Before the violence and rioting that erupted in Nagpur on Monday, March 17, over Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's tomb came provocative statements from various political leaders.
The Gujarat unit of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Tuesday withdrew its protest against Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Pathaan, a day before its release, expressing satisfaction over the removal of 'objectionable' contents from the film.
Allahabad High Court judge Justice Shekhar Yadav, who was embroiled in controversy for his speech at a VHP event in December, has opted out of a seminar on the Ram temple movement in the Kumbh Mela area on January 22. Yadav was scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the seminar, which is being held to mark the first anniversary of the consecration ceremony of Lord Ram Lalla in the Ayodhya temple.
The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested Gujarat police officer G L Singhal in connection with the alleged fake encounter of 19-year old student Ishrat Jahan by a team of Ahmedabad crime branch officers in 2004.
The 52-year-old leader lost from Sirathu by nearly 7,000 votes, leading to speculations of his omission from the new Adityanath-led government.
All along, we were told SIR was an essential exercise carried out as part of the Election Commission's regular duties. But now that the ideological mentor of the ruling party has declared that SIR is a means of detecting infiltrators, one understands the unseemly haste with which it is being carried out, notes Jyoti Punwani.
Gen Z may not know who these ladies are, but Uma Bharti and Sadhvi Rithambara played important roles in the Ram Mandir movement for the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allied organisations in the early 1990s.
The Gujarat high court on Tuesday granted temporary bail to Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Babu Bajrangi, serving life sentence in the 2002 Naroda Patia massacre case, to undergo treatment for an eye ailment.
In an unusual venue for a Muslim wedding, a couple on Monday married at a temple run in Rampur, Shimla, by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
US President Donald Trump has condemned the murder of an Indian-origin motel manager in Dallas, allegedly by an undocumented Cuban immigrant, blaming the Biden administration's immigration policies.
The excitement on the foundation laying ceremony of Ram Temple reverberated across the country as Ram bhakts gathered to to celebrate the groundbreaking occasion. People across the country were seen chanting 'Jai Shri Ram' and waving saffron flags. Fireworks were also burst and sweets were distributed to mark the day.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has denied rumours that a cloth with Quranic verses was burnt during a protest in Nagpur. He attributed the subsequent violence to a planned attempt to disrupt social harmony and vowed to punish those who attacked police. Fadnavis stated that the violence was triggered by false rumours about the burning of a 'chadar' with Quranic verses during a protest demanding the removal of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's tomb.
With communal clashes claiming six lives in parts of Haryana close to Delhi, the Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered enhanced deployment of security personnel in sensitive areas and a crackdown on hate speech, but refused to stop the proposed rallies by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal in the National Capital Region.
Ex-VHP president Pravin Togadia said that the Centre has reneged on its promises.
Police in Nagpur, Maharashtra, have formed 18 special teams to track down and arrest those involved in the violence that erupted in the city on Monday. As of Thursday, 69 people have been arrested in connection with the riots, while 200 accused have been identified and another 1,000 suspects are being investigated based on CCTV footage. The violence, which was sparked by rumors about a religious artifact being burnt during protests, led to injuries to 33 police personnel and damage to property.
Following the violence in Nagpur, Maharashtra's Cyber department has identified over 140 posts and videos on social media platforms that incite communal unrest. These posts, found on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube, are being removed, and legal action is being taken against the individuals responsible. The department is also investigating the origins of the violence, which was triggered by rumors of a religious artifact being burnt during protests.
Asked about VHP's future plan of action, the leader asked the media to wait till January two when it would "play its 'Hindu card' for political parties" with its charter of demands.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Friday criticised Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh for his recent remarks on yoga guru Baba Ramdev, asking him to come clean on the source of funding for his activities. "The Congress party has never acknowledged the contributions of Hindu saints towards preserving the nation's moral fabric. Digvijay Singh's recent remarks against Baba Ramdev are yet another instance of showing disrespect to Hindu saints and their contributions," he said.
The incident happened in a government higher primary school located in Faridpur, Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) Vinay Kumar said.
Police said the accused works in a burial ground and is a member of Vishwa Khabarastan Sangha.
Initially, banners were placed during the annual Kaup Marigudi festival in Udupi district, stating that non-Hindu vendors and traders should not be allowed entry.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad's Gujarat unit had opposed the move of the state government to seek death penalty for former minister Maya Kodnani and others in the 2002 post-Godhra riots case, Parishad leader Pravin Togadia said on Wednesday.
Activists of the Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Friday threw rotten tomatoes at couples celebrating Valentine's Day on the banks of Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad.
Amidst demand for action against Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Praveen Togadia for allegedly making provocative speeches, the Centre has asked the Maharashtra government to probe the charges and book the Hindu outfit leader if he is found to be violating laws.
In a video shared by the VHP, activists can be seen shouting slogans and tearing posters as well as large cut-outs of Pathaan's star cast.
Normal life disrupted in Assam during a statewide bandh called by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and supported by the Bharatiya Janata Party and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad.
The Vishva Hindu Parishad on Wednesday raised objections to the portrayal of Lord Ram, Lakshman and Ravana in the teaser of Adipurush, claiming that it 'ridiculed Hindu society'.
The VHP president said that it is beyond understanding that the administration is denying permission for a peaceful Yatra.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Monday said that construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya is on its agenda.
Sharat Pradhan reports on how the Maha Kumbh at Allahabad is fast turning into a political playground
The BJP was leveraging Hindu religious leaders who'd banded under the Vishwa Hindu Parishad for building a Ram temple at the site of a masjid, notes Aditi Phadnis.
The principal of a private school in Goa has been suspended after a right wing organisation filed a police complaint that some students of class 11 were allegedly taken to a mosque for a workshop and made to perform religious rituals there.
Top VHP leaders, including Ashok Singhal, Pravin Togadia and Giriraj Kishore, have already in Kolkata for the event.
The real surprise in these results came from Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM. Of the 29 Muslim candidates who got elected to the 227-strong BMC, the Congress and the AIMIM between them bagged 22.
The UK Hindu organizations are urging the European parliament to adopt the report in its entirety, without making any of the 400 and off amendments sought by the Pakistan government.
Concerned over reports of United States President-elect Barack Obama's transition team member Sonal Shah's links with right-wing Hindu groups, some Indian-Americans have expressed fear that it might possibly influence the US policies towards India
"Whatever the sants decide, we will certainly execute that," VHP vice-president Acharya Giriraj Kishore.
Amid raging controversy over statements by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Giriraj Singh and Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Pravin Togadia, BJP prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that he disapproved of "petty" statements by those claiming to be BJP's well-wishers as they are deviating from the campaign.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Acharya Dharmendra warned the Madhya Pradesh government that unless criminal cases filed against Bhojshala devotees since 2006 were withdrawn "unconditionally" by March 9, religious leaders would take nationwide action.
Faizabad-Ayodhya Babri Masjid Action Committee convenor Mohammed Yunus Siddiqui said the comments about Jinnah may have been Advani's 'personal opinion' and similar views had been expressed by other leaders in the past.
