Day: October 18, 2021

Bhopal, October 18, 2021 (PPI-OT):A woman riding pillion on a scooter was forced to take her off hijab by some people in Bhopal on Saturday, has drawn flak on social media. The woman was riding pillion with a man when some people stopped them on a narrow street in Bhopal’s Islam Nagar and asked her to remove the hijab that she was wearing. A video surfaced on Twitter shows the people taking off her hijab while she protested, visibly crying. A man is also heard in the video telling the woman that she was a “disgrace” to the community.

The police said the people who had gathered there suspected the woman was with a Hindu man, so they forced the scooter to stop. No police case has been filed. Two of the men who were seen stopping the scooter were detained and let off after a warning not to repeat the act.

“A man and the woman came to Islam Nagar in the afternoon. Some people stopped them and asked her to take off her hijab and show her face. It is suspected that the people believed the man was Hindu and the girl Muslim,” police officer RS Verma told South Asian Wire. “No case has been registered but preventive action has been taken against the two men seen in the video, who were let off with a warning to not repeat such an act,” Verma said.

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Telangana, October 18, 2021 (PPI-OT):Over 100 caste Hindus attacked nearly a dozen Dalits in Telangana’s Kamareddy district on Friday, October 15. The attack took place on the pretext that Dalit youngsters were planning to burn a flex board of the Hindu deity Rama in response to the burning of a Ravana effigy by the caste Hindus on the eve of Dasara.

The incident came to light after videos of the attack surfaced on social media. Two cases have been registered and police said that they are investigating.

According to reports in the local media, several Dalit youngsters belonging to Kankal village in Tadwai mandal had objected to the caste Hindus burning a Ravana effigy. They said it hurt their sentiments as a large section of Dalits believe Ravana is their ancestor.

A group of men from the village, mostly Reddys and Backward Castes had organised a burning of a Ravana effigy as part of their Dasara celebration. Soon after the effigy was burned, a dozen Dalit youngsters were seen carrying a flex board with the image of Rama that they allegedly planned to burn. Around 100 caste Hindus blocked them and beat them with sticks.

Even as the attack was taking place, the local Mandal Parishad President (MPP) Kode Ravi and his wife Kode Radha, who is the village sarpanch were called to the scene. The couple is Dalit.

According to Ravi, the attackers allegedly hurled casteist abuses at him and his wife and beat him at the village centre, and accused him of provoking the Dalit youth to burn the image of Rama.

Speaking to TNM, Ravi said, “A few Dalit youngsters initially didn’t want the burning of the Ravana effigy to happen and objected to it for whatever the reason, later they were beaten up.”

“Few Reddys called me to inform me about the incident. I went to the scene of the attack where they beat me and hurled casteist abuses at me,” he alleged.

Ravi further said that the caste Hindu men in the village have claimed that the Dalits are crossing their limits as the MPP and sarpanch are Dalits.

While Kode Ravi and his wife registered a case against the attackers, they, in turn, registered a case against the Dalit youngsters claiming that they have hurt their sentiments.

In the same subdivision, Gandhari, a mandal headquarter witnessed a similar incident, as a group of youngsters tried to stop the burning of a Ravana effigy. There were reports of stone pelting as both the groups faced off.

A Dalit youth from Gandhari, who was allegedly injured in the incident told TNM that they had already submitted a representation to the local police demanding a halt on the burning of Ravana effigies. But the non-Dalits went ahead and organised the event and even hurled abuses at them. Both incidents triggered mild tension, following which police pickets were set up.

TNM reached out to Yellareddy Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) to know what exactly transpired and regarding the allegations raised by the Dalits. DySP Shashank Reddy said, “Cases have been registered with regard to the two separate incidents, both parties were booked and investigations are underway.” Meanwhile, in Siddipet’s Peddagundavelli, which comes under Dubbak mandal, there was some tension as right-wing organisations opposed Dalit groups from paying tribute to Ravana with an offering of milk.

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Patna, October 18, 2021 (PPI-OT):Three Muslim men are reportedly attacked by Hindu Mob on the last day of Dussehra [Hindu festival] in different incidents in Bihar Sharif, Bihar’s Nalanda district on Friday night. Police have filed FIR in at least one attack.

Muhammad Raza, Saddam Qureshi and Md Aasif were attacked on Dashmi, last day of Dussehra, after being identified as Muslims, the victims told Maktoob.

23-year-old Muhammad Raza was attacked while returning from market.

“There was a rush of Dashmi. Someone from the crowd asked me: ‘Are you a Hindu or a Muslim?’ I replied: ‘Muslim.’ Then someone said from the crowd “Maar Miya Saale ko” [Attack Muslims] and then they started beating me”.

Raza claims that the mob looted him and raised anti-Muslim slurs while beating mercilessly.

Another victim, Saddam Qureshi, who was brutally attacked on the head while visiting his in-laws’ house.

“I had gone to in-laws house, Moth Mahua Tola, Bihar Sharif to meet my wife. Around 7:30 pm, I was standing at the gate of the road then suddenly 15-20 people came and asked my name, as I told my name, they started beating me while calling me Miya”.

