New Delhi, Feb.7 (ANI): Minister of Communication and
Information Technology Kapil Sibal on Friday criticized Hindu Sena
workers for protesting outside the office of Caravan Magazine, for
running the interview of Swami Aseemanand, in which he allegedly
implicated Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat for his
involvement in the 2007 terror attacks.
Sibal asserted that the mindset of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is anti-freedom of expression.
"This is a violent attack on the freedom of expression, and the
experience of the NDA should make you recognize and understand that this
is something they did even during 1999-2004, when people from Tehelka
were able to expose them. What did they do? They set up a commission to
destroy them. Same thing is happening now," he told media here today.
"Caravan is not a Congress agent; it is a periodical which
investigates thoroughly some issues. They have investigated what
Aseemanand has been saying. And they stand by their story. And now they
are attacking them. The mindset of BJP is anti-freedom of expression.
The mindset of BJP is to destroy whoever comes on their way," he added.
Earlier in the day, Hindu Sena workers staged a protest outside
Caravan magazine's office over the Aseemanand controversial interview.
"If any Hindu leader or organization is accused of terror then it's
an accusation on all 100 crore Hindus. Caravan Magazine should be shut
down or else Hindu Sena will shut it down," a Hindu Sena worker Vishnu
Gupta said. (ANI)
The art festival drops the play loosely based on
Mohammad Ali Jinnah after right wing group Hindu Janajagruti Samiti
protests by calling it anti-national
Mumbai's iconic art festival known for its rich
portrayal of contemporary art and culture took little consideration
while bending over backwards following threats from rightwing Hindu
groups.
The play dubbed as 'Ali J' was scheduled to take place on Thursday,
Feburary 6. However, following threats by a Hindu nationalist group,
Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, that called for the play to be cancelled
terming it as 'anti-national' and that it 'spreads communal–hatred'.
On their website,
that boasts a tagline 'For establishment of a Hindu nation', the group
accuses the play of glorifying Mohammad Ali Jinnah, who they blame for
partition of India 67 years ago. The website also states that it led a
motely crew of right wing groups to submit a complaint in the Colaba
police station, a fact also confirmed by the police. Along with this a
warning was also issued to the organisers that if attempts were made to
stage its show, the group would hold demonstrations. “Patriotic Hindus
are registering their protest,” it stated.
Protest : Show of play ‘Ali J’ glorifying Jinnah to be staged on 6 Feb at Mumbai http://t.co/gZPXcm53Pc
— Hindujagrutiorg (@hindujagrutiorg) February 5, 2014
So what is 'Ali J' really about? Touted as a political thriller, Ali J is
a one act play starring Karthik Kumar, and deals with being Muslim in
today's India. However, Sunil Vishnu K, director of Evan Entertainment
that produced the play, in conversation with dna, explains, “It is not anti-national or anti-Hindu! If anything, it implores concerns of a generation about partition.”
Further calling the accusations to be unfounded, Sunil is appalled
that the protesters would boycott the play without even having watched
it. “The play deals with ideas of secularism and unity. It is far from
being anti-national!”
Ironically, Sunil explains, the play imagines how things would be if we were all a little more tolerant.
The show was earlier presented in Bangalore and also faced some mild
objections by local Hindu groups. But Sunil informs how the theatre
community in the city, led by renowned personality Arundathi Nag, came
out in solidarity to ensure a peaceful and successful showcase.
Commenting on the art festival's decision to drop the play, Sunil
says, “Kalaghoda was made to believe that there would be a law and order
situation if they showed Ali J. My play wasn't dropped because
the law forbids it; on the contrary, it was because such situations
were created, that suppressed our freedoms to present it.” Web to the rescue But even as Kalaghoda backs out
and refuses to provide a platform to present this theatre, YouTube
comes as a much stronger alternative. The show will air online on
Thursday at 5.30 pm on Evam Entertainment's YouTube channel.
“It isn't just about this play,” explains Sunil. “It is about freedom
of speech. Or else anything and everything can be banned just because
someone claimed that it was 'anti-national'.”
On a Facebook group protesting the cancellation of the play screening, the producers point out, “Ali J
was prevented from performing based on protests and threats from
fundamentalist groups, without them even watching the play. This is an
outrage against the freedom of speech and artistic expression, in a
secular Democracy. You have stopped us from performing using force; but
can you stop people from watching it?”
