“We cannot tie a foreign adversary to any incident,” said one of the U.S. intelligence officials, who, like the other, was granted anonymity to speak more freely about the assessment.
Investigators studied more than 1,500 reports from across the U.S. government that detailed symptoms ranging from headaches to dizziness, the intelligence officials said.
“There is no one explanation for any of this,” the second U.S. intelligence official said. “We believe that what these officers are reporting is real.”
The officials said most agencies involved in the assessment determined it was “very unlikely” that a foreign adversary was involved. Of the seven agencies, two had moderate-to-high confidence in that assertion, three had moderate confidence, and two said it is “unlikely” an adversary was involved but did so with low confidence, the officials said. The officials did not provide the names of those agencies.
The assessment is based not just on a lack of evidence but also existing evidence that actually “points against” a foreign actor being involved, the second official said.
The assessment also found that no foreign adversary has a weapon or collection device that is causing the incidents. Two agencies said they had high confidence in that determination, three had moderate confidence, and two had low confidence because they believe radio-frequency energy is a “plausible cause.”
“The intelligence community assessment released today by ODNI reflects more than two years of rigorous, painstaking collection, investigative work, and analysis by IC agencies including CIA,” CIA Director Bill Burns said in a statement. “We applied the agency’s very best operational, analytic, and technical tradecraft to what is one of the largest and most intensive investigations in the agency’s history.”
Initial reports about the mysterious syndrome first emerged in 2016 among U.S. and Canadian diplomatic staff in Havana, Cuba. The diplomats complained of hearing piercing sounds coming from one direction and acute nausea and vertigo. In the years that followed, hundreds of additional U.S. government workers reported symptoms that aligned with those initial health reports.
The buildup of reporting prompted lawmakers and various agencies throughout the U.S. government to investigate potential reasons for the unexplained health incidents.
The intelligence assessment briefed to reporters Wednesday contradicts previous findings from various government groups.
In 2020, the National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine said it found that the most probable cause of the syndrome was “directed, pulsed-radio frequency energy.” A year later, administration officials told Congress they were increasingly worried about the reporting and that there was a chance a foreign adversary — potentially Russia — was using a weapon to target Americans. And a panel of experts put together by the intelligence community also found that an external energy source could have caused the symptoms and that a foreign power could have been involved.
When the reports initially emerged, intelligence officials said medical studies suggested that the incidents represented a new medical syndrome that looked similar to a traumatic brain injury. Now, they said, that medical thinking has evolved and the intelligence community found that the symptoms did not fall into any discernible patterns.
The two intelligence officials said the seven agencies looked at reports spanning 96 countries. Some of the reports took place on different continents on the same day.
When the intelligence community initially launched its investigation two years ago, analysts approached the probe with the assumption that a foreign actor was targeting Americans intentionally with portable technology. But as they examined the data more closely, those assumptions did not hold, the officials said.
Analysts and officials contacted other governments to understand the extent to which their employees were experiencing similar symptoms. Those governments did not indicate that they had received an “upswell” in those kinds of reports.
“I want to be absolutely clear: These findings do not call into question the experiences and real health issues that U.S. government personnel and their family members — including CIA’s own officers — have reported while serving our country,” Burns said.
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( With inputs from : www.politico.com )
Kohima: Over 82.42 percent of Nagaland’s 13.16 lakh voters cast their votes on Monday in the Assembly polls, held in 59 of the 60 constituencies amid tight security, election officials said.
Polling percentage was 83.85 in the 2018 Assembly polls, and the 2023 turnout is likely to increase after compilation of the reports of the Returning Officers, the officials said.
According to election officials, voting was largely peaceful across the northeastern state except some stay incidents of violence, including stone pelting and minor clashes. No major untoward incident has been reported so far.
In Akuk village under the Bhandari Assembly constituency in Wokha district, supporters of a candidate attacked the rival party workers using sharp-edged weapons in which three persons were injured.
Voting started at 7 a.m. in 2,291 polling stations, manned by 11,500 staff, and enedd at 4 p.m.
Chief Electoral Officer, V. Shashank Shekhar said that around 13.16 lakh voters, including 6,55,144 women, were slated to decide the electoral chances of 183 candidates, including four women.In the 2018 Assembly polls, 190 candidates, including five women, had contested the elections.
In the polls, BJP candidate Kazheto Kinimi was re-elected unopposed from the Akuluto Assembly constituency after his only opponent and Congress nominee Khekashe Sumi withdrew his candidature.
To ensure a free, fair and violence-free election, the Union Home Ministry, at the request of the state government, had provided 305 companies of Central Armed Police Force, while the state security forces have also been deployed across the mountainous state.
As many as 12 parties comprising national and state parties are in the fray. The ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party and its ally Bharatiya Janata Party, and the opposition Congress and the Naga People’s Front (NPP) are the main contenders in the poll battle.
The Congress, which governed the state till 2003, has fielded 23 candidates, while the Naga People’s Front is contesting 22 seats. Other parties, including the RJD, Ram Vilas Paswan faction of the LJP, National People’s Party headed by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, and the NCP were also in the fray. There are 19 independent candidates in the fray as well.
Chief Minister and senior NDPP leader Neiphiu Rio (Northern Angami-II), Deputy Chief Minister and BJP legislature party leader Yanthungo Patton (Tyui), former Chief Minister Taditui Rangkau Zeliang (Peren), Nagaland unit BJP president Temjen Imna Along (Alongtaki), Nagaland Congress president Kewekhape Therie (Dimapur) are seeking re-election.
Non settlement of decades old Naga political imbroglio, demand for a separate state –‘Frontier Nagaland’ – unemployment, illegal drug peddling and menace, besides various anti-incumbency factors were the main issues in the elections.
The counting of votes will be held in Nagaland on March 2 along with Meghalaya and Tripura.
