Dismay over top Indian award for firebrand spiritual leader
Sadhvi Ritambhara once faced criminal charges for facilitating the destruction of the medieval-era Babri Masjid in 1992, which sparked religious riots that killed 2,000 people.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a sprawling temple last year built on the ground where the mosque once stood, a reflection of the triumph of his assertive brand of Hindu-first politics.
His government announced on Sunday it had decided to award Ritambhara the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian honour, for her "contributions to social work".
"It embodies the ideology and the views of the government and at the same time diminishes the value of the awards," veteran journalist Hartosh Singh Bal told AFP.
Lawyer and civil rights activist Prashant Bhushan said on social media the award showed that India's civilian honours system had "degenerated to a political farce under the Modi regime".
The mosque's demolition was a cause celebre among Ritambhara and other Hindu activists, who claimed it was built on the birthplace of the deity Ram.
Her speeches denouncing the mosque were widely disseminated on cassette tape in the years before its destruction.
Ritambhara, 61, also cheered on a crowd of thousands of Hindu volunteers outside the structure on the day it was torn apart, brick by brick.
A commission investigating the Babri Masjid's demolition described her as among the people responsible for taking the country "to the brink of communal discord".
She was briefly jailed after the demolition but, after years of delay, she was acquitted of all charges by a special court in 2020.
The saffron-clad nun now runs a network of shelters for abandoned women and orphans.
Kanchan Gupta, an adviser to the Indian government, said in response to the award announcement that her charity work was "at once inspirational and humbling".
Ritambhara is also the founder of a women's Hindu group known as the Army of Durga, named after a fierce Hindu goddess renowned for fighting evil.
Women enlisted in the group are provided military-style combat training.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Middle East Eye
3 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
India has sent 20,000 workers to Israel to replace Palestinians since Gaza war began
More than 20,000 Indian workers have moved to Israel to replace Palestinian workers since the war on Gaza began, the Indian government has revealed. Responding to a question posed by a lawmaker in parliament last week, Kirti Vardhan Singh, minister of state in the Ministry of External Affairs, said that between November 2023 and July 2025, at least 20,000 workers had made their way to Israel. Singh noted that 6,730 construction workers and 44 caregivers had arrived under the bilateral framework agreement signed between the two countries in November 2023. Additionally, 7,000 others in the caregiving sector and 6,400 construction workers arrived through what he described as "private channels". The disclosure last Thursday is the most comprehensive and detailed account of the transfer of Indian workers to Israel and underscores how New Delhi continues to play a pivotal role in helping Israel sustain its economy, even as it faces growing calls for isolation in the international arena over its continued war in Gaza. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Israel's war on Gaza has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, including more than 18,430 children and has been recognised by several countries, as well as leading rights groups and experts, as an act of genocide. Hundreds of thousands of others have been injured, and the entire population of Gaza is now facing famine as Israel continues to impose conditions leading to starvation across the besieged territory. Labour shortage in Israel In Israel, the war effort has battered the country's economy. The cancellation of the work permits of more than 70,000 Palestinians has also led to a labour shortage across several sectors. The construction sector, in particular, was quickly brought to a standstill with labour shortages triggering higher costs. Reacting to the labour shortage, the Israeli Builders Association urged its government in November 2023 to recruit workers from India. 'In the past, Israel had depended on Palestinian and migrant workers from other nations, but the political situation has left a big vacuum' - Dynamic Staffing Services In the intervening months, thousands of Indian construction workers stood in long queues outside recruitment centres across various states around the country, desperately hoping to get a job. The desperate scenes at recruitment sites, economists said, revealed India's economic growth as a mirage for the country's poor. Despite being among the fastest-growing economies on the planet, a 2024 study from the World Inequality Lab concluded that income inequality in India was now among the highest in the world, often culminating in a shortage of full-time employment. The effort to hire Indian workers to replace Palestinian labour during Israel's bombardment of Gaza led the All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU) to call on workers to reject the recruitment drive. "We call upon all workers to reject such 'suicidal projects' that would befall immense hardship and risk to their life!" the union said. According to Dynamic Staffing Services, an Indian recruitment agency that claims to have brought thousands of construction workers to Israel, workers were drawn by wages that were up to three times the amount they would earn in India. It also described India's role in Israel's reconstruction as "crucial". "In the past, Israel had depended on Palestinian and migrant workers from other nations, but the political situation has left a big vacuum," the agency said in a statement in February. 'Migration from desperation': Why thousands of Indian workers want to go to Israel Read More » "As a result of this urgent requirement, Israel has sought help from India, and this relationship is steadily forming the basis of the nation's reconstruction process," the agency added. The Indian government said around 220 Indian workers who travelled to Israel over the past two years via private channels returned home "primarily due to skill mismatch and language barriers". One agricultural worker was killed during the Israel-Lebanon conflict in March 2024, the government said. It said the worker was killed in an attack from Lebanon in March 2024. "Three Indian nationals were injured, one in rocket fire from Gaza on 7 October 2023 and two more in an attack from Lebanon in March 2024," the government said. Over the years, thousands of Indians have travelled to Israel to work as caregivers, diamond traders and IT professionals. In 2022, Indians made up the highest share of foreign students in Israel.
