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Watch: ITBP personnel perform ‘Surya Namaskar’ at an altitude of 18000 ft in Ladakh on 7th International Yoga Day

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: ITBP personnel perform ‘Surya Namaskar’ at an altitude of 18000 ft in Ladakh on 7th International Yoga Day

On this occasion of 7th International Yoga Day, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel beating all odds performed ‘Surya Namaskar’ at an altitude of 18000 feet, in the sub-zero temperature in Ladakh. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) took to it official Twitter handle to share the video of the same.

In the video, the ITBP personnel is seen performing the asana bare body in that biting cold weather.

The ITBP shared other videos too where Himveers are seen practising various Yoga asanas with great discipline at the whopping altitude of 18000 ft.

“ITBP personnel also called ‘Himveers’ celebrating the 7th #InternationalDayOfYoga at Icy heights of #Ladakh (18000 ft) amidst snowfall, Tweeted DD News while sharing yet another video of the personnel dedicatedly performing Yoga in the biting whether.

ITBP personnel also performed Yoga in other parts of India where they serve and protect us.

ITBP Personnel also performed Yoga at Galwan valley in Ladakh where there was a border conflict with China last year.

This year marks the 7th edition of the international event and has been observed in 190 countries.

On Monday (June 21), Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the global launch of the M-Yoga app on the occasion of International Yoga Day. In his virtual address on the occasion, Modi highlighted the significance of Yoga during the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic.

It must be mentioned that the UN General Assembly adopted June 21 as ‘International Day of Yoga’ on December 11, 2014, after PM Modi floated the idea before the global body. Owing to the Coronavirus pandemic, a large part of the celebrations are being held digitally.

SP leader Umed Idris confesses to giving the Ghaziabad crime false communal angle, wanted to gain political mileage: Report

OpIndia Staff
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SP leader Umed Idris confesses to giving the Ghaziabad crime false communal angle, wanted to gain political mileage: Report

Samajwadi Party leader Umed Pahalwan Idris, who appeared in a Facebook Live video alongside Ghaziabad assault victim Abdul Samad, was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh police in Delhi on Saturday. 

After trying to evade the arrest, Pahalwan has now confessed to having used the Ghaziabad crime by giving it a communal angle to gain political mileage ahead of the UP state assembly elections. 

As per a News18 report, as soon as Pahalwan got to know of the incident, he instructed the victim Abdul Samad to report the matter to Loni Border police as he claims to be influential in that area. He also interfered in the drafting of the complaint and scripted the communal Facebook Live with the victim. 

Pahalwan reportedly even deleted some Whatsapp chats from his mobile phone to evade scrutiny. Ghaziabad Police is trying to retrieve his digital records through IPDR.

SSP Amit Pathak in a media statement revealed that Pahalwan pleading innocent lied in the first police investigation and blamed the victim for narrating a false incident. 

Pathak informed, “Pahalwan admitted that he planned the entire event with his local associate. He also suggested the victim to mention ‘unknown assailants in the FIR to take political advantage of the incident later.”

“The initial complaint was written by him (Pahalwan) at his residence,” added Pathak.

It is notable here that in the initial complaint filed by the victim, there were claims that he was abducted and assaulted by unknown assailants. A muted video of the assault was made viral by several social media influencers, including Alt News’ Md Zubair.

Upon police investigation, it was clear that the victim was assaulted by persons known to him, the ‘customers’ who had purchased occult amulets from the old man Abdul Samad. The fake communal angle and the claims of being forced to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ were completely false and were added in the video that Umed later made, trying to give an intentional communal spin to the incident that was of personal animosity between two parties.

Umed Pahalwan’s history

With seven cases registered against him, Pahalwan was a thief in his hometown Pilkhuwa. He then became a follower of Aulaad Ali a municipal officer before joining the Samajwadi Party. Pahalwan has been married thrice.

Defaming Hindu religious slogan ‘Jai Shri Ram’

Earlier, on June 17, Uttar Pradesh Police had booked Umed Idris on June 17 for trying to portray the personal animosity between Abdul Samad and his alleged attackers as a ‘communal’ incident. The SP leader had falsely claimed that the victim of the assault was forced to chant “Jai Shri Ram” by “Hindu” attackers.

The Uttar Pradesh police said they have arrested nine persons in connection with the Ghaziabad assault case.

