On May 17, the portals of Kedarnath Mandir were opened after a six-month winter break. A few selected people attended the ceremony of opening the portals due to the Covid restrictions. The gates were opened at 5 AM. The first puja was held by the priests of the temple on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is the second consecutive year when pilgrimage to the temple has been restricted due to an ongoing pandemic.
Rawal Bhim Shankar Ling and Chief Priest Bagesh Ling, a few officials of the administration, and the Devasthanam Board were present at the time of the ceremony.
Yatra suspended due to Covid-19
Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Tirath Singh Rawat, expressed his happiness at the temple’s opening and prayed for the welfare and good health of everyone. CM Rawat said that the Yatra had been suspended temporarily due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, people can have a virtual darshan of Baba Kedarnath and perform puja from their homes. According to Satpal Maharaj, Tourism Minister of Uttarakhand, the Chardham Yatra would be restarted as soon as the coronavirus pandemic subsides.
केदारनाथ के रावल (मुख्य पुजारी) आदरणीय श्री भीमाशंकर लिंगम् जी की अगुवाई में तीर्थ पुरोहित सीमित संख्या में मंदिर में बाबा केदार की पूजा-अर्चना नियमित रूप से करेंगे। मेरा अनुरोध है कि महामारी के इस दौर में श्रद्धालु घर में रहकर ही पूजा-पाठ और धार्मिक परंपराओं का निर्वहन करें।
The temple was decorated with eleven quintals of flowers for the occasion. The mesmerizing beauty of Kedarnath Dham was visible during the ceremony. Everyone present for the ceremony followed the precautions such as wearing masks and maintaining social distancing that has been laid down in view of the pandemic.
केदारनाथ धाम में भी प्रथम रूद्राभिषेक पूजा प्रधानमंत्री श्री @narendramodi जी की ओर से की गयी तथा जनकल्याण की कामना की गयी। कोरोना महामारी को देखते हुए चारधाम यात्रा अस्थायी तौर पर स्थगित है धामों में केवल पूजापाठ संपन्न हो रही है यात्रियों को आने की अनुमति नहीं है।
Department of Information and Public Relations Uttarakhand (DIPR) said that the pilgrimage had been suspended for Char Dham Yatra. Only symbolic puja by priests is allowed amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
Badrinath Mandir to open on May 18
Yamunotri and Gangotri Mandir were opened on May 14 and May 15, respectively. Kedarnath Mandir was opened on Monday, while Badrinath Mandir will be opened on May 18 for the priests to perform regular puja. No pilgrims will be allowed to visit any of these temples till further orders because of the surge in Covid-19 cases in the state.
In April 2021, Sister Mebil a nun living at the St Joseph’s Convent in Kottayam District, Kerala, was found dead in a well at the convent. A note was found where she described ‘physical difficulties’ as the reason for her suicide.
Going through reports in mainstream media, we find that this is not a stray incident. In the same month, a young trainee Priest, Maria Ajith, who was serving in St Joseph’s Church, Adaikalapuram in South Tamil Nadu, was found dead by hanging. The reasons for his death are not clear and under investigation.
In a similar incident in November 2019, Father Mahesh D’Souza committed suicide. Parishioners protested and demanded a police investigation. Police reports are said to have revealed that the priest has had a troubled past and may have engaged in behaviour unbecoming of his office.
In March 2018, a young seminarian, Arokya Naveen, committed suicide at home. In his suicide note, he is alleged to have given ‘harassment at the seminary’ as the reason behind his action. He is specifically said to have named one Karuppan alias Jeyaraj, a faculty at the seminary, as the individual who was mainly responsible for harassing him. After this report in Dinakaran, no further follow up reporting has been seen in mainstream media.
This is a sample of such tragic incidents in the last few years alone. Some other incidents are:
This report from UCA – Union of Catholic Asian News – lists 5 tragic deaths among the clergy in a few months from October 2019 to July 2020 alone.
An old report from 2010 describes the controversy and allegations over a 19-year-old seminarian’s suicide.
In a strange aberration, a 68-year-old priest is alleged to have committed suicide in June 2019, at a diocese in Assam. What is striking is the priest’s work in a remote location in Assam.
Many of the suicides have been among relatively younger people. It is true that the rigours of celibacy and the discipline of life as a priest are not something that all can withstand, especially over an entire lifetime.
