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Nuakhai: Odisha’s ancient harvest festival celebrates the season’s first grains, ancestors and Mother Nature

OpIndia Staff
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Nuakhai: Odisha’s ancient harvest festival celebrates the season’s first grains, ancestors and Mother Nature

Today is Nuakhai, the most important festival in Odisha’s western region. It is a festival to welcome the year’s first harvest, pray to the gods, ancestors and express gratitude to mother nature for its blessings.

Celebrated initially in the western districts, nowadays this festival has found wide acceptance across Odisha and is celebrated with much fanfare all around the state.

Prime Minister Modi wished the people of Odisha on the occasion.


Observed every year on the tithi of Shukla Panchami in the Bhadrapada month, the day after Ganesh Chaturthi, Nuakhai celebrates agriculture and the people’s connection with their ancestors, villages and farmlands. ‘Nua’ means new and ‘Kha’i means eating/food. So this is the occasion to celebrate the year’s first harvest with family and friends.

The people of western Odisha, wherever they might be living and working, come back to their ancestral villages and towns to celebrate the occasion with the extended family.


The preparations of the festival are ushered in with collecting the newly harvested grains, purchasing new clothes for every member in a family and adorning homes and local temples with mango leaves, bunches of freshly harvested paddy-stalks and flowers of the season.

On the day before the festival, local families send new clothes, food grains, sweets and adornments for the local village goddess. In the Devi temples around western Odisha, this ritual is called ‘Pahur’.

In the temple of Maa Samaleswari, the reigning deity of Sambalpur, the ritual of ‘Pahura’ is marked with processions of gifts and adornments sent for the goddess.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc4MIiPgJFM]

On the day of Nuakhai, the festivities begin with landowners and farmers praying to Goddess Laxmi and mother earth in their respective fields, homes and local temples. Earthen pots, handloom clothes and local delicacies like Pitha, Kheeri, Puri and a wide assortment of dishes made with vegetables and pulses are the highlight of the festival. Pumpkin flowers, pumpkin leaves and bamboo shoot (Karadi in Odia) are enjoyed widely as a part of various traditional dishes.

‘Nabanna Lagi’ is the ritual where the ‘Nua Chuda’, a sweet dish made with the rice of the first harvest, milk, coconut, ghee, jaggery, honey and curd is offered first to the gods, and then is eaten by the entire family sitting together. The Samaleswari Temple, the epicentre of the culture and traditions in Western Odisha, plays the central role in the festival.

Samaleswari Temple, Sambalpur, image courtesy: Odisha Tourism

The Western Odisha region has many prominent Shakti temples and Devotees throng the Samaleswari Temple in Sambalpur and other major goddess temples in the region, namely the Patneswari temple in Patnagarh, the Manikeswari temple in Bhawanipatna, the Sureswari temple in Sonepur and many others as these temples play the role of cultural centres for the farming communities here. The Nuakhai celebrations begin at the temples and the timings of the festivals are determined as per the respective temple rituals.

Nuakhai festivities at Samaleswari Temple, image courtesy: OTV
Traditional dishes on Nuakhai, image courtesy: ommcomnews.com

The evening of the Nuakhai festival is marked with ‘Nuakhai Bhet Ghat’, extended families meeting each other and younger family members touching the feet of elders in a greeting called ‘Nuakhai Juhar’. Traditional Sambalpuri dance, Sambalpuri music and songs are the main highlights of these Bhet Ghat events.

Sambalpuri dance, image courtesy: Telegraph India

Nuakhai is one of the most ancient festivals celebrated in Odisha. Its oral traditions date back to 1200 AD. Like many harvest festivals celebrated in the rest of India, Nuakhai is the celebration of cultural and traditional worship of mother earth and mother nature. It is a festival of gratefulness and gratitude, thanking mother nature for a bountiful harvest, thanking the goddess for her blessings of health, happiness and prosperity and thanking the ancestors for watching over us, that is the essence of Nuakhai.

Fearing Tihar, P Chidambaram agrees to remain in CBI custody till September 5

OpIndia Staff
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Fearing Tihar, P Chidambaram agrees to remain in CBI custody till September 5

The Central Bureau of Investigation today said in the Supreme Court that today it no longer wants Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram’s bail and that the veteran Congressman should be sent to Tihar till September 5. Chidambaram, on the other hand, who had earlier went on great lengths to evade CBI arrest, claimed that he is no longer pressing for bail from the CBI custody.