‘How come this is such a big issue in the Western world?’: Imran Khan when questioned about Uyghur genocide in China

OpIndia Staff
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‘How come this is such a big issue in the Western world?’: Imran Khan when questioned about Uyghur genocide in China

In an interview with Jonathan Swan, the Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was seen making excuses when quizzed about his silence on the genocide committed against Uyghur Muslims in neighbouring China. The interview was aired on Sunday (June 21) by Axios on HBO.

“Just across your border in Western China, the Chinese government has imprisoned more than 1 million Uyghur Muslims in reeducation camps. The Chinese government has tortured Muslims, forcibly sterilised them, and they have destroyed mosques in Xinjiang and also punished Muslims for fasting, praying, even giving Muslim names to their children. Prime Minister, why are you outspoken about Islamophobia in Europe and the US but totally silent about the genocide of Muslims in Western China,” Jonathan Swan asked.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan seemed taken aback by the question. In a desperate bid to defend its all-weather friend, Imran Khan alleged, “What… our conversations have been with the Chinese, this is not the case, according to them.” On being told that the evidence was overwhelming, Khan said, “Whatever issues we have with the Chinese, we speak behind closed doors. China has been one of the greatest friends to us in our most difficult times.”

“When we were really struggling, our economy was struggling, China came to our rescue. So, we respect the way they are…And whatever issues we have, we speak behind closed doors. How come this is such a big issue in the Western world?” the Pakistani Prime Minister asked. He then shrewdly tried to deviate the issue from Uyghur Muslims to Kashmiri Muslims and claimed that it was hypocritical that ‘Kashmir’ is not an issue for the world.

Swan pointed out, “They have been a huge partner to you, China. But on some level, doesn’t it make you feel sick to have to be quiet because of all the money they have been putting into Pakistan.” A rattled Imran Khan said, “Am I going to start talking about everything? I am concentrating on what is happening on my border and in my country?”

On being pointed out Xinjiang province is, in fact, near the border with Pakistan, Khan tried to again deviate the conversation to Kashmir. “You are in no way concerned about the Muslim Uyghurs in Xinjiang?”, the interviewer highlighted. The Pakistani Prime Minister fell short of words and claimed that all such conversations will be taken up with the Chinese authorities behind closed doors.

‘We have economic ties with China, they are good neighbours’: Imran Khan 

In an exclusive interview to Canada’s CBC News on June 12, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan dodged the question pertaining to China’s persecution of Uyghur Muslims by saying it is a ‘good neighbour.’ Khan, when specifically asked about the genocide of Uyghur Muslims, said, “We have economic ties with China, China is our neighbor. They’ve been very good to us in our most difficult times.” He was talking to CBC’s Rosemary Barton in a recent interview. When asked whether or not the persecution of Muslims in China is of concern, Khan informed, “If we have concerns we talk about them behind closed doors.”

Uyghur detention camps run by China

The Xinjiang autonomous region in China is facing the worst kind of cultural and ethnic genocide. There is a long history of dissonance between the indigenous ethnic Uyghur and Chinese authorities. The Chinese government refuses to categorize Uyghurs as an indigenous population and describe Uyghurs as a regional minority.

China is facing criticism and worldwide condemnation over its unkind and harsh treatment of the Uyghur Muslims. A Uyghur-Kazakh citizen, Gulbahar Jelilova reported that she was ruthlessly beaten and raped while in custody. Stew Chao, a journalist working with Aljazeera had reported that Abduveli Ayup, a prominent Uighur writer, activist and Uyghur language defender was put in a detention centre and later brutally tortured.

There is also ample evidence that suggests China is systematically targeting Uyghur Muslims through a state-planned birth control process. Zumrat Dawut and Kalbinur Sidik who survived from Chinese detention camps narrated that Uyghur women who conceive more than three children are forcefully sterilized. Women survivors from these camps have narrated that they were beaten, raped, and given mystery injections.

China wants to reward Wuhan Institute of Virology for its ‘contribution’ for COVID-19 research, has been in news for ‘lab leak theory’

OpIndia Staff
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China wants to reward Wuhan Institute of Virology for its ‘contribution’ for COVID-19 research, has been in news for ‘lab leak theory’

As per a report published in the Chinese mouthpiece Global Times on June 20, the Wuhan Institute of Virology got shortlisted for a prize recognition for its “outstanding science and technology achievement” for “identifying” the Covid-19 virus. The list of candidates was published by China’s Academy of Science (CAS) on June 18.

