According to police officials, the bodies of the couple were buried behind a temple on the outskirts of the village and were recovered following the confession of the accused. As reported by The Quint, the main accused have been identified as Rinku Saini and Satish Saini, Kajal’s brothers, while a third brother has also been named in the FIR. Two of the accused have been arrested so far.

Arman, aged 27, had reportedly been working in Saudi Arabia and had returned to India a few months ago, during which time he was residing in Moradabad. It was during this period that he met Kajal Saini, 22, and the two entered into a romantic relationship. However, Kajal’s brothers were strongly opposed to the interfaith relationship and had allegedly pressured her to end it, as reported by NDTV.

Approximately three days before the recovery of the bodies, both Arman and Kajal went missing. Arman’s father, Haneef, subsequently lodged a missing persons complaint at Pakwara Police Station. During the investigation, police discovered that Kajal was also untraceable, raising further suspicion.

Upon questioning Kajal’s brothers, police say they confessed to murdering the couple. Based on their disclosure, the accused led investigators to the burial site. The bodies were exhumed in the presence of a magistrate and sent for post-mortem examination, following due legal procedure.

Shockingly, the accused told investigators that they had tied the hands and legs of both victims before hacking them to death, an account that has intensified concerns around premeditated violence driven by notions of family “honour,” as reported by NDTV.

Confirming the developments, Satpal Antil, Senior Superintendent of Police, Moradabad, stated:

“During the investigation, it was found that the woman’s brothers murdered both individuals. After they confessed, the bodies were recovered at their instance. The spade used in the crime has also been seized.”

थाना पाकबड़ा क्षेत्रान्तर्गत ग्राम उमरी में एक युवक व युवती की हत्या के प्रकरण में थाना पाकबड़ा पर सुसंगत धाराओं में अभियोग पंजीकृत किया गया है। पुलिस द्वारा त्वरित कार्यवाही करते हुए 02 आरोपी भाईयो को हिरासत में लिया जा चुका है प्रकरण में अन्य आवश्यक विधिक कार्यवाही प्रचलित है। pic.twitter.com/3KVkT2Vp4b

— MORADABAD POLICE (@moradabadpolice) January 21, 2026

Police have registered a case at Pakwara Police Station under Crime Number 18/26, invoking Sections 103(1) and 238 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), based on a complaint filed by Arman’s family. The incident has sparked outrage and renewed concerns over honour-based violence, particularly targeting interfaith relationships, in Uttar Pradesh and beyond. Further investigation is underway, and police have stated that action will be taken against all those found involved in the crime.

Related:

Street Pressure, State Power, and the Criminalisation of Choice: How Hindutva groups are pushing Maharashtra’s anti-conversion law

Allahabad HC: Quashes FIR under draconian UP ‘Anti-Conversion Act’, warns state authorities against lodging ‘Mimeographic Style’ FIRs

Allahabad HC slams overzealous police action, says distributing Bibles or preaching Christianity is not an offence under UP conversion law

A New Silence: The Supreme Court’s turn toward non-interference in hate-speech cases

The post Interfaith couple tied, hacked to death in Moradabad; woman’s brothers arrested in alleged honour killing appeared first on SabrangIndia.

In UP’s Sambhal, lawyers protest against the transfer of chief judicial magistrate Vibhanshu Sudheer. His transfer is purportedly linked two seperate orders of registration of FIRs against policemen including ASP Anuj Chaudhary. pic.twitter.com/XNVrUYCTGB

— Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) January 21, 2026

The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday, January 20, transferred 14 judicial officers, including the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) of Sambhal Vibhanshu Sudheer.Aditya Singh, the Civil Judge, Senior Division, Sambhal at Chandausi, has replaced Sudheer.

Sudheer, who has now been made Civil Judge, Senior Division, Sultanpur, had on January 19 ordered Sambhal police to lodge an FIR against then Circle Officer (CO) Anuj Chaudhary and SHO in connection with the shooting of a youth during the November 2024 Sambhal violence. The Sambhal police had stated that they would move the Allahabad High Court against the CJM court’s order.

Sudheer an upright judicial officer transferred several times

A social media user posted how Vidhanshu Sudheer, the chief judicial magistrate in UP’s Sambhal who had ordered an FIR against ASP Anuj Chaudhary and other police officers was transferred for the third time in less than a year!

Vibhanshu Sudheer, the chief judicial magistrate in UP’s Sambhal who ordered registration of FIR against ASP Anuj Chaudhary and other policemen, was transferred for the third time in less than a year. pic.twitter.com/ltASN2jADU

— Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) January 21, 2026

Attack on judicial independence

Severely criticising this serious slur on judicial independence, social media users likened this action by the higher judiciary to the transfer of Justice Muralidhar (Delhi HC, now retired) in 2020 after his midnight hearing and castigation of hate speech by BJP leaders who had uttered inciteful words like “Goli Maro Saalo ko.”

Muralidhar transferred after Delhi riots order. Justice Sreedharan transferred after order in BJP leader Vijay Shah’s hate speech case. Vibhanshu Sudheer transferred after directing FIR against police officers in Sambhal violence. What does this tell us about judicial…

— Ashish Goel (@ashish_nujs) January 21, 2026

This user even reminder the conscientious public how –in a publicised change of heart –even the Supreme Court Collegium notified the transfer of Justice Atul Sreedharan to the Allahabad HC and not to Chhattisgarh where he would have been senior most Judge! The Collegium made it public that the action was under the Union Government’s ‘advise’. This became public in October 2025. Earlier last year, Justice Sreedharan had ordered an FIR against BJP minister Vijay Shah for his “scurrilous language” against an Indian Army Officer, Colonel Sofia Quraishi, who was one of the representatives of the Indian army who had briefed the media during Operation Sindoor last May.