Members of the Muslim community were attacked in two separate incidents on allegations of cow smuggling and beef consumption in Haryana and Bihar respectively.
Haryana
Two Muslim youths – Saleem and Mujahid – had gone to Manpur village to buy cattle. Saleem and Mujahid sell cattle to zamindars for a living.
“Suddenly someone shouted, ‘These two are Muslims’ and we were surrounded by men with axes,” Saleem alleged.
A day after a Mahapanchayat in support of Monu Manesar, two separate hate crimes against Muslims were committed in Palwal, Haryana. Saleem and Mujahid, two Muslim youths, had gone to buy cattle when they were attacked by villagers due to their religion.#Islamophobiapic.twitter.com/mDquSlA49Z
On seeing the mob, Mujahid said that he started his motorbike but was attacked. “My bike fell to the ground. I ran away to save my life,” Mujahid alleged. Saleem however could not escape. “They tried to aim my head but I raised my hand and got cut. I also got hit on my legs,” he alleged.
According to Saleem, he heard one of them shouting, “Take him to the room and electrocute him.”
“I remember one of my attackers is the nephew of the sarpanch,” Saleem said adding, “They took away my watch and Rs 50,000.”
Fortunately, a man, who was also a Hindu, went to save Saleem. He asked the attackers to stop and told Saleem to run. “He was also a Hindu. He told the attackers that he knows me and asked me to leave the place,” Saleem said.
Later Saleem lodged an FIR at the Mundkani police station.
However, Siasat.com spoke to Mundkani police who although agreed there was an FIR lodged by Saleem but denied any such incident took place.
“There was a small fight between Saleem and the accused – Manish. An FIR was registered and Manish was arrested yesterday,” the police said.
Manish is currently on bail, police added.
Saleem and Mujahid are residents of Roopraka village in Haryana. Saleem has six children, the oldest being nine years old.
Bihar
On February 20, police arrested a 58-year-old Muslim man – Ansarul Sheikh – on charges of allegedly carrying beef. A video has emerged on social media from Raxaul, Bihar, where a distraught Sheikh can be seen begging a mob that it is not cow’s meat, but buffalo’s.
A case was registered against Sheikh and he was produced before the court that sentenced him to jail. Sheikh is currently lodged in Motihari jail.
Siasat.com spoke to Raxaul police station when officials said that the investigation is still on. “We have sent the meat sample to the veterinary doctor who is yet to confirm if it is cow’s or buffalo’s meat,” police said.
Members of the Muslim community were attacked in two separate incidents on allegations of cow smuggling and beef consumption in Haryana and Bihar respectively.
Haryana
Two Muslim youths – Saleem and Mujahid – had gone to Manpur village to buy cattle. Saleem and Mujahid sell cattle to zamindars for a living.
“Suddenly someone shouted, ‘These two are Muslims’ and we were surrounded by men with axes,” Saleem alleged.
A day after a Mahapanchayat in support of Monu Manesar, two separate hate crimes against Muslims were committed in Palwal, Haryana. Saleem and Mujahid, two Muslim youths, had gone to buy cattle when they were attacked by villagers due to their religion.#Islamophobiapic.twitter.com/mDquSlA49Z
On seeing the mob, Mujahid said that he started his motorbike but was attacked. “My bike fell to the ground. I ran away to save my life,” Mujahid alleged. Saleem however could not escape. “They tried to aim my head but I raised my hand and got cut. I also got hit on my legs,” he alleged.
According to Saleem, he heard one of them shouting, “Take him to the room and electrocute him.”
“I remember one of my attackers is the nephew of the sarpanch,” Saleem said adding, “They took away my watch and Rs 50,000.”
Fortunately, a man, who was also a Hindu, went to save Saleem. He asked the attackers to stop and told Saleem to run. “He was also a Hindu. He told the attackers that he knows me and asked me to leave the place,” Saleem said.
Later Saleem lodged an FIR at the Mundkani police station.
However, Siasat.com spoke to Mundkani police who although agreed there was an FIR lodged by Saleem but denied any such incident took place.
“There was a small fight between Saleem and the accused – Manish. An FIR was registered and Manish was arrested yesterday,” the police said.
Manish is currently on bail, police added.
Saleem and Mujahid are residents of Roopraka village in Haryana. Saleem has six children, the oldest being nine years old.
Bihar
On February 20, police arrested a 58-year-old Muslim man – Ansarul Sheikh – on charges of allegedly carrying beef. A video has emerged on social media from Raxaul, Bihar, where a distraught Sheikh can be seen begging a mob that it is not cow’s meat, but buffalo’s.
A case was registered against Sheikh and he was produced before the court that sentenced him to jail. Sheikh is currently lodged in Motihari jail.
Siasat.com spoke to Raxaul police station when officials said that the investigation is still on. “We have sent the meat sample to the veterinary doctor who is yet to confirm if it is cow’s or buffalo’s meat,” police said.
Hyderabad: Reacting to the death of a five-year-old boy, who succumbed to injuries after he was mauled by a pack of stray dogs in Telangana, state minister KT Rama Rao on Tuesday said that he would work in full capacity to ensure such incidents do not repeat in future.
“We’ve been trying to tackle street dog menace in our municipalities. We’ve created animal care centres and animal birth control centres. My sincere condolences to the family and we’ll ensure that our best is done so that these incidents are not repeated,” the BRS leader told ANI.
Earlier, a five-year-old boy, Pradeep, was mauled to death by stray dogs in Hyderabad.
The incident, which occurred in the Amberpet locality on Sunday was caught on a CCTV camera.
The boy had accompanied his father Gangadhar, who worked as a security guard in the area.
Narrating the incident, Gangadhar said that he ahd his son with him to work on Sunday and while he was strolling outside, a pack of stray dogs attacked him.
The CCTV footage of the incident has surfaced as well.
