India

WEST BENGAL: Mamata Banerjee’s Bengal is fast becoming a massive riot-hit state for Hindu-Muslim conflicts. Four people have been killed and over eight have sustained injuries after a communal clash broke out between two communities in two villages of Nadia district of West Bengal on Monday afternoon. People killed in the violence include Maru Hajra, [...]

MADURAI/CHENNAI: Six brass idols and a spear were stolen from the 1,000-year-old Adhi Ratneswarar temple at Tiruvadanai in Ramanathapuram district on Monday night.  The idols stolen — of Vinayaka, Murugan, Bhavani, Sita, Chandrasekar (Shiva) and Soolapidari (Kali) — were one foot and two feet tall and belonged to the Pandya period. The theft was noticed [...]

Akhara culture, a traditional form of entertainment, is fast disappearing from the city due to the onslaught of TV, video culture and modern gymnasiums. “Ab pehalwan kahan hain? Logoon mai pehalwani ka shauk ab kahan raha. Akharey isliye tutatey ja rahein hain. (Where are the wrestlers now? Wrestling is not people’s hobby. Therefore, akharas are [...]

At least three incidents of attacks on elderly Brahmins which involved the forcible removal of their poonal (sacred thread) have been reported in Chennai in the last two days. After an attack on a Mylapore priest on Monday, two other attacks were reported in Triplicane and T Nagar. “They beat him up and threw away [...]

Around 80 Valmiki families on Thursday called off their agitation after a written assurance from the Uttar Pradesh government that it has no plan to demolish their “unauthorised” houses in Rampur. The Valmikis, who had donned skull caps on Ambedkar Jayanti to show their intent for converting to Islam in protest, said they were still [...]

Thousands of people caught in poverty because successive governments refuse to change their refugee status Laws mean that the West Pakistan Refugees living in Jammur and Kashmir cannot vote in elections or own property Hopes that election of Hindu nationalist party as a coalition partner could herald historic change for the community As healer Mangu [...]

American scholar David Frawley, considered a “vedic teacher”, on Friday sparked a row after he criticised Indian education system for not “extensively” teaching students about “ancient India”. He also drew objection from the member secretary of the Indian Council for Historical Research (ICHR) Gopinath Ravindran to his observation that there was a lack of proper [...]

Neemuch: At least 10 people suffered injuries in Madhya Pradesh’s Neemuch district when some micreants pelted stones at a religious procession being taken out on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti. Police said members of a specific group hurled stones at a religious procession. Soon both sides engaged in fighting, forcing police to lob tear gas [...]

The Belur Math complex at Howrah in West Bengal was rocked by a low intensity blast on Friday night.  According to sources, two crude bombs went off before the evening prayers around 5:30pm. The blast occurred near the shoes rack of the worshipers outside the main temple.  While no one was injured in the blast, [...]

Srinagar: Ram Navmi was Sunday celebrated with religious fervor and enthusiasm at Shri Ram Ji Mandir, Barbar Shah in Srinagar City while devotees carried out a Janki procession from Kathleshwar Mandir Habbakadal that passed through city centre Lal Chowk. The Hindu Welfare Society Kashmir (HWSK) had organized nine daylong celebrations at the Mandir. “The welfare [...]