Scientists of Wuhan lab mentioned as “outstanding contributors”

The list also mentioned lab director Shi Zhengli popularly known as the “bat woman” and deputy director of the lab Yuan Zhiming as outstanding contributors. Dr Shi was praised for “achievement in identifying the Covid-19 pathogen and completing the coronavirus gene sequencing, virus isolation, receptor verification, mouse model establishment and other studies on pathogen identification.” On the other hand, Dr Yaun was selected for “outstanding contribution in establishing a coronavirus non-human primate infection model”.

‘Wuhan lab scientists deserve Nobel” claimed Foreign Ministry spokesman

On June 17, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian talked to the reporters and said that the team in the Wuhan lab should get a Nobel prize in medicine for their “contributions” in research on Covid-19 instead of being criticised.

Last week, Dr Shi gave an interview to The New York Times and spoke about the allegations raised against her. She claimed it was not possible to give evidence for something that has no evidence. She said, “How on earth can I offer up evidence for something where there is no evidence? I don’t know how the world has come to this, constantly pouring filth on an innocent scientist.”

Praises poured for Wuhan lab by CAS

According to GT, CAS said that the Wuhan Institute of Virology started working immediately to identify the pathogen after the outbreak and completed the virus genome sequencing and virus isolation in a short time. It “confirmed that the Covid-19 virus shares the same functional receptor as the SARS virus, systematically analysed the basic biological characteristics of the virus, and revealed that coronavirus carried by bats might be the evolutionary ancestor of the Covid-19 coronavirus,” CAS added.

The possibility of lab leak

According to some scientists and researchers theorised that the virus was engineered by Chinese Scientists via a process named “gain of function” that supercharges the pathogens through genetic manipulation. The theory has, however, been dismissed as conspiracy.

Interestingly, Alina Chan, one of the 18 scientists that published a letter in the journal Science demanding a more in-depth investigation into the origin of the virus, talked to NBC over the lab leak theory and its dismissal. He said, “At the time, it was scarier to be associated with Trump and to become a tool for racists, so people didn’t want to publicly call for an investigation into lab origins.”

If Chan is to be believed, the scientists, who are supposed to be on the side of the Science, got so involved in the politics that they dismissed a theory just because it was brought to light by someone they, and a part of the community dislike.

WHO’s denial to lab leak theory

In February 2021, the World Health Organization completed its investigation into the origin of the Covid-19 virus. It concluded that it was extremely unlikely that the virus leaked from the lab. However, a lot of scientists do not agree with the theory. The speculation over lab leak theory is overwhelming to be rejected without in-depth investigation.

Fresh investigation ordered

In May 2021, The United States government ordered its intelligence agencies to conduct fresh 90-day inquiry as US President and other world leaders urged for further investigation into the origin of the virus.

Dr Quay and Professor Richard Muller, an astrophysicist from the University of California, Berkeley, detailed the scientific case for the lab-leak theory in an op-ed in WSJ. In their article, they said that the genetic fingerprint of the Covid-19 virus indicated that it was created in the lab. They wrote, “In fact, in the entire class of coronaviruses that includes CoV-2, the CGG-CGG combination has never been found naturally.”

Recently, a video was discovered in which bats were seen being caged in Wuhan Insitute. Before the video came to notice, it was widely rejected by the WIV that they had live bats in the lab. The involvement of US scientists like Dr Fauci, Peter Dasazak and others was also revealed in recent times. It was alleged that they had a role in suppressing the truth about the virus. Keeping all the fresh evidence against WIV in mind, the so-called award nomination is a questionable move by the Chinese government.

Rakesh Tikait asks farmers to ‘get ready with tractors’, Mahapanchayat from Haryana demands opening of Singhu border

OpIndia Staff
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Rakesh Tikait asks farmers to ‘get ready with tractors’, Mahapanchayat from Haryana demands opening of Singhu border

After celebrating the six-month anniversary of the farmer’s protest, BKU leader Rakesh Tikait has yet again given a call to intensify the protests and called upon the protesting farmers to be ‘ready with tractors.’

On Sunday, Tikait took to Twitter suggesting that the farmers will have to escalate their protest as the Centre will not bend down to their demands. “The government will not agree. Treatment is necessary. Keep your tractors ready. We will have to intensify the protest to save our lands,” he Tweeted.

From announcing protests outside all the Raj Bhavans on June 26 to declaring that the protests will be on till 2024, Tikait has time and again kept the alleged farmers busy with his frivolous threats and calls.