One reason could be that the Church is unable to find sufficient committed individuals to fill the shoes of the clergy. India has 16th position worldwide in the number of Catholics, but 6th in the number of priests. To put this in perspective, Brazil, with a flock of 145 million Catholics, has 55,000 nuns and priests in 9000 dioceses, but India, with a mere 17 million Catholics, has close to 100,000 nuns and priests in 8500 dioceses. Only Italy, home to the Church, has more clergy – with close to 125,000 nuns and priests. Part of the reason is that a large number of Indian clergy are dispersed across the world. They fulfil the role of parish priests in Western countries, where the number of faithful is fast declining, and fewer young people are willing to take vows.
As a result, India is fulfilling the role of providing manpower to the Catholic Church. Life in a convent or monastery is demanding, with rigorous prayer, penances and learning. Life as a parish priest is demanding in a very different manner. A parish priest’s life is a lonely one.
Younger people without the mental strength to cope with this life, nor the conviction to hold to their vows, will suffer as a result.
A report in Matters India – a news portal – describes the changing profile of novices in India, who are less motivated by the chance to serve and more by the opportunity to escape some of the challenges of the world.
Across the world, in countries with a weaker Government, the Vatican’s power is such that law enforcement’s authority to investigate cases of suicide is severely impaired by the Church’s ability to influence the course of investigation or to keep the investigation within the Church itself.
It is thus, important, that means of counseling and help for clergy are made available and in a manner that is transparent.
Sweeping such a critical issue under the carpet in the name of secularism is something no responsible Government can afford to do.
It is our heartfelt request that the Government of India intervene and ensure that young clergymen and women do not take their lives so tragically.
As tensions mount between Israel and Palestine, the Muslim community from across the globe have registered their strong protest against Israel’s retaliatory response.
From taking to the streets to trending hashtags on social media, the community has been urging their respective nation to take a stand against Israel. Many have picked their sides and something similar is being witnessed in India too.
However, the Palestinian supporters in India now imply that the Indian supporters of Israel are nothing but communal and Islamophobic. Here’s the example.
Rana Ayyub an alleged journalist and ‘humanitarian’ as per her Twitter profile in her recent Tweet said, “Checked most of the #IndiaStandWithIsrael tweet handles. A common thread that runs through is a visceral hatred for Muslims and a bloodlust to see Muslims massacred and shown their place. Most handles followed by one or more BJP minister or the PM himself.”
Checked most of the #IndiaStandWithIsrael tweet handles. A common thread that runs through is a visceral hatred for Muslims and a bloodlust to see Muslims massacred and shown their place. Most handles followed by one or more BJP minister or the PM himself.
Nevertheless, a small glimpse into her own Twitter timeline reveals something else.
Rana Ayyub’s tweet
Last year in July, when the new COVID cases in India reached 55,000 figure, Ayyub dragged in the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. On 5th August, 2020, just five days after this tweet, PM Modi was going to lay the foundation of the Bhavya Ram Mandir after court ruled in favour of Ram Lalla.
Some more of her hatred towards the Mandir, something the Hindus hold very close.
Rana’s tweet from November 2019
She was clearly upset over the Supreme Court ruling.
But here is how she wants the Islamic countries to stand up for Palestine.
Rana on Al Aqsa
The fact that she tweets only about retaliation of Israel and not of the attack carried out by Hamas and Islamic jihadist from Palestine speaks volumes of her own hypocrisy.
And this is not just Rana, but a lot of people in India who have shown solidarity with Israel.
Like how Ayyub claimed to have checked #IndiaStandWithIsrael handles to conclude Muslim-hate in India, we too looked at some #IndiaStandWithPalestine handles.
Here’s what we found.
Bollywood actor Swara Bhaskar too has been Tweeting in support of Palestine, terming the ‘clash’ as ethnic cleansing. However, if one skims through her timeline, one will not find any such mentions for the post-poll violence in Bengal, on the contrary, Bhaskar has taken every opportunity to slam ‘Hindutva’ and ‘Sanghis’ in the ongoing conflict between nations miles away from India.
It is imperative to note that the terms ‘Sanghis’ and ‘Bhakts’ are loosely used by the left-wing in India as a slur to mock Hindus and BJP supporters.
