NEW DELHI: The hardcore Hindutva exponent and chief of the Antarashtriya (International) Hindu Parishad (AHP), Pravin Togadia, has called for replacing mosques with temples in Mathura, Varanasi and Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh state in India.
The Hindutva leader, notorious for his communally charged anti-Muslim speeches, addressing a public meeting at Mangal Bazaar in Usmanpur in Badaun, pointing at the almost-constructed Ram temple built on the ruins of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, asserted that “now was the time for taking Mathura and Kashi (Varanasi).”
The Hindutva AHP leader said that the Ram temple was not being built to take electoral advantage. “The Ayodhya temple is an honour for all the Hindus and the fruit of their sacrifices and devotion,” media reports quoted him as saying.
Babri Masjid was built in 1528 during the Mughal period by Muslims in Uttar Pradesh.
The Hindutva BJP, RSS, VHP, Banjrang Dal, Shiv Sena mob destroyed the Historical Muslim mosque in 1992, and killed about 2,000 Muslims across India.
Two IIOJK students expelled from hostel over firecracker incident
Two students from Jammu Kashmir have been expelled from the University hostel at Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi, following the loss of India with Australia in the final match of Men’s World Cup 2023.
A group of Kashmiri students, talking to the media said that some firecrackers were heard in the Jauhar Hall following India’s loss to the world cup final game.
The firecrackers triggered anger among a group of students who were upset over India’s loss at the hands of Australia by seven wickets in the final at Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
Before the loss, a verbal brawl had erupted between two groups of students, one supporting the Indian team and the other supporting Australia, however, the timely intervention of some senior students pacified the situation, they told the media men.
Firecrackers are not new to the university, there have been multiple occasions when students have burst crackers inside the campus, but one fails to understand why were Kashmiri students singled out this time, the students questioned.
They said that the duo had been asked to vacate the hostel within three days, without them even being involved in the incident, adding, “Some students had complained to the university administration and posted tweets on social media regarding the incident.”
“Few days ago, I made a tweet regarding the bursting of firecrackers in JMI, after the Indian cricket team’s defeat in the world cup. Even though I deleted it immediately, someone took a screenshot of it and it’s gone viral. Let me make it clear, it was a few Kashmiri students, not all,” read a tweet posted by one university student.
Following these complaints, a disciplinary committee found two students ‘involved’ in the incident, who are both residents of occupied Jammu Kashmir. The duo was identified as Faizur. Rahman, an Arabic student, and Bilal Ahmed, a geography student.
