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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Educated Muslims being hounded: Owaisi

Mumbai: AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi has flayed what he termed as a ‘media trial’ in the alleged TCS Nashik conversion case and claimed that educated Muslims youth are being deliberately targeted as part of planned ‘hate campaign’, here on Saturday. Reiterating full faith in the judicial process, Owaisi said that justice cannot be handed out through media narratives or television debates and the law must be allowed to take its own course. “We are seeing a very dangerous trend… Now,...

Educated Muslims being hounded: Owaisi

Mumbai: AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi has flayed what he termed as a ‘media trial’ in the alleged TCS Nashik conversion case and claimed that educated Muslims youth are being deliberately targeted as part of planned ‘hate campaign’, here on Saturday. Reiterating full faith in the judicial process, Owaisi said that justice cannot be handed out through media narratives or television debates and the law must be allowed to take its own course. “We are seeing a very dangerous trend… Now, educated Muslims are being picked out for orchestrated allegations and media campaigns. This doesn’t augur well for society and justice itself with the media playing the role of the judge and jury,” said Owaisi sharply. Flanked by the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen state President Imtiaz Jaleel, Owaisi also emphatically said that it was wrong to link his party with the TCS case prime accused Nida Khan, “who will be ultimately proven innocent in the courts”. He expressed concerns over the slur campaign driven by malice and political motives against his party as well as Nida Khan in some sections of the media even before the investigations were completed or a judicial scrutiny. “Merely because some allegations have been hurled at a young woman professional, attempts are being made to paint her ‘guilty’ through media trials, even before judicial scrutiny. But, we have complete faith in the judiciary and are confident that the court will eventually exonerate her,” asserted Owaisi. Public Discourse Raising questions on the probe and accompanying public discourse with stress on the alleged recovery of certain ‘evidence’ from Nida Khan’s home, he sharply questioned: “Since when have a burqa, a niqab or religious literature become objectionable… Is wearing a hijab now regarded as evidence of a crime?” He said that these details along with baseless allegations are sensationalism in the media to create further prejudice against the minority community and reflected a deep-rooted hostility aimed at harassing educated Muslim men and women. Owaisi pointed out that a complaint in the TCS Nashik case was filed by a leader linked with the ruling party, and as per the software giant’s statement, Nida Khan was not with its HR Department and transferred even before the controversy erupted, contradicting several media reports. Of the nine cases lodged in the matter till date, in one case, she was accused of hurting religious sentiments, but nobody can comment on it before the court pronounces its verdict, he pointed out. Court Fight Dismissing attempts to drag and link the AIMIM into the row, he referred to a party Municipal Corporator Matin Patel who was booked merely on the basis of certain allegations and vowed to contest the matter in the court. Here Owaisi cited multiple examples of educated Muslims being scrutinised – including in Delhi when some educated youths were arrested for possessing a book by the legendary Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib and they were later released. There was another one from Allahabad where some Muslim boys were targeted for writing an Urdu ‘sher’ (couplet) prompting judicial intervention, and predicted that even in the Nashik TCS case, the truth will ultimately prevail as no criminal charges against Nida Khan may stand. AIMIM to set up voter help-desks AIMIM President and Hyderabad MP, Asaduddin Owaisi said his party is developing a digital application containing electoral records of all 288 Assembly constituencies in Maharashtra for 2002-2024, to help voters in the SIR process. For this, the AIMIM will set up help desk centers in its strongholds to facilitate the process and ensure proper utilisation of voter data. Alleging discrepancies in electoral records, he said such errors create huge problems for the voters, especially the poor or illiterates. Owaisi mentioned how of the nearly 27 lakh names placed in the adjudication list in West Bengal, “90 pc were poor Muslims.” These centers would be open for all Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Dalits, Adivasis and the general public needing assistance with the electoral records.