Source: Twitter
Salman Nizami, a Congress party worker while standing strong with Palestine made sure to dehumanize ‘Sanghis’ and temples. Slamming BJP youth leader Tejasvi Surya for showing support to Israel, Nizami insinuating Indians as paupers, Tweeted “Beg Muslim nations for Oxygen/ Aid & praise Israel for killing Muslims. These Sanghis have no character!”
Source: Twitter
Sumaiya Khan who is supposedly AIMIM’s social media handler mocked Indians for supporting Israel using the same old jibe and also made her connection with Palestine clear.
Source: Twitter
Sahahnawaz Ansari, allegedly a social media activist with 50,000 Twitter followers seems like a professional ‘Sanghi hater’ so to speak. In one of his Tweets, he threatened Hindus staying in Islamic countries for supporting Israel and asking them to rather come back to India to do the same.
Source: Twitter
Some have gone as far as comparing Israeli supporters to fascists, narrow-minded and communal.
Source: Twitter
Quite ironic considering more than six million Jews were once murdered systematically by a fascist.
In fact, that is not it. Some of the Islamists in recent times have taken to adore Hitler for systematically killing the Jews. Pakistani actress Veena Malik misattributed a quote to Hitler and justified the killing of Israelis. Another Pakistan-based contributor to CNN had called for ‘another Hitler‘ as tensions between Israel and Palestine escalated. That was just another way of wishing death upon the Jews. Pakistanis on social media have also been urging their Prime Minister Imran Khan to nuke Israel due to the campaign against Hamas.
But you won’t see Ayyub condemning these tweets. In fact, these tweets, kind of people tweeting these things are encouraged by the very likes of Ayyub.
It perhaps will not be completely incorrect to say that under the garb of Israel-Palestine conflict, some radicals in India are displaying their hate for Hindus in full glory.
The Israeli Defense Forces have eliminated an Islamic Jihad terrorist on Monday, Times of Israel reported. Initial reports suggest that Hussam Abu Harbeed was killed in his home in northern Gaza by an Israeli airstrike. He was said to be the commander of the terrorist outfit’s operation in northern Gaza.
According to the IDF, Hussam Abu Harbeed has led attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians for 15 years. It is also believed that he was directly responsible for the anti-tank missile fire that wounded an Israeli citizen recently. There has not been a confirmation as yet from the Islamic Jihad.
An Arab suspect has also been reportedly arrested over a firebombing incident at Jaffa, an ethnically mixed coastal city. A 12 year old Arab child was reportedly injured in the incident. A judge has issued a gag order preventing further publishing details in the case.
Meanwhile, a rocket fired from Gaza hit a chicken coop is Southern Israel which led to a fire. Firefighters have reached the spot and are reportedly in the process of dousing the fire. In a separate incident, several Israelis were reported to be lightly injured after a rocket from Gaza hit a home in Ashdod.
The conflict between Israel and Palestine has continued over the past week with rockets being fired from Gaza and the IDF retaliating against Hamas and other terror groups operating there. India has condemned the spate of violence at both ends and has called for immediate de-escalation.
After having mismanaged the coronavirus outbreak in Delhi, Aam Aadmi Party today tried to deflect the criticism by blaming the central government for its vaccine diplomacy initiative.
In a tweet, the official Twitter account of the Aam Aadmi Party mentioned a list of countries to allege that PM Modi sought votes from Indians but sent the vaccines abroad. Apparently, the list of the countries shared by AAP were Muslim-majority nations, with the first in the list being Pakistan.
Source: Twitter
AAP’s sly attempt to insinuate that PM Modi had helped only Islamic nations while seeking votes from Indians was not lost on Twitter users, who promptly called out the Arvind Kejriwal government for posting a misleading tweet and being economical with truth.
India supplied vaccines to 95 countries, Pakistan was allocated vaccines by GAVI
Many social media users highlighted that India had provided vaccines to not just Islamic nations but a total of 95 countries, including all of the UN peacekeeping forces, as a part of its commitment to the global community.
However, Pakistan has received AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccines through COVAX, a worldwide initiative aimed at equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines directed by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and the World Health Organization.
As part of its obligation to Gavi, the Serum Institute of India is contract bound to provide its manufactured vaccines to the COVAX, as they were first risk investors. India cannot dictate what Gavi does with the vaccines or whom it donates. As such, India is also one of the beneficiaries of Gavi. It is, therefore, profoundly wrong on the AAP’s part to accuse the Indian government of donating vaccines to Pakistan.
