In yet another indication of the deteriorating law & order situation in MVA-ruled Maharashtra, two kerosene bombs were hurled at the office of Shankar Jagtap, a builder and brother of BJP MLA Laxman Jagtap, on Tuesday afternoon in Pimpri Chinchwad, Pune.
No one was hurt in the incident as the occupants of the office were inside the building.
Pimpri Chinchwad police said the incident took place around 2.30 pm at the office of Shankar Jagtap, located in Pimple Saudagar in Pimpri Chinchwad area. They have launched a manhunt to nab the suspects after CCTV footage from the area showed three persons hurling the bombs.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 2) Anand Bhoite said, “The CCTV footage shows three persons on the bike and hurling these kerosene-filled bottles used as crude bombs, with possibly a cloth being used as a wick. Upon preliminary investigation, the fuel seems to be kerosene. At the time of the incident, the office was open and Shankar Jagtap was present inside.”
DCP Bhoite further said, “One of the bombs struck at a distance near the gate of the compound and another hit next to the door of the office. After striking, these bottles burst into flames but no one was hurt.”
MLA Laxman Jagtap started his career with the Congress, before joining Sharad Pawar’s NCP in 1999. In his long political career, he has served as Mayor of the twin towns and standing committee chairman of PCMC (Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation) while in NCP. He became Member of Legislative Council (MLC) in 2004, and left NCP in 2009, the same year he became MLA as an independent.
In 2014, Jagtap joined BJP and was elected as MLA once again. He played a major role in bringing BJP back to power in Pimpri-Chinchwad. Jagtap once more won the Assembly elections in 2019 as a BJP candidate. He is credited for doing a lot of development work in the twin towns through his initiative, ‘Naate Jivhalache, Karya Samruddhiche’.
Political observers are not ruling out the possibility that this attack on Laxman Jagtap’s brother’s office is a payback of sorts by the NCP-Congress combine against their former leader. Especially given the way anti-BJP violence has been legitimized by the institutional and judicial apathy towards the vicious post-poll ‘Khela Hobe’ pogrom launched against BJP supporters by TMC in West Bengal.
आज से तीन साल पहले इन्हीं दिनों ऐसी घटना हुई थी, जो किसी के लिए क्षोभ का विषय थी, किसी के लिए शोक का तो हिन्दुओं और भारत के लिए एक नए विमर्श का! ईसाई मीडिया ने इस मुद्दे को उठाया था और भारत के कथित पिछड़ेपन पर प्रश्न उठाए थे। भारत को ऐसा देश बता दिया था जहां पर कोई मिशनरी नहीं जा सकती। पहले तो चाऊ की पहचान केवल एक ईसाई पर्यटक की बताई थी और बाद में राज खुला था कि वह मिशनरी था। भारत में जहाँ एनडीटीवी जैसे चैनल उसे एक सामान्य अमेरिकी पर्यटक बता रहे थे, वहीं विदेशों में उसकी प्रशंसा एक ऐसे व्यक्ति के रूप में हो रही थी जो जीसस का सन्देश देने के लिए इतनी खतरनाक जगह गया है।
परन्तु ऐसा क्या था कि अंडमान और निकोबार के उस द्वीप में जो चाऊ वहां पर गया, और एक बार नहीं बार बार गया! अन्तिम बार वाटरप्रूफ बाइबिल लेकर गया। और उसने अंतिम सन्देश में लिखा था Lord, is this island Satan’s last stronghold where none have heard or even had the chance to hear your name?” अर्थात वह उस द्वीप के लोगों को शैतान का आख़िरी गढ़ समझता था क्या? इस हत्या के उपरान्त हर स्थान पर मिली जुली प्रतिक्रिया थी। भारत का एक बड़ा वर्ग था जिसने उन आदिवासियों को दोषी ठहराया, जिन्होनें चाऊ की हत्या की थी, तो कुछ लोगों ने स्थानीय प्रशासन की आलोचना की थी। परन्तु दोष क्या था और किसका था, यह किसी ने नहीं जाना था और न ही जानने का प्रयास किया था।
आज जब इस घटना को तीन वर्ष हो गए हैं, तो आइये इस परिप्रेक्ष्य में कुछ चर्चा करते हैं। यह तो देखना ही होगा कि वाकई में दोषी कौन था? क्या वाकई में स्थानीय प्रशासन या आदिवासी इस दुखद घटना के लिए उत्तरदायी था? या फिर वह रिलीजियस साम्राज्यवादी सनक कि हर किसी को इस धरती पर ईसाई ही होना चाहिए! हर किसी को बाइबिल पढने वाला होना चाहिए? हर किसी की रिलीजियस पहचान बाइबिल वाली होनी चाहिए? ऐसा क्या था, जो चाऊ उस द्वीप तक रिश्वत देकर गया था, जिस पर सरकार की ओर से जाना मना है! जहाँ की नैसर्गिक पहचान बनाए रखने के लिए, भारत सरकार ने बाहरी किसी भी व्यक्ति के प्रवेश पर रोक लगा रखी है!