Dubai Eye
5 hours ago
- Dubai Eye
Australia to recognise Palestinian state at UN in September
AFP Australia will recognise a Palestinian state at next month's United Nations General Assembly, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday, a move that adds to international pressure on Israel after similar announcements from France, Britain and Canada. "Australia will recognise the State of Palestine at the 80th Sessions of the United Nations General Assembly in September, to contribute to international momentum towards a two-state solution, a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages," Albanese said in a statement. Albanese told reporters in Canberra that recognition would be predicated on commitments Australia received from the Palestinian Authority, including that Hamas would have no involvement in any future state. "A two-state solution is humanity's best hope to break the cycle of violence in the Middle East and to bring an end to the conflict, suffering and starvation in Gaza," Albanese said at a press conference. Albanese said he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday and told him a political solution was needed and not a military one. Australia last week criticised Israel's plan to take military control of Gaza, and Albanese said the decision to recognise a Palestinian state was "further compelled" by Netanyahu's disregard of the international community's calls and failure to comply with legal and ethical obligations in Gaza. "The Netanyahu government is extinguishing the prospect of a two-state solution by rapidly expanding illegal settlements, threatening annexation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and explicitly opposing any Palestinian state," he said in the joint statement with Foreign Minister Penny Wong. Commitments by the Palestinian Authority to reform governance, demilitarise and hold general elections, as well as Arab League demands for Hamas to end its rule in Gaza, created an opportunity, he said. "This is an opportunity to isolate Hamas," he added. Wong said she had informed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio of Australia's decision. US President Donald Trump last month criticised Canada's decision to back Palestinian statehood and Rubio has said the decision by France was reckless. Israel's Ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, criticised Australia's decision on social media platform X as undermining Israel's security and derailing hostage negotiations. Last month, Albanese would not publicly commit to a timeframe for recognition, and has previously been wary of divided public opinion in Australia over Gaza. Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched across Sydney's Harbour Bridge this month calling for aid deliveries in Gaza as the humanitarian crisis worsened. Albanese said on Monday "massive concern" over the devastation in Gaza came not just from international leaders but community members. Former Australian foreign minister Gareth Evans said it was "absolutely timely" for Australia to move on recognition. "Australia joining the group of credible voices from the global North, acting now in coordinated harmony with Israel's Arab neighbours, will help pile new pressure on Netanyahu to change the ever more indefensibly destructive - and self-destructive for Israel - course on which he seems set," he said in comments to Reuters. Australian National University international law professor Donald Rothwell said recognising a Palestinian state means Australia can provide aid support without having to go through the UN and other agencies, contribute to rebuilding Gaza and enter into legally binding treaties. The Palestinian Authority's state minister for foreign affairs, Varsen Aghabekian, said in an Australian Broadcasting Corporation interview it was a long-awaited decision that "gives Palestinians a sense of hope for the future", although a ceasefire remains the priority. New Zealand said it would consider its position on recognition of a Palestinian state this month. Israel launched its assault on Gaza after Hamas-led fighters stormed Israeli towns near the border, killing some 1,200 people and capturing 251 hostages on October 7, 2023. Since then, Israeli forces have killed at least 60,000 people in Gaza, health officials there say, and reduced much of the enclave to ruins. Malnutrition is widespread in the enclave due to what international aid agencies say is a deliberate plan by Israel to restrict aid. Israel rejects that allegation, blaming Hamas for the hunger among Palestinians and saying a lot of aid has been distributed.
Dubai Eye
5 hours ago
- Dubai Eye
In India, Trump's tariffs spark calls to boycott American goods
File photo From McDonald's and Coca-Cola to Amazon and Apple, US-based multinationals are facing calls for a boycott in India as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's supporters stoke anti-American sentiment to protest against US tariffs. India, the world's most populous nation, is a key market for American brands that have rapidly expanded to target a growing base of affluent consumers. India, for example, is the biggest market by users for Meta's WhatsApp and Domino's has more restaurants than any other brand in the country. Beverages like Pepsi and Coca-Cola often dominate store shelves, and people still queue up when a new Apple store opens or a Starbucks cafe doles out discounts. Although there was no immediate indication of sales being hit, there's a growing chorus both on social media and offline to buy local and ditch American products after Trump imposed a 50 per cent tariff on goods from India, rattling exporters and damaging ties between New Delhi and Washington. McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Amazon and Apple did not immediately respond to Reuters queries. Manish Chowdhary, co-founder of India's Wow Skin Science, took to LinkedIn with a video message urging support for farmers and startups to make "Made in India" a "global obsession," and to learn from South Korea whose food and beauty products are famous worldwide. "We have lined up for products from thousands of miles away. We have proudly spent on brands that we don't own, while our own makers fight for attention in their own country," he said. Rahm Shastry, CEO of India's DriveU, which provides a car driver on call service, wrote on LinkedIn: "India should have its own home-grown Twitter/Google/YouTube/WhatsApp/FB -- like China has." To be fair, Indian retail companies give foreign brands like Starbucks stiff competition in the domestic market, but going global has been a challenge. Indian IT services firms, however, have become deeply entrenched in the global economy, with the likes of TCS and Infosys providing software solutions to clients world over. On Sunday, Modi made a "special appeal" for becoming self-reliant, telling a gathering in Bengaluru that Indian technology companies made products for the world but "now is the time for us to give more priority to India's needs". He did not name any company. Even as anti-American protests simmer, Tesla launched its second showroom in India in New Delhi, with Monday's opening attended by Indian commerce ministry officials and US embassy officials. The Swadeshi Jagran Manch group, which is linked to Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, took out small public rallies across India on Sunday, urging people to boycott American brands. "People are now looking at Indian products. It will take some time to fructify," Ashwani Mahajan, the group's co-convenor, told Reuters. "This is a call for nationalism, patriotism." On social media, one of the group's campaigns is a graphic titled "Boycott foreign food chains", with logos of McDonald's and many other restaurant brands. In Uttar Pradesh, Rajat Gupta, 37, who was dining at a McDonald's in Lucknow on Monday, said he wasn't concerned about the tariff protests and simply enjoyed the 49-rupee ($0.55) coffee he considered good value for money. "Tariffs are a matter of diplomacy and my McPuff, coffee should not be dragged into it," he said.