Mahapanchayat demands clearing of Singhu Border

On the other hand, residents from several villages in Delhi and Haryana held a “Mahapanchayat” in Haryana’s Sonipat on Saturday, demanding the opening of the Singhu border, the removal of barricades put up by the so-called farmer protestors and immediate halting of violence.

The villagers also informed that they are ready to meet the state and Central government to voice their demands.

Centre ready to talk

The Centre has yet again given a call to farmers to re-initiate talks. Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar in a video Tweet has recently said, “The Government of India is ready to talk to any farmer organization and anytime on the provisions related to the new agricultural laws. We welcome them…”

He also suggested that they are ready to conduct a meeting even at midnight to address their grievances on the new farm laws.

Increase in crimes at protest sites

Meanwhile, there has been a sharp increase in the crime rate in and around the protest sites. We reported how a man named Mukesh (42)- resident of Kasar village in Bahadurgarh of Jhajjar district of Haryana had succumbed to burn injuries after farmer protestors allegedly set him ablaze at the Tikri border protest site on May 16.

His wife Renu in an exclusive interview to OpIndia said, “Agitators at Tikri border, they are not farmers but hardcore criminals. They are perpetually drunk and always under the influence of alcohol. It’s been a year, these people are not going from here. They have created chaos over here.”

Likewise, Tony Kumar, the Sarpanch of the village also cast doubts upon the intent of these people, who have been protesting as farmers. Expressing his trepidation after the ghastly incident, Tony Kumar said that in the past, many villagers have come to him with complaints against these protesting people. Villagers complain that these farmers go to their fields to defecate, they molest and harass the women of the village.

Several incidents of assault and molestation too have been reported from these protest sites.

International Yoga Day: PM Modi launches M-Yoga app, emphasises the importance of Yoga during the Coronavirus pandemic

OpIndia Staff
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International Yoga Day: PM Modi launches M-Yoga app, emphasises the importance of Yoga during the Coronavirus pandemic

On Monday (June 21), Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the global launch of the M-Yoga app on the occasion of International Yoga Day. This year marks the 7th edition of the international event and has been observed in 190 countries.

As per reports, the M-Yoga app will contain training videos of common ‘asanas’ in different languages for people across the world. PM Modi stated, “The world will get the M-Yoga app, it will make videos on yoga training based on common protocol available in many languages.” He added that the app will be an amalgamation of today’s technology with the knowledge of the past. The M-Yoga app has been developed in collaboration with the WHO (World Health Organisation).

Yoga is a ray of hope amidst pandemic, says PM Modi

During his address to the nation, PM Modi highlighted the significance of Yoga during the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic. While praying for the good health and well-being of the people around the world, he said, “Today when the entire world is fighting against Covid-19 pandemic, yoga has become a ray of hope. For two years now, no public event has been organised in India or the world but enthusiasm for Yoga has not gone down.” It must be mentioned that the theme for 2021 is ‘Yoga for Wellness.’

“The ‘Yoga For Wellness’ theme on this International Yoga Day has encouraged people even more to perform yoga. I pray that every country, region, and people stay healthy,” PM Modi emphasised. He added that besides medical treatment, yoga can aid in the healing process. He concluded, “When I talk to frontline warriors and doctors, they tell me that they’ve made Yoga a shield for protection against the virus. They’ve used Yoga not just for safeguarding themselves, but also patients.”

Celebrations on the occasion of International Yoga Day

It must be mentioned that the UN General Assembly adopted June 21 as ‘International Day of Yoga’ on December 11, 2014, after PM Modi floated the idea before the global body. Owing to the Coronavirus pandemic, a large part of the celebrations are being held digitally.

A theme song, sung by artistes such as Shaan, Shankar Mahadevan, Kailash Kher, playback singer KS Chithra and other international singers, was also released on International Yoga Day.

The Border Security Force (BSF) conducted a Yoga session at its camp in Kolkata, West Bengal.

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel performed Yoga at an whopping altitude of 18,000 ft in Ladakh region.

Celebrations were also held near the Galwan Valley, where the Indian forces clashed with the Chinese PLA army last year.

Celebrations on June 21 were not limited to India. Indian Embassy in Washington DC held a Yoga session at the India House.

In partnership with Times Square Alliance, the Consulate General of India in New York hosted the celebrations in Times Square as well. A total of 3000 people took part in the event.

