Two people were killed after multiple explosions during a prayer meet in Kerala on Sunday. At least three blasts took place just minutes after a prayer meeting of Jehovah’s Witnesses began at Kerala’s Kalamassery.

Jehovah’s Witnesses is a Christian religious denomination known for their distinctive beliefs and practices. They have a presence in more than 240 countries. 

Jehovah’s Witness: Beliefs

They believe in the importance of God’s name, which they refer to as “Jehovah,” and they follow a literal interpretation of the Bible. Jehovah’s Witnesses are recognised for their door-to-door evangelism, refusal to participate in military service, and their stance on certain medical treatments. They also do not have ordained priests. 

Jehovah’s Witness: Historical Origins 

The origins of Jehovah’s Witnesses are traced back to the 18th century in the United States. The movement was founded by Charles Taze Russell, a Bible student and preacher who developed unique interpretations of biblical prophecy and doctrine in the 1870s. He established Zion’s Watch Tower Tract Society, later known as the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, in 1884, which served as the publishing and organizational arm of the movement. Under Mr Russell’s leadership, the movement developed distinctive doctrinal beliefs, and after his death in 1916, leadership passed to Joseph Rutherford, who made significant organizational and doctrinal changes.

Jehovah’s Witness: Persecution Under Nazi Regime

During World War II, Jehovah’s Witnesses, like Jews, faced persecution under the Nazi regime in Germany. Their steadfast refusal to salute the flag, offer the “Heil Hitler” salute, or engage in activities contrary to their faith made them targets of the Nazi authorities. 

Jehovah’s Witness: The 1985 Controversy

In 1985, there was a significant school controversy involving Jehovah’s Witnesses. Three Jehovah’s Witnesses students in Kerala refused to sing the national anthem at a school assembly due to their religious beliefs. This led to their expulsion from school. The matter ended up in the Indian Supreme Court, which ultimately ruled in favour of the students, emphasizing the importance of protecting an individual’s right to religious freedom even when it seems to clash with national patriotic rituals.

Jehovah’s Witness: Members in India

There are now approximately 4,000 members of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Kerala.

A debt-ridden man in Uttar Pradesh has put his “son on sale” to repay the loan he had taken to buy a property. After being allegedly harassed by his moneylender, Rajkumar, a resident of Aligarh, was forced to sit at a city’s bus stand with a plaque hanging around his neck that read “My son is for sale, I want to sell my son.”

He sat at the Roadways bus stand intersection in Aligarh with his son, daughter, and wife for hours before police came and addressed his concerns.

Rajkumar, who runs an e-rickshaw, said he had borrowed money from a loan shark to buy a property. Rajkumar said that in order to withdraw his money, he kept the documents of his property in the bank and got the loan issued. He claimed that the person manipulated him and that he neither got the property nor any money.

He also alleged that the person who lent him money took away his e-rickshaw, his “only” means of supporting his family.

“If someone buys my son for Rs 6 lakh to 8 lakh, then at least I will be able to educate my daughter, marry her, and raise my family,” he said.

He claimed that he had also gone to a police station but didn’t receive any help.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and said that “someone should wake up the government”.

“This is the ‘amritkaal’ of BJP when a father is forced to sell his son. Before this picture spreads across the world and tarnishes the image of the state and the country in the entire world, someone should wake up the government,” he said in a tweet in Hindi.

Israeli tanks advanced into the fringes of Gaza City on Monday, witnesses said, as it ramped up its war on Hamas saying it had killed dozens of operatives in hundreds of strikes.

“We have hit more than 600 targets in the past 24 hours,” a military spokesperson told AFP, up from 450 the previous day, with Hamas operatives also reporting “heavy fighting” in northern Gaza.

Tanks entered the Zaytun district on the southern fringes of Gaza City, cutting a key road from the north to the south of the war-torn Palestinian territory, witnesses told AFP on Monday.

“They have cut the Salahedin Road and are firing at any vehicle that tries to go along it,” said one resident who did not give his name.

Israel has on several occasions warned the 1.1 million people living in northern Gaza, including Gaza City, to head south to avoid its military strikes as it pushes ahead with a mission to “destroy” the territory’s Hamas rulers.

Although huge numbers have left in recent weeks, tens of thousands more are believed to be still in the zone.

Since Friday, Israeli forces have stepped up their ground offensive as part of the military response to the October 7 Hamas attacks that officials say killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians, with another 239 people taken hostage.

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says more than 8,000 people, mainly civilians, mostly civilians and more than half of them children, have since been killed in Israeli air and ground strikes.

The Israeli army said troops killed “dozens” of operativs in overnight clashes, saying they had “barricaded themselves inside buildings and tunnels and attempted to attack the troops”.

In one incident, a fighter jet targeted a building “with over 20 Hamas terrorist operatives inside,” while another fighter jet was guided to an anti-tank missile launching post in the area of Al-Azhar University, it said. The university is in the heart of Gaza City.

It also said it hit “weapons depots, dozens of anti-tank missile launching positions, as well as hideouts and staging grounds used by the Hamas terrorist organisation”.