CBI had rounded up Chidambaram from his Jor Bagh residence in New Delhi after he dramatically conjured up at the AICC headquarters and addressed the media after remaining hidden for more than 24 hours. He was finally arrested from his residence on August 21, 2019. He has been in the CBI custody for 12 days now.

Chidambaram is being probed by the CBI and Enforcement Directorate over alleged financial irregularities under his supervision while he was serving as India’s Finance Minister under UPA regime.

The prosecutor counsel Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued that the leader shouldn’t be granted any relief and immediately be shifted to Tihar Jail as CBI no longer requires his custody. However, Dr AM Singhvi and Kapil Sibal assured that they wouldn’t apply for Chidambaram’s bail till September 5, 2019, if the status quo is maintained.

The Enforcement Directorate, on the other hand, is waiting to arrest Chidambaram, but has to hold out. The apex court will deliver its verdict on former union minister’s pre-CBI arrest bail plea on Thursday, 5th September.

Ignoring SG Tushar Mehta’s suggestions, the SC ordered the status quo to be maintained in the case, effectively ensuring that P Chidambaram stays in CBI custody till then. He would have otherwise sought bail, and if denied, gone to Tihar jail. Chidambaram had denied judicial custody and even offered to stay under house arrest or CBI custody till the Supreme Court delivers its verdict on September 5.

Fact check: No, Indian Rupee didn’t lose against Bangladeshi Taka

OpIndia Staff
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Fact check: No, Indian Rupee didn’t lose against Bangladeshi Taka

Many mainstream news outlets and social media, in their perverse knack of undermining Indian economy under PM Modi, had recently shared misleading news stating that the Indian Rupee had depreciated against Bangladeshi Taka. This, of course, comes at a time when the Indian economy is facing tough headwinds from global blues and other microeconomic factors that suggest definite retardation of the economy in FY 2019.

News Media outlet NewsX published an article titled “Forget US Dollar, Indian Rupee loses against Bangladeshi Taka now”. NewsX claims that the global slowdown has caused alarm bells as the Indian Rupee weakened against the Bangladeshi Taka. In the article, NewsX goes ahead mentioning that 1 Bangladeshi Taka = 1.18 Indian Rupee, which according to the article means that 1 Bangladeshi Taka is capable of buying 1.18 Indian Rupees. It further states that the Bangladeshi Taka performed best against the Indian Rupee before 2004 and after 2014.

These are nothing but grossly misleading assertions made by NewsX. Firstly, it is 1 INR that is equivalent to 1.18 BDT, and not the other way around. NewsX wrongly quotes that 1 BDT is equal to 1.18 INR. This despite the fact that in the screenshots they have used in the article to make such claims, it clearly shows that 1 INR is equal to 1.18 BDT.

Moreover, when 1INR is equal to 1.18 BDT, it means Indian currency is stronger than the Bangladeshi Taka and one has to shell out 1.18 Taka to get 1 Indian Rupee. Commodities bought for Rs 100 will have to be bought at approximately 118 Bangladeshi Taka. Consider 1 USD=71 INR, this doesn’t mean that the Indian currency is stronger than the USD. In fact, it means one has to spend 71 INR to acquire 1 USD which shows that USD is a stronger currency than the Indian Rupee. Historically, the Indian currency has always been stronger than the Bangladeshi Taka. Currently, the exchange rate is hovering around at 1 INR = 1.17 BDT.

Based on this flawed understanding of currency conversion, NewsX further infers that the weakening of Rupee against Bangladeshi Taka is catastrophic for Small Medium and Enterprise (SME) sector which is already facing competition from cheap imports from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, China and other South-East Asian countries. This is purely speculation based, that too on a poorly interpreted exchange conversion between the Indian Rupee and the Bangladeshi Taka.

The Indian Rupee has certainly taken a hit in the recent days but it has never gone down below the Bangladeshi Taka. Furthermore, these swings in currency are cyclical and are dependent on multiple economic factors. Only obtuse minds will fall for this trope that since 1 INR is equal to 1.18 Bangladeshi Taka, the Indian currency is cheaper than the Bangladeshi Taka.

Punjab CM Captain Amarinder slams Pakistan PM Imran Khan, invites Jagjit Kaur and her family to settle in India

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab CM Captain Amarinder slams Pakistan PM Imran Khan, invites Jagjit Kaur and her family to settle in India

Lambasting at Pakistan’s PM Imran Khan not being able to help Jagjit Kaur, the Sikh girl who was allegedly abducted and forced to convert to Islam in Pakistan, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday offered to help by offering Kaur and her family to settle in India.


