Jamaat-e-Islami Hind serves legal notice on M.V. Govindan over remark on Pahalgam attack
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) Kerala chapter has served a legal notice on M.V. Govindan, State secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), for one of his statements against the organisation.
Shihab Pookottur, State secretary, JIH, quoted Mr. Govindan as saying on June 14 that JIH was a prominent organisation that had not taken a stand against the Pahalgam attack. Citing a statement by Syed Sadatullah Husaini, national president, JIH, condemning the attack, Mr. Pookottur said that Mr. Govindan was trying to create political mileage in the Nilambur by-election by inducing Islamophobia through a fake campaign.
The attempt was to paint a Muslim organisation as anti-national and dangerous and create communal polarisation and discord among Hindu and Christian communities, Mr. Pookottur said. Demanding a compensation of ₹1 crore, he said that Mr. Govindan need to correct his statement and issue a public apology.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
31 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Singapore increases security posture in wake of recent Israel-Iran conflict
Multinational Singapore, which maintains a strict check on extremist activities among its six million people, has increased its security posture in the wake of the Israel-Iran conflict, Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said on Saturday. Arising from (the situation) there, you can expect that people in this region, or even others, from extremist organisations, might want to make a point against Israeli, American, or other Western assets, and there could also be attacks from the far right on Muslim assets," a Chinese-language daily, Lianhe Zaobao, quoted the minister as saying. Singapore increased its security levels after the recent Israeli attacks on Iran and the counterattacks, with police and other agencies stepping up patrols and checks, Shanmugam said at a community function, adding that while there is a ceasefire between the two countries, "we don't know exactly what will happen after this". "Singapore, as I have said many times, if we get attacked, you will get international headlines. So, on both sides -- the far right, attacking Muslims, or representatives of Muslim countries including Iran, is a possibility; and likewise, you could get attacks on Western assets -- American, European, Israeli," he said. He added that Singapore is working off different scenarios because you can "never be absolutely sure". Security is a joint responsibility, and the government has been trying to increase awareness through the SGSecure (Singapore security) programme, the minister added. "We have been trying for years, it goes up and it comes down -- because it's safe, people leave their items around," Shanmugam said. "I have asked the security agencies to try with what I call a 'cold start' and leave things in places, see how many people actually pick them up; pick them up meaning they notice them and notify the agencies. I think the results tell us that the awareness is not very high," he added. Asked if "more suspicious activities or extreme activities" are being detected, Shanmugam said, "Not that we have picked up here yet. But they need to succeed only once." Since 2015, the Internal Security Department of the police has dealt with 17 youths aged 20 and below under the stringent Internal Security Act, the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement on April 2. At least one case has been identified as an East Asian Supremacist, believing that Han Chinese, Korean and Japanese ethnicities were superior to Malays and Indians, according to the MHA statement. The home affairs minister also spoke about Thailand's move to recriminalise cannabis. On Tuesday, Thailand's health ministry issued an order prohibiting the sale of cannabis for recreational use, making it mandatory for any retail purchase to require a doctor's prescription. Singapore is looking out for possible outflows (of drugs) to the country, Shanmugam said. "The nexus between drugs and crime, and terrorism, also needs to be looked at. Many different issues. We try to maintain our openness and our connectivity, and our business-friendly environment. "Our security agencies have looked at it and upped the posture. It is a bit early to say what is going to happen, but we have to be more careful," he added. When Thailand decriminalised cannabis a few years ago, he said some people on "the more liberal side" asked when Singapore was going to change. The Singapore government does not decide on such matters based on what other countries do, he added. "We take a hard look, we look at the science, we look at the social impact, and the actual impact and we run the government of Singapore and the policies in the best interests of Singaporeans, he stressed. "I am absolutely convinced, the Cabinet is absolutely convinced that the right policy is to be strict on drugs, and you can see, the people who asked for liberalisation, are shutting their eyes deliberately to what is happening around the world and the immense harm," the minister said. He noted an incident at a Moscow airport where a man, who was reportedly drug-traced, picked up an 18-month-old child and flung the child onto the ground. The child is in a critical condition. For countries that have decriminalised cannabis, including Thailand previously, there are "young children who are high (on drugs)", he said. "Why would we want it? And 85 per cent of our population supports the tough stand that we take -- keep it criminal, no decriminalisation, in fact they support the penalties too," he added. The Singapore government cannot be "zig-zagging" on its laws, he added. "Different countries have their own policies. We work in the best interests of Singaporeans, and it was the right policy to keep it criminalised, not soften our stance, and that remains the right policy," the Channel News Asia quoted Shanmugam as saying. A 46-year-old Malaysian woman was arrested on the morning of June 23 for allegedly attempting to smuggle drugs worth more than SGD 142,000 into Singapore. The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said in a joint statement on June 25 that about 1,057g of cannabis and 973g of methamphetamine, more commonly known as Ice, were found in a Malaysian-registered motorcycle arriving at Woodlands Checkpoint, which is a causeway link with Peninsular Malaysia and the city state. Singapore has a tough law on drug trafficking and a maximum penalty of mandatory death sentence. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
