The communal violence in Kandhmal in the aftermath of the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Swami Laxmananda Saraswati and four of his disciples, has so far claimed 26 lives, Orissa Home Secretary Tarun Kanti Mishra said in Bhubhaneshwar on Monday.
A four-member team from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) conducted a survey of the recently-discovered Shri Kartik Mahadev temple, five pilgrimage sites, and 19 wells in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, India. The survey followed the discovery of three damaged idols inside a well of the Bhasma Shankar temple, which was reopened after being shut for 46 years. The Shri Kartik Mahadev temple, also known as the Bhasma Shankar temple, was reopened on December 13 after authorities found the covered structure during an anti-encroachment drive. The temple houses an idol of Lord Hanuman and a Shivling and had remained locked since 1978. The district administration has requested carbon dating of the temple, including the well, from the ASI. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has restrained courts across India from entertaining new lawsuits or passing any orders in pending ones seeking to reclaim religious places, especially mosques and dargahs, until further notice. This action halts proceedings in approximately 18 lawsuits filed by Hindu parties seeking surveys to determine the original religious character of 10 mosques, including the Gyanvapi at Varanasi, the Shahi Idgah Masjid at Mathura, and the Shahi Jama Masjid at Sambhal, where four individuals died in clashes. The Supreme Court will examine the legality, scope, and boundaries of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which prohibits the conversion of places of worship and ensures the preservation of their religious character as it existed on August 15, 1947.
According to Raj Bhavan, Governor Uikey expressed during the meeting that she had already made to all the sections of the society to solve the problem through peaceful dialogue amicably.
The principal responsibility for the initial inaction is that of the state government and its police but there has been contributory negligence by the internal security machinery of the government of India too, says B Raman
'You can see both being used in our textbooks already and that will continue in new textbooks'
The top court also stayed the proceedings against a third journalist, an associate editor in the same media house, who was recently summoned by the police in connection with the reports on violence.
Asking Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the state government, to file an updated status report, the bench said, "It should have details like rehabilitation camps, law and order and recovery of arms."
Besides Bonde, Amravati district BJP president Nivedita Chaudhary, city Mayor Chetan Gawande, BJP state spokesperson Shivrai Kulkarni were also arrested.
In a tweet on Wednesday morning, Singh said, 'Instead of answering my question they have filed FIR against me. Is that Democracy BJP Model or Modi Model? What about the Hate speeches made by BJP and RW fraud Babas?'
'The state police failed to stop the crimes, failed to protect me from the attackers, they were friendly with the attackers, they tried their best that I did not register an FIR, not make complaints against police, the police did not take down my statement as I narrated in detail and they abandoned me half of the way. I was raped and now I don't want to be victimised by the Orissa police. I want a CBI enquiry,' says the nun
Ahead of the upcoming Durga Puja festival, Bangladesh authorities have assured of increased security measures that have been put in place amid concerns of violence targeting minority Hindu communities.
Freedom At Midnight is a bold attempt to revisit the whole discourse about Partition, its causes, and the predicament under which the Congress leaders accepted it. It perfectly captures the extremely confused and complicated situation to which it seemed the only viable solution, observes Utkarsh Mishra.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday instructed her home minister to initiate immediate action against those who incited violence using religion as she asked the people not to trust anything on social media without fact-checking.
Official sources said the probe was ordered by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik who visited the riot-torn area on Thursday to take stock of the situation.
The federal agency issued a statement, saying it has attached fresh assets worth more than Rs 35 crore that are "beneficially-owned and controlled" by the PFI "in the name of various trusts, companies and individuals" as part of its ongoing probe against the outfit and entities linked to it.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the bench that as the Centre is responsible for maintaining law and order in Delhi, it be made a party in the matter, which was allowed by the court.
Former Gujarat minister of state for home Gordhan Zadafia has told the Nanavati Commission that he was not aware of riots in Naroda area and Gulburg society when the communal violence unfolded there during the 2002 riots. The content of his in-camera deposition of December 27 was released by the commission today.
'The situation in Nuh could have easily returned to normalcy if the trader class wished so, but they didn't.'
