Supporters of the Indian Secular Front (ISF) clashed with police in West Bengal on Monday during protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act, leading to several injuries and the torching of multiple police vehicles. The clash occurred after police stopped ISF supporters from attending an anti-Waqf Act rally in Kolkata. The protests escalated when the crowd attempted to break through police barricades. The situation was brought under control after a large police force was deployed. ISF leader Naushad Siddique condemned the Waqf Act and accused the BJP of trying to incite communal tension. Meanwhile, the ruling Trinamool Congress dismissed the ISF as a "party of no consequence." Communal violence related to the Waqf Act has also occurred in other parts of West Bengal.
'For three months Raj Thackeray becomes a staunch Hindu and for the next three months he becomes anti-Hindu.'
Three individuals, including two minor boys and a 19-year-old youth, have been arrested for the brutal assault of a 17-year-old Dalit school student in Tamil Nadu. The assault, which resulted in the victim suffering severe injuries including severed fingers, is alleged to have stemmed from a dispute over a kabaddi match or a love proposal. Police are investigating the incident and have invoked provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against the accused.
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.
A court in Bangladesh on Thursday denied bail to a Hindu priest and a former International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) leader in a sedition case.
On Sunday, protestors carrying Khalistani flags clashed with people at the Hindu temple and disrupted a consular event co-organised by the temple authorities and the Indian Consulate.
Former King Gyanendra Shah was on Saturday issued a letter demanding fine by Kathmandu's civic body following the damage caused to public property and environment during the pro-monarchy protests in parts of the Nepalese capital a day before.
The cyber police in Nagpur have booked local leader Fahim Khan and five others on charges of sedition and spreading misinformation on social media during the violence that erupted in the city on Monday. The department has also sought information from Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube authorities about 230 profiles and requested their blocking.
'There's something called deterrence by punishment.' 'That means you hit in a manner calculated to raise costs and consequences for Pakistan, so that the next time it attempts a Pahalgam-like attack, it has to think ten times.'
Hindu temples in Bangladesh have been vandalised by some unidentified miscreants during Durga Puja celebrations, prompting the government to deploy paramilitary force in 22 districts after three people were killed and many others injured in riots, media reports said.
'Shivaji and Sambhaji followed the gospel of humanity. 'They did not discriminate based on religion, caste, or colour.' 'That is the beauty of Shivaji and Sambhaji's Hindvi Swaraj.'
The posters shared by Australia Today, read "Canada investigates the role of India in June 18th assassination".
'The response from the police was disgusting -- they acted as the arm of the Khalistanis -- they attacked the Hindus, they did not push the Khalistanis off. They attacked the Hindus in their own mandir'
The 'mediation' by the United States from behind the scene on the diplomatic track appears to be once again working, which calls on both Delhi and Islamabad to show restraint and pull back from a military confrontation, notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
'It is high time that the 'war on terror' is removed from our diplomatic toolbox.' 'Certainly, our parliamentarians have no role in it,' asserts Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
An explosion occurred outside a temple in Amritsar, Punjab, India, when a motorcycle-borne person threw an explosive device towards it, damaging a portion of its wall and shattering window panes. While no one was hurt in the incident, the explosion caused panic among residents. The incident has sparked concern about law and order in the state and led to accusations against the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. The police are investigating the incident and have collected samples from the site to identify the material used in the explosion.
The situation remained tense but peaceful during the day, amid heavy police deployment in the area.
India on Monday described as 'deeply regrettable' an incident of breach of the premises of Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala by a group of people protesting against the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das in the neighbouring country.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has slammed the Maha Kumbh as a "Mrityu Kumbh" (Death Kumbh), accusing the Uttar Pradesh government of suppressing the actual toll in the stampede that occurred at the religious gathering. Banerjee also criticized the lack of planning and management at the event, highlighting the plight of Bengal residents who died in the stampede. The BJP, however, has condemned Banerjee's remarks, calling her an "anti-Hindu chief minister" and accusing her of political opportunism.
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.
'It will be difficult to challenge Hindutva anymore as the police will have the power to charge you as anti-national.'
