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Notorious Christian pastor who boasted of kicking idols of Hindu Gods and forming ‘Christ Villages’ in AP arrested

By
The Commune
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Praveen Chakravarthy, the notorious Christian pastor who had boasted of kicking and defacing idols of Hindu Gods and creating ‘Christ Villages’ was arrested by the Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (CID) on Wednesday (13th January, 2021).

He has been charged under various 153 A, 153 B (1) (c), 505 (2), 295 A, 124 A and 115 of the Indian Penal Code for promoting enmity between different religious groups and committing offence in a place of worship. He has also been charged under Section 66 F [punishment for cyber terrorism]of the Information Technology Act .

Pastor Praveen Chakravarthy is the President of ‘Sylom Blind Centre’. His activities were brought to light in 2019 by Legal Rights Protection Forum (LRPF), a legal activism collective. LRPF had lodged a complaint with the Union Home Ministry in December 2019 against ‘Sylom Blind Center’and its President Praveen Chakravarthy for indulging in rampant rabid proselytization.

In a video tweeted by LRPF Pastor Praveen Chakravarthy can be heard saying with impunity in Telugu that he hit the ‘stone God’ and trees [sacred trees like Neem, Peepal, etc that are venerated by village people] with his leg. The video was first made available in a YouTube channel called ‘Bangalore go-sipps’

Chakravarty in the video can be seen describing how he converts a village to Christianity. He says that first a pastor would come and stay in the village to teach the Bible. He says that the village becomes a “Christ village” after everyone has accepted Christ as their saviour and adds that ‘stone gods’ and ‘trees’ are kicked as a finality.

“So there are many cases which (sic) I have kicked the God’s heads and I was so happy”, he says in that video.

In another expose, the LRPF released video of Pastor Praveen’s online discussion with his US donor in which he claims “We’ve 3642 Pastors in our association & have made 699 Christ Villages so far. Will make it 700 in a month.”

Now, the Andhra Pradesh police have arrested Pastor Praveen based on the complaint filed by one Singam Lakshmi Narayana, a resident of Guntur.

CID Chief PV Sunil Kumar IPS has said that immediate legal action would be taken against the perpetrator.

LRPF has also written to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) seeking action against ‘Sylom Blind Centre’ for procuring FCRA funds in the name of liberating children from child labour. In its complaint had noted that the organization did not inform concerned authorities and had allowed the perpetrators of child labour to go unpunished. It added that action has to be taken on the NGO for projecting India as country having the ‘largest slave population in the world’ and for violating lockdown norms which had resulted in 318 children testing COVID positive. LRPF has also petition the NCPCR to issue directions to concerned law enforcement agencies to investigate the utilization of the huge sum of ₹93.67 crores of foreign funds over a 5 year period received by way of FCRA inward remittances by ‘Sylom Blind Center’.

“Information not available”: NCERT says in response to RTI filed seeking source of claims made on Mughals rebuilding temples after destroying them

By
The Commune
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Responding to an RTI filed by one Shivank Varma, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has said that it has no information about the source for claims made in its class 12 textbook about Mughal Emperors Shah Jahan and Aurangazeb building temples after destroying them.

The RTI filed had sought disclosure of the actual source for the claim made in page number 234 of class 12 textbook “Themes of Indian History – Part II” which says “All Mughal emperors gave grants to support the building and maintenance of places of worship. Even when temples were destroyed during war, grants were later issued for their repair – as we know from the reigns of Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb.”

 

This information comes under the section titled “The Ideal Kingdom” which has a sub-section named “A unifying force” in theme 9 of the textbook called “Kings and Chronicles – The Mughal Courts (Sixteenth-Seventeenth Centuries)“.

Quoting Abu’l Fazl, Mughal chronicler and author of Akbarnama, it states that Mughal ’emperors stood above all religious and ethnic groups and ensured that justice and peace prevailed. It also mentions how Akbar had abolished the jizya, and people from various religions and ethnicities were given awards and positions in the Mughal empire before making the statement about Shah Jahan and Aurangazeb rebuilding temples desstoyed in wars.

The RTI filed by Shivank Varma specifically for the sources that prove the claim of these 2 Mughal rulers rebuilt temples. The RTI also ask for the number of temples that were repaired by Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb. The response from NCERT for both requests was “The information is not available in the files of the Department.”

