Indian cricketer-turned-politician Yusuf Pathan irked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after he posted photos of himself standing in front of Adina Mosque in Malda, West Bengal, on Friday.

In a post on X, Pathan — who is part of the Trinamool Congress — wrote that the mosque was built in the 14th century by Sultan Sikandar Shah, the second ruler of the Ilyas Shahi dynasty.

Cherishing its historical significance, the former Indian cricketer said that the mosque showcased the “region’s architectural grandeur”.

However, BJP West Bengal turned a simple photo into a controversy by claiming — without concrete evidence — that the mosque was built on the ruins of a temple.

The BJP leaders have, for years, asserted that the historical mosque was actually built after the demolition of the Adinath Temple.

In 2022, a BJP leader claimed that the temple was buried beneath the mosque’s structure.

Two years later, a Hindu worshipper went as far as offering religious rituals inside the mosque; however, he was barred from doing so and had a case registered against him.

A lawyer has also written to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Interior Minister Amit Shah to allow Hindu worshippers to offer their rituals inside the mosque.

The response to Pathan’s social media post has renewed the ongoing debate surrounding the BJP’s assertions that multiple mosques stand on sites of former Hindu temples.

Pathan is a member of the Lok Sabha from West Bengal, representing the Trinamool Congress.

Before his career in politics, he was part of the Indian team that won the T20 World Cup in 2007 and the ODI World Cup in 2011.

His younger brother, Irfan Pathan, is also among the renowned Indian cricketers.

• He Weidong, Miao Hua removed for serious disciplinary violations.
• Nine senior army officials expelled in latest graft drive.
• Xi says corruption fight vital to Party’s survival and unity.
  

China said on Friday it has expelled two top generals from the military and ruling Communist Party, part of corruption investigations into nine high-ranking army officials.

The announcement marks the latest push in a sweeping drive to root out graft at all levels of the party and state since President Xi Jinping came to power over a decade ago.

It also comes just days before a closely watched four-day gathering of top officials in Beijing for deliberations on long-term economic planning.

He Weidong, the Central Military Commission (CMC) vice chairman, was among nine individuals to be expelled from the army for having “seriously violated” discipline, according to an online statement by defence ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang.

He had not been seen in public since March, fuelling speculation, though no formal investigation had been previously announced.

The statement did not disclose He’s current whereabouts.

Also expelled was Miao Hua, the former head of the military’s political work department, who was formally removed from his post, according to state media reports in June.

Eight of the individuals were also stripped of Communist Party membership, after previously serving on its elite Central Committee, Zhang said.

Xi has called graft “the biggest threat” to the Communist Party and said “the fight against corruption remains grave and complex”.

Proponents say the policy promotes clean governance, but others say it also serves as a tool for Xi to purge political rivals.

“The severe punishment of He Weidong, Miao Hua […] and others once again demonstrates the Party Central Committee and the CMC’s unwavering resolve to persevere in the fight against corruption,” said Zhang.

He added that the crackdown represents a “significant achievement in the Party and military’s anti-corruption campaign”.

It has “contributed to a more pure, consolidated, cohesive and combat-ready People’s Army”, he added.

Miao and He are not the only high-ranking military officials to fall afoul of Xi’s corruption crackdown in recent years.

Former defence minister Li Shangfu was removed from office in 2023 just seven months into the job, and later expelled from the Party for offences including suspected bribery.

The latest announcement comes as the Communist Party prepares to convene a key meeting Monday known as the “fourth plenum” focused on economic planning for the five-year period ending in 2030.

That plan will play a central role in the pursuit of President Xi Jinping’s core aims, including technological self-sufficiency and military and economic might.

• Charter aims at ensuring democratic reform after next year’s elections.
• Reforms are needed to prevent return to authoritarian rule: Yunus.
• Interim leader declares charter rebirth of people of Bangladesh.
  

Bangladesh’s most powerful political parties signed a charter on Friday aimed at ensuring democratic reform after next year’s elections, following a mass uprising that toppled the previous government.

However, celebrations of the government led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus were muted after one party refused to sign, with police also firing tear gas to quash rock-throwing protesters ahead of the ceremony.

Yunus, 85, has championed the document as his legacy, saying he inherited a “completely broken down” system and that reforms are needed to prevent a return to authoritarian rule.

“This is the moment we are ushering in a new Bangladesh,” Yunus told the ceremony, held in front of parliament in Dhaka. “We have been reborn.”

The South Asian nation of 170 million people has been in political turmoil since Sheikh Hasina was ousted as prime minister by a student-led revolt in August 2024.

The document, dubbed the “July Charter” after last year’s uprising, has sparked intense arguments between parties jostling for power ahead of polls slated for February.

Yunus, who has pledged to step down after elections, says it will strengthen checks and balances between the executive, judicial and legislative branches.

It includes proposals for a two-term limit for prime ministers and expanded presidential powers.

It also aims to enshrine the recognition of Bangladesh as a multi-ethnic and multi-religious nation.

Leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), seen as among the election front-runners, as well as Jamaat-e-Islami, the Muslim-majority nation’s largest Islamist party, signed the charter.

However, the National Citizen Party (NCP), made up of many students who spearheaded the uprising that ended Hasina’s rule, boycotted the ceremony.

Ahead of the ceremony, police and protesters clashed, including those who took part in demonstrations last year, demanding compensation for those who were injured.

“The bloodshed of martyrs is now forgotten,” said Khandakar Mashruk Sarkar, 48.

The charter was given a last-minute amendment to include monthly allowances for injured protesters.

The document is expected to be ratified either by a referendum or by the new parliament to be elected.

Mohammad Ibrahim Hossain, 25, an electrician, among the crowd watching the ceremony, was unclear about exactly what changes the charter would make.

“I don’t know what is in it, or what good it will bring for us,” he said. “I just don’t want to see people die anymore.”