Several BJP leaders such as Kiren Rijiju, BS Yeddyurappa, Nitin Gadkari and Anurag Thakur also took part in the celebrations on the International Yoga Day.

Lakshadweep admin refutes PTI report on proposal to shift jurisdiction to Karnataka from Kerala

OpIndia Staff
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Lakshadweep admin refutes PTI report on proposal to shift jurisdiction to Karnataka from Kerala

Lakshadweep administration on Sunday refuted PTI (Press Trust of India) report that they have mooted proposal to shift jurisdiction from Kerala to Karnataka.

On Sunday, PTI tweeted that following the protests from Lakshadweep residents, the administration had mooted proposal to shift its legal jurisdiction from Kerala High Court to Karnataka High Court. PTI cited ‘officials’ for this statement.

PTI reported that the move came after litigations were moved in Kerala High Court against Praful Patel, the islands’ new administrator. According to the report, as many as 23 applications, including 11 writ petitions, have been filed against Patel and also against the alleged high-handedness of either the police or the local government of the islands.

However, Kanchan Gupta, Senior Adviser, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting of the Government of India, refuted the claims. He cited S Akser Ali, Lakshadweep Collector who said that the PTI story was baseless and devoid of truth.

PTI and history of fake news

News agency PTI has a history of spreading false and misleading news. In April this year, in middle of raging pandemic, PTI claimed 25 people died at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi due to lack of oxygen. In a tweet, PTI said that sources had told them that the cause of death of the 25 ‘sickest’ patient was low pressure oxygen. That claim turned out to be false. Senior doctor at the hospital clarified that no deaths occurred due to lack of oxygen.

Prior to that in August 2020, PTI was caught misquoting Prime Minister Modi on the spread of Chinese coronavirus in India. This misquoted tweet was further used by Congress to spread its lies about PM Modi. After it was called out Congress deleted its misleading tweet.

In October 2020, the public broadcaster Prasar Bharati terminated its arrangement with PTI following its interview with the Chinese Ambassador wherein the news agency was accused of providing a platform for the Chinese to run their propaganda.

Three booked for falsely accusing general secretary of the Ram Temple Trust in a Facebook post in ‘land scam’

OpIndia Staff
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Three booked for falsely accusing general secretary of the Ram Temple Trust in a Facebook post in ‘land scam’

Invoking 15 sections of the IPC and three sections of the IT Act, Bijnor Police have booked journalist Vineet Narain and two others for falsely accusing the general secretary of the Ram Temple Trust in a Facebook post. 

According to the police, Narain alleged in his social media post that VHP leader and general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust Champat Rai was involved in a land grabbing case.

The trio was booked basis an FIR filed by Champat Rai’s brother Sanjay Bansal for conspiring against Rai and his family and in the process, hurting the sentiments of the Hindu community.

Narain’s Facebook post

Narain in his inflammatory Facebook post made on June 18 accused Champat Rai of facilitating the grabbing of 20,000 square meters of cow shelter land owned by NRI Alka Lahoti (also named in the FIR) by his brothers in the Bijnor district.

Narain also claimed that Lahoti was trying to get the encroachers evicted since 2018 and had appealed to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for the same. 

Sanjay Bansal in his complaint mentioned that after searching for Narain’s number, he reached out to him to clear the “facts of the case”. “However, a man calling himself Rajnish picked up the phone, misbehaved with me and threatened to kill me,” Bansal said in the complaint.

The FIR accuses Narain, Lahoti and Rajinish of “promoting enmity on the grounds of religion”, providing “false evidence”, “cheating” and “trespass” among other charges.

Statement by Bijnor Police

Bijnor police chief Dr Dharm Vir Singh said in the statement that the matter is under investigation. However, prima facie the documents provided by the accused have found to be false. 

“Mr Champat Rai is a senior leader of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and a member of the Ram Temple Trust and the accusations against him by the accused are baseless and prima facie the accusations against his relatives are baseless too. We are ascertaining all the facts,” he added.

Narain is currently involved with an NGO which works towards environmental protection. 

This comes shortly after AAP leader Sanjay Singh in a failed attempt tried to rake up a farce controversy against Champat Rai and Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust for being allegedly involved in a ‘land scam’. AAP leader had alleged corruption in the procurement of additional land for Ram Mandir. However, the claims have been misleading and untrue.  

