Latest news with #Hindu-majority
Kuwait Times
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
Indian court acquits ex-MP Thakur, 6 others accused of deadly bombing
Indian court acquits ex-MP Thakur, 6 others accused of deadly bombing Court says prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence against the accused MUMBAI: An Indian court on Thursday acquitted a firebrand Hindu nationalist nun and former lawmaker, and six others accused of participating in a deadly bombing near a mosque in 2008. The attack killed six people and wounded more than 100 others when a bomb strapped to a motorcycle exploded close to the mosque in Malegaon in the western state of Maharashtra. Seven people were tried on terrorism and criminal conspiracy charges, including former MP from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, in a case that dragged on for years. The prosecution claimed Thakur's motorbike was used to carry the explosives used in the attack, and that she took part in a key planning meeting before it was staged. However, Judge AK Lahoti ruled Thursday that the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence against Thakur and the six others. 'Judgments cannot be based on morals and public perception,' Lahoti said, according to Indian legal website Live Law. Defense lawyer Ranjit Nair said the judge noted that the prosecution could not 'present any proof against the accused'. Indian parliamentarian Asaduddin Owaisi called the verdict 'disappointing', saying those killed were 'targeted for their religion'. 'A deliberately shoddy investigation/prosecution is responsible for the acquittal,' he said in a post on X. Islam is a minority religion in Hindu-majority India, the world's most populous country. During the trial, India's counter-terrorism unit said the 2008 bombing was orchestrated to incite communal tensions, local media reported. Thakur, 55, spent nine years in jail before she was given bail in 2017. She later won an election after being fielded by the BJP to run for a seat in the central city of Bhopal. Indian election rules allow anyone to stand for office as long as they have not been convicted of a crime. Thakur courted controversy when she called the radical Hindu assassin of Indian independence hero Mahatma Gandhi a 'patriot'—earning her a rebuke from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She also raised eyebrows for claiming that drinking cow urine had helped cure her cancer and extolling the benefits of drinking a concoction of milk, butter and cow dung. — AFP
Express Tribune
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Sadhvi Pragya, six others acquitted in deadly 2008 Malegaon bombing
An Indian court on Thursday acquitted Hindu nationalist figure and former BJP lawmaker Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, along with six others, of charges related to a 2008 bombing near a mosque in Malegaon, Maharashtra, that killed six people and injured over 100. The accused had faced terrorism and criminal conspiracy charges over the blast, which was caused by a bomb planted on a motorcycle. The high-profile trial, involving allegations of right-wing extremism, stretched on for years before concluding with Thursday's verdict. The prosecution claimed Thakur's motorbike was used to carry the explosives used in the attack, and that she took part in a key planning meeting before it was staged. However, Judge AK Lahoti ruled on Thursday that the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence against Thakur and the six others. "Judgements cannot be based on morals and public perception," Lahoti said, according to Indian legal website Live Law. Defence lawyer Ranjit Nair said the judge noted that the prosecution could not "present any proof against the accused". Indian parliamentarian Asaduddin Owaisi called the verdict "disappointing", saying those killed were "targeted for their religion". "A deliberately shoddy investigation/prosecution is responsible for the acquittal," he said in a post on X. Islam is a minority religion in Hindu-majority India, the world's most populous country. During the trial, India's counter-terrorism unit said the 2008 bombing was orchestrated to incite communal tensions, local media reported. Thakur, 55, spent nine years in jail before she was given bail in 2017. She later won an election after being fielded by the BJP to run for a seat in the central city of Bhopal. Indian election rules allow anyone to stand for office as long as they have not been convicted of a crime. Thakur courted controversy when she called the radical Hindu assassin of Indian independence hero Mahatma Gandhi a "patriot" earning her a rebuke from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She also raised eyebrows for claiming that drinking cow urine had helped cure her cancer and extolling the benefits of drinking a concoction of milk, butter and cow dung.
DW
14 hours ago
- Politics
- DW
India court acquits ex-MP, 6 others accused of bombing – DW – 07/31/2025
An Indian court on Thursday acquitted a Hindu nationalist nun and six others accused of a deadly 2008 mosque bombing in Malegaon that killed six and injured over 100. An Indian court on Thursday acquitted a Hindu nationalist nun, who was also a former lawmaker, and six others. They had faced charges for participating in a deadly 2008 bombing near a mosque. The attack killed six people and wounded more than 100 others when a bomb strapped to a motorcycle exploded close to a mosque in Malegaon in the western state of Maharashtra. Authorities tried seven people, including former MP Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, on terrorismand criminal conspiracy charges in a case that dragged on for years. The 55-year-old former member of parliament spent nine years in jail before she was given bail in 2017. Thakur caused trouble when she called the radical Hindu who killed India's independence hero Mahatma Gandhi a "patriot", earning her a public rebuke from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She had belonged to Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) party, but became a nun two years before the bomb blast took place in Malegaon. The prosecution had argued that Thakur's motorbike carried the explosives and that she attended a key planning meeting before the attack. However, the judge ruled that the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence against Thakur and the six others on Thursday. "Judgements cannot be based on morals and public perception," the judge said. Attacks on Muslims are not infrequent in Hindu-majority India. Indian parliamentarian Asaduddin Owaisi called the verdict "disappointing", saying those killed were "targeted for their religion". A deliberately shoddy investigation/prosecution is responsible for the acquittal," he said in a post on X. Defense lawyer Ranjit Nair said the judge noted that the prosecution could not "present any proof against the accused". During the trial, India's counter-terrorism unit said the 2008 bombing was arranged to stir up religious tensions. All the accused were out on bail at the time of the ruling.
