Varanasi: A controversy has erupted over a question in a recently held MA History exam in Banaras Hindu University (BHU) here, where the students were asked to the name the book and author which mentions about ‘demolition of Adi Vishweshwar Temple by Aurangzeb’.

The question was asked at a time when the case regarding the Gyanvapi mosque – Adi Vishweshwar temple dispute is still in court.

The question has started a new row where protestors, mainly students, claim that the question is biased towards the Hindu-side in the dispute.

The question was put up in the MA History exam.

The present-day Gyanvapi mosque was allegedly the same site as Adi Vishweshwar temple devoted to the Hindu deity Shiva. These claims, however, are from Hinduism followers, and those following the Muslim religion debate the claim.

In 1991, local priests filed a petition seeking permission to worship in the Gyanvapi Mosque complex in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

Over the years, several petitions have been filed claiming that the mosque was built by demolishing parts of the Kashi Vishwanath temple.

The matter is presently in court.

Courtesy: The Daily Siasat

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Vadodara: The Delhi Public School here, which had planned to take pre-primary students to a mosque on August 5, called off the trip after the Bajrang Dal activists threatened to stage a protest at the visiting site.

The school management had sought consent from the parents of the pre-nursery students for the field trip this Friday. They were asked to submit the consent letter to respective class teachers by August 2.

On learning about it, a Bajrang Dal delegation led by Ketan Trivedi made a representation this morning seeking that the school management drop the plan.

Trivedi later told the local media that DPS principal Sinha has assured to drop the visit. Giving reason for opposing mosque visit, Trivedi said, “We don’t know the concept and agenda of school management to take students to mosque, why should students be taken to mosque or temple, if they wish can take students to industrial units or picnic spots.”

“If the school management does not stick to its assurance of dropping visit, Bajrang Dal will do what it is known for, a protest at the visiting site, and if any untoward incident occurs, school management will be responsible and not Bajrang Dal.”

DPS school management was not reachable for its comment.

Courtesy: The Daily Siasat

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Muzaffarnagar: A police officer has been suspended in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar for allegedly subjecting third-degree torture to a man who happened to be a distant relative of an accused.

According to reports, R. Rana, the Sub-Inspector (SI) of Chhapar police station in Muzaffarnagar, went to Khampur village with a team to arrest an accused named Zishan Ansari, who was wanted in a case related to cow slaughter.

He did not find the alleged accused and picked up his distant relative Farad Hakim, 40, a resident of the same village.

Hakim was taken to the police station and was subjected to third-degree torture by the SI.

Later, he was released from the police station due to pressure from the villagers.

One of the villagers recorded a video of Hakim which purportedly shows bruise marks on his body and uploaded it on social media.

After the video went viral, SSP Vineet Jaiswal took suo moto cognizance and ordered a probe.

The SSP said: “During the investigation, the sub-Inspector was found guilty. Based on the report submitted by the deputy superintendent of police, he has been suspended. A departmental inquiry will also be conducted against him.”

Courtesy: The Daily Siasat

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Dakshina Kannada: Karnataka Police investigating the murder case of Mohammad Fazil Mangalpet have arrested four persons. Police sources said on Tuesday that the accused have been picked up from various places, including Uttara Kannada, Bengaluru.

The police department had formed a special team to nab the killers headed by an ACP rank officer as per the request of Fazil’s family. Police had seized the car used for carrying out murder and arrested the owner of the vehicle Ajith Crasta (40).

Sources said the police are confident of cracking the case as they have got definite clues on the gang of murderers. They suspected the role of gang headed by Suhas, who was earlier involved in a murder and attempt to murder cases.

However, it is yet to be confirmed about the identity of the arrested persons. The police department is likely to make the announcement in this regard later in the day.

Fazil was hacked to death on July 28 in Surathkal town of Dakshina Kannada district. Opposition parties had demanded impartial probe in the murder case. Chief Minister Baavaraj Bommai had stated that the police have been given freedom to conduct investigation and nab the murderers.

It is suspected that Fazil was killed by Hindu activists in retaliation to the murder of BJP Yiuva Morcha member Praveen Kumar Nettare.

Courtesy: The Daily Siasat

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Pic from the website of saafbaat.com
 

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The bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice S. Abdul Nazeer reserved the verdict on the conclusion of arguments by senior counsel Rajeev Dhavan seeking the reconsideration of the part of 1994 top court judgment which said that a mosque was not essential to Islam for offering Namaz.

Dhavan appeared for the lead petitioner M. Siddiqui represented by his legal heir.

The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court by its September 30, 2010 verdict had ordered that the land around the disputed site would be divided into three parts — one for deity (Ramlala Virajmaan), another for Nirmohi Akhara — a Hindu sect and an original litigant in the case and third for the Muslims.

At the outset of the hearing in the apex court on Friday, the court witnessed commotion as some lawyers objected to Dhavan’s use of term Hindu Taliban and comparing the razing of Babri Mosque on December 6, 1992 to that of destruction of Buddha statues in Afghanistan’s Bamiyan by the Taliban.

Refusing to budge from his description of Hindu Taliban, Dhavan said that he stood by every word and destruction of Babri Mosque on December 6, 1992 was an act of terrorism.

