Bengal’s ‘Op Sindoor’ Durga Puja Pandal Row, Sonam Wangchuk’s Arrest in Ladakh: Evening wrap

1/ West Bengal Durga Puja Row

In a shocking incident, a Durga Puja pandal themed on Operation Sindoor was forced to be pulled down in Chakfuldubi, South 24 Parganas because of the undue pressure of the local administration.

The 70-year-old Chakfuldubi Sarvajanin Durgotsav Committee had chosen the theme this year, with saffron décor inspired by the Indian Army’s 2025 military success.

Reports say local administration pressured the committee to abandon the theme. Allegations point at TMC Minister & Sagar MLA Bankim Chandra Hazra.

As per reports, the secretary of the committee is a TMC panchayat member, but some members belong to BJP—leading to factional clashes.

In protest, the committee returned the ₹1.1 lakh state grant given to all puja committees by the Mamata govt this year.

The partly-built pandal is now being dismantled. Rituals will continue in the temple, but puja won’t be formally inaugurated this year.

Local BJP leader Bikash Kamila said, “People are angry. The 70-year-old puja has been reduced to just rituals due to the minister’s diktat.”

TMC denies pressure, claiming the theme was dropped due to “high cost” despite reports pointing out that the pandal was already near completion, raising questions over TMC’s claims.

Meanwhile, in Kolkata, a grand Operation Sindoor pandal at Santosh Mitra Square, organized by BJP councillor Sajal Ghosh, was inaugurated today by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

2/ Ladakh protests Update: Sonam Wangchuk arrested under National Security Act

Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk has been arrested under NSA on charges of inciting demonstrators who were peacefully demanding statehood for Ladakh & Sixth Schedule inclusion.

Two days ago, the Ministry of Home Affairs officially blamed Wangchuk’s “provocative speeches,” citing his references to Arab Spring & Nepal Gen Z protests as triggers for mob fury.

Violence on Sept 24 saw the Leh BJP office & govt vehicles torched.

Authorities imposed curfew in Leh after clashes. Wangchuk called off his two-week hunger strike on Sept 25.

Day after violence, the government cancelled the FCRA licence of Wangchuk’s NGO SECMOL, citing multiple violations.

Claiming innocence, Wangchuk has dubbed govt action as “scapegoating”.

Parallel dialogue with Leh Apex Body & Kargil Democratic Alliance ongoing through HPC & subcommittees despite unrest.

3/ Tamil Nadu Industries Minister TRB Raja strokes regional divide rhetoric alleging Patriarchy in North

Speaking at Ethiraj College Tamil Nadu Industries TRB Raja stroked regional divide by alleging Patriarchy. He ranted, “In TN, women are asked where you work. In North India, where does your husband work? Took TN a century of reform.”

Soon DMK leader TKS Elangovan also came out in support of Raja, saying, “Women in North India are often confined at home due to Manusmriti influence. DMK worked to empower women.”

Hitting back at the DMK Minister, BJP’s Shehzad Poonawalla said, “DMK insults again—after ‘Bihar beedi’, ‘DNA abuse’, ‘toilet cleaning’ remarks. Now women of UP-Bihar are insulted. Why is Tejashwi silent?”

Ex-Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan also slammed the DMK leaders’ remark saying, “Cheap politics. How can religion be linked with progress? Even TN women won’t accept this discrimination.”

Earlier in March, TN Minister Durai Murugan courted outrage, ranting: “In North India, one woman can marry 5 or 10 men. Five men can marry one woman. That is their culture.”

4/ Canada: Released on bail, Sikh separatist Inderjeet Singh Gosal issues threat to India, NSA Ajit Doval

Sikh Separatist Inderjeet Singh Gosal walked free from Ontario’s Central East Correctional Centre on Sept 25 despite serious firearm charges.

Soon after release, he appeared with SFJ terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and issued threats targeting India’s NSA Ajit Doval.

Gosal declared support for Pannun, threatening to push the November 23 “referendum” ranting, “Delhi Banega Khalistan”.

Gosal was arrested Sept 19 in Ontario with 2 others; they were booked for multiple firearm offences including careless use, illegal possession & concealed weapon.

Court hearings in Oshawa indicated possible prison terms, but the swift bail raises serious concern of soft stance of the Canadian authorities and the arrest being a mere “hog wash”.

Gosal was earlier arrested in Nov 2023 for a violent clash at Brampton’s Hindu Sabha Mandir; freed on immediate bail.

Pannun, head of banned Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), faces charges in India for attempting to undermine sovereignty.

His recent provocation: announcing ₹11 crore “bounty” to block Independence Day flag-hoisting at Delhi’s Red Fort.