Capt Amarinder Singh Tweeted that he extends his full support to the young girl and will be happy to have her and her family settle down in Punjab along with any help needed.

Strongly protesting against the horrific act, Punjab CM Amarinder Singh had earlier too slammed Pakistan PM Imran Khan for not ensuring the safety of minorities in his country. Posting the video of the family of the Sikh girl’s, Amarinder Singh had appealed to Imran Khan and Indian EAM S Jaishankar to take up the matter swiftly.

Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh too had echoed similar sentiments and demanded Imran Khan to take strong action in this case.

The 19-year-old Jagjit Kaur was forcibly converted to Islam and made to marry a Muslim man. The daughter of a ‘granthi’ (priest) at Gurudwara Tambu Sahib was allegedly converted on gunpoint. Reportedly, the Pakistan man, who forcibly converted and married Sikh girl is affiliated to 2008 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed’s proscribed terror outfit Jama’at-ud-Da’wah (JuD).

On August 31, it was reported that the girl was found and returned to her family and 8 subsequent arrests were made in the case, however, later the family released a video in which they confirmed that she had not returned and also said that the reports of her returning and the arrest of kidnappers were fake.

It was reported on September 2 that Kaur was abducted by one of her classmates, Babar Aman, along with Mirza Dilawar Baig, who is a member of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the party founded by current Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan.

A group of members of the Sikh community on Monday launched a massive protest outside the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi to protest against the forced conversion of Sikh girls in Pakistan. Reportedly, the protesters were seen burning effigies while demanding protection of the Sikh families residing in Pakistan amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan.

The police forces posted outside the Pakistan High Commission struggled to contain the protesters behind the barricades while the Sikh protesters climbed over the police posts and raised slogans against Pakistan.

Addition to Sikh protests, people belonging to different faiths and communities took out a march in Delhi on Sunday to protest abduction, forceful conversion and marriage of a Sikh girl to a Muslim man in Pakistan.

They walked from Teen Murti Bhavan to Pakistan High Commission in solidarity with the girl.

In a separate protest, activists of Bajrang Dal Hindustan on Sunday set fire to the effigy of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in Amritsar and called for solidarity between Hindu and Sikhs to protest against the continued lack of action by the Pakistani government on the abduction of the Sikh girl.

Pakistani singer Rabi Pirzada threatens snake attack against Indians, especially PM Modi, for abrogation of Article 370

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistani singer Rabi Pirzada threatens snake attack against Indians, especially PM Modi, for abrogation of Article 370

In a Twitter post, Pakistani singer Rabi Pirzada has issued a bizarre treat to the Indians, particularly Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a video, Pirzada can be seen playing with snakes, crocodile, as she claims these are special gifts for Prime Minister Modi.

Through her video, Pirzada indirectly threatened of a snake attack against him for revoking special status of Jammu and Kashmir.


Rabi Pirzada claimed that as a Kashmiri, she is ready with her snakes (not a creative euphemism, she actually meant snakes as in the reptiles) and asked Indians to be ready as she is all set to send those snakes across the Line of Control to inflict damage on the Indians. She further said that Indians should be ready to die in hell.

“As a Kashmiri girl, I am ready with all these snakes to gift it to Prime Minister Modi. Get ready to die in hell. All my friends are however peace friendly,” said Rabi Pirzada.

Later, the Pakistani singer began to sing in support of Kashmir. In the video, it can be seen that singer Pirzada is playing along with snakes, whom she refers to it as her friends.

Rabi Pirzada is known for her bizarre behaviour. In January, she had gone on to buy a chicken unit after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had promised to provide poultry and livestock to women to encourage entrepreneurship in underprivileged areas. She even posted a video showing off how she successfully managed to hatch 8 desi chicks in the vicinity of her house.

As Pakistan is being isolated and humiliated in the international fora, desperate Pakistan citizens seem to have lost their mental balance. Pakistan’s recent anecdotes on India’s decision to abrogate Article 370, depicts the deteriorating mental health of Pakistani establishment.

Despite all its machismo and psyops over Twitter to create fake propaganda of an atmosphere of being at war against India, their regular gaffes exposing their low IQ has always left Twitterati in splits.

