Latest news with #Bangladeshis'
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Speak up in Parliament for ‘marginalised' Muslims, Mehbooba urges Rahul
Mehbooba Mufti (File photo) SRINAGAR: Former J&K chief minister and People's Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti wrote Monday to Rahul Gandhi , urging Congress's LS leader of Opposition to take a firm stand during Parliament's current monsoon session against 'growing marginalisation of Muslims in India'. In her letter, Mehbooba acknowledged that while key issues like the horrific Pahalgam attack, Operation Sindoor and other critical security matters were expected to dominate House discussions, she 'sincerely hopes the opposition, especially INDIA bloc, raises the growing concern of Muslim victimisation across the country'. 'Under the pretext of targeting 'Bangladeshis' and 'Rohingyas', Muslims are being pushed into increasingly desperate situations. Disturbing media reports have even suggested that some were forced into the sea in attempts to expel them from India. As you rightly highlighted during your (recent) visit to Assam, the large-scale demolition of thousands of Muslim homes is deeply troubling,' Mehbooba's letter stated. The PDP president also referred to the raging controversy over special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Search and Discover search Search Now Undo He described the exercise as 'yet another systematic effort to dispossess, disempower, and ultimately disenfranchise Muslims, effectively erasing their presence, both symbolically and literally'. Mehbooba underscored Rahul's legacy to urge him to voice the concerns. 'Muslims who chose to remain in India during Partition did so because of the faith they had in the secular leadership of the Congress from Mahatma Gandhi to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Today, as the bearer of that legacy, the responsibility falls on your shoulders to uphold and defend the secular and democratic values enshrined in our Constitution,' the letter stated. Mehbooba pointed out that when Hindus, minorities in neighbouring countries like Pakistan or Bangladesh, were targeted, 'our nation rightly expresses outrage and the Union government intervenes'. 'But when Muslims are targeted within our own country there is an unsettling silence, a fear that prevents many from speaking up,' she wrote. As a politician from one of the 'only Muslim-majority regions that chose to join the Indian Union largely due to the vision and secular character of your great-grandfather (Nehru), I feel extremely helpless at times', the PDP chief wrote, urging Rahul to continue speaking up for a minority 'steadily marginalised and pushed to the fringes of Indian society'.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Mehbooba urges Rahul to raise issue of ‘Muslim victimisation' in Parliament
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday (July 21, 2025) urged Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi to raise the issue of 'Muslim victimisation' in the ongoing Parliament session. Ms. Mufti, in a letter to Mr. Gandhi, highlighted cases emerging from Assam and the ongoing survey in Bihar. 'It appears to be another effort to dispossess, disempower, and disenfranchise Muslims,' she said. Stating that the Pahalgam terror attack, Operation Sindoor, and other security matters might dominate the Parliament session, she urged the INDIA bloc, especially the Congress, however, 'to ensure that the concerns of the Muslim community are not ignored in national discussions'. She said that Muslims, in the garb of identification of 'Bangladeshis' and 'Rohingyas', 'were being pushed into desperate situations'. 'Some were even forced into the sea in attempts to expel them from India,' Ms. Mufti said, referring to media reports. She referred to the large-scale demolition of Muslim homes in Assam as 'deeply troubling'. 'Protect Congress' secular legacy' Ms. Mufti said Muslims who stayed in India during the Partition did so because they trusted the Congress party's secular leadership from Mahatma Gandhi to Jawaharlal Nehru. 'That legacy now rests with him to protect,' the PDP president said. Ms. Mufti said when Hindus were targeted in countries such as Pakistan or Bangladesh, the Indian government strongly reacted. 'But when Muslims are targeted within India, there is silence driven by fear,' she added. The PDP president said as a leader from one of the few Muslim-majority regions that chose to join the Indian Union, she felt 'helpless at times'. 'I place hope in Rahul Gandhi's leadership and urge him to speak up for a community that is being pushed to the margins of society,' she appealed.
India.com
2 days ago
- Politics
- India.com
Mehbooba Mufti Urges Rahul Gandhi To Speak Out Against Muslim Disempowerment
New Delhi: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti has urged Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi to speak out against the ongoing 'disempowerment' of Muslims in India. In a letter addressed to Rahul Gandhi, Mehbooba called on him to raise his voice in Parliament against what she described as the "systematic marginalization" of Muslims across the country. Citing recent events, including the Pahalgam attack, Operation Sindoor, and alleged forced displacements in Assam and Bihar, Mufti claimed these incidents reflect a larger pattern of state-sponsored targeting of the Muslim community. She expressed serious concern over the labeling of Muslims, especially in the northeastern and eastern regions of India, as 'Bangladeshis' and 'Rohingyas' to justify their eviction and harassment. Referring to media reports, Mufti highlighted large-scale demolitions of Muslim homes and the use of 'Special Investigation Reports' (SIRs) in Bihar, which she alleged are being misused as tools for collective punishment. 'This silence is an attempt to erase the Muslim presence, both symbolically and literally,' she warned. Mufti also accused the political establishment and mainstream media of exhibiting selective outrage, raising voices over the persecution of Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh, while remaining silent on the alleged targeting of Muslims within India. This selective empathy, she cautioned, undermines the secular and democratic fabric of the nation. Invoking the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, she urged the Congress party to stay true to the constitutional values they championed. She appealed to Rahul Gandhi to use his position and moral responsibility to 'break the silence' and ensure the concerns of the Muslim community are not ignored during the ongoing Parliament session. 'As a politician from a Muslim-majority region, I often find myself helpless,' she wrote, adding that she placed her 'last vestiges of hope' in Rahul Gandhi's leadership to reverse the tide of what she described as growing alienation and exclusion. The letter comes as the opposition INDIA Bloc prepares to corner the BJP-led government on a range of issues during the Monsoon Session, including the state of civil liberties, communal polarisation, and rising incidents of violence. While Congress has yet to issue a formal response, political observers view her letter as both a plea and a challenge to the national opposition to show greater courage and consistency when it comes to the rights of India's largest minority.