Some locals rushed to Pradeep’s rescue and along with Gangadhar took him to a hospital, sources informed further, adding, however, that he was declared dead by the doctors on arrival.
In a similar incident earlier, a toddler was mauled to death in an apartment building in Noida last year by a stray dog. The incident triggered massive disquiet among residents.
Agartala: At least 21 people were arrested in 18 incidents of poll violence in Tripura since Thursday, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Gitte Kirankumar Dinakarrao said.
The state recorded 89.95 per cent voter turnout in the election held on Thursday, he said.
“18 incidents of violence were reported since February 16, and accordingly FIRs were lodged by the police. A total of 21 persons were arrested while notices were served to over 150 persons for their alleged involvement in the violence,” he told a press conference on Saturday.
Six incidents took place on the day of polling, the CEO said.
Sepahijala district reported most of the incidents at nine, he said.
He claimed that incidents of election-related violence drastically went down this time.
All sub-divisional magistrates in the state held meetings with the representatives of political parties on Saturday, seeking their help to maintain peace and tranquility, he said.
Two BJP candidates — Hemani Debbarma of Golaghati constituency and Pranajit Sinha Roy of Matabari — demanded repolling in some booths.
“However, the observers after checking the webcasting footage of these booths rejected their demands,” he said.
Meanwhile, a clash broke out between supporters of the BJP and Left-Congress in Unakoti district’s Kumarghat on Saturday, leading to the blockade of a highway, provoking a baton charge by the police.
Apart from injury to a few persons, a sub-inspector was hurt, a police officer said, adding that additional forces have been deployed in the area.
Agartala: Over 70 per cent voters cast their votes till 3 p.m. on Thursday in the Tripura Assembly polls amid heavy security, election officials said.
Several incidents of attacks on political workers and intimidation and obstruction of voters were reported.
At least 60 opposition party workers were injured when the ruling party workers attacked them in South, Gomati, Sepahijala and West Tripura districts. The main opposition CPI-M alleged that the BJP workers have evicted their candidates’ polling agents in more than 25 polling stations in four districts.
Tripura Chief Electoral Officer Gitte Kirankumar Dinkarrao said that wherever the authority got any information of any trouble, the security forces immediately rushed to the areas and resolved the problems.
A senior police official said that a police constable was suspended in Gomati district for his alleged role in urging people to cast votes in favour of the ruling BJP.
Opposition political parties, including CPI-M and Congress, complained that in several places, including Dhanpur and Kakraban, the ruling party workers obstructed the voters belonging to the opposition parties.
Ahead of voting starting at 7 a.m. across the state’s eight districts, men, women and first-time voters queued up in front of the polling stations well before the voting started at 7 a.m. in eight districts.
“EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines), which were not functioning properly, were replaced expeditiously by the engineers,” an election official said.
The CEO said that a total of 259 candidates, including 31 women, in the fray for the election to the 60-member house, and of them, the highest number (55) have been fielded by the ruling BJP, followed by the CPI-M (43), Tipra Motha Party (42), Trinamool Congress (28), and Congress (13). A total of 58 Independent candidates and 14 nominees from various smaller parties are also contesting the elections.
Around 31,000 personnel are stationed in 3,327 polling stations to conduct the voting.
In all, 28.14 lakh voters, including 13.99 lakh women, were eligible to cast their votes in Thursday’s balloting.
A senior police officer said the Union Home Ministry has provided 400 companies (30,000 security personnel) of Central Armed Police Force while around 9,000 Tripura State Rifles jawans and over 6,000 Tripura Police personnel have also been deployed to hold a fair and violence free elections.
Jagdalpur: Bharatiya Janata Party president J P Nadda on Saturday condemned the recent killings of BJP leaders in Chhattisgarh and claimed that Naxal incidents have increased in the state since the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government came to power.
He was speaking at an event here, a day after suspected Naxalites shot dead BJP leader and village head Sagar Sahu in Narayanpur district. On February 6, the party’s Awapalli Mandal chief Neelkanth Kakem was killed by Naxalites.
“Is it not a fact that Naxalite attacks have increased since Bhupesh Baghel’s government came to power? It exposes the administration here. When Raman Singh (BJP) was in power, there was peace here and the problem of law and order did not exist,” said Nadda.
Baghel took charge as the CM in December 2018. Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh are expected to be held by the end of this year.
“I want to tell the families of the fallen brave soldiers of BJP that your sons are not alone in this fight, the entire 18 crore people of the party are with you,” said the national president of the saffron party.
He called the Congress a synonym for “failure”. It is the policy of the Congress to stall, block and divert work, he said. “On the contrary, we are made for development. They (Congress) block development and their aim is to divide and rule,” he alleged.
About the tribal-dominated Bastar, Nadda said, “I remember late Rajiv Gandhi (of Congress) and his family used to come here (Bastar) for picnics. When it was very hot there, he used to come here to enjoy the coolness of the forest. When Raman Singh’s government came to power, development took place in Bastar.”
As per the National Crime Records Bureau, Nadda said, Chhattisgarh “ranks seventh in terms of rape, fifth in dacoity and second in suicides”. The state is in the “second spot” related to narcotics and third in terms of murder cases, he said.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has seen significant development and its reputation has grown globally, said Nadda. “Around 1,200 students from Chhattisgarh were stranded in Ukraine. Modi talked to Putin and Zelenskyy, got the war stopped and 32,000 children of the country safely returned to India. This is the picture of a changing India,” Nadda said.
Exhorting people to vote for the BJP in the state, Nadda said his party has the power and strength to fight the Naxalites.
While hate crimes and attacks on Muslims and minorities today have become a regular occurance, the past year perhaps will be a landmark in India’s modern history for the numerous incidents that were reported all year round. From Islamophobic slurs to the demolition of Muslim homes by state governments, religious bigotry today is in fact exhorted by Hindutva groups.