"Over the last year or even more, the kind of things that we have seen attacking Indian diplomats, threatening, intimidating, harassing Indian diplomats...Yes, the threats have increased," he added.
'It could take the form of sporadic LoC violation through heavy artillery and mortar fire, focusing on border villages where the Hindu Dogra population is predominant.'
India has expressed serious concern over the increasing incidents of violence and extremist rhetoric against minorities in Bangladesh, urging the interim government to fulfill its responsibility of protecting all minorities. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, stated that India has consistently raised the issue of threats and targeted attacks on Hindus and other minorities with the Bangladeshi government. Jaiswal emphasized that these developments cannot be dismissed as mere media exaggeration and called upon Bangladesh to take immediate steps to ensure the safety and security of minorities.
Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Ram, Laxmi, stories from the Hindu epics are seen in carvings, paintings and murals, as well as recognisable figures from mythology, like Garuda, Sheshnag, Nandi and Apsaras, notes Deepa Gahlot, savouring the beauty of Cambodia.
The Nagpur violence may have been prevented had the police considered the dangerous potential of the VHP/Bajrang Dal's demonstration; had they immediately stopped the burning of the chaddar and arrested the demonstrators; and had they fanned out to counter the rumours that spread among Muslims, observes Jyoti Punwani.
The apex court took suo motu notice of the case after patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Hindu Council Dr Ramesh Kumar met the Chief Justice on Thursday.
In a horrifying incident, Pakistani organised gangs were seen vandalising and terrorising Hindus in the United Kingdom's Leicester City.
The City of Newark Police Department in Newark, Newark, California told PTI in an emailed statement that on Friday at approximately 8.35 am, they received a report of graffiti at the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu Temple.
'The government is saying 88 Hindus have been killed, but it could be much more.' 'Their properties are being looted, their businesses have been ransacked. I am getting distress calls from there.' 'Muslims who believe in the philosophy of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman are also under attack. Most of those who have fled Bangladesh after Sheikh Hasina's fall are Muslims.'
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.
According to footage shared online, expletives have been sprayed on the road and the signage outside the temple. The temple is expected to hold a prayer meeting later in the afternoon following the incident.
A mob attacked the temple at Bhong city of Rahim Yar Khan district of the province, some 590 km from Lahore, in protest against the release of an eight-year-old Hindu boy, who was arrested for allegedly urinating in a local seminary.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 was passed in the Lok Sabha early Thursday, with 288 members supporting it and 232 against it.
Nagpur Guardian Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said social media was used to vitiate the atmosphere, and appealed to the opposition not to politicise the matter.
Kash Patel, President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the FBI, told lawmakers that he has faced racism while growing up. During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Patel said he had been subjected to threats after his personal information was released by Congress. Patel said he was called a "detestable sand nigger" and told to "go back to where you came from." He said his family members, including his father and mother, were present at Capitol Hill during the hearing. Patel said his father fled Idi Amin's genocidal dictatorship in Uganda, where 300,000 men, women and children were killed based on their ethnicity. He said his mother is originally from Tanzania. Patel said he believes that people who put politics and personal ambition over service to the country should be named and that Americans deserve transparency.
Bangladesh has summoned its Acting Deputy High Commissioner in Kolkata for urgent consultations following protests over attacks on Hindu minorities. The mission in Kolkata has witnessed multiple protests over the past week by political parties and religious groups condemning the reported atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh. In a related development, the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala, Tripura, suspended all visa and consular services on Tuesday, citing security reasons. The decision followed an incident where protesters breached the mission's premises on Monday to protest the arrest of Hindu spiritual leader Chinmoy Krishna Das in Dhaka.
The idols of deities at Shri Mari Maata Mandir in Karachi's Korangi area were attacked on Wednesday.
The Director General of Bangladesh's Border Guard (BGB), Maj Gen Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui, has denied reports of attacks on minorities in Bangladesh after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in August 2024, calling them "exaggerated." He cited the peaceful celebration of Durga Puja as evidence and pointed to the security provided by BGB to minority communities. The BGB also raised objections to India's fencing along the border during the bi-annual talks with the BSF.
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