Katrina Lantos Swett, chair, United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, tells Rediff.com's Aziz Haniffa that the USCIRF will be uncompromising about denying Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi entry into the US.
The action followed Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's directions during his last week's review meeting on law and order with senior officials.
The Supreme Court on Monday said it would hear on February 3 a batch of pleas challenging controversial state laws regulating religious conversions due to interfaith marriages.
A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Sanjay Kumar issued notice to the Chembur Trombay Education Society, which runs the 'N G Acharya and D K Marathe College', and sought its response by November 18.
Canadian Member of Parliament Chandra Arya also condemned the violence and said that a "red line has been crossed" by Khalistani extremists, highlighting the rise of brazen violent extremism in Canada.
Uttam Ghosh offers his take on the violence which has hit Delhi since Monday colliding with two day visit of United States President Donald Trump to India.
Standing near the noose, he recited a couplet in which he said he wished nothing but to sacrifice his life for the motherland. Utkarsh Mishra remembers Ram Prasad Bismil on the revolutionary leader's 128th birth anniversary.
The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said that if Hindus are safe, then Muslims are also safe in his state.
With Eid festival and Akshaya Tritiya likely to fall on the same day next month and many other festivals lined up in the coming days, Adityanath said the police needs to be extra cautious.
'The irony of this country is that the party in Opposition and the party in power both depend on Muslims.'
Bangladesh police on Monday arrested Das, the leader of the Hindu group, Sammilita Sanatani Jote, from the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport area in Dhaka.
The official said that India is a true democracy with a vibrant civil society, a free press and an independent judiciary.
The move comes days after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's directive for restricting the volume of loudspeakers at religious places in order to avoid trouble to people living nearby.
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They also requested the full bench of the HC to make a leeway to attend classes with headscarves as the court's interim order had suspended their 'fundamental rights'.
RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale has criticized the Karnataka government's decision to provide four per cent reservation for Muslims in government contracts, stating that the Constitution does not allow religion-based quotas. He also said that such reservations go against the wishes of B R Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution. He also spoke about the controversy over Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's grave in Maharashtra, stating that people who went against the ethos of India were made icons. Hosabale lauded figures like Rajput king Maharana Pratap for resisting Mughal emperor Akbar and said those who resisted invaders were also "freedom fighters". He also spoke about the RSS's idea of 'One Nation, One Culture', stating that it draws inspiration from India's rich cultural heritage and ethos.
Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate also shared the video and said the BJP leader is openly threatening to kill the Leader of the Opposition of this country.
The BJP government in Gujarat has formed a five-member committee, headed by a retired Supreme Court judge, to assess the need for the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state and to draft a bill for the same. The committee will submit its report within 45 days. The decision has sparked debate with the Opposition claiming it is an attempt to divert attention from pressing issues ahead of the upcoming local body polls, while the government insists the UCC will protect the rights of tribal communities. The committee will consult with religious leaders, including those from the Muslim community.
Though MEA did not clarify the individuals being referred to, it is being seen as a reference to US lawmakers critical of India on the issue of the Delhi violence.
'We also urge you to take steps to control the activities of groups, such as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh,' said the letter signed by 34 top American lawmakers.
It took Udham Singh 21 years to avenge the massacre of Jallianwala Bagh. And 34 years for his remains to return to India after execution in a British prison.
Addressing a press conference, Trump described Modi as a "terrific" leader and India as a "tremendous country".
'You have to separate the concept of India as a nation State which is very young and the Upanishadic wisdom which is timeless.'
'The Indian government has accepted and is a party to international agreements, standards and conventions on religious freedom.' 'We did not force it on them. We are not trying to impose something on them that they haven't already agreed to...' 'India has never allowed us to visit, which is very disappointing for such a wonderful country with such a rich democratic tradition. They seem to be afraid to let us in.'
A senior State Department official, on condition of anonymity, said that he has met with officials in India about what is taking place in the nation and expressed concern. The US has also 'expressed desire first to try to help and work through some of these issues', the official said.
Senators said Pak's discriminatory laws continue to result in prosecution of individuals due to their faith.
The US of late has seen a rise in Hinduphobia which needs to be fought because there is no place for hatred in this country, Indian-American Congressman Shri Thanedar has said, as he joined a group of Hindu leaders and organisations seeking to fight this growing hate crime against the community.
'Initially, I didn't think much of him. But when I walked alongside him, I realized he has what it takes.'
The Supreme Court on Friday junked a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into alleged use of animal fat in making Tirupati laddus under the previous Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy-led regime.
'The new Waqf bill sows the seed for conflict in every town and village of India.'
A garland presented to Mahatma Gandhi during the iconic Dandi March of the Indian freedom struggle in 1930 failed to meet its estimated price at a UK auction. The garland, which was presented to Gandhi by the wife of his personal physician, Dr Balvantrai N Kanuga, was offered as part of an "Islamic and Indian Art" sale by Lyon & Turnbull in London. Despite failing to find a buyer at the auction, the auction house said it has received significant interest since the sale and hopes to sell it to the highest bidder.
The top court granted the relief to the accused noting that he was in custody since May 21, 2023, and the charge sheet has been submitted on July 19, 2023.
The government has to specify what it intends to do with caste census data. It will be closely tracked if the government would simultaneously move towards removing the present 50% bar on reservations using means which are permitted in law. If this is not done, the entire exercise will become meaningless and could boomerang on the BJP, observes Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
In a statement issued on Monday, the US Commission for International Religious Freedom said that it was deeply troubled over the passage of the bill in Lok Sabha.
A bipartisan Congressional resolution has been introduced in the House of Representatives calling on the US government to continue the policy of denying a visa to BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on the grounds of religious freedom violations.
'India's reputation is not and cannot be dependent on the whimsical opinions of some obscure foreign advisory committee packed with Hindu-phobic acolytes,' declares Vivek Gumaste.
Strongly condemning a series of terror attacks this week targeting Pakistani Shia Muslims, a US Congress-established body on religious freedom today asked the Obama Administration to impress upon Islamabad to ensure protection of minorities in the country.
The court had warned a "very difficult situation" will emerge if proselytisation through deception, allurement and intimidation is not stopped.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the move, saying he was carrying out President Donald Trump's orders. "Today, I am announcing visa restrictions on current and former CCP officials who are believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy, as guaranteed in the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration or undermining human rights and fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong," Pompeo said.
In more than one way, it's a setback for the DMK and Chief Minister Stalin in political terms. The electoral fall-out, if any, will have to wait until the next summer, only when assembly elections are due in the state, explains N Sathiya Moorthy.
