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Owaisi hits out at Sena, seeks action against 'Saamana' editor

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asaduddin-owaisi

Hyderabad: Hitting out at Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut for demanding revocation of voting rights of Muslims, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi today said the BJP cannot dissociate itself from his statement and asked it to take action against him.

“He (Raut) has no right whatsoever to seek such a revocation of any Indian. He has no right whatsoever, leave aside Muslims,” Owaisi told PTI here.

“The real agenda of fascist Hindu forces is being exposed now. Their ideology is to promote hatred. Shiv Sena is not just an ally of BJP, but they are sharing power. Now does the ruling party (BJP) share the same views?” the MP from Hyderabad sought to know.

“They (BJP) cannot disassociate saying it’s an individual opinion and he (Raut) is a fringe element. They should take action. He is not a fringe element. He is the main element. When PM (Narendra Modi) speaks at a UN forum (during his ongoing foreign visit), their ally speaks like this,” he said.

Owaisi said the comments of Raut, the editor of Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’, are also an embarrassment to union ministers Najma Heptulla and Muqtar Abbas Naqvi as their voting rights are also sought to be revoked if one goes by Raut’s argument.

Shiv Sena had yesterday courted controversy by demanding scrapping of voting rights of Muslims, saying the community has often been used for vote bank politics, evoking sharp reactions from several political parties which accused it of trying to inflame passions and divide people.

“Vote bank politics is being played in the name of fighting against the injustice meted out to Muslims. Their educational and health status is being used politically. This politics was once played by the Congress and now every other person calls himself secular,” an editorial in ‘Saamana’ yesterday said.

Under attack, the Sena later sought to downplay the issue, contending that the party is against “appeasement politics”.

(PTI)

Shiv Sena urges to withdraw Muslims' voting right, Congress terms it 'unconstitutional'

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sanjay-raut

Mumbai: Shiv Sena leader and Member of Parliament Sanjay Raut has stirred a hornet’s nest by his article in party’s mouthpiece, Saamana, in which he has written that Muslims’ voting rights should be withdrawn to put an end to vote bank politics.

The Sena leader has also called All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leaders, Asaduddin and Akbaruddin Owaisi, a threat to the nation.

“Balasaheb had once said to withdraw Muslims voting rights. Owaisi brothers are doing politics of Muslim votes. They are threat to the nation,” wrote Raut.

When asked about his opinion in Saamana, Raut told ANI: “Even after independence, the politics over vote-bank does not seem to end,” adding, “Country once faced partition on the basis of religion. After that, we thought things would settle and Hindu and Muslim would be one. However, that did not happen. The Muslim population continued to grow and new Muslim leaders emerged.”

Meanwhile, slamming the Shiv Sena for its statement, the Congress demanded serious action against it.

“It is unconstitutional, it calls for serious action. Motive is to communalise the whole atmosphere,” Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit told ANI.

Earlier, while hitting out at AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi for demanding reservation for Muslims in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena had said that if the minority leader wants his demands to be met on religious grounds, then he should go to Pakistan and try his antics there.

Terming Owaisi’s speeches “hateful”, the Sena said that the Devendra Fadnavis government should file a case against him and start legal proceedings.

“(Asaduddin) Owaisi is insisting that Muslims should get reservation akin to the Marathas. Such insistence had caused the separation of Pakistan from India. Hatred for Hindus compelled a section of Muslims to take control over Pakistan. Hence Owaisi may try and get his demands based on religious grounds fulfilled in Pakistan,” said an edit piece in the Sena mouthpiece, ‘Saamana’.

It added that the minority community will have to respect India as their motherland.

“They (minority community) will have to respect the Uniform Civil Code and stop demanding the continuation of Article 370 for Kashmir. Asking for reservations while continuing with religious rants will not work,” it said.

“Owaisi says ‘Muslims have suffered a lot and hence I speak up for them’. But will he give a count of the sufferings of Hindus due to the terrorist activities of extremist Muslims? If extremists start communal violence and terrorist activities after listening to his speeches… Owaisi’s speeches should be termed as hateful and action should be taken against him,” the Sena said.