In other words, Indian school textbooks are making claims that the Mughal Empure that mindlessly ravaged the wealth of the country, raped women, looted temples and what not, were actually benevolent, generous rulers and empathic to Hindus.

It is important to note that these textbooks are being taught for secondary school students who come under the CBSE board all over the country. By providing such disputed information without adequate sources to substantiate, is inherently feeding false information to students, and glorifying the wrongdoings of the Mughal empire.

Following this, many netizens have lashed out at the NCERT for their attempts to whitewash the Mughal rule.

https://twitter.com/AmreekS07646492/status/1349570358706282497

https://twitter.com/IamNishachar/status/1349592724421263361

 

Based on Madras HC verdict, DCPCR recommends ban on sex change surgeries on intersex children

By
The Commune
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The Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) has sought a ban sex selective surgeries on Intersex infants and children in the National Capital of Delhi based on the 2019 verdict of the Madras High Court and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) recommendations, submitted by Madrai-based NGO Srishti Madurai and NNID Netherlands.

The DCPCR’s advise to the Delhi Government has been based on an order issued in the Madras High Court, which sought for a ban on sex selective surgeries except in the case of life threatening situations.

Satendra Singh, a disability rights activist and medical doctor, Air Cmde (Dr.) Sanjay Sharma and Dr Aqsa Shaikh were the petitioners who had moved the DCPCR, seeking a ban on sex change operations on intersex children.

“DCPCR was getting cases of violations of intersex human rights pertaining to children,” said Gopi Shankar Madurai, the founder of Srishti Madurai who is also the South Representative in the National Council for Transgender Persons. “We were asked to give our inputs and prepare a policy for the DCPCR.” Gopi said.

“Based on this precedent and advice from civil societies, we recommended DCPR that it should ask the Delhi government to ban such unnecessary medical intervention. Today, the final order has been released.” Gopi added.

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court delivered a landmark judgement on 22 April 2019, that banned sex-selective surgeries on intersex infants recognizing their human right and the right to bodily integrity.

Following this, the Tamil Nadu government issued an order banning sex selective surgeries on infants and children and said that the decision was taken in lieu of the various factors and the opinions of experts, who will give it a green signal only in case of life threatening situations. Whether a particular case is life-threatening or not will be decided on the recommendation of a committee formed by Director of Medical Education (DME), comprising of Paediatric Surgeon/Urologist; Endocrinologist; Social worker/psychology worker/intersex worker; and a government representative not below the rank of undersecretary to the government.

 

Pongal is a Hindu festival, not a ‘minority appeasing secular’ festival

By
The Commune
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Dakshinayana is the period between the Summer and Winter solstice when the Sun travels towards the south. During this time the Gods and Goddesses are said to be in their sleep. The Uttarayana period is when the Sun starts moving from the south to northern hemisphere. The commencement of Uttarayan marks the Gods waking up and this change, when the Sun’s orientation shift from south to the north hemisphere  is celebrated throughout India.

It is the confluence of the Sun with Mesha constellation and is hence called a Sankramana or Sankranti. There are different Puranic stories told to mark the significance of this festival.

The Goddess of misfortune is said to torture cows, the wealth of agriculturalists, and it is said that people were released from her trouble by Shiva. Hence this day is celebrated as a special day for cows, Maatu Pongal.

There is also a Vaishnavite rendering to the story for Maatu Pongal. Lord Krishna had asked for the customary harvest offering to be given to him instead of Indira. When Indira retaliated with rain, Lord Krishna protected his devotees. The Lord also gave an assurance that Bhogi, the day before Pongal would be dedicated to Indra.

Children of Aayarpadi celebrated Krishna’s victory over Kalingan, the King of the Nagas by playing the Parai drum. On Mattu Pongal, calves are released and run in joy in celebration for the rains.

In preparation for the joys of Uttarayanam, people clear out their houses and burn the old stuff. The damage done by rains to houses is repaired.

The last day is Kaanum Pongal, something of a fair to celebrate the harvest and the bounties of nature.

Without these context, one cannot celebrate Pongal, no matter who says what.

And nope, Pongal is not a secular festival but yes it’s a harvest festival and it is for sure a HINDU festival.

