A day after 10 persons, who happened to be Muslim were arrested following a case of ‘rioting’ during a garba (dance) event at Undhela village of Matar taluk in Gujarat’s Kheda district, the Gujarat police has ordered an inquiry into video clips purportedly showing policemen flogging at least five persons, who were arrested in a rioting case, in full public view. This was reported by the Deccan Herald today. The minister of state for Home, Harsh Sanghvi has kept completely silent on the reportedly unlawful action of the Gujarat police.

The videos show villagers cheering for the policemen as they thrashed the men one by one. Widely circulated on social media platforms, the videos have attracted criticism from all quarters. “We have ordered an inquiry after taking cognisance of the videos,” Director General of Police Ashish Bhatia reportedly told the DH. This partisan and unlawful behaviour of the Gujarat police comes fast on the heels of their inaction against extra-constitutional outfits like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal (BD) forcibly ‘preventive’ participation of all communities, especially Muslims, in the celebrations over the past 10 days.

The shocking incident of the police reportedly taking law into their own hands took place on Tuesday, October 4,  in Undhela village of Matar taluk, in central Gujarat’s Kheda district, a day after local police arrested 10 persons from the Muslim community following a case of rioting during garba event in the village.

Rajesh Gadhia, Kheda District Superintendent of Police, while saying that he was looking into the video, explained that it started with village sarpanch Indravadan Patel, as part of his “mannat” (pledge) organising garba on the occasion of Ashtami (8th day of Navratri) at the village temple, which shared its wall with a mosque.

“Normally, the garba is organised at a different place in the village, but for one day it was being held at the temple as pledged by the sarpanch. There were over 250 people, mostly women. However, some people from the other community objected as it was adjacent to the mosque. Initially, it was just a heated argument, but it turned into a brawl. Stones were thrown and many, including five-six women, were injured. A police team was also attacked,” Gadhia told DH.

Gandhia added that the FIR named 43 persons and a mob of hundreds of people. In their initial action taken by Tuesday morning, the police arrested 10 persons, all from Muslim community, and brought them back to the village where they were publicly beaten up. The shocking video shows two men in plain clothes holding the arrested men, one by one, by their arms, tied to an electric pole, and another man, in plain clothes, beating them from behind. The videos, shared widely, also showed a group of men, women and children watching, clapping and shouting “Bharat Mata ki Jai”.

Commenting on the incident, minister of state for home, Harsh Sanghvi said: “This was an attempt to disturb a religious festival by a certain kind of people. Some anti-social elements tried to break the peace. I want to say that in Gujarat anyone who abides by the law will not be troubled (Kayda ma rahshe to fayda ma rashe).” Conspiciously the minister who takes an oath under the Indian Constitution made no mention, leave aside criticise the blatantly illegal and unlawful action of the Gujarat police.

One of the MLAs from Congress party objected to the police action and tweeted: “The accused were tried to a pole and were flogged by police in public while villagers clapped. Only the courts have the right to punish (the) accused, not the police. They shouldn’t have taken the law into their own hands.”

Related:

When Navratri’s joyous Garba dance becomes a garb for exclusion: Gujarat, MP
No Garba for non-Hindus: Right-wing in MP
‘Check Aadhaar card to keep out Non-Hindus’: Bajrang Dal to Garba organisers

The post Video of Gujarat cops flogging men arrested for ‘rioting’ surfaces, inquiry ordered appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The Mysuru police have formed two teams to identify and arrest the men accused of saying “Kavalande is Chota Pakistan”, shared journalists. Police had registered an FIR on Thursday after their video went viral on social media.

#BreakingNews Two teams formed by #Mysuru dist police to identify & arrest the youths accused of saying *#Kavalande is Chota #Pakistan*.Yesterday,cops registered FIR and are on the lookout of youths after their video went viral on social media #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/KVWoFKWNkN

— Imran Khan (@KeypadGuerilla) May 6, 2022

According to a report in The New Indian Express, Kavalande, village in Nanjangud taluk, of Karnataka was call ‘Chota Pakistan’ or Little Pakistan by man heard on a video of a Muslim gathering. The 40-second video went viral on social media, and was amplified by scores of right wing Hindutva handles. The clip shows a group of Muslim men coming out from a masjid after offering prayers and a man, repotedly filming the video says, “Kavalande bhole tho Chota Pakistan, theek hain.”

