Tag: India

  • Indian college bans hijab and Hindu saffron scarves over tension concerns

    Indian college bans hijab and Hindu saffron scarves over tension concerns

    A Karnataka state government college in India has banned the hijab and saffron scarves over rising tension fears.

    Last month, a section of the Hindu right-wing group appeared wearing saffron scarves and threatened their Muslim female class fellows not to wear the hijab during classes.

    The college principal said, “The officials were part of the meeting and it was decided that Hindu students will not sport saffron scarves and Muslim girl students will not wear hijabs but they can wear a shawl to cover their heads. If anyone violates the rule, they would be dismissed from the college.”

    Muslim students make a quarter of the total of 850 students enrolled in the degree college.

    The state secretary of Campus Front of India student group, Syed Sarfaraz Gangavathi appreciated the decision which took by the college authorities by saying, “The Constitution allows the wearing of hijab or saffron shawls but it should not be instigated by anyone or politically motivated.”

    According to the principal, the same issue rose up in 2018 as well when the authorities had barred Muslim female students from wearing hijab though for the past few days they started wearing the hijab again.

    In recent times, hatred has been fueling around in educational institutions over the religious freedom of the minorities under the current ruling government in India.

  • Can only travel visa free to 31 countries, Pakistani passport ranks 4th worst in 2022

    Can only travel visa free to 31 countries, Pakistani passport ranks 4th worst in 2022

    The Pakistani passport has been placed at 4th position in the category of the world’s worst passport for international travel in a list released by the Henley Passport Index 2022.

    Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria ranked the top 3 worst passports in the world respectively.

    Overall, the Pakistani passport ranks at 108th position in the world for the third consecutive year with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 31 destinations around the world.

    India climbed up seven positions and ranked at 83rd on the list this year. India had previously ranked at 90th place after slipping from 85 in the year 2021.

    East Asian and European countries as usual dominated on the passport global ranking this year as well.

    Japan and Singapore have been placed at the top of the list of powerful passports in the global ranking which allows travel visa-free to 192 destinations.

    South Korea and Germany are placed in second place with total of 190 points whereas Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, and Spain gained 189 scores which made them into third place.

    France, Netherlands, and Sweden moved up at one spot and joined Austria and Denmark in fourth place with a score of 188.

    Ireland and Portugal received total scores of 187 and placed them in fifth place, and the United States and the United Kingdom rank in at number 6.

    Since 2006, the international firm, Henley & Partners has been regularly monitoring the world’s most travel-friendly passports under the “Henley Passport Index”.

  • Two brothers reunite at Kartarpur Corridor after 74 years from Pakistan, India

    Two brothers reunite at Kartarpur Corridor after 74 years from Pakistan, India

    Two brothers who got separated during the partition of the sub-continent have finally reunited at the Kartarpur Corridor after 74 years, reports ARY News.

    Muhammad Siddiq aged 80, residing in Faisalabad, Pakistan who separated from his family during the partition, and his brother, Habib who lives in the Indian Punjab. The moment when they hugged each other brought tears to their eyes.

    https://twitter.com/thesinghsonia/status/1481167726827937793?s=20

    The Kartarpur Corridor, which links Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, the final resting place of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev, to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district, reopened in November.

    The pilgrimage to the Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara was suspended in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

  • Ramiz Raja to propose ICC four nation T20I ‘super series’ including Pakistan, India

    Ramiz Raja to propose ICC four nation T20I ‘super series’ including Pakistan, India

    Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ramiz Raja has said that he will be proposing to Internation theal Cricket Council (ICC) a four nation T20 International series which will include Pakistan with the ‘Big Three’ of cricket — India, Australia and England.

    Taking to Twitter, Ramiz wrote: “Hello fans. Will propose to the ICC a Four Nations T20i Super Series involving Pak Ind Aus Eng to be played every year, to be hosted on rotation basis by these four.”

