Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Friday said his government has decided to shut down liquor shops in 17 holy towns in the state. The decision was taken at the cabinet meeting held during the day in Khargone, he added. The 17 towns consist of one municipal corporation, six nagar palikas (municipalities), six nagar parishads (urban councils) and six village panchayats. "In the first step to bring about an end to drinking in the state, liquor vends in 17 holy towns will be shut down. These shops will not be shifted elsewhere. Liquor shops will be completely shut in Ujjain Municipal Corporation limits," the chief minister told reporters. The areas in which liquor vends will be shut down are part of Datia, Panna, Mandla, Multai, Mandsaur and Maihar nagar palikas, as well as Omkareshwar, Maheshwar, Mandleshwar, Orchha, Chitrakoot and Amarkantak nagar parishads, Yadav informed. The six village panchayats are Salkanpur, Barman Kala, Linga, Kundalpur, Bandakpur and Barmankhurd,
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said on Tuesday that we should do away with the VIP culture, particularly in temples, as the very idea of VIP darshan militates against divinity. He also called upon the people to rise above the politics of disruption and help the country reach its objective of a developed India by 2047. "When precedence is accorded and priority is given to someone -- when we label it as VVIP or VIP -- this is belittling the concept of equality. VIP culture is an aberration. It is an incursion. When viewed on the anvil of equality, it should have no place in society, much less in religious places," said Dhankhar. The Vice President was launching the country's largest 'queue complex' at Sri Manjunatha Temple here. The facility is known as 'Shri Saanidhya'. While delivering his keynote address, Dhankhar criticised the tendency prevailing in today's political milieu, where people, instead of engaging in dialogue, disrupt democratic values. According to him, the politic
After the consecration ('Pran Pratishtha') of the Ram temple at Ayodhya on January 24, numerous temple-mosque disputes mushroomed in Uttar Pradesh (UP) in 2024. They culminated in Sambhal where four lives were lost after a court-ordered survey of Shahi Jama Masjid which Hindu groups claimed was the site of an ancient temple. Here is a brief recap of religious disputes that surfaced this year in UP: SAMBHAL: Sambhal has been in the eye of the storm since November 19, when a Mughal-era mosque was surveyed on court orders following claims that a Harihar temple previously stood at the site. Violence erupted during a second survey on November 24 as protesters gathered near the Shahi Jama Masjid and clashed with security personnel. Four people were killed and several injured in the violence. BUDAUN: A Hindu outfit has moved a local court seeking permission to offer prayers at the Jama Masjid Shamsi, claiming it to be a temple. The court asked the Muslim side on Tuesday to conclude their
President Droupadi Murmu also extended her greetings to the nation on the eve of the New Year
The district administration's denial of permission for the fireworks display during 'Vela Ezunnallippu', a traditional ritual, at the famed Paramekkavu and Thiruvambady temples here has sparked a row with the shrine managements viewing it as a "test dose" to destroy the iconic Thrissur Pooram. The Additional District Magistrate (ADM) here on Friday issued an order denying permission for the fireworks display in connection with the annual ritual citing the new amendment to the union government's Explosive Rules and based on reports of various state government departments in accordance with that. The Vela Ezunnallippu ritual and the related fireworks display of the two temples are scheduled in January first week. In the order, the district administration stated that there is no physical circumstance to carry out the fireworks display in the area and it may pose a threat to the life and property of the public. The opinion of concerned investigating officers that the fireworks should n
Police personnel were deployed outside the Lord Shiv and Hanuman temple which reopened after 1978 and a prayer ceremony (aarti) was performed on Sunday morning
India on Monday raised concerns over 'regrettable incidents' of attacks on minorities in Bangladesh, which Dhaka dismissed as 'misleading and false information' as their foreign secretaries met
Three Hindu temples were vandalised by a slogan-shouting mob on Friday in Bangladesh's Chattogram which has witnessed protests and violence since a former ISKCON member was booked under sedition charges. The attack took place around 2:30 pm in the port city's Harish Chandra Munsef Lane, where the Shantaneshwari Matri Temple, the nearby Shoni Temple, and the Shantaneshwari Kalibari Temple were targeted, news portal BDNews24.com reported. "A group of several hundred slogan-shouting people threw brickbats at the temples, damaging the Shoni Temple and the gates of the other two temples," the news portal quoted temple authorities as saying. Kotwali Police Station chief Abdul Karim confirmed the attack, saying that assailants attempted to damage the temples. Police, however, said the damage to the temples was minimal after the confrontation between the two sides, with both groups throwing brickbats at each other, it added. Tapan Das, a permanent member of the Shantineshwari Main Temple
A Rajasthan court on Wednesday accepted a petition by a right-wing outfit claiming Ajmer's Dargah Sharif was a Shiva temple in a growing list of Muslim religious sites under dispute
A violent confrontation occurred outside the Hindu Sabha temple on November 4 when a pro-Khalistani group gathered nearby to mark the 40th anniversary of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in India
As per the statement, police began investigating several offences that occurred during the demonstration, many of which were captured on video; including individuals using flags and sticks for assault
Hindu temples in Canada have recently become targets of attacks, ranging from graffiti with inflammatory slogans, acts of property damage, to clashes between groups
Videos circulating on social media platforms show the protesters holding banners supporting Khalistan and confronting visitors to the Hindu temple
Incident happened weeks after Ottawa expelled six Indian diplomats, linking them to the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in 2023 in Canada
Canadian Member of Parliament further expressed concerns that Khalistani extremists are taking advantage of Canada's freedom of expression laws
The Supreme Court said that India is a secular nation, and its orders regarding bulldozer operations and anti-encroachment initiatives will apply to all citizens, regardless of their religious beliefs
Bipartisan lawmakers across the US have strongly condemned the vandalism at a Hindu temple here and called for an investigation into the incident, asserting that America must stand together against all forms of hate. The road and the signage outside the BAPS Swaminarayan Temple in Melville, New York, were sprayed with expletives on Monday, according to footage shared online. The BAPS Public Affairs said in a post on X that it was deeply saddened by the desecration of the temple, calling it an act aimed at inciting hatred against Hindus". "Today, local, state & federal leaders gathered to promote peace, respect and unity. Guided by our faith, we stand united against hate with compassion and solidarity, it said. Melville is located in in Suffolk County, on Long Island and is about 28 kilometres from the 16,000-seater Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address a mega community event on September 22. US lawmakers across party lines ...
The Indian Consulate in New York sharply criticised vandalism at the BAPS Swaminarayan Temple in Melville, New York.
This year Purnima Shraddha 2024 falls from September 17. Shraddha, or Pitru Paksha, is marked over a period of sixteen days when auspicious rituals such as Pind Daan are performed
The Hindu side in the Gyanvapi mosque case on Wednesday requested a court here to allow the ASI to dig in the premises for a survey, a lawyer said. The judge fixed the next date of hearing as September 18 on the petition demanding ASI survey of the remaining parts of the Gyanvapi complex, the lawyer said. The representatives of the Muslim side were present in the court and are expected to put forth their views on the matter during the next hearing. Civil Judge Senior Division Fast Track Court Jugal Shambhu fixed the fresh date after hearing the Hindu side, said advocate Madan Mohan Yadav, representing the Hindu side in the case. "The Hindu side completed its argument in the matter. We have also requested to allow the ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) to dig in the premises for the survey," said Yadav. Yadav said the Hindu side has argued that the original place of Jyotirlinga is in the middle under the dome of the alleged mosque located in the Gyanvapi complex. Geographical wa