Page 3 - Minorities

NIA raids 8 locations in J-K terror conspiracy hatched to target minorities

According to the case, the terror outfits used the cyber-space to target minorities, security personnel and spread communal disharmony in Jammu and Kashmir

Pak police form special unit for security of minorities, religious places

Amid increasing attacks on religious minorities in Pakistan, the Islamabad Police on Thursday constituted a 70-member special unit for the "protection of minority places of worship and communities" in the national capital. "Seventy jawans (policemen) have been posted in the Minority Protection Unit'," the Islamabad Police said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. It said all district police officers will be responsible for the protection of minority places of worship and communities in their areas. The unit, established as per the recommendations of the National Minorities Commission, will perform its duties under the supervision of SSP operations. "Liaison with minority committees will be strengthened at each divisional level, the police added. It further stated that the unit policemen have also been selected from the recent recruitment for the Minority Protection Unit. The move comes a day after an enraged mob ransacked and torched 21 churches and several houses of Christ

Missteps in Manipur may introduce dangerous dynamics in NE politics

Any demand for a separate ethnic state for the Zo people carved out of India, Myanmar and Bangladesh could rapidly worsen the security situation in India's northeast

Govt goes into pantomime mode to assuage foreign critics

Political observers will do their own math to explain what might have led to such an unusual alignment of political correctness

Left, Congress instilling fear among minorities on UCC: Chandrasekhar

UCC is a common set of laws dealing with marriage, inheritance adoption and other matters and not based on religion

Minorities more safe, secure in India than in US: ex-VP Venkaiah Naidu

Secularism is in the blood of Indian people, former vice president Venkaiah Naidu has said, asserting that minorities are more safe and secure in India than in many countries including in the US. Naidu, 74, addressed a gathering of Indian Americans at a reception hosted in his honour by the National Council of Asian Indian Associations in the Greater Washington DC area on Monday. All propaganda is going on (against India). Certain sections of the Western media also. They joined this propaganda about India, about the security and safety of minorities. I want to tell those people that minorities are more safe and secure in India than here, he said. You see what's happening in India and what's happening in other countries. But, you know, discrimination is going on, he said. Naidu has been in the US for the last few days. Over the weekend, he addressed a gathering of Indian American doctors in Philadelphia. He said India respects its minorities. Those who wanted to go to Pakistan hav

'Minority communities benefitted most from welfare schemes under Modi govt'

Bharatiya Janata Party's minority cell national general secretary Sufi M K Chishty has claimed Muslims and people from other minority communities benefitted the most from welfare schemes during the last nine years of the Narendra Modi government. Addressing a rally in Bhiwandi town of Maharashtra's Thane district on Saturday to highlight works done by the Modi government, Chishty also criticised the Congress, claiming it only gave assurances to the people during its 50 years of governance but did not do any work on the ground. Chishty said Muslims and people from other minority communities benefited from various schemes of the Modi government, including those for providing housing, health benefits and pertaining to the welfare of farmers. "Till 2014, only 4.5 per cent Muslims were government employees, and the figure has gone up to 10.5 per cent in the last nine years," he said. The BJP and the Modi government do not indulge in differentiation of people on the basis of caste, creed

Welfare programmes for minorities to be resumed: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah

A delegation of the Central Council of the Minority Muslim Thinkers, Chavadi, of Karnataka State met him on Friday and discussed various issues, said the government

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Democracy is in our veins, no discrimination against minorities: PM Modi

Asserting that democracy is "in our spirit...and flows in our veins", Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said there is no question of discrimination in India on the grounds of caste or religion because his government follows the Constitution, which is formed on the basic values of democracy. Responding to a question at a joint press conference with US President Joe Biden after their comprehensive deliberations, Modi also strongly defended India's record on democracy and his government's performance and human rights, saying that the basic foundation stone of his government has been 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas' which means together for everyone's growth, with everyone's trust. "India is a democracy. And as President Biden said democracy is in the DNA of both India and America. Democracy is in our spirit. Democracy flows in our veins. We live democracy. Our forefathers moulded it in words, which we call the Constitution. Our government runs on the ...

