News Analysis India

Tag: ISIS

  • Should get it translated for clarity, says Salman Khurshid amidst Hindutva controversy

    By ANI

    SAMBHAL: Taking a dig at those who targeted his book over comparison between Hindutva and ISIS, senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid on Saturday said that those ‘poor in English’ should get it translated for clarity as he has used the word ‘similar’ and not ‘same’.

    “There is word ‘similar’ in English which means having a resemblance. I regret that I wrote in English; they seem poor in English, should get it translated for clarity,” he said.

    Salman Khurshid reacted after Bharatiya Janata Party reacted furiously over the excepts of the book.

    BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra on Friday said that the Congress party’s attack on Hinduism is not a coincidence but an experiment. He alleged that the nature of Congress is to attack Hinduism whenever they get a chance.

    The former union minister Salman Khurshid further said that the enemies of Hinduism are those who are trying to defame the religion.

    “Those who misuse religion, irrespective of what religion they follow, are the enemies of religion. ISIS and Boko Haram defame Islam but no Islamic followers opposed it. I had not said ISIS and Hindutva same, I had said that they are similar,” Khurshid said.

    Speaking to media persons during his visit to Kalki Dham, he said, “I am visiting Kalki Dham. I would not be here if I would have any issue with any religion. I believe that Hinduism spread peace in the world.”

    “It seems that some people are trying to defame Hinduism. They are enemies of Hinduism and are afraid that their truth will come out. They will ban any book which reveals their truth,” he added.

    On Wednesday, Khurshid got embroiled in controversy for allegedly “defaming and comparing Hinduism with terrorism” in his recent book “Sunrise Over Ayodhya: Nationhood in Our Times”.

    Khurshid’s book on the Ayodhya verdict was released last week. It explored the Apex Court’s landmark judgement on the Ayodhya dispute. Senior Congress leader Khurshid has compared Hindutva to radical terrorist groups like “ISIS and Boko Haram”.

    Meanwhile, two Delhi lawyers have filed complaints on Thursday with Delhi Police against Khurshid, for allegedly defaming and comparing Hinduism with terrorism in his book.

    The development comes at a time when seven states in the country namely Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat are slated to go for assembly elections in the year 2022.

  • Suit filed in Delhi court against Salman Khurshid’s book; BJP continues to attack Congress

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: An injunction suit has been filed before a Delhi court seeking to stop the publication, circulation, and sale of ex-Union minister Salman Khurshid’s book for allegedly hurting the sentiments of a large section of society, the lawyer of the complainant said on Saturday.

    The suit was filed by right-wing group Hindu Sena’s president Vishnu Gupta.

    Senior Congress leader Khurshid has sparked controversy by reportedly comparing a “robust version” of Hindutva to the jihadist Islam of terror groups such as ISIS and Boko Haram in his book ‘Sunrise Over Ayodhya: Nationhood in Our Times’.

    Gupta’s counsel Akshay Aggarwal and Sushant Prakash claimed that the book’s launch event before the assembly election in Uttar Pradesh, slated for early next year, was aimed at polarising and gaining the votes of the minorities.

    The petition seeks prohibitory injunction against the publication, distribution, circulation and sale of the book and also ban it “in the larger interest of the society and country”.

    The Hindu Sena on Friday demanded a ban on the book, alleging that Khurshid’s statement harms social integrity and hurts the religious sentiments of Hindus.

    In a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Hindu Sena president Vishnu Gupta said the comparison made in the book is an attempt to demonise the Hindu religion.

    Khurshid’s comments in his book have sparked a row with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday maintained that Hinduism and Hindutva are “different things” and slammed the ideology of the BJP-RSS alleging it has spread hatred in India, drawing a sharp retort from the BJP which claimed that the Congress leadership nurses a “pathological hatred” for Hinduism.

    Khurshid, who stood by his remarks made in his new book on the Ayodhya verdict, had come under attack on Thursday from the BJP as well as his party colleague Ghulam Nabi Azad.

    The opposition BJP in Chhattisgarh on Saturday submitted a complaint to Raipur police seeking registration of an FIR against Congress leader Salman Khurshid for allegedly hurting religious sentiments by comparing Hindutva to radical jihadist groups like ISIS and Boko Haram in his recently released book.

    The party also sought registration of a case against senior Congress leaders P Chidambaram and Digvijaya Singh for taking part in the book release function and, thereby, supporting Khurshid’s act.

    BJP MLAs Brijmohan Agarwal, Ajay Chandrakar, Shivratan Sharma and Narayan Chandel and Rajya Sabha MP Ramvichar Netam submitted the complaint in Civil Lines police station.