However, yet AAP’s tweet mentions Pakistan as the first country in the list of beneficiaries that received vaccines delivered by India. Clearly, AAP had tried to whip up anti-government sentiments among people by highlighting that India had even provided vaccines to its arch-nemesis, Pakistan. Though, it was lousy enough to not check if Pakistan was indeed a beneficiary of India’s vaccine diplomacy.
After being called out, AAP posts the remaining the list of beneficiaries
After social media users called out the Aam Aadmi Party for its propaganda against PM Modi, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Party tried to salvage itself by sharing the remaining list of countries that received vaccines made in India. Two hours after its initial tweet that included only Muslim-majority countries as the recipients of India’s vaccine diplomacy, the official Twitter account of the Aam Aadmi Party posted a string tweets that included countries that were earlier left out by it.
AAP political sly in highlighting only the Muslim nations was called out by many on Twitter.
The original tweet listing only muslim countries was at 11.55. When called out for promoting Islamophobia @AamAadmiParty tweeted this including other countries at 1.53. Full two hours later. https://t.co/td6tAAAnu6
— Col Abhishek Raj Bajpai, SM (Veteran) (@abhishekshubhra) May 17, 2021
Delhi’s AAP government messes up handling resurgent coronavirus outbreak in the national capital
Delhi was in the throes of a raging coronavirus outbreak last month as the cases increased dramatically and the hospitals in the national capital struggled with the oxygen supplies. Not just oxygen, but there was also shortages of beds, key antiviral drugs to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients in Delhi have been left to fend for themselves as they contend with the scarcity of oxygen, beds and medicines. In the absence of a responsible government in the state, their relatives often had to resort to Twitter and other social media websites for raising SOS alarm and seeking help.
Even the hospitals in Delhi have accused the Aam Aadmi Party government of mismanaging the coronavirus outbreak and not providing a steady supply of oxygen to them, which resulted in deaths of patients who could have otherwise be saved if the Delhi government had competently handled the crisis.
It is notable here that the entire narrative of India “sending doses abroad” is misplaced as the doses of vaccines sent to friendly nations under ‘Vaccine Maitri’ is a small percentage of what India has already provided to its own citizens. Also the ‘Vaccine Maitri’ initiative has built an enormous amount of international goodwill for India, reflective in the support and help India is getting from several nations to battle the second wave of Covid crisis.
As India continues its battle against the second wave of Covid-19, it launched its first batch of indigenous anti-COVID oral drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) developed by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), a lab of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Monday.
The drug, called 2-deoxy-D-glucose or 2-DG, was developed by a DRDO lab in collaboration with the Hyderabad-based pharma giant, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories. The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), the country’s top drug regulator, has approved the medicine for emergency use as an adjunct therapy in Covid patients battling moderate to severe symptoms of the infection.
The first and the second batch of 2-DG will be used in a limited manner. It will be used in AIIMS, Armed Forces Hospitals, DRDO hospitals and any other need which arises. From June 2021 onwards it will be made available to all hospitals.
The first & second batch (of anti-COVID drug 2-DG) will be used in a limited manner. It will be used in AIIMS, Armed Forces Hospitals, DRDO hospitals & any other need which arises. From June onwards it will be made available to all hospitals: Dr G Satheesh Reddy, Chairman, DRDO pic.twitter.com/VCK2GGVCFp
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan released the first batch of 10,000 doses of the medicine at DRDO headquarters today. These doses have been distributed to some hospitals in the national capital.
“Not just for India but I hope it serves in the fight against COVID, globally in the coming days. I thank and congratulate DRDO and its scientists. We’ve seen under PM Modi leadership DRDO has played an important role in the fight against coronavirus.” Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said.
Moreover, while launching the drug, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also called it a new ray of hope. “Developed by DRDO and DRL, 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) will prove effective against Covid-19. This is a great example of the scientific prowess of our country. I congratulate DRDO and all the institutions involved in the R&D of this drug, on my behalf,” said Singh.
DRDO’s 2-DG drug
On May 9 2021, DRDO Chief Mr G Satheesh Reddy had announced that the DRDO Covid medicine is approved for emergency use and will be available by May 11, 2021.
2-deoxy-D-glucose or 2-DG is an oral anti-Covid-19 drug. The drug is expected to help hospitalised Covid-19 patients and reduce their supplemental oxygen dependence.
