Bollywood Actor Aamir Khan on Saturday (August 15) called on Turkish First Lady Emine Erdogan at the presidential residence in Istanbul, state run Anadolu Agency reported.
The report said that Aamir Khan had sought the meeting update about the work carried out by his non-profit, non-government organization Paani Foundation, which works in the area of drought prevention and watershed management in the drought hit regions of interior Maharashtra.
The report also noted that the actor praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for supporting ‘humanitarian projectes’ like education of women and children. The First Lady is said to have congratulated the actor for “courageous handling of social problems” in his films.
Both of them also discussed about similarities of Turkish and Indian cultures including food habit and handicrafts. The actor is said to have shared about how his Muslim mother’s influence shaped the actor’s entry into cinema.
I had the great pleasure of meeting @aamir_khan, the world-renowned Indian actor, filmmaker, and director, in Istanbul. I was happy to learn that Aamir decided to wrap up the shooting of his latest movie ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ in different parts of Turkey. I look forward to it! pic.twitter.com/3rSCMmAOMW
The meeting between the two comes against the backdrop of sour relations between the two countries as Turkey has been moving closer towards Pakistan and China. It has been trying to forge an non-Arab alliance including Pakistan and Malaysia as alternative to the Arab dominated OIC to put pressure on India. However, his efforts are only facing a setback. Apart from this, intelligence agencies have raised red flags over influence of Turkey in Indian campuses to spread Islamic ideology. State-sponsored NGOs in Turkey are giving scholarships and exchange programs for Indian Kashmiri and Muslim students. Turkey has been using education as a tool to spread its influence around the world.
Aamir Khan in 2015 had claimed that his wife had suggested leaving India as they felt a sense of insecurity and fear. This was during the time when the debate of ‘intolerance’ was going around.
Aamir Khan is in Turkey to wrap up the shoot of his upcoming movie Lal Singh Chaddha an adaptation of the 1994 Hollywood classic Forrest Gump.
On a day when when India celebrated its 74th Independence Day, a historic event unfolded in the premises of Arivalayam, the DMK’s headquarters. For the first time in the history of Arivalayam, DMK chief MK Stalin, hoisted the Indian National Flag. Usually on Independence Day, the flag hoisting is done at the DMK headquarters by 2nd or 3rd line leaders. This time the DMK chief hoisted the flag flanked by senior leaders of the party likeT.R. Baalu, R.S. Bharathi, K.N. Nehru among others.
However, there was something that all netizens noticed. After hoisting the flag, it is customary that the person salutes and pays respects. The least one is expected to do is to stand in attention for a couple of minutes. But DMK chief Stalin after unfurling the flag tied it to the pole and turned his back to go about his work.
Section VI of the Flag Code of India states that during the ceremony of hoisting or lowering the flag, or when the flag is passing in a parade or in a review, all persons present should face the Flag and stand at attention while those present in uniform should render the appropriate salute.
Thus, the DMK chief who directly turned his back after hoisting amounts to disrespecting the Indian Flag.
In a bold move by the Modi government, all the doctors who have obtained medical degrees from Pakistan occupied Kashmir have been banned from India. On a notice that was released in this accord, the Medical Council of India announced that any qualification regarding medical degrees that were obtained in Pakistan occupied Kashmir will not be considered legal in India and forbade the doctors against practicing in India. The notice read as follows:
“This is to inform all concerned that entire territories of UT of Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh are an integral part of India. Pakistan is in the illegal and forcible occupation of a part of the territory. Accordingly, any medical institution in Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh (PoJKL) require permission/recognition under the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956” as reported by DNA.
The notice further adds that no permission has been granted to any medical college in PoJK, therefore, any qualification obtained from medical colleges located within these illegally occupied areas of India shall not entitle a person for grant of registration under Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 to practice modern medicine in India.”
This comes in the light of a recent expose that revealed that several hundred Kashmiri doctors who have obtained their medical degrees in Pakistan had links with Pakistani establishment. What is pertinent to note is that 6% of medical seats in Pakistan have been reserved for students from Kashmir. This is not just Pakistan occupied Kashmir, but Kashmir as a whole.
A security threat averted
This move by the Centre has more to it than what meets the eye. Intelligence unearthed a burgeoning scam that involves separatist parties, and the ISI/Pakistan government.
The quota given by Pakistan has been utilised to the fullest by Kashmiri separatists and they have been making a huge business out of this by recommending students to these reserved seats.