George Soros-funded University awards former Kerala health Minister KK Shailaja for her ‘commitment to public health service’

OpIndia Staff
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George Soros-funded University awards former Kerala health Minister KK Shailaja for her ‘commitment to public health service’

Former Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja, also fondly known as Shailaja Teacher in the “liberal-secular” media coterie, has been awarded this year’s Central European University (CEU) Open Society Prize.

The award was announced during the virtual convocation of the Central European University in Vienna on Friday. The Central European University is founded by Hungary-American liberal billionaire George Soros, who is known in India for his large scale anti-India propaganda.

According to the Central European University, the annual award has bestowed upon the controversial Communist leader for showing “exceptional distinction” of serving the “ideals of an open society”. KK Shailaja was awarded for her ‘service’ after she was dropped from the cabinet after the left front came back to power in Kerala last month.

Announcing the award, President and Rector of CEU, Michael Ignatieff said, “As minister of public health in the Indian state of Kerala, during the COVID-19 pandemic, KK Shailaja Teacher, demonstrated to the world that determined leadership, community based public health and effective communication can save lives. Shailaja Teacher’s example will inspire young women to enter public service. By awarding CEU’s highest award to Shailaja Teacher, the university honours a public servant and female leader for her commitment to public health services, the bedrock of every open society.”

In her acceptance speech, former Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja claimed it was a pleasure to express her deep gratitude to CEU for conferring the Open Society Prize. “I am truly humbled and honoured to be placed alongside the distinguished previous honoraries, all of whom have made important contributions to an open society,” the Communist leader claimed.

It is worth mentioning that George Soros, through his Open Society University Network, an international grant-making network founded by him, has been trying to interfering in India’s political affairs for a long time. Earlier, Soros had promised to fund at least $1 billion to “fight nationalists” in countries such as India and has been extremely active in funding far-left elements to take on nationalists in the country.

However, it is not a surprise that George Soros has now decided to grant an “award” to the controversial former Kerala Health Minister, who is responsible for amplifying the health crisis not just in Kerala but also in the entire southern India.

Strangely, the controversial Kerala Minister KK Shailaja has been hailed by Soros-funded university for her alleged commitment to the public health system at a time when her own Communist colleagues have rejected her for the mismanagement of the Covid-19 pandemic. In fact, KK Shailaja’s achievements were so shoddy that she was dropped as the Kerala Health minister by the Kerala government.

KK Shailaja – the face of Kerala Covid-19 shame

Shailaja, a retired teacher, gained popularity as the health minister for the ‘Kerala model’ of battling the pandemic. She was lauded by national and international media lauded for her handling of the Covid-19 virus. In September last year, similar to Soros-funded university, a UK-based magazine had selected Shailaja as the “Top Thinker of the Year 2020”.

KK Shailaja was at the helm of the ‘Kerala model’ of tackling Covid-19 which was celebrated by the “liberal-secular” press, however, did not translate on the ground as Kerala has become one of the worst affected states in the country during both the waves of Covid-19 pandemic.

Under KK Shailaja’s leadership, the Kerala model of Covid-19 management failed spectacularly. During the first wave, Kerala turned out to be an epicentre of Covid-19 cases with higher caseloads, even affecting neighbouring states such as Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Instead of tackling the pandemic, KK Shailaja and her team indulged in a PR game to boost her image and sell the success of the so-called Kerala model.

In fact, the Kerala Health Ministry was accused of covering up the Covid-19 deaths in the state by underreporting the deaths. A group of researchers had exposed the Kerala government’s shameful act of deliberately hiding the number of people who have succumbed to the pandemic to keep their image intact.

During the second wave of the pandemic, the state consistently reported more than 25,000 cases a day. In the meantime, Kerala and Maharashtra, another non-NDA ruled state, accounted for nearly 75 per cent of the total caseloads in the country. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare data, the maximum number of new cases reported by Kerala in a single day was on May 12, when the state reported over 43,000 cases in a single day.

The greatness of KK Shailaja was so much that she was thrown out of the Health Ministry by Pinarayi Vijayan-led government in the newly formed government. She has been replaced as the health minister in the state. Despite all that PR campaign, KK Shailaja, aka Shailaja teacher, could not become Health Minister again.

Interestingly, the award to KK Shailaja comes at a time when Kerala has been finding it tough to handle the pandemic in the state. Kerala, which was one of the epicentres of the first wave of the Covid-19, continue to report a high number of fresh cases in the country even as the rest of the country has stabilised the infection. As we speak, Kerala, with a population of around 3 crore people, now leads the country in daily new Covid cases. Over 20% of fresh new cases yesterday were from Kerala alone. 