“I only want to share this play with the masses,” Sunil explains his decision to make Ali J available
on a public platform, which is sure to cost him. “I want people to
watch it, share it and talk about it. I want them to see for themselves
if whether the play evokes anti-national emotions.”
He urges people to watch the play in solidarity of freedom of speech.
“If this becomes a trend, then we, the artists, might as well pack our
bags and go,” he says in conclusion.
Dated 4th feb
The wall of a cave leading to a popular Hindu
temple in central India collapsed on Tuesday killing eight worshippers,
including three young girls, police said.
State Home Minister Ram Sewak Pekra said the accident at Bildwar Cave
in Chhattisgarh may have been triggered by blasts in nearby coal mines.
“Frequent blasts are carried out in the nearby coal mines and that
could be the reason for the cave-in. We have asked the rescue team to do
a thorough combing of the site to ensure no one else is trapped,” Pekra
told AFP.
Senior police officer Manisha Thakur told AFP that eight bodies had
been recovered — three were girls aged between 10 and 13, and five men.
?Three others are injured. They are in a serious condition,? said Thakur.
India has a long history of accidents at religious festivals and
sites, with 18 killed at a stampede during a funeral procession for a
Muslim spiritual leader in Mumbai last month.
Heavy machinery was still clearing the mound of debris at the cave
into the evening on Tuesday after the collapse, which happened at around
5:00 pm (1130 GMT).
The temple is visited by devotees all year round.
Pekra said that a detailed investigation into the collapse would be carried out.
Allahabad, Feb.4 (ANI): Thousands of devout Hindus took
a holy bath and dip in the sacred waters of 'Sangam', the confluence of
River Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati, on Tuesday in Allahabad,
Uttar Pradesh, on the occasion of Basant Panchmi, a festival that marks
the onset of spring.
The festival glorifies Hindu Goddess Saraswati, patron of knowledge, music and the arts.
The devotees offered prayers and performed religious rituals on the banks of the river early on Tuesday.
Security has also been tightened in and around the city, as police
personnel have been deployed in large numbers keeping in mind huge rush
of devotees.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Umesh Kumar said his team was determined to make the festival a successful one.
"Crowd of devotees are coming to take holy dip on the occasion Basant
Panchmi. Till now, around 2 lakh devotees have taken holy bathe. We are
determined to make the holy dip successful with the help of police
personnel," said Kumar.
Locals queued up before priests who had erected makeshift altars on the riverbanks to perform the rituals and offer prayers.
A devotee, Aman said that he came to seek the blessings of Goddess Saraswati.
"I have come here to take holy dip on the occasion of Hindu festival,
Basant Panchmi. We will also pray before Hindu Goddess, Saraswati as we
hope that we will be blessed with knowledge and wisdom," said Aman.
'Saraswati Puja' is a festive day for students of all disciplines,
special worship ceremonies to honour the goddess 'Saraswati' are put
together at various places in India.
Saraswati Puja is observed on the fifth day after the no moon night in the Hindu month of Magh (early in February).
It is believed that of Goddess Saraswati was born on this day. Saraswati has been identified with the Vedic Saraswati River.
The festival concurs with 'Vasant Panchami', which is also named as
'Shree Panchami'. Women dress in yellow, which is the colour of spring,
and prepare a variety of sweets flavoured with saffron. (ANI)
Swami Kashikananda Giri Maharaj inaugurating the 102nd Ayroor-Cherukolppuzha Hindu religious convention on Sunday
The eight-day long 102nd Ayroor-Cherukolppuzha Hindu religious
convention, organised under the auspices of Hindu Maha Mandalam, began
on the sand-bed of Pampa at Ayroor Vidyadhiraja Nagar near Kozhenchery
on Sunday.
Delivering the inaugural address, Swami Kashikananda
Giri Maharaj of Kandivli Anandabhavan Ashramam in Mumbai called on the
people to surrender before God through prayer.
The Swami said that
the people should reach out to God with a determination and
unconditional prayer.“People could purge their mind through meditation,”
the seer said. “One could see God’s presence in all living objects and
through meditation one could feel it,” Swami Kashikananda Giri
said.Hindu Maha Mandalam president T N Upendranatha Kurup welcomed the
gathering. Prime Minister’s advisor T K A Nair presided over the
function.