Pakistani government has classified its students into two categories:
Students supplying under foreign students seats through the Education Ministry of Pakistan
Students applying under the scholarship program
The latter category has 100% scholarship and free accommodation. This is the program that most Indian students from Kashmir are sent through to Pakistan. Preference is given for students whose parents or close relatives have died or “suffered at the hands of Indian forces”.
The benchmark for these students to get selected is how active they have been against India by participating in protests against India and attacking Indian Armed Forces.
Around 1600 scholarships were announced for Kashmiri students by the Pakistani government just for the year 2020. This was disclosed in a meeting of Pakistan National Assembly’s Standing Committee for Federal Education and Professional Training. Every year 50 students are sent to Pakistan under this programme for MBBS course alone.
Once these students are admitted they are put in touch with ISI and other Pakistani officials. These students are isolated from the other students in Pakistan and are hailed as jihad warriors.
What’s more is that the students who have been sent to Pakistan for studying medicine have been used as moles by the Pakistani government to extract information about India and its whereabouts.
It is surprising how a country that goes with begging bowls to China and other credit agencies has money to fund these scholarships.
A full-fledged scam
Hurriyat, ISI and the Pakistani government have been termed as the three apexes working together to brainwash Indian Kashmiri students who will be loyal towards Pakistan and its ideals.
This scam has been happening in broad day light for decades. However, it was only for the past two years that the NIA started cracking the whip on Kashmiri separatists by scrutinizing and blocking their funding sources.
These admissions were previously red-flagged by the NIA, and have found it to be an alternative mechanism for funding terror groups. A recent investigation by the NIA revealed that there were hundreds of recommendation letters that had been written by Kashmiri separatist leaders to the Pakistani VISA office, for students from Jammu and Kashmir. It was found that these leaders demanded money for issuing recommendation letters. This was even exposed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani who recently resigned from All Party Hurriyat Conference as its life time chairman. He had accused the Pakistani chapter of financial irregularities over the ‘sale of medical seats’ in Pakistan. Syed Ali Shah reportedly stopped issuing these recommendation letters two years ago after allegations of corruption surfaced. Notably, Syed Ali Shah Geelani was recently conferred with Pakistan’s highest civilian honour.
The Pakistani Government’s scholarship programme to Kashmiri students has been utilized by separatist elements to make some quick money by asking for monetary benefits for flouting the rules mandated by the scholarship. It is obvious that this money goes into funding activities against India by fomenting protests. Not just that, the security threat arising out of Pakistan educated professionals entering India has also been averted.
However, this massive development has however been left ignored by most top media houses.
An incident from a village near Vadamadurai in Dindigul district has come to light where a 16 year old girl was filmed by a DMK office bearer’s son when the girl had gone to relieve herself.
The girl from Thennampatti near Vada Madurai had gone to attend nature’s call near a pond. Pandiyarajan along with another man named Seran Raj, who had been indulging in illegal sand mining in the dry pond, filmed the girl.
Upon hearing the screams of the terrified girl, neighbours rushed to the spot and thrashed the DMK office bearer’s son and the person who had accompanied him.
Pandiyarajan is the son of DMK Farmer’s Wing Organizer of the region V.C Rajendran.
V.C Rajendran who reached the scene following the incident got into a brawl with the public and started hurling casteist slurs at the crowd for beating his son. The Vadamadurai police upon hearing about the incident came to the spot and arrested Seran Raj and Muthukumar for illegal sand mining. But the DMK office bearer and son managed to escape before the police arrived. Police are on the lookout for the father-son duo.
Across Tamil Nadu, large swathes of temple lands are being grabbed and taken over by Christian missionaries to construct prayer halls and other illegal structures. Some of the temple lands are being used for commercial activities while some of them have been encroached by human settlements. All this has been happening right under the nose of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Tamil Nadu government. Here are some of the instances that have happened in the recent past:
Pudukottai District
A water body belonging to an 18th century Siva temple in Pudukottai district is being encroached by Pentecostal Christians to build a Church. They have been filling it with sand to level it up despite opposition from local communities in the region. The temple priests who had stood up to the pastors were threatened.
Upon coming to know of the issue, District President of Indu Makkal Katchi M Solaikannan lodged a complaint with the SP of Madurai district against the construction of the prayer hall. The police have promised to take action.
Chennai
It is said that four grounds of land in prime part of the city belonging to the Gangadeeswarar Temple has been leased out for free to The Salvation Army, by the HRCE. The Salvation Army is a proselytizing Christian organization.
