'It is essential for Hindus to take back their faith from extremists, says the founder of Hindus for Human Rights... A close Kashmiri friend of mine in New York City has not spoken with her loved ones for more than 50 days. The Valley has been under siege since August 5, with a communications blackout in place. Meanwhile, detention centres are being built in Assam for potentially millions of people rendered non-citizens through the National Register of Citizens programme.
'In an embarrassment to the government, Kashmiri Pandits who have braved conflict conditions in the Kashmir Valley questioned the figures given by Minister of State for Home Kishan Reddy at a press conference in Bangaluru on Monday (September 23). There are a total of just 5,000 to 7,000 temples across Jammu and Kashmir, however, the government has reached a figure of 50,000 temples? How, questions the Kashmiri Pandit Sangarsh Samiti (KPSS)...'
'On July 11, the Telangana government “externed” or banned godman Paripoornanada Swami from Hyderabad for a period of six months, stating that he is involved in ‘anti-social’ activities. He was dropped off at his peetham (peeth or ashram) called Sri Peetham at Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh. Paripoornanada, along with Dalit film critic Kathi Mahesh, were externed from Hyderabad by the city police. The row began when the baba and his followers took exception to comments made by Mahesh about the Ramayana.
'After Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was convicted of rape and his followers wrecked havoc in parts of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi – leading to the death of at least 30 people – several BJP leaders were left in an awkward position. Several Haryana BJP leaders had gone to pay their respects to the Sirsa-based Dera chief after the elections in 2014. BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj invited intense backlash by openly supporting Singh and suggesting that the rape survivor should not be believed. “Who is right? Crores of people who see god in Ram Rahim or that girl who filed a complaint?
'Professor B.P. Mahesh Guru, a professor of journalism at the University of Mysore, was arrested on June 17 for making “anti-Ram” comments. The Dalit professor was arrested for an incident that occurred last year, when he apparently criticised the Hindu God for being unjust to Sita. “Ram of Ramayana had violated human rights. He suspected Sita’s fidelity and victimised her. I see this as a violation of human rights,” Guru had said, according to reports. He has been teaching at the university since 1999. Guru has spoken up against those in power before.
'Wendy Doniger's The Hindus: An Alternative History is back, and how. Without any cuts, barely 20 months after it was withdrawn - not banned - from the market by its original publishers Penguin India.
;Forget cuss words, now even the images of Indian goddesses have failed to make the cut in front of the Indian censor board. In the soon-to-be-released film Angry Indian Goddesses, amongst the 17 cuts that the Indian censor board wanted filmmakers to make, was the blurring of the images of two Indian goddesses -- a picture of Lakshmi in the credits, and later in the movie, a picture of Kali. Movie producer Gaurav Dhingra said that he had failed to make the cut in front of the revising committee.
'Madras High court on Tuesday directed Tamil Nadu Government and Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Department to implement dress code for devotees coming to offer worship in temples to enhance spiritual ambiance. Disposing a petition filed by one Rasu seeking police protection and permission for "Adal Paadal programme" (dance and music) at Sri Shenbaga Vinayagar temple in Tiruchirappalli district, Justice S Vaidyanathan said "we should dress for public worship in a way that is generally considered appropriate".
'The age old practice of shunning menstruating women from temples has been placed effectively under the scanner now by a 20 year old Facebook campaigner named Nikita Azad. Support for her is snowballing into a massive drive. Her campaign ‘#HappyToBleed’ was started in response to a priest of Sabarimala temple in Kerala who said that they will allow women to enter the temple, only after a machine is invented to detect which of them are menstruating. “There will be a day when a machine is invented to scan if it is the 'right time' (not menstruating) for a woman to enter the temple.”
'Sadhus in Ayodhya have forcefully condemned the brutal lynching of 50-year-old Mohammad Akhlaq by a strong mob that gathered in Bisada village reportedly after a loudspeaker announcement in Bada Mandir on Monday that said that Akhlaq and his family were storing and eating beef in their house. Acharya Satyendra Das, the chief priest of Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir, said "It is a crime against humanity and it is very sad. Such an incident should not happen anywhere in the country.
