Latest news with #RandhirJaiswal
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Iran's FM Issues Chilling Warning After Trump ‘Disrespects' Khamenei
Protests in Dhaka After Durga Temple Demolished Amid Hindu Protests; India Condemns Govt's Inaction In a disturbing development from Dhaka, Bangladesh, authorities bulldozed a makeshift Durga temple in the Khilkhet area despite protests from local Hindus. The demolition, carried out under the orders of railway authorities, took place with heavy security presence, including Army personnel from the Purbachal Army Camp, who forcibly removed protestors. The Bangladesh Sammilit Sanatani Jagran Jote, a collective of Hindu organisations, has called for mass protests at Shahbagh. In a statement, the group said, 'We are shocked and outraged by the state's communal behaviour.' India has strongly condemned the act, with MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal saying, 'Extremists clamored for demolition and the government allowed it under the guise of illegal land use.' India has held the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government responsible, especially as attacks on minorities rise post Sheikh Hasina's exile.#dhakatempledemolition #durgaMandirDhaka #hinduprotests #indiaBangladesh #minorityrights #shahbaghprotest #sanatanijagran #religiousfreedom #MEAstatement #BangladeshViolence #india #bangladesh #dhaka #durgatemple #toi #toibharat #bharat #breakingnews #indianews 12.8K views | 22 hours ago
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Mohammed Siraj sharpens his batting at Edgbaston
Protests in Dhaka After Durga Temple Demolished Amid Hindu Protests; India Condemns Govt's Inaction In a disturbing development from Dhaka, Bangladesh, authorities bulldozed a makeshift Durga temple in the Khilkhet area despite protests from local Hindus. The demolition, carried out under the orders of railway authorities, took place with heavy security presence, including Army personnel from the Purbachal Army Camp, who forcibly removed protestors. The Bangladesh Sammilit Sanatani Jagran Jote, a collective of Hindu organisations, has called for mass protests at Shahbagh. In a statement, the group said, 'We are shocked and outraged by the state's communal behaviour.' India has strongly condemned the act, with MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal saying, 'Extremists clamored for demolition and the government allowed it under the guise of illegal land use.' India has held the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government responsible, especially as attacks on minorities rise post Sheikh Hasina's exile.#dhakatempledemolition #durgaMandirDhaka #hinduprotests #indiaBangladesh #minorityrights #shahbaghprotest #sanatanijagran #religiousfreedom #MEAstatement #BangladeshViolence #india #bangladesh #dhaka #durgatemple #toi #toibharat #bharat #breakingnews #indianews 12.8K views | 22 hours ago
New Indian Express
7 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Bangladesh government reaffirms commitment to safeguard minority rights
It alleged that the temple started as a makeshift pavilion, with organisers attempting to make the temporary structure permanent despite repeated reminders. On June 26, Bangladesh Railways proceeded with the "peaceful eviction of all unauthorised structures along the rail track in Khilkhet area," it said. "While the laws of the land ensure full protection to all places of worship without discriminating against any built-in conformity with law, it is not permissible for any to build any religious structure encroaching public land under any circumstances," the ministry said. "Bangladesh remains firmly committed to safeguarding the rights of all communities, including protection of the places of worship," it added. During a briefing on Thursday, External Affairs Ministry 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," he said. "This has resulted in damage to the deity before it was shifted. We are dismayed that such incidents continue to recur in Bangladesh," he added. Jaiswal underlined that it is the responsibility of the interim government of Bangladesh "to protect Hindus, their properties, and religious institutions." The Hindu population in Bangladesh has been affected by a series of incidents against minority communities in the country.
Hindustan Times
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Visa requests be treated on merit: India on US's social media directive
The government has said it believes all US visa applications by Indian nationals should be treated on the basis of merit. The Ministry of External Affairs made the remarks on Thursday in response to US Embassy releasing guidelines requiring visa applicants to provide details of their social media identifiers. Those applying for an F, M, or J non-immigrant visa in the US are now required to switch the settings of their social media handles to "public". While the government noted that immigration matters pertain to the sovereign functions of a country, it also urged that the visa applications of Indians be judged on the basis of merit. "Visa and immigration matters pertain to sovereign functions of any country. But, we have seen the guidelines issued by the US Embassy, providing details of social media identifiers in visa applications," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. The MEA spokesperson also assured that India was trying to safeguard interests of its nationals and was in touch with the US on consular issues. What's the new US visa rule? Those applying for an F, M, or J non-immigrant visa in the US are now required to switch the settings of their social media handles to "public" so they could be screened. The F or M category is for student visas and J category for exchange visitor visa. Applicants are also mandated to list all social media usernames of every platform they have used from the last five years on the DS-160 visa application form. According to the US embassy, social media vetting is necessary to establish the applicants' identity and admissibility to the US under law. If applicants fail to provide the social media information, it could lead to visa denial and ineligibility for future visas. Visa applicants have been asked to provide "social media identifiers" on immigrant and non-immigrant visa application forms since 2019, the embassy clarified. The new guidelines come in the wake of US President Donald Trump's intensified immigration crackdown. Immigration laws have been tightened in the US, and those entering the country illegally would face jail time and deportation. The intensified immigration move recently led to protests in Los Angeles against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials.
Hindustan Times
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Built on railway land without permission: Bangladesh clarifies on Durga temple demolition
Bangladesh government on Friday clarified the circumstances around the demolition of a Durga temple in Dhaka's Khilkhet area which led to protests held by minority organisations. The government stated that the temple was built without permission on land owned by Bangladesh Railways. According to the Bangladesh government, 200 feet from the existing rail track is considered solely railway land.(Reuters/Representational Image) According to the foreign ministry, the makeshift puja mandap was set up by a local Hindu community during Durga Puja last year without permission, news agency ANI reported. While the railways extended the permission to build it, the agreement was to remove it after the celebrations which the organisers violated. Repeated reminders given to organisers 'Regrettably, after the Puja was over in October 2024, the organisers declined to remove the makeshift Mandap, violating the mutual agreement. Rather, they established a 'Maha Kali' (Kali Murti) there," the report quoted the Bangladesh foreign ministry said in a statement. Further, the ministry elaborated that despite the repeated reminders, organisers made the mandap permanent and went against the arrangement with the railways. The statement also highlighted that the Railways held consultations with the local community and issued a public notification 'asking all concerned to remove all unauthorised installations, including vendors, hundreds of shops and political party offices, illegally built on either side of the rail tracks.' The land on which the mandap was built is owned by Bangladesh Railways, according to the ministry, who has stated that 200 feet from the existing rail track is considered solely railway land. The statement also added that the land is needed to build two new rail tracks under a project The government of Bangladesh said it is committed to safeguarding the rights of all communities and protecting places of worship. However, it also mentioned that constructing religious structures on public land without proper authorisation is not allowed. The official statement said that Bangladesh Railways had issued notices on June 24th and 25th, requesting the removal of all unauthorized structures and on June 26th, following due legal procedure, they peacefully removed all unauthorized installations along the rail tracks. 'In the course of the eviction process, the idol of the makeshift Mandap was immersed in the nearby Balu River, in due reverence, with the participation of the members of the local Hindu community," the ministry stated. The government stated that the removal of unauthorised structures to reclaim public land is a routine and lawful administrative action. Meanwhile, India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) criticised Bangladesh's interim government over the demolition, stating that the government failed in its duty to protect the temple and instead framed the incident as an issue of illegal land use. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the Bangladesh government holds the responsibility to safeguard the Hindu community, along with their properties and religious institutions.