The Prodigy Who Is Already Too Good for Age-Groups

In the swirling chaos of the 2026 IPL, where established stars chase milestones and franchises hunt for silverware, a 15-year-old from Bihar has stolen the spotlight with the casual swagger of a veteran. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is not merely participating in the world’s richest T20 league—he is dominating it. His blistering 15-ball half-century against Chennai Super Kings in the early days of the season, followed by a 26-ball 78 that powered Rajasthan Royals to a record powerplay of 97/1 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, has left commentators scrambling for superlatives. He briefly snatched the Orange Cap from Yashasvi Jaiswal, hammering eight fours and seven sixes in one innings alone. This is not hype. This is history repeating itself, only faster.


Sooryavanshi’s IPL 2025 debut season already read like fiction. At 14 years and 23 days, he became the youngest player ever to feature in the tournament. Then, against Gujarat Titans, he smashed 101 off 38 balls—35 to reach three figures—becoming the youngest centurion in men’s T20 cricket and posting the second-fastest hundred in IPL history. He finished with 252 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 206.56, blending power with poise. In 2026, the numbers have only escalated: 200 runs in four matches at 266.67, including multiple rapid fifties. He has taken down Jasprit Bumrah with a first-ball maximum and bullied attacks featuring international bowlers as if they were net bowlers. Rajasthan Royals, who bought him for Rs 1.1 crore as a 13-year-old, look like geniuses.


Pre-IPL Journey

But to understand how good Sooryavanshi truly is, rewind to his pre-IPL journey. He debuted in the Ranji Trophy at 12—the second-youngest ever for Bihar. He made List A history as the youngest centurion and fastest 150. In the 2026 Under-19 World Cup, he was Player of the Tournament, captaining India to glory with a jaw-dropping 175 off 80 balls in the final against England. These are not flashes; they are patterns. A left-handed top-order batter, he possesses an uncanny blend of timing, bat speed, and fearless intent. He plays with the elegance of a classical stroke-maker but the brutality of a modern T20 assassin—lofting spinners into the stands and punishing seamers with disdain. His strike rate north of 200 in IPL speaks volumes. He does not wait for the powerplay to end; he treats every over as the powerplay.


Critics will inevitably whisper about the perils of early fame. At 15, he has already faced more pressure than most cricketers see in a decade. The scrutiny, the expectations, the inevitable comparisons—to Sachin Tendulkar’s precocity or Yuvraj Singh’s swagger (his own idols)—could crush a lesser talent. Yet Sooryavanshi carries himself with remarkable composure. His father’s unwavering support and Bihar’s gritty cricket culture seem to have forged a mental steel that matches his physical gifts. He is not just swinging wildly; he is calculating, picking lengths, and executing with clinical precision.


ICC Eligible

The real question now is not “How good is he?” but “How soon will India call him up?” Having turned 15 on March 27, 2026—just before IPL 2026—he is now ICC-eligible for senior international cricket. Reports suggest the BCCI is already devising a bespoke red-ball development plan to complement his white-ball pyrotechnics. His domestic exploits in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and Ranji Trophy have shown he can build innings when required, though his first-class average of 17.25 hints at the need for refinement against red-ball lengths. Still, in T20 and ODI formats, where India’s middle order is in transition, Sooryavanshi’s explosiveness is tailor-made. A senior debut post-IPL 2026 feels inevitable. Former Pakistan star Shoaib Malik has already declared he will “play for India after this IPL.” The selectors are watching closely.


In an era where T20 cricket rewards audacity, Sooryavanshi embodies the future. He is not the next big thing; he is the thing itself—right now. India must handle him with care: shield him from burnout, nurture his technique across formats, and resist the temptation to overexpose him. But denying his talent would be criminal. At 15, he has records that veterans covet. His heroics are not anomalies; they are proof of a generational talent who has arrived ahead of schedule.


Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is not just good. He is extraordinary—perhaps the most exciting prospect Indian cricket has unearthed in a generation. The IPL is merely his classroom. The Indian team will soon be his stage. And cricket, quite simply, will never be the same.


(The writer is a senior journalist based in Mumbai.)

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