In the crowded, narrow lanes lined with makeshift homes near Delhi's resettlement colony -- Majnu-ka-tilla, a sense of pride and "indebtedness" pervades as a group of Pakistani Hindu refugees prepare to cast their votes for the first time in the country they now call home. These men and women, who fled persecution in Pakistan, are beaming with excitement at the prospect of participating in the India democratic process -- a right they have long yearned for. Having endured years of hardships and discrimination in Pakistan, they now feel a profound sense of relief and belonging in India. For them, this election is not just about voting -- it is a symbolic assertion of their identity as Indian citizens. Many of these families settled in Delhi since 2013 are now witnessing their dreams of a dignified life and political participation coming true. Satram (22), who runs a small shop selling mobile covers outside the settlement, expressing his excitement said, " I have been living here sinc
A controversy erupted on Sunday after a statue of Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav was installed at a camp in the Maha Kumbh Mela area here, with several seers objecting to it. The statue, around two--three feet tall, was inaugurated on Saturday at the camp in Sector 16 set up by the Mulayam Singh Yadav Smriti Seva Sansthan, Leader of Opposition in Uttar Pradesh Assembly Mata Prasad Pandey said on Sunday. The move drew criticism from the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad. Its president Mahant Ravindra Puri said that Mulayam Singh Yadav had always been "anti-Hindu and anti-Sanatan". SP leader Pandey said that the statue of "Netaji" was inaugurated by him on Saturday. "He was our leader, and the camp was organised to spread his thoughts and ideas." "Pilgrims and other people are welcomed to go to the camp, have food, and stay there. A small statue of Mulayam Singh Yadav has been installed in a symbolic manner," Pandey told reporters. He said the idol will be restored to the
Reacting to Home Minister Amit Shah's post, Sadhguru expressed pleasure in meeting him and praised Shah's engagement and interest in the civilizational aspects of our nation, calling it admirable
Describing the ongoing atrocities against religious and ethnic minorities in Bangladesh as an existential threat from Islamist forces, a coalition of Bangladeshi American Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians has urged President-elect Donald Trump to intervene and help protect minority communities in the country. Urging Trump to secure the immediate release of monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, who they said has been falsely imprisoned on sedition charges, the group on Sunday said Bangladesh risks descending into radicalisation, which could have far-reaching effects not only for South Asia but for the rest of the world as well. Das, a former ISKCON leader, was arrested at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on November 25. A court in Chattogram sent him to jail, rejecting his bail petition as he was accused of a sedition charge for allegedly disrespecting the country's flag. The hearing in the case will be held on January 2, 2025. In a memorandum addressed to Trump, the group ...
Outraged at the continuing anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh, Hindu Americans in the Silicon Valley have launched a massive awareness "Ask Yunus Why" campaign that includes expensive billboards and large hoardings in this part of California. The first billboard of the campaign by the United Hindu Council was unveiled at a prominent location on 880-N and Market Street in Oakland before Christmas. Over the next three months, digital billboards at six key locations across the Bay Area, including high-traffic zones and major bridges, will display messages designed to raise awareness and spark conversations around this critical issue, a media release said. The harm and violence being perpetrated on the Hindu minority and other minorities in Bangladesh under the governance of Mohammad Yunus is highly regrettable. He and his government should be inclusive of all Bangladeshis and stop oppressing the minorities based on their religion, the council said in a statement. On behalf of the ...