Trajectory of Transfer: On August 25, 2025, the Supreme Court Collegium, comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai and Justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, J.K. Maheshwari, and B.V. Nagarathna, had first recommended the transfer of 14 judges, including Justice Sreedharan, from the Madhya Pradesh High Court to the Chhattisgarh High Court. However, two months later, on October 14, the Supreme Court Collegium withdrew its recommendation to transfer Justice Sreedharan to Chhattisgarh at the request of the Union Government. Instead, the SC decided to transfer him to the Allahabad High Court instead. Followed by this was a much-publicised statement published on the Supreme Court’s website, which stated that the decision to modify the recommendation was made following a “reconsideration sought by the Government.” No reasons were provided for the government-sought reconsideration of the Collegium’s recommendation publicly. This was the first time, the Collegium has publicly acknowledged that it revisited—and changed—its decision at the Government’s request

Fourteen transfers by Allahabad HC

In the transfer order released by Registrar General of Allahabad High Court, January 2026, Harendra Nath, Additional District & Sessions Judge (Fast Track Court), Kannauj, has been made Additional District & Sessions Judge/Special Judge, Kannauj in the exclusive POCSO case Court, replacing Alaka Yadav, who will be joining as Additional District & Sessions Judge/Special Judge, Gonda.

Special Judge/Additional District & Sessions Judge, Gonda, Vikas has been made Additional District & Sessions Judge (Fast Track Court), Gonda, for trying cases of crime against women.

Urooj Fatima, Additional Civil Judge, Senior Division, Sitapur will be joining as Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Sitapur, replacing Anshu Shukla.

Meanwhile, Anshu Shukla has been made Civil Judge, Senior Division, Sitapur, replacing Gaurav Prakash, who will be taking charge of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Sitapur. Prakash has replaced Rajendra Kumar Singh, who will be the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kannauj.

He has replaced Shraddha Bhartiya, who has been made Civil Judge, Senior Division, Kannauj, replacing Jyotsna Yadav, who will now be Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kannauj.

She has replaced Sneha, who has been made Secretary (Full Time), District Legal Services Authority in Kannauj. Outgoing Sambhal CJM Vibhanshu Sudheer has replaced Alunkrita Shakti Tripathi, who will be Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate in Sultanpur, replacing Shubham Verma. Verma will be joining as Additional Civil Judge, Senior Division/Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Sultanpur.

Related:

“Sambhal: Anatomy of an Engineered Crisis”- How a peaceful Muslim-majority town was turned into a site of manufactured communal conflict

Sambhal Custodial Death: A systemic failure exposed

Supreme Court blocks execution of Nagar Palika’s order regarding well near Sambhal Mosque, prioritises peace and harmony

The post CJM who ordered FIR against police for 2024 Sambhal violence case transferred by Allahabad HC, new trend? appeared first on SabrangIndia.

It was a single-judge bench of Justice Ashwin D Bhobe issued notice to the respondents and posted the next hearing to February 4. Senior advocate Sudeep Pasbola, represented Dr Patil and submitted that there was urgency in the matter. His client had come to India from the UK on his own and was unaware of the FIR registered against him, he added.

Advocate General Milind Sathe, for the state government, said that Patil “seems to be connected with the other (social media) post and he seems to be not cooperating” with the agency. Sathe stated that a reply to the plea, if any, will be filed within a week, which the court accepted.

The Crime Branch of the Mumbai police detained Patil on January 10 on his arrival at the Mumbai international airport. After 15 hours of questioning, he was later prevented, 10 days later, on January 19, from leaving for the UK. On January 21, he recorded his second statement before the police.

Patil has been charged with offences under Section 353 (2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which provides a maximum three-year punishment for publishing, circulation of statement, false information, rumour leading to feeling of enmity and hatred between communities through electronic means. The social media post that has attracted such frenetic ire from the authorities reportedly related to high BJP functionaries.

The NM Joshi Marg police station in Mumbai registered an FIR based on a complaint by BJP media cell functionary Nikhil Bhamre, who claimed that he came across objectionable content posted on a Facebook page named ‘Shehar Vikas Aghadi’ on December 14 last year, with disinformation on the BJP and its leaders. Dr Patil has maintained that he simply forwarded a post of other leaders like Subramaniam Swamy with a mere content, asking why there has been no action against them.

Petition

The Writ Petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, read with Section 528 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, seeking quashing of FIR No. 0672/2025 dated 18/12/2025 registered with N.M. Joshi Marg Police Station, Mumbai, under Section 353(2) BNSS. The petition argues that the impugned FIR is based on alleged posts on Facebook, which constitute statements of fact and expressions of free speech. The FIR does not disclose the essential ingredients of any cognisable offence, lacks mens rea, alleges no violence or public disorder, and is manifestly malicious, filed by a political functionary to suppress dissent. Besides, the petition states that the continuation of the investigation amounts to abuse of the process of law and squarely falls within the parameters laid down in State of Haryana v. Bhajan Lal.

In the petition Dr Patil seeks the quashing of both the LOC and the FIR No 0672/2025 registered against him at the NM Joshi Police Station on December 18, 2025.

The Petition also states that the FIR does not allege any incitement to violence, threat to public order, or disturbance of public tranquillity. The complaint or FIR does not specify the group of religious, racial, language or regional groups or Caste or communities in which hatred or ill will is promoted by the post. The FIR does not specify whether the silence of the followers is false information or rumour or alarming news. The FIR does not specify how the feeling of enmity or hatred, or ill will, can be generated or actually generated by stating that blind followers remain silent. Also, the impugned FIR does not reproduce the alleged posts verbatim, nor does it disclose the exact words, context, or content which allegedly constitute an offence under Section 353(2) BNS. The allegations are purely subjective and stem from political disagreement.

The Petition argues that the most subjective part of the FIR is which political leader who is defamed by the post is not mentioned. A vague apprehension is expressed about the senior leaders of the party by the complainant. Thereafter the Petition quotes from the invoked Section 353(2) BNS which states that, “    _

(2) Whoever makes, publishes or circulates any statement or report containing false iriformation, rumour or alarming news, including through electronic means, with intent to create or promote, or which is likely to create or promote, on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, caste or community or any other ground whatsoever, feelings of enmity, hatred or ill will between different religious, racial, language or regional groups or castes or communities shall be punished with imprisonment which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both.”