Swami Nirmalanandagiri delivered the introductory
address. Swami Prajnananda Theerthapada of the Vazhoor Theerthapada
Ashramam delivered the benedictory address. Yogakshema Sabha president
Akeeramon Kalidasa Bhattathiri delivered the keynote address.
Maha Mandalam secretary M P Sasidharan Nair proposed a vote of thanks on the occasion.
At
10 am, Maha Mandalam president T N Upendranatha Kurup received the
processions carrying the portrait of Vidyadhiraja Chattambi Swami, the
torchlight and flag at Vidyadhiraja Nagar, followed by hoisting of the
flag in front of the auditorium.
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 for registration under the Special Marriage Act.
The duo were traced to Moradabad by the police and brought back to Delhi
where a kidnapping and rape case was slapped on Hasim and the girl was
married off elsewhere.
A Delhi trial court acquitted Hasim following which police appealed
against the verdict in the high court, saying the girl was a minor.
Upholding the acquittal, the high court said, "This is an unfortunate
case where perhaps different religion of the boy and the girl was the
biggest hurdle in their way to marry each other.
"They wanted to marry crossing this hurdle, hence firstly nikah was
performed on February 11, 2005 and thereafter notice for intended
marriage under the Special Marriage Act was also given. However, destiny
had something else in store for them."
In its 16-page judgment, a bench of justices Pratibha Rani and Reva
Khetrapal held that opposition to runaway marriages by parents is mostly
on account of caste, religion or disparities in social status.
"With a view to breaking the matrimonial alliance, they (girl's parents)
continue pressing the charge of kidnapping and rape on the boy," it
said.
The court observed that "runaway marriages not only cause mental agony
to the family of the couple but also compel the couple to run for
shelter to protect their lives and escape honour killing".
The court also took note of the increasing number of petitions by
parents for production of their wards who leave their parental house in
runaway marriages.
"While parents of such girls suffer due to social stigma attached with
such marriages, the family of the boy is harassed not only by the family
of the girl but also by the police to pressurize them to disclose the
whereabouts of the boy.
"If the police is able to recover the couple, the 'husband' is generally
accused of kidnapping and rape. Most of the time, such girls turn out
to be minor. In such circumstances, either the girl has to stay in Nari
Niketan and wait for the release of the husband or to return to the
parents and succumb to their wishes to marry the person of their choice
and stand as a witness against the person with whom she is in love," the
bench observed.
In this case, the girl was a consenting party and had left home on her
own to join the company of the person with whom she was in love, the
trial court had said while acquitting Hasim.
The bench rejected police argument that the girl was a minor according to the school records.
"In the absence of any material on the basis of which date of birth was
recorded at the time of her admission in the said school and failure of
the prosecution to get the ossification test conducted despite being
advised so by the concerned doctor, we are of the view that benefit of
doubt in case of proven consent must go to the Respondent (boy)," it
said.
The bench said it was established beyond reasonable doubt that the girl
was "in love with the respondent. As the girl was Hindu by religion and
the boy was a Muslim, to provide legal status to their relationship she
left home and performed nikah in 2005. She also initiated steps for
getting their marriage registered under Special Marriage Act".
"Even at the time of her being found on April 3, 2006 by the police in
the presence of her father as well as at the time of her medical
examination by the doctor in the presence of her mother, she did not
complain of being sexually assaulted by the boy under any threat or
fear," it said.
"In fact, she had run away not once but twice but ultimately had to
marry the person chosen by her family which speaks of the volume of
influence exercised upon her after she was recovered second time by the
police," the bench noted.
The father of the girl had lodged a missing report in Sangam Vihar
police station in southeast Delhi. Later, he lodged an FIR and named
Hasim as the person who had kidnapped her daughter.
In her statement to the magistrate after they were traced, the girl said
that on February 23, Hasim's maternal uncle and aunt had forcibly taken
her to Dingerpur and made her stay with him. She said the boy raped her
during her stay there.
However, she said she did not want Hasim to be punished.
The high court noted that the girl and her father were not consistent in
their deposition before the police and the trial court and that "their
versions continued changing colour at every level".
