Right-wing organizations, including Bajrang Dal and All India Karni Sena, held a 'shuddhikaran' (purification) ceremony and chanted Hanuman chalisa at a long-abandoned Shiva temple in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. The temple, located in a Muslim-majority locality, was "reopened" by members of these groups. The ceremony took place on Wednesday night amid tight security measures. Local residents, including a former Aligarh Mayor, have voiced concerns over the state of the temple and called for its restoration.
Remarks by Congress and NCP (SP) leaders in Maharashtra suggesting the term 'Sanatani terrorist' have sparked a controversy, drawing strong criticism from the BJP, which accuses them of 'Hindu hatred' and 'appeasement politics'.
Weeks after violent clashes over a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid, the district administration in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, has launched a campaign against encroachments and illegal power theft in the area around the historic mosque. The administration began removing encroachments on Sunday morning, focusing on clearing drains outside houses and shops. The operation uncovered an illegal stockpile of domestic gas cylinders in a house, and the electricity department unearthed illegal connections in four mosques and a madrasa. The Bhasma Shankar temple, which was reopened by the district administration, has resumed regular worship.
Member of Parliament Navneet Rana and her MLA husband Ravi Rana have "undoubtedly crossed the line of freedom of speech" guaranteed under the Constitution, but mere expression of derogatory or objectionable words may not be a sufficient ground for invoking the charge of sedition against them, a special court in Mumbai has said.
The British prime minister, who is of Indian origin, has often emphasised his Hindu roots and said he is proud of it.
'Valmiki has not written anything about Hanuman's caste.' 'I want to clarify that Hanuman was not a Vanar, but an Adivasi.'
All the issues around which the grand old party wanted to fight the May 10 assembly elections have been put on the backburner as party state president DK Shivakumar in damage control mode took up a temple run.
Amravati MLA Ravi Rana has claimed Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray head and former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray will join the Modi government in 15 days after the Lok Sabha election results come out on Tuesday.
'When the accused has a past record demonstrating unprecedented and unmatched criminality and perversion, I believe the interests of justice would have been better served if such a person remained behind bars.'
Thackeray said the BJP had given loudspeakers to its A, B, and C teams and asked them to visit Aurangzeb's tomb and recite Hanuman Chalisa.
Raut claimed Navneet Rana received a loan of Rs 80 lakh from Yusuf Lakdawala, who was arrested in a money laundering case.
Couples -- young and old -- celebrated Valentine's Day on Tuesday with flowers and gifts even as a few right-wing outfits played spoilsport in some parts of the country.
Wearing saffron scarves and holding saffron flags, the Bajrang Dal and VHP activists on motorcycles raised 'Jai Sriram' slogans.
Meanwhile, many BJP members chanted 'Hanuman Chalisa' for several minutes, awaiting resumption of the House.
Hindu outfits that took out a march in Kullu demanding the demolition of the mosque were involved in a scuffle with the police on Monday.
A controversy has erupted over namaaz allegedly being offered during a cultural event at a private school in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh, a claim rejected by officials.
Several Muslim families in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, have adopted Hindu surnames such as Dubey, Pandey, and Tiwari, claiming their ancestors were Brahmins. This follows a campaign by the Vishal Bharat Sansthan, which aims to "reconnect people with their roots" and reduce religious conflict. The campaign has sparked controversy, with some accusing families of converting their religion. The local police are investigating the situation and have deployed extra personnel in the area as a preventive measure.
The move came after the Lok Sabha Privilege and Ethics Committee asked the Home Ministry to seek a report from the Maharashtra government.
The actress seems to be taking great pains to cover it.
A day after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray reiterated his warning to take down loudspeakers from mosques by May 3, the state home department on Monday stated that the use of loudspeakers at religious sites will only be allowed with due permission.
Modi should implement the Uniform Civil Code in this country, Thackeray said.
Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt on Thursday surrendered before a designated TADA court in south Mumbai to serve a three-and-a-half year sentence in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case.
Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Pandey on Tuesday said the police was ready to deal with anybody trying to create disturbance in the city.
As the Aam Aadmi Party heads for a resounding win in Delhi, Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf lists the reasons behind Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's triumph.
'We don't feel that the law and order situation will turn bad because of our agitation.'
While America celebrated Independence Day, Parikh is living in a little village in Gujarat, attempting to recover from the scars of his months in an American prison, and musing on the events of July 4, two years ago.
Jayant Naiknavare, who took over as the Nashik commissioner of police last week, has cancelled the order given by his predecessor Deepak Pandey over loudspeakers.
After the anti-halal meat drive, right-wing outfits led by Bajrang Dal and Sriram Sena have now called for a ban on loudspeakers in mosques.
There is no provision for the state government to either install or remove loudspeakers, Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil said on Monday after an all-party meeting on the issue.
Walse Patil said MNS chief Raj Thackeray will also be invited for the meeting.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray will not participate in the all-party meeting called by the state government to resolve the loudspeaker dispute, MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande said on Monday.
Temples across Uttar Pradesh were packed with devotees on Sunday for Ram Navami, with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath leading prayers at the Gorakhnath Temple. Heavy crowds were witnessed at temples in Lucknow, Gorakhpur, and Varanasi, where security was heightened. In Gorakhpur, Adityanath performed the traditional kanya pujan ritual, while in Varanasi, a 51-foot statue of Lord Ram has become a major attraction. The festival was celebrated with enthusiastic fervor across the state.
"It is a victory of all and every family who considered me their son and gave us a huge mandate. In the country today, Delhiites have given birth to a new kind of politics, which is called 'kam ki rajniti' (politics of works)," Kejriwal, who won the New Delhi seat, said.
Hindu outfits Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad are staging protests across the national capital against the Haryana violence.
MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar met Maharashtra Home Minister over a letter threatening Thackeray.
Independent MP Navneet Rana and her MLA-husband Ravi on Monday said they will approach Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to raise the issue of their alleged ill-treatment by Maharashtra authorities when the couple was in jail recently.
A group of men from West Bengal were handed over to the police by Vishwa Hindu Parishad members in Shahjahanpur for allegedly offering namaaz on the roadside.
Singh said that children who study in missionary schools lack "sanskaar".