Explaining what went behind the development of India’s first indigenous anti-COVID oral drug, DRDO Project Director and Scientist of 2-DG, Dr Sudhir Chandana had said earlier that when India was grappling with the first wave of the pandemic in April 2020, the institute discovered that 2-DG halts the spread of COVID-19 inside the body cells.
“After the findings, we asked the DCGI for permission to conduct clinical trials. In May 2020, we got permission for the clinical trials”, Chandana said.
According to reports, a total of 110 patients were part of the Phase-II clinical trials of DRDO’s 2-DG drug. “By the end of October 2020, we had completed the second phase of trials, and the results were very good. Using standard care, 2 DG will be more beneficial for the Covid-19 patients,” Chandana added.
The results of 2-DG phase II trials showed that in terms of improvement in the vitals of COVID-19 symptomatic patients there was a difference of 2.5 days compared to Standard of Care (SoC).
Meanwhile, the DRDO statement had confirmed earlier that the approval for Phase – III clinical trials of 2-DG was granted in November 2020. These were conducted in 27 COVID-19 hospitals spread across several states. “Clinical trial results have shown that this molecule helps in faster recovery of hospitalised patients and reduces supplemental oxygen dependence,” the official DRDO statement had said.
How 2-DG works and controls COVID-19, reducing dependence on oxygen?
According to DRDO officials, the 2-DG drug, like glucose, spreads through the body and reaches the virus-infected cells and prevents virus growth by stopping viral synthesis and destroying the protein’s energy production.
How the 2-DG drug works, image source Jagran
The drug also works on virus infection spread into the lungs which help us to decrease the infected patient’s dependency on oxygen.
Production and consumption and the expected price of the drug
Since 2-DG is a generic molecule and analogue of glucose it can be easily manufactured in India and made available in plenty to the citizens.
The anti-Covid drug 2-DG has been developed in powder form and is ingested orally in patients by dissolving it in water.
According to sources, the price of the drug may range from anything between Rs 500 to Rs 600. However, the government may also grant subsidies making it further affordable for patients from every stratum of society.
Which variants of Covid-19 virus will 2-DG work on
According to DRDO, clinical trials of the medicine has proved that the drug can arrest any variant of the virus that multiplies. Irrespective of the variant it will need food and thus will get trapped by the drug, informed the officials.
DRDO calls the 2-DG drug a game-changer
DRDO’s anti-covid drug is being seen as a boon, especially at a time when the devastating second wave of the infection has led to acute oxygen shortage in the country. The officials believe that the drug will be a game-changer as it will help in faster recovery of patients who are hospitalised especially reducing the supplemental oxygen dependence in such patients.
“In 2-DG arm, a significantly higher proportion of patients improved symptomatically and became free from supplemental oxygen dependence (42% vs 31%) by Day-3 in comparison to SoC, indicating an early relief from oxygen therapy/dependence. A similar trend was observed in patients aged more than 65 years,” the DRDO said.
A higher proportion of patients treated with 2-DG showed RT-PCR negative conversion in COVID patients. In the efficacy trends, the patients treated with 2-DG showed faster symptomatic cure than Standard of Care (SoC) on various endpoints, the DRDO said.
Amidst the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, a Pakistani news channel by the name of ‘Bol News’ has called upon its Muslim brethren to unleash ‘Jihad’ against the Jewish State. The programme titled, “Time for Jihad Israel Vs Palestine” was aired on Sunday (May 16).
At the very onset, the show host Noor ul Arfeen said, “While I am talking to you, the biggest human tragedy of the world is underway (referring to the bombing of Hamas targets by Israel Defense Forces). Before I talk about this situation further, let me remind you what does the Quran advises the Momins to do in such a situation.” Highlighting the 9th chapter of the Quran, Surah-e-Tauba, he talked about Islam’s directives on doing Jihad.
“Whatever I will say today will be from the perspective of my religious affiliation to Islam. I have no allegiance to international relations or obey the guidelines of public interest. You can see several verses of Surah-e-Tauba and its interpretation on the screen. He gives a call for Jihad in the pursuit of Allah, whether light or heavy. This is the message of Allah for all Muslims”, he emphasised.