    “We have received a complaint from BJP leaders and further action will be taken after investigation,” said Satyaprakash Tiwari, Station House Officer (SHO) of Civil Lines police station.

    In the complaint, BJP leaders claimed Khurshid, in his book ‘Sunrise over Ayodhya, Nationhood in Our Times’, has compared Hindutva to Islamist terror groups like ISIS and Boko Haram and this was an insult of Hinduism.

    The BJP claimed on Saturday that India was partially a “Muslim nation” when it was in power as sharia provisions were then part of the legal system and measures were taken to give them primacy even over Supreme Court judgment.

    BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi alleged that the violence in Maharashtra over the “false” news of mosques being targeted in Tripura and Congress leaders’ comments attacking Hindutva were part of a conspiracy.

    Attacking Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, he wondered if the opposition leader was training his party workers in Maharashtra in defaming Hindutva and driving an organised campaign to stole communal discord and violence.

    It was during his speech via video conferencing to Congress workers at a training camp in the state that Gandhi had sought to draw a distinction between Hinduism and Hindutva, and had attacked the latter.

    The BJP has been on the offensive after Congress leader Salman Khurshid compared Hindutva, a term associated with the RSS-BJP ideology, with terrorist Islamist organisations.

    Noting that Shivaji’s rule was also associated with Hinduism, Trivedi said leaders like Rahul Gandhi cannot comprehend the concept and asked him to read up his own party stalwarts like Mahatma Gandhi, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Jawaharlal Nehru.

    Nehru, he added, had written that the word ‘Hindu’ can be understood in the broader context of Indian identity and should not be seen narrowly.

    “Under the Congress rule India was partially a Muslim nation. I am saying so because sharia provisions were part of the constitutional system,” the BJP leader said, referring to the practice like instant talaq, now barred, and grant of Haj subsidy, since discontinued.

    “Supreme Court judgment was overruled to give primacy to sharia provisions,” Trivedi said in an apparent reference to the Rajiv Gandhi government bringing a law to override an apex court order in the famous Shah Bano case.

    He took a swipe at Congress leaders for giving their “wisdom” on Hinduism and referred to their use of terms like Hindu Taliban and Hindi terrorism to hit out at them.

    These are the same people who do not want a proud India to bloom in all its glory, and are trying to stop its rise, he claimed.

  • Trouble in Congress over Salman Khurshid’s book? Party leaders decry equating Hindutva with terrorist acts

    Express News Service

    DEHRADUN:  Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Friday said that Salman Khurshid should take his words back regarding the comparison of Hindutva with terrorist organisations ISIS and Boko Haram in his book. 

    “Leaders should refrain from drawing parallels/comparisons which create divides in the society. I do not agree with Shri Salman Khurshid’s comparison. He should take his words back,” said the senior Congress leader. 

    Distancing the party and himself from his fellow Congress leader, Rawat added that this can be Khurshid’s personal view. Leaders like him and the party do not agree with those views.

    Notably, other senior Congress leaders like former Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir Ghulam Nabi Azad have also disapproved of the comparison.

    Azad actually called this comparison ‘factually incorrect’. The BJP has already gone ballistic on this, calling Khurshid’s remark an ‘attack on our faith’.

    Rawat, a former Union minister, also criticised Kangana Ranaut’s statement that India attained freedom after BJP came to power in 2014 and that the Independence of 1947 was actually a bheekh (alms) from the British.

    “Now, some people will start saying India got freedom because Narendra Modiji was born in this country. This is a false narrative which is totally unacceptable. The time for renaissance in our country has arrived. The Congress party must lead the way, with the support of the people of the country,” added Rawat. 

    Meanwhile, right-wing group Hindu Sena on Friday demanded a ban on Khurshid’s book ‘Sunrise Over Ayodhya: Nationhood in Our Times’, alleging that his statement comparing Hindutva to the jihadist Islam of terror groups harms social integrity and hurts the religious sentiments of Hindus.

    In a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Hindu Sena president Vishnu Gupta said the comparison made in the book is an attempt to demonise the Hindu religion.

    Two advocates have already filed complaints with the police against Khurshid’s comments, while several BJP leaders have sought action against him.

    In his letter, Gupta said, “This book comparing Hindutva/Hinduism to terror outfit ISIS and Boko Haram is an attempt to demonise the Hindu religion. These kinds of statements in a book can give publicity to the book but this harms the social integrity and hurts the sentiments of millions of Hindus residing in the country and all over the world.”