Arab News
7 days ago
- Business
- Arab News
Stitching freedom: How Hindu women in Sindh are tailoring a future beyond poverty
MIRPURKHAS, PAKISTAN: In the quiet town of Sufi Colony on the outskirts of Mirpurkhas, the hum of 20 sewing machines fills the air each morning as women gather for work at the BRIT Women's Garment Unit. Among them is 25-year-old Sanjana Dileep, the fastest stitcher on the floor, a divorced mother of one, and one of the four women who co-own the factory. 'In the factory we manufacture suits and jackets that are exported,' Dileep said, her voice calm but proud. 'We do a variety of sewing there.' Launched with a Rs2 million ($7,000) interest-free loan under the Sindh government's People's Poverty Reduction Program (PPRP), BRIT has become a symbol of what financial inclusion can mean for marginalized women, especially in Hindu-majority villages where caste, religion and gender often intersect to limit opportunity. 'Earlier, we were living in poverty … But now we are doing this work that fetches us a good salary,' Dileep told Arab News, saying she now supports an extended family of eight, including a cancer-stricken uncle. In rural Sindh, female labor force participation stands at just 10.8 percent, compared with 49.1 percent for men, according to the Pakistan Labour Force Survey 2020‑21. In Mirpurkhas district, where the BRIT factory is located, over 1.68 million people live, more than 70 percent in rural area, with a literacy rate of just 34.8 percent among women. Social indicators show that 37 percent of children in the district are engaged in child labor, the highest rate in Sindh. In this context, the BRIT Women's Garment Unit offering stable income and skill development represents a rare opportunity for personal and community uplift. On average, women at the BRIT unit earn around Rs25,000 ($88) per month, a life-changing income for families in southern Sindh. The garments they stitch — cargo jeans, jackets, and other apparel — end up in supply chains that serve global brands like Izod and NewYorker, through large Karachi-based exporters such as Apex Garments and H. Nizam Din & Sons. 'We have 20 machines right now that are fully occupied as some of these females are training while others are working,' said Mohan Das, a project supervisor. He said the unit is planning to scale up to as many as 100 machines. 'WORK WITH DIGNITY' In Mirpurkhas district, where employment, especially for women, is rare and often informal, the BRIT initiative has opened a new path. Hindu women, who typically work as housemaids or on farms, now have access to structured jobs and a degree of independence. 'The Hindu community here is very poor and women usually work as housemaids in the village so we thought about setting up a plant like what we have established, this BRIT female garment plant,' said Das. Eighteen-year-old Madhu Omprakash joined BRIT a month ago. She is now one of its fastest learners. 'This job is giving a lot of [financial] support to my family and we are doing this with dignity,' she said, explaining that she took the job to help pay for her education and support her widowed mother and two younger sisters. She dreams of becoming a doctor. Another tailor, Kaushila, was found stitching inner linings for export jackets, her arms wrapped in traditional colorful Thari bangles. 'I am sewing about 15 to 20 pieces daily that are of different rates and fetch me as much as Rs800 [about $3] a day,' she said. The factory currently produces around 5,000 pieces each month, earning about Rs600,000 ($2,100) for its owners. The CMT (Cut, Make and Trim) model enables them to partner with larger firms that supply pre-cut fabric and export the finished goods. 'Yes, absolutely, we produce export products,' Das said. 'We bring [cut clothes] from Karachi's big companies like Apex, Emaan, Zohra and manufacture it for further exports.' But the global economic picture is changing. Das says uncertainty in international textile demand, especially from the US, has affected their export pipeline. 'Our business has shrunk and that's why we have focused on local sales,' he said. 'Our female tailors don't sit idle.' Marketing manager Lal Chand said the team is now approaching local brands such as Mama's Choice and Al Jobat Garments and exploring the possibility of building their own export platform to bypass middlemen. 'We are planning to create our own export platform and manufacture products to directly export,' he said. Syed Shahanshah, district manager of the Sindh Rural Support Organization (SRSO), which implements the PPRP program, said BRIT is among several microenterprises the eight-year initiative helped launch before it formally concluded in June 2025. 'Our ultimate objective is to promote job creation, livelihood improvement and poverty reduction,' he said. 'The kind of awareness this community has got — we are receiving different business plans from them. This project has a future in the eyes of the government and I am sure about its expansion.' Dileep, too, believes the project is just beginning. 'I belong to the Hindu community and we want to expand this factory as this is benefitting us,' she said. 'Earlier my father and brother used to work, but now we too are working and earning money. That really excites us.'
