Hindu lawyers urge AGC to revisit probes on preachers Zamri, Firdaus
In a statement today, its president RV Lingam said it was surprising that despite police having opened investigation files on the pair, the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) decided not to prosecute due to insufficient evidence to establish an offence.
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The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Evictions and expulsions of Muslims to Bangladesh precede Indian state polls
GOALPARA, India (Reuters) -Beneath a sea of blue tarpaulin in a corner of northeastern India near Bangladesh, hundreds of Muslim men, women and babies take shelter after being evicted from their homes, in the latest crackdown in Assam ahead of state elections. They are among thousands of families whose houses have been bulldozed in the past few weeks by authorities - the most intense such action in decades - who accuse them of illegally staying on government land. The demolitions in Assam, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist party will seek reelection early next year, have coincided with a national clampdown on Bengali-speaking Muslims branded "illegal infiltrators" from Bangladesh, since the August 2024 ouster of a pro-India premier in Dhaka. "The government repeatedly harasses us," said Aran Ali, 53, speaking outside a patch of bare earth in Assam's Goalpara district that has become the makeshift home for his family of three. "We are accused of being encroachers and foreigners," said Ali, who was born in Assam, as the scorching July sun beat down on the settlement. Assam accounts for 262 km of India's 4097 km-long border with Bangladesh and has long grappled with anti-immigrant sentiments rooted in fears that Bengali migrants — both Hindus and Muslims — from the neighbouring country would overwhelm the local culture and economy. The latest clamp-down, under Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, has been exclusively aimed at Muslims and led to protests that killed a teenager days ago. Assam's firebrand Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is among a slew of ambitious BJP leaders accused of fomenting religious discord to stir populist sentiments ahead of polls across the country, says "Muslim infiltrators from Bangladesh" threaten India's identity. "We are fearlessly resisting the ongoing, unchecked Muslim infiltration from across the border, which has already caused an alarming demographic shift," he recently said on X. "In several districts, Hindus are now on the verge of becoming a minority in their own land." He told reporters last week that migrant Muslims make up 30% of Assam's 31 million population as of the 2011 census. "In a few years from now, Assam's minority population will be close to 50%," he said. Sarma did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. 'VULNERABLE TARGETS' The BJP has long believed Hindu-majority India to be the natural homeland for all Hindus and implemented policies to counter the country's large Muslim population. In 2019 it amended India's citizenship law to effectively naturalise undocumented non-Muslim migrants from neighbouring countries. Since he became chief minister in May 2021, Sarma's government has evicted 50,000 people — mostly Bengali Muslims — from 160 square kilometres of land, with more planned. In just the past month alone, about 3,400 Bengali Muslim homes have been bulldozed in five eviction drives across Assam, according to state data. The previous government evicted some 4,700 families in the five years to early 2021. "Bengali-speaking Muslims, regardless of their legal status, have become vulnerable targets for right-wing groups in India," said Praveen Donthi, senior analyst at International Crisis Group. Indian opposition leaders have accused Sarma of using the evictions and expulsions to polarise voters ahead of elections. "These measures are politically beneficial and profitable for the BJP," said Akhil Gogoi, an opposition lawmaker. The main opposition Congress party, whose crushing defeat in the 2016 Assam election gave the BJP its first government in the state, said it would rebuild the demolished houses and jail those who destroyed them if voted back to power. "PUSH BACKS" The surge in evictions follows a deadly attack in April on Hindu tourists in Kashmir blamed on "terrorists" from Muslim-majority Pakistan, a charge Islamabad denies. BJP-ruled states have since rounded up thousands of Bengali Muslims, calling them suspected "illegal immigrants" and a potential security risk. Analysts say worsening ties between New Delhi and Dhaka following the ouster of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have intensified sentiments against Bengali-speaking Muslims, giving the BJP a political weapon to use for votes. Bengali is the main language of Muslim-majority Bangladesh and is also widely spoken in parts of India. States including Assam have also "pushed back" hundreds of Bengali Muslims into Bangladesh. Some were brought back because appeals challenging their non-Indian status were being heard in court, Reuters has reported. Assam officials say around 30,000 people have been declared foreigners by tribunals in the state. Such people are typically long-term residents with families and land, and activists say