मीडिया ने पहले तो उसकी मृत्यु पर रहस्य बनाया, और फिर बाद में उसका शव मिला तो उन बेचारे भोले भाले आदिवासियों को ही दोषी ठहराने लगे, जो अपने क्षेत्र में किसी को भी प्रवेश नहीं करने देते हैं। इस घटना में यदि कोई दोषी था तो वह थी रिलिजन की विस्तारवादी भावना। ईसाई पंथ का वह विश्वास जिसमें उनके रिलिजन के अतिरिक्त हर कोई शैतान है, जिस तरह इस्लाम में उनके मज़हब के अलावा सभी काफ़िर हैं और हर काफिर को इस्लाम के झंडे तले लाने के लिए कभी आईएसआईएस तो कभी कुछ और संगठन अपना सिर उठाकर पूरी धरती को इस्लाम के रंग में रंगना चाहते हैं, उसी तरह ईसाई रिलिजन के लोग भी ईसा के रिलिजन के तले सबको लाना चाहते हैं। फिर चाहे उस स्थान या उन लोगों की अपनी पहचान ही नष्ट क्यों न हो जाए। बस किसी तरह से हम उन्हें अपने मज़हब में ले आएं, बस किसी तरह से हम उन्हें अपने रिलिजन का हिस्सा बना लें।
हे लार्ड, शैतान का यह टापू आखिर आपकी शिक्षाओं से अछूता क्यों है? अफ्रीका की कई प्रजातियों की पहचान नष्ट करने के बाद, पूरे पूर्वोत्तर की पहचान नष्ट करने के बाद, पूरे विश्व को अपने विस्तारवादी रिलिजन के कारण एक बार नहीं कई बार परेशानियों में डालने के बाद भी ईसाई मिशनरी अपने रिलिजन के विस्तार में दिलो जान से लगी रहती हैं। प्रश्न यह उठता है कि भोले भाले आदिवासियों को शैतान कहने का अधिकार उस ईसाई रिलिजन के प्रचारक को किसने दिया? आखिर दया का एक मोल क्यों होता है? और क्यों होना चाहिए? क्या जो लोग उस रिलिजन का हिस्सा नहीं है वह सब शैतान हैं? यदि नहीं तो उन आदिवासियों को शैतान कहकर पूरी की पूरी पहचान को अपमानित करने का अधिकार ईसाइयों को आखिर किसने दे दिया?
पर एक किताब वाले मजहबियों और रिलिजन वालों को यह अधिकार उनकी किताब देती है कि वह कहीं भी जाकर अपनी किताब के अनुसार लोगों को अपने रिलिजन या मजहब में लाएं। उनके लिए उनकी किताब के अतिरिक्त हर कोई फाल्स गॉड या बुत है और बुत तोड़ना एवं फाल्स गॉड की पूजा रुकवाना उनका सबसे पाक और पायस काम है। उनके लिए आदिवासियों की कोई भी भावना महत्वपूर्ण नहीं है।
अंडमान के उस द्वीप पर सेंटिनल प्रजाती के लोग अपनी शर्तों पर बाहरी दुनिया से संपर्क रखते भी हैं। वह यहाँ पर लगभग पचास से साठ हज़ार सालों से रह रहे हैं। एक दो बार कुछ लोगों ने यहाँ जाने का प्रयास किया तो उन्हें भी अपनी जान से हाथ धोना पड़ा था। इतिहास में भी उल्लेख प्राप्त होता है कि यहाँ आने वालों की हत्या इन लोगों ने कर दी थी। अब प्रश्न यह उठता है कि यदि वह समुदाय अपनी विशेष पहचान, अपनी दुर्लभ पहचान के साथ जीना चाहता है तो ईसाई मिशनरी को क्या समस्या है कि वह अपने गोस्पल को बिना यूरोपीय संदर्भों के उन भोलेभालों को समझाए। चाऊ चाहता था कि वह कुछ आदिवासियों को, जिनका प्रभाव हो, ईसाई बनाना चाहता था, और फिर चाहता था कि उस द्वीप पर “देसी चर्च” की स्थापना हो।
जरा सोचिये, जिस द्वीप पर भारत की ओर से जाने के लिए प्रतिबन्ध है, उस द्वीप के विषय में चाऊ अध्ययन कर रहा है, जो द्वीप भारतवासियों के लिए दुर्लभ है, वहां के मूल लोगों को ईसाई कैसे बनाया जाए, उसके विषय में चाऊ सपना लेकर चल रहा है कि वह शैतान के अंतिम गढ़ में रहने वाले सेंटिनलीज को ईसाई बनाएगा!