After recently Pakistan Senator Rehman Malik gave the world a sneak-peak into his pea-sized brains by tagging the ‘UNO’ game instead of ‘United Nations’ in his Tweet criticizing Modi, the former Pakistan Envoy Abdul Basit took to Twitter to re-tweet an image of the adult movie star Johnny Sins claiming he is Yousuf from Anantnag who has been blinded by a pellet.

It is not just limited to the Pakistani security establishment, but even Pakistani cricketers have begun to fear-monger and resort to hate propaganda against the Indians. On Monday, former cricketer Javed Miandad had gone on a ranting spree by claiming that he will now kill humans with a sword.

A video has gone viral on social media in which former Pakistani cricketer Javed Miandad can be seen spewing venom against India. In the video, he can be seen brandishing a sword and calling for a Jihad as he claims to show solidarity with Kashmiris.

Jharkhand: Doctor to be sacked after he prescribed condoms for stomach pain to a 55-year-old woman

OpIndia Staff
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Jharkhand: Doctor to be sacked after he prescribed condoms for stomach pain to a 55-year-old woman

In a shocking incident, a doctor in a government hospital in Jharkhand’s Ghatsila has been sacked after he allegedly prescribing condom to a 55-year-old woman for stomach pain in July this year.

According to the reports, the incident was reported from Ghatshila sub-division hospital in East Singhbhum district of the state. The accused doctor has been identified as Asraf Badar, who is working on a contractual basis with the hospital.

After prescribing condoms for stomach pain, Ghatsila sub-divisional hospital (GSDH) surgeon Dr Ashraf Badar has been issued with a dismissal order after a three-member probe committee formed by the East Singhbhum’s deputy commissioner.

“The order to dismiss accused Dr Ashraf Badar has come from the state health department. We will put it in the meeting of the district health society as soon as the DC returns to the city,” East Singhbhum’s civil surgeon Dr Maheshwar Prasad said on Monday.

“He was dismissed from the service earlier also for several charges of misconduct but was reinstated only after a written undertaking of not repeating mistakes,” Dr Prasad said.

Reportedly, the woman had alleged that Dr Badr had prescribed “Condom Nirodh” for stomach pain on July 23 and asked her to visit the pharmacy when she consulted him at the hospital.

As the victim, who is a government employee registered her complaint against the doctor, Deputy Commissioner Ravishankar Shukla formed a three-member team comprising district surveillance officer Dr Sahir Pal, Dr Prabhakar Bhagat and Dr Deepak Giri to probe against the accused doctor on July 26. The probe committee submitted its report on August 2 confirming the charges against Dr Badr.

According to the reports, Dr Badar has been charged with misconduct in the past and was once dismissed as well. Reportedly, he was earlier charged for teasing and flirting with a nurse.

However, Dr Badar said he will challenge the decision of his dismissal in the high court. Calling the probe as farce, Dr Badar said that the probe is being carried out to implicate him as a part of a conspiracy.

“They have done after being bribed by private nursing house owners whose business was hit after I started regular gynaecology and general surgeries in GSDH. I had not written any such prescription and the registration slip put against me is fake,” said Dr Badar on Monday.

“I had filed general diary against the MO and a nurse in Ghatsila police station (PS) one and half month ago for conspiracy to implicate me in a false charge of teasing and flirting with the said nurse,” he said.

Amit Jogi, son of former Chhattisgarh CM Ajit Jogi arrested over cheating and filing false information in election affidavit

OpIndia Staff
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Amit Jogi, son of former Chhattisgarh CM Ajit Jogi arrested over cheating and filing false information in election affidavit

Amit Jogi, the son of former Chhattisgarh CM Ajit Jogi and Janata Congress Chhattisgarh President has been arrested by the Chhattisgarh police for using a fake birth certificate and cheating during the 2013 assembly elections.

As per reports, Amit Jogi was arrested today morning from Bilaspur. Prashant Agarwal, SP, Bilaspur has been quoted by Hindustan Times saying, “We have arrested Amit Jogi in a case which was lodged against him in February under Sections 420, 467, 468 and 471 with Gaurela police station of Bilaspur by Sameera Paikra, BJP candidate against him in 2013.”

Paikra in his complaint had stated that Jogi had provided false information in his election affidavit while filing his nomination from the Marwahi assembly constituency under Bilaspur district. Marwahi is an ST reserved seat. Paikra, who had lost the election in 2013 against Jogi, had alleged that Amit Jogi should not be eligible to contest from the seat as he has faked his caste in his documents.