Gosal, seen as Pannun’s key aide in Canada after Nijjar’s killing; manages SFJ’s organisational network.

5/ “The very erection of Babri mosque was the fundamental act of desecration”: Former CJI DY Chandrachud

While interviewing Former CJI DY Chandrachud, left leaning journalist Sreenivasan Jain attempted to paint the Hindu community as a villain. Continuing his rant against the Hindus, the leftist journalist alleged Hindus were “rewarded” for illegal acts while Muslims were “punished” for not contesting the outer courtyard. To which the Former CJI retorted sharply.

Chandrachud, who was on the Constitutional bench in 2019 Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi case, asserted: “The original act of desecration was erecting a mosque over temple ruins.”

Chandrachud said critics cherry-pick history, ignoring archaeological & documentary evidence presented before the court.

When Jain claimed that no proof exists of temple demolition, Chandrachud pointed to ASI findings: “Adequate evidence from excavations showed a Hindu structure beneath the mosque.”

He stressed the verdict was purely on law & evidence, not faith: “Criticism comes from those who haven’t read the judgment.”

6/ ‘I Love Mohammad’ poster row stirs unrest in Bareilly

Tensions flared in Uttar Pradesh’s city Bareilly on Friday after the Ittehad-e-Millat Council chief Maulana Tauqeer Raza had called for protests post-Friday prayers.

Heavy security, drone surveillance and flag march in the city. Yet unrest broke out near Islamia Maidan as the crowd insisted on marching.

Protesters clashed with police, raised slogans & resorted to stone-pelting. Police retaliated with lathicharge to disperse the mob.

7/ Rajasthan: Hanif Khan arrested for spying for ISI, accused of selling information on ‘Operation Sindoor’

Police in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, have arrested another ISI spy, Hanif Khan, working for the Pakistani intelligence agency.

Hanif Khan, the ISI spy, is a resident of Bahla village in Jaisalmer.

He is accused of sending sensitive information related to the Indian Army to Pakistan in exchange for money.

Khan was arrested by CID Intelligence on September 25, 2025.

He is also accused of passing on details of army movements to his Pakistani handler during ‘Operation Sindoor’.

He had links with the ISI through social media and closely monitored army activities near the India-Pakistan border.

After concrete evidence was recovered from his mobile phone, he was arrested and a case was registered against him under the Official Secrets Act, 1923.

This is the fourth arrest for espionage in Jaisalmer this year.

8/ A major terror plot was foiled in Manipur as the Assam Rifles defused an IED in Kakching.

With the assistance of the police, the Assam Rifles successfully recovered and neutralized an improvised explosive device (IED).

The IED was found near Wangu Lamkhai Road in Kakching district of Manipur.

The recovered IED weighed 8.467 kilograms and contained materials such as TNT and detonators.

Bomb disposal experts of the Assam Rifles skillfully defused the device, averting a major threat to civilian lives.

This operation followed the September 23 arrest of 9 militants from whom a large cache of weapons and IEDs had been seized.

9/ Allahabad High Court has dismissed LOP Rahul Gandhi’s petition, and the case regarding his remarks on Sikhs will now proceed in Varanasi court.

The Allahabad High Court rejected Rahul Gandhi’s petition challenging the order of the MP/MLA court. According to the High Court’s decision, the matter will now continue with a fresh hearing in the District Court (lower court) of Varanasi.

A single bench of Justice Sameer Jain had reserved the verdict on September 3 after hearing arguments from all sides.

This case is linked to a statement Rahul Gandhi made during his visit to the United States.

The complaint filed by Nageshwar Mishra was admitted for hearing on July 21, 2025, by the Special Judge (MP/MLA) in Varanasi.

Rahul Gandhi had stated that “Sikhs in India are not allowed to wear turbans and kara (iron bracelet), nor are they permitted to visit Gurudwaras,” which hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community.

10/ Bengaluru: 41 members of a pro-Kannada organization were arrested for forcibly entering and disrupting the ‘Hindi Diwas’ event.

At a five-star hotel on Racecourse Road in Bengaluru, the capital of Karnataka, members of a pro-Kannada organization stormed into the ‘Hindi Prachar Sabha’ event and created chaos.

The protest was carried out alleging that Hindi is being imposed on non-Hindi speaking states.

The ‘Hindi Prachar Sabha’ event was organized by the Parliamentary Committee on Official Language of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Six Members of Parliament were also present at the program.

On September 25, 2025, around 30 to 40 members of the pro-Kannada organization forcibly entered the venue.

The police immediately reached the spot, detained those creating a disturbance, and brought the situation under control.

A total of 41 protesters were arrested and presented before the First ACJM Court, from where they were sent to judicial custody.