It is also said that around 96 acres of land belonging to a Siva temple has been leased to the Loyola College, a Jesuit institution for 99 years. Hindu organizations have been demanding to not renew the lease which expires in 2021.
Nagapattinam
Land belonging to the Ayyanaar Temple at Ariyamangalam on the Mayiladuthurai – Thirukadaiyur road has been bought by Christian missionaries. There existed a Sivan temple near this. An idol of Yoga Narasimhar belonging to the 11th or 12th century, stone carvings, pillars, idols, inscriptions were recovered from the site and kept at the Ayyanaar temple. The missionaries who have bought the land now claim that no such temple existed. This has led to the locals trying to get back the temple land from the land grabbers.
Mayiladutharai
Sivaloganathar and Swarnamukhi temple at Thennangudi near Mayiladutharai, said to be owned by Pachaiyappa trust and currently under the custody of HRCE, has been encroached. This temple is said to be around 1000 years old and is believed that Sage Agasthiyar and Thirugnanasambandar have sung about the deities in the temple. The temple which is situated on 9.5 acres had remained unattended in a dilapidated condition. Local Hindus made sure that regular poojas are performed. However, the encroachers have now occupied most of the area leaving only the part where the sanctum sanctorum is situated. Locals allege that priest and devotees were threatened by rowdies and had even removed a shed built for housing cattle by a donor from Chennai.
Erode
Miscreants had vandalized a temple by desecrating the Vinayagar idol and using the Vel (Lord Murugan’s weapon) to dig sand. They had removed and thrown the idols into a godown compound.
Kanyakumari
An attempt to raze down a Bhagavathi Amman Temple and felling off the holy tree at Thovalai to build a memorial for Kavimani Desiya Vinayagam Pillai was averted by the court.
The Madras High Court in 2018 had directed the HRCE department then to locate the 50,000 acres of temple lands in Tamil Nadu. No progress has been made on this.
Vizhupuram
1500 years old Jain stone beds (Samanar Padukai) in Theganurpatti near Gingee has been destroyed using explosives by miscreants. These stone beds have several inscriptions and images of Tirthankaras. They are of high historical significance.
Locals were quoted in Organiser saying that it was the work of Christian missionaries along with other anti-Tamil forces like the Dravidianists and Communists. They have asked for the Archaeological Survey of India to protect the monument.
Perambalur
Construction of Vinayagar temple was opposed by a school run by Christian authorities. Rover school had objected to the construction of the temple meant for the benefit of 200 families. The Christian authorities had used their influence higher up in the government to halt the building of the temple.
Tirunelveli
A cemetery was built by Christians just outside the Manimoortheswara Uchishta Ganapathy temple. The land which belongs to the temple was acquired illegally. Idols of Hindu Gods Vinayagar and Murugan were found in gunny bags near Karuppudurai Sivan Temple located near Melapalayam near Tirunelveli.
Cemetery being built by Christian fundamentalist groups right infront of Manimoortheswara Uchishta Ganapaty temple Tirunelveli , in temple land taken over by fraud.#ReclaimTemplespic.twitter.com/CQqOR1WZqR
Queensland amusement park near Poonamalle in Chennai has been sitting on the temple lands belonging to Kasi Viswanathar Temple and Sri Venugopalaswamy Temple of Pappanchatram near Poonamalle in Kanchipuram district since its inception. The amusement park owner Selvaraj, popularly known as Oorvasi Selvaraj owing to soap-making business, had taken the land for lease in 1991 under the pretext of carrying out farming activities. However, he had violated the agreement by indulging in commercial activities.
Selvaraj founded Oorvasi Soap Company, Queensland and King’s Engineering College. He was the Vice President of South Chennai branch of Indian National Congress from 1990 to 1997. He was elected MLA from Srivaikuntam constituency in 2006. Back then, he was the third richest MLA in the assembly according to sworn affidavits next only to Karunanidhi and Jalalithaa. He died in 2009. His wife Nalini Selvaraj is prominent Christian evangelist.
Nalini Selvaraj
The Kasi Viswanathar Temple and Sri Venugopalaswamy temple own 177.7 acres of land. The Queensland amusement park and the St. John’s International Residential School which is a kilometre away from Queensland are sitting on the lands owned by these temples which now remain in ruins while both the amusement park and the schools flourish.
