A senior CPI (M) leader on Friday equated RSS with terror outfit Islamic State, alleging that Sangh was “targeting Hindus” criticising its ideology like ISIS which attacks Muslims who are opposing it in Iraq and Syria.

CPI(M) Kerala state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said recent incidents targeting writers, including Sudheendra Kulkarni, former BJP leader and aide to former deputy prime minister L K Advani, over a book written by former Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri in Mumbai were clear indication of “growing intolerance” under BJP-rule in the country.

“Secularism is facing a grave threat in our country. RSS is working like an Indian form of ISIS… RSS is targeting the Hindus propagating progressive ideas in the country. All such things are happening after BJP government came into power in our country,” Balakrishnan told reporters here referring to the ISIS attacks on Muslims in Iraq and Syria.

The CPI(M) politburo member alleged that people belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and the backward communities will be the next target of RSS.

Accusing the RSS of attempting to push forward through the BJP-led government at the Centre, its plans to scrap the reservation system, Balakrishnan said CPIM was of the view that the present reservation for jobs in the government sector and admission in educational institutions for SC, ST and Other backward sections has to continue.

He also said the economically weaker sections in the forward community also should be given reservation in jobs so that all the poor in the country would get social justice.

Balakrishnan flayed organisations like Sree Narayana Dharam Paripalana Yogam, an outfit of numerically strong backward Ezhava community and Indian Union Muslim League for “being silent” on the reservation issue.

At a time when the whole nation is debating on lynching of a man in Dadri, a truck driver in Himachal Pradesh was allegedly killed by a mob on Friday on suspicion of smuggling cattle.

The trucker’s four accomplices were apprehended by the Himachal Pradesh Police with the help of local people after nearly four hours of chase in the forests in Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh.

DSP Pachhad, Yogesh Rolta, said that five cow smugglers, who were attacked an injured by local people, were arrested and admitted to hospital.

A truck carrying five cows and 10 oxen was spotted by local people who chased the vehicle. Sensing trouble, the truck driver allegedly tried to smash one of the vehicles by hitting it from the rear, Rolta said. But when the police and people kept up the chase, the truck driver stopped the vehicle at Lawasa Chowki square and allegedly threw some cows out of truck, he said. One cow died on the spot while five others received grievous injuries.

Abandoning the truck, the five alleged cow smugglers took shelter in a nearby forest at Lawasa Chowki adjacent to Sarahan-Chandigarh road, said the DSP.

The police, with the help of local villagers, arrested all the five cow smugglers, after several hours of chase in the forest.

The villagers, who far outnumbered the policemen, beat up the alleged cow smugglers after they were overpowered, police sources said.

One of the arrested persons identified as Noman (28), a resident of Rampur village of Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, succumbed to his injuries in Sarahan hospital where he was taken.

A case of murder under Section 302 of IPC was registered on the complaint filed by one Imran, a relative of the deceased, by Pachhad police. The body of Noman has been sent for postmortem.

Bajrang Dal’s involvement is suspected in the lynching. An FIR has been registered and probe is on.

Rolta said that other four accused of cow smuggling, Mohd Nishu (37), driver of the truck, Guljar (22), Salman (20) and Gulfam (24), all residents of village Rampur of Saharanpur district, would be produced in a local court.

It’s not so long ago when some fringe elements had demanded to keep one community away from the Garba pandals during Navaratras, citing religious affiliations. Little did they know then that true devotion sees no such bars.

Breaking all man-made religious barriers, a Muslim man in Bhawani Mandi of Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur region has been worshipping Goddess Durga by keeping traditional Garba and organising bhandaras in his area.

The reason behind his devotion towards Goddess Durga is the wish he had made in one of her temples which later came true.

45-year-old Altaf Khan has two sons and ten years back he wished for a baby girl to complete his family. He visited Dudhakhedi Mata temple and made the wish. Soon he was blessed with a girl child.

Since then, Khan, a practising Muslim, has been celebrating Navratras with full devotion. The local Hindus also assist him in following this tradition.

Khan has named his daughter Nagma which he believes has three meanings.

Nagma if divided into three parts means: Na for Navaratras, G for Garba and Ma for mother.

He also claims that his financial condition has improved after the birth of his daughter, as per the report.

Hours after the Supreme Court struck down the Constitution’s 99th amendment and the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act as unconstitutional, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday described the decision as a setback to parliamentary sovereignty but not to the government.

“While upholding very dearly the principle of independence of judiciary, I regret to say that parliamentary sovereignty has received a setback,” the Union Communications and Information Technology Minister said at the BJP headquarters here.

The minister maintained that the “NJAC was a part of judicial reforms that was exercised after deep consideration”.

The Supreme Court earlier today restored the collegium system for appointment of judges to the higher judiciary.

“In our view, this exercise was undertaken after deep consideration of more than 20 years, as part of judicial reforms. We will go through the judgment and come out with a structured response,” Prasad said.

“It was a unique moment in the democratic polity of India that all political formations were unanimous that the collegium system needs to be replaced by the National Judicial Appointments Commission,” said Prasad, a former law minister and himself a practising senior lawyer at the Supreme Court.

“Various commissions headed by eminent judges, Administrative Reforms Commission and different parliamentary committees recommended the NJAC,” the union minister said.

“Even former chief justice of India JS Verma had publicly raised misgivings on the working of the collegium system and suggested a serious rethink,” he added.

A hilarious video showing a ceiling fan falling on former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav during an election rally in Motihari district has gone viral.

In the clipping, the fan could be seen suddenly tumbling over the RJD chief, while an announcement was being made for the electrician to fix the fan. Lalu had reportedly complained about the rickety condition of the fan before the rally had begun.

However, there was no casualty in the incident and Lalu escaped unhurt. He did manage to complete addressing the huge crowd gathered.