Youtuber Gaurav Wasan had paid Baba ka Dhaba owner Kanta Prasad ₹4.5 lakh received in donation only after Prasad filed FIR against him

OpIndia Staff
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Youtuber Gaurav Wasan had paid Baba ka Dhaba owner Kanta Prasad ₹4.5 lakh received in donation only after Prasad filed FIR against him

Days after Baba ka Dhaba owner Kanta Prasad apologised to YouTuber Gaurav Wasan for alleging that the latter swindled off his money, it has now come to light that he did not withdraw the police complaint against the Youtuber. The case was filed 8 months ago by Prasad with the Delhi police.

As per an Indian Express report, the police investigation has revealed that Gaurav Wasan and his wife had received a donation of ₹4.5 lacs in their bank accounts for Prasad, but they had not given the money to him. The duo had transferred the money only after Baba ka Dhaba owner had filed the police complaint. Citing sources, Indian Express reported that a charge sheet will be filed against the Youtuber in the upcoming days.

An officer informed, “Police found that the couple received Rs 4.5 lakh, but they gave the money after Prasad lodged an FIR against Wasan. Police had already questioned Wasan and recorded his statement.” Kanta Prasad had conveyed to the investigating officers to not take the complaint back, despite claiming in a video that he had never accused Gaurav Vasan of being a ‘thief.’

The allegations of misappropriation of funds against YouTuber Gaurav

On 7th October 2020, a video was shot by YouTube channel Swad official’s Gaurav Wasan featuring Kanta Prasad and his wife. The duo was seen weeping over financial difficulties. The couple ran an eatery in Malviya Nagar, Delhi, and was facing a hard time due to lockdown. The video was shared widely by netizens and celebrities who urged everyone to help the couple. The small eatery was also extensively covered by mainstream media and donations poured in from all corners.

On 26th October, Youtuber Lakshay Choudhary came forward and alleged that Gaurav Wasan of Swad Official, who initially made the video of the elderly couple, has not yet paid them the donation money he collected on their behalf. Choudhary also alleged that several influencers gave their own account details instead of providing Kanta Prasad’s account details that led to a massive ‘scam’.

Wasan then posted a video presenting a cheque worth ₹2.33 lakh to Kanta Prasad. However, some netizens alleged that he had said in a video interview to another YouTuber that he had received over 20 lakh rupees for the cause. Netizens had demanded that Wasan should share images of his bank statement for at least a week from 7th October to show how much money he has collected. He later claimed to have transferred ₹3.78 lakhs to the eatery owner.

Kanta Prasad then filed a case, alleging that he has received a cheque of ₹2.33 lakhs from Wasan and has no idea about the remaining amount. The YouTuber accused the Baba ka Dhaba owner of defamation and said that he had given two cheques to Kanta Prasad, one of Rs 1 lakh and another one of Rs 2.33 lakhs. Besides, an amount of Rs 45,000 was transferred to Prasad via PayTM.

Turn of fortune for Baba Ka Dhaba owner

Following the controversy, Baba ka Dhaba owner started his own restaurant in Malviya Nagar, Delhi, where he served Indian and Chinese cuisines. However, he closed that venture and returned to his roadside stall as he was losing money in it. As per Indian Express, the cost of running the restaurant was around ₹1 lac a month while the revenue per month was only ₹30,000. Numerous media outlets reported that Kanta Prasad had lost all his money on the endeavour and was back to square one.

However, when OpIndia got in touch with Kanta Prasad, he confirmed that he still has a significant sum of money raised by the public intact with him. He claims that he was able to get over his over financial woes due to the help and support he received from the people of Delhi. He shut his restaurant only to return to his roadside eatery.

In a recent video, Prasad had tendered his apology to the Youtuber. He said, “Gaurav Wasan was not a thief. We never called him a thief. I made a mistake by saying ‘I didn’t call him (Wasan) but he approached us himself,’ I’d like to apologise.” Later, Wasan reconciled with the Baba Ka Dhaba owner and shared an image together with the caption, “All’s well that ends well.”

Kanta Prasad allegedly attempted suicide and is currently admitted to the ICU at Safdarjung Hospital. He was found overdosed with sleeping tablets, but is now reported to be safe and undergoing treatment at Safdarjung Hospital.

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