Image Courtesy: Swarajya
In 2008, the local court ruled to a petition filed by the temple administration that the lessee had violated the lease agreement by indulging in commercial activities. An appeal against the court order was dismissed in 2013. The St. John’s school authorities were also a party to this suit.
St. John’s International School and the Queensland Amusement Park are located on 177.7 acres of land that was originally 1500 acres bought by a zamindar named Venkaiah in the 19th century. He had donated nearly 1000 acres of land where we have the Chembaramkkam Lake today. With the government gobbling the remaining as poromboke land, only 177.7 acres of the land remains which has also been encroached by Queensland and St. John’s School. The people of the area have stayed mum since some of their properties have also been located on temple lands.
The unruly Christian missionaries are not just encroaching temple lands but are also ousting other marginalized communities. A Christian pastor named Thangaraj has allegedly encroached 50 cents of housing lands granted to the Narikorava residents of Kuruvimalai near Kanchipuram, for building a Church. The Narikoravas say that Pastor Thangaraj is using his men and other anti-social elements who threaten and even attack them very often.
Apart from these, Muslims in and around the regions of Thanjavur, Mayiladuthurai, Kumbakonam, Nagapattinam regions have managed to occupy huge amount of properties. Some of them are said to be sitting on temple lands. What were once quaint agraharams have now become Muslim clusters.
As per law, temple properties cannot be rented out for commercial activities (non-farm activities) or to non-Hindu entities.
TR Ramesh, an activist working for relieving temples from state control, was quoted saying in the Organiser that this is how the officials at the HRCE department has been ruining temples. Mr. Ramesh had in a tweet mentioned that around ₹23.45 crores were transferred from the Dandayudhapani Temple in Palani (Palani Murugan temple) to the Common Good Fund from 2011 to 2018.
Not just this. The Tamil Nadu HR&CE department whose mandate is to maintain and safeguard temples along with ensuring that rituals and daily poojas are conducted as per Agamic texts has been going about doing things that are in blatant violation of the Agamas. The Annual Policy Note 2018-19 of the department notes that during 2011-2018, construction of toilets have been taken at a cost of ₹20.5 crores in 140 temples. While it is important that necessary facilities are constructed for devotees, there are cases where the department has built toilets at places unwarranted. For example, the Kailasanathar Temple administration has built toilets just behind the sanctum sanctorum and the water for the toilet is being drawn from the well that is used to perform Abhishegam for the deity.
BJP National Secretary H. Raja alleges that 5% of the temples that existed in Tamil Nadu are no more. Among the recorded 38,646 temples, at least 1800 of them could have been to make way for where building and commercial complexes and another 20% of the temples remain abandoned or underused, Mr. Raja says.
M Sivasankar, the former Principal Secretary at the Kerala CMO was interrogated on Saturday regarding the gold smuggling case. He arrived in Kochi on Saturday and was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate.
They questioned him on this case as well as probed based on the money laundering case that was suspected to be happening through diplomatic channels. He was questioned for more than 5 hrs. There was already an earlier investigation conducted at his residence in Thiruvananthapuram. These interrogations are following the revelations of Swapna closeness with Sivasankar, as well as the reports released based on the fact that he was completely aware of her dubious identity.
Notably, the three primary suspects of this case, Swapna Suresh, Sandeep Nair, and Sarith PS were sent to the custody of the Enforcement Directorate on Friday and are to remain in their custody till August 17th.
The Kerala gold smuggling case dealt with smuggling of gold into the state through diplomatic channels. This came to light after 30 kilograms gold worth of ₹14.82 crores were smuggled through a consignment camouflaged as diplomatic baggage. Following this, a series of investigations were launched to crack down the kingpins in this case. Swapna Suresh, one of the main kingpins was cracked down by the Kerala Police on July11, following the arrests of her accomplices Sarith, Sandeep Nair, and Fazil. Swapna, Sandeep, Sarith and Fazil Fareed are the four main accused in the gold smuggling case that has rattled Kerala.
Pam Onnen, a woman from Hastings, Minnesota, made it to the Guinness Book of World Records, for the maximum words spelt backwards in one minute. She had spelt 56 words backwards in one minute, earning her a spot in the Guinness Book.
“Pam felt that her town, Hastings, Minnesota deserved to have Guinness World Records title holder as an inhabitant. It is Pam’s love of her town that has inspired her to achieve this GWR title. With this record attempt Pam wanted her historic town of Hastings to make history,” Guinness World Records said on their website.