In 2014, Sameer Paikra had filed an election petition in the High Court seeking the cancellation of Amit Jogi’s election from Marwahi. Paikra had stated in his complaint that Jogi’s birth certificate, caste certificate and citizenship certificates show him as being born in three different places on three different dates.

According to the documents submitted by Paikra in the court, Amit Jogi was born in Dallas, Texas on 7 August 1977, in Indore, Madhya Pradesh on May 7, 1977, and in Sarbahra village, Bilaspur on 7 August 1978.

The Chhattisgarh HC has rejected Paikra’s petition in January this year stating that the 2013-18 assembly session has already ended.

Recently, a government-appointed committee had rejected the tribal status of former Chhattisgarh CM Ajit Jogi. Ajit Jogi has termed it ‘vendetta politics’ and had stated that ‘Jungle Raj’ is going on in the state.

After the rejection of the Tribal status, the Bilaspur police had registered a case against Amit’s father Ajit Jogi under the section 10-1 of the Chhattisgarh Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Backward classes (Regulation of Certification of Social Status) Rules 2013 with the civil lines police station on Thursday night. The case against former CM Ajit Jogi is non-bailable and is carries a punishment of up to 2 years.

The government-appointed committee had submitted that Ajit Jogi had falsely claimed to belong to the Kanwar tribal community. Complaints against Jogi’s false tribal status have been raised since 2001. BJP leader Sant Kumar Netam had alleged back in 2001 that Jogi’s claim of tribal status is false and based on false documents.

The Supreme Court had ordered the Chhattisgarh state government in 2011 to form a high-level government committee to investigate the veracity of Jogi’s claim to be tribal.

Dalit MLA from YSRCP accuses TDP leaders of casteist slurs against her, leaves Ganesh Puja venue in tears

OpIndia Staff
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Dalit MLA from YSRCP accuses TDP leaders of casteist slurs against her, leaves Ganesh Puja venue in tears

Dr Vundavalli Sridevi, a Dalit woman MLA from the ruling YSRCP in Andhra Pradesh has alleged that TDP leaders abused her using casteist slurs during her visit to a Ganesh Puja celebration venue.

As per reports, the MLA, Vundavalli Sridevi, has alleged that casteist remarks and hurtful comments were used against her by some TDP leaders when she attempted to visit a Ganesh Puja pandal. The TDP leaders allegedly stated that Lord Ganesha will become ‘impure’ if Sridevi, a Dalit woman, touches the Lord. Such statement from TDP leader, especially against a woman Dalit MLA, was condemned by all.

“If they can say such things against an elected MLA, what would they do to a common man?,” said Sridevi and demanded that action is taken against the TDP leaders who made such comments.

Indian Air Force inducts 8 attack Boeing-64E Apache helicopters to replace ageing Russian Mi-35 choppers

OpIndia Staff
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Indian Air Force inducts 8 attack Boeing-64E Apache helicopters to replace ageing Russian Mi-35 choppers

In a big boost to India’s combat capabilities, eight US-made Boeing Apache AH-64E attack helicopters joined the Indian Air Force (IAF) fleet today in Pathankot.

According to the reports, the Indian Air Force inducted eight lethal attack helicopters in the presence of Air Force chief BS Dhanoa at the Pathankot Air Force station. “It is one of the most fierce attack helicopters in the world. It is capable of performing many missions, today with the induction of Apache AH-64E, the Indian Air Force has upgraded its inventory to the latest generation of attack helicopters,” Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa said on induction of the choppers.

The Apache choppers received a water cannon salute, before induction at the Pathankot Air Base. This will be its first fleet of attack choppers. By 2020, the IAF will operate a fleet of 22 Apaches.


“It is a ceremonial induction of the aircraft into IAF. As of now, we have 8 aircraft. 22 aircraft will come in a phased manner and all will be inducted into the IAF. We had attack helicopters earlier, but this aircraft brings in lethal firepower with great accuracy,” IAF spokesperson Anupam Banerjee said.

In 2015, India had signed a multi-billion dollar contract with Boeing for the supply of 22 of these choppers, widely considered the most advanced helicopters of their type in the world.

The 22 Boeing Apache-64E attack helicopters are meant to replace the IAF’s ageing fleet of Russian Mi-35 choppers which are nearing the end of their service life. The attack helicopters can fire anti-armour missiles, mainly targetting tanks, bunkers and can be deployed in other wide-ranging missions. They are equipped with advanced sensors to enable them to detect and engage their targets while flying very low and at high speeds to evade detection by enemy forces.

