Is Bengal next homeland of Kashmiri Muslims?

It may sound unbelievable to many but in point of fact, no less than 50 Kashmiri Muslim families have been occupying a distinct land in the Indian state of West Bengal. Are you shocked? Have you started recalling harrowing experiences of thousands of Kashmiri Hindu families? It is quite natural for a sensible individual like you but not for the controlling authority calling the shots at every time barring anything related to Muslims or the saga of secularism. It has come to the knowledge that the aforementioned families have raised tents next to Dakshineshwar temple in the northern fringes of Kolkata for two months.

To be precise, a big section of unoccupied land at Rajabagan, predestined for an Expressway only, has turned out to be the provisional address for 350 to 400 Kashmiri Muslim refugees. It is worthwhile to mention that the majority of these people hail from Baramulla, Badaun and adjacent areas of the tumultuous Kashmir valley. Here is a brief description of these alleged hapless people. Among these people there are fruit vendors and tangawalaas (drivers of horse-driven carts) and are representing a few known places like Patnitop and Pahelgam.

What makes these people come all the way from Kashmir and stay in Bengal, even if temporarily? There has been no straight answer to all these but Kashmiri Muslims have maintained that regular strifes were making their lives miserable. Whatever it is all these have resulted in a deep encouragement among Muslim teenagers who are leaving no stone unturned to help them. How do these people reside in an alien land then?

The acts of imprudent, egotistical, ignorant and above all, great adorers of secularism can’t be overlooked. While they have water from Kishore Sangha, a local club along with adjacent municipal taps, foods are served by local mosques, NGOs and Gurudwara Singh Sabha of Baranagar. Truly a contest is going on before election in Bengal to prove oneself as most on-key secularist! Male members are being found to earn some money through doing jobs of daily laborers and rickshaw-pullers.

How is the government machinery dealing with these sudden and strange guests? Majority of the government echelons remain ignorant of this, as usual. But the clued-up ones made enquiries and the answers satisfied them to a large extent.

Now the question remains – how can these people be depended on. How can people representing majority section of the state, vociferous and also outrageous to the existence of innocent minority Hindus leaving for centuries there, be tolerated? The answer is simple – in no way. Surely the same issue is haunting millions of Hindus across the state as well but they have no option to stand unitedly against all these nefarious designs.

Who knows this is a good way to inject terrorism in a state already beleaguered with exponential increase in minority Muslim population and instigations from across the border? Unless they start standing together, Hindus’ future is doomed forever.

Hindus succeed to thwart pogrom in Chapra, Nadia

The word scuffle or fracas has several meanings on the whole. While on one hand it implies disorderly fighting, on the other it also entails an unceremonious and disorganized struggle. All these are said since scuffles between people, groups of people and even between localities were quite common in the Indian state of West Bengal. But with the winds of change in the state at the moment, changes are occurring in other spheres too. Scuffles are being replaced by fighting with more violence and if there is a contention between Hindus and Muslims, pogroms against Hindus have become order of the day. Chapra, noted town with a police station and a community development block in Nadia district remained witness to the same foray or pogrom or self-styled Jihad.

In reality, the fateful incident took place the Alfa village of Alfa Gram Panchayat under Chapra Development Block within Chapra Police Station (Krishnanagar Sadar Sub-Division of Nadia district) and the victim was none other than Bablu Ghosh, known for his courage, virility and competence to lead Hindus against all adversities.

He was returning to own abode in the Alfa village at about 8:30 pm on 6th March, 2011. All at once a group of Islamic felons blocked off his motorcycle and started beating him up out of the blue. Even if Bablu resisted a lot, soon he was overwhelmed, kidnapped and taken to a nearby Muslim locality. The incident was reported to Ghoshpara(Goala) before long and to save Bablu’s life Hindus got united. The united endeavor of the locality got victorious by rescuing Bablu. The enraged Muslims, as a result, counterstriked the Hindu area and molested a few women along with destroying properties. But at this time too the local administration sided with Muslims and arrested Hindus (seven altogether) at random just to truckle their Islamic bosses.

This led to a panic among Hindus; all Hindu men left their villages keeping their women unsafe. Well, police arrested three Muslims also on the following day when Hindus burst into protest. However, as per the locality, it is nothing except a ploy to calm the Hindus down.

Further investigation by this scribe and his worthy teammates confirm that the pogrom was organized through introducing Muslim crooks from adjoining areas including Betberia, Brahmhanagar, Bhatgachhi of neighboring Hridaypur Gram Panchayat. It is needless to mention that these are Muslim dominated areas. What is most striking, Gholam Halsana, Prodhan (Head) of Alfa Gram Panchayat, also partook in the pogrom.