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat has said one should keep ego at bay or else he or she may fall into a hole. Selfless service takes place when one identifies enduring happiness and satisfaction, which also increases the tendency to help others, he said. Speaking at the valedictory silver jubilee function of Bharat Vikas Parishad's Viklang Kendra in Maharashtra's Pune on Monday, Bhagwat also said there is a growing perception that everything in the society is going wrong. "However, for every negative aspect, there are 40 times more good and noble service activities taking place in the community. It is essential to spread awareness about these positive efforts because service is what fosters enduring trust in society," he said. Bhagwat cited the teachings of Ramakrishna Paramahansa about the "ripened I" and the "raw I" to make his point about ego. In every person, there is one 'almighty', which gives inspiration to serve the society, but there is ego as well, he
The Supreme Court on Monday asked some former bureaucrats and social activists who moved a plea against a 'Dharam Sansad' in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad, alleging a call was issued for the "genocide of Muslims", to send an email seeking urgent listing. A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar was urged by lawyer Prashant Bhushan, appearing for some former bureaucrats, that the plea needed urgent listing. "I will consider. Please send an email," Chief Justice Khanna said. Bhushan said an open call for the genocide of Muslims had been made and the plea needed urgent hearing as the 'Dharam Sansad' would be commencing on Tuesday. The 'Dharam Sansad' by the Yati Narsinghanand Foundation is proposed to be held from Tuesday to Saturday at the Shiv-Shakti temple complex in Ghaziabad's Dasna. Activists and former bureaucrats have moved a contempt petition against the Ghaziabad district administration and the Uttar Pradesh Police for their "willful and deliberat
Raising the issue of attacks over minority Hindus in Bangladesh, Indian-American Congressman Shri Thanedar has said that the time has come for the US Congress to act. "The crowds of the majority have destroyed Hindu temples, Hindu deities and Hindus who are practising their religion in peace," Thanedar said on the floor of the US House of Representatives on Wednesday. "The time has now come for the United States Congress to act and the US government to act ... every possible tool in our hands needs to be used to ensure that such atrocities in Bangladesh against Hindus stop right away," he said. Thanedar has consistently raised the issue of alleged violence against Hindus in Bangladesh since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government. "Since 1971, when Bangladesh got its freedom from Pakistan, there have been numerous occasions where minority Hindus have been attacked. More recently, we have seen a Hindu priest being arrested and his lawyer was murdered," he alleged. On Thursday, the
Trinamool Congress on Thursday demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi speak in Parliament on situation in neighbouring Bangladesh. The issue was raised in the Rajya Sabha in the post-lunch sitting by TMC's Parliamentary Party leader Derek O'Brien, who sought permission to raise a point of order. He quoted Rule 251, and said he wanted the Prime Minister to come and give a statement on Bangladesh issue. Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar however said it is not a point of order, and did not allow O'Brien to continue. The refusal was followed by TMC MPs breaking out into sloganeering in the House. Talking to reporters outside Parliament, TMC's deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Sagarika Ghose said a statement on the issue should be given in Parliament by the Prime Minister. "The Parliament is in session, it is a very sensitive matter on the situation in Bangladesh, the Prime Minister must come to Parliament and give a full statement on Bangladesh in Parliament," Ghose said. "Our party leader D
A large number of Indian Americans held a march from the White House to the US Capitol over attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh. Raising slogans like We want Justice and Protect Hindus the peaceful demonstrators urged the Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration to ask the new government in Bangladesh to take steps to protect Hindus but also take action against those responsible for this. The march was held on Monday over attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh. Organisers of the event -- StopHinduGenocide.org, Bangladeshi Diaspora organisations and HinduACTion demanded that the companies in the US stop buying garments from Bangladesh, which is heavily dependent on its exports to the US. "This march is not just a cry for justice; it is a demand for accountability. Today, the Bangladeshi Hindu community and the larger Hindu diaspora from the Indian subcontinent has come in support of the Bangladesh Hindu community because there is continuing violence going on in Bangladesh, .
Amid escalating tensions at the Uday Pratap College here over a mosque located on its premises, police on Thursday restricted outsiders' entry to the campus, allowing only students with valid identity cards. The move follows Tuesday's unrest after students recited Hanuman Chalisa when namaz was being offered near the mosque. Seven men were briefly detained after the row on Tuesday, according to the local police. Student leader Vivekanand Singh on Thursday said, "Police personnel are stationed at the college gate, checking identity cards to ensure that no outsiders enter the campus. A group of students is also monitoring the gate." He added that no one came to offer namaz on Thursday and that additional precautions will be taken on Friday during the "Jumma" prayers. In a related development, students of the college have formed a "student court" and sent an 11-point letter to the Uttar Pradesh Waqf Board, demanding a response within 15 days regarding the status of the mosque and its
Daily Star Bangladesh reported that the Chattogram court deferred to January 2 the hearing on the bail petition of Chinmoy Krishna Das
ISKCON Kolkata spokesperson Radharamn Das on Tuesday said he has urged its monks and followers from Bangladesh to avoid wearing saffron robes and 'tilak' in public, advising them to practice their faith discreetly amid safety concerns following targeted attacks against Hindu minorities in the neighbouring country. This suggestion comes in the wake of escalating violence against the Hindu community in Bangladesh after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government earlier this year, which has heightened anxieties among devotees and their families. "The situation in Bangladesh is alarming. The monks and devotees, who have been calling us, we have told them to hide their identity as ISKCON followers or monks publicly. We have asked them to practice their faith discreetly inside homes or inside the temples. We have advised them to dress in a manner that does not draw attention," Das, who is also ISKCON Kolkata vice-president, told PTI. He emphasised that the measure was temporary and aimed ..
