Utkarsh Mishra's impressions of the Narendra Modi roadshow in Varanasi.
Ansari was attacked by the mob on June 17 in Jharkhand's Seraikela-Kharswan district while returning from his aunt's place. He was tied to a pole and thrashed for over seven hours on charges of theft before being handed over to police.
The data reveals that under the Narendra Modi government, 99 persons have been killed and at least 703 injured in hate crimes motivated by religious bias, across 23 of 36 states and union territories in India in the time between May 2014 and April 30, 2019.
'Isn't it obvious that the BJP government in Jharkand and its police force care two hoots about the Supreme Court's orders?', asks Jyoti Punwani.
Embattled Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal walked out of the Tihar Jail on Friday evening, hours after the Supreme Court granted him interim bail in a money laundering case to enable him to campaign in the Lok Sabha elections, in a huge relief to his party struggling to gain momentum in the absence of its foremost leader.
Several states declared a holiday for schools, while government offices, other establishments and public sector banks remained closed for half a day.
Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com does a deep dive into four elections when Narendra Modi resorted to anti-Muslim fervour and points out that Hindu-Muslim politics does not necessarily mean victory for the BJP.
On seeing them, Gandhi got off his vehicle, walked up to them and shook hands with several people in the crowd.
While the Congress top brass has declined the invitation to the January 22 consecration ceremony at Ayodhya's Ram temple, the party's Uttar Pradesh unit plans to go ahead with its own event a week earlier in the holy town.
Making a blatant mockery of the great religious epic, Adipurush showcases the worst side of today's Bollywood, declares Sumeet Nadkarni.
The Opposition's stand on the Ayodhya consecration is puzzling. Their only objection seems to be that the BJP has hijacked a religious event for political benefit. In saying this, the Opposition is either being naive or hypocritical, argues Jyoti Punwani.
On the occasion of Ram Navami, the makers of Adipurush launched a new poster featuring Prabhas, Kriti Sanon, Sunny Singh and Devdatta Nage.
Restrictions on height of pyramids proved by a dampener
A day ahead of the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple, the streets and the skyline of Ayodhya have turned saffron with flags flying atop buildings, small and big, across the temple town.
"Bapu, I am here today not as a Prime Minister, but as a Hindu," said Sunak, opening his address at the gathering.
Invitees to the 'pran pratishtha' consecration ceremony at the Ram temple started arriving Sunday in Ayodhya -- once a sleepy town now resplendent with new infrastructure and gripped by heightened religious fervour on the eve of a seminal event in India's political and religious history.
Ansari was seen on national television being beaten up with rods while tied to a pole and forced to chant "Jai Shri Ram" over alleged theft in June.
The protestors chanted 'Jai Shri Ram', recited the Hanuman Chalisa and displayed placards reading "Qutub Minar should be called Vishnu Stambha", after the Hindu God Vishnu.
In a major security breach on the anniversary of the deadly 2001 Parliament terror attack, two persons on Wednesday jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the visitors' gallery, shouted slogans and released yellow smoke from canisters that triggered panic and chaos in the House.
Hindu outfits Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad are staging protests across the national capital against the Haryana violence.
The much-awaited Ram temple consecration will be held in Ayodhya on Monday in a grand ceremony with Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending the rituals, following which the shrine will be opened for the public a day later.
This election will be remembered for being the first election where the Election Commission failed to take action on gross violations involving the ruling party that repeatedly used religion, communal slurs, lies and undocumented allegations, observes Ramesh Menon.
Shaista Parveen, wife of Tabrez Ansari, said it is an attempt to save the culprits and sought a CBI investigation in the matter.
Addressing a press conference in Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh, the Congress Rajya Sabha member termed Bajrang Dal -- the youth wing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad -- a goondon ki jamat (group of goons).
'Political narrative in our country today is tilted towards Hindutva orientation and so Kejriwal becomes very dangerous to the BJP.' 'For them, he is a leader to watch.'
Every now and then Bollywood finds itself in need of divine intervention.
'Hindus and Muslims live here peacefully. People who were in the procession must be outsiders and not Jahangirpuri locals.'
A fierce competition among parties to offer freebies and guarantees, a scramble for tribal, OBC, women votes and a touch of Hindutva -- all have combined to make the Madhya Pradesh assembly polls a high-stakes battle with main rivals BJP and the Congress pulling out all the stops to gain power.
Meanwhile, many BJP members chanted 'Hanuman Chalisa' for several minutes, awaiting resumption of the House.
Wearing saffron scarves and holding saffron flags, the Bajrang Dal and VHP activists on motorcycles raised 'Jai Sriram' slogans.
The main road that leads from Sitapur Road side to the airport has been decked up with several posters carrying images of Prime Minister Modi, and a welcome message.
Police cited the final post-mortem report that said Ansari died due to cardiac arrest.
'The wife will not only abuse her husband for giving her less money, but also abuse the government.' 'Look at the price of a cooking gas cylinder, it is Rs 1,200.'
In an embarrassment to the Bharatiya Janata Party in Bihar, one of its MLAs has been accused of hurting Hindu sentiments by allegedly berating Goddess Lakshmi and Saraswati and Lord Hanuman.
The chief minister will also pray at the nearby Hanuman Garhi temple on Wednesday.
Eleven people died during a havan at Beleshwar Mahadev Jhulelal temple in Madhya Pradesh's Indore after they fell into a well as its cover caved-in under the weight of a huge crowd, while three others got fatally electrocuted during a Ram Navami procession in Rajasthan's Kota.
Delhi Police arrested five people and apprehended one minor of the same family in connection with the April 16 Delhi Jahangirpuri violence.
Despite all its drawbacks, I was engrossed in Toofaan and the intensity Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra imbues it with for most part, observes Sukanya Verma.
Mathura and Vrindavan are the birth place and 'krira sthal' of Lord Krishna. Considering Mathura and Vrindavan as holy places, lakhs of devotees from all over the country and abroad come for paying obeisance, Additional Chief Secretary Avanish Awasthi said in an official order.
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