The Petition states that ‘there are three important ingredients in the impugned section:I) The statement should be false or rumour, or alarming news. 2) the statement should create a feeling of enmity, hatred or ill will, and 3) There should be specific religious, racial, language or regional groups or castes or communities involved. None of these three components is fulfilled in the said post.

Besides, states the Petition, the FIR has been registered after an unexplained delay of several days from the alleged date of posting, despite the content being publicly accessible. Respondent Number 5 is admittedly the social media coordinator of a political party, and the complaint is motivated by political fear “with the sole intention to intimidate and harass and silence the voice of the people. The petitioner is harassed not for any offence but to teach a lesson to other people to set a precedent of deterrence.

Further, the Petition goes on to state that “the Police Inspector of N .M Joshi Marg Police Station, Mr. Vilas Rane, i.e. the Respondent No. 1, has mechanically registered the FIR without any preliminary enquiry or investigation and non-application of mind, thereby acting with malicious intent and in misuse of police powers, at the behest of Respondent No.5.

Seeking the quashing of both the LOC issued by the authorities pursuant to the FIR registered, Dr Patl has alleged that he faced “faced inconvenience, mental agony, harassment and defamation because of the illegal and unnecessary issuance of the LOC.” Besides he states that he has incurred financial loss as he missed his flight and the opportunity cost of working at his destination workplace. The continuation of LOC is a continuation of harassment by way of using the procedure as punishment. In any case, the FIR that has sought to be quashed is, the Petition states, “an instance of misuse of criminal law to achieve a political vendetta and suppress any kind of different political view or opinion.”

The state is expected to file its response within a week and the next hearing is on Tuesday, February 4.

Related:

Dr Sangram Patil detained by Mumbai Crime Branch, move sharply condemned

The post Bombay HC: Notice to Maharashtra state, police on UK doctor, Sangram Patil’s petition seeking quashing of LOC & FIR appeared first on SabrangIndia.

By a remarkable coincidence, the Muslim woman’s blood group matched the Hindu man, and the Hindu woman’s blood group matched the Muslim man. Understanding the situation, both women made a thoughtful and humane decision and agreed to exchange donors, giving both men a new lease on life.

At a time when when hatred-driven politics and people spreading religious animosity push others to turn against one another, this scene offers a much-needed sense of hope and reassurance.

Thanks Sakal newspaper for this story of Everyday Harmony (: हिंदूची किडनी मुस्लिमाच्या; तर मुस्लिमाची किडनी हिंदूच्या शरीरात; तुम्हीच सांगा, या किडनीचा धर्म कोणता?)

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Closed doors of the operation theatre. Outside, the anxious heartbeats of relatives. There was neither religion nor caste here—only the will to live. Driven solely by love for their dear ones, a Hindu woman’s kidney was transplanted into a Muslim man, and a Muslim woman’s kidney into a Hindu man. This surgery was carried out at Care Sigma Hospital.

In the city, campaigning for the municipal corporation elections has come to an end. In some wards, the election turned into a Hindu–Muslim issue instead of focusing on development and civic concerns. While all this coloured the public sphere, elsewhere a Hindu woman donated her kidney to a Muslim man, and a Muslim woman donated her kidney to a Hindu man, saving their lives.

The surgery was performed at the Care Sigma Hospital. The kidneys of two men—one Hindu and one Muslim—had failed. They were undergoing treatment, but there was no option other than a kidney transplant. Not wanting to lose their life partners, with whom they had shared a lifetime of summers and monsoons and stood together through joy and sorrow, both wives agreed to donate their kidneys.

However, a problem arose because the blood groups did not match, so neither woman could donate a kidney to her own husband. As a result, both were left helpless. Meanwhile, the Muslim woman’s blood group matched the Hindu patient, and the Hindu woman’s blood group matched the Muslim patient—because blood is neither saffron nor green; it is simply blood.

Senior nephrologists at the hospital, Dr. Pradeep Saruk and Dr. Shrikant Deshmukh, counseled both families. After that, the women decided to donate their kidneys to each other’s husbands. As a result, not only were two lives saved, but a new bond of blood was formed beyond the walls of religion.

During this entire process, valuable support was provided by anesthetist Dr. Pramod Apsingekar and his colleagues, transplant coordinator Vishal Narwade, OT technicians, and other staff members. For this, the hospital’s Managing Director Dr. Unmesh Takalkar, Director Dr. Manisha Takalkar, and Chief Operating Officer Sameer Pawar congratulated the entire team.

Related:

In Grief, She Chose Peace: Himanshi Narwal appeals for communal harmony on slain Lt Vinay Narwal’s birthday

Harmony in diversity: Surendra Mehta’s mission of unity at Kullu’s Pir Baba shrine

Tamil Nadu sets example of communal harmony amidst a polarised country

The post A rare yet heart-warming coincidence: Hindu-Muslim Kidney transplant appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Shivsena UBT Candidate Roshani Gaikwad Move Mumbai highcourt against Chunav Aayog Officers.#ShivsenaUBT #mumbai #ward3 #dahisar #Roshnigaikwad pic.twitter.com/26GwYo5mHR

— Roshni Kore Gaikwad (@Roshniatwork) January 19, 2026

When Roshni Gaikwad raised an objection, asking how the postal ballots had been opened, all the Returning Officer (RO) –a woman—told Gaikwad that she could check the CCTV footage and that it would show the ballots being opened. Gaikwad reportedly said, ‘Alright, show it to me.’ The CCTV footage was shown, but nowhere did it show the postal ballots being opened, nor did it show how many postal ballots there were. Roshni Gaikwad was contesting from Ward 3 in Dahisar East, and the other Candidate was/is BJP’s Prakash Darekar who won.

At the next step, when again all candidates were again checking the CCTV footage during the EVM process, the EVM machines were already placed there. All the seals on the EVM machines had been opened, she says in her post. The strings and seals that are normally tied and sealed were all open and cut. Again, Gaikwad raised objections again, saying that if these seals were not opened in front of us, or in front of our representatives, then the counting had to be stopped/abandoned.