More importantly, these everyday incidents have also shown us how the mainstream media’s coverage of religious hate crimes is looked at when it comes to Muslims especially. To make sure that there is documentation of the ongoing epoch of Indian society, Siasat.com has been publishing a monthly hate report over the past year.
A major event that reverberated across India was when a flurry of anti-Muslim attacks was reported during the Ram Navami processions across the country. It was something unseen in the country in recent times, given that Ram Navami had never been marked with such violence or incidents of aggression (in Hyderabad now suspended BJP MLA Raja Singh passed derogatory statements at a rally).
Given all that has happened, opposition leaders and activists alike have voiced their concerns over what is happening. Many feel that such attacks on minorities have now mainstreamed hate, and are also an attack on the country’s secular democratic roots post-independence.
To provide a better understanding of what happened over the past year, Siasat.com also compiled a list of the most blatant hate crimes committed in 2022 by right-wing groups and alike.
January
The first month of 2022 witnessed an Islamophobic, misogynist incident wherein a bunch of depraved men decided to ‘auction’ Muslim women online. The whole attack was done on the infamous Bulli Bai app where Muslim women including prominent journalists, activists, and lawyers found themselves being ‘auctioned’.
The app was created on the GitHub platform. Soon after its expose, the Narendra Modi-led central government faced backlash which prompted Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to launch a probe. Four persons – 21-year-old Vishal Jha, 19-year-old Shweta Singh, 21-year-old Mayank Rawat, and key conspirator Neeraj Bishnoi were arrested.
In a separate incident, a group of people on Clubhouse hosted a chat under the topic ‘Muslim gals are more beautiful than Hindu gals’. The conversation soon went viral for its obscene, sexist remarks about Muslim women and their bodies.
One of the users was heard as saying, “See when people like me, RSS bhakts marry Mullis (a derogatory term for Muslim women), then they will ultimately be Hindus.” This was applauded by others, including women.
The two-minute shocking and odious chat even compared sexual intercourse with Muslim women with the demolition of the Babri Masjid.
In the same series of “discussion” on @Clubhouse, a Brahmin guy says that he has an ‘oedipus complex’ for his mother (a Muslim woman). Very sportingly, he is advised to murder his dad (Hindu man) so he can sleep with her “pink vagina”.
The Mumbai police arrested three people – Akash, Jeshnav Kakkar, and Yash Parashar.
Another horrendous hate crime was reported in Ranchi, wherein a Muslim man was allegedly thrashed, forced to lick his own spit, and chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ by BJP workers. The victim had allegedly abused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the party’s Jharkhand president.
In another incident, a Muslim man was attacked by right-wing Hindu organisations for travelling with a Hindu woman in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. They took him to the police station and upon investigation, it came to light that they were a married couple.
मुस्लिम लड़का और गैर मुस्लिम लड़की MP उज्जैन से ट्रेन में जा रहे थे, हिंदू संगठन वालों को खबर लगी तो वहाँ पहुँचकर लड़के को पीटते हुए थाने ले गए, जाँच के बाद पुलिस ने बताया कि लड़का और लड़की दोनों शादीशुदा हैं, दोनों में पारिवारिक संबंध भी है, जिसके बाद पुलिस ने उन्हें जाने दिया… pic.twitter.com/Q6u0md3pMC
Here is the detailed report on hate crimes committed in January.
February
February was a melting pot for Karnataka with Hijab row and the murder of 28-year-old Bajrang Dal activist Harsha taking centerstage.
On February 21, Harsha was stabbed to death at Shivamogga following which massive protests broke out. Shops were damaged and vehicles were torched, forcing police to enforce Section 144. “#JusticeForHarsha” trended on Twitter.
Bajrang Dal activist Harsha who was stabbed to death
Six people – Mohammed Kashif, Syed Nadeem, Ashifullah Khan, Rehan Khan, Nehal, and Abdul Afnan – were arrested in connection with the case.
The Hijab ban issue started in December 2021 when six female students were disallowed to enter the classroom wearing hijabs in Karnataka. Soon it snowballed to other states. Incidents from Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar were reported where young hijab-clad Muslim students were not allowed to enter educational institutions.
BJP MP Dharmapuri Arvind from Telangana, in a blatant Islamophobic speech, said that Indian Muslims rely on Sharia law to get married four times but also rely on the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for offences like stealing. He then advocated that as per the Sharia law, the hands of robbers should be cut off.
Here is the detailed report of hate crimes committed in February.
March
March was dominated by several anti-Muslim incidents (including the Karnataka state’s decision to ban the Hijab in religious institutions). Hijab-clad students also fought for their right to wear headscarf in educational institutions. It eventually reached the Karnataka high court, which ruled that it was not an essential religious practice.
The judgement on the hijab row was also marked by other incidents like in Dakshina Kannada district where Muslim shopkeepers were not allowed to do business during temple festivals.
Calls were also made for the boycott of Halal food in Karnataka. There were sudden demands for non-halal meat. #SayNoToHalal started to trend on Twitter. Incidents of Muslim meat shop owners being assaulted were reported, mostly in Karnataka. The state government remained a mute spectator.
Eighteen-year-old Hiba Sheik, who was at the forefront of the hijab row was booked by Karnataka police alongside six other Muslim students over allegations of harassment. She took to Twitter to express that such threats will not intimidate her.
On March 11, Hindutva filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri released The Kashmir Files, based on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits during the 90s. Its biggest supporter was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who, while addressing a meeting of BJP MPs said, “Jo log hamesha freedom of expression ki jhande lekar ke ghoomte hain, woh poori jamaat bokhala gayi hai pichale paanch-chheh din se (Those who always carry the flag of freedom of expression, this entire group has been rattled these past 5-6 days).”