पर वह शैतान का गढ़ किसे कह रहा था? शैतान कौन है?
शैतान है भारत! शैतान है हिन्दू! शैतान है हिन्दू पहचान! शैतान है हिन्दू देवी देवता! ऐसा ही चाऊ का मानना होगा। नहीं तो उसने शैतान किसे कहा? शैतान का अंतिम गढ़! यह उनकी पहचान से घृणा थी, जो चाऊ को यहाँ लाई और एक बार फिर से विश्व को भारत को बदनाम करने का अवसर मिला था।
भारत में दो मछुआरों की ह्त्या के उपरान्त सरकार ने आदिवासियों की सभ्यता को बचाए रखने के लिए यह कड़ा नियम बनाया कि कोई भी बाहरी व्यक्ति यहाँ नहीं जाएगा। परन्तु कथित रूप से सभ्य बनाने और अपने रिलिजन के अतिरिक्त किसी और रिलिजन को पवित्र न समझने की सनक ने न केवल चाऊ को सरकार के द्वारा बनाए गए नियम तोड़ने के लिए प्रेरित किया बल्कि उसमें इस हद तक जूनून था कि उसे अपनी जान जाने का कोई गम भी नहीं था। अपने रिलिजन का प्रचार करने का भूत इस हद तक चाऊ पर सवार था कि उसने हर नियम और कायदे को तोडकर और रिश्वत देकर उस द्वीप पर जाने का फैसला किया। उसने रिश्वत भी दी थी।
पर वह इस बात को नहीं समझ सका को उन्हें जीसस के द्वारा पवित्र जल नहीं चाहिए, उन्हें उनका ही जल चाहिए, उन्हें उनकी पहचान चाहिए, उन्हें उनकी निजता चाहिए। हर पुस्तक मेले में फ्री में बाइबिल बांटने वाले प्रचारक शायद शहर और आदिवासियों का फर्क नहीं कर सके। जबरन हाथ में बाइबिल थमाने से आपके रिलिजन का प्रचार नहीं हो रहा है, इसे समझिये। और इसे अब समझना बहुत आवश्यक है कि सभी को उनकी अपनी पहचान के साथ जीने दीजिये, और भोले भाले आदिवासियों को शैतान का कोना न कहें।
परन्तु ऐसा होगा नहीं, ईसाई मिशनरी शैतान के गढ़ को जीतने के लिए हर प्रकार के धतकर्म कर रही हैं!
The police have seized assets valued at Rs 50 crore belonging to Shaheed Khan a.k.a. Chhote, a village head, identified as the leader of a gang operating from Bareilly district for the past several years.
Additional Superintendent of Police (Rural) Rajkumar Agarwal termed this as ‘the biggest action against any drug mafia in the state so far.’
The police have also sought permission to attach assets worth Rs 16.5 crore of his nephew, Taimur Khan a.k.a. Bhola, who allegedly runs another gang of drug suppliers in Bareilly.
According to police, Shaheed Khan, 52, is currently lodged in the district jail while most of his family members are either behind bars or have gone underground.
Taimur Khan, 35, is lodged in Delhi’s Tihar jail.
The additional SP said, “We have taken action under the relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. Now, these accused or their family members cannot sell, rent or gift these properties to anyone.”
Shaheed’s assets include a shopping complex, agricultural land, a marriage hall, luxurious cars and multiple houses, he added.
The police officer informed that Shaheed and his nephew, Saif, were arrested on August 18 at the Padhera village under the Fatehganj police limits.
Twenty kilograms of heroin, valued at Rs 20 crore in the Indian market and three times more in the international market, was seized from them.
“We found out that Shaheed has a vast network. He gets opium and other narcotic substances from Jharkhand and processes them into top quality smack, which is in high demand in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi. The police had identified various assets acquired by Shaheed over the past six years, using the money earned from smuggling drugs,” he said.
He further said, “We froze the assets and reported them to the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeit of property) Act tribunal for forfeiting the assets. Shaheed filed an appeal against the move and was asked to provide details about the source of income for the assets he and his family had bought.”
Shaheed and his family could only provide the sources for property worth Rs 1 crore.
“The SAFEMA tribunal thereafter ordered seizure of the remaining property worth over Rs 50 crore,” the additional SP said.