The AH-64E Apache for the IAF completed successful first flights in July 2018. The first batch of IAF crew began their training to fly the Apache in the US last year. The IAF’s first Boeing AH-64E Apaches will be inducted into the 125 HU ‘Gladiators’ squadron.

“It is the only available combat helicopter with a spectrum of capabilities for virtually any mission requirement. For the AH-64 E, this includes greater thrust and lift, joint digital operability, improved survivability and cognitive decision aiding,” the PTI quoted Boeing as saying.

Addition to Apache attack helicopters, the Indian Air Force’s combat helicopter stream will be augmented by Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), which is being indigenously designed and developed by HAL. The LCH can be deployed in various roles, including tracking slow-moving aerial targets, insurgency, destroying enemy defences, search and rescue, anti-tank and scouting. The Indian Air Force will induct 65 HAL LCH.

The Indian Air Force also currently uses HAL Rudra as an attack helicopter. The HAL Rudra is the Weapon System Integrated (WSI) variant of the Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH). HAL Rudra is the first armed helicopter being produced indigenously in India. It can be deployed in a wide range of missions, including reconnaissance, troop transport, anti-tank warfare and close air support.

Actress Sara Ali Khan wishes people for Ganesh Chaturthi, fundamentalists question her Muslim credentials

OpIndia Staff
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Actress Sara Ali Khan wishes people for Ganesh Chaturthi, fundamentalists question her Muslim credentials

On Monday, Bollywood actress Sara Ali Khan took to Instagram to wish people on occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi. However, she seems to have never anticipated the hatred and online lynching that she could receive from social media users.

Image Source: Instagram
Sara Ali Khan wishing Hindus a happy Ganesh Chaturthi.

As Sara Ali Khan wished her fans on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi, a mob of social media users barged into her timeline to attack and abuse her, claiming that wishing Hindus was anti-Islamic and questioned her whether she was really a Muslim.

 

Muslim social media users spewing venom against Sara Ali Khan.

Then followed personal abuse against Sara Ali Khan, as fellow Muslims said she should be ashamed of being a Muslim. Some even questioned whether she was a Muslim.

Muslim social media users spewing venom against Sara Ali Khan

Abusing a woman, despite being from the same community for celebrating a Hindu festival is symptomatic of dangerous levels of radicalization.

Sara Ali Khan is daughter of film actors Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh. Film actor Kareena Kapoor is her step-mother. This is not the first time that Muslim celebrities are subjected to severe abuse on social media for celebrating Hindu festivals. Shahrukh Khan, too, has been a victim of trolling on social media after he had tweeted a picture of his son celebrating Ganesh Puja. Muslims had called it a ‘sin’, had abused and condemned him.

Popular Bengali actress and a TMC MP from West Bengal, Nusrat Jahan was insulted on Facebook for celebrating Durga Puja as it was ‘inappropriate’. Cricketer Mohammad Kaif was trolled by Muslim fundamentalists for celebrating Christmas and condemned for performing the Surya Namaskar. Another cricketer Irfan Pathan was told by fundamentalists that Raksha Bandhan is ‘against Islam’ and abused when he wished everyone on a special day.

In the past, a freelance protestor from JNU, Shehla Rashid, was forced to deactivate her Facebook account as well after receiving rape threats from Muslims. The rape threats were in response to Rashid asking Muslims whether they would let their sisters and daughters marry a non-Muslim man of their choice.

On another occasion, Arshad Mansuri, a Muslim doctor from Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, had claimed that he was receiving threats due to his pledge to donate his organs after death. His pledge had angered a section of his community who were angered by his committing an “anti-Islamic” act.

In December 2017, a popular Radio Jockey from Kerala, RJ Sooraj, had attracted the wrath of Muslim hardliners. He had received death threats after coming out in support of three Burkha-clad girls who had angered radicals by performing an innocuous street dance as part of a flash mob to create awareness on AIDS Day.

Despite all the hatred pushed by the minority community, the ‘liberal-secular’ media mafia turns a blind eye towards the radicalization that has gripped the minority community but blames Hindus for rising intolerance. Despite the growing intolerance, it has become normal for ‘liberals’ to embrace silence whenever Islamic radicalism manifests itself with hatred and intolerance.

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