Latest news with #Hindus'
Hans India
6 days ago
- Hans India
The Man Who Defies Silence: How Nikhil Chandwani Is Rescuing Pakistan's Forgotten Hindus, One Family at a Time
In a world that moves on from tragedy with a swipe, Nikhil Chandwani chose to stay. Not to sympathize from a distance, not to tweet his outrage, but to fight. Quietly, relentlessly, and often alone. He's not a politician. He doesn't run an NGO. And he has never begged for headlines. Yet, since 2017, he's rescued over 2,000 Hindu and Sikh families from the religious hellscape that Pakistan has become for minorities. It began with one desperate message—from a Hindu shopkeeper in Sindh, Pakistan. His daughter was being stalked by local extremists. A forced conversion was imminent. When he went to the police, they laughed. His village turned its back. But Nikhil didn't. He arranged shelter. Paid for passports. Helped them legally cross borders. And in that moment, a movement was born. 'Pakistan Is a Graveyard for Hindus' For the past decade, Chandwani has built a rescue network that runs without press releases or photo ops. And it operates in places most governments wouldn't even acknowledge. 'Pakistan is not a country. For Hindus and Sikhs, it's a rogue land,' he says. 'Girls as young as nine are kidnapped, raped, forcibly converted, and married off to men four times their age. Parents are left with nothing but grief—and silence.' In Sindh's interiors, Hindu children are denied education. Temples are desecrated. Police officers participate in abductions. Those who speak out disappear. This is not a dystopian script. This is daily life for Hindus in Pakistan. And yet, international bodies stay mute. Global newsrooms don't blink. They wait for buzzwords like 'Israel' or 'Gaza' to appear in the headline before they care. A Parallel System of Hope What Nikhil has done in response is extraordinary. He's created a quiet resistance—a parallel support system made up of doctors, lawyers, landlords, and teachers who work on trust, not contracts. They've helped girls heal from rape trauma, guided children back to school, secured Long-Term Visas for families, and found homes where none existed. Every life he rescues is a civilizational victory against erasure. In one case, a father in Sindh had to bury his daughters underground at night to protect them from abductors. That family now lives safely in Punjab, India. The girls chant the Hanuman Chalisa every Saturday—something they were never allowed to do in Pakistan. Funded by Firewood and Dharma Unlike big-budget charities, this movement runs on grit. Almost 90% of the rescue funds come from Chandwani's own business—a biomass pellet factory in Nagpur. The rest comes from small, quiet contributions. No corporate grants. No government subsidies. Just raw belief. His company, Santerra Industries, converts agricultural waste into clean-burning bio coal. The profits? Used to rescue Hindus from across the border. 'We turn farm waste into energy. I use that energy to bring our people back from hell,' Nikhil says. A Dream of a Home, Not a Shelter The rescues are just the beginning. Nikhil's long-term vision is a dedicated settlement for rescued Hindu families—complete with homes, schools, clinics, community halls, and temples. 'A safe place where no one knocks on your door in the middle of the night to take your daughter away. Where your children aren't punished for praying to Ram. That's the dream.' He's already in talks to acquire land for this project. Until then, he continues—one girl, one boy, one family at a time. No Medals, No Megaphones. Just Action. He's faced threats, online hate campaigns, and even fatwas. Pakistan-based accounts often try to discredit his work. Some Indian liberals call it 'politically motivated.' But he doesn't care. 'I don't need awards. I need more people. A teacher for one child. A lawyer for one case. A landlord for one month. Just one. That's all I ever ask.' Look Away, and You Become the Problem What's happening to Hindus in Pakistan is not just persecution. It's cultural annihilation—slow, systematic, and ignored by the same international institutions that scream for every other cause. And yet, in the middle of that silence stands a man—unfunded, uncelebrated, unstoppable. In the end, Nikhil Chandwani's story is not about heroism. It's about responsibility. Because when governments fail, it is people like him who carry civilization forward—with empty pockets, heavy hearts, and an unbreakable spine.
