The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh urged Hindus to “thwart the conspiracies of anti-Hindu and anti-national forces”, who it claimed were trying to exploit the case about the alleged embezzlement of donations made to the Ram temple in Ayodhya. The general secretary of the Hindutva organisation, Dattatreya Hosabale, said the alleged thefts from the donation boxes at the temple had “deeply hurt the sentiments and faith of the entire society and Ram devotees”.

He added that said the RSS expects the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which manages the temple, to treat the matter as an extraordinary one and “take effective steps to rectify all shortcomings in temple management and operations”.

This was the first public response of the RSS, the parent organisation of the Bharatiya Janata Party, since allegations emerged. Read on.

The RSS man at the centre of Ram temple trust’s controversial run in Ayodhya, reports Ayush Tiwari

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MLA Anitha R Radhakrishnan was arrested for allegedly making remarks about Chief Minister Vijay that the police claimed were defamatory. The action against the former minister came hours after the Madras High Court denied him anticipatory bail.

DMK president and former Chief Minister MK Stalin asked the new Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam government why there had been an “urgent need” to arrest Radhakrishnan. He also asked why similar urgency had not been shown against TVK MLA G Saravanan, who has been accused of supporting two men who allegedly raped a woman in May.

Radhakrishnan has been booked under sections pertaining to intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace and statements conducing to public mischief. Read on.

The Union government issued notices to messaging platforms Telegram and Signal seeking details about the safeguards they have put in place to prevent fraud and impersonation through username-based communication features. Such features could facilitate “scams, phishing, digital arrest frauds and identity impersonation”, said the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

The action came two days after the ministry asked WhatsApp to pause the rollout of a similar feature. “The rules apply to everyone,” said an official.

In Telegram’s case, the government has also asked why the platform should be allowed to continue offering the username feature. The companies have been given three days to respond. Read on.

The Delhi High Court directed the Union government’s Grievance Appellate Committee to decide within 15 days an appeal seeking the removal of a video by YouTuber Dhruv Rathee. He had noted in the video that Hindu scriptures said that deities such as Ram and Krishna consumed meat and alcohol.

Lawyer Amita Sachdeva had filed the appeal against it, alleging that the video was derogatory, inflammatory and communally sensitive. She has also filed a criminal complaint, alleging that Rathee distorted Hindu scriptures and “mocked the sanctity of Sanatan Dharma”. Read on.

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