In response, the RO reportedly told her, “if I created too much ‘drama’ there or caused any obstruction in the counting, they would call the police and throw her out of the premises. This threat was given to her by the RO on the spot. “After that, they forcibly started the counting. All the candidates from that ward number protested, however the ‘RO madam’ did not listen to anyone, and the counting went ahead.”

The Returning Officer in question is reportedly Sheetal Deshmukh, Election officer R/North Ward according to the official records of the BMC.

“The first round of counting was completed, then the second round, and after the third round, the madam said that the third round was the final round. When she announced the total votes, the highest number of votes was being shown for Prakash Darekar. When I asked her to tell me the total number of votes, she said it was 19,180.” Again Roshni Gaikwad raised objections. “I said that if 26,651 votes had been cast the previous day, then where was the account of the remaining 7,000 votes? Where had they gone?”

“….At that point, the madam went inside her cabin. I do not know what discussions took place there for 15–20 minutes. After that, she came out and said that they would conduct a re-counting.The re-counting began again, and once again three rounds were completed. Then the madam again said that the third round was the final round. Even then, when she announced the total votes, the number was 25,913, not the total of the previous day-26,651 votes!”

I raised my voice again and said, “Madam, even now the vote tally does not match. There is still a gap of 700–750 votes here. Where have those votes gone?’ Once again, the madam went inside, taking another 15–20 minutes. When she came back, she said that the counting of one machine had been left out, and that after counting that machine they would inform us.When the last machine was counted, I received 354 votes, while Darekar received only 26 votes. That means even in that machine, I was ahead.”

Here are the queries raised by the SS (UBT) candidate:

“My question to the Election Commission is this: was this some kind of children’s game? First you announce a total of around 19,000 votes, and about 7,000 votes simply disappear. After re-counting, you then say that the counting of one machine had been left out.

“Under what interpretation of the Constitution is the Election Commission conducting elections like this, and in what manner?””

There are no replied from an inept Election Commission.

The complete list of candidates of Ward 3 may be seen here

The Ward List of Returning Officers may be seen here.

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The post Shivsena UBT candidate Roshani Gaikwad moves Bombay HC against gross violations during recent BMC elections appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Masood had recently reported on a controversial police drive to collect information on mosques and mosque officials in Kashmir. He was asked to sign a bond, stating that he would not do anything to disturb peace in the union territory, the person said. Interestingly, the police action is not based on a formal first information report, but is being carried out under Section 126 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, the person said.

The provision allows an executive magistrate to pre-emptively seek bonds from people “likely to commit a breach of peace”. Government officials can invoke this section merely on the basis of information they have received about individuals.

Senior journalist Nirupama Subramaniam, on January 19, Monday commented sharply on the developments on social media

Reporters of Delhi national newspapers are being summoned by J&K police, harassed about routine “he said”, “she said” reports and asked to sign bonds they won’t do such reports again. First, the correspondent of one newspaper was summoned repeatedly over three days, and perhaps…

— Nirupama Subramanian (@tallstories) January 19, 2026

For Kashmir’s journalists, the cycle is vicious: repeated summonses, institutional pressure and the lack of a community safety net have become a part of an entrenched system that limits critical reporting, encourages self-censorship and sidelines independent media voices in the…

— Siddharth (@svaradarajan) January 20, 2026

Reportedly, an Indian Express spokesperson confirmed to the media that Masood had been called to the police station. “Bashaarat Masood, Assistant Editor, and a member of the Srinagar bureau of The Indian Express since 2006, was called on four days to the Cyber Police Station, Srinagar, and asked to sign a bond which he has not signed,” the spokesperson said. “The Indian Express is committed to doing what is necessary to uphold and protect the rights and dignity of its journalists.”

Scroll also contacted the senior superintendent of Srinagar police, asking about the reasons for summoning journalists and asking them to sign the bonds. The official did not respond to our calls and messages. This story will be updated if he responds.

The police summons

It was on the evening of January 14, Masood first received a phone call from the cyber police in Srinagar, asking him to come to the police station the next afternoon, according to the person familiar with the events that followed. As he got there, he was made to wait for nearly three hours after which a police officer asked him to come back the following day. The officer assured Masood that he would only have to spend half an hour at the police station the next time he came. However, the senior journalist ended up spending the whole of Friday and Saturday running from one government office to another.

Masood was reportedly first sent to the deputy commissioner’s office from the police station, where he was asked to sign a Section 126 bond. The police officials were unwilling to provide reasons for their demand, said the person. When Masood refused to comply, a police official told him that he would then have to go to Srinagar central jail.

From the deputy commissioner’s office, the journalist was sent back to the police station. There, one of the officers told him that he was being asked to sign the bond because of a story he had written on the political reaction to the police drive in mosques in Kashmir.

On Monday afternoon, he was called in again, the fourth day he had been forced to turn up at the police station. This time, though, the police did not keep him at the station for very long. The three other journalists got similar summons. One of them was out of Srinagar when he got a call from a police official, asking him to come in. None of the other journalists have, as of yet, reported to the police station.

‘Serious attack on press freedom,’

The four journalists summoned had reported on the political reaction to the Jammu and Kashmir police’s drive to collect information on mosques, which has been the subject of much controversy over the past week in Kashmir.

Police officials are reportedly distributing copies of a four-page form to mosques in the Muslim-majority region. The form seeks extensive information pertaining to the family background and financial details of those involved in the upkeep of the places of worship.

The exercise has drawn fire from Kashmiri politicians cutting across party lines as well as prominent religious organisations, who argue that this goes beyond looking into the legal status of mosques.

Indian Express also reported that J&K Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat was not available for comment. Another officer, who did not wish to be named, told the newspaper that the police called him following his news report about the police distributing a four-page document to all mosques in the Kashmir valley and seeking detailed information about their budget, funding sources, and management committees.

Masood has been a member of the Srinagar Bureau of The Indian Express since 2006. “His work over the last two decades speaks for itself. He has not signed the bond as asked by the police. The Indian Express is committed to doing what is necessary to uphold and protect the rights and dignity of its journalists,” said Raj Kamal Jha, Chief Editor, The Indian Express as quoted in the newspaper.