Newsweek
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Christian Family Kicked Out of Their Home for Refusing To Convert
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A Christian family has been barred from their village in India after refusing to convert to Hinduism, an international Christian human rights organization has reported. A man identified only as Vikram, his wife and their five children had lived in their Hindu-majority village in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh for years before villagers stormed their home and kicked them out on June 16, the International Christian Concern (ICC) said. Christians are facing persecution in India, according to the ICC and other organizations, amid a push for India to become a Hindu nation. Newsweek has contacted India's Ministry of Minority Affairs for comment via email. The Context This expulsion highlights intensifying religious pressures in India, where Hindu nationalist groups and politicians increasingly advocate for a Hindu-majority identity and stricter legal boundaries for religious minorities. Forced conversions, social boycotts, and anti-conversion laws have contributed to a climate of fear among Christian communities—particularly in states such as Chhattisgarh, where such policies are most aggressively enforced. There were 160 reports of violent attacks against Christians in India last year, the European Centre for Law and Justice reported in March, including attacks on church and prayer meetings and physical assaults. What To Know Village leaders confronted Vikram and his family last month, demanding that they abandon their Christian faith and participate in a Ghar Wapsi ("homecoming") ceremony to convert to Hinduism. When Vikram refused, a public meeting was held where it was announced that the family would be expelled from the village, the ICC said. Soon after, a mob attacked their home, throwing their possessions into the street and allegedly abusing their three daughters. Vikram went to the police, who advised villagers to let the family stay in their home but took no action when they refused, the organization reported. Newsweek has contacted local authorities for the state of Chhattisgarh for comment via email. Forced to leave, the family built a temporary shelter in a nearby forest, but ICC staff have since provided them with short-term housing, along with food and clothing. Chhattisgarh is one of 11 Indian states with anti-conversion laws that, despite being meant to prevent forced conversations, are widely reported to be used to intimidate and penalize religious minorities, the ICC said. Christian Persecution in India In recent years, India has witnessed a marked escalation in the persecution of its Christian population, driven in large part by the rise of Hindu nationalist ideology and the spread of anti-conversion laws across several states. At least 12 Indian states have enacted anti-conversion laws, which have roots from postindependence governments that feared colonial mass conversions. But religious freedom advocates say that, in practice, the laws are being used to intimidate and criminalize minorities. There have been multiple reports of Christian pastors and congregation members being arrested on charges of forced conversions during meetings with no evidence, according to the European Centre for Law and Justice. Indian Christians hold placards and shout slogans during a protest in Bangalore on March 13, 2013, against Hindu right-wing Bajrang Dal, a militant organization that had allegedly attacked Christian worshippers in Udupi in north Karnataka... Indian Christians hold placards and shout slogans during a protest in Bangalore on March 13, 2013, against Hindu right-wing Bajrang Dal, a militant organization that had allegedly attacked Christian worshippers in Udupi in north Karnataka five days earlier. More AP These developments are occurring against the backdrop of a broader ideological shift under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, which draws ideological roots from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh—a Hindu nationalist organization that promotes the vision of India as a Hindu nation. Its mission statement said, "From its inception, the goal before the Sangh was to attain the pinnacle of glory of the Hindu Rashtra [nation] … through organizing the entire society." What People Are Saying A Christian leader local to Vikram's village told the International Christian Concern: "This is not the first time they've been attacked. This is the fifth village meeting held to pressure the family into Ghar Wapsi." The European Centre for Law and Justice said in its March report: "Often hailed as the world's largest democracy, India has become increasingly hostile toward Christians and other religious minorities in recent years." It added: "Hindu nationalist influences have increasingly shaped state policy, undermining secular governance and institutionalizing discrimination against religious minorities." What Happens Next As calls for stricter legal definitions of religious identity gather support among Hindu nationalist groups and lawmakers, minority Christian communities in India may face increasing social, legal and physical risks. International advocates continue to monitor such incidents, pressing for stronger Indian government intervention to protect minority rights and urging U.S. policymakers to prioritize religious freedom in bilateral relations with India. The fate of Vikram's family remains uncertain as efforts to return them to their home have stalled and protection for displaced Christian families in Chhattisgarh is limited.
