Latest news with #VHP
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
FIR after man accuses 7 of illegal conversion
Lucknow: Sitapur police on Tuesday lodged an FIR against seven persons after a man accused them of luring him to adopt Christianity by offering him money, house and marriage. According to the complaint filed by Abhishek Kumar (23), a resident of Nakrahiya village, the incident took place on July 28. Abhishek said when he was near Rampur Mathna, he was approached by three local men — Anant Ram and his sons Ramit and Shubhkaran — who told him that a pastor and his wife were conducting a prayer meeting nearby and could help him financially and arrange his marriage if he converted to Christianity. Abhishek said he was taken to a large hall where 40-50 women and 20-25 men were seated. Pastor Vinod Pal Singh of Lakhimpur Kheri, and his wife Jyoti were allegedly preaching Christianity and holding Bibles. Abhishek alleged that they made him drink "blessed water" from a bottle and showed him the Bible while pressuring him to convert. He was promised a house, money in lakhs, and a good marriage in exchange. Two more individuals — Sanjay Maurya and Patiram, both residents of Rampur Mathna — allegedly joined in pressuring Abhishek. Sensing something suspicious, Abhishek stepped out of the hall and contacted local villagers and some members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal, who alerted the local police. A police team soon reached the spot and, in Abhishek's presence, recovered three Bibles, bottles of "healing water," oil, sweets, a dholak, and a khanjari (musical instrument)— all allegedly used in the conversion process. A written complaint was then submitted to the police by Abhishek.
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
‘Persecuted Hindus from Bangladesh should apply under CAA'
Nagpur: Hindus who fled countries like Bangladesh to escape religious persecution should not remain in hiding; they must come out and apply under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The recent crackdown is not on Bengali-speaking people, as certain political elements may claim. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) is reaching out to such Hindus to assist them apply under CAA. "Even certificates are being issued to them after confirming that they are Hindus," said VHP's organizing general secretary Milind Parande on Monday. The new law applies to persons of Hindu, Jain, Sikh, Buddhist, Christian, and Parsi communities who reached India from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan before December 31, 2014. "Those who came later can also get citizenship through naturalisation," he said adding, "The recent crackdown is against illegal Muslim immigrants from Bangladesh, not generally against those who speak Bengali." Later, talking to TOI, Parande said it can be understood that those who fled these countries may not be able to produce the required documents needed in the CAA application. "The VHP is assisting them in dealing with such practical difficulties but in a legal manner," he said. Parande said in its central committee meeting held at Jalgaon last week, the VHP raised concerns over what he termed "conversion by churches, Islamic fundamentalism, Marxism, secularists and even profit-driven market forces". "There are certain global groups working to weaken the Hindu social fabric. Yet, the Hindus have remained resilient," he said adding the VHP also plans to start a campaign against drug addiction. VHP also expressed concern over an incident in the Lakadganj involving an alleged attack on a Hindu girl's family. # 'Review Secular & Socialist in Constitution' VHP leader Milind Parande backed the idea of reviewing the inclusion of the words "secular" and "socialist" in the preamble of the Constitution. Parande said at the time of framing the Constitution, even Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and Rajendra Prasad, who later became the President, were not in favour of having the two words in the preamble. "This was because they did not want the Constitution to be bound by any doctrine. It was only added during the Emergency," he said. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) sarkaryavaha Dattatreya Hosabale had raised a similar question recently.
