'Stoking a fresh controversy, Karnataka's ruling BJP legislator MP Renukacharya on Tuesday accused Muslims of storing lethal weapons, including swords, knives and soda bottles, in mosques across the state. "Instead of offering prayers (namaz), Muslims are storing weapons in mosques and their priests (khazis) are giving fatwas instead of sermons," Mr Renukacharya claimed at a pro-CAA rally in his home town Honnalli in Davenagere district, around 300 km from Bengaluru.
'BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi has hit out at actor Saif Ali Khan for his recent remarks on Indian history, citing the name of his three-year-old son Taimur. Responding to a question in an interview on the political context of his latest movie 'Tanhaji', which tells the story of a 17th-century Maharashtrian military leader, Saif Ali Khan had said, "I don't think this is history. I don't think there was a concept of India till the British gave it one." Meenakshi Lekhi joined those enraged by the statement on Twitter, calling out the actor for his child's name...'
'...'Framed As A Terrorist: My 14-Years Struggle to Prove My Innocence' is a heart wrenching book by Mohammad Aamir Khan written with noted human rights activist Nandita Haskar. The book was published in 2016, making this review a little late in day, yet I share this book review with you because 'Framed As A Terrorist....' is not only a personal account of immense struggle, pain and survival, but it is a profound and eye-opening commentary on working of Indian criminal justice system and Indian judiciary.
'Presidents and secretaries of various mosques received threatening letters in Hassan district on Saturday. The letters questioned their integrity and loyalty to the nation and defended the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act - 2019 and National Register of Citizens and lauded the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Secretaries of mosques in Hassan, Arsikere, Sakleshpur and Belur received such anonymous letters. Interestingly, the letters had the address of Bellari MLA Somashekara Reddy and Vijayanagara MLA Anand Singh.
'Most of the dead were Muslim daily wagers who succumbed to alleged police bullets. Close to a month after the killings, only three families have received post-mortem reports, say activists... Twenty three people were killed in the brutal state crackdown during the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) and the proposed nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Uttar Pradesh. Chilling details are now emerging about the kind of repression unleashed in the state that has left many questions unanswered...
'...Within a few minutes, Saif heard commotion downstairs and looked out of the balcony to see Ikram calling for help. Ikram and his friends had been stopped by two patrol police, who wanted to know what they were doing on the road so late and where they lived. Saif, 21, approached the policemen, wanting to know what the issue was. The cops asked them for their names and ID cards. On learning that Saif was a Muslim, one of them asked him if he was a Pakistani...'
'...On December 19, when there was a call for protest against CAA, we decided to conduct a peaceful protest at Parivartan Chowk. Suddenly, a group of boys wearing skull caps came and started pelting stones. I found it strange that, even though Section 144 had been imposed, the police couldn’t detect a group of protesters carrying bricks and petrol. I can say with responsibiity that the stone-pelting was orchestrated. Another strange thing that happened was that when the arson started, someone drove a state transport bus at the protest spot. Police kept standing but didn’t take any action.
'Mohammad Faisal, a Rajasthan based lawyer, has accused the Uttar Pradesh Police of wrongful arrest during the ongoing anti-CAA protests in the state. Faisal, a lawyer based out of Kota district in Rajasthan, has claimed that he had visited Uttar Pradesh's Shamli to help people involved in anti-CAA protests, who were falsely implicated by the UP Police. He claimed that he was wrongly picked by the SOG team of Uttar Pradesh Police from inside the Kairana Court in UP's Shamli.
'BJP state president Dilip Ghosh courted controversy on Sunday by threatening to shoot and kill those involved in damaging public property “like the same way in Uttar Pradesh“. Addressing a public meeting in West Bengal’s Nadia district, Ghosh came down heavily on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee “for not opening fire and ordering lathicharge” on those destroying railway property and public transport during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in the state in December last year...
'Doyeeta Majumder, an English professor at Jadavpur University, was assaulted by members of a pro-Citizenship Amendment Act rally organised by a right wing group. She was surrounded by men and women and manhandled when she objected to an anti-Muslim speech delivered by one of the attendees. Speaking exclusively to SabrangIndia, Majumder narrated the incident and what followed thereafter...'