Cabinet Committee on Security approves ‘Tejas’ deal worth ₹48,000 crore; IAF to get 83 Light Combat Aircraft

By
The Commune
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The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Wednesday approved the purchase of 83 Light Combat Aircraft (LCA-Tejas) in a deal worth ₹48,000 crores from the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). This is believed to be the largest ever contract awarded to India’s domestic military aviation industry.

The approval by the CCS, which is headed by PM Narendra Modi, comes ten months after the Defence Acquisition Council in March 2020 okayed the procurement of 83 of the more advanced Mark 1A version of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA).

Under the terms of the deal, HAL is to deliver 73 Tejas Mk-1A fighters and 10 Tejas Mk-1 trainers by 2026. The LCA-Tejas Mark 1A will have more than 40 “improvements” over an initial order of 40 LCA Tejas aircraft worth almost ₹9,000 crore already ordered in 2016 by the IAF. It is categorized as a fourth generation plus aircraft, a statement from the Indian defence ministry said.

“About 500 Indian companies including MSMEs in the design and manufacturing sectors will be working with HAL in this procurement. The programme would act as a catalyst for transforming the Indian aerospace manufacturing ecosystem into a vibrant Atmanirbhar-self-sustaining ecosystem,” the statement said.

“The Cabinet has also approved infrastructure development by IAF under the project to enable them handle repairs or servicing at their base depot so that the turnaround time would get reduced for mission critical systems and would lead to increased availability of aircraft for operational exploitation. This would enable IAF to sustain the fleet more efficiently and effectively due to availability of repair infrastructure at respective bases,” the defence ministry statement added.

Currently, there are two Tejas squadrons in the IAF, the “Flying Daggers” and the “Flying Bullets” at Sulur. As opposed to a sanctioned number of 42 squadrons required to fight a two-front war with China and Pakistan, the IAF has only 30 squadrons. The Tejas aircraft are expected to boost these numbers. The IAF is also looking to order 170 more Tejas Mark-2 aircraft with more powerful engines and improved avionics in the future.

Hailing the move as a “gamechanger” for Indian defence manufacturing, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted that “LCA-Tejas is going to be the backbone of the IAF fighter fleet in years to come”.

“HAL has already set-up second line manufacturing facilities at its Nasik and Bengaluru Divisions. Equipped with the augmented infrastructure the HAL will steer LCA-Mk1A production for timely deliveries to the IAF,” the Defence Minister added.

India was the world’s second largest importer of major arms in 2014–18, accounting for 9.2% of the global total, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) in a report published in 2019.

The improvements incorporated in the LCA Mk 1A include easier maintenance, active electronically scanned array radar, electronic warfare suite and beyond-visual range missile capabilities including the Indian made air-to-air missile Aastra Mark1.

Sadhguru greets Tamil people on Pongal, exhorts youth to popularize natural farming

By
The Commune
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Sadhguru, Founder-Isha Foundation, greeted the people of Tamil Nadu on the occasion of the “farmer’s festival”, Pongal. In his video message, Sadhguru urged “the educated and the youth” to take an active interest in promoting natural farming methods that can bring health and wealth to both farmers and the community at large.

“My heartfelt  Pongal greetings to all the people of Tamil Nadu. Pongal is not something we eat; Pongal is celebrated in our culture as a farmer’s festival,” Sadhguru said in his Tamil message. He said, on this day, the youth must go to villages and see how farming is done.

He appealed to the youth to commit to spreading the message of natural farming across Tamil Nadu. “We, at Isha, are ready to teach you natrual farming through the Isha Agro Movement, if you wish to learn it. After learning it, you have to go to the villages and pass on this knowledge to at least 10 other people,” Sadhguru said adding that this could revolutionize the practice of agriculture in the country.

He also spoke about the impact of naturally grown crops on community health. “Doctors say that the food you eat can cause diseases, including diabetes. We need to change this. All crops including paddy should be produced through natural farming. This is very important for our progress and health,” Sadhguru asserted.

Like in the rest of the country, Tamil Nadu is also facing soil distress. Natural farming is one of the best ways to keep the soil nutritious, said Sadhguru.

Pongal marks the end of the winter solstice and is celebrated at the beginning of the Thai month in the Tamil calendar. It marks the beginning of the harvest season and is celebrated across India.