#WATCH | At BJP Parliamentary Party meet, PM speaks on role of film industry in presenting history. He also mentions ‘The Kashmir Files’; says “People who always raise flag of freedom of expression are restless. Instead of reviewing on facts, campaign being run to discredit it..” pic.twitter.com/mq8iqA6Ajk
Soon after, the film was released tax-free in many Indian states, including Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Tripura, Haryana, and Uttarakhand. Many incidents of Hindus declaring open threats to the Muslim community were reported in theatres across the country.
The month also saw a boycott of Muslim traders and halal food. Vendors, who had been doing business during various temple festivals for years were suddenly stopped and assaulted by right-wing workers, mostly in Karnataka.
Here is the detailed report of hate crimes committed inMarch
April
Karnataka was once again in the spotlight as calls to ban Muslim traders and businesspersons gained momentum in April. Right-wing organisations including Bajrang Dal, Sri Ram Sene, and Hindu Vedike Jagran rallied stating that no Hindu should do business, buy products or use transportation from Muslims. A 72-year-old Muslim woman was forced to shut down her shop in Karnataka. BJP minister J C Maduswamy justified it by stating the Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Department (HRICED), 2002.
Muslim push cart vendors targeted outside Hanuman Temple in Dharwad. Sri Ram Sene members vandalize & destroy watermelon & other fruits.Ram Sene says #Muslim vendors shouldn’t do business outside temples. Cops present at the location did nothing to stop the vandalism #Karnatakapic.twitter.com/gu0pCjt0lj
Right-wing leader Bajrang Muni, a mahant of Maharshi Shri Lakshman Das Udasin Ashram in Khairabad town, UP, created an uproar when he gave an open rape threat to Muslim women in the presence of police personnel.
Bajrang Muni
On April 10, videos emerged of Hindutva supporters passing through mosques during a religious procession, who used provocative language. Incidents of arson, vandalism, and destruction of mosques in various Indian states such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Goa, West Bengal, Telangana, and Bihar were reported.
In Telangana, the Hyderabad police took cognizance and filed two cases at Shahinayathgunj and Afzalgunj police stations with regard to the Ram Navami procession, wherein BJP Goshamahal MLA T Raja Singh sang an offensive song.
Rajasthan’s Karauli district witnessed high-scale riots after a bike rally organised on the occasion of the Hindu New Year, reported stone pelting.
A Muslim victim of Rajasthan’s Karauli violence
The incident occurred when a Shoba Yatra (bike rally) was going through a Muslim-dominated area and people raised anti-Islam slogans. Things went out of control when young Hindu men climbed atop a mosque and waved saffron flags as well as dancing on the roof of the structure.
Madhya Pradesh’s Khargone district reported stone pelting incidents after provocative songs were played by a Hindutva rally. It soon engulfed into a full-fledged riot forcing police to use lathi charges and tear gas. However, Muslims bore the brunt when the state government, accusing them of inciting riots, ordered the demolition of their houses.
A similar situation was witnessed in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri area where clashes and stone pelting between Hindus and Muslims erupted during a Hanuman Jayanti procession. It soon escalated to arson and damage to public property and Section 144 was imposed to bring law and order under control.
The local administration ordered razing down of Muslim houses and shops, stunning the entire nation. The drive was ordered by Delhi’s BJP chief Adesh Gupta who wrote to the mayor asking him to identify and demolish houses of “rioters”.
As the demolition was going on, Aaj Tak anchor Anjana Om Kashyap climbed onto a bulldozer and said, “You are now watching live images from the crane that is going to demolish an illegal construction.” Her reporting was condemned by many fellow journalists on Twitter.
Amnesty International India. also demanded that Indian authorities stop “apparent unlawful demolitions” of largely Muslim-owned properties in riot-hit cities. Terming it a “violation of human rights laws”, their statement said, “Such punitive demolition of family homes of suspects could also amount to collective punishment, violation of International human rights laws.”
However, India also got to witness incidents of kindness and brotherhood in cities where Muslims and Hindus were seen helping each other.
Here is the detailed report of hate crimes committed in April
May
In May, senior politician and leader of Kerala Janapaksham (Secular) party P C George made a bizarre claim that Muslims were deliberately mixing infertility drugs in others’ drinks so that they can increase its population.
Bihar’s BJP MLA Haribhushan Thakur Bachaul in a hate speech also said Muslims should be burnt, just like Ravana (a Hindu mythological demon).
This video is from Indian state of Bihar
BJP legislator Haribhushan Thakur delivered a genocidal speech where he called on Hindus to unleash large scale v!olence against Musl!ms. pic.twitter.com/8S1Aj8kkbY
Hate towards Muslims in the country reached different heights level when a video emerged showing the husband of a former BJP MLA councillor from Madhya Pradesh repeatedly slapping a senior citizen and asking if the latter’s name was Muhammad.
Similarly, a college professor was sent on compulsory leave after a video showing him performing ‘namaz’ in the college lawns went viral and Hindutva leaders demanded immediate action against him. Even the act of praying was
Nupur Sharma, the now suspended BJP spokesperson, during a primetime news channel debate, passed derogatory comments on Prophet Muhammad. Alt News co-founder and editor Mohammad Zubair called out Navika Kumar and Times Group Editor Vineet Jain to allow hate to be spilled on prime-time news television shows.
Here is the detailed report of hate crimes committed in May
June
Suspended BJP leaders Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal who publicly insulted Prophet Muhammad faced the ire of the Muslim community internationally, especially after the Arab world expressed distress over the matter. As damage control, the BJP-run Indian government released a statement calling Sharma and Jindal as ‘fringe elements’ and assured the country is secular at heart.
Many cities saw violence leading to state governments, mostly BJP-run, ordering the demolition of Muslim households. As per the governments, they were accused to be key conspirators of the riots. On June 10, the Uttar Pradesh police arrested over 300 Muslims after violence broke out after Friday prayers.