many of them are often wrongly classified as foreigners and are too poor to challenge tribunal judgements. New Delhi said in 2016 that around 20 million illegal Bangladeshi migrants were living in India. "The Indian government is putting thousands of vulnerable people at risk in apparent pursuit of unauthorised immigrants, but their actions reflect broader discriminatory policies against Muslims," said Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. India's foreign ministry said in May that the country had a list of 2,369 individuals to be deported to Bangladesh. It urged Bangladesh to expedite the verification process. Bangladesh's foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment. Since Hasina's removal and a rise in attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, Sarma has frequently shared details of foiled infiltration attempts, with pictures of those caught splashed on social media. "The ethnonationalism that had long animated Assam's politics seamlessly merged with the religious nationalism of the BJP,' said Donthi. "The focus then shifted from Bengali-speaking outsiders to Bengali-speaking Muslims." (Reporting by Tora Agarwala; Editing by Krishna N. Das and Saad Sayeed)
The Star
19 hours ago
- The Star
KDM sets sights on GRS strongholds in Dusun heartland in Ranau
KOTA KINABALU: The Social Democratic Prosperity Party (KDM) is preparing to challenge Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), which holds a stronghold in the ethnic Dusun heartland, spanning the foothills of Mount Kinabalu in the Ranau district. The native-based KDM deputy president, Datuk Wetrom Bahanda, said that Ranau could become their stronghold as the party was gaining an "extraordinary' response from the local community during their series of visits to polling districts. "Just like in other areas we have toured, support is increasing because the people are confident in the struggle that KDM is bringing to bring prosperity to the people. "Ranau will be a stronghold of KDM in the upcoming elections," he said when speaking at the launch of the election machinery for the Kundasang, Paginatan and Karanaan constituencies on Saturday (July 27). "I am confident that we will have a good chance to win in the Kadazandusun, Murut and Rungus native seats," he said, adding that they were broadening KDM to include other non-Muslim native seats. Kundasang state seat is held by Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) acting president Datuk Seri Dr Joachim Gunsalam, the Karanaan state seat is held by Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah deputy president cum GRS secretary general Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun and Paginatan is held by Sabah STAR vice president, Datuk Abidin Madangkir. Wetrom said the party has identified the former state finance ministry permanent secretary, Datuk Rusdin Riman, to contest for the Paginatan state seat. The party has previously suggested that a former bank officer, Datuk Jeffry Mohd Ali, would face Dr Gunsalam in Kundasang and a former assemblyman, Datuk Karim Adam, would contest against Masidi in Karanaan. KDM, led by President Datuk Peter Anthony who was recently imprisoned, has expanded its influence in northern Sabah's Rungus community and secured a foothold in the Murut seat in interior Tenom.
Focus Malaysia
a day ago
- Focus Malaysia
Turun Anwar: PM's position strengthened or a turning point in Malaysian politics?
THE 'Turun Anwar' rally, billed as a major show of dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's leadership, drew mixed reactions, falling short of expectations for some, while others hailed it as a symbolic victory for PAS. With turnout estimated at under 30,000 and largely dominated by Malay-Muslim participants, the event exposed deeper undercurrents in Malaysian politics. Professor James Chin observed the lack of multiracial participation and NGO support, pointing to the rally's limited appeal beyond Perikatan Nasional and PAS's core base. 'There was minimal NGO support and virtually no traction with the non-Malay communities,' said Chin, adding that this reflected a failure to build a broad-based coalition for change. He also cited the involvement of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as a liability. 'Mahathir's credibility is no longer what it once was. Many see his stance as driven more by personal animosity toward Anwar than genuine reform,' Chin said, concluding that the rally may have inadvertently strengthened Anwar's position. However, Australian academic and long-time observer of Malaysian politics Dr Murray Hunter interpreted the rally as a powerful statement by PAS. 'This wasn't just about Anwar stepping down. It was about who will rule Malaysia in the future.' Hunter noted the absence of the Reformasi-era crowd and warned that parties like PKR and Amanah may struggle to stay relevant in the future. 'Malaysia is now at a crossroads, between a reformist democracy, elite-controlled governance, or an Islamic state.' He added that the turnout suggests a growing ideological shift. 'What we're witnessing is the beginning of a political revolution, led by a generation that believes Islamic governance offers real solutions. The old Malaysia is being challenged — openly and decisively.' —July 27, 2025 Main image: Kosmo