(Video Courtesy: Youtube/Bol News)
Noor-Ul-Arfeen lamented that the Muslims in the world say that they are bound by international relations and treaties and thus not ready for Jihad. Further highlighting the 4th chapter of the Quran, Surah-An-Nisa, he said, “Muslims, why don’t you see the atrocities committed on helpless women and children? Is there no true Muslim leader who can stop the hands of those who lust to rule the world? This is by far the deadliest attack in Gaza that has martyred more than 150 people.”
Instead of referring to the military forces as ‘Israel Defence Forces (IDF), the news anchor chose to call it ‘Jewish Defence Forces’. The objective behind doing so is to stir the anti-Jewish sentiment that exists among the Muslims in Pakistan. Noor-ul-Arfeen did not condemn the Islamist terror outfit Hamas even once and chose to weave a ‘sob tale’ based on unverified videos that he had received from unknown sources on his phone. He also lamented how the Jewish forces attacked the Al-Jazeera office and how all of it was a wake-up call for Muslims around the world to do ‘Jihad.’
Pakistani news channel confuses Joe Biden as US ‘Chairman’
In his unhinged vitriolic rant, Bol News anchor forgot that Joe Biden is not the US Chairman but the President of the United States. “The Chairman of United States, Joe Biden, has given a tight slap on the face of Muslims in a display of their utter inhumane nature. This has led to the embarrassment of all Muslims. Biden has dialled the Prime Minister of Israel and said that it is within its rights to secure its border. However, he added that the offices of media organisations must not be targetted.” According to him, Joe Biden thus gave the impression that the lives of ‘innocent Muslim Palestinians’ did not matter.
Despite over 2 million subscribers, the Pakistani news channel and its anchor did not shy away from giving an open call for terrorism, religious hatred and genocide. Shedding all journalistic ethics, Noor-ul-Arfeen announced that Muslims are not bound by international rules and thus must avenge the actions of the Jewish forces. While Anti-Semitism is not uncommon on Pakistani news channels, the Bol News anchor went a step ahead to slam the United, the country Pakistan regularly receives aid from.
The ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict
The hostilities between the Jewish nation and its nemesis Hamas are at an all-time high, especially after the intense aerial exchanges that started on the evening of May 11 and continued well past midnight. On May 11, Palestinian terrorist organisation Hamas unleashed massive airstrikes against Israel, firing hundreds of rockets inside the country.
The country’s air defence system known as the Iron Dome, intercepted the continuous barrage of rockets targeting Tel Aviv and central Israel Tuesday evening. Israel, in response, stepped up its attacks on the Palestinian terror group Hamas inside Gaza Strip. The Israel Defence Forces carried out airstrikes on targets in Gaza in response to continued attacks by Hamas against Israel. The death toll in the Gaza strip has risen to 181 by May 16. At the same time, 20 high-profile terrorists associated with Hamas and Palestine Islamic Jihad have been neutralised.
While debunking the anti-Israeli propaganda, Israel Defence Forces remarked, “The fact that there aren’t more casualties in Israel does not mean that Hamas isn’t trying to kill Israeli civilians. It simply means that the IDF is preventing them from doing so at an incredible level. The Iron Dome Aerial Defense System and easily accessible bomb shelters all over Israel have saved thousands of lives.” It concluded, “IDF troops will continue to work 24/7 to defend Israeli civilians at the highest level possible and minimize Gazan casualties wherever possible.”
Delhi Police on Monday uncovered an assassination plot against Dasna Devi Temple head priest Yati Narsighanand Saraswati with the arrest of a 24-year-old Jaish-e-Muhammad terrorist from Delhi’s Paharganj area. Besides one .30 bore pistol along with two magazine and 15 live rounds, the police recovered a Bhagwa kurta, a Kalava, a Mala and a Chandan-tika from the terrorist.
The accused, identified as Mohd. Dar alias Jehangir, who hailed from Pulwama, was allegedly paid Rs 41,000 to bump off the head priest of the Dasna Devi Temple. He was picked up from Hotel Shiva in Paharganj about 10 days ago, but the arrest was kept under wraps.
During the interrogation, Dar reportedly told the police that one Abid from Pakistan recruited him to work for the Jaish-e-Muhammad terror outfit. He said he worked as a carpenter near his hometown where he met Abid in December 2020. Abid told him he was from the JeM and the duo met again in April 2021.