Related:

Interim bail to Gujarat journalist Mahesh Langa: SC

“This system breaks the body when it cannot break the spirit” — Ipsa Shatakshi on her jailed husband, journalist Rupesh Kumar Singh

The post J & K: Attempt to muzzle FoE, Media? Police summons to media, journalists appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The attack on Pastor Bipin Bihari Naik, which took place on January 4, 2026 in Parjang village, involved acts of violence so extreme that they amount to public torture and religious coercion—including forced consumption of cow dung, public parading with a garland of slippers, and attempts to compel religious slogans. Despite the public uproar, the case has seen little progress, with the alleged perpetrators remaining at large and the victim facing a counter-FIR instead.

As the delay continues, anxiety has spread beyond the pastor’s family to the wider Christian community in the region, several of whom have reportedly gone into hiding. What has unfolded in Parjang is no longer being viewed as an isolated incident, but as part of a growing pattern of communal violence, administrative apathy, and criminalisation of religious practice, increasingly reported across Odisha.

Pastor chooses forgiveness on Graham Staines’ martyrdom anniversary

On the anniversary of the martyrdom of Australian missionary Graham Staines, who was burnt alive along with his two young sons in Odisha in 1999, Pastor Naik publicly chose the path of forgiveness over retribution.

Speaking to Catholic Connect, the pastor said he had forgiven not only those who assaulted and humiliated him, but also those who falsely accused him of forced religious conversion.

“On the anniversary of the martyrdom of Graham Staines, I choose forgiveness. I forgive those who assaulted me and those who falsely accused me. Our God forgives us unconditionally, and He teaches us to forgive. In that spirit, I forgive them and place everything in God’s hands,” he said.

However, Pastor Naik emphasised that forgiveness did not mean surrendering constitutional rights. His sole appeal to the authorities, he said, was for peace, safety, and freedom of religion.

“I have only one humble request: that my family, I, and all the Christian faithful be allowed to live peacefully and freely strengthen our faith in the God we have chosen to follow. This is what I clearly conveyed to the Superintendent of Police when I met him in Dhenkanal on 13 January.”

He also expressed gratitude to individuals and organisations across Odisha and beyond who stood by him during what he described as one of the darkest moments of his life, acknowledging the prayers, solidarity, and moral support he received.

Elder Brother: “Justice has still not been delivered”

Echoing the pastor’s anguish, his elder brother Udaya Naik spoke to Catholic Connect about the family’s ordeal since the attack, stating bluntly that justice has not been delivered even after fifteen days.

“Instead of justice, our family is living in constant pain, disturbance, and a complete loss of peace,” he said.

According to Udaya, when the local police failed to act, the family mobilised support from the Christian community and personally approached senior authorities.

“When no action was taken by the local police, I gathered around forty-five faithful members and went to the office of the Superintendent of Police to submit a complaint. We spent nearly eight to ten thousand rupees hiring a vehicle to reach there, hoping our voices would be heard.”

Despite these efforts, he said, no concrete steps were taken.

“This prolonged inaction has shaken my faith in the Constitution and the justice system—especially for innocent people like us.”

Allegations of police negligence and delayed response

Udaya Naik alleged that the assault was premeditated and could have been prevented had the police acted promptly.

“Had the police responded immediately, my brother could have been rescued,” he said. During the assault, family members repeatedly contacted the police helpline, while Pastor Naik’s wife, Vandana, rushed to the nearest police station. Instead of intervening immediately, the police allegedly demanded an FIR and proof while the violence was still ongoing.

Pastor Naik was allegedly dragged through village streets, beaten, paraded in slippers, and publicly humiliated. “Are there no CCTV cameras on those roads?” Udaya asked, adding that photographs showing the public parade were dismissed by the police as insufficient evidence.

The family claims they were repeatedly asked for medical proof, even as the pastor bore visible injuries—an approach they described as deeply insensitive and negligent.

What happened in Parjang village

According to Telegraph, Pastor Naik had travelled to Parjang village—a Hindu-majority village with only seven Christian families—to attend a routine prayer meeting with his wife, children, and other believers.

The gathering was disrupted when a mob of around 40 people, allegedly including members of the Bajrang Dal, forcibly entered the house.

“They started beating everyone inside,” Vandana told Maktoob. “Besides us, there were seven families praying. My children and I managed to escape through a narrow alley and ran to the police station.”

While Vandana sought help, Pastor Naik was seised by the mob. He was beaten with sticks, slapped repeatedly, smeared with red sindoor, garlanded with slippers, and paraded through the village as a spectacle.

He was later tied to a Hanuman temple, his hands bound behind a rod, and was forced to consume cow dung while being beaten and coerced into chanting “Jai Shri Ram”. Vandana stated that despite her repeated pleas, police reached the village nearly two hours later.

Even after police intervention, the mob reportedly did not immediately disperse.

Police conduct after the rescue

A social activist told Maktoob Media that after being rescued, Pastor Naik was made to sit at the police station for nearly an hour without medical assistance, despite bleeding and being visibly traumatised.

Police eventually registered a complaint regarding the assault. However, they also filed a counter FIR against Pastor Naik, accusing him of forced religious conversion—an allegation for which no evidence has been produced.

Such counter-cases, activists note, have increasingly become a tool to dilute accountability in communal violence cases involving Christians.

Christian families forced into hiding

Following the attack, the situation in Parjang deteriorated further. Vandana told Maktoob Media that all seven Christian families in the village have gone into hiding due to threats, social boycott, and fear of further violence.

“They are staying with relatives in different places. The villagers have threatened them and cut off all support,” she said.

Pastor Naik’s own family is currently staying in a safe house, unsure when—or if—they can safely return home.

A pattern of communal violence in Odisha

The Parjang assault forms part of a broader pattern of communal violence in Odisha. In recent weeks alone, a Muslim man was lynched by gau rakshaks for transporting cattle, while another Muslim youth in Mayurbhanj district was paraded naked and forced to chant religious slogans.