Some men in the crowd are heard raising slogans as well. According to TNIE Mysuru SP R Chethan, said that the police are investigating the case. “As of now we can’t tell much about it as it is still under investigation. We will reveal more details as soon as we gather more information,” said the SP. 

However, the video has provided communal fodder to Hindutva mascots and hate offenders such as Sri Rama Sene chief Pramod Muthalik who said, “The government should immediately arrest the miscreants. Else, we will launch ‘Kavalande Chalo’.” 

Related:

Karnataka: Dalit activist, arrested for five-year-old social media post 
Khargone violence: Administration a mute spectator, says CPI-RJD investigating team
Hindus worldwide denounce hate
Senior Indian Army officers offer Namaz in Kashmir, shut trolls down

The post What is the truth behind the ‘Chota Pakistan’ video? appeared first on SabrangIndia.

A group of Muslim women were thrashed in a public place in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh on February 13. The video of the violence went viral on Wednesday, February 16 and the police have now claimed, after the outrage, that there was an altercation or scuffle between the two.

However, the clip that has gone viral shows Uttar Pradesh police personnel brutaly hitting Muslim women who were reportedly a part of a a protest against the “hijab ban” in colleges that started in Karnataka, and has now had a ripple effect in many other parts of the country. After facing criticism from the people, the police have said they are “investigating the video”. A first information report, or FIR, has also been filed by the police against the protesters over the Sunday incident.

According to news reports, in its FIR, the police stated they came to know that some 15 Muslim women had gathered in Ghaziabad’s Sani Bazaar Road with anti-government posters, and were protesting without taking necessary permission. Police stated that when its team reached there, the women protesters started shouting slogans.

Ghaziabad Police, in their statement issued on Wednesday, have also claimed that the protesters assaulted the police personnel who had reached the site. They said, “Inspector-in-Charge of Khoda received information about demonstration by some people on Shani Bazar Road. On getting the information, Inspector-in-Charge of Khoda reached the spot and it was found that some women were protesting on the road. When the women police personnel asked about the permission to protest from the protesting women, no permission was shown by the protesting women, and the women police personnel and other policemen were assaulted by the protesting women and other persons present on the spot.”

pic.twitter.com/UUY2HkdvPG

— GHAZIABAD POLICE (@ghaziabadpolice) February 16, 2022

However, while police claim that the women constables tried to persuade the protesters to return home, and that the cops were heckled, and that some men who were with the protesters also started verbally abusing the constables, the video clip shows that the protesters were hit by the cops. According to news reports, the police FIR also claimed some male protestors verbally abused the police women, and have identified one of the accused as Raees. In the video, the only time the burqa clad woman is seen reacting is when she attempts to deflect the police hitting her with a stick.

Related

Hijab ban case: Hijab in line with freedom of expression, submits petitioner
Hijab Case: Will action be taken against Karanataka BJP for sharing details of minor Muslim students?
Hijab controversy now hits schools!

The post Ghaziabad: Police beat up Muslim women protesters, claim ‘scuffle’, but viral video shows otherwise appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Kolkata police have filed an FIR against Madhu Purnima Kishwar on November 9, 2020 for potentially threatening law and order sharing on Twitter a video of a rally in Bangladesh and claiming that it was an ‘Islmaic rally’ in Kolkata. 

According to police, the song played in the video clearly refers to Bangladesh. The recording also shows several Bangladeshi flags. However, Kishwar, while sharing the video captioned it as “In Kolkata.” The police called her actions “absolutely incorrect and misleading, posing a threat to the law and order here.” Accordingly, they flagged Kishwar’s tweet with a ‘FakeNewsAlert’ hashtag while the Information Technology (IT) unit started a probe into the matter. 

#FakeNewsAlert
A video clip from Bangladesh is being falsely claimed to be from Kolkata. Legal action initiated. pic.twitter.com/FcL1LP12Ln

— Kolkata Police (@KolkataPolice) November 9, 2020

Kishwar initially apologised to officials on the social media platform.