Bangladesh's newly-appointed Home Affairs Ministry adviser has vowed to take swift legal action against those who attack or abuse minorities, stressing that there is no place for violence, conflict, or hatred in the country.
A local court in Ajmer has issued notices to the dargah committee, the Ministry of Minority Affairs, and the Archaeological Survey of India on a plea seeking to declare the shrine of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti a temple. The petition, filed in September, has sparked a heated debate, with politicians and community leaders weighing in on the potentially volatile issue. The dargah committee has declined to comment, but the Anjuman Syed Zadgan, a body representing the caretakers of the dargah, described the petition as a deliberate attempt to fracture society along communal lines. The petition comes just days after four people were killed in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, following a local court ordering survey of a Mughal-era shrine. The Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which fixed August 15, 1947, as the cut-off date for status quo on the character of religious places, is at the centre of much of the debate. Several politicians, including Union minister Giriraj Singh and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, have weighed in on the issue. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has called the civil court's decision to entertain the petition unwarranted and has asked the Supreme Court to immediately intervene.
He also told reporters outside the state assembly complex here that the state police will seek help from central agencies on a possible Pakistan angle in the incident.
975 people have been arrested in connection with the violence in Muzaffarnagar, in which 40 people lost their lives, police said on Tuesday.
Gandhi will now be seen in two upcoming OTT series -- Hansal Mehta's Gandhi, starring Pratik Gandhi in the title role, and Freedom at Midnight by Nikkhil Advani.
Hindu community leaders in Bangladesh are advocating the formation of a dedicated political party, reflecting a call for political representation to protect their rights and ensure their safety. Hindu leaders from the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCOP) and other groups are now discussing the possibility of establishing a separate political party or demanding reserved parliamentary seats.
"We are not happy with the judicial inquiry ordered by the Orissa government. Since both Central and state governments failed to check the spread of arson in Kandhamal, there must be a CBI probe," said Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians. He observed that Christians in riot-hit areas of Kandhamal were denied the right to worship on Christmas due to widespread violence and attack on places of worship.
With tension running high in riot-hit Muzaffarnagar, the Centre on Monday offered to provide additional paramilitary forces to Uttar Pradesh to assist the local administration in dealing with the situation.
"Everyone knows the situation in Kerala. Amit Shah should tell what is wrong here...minorities in Karnataka face widespread attacks whereas religious minorities are safe in Kerala," the chief minister said, adding that Kerala is the only place where the 'communal propaganda of Sangh Parivar' is not working.
Congress MLA Mamman Khan has been arrested in connection with the July 31 Nuh violence case, police said on Friday.
'In a complex situation a PM coming was not necessary'
The Supreme Court on Monday described the violence perpetrated against women in strife-torn Manipur as of "unprecedented magnitude" and refused to consider a plea on similar alleged incidents in opposition-ruled states, such as West Bengal, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Kerala.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to give an urgent hearing to a Public Interest Litigation seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the communal violence in Muzaffarnagar and for ensuring safe passage to people stuck due to clashes.
This comes amid the row over the arrest of former priest of ISKCON Bangladesh, Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, over sedition charges, which led to protests and unrest in Bangladesh.
'Hindus have never been polarised across Maharashtra in any state election.'
The National Integration Council, which discussed ways to check communal violence, on Monday condemned all forms of violence intended to disturb communal harmony and resolved to take immediate action against those involved in it.
In the clip, which went viral on social media, an announcement on a truck-mounted sound system was heard about the call to boycott the community members, accusing them of spreading violence in Khargone.
A string of populist promises, including extension of the free ration scheme announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Mahadev betting app issue and the Hindutva card are among key factors that have catapulted the Bharatiya Janata Party to power in Chhattisgarh after five years.
Some 43 people have been detained so far for the violence which broke out on Wednesday which also resulted in injuries to at least 10 police personnel including a policewoman.
Kalita pleaded that she needed the videos and chats to prove her innocence, but the Delhi police counsel contended that her petitions were not maintainable.
The Samajwadi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party are using communal violence to polarise the voters in the state with an eye on the 2014 general elections, reports Sharat Pradhan
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