Day: December 25, 2021

New Delhi, December 25, 2021 (PPI-OT):In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, National Conference President, Farooq Abdullah, has said his party is preparing to approach the Supreme Court against the Delimitation Commission’s recommendations as it believes that the very basis of the exercise is “illegal”.

The veteran politician, also said the time has come for the opposition parties in India to come together and fight the forces who are bent on destroying the secular fabric of the country.

Giving a detailed account of his interactions during the Delimitation Commission meeting earlier this week, Abdullah told media that the very first point raised “by us at the meeting was that the commission was illegal” as the party’s petition challenging the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir was pending in the Supreme Court.

However, commission chairperson Justice (retd.) Ranjana Desai countered the National Conference’s argument by saying that as far as the panel was concerned she had been given authority by the government and, therefore, she had done this job.

“But whatever the Supreme Court finally says, it will be binding on them (Commission) also. So that clears the position. Then they explained other parameters also…. We are now preparing to go to the Supreme Court,” he said.

On the Supreme Court not interfering in recommendations made by previous Delimitation Commissions, Abdullah said the present commission was born after the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, which has been challenged in the top court and no decision has been pronounced on it yet.

“That is why…we are going to the Supreme Court. Others have also gone,” he said.

On Minister of State in the PMO Jitendra Singh claiming after the Delimitation Commission meeting of December 20 that he and other NC members were satisfied, Abdullah said, “What did he (Singh) expect us to do. Fight? We are not goondas. We have no voting rights, we can only listen and put our objections which they have allowed us to do. And they have given us time till December 31. Our report will be there before that with our objections.”

He said since the report is preliminary, the commission will see the upsurge that has taken place among various communities in Jammu and Kashmir, and reiterated his demand for holding the delimitation exercise after the next census.

Referring to the reservation of nine seats for Scheduled Tribes and seven seats for Scheduled Castes in the preliminary report of the commission, the NC leader said, “We are not against the Scheduled Tribe reservation. Without reservation also, they had 15 members. So there is nothing new.”

On the criticism from certain quarters over its participation in the second meeting of the Delimitation Commission, the National Conference leader said, “If we did not participate, they would still criticise us. So criticism is part of this life and we do not get worried by criticism. They (critics) give us strength. Because we participated, we realised what is in it and what have they done? How have they done?”

Asked about his participation in a meeting chaired by Congress president Sonia Gandhi in Delhi recently, Abdullah said, “The unity is essential if we want to save this nation, (protect it from) further division and further damage to its existence.”

“The unity is a priority and luckily Gandhi’s efforts are to that effect. We should appreciate that she has taken this step. It is a good beginning and I am sure this will culminate in a good unity before the 2024 election. I am sure more meetings will take place, bringing more people together as we alone cannot beat the communal forces. She has to be part of (the united opposition),” Abdullah said.

On the differences between the Congress and the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress, he said things have to be ironed out and “those will be ironed out, there is no doubt about it.” “Past has to be put behind us if we want to work on the future,” he said, expressing hope that “there will be unity of purpose” among the opposition parties.

For more information, contact:
Kashmir Media Service
Phone: +92-51-4435548, +92-51-4435549
Fax: +92-51-4861736
Email: info@kmsnews.org
Website: www.kmsnews.org

New Delhi, December 25, 2021 (PPI-OT):In a latest attack by Hindu extremists targeting Christians in Indian state of Karnataka, a group of men barged into a school and disrupted Christmas celebrations in progress inside. A video of the attack is doing the rounds on the social media.

The incident reportedly took place at Nirmala English High School and College in Mandya District.

Narrating the sequence of events that led to the attack, headmistress of the school, Kanika Francis Mary, disclosed that the initiative for the celebration was taken by the students. She was quoted by media as saying, “The students had voluntarily pooled in money and ordered a cake, to which one of the parents has objected.”

Elaborating on the whole issue, she disclosed that they had been organising the Christmas celebrations every year as a routine. Last year, due to Covid-induced restrictions, we had decided to call it off last year. This year, they agreed to organise a small celebration at the insistence of our students.

According to the media reports, the parents of one of the students complained to a Hindu extremist group that the school was “preaching Christianity”. Their grouse was that the school celebrates Christmas, but not Hindu festivals.

Acting on this complain, fringe elements belonging to the rightwing Hindutva outfit decided to fix the school administration. The goons stormed into the school and started harassing and heckling members of the school administration.

In the viral video, the intruders can be seen asking why the school was not holding celebrations on Hindu festivals.

During the scuffle, a member of the gang sounded intimidating when he said, “We are leaving this decision (matter) to you, parents. If we take this into our own hands, the situation will be different.”

Consequently, the school administration is said to have decided to follow-up the matter with a police complaint.

“They delivered a scathing attack on us. The Hindu activists said they will hang a photo of Goddess Saraswati in our institution and also ordered us to celebrate Ganesh Chathurthi festival on the school premises. They made allegations against us that we are carrying out conversions in the institution,” the headmistress told media.