Dear @KolkataPolice, I have never knowingly indulged in spreading fake news.
I deleted it the moment a friend called & alerted me.
This video was sent to me by an otherwise reliable friend.
My sincere apologies for having forwarded it, mistaking procession in Dacca for Kolkatta https://t.co/S4cz4pY7Rp

— Madhu Purnima Kishwar (@madhukishwar) November 9, 2020

But just hours later stated that the “issues being raised by the video are not fake.”  

Video is not fake.
The issues being raised by the video are also not fake.
The forces that are raising those issues are globally networked, cutting across national boundaries
So whether that procession was in Dhaka or Kolkata, it’s implications are the same for India &the world https://t.co/n6rWMOdjyo

— Madhu Purnima Kishwar (@madhukishwar) November 10, 2020

A part of the song lyrics criticises India for allegedly “taking a stand against Islam.” This bit likely caught the attention of the right-wing ‘activist’ whose verified Twitter handle has over 20 lakh followers. 

Prior to the 1990s, fellow activists and academicians praised Kishwar for her work. However, they dissociated from her once she began embracing Hindutva ideology. Kishwar is also known for her admiration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi whom she compared with Mahatma Gandhi. She also wrote a book absolving him – a then prime-ministerial candidate – of any involvement in the 2002 Gujarat riots and called him a “non-communal politician” despite severely criticising him in earlier days.

On November 10, 2019, SabrangIndia had also flagged her for making inflammatory tweets a day after the Babri Masjid verdict was pronounced.

Her Twitter account has been flagged many times for propagating communal material and fake news on multiple occasions – a fact that Supreme Court lawyer and activist Prashant Bhushan pointed out immediately on sharing the Kolkata Fake News Alert.

Great. These fake news & hate news spreaders must be brought to account. This lady is a serial offender https://t.co/hmQouJV2TB

— Prashant Bhushan (@pbhushan1) November 9, 2020

Dear @madhukishwar Ji, please get reliable friends ?? pic.twitter.com/GAt5V1punF

— Akash Banerjee (@TheDeshBhakt) November 9, 2020

Related:

Madhu Kishwar- Hate Factory personified
No ‘Muslim regiment’ in the first place: Former civil servants seek investigation into fake news
Can’t restrict circulation of fake news on social media: MP High Court
Watch: Samirul Islam on how fake news is changing the narrative in Bengal

The post Kolkata police file an FIR against fake news repeat offender Madhu Kishwar appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Senior Producer Shubham Tripathi of Sudarshan News recently shared a disconcerting video, on Twitter, of a group of Non-Resident Indians (NRI) cheering slogans in support of the news channel that has been airing episodes of alleged ‘Muslim infiltration’ in central government services.

Assembled at the Times Square in New York City, a group of NRIs cheered for “Suresh bhai” assuring him that they “are with him.”

देश से नहीं बल्कि विदेशों से भी मिल रहा है ‘सुदर्शन न्यूज़’ को अभूतपूर्व समर्थन.

अमेरिका के ‘टाइम्स स्कवॉयर’ में सुदर्शन न्यूज़ के समर्थन में एवं #UPSC_Jihad के विरोध में प्रदर्शन करते लोग.

Follow?? @TheShubhamtv pic.twitter.com/QuWUu90gU1

— Shubham Tripathi ?? (@TheShubhamtv) September 20, 2020

The video has been retweeted 488 times and received around a thousand ‘likes’. People have also commented on the video in support of Sudarshan news.

सुदर्शन चक्र न कभी रुका है
ना कभी रुकेगा, जय श्री कृष्ण??
भारत माता की जय??

— Vishal Yadav (@VishalK88573480) September 20, 2020

However, the quoted tweets generally criticise the “Hindutva” act of these people.

गिन के 10 जोकर खड़े है। इनकी waterboarding करा दो, सब #longliveamerica हवा हो जाएगा।#गैंडाTV #sudarshantv https://t.co/2SeO8RCLWf

— ROHIT (@rohitraaj) September 26, 2020

The Sudarshan news channel has received a show cause notice from the Supreme Court for its ‘Bindas Bol’ show where the anchor attempts to show the prevalence of UPSC jihad. The first such isalamophobic episode has been reviewed by the Citizens for Justice and Peace. An important takeaway from the show was that the reporters had no evidence for their crude allegations.