The bench also borrowed from a 2006 judgement to say that "runaway
marriages are manifestation of a generational change due to variety of
factors, including increased interaction between the sexes, with young
boys and girls attaining maturity rapidly".
"It is a complex problem with inter play of social, economic, religious,
caste, educational factors, including sex education and vulnerability
and backwardness of the weaker sex having its impact."
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 committee headed by the Secretary, Ministry for Human
Resources Development, said students were not showing interest to learn
the language. Lack of awareness about the importance of Sanskrit was one
of the main reasons for this, he said.
Mr. Varakhedi
said the committee had been asked to take up 22 schemes under the
grant-in-aid programme to help fund non-governmental organisations,
universities and other institutions.
Lecturers and
teachers engaged in teaching and training people in Sanskrit; and those
who run Sanskrit patashalas, conduct conferences, workshops, and
research institutes too would be offered help.
The
UGC had sanctioned Rs.100 crore two years ago for the scheme and this
had been increased to cover more institutions. The committee was
entrusted with the responsibility of identifying them and sanctioning
funds.
Even teachers and employees of universities and affiliated colleges would benefit from the programme.
Duration of the course would be 25 hours over a period of a month. No fee would be charged.
Student strength
The
maximum student strength could be 40, while minimum could be 30. The
UGC would provide Rs. 2 lakh a year to every centre and has already
sanctioned Rs. 1 crore.
Mr. Varakhedi said Bharatiya
Vidwat Parishat, a private e-mail group of 2,000 members comprising
vice-chancellors, professors, scholars and students across the country,
was providing information sought by the second Sanskrit Commission
chaired by Jnanpith awardee Satyavrat Shastri.
The
commission has 13 members, including P. Ramanujan, Associate Director
(Indian Heritage and Language Computing), C-DAC, Bangalore.
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 Mela. (AP
Photo)
A Sadhu, or Hindu holy man, attends the annual month-long Hindu religious fair of Magh Mela. (AP Photo)
A Sadhu smokes marijuana at the Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges,
Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers, during the annual traditional fair
of "Magh Mela" in Allahabad
Hindu devotees gather around bonfire at the Sangam, the confluence of
the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati river. (AP Photo)
Hindu priests wait for devotees at Sangam, the confluence of the Hindu
holy rivers of Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati, during the
annual traditional fair called "Magh Mela" in Allahabad. (AP Photo)
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 have stalwarts studying the past to
seek answers for the future.
For the first time in the history of
any Left party, sessions will be held on traditional Indian knowledge
systems, Indian philosophy and culture. Also on the agenda are detailed
discussions on Vedic and pre-Vedic periods and the Upanishads.
The
seminar, which will be attended by academics and Vedic experts from
across the country, will have separate sessions on Vedanta, Indian
Philosophy and Thoughts, Relevance and Significance of Upanishadic
Literature and Indian Knowledge Systems.
“Vedic literature forms a
wonderful monument of literary wealth handed over to us by our
ancestors…” begins the brochure for the seminar. And the stated
objective of the meet is to “popularise ancient authors and their
thoughts to the new generation without any prejudice.”
While one
may, out of habit, associate these topics with right-wing politics and
ideology, one need not anymore if one goes by the CPI argument.
“Vedas
and Upanishads are part of our collective past. Why should we let the
RSS hijack it? We all have lessons to learn from these ancient texts,”
said a CPI leader when asked about the apparent incongruity in the topic
of the seminar and the tenets of Leftist ideology. Organised on behalf
of a trust named after late CPI leader N E Balram, the seminar is being
attended by politicians and academics from across the country.
“Other
Communist parties may agree or disagree, but it is a fact that no Left
party can survive in India without acknowledging India’s collective past
and traditions,” the CPI leader added for good measure.
Going a
step further, the brochure proudly declares that CPI leaders like
Veliyam Bhargavan and K Damodaran are “scholars of Vedic literature and
classic Sanskrit.”
Interestingly, the seminar is being held at a
time political parties are still recovering from the after effects of
the AAP phenomenon in Delhi and elsewhere. CPI in particular has reasons
to worry as its senior leader and National Council member Kamal Mitra
Chenoy recently joined AAP. While quitting CPI he said: “Either we can
say people are stupid or we are behind times.”
However, CPI leaders insisted the seminar had nothing to do with AAP.