The UP police also arrested Welfare Party of India activist Javed Mohammad accusing him as the key conspirator for violence. To make matter worse, Javed’s house was bulldozed without prior notice on June 13.
Activist Javed Mohammad (center) with his daughter Afreen Fatima
Alt News co-founder and editor Mohammad Zubair was booked by the UP police for using the word “hatemonger” while addressing Hindutva leaders – Narasinghanand, Mahant Bajrang Muni and Anand Swaroop – in a tweet. On June 27, Delhi police arrested Zubair alleging he had tweeted a questionable image with the purpose of deliberately hurting religious sentiments. Additionally, a journalist from Sudarshan TV lodged another complaint against him over Zubair’s fact-checking.
An Aligarh college professor was sent on a one-month compulsory leave after a video showing him offering Namaz on the college lawns went viral. The incident was reported at Sri Varshney College.
Hindutva priest Swamy Jitendranand Saraswati gave a derogative speech relating to Muslim women and children saying, “Raise loud slogans in such a way that it tears apart the womb of an anti-national woman bearing an anti-national baby.”
[English Caption]
Hindutva extremist Swamy Jitendranand Saraswati delivered hate speech.
He said “Raise loud slogans such a way that it tears apart the womb of an Anti-national woman bearing an anti-national baby” pic.twitter.com/UuPEaqsq0I
‘Economic jihad’ calls also continued as Muslim shopkeepers, auto drivers, etc were continuously targeted by right-wing organisations. In Kanpur, an elderly man selling garments at a nearby roadside was told to leave the premises by Yuva Morcha President of the Hindu Coordination Committee, Tushar Shukla.
कानपुर: कपड़ा बेच रहे मुस्लिम बुजुर्ग को दुकान हटाने को कहता दिख रहा ये शख्स हिन्दू समन्वय समिति का युवा मोर्चा अध्यक्ष “तुषार शुक्ला” है… महोदय @kanpurnagarpol मामले को संज्ञान में लेकर जाँच के बाद आवयश्क कार्रवाई करें… pic.twitter.com/jpLDl1BvHh
In Mangaluru and Belthangady, Hindus were asked to seek services from only Hindu auto and taxi drivers.
In Bengaluru’s famous Lalbagh Botanical Garden, a Muslim popcorn vendor was assaulted and accused of spitting into the oil used for making popcorn.
Here is the detailed report of hate crimes committed in June.
July
Hate crimes against Muslims showed no signs of slowing down as July bore witness to a series of incidents. Aside from the resurgence of the debate on the hijab ban, communally charged murders also took place.
The boycott of Muslim goods, vendors, and traders continued in July with many Hindu outfits asking not to encourage their (Muslims) business.
During NEET examinations conducted in July, Muslim women claimed they were made to remove their burkha and hijab when they reached the examination centre in Maharashtra’s Washim district.
Seventeen-year-old Mohammad Ashfaq was allegedly accused of posting inflammatory comments against Kodagu goddesses and women. Ashfaq received death threats on social media and calls for his arrest.
Clockwise from top: Praveen Nettaru, Mohammad Mashood, Mohammed Fazil
On July 19, a teenager named Mahood Mashood was killed after he was attacked with glass bottles by Bajrang Dal workers in an altercation in Sullia taluk, Karnataka. On July 27, BJP Yuva Morcha worker Praveen Nettaru was hacked to death by unidentified people on a bike in Bellare, Dakshina Kannada. Two days later, 28-year-old Fazil was also hacked to death in Mangaluru in front of a garment shop. This had created suspicion about the killings being murder for vengeance and were communally linked, and tension persisted.
The three back-to-back murders created communal tension resulting in chief minister Basavaraj Bommai visiting Nettaru’s family. He was criticized heavily by the Muslim community for ignoring the bereaved families of Fazil and Mashood.
Following the murder of Fazil, Hindutva leader Rishikumar Swami of the Kali Mutt in Karnataka’s Chikkamagalur made a speech saying, “If that was (murder of Fazil in Mangalore) done by our people, then I’m happy. Nine heads will be pending. There must be 10 heads against 1 head,” reiterated the seer who had called for the beheading of ten Muslims, to avenge the death of one Hindu.
Here is the detailed report of hate crimes committed in July.
August
As India celebrated her 76th year of Independence, the Muslims of India felt otherwise. In a surprise announcement that shook the nation, 11 convicts of the Bilkis Bano rape case and murder of Gujarat 2002 riots, were released. The state government backed the decision by stating the convicts were released on ‘good behaviour’ and had already spent 15 years in prison. Moreover, they said it was part of the BJP-led Gujarat government’s remission policy.
Many were aghast and taken aback when a video of the 11 convicts in front of the jail being welcomed with garlands and sweets surfaced. They were also facilitated by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, a right-wing Hindutva organisation.
After the convicts’ release, many politicians condemned the decision and wide-scale nationwide protests were reported.
Protests at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi (Photo: Twitter/Amarjeet Kumar Singh)
A mob thrashed a 35-year-old man to death at Chakhabi in Bihar’s Samastipur district for allegedly trying to steal cattle. Similarly, a 50-year-old was beaten to death on suspicion of cattle smuggling in the Narmadapuram district of Madhya Pradesh.
In Hyderabad, Masjid Khwaja Mahmood in Shamsabad was demolished by the local municipal corporation in the presence of a heavy police force, following which local Muslim leaders along with common people protested. In a similar incident, Madrasa Jamiul-Huda in Assam was demolished following the arrest of a madrasa operator on alleged terror charges.
On August 20, Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad district reported the kidnap and rape of two minor Muslim girls, aged five and nine, by a 25-year-old Hindu man. He took the children on a bicycle on the pretext of buying ice cream and raped them. The elder sibling died while the younger one survived.