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
CBCI's response hides facts: VHP on nuns' arrests
Kochi: State unit of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) alleged that Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) leadership's response is hiding facts of the case in which nuns are accused in Chhattisgarh. Advocate Anil Vilayil, state general secretary, said Chhattisgarh has laws to prevent religious conversions or attempts through enticement and financial promises and to prevent human trafficking. He said the cases were registered under Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act and Prevention of Human Trafficking Act, which were brought by Congress govt in 1968 when Chhattisgarh was part of Madhya Pradesh. "Such individuals and institutions should be prepared to stop illegal activities carried out only in Hindu areas. There were minors with the nuns. There is clear evidence that one child gave a statement to police that the nuns forcibly took him to Agra. In this situation, locals informed police under the impression that human trafficking was taking place for religious conversion," he said. "Some Kerala Christian movements, which work with the aim of completely evangelising India, are operating in northeastern states. Local believers may be opposed to the systematic conversion efforts by misrepresenting and interpreting Hindu rituals and spending a lot of money. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Argentina: Unsold Sofas at Bargain Prices (Prices May Surprise You) Sofas | Search Ads Search Now Undo "Calling such objections a planned conspiracy and spreading news that such things are being done by Sangh movements, including VHP and Bajrang Dal, is condemnable," said Vilayil. "CBCI should take the lead in studying the matter clearly and responding and also deterring individuals and organisations making systematic conversion efforts. VHP strongly opposes the move to attribute all responsibility to Sangh Parivar movements, no matter what happens," he added.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
11 people detained after violent clash at Vishwa Hindu Parishad office in city
Kanpur: Police took into custody 11 people in connection with a violent clash that broke out on Sunday afternoon at the 's (VHP's) provincial office, situated at Shri Muni Inter College in Govind Nagar, Kanpur. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The incident involved VHP workers engaging in stone-pelting and physical altercation over a position within the organisation. The situation was brought under control when police intervened and resorted to lathi charge after which the troublemakers dispersed. According to police, apart from the detention of 11 people, including Vishal Gupta, who was identified as the primary suspect, the police also confiscated one car and eight motorcycles from the location. Following a formal complaint lodged by Amarnath, the organisation's co-convenor, police registered a case against Vishal, Vikas Shukla, Shubham Tiwari, Wasim, Shahzad Alam, along with 100 unnamed individuals. According to the reported account, during the organisation's three-day semi-annual meeting on Saturday, diligent workers were given positions, while a year ago, former co-coordinator Vishal Gupta, also known as Vishal Bajrangi, was expelled after complaints were received. On Sunday, Vishal allegedly arrived at the office in a black Scorpio along with 20-25 young men on bikes and began pressuring for a position. When attempts were made to reason with him, his companions became aggressive, and started pushing and fighting with the workers attending the meeting. They attacked with rods and threw stones, injuring several organisation members. "Investigation is underway. Action will be taken on the basis of complaint, evidence and other necessary findings," he added.
The Wire
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Wire
'This is Not Patriotism': Bombay HC Rejects CPI(M)'s Plea For Permission to Protest Against Gaza Genocide
Law The Wire Staff The bench also stated that the foreign policy of the country differs from the stance the party has taken and warned it of potential diplomatic consequences of such protests. New Delhi: The Bombay high court on Friday (July 25) dismissed a petition filed by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) challenging the Mumbai Police's refusal to grant permission for a protest in solidarity with Palestinians, Bar and Bench reported. The protest was supposed to be held at Azad Maidan, an open ground in Mumbai known for its role in the freedom struggle. A bench of Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Gautam Ankhad, rejected the CPI(M)'s petition, observing that the party should look at its own country instead of focusing on issues thousands of miles away. 'Our country has enough issues. We don't want anything like this. I an sorry to say, you are all short-sighted. You are looking at issues in Gaza and Palestine. Look at your own country. Be patriots. This is not patriotism. People say they are patriots,' the court observed, as quoted in the report. The bench further observed that the party should take up civic issues in India. 'You are an organisation registered in India. If you could take up issues like garbage dumping, pollution, sewerage, flooding. We are just giving examples. You are not protesting on those but on something happening thousands of miles outside the country,' it said. According to the report, the bench also stated that the foreign policy of the country differs from the stance the party has taken and warned it of potential diplomatic consequences of such protests. 'You don't know the dust it could kick up... getting on to the Palestine side or the Israel side. Why do you want to do this? It's obvious, going by the party you represent that you don't understand what this could do to the foreign affairs of the country,' the bench noted. However, a similar protest took place in December last year where hundreds of protesters, including far-right groups like the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), had gathered outside the Bangladesh deputy high commission in Mumbai demanding the release of ISKCON priest Chinmoy Krishna Das, who was detained in the neighbouring country. 'Over 500 people, including sadhus, saints, and members of the public, participated in the demonstration,' VHP national spokesperson had told The Hindu at the time, adding, 'The situation of Hindus in Bangladesh is alarming." Subsequently, a memorandum was submitted to the deputy high commissioner, highlighting the group's concerns. The memorandum condemned the arrest of the ISKCON priest, citing violation of democratic and religious freedoms. Many similar protests against the genocide in Gaza and in solidarity with Palestinians have been curtailed recently, several of which were met with police action and detention. On July 19, a peaceful demonstration at the computer market in Nehru Place, Delhi, in solidarity with Palestinians, when a huge group of right-wing people arrived at Nehru Place to oppose it and started threatening, harassing the participants and raising Hindutva slogans. The police, which was present throughout, asked the pro-Palestine people protesting peacefully to leave, saying, 'You do not have permission to protest here.' Israel's ongoing military offensive in Gaza since October 2023 has left close to 60,000 persons dead, as per health ministry numbers cited by Associated Press. Tel Aviv has also enforced a blockade on humanitarian aid, pushing Palestinians to starvation. The remaining population is now on the verge of famine. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called out the international community for neglecting the suffering in Gaza, calling it a 'moral crisis that challenges the global conscience'. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