The attack took place on a day the Karnataka Assembly passed an anti-conversion Bill effectively putting a blanket ban on preaching of religion. The move came amidst unfounded allegations of conversion against churches and Christian priests.

The rights groups and minority community leaders joined the Opposition in the state to register their protest against the legislation which curtails one of the fundament rights of citizens enshrined in the Constitution. They slammed the government for introducing a law that goes against the very spirit of the Constitution which guarantees right to practice and propagate religion.

For more information, contact:
Kashmir Media Service
Phone: +92-51-4435548, +92-51-4435549
Fax: +92-51-4861736
Email: info@kmsnews.org
Website: www.kmsnews.org

New Delhi, December 25, 2021 (PPI-OT):The Gurgaon namaz row refuses to die down. A mob associated with a Hindu nationalist group stormed a site of namaz at Shyam Chowk in Gurgaon in an attempt to disrupt congregational prayers on Friday only to be turned back by the police.

Videos surfaced on the social media show some men, said to be associated with a group styled as Sanyukt Hindu Sangharsh Samiti, roaming on the road close to the namaz site in police presence. The policemen were deployed at the site to maintain vigil so that no untoward incident takes place while the namaz is on.

Reports said the namaz was organised in Leisure Valley of Sector 29 with worshippers fully observing social distancing norm.

On December 10, during his visit to Gurgaon, Haryana Chief Minister Khattar had said that offering namaz in the open “will not be tolerated”. He, however, assured that an amicable solution to the matter would be found with a fresh approach.

The chief minister had disclosed that his government had withdrawn the permission to offer Friday prayers at certain designated sites. Offering public prayers, he said was leading to clashes which should not happen.

For the last three months, Hindutva groups have been attacking Muslims who congregate for namaz in open sites in Gurgaon. The police are accused of looking the other way while the Hindutva mob carried out their disruptive activities.

Meanwhile, Muslim Ekta Manch spokesperson Altaf Ahmad said the motive of the Samiti was not just to stop namaz, but to remove Muslim presence from the public places.

For more information, contact:
Kashmir Media Service
Phone: +92-51-4435548, +92-51-4435549
Fax: +92-51-4861736
Email: info@kmsnews.org
Website: www.kmsnews.org

New Delhi, December 25, 2021 (PPI-OT):Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said that all the religions pay a price for the violence propagated by hate-mongers.

In a tweet after the Haridwar incident came to light, Rahul said, “Hindutvadis always spread hatred and violence and Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians pay the price but not anymore.”

The incident was reported to have taken place in Haridwar during an event held from December 17 to 20. The video clips circulated on social media say that “Hindus should arm themselves like those seen in Myanmar, every Hindu must pick up weapons and conduct a Safayi Abhiyan.”

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had sought action against those people who incited hatred and called for ‘unleashing violence against followers of a particular religion’.

Priyanka said, “Strictest action should be taken against those who incite hatred and violence of this kind. It is despicable that they should get away with making an open call to murder our respected ex-PM and unleash violence against people of different communities.”

“Such acts violate our constitution and the law of our land,” she added.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas is total Bakwaas as far as the Prime Minister and his drumbeaters are concerned. It’s only an empty slogan! Why the thundering silence on the atrocious hate speech made in Haridwar? Why the paralysis from the Home Minister and Uttarakhand CM?”

The three-day event was organised by Yati Narasimhanand, a controversial religious leader who has been accused in the past of inciting violence. The Uttarakhand police have lodged an FIR in the case against Jitendra Narayan Tyagi, who was former Shia Waqf board chairman and recently converted to Hinduism.

For more information, contact:
Kashmir Media Service
Phone: +92-51-4435548, +92-51-4435549
Fax: +92-51-4861736
Email: info@kmsnews.org
Website: www.kmsnews.org

Haridwar, December 25, 2021 (PPI-OT):The Uttarakhand Police in India has registered a case against former Uttar Pradesh Shia Waqf Board chairperson Wasim Rizvi alias Jitendra Narayan Tyagi and several others for giving “hate speech” at an event in Haridwar recently.

“Taking cognizance of the video that is going viral on social media for spreading hatred by giving provocative speeches against a particular religion, a case has been registered against Wasim Rizvi alias Jitendra Narayan Tyagi and others under Section 153A IPC in Kotwali, Haridwar and legal proceedings are in progress,” the Uttarakhand Police said in a tweet.

The controversy broke out after a religious gathering called the ‘Dharma Sansad’ was organised in Haridwar from December 17-20.

A complaint registered with the Haridwar Police states that the congregation was attended by BJP Mahila Morcha leader Udita Tyagi, BJP leader Ashwini Upadhyay, Sadhvi Annapurna alias Pooja Shakun Pandey, and others. At the gathering, Premanand Maharaj allegedly asked Hindus to buy weapons to defend their religion, and even called for the killing of minorities.

For more information, contact:
Kashmir Media Service
Phone: +92-51-4435548, +92-51-4435549
Fax: +92-51-4861736
Email: info@kmsnews.org
Website: www.kmsnews.org