Related:

Centre issues show cause notice to Sudarshan News; SC seeks report
‘UPSC Jihad’ is prime example of virulent Islamophobia: Petitioner in Sudarshan News case
Sudarshan News defends show calling it investigative journalism; Centre says regulate digital media first
SC restrains Sudarshan News from telecasting “UPSC Jihad” show, calls it ‘insidious’

The post We are with Sudarshan News: Absurd slogans of NRIs in NY appeared first on SabrangIndia.

On June 21, a video of a Muslim man being lynched emerged. Turns out the man was lynched by a mob in western Uttar Pradesh four days ago. The video of the gory act shows people shouting and hitting Israr, the victim, with sticks as he lies covered with muck in a moribund state.

The incident allegedly took place on June 18 in Dehra village near Deoband town of Saharanpur district. Police have filed an FIR under various sections including murder and rioting naming a group of villagers. But the police have also held the deceased responsible for instigating the mob.

The family members of the deceased told police they witnessed Israr being beaten with sticks, iron rods and sharp objects “with the intention of murder.”

Mob Lynching in village Dehra, Saharanpur, UP. ( 18 June 2020).

A guy named Israr was killed by a mob in a village, according to victim’s brother, when he reached at spot, mob was calling Israr a terrorist and beating him with stick.

1/n pic.twitter.com/4tmS28TbyB

— Md Asif Khan‏‎‎‎‎‎‎ آصِف (@imMAK02) June 21, 2020

Reportedly, his brothers rushed to the spot after someone alerted them via a phone call at around 6 pm that their brother had been waylaid and was being beaten by a mob. They rushed to the spot to rescue him but when they pleaded before the mob to stop “they did not listen to us and kept hitting him.” Muntayaz recounts in the police complaint “My brother was kept tied with ropes.”

The police also reached after being informed. They escorted a bleeding Israr to a local hospital in Deoband where he succumbed to his injuries.

An (FIR No.- 0432) –criminal complaint –has been registered in a police station in Deoband under various sections including sections 302 (for murder), 147, 148, 149 (for rioting). The complaint names seven people – Bobby, Sunda, s/o Dharmveer; Dharmveer s/o Baldev; Rohit s/o Radheshyam; Rohit s/o Vinod; Nitin s/o Sumerchand; Johru s/o Nakli aka Chhotu; Sattu s/o Deepchand, Dharmendra, Ravi, Vijay.

The family told the media that the mob shouted the word “terrorist” while they were chasing and beating him. “They called him a terrorist even as we told them we live in a neighbouring village,” his brother said in a video interview to a local media outlet. “They accused us (Muslims) of spreading coronavirus,” he said.

There has been a renewed wave of violence against minorities in India including physical assaults, verbal abuse, open discrimination, and social ostracisation. They are being falsely accused of spreading coronavirus. This is the result of a vilification campaign systematically carried out by a large section of mainstream and social media against Tablighi Jamaat after their Nizamuddin Markaz in New Delhi emerged as one of the Coronavirus clusters.

A tweet posted in Hindi from the official handle of Saharanpur District police said Israr was “mentally ill” and used the word “abhiyukt” (Hindi for someone held guilty) for him. The tweet alleged Israr’s action instigated the mob to resort to the brutal act of lynching him. “He attacked one of the boys with a sickle in village Imaliya and took away his motorcycle. He also went to Dehra and injured a seven-year-old boy Vanshu by attacking with a sickle, the police said.

pic.twitter.com/nJ2yNNq5zj

— Saharanpur Police (@saharanpurpol) June 21, 2020

This recent incident in Saharanpur is an addition to a series of hate crimes in a systematic manner in recent years targeting ordinary Muslims.

Related:

Mob lynchings continue unabated despite Covid-19!
One killed, one injured critically by lynch mob in Jharkhand

The post Muslim man called “terrorist”, lynched in Saharanpur appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Shumais, Ajmal and Azeem

The rap video with English and Hindi lyrics deals with the obsession with the changing of names of places, thus trying to re-write history.  It begins by a quote from William Shakespeare – “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”  The video also challenges to ‘build another Taj if there is so much hatred towards the present one’, instead of changing its name.