With Digha as Rathyatra focal point, Bengal showcases its brand of peaceful religiosity
1 2 Kolkata: Rathyatras held across Bengal on Friday with the one at Digha Jagannath temple at its epicentre showcased the non-aggressive tradition of the Hindu religion — distinct from the Ram Navami processions in Howrah and elsewhere in the state marked with the brandishing of swords and lathis. Across Bengal, the number of chariots swelled this time — from one or two to six and seven at each place — and all the rallies recorded huge footfall. This was seen not only at Digha, but at all traditional spots — Cooch Behar's Madan Mohan temple, Malda, East Midnapore's Mahishadal, Sutahata, Tamluk and Mecheda, Mahesh and Chandernagore in Hooghly, Barasat in North 24 Parganas, Maheshtala in South 24 Parganas, and of course Kolkata. The festive spirit united all, across gender and social strata, as chariots rolled down the streets. While Dona Ganguly is set to perform Odishi with her troupe in the 'Ulto Rath' mela on July 3, women in Cooch Behar danced to tunes of DJ as they scrambled to touch the ropes of the rath. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata In Mahishadal, royal family member Haraprasad Garg said the organisers were overwhelmed with the participation of women and youngsters at the event this year. "The crowd this year has broken all records. The participation of women was significant. I have come to know that some were injured in a stampede during the rathyatra," Garg said. Mahesh Jagannath Temple chief priest Piyal Adhikari endorsed the view. "The GT Road stretch close to our temple was choked as people who could not make it to Digha came to us," he said. In Bengal, where people breathe politics into every incident, men in para addas are now busy calculating which party — Trinamool or BJP — would gain out of religious processions in the state. As of now, no Chinese wall separates those participating in the Ram Navami processions and Friday's Rathyatras. In fact, there is an overlap of participants — the bottom line being they are all Hindus. It is believed that Lord Jagannath comes down from the temple during this time of the year and goes for an annual visit to his birthplace along with his siblings Balabhadra and Subhadra. The servitors to this occasion are dalapatis, non-Brahmins who break the rigorous caste hierarchy. During his journey, Lord Jagannath halts at his maternal aunt's place and has sweet pancakes. The sweet story mingles beautifully with Bengal's culture, showcasing how Lord Jagannath was Bengal's own. Just like Lord Rama ruling the hearts of those from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, through culture and legends. The Bengal CM walked the extra mile by taking Lord Jagannath to remote villages from where people couldn't reach the yatras. Mamata Banerjee has sent a photograph of Lord Jagannath and the Lord's prasad to every household in Bengal. BJP and RSS could manage to take a few thousands from Bengal to the Ayodhya's Ram Mandir. Bengal BJP netas, who claim themselves to be the sole representatives of Hindus, have questioned religious credentials of Digha temple. Suvendu Adhikari even announced he would fetch the 'mahaprasadam' from Puri and distribute it among devotees. In other words, BJP netas couldn't ignore Digha's grand rath showcase. Former Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh had even attended the temple's opening. Interestingly, many TMC netas had taken out their own Ram Navami processions. While a section of political observers maintains that since participants are all Hindus, religious processions might consolidate sentiments and they might choose the party that has called itself the protector of Hindus. The majority, however, gives a clear advantage to Banerjee for choosing a religious motif close to hearts and taking everyone along. They believe that Lord Ram may not have much of an impact in the land of Goddess Durga, Maa Kali, and Lord Jagannath.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Ministers call for review of 'socialist, secular' words in preamble
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday said "there is no need for socialism in India", adding "secularism is not the core of our culture". Chouhan's remarks assume significance as RSS Thursday called for reviewing the words 'socialist' and 'secular' in the Preamble of the Constitution, saying they were included during the Emergency and were never part of the Constitution drafted by B R Ambedkar. Addressing an event organised at Delhi on 50 years of Emergency, RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said, "The Preamble of the Constitution Baba Saheb Ambedkar made never had these words. During the Emergency, when fundamental rights were suspended, Parliament did not work, the judiciary became lame, then these words were added." Speaking at a programme held in Varanasi to mark 50 years of Emergency, Chouhan said, "'Bharat mein samajwad kee zaroorat nahi hai... Dharmanirapeksh hamaaree sanskrti ka mool nahin hai aur issliye is par zaroor vichaar hona chaahiye' (There is no need for socialism in India... 'Secular' is not the core of our culture and hence, this must be deliberated upon)," he said. In indirect support to RSS' call to review the words "socialist" and "secular" in the Preamble of the Constitution, Union minister Jitendra Singh on Friday also said any right-thinking citizen will endorse it because everybody knows that these words were not part of the original Constitution written by Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar. Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed Saturday that 'socialism' and 'secularism' are "western concepts", and these words should be struck off Constitution. "How can I be secular? I am a hardcore Hindu. A Muslim person is a hardcore Muslim person. How can he be secular?" Sarma said. Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar Saturday said the words inserted in Preamble through an amendment during Emergency era were a 'nasoor' (festering wound).