(The story has been published via a syndicated feed with a modified headline)
Farmers have been agitating for almost a year to have the three contentious farm laws withdrawn. Undoubtedly, this has been one of the longest agitations and dharnas in decades and it remained largely peaceful, barring the unfortunate incident that took place on Republic Day this year.
Now with the Prime Minister having announced the withdrawal of the three farm laws, the main irritant between the government and farmers is gone. It was expected that after the announcement regarding withdrawal was made, the farmers would wind up their dharna and end their agitation and head to their homes.
To everyone’s surprise, the representative body of the agitating farmers, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), and the face of the farmers agitation, at least in western Uttar Pradesh, Mr. Rakesh Tikait announced the continuation of the dharna till the Parliament actually repeals the three laws in the coming session, expected to commence in the coming week.
Mr. Tikait has stated that he does not trust the announcements made by the government and will think of lifting the dharna only after the laws are repealed by parliament. He opined that many unresolved issues concerning farmers still remain and they need to be resolved before they can say thank you to the government.
While taking policy decisions, the government needs to take into consideration demands put forth by various sections of the population and weigh them carefully, looking at the overall national interest. It is not prudent for governments to act under pressure in any situation, come what may.
Various sections of the population have their own interests in their minds when they put forth their policy prescriptions before the government. As far as several demands raised by the farmer’s bodies are concerned, they have been on the table for years and various commissions and committees have gone into them and debated the pros and cons of the solutions suggested from various quarters. Consensus is yet to emerge on the way forward to resolve the issues concerning farm distress. But one thing is certain- that the larger section of our farming community is poor, perpetually debt ridden and unable to unshackle the chains of poverty.
So, governments need to focus on this issue urgently and take suitable policy decisions to help our farmers and that has to include many suggestions made by various farmer’s associations and bodies. Urgent actions on this front are the need of the hour.
We have the experience of public movements forcing the government to act in haste. Not very long ago, the nation witnessed the anti-corruption movement led by Anna Hazare. The proponents of that movement could fool people into believing that the Lok Pal act would be a panacea for all the ills plaguing Bharat. Those striving for the setting up of Lok Pal had no understanding of how the system works. The Lok Pal bill was discussed and debated extensively by those leading the movement and deemed as being grass root democracy in action. This group of irresponsible people who had a personal hidden agenda of their own and future political ambitions, succeeded in selling their ill-conceived and half-baked ideas to our gullible population who had no understanding of how the gigantic governmental institutions work.
So much pressure got mounted on the then UPA government, because of this campaign and due to their own failings on the governance front, that the government succumbed and for the first time in the history of any democracy, a group of people having no understanding of how the government works nor having any experience of running the government, were made a part of the drafting committee set up to actually decide the contours of such an important piece of legislation.
As we all know by now that much heralded piece of legislation has abysmally failed to deliver. The Lok Pal has been in place for many years now but the outcomes promised by the agitators who sat in the drafting committee remain unrealized. Those who had promised the moon to common people are themselves mired in grave corruption.
The salutary lesson the nation needs to learn from this horrific experience is that the governments should never act under pressure, never rush through legislation which have larger ramifications and impact public interests.
Mr. Tikait should be happy that the yearlong farmers’ agitation literally forced the central government to take back the three contentious farm laws. The farmers body has every right to make demands which would resolve their problems. They must present their case forcefully before the government. They have tasted victory but now leaders like Rakesh Tikait need to come to the negotiating table and seriously focus on arriving at the solutions.
Continuation of dharna is only going to harm the farmers’ interest. It is time to act wisely and refrain from pressurizing the government to rush along a certain path. Tikait and other farmer leaders, if they act stubbornly, will lose the support and sympathy they have earned. Now they need to act prudently and not fritter away the advantages earned through a long-drawn struggle.
(The story has been published via a syndicated feed with minor edits to conform to Hindu-Post style-guide.)
Muslim youth are alleged to have desecrated a sacred teerth in Erode, Tamil Nadu. A group of men, allegedly Muslims, desecrated the temple tank by using it like a swimming pool and consuming alcohol near the tank. Hindu organizations have lodged a complaint with the local police following the incident.
The Mathala Kombu Vinayagar temple in Erode is said to be more than 5000 years old. Its legend says that the temple tank is always filled due to the perennial spring that was dug by Bhima using his Gadayuddha. It is treated with such reverence that unlike the rivers and other water bodies its water is crystal clear. It serves as the source of holy water for many ceremonies in the Vinayagar temple and the other adjacent temples as well owing to its history.