As senior counsel C.S. Vaidyanathan appearing for one the Hindu litigants described arguments as “mockery”, Dhavan said: “It is an argument based on the destruction of the mosque.”

Dhavan said that the former Chief Justice, the late J.S.Verma had said that Hindus must wear the cross for the destruction of the Babri Mosque.

At this, reminding Dhavan that it was incumbent upon senior lawyers to maintain “decorum” in the court, the Chief Justice described as “inappropriate” the words used by the senior lawyer.

Taking exception to the “inappropriate adjectives” used by Dhavan, he said that “adjectives” that are used in the course of the arguments should be the ones that have the acceptance of the court.

“You may think what you may, but the court thinks it was completely inappropriate,” Chief Justice Misra said as Dhavan insisted that he did not think that the description of Hindu Taliban was inappropriate.

Dhavan said that he could differ with the bench and that will not amount to contempt.

The Chief Justice meanwhile one of the lawyers to leave the court room after he said that “thousands of temple were destroyed and you still call us Hindu Taliban”.

Things came to such a pass, that a lawyer complained that court has become a sort of parliament.

Courtesy: Two Circles
 

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He was speaking here at the formal release of his latest book “Dare I Question: Reflections on Contemporary Challenges”.

A compilation of his speeches and writings, the book (Haranand Publications/Rs 795/239 pages), examines the question: What is it to be an Indian?

He said that the pre-launch media publicity tends to suggest that the book may contain “some version of a kiss-and-tell tale but it is not true”.

“What is it to be an Indian is the question that I have raised in the preface… there is apprehension that India’s democracy could metamorphose into an illiberal, ethnic democracy based on principles of a social-political philosophy called Hindutva,” Ansari said.

He stressed that the meaning of nationalism in the context of India’s plural society and composite culture needed to be “inclusive” and move beyond mere “tolerance” to “acceptance” of diversity as a civic virtue.

The former Vice President said that secularism in the Indian context means symmetrical treatment of the different religious communities, defense of minority rights, and prevention of bigotry.

“There is an evident decline in adherence to the rule of law norms and in the efficacy of institutions — legislature, executive and judiciary. This is resulting in public disenchantment and is a matter of concern,” Ansari added.

The book contains speeches of the two-time Vice President delivered during the last year of his second term, and some during the subsequent months.

In the book’s preface, Ansari commented on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks made during his farewell event.

“Dare I Question” was launched by former Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur, Indian academic Pratap Bhanu Mehta, political journalist Aditi Phadnis and Haranand Publications Founder-Chairman Narendra Kumar.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was present on the occasion.

Courtesy: Two Circles

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A bench headed by Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice Ashok Bhushan said there was no need to perform prayers at the Taj Mahal as it dismissed a plea filed against Agra authorities’s order debarring outsiders from offering prayers on Fridays at the mosque inside the Taj Mahal complex.

“Why should people go to the Taj Mahal for prayers, there are other mosques also where they can offer their prayers,” asked the bench after petitioner Syed Ibrahim Hussain Zaidi, president of Taj Mahal Masjid Management Committee, contended that several tourists visit the city throughout the year and the order to restrain them from offering their prayers at the complex was “illegal”.

The district administration, to ensure foolproof security to the world heritage site, on January 24, ordered that only those with valid identity cards would be allowed entry to the monument complex to offer prayers on Fridays.

The Taj Mahal remains closed for tourists on Fridays.

The order, which held that entry of outsiders could adversely affect the security of the monument, came following complaints that outsiders, including Bangladeshis and non-Indians, enter the Taj Mahal complex on Fridays on the pretext of offering prayers.

Courtesy: Two Circles
 

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Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who has vehemently opposed "Hindu extremists" for violence on the set of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Padmavati" in Jaipur, says he has grown up learning to question those that govern the country.

In a post on his official Facebook page, Kashyap says, "I have been taught to engage and question those that govern us and I have been doing that since I was a student and VP Singh was the PM, followed by Congress and now BJP. I have been taught that your PM is the head of the state or country, who you can question, seek answers, argue with, but never fear him, because you chose him and he represents your well being.

"If one has to fear him than that's sad. Respect cannot be demanded it's commanded. It's earned. It does not deter me from asking and engaging."

The filmmaker, who says he has "zero political affiliation", has spoken out in reaction to the responses he received on supporting Bhansali, who faced the ire of Karni Sena activists on his "Padmavati" set in Jaipur last week.

The row was over "distortion of historical facts" in the film, which is about Alauddin Khilji, the medieval-era Delhi ruler, who fell in love with Rajput queen Padmavati.

Kashyap was one of the first film fraternity members to speak up in favour of Bhansali, and said he was ashamed to be a Rajput himself.

He has continued to support Bhansali.

"It does not matter what you say or do, attack me physically or verbally, I will voice what I feel. You mobs don't scare me, my voice will always rise over your screaming and shouting, I embrace my truth and I do not fear accusations," he added.

Kashyap maintained that he has "been taught to have the liberty to utter, argue, question freely according to my conscience, and above all, liberties. And I will always take that right… I believe in my Constitution, my rights, my liberties and I will take them and exercise them when I deem fit. So thank you for all this intense passionate love that you send my way, you are not going to stop me."

Courtesy: The News Minute

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