Photos of Sikh Kirpan Factory Falsely Circulated On Social Media as PFI Stock of Swords
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, July 27: Last Thursday when a group of BJP youth wing workers were protesting on the streets here demanding a ban on Popular Front of India (PFI), another group of the saffron outfit was busy – off the streets – in fabricating a false story to malign the Muslim organization in order to strengthen their ban demand. They were circulating images of a Punjab warehouse of Sikh kirpans or swords as the stock of swords prepared by PFI to carry out attack on Hindus. Though a week later, they have been exposed in a media investigation.
A Facebook account that goes by the name of Bhagwa Diwane posted a collage of photos of the Sikh sword factory with a hateful and provocative comment in Hindi.
“सोते रहो हिन्दुओ तुम्हारे खिलाफ भीषण रक्तपात की तैयारी कर रहा हैं मुस्लिम समुदाय…!!
केरल मे पी.एफ़.आई के जेहादियों की असलाह की फ़ेक्ट्री पर छापा मारकर भारी मात्रा मे हथियारों का जखीरा पकड़ा गया है जहाँ से पूरे भारत की मस्जिद मदरसों और मुस्लिम बहुल इलाको मे हथियार भेजे जा रहे थे यह खबर आपको किसी न्यूज चैनल पर नहीं दिखायी जायेगी” (“Keep sleeping Hindus, Muslims are planning a bloodshed against you. During a PFI factory raid in Kerala, large quantities of weapons were recovered. The arms and ammunition were being supplied to mosques and madrasas in Muslim-dominated areas across India.”)
Very soon the post went viral until the falsehood was exposed. The post had made several false claims: “Police had raided PFI arms factory, and a huge quantity of swords were seized in the raids; these arms were to be sent to mosques, madrasas and Muslim areas; Muslim community is preparing for a bloodbath of Hindus.”
No Raids at PFI office, No Recovery of Swords: Kerala Police
The team of India Today contacted the Kerala police whose officer Anoop VR from the Hi-Tech Crime Enquiry Cell rebutted the facebook post as false.
“There has been no such raid against the PFI where swords have been recovered,” the Kerala police officer said.
PFI’s general secretary Muhammad Basheer said the post was an attempt to denigrate the organisation and PFI had brought the matter into the notice of the cyber cell.
“This is totally fake. It initially came as a Malayalam Facebook post. It’s yet another attempt to malign the image of our organisation,” Basheer of PFI said.
Basheer also shared the screenshots of the post in Malayam language where same kind of messages was circulated.
Photos were of a Sikh sword factory in Punjab’s Patiala district
Then, in search of the origin of the photos of swords factory, the media team reached Patiala district in Punjab. It was discovered that the images were taken from a local Sikh sword factory known as Khalsa Kirpan.
Bachan Singh, the owner of the factory, recalled and confirmed that the photos were of his warehouse and they were taken by a person who was among a group of tourists visiting his factory some years ago.
A worker standing at the Sikh sword factory in Patiala, Punjab (Photo – India Today)
“The store has been here for over 20 years now. We supply material to the whole of Punjab. These swords are given to honour our religious leaders and are also exchanged during fairs. People also keep them in their homes while tourists take them back as souvenirs,” Bachan Singh’s brother Shingara Singh said.
Swords are referred to as kirpans in the Sikh religion and members of the community also carry small-sized kirpans as one of the five articles of faith.
This was first published in caravandaily.com
Courtesy: www.indiatoday.in
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Former CJI Chandrachud addresses concerns over Umar Khalid’s detention
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New Delhi: Former Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, speaking at the Jaipur Literature Festival, addressed concerns over Umar Khalid’s prolonged detention. He said that the right to a speedy trial is part of Article 21 and argued that unless strict exceptions apply, bail must remain the constitutional norm, reported India Today.
A former JNU student, Umar Khalid has been in detention for almost five years as an undertrial prisoner, even though the trial has not yet started. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court of India granted bail to five students in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case, but denied bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the same case.
In a conversation with journalist Vir Sanghvi, Chandrachud addressed one of the most contentious bail debates in recent years by invoking the case of Umar Khalid, who has spent nearly five years in jail.
In conversation with journalist Vir Sanghvi at the festival, Chandrachud acknowledged the discomfort many feel about such long periods of detention.
“Each one of these principles which I have mentioned does point to the fact that you can impose conditions to ensure that bail is not abused,” he said, adding that courts must consider this alongside the accused’s right to a timely trial.
When Sanghvi mentioned about Khalid’s continued detention, Chandrachud said, “I’m not criticising my court,” explaining that he remained cautious about commenting on cases after having recently headed the judiciary.
He emphasised that judges must decide bail applications based on the evidence and material before them, not on public sentiment or retrospective judgement.
Furthermore he argued that the broader constitutional principle is clear. If trials are not concluded within a reasonable period, incarceration itself becomes punitive.
“The right to life under Article 21 includes the right to a speedy trial,” he said.
He added that even laws which place restrictions on bail cannot override this fundamental right. “If an expeditious trial is not possible under present conditions,” Chandrachud said, “then bail should be the rule and not the exception.”
The former Chief Justice also put aside the idea that the bail should be denied simply by invoking national security, saying courts have a responsibility to examine whether such claims are genuine and whether keeping an accused in prolonged custody is proportionate.
Without this scrutiny, individuals can remain in prison for years without conviction, which he described as a serious distortion of justice.
Responding to criticism of the judiciary, Chandrachud pointed out that during his tenure, the Supreme Court disposed of nearly 21,000 bail applications, many of which did not receive public attention. The court’s duty, he said, is not to respond to public anger but to preserve constitutional balance.
Chandrachud reiterated that bail can be denied only in specific circumstances: if there is a risk that the accused may repeat the offence, flee the country, or tamper with evidence.”If these exceptions are not made out, the accused is entitled to bail,” he added.
He also warned that turning bail into punishment undermines personal liberty and weakens trust in the justice system.