Mohammedans cooked beef, drank alcohol inside Temple premises in TN and desecrated the sacred Temple Pond
ஈரோடு மாவட்டம் தூக்கநாயக்கன்பாளையம் அருள்மிகு மத்தாள கொம்பு விநாயகர் ஆலயத்தின் புனிதநீர் தெப்பக்குளத்தில் கோபிசெட்டிபாளையத்த சேர்ந்த சுமார் 20க்கும் மேற்பட்ட இஸ்லாமிய இளைஞர்கள் நேற்று 21.11.2021 மாலை 4 மணி அளவில் மாட்டுக்கறி பிரியாணி சமைத்தும் சாராயம்அருந்தியவாறு pic.twitter.com/YTpfdFnqo4
A video of some men, allegedly Muslims, using the temple tank as a swimming pool has gone viral in social media. It is said that the men used it as a picnic spot by cooking non-veg biryani on the spot and consuming alcohol as well. Upon being confronted one of them abused in obscene language and said “You can do whatever you want. I have 4 children. I don’t fear anyone/anything”.
Desecration of Hindu temples and other sacred spaces has only grown since the atheist DMK came to power in TN. The temples in Siruvachur, Perambalur faced severe attacks from anti-Hindus repeatedly in the past 2 months. Hindu deities’ murtis were vandalised repeatedly and nearly 40 of them were damaged beyond recognition. Emboldened by the atheist Periyarist and Dravidianist organisations anti-Hindu campaign after DMK came to power, abrahamics are attacking Hindu Dharma with impunity.
(Hindu Post hasn’t been able to independently verify the authenticity of the video)
After remaining under the ‘severe’ category for more than week, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital improved to ‘poor’ on Tuesday.
In its forecast, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had predicted that the pollution level in the national capital could improve due to strong winds, while the sky will also remain clear throughout the day.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI as of 9 a.m. at Anand Vihar was 300, Ashok Vihar 283, Shri Aurobindo Marg 265, Punjabi Bagh 311, Mandir Marg 271, IGI Airport 230, Lodhi Road 241 and Rohini 288.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’; 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’; 101 and 200 ‘moderate’; 201 and 300 ‘poor’; 301 and 400 ‘very poor’; and between 401 and 500 ‘severe’.
Meanwhile, the IMD said that the maximum temperature on Tuesday is expected to be 26 degrees Celsius and the minimum 11 degrees Celsius.
On November 6, Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) was in the “severe” category, with emissions from stubble burning (a seasonal phenomenon heavily concentrated in Punjab, and parts of Haryana) contributing to 36% of the pollution, as per data from SAFAR.
While change in atmospheric conditions has contributed to improvement in air quality, it is possible that reduction of stubble burning in the aftermath of repeal of farm laws on Friday may have also played a part.
One thing is clear though: Diwali firecrackers can be bashed and banned, but that will do nothing to improve the air pollution problem that Delhi-NCR faces every winter.
कांग्रेस के नेता सलमान खुर्शीद के बाद एक बार फिर से एक और कांग्रेसी नेता मनीष तिवारी की पुस्तक चर्चा में है। कांग्रेसी नेता मनीष तिवारी ने अपनी पुस्तक “10 फ्लैश पॉइंट्स; 20 इयर्स- नेशनल सेक्युरिटी सिचुएशन दैट इम्पेक्क्टेड इंडिया” की घोषणा की। इस पुस्तक के कुछ अंश उन्होंने अपने ट्विटर हैंडल पर साझा किये। जैसे ही यह घोषणा हुई, वैसे ही इस पर राजनीतिक शोर आरम्भ हो गया और भारतीय जनता पार्टी हमलावर हो गयी।
Happy to announce that my Fourth Book will be in the market shortly – '10 Flash Points; 20 Years – National Security Situations that Impacted India'. The book objectively delves into every salient National Security Challenge India has faced in the past two decades.@Rupa_Bookspic.twitter.com/3N0ef7cUad
दरअसल मनीष तिवारी ने अपनी पुस्तक में सुरक्षा स्थितियों के विषय में लिखा है। मगर एक बिंदु पर विवाद आरम्भ हो गया है। उन्होंने 26 नवम्बर को हुए भारत पर सबसे बड़े आतंकी हमले के विषय में लिखा है कि उस समय यूपीए को जो भी कदम उठाने चाहिए थे, वह नहीं उठाए गए हैं। और उन्होंने यह भी लिखा कि उस समय तेजी से कदम उठाए जाने की आवश्यकता थी। वह लिखते हैं कि
“एक ऐसे देश, जिसमें सैकड़ों लोगों को क्रूरता से मारे जाने को लेकर कोई अफ़सोस नहीं था, और ऐसे में संयम या धैर्य किसी शक्ति का नहीं बल्कि दुर्बलता का प्रतीक माना जाता है। कई बार ऐसा समय आया जब बोली से अधिक जरूरी थे कि कदम उठाए जाएं, ऐसा ही एक अवसर था 26/11 का, जब ऐसा होना चाहिए था। यह मेरा मानना है कि भारत को वैसे ही कदम उठाए जाने चाहिए थे, जैसे 9/11 के बाद अमेरिका ने उठाए थे।
26/11 को हुए पाकिस्तानी आतंकी हमले को आरएसएस का षड्यंत्र बताकर हिन्दुओं को बदनाम करने की थी चाल
भारत में 26 नवम्बर 2008 को देश की आर्थिक राजधानी में जो आतंकी हमला हुआ था, उसे कोई भी भारतीय नहीं भूल सकता है। दस आतंकी लगातार गोलियां बरसाते रहे थे। और देश देख रहा था आतंक को, आतंकी चेहरों को और फिर उसके बाद जो हुआ, वह भयावह था।
पाकिस्तान के आतंकी कसाब को जिंदा पकड़ लिया गया था और फिर धीरे धीरे पाकिस्तान की साजिश पता चलने लगी थी,। परन्तु एक वर्ग भारत में ऐसा भी था, जो इस बात से दुखी था कि जो मारने आया है वह पाकिस्तानी क्यों है?