Ajmal, Azeem, and Shumais Nazer recorded the video while they were on a tour from their college (Azharu lUloom Arabic College, Aluva, in Ernakulam) to various places in the country including Hyderabad, Delhi, Agra, etc.  Shumais wrote and re-wrote the lyrics while in train.  Ajmal shot the scenes, while Shumais and Azeem performed on the screen.  Once they reached Kerala after the trip, Rameesudheen and Mukhtar, their friends and seniors in the college, also associated with the remaining works.  The video was released on YouTube on April 2019 and has been received well.

“We wanted to do something creative on the issues facing us,” said Shumais to TwoCircles.net.  Why rap? “We are very interested in rap music and can do well too.  It gets good public attention and is easier than others like short films.”  He added that they were also influenced by the 2013 hip-hop video ‘Native Bappa’ having a strong political message.

the logo of the group Osapraka

The friends formed a group called OSaPraKa (short form for ‘OruSanghamPracheenaKalakar’ meaning ‘a bunch of ancient artists’) for their new endeavour.  Before forming this group, they used to blog which is titled ‘Ezhuthachan Media’; under the same banner, they did the video on demonetization and Donald Trump too.

“The team is launching its next video, which will also have some political content, in August”, informed Shumais, who is now a postgraduate student at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
 
Courtesy: Two Circle

The post ‘Badlistan’ –a rap protest against the name changing of places appeared first on SabrangIndia.

On June 17 night, Tabrez and two of his friends were returning from his uncle’s place, when Tabrez was surrounded by a mob which beat him so badly that he later succumbed to his injuries. The two friends– Md Irfan And Numer Ali, who were accompanying Tabrez, are missing since then.
According to Tabrez’s family, he was working as a welder in Pune and had come home to celebrate Eid. He had got married only two months back on April 26.

Before leaving for home, he had called his wife and informed her that he would be reaching home late. He had also mentioned the route (Dhadkidih) that he would be taking to travel back home. It was here that he was brutally assaulted by the mob.

The video of Tabrez being brutally assaulted has gone viral, and clearly shows the mob asking his name, and on him revealing his name Tabrez, he is shown being assaulted and forced to chant Jai Sri Ram and Jai Hanuman. The inhuman lynching for 14 hours eventually led to his death in police custody.

“On June 18, Tabrez had called his wife to let her know that he had been caught by a mob in Dhadkidih the previous night and been badly beaten. He had then mentioned that he was being taken to the police station. Following which we met him at 7.30 am in the morning at Saraikela police station, where we saw that he was not being able to talk to us properly, he was in severe pain, so we requested the police to first get him treated and then sent him to jail if he has been accused of theft,” Maqsood Ansari told eNewsroom over phone from Kharsawan.

“But, instead of paying heed to our request Sini Out Post (OP)’s Police Officer Bipin Bihari told us to leave the police station. He even threatened us of breaking our legs if we remained there,” he added.

At that time, police had also brought Pappu Mandal, one of the prime accused in the case. When he saw Tabrez in the police station, he abused him and expressed surprise on Tabrez being alive despite the brutal beating that he had been subjected to.

“On June 22, at 11.30 we got information from jail that Tabrez was ill and that he had been sent to the hospital for treatment. It was in the hospital that he died. But when we reached the Saraikela Hospital, his pulse was there. The doctor who had declared him dead had left the place, and the second attending doctor was not taking any interest, so we demanded ECG report. The ECG also showed that Tabrez had life.

We then wanted him to be transferred to Tata Medical Hospital (TMH). But, despite better ambulances being available we were given one ambulance without a siren. It took us two hours to reach TMH, which is just 40 kilometres away. On reaching TMH he was declared brought dead,” he narrated.

Aurangzeb Ansari, a social activist while speaking to eNewsroom, said, “We have given a written complaint against the police officer and he has been suspended but we have also demanded the SP to take Pappu Mandal into custody and run the video before him to identify the other culprit in the case.”

Significantly, two more people– Md Irfan And Numer Ali, who were with Tabrez are still missing and are yet to reach their home. They have not even contacted their respective families.

“One of the families have lodged missing FIR in a police station, while other may lodge today,” informed Maqsood.