“Is it a crime for me to be a Muslim in this country?” asks Qureshi. Aasif was attacked in similar manner when he asked the crowd about the occasion.

Qureshi has demanded police to check footage from the CCTV installed in the locality and arrest the assailants. State president of Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), Shamim Akhtar condemned the attack.

“One man’s condition was very critical. He had a deep injury on his head and eye. After informing the police, the police came and took them to Sadar Hospital.” Akthar claims that police was reluctant to file FIR initially but upon putting pressure the FIR is filed but no arrest is made so far.

Police informed Maktoob that investigation is ongoing and the CCTV footage is checked. “Every month 2-3 lynching incidents are happening here. We want strict law for lynching so that Muslims do not lose their lives every day,” he added.

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Haryana, October 18, 2021 (PPI-OT):Twenty-three upper-caste Jat Hindus, including a former sarpanch, have been booked for socially boycotting Dalit residents of Chhatar village in Jind’s Uchana sub-division in Haryana.

More than 150 Dalit families have been denied ration, medicine, and any means to travel in and out of the village due to casteist restriction by the upper caste Hindu families.

Dalit families from the village alleged that members of Jat Hindu caste gave a call for their social boycott to build pressure on Dalits to withdraw a case against a member of their community.

Three weeks ago, some upper-caste youths beat up a Dalit youth Gurmeet over some argument related to a Kabbadi match in the village, according to PTI news agency. Police arrested an upper-caste Hindu after filing a case under provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act on Gurmeet’s complaint.

The upper-caste men along with panchayat members constantly pressured Gurmeet to withdraw the case.

Refusing to do withdraw the compliant, the Dalit community stood by the complainant and went ahead to send another complaints of social boycott and caste based violence against two dozen Jat Hindus to the Chief Minister’s office.

The Dalit residents claimed that the call was given after some upper-caste people called a panchayat recently and added that they were not able to get essential items or go to their fields due to the social boycott announced by Jat Hindus. About 150-200 Dalit families live in the village.

According to the casteist panchayat, anybody who offers help to the Dalits, by giving them ration, vegetables, milk, medicines, or even involved in any other dealings with them, would be fined Rs 11,000.

“We are not only denied daily ration but also prohibited from going to other places in the village. The farmers are not able to go to the field. The vegetable sellers are not coming to our locality. Even the doctors are not giving medicines to the sick,” Naresh, a Dalit resident in the village told The Wire.

According to The Wire report, though police booked some Jat men, the local government body members and police officials are continuously denying the allegations of social boycott.

Dalit youth told the news website that ‘Situation hasn’t improved despite police intervention.’ Naresh, alleged that when the media and police visit the village, upper-caste Hindus start behaving as if there is no social boycott. The moment they leave, the boycott is resumed.

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Srinagar, October 18, 2021 (PPI-OT):In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, a group of non-Kashmiri has left Srinagar after the situation has deteriorated in the territory. The non-locals while leaving Srinagar told media persons that the situation in the territory is getting from bad to worse with each passing day. “We’re scared, we’ve children with us and hence are going back to India,” said an Indian citizen of Rajasthan.

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Srinagar, October 18, 2021 (PPI-OT):In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, restrictions have been further tightened while there is huge presence of Indian forces on roads across the Kashmir valley. The number of troops and paramilitary personnel has been increased while more barricades, checkpoints and bankers have been put in place in the valley, a senior police officer confirmed. Cordon and search operations were conducted in almost all parts of Kashmir, the officer said, adding that vigil has been stepped in the territory.

Indian troops and paramilitary forces are checking vehicles and identity cards of the commuters in TRC crossing, Lal Chowk, Jehangir Chowk, M A Road, Bemina, Parimpora, Bypass in Srinagar and other main towns.

Meanwhile, Indian army continued cordon and search operation in several areas including Surankote, Mendhar, Thanamudi towns and highways in Poonch and Rajouri districts on eighth consecutive day, today.

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Islamabad, October 18, 2021 (PPI-OT):Islamabad, October 18 (KMS): Persecution of Muslims, Christians and low-caste Hindus has increased manifold since BJP has come to power with a mission to purge India of minorities. A report released by Kashmir Media Service said, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and other minorities are facing an existential threat under a systemic campaign from Hindutva forces in India.

The driving force behind this increasing persecution, it added, is Hindutva, an ideology that disregards Indian Christians and Muslims and other religious minorities as true Indians because they have allegiances that lie outside India, and asserts the country should be purified of their presence. This is leading to a systemic, and often carefully orchestrated, targeting of Muslims, Christians and other religious minorities.

“Recently, the place of the Christians has become precarious,” writes Dr David Landrum, Director of Advocacy and Public Affairs for Open Doors UK and Ireland. “With waves of persecution sweeping over religious minorities, Christians are experiencing intense and unprecedented pressure in India.”

The report maintained that vigilante mobs or violent squads target Muslim and Christian communities, and cast them as the villains. They are living in a perpetual state of fear as RSS-backed Indian regime is on a mission to purge India of its minorities.

It said that the persecution and vilification of minorities in India has raised questions about New Delhi’s democratic credentials and it urged world rights bodies to come forward to save religious minorities in India.

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