Hoshiarpur, Punjab: Sadhu Attacked and Injured by Two Men

On Friday, a Hindu Sadhu named Swami Pushpendra Swaroop was attacked and injured by two assailants at his ashram in Hoshiarpur, Punjab. He was resting alone around 10 pm when the duo climbed the wall, entered the ashram, and attacked Swami Pushpendra with sharp-edged weapons.

He was then rushed to a local hospital. The Sadhu informed the police that the unidentified assailants tied his hands and feet, prior to attacking him. The duo also tried to strangle him, before fleeing the crime scene with ₹50,000 and some other items from the Ashram. “I pleaded them to spare my life and take the money instead. But, they continued to injure me”, Swami Puspendra recounted. He was also hit on his head with a weapon that aggravated his injuries.

According to reports, the condition of the seer remains critical.

More details: OpIndia

Pakistan: Govt Destroys Hindu Homes by bulldozer

Gorakhpur: Shops of Gorakhnath Temple Broken and Cleared for Making Way for Four Lane Road

Congress Party is eying Hindu temples gold

Congress Party member and former CM of Maharashtra, Prithviraj Chavan has demanded that government should take over “One trillion dollars worth of gold” lying with various Devasthans (Hindu temples) during the current economic crisis! These gold have been donated by Hindus to the temples over the past several generations. [Ref: PGurus]

The above demand deserves to be strongly condemned. It has long been argued that temple donations in Hindu temples should be utilized properly for the benefit of Hindus all across India. But on the other hand, governments run by pseudo secular parties have been taking over temple funds for miscellaneous usage. 

For example, when Kashmiri Pandits and Hindus were driven out of Kashmir, why were Hindu temple trusts all across our country not allowed to contribute money so that these people could be helped? Kashmiri Pandits became refugees inside our own country and there are scores of Kashmiri Pandits still living in refugee camps. Why should not be temple funds used to help them? 

The problem is that most of the big Hindu temples are controlled by government and hence politicians are controlling how temples would spend the donation funds. 

Congress party should stop eyeing Hindu temple funds and it should stop showing anti-Hindu tendencies regularly. 

Bangladesh: Hindu Temple Vandalised

Unknown miscreants vandalized and looted a Hindu temple before desecrating an idol of a goddess in Rangamati district town on Tuesday night.

The incident took place at Sree Sree Mogdeswari temple and it came to light on Wednesday morning, when a member of the temple committee went there to clean it, said Kabir Hossain, officer-in-charge (OC) of Kotwali police station.

He said the gold ornaments on the idol and money from the donation box of the temple were looted.

Locals staged a demonstration in front of the temple protesting the incident.

Source: DT

Palghar Lynching Case: Lawyer Representing Victims Dies in Car Accident

A day after the Maharashtra Police arrested 18 more people in connection to the Palghar lynching case, one of the lawyers who was handling the case was killed in a car accident.

Advocate Digvijay Trivedi, who was a part of the legal team representing the VHP sadhus killed in last month’s mob lynching case, was on Wednesday morning travelling with co-counsel Preeti Trivedi in a car on Mumbai-Ahmedabad national highway (NH 48) when the incident took place.

Digvijay was killed on the spot, while his colleague Preeti Trivedi was taken to the nearby hospital in critical condition.

Speculations were that it could be a premeditated attack. The VHP has reportedly demanded CID to probe into the matter. Further investigation is underway.

Details: India.com

Pakistan: Minor Hindu girl abducted and forcibly converted to Islam

A minor Hindu girl was abducted and forcibly converted to Islam in Pakistan by Islamic cleric Mian Mithoo. 

The controversial cleric can be seen forcing the minor girl to embrace Islam in a viral video. The minor Hindu girl, Kavita Kumari, was recently abducted from the Ghotki area of Sindh province. The video was shared by Pakistani human rights activist Rahat Austin.

Source: TOI

Mewat, Haryana: Atrocities against Hindus on the Rise

While voicing concern over the rise in alleged attacks by "Jihadi elements" in the border areas of Bihar, the VHP petitioned the Governor. In Haryana, it sent a three-member team to probe "atrocities" against Hindus in Mewat, which has a large number of Meo Muslims.

Tablighi Jamaat, which recently courted controversy over its big event in Delhi, adding to the coronavirus spread, traces its origin to the Mewat region. The VHP alleged that Jamaatis were later sheltered in Mewat.

According to the VHP, among the atrocities are cases where no Hindu businessman dares to recover his petty dues from a Muslim and is beaten up for doing so and that a Hindu boy's shikha (lock of hair) was made a point of indecent remarks on May 12. His family was severely beaten by 200 people for protesting this treatment.

https://www.deccanherald.com/national/atrocities-against-hindus-in-bihar-haryana-vhp-837741.html 

USA: Joe Biden expresses concern over targeting of Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan

US Presidential candidate and former Vice-President Joe Biden has expressed concern over the targeting of Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan, especially after the attack on Gurdwara Har Rai Sahib, and suggested they will be given refugee status in America if he was elected President.

Biden recalled when, in the mid-1990s, the Taliban sought to make Sikhs and Hindus wear yellow to identify them as non-Muslims. The recent attack against Afghanistan’s Sikh community demonstrates once again the dangerous conditions for religious minorities, he said, while accusing Trump of ending America’s refugee policy of welcoming people fleeing violence and persecution.