“Jallikattu ban was an excuse for TN men to assert their manhood after being emasculated by Jaya”: Congress mouth piece had said

By
The Commune
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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is set to visit Tamil Nadu on January 14, and watch a jallikattu event in Avaniapuram near Madurai. The Wayanad MP’s visit comes ahead of the Tamil Nadu assembly polls due in April-May this year.

His visit however is being lashed out by critics as the Congress party was instrumental in bringing the ban on the sport that is seen as a symbol of Tamil culture and heritage.

The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) showed great interest in banning Jallikattu, the traditional heroic game of the Tamils ​​while they were in power, and took all necessary steps to achieve it.

In fact, on December 15, 2015, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wrote a letter to the Human Society International, an organization similar to PETA, voicing his strong opposition to Jallikattu. Not only did he say that this most ‘horrible’ form of entertainment be not promoted, but he also wished the organization success in their goal of banning it.

Many United Progressive Alliance ministers, including Jairam Ramesh, had taken a similar stance. But when the protests for Jallikattu erupted in Tamil Nadu in January 2017, some, including Congress spokesperson Rajdeep Surjewala, began to change their tone and change their stance, saying that the government should take care to hold Jallikattu events with proper security arrangements.

On the other hand, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, another spokesperson of the Congress, appeared as an advocate for the petitioners seeking a ban on Jallikattu, and openly stated that Jallikattu was a ‘horrible’ sport.

In January 2017, when the pro-Jallikattu protests was taking the state by storm, National Herald, the mouthpiece of the Congress, published an article criticizing the protests in a slanderous manner saying that Tamil men used the protests to ‘assert their manhood’ after feeling emasculated under the iron-fist rule of later former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa.

The article titled “The Jallikattu issue and Tamil insecurity” and published on 20th January 2017 stated “In the past 10 years or so, the Tamil male may have especially felt the need to assert his manhood. Under the iron-fisted rule of J Jayalalithaa, male ministers of the state government have become invisible and literally prone, always prostrating themselves at her feet.”

It went on to add “This symbolic emasculation of men gladdened the hearts of women, who flocked to Jayalalithaa’s meetings and worshipped her as Shakti, the all-powerful, in the benevolent avatar as ‘Amma’.” taking a dig at the late AIADMK supremo.

The article also went on to take an apologist stance on PETA saying that it was a ‘symbolic’ suppression by PETA, represented in the minds of people by morphed images of Pamela Anderson and PETA’s India head, smoking a cigar and holding a glass of liquor, created in order to portray them as threats to ‘perceived’ Tamil tradition.

What the article did was trivialize and demean the youth-led pro-Jallikattu protests by calling Tamil men as people enslaved by Jayalalithaa who used the Jallikattu struggle in a way to assert their masculinity.

This article has been pointed out by netizens who are now lashing out at Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Madurai to witness Jallikattu.

The stance of many of the Congress leaders on Jallikattu has been quite the contrary of what the party is claiming now.

Former PM Manmohan Singh, in a letter to NG Jayasimha, Managing Director of Humane Society International, a Secunderabad-based NGO, had said that he was for banning the bull fight.

Former Union Minister of Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh had welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to ban Jallikattu. In fact, it was during his stint as the Environment Minister that he banned Jallikattu by adding bull to the list of animals prohibited for ‘performance’.

Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor back in 2015 called Jallikattu as cruel.

Former Congress Minister Jayanthi Natarajan too speaking to a Tamil TV channel conceded that Congress was responsible for Jallikattu ban.

This has now triggered the hashtag #GoBackRahul with Congress critics calling out the party’s flip-flopping stance on Jallikattu.

SHOCKING! Brutal murder captured on CCTV: Auto driver mercilessly runs over man twice to ensure he is dead

By
The Commune
-

A case of a brutal crime has come to light in Karnataka’s Mysuru. A case of hit-and-run by an autorickshaw driver has been declared a case of brutal murder. CCTV footage of the incident shows an auto driver ramming into a pedestrian only to come back and mercilessly drive over his victim again.

This horrible incident took place in N.R. Police Station limits on the evening of January 10, where an auto driver hit the victim, who was crossing the road at a junction.

