Abu Asim Azmi attacked in Assembly for taking oath in Hindi

Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Asim Azmi was thrashed in the Maharashtra assembly by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) MLAs for taking oath in Hindi.

Azmi had earlier announced that he respects Marathi but would take oath in Hindi, which is the national language. Today as he stood up for taking oath, he was surrounded by MNS legislators.

The MLAs of MNS thrashed, hit and kicked Azmi for continuing to speak in Hindi. Their hooliganism continued and they snatched the mike and threw it. The incident of not letting an elected representative speak in Hindi, sent shockwaves across the country.

MNS supremo Raj Thackeray had earlier said that all the MLAs should take the oath in Marathi alone. MNS had earlier been responsible for widespread attacks on North Indians, especially people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar who were living in Mumbai.

The question is that for how long will flimsy conflicts over linguistic, communal, casteist and regional issues continue to dog this nation and keep hurting the citizens. Meanwhile, the real issues remain sidelined and we all suffer.

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Hardline Hindutva: Terror grips Goa, 2 killed in bomb blast

When the country was relieved because of a decline in terrorist attacks for the last few months, suddenly there was a resurgence of Maoist violence. Now it's the so-called 'Hindu terrorism' that shows signs of resuscitation.

The blast that killed two workers of the right-wing Hindu group, Sanathan Saunstha, suggests that the threat of extremist Hindu outfits can't be overlooked. The activists linked to the Sanstha were caught for planting bombs in Mumbai and Thane earlier.

In Goa, IEDs were planted at other places but were fortunately diffused. This particular bomb went off prematurely in Margaon and as a result the two persons, Malgondi Patil and Yogesh Naik, died. But for the peaceful residents of Goa, it is a shocking development.

Why should fundamentalist groups choose Goa. Which gathering they waned to target. What was their objective behind the blasts. Did they want to establish a strong base in Goa, where they could have evaded police and intelligence.

The organisation workers have links with another militant outfit, Abhinav Bharat led by Pragya Thakur, which was blamed for the bomb blasts in Malegaon. There are several questions and the police have to find out answers.

After all, what incited the organisation's workers to make bombs? Radical outfits belonging to any religion or ideology must not be allowed to spread their tentacles and the government should act tough against such groups irrespective of their political affiliations--be they left-wing Naxalites, Muslim militants or Hindu hardliners.

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Indian Taliban: Diktat against marriages within 'Gotra'

The Panchayats of North Indian states have emerged as the desi versions of Taliban but their mindless acts evoke little response despite the hazard they pose to our society.

If a young girl and boy who belong to same clan marry, the Panchayats don't think twice before ordering their execution. Ved Pal and Shilpa were not cousins. They just belonged to same khap (clan).

This was enough for the elders to not just issue the diktat of their deaths. But they killed Ved Pal. This happened even after the case had reached the High Court.

In the name of honour, customs and traditions, young couples in Haryana, western UP and parts of Punjab, have been facing threats to life and are killed. Ironically this dastardly practice gets social sanction.

Police fail to act due to popular support to such regressive and barbarian traditions. The Jats and Gujjars are most vocal on this issue and don't want any intervention in their 'culture'. For them marriage within the Gotra is anathema, even if it is lawful.

In this part of Northern India, umpteen such murders take place. The administration remains apathetic and political class turns askance. Hindustan Times' Vikas Pathak and Satvir S Sarwari have covered the issue of 'honour killings'.

The report titled 'Honourable murderes in Haryana' should serve as an eye-opener to us. How thugs hijack our system. It's shameful as couples keep getting lynched, for no fault of theirs.

The growing influence of these panchayats in 21st century is a shame and the courts along with national commissions and the polity must act, to put an end to the local Taliban.

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