“They continuously chatted with each other on Whatsapp. In February, Dar came to Delhi with his sister and her father-in-law for the treatment of his nephew, who had heart disease. Once he returned to Kashmir, Abid entrusted him with the task of assassinating Dasna Devi Temple head priest Yati Narsighanand Saraswati,” a police officer privy to the details of the interrogation said.
The police officer also said that Dar received training from Abid, who also gave him Rs 6,500 in cash. Abid also made an online transfer of Rs 35,000 to Dar and asked him to procure a weapon from his friend in Delhi.
“He was asked to dress up like a Hindu monk to gain an entry to the temple. Police are now on the lookout for Abid’s friend, who provided Dar with a weapon,” the officer said. An FIR under Section 120B of IPC(criminal conspiracy) was registered following some inputs and an investigation was initiated.
Notably, this is not the first time that Islamic terrorists have tried to operate under the guise of observant Hindus to gain access to their target without drawing suspicions and executing their nefarious plans. In October 2019, Hindu Samaj leader Kamlesh Tiwari was assassinated by two Islamic terrorists, Farid-ud-din Shaikh and Ashfaq Shaikh, in his office-cum-residence at Lucknow. The assailants came dressed in saffron kurtas to give him a sweets box with an address of a sweet shop in Surat city in Gujarat.
The assassination attempt against Dasna Devi Temple head priest Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati came a month after he made critical remarks against Islam and Prophet Muhammad. Speaking at an event held at a Press Club of India, Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati urged Hindus to be fearless in highlighting the characteristics of Prophet Muhammad.
“If Islam’s reality, for which Maulana says, ‘If you speak about Muhammad, we will behead you’, Hindus should get rid of this fear. We are Hindus. If we can about the characteristics of Lord Ram, and other Hindu deities, then Muhammad is nothing for us. Why could not we speak about Muhammad and speak the truth?” Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati exclaimed.
Following his comments on Islam and Prophet Muhammad, AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan called for the beheading of Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati as ‘punishment’ for criticising Prophet Muhammad. Subsequently, Muslims in many pockets of the country ran a hostile campaign against the Dasna Devi Temple head priest, raising ‘sar tan se juda‘ slogans against him for his impudence to pass remarks on Prophet Muhammad and Islam.
Senior virologist Shahid Jameel tendered his resignation from the post of the chairman of the scientific advisory group of Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genome Sequencing Consortia (INSACOG) after it failed in predicting the gravity of the COVID-19 outbreak in India.
The forum, scientific advisory group of INSACOG, was set up by the central government last year for laboratory and epidemiological surveillance of circulating strains of COVID-19 in the country. Under the group, 10 national laboratories had been brought together under the aegis of the National Centre for Disease Control to study the prevalent strains of the COVID-19 in India.
The move comes as India is grappling with a devastating coronavirus surge, driven by a newer variant of the virus that has left hospital packed to capacity and sick people struggling to get care. Jameel and the group headed by him remained lackadaisical in testing and detecting the active coronavirus strains active even as they surreptitiously spread across the country, causing the latest coronavirus outbreak.
Experts claim India’s coronavirus crisis is powered by a mix of B.1.617 strain and the B.1.1.7 strain, which is popularly known as the UK strain. As a genome mapping group, the INSACOG was responsible for keeping a tab on the strains circulating in the country. However, with the coronavirus cases swelling across the country, the group which was headed by Jameel, had clearly failed in its endeavour of predicting the seriousness of the outbreak.
Jameel blames Centre for his failure to predict the severity of the coronavirus outbreak
Recently, Jameel tried to deflect the blame of his failure to identify the severity of the coronavirus outbreak on the central government. After bungling up the job given to him by the Centre, he penned a scathing piece in the New York Times, in which he had said that the scientists in India are facing a “stubborn response to evidence-based policymaking”.
“Decision-making based on data is yet another casualty, as the pandemic in India has spun out of control,” he wrote.
Source: New York Times
In his piece, Jameel, who is currently the Director of the Trivedi School of Biosciences at Ashoka University, made suggestions that he should have preferably proposed to the central government as the head of the scientific advisory group of INSACOG. He stressed the need to increase testing and isolation, ramping up hospital beds by creating more temporary facilities, roping in retired doctors and nurses, and strengthening the supply chain for critical medicines and oxygen.