इस युवक का नाम कपिल कश्यप है, इसने घर के बाहर खेलती दो मासूम बच्ची सानिया और शिफा का अपहरण किया, गाज़ियाबाद पुलिस ने गिरफ्तारी के बाद जब इससे पूछताछ कि तो शिफा को जीवित बरामद कर लिया गया वहीं सानिया की लाश खेतों मे मिली, मासूम बच्ची के इस हत्यारे को सख्त से सख्त सज़ा मिलनी चाहिए। pic.twitter.com/YTZwkNyUgh
On August 29, a Muslim family in Uttarakhand was allegedly attacked by a mob of 10-14 persons over a dispute with their Hindu neighbours. Though FIR was registered, no arrests were made.
Speaking to The Wire, Parvez Ahmad said, “My younger brother has a gym, which was attacked by a mob of people wearing saffron clothes. While some had their faces covered, we could recognise some members of the mob from their clothes.”
Here is the detailed report of hate crimes committed in August.
September
September welcomed Lord Ganesha, a Hindu god known as the ‘the remover of obstacles’. From throwing a chappal towards a mosque to playing songs with provocative words such as, “Khoon Se Iss Dharthi Ko Ham Nehlayenge, Hum Tujhko Teri Awkat Batayenge (We will bathe this earth with blood, will show you your social standing.)” and damaging vehicles, the festival was marred with unfortunate incidents.
On September 1, the food delivery app Swiggy received a request from a Hyderabadi customer asking them not to send a ‘Muslim delivery executive‘. The screenshot went viral giving rise to outrage.
In a separate incident, editor-in-chief of Sudarshan TV, Suresh Chavhanke who is known for his extreme right-wing views, told at an event that Muslim girls should marry Hindu boys in order to avoid divorce.
In Bihar’s Siwan district, an eight-year-old boy named Rizwan Qureshi was arrested by the UP police allegedly for inciting communal violence. Rizwan’s brother Azhar told Maktoob Media, “My younger brother was kept in a private ward and my family was initially not allowed to meet him. When my mother saw him, he was handcuffed and scared. He was so terrified that he was unable to recognise his own mother. The child was just crying to go back home.”
Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati, chief of Dasna Devitemple, said at an event organised by the Hindu Mahasabha, that all madrassas should be blown up in the country.
Hindutva supremacist seer Yati Narsinghanand in Aligarh on Sunday said that “all the Madrassas should be blown up with gunpowder & the way China does, all the students of Mardrassas should be sent to camps where the virus called Quran can be removed from their brains.” pic.twitter.com/3iYGdtSwKw
Karnataka was back in the news after a call was made to ban the Karnataka Waqf Board by Hindutva leader and Sri Rama Sene founder Pramod Muthalik. He demanded that after visiting slain BJP worker Praveen Nettaru’s house.
In a heartbreaking incident, a jailer forcefully shaved off the beard of a Muslim inmate calling him a ‘Pakistani’. The incident happened in Madhya Pradesh’s Rajgarh district. It soon gained significance with many Muslim local leaders appealing for the suspension of the police official.
International news channel Al Jazeera came out with a special report on how Muslim domestic workers are changing their names to Hindu for employment. According to them, many people, especially Hindus and Jain communities, are afraid to employ a Muslim.
Here is the detailed report of hate crimes committed in September.
October
As the Dussera-Diwali festival season began in October, many states such as Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Karnataka reported incidents of clashes between the two communities. Garba grounds became another place where right-wing outfits targeted Muslims. Many right-wing organisations declared that no non-Hindu community people should be allowed to participate as they feared the emergence of ‘love jihad’.
in Karnataka’s Udupi district, a massive rally of 10,000 workers was carried out by the right-wing organisation Hindu Jagarana Vedike. Calls for a “Hindu Rashtra” were made and some workers were spotted carrying swords even as the state police walked alongside them. Udupi’s BJP MLA Raghupathi Bhat was also spotted at the rally.
In the Kawardha district of Chattisgarh, clashes broke out on the occasion of Milad-un-Nabi (the birth anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad) over the hoisting of green crescent flags.
Gujarat police publicly assaulted a few Muslim men who were allegedly accused of pelting stones at a Garba event. The men were tied to a pole and beaten in full public view. The police constantly asked the alleged accused to apologise.
Location: Kheda, Gujarat
Muslims flogged publicly!
In BJP ruled Gujarat, nine Muslim men who were allegedly arrested for throwing stones at a Garba event were tied to a pole and publicly flogged with a cane by the Police while the crowd chanted “Hail Mother India” slogans. pic.twitter.com/nDNPJ5heUW
On October 5, miscreants hoisted a saffron flag and carved Hindu religious inscriptions at an ancient mosque at Byathole village, Kandi Mandal, in Telangana’s Sangareddy district. The village elders including the sarpanch and other leaders of the ruling party hoisted a saffron flag on the mosque and inscribed the ‘Om’ symbol.
A saffron flag atop a mosque in Telangana’s Sangareddy district
In Kolkata’s Mominpur area, on the occasion of Milad-un-Nabi, clashes between two communities were reported after Muslim religious flags were allegedly vandalised. Around 40 people were detained.
Here is the detailed report of hate crimes committed in October.
November
Election fever gripped Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh with the Modi-Shah-led BJP wrestling with Kejriwal’s Aam Admi Party (AAP) and Congress. While a major chunk of the media reported on the assembly elections and the Delhi Municipal Corporation (MCD) elections which the BJP had held the fort for 15 years before losing to AAP, hate crimes went unnoticed.
A 20-year-old Muslim man was lynched to death in broad daylight in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur. The deceased, whose name the police were reluctant to divulge, was in a relationship with a Hindu girl and had gone to meet her when the girl’s family caught him and assaulted him with bricks and stones.