Guinness World Records shared a video of Onnen spelling 56 words backwards from a randomised list in a duration of one minute. She had also made a record by reciting the English alphabet backwards. She then went on to show off another talent of hers: pronouncing words backwards. Whenever she learns a new word, she is keen to spell it backwards and see how fast she can spell it backwards.
Onnen said that she did not know that there was a record of her talent. She said, “I looked up because this is just really weird. Nobody else I know does this. So much so that I wasn’t going to tell this to anybody.” She added, “I do this all the time. I must be really good. So then, I decided to look it up. And there was a record for spelling backwards!” She was happy to know that she wasn’t the only one. “It’s not usual but it’s not bad,” she said.
The parents and husband of a 12-year-old girl were booked under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act after she had approached the social worker claiming that her parents had forced to marry the man a month ago. The social worker had approached the Pimpri Chinchwad Commissionerate. Upon receiving this complaint, an FIR was filed under the Bhosari police station on the girl’s parents and the 19-year-old bridegroom’s name.
This incident took place in Indiraya Nagar in Bhosari. They had planned and executed this wedding using the COVID-19 lockdown to their advantage and the fact that there will be no police or law enforcement to look into this illegal marriage. This had happened in July.
Police sub-inspector Pooja Kadam, who had filed the FIR, had said, “The girl is 12 years old, while the boy is a 19-year-old from the same community. It seems that it is a ritual in their community. Despite opposition from the girl, no one had listened, and it was performed last month. She had approached a social worker who had guided her to us. Upon enquiry in their locality, their neighbours spilt the beans. Based on the primary investigation, her family was arrested. They later confessed, saying that they had done so under the insistence of their “community head.”
“All the suspects are roadside vendors. We will soon arrest them”, she added. The girl is now safe at her maternal grandparents’ house.
The Idukki landslide has claimed almost 70 lives, and the numbers are still not final. In light of this disaster, there have been search-operations that have been going on ever since the news of the landslide made the news. On Saturday, the body of a two-year-old toddler was unearthed from the landslide, thanks to a dog that belonged to her family.
Koovi, the dog that belonged to the toddler Dhanushka’s family, had been waiting next to the site of the landslide for two days without moving. She had been running around the area of frantically and trying to find the bodies of their owners. Upon noticing this, rescue forces conducted search operations in that region. They discovered the body of the toddler along with a child’s piggy Bank believed to have been possessed by one of the 17 children who were found.
“I was there at the spot while Dhanushka’s body was being retrieved. The dog seemed to be upset. There is a bridge named Cemet bridge. Her body was found near a tree under the bridge. It was lying in the river, which flows through Pettimudi. The dog caught the smell and helped the rescue workers find the baby’s body.” Idukki MP Dean Kuriakose was reported saying.
Along with Koovi, two other dogs had also been circling the area and had been trying to find their owners. Many are yet to be recovered from the debris.
Over the past few days, speculations were doing the rounds about who will be the AIADMK’s face for the next polls and about the party’s alliance.
It all started when Minister for Cooperation Sellur K. Raju said that if the party comes back to power in 2021, the Chief Minister would be chosen by elected MLAs.
Later, Minister of Dairy and Development Rajenthra Balaji emphatically declared on his Twitter page that the AIADMK would go to polls with Edappadi K. Palaniswami as the CM candidate.
This had led to a lot of rumours about different camps existing in the party – one that wants EPS as CM, one that wants OPS as CM and another procrastinating group.
Earlier today, some of the party functionaries and Ministers visited Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam (OPS) at his residence. The meeting spanned over 2 hours.
Later, TN Ministers met CM Palaniswami.
Following this, a joint statement was issued by the two leaders to put an end to the controversy over the party’s CM candidate for 2021 polls and other matters.
The statement issued by Party Coordinator Panneerselvam and Party Joint Coordinator Edappadi K Palaniswami asked leaders to not air their personal opinion and warned of strict action for those disobeying the party conduct.
It said that the party would take all policy decisions including matters of alliance in a democratic manner keeping in mind their sentiments.
With this, the party leadership has put an end to speculations for now by putting a united front.
Apart from these, Muslims in and around the regions of Thanjavur, Mayiladuthurai, Kumbakonam, Nagapattinam regions have managed to occupy huge amount of properties. Some of them are said to be sitting on temple lands. What were once quaint agraharams have now become Muslim clusters.