Time of India
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
TMC slams BJP govt as 200 Bengali migrants ‘tagged B'deshis', ‘detained' in Odisha
Kolkata: Multiple petitions have been filed in the Calcutta High Court urging its immediate intervention after more than 200 Bengali-speaking migrants from Bengal were allegedly tagged 'Bangladeshis' and detained in Odisha. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Bengal Police has already sent verification reports of multiple detainees to their Odisha counterparts. "This is heading into dangerous territory," Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said on Wednesday. "Bengalis will speak Bengali. Is that a crime? And why is this happening only in BJP-governed states," Ghosh asked. Odisha cops said as many as 448 suspected Bangladeshis and Rohingya were identified and shifted to centres in Jharsuguda and Jagatsinghpur. TMC MP Mahua Moitra slammed Odisha govt, demanding the immediate release of 23 workers from Nadia's Mirzapur, allegedly detained at Jharsuguda since Monday night. "All of these 23 workers have valid documentation, Aadhaar cards, EPICs, everything they need to work there. India is a union of states, and every single citizen has the right to life, the right to livelihood, and the right to work anywhere within the territory of India. Please do not think that there is no one to fight for these workers. There is absolutely no reason to detain them," stated Moitra. "Release them or we will file 23 habeas corpus petitions in every court in this land," she added. Moitra said that such incidents never took place during the 24-year period when the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD govt was in office in Odisha, but ever since BJP came to office, such incidents had become a daily occurrence. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "I urge Odisha govt to think... It is easy for you to prey, to harass, to intimidate poor workers who go to earn a livelihood. Have you ever thought that 50% of Odisha's tourism revenue comes from Bengalis? If you harass and detain our workers, Bengali tourists will stop going to Odisha. They are the ones who stay at your hotels, who eat at your restaurants, who visit your places of pilgrimage. What will happen?" she said. According to TMC netas, over 200 migrant workers from Nadia, Murshidabad, Malda, Birbhum, East Burdwan and South 24 Parganas have been picked up in recent weeks by Odisha cops and kept at interrogation centres in Jharsuguda. TMC Rajya Sabha MP Samirul Islam alleged that these detentions were part of a "deliberate pattern of harassment" based on the workers' language and origin.
Indian Express
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Detained in Delhi days ago, ‘Bengal family' of three pushed into Bangladesh
IN A fresh incident, a family of three, including their minor son, was detained in Delhi as 'illegal Bangladeshis' and then finally 'pushed into the neighbouring country,' their relatives said. The relatives claimed that the family hails from Birbhum in West Bengal. A senior police officer in Delhi said that Danish Sheikh, his wife Sunali Khatun and their minor son have 'all been deported to Bangladesh after proper verification'. This comes close on the heels of such detentions in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh. Recently, a total of seven persons, hailing from West Bengal, were detained by the Mumbai police and pushed into Bangladesh by BSF at 3:30 am on June 14. Apart from four youths in Murshidabad, one from Purba Bardhaman, a husband–wife duo from North 24 Parganas district was brought back from Bangladesh after Bengal government's intervention. After intervention by the TMC government in Bengal, the individuals were brought back and sent to their homes. 'They all have been deported to Bangladesh on June 26 after proper verification at the local police level first and after that a thorough interrogation by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office office. They hail from Bagerhat, Bangladesh,' said Rajeev Ranjan, DCP (Rohini). 'This cannot be tolerated. This is happening every day. Despite showing all proof, including land records, this has happened,' claimed Samirul Islam, chairman of the migrant labour welfare board and Rajya Sabha MP. 'Our government has intervened, but the administration in BJP-ruled states and in Delhi are not paying heed. We will move to court on Monday and appeal to the court to produce them before the judge. Is it a fault to speak in Bengali outside Bengal?' claimed Islam. According to the family members, Sheikh, his wife Sunali and their minor son were picked up by the police and taken to a police station in Delhi. The family members claimed they (Sheikh and his wife) belong to Paikar village under Muraroi police station limits in Birbhum district. 'They are migrant labourers who have been working as ragpickers in Delhi for the last 20 years. They were picked up by the police on July 18. All documents, including land deeds, were provided to the police. But they didn't budge,' said Roshni Bibi, a cousin of Sunali, speaking to The Indian Express over phone from Delhi. 'Their second child, a girl, was not detained as she was with a relative in another place. We did not know what happened to the family until they called us from Bangladesh. They said someone has given them shelter there but could not specify the location,' said Roshni Bibi. 'They worked for several years in Delhi as ragpickers. Like most migrant workers, they visit their native village during festivities. They visited here and left for Delhi just one-and-a-half months ago,' said Rocky Sheikh, a cousin of Sunali and a resident of Birbhum. Ravik Bhattacharya is the Chief of Bureau of The Indian Express, Kolkata. Over 20 years of experience in the media industry and covered politics, crime, major incidents and issues, apart from investigative stories in West Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Andaman Nicobar islands. Ravik won the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award in 2007 for political reporting. Ravik holds a bachelor degree with English Hons from Scottish Church College under Calcutta University and a PG diploma in mass communication from Jadavpur University. Ravik started his career with The Asian Age and then moved to The Statesman, The Telegraph and Hindustan Times. ... Read More