As the auto driver veered his vehicle towards the left, he knocked down a pedestrian and the rear wheel climbed over the victim’s head. The driver did not stop his vehicle but proceeded to drive while the male victim was lying senseless on the road. The auto driver returned to the same spot within 20 seconds and again ran over the victim’s head. The auto driver later fled the spot.

Some passers-by shifted the injured to K.R. Hospital. Since he had sustained severe head injuries, he was shifted to NIMHANS in Bengaluru where he succumbed to his injuries on Monday.

The victim has been identified as Mallikarjuna (40). Police have registered a case of unnatural death.

The proof of the brutal murder was captured by the Police CCTV camera that was mounted close to the junction. This helped the cops identify the accused. Investigating the case, police officials checked the CCTV footage and the shocking incident came to light. The CCTV camera that had been installed at the junction had captured the entire crime. According to the cops, Mallikarjuna hailed from Kajjihundi village at Kollegal Taluk in Chamarajanagar District.

Malikarjuna had rented an autorickshaw but he did not have a place of residence. He was moving from one place to another, and was sleeping in his auto by parking it in localities like Muneshwaranagar and J.P. Nagar. Of late, he had been sleeping inside his vehicle near FTS Circle. Police said that a couple of days back, he had picked up a fight with another auto driver named Sridhar.

Police have identified Sridhar as the owner of the auto that rammed into Mallikarjuna, based on the registration number of the auto, which is clearly visible on the CCTV recording. “We have identified the culprit and there were passengers too in the auto. It looks like Sridhar did this act due to old enmity,” the police said and expressed their confidence of making arrests soon.

Uganda bans Twitter and Facebook ahead of polls amid allegations of election interference, Twitter cries foul

By
The Commune
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On Tuesday, Uganda banned social media and beefed up security in the capital, ahead of presidential elections in the African nation. The election pits Yoweri Museveni, one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders against Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine, a popular singer.

The 76-year-old leader Museveni, who took power in 1986, apologised for the inconvenience caused by the ban on social media and messaging apps. However, he alleged that the social media companies were interfering in the Ugandan elections. He said that Uganda had no choice after Facebook took down some accounts which backed his ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party.

“If you want to take sides against the NRM, then that group should not operate in Uganda,” he said. “We cannot tolerate this arrogance of anybody coming to decide for us who is good and who is bad.”

In a letter to internet service providers (ISPs) dated January 12, Uganda’s communications regulator ordered the ISPs to block all social media platforms and messaging apps until further notice. According to Internet monitor NetBlocks, its data showed that Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram, Skype, Snapchat, Viber and Google Play Store were among a lengthy list of sites unavailable via Uganda’s prominent cell network operators.

Twitter has been facing backlash all over the world for permanently banning US President Donald Trump from the social media platform. Twitter released a statement condemning the social media ban in Uganda and said that it violates the principles of the “Open Internet”. Ironically, Twitter’s appeal comes after reports of Twitter following Trump’s suspensions with a ‘massive purge’ of conservative accounts.

Museveni has won every election since the first under his presidency in 1996, though they have been marred by allegations of intimidation and vote rigging.

Fans in agony as theatres charge exorbitant ticket fares for Vijay’s Master

By
The Commune
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While fans were eager to see Vijay’s Master movie in the theaters, the exorbitant ticket fares quoted by theatre owners for the tickets has caused great disappointment and agony.

While a recent controversy has erupted over an employee of Sony being accused of leaking scenes of the movie on the Internet, and the producers’ association is reportedly in talks to pay a hefty sum of money, theater owners in the suburbs of Chennai and Kanchipuram have started charging tickets to 100% seating capacity in violation of the government’s mandated 50% occupancy.

On top of all this, visitors to the Tirupur Subramaniam’s Sri Sakthi Theater − which has been voicing concerns that the films are losing money because of the actors’ salaries − are being charged ₹380 plus a booking fee of ₹36, totalling ₹416. At the same time, a ticket at the nearby Diamond Theater costs only ₹100.

After the Coronavirus lockdown, fans who were initially apprehensive to go to the theatres to watch movies were eager to watch Vijay’s Master movie in the theater. However, this new pricing has burnt a hole in their pockets.

Fans who could not afford tickets complained that the theater owners had been trying to extort money from Vijay’s fans by offering a fare concession until Master got released. At the same time, theater owners are lamenting that the public is not coming to the theater.

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