    Chairman PCB said that this series can be played on a rotational basis by these four nations and profits can be shared on percentage basis.

    He further wrote: “A separate revenue model with profits to be shared on percentage basis with all ICC members, think we have a winner.”

    Pakistan and India faced each other in the group stage of the T20 World Cup in UAE, where the Babar Azam-led emerged victorious by 10 wickets. It was Pakistan’s first win against India in the ICC World Cups.

    Pakistan dominated the group stage and reached the semi-final without any hassle. However, the national side lost to the eventual champions Australia in the semi-final.

  • ‘Attack Mumbai with nuclear bomb’: Man warns SRK’s house is also the target

    ‘Attack Mumbai with nuclear bomb’: Man warns SRK’s house is also the target

    A man, who threatened to blow up Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan’s Mumbai house, Mannat, was recently arrested by the Madhya Pradesh Police, as per reports.

    A police official on Sunday confirmed the news regarding the man’s arrest, who allegedly made a call to the Mumbai Police control room about a terror attack on January 6.

    As per Indian media reports, the alleged man, identified as Jitesh Thakur, 35, was arrested in Jabalpur city of MP, on Saturday, after he threatened to blow up several famous locations in Mumbai, including SRK’s residence, Mannat.

    On his call, he claimed that he was from the army and there will be an attack in Mumbai with a “nuclear bomb” and bombings at places like CSMT, Kurla railway station, near Shah Rukh Khan’s bungalow, and near a gurdwara.

    Post his call, bomb detection and disposal squads and sniffer dog units searched all the spots but nothing suspicious was found, the official said.

  • ‘Thook chaato, bolo Jai Shri Ram’: Muslim man assaulted by BJP workers

    ‘Thook chaato, bolo Jai Shri Ram’: Muslim man assaulted by BJP workers

    A 32-year-old Muslim, Zeeshan Khan, suffering from bipolar disorder was assaulted, made to lick his own spit, and forced to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ by suspected Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers in Dhanbad on Friday, reports Indian Express.

    The incident took place at a protest by the BJP against the security lapse during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Punjab. The party’s Dhanbad MLA Raj Sinha and Dhanbad MP P N Singh were among the leaders present at the protest.

    Zeeshan was passing by the spot when he allegedly used abusive words for one of the BJP leaders. He was immediately surrounded by a group of suspected BJP workers and supporters who started assaulting him. He was then made to squat, spit on the road and lick it and chant Jai Shri Ram.

    After a video of the incident went viral on social media, Dhanbad Deputy Commissioner Sandeep Singh said, “We are inquiring into the matter and Dhanbad police are investigating it and have registered an FIR. One person has been arrested.” He said it was not immediately clear whom Zeeshan abused.

    The FIR was filed on the complaint of Zeeshan’s younger brother Rehan Khan.

    Speaking to The Indian Express over the phone, Rehan said his brother was diagnosed with bipolar disorder 10 years ago. “What kind of society is this. Even if my brother said something, did he deserve to be treated like this – made to lick his spit and forced to say Jai Shri Ram. My brother has been suffering from mental illness since 2012,” Rehan, 28, said.

    In his complaint to the police, Rehan said, “…My elder brother Zeeshan Khan was passing by the city center between 1-2 pm where BJP members were protesting at the Gandhi statue area. My brother was chased and beaten by the mob… and was forced to lick spit and asked to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’… My brother is injured… I plead that legal action be taken and justice be done with my brother.”

  • India kills Muslims for eating meat, allows import of pork products from US

    India kills Muslims for eating meat, allows import of pork products from US

    India, a country known for killing Muslims for meat, especially cow meat. Following Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s rise to power, extremist Hindu groups have led attacks across the country that have targeted Muslim and Dalit communities. These attacks have been carried out with the stated intention of protecting cows.

    The United States (US) announced on Monday that India would allow imports of US pork and pork products for the first time, welcoming the removal of an old block on US farm trade, reports Dawn.

    Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and US Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai made the announcement in a statement.

    “This new opportunity marks the culmination of nearly two decades of work to gain market access for US pork to India — and it signals positive movement in US-India trade relations,” Vilsack said.

    “We will continue working with the Indian government to ensure that the US pork industry can begin shipping its high-quality products to consumers as soon as possible,” she said.

  • Creator of Sulli Deals app arrested for auctioning Indian Muslim women

    Creator of Sulli Deals app arrested for auctioning Indian Muslim women

    On Sunday, Aumkareshwar Thakur, the alleged mastermind who was behind the Indian Muslim women auction application, Sulli Deals has been arrested by the police from Indore city situated in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

    He created this application in July 2021 to insult Muslim women and hosted it on the web platform GitHub. He put up more than 80 Muslim women “for sale” last year. However, it was removed by the repository hosting service after receiving backlash from social media.

    “Sulli” is a derogatory term used to refer to Muslim women in India.

    Recently, a similar application was created by the name, Bulli Bai where developers uploaded more than 100 photos of Muslim women for sale without their consent. The Pakistani Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Malala Yousafzai was also included in the auction list.

    In both applications, there was no actual sale but the sole purpose was to defame Muslim women.

    The arrest of Thakur came into action when the four students were arrested including Niraj Bishnoi who was allegedly the main conspirator of the Bulli Bai application.

    During the interrogation, Bishnoi revealed information about Thakur.

    The creator of Sulli Deals was a member of the group “TradMahaSabha” since January 2020 where all radical Hindus trolled and defamed Muslim women.

    The local police told the local media, “Bishnoi was a part of a group called ‘Trad Community Group’ and there was mention of the Sulli Deals app and its creator. This is how the two got to know each other, and during Bishnoi’s interrogation, he disclosed information about Thakur.”

    Meanwhile, Thakur’s father said that his son was being trapped and arrested on the basis of claims by arrested people in the Bulli Bai case.

    Recently, hate crimes are increasing in India with the support of the ruling party, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Several Indian celebrities raised their voices against the auction application and hate crimes against Muslims.

  • Indian 85-year-old man says he got 12 Covid vaccine shots, still wants more

    Indian 85-year-old man says he got 12 Covid vaccine shots, still wants more

    An 85-year-old retired postman from the northern Indian state of Bihar received his first dose on February 13 at a local clinic, and he hasn’t stopped since.

    In an interview with New York Times, he said, “I felt that it was helping my general health. My backache has improved, my general weakness improved, and my appetite improved. I still want more.”

    Mandal used his national identity and his mobile number card for 9 shots out of 12. After that, he used his voting card and the mobile numbers of his wife and his friends.

    He admitted that each time he registered for a new jab he told the staff lie that he had not received any dose before.

    However, his claim has not yet been confirmed but media reports suggested that Bihar’s vaccination numbers are likely inaccurate. The manual registration process might be the cause of this.

    According to the newspaper, there is no indication that the immune system with 12 shots brings any real benefits.

  • PM Modi trapped on flyover by angry farmers after major security lapse

    PM Modi trapped on flyover by angry farmers after major security lapse

    Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi was trapped on a flyover for 20 minutes by protesting farmers in East Punjab on Wednesday in what was being described as a security lapse.

    Modi was on his way to a memorial in the northern state when the route was blocked by protesting farmers.

    “This was a major lapse in the security of the PM,” a statement from the federal home ministry said.

    The protestors were demanding the resignation of a minister whose son has been accused of the deaths of farmers.

    The protesters were demanding the resignation of junior home minister Ajay Mishra, whose son has been accused of an incident that left eight people dead in October 2021.

    The incident took place in Uttar Pradesh’s (UP) Lakhimpur Kher, which resulted in eight people’s death.

    Farmers alleged that the son, Ashish Mishra, was behind the attack, but the Mishra’s deny the allegation.