مرزا اے بی بیگ

Barkatullah Bhopali, born in Bhopal around 1858–1867, became a global campaigner for Indian independence after studying Arabic, English and several other languages. His work in Britain connected him with Abdullah Quilliam, while his later activities involved the Ghadar Party, Afghanistan, Japan, Germany and Russia. In Kabul, he served as prime minister of India’s first government-in-exile, established in December 1915 with Raja Mahendra Pratap as president and Maulana Ubaidullah Sindhi as interior minister. Barkatullah later met Vladimir Lenin, helped build ties between Indian nationalists and revolutionary Russia, and worked against British intelligence under assumed identities. The article also examines a controversy over a proposal to rename Barkatullah University in Bhopal, which opponents attributed to hostility toward his Muslim identity; the proposal was ultimately rejected. Barkatullah died in Sacramento, California, on 20 September 1927, without seeing Indian independence, but his legacy was later honored by Jawaharlal Nehru and others.

A temporary removal of an Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi video by Meta prompted India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to summon a senior Meta public-policy executive and demand an explanation beyond a reported technical fault. At the same time, student groups say videos and reels from Delhi’s Jantar Mantar protests over exam-paper leaks and corruption are losing reach or disappearing from social-media platforms. Indian authorities defend digital interventions as necessary to counter misinformation, foreign influence and threats to public order, while activists and journalists argue that government pressure on Meta, X and other platforms is restricting legitimate criticism without adequate accountability or remedies. The dispute highlights the growing tension among state power, technology companies, online political activity and civil liberties in India.

The dispute over the Taj Mahal’s origins resurfaced after a petition sought a court-ordered survey to determine whether a Hindu temple once stood on the site, prompting notices from the Allahabad High Court to the central government and the Archaeological Survey of India. Historians, including Ruchika Sharma, reiterated that extensive architectural and documentary evidence confirms the monument’s Mughal-era construction and refutes claims promoted since the 1960s by PN Oak and later by Hindutva-aligned activists. Past legal challenges have been dismissed, and ASI has clarified that no temple ever existed there. The controversy is linked to broader efforts to reinterpret India’s Islamic heritage through a Hindu nationalist lens, despite existing laws preserving the religious status of historical sites since 1947. Taj Mahal remains India’s most prominent tourist attraction, and many hope it continues to be seen as a symbol of love rather than conflict.