Sahista Perween, wife of Tabrez, is not well after hearing the news of her husband’s death from lynching, she is on drips since then.

Family members and social activists have strong objection on the allegation of Tabrez being a thief.  “He has been accused of stealing a bike, in 2017, at least 7 people have been lynched in the neighbouring areas of Jamshedpur on the pretext of them being bachcha chor (thieve of children), but these accusations are yet to be proved. This is a trend in Jharkhand that in every such incident police simply believes the allegations of culprits of the victim being thieves, or criminal and without verification follow the allegations made by culprits,” added Aurangzeb.

Along with Pappu Mandal, four other accused have been arrested by the police, said SP Chandan Kumar Sinha. Two policemen, Bipin Bihari and one another also been suspended for dereliction of duty.

However, SP told eNewsroom that he has no idea regarding the missing men as no FIR has been lodged anywhere.

Courtesy: eNewsroom

The post Two Men Accompanying Tabrez Ansari, When He Was Lynched, Are Still Missing appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Asked once whether he considered himself a Hindu, Gandhiji had replied: “Yes I am, I am also a Muslim, a Christian, a Buddhist, and a Jew.

“Respond to every call that excites your spirit.” wrote Sufi poet Rumi long before the Mahatma. And he also wrote this: “Christian, Jew, Muslim, shaman, Zoroastrian, stone, ground, mountain, river, each has a secret way of being with the mystery, unique and not to be judged”

Now the highly regarded actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui has something similar to say through a video he has posted.

Not through the spoken word but through placards Gurmehar Kaur style, he says he is part Hindu, part Muslim, part Sikh, part Christian, part Buddhist, part every other religion of the world. All in equal parts: 16.66% each. But, he adds, he is 100% an artist.

A powerful, poignant message. A message most likely to be lost on the self-proclaimed cow vigilantes and their political mentors.

Last Dussehra, Siddiqui was reportedly denied the chance to play Maarich in his village Ramleela simply because he is a Muslim.

Siddiqui’s upcoming films include Sridevi-starrer Mom, the dance drama Munna Michael and Nandita Das’s Manto.
 

The post I am 16.66% all religions, 100% an artist: Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui appeared first on SabrangIndia.

सारी लड़कियां गदीर नहीं होतीं। मिस्र की गदीर ने अपनी एक दोस्त के यहां मस्ती में झूमते-नाचते हुए अपना वीडियो बनाया और अपने ब्वॉय फ्रेंड को भेजा। तीन साल बाद रिश्ता टूटा तो उस लड़के ने उस वीडियो को यूट्यूब पर डाल कर बदनाम करने की कोशिश की। भरोसा टूटने पर गदीर पहले दुखी हुईं, फिर उन्होंने यूट्यूब पर डाले गए वीडियो की कोई फिक्र नहीं की, बल्कि खुद ही फेसबुक पर अपलोड कर दिया और लड़के का शानदार सामना किया। बाद में गदीर ने हिज़ाब उतार फेंका और महिलाओं के हक की लड़ाई लड़ी। 
 
 लड़की की सार्वजनिक से लेकर निजी जिंदगी तबाह हो जाती है, वह जान भी दे दे सकती है। सारी लड़कियां गदीर नहीं होतीं। हमारे भारत में किसी लड़के को भरोसा देने के बाद ब्लैकमेलिंग की शिकार लड़की के टूट जाने से लेकर जान दे देने तक के किस्से आम हैं। लेकिन गदीर हो जाने में क्या दिक्कत है…!

घर की दहलीज और जंजीरों से बाहर आने वाली आज की लड़की के लिए भी यह आज की हकीकत है। उसके लिए यह तय करना मुश्किल है कि वह कैसे किसी लड़के की ओर दोस्ती का हाथ बढ़ाए। वह दोस्ती की भूख में भरोसा करेगी और उधर कौन किस शक्ल में खालिस मर्द निकल जाएगा, नहीं पता। जहां भरोसा करो, वहीं से मवाद फटने की तरह बलबलाती-बजबजाती हुई मर्दानगी बहने लगती है।

Courtesy: National Dastak
Image Courtesy: DNA

The post भारतीय समाज मानसिक रोगियों और जाहिलों का समाज है appeared first on SabrangIndia.