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
away with women representation in the boards of Travancore and Kochi
Devaswom Boards, bringing down the strength of members in the two boards
from four to three, election of two members by the Hindu members in the
Cabinet and an SC/ST member by Hindu MLAs in the Assembly, scrapping of
standing committees, a provision making it mandatory to avail prior
sanction of the government to frame rules, shelving a clause to entrust
employee appointments in the Board with the PSC citing that a Uniform
Board for Devaswom staff appointments is in the offing, extending the
tenure of members from two to three years and bringing down the age
limit from 50 to 45 years to become a member were the amendments in
Bill, 2013.
Though Devaswom Minister V S Sivakumar maintained that
the Law Department had given its legal opinion, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan
(CPM) and Mathew T Thomas (JDS) raised objections and pointed out that
the government had promulgated an Ordinance earlier at a time when the
matter was referred to the Assembly subject committee.
The Opposition members also asked to table the legal opinion in the House.
Though
Speaker G Karthikeyan reminded the Opposition that the legal opinion
need to be tabled only just before the end of the session, the latter
remained adamant.
In the Malabar Devaswom Board, after the
adoption of amended Bill, there will be nine members, including a woman
and SC/ST member.
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 her
parents came to know about their relationship, they started making
arrangements to get her married to a person from their community.
However, the couple tied the knot on January 4, 2014 in the presence of
their friends at the Register Office in Vanur.
Solaichamy said: “On January 19, after we returned to my house, my wife’s family members came and forcibly took her away.”
Alleging
that Sandhya’s life was in danger, Solaichamy said that his wife called
him on the phone and told him that she had been locked up in the
house. “She also told me that her parents had lodged a false complaint
in the All Women Police Station that I had abducted her and married.
Hence, I have decided to file a habeas corpus petition in the Madurai
Bench of the HC,” he said.
A Kathir, executive director of
Evidence, said that the police should take appropriate action to rescue
Solaichamy’s wife and ensure the security of the couple. “Besides,
action must be initiated against the parents of the girl under the
Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes Act, 1989,” he said.
When
Express contacted Inspector Revathi of the All Women Police Station in
Panruti, she claimed that the girl came along with her parents and
lodged a complaint claiming that Solaichamy had married her without her
consent.
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 show any interest or courage to demand control over
such properties too?
Retnamma,
Thiruvananthapuram
The government should govern, not run, religious bodies. It is shocking
to learn that a mere Rs. 36 crore is earned from 4.7 lakh acres of
agricultural land and 2.6 crore square feet of urban temple sites. These
buildings and lands must be liberated from the hands of politicians’
kith and kin.
N.R. Ramachandran,
Chennai
While I concur with Subramanian Swamy on his broad opinion on the
maladministration of religious institutions by the state, the “obvious
question” he points out is perhaps misleading. Dr. Swamy, with his legal
acumen, knows more than anyone that Article 26 grants the fundamental
right to every religious denomination to administer such property in
accordance with law. Therefore, government interference is a function of
lawful management and need not connote prejudice against any particular
religious disposition. However, the rank insensitivity of government
officials towards our priceless heritage, as alleged by Dr. Swamy, if
true, is indeed appalling.
Shijoy Varughese,
Ghaziabad
The freedom to practise one’s religion is a non-discriminatory and
non-discretional constitutional provision which applies universally.
This religious freedom extends to the right to administer one’s place of
worship. True secularism means requires the government to view all
religions with equal dispassion.
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 charges levelled against us are false," a spokesman for the group said.
The activists gathered outside Kejriwal's residence around 9 a.m. and
said they wanted to meet him. But security personnel did not let them
in.
Meanwhile, Kejriwal, who came out
of the apartment complex in his car to go to Delhi, was intercepted by
the demonstrators shouting slogans against the AAP. Police used force to
let Kejriwal proceed.
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
Shariff, chairperson of the New Delhi-based Centre for Research and
Debates in Development Policy said on the basis of a survey conducted by
his centre in collaboration with the US-India Policy Institute based in
Washington DC.
The report is based on the 2011 census, when the
total population in Bihar stood at 10.5 crore, of which 16.5 percent
were Muslims.
Twelve development indicators, including health,
education and employment have been focused upon in the report to assess
the condition of Muslims in Bihar.