In Malkangiri district, Protestant Christians were attacked while returning from church in Kotamateru village, leaving eight injured. Christian leaders again pointed to Bajrang Dal members, while police initially attempted to downplay the violence as a “family dispute.”

Earlier this month, a 29-year-old nun was forcibly removed from a train by Bajrang Dal activists and detained for 18 hours on false allegations of trafficking and conversion.

Forgiveness without forgetting

Despite the trauma, Pastor Naik and his family say they are choosing peace over confrontation, drawing inspiration from Gladys Staines, the widow of Graham Staines, who publicly forgave her husband’s killers.

“We now choose the path of forgiveness,” Udaya Naik said. “But if the police initiate an inquiry on their own and punish the perpetrators, we would welcome it wholeheartedly.”

For now, the family says it no longer has the strength to continue pursuing justice through repeated appeals.

“This entire episode is a deeply painful reflection on the present state of our country and its people,” Udaya said.

As the perpetrators remain free and fear grips minority communities, the silence of the justice system continues to speak louder than any slogan—raising urgent questions about accountability, constitutional protections, and the rule of law in contemporary India.

Related:

Days After Muslim Properties Torched in Tripura, Opposition Parties Say Atmosphere of Fear Persists

Manipur gang-rape survivor dies without justice, three years after 2023 ethnic violence

Odisha: Man forced to chant religious slogan, lynched by cow vigilantes

MP, Odisha, Delhi, Rajasthan: Right-wing outfits barge into 2 churches ahead of Christmas, attack vendors selling X’mas goodies, tensions run high

Institutional Murder in Odisha: A Student sets herself on fire to be heard

Bengali Migrant Workers Detained in Odisha: Calcutta High Court demands answers, seeks coordination between states

The post Publicly Tortured, Forced to Eat Cow Dung: No arrests in Odisha Pastor assault case appeared first on SabrangIndia.

General, your tank is a powerful vehicle
It smashes down forests and crushes a hundred men.
But it has one defect:
It needs a driver.

General, your bomber is powerful.
It flies faster than a storm and carries more than an elephant.
But it has one defect:
It needs a mechanic.

General, human beings are very useful.
They can fly and they can kill.
But they have one defect:
They can think.

It is difficult to predict, in this day and age, how long this poem will remain relevant. But upon seeing, hearing and speaking with Aida Touma-Suleiman in Jerusalem, this poem came to mind vividly. Sixty-one-year-old Aida Touma-Suleiman is a member of Israel’s parliament, known as the Knesset. She is an Israeli citizen, of Arab-Christian origin, but she declares herself an atheist.

She is a member of Israel’s Communist Party, and represents the coalition Hadash, a feminist, the editor of the party’s Arabic-language newspaper Al-Ittihad – the first and only female editor in Israel. She is also the first female member of the “high-level committee for Arab Citizens of Israel”. She fights for the rights of Israeli citizens, but also for that of the Palestinian people.

Meeting her reminded me of all those activist comrades in my own country who, despite not being Muslim, Christian, Dalit, LGBTQ++ or Adivasi, fight for human justice and often face criticism within their own communities. She is also famous for having passed a law in the Knesset, raising the legal age of marriage for women in Israel from 17 to 18.

The conversation I had with her was about Israel, but my own country, India, repeatedly came to my mind with various similar observations.

Officially, Israel is a democracy and so is India. But Hitler too rode the chariot of democracy to reach fascist dictatorship, and we see the same is happening in India and Israel today. The capitalist ruling class uses the guise of democracy to carry out anti-people work and secures legitimacy for those crimes in the name of democracy. Whereas, the Left wants to establish that very democracy in the true sense for the welfare and upliftment of the people.

Aida says, “It is true that we have gained a few rights by virtue of being Israeli citizens. We are a group of Israeli Arab citizens, who are indigenous to this land, so we can form our own political party, raise our issues in politics, and contest elections. We also have some scope to raise our voice, however little, against any wrong step taken by the Israeli government. But this was true two years ago.”

“Now, replace ‘is’ with ‘was’ in these statements – all these things have become matters of the past. It is true that whatever democracy existed in Israel, it was the only so-called democracy in the Middle-Eastern countries, and by that token, we had some rights, but in the last two years, these rights have been completely stripped away. In the last two years, an entirely new kind of situation has been created, and it is taking new shape every single day,” she adds.

Aida did not condemn the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack in the Israeli Knesset and instead raised her voice against the atrocities by the Israeli army. In response, she was suspended from parliament for two months and penalised with a two-week salary cut.

Aida also accused the Israeli army and rulers of bombing hospitals in Gaza, as a result of which only seven out of 48 surgeons survived. She condemned the Israeli army’s attack on displaced and unarmed people and refused to apologise or retract her statement.

The Knesset’s Ethics Committee, recommending action against her, said that “not condemning the Hamas attack is a betrayal of those Israeli citizens whose tax money pays your salaries as representatives… Accusing your country’s army of atrocities against Palestinians aids Israel’s enemies.” Aida had also alleged that Israeli soldiers fired bullets at Gazans fleeing for their lives through the humanitarian corridor established for evacuating civilians from the war zone.

“With what face do they call themselves the world’s most moral army and claim they do not attack the innocent and hospitals?” she had questioned.

She says that many people also think that everything was fine until October 7 and that the deteriorating situation started only after the Hamas attack. Because of this, many people conclude that if Hamas had not done this, the Israeli government would not have been forced to take such harsh measures.

Aida says, “Among those who think like this, there are many good people, who are politically literate and often supporters of Palestine as well. But I want to say that this perspective is flawed and incomplete, The history of Israel’s oppression of Palestine is older than October 7, 2023.”

She says that people outside don’t know, or they forget, what was happening in Israel before October 7, 2023. They are not allowed to see behind that date. From January 2023, until the Hamas attack in October, there were large-scale protests in Israel against the Netanyahu government because the working-class people of Israel were unhappy with the new laws the government had proposed in the name of judicial reforms.