    “Therefore, I request you to kindly look into the matter and put a stay on publication/circulation and sale of the book and also ban the book or take appropriate action as per Indian laws applicable,” he wrote in the letter.

    In a chapter titled ‘The Saffron Sky’, Khurshid writes: “Sanatan Dharma and classical Hinduism known to sages and saints were being pushed aside by a robust version of Hindutva, by all standards a political version similar to the jihadist Islam of groups like ISIS and Boko Haram of recent years.”

    According to Gupta, the excerpts from the book, besides being “instigating and provoking”, hurt the religious sentiments of a large number of people who follow the Hindu religion.

    “Our Constitution provides every citizen of India with the freedom of speech and expression but not for misuse of the right when it threatens and shakes the harmony of the country,” he claimed.

    He also said the Supreme Court in a 1995 judgement laid down the proposition that “Hindutva is not a religion it is a way of life and state of mind”.

    The 354-page book, which claims to analyse the juridical history and consequences of the long-standing Ayodhya dispute, was released on Wednesday.

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • Will get Salman Khurshid’s controversial book on Hindutva banned: Narottam Mishra

    By PTI

    BHOPAL: The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh is contemplating banning in the state, senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid’s book in which he has compared Hindutva to radical jihadist groups like ISIS and Boko Haram, after taking legal opinion on the matter, said Home Minister Narottam Mishra on Friday.

    The minister also hit out at Khurshid over the book on the Ayodhya verdict, titled ‘Sunrise Over Ayodhya: Nationhood in Our Times’, which was released on Wednesday.

    Talking to reporters in Bhopal, Mishra said, “We will take the opinion of legal experts on the book and get it banned in Madhya Pradesh.”

    Mishra criticised Khurshid over the controversial content of the book and accused the former Union minister of targeting Hindutva and attempting to divide the majority community.

    “These people do not leave any opportunity to target Hindutva and divide Hindus on caste lines. After ‘Bharat Tere Tukde Honge Inshallah Inshallah’, Rahul Gandhi was the first to go there (on that path). Salman Khurshid is now taking forward the same idea,” he said.

    Mishra stated that Congress leader Kamal Nath had earlier said this is not “Mahan Bharat” but a “Badnam Bharat” (in context of coronavirus pandemic), and his party colleague Khurshid is now moving in the same direction.

    Khurshid, in his book, writes: “Sanatan Dharma and classical Hinduism known to sages and saints were being pushed aside by a robust version of Hindutva, by all standards a political version similar to the jihadist Islam of groups like ISIS and Boko Haram of recent years.”

  • Supreme Court denies bail to lawyer accused of having links with ISIS, terms allegations as serious

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Wednesday termed as ‘serious’ the allegations against a jailed Surat-based lawyer that he was having links with terror outfit ISIS and refused to grant bail to him in the case.

    A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana, however, took note of the fact that the accused Ubed Ahmed has been in jail since October 25, 2017, and even the charges against him have not been framed and ordered the conclusion of the trial in one year.

    “Having heard learned senior counsel appearing for the petitioner, Solicitor General appearing for the state of Gujarat and carefully perusing the material available on record, we are not inclined to grant bail to the petitioner.

    “However, taking into consideration the fact that the petitioner is reported to be in custody since October 25, 2017, and long pendency of the trial, we direct the concerned Trial Court to expedite the trial and conclude the same within a period of one year from the date of communication of a copy of this Order, by sitting two days in a week, without granting unnecessary adjournments to either of the parties,” the bench, also comprising justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli, said in the order.

    Senior advocate Siddhartha Dave, appearing for the accused, said that the applicant is a young advocate practicing in Surat with no antecedent or criminal history.

    “There is a 5,000 page-long charge sheet. There are 95 witnesses, which are to be examined during the course of the trial and, therefore, there is no possibility of the conclusion of the trial in near future. Hence, the applicant will be enlarged on bail,” Dave said.

    Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the state government, referred to the alleged link of the accused with ISIS and his visit to Syria.

    “The allegations against you are very serious. We are on the issue of allegations only,” the bench said while expressing its reservation to the bail plea.

    The bench also referred to the pandemic-induced problems leading to delay in trial and said that it may order early time-bound conclusion of proceedings in the case with no unnecessary adjournments.

    The Gujarat High Court, on February 14, last year, had rejected the bail plea.

    “This court is of the view that the respondent State has made out a prima ¬facie case against the applicant. Serious allegations are levelled against the applicant and there is sufficient material against the applicant in the investigation papers and, therefore, as per the provisions contained…, the applicant cannot be enlarged on bail,” the high court had said.