Over 1,000 monks from across West Bengal are taking part in a demonstration at the Petrapole border in North 24 Parganas on Monday to protest against the attacks on minority Hindus in Bangladesh, and the release of arrested spiritual leader Chinmoy Krishna Das in the neighbouring country. The monks, under the banner of the Akhil Bharatiya Sant Samiti, started arriving since morning at the protest site, about 800 meters from the Petrapole border checkpost. West Bengal BJP leaders, led by Leader of Opposition in the assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, have also announced an agitation program at Petrapole border on Wednesday over the Bangladesh issue. Members of the Hindu Jagran Manch and other religious groups are also likely to join the protest. "We will form a human chain and protest to convey our message of peace to the Indian government and the Bangladesh dispensation, demanding an immediate stop of atrocities against minorities in Bangladesh," said a monk, after reaching the Petrapole ..
Bangladesh unrest: Mamata Banerjee's appeal comes after reports of escalating unrest in Bangladesh, where three Hindu priests from the Iskcon have been detained
After adopting the ascetic life, such people relinquish all material possessions, even cut ties with family
The High Court here on Thursday refused to pass a suo motu order on banning ISKCON's activities in Bangladesh after it was informed that the government authorities have taken necessary measures, The Daily Star said. Supreme Court lawyer Md Monir Uddin placed some newspaper reports about International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) before the HC bench on Wednesday and had prayed for a suo motu (voluntary) order to the government to ban the organisation and impose Section 144 in Chattogram, Rangpur and Dinajpur. The court had asked the attorney general to inform the steps taken by the government regarding ISKCON's recent activities. When the proceedings started on Thursday, the attorney general's office placed the information before the HC bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Debasish Roy Chowdhury. The bench hoped that the government must remain cautious about protecting the law and order situation and lives and properties of the people of Bangladesh, The Daily Star
Bangladesh's Chief Justice Dr Syed Refaat Ahmed on Thursday said untoward incidents in the country's apex and lower courts deeply concerned him after a lawyers' group tried to assault a Supreme Court judge in an open courtroom and another lawyer was killed in the past two days. In a rare such statement, Ahmed said he was deeply concerned about the recent incidents in the Supreme Court and events within judicial premises nationwide. He said: All developments are being closely monitored to ensure the judicial processes remain undisturbed despite the challenges. The chief justice said his office implemented comprehensive measures within the Supreme Court as well as in district judgeships and magistracies to prevent a recurrence of such incidents and asked all courts and tribunals to continue their functions normally. "Many problems have arisen at the courts in recent times. The Supreme Court is vigilant so that people can get services from the courts without any impediment, read the .
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Kolkata on Wednesday said they have apprised the Centre about the continuing attacks on their monks and other members of the Hindu Vaishnavite religious order in Bangladesh. ISKCON Kolkata spokesperson Radharaman Das told PTI the arrest of ISKCON monk Chinmoy Krishna Das in Bangladesh was the last example of the continuing attacks, and persecution of ISKCON monks and devotees as well as members of minority communities including Hindus. "The arrest and mounting threats by Islamists against ISKCON and other Hindu religious orders like Ramakrishna Mission had been going on for the past three months and Das's arrest was the last instance as of now. The situation is alarming and we have urged the Ministry of External Affairs and the Union Home Ministry to take appropriate steps to save and protect the lives and properties of people under such attacks. "We have urged the Centre to prevail upon Bangladesh government so that such