Addressing a public gathering in Nagpur on Saturday night, Owaisi, the 45-year-old Lok Sabha MP from Hyderabad, had demanded reservation for backward Muslims in government jobs and educational institutes in Maharashtra.

Claiming that “injustice” has been done to Muslims in Maharashtra, Owaisi had blamed the more than 50 years of Congress rule at the Centre and the Congress-NCP and Shiv Sena -BJP governments in the state for the prevailing backwardness of minority community members.

(Agencies)

PM meets 'leaders' of Muslim community

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leaders-Muslim-modi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday met senior leaders of the Muslim community who apprised him of their concerns, including the increasing radicalisation and emerging threat of terrorism.

“While expressing apprehensions about the trend of increased radicalisation and emerging threat of terrorism, the leaders underlined the need for greater unity and collective efforts to meet the challenge,” an official release said.

The leaders brought to the notice of the prime minister issues relating to properties of Muslim shrines, mosques and madrassas.

They also sought the government’s support in providing better facilities to Muslim youth, particularly in the field of education.

Modi gave a patient hearing to the delegation and assured them of his full support in meeting the grievances of all sections of the Muslim society.

He emphasised the need to empower Muslim youth to enable them to play a larger role in nation-building.

Modi specifically assured the leaders that he will look into their grievances on shrines, mosques and madrassas.

The prime minister further promised his complete assistance in ameliorating their social conditions and addressing their educational requirements.

The Muslim leaders reiterated full support of the community to the prime minister in meeting his objectives of ensuring speedy economic growth, promoting communal harmony and peace and strengthening national security.

The leaders included Syed Sultan-ul-Hasan Chishti Misbahi from Ajmer Sharif, Hazrat Ghulam Yasin Sahib from Varanasi, Sheikh Wasim Ashrafi from Mumbai, and Allama Tasleem Raaza Sahib from Dargah Barelvi Sharif in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh.

(IANS)

India to have largest Muslim population by 2050; Hindus to be third largest in world: Report

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indians-muslims

Washington: Hindus will become the world’s third largest population by 2050, while India will overtake Indonesia as the country with the largest Muslim population, according to a new study.

According to the Pew Research Center’s religious profile predictions assessed data released today, the Hindu population is projected to rise by 34 per cent worldwide, from a little over 1 billion to nearly 1.4 billion by 2050.

By 2050, Hindus will be third, making up 14.9 per cent of the world’s total population, followed by people who do not affiliate with any religion, accounting for 13.2 per cent, the report said.

The people with no religious affiliation currently have the third largest share of the world’s total population.

Muslims are projected to grow faster than the world’s overall population and that Hindus and Christians are projected to roughly keep pace with worldwide population growth, the report said.

“India will retain a Hindu majority but also will have the largest Muslim population of any country in the world, surpassing Indonesia,” it said.

“Over the next four decades, Christians will remain the largest religious group, but Islam will grow faster than any other major religion,” according to the report.

The report predicted that by 2050 there will be near parity between Muslims (2.8 billion, or 30 per cent of the population) and Christians (2.9 billion, or 31 per cent), possibly for the first time in history.

There were 1.6 billion Muslims in 2010, compared to 2.17 billion Christians.

“The number of Muslims will nearly equal the number of Christians around the world,” it added.

If the trend continues, Islam will be the most popular faith in the world after 2070, it said.

By 2050, Muslims will make up about 10 per cent of the Europe’s population, up from 5.9 per cent in 2010.

Over the same period, the number of Hindus in Europe is expected to roughly double, from a little under 1.4 million (0.2 per cent of Europe’s population) to nearly 2.7 million (0.4 per cent), mainly as a result of immigration, it said.

In North America, the Hindu share of the population is expected to nearly double in the decades ahead, from 0.7 per cent in 2010 to 1.3 per cent in 2050, when migration is included in the projection models. Without migration, the Hindu share of the region’s population would remain the same.

Buddhism is the only faith that is not expected to increase its followers, due to an ageing population and stable fertility rates in Buddhist countries, such as China, Japan and Thailand.

The projections considered fertility rates, trends in youth population growth and religious conversion statistics.

