New Delhi, March 14 : Senior BJP leader and former minister KS Eshwarappa has made a controversial statement on azaan (the Muslim call for prayers). The BJP leader was addressing a public gathering in Bengaluru state of Karnataka when azaan was recited from a mosque nearby. As soon as the azaan started, a visibly irked Eshwarappa began ranting against loudspeakers being used for the call to prayers, media reports said.
The controversial remarks have the potential to again stoke the azaan debate, which had reached the high court last year.
“Wherever I go, this (azaan) gives me a headache,” he said. “Supreme Court’s judgment is due, if not today, this call for azaan will come to an end”, the BJP leader claimed.
“In temples, girls and women offer prayers and bhajans. We are religious, but we don’t use loudspeakers, reports quoting him as saying.
Eshwarappa also said, “I never told that we do not need Muslim votes. Our party needs votes of Muslims who are nationalists only.”
Eshwarappa, who has also served as the state’s Deputy Chief Minister, is no stranger to controversies. He earlier sparked a row when he referred to 18th century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan as a “Muslim gunda (goon)”.
The senior leader had to step down as a minister last year in the wake of a contractor’s suicide. Eshwarappa was named in the police case as the contractor had accused him of being “solely responsible” for his death in the final messages.
Indian top court orders removal of pre-partition mosque in Allahabad, UP
New Delhi, March 14 : In what believes to be toeing the line of Hindutva polices of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, Indian Supreme Court has ordered removal of a pre-partition mosque located near the Allahabad High Court premises in Uttar Pradesh within three months.
The Supreme Court justified the order by saying that the Masjid building stood on a terminated lease property.
“If the construction is not removed within a period of three months from today, it will be open for authorities, including the high court, to have them removed or demolished,” the court said, dismissing a petition filed by the Waqf Masjid High Court and the UP Sunni Central Waqf Board against a November 2017 order of the Allahabad High Court.
Noting that the land on which the mosque stood was a lease property, which was terminated, the court said the petitioners couldn’t claim it as a matter of right to continue.
On behalf of the petitioners, senior advocate Kapil Sibal said the mosque had been there since the 1950s and it could not be just asked to move out.
“The government changed in 2017 and everything changed. A petition was filed 10 days after the new government was formed. We have no problems with shifting to an alternative place as long as they give it to us,” he said.
Sikh man assaulted, his turban tossed by Hindu mob in Indian state UP
Lucknow, March 14 : In yet another incident of imposing religious beliefs on the members of minority communities in India, a group of extremist Hindus assaulted a Sikh man and forcibly threw colour at him on the Hindu festival Holi.
The video of the incident went viral on the internet, today. In the video, it is being shown that a group of Hindu youth is creating a ruckus on the road. Meanwhile, a Sikh man leaves from there riding a bike. The Hindus surround the Sikh man and start throwing colours at him.
The Sikh man is clearly seen opposing it. At the same time he took out the sword and waved it in the air. After this, the Hindu extremists get down to indecency. They take off the turban of the young man and drench him with colors while beating him.
As per the Superintendent of Police, Atul Sharma, this video is from the Puranpur town of Pilibhit district. He said, the Inspector in charge of Puranpur police station has been ordered to investigate the matter and take action.
Women journalists denounce online attacks against Dalit activist Shalin
New Delhi, March 14 : The Network of Women in Media, India (NWMI), has strongly condemned the continuous and ongoing harassment of Indian city Chennai-based Dalit writer and activist Shalin Maria Lawrence on social media sites.
Shalin Maria Lawrence who is a columnist for various English and Tamil publications, has been facing high-volume targeted harassment on Twitter as well as Facebook over the past year, specifically from handles associated with the DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam), ruling party in Tamil Nadu and the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Part), ruling party in India.
The NWMI in a statement said, Shalin has used social media to raise awareness of caste-related atrocities in Tamil Nadu, especially those that might not find a mention in regional media. This, according to the NWMI, has drawn the ire of both right-wing groups as well as persons associated with the DMK.
“However, rather than engaging in introspection or at least combating her with facts, figures, or ideas, they have taken to coordinated attacks, bombarding her with demeaning language including casteist slurs, body shaming her, slurs based on her religion, and making scurrilous charges against her character and integrity. They have also targeted her close family members,” the NWMI statement said.
“Shalin’s refusal to be silenced comes at a great cost to her physical and mental health. Nevertheless, she persists to speak and write on caste and women because she believes these are important issues that must find a place in public discourse,” it said.
It added that the DMK and BJP should send a strong message to their supporters that the harassment of women writers, journalists, and activists cannot be tolerated, let alone permitted, the women journalists’ collective urged.
Modi govt may compel smartphone companies to remove pre-installed apps: Report
New Delhi, March 14 : Narendra Modi-led fascist Indian government is working on a draft proposal that could force smartphone companies to remove apps which come pre-installed on new phones that cannot be deleted, says a media report.
Moreover, the Modi government is also considering imposing mandatory screening of every major operating system update before it is made available to consumers, Reuters reported citing a government document.
The report said that the new rules, once implemented, could lead to massive losses in business from pre-installed apps for major firms like Samsung, Xiaomi, Vivo, and Apple, and could delay the launch of smartphones in the country.
It said, the move comes as the Indian ministry of Information and Technology (IT) has raised so-called security concerns over spying and abuse of Indian users’ data.
“Pre-installed apps can be a weak security point and we want to ensure no foreign nations, including China, are exploiting it. It's a matter of national security,” the report quoted an official as saying.
Presently, all smartphones come with pre-installed apps that cannot be deleted, such as Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi's app store GetApps, Samsung's payment app Samsung Pay mini and iPhone maker Apple's browser Safari.
Under the proposed guilders, smartphone users would be given an uninstall option and new models will be checked for compliance by a lab authorized by the Bureau of Indian Standards agency, two people aware of the plan told Reuters.
Hindutva goons attack mosque, houses of Muslims in Karnataka
Bengaluru, March 14 : Tension prevailed in Haveri district of Karnataka after Hindutva goons pelted stones on a mosque and houses of Muslims in the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Indian state.
The Hindutva goons attacked and pelted stones on a mosque and houses of Muslims which led to Hindu-Muslim clashes in the district.
The Hindutva goons also damaged vehicles of the Muslims, media reports quoting police sources said.
Locals said that the Hindutva activists had pelted stones on the local Urdu school and students had to run out from the classes and stand on the streets crying for help.
The Hindutva group had also attacked a rickshaw driver and smashed his vehicle. As tension mounts, police have made tight security measures and deputed policemen at the localities where Muslims live in large numbers