Abusaleh, who was also
associated with the much-publicised Sachar Committee report on the
status of Indian Muslims published in 2006, said that like Kerala,
socio-economic condition of Muslims in Bihar had improved fast, thanks
to the money-order economy.
"A large proportion of Muslim
migrants went outside Bihar and abroad in search of livelihood, and they
send remittance that mainly have contributed to improve socio-economic
condition of their families," Abusaleh said.
Abusaleh, a noted
economist, said the development taking place in Bihar in the last few
years also helped to improve the condition of Muslims. "But still, there
is need to do more for the development of the Muslims of Bihar," he
said.
According to the survey report, in comparison to 12.2
percent upper castes, 13.5 percent rural Muslims have jobs, and against
19 percent urban upper castes, 17.3 percent urban Muslims get job
opportunities.
Saibal Gupta, head of the Patna-based Asian
Development Research Institute (ADRI), said that the condition of
Muslims in Bihar improved in recent years but more needs to be done for
their development.
About nine years ago, a survey was conducted
by ADRI and sponsored by the Bihar State Minorities Commission, on the
socio-economic condition of Muslims in Bihar, showed that Muslims were
the poorest community in the state.
That survey report said that
about 49.5 percent of rural Muslim families and 44.8 percent of the
urban Muslim households fall below the poverty line, 19.9 percent among
them are acutely poor, and 28.04 percent Muslims in rural areas are
landless labourers.
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 opposition activists attacked Hindus at several places in
Bangladesh during and after the polls, accusing the minority community
of backing the Awami League which swept the elections following a
boycott by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
In the wake of widespread attacks on Hindus in the country, Bangladesh
had yesterday decided to set up special tribunals under an anti-terror
law to punish the perpetrators of violence aimed at the minority
community.
Talking about illegal migration from the neighbouring country to Assam,
Prasad said "Lots of Hindus have come to Assam. They come due to various
reasons, including religious compulsions. There should be a favourable
consideration regarding giving Indian citizenship to them."
He, however, alleged the Congress-led governments at the Centre and
Assam of supporting the illegal Muslim immigrants from Bangladesh for
"vote bank politics".
"In the recent step of the Assam government in asking the migrants to
register, BJP senses a sinister move. It is an attempt to influence the
voter list. We condemn the step," he added.
Prasad said the UPA government had promised in 2005 to update the
National Register of Citizens within a year, but did not complete the
process.
On the controversial land swapping agreement with Bangladesh, Prasad
said it would require a constitutional amendment and BJP wouldn't allow
the Bill to pass in the Parliament.
When asked what would be the BJP's policy regarding deportation of
illegal immigrants if it came to power at the Centre, he said "The most
important thing is proper detection by a tribunal."
He also alleged that functioning of the erstwhile Illegal Migrants
(Determination by Tribunal) Act was very slow and no infrastructure
support was given to it.
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
questioned them, they stopped their bike and started abusing him.
Suddenly two persons, Esakimuthu(27) from Nazareth, and
Krishnakumar(28)from Mookuperi, of the four-member group started hurling
blows on Chinnadurai.
Police said, both Esakimuthu and
Krishnakumar were in an inebriated condition and attacked the Dalit
mason with beer bottles. Chinnadurai sustained injuries and was rushed
to the Sathankulam GH. The duo were arrested on Wednesday and remanded
to custody on Thursday.
Shops and establishments along the main roads didn’t open but those in the interior areas functioned as usual.
The hartal called by right wing organisations, including Bharatiya
Janata Party, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, and Hindu Aikya Vedi in the
Thrikkakara municipality region in protest against Tuesday’s explosion
passed off with a lone case of stone throwing.
A crude device had exploded near the Ayyappa Seva Sangham pavilion close to collectorate junction on Tuesday night.
Hartal supporters threw stone at a private bus at Chembumukku,
shattering its windshield. Shops and establishments along the main roads
didn’t open but those in the interior areas functioned as usual.
District collectorate and Infopark functioned. Bus and other public
transport system came to complete halt at least until afternoon.
Hindu organisations supporting the hartal laid siege to the
Seaport-Airport Road during the day. The siege was called off at the
request of the police to facilitate the movement of inter-district
buses.