(PTI)

Survivors, families of 1987 massacre seek justice

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Hashimpura Massacre

New Delhi: Survivors and families of the 42 Muslim men massacred in 1987 at Hashimpura in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday voiced anguish after a court freed all the accused, calling it a “massacre of justice”.

On March 21, a Delhi court acquitted 16 Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel of the charges of murder, attempt to murder and more over lack of evidence.

“This decision is like a massacre of justice. We are against such a verdict where all the accused are acquitted after 28 years. We cannot accept it and will move the higher court for justice,” said Zulfiqar Nasir, one of the five men who miraculously survived the massacre.

Nasir and others spoke at a panel discussion on “Justice for Hashimpura” where they expressed unhappiness over the judgement and narrated their anguish.

“As many as 42 people never returned. They were killed by the PAC and thrown into the canal. My brother Kamaruddien, who was 21 then, was among the 42,” said an emotional Riyajuddin.

Narrating his tale of woe, Nasir, who still lives in Hashimpura locality in Meerut, recalled how lucky he was to survive.

“I was in Class 10 then and at home when the army ordered us to open the doors. They then went to the rooftop and rounded up people on the roads,” he said.

“After that they shortlisted the healthy and young men from among women, children and the elderly. We were then handed over to the PAC.”

The PAC took them in a truck to a canal at Muradnagar.

“They shot a man, Yasin, and threw him into the canal. They did this to everyone in the truck. I was lucky to survive even after a gunshot hit me below my right armpit,” he said.

Nasir managed to reach a ‘dhaba’ and got help.

Another survivor, Babudeen, said they suffered for no fault of theirs and still justice had been denied to them.

“We want justice. How can a court let the criminals go scot free citing lack of evidence? People were killed… Evidence is there but it has been overlooked,” added a tearful Mohammad Naeem, another survivor.

The victims’ lawyer, Vrinda Grover, said: “At each stage a fair, rigorous and impartial investigation was systematically thwarted. The material pieces of evidence were either not collected or destroyed.”

According to Rajinder Sachar, the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties conducted an inquiry but the government didn’t take it seriously.

“The report was submitted to then Uttar Pradesh chief minister but it was not acknowledged,” said Sachar, adding the victims should appeal to the higher court for justice.

“Human right violation has certainly taken place. The victims and their family members should be given compensation,” he added.

(Agencies)

Pursue Hashimpura massacre case in higher court: CPI-M

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Hashimpura massacre

New Delhi: The CPI-M on Monday said the acquittal of all the 16 accused in the massacre of 42 Muslims at Hashimpura in Uttar Pradesh in 1987 should be pursued in the higher court.

“The acquittal by a Delhi court of all the 16 accused in the Hashimpura (Meerut) massacre has angered those who had wanted to see that justice is done in this police atrocity,” it said in a statement.

“The acquittal due to insufficient evidence highlights the callous manner in which the prosecution of those guilty for communal killings are being conducted,” the Communist Party of India-Marxist said.

The party demanded that the verdict be appealed and the case “strongly pursued” in the higher court.

Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel rounded up the 42 Muslims from Hashimpura locality in Meerut on May 22, 1987 during Hindu-Muslim riots, shot them dead and dumped their bodies in water canals.

This triggered a long legal battle in courts. On Saturday, a lower court in Delhi acquitted all the surviving accused for lack of evidence.

(IANS)

Will oppose anti-minority decisions: Muslim panel

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The-All-India-Muslim-Personal-Law-Board

Jaipur: Claiming Muslims were “feeling insecure and uncomfortable”, the c on Sunday it has decided to up a “Defend Constitutional Rights Committee” to fight “anti-minority decisions” taken by the central and certain state governments.

Addressing a press conference here after a two-day convention of the board here, the panel’s secretary Abdul Rahim Quresh said: “Muslims are feeling insecure and uncomfortable as there have been growing incidence of hate speeches by VHP and RSS leaders in the recent past.”

All the members attending the convention were of the opinion that in the last few months, efforts are being made to vitiate communal environment with issues like ‘ghar wapsi’ and venomous statements against Muslims which “is making both the communities feel insecure”.

He attacked the Rajasthan government’s decision to introduce compulsory ‘surya namaskar in schools.

