindu Temples and Hindu-based NGOs, has banned any form of entertainment during the Thaipusam festival on Jan 17. The playing of non-religious music and the setting up of a fun fair on temple grounds are also not allowed. The ban includes the carrying of kavadis that are disrespectful and mock the religious festival. At a press conference held at the Malaysian Hindu Sangam office, its president Datuk Mogan Shan warned that devotees carrying fancy kavadis, such as those bearing...

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Avoid wastage when fulfilling vows, devotees told

Published: Friday January 10, 2014 MYT 12:00:00 AM Updated: Friday January 10, 2014 MYT 7:46:16 AM Overloaded: Visitors throwing rubbish in front of the temple last year . -filepic Malaysian Hindu Sangam former president Datuk A. Vaithilingam has called...

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