    It had also considered the punishment prescribed for the alleged offences and the apprehension of the state government that the accused may tamper with the evidence if granted bail.

    AS per the FIR, police came to know that the accused was radicalized by the philosophy of ISIS by one Safi Armar, resident of Syria/Iraq, and Abdullah Al Faizal of Jamaica.

    “The applicant was discussing, advocating, disseminating ISIS ideology on social media or sharing social media links that supported ISIS ideology and talking about it to a few of his friends including original accused No.1 Kasim.

    “The applicant in some intercepted mobile/What’s App communications talked about his wish/desire to buy a pistol, if available at a reasonable price, about the possible generation of funds through smuggling of cigarettes, gold or old cars,” the high court had noted in its order.

  • Kabul suicide bombings: Those at Gurdwara Karte Parwan safe, claims DSGMC chief

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Members of minority communities who have taken refuge in Kabul’s Karte Parwan gurudwara are “safe”, DSGMC president Manjinder Singh Sirsa claimed on Thursday following two suicide bombings outside the airport there.

    Many Hindus and Sikhs took refuge at the Karte Parwan gurdwara after Afghanistan fell into the hands of the Taliban, the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) chief had said on Monday.

    “All the minorities who have taken refuge in Gurdwara Karte Parwan are safe #Kabulairport #KabulBlast,” Sirsa tweeted.

    Two suicide bombers and gunmen targeted crowds massing near the Kabul airport on Thursday, killing at least 13 people, according to reports.

    Sirsa, who had a telephonic conversation with the president of the Kabul Gurudwara Committee on Thursday, said he has been apprised about the situation.

    “I just had a phone call conversation with S Gurnam Singh, president of Kabul Gurdwara committee who apprised me that today’s #Kabulairport explosion has happened at exactly same place where they were standing yesterday. We thank almighty that such thing didn’t happen yesterday,” he said in another tweet.

    The Taliban swept across Afghanistan this month, seizing control of almost all key towns and cities including Kabul in the backdrop of the withdrawal of the US forces.

    Meanwhile, India on Thursday strongly condemned the bombings and said the attacks reinforced the need for the world to stand unitedly against terrorism and those providing sanctuaries to terrorists.

    “Today’s attacks reinforce the need for the world to stand unitedly against terrorism and all those who provide sanctuaries to terrorists,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a late night statement.

    It extended condolences to families of the victims of the attacks.

    “India strongly condemns the bomb blasts in Kabul today. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims of this terrorist attack,” the MEA said in a statement.

    “Our thoughts and prayers also go out to the injured,” it said.

    The explosions took place amid a scramble by various countries to evacuate their citizens and Afghan partners from Kabul before the August 31 deadline for the withdrawal of American troops.

    Thousands of Afghans were crowding around the Kabul airport for over a week, in a desperate attempt to flee the country fearing the Taliban’s brutality.

  • Rewards for killings now even being paid in Bitcoins: EAM Jaishankar on ISIS

    By PTI

    UNITED NATIONS: The financial resource mobilisation of ISIS has become more robust, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told the United Nations on Thursday, emphasising that the flow of funds has continued for the dreaded terror group and rewards for killings are now even being paid in Bitcoins.

    Addressing a UNSC briefing on threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts, Jaishankar said the latest report of the Secretary-General has provided another stark reminder that ISIS continues to pose a critical threat to international peace and security.

    “ISIL (Daesh) remains active in Syria and Iraq and its affiliates are growing in strength, particularly in Africa. The financial resource mobilization of ISIL (Daesh) has become more robust. The flow of funds has continued and rewards for killings are now even being paid in Bitcoins!” he said.

    ​ALSO READ | Pakistan-based terror groups LeT, JeM operating with impunity, encouragement: India at UNSC

    Jaishankar said the radicalisation of vulnerable youth by systematic online propaganda campaigns remained a serious concern.

    He said ISIS’ modus operandi has changed, with the core focusing on regaining ground in Syria and Iraq and affiliates functioning independently.

    “This evolving phenomenon is extremely dangerous and poses a new set of challenges to our collective efforts in our fight against ISIL and terrorism,” Jaishankar said.

    “Let us always remember that what is true of Covid is even more true of terrorism: none of us are safe until all of us are safe,” he cautioned.

    Jaishankar outlined an eight-point action plan for consideration to collectively eliminate the scourge of terrorism which includes summoning of the political will and refraining from justifying or glorifying terrorism.

    ALSO READ | Countries should not place blocks and holds without any reason on requests to designate terrorists: India

    “No double standards. Terrorists are terrorists; distinctions are made only at our own peril,” he said.