पाठकों को याद होगा कि यह वही समय था जब हिन्दू आतंकवाद का शोर चरम पर था और कई सेक्युलर पत्रकार और लेखक हिन्दू साधुओं और साध्वियों के लिए जहर उगल रहे थे। ऐसा प्रतीत हो रहा था जैसे अब तक के हुए सारे आतंकी हमले हिन्दुओं ने ही कराए थे। और सारा परिदृश्य हिन्दू आतंकवाद से भर गया था। ऐसे में कलावा बांधे हुए कुछ आतंकियों ने भारत की आर्थिक राजधानी पर हमला कर दिया था। इस हमले से पूरा भारत और विश्व थर्रा गया था और आतंक के इस चेहरे से सहम गया था, तो वहीं हिन्दुओं को ही दोषी ठहराने की पूरी योजना बन गयी थी।
वह तो मात्र एक लाठी के सहारे तुकाराम ओंबले ने कसाब को जिंदा पकड़ कर ऐसे सभी मंसूबों पर पानी फेर दिया था और हिन्दुओं को आतंकी घोषित करने की सारी योजना धरी की धरी रह गयी थी। ऐसे ही एक पत्रकार थे खुशवंत सिंह, जो अपने कॉलम “बुरा मानो या भला” में हिन्दू संत-महात्माओं तथा साध्वियों के विरुध्द खुलकर दुष्प्रचार में लगे हुए थे। वह यहाँ तक लिखते थे कि “इस्लामिक आतंकवाद” और कुछ नहीं है, बस दुष्प्रचार है।
खुशवंत सिंह 26 नवम्बर की रात को अब दिल्ली में बैठे हुए मुम्बई में हुए हमले को टीवी में देख रहे थे, तो ऐसा लग रहा था जैसे वह दुखी हैं। वह इस बात से बहुत निराश थे कि जिन्होनें हमला किया है वह हिन्दू न होकर मुसलमान हैं! इसी निराशा में उन्होंने 13 दिसंबर को प्रकाशित स्तंभ ‘ना काहू से दोस्ती, ना काहू से बैर’ में लिखा था- ‘टीवी पर यह भी बताया गया कि एक हमलावर को मार गिराया गया है। मैंने उम्मीद की और प्रार्थना की कि उसके शव की जांच से यह पता न चले कि वह मुसलमान था। अफसोस कि वह मुसलमान था। और इसी तरह बाकी गैंग के सदस्य भी मुसलमान थे-पाकिस्तानी थे।’
ऐसा नहीं था कि यह अफ़सोस केवल खुशवंत सिंह को ही था, यह अफ़सोस कई और लोगों को भी था। लिबरल जमात तो जैसे सदमे में आ गयी थी। हालांकि हेमंत करकरे की मृत्यु के लिए भी अप्रत्यक्ष रूप से हिन्दुओं को दोषी ठहराने की कोशिश की थी, परन्तु वह सफल नहीं हो पाया था।
महाराष्ट्र के पूर्व मुख्यमंत्री अब्दुर्रहमान अंतुले ने महाराष्ट्र के आतंकवाद निरोधी दस्ते के प्रमुख हेमंत करकरे की मृत्यु पर संदेह व्यक्त करते हुए 18 दिसंबर, 2008 को लोकसभा के। बाहर कहा था कि, ”आंखों को जो कुछ दिखता है, उससे अलग कहीं कुछ और बात है।’
हालांकि उसके बाद पाठकों को याद होगा कि कैसे भारत में उर्दू मीडिया के बड़े वर्ग ने उस हमले के लिए आरएसएस को उत्तरदायी ठहरा दिया था। और यह थ्योरी तैरने लगी थी कि यह संघ परिवार और मोसाद का संयुक्त आतंकी अभियान है। फिर अजीज बर्नी ने एक पुस्तक लिखी थी, जिसका नाम था आरएसएस की साज़िश 26/11, और जिसका विमोचन 6 दिसंबर 2010 को आल इंडिया इस्लामिक कल्चरल सेंटर में कांग्रेस के महासचिव दिग्विजय सिंह ने किया था।
हालांकि आतंकी कसाब के इकबालिया बयान के कारण कांग्रेस और सेक्युलर बुद्धिजीवियों का यह षड्यंत्र फलीभूत नहीं हो सका था।
फिर से कठघरे में कांग्रेस
कांग्रेस पर इस आतंकी हमले में पाकिस्तान के प्रति नरमी बरतने की आरोप लगते रहे थे। परन्तु एक बार फिर से कांग्रेस कठघरे में है और इस बार अपने ही नेता के माध्यम से!