The Jamia mosque in Srirangapatna town of Mandya district Karnataka came under scanner as Bajrang Dal workers submitted a PIL (Public Interest Litigation) to the Karnataka High Court demanding permission for Hindu devotees to take bath in the kalyani (traditional water body) located on the premises of the mosque.
Jamia Masjid at Srirangapatna in Karnataka
A pediatric doctor working at Silchar Medical College and Hospital allegedly hurled insults at a Muslim couple, whose child was admitted with pneumonia symptoms. A video shows the father of the child accusing the doctor of how could he use words such as ‘topiwala‘ and ‘burkhawali‘.
Karnataka Congress MLA Tanveer Sait was threatened by Bajrang Dal worker Raghu Sakaleshpura over the latter’s announcement of installing the tallest statue of Tipu Sultan in historical towns Mysuru or Srirangapatna.
Raghu, in a video, had said, “I am issuing a warning to Tanveer Sait over his statement of installing the statue of Tipu Sultan. We will not allow the installation of even a one-foot-tall statue of Tipu Sultan. If that happens, it will be your anthima yatra (final yatra).”
A distraught Muslim student of the Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT) questioned his professor when the latter addressed him as Ajmal Kasab, the terrorist behind the 26/1 1 Mumbai attacks.
“These jokes are not acceptable. No! You can’t joke about my religion..that too in such a terrible manner,” the student stressed. The video, which was recorded by a classmate, went viral on Twitter. The professor was soon suspended by MIT. However, Karnataka state education minister B C Nagesh remarked that the incident was blown out of proportion.
Here is the detailed report of hate crimes committed in November.
December
A government school principal was arrested for letting his students sing a popular poem called Lab Pe Aati Hai Dua. A middle-aged man was beaten up black and blue for giving a helping hand to a Hindu woman. A young man was beaten because he ‘dared’ to have a coffee with a Hindu friend, December witnessed it all.
A first-year Muslim student accused her history teacher of using Islamophobic slurs during the class. According to her, while teaching a lesson on Gautam Buddha, the teacher mentioned Muslims are ruthless and they have no remorse.
The Jamia Masjid in Srirangapatna in the Mandya district of Karnataka witnessed a huge crowd of Hanuman devotees who tried to forcefully enter the mosque, turning out to be a hurricane task for the police force.
Further, a young Hindu devotee climbed atop a Muslim household where he replaced the green flag with the saffron one amidst chants of “Jai Shri Ram“.
The Kalaburagi railway station, formerly known as Gulbarga railway station, was repainted to white from green after pressure from the right-wing Hindu organisation Hindu Jagaran Vedike. According to them, the dome shape with green walls gave an impression of a ‘mosque.’
Bajrang Dal members interfered with Friday’s namaz in Gurugram’s Sector 69. In a video posted by Live Hindustan, Amit Hindu, a member of the Bajrang Dal, is heard saying, “It doesn’t matter if they have the authorization to pray at six spots or not. If prayers continue in the upcoming weeks, we will step up the protests.” This issue has been a recurring one in the city for several months in the past.
In Uttar Pradesh’s Nutan Hardo village of Kushinagar district, 44 Muslim families received eviction notices from the local administration claiming their houses were built on “encroached lands”. A report from India Tomorrow states that these families have been living there for generations.
Madhya Pradesh BJP MLA Pragya Thakur called on the community to keep sharp objects such as knives in their homes to protect themselves from ‘enemies’.
#WATCH | “Keep your daughters safe and protected. Keep weapons at home. Sharpen the knife used to cut vegetables. If our vegetables are cut well, heads and mouths of our enemies will also be cut well,” says BJP MP Pragya Thakur in Shivamogga, Karnataka pic.twitter.com/LRURt8wPKq
“Love jihad, they have a tradition of jihad, if nothing they do love jihad. Even if they love they do jihad in that. We (Hindus) too love, love the god, a sanyasi loves his god,” Thakur said.
Shah Rukh Khan-Deepika Padukone starrer movie Pathaan also made headlines in 2022 with the release of its first sone called “Besharam Rang” where the saffron coloured clothes worn by the actors were condemned by right-wing organisations and BJP politicians such as Madhya Pradesh home minister Narottam Singh and MP Sadhvi Pragya Thakur.
The worst hit came when the Central Government decided to scrap the Maulana Azad Fellowship (MANU) fellowship, mainly for minority students, explaining that the scheme overlaps with various other fellowship schemes for higher education.
The decision was described as discriminatory, unjust and an attack on an individual’s proper access to higher education.
Here is the detailed report of hate crimes committed in December.
It is right to say that by the end of the year, religious intolerance has solidified its presence in the country.
New Delhi: Total 1090 incidents of technical snag have been reported in various aircraft during the years 2021 and 2022 in the Country.
As per information from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the leading carrier Indigo having highest market share recorded 394 instances of technical snags while the Spicejet airline witnessed 313 such instances during the last two years. It is worth noting that Indigo has a fleet size of 300 aircraft while Spicejet has nearly 100 aircraft in its fleet.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Thursday, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha, said that technical snags are experienced during operation of aircraft. These may be due to improper functioning/malfunctions of systems or equipment or components fitted on the aircraft.
“Some of the technical snags may require the flight crew to take actions such as air turn back, aborted take-off, or go around keeping safety of operation in view and are usually taken to avert serious incidents/ accidents. Operators take action to rectify the technical snags based on the guidance provided by the manufacturer before further operating the aircraft,” it said.
Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ensures that the airline and the maintenance organisation continue to comply with the regulatory requirements against which they have been initially approved through a system of surveillance, audits, spot checks, night surveillance etc and in case of the non-compliances, DGCA ensures that rectification is done by the airlines or maintenance organisation, said the reply.
“DGCA initiates enforcement action against organisation/personnel in case violations are found which may include warning, suspension, and cancellation besides imposition of financial penalty,” the Ministry informed.