    “Don’t place blocks and holds on listing requests without any reason, discourage exclusivist thinking and be on guard against new terminologies and false priorities,” he said.

    He also underlined the need to “enlist and delist objectively, not on political or religious considerations. Recognise the linkage to organised crime.”

    Support and strengthen the FATF, and provide greater funding to UN Office of Counter Terrorism, he added.

    Jaishankar called on the UN Security Council to collectively build on these principles.

    “It is also important to end the stalemate preventing the adoption of a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism, which India has championed for so long,” he said.

    The External Affairs Minister said India has been at the forefront of global counter-terrorism efforts, has taken part in all major global initiatives against international terrorism and is a party to all United Nations’ sectoral conventions relating to terrorism.

    “We were pleased to play our role in strengthening the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy adopted last month. We reiterate our full support for counter-terrorism cooperation under the auspices of the UN,” he said.

  • Bombay High Court grants bail to man accused of being ISIS member

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Friday granted bail to a 28-year-old man, arrested for allegedly being a member of the banned terror outfit – Islamic State (ISIS).

    A division bench of Justices S S Shinde and N J Jamadar allowed the petition filed by Iqbal Ahmed Kabir Ahmed challenging an order of a special court refusing bail to him.

    “The order passed by the special court is quashed. The appellant (Ahmed) shall be released on bail upon furnishing a bond of Rs one lakh and one or two solvent sureties of the same amount,” the bench said.

    The court directed Ahmed to appear before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) twice a week for the first month and then once a week for the next two months.

    “The appellant shall attend each and every date of the trial and shall not hamper or get in touch with the witnesses in the case,” the bench said.

    Ahmed was arrested on August 7, 2016 and booked under the stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for being part of a terror outfit and under the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

    The prosecution’s case was that Ahmed was part of the ISIS’s ‘Parbhani module’, who were purportedly planning to carry out a terror attack on the office of the Superintendent of Police in Parbhani.

    Ahmed’s advocate Mihir Desai had argued that there was no evidence against the petitioner and that the trial in the case is yet to commence and there are over 150 witnesses to be examined.

  • ‘Three arrested in Kashmir’s Anantnag are IS operatives’ 

    Express News Service
    SRI NAGAR: Three persons arrested in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Sunday were ISIS members and had been propagating the global terror group’s ideology through the online propaganda magazine Voice of Hind, the National Investigation Agency said.

    The trio was identified as Umar Nisar, Tanveer Ahmad Bhat and Rameez Ahmad Lone, all residents of Anantnag. They were among six persons detained by the NIA during raids at seven locations — one in Srinagar and six in Anantnag. 

    Based on the trio’s questioning, searches were conducted at two more locations in Anantnag on Monday and a number of digital devices and other materials were seized, a NIA spokesperson said. On Sunday, too, the NIA had recovered incriminating documents, digital devices and T-shirts with ISIS logo. 

    The ISIS has been trying to radicalise and recruit impressionable youths in Kashmir and other parts of India to wage violent jihad. “By assuming pseudo online identities, have created a network wherein ISIS related propaganda material is disseminated,” the spokesperson said.

  • Three arrested by NIA in South Kashmir for circulation of banned ISIS terror group’s propaganda

    By PTI
    SRINAGAR: The National Investigation Agency has arrested three people from South Kashmir for allegedly being involved in a conspiracy of the banned terrorist organisation ISIS to radicalise and recruit impressionable youths in India to wage violent jihad against the State.

    The NIA spokesperson said on Monday that the three –Umar Nisar, Tanveer Ahmad Bhat and Rameez Ahmad Lone — all from Achabal in Anantnag of South Kashmir, were placed under arrest on Sunday night after the agency carried out searches at seven places.

    The case was registered by the NIA on June 29 under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

    ISIS terrorists operating from various conflict zones along with ISIS cadres in India, by assuming pseudo-online identities, have created a network wherein ISIS-related propaganda material is disseminated for radicalising and recruiting members to its fold.

    In this connection an India-centric online propaganda magazine ‘the Voice of Hind’ (VOH) is published on monthly basis to incite and radicalise impressionable youths, the spokesperson said.

    During the searches at the premises of the arrested accused, the NIA recovered a large number of incriminating documents, multiple digital devices and T-shirts with the ISIS logo.

    Preliminary examination of the seized material and examination of the accused revealed that they are active cadres of ISIS and have been using cyberspace to propagate inciting material by the online magazine (VOH).

    During the questioning of the accused, further searches were conducted on Monday in Anantnag district in which several digital devices and other material have been seized.