देखना होगा कि सुरक्षा के मामलों में नरेंद्र मोदी सरकार को घेरने वाले राहुल गांधी इस विषय में क्या करते हैं?
During the Islamic invasions, there were countless, nameless Hindus who put their lives at stake to defend our temples and deities.
In 1025 CE, the savage Mahmud Ghazni raided Gujarat, plundering the Somnath temple and devastating many sacred icons and temples.
The Tabakat-I-Nasiri by Minkaj-i-Siraj describes the earliest Islamic raids of Ghazni in detail including his attacks on Somnath. The book narrates a brief but fascinating account of a brave, unknown Hindu who played a role in the story.
Mahmud plundered immense booty worth 2 million dinars from Somnath and broke the Jyotirlinga into 4 pieces. The 1st piece to be buried under the masjid at Ghazni, the 2nd for the gateway of Mahmud’s palace and 3rd & 4th sent to Makkah and Madinah.
While returning from Somnath, Mahmud had to travel through the desert of the Great Rann of Kutchh to reach Sindh quickly. His army needed a local guide to take them through the dangerous terrain. One day, a young Hindu man showed up volunteering to be the guide.
Triumphant with his destruction of Hindu temples and flushed with the blood of massacring thousands of Kafirs, an elated Mahmud and his army set off with the Hindu guide leading the way. After they had marched all night and day, they decided to halt out of exhaustion.
The troops began the search for fresh water with the guide but could not find any even after several hours of looking in the scorching heat. Frustrated, Mahmud called the Hindu guide and asked him why hadn’t he found water yet, even after so many hours.
The intense heat and sunlight had parched the throats of Ghazni’s army. Further delay meant certain death. Slowly the Hindu guide bowed in front of the Sultan and lifted his head with a mysterious smile. Mahmud was enraged and asked him what was so funny.
Eyes flashing, the Hindu guide sprang to his feet and shouted out: “I have devoted my life for my God Somnath, and I led you and your army into the most dangerous part of this desert, so that you may never find water and die here as stinking carcasses to be devoured by vultures.”
Mahmud’s blood froze as he trembled with rage and immediately taking a sword to the Hindu’s head immediately beheaded him. His army was forced to wait all night until next morning. They eventually did find water but not before several of Mahmud’s troops perished like flies.
Such nameless, faceless Hindus ensured that they avenged Dharma by sacrificing their very lives to try and stop the devastation of Islamic invasions. Their deeds are never found in history books, but Bhagwan Somnath remembers.
References: Tabaqat-i-Nasiri Book by Minhaj-i Siraj Juzjani. Available online here.
(This article has been compiled from the tweet thread of Savitri Mumukshu @MumukshuSavitri)
Anangadi Koyamon alias Hydroskutty and Kalluvencheveettil Nizamudeen, the last two accused in the infamous Marad massacre, were pronounced guilty by the special court handling the matter. The special judge K.S. Ambika sentenced both of them to double life imprisonment. The gruesome killings of Hindus happened at a fishing village called Marad in Kozhikode district of north Kerala on May 2, 2003.
Around 90 Islamists went on a rampage armed with swords, knives and country-made bombs that were kept in a local mosque. 8 Hindus and a Muslim were killed that day. The Muslim who was killed died after sustaining injuries from his own co-assailants. 16 Hindus including 2 women were seriously injured that night.
Both Koyamon & Nizamudeen were tried separately since they had absconded when the trial was taking place. Koyamon was the bomb maker and Nizamudeen had directly taken part in the killings. Both had taken part in the conspiracy.