The list of arrested Hindus is in the following:

Nimai Ghosh, S/o- Kartick; Kesto Ghosh, S/o Shyam; Sudhamoy Ghosh, S/o Anil; Sukanta Ghosh, S/o Samar; Bansi Ghosh, S/o Kalipada; Ganesh Ghosh, S/o Lt. Ranjit; Penga Saha, S/o Lt. Kartick

Last but not least, police asked Hindus to fork out Bablu Ghosh and in exchange the administration would mull over releasing arrested Hindus. But the proposal was declined at the same instant.

Women – eternal subject in Islam

This request is not made to the youngsters but people who have already attained the middle of their lives; to put it briefly, middle-aged people. They can surely remember the Shah Bano case and the subsequent debate that rocked the political and social arena in both 80s and 90s in India. This single event has been both significant and infamous for several reasons at the same instant. While on one hand it proves Muslim fanaticism can make administration and judiciary kowtow before it, it has changed the following political dominion to a large extent. But above all, the case proves that freedom or the dream to have it is a utopia for Muslim women and till they reside within the periphery of this ominous ruling, they would have to lead a subhuman life.

Perhaps the aforementioned section has astounded youngsters a great deal. They surely have started to think by now that these are applicable in wild societies on the whole. If you are one of these readers, you don’t have to travel any longer. All you have to do is to comprehend the strange fate of Mosammet Hena.

Who is Mosammet Hena? She was a simple 14-year-old girl who was whipped to death thanks to instructions of Islamic clerics in Bangladesh (in the first week of February, 2011). Reason? She was accused for purportedly having a dishonest relationship with a married man. What was the aftermath? Hena was instructed to be whipped by 100 lashes in a religious court at a village in the outer edge of Dhaka. But she gave way in the middle and by that time she was whipped 70 times in public along with a bamboo cane. She was rushed to the hospital, died a few hours later.

The 40-year-old man, Hena was having an affair, had to undergo 100 lashes too. But the man fled to break away from the sentence.

Even if this form of justice has led to a strong reaction among both commoners and judiciary in Bangladesh, people in charge of conducting such courts are audacious enough. All these prove that growling of administration and judiciary in an Islamic country against human rights violations is simply futile.

There is no position of women in the alleged sacrosanct tenets of Islam and the position of Muslim women in India is no different.

Vasudev Balwant Phadke; ceaseless and inspiring legacy

Has the saga of Indian history become forbidden owing to law? Is it a sin to talk of all these in academic seminars and even in any tête-à-tête? The question is asked at the beginning for a few factors perceived recently. These days, names of India’s freedom fighters are being flimsily mentioned. Perhaps the word marginally is more applicable in this case. Now your next question would be – whether this scribe is insane. Well, I would love to be sane but to do it the reader has to answer my one simple question. Is he/she acquainted with the name of Vasudev Balwant Phadke? I’m confident that he/she is not and almost none, cutting across ages.

Who is Vasudev Balwant Phadke on the whole? As per a few schools of thoughts, he is the Father of Revolution in Indian Soil; others opine that he is the perfect specimen affirming a single individual can do lots, even against the mighty British Empire, only if he is steadfast and also bold enough.

Phadke was born on 4 November 1845, and was deeply touched by the then mounting plights of Indians. He hailed from the Marathi Chitpavan Brahmin family in Shirdhon village of Panvel taluka based in Raigad district in Maharashtra state and as usual, he was inclined to physical training.

With the passing of years he started realizing factors leading to rising financial despondencies among people, especially farmers. However, he also comprehended at the same instant mere speeches would not be enough to have justice or rights from British Empire. The development in Baroda gave him a shot in the arm. In 1875, British administration toppled Gaikwad ruler of Baroda and to call these processes a halt, Phadke initiated protest speeches against the government. But it had hardly any effect on the administration. He didn’t get support from intellectuals, middle class in his drive to create a free republic, essential for betterment of Hindus.

He became instrumental in gathering a band of people from Ramoshi along with Koli, Bhil and Dhangar communities and gradually formed a radical group, known as Ramoshi. The group commenced an armed struggle to bring the British Raj down and launched regular raids on affluent English businessmen to get funds for their liberation struggle. But he came to the notice of all when Phadke caught British soldiers off guard in one of his sudden attacks. His successes were short lived in spite of great and valiant endeavors. What led to his defeat then? Phadke was betrayed at several times by his tried comrades and was put behind the bars soon.

To protest against all these, Phadke went on a hunger strike to death. On 17 February 1883 he breathed his last because of his hunger strike in protest against rising British atrocities.

Undoubtedly, contribution of Vasudev Balwant Phadke in Indian history has been immense. But sadly, his role has not found recognition.

We must shed this felony at once.