Under the guise of these proposed reforms, the government wanted to massively increase its own powers, thus reducing the power of the judiciary. In fact, the government’s intention was to completely take over Israel’s Supreme Court, she claims, adding that the aim of these so-called reforms was that they would pass their unilateral laws and become unquestionable, and also gain legal sanction for it.

Aida says that all opposition parties including hers, opposed these proposals, and the Israeli public too protested vehemently against the repressive, dictatorial, right-wing and fascist government.

Opposition against Netanyahu

In 2021, Netanyahu’s party had lost and he had been ousted from the prime minister’s post. When he returned to power in November 2022, he tried to impose his dictatorship, which faced strong opposition in Israel. Under the cover of these legal reforms, he wanted to accelerate actions to seize Palestinian lands. Aida and her party were opposing the government’s move. The public wanted peace, and it seemed that his government would fall again.

According to surveys in September 2023, his party’s members in the Knesset were going to decrease. Right at this time, the Hamas attack happened, and citing a state of war and emergency, all protests were stopped. Several opposition party members were placed under house arrest.

Since then, the Israeli government has presented the Palestinians as villains and corrupted the public’s minds with arrogance, portraying that “Jews as better and more powerful than Palestinians”. As a result, the Israeli government was able to carry out genocide in Gaza because they had instilled hatred, anger and fear towards Palestinians within the Israeli population. The Israeli government left no stone unturned in exploiting the October 7 incident as an opportunity.

Aida was talking of Israel but hearing this, my memories took me to 2002 Godhra incident, just before which the then-BJP government in Gujarat had started becoming unpopular and had even faced defeat in the local body elections. The Godhra incident united most Hindu voters in the state against the “fear of Muslims”.

I also remembered the Kargil War, just before which the NDA government fell due to Jayalalithaa’s party’s – the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s – withdrawal of support. The declaration of the Kargil War, however, united people against Pakistan and stabilised the central government. Then I remembered the Pulwama attack, which also made the political equations favourable for the party holding chair in New Delhi.

The Israeli government had to do something to fix its declining popularity and diminishing international support. If it hadn’t done it on October 7, it would have done it on the 6th or the 8th, or the 20th or 25th. If not in October, then at some other time – on any of the 365 days of the calendar, but it would have done it for sure. This time, it just chose the pretext of the Hamas attack.

Aida insists that most people in Israel did not become supporters of the Israeli government or anti-Palestinian or right-wing racist thinkers, but it is true that the rest are afraid to express their feelings because in the surge of this kind of nationalism, it becomes very easy for power to throttle dissenting voices – no matter how rational and sensible that voice may be.

She says, “We are filled with the pain of oppression being inflicted on our own Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank, but apart from that, we Palestinian Israelis living inside Israel are facing different kinds of challenges.”

Aida says that earlier, whenever the Israeli government took any repressive action in Gaza or in the West Bank, the Palestinians living in Israel would immediately go to the streets and register our protest against it.

“Now, under the declared state of emergency, we cannot do that. We are immediately arrested. Now we cannot demonstrate anywhere,” she says.

She also informs that when they tried to hold a meeting inside a hall, the owner of that hall received a message from the government that your hall will be shut down for six months, and what else would happen, was a separate matter. Another major challenge they face is that they are being turned into villains in their own cities and villages by state-sponsored propaganda against them.

In his first address to the nation after October 7, Netanyahu told Israeli citizens that they have to fight a war on four fronts. One in Gaza, the second in the West Bank, the third in Lebanon, and the fourth front is against those who, living in Israel, oppose its voice and raise the voice of justice.

According to Aida, Netanyahu was pointing a clear finger towards them. The Israeli government, she says, considers them its enemy and also presents them as traitors before the public so that the public stops paying attention to the voices they raise against their anti-people actions.

Brecht’s poem’s lines were echoing in my memory again, “Human beings can think.”

If they can think, then they can also change the circumstances.

Vineet Tiwari is a writer and human rights activist associated with India-Palestine Solidarity Network. He visited the West Bank region of Palestine in November 2025.

Courtesy: The Wire

The post A Conversation About Israel That Felt Uncomfortably Familiar appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Speaking to the media, as reported in The Times of India, Baraiya had proffered a self-propounded, twisted “theory” on why infant girls aged 4 to 10 months were victims of sexual crimes. “In India, the maximum number of rapes are visited upon women from SC, ST and OBC categories. The theory of rape is, when a man, walking down the road, sees a beautiful, extremely beautiful woman, then his mind could be distracted, a rape may follow (sic),” he had said.

He had then asked: “Are there any extremely beautiful women among SCs, STs and OBCs? Why then are they raped? Because such instructions are given in our religious scripts… It has been mentioned that if you have intimacy with women of these castes then it is the same as going on apilgrimage.”

Left shame-faced, Congress went on the defensive. Party state president Jitu Patwari was forced to issue a statement on Saturday evening saying a criminal who rapes women has no caste or religion. He is simply a criminal who deserves harshest punishment under law … What Phool Singh Baraiya said is his personal opinion. Congress does not agree with it. He has been asked to clarify his remark.”

Related:

Manipur gang-rape survivor dies without justice, three years after 2023 ethnic violence

Protest outside Delhi HC gate over bail in Unnao rape case, survivor’s mother asks for maximum punishment

Delhi HC grants bail pending appeal to Unnao rape convict Kuldeep Singh Sengar

The post MP: Beautiful woman ‘distracts, rape may follow’ says Cong MLA, outrage follows appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The controversial and recently conducted elections to the civic body –given huge allegations of malpractices in voter lists (exclusion of voters), delible ink being used, introduction of new machines etc. were conducted over 24 administrative wards. From sewerage operations to public health, the BMC handles local civic issues in these wards, named alphabetically from A to T. Each administrative ward is further subdivided into smaller electoral wards for which corporators are elected. There are 227 of these electoral wards. Out of these, 113 fall under the General Category, while 114 are reserved for women, including women belonging to the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes, and the Backwards Class of Citizens. So 121 women elected in all.