“Through the Defend Constitutional Rights Committee. we shall run a campaign all over the country to build confidence among Muslims,” he said, adding it will be set up soon.

There was some drama at the event when Zafar Sareshwala, a confidante of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, turned up to participate but had to leave as various participants objected saying he was not a member and shouted slogans against him, said sources.

(IANS)

Delhi Court acquits 16 cops in 1987 Hashimpura Massacre of over 40 Muslims

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Hashimpura Massacre

New Delhi: More than a quarter century after the brutal massacre of 42 Muslims in Hashimpura area of Meerut district in Uttar Pradesh, 16 accused policemen of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) were acquitted by a Delhi court today.

The Hashimpura massacre took place on 22 May 1987, during the Hindu-Muslim riots in Meerut. Some personnel of the PAC allegedly rounded up 42 Muslims from the Hashimpura locality, took them in a truck to the outskirts, near Murad Nagar in Ghaziabad district and shot them dead. Their bodies were dumped in water canals.

Sixteen policemen were acquitted by a court here on Saturday of the charges of murder and other crimes in the 1987 Hashimpura massacre case in which 42 people were killed in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut city.

Additional Sessions Judge Sanjay Jindal acquitted 16 Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel of the charges dealing with murder, attempt to murder, tampering with evidence and conspiracy.

Suresh Chand Sharma, Niranjan Lal, Kamal Singh, Rambir Singh, Sami Ullah, Mahesh Prasad, Jaipal Singh, Ram Dhayam, Sarwan Kumar, Leela Dhar, Hambir Singh, Kunwar Pazal Singh, Budha Singh, Budhi Singh, Mokham Singh and Basant Vallabh were facing trial in the case.

The court said all the accused are acquitted of all charges framed against them by giving them the benefit of doubt for want of sufficient evidence regarding their identity.

The court said although the accused persons have been acquitted in this case, it felt the victims and affected families should be rehabilitated.

A recommendation was made to the District Legal Service Authority to award compensation to victims, the court said.

There were 19 accused in the case. However, three of them died during the trial.

The killings had allegedly occurred during riots in Meerut city when the victims were picked up from the Hashimpura Mohalla of the city by personnel of the 41st Battalion of the PAC during a search operation.

The charge sheet in the case was filed before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Ghaziabad in 1996. The case was transferred to Delhi in September 2002 on the order of the Supreme Court following a petition by the families of the massacre victims and survivors.

A sessions court here in July 2006 framed charges of murder, attempt to murder, tampering with evidence and conspiracy against all the accused.

Timeline of 1987 Hashimpura massacre case

Sixteen policemen were acquitted by a court here on Saturday in the 1987 Hashimpura massacre case in which 42 people were killed in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut city. Here is the timeline of the case:

May 1987: 42 people killed in Meerut in Uttar Pradesh.

1996: Chargesheet filed before Chief Judicial Magistrate Ghaziabad.

September 2002: Case transferred to Delhi on the order of the Supreme Court following a petition by the families of the massacre victims and survivors.

July 2006: Court framed charges of murder, attempt to murder, tampering with evidence and conspiracy against all the accused.

January 21, 2015: Court reserved verdict in the case.

(With inputs from IANS)

 

Documenting hate and communal violence under the Modi regime

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Photos: Gufran Khan

Photos: Gufran Khan

by John Dayal

The rape of a 70 year old Nun in West Bengal in an attack on a convent and school in February 2015 sent shock waves throughout India, and the world. “Protect not just Cows, but human beings also,” said Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, President of the Catholic Bishops Conference. At least 43 deaths in over 600 cases of violence, 149 targeting Christians and the rest Muslims, have taken place in 2014 in India till March this year, marking 300 days of the National Development Alliance government of Mr. Narendra Modi. The number of dead is other than the 108 killed in Assam in attacks by armed tribal political groups on Muslims. Desecration and destruction of churches, assault on pastors, illegal police detention of church workers, and denial of Constitutional rights of Freedom of Faith aggravate the coercion and terror unleashed in campaigns of Ghar Wapsi and cries of Love Jihad. Since May 2014, there has been a marked shift in public discourse. There has been a relentless foregrounding of communal identities, a ceaseless attempt to create a divide between ‘us’ and ‘them’. The BJP leaders guaranteed to abuse, ridicule and threaten minorities. Hate statements by Union and state ministers, threats by Members of Parliament, state politicians, and cadres in saffron caps or Khaki shorts resonate through the landscape. But most cases go unreported, unrecorded by police.

