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.
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 52-year-old leader lost from Sirathu by nearly 7,000 votes, leading to speculations of his omission from the new Adityanath-led government.
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.
In seniority in the BJP leadership team, V K Malhotra, who passed into the ages this week, was next only to Atal Bihari Vajpayee, L K Advani and Nanaji Deshmukh, notes Sudhir Bisht.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Nagpur municipal chief has offered an unconditional apology to the Bombay High Court for the demolition of houses belonging to accused in a riots case, citing ignorance of Supreme Court guidelines on such actions. The civic officials were unaware of the Supreme Court's order, which mandates procedural safeguards before demolishing properties linked to riots accused, the commissioner stated in an affidavit. The court has granted the Maharashtra government two weeks to respond to the matter.
Police said the accused works in a burial ground and is a member of Vishwa Khabarastan Sangha.
Union Minister Ramdas Athawale has voiced his opposition to the demand for demolition of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's grave in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, saying its removal will not serve any purpose. Athawale said that since Aurangzeb was buried there, his tomb should remain undisturbed. The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar administration has barred Hindutva leader Milind Ekbote from entering the district from March 16 to April 5 amid calls from some outfits to remove Aurangzeb's grave. Security has been heightened around the site and visitors are being checked thoroughly.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has moved back its office in New Delhi to its old address following the near completion of the rebuilding project spread across over 3.75 acre premises, housing three 13-storey towers and around 300 rooms and offices in total.
The incident happened in a government higher primary school located in Faridpur, Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) Vinay Kumar said.
Ex-VHP president Pravin Togadia said that the Centre has reneged on its promises.
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.
The VHP president said that it is beyond understanding that the administration is denying permission for a peaceful Yatra.
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.
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 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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has hit out at the Opposition for initiating impeachment notices against Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar and Allahabad high court's Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav, saying 'whoever speaks the truth' is threatened in this way.
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.
Top VHP leaders, including Ashok Singhal, Pravin Togadia and Giriraj Kishore, have already in Kolkata for the event.
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.
Chandra Mohan, a final year Master of Visual Arts student at The Maharaja Sayajirao University was arrested by Sayajiganj police.