Detailed news: TI

Nepal: Christian Missionary Pastor using Hindu Name Arrested in Nepal for Spreading Misinformation on Covid19

A pastor has been arrested in Nepal on charges of giving false information by saying that prayer could heal COVID-19. Pastor's name is Keshab Raj Acharya which is typically a "Hindu name". His wife also uses a Hindu surname of "Acharya". 

Even pastor Mukunda Sharma who is executive secretary of the Nepal Christian Society has kept a Hindu Name. 

This trend of Christian Missionaries keeping Hindu names in Hindu dominating countries and then indulging in the business of religious conversions should be denounced. Thorough probe should be done to expose the source of funding of such missionaries. 

Related news

Kerala: Govt's Plans to Live-Stream Temple Rituals Opposed

Hindu religious leaders and Tantric scholars have condemned the statement of Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran that the government will explore the possibility of live streaming of various temple rituals, including those at Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple and Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple.

Mr. Surendran said temple rituals, especially during festive occasions, could be live streamed as in the case of Easter services held in churches. The matter would be discussed with all Devaswom boards, he said.

Sabarimala Ayyappa Seva Samajom president Akkeeramon Kalidasan Bahattathiripad said the Minister might have made such a statement out of ignorance on the unique tantric and ritualistic traditions and custom at various temples.

Mr. Bhattathirippad said the government should not venture into such misadventures. He said the government should stay away from matters relating to religious faith, ritualistic custom and tradition attached to various places of worship. The Minister should keep in mind that not even electricity was permitted inside the sanctum sanctorum, he said.

Source: TH

Tamil Nadu: State Govt Orders Hindu Temples to Transfer Rs 10 Crores to Govt Fund; Withdraws the Order After High Court Hearing

The Tamil Nadu state government asked 47 temples to donate total of rupees 10 crores to the CM Relief Fund to fight Chinese coronavirus. But on the other hand, no such circular was made to other religions and in fact recently the state government had ordered the distribution of 5,450 tonnes of free rice to 2,985 mosques of the state ocosting about Rs 11 crore. News source: OpIndia,

It should be noted that most big Hindu temples are already under state governments control through temple trusts and govt collects huge revenue from the donations made at the temple. The donation money could be used for propagation of Hindus' Sanatan dharma. And it is not so for other religions. 

The matter was taken the court and the Madras High Court found it "not legally tenable". After that, the Department’s issued a fresh circular immediately withdrawing its 22 April order. 

News Source: Swarajya

Tirupati: 1,300 workers jobless amid coronavirus outbreak

Well known to be one of India's richest Hindu shrine, Tirupati Balaji temple in Andhra Pradesh ends contract with 1,300 workers amid the coronavirus outbreak. It is reportedly said that the staffers were taking care of the temple's sanitation and were told not to report for work from May 1.

It is reportedly said the firm, that supplied the workers was intimated that the contract, which allegedly expired on April 30, would not be renewed. Y V Subba Reddy, the chairman of the temple's trust told a media organisation that their services were discontinued.

Since the temple trust is managed indirectly by the state government, we request state government not to make these people jobless. Tirupati temple trust has no lack of funds and Crores of donation is given to it by Hindus from all over the country. Let us not make a bad example by firing poor workers during this crisis situation. 

Source: Yahoo

Bengaluru: Woman who converted to Hinduism and married a Hindu man, dies along with husband

The bodies of a Bihar couple, who allegedly committed suicide on Friday, were cremated in the presence of just two family members on Saturday. 

On Friday night, Rahul, 30 and his wife Rani, 30, residents of Dayananda Road, were found dead in their house. While Rani was found hanging, Rahul had allegedly consumed poison. 

Police said the couple’s was an inter-religious marriage and Rani had changed her name after the wedding. A probe revealed the couple had tied the knot against their families’ will. They were working in a garment shop in the city. Though the reason behind the suicides is yet to be ascertained.

Rani’s younger brother Ahmed Raphal, who works in a shop in Commercial Street visited the police station to identify the bodies. 

Source: TOI

USA: Harvard’s ‘racist and evocative cartoon’ on Hinduism

The Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) wrote a letter to Harvard University expressing outrage regarding a deeply racist and highly evocative cartoon on Hinduism.

On April 23, 2020, the Harvard University Press (HUP) tweeted an announcement regarding Dr. Ajantha Subramanian’s upcoming virtual talk titled “Meritocracy and Democracy: The Social Life of Caste in India,” which also featured guest speaker TM Krishna.

In promoting the talk by Dr. Subramanian, HUP failed to review the contents of the link, which contained a gory cartoon depicting a Hindu religious figure holding holy books while adding ingredients to a traditional mill stone and conjuring up a skeleton from the ingredients, crushing many black human figurines and killing them or throwing them into what seems to be waves of fire. One black figurine is also seen holding on to the feet of the religious figure in a desperate attempt to save itself, according to a press release by CoHNA.

Interestingly, the image is not from the book but was specifically selected for the tweet and the promotion of the event.

“In our view, the use of the cartoon is prejudicial and sensationalist, and without providing that context of colonial critique, the cartoon seems to present a racist view of Hindus and can be seen as pejorative, and reinforces the kind of narratives that were created about Hinduism to justify colonial conquest and conversion,” stated Nikunj Trivedi, president of CoHNA.

Complete news and Source: NIT