Ghaziabad One of the activists of Hindu Raksha Dal detained by UP police
after attack at Aam Aadmi Party's Kaushambi office in Ghaziabad on
Wednesday.| PTI
Hours after the attack on Aam Aadmi Party's Kaushambi office here,
Ghaziabad Police today arrested the national convenor of Hindu Raksha
Dal and 12 others in connection with the incident.
Hindu
Raksha Dal national convenor Pinki Choudhary was arrested from Sahibabad
area here and an FIR was lodged against him, along with 30-40 unknown
persons, in connection with the attack.
"We have
registered an FIR against Pinky Choudhary and around 30-40 unknown
persons for the attack on AAP's office," Deputy Superintendent of Police
Ran Vijay Singh said.
"A case under various sections of the
Indian Penal Code has been registered," he said, adding that police have
so far arrested 13 persons in this regard and more arrests would be
made soon.
"Police are scanning footage of CCTV cameras
installed in the party's office to identify other accused, who would
also be arrested soon," the DSP said.
Earlier in the day,
activists of Hindu Raksha Dal attacked Aam Aadmi Party's Kaushambi
office to protest against AAP leader Prashant Bhushan's remarks on
referendum in Kashmir.
Around 40 activists of Hindu Raksha
Dal broke flower pots kept outside the AAP's office and tore party
posters. Some glass doors were also smashed in the attack.
"We are
against AAP's leader Prashant Bhusan's remarks on Kashmir. The attack
was also instigated by Kejriwal's remarks on Batla encounter," Choudhary
told reporters here after his arrest.
Bhushan had recently said
a referendum should be carried out in Kashmir to decide on deployment
of the army to deal with security threats in the Valley.
Choudhary alleged that another AAP leader had made remarks against Hindu Gods which was not acceptable to them.
Meanwhile,
around 35 activists of the outfit protested outside Indirapuram police
station against their leader's arrest this evening, prompting police to
lathicharge them to disperse them.
It is high time that all the Hindus in the country should unite, said Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) president Praveen Togadia.
Togadia was on his way to Karnataka from Hyderabad via Sangareddy.
The
VHP president stayed overnight at the residence of VHP district
president Panyala Prabhakar. Togadia met local VHP leaders on Monday
morning. Speaking on the occasion, he said that the situation in the
country was very anxious and called upon Hindus to unite.
The
lack of unity among Hindus was the main reason for not finding solution
to the problems being faced by the country, he added.
Hindus should unite and bring pressure on the government for redressal of problems, he said.
Residents of Seshasamuthiram Dalit Colony at the Villupuram collectorate on Monday | Express
Tired of being discriminated against by Caste Hindus for the past two
years, around 300 Hindu Dalits of the Seshasamuthiram Colony embraced
Buddhism on Monday.
The Dalits were banned from entering the
temple and were also not allowed to use the local crematorium. They
alleged that the district administration had failed to respond to as
many as 28 petitions filed by them in the last two years. Around 79
Dalit families live in a colony in the hamlet which houses over 3,000
Caste Hindus.
“As we are in the minority, Caste Hindus banned our entry inside their temples,” a Dalit said.
So,
the Dalits, most of whom are farm labourers, had built a Mariamman
temple around a decade ago through donations. They also conducted
periodic poojas in the month of Aadi. They also carried out idol
processions on bullock carts. In 2012 too, Dalit devotees had built a
wooden car to carry the Mariamman idols. “The caste Hindus, however, did
not allow the procession to pass through the lone road leading to their
temple,” Dalit residents alleged. In September of the same year, the
Dalits got a court stay against a Sankarapuram RDO order which
prohibited the procession from entering the road leading to caste Hindu
areas. The caste Hindus still did not allow the procession to pass
through the common state highway. This led to protests by Dalits who
demanded the right to conduct the Mariamman procession. “But everything
went vain,” said Anjalai (33), a resident at Seshasamuthiram Dalit
Colony.
“Subramaniyan, DMDK Panchayat chairman, indirectly
supports caste Hindus to safeguard his vote bank,” Thamayanthi (35),
another resident of the colony, said.
Tired of the discrimination
and the local administration’s inaction, around 300 Dalits thronged the
Villupuram collectorate to submit a petition seeking community
certificates as Dalit Buddhists. The petition also stated that the
hesitation of the administration in ending the discrimination is the
sole reason for their conversion.