The virologist also emphasised the need to increase the pace of vaccinations. He said India must scale up its vaccination drive, aiming to inoculate 7.5 million to 10 million doses every day. For achieving this feat, he had suggested the centre to augment vaccine supplies and doubling delivery points. Jameel also proposed roping in private sector for enhancing the reach of vaccination.
While all these recommendations should have ideally been made directly to the Centre and not through an opinion column published in a foreign media outlet, it is worth noting that Jameel had earlier downplayed the coronavirus threat facing the country and declared the COVID-19 outbreak over.
Jameel had earlier rejected the possibility of the second wave of the coronavirus outbreak
In an interview in January 2021, while speaking about the coronavirus situation in the country, Jameel had said that he broadly agrees that the worst may be over for the country. “The worst may be over but we are certainly not out of the woods. My advice would be for people to continue to maintain precautions,” Jameel had said in the interview.
When asked if India would have a second wave of the coronavirus outbreak, Jameel responded in negative, saying that he does not think that the country will face a second wave of the coronavirus outbreak. “India’s first wave was quite broad. The peak was not very sharp. As a result, I think India may not have, what we traditionally call, a second wave,” Jameel said. He hypothesized that about 300-400 million people might have already been infected in India, and therefore the country would be spared by the scourge of the second wave of the coronavirus.
Source: Health Analytics Asia
Just a month later, his hypothesis would go down the drain as the number of coronavirus cases in the country registered a steady and sharp uptick, signifying that the second wave was in the offing.
Not only this, the virologist had also raised questions on the emergency approval granted to Serum Institute’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin. He had cast aspersions on the trial data of the two vaccines, essentially fueling apprehensions and vaccine hesitancy among people. Regarding Covishield, Jameel said the vaccine threw up conflicting efficacy data from the trail that were conducted in Brazil and the UK. With respect to Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, the virologist said data was not available about its efficacy.
Source: Health Analytics Asia
At a time when the genome mapping group should have doubled down on its efforts to track the various strains active in the country and their potential virulence to spawn a second wave of the outbreak, the head of the advisory group, Shahid Jameel, was busy sending wrong messages of reassurance to the scientific community and the broader public, telling them that the worst was behind and that India would not witness another bout of the coronavirus outbreak.
The misleading utterances by Jameel that the COVID-19 outbreak in the country was on the wane, that India would not witness another wave of the pandemic, and that the efficacy of India’s approved vaccines was dubious, underscores his failure to gauge the looming threat posed by the resurgent wave of the coronavirus outbreak. They also served to engender a sense of complacency among the state governments and local administrations, leading them to let their guard down even as the coronavirus was preparing to rear its ugly head, yet again.
On May 16, MeToo accused journalist Vinod Dua’s daughter thanked Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri for arranging critical medicine for her mother. Amidst all this, a Vinod Dua started making rounds on social media platforms. He was seen spewing venom against Prime Minister Narendra Modi even when he was hospitalized.
While many believed that the video is recent when he’s currently hospitalised for COVID treatment, it is actually a video from March 2021 which he had published on his verified Facebook page.
Dua mocked PM Modi for saying that he also took part in protests in favour of Bangladesh and said, “When I heard PM Modi saying he had a role in the independence of Bangladesh, I said to myself, ‘Vinod Dua, leave Pradhan Sewak while you are in hospital. You can talk about him again when you get better.’ I am suffering from a low-grade fever for the last few days. That’s why I am not able to do the Vinod Dua show. Once I get better, I will come back and will do a show on incompetent Pradhan Sewak. Till then, wish me good luck.”
PM Modi did take part in the Bangladesh independence movement
There is ample proof that Prime Minister Narendra Modi took part in Satyagreh for Independence of Bangladesh in August 1971. Reports suggest that he was arrested while doing Satyagraha organized by the Jan Sangh in August 1971 under the leadership of Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee. However, the liberal section of the media could not digest the fact and had mocked PM Modi for “making such claims.”
Vinod Dua’s venomous history
This is not the first time veteran “journalist,” the prominent face of lutyens’ Delhi, had spewed venom against PM Modi, BJP, or followers of PM Modi. In September 2020, he called quarantine centres detention centres and justified attacks on doctors by a particular community. In June 2020, he urged the people of India to take inspiration from the US riots and replicate them in India. In April 2020, he compared police personnel to ‘Jallads.’ Even his daughter is no less. She had called for the death of PM Modi’s followers in an interview and even questioned the past of the woman who accused his father of molestation.
