We all know that after demolishing the colony of poor #PakistaniHindu refugees, Jaisalmer administration in Rajasthan gave them 40 bigha land to resettle amid much chest-thumping
But do we know the ground reality?
Our @sewanyaya team visited the spot two days ago. A thread:
Tha land is uneven, full of pits and ditches. There is no road, no water, no resources to build houses.
Land is such they cannot build a shelter using bamboo and tarpaulin as they do in other places
Residents scared that children might fall in the ditch while playing as plot is on a rocky hill
As land is isolated, heavy winds flow. Structures of wooden poles and tarpaulin cannot withstand the pressure.
Inhuman
Many are living like this, under tilted cots, praying the harsh weather would protect them.
Some are building shelters out of rocks and bricks sourced from site of demolition.
Children developing rashes and skin problems due to the heat. Temperatures are crossing 40 degrees and it will worsen in coming weeks
The first thing our team @MBhosaleSpeaks of @sewanyaya did was to get stable thick cement sheets for sheltering all houses.
This was specifically and earnestly requests by residents.
So proud of Mayur toiling away in this heat for crucial sewa work
Next, we got water tanks to suffice for all families.
Water tanks are a boon for them as there is no access to direct water. They must store water that is made available through tankers. They were finding the tanks too expensive to afford
Watch the heartwarming video!
Our work at the camp continues. I sincerely thank all supporters of @sewanyaya, which is run by @SanjeevSanskrit and me, who enable us to do this crucial sewa for those who come to India as it’s their only homeland.
Yesterday, I visited Meerut’s Ambedkar Colony, where 30+ families have converted to Christianity
They attended Sunday prayer services at a pastor’s house till his arrest
We organized a Yajna-havan there. Deepest gratitude to those whose support made it possible
A thread 🧵
This largely Jatav community has seen rapid conversions over the past 8-9 years, mostly through dubious "medical healing" promises when healthcare costs became overwhelming
As missionaries face global backlash, they prey on the vulnerable in India
This is how it was done: ‘Sisters’ (nuns) would approach families battling illnesses, giving reference of a local resident
They assured that if the sick attended ‘prarthana sabhas’ at the pastor’s house, miraculous healing would follow
How did a conversion racket find its way in a posh colony full of retired police and army personnel in west Uttar Pradesh?
A couple of weeks ago, a conversion racket was busted in Vikas Enclave, a colony in Meerut, western UP
Here’s what I found on the ground 🧵
Vikas Enclave, located on Rohta Road in Meerut, is home to retired police and army personnel
For three months, residents were observing an unusual gathering at the first floor of a three-storey house on the corner of the colony
Every Sunday, 30-40 people would arrive around 10 am, staying for about two hours. House owner would tell the neighbours it was ‘satsang’
Picture of the corner house:
On October 20, following a tip-off, police and activists disrupted the meeting (video attached)
Around 30 women were gathered around a pastor and his wife with Bibles
They were learning about ‘miracle water’ that would heal them. They were being told that a church in Sardhana would cover their children’s wedding costs if they attended weekly services
Pastor Biju Mathew, who hails from Kerala, was taken into custody
A week later, he was formally charged under anti-conversion laws (FIR 646/2024 at Kankarkheda police station). Biju remains in judicial custody
Since I am among the privileged ones to receive an invite for #RamMandirPranPrathistha, let me live tweet my experience 😀
I had booked two flights from Delhi to Lucknow for today. Good decision as the other one got cancelled. One flight finally taking off after delay of 2 hours
Scenes at Lucknow airport
Was busy in my phone when I looked up from my car to see Jai Shri Ram flags and hoardings of #RamMandirPranPrathistha all throughout the road journey to Ayodhya
I booked the cab through an Ayodhya-based cab service which I had contacted during my two-week reporting in December
With only a day left for #RamJanmbhoomiMandir opening, you may like to read my series of ground reports from Ayodhya about the temple struggle since 1850s
I spent a good two weeks in Ayodhya to understand the movement
Below is a thread of all my reports with context 👇
Who are Bairagis, what is Ramkot, and what role Bairagis and Ayodhya’s most visited temple Hanuman Garhi played in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri conflict in 1850
When Babri was almost destroyed in 1934 and Hindus were fined en masse in Ayodhya. Many residents recalled their grandparents telling them about the hefty fine that made them sell their utensils
You see these kids dancing on Radhe Radhe? They are Hindu migrants from Pakistan living in Jodhpur; their families awaiting Indian citizenship
Living in slums where water is scarce, their houses and water tanks were demolished by govt. When @sewanyaya team visited this week +
They said they don’t play or dance or sing for fear of getting thirsty. It was heartbreaking
We gifted nine 1000-litre four-later water tanks that should suffice for a camp. We also organised a party where kids danced and played and had sharbat to their hearts’ content ❤️ twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Gujarat court has given a verdict that Hindu daughters of a woman, who remarried and had conversion-nikah, have no claim on their mother’s property
A thread on the case:
Ranjan Tripathi had three daughters from her husband, who was a govt employee. After his untimely death +
she got a govt job on compassionate grounds. Tripathi remarried, leaving her daughters with her in-laws. She had conversion-nikah with a Muslim man. Daughters filed a case in court to assert their rights on mother’s savings
Court said no, only the boy born out of her nikah is entitled to her assets