Of these 121 women, there are 14 Muslim women and one Christian woman. The break up party wise is as follows:

BJP’s winning women candidates

Ward 2 – Tejaswi Ghosadkar

Ward 8 – Yogita Patil

Ward 13 – Rani Dwivedi-Nighot

Ward 14 – Seema Kiran Shinde

Ward 15 – Jigna Shah

Ward 16 – Shweta Korgaonkar

Ward 17 – Dr Shilpa Sangore

Ward 19 – Dakshata Kavthankar

Ward 21 – Leena Deherkar

Ward 24 – Swait Jaiswal

Ward 25 – Nisha Bangera

Ward 27 – Neelam Gurav

Ward 31 – Manisha Yadav

Ward 44    – Sangeeta Sharma

Ward 46 – Yogita Koli

Ward 52    – Priti Satam

Ward 57 – Shrikala Pille

Ward 60    – Saylee Kulkarni

Ward 69 – Sudha Singh

Ward 71 – Sunita Makvani

Ward 72    – Mamta Yadav

Ward 80 – Disha Yadav

Wars 81 – Kesarben Murji Patel

Ward 82    – Ameen Jagdeshwari

Ward 84 – Anjali Samant

Ward 98    – Alka Kerkar

Ward 100 – Swapna Mhatre

Ward 103 – Hetal Gala

Ward 105 – Anita Vaiti

Ward 108 – Deepika Ghag

Ward 112 – Sakshi Dalvi

Ward 116 – Jagruti Patil

Ward 126 – Archana Bhalerao

Ward 129 – Ashwini Matekar

Ward 131 – Rakhi Jadhav

Ward 132 – Ritu Tavde

Ward 149 – Sushma Sawant

Ward 151 – Kashish Phulwariya

Ward 152 – Asha Marathe

Ward 172 – Rajeshri Shirvadkar

Ward 173 – Shilpa Keluskar

Ward 174 – Sakshi Kanojia

Ward 176 – Rekha Yadav

Ward 190 – Sheetal Gambhir

Ward 218 – Snehal Tendulkar

Ward 222 – Rita Makvana

Ward 227 – Gaoravi Shivalkar-Narwekar

These total 47 women councillors

Shiv Sena (UBT) women councillors

Ward 12 – Sarika Zhore

Ward 32 – Geeta Bhandari

Ward 39 – Pushpa Kalambe

Ward 56 – Laxmi Nitin Bhatiya

Ward 64 – Khan Rashid

Ward 73 – Lona Rawat

Ward 77 – Shivani Parab

Ward 83 – Sonali Sabe

Ward 88 – Sharvari Parab

Ward 93 – Rohini Kamble

Ward 94 – Pragya Bhutkar

Ward 114 – Rajul Patil

Ward 117 – Shweta Pawaskar

Ward 118 – Sunita Jadhav

Ward 121 – Priyadarshini Nagesh

Ward 124 – Sakina Ayub Sheikh

Ward 127 – Swarupa Patil

Ward 153 – Minakshi Patankar

Ward 155 – Snehal Shivkar

Ward 157 – Dr. Sarita Mhaske

Ward 158 – Chitra Sangle

Ward 169 – Pravina Morajkar

Ward 171 – Adv. Rani Yerunkar

Ward 186 – Archana Shinde

Ward 189- Harshala More

Ward 191 – Vishakha Raut

Ward 193 – Hemangi Varlikar

Ward 198 – Aboli Khadiye

Ward 199 – Kishori Pednekar

Ward 200 – Urmila Panchal

Ward 202 – Shraddha Jadhav

Ward 203 – Shraddha Pednekar

Ward 210 – Sonam Jamsudkar

Ward 220 – Sampada Mayekar

This totals 34 women corporators from SS (UBT).

Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) women councillors:

Ward 1 – Rekha Yadav

Ward 11 – Dr. Aditi Khursange

Ward 18 – Sandhya Doshi

Ward 42 – Dhanashree Bharadkar

Ward 51 – Varsha Tembvalkar

Ward 78 – Sofi Abdul Jabbar

Ward 133 – Nirmiti Kanade

Ward 142 – Apeksha Khandekar

Ward 146 – Samruddhi Kate

Ward 147 – Pragya Sadafule

Ward 148 – Anjali Naik

Ward 156 – Ashwini Matekar

Ward 160 – Kiran Landge

Ward 163 – Shaila Lande

Ward 166 – Minal Sanjay Turde

Ward 180 – Trushna Vishvasrao

Ward 209 – Yamini Jadhav

This totals 17 women corporators.

Women Corporators from Congress:

Ward 33 – Qamar Jahan Moin Siddiqui

Ward 28 – Ajanta Yadav

Ward 61 – Divya Sinh

Ward 90 – Adv. Tulip Miranda

Ward 110 – Asha Suresh Koparkar

Ward 101 – Karen Dmello

Ward 150 – Vaishali Ajit Shendekar

Ward 179 – Ayesha Vanu

Ward 183 – Asha Kale

Ward 184 – Sajida Khan

Ward 213 – Nasima Javed Juneja

Ward 216 – Rajashree Bhatankar

Ward 224- Ruksana Parikh Nurulamin

This makes a total of 13 women candidates.

MNS Four Women Councillors

Ward 38 – Surekha Parab

Ward 74 – Vidha Aarya

Ward 128 – Sae Shirke

Ward 205- Supriya Dilip Dalvi

AIMIM: (Four councillors)

Ward 134 – Mehjabin Khan

Ward 139 – Shabana Sheikh

Ward 143 – Shabana Kazi

Ward 145 – Khairunnisa Hussein

Samajwadi Party (One woman candidate who won)

Ward 212 – Abrahani Amrin Shehzad

Nationalist Congress Party (One woman candidate who won)

Ward 168 – Dr Saeeda Khan

Related:

Academic, Deepak Pawar to Mumbai Police: Are frivolous cases against us –filed after a peaceful demonstration to save Marathi schools –being dropped because of the upcoming BMC polls?

BMC Polls: ECI claims superintendence on citizenship even as Foreigners (NRIS) enter Mumbai airport carrying Indian Voter IDs

The post BMC: Women corporators past the 50% mark, 121 women get elected in 2026 appeared first on SabrangIndia.