The Prime Minister refuses to reprimand his Cabinet colleagues, restrain the members of his party members or silence the Sangh Parivar which claims to have propelled him to power in New Delhi. Mr. Modi calls for a ten-year moratorium on communal and caste violence. His government soon declares Christmas to be a “Good Governance Day” in honour of the BJP leader and former Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee. There are fears at a severe whittling down of the 15 Point Programme for Minorities, a lifeline for many severely economic backward communities, and specially their youth seeking higher education and professional training. Anyway, Mr. Modi’s “assurance” to religious minorities is challenged and countered by Mr. Mohan Bhagwat, the head of the powerful Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh, who asserts, repeatedly, that every Indian is a Hindu, and minorities will have to learn their place in
the country.Speaking at the 50th Anniversary of foundation of its religious wing, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Mr. Mohan Bhagwat, the RSS Sarsanghchalak bluntly stated that “Hindutva is the identity of India and it has the capacity to swallow other identities. We just need to restore those capacities.” In Cuttack, he asserted that India is a Hindu state and “citizens of Hindustan should be known as Hindus”. Sadhvi Prachi, a central minister, Members of Parliament Sakshi Maharaj and Adityanath are among those urging measures to check Muslims, including encouraging Hindu women to have from four to ten children each. In Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and other states, the terror, physical violence and social ostracizing of Dalit and Tribal Christians, in particular, continues.

The 300 days have also seen an assault on democratic structures, the education and knowledge system, Human Rights organizations and Rights Defenders and coercive action using the Intelligence Bureau and the systems if the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act and the Passport laws to crack down on NGOs working in areas of empowerment of the marginalized sections of society, including Dalits, Tribals, Fishermen and women, and issues of environment, climate, forests, land and water rights. This report is focused on issues of communally targeted violence and the politics of hate and divisiveness that emanates from a thesis of religious nationalism.

PDF - 1.6 Mb300 DAYS Documenting Hate and Communal Violence under the Modi Regime
(With inputs from Kiren Shaheen, Liris Thomas, Mansi Sharma, Shabnam Hashmi, Shahnaz Husain, Tehmina Arora, and Vijayesh Lal)

Mosques not religious place, can be destroyed any time, says Subramanian Swamy. Criminal case filed

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Subramanian Swamy (Photo credit: Jagran)

Subramanian Swamy (Photo credit: Jagran)

Guwahati: BJP leader Subramanian Swamy has sparked off a massive controversy by saying that mosque is not a religious place but is merely a building that can be demolished any time.

Swamy made these controversial statements in a programme at Guwahati. Swamy’s comments have attracted condemnation from all political parties. Even Assam BJP has disassociated themselves from Swamy’s remark.

According to HT, Swamy gave the “example” of mosques demolished for construction of roads in Saudi Arabia. The controversial leader said, “A mosque is not a religious place. It is just a building. It can be demolished any time. If anyone disagrees with me on this, I am ready to have a debate on the issue. I got this information from people of Saudi Arabia”. He stoked another controversy by claiming all Indian Muslims were Hindus. He repeated the controversial comments again on Saturday.

Police have now registered a case registered an FIR under IPC sections 120 (B) [criminal conspiracy] and 153 (A) [promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion] against Swamy following a formal complaint by Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS).

KMSS has urged Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to ban Swamy’s entry into the state. HT has quoted Tarun Gogoi as saying, “BJP will have to pay a heavy price for hurting Assamese sentiments”.

The state BJP is in backfoot as Swamy’s comments have evoked sharp reaction from all quarters. Assam BJP president Siddhartha Bhattacharyya has branded Swamy’s comment as his personal opinion. He said that they will send the footage to Central leadership.

Several minority organisations have also demanded strict action against Swamy. It’s not the first time Swamy has made a controversial statement though. From Sashi Tharoor to Sonia Gandhi, Swamy has targeted one and all.

(Agencies)

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