India Gazette
13-07-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Hindus of Bengal are uniting to remove pro-Pakistan government": Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar slams TMC
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], July 13 (ANI): Union Minister and BJP leader Sukanta Majumdar on Sunday slammed West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee over her claims of exploitation of the Bengali community under the BJP-ruled states stating that the 'Hindus' of West Bengal are uniting to remove the 'pro Pakistan' government in the state. Speaking to ANI, Sukanta Majumdar mentioned that whenever Mamata Banerjee faces a dilemma, she 'resorts' to chanting the 'Bengali' mantra. 'Whenever Mamata Banerjee faces a dilemma, she resorts to chanting the Bengali mantra... The Hindus of Bengal are uniting to vote against Mamata Banerjee and remove the pro-Pakistani government to bring a pro-Hindu government', Sukanta Majumdar told ANI. The BJP leader asked if Mamata Banerjee truly cared about the Bengali people, then should would have sent so many 'non-Bengali' people to become MPs in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. 'If Mamata Banerjee truly cared about the interests of Bengal's people, she would not have sent so many non-Bengali people from West Bengal to become MPs in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha... Mamata Banerjee has kicked Bengalis in the stomach by making these non-Bengali people MPs and reducing the number of Bengali MPs in Delhi', Majumdar told ANI. Majumdar alleged that Mamata Banerjee and her party want to 'forcibly' grant citizenship to Bangladeshi people so that TMC remains in power in the state. 'Mamata Banerjee and her party's effort is to forcibly grant citizenship to Bangladeshi people, thereby altering Bengal's demographics to keep the TMC government in power in Bengal... Mamata Banerjee and her party are trying to ensure that a Muslim becomes Bengal CM in the coming years', Majumdar said. Meanwhile, on July 12, the Trinamool Congress took out a protest march against the National Register of Citizens (NRC). It condemned the alleged harassment of migrant Bengali-speaking individuals from several BJP-ruled states and branding them as 'Bangladeshis.' (ANI)
India Today
07-07-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Maharashtra minister compares attacks on Hindi speakers to Pahalgam terror
Maharashtra minister and BJP leader Ashish Shelar on Sunday compared recent attacks on Hindi-speaking individuals in the state to the Pahalgam terror attack while condemning the a parallel between the two incidents, Shelar said, 'In the Pahalgam terror attack, people were asked their religion before being shot. Here, people are being attacked based on their language. It is disappointing.'advertisementHis remarks came days after a video went viral showing workers of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) assaulting a shopkeeper in the Bhayandar area for allegedly refusing to speak in Marathi. The incident sparked political and social outrage. Police later detained seven MNS workers involved in the assault and released them after serving notices. Shelar said that the BJP, as the largest party in Maharashtra, would defend both Marathi pride and the safety of non-Marathi residents. 'Marathi is not a political issue for us,' he said, adding that the state was closely watching how some leaders were 'enjoying' attacks on fellow Hindus without naming anyone BJP minister Nitesh Rane had also criticized the targeting of 'Hindus' for not speaking Marathi, while Pratap Sarnaik of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena stated that the MNS had no monopoly over the Marathi language.- EndsMust Watch IN THIS STORY#Maharashtra
The Hindu
04-07-2025
- The Hindu
Police book suo motu case against Sharan Pumpwell for alleged hate speech
The Udupi Town Police on Thursday (July 3, 2025) booked Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Sharan Pumpwell for hate speech in the town earlier in the day. In his complaint, Udupi Town Police Sub-Inspector Bharatesh Kankanawadi said that when he was surfing social media on Thursday evening, he came across a video clip of Mr. Pumpwell's address to the media. In it, the accused stated that the Kunjalu cow butchering issue in Brahmavara taluk was a 'conspiracy by Islamist forces using Hindus' to create unrest in the country. 'Just as two Hindu youth were used by Islamist forces in the murder of Suhas Shetty in Bajpe on May 1, they might have used the six Hindus, who were arrested by the police later, to create unrest in society,' Mr. Pumpwell said in the video. He had also said 'Islamist forces' were attempting to create unrest in society using Hindus. The video clip in question was circulated widely on different social media platforms and had the potential to create unrest in society by fomenting enmity between groups on the ground of religion, the PSI said in his complaint. The statement, given when the investigation was in progress at a press conference, was aimed at creating unrest in society, he said. Accordingly, police booked a case under Section 353 (2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita against Mr. Pumpwell for issuing statements conducing to mischief. Mr. Pumpwell's statements were made at a press conference in Udupi on Thursday.
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Business Standard
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
India criticises Bangladesh for demolition of Durga temple in Dhaka
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has criticised Bangladesh's interim government for 'allowing the destruction' of a Durga temple in Dhaka and for portraying the incident as a case of 'illegal land use'. The MEA added that it was 'dismayed' by the recurrence of such events in the country. Interim government 'responsible for protecting Hindus' When asked about the demolition of the Durga temple in Bangladesh at the weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "We understand that extremists were clamouring for demolishing the Durga temple in Khilkhet, Dhaka." 'The interim government, instead of providing security to the temple, projected the episode as illegal land use and they allowed the destruction of the temple today. This has resulted in damage to the deity before it was shifted,' he added. 'We are dismayed that such incidents continue to recur in Bangladesh. Let me underline that it is the responsibility of the interim government of Bangladesh to protect Hindus, their properties and religious institutions,' Jaiswal said. Authorities cite encroachment as reason for temple demolition Authorities from Bangladesh Railway, assisted by police and military personnel, demolished a temporary Durga temple in Dhaka's Khilkhet area on Thursday, according to news agency ANI. The demolition occurred three days after a mob reportedly demanded the temple's removal. Railway authorities stated that the Khilkhet Sarbojanin Shri Shri Durga Mandir was demolished as it had been built illegally on railway land. The decision of the authorities has been condemned by several minority organisations, alleging that the authorities demolished the temple without giving prior notice. Bangladesh's interim government on December 10 last year said that 70 people had been arrested in 88 cases related to attacks against minorities in the country. India-Bangladesh ties Relations between the two countries have been strained after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government, with India alleging that religious minorities in Bangladesh have faced increased threats. Dhaka, on the other hand, has dismissed India's account as 'exaggerated".