Crime within Palestinian minority reaches new heights under Netanyahu govt

A relentless wave of violent crime within Israel's Palestinian minority is turning cities and towns into bloody battlefields, exasperating a community feeling increasingly forsaken by Israeli authorities. Anger over the mounting insecurity is directed at Israel's government and its ultranationalist minister in charge of police, Itamar Ben-Gvir. Critics say that with his history of anti-Arab rhetoric, he cannot be trusted to combat the rising scourge. The skyrocketing violence lays bare the deep inequities in Israeli society, with Arabs facing years of discrimination that activists say laid the groundwork for the unabating bloodshed. More than 100 people have been killed in violent crime in Arab communities this year, nearly three times higher than at the same time last year, according to the Abraham Initiatives, a group that promotes Jewish-Arab coexistence and safe communities. It also is more than three times the murder rate in the majority Jewish sector, according to official ..

Targeted killing of minorities: NIA raids multiple locations in J-K

The National Investigation Agency has been conducting raids at multiple locations in Jammu and Kashmir in cases related to terror activities of chiefs and members of proscribed terrorist organizations

India's best era is coming: PM Modi at BJP national executive meet

Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked BJP members to reach out to every section of society, including minorities such as Bohras, Pasmandas and Sikhs, without electoral considerations, party sources said

Minorities Commission to meet on Jan 17 to resolve Jain shrine issue

The National Commission for Minorities has summoned the Union environment secretary and Jharkhand chief secretary after taking cognisance of representations made by Jain community

Minorities face little bias in labour markets

The major religious minorities - Muslims and Christians - have withdrawn from the labour markets more than the majority faith. But again, the difference is not alarming

Matter to have far-reaching ramifications, Centre on idenitfying minorities

The central government has sought more time from the Supreme Court to hold consultations with the state governments on petitions seeking to identify minorities, including Hindus, at the state level

'Not Sangh's nature': RSS poses no danger to minorities, says Bhagwat

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Wednesday said scare-mongering was being done by some that there was a danger to minorities, but asserted that this is neither the nature of the Sangh nor of Hindus. "The Sangh resolves to stand on the side of brotherhood, amity and peace, Bhagwat said at the RSS Dussehra rally in Nagpur. Raising concerns over inequality, he said "unless temples, water sources and cremation grounds are open to all Hindus, till such time the talk of equality will be a mere pipe dream". There should be no recurrence of Udaipur and Amravati incidents (where a tailor and a pharmacist were killed after they support suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma), Bhagwat said, adding that a particular community as a whole should not be taken as the root cause for it. The RSS chief the concept of "Hindu Rashtra" is being taken seriously. "Now, when the Sangh is receiving the affection and confidence of people and also has become strong, the concept of H

Popular Front of India: Understanding the organisation and the controversy

Created in 2007, the organisation describes itself as the "organisation that fights for the rights of minorities, Dalits, and marginalised communities".

US slams China on human rights violations against minorities in Xinjiang

The White House has slammed China for its continued violation of human rights against minority communities. White House Press Secretary Karen Jean-Pierre during her daily news conference on Thursday welcomed the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights report on Xinjiang that was released the previous night. The report said China's discriminatory detention of Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim ethnic groups in the western region of Xinjiang may constitute crimes against humanity. "The report deepens our grave concern regarding the ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity that China is perpetrating. Our position on the atrocities in Xinjiang has been clearly demonstrated with our words and in our actions," Jean-Pierre said. The Biden administration has taken concrete measures and the President has rallied allies and partners, including the G7, to ensure all global supply chains are free from the use of forced labour including from Xinjiang, she said. "We will continue to work closely

SC to hear plea alleging attacks on Christian institutions, priests

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear on "re-opening day itself" a plea alleging a rising number of attacks on Christian institutions and priests across the country