Nizamudeen was caught from the Karipur airport while trying to escape to an Arab country in October 2010. Koyamon escaped to Hyderabad but was arrested from his hideout near South Beach, Kozhikode in January 2011.
The accused were charged with conspiracy, murder, attempt to murder, promoting enmity between different religions, unlawful assembly, rioting with deadly weapons, house trespassing to commit an offense and for hurt using dangerous weapons. Sections related to the explosives substances act, arms act and misuse of religious institutions were also imposed.
In January 2009, 62 of the 148 accused were sentenced to life imprisonment and 1 was awarded a 5-year-term for abetment. 24 others were later sentenced to life by the Kerala High court. In April 2012, the Kerala High Court noted that there was a deep conspiracy behind the incident and added that the police failed to investigate effectively. This corroborated what many locals feared- that such well-planned violence involving a large number of people could not have been possible without backing from sections of admin and police. INC’s “Mr. Clean” and Sonia loyalist AK Antony was the CM at the time.
The initial judicial inquiry into the incident submitted in 2006 found the mushrooming of a new breed of religious fundamentalism. It indicated the active participation of political leaders, police higher-ups and bureaucrats. Funding and involvement of foreign agencies in the massacre prompted calls for a CBI inquiry.
Conspirators included leaders from the Congress party (INC), the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and the National Development Front (NDF). The NDF was later banned but it still survives under the banner of the Popular Front of India (PFI) and continues to stoke violence and spread hate all over Bharat.
Islamists attacked the Hindu fishermen and killed them when they were reeling in their catch of the day. Political pressure and a bureaucratic nexus made sure that the police remained mute spectators when the attacks happened even though they allegedly had prior information. Hindu homes and their fishing boats were torched in their presence.
All this created insecurity among the Hindus and still continues even today. In the aftermath of the massacre, many poor Hindu fishermen and their families migrated to other parts of the district and the state. Even after all these years, the area is still under heavy police bandobast and reminds a visitor of Kashmir.
Incidentally, Marad is part of the Beypore constituency, the epicenter of ‘green communism’. The sitting MLA is P.A. Mohammed Riyas, Pinarayi Vijayan’s son-in-law and the incumbent tourism & public works department minister. Riyas’s father P.M. Abdul Khader IAS was the Kozhikode commissioner of police from April 2000 to June 2001. The buildup of arms and explosives did not happen overnight.
A rabid anti-Hindu Islamist propagandist associated with the PFI named O Abdulla had recently said that following the Marad Massacre, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) could have easily looted and destroyed the city of Kozhikode but refrained from doing so. He claimed that the RSS knows that most businesses in Kozhikode are owned by Muslim traders. The circumstances were perfect to turn it into a civil war but it did not since the RSS ‘showed maturity’.
Even after all these years, it is hard to shake off the feeling that the real conspirators have not been punished.
In a decision that has sent shock waves all around, the Allahabad High Court has lowered the penalty imposed by the Special Sessions Court on one Sonu Kushwaha, a convict, found guilty of having oral sex with a 10-year-old minor child in lieu of Rs 20.
The single-judge bench of Justice Anil Kumar Ojha reduced Sonu Kushwaha’s punishment from 10 years to 7 years, observing that the crime committed by him is ‘less serious’.
Justice Anil Kumar Ojha was hearing an appeal filed by Sonu Kushwaha against a Special Sessions Court verdict convicting him under the Indian Penal Code’s Sections 377 (unnatural offences) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), as well as Section 6 of the POCSO Act.
The judgment said that it would not fall within the purview of either of the two sections, but it is punishable under section 4 of the POCSO Act.
“It is clear that offence committed by appellant neither falls under Section 5/6 of POCSO Act nor under Section 9(M) of POCSO Act because there is penetrative sexual assault in the present case as the appellant has put his penis into mouth of victim. Putting penis into mouth does not fall in the category of aggravated sexual assault or sexual assault. It comes into category of penetrative sexual assault which is punishable under Section 4 of POCSO Act,” the Court observed.
The Court reduced the sentence of the appellant from 10 years of rigorous imprisonment to 7 years, and a fine of Rs 5,000, since ‘penetrative sexual assault’ under Section 4 is a “lesser offence” than ‘aggravated penetrative sexual assault’ under Section 6.
The appellant Sonu Kushwaha was accused of going to the complainant’s house and taking the complainant’s 10-year-old kid with him. “In exchange for Rs 20, he urged the child to put his penis in his mouth. When the child returned home, his family inquired as to where he obtained the money from”.
Upon being coerced that child narrated the ordeal. He said that Sonu Kushwaha had threatened him with dire consequences if he revealed the truth. The parents of the minor subsequently filed a complaint against Sonu Kushwaha.
