As the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic hits India, several journalists have been using social media to not only spread negativity and fake news but also rejoice when anyone they perceive as someone who does not harbour mindless hate for the Modi government, suffers from the Chinese virus. In a similar incident, former Navbharat Times journalist Avinish Mishra took to Twitter to mock DD journalist Ashok Shrivastav after he shared a personal story about the COVID-19 crisis.
Ashok Shrivastav had taken to Twitter on April 23, to share how his Covid-19 positive mother, whose oxygen level had fallen to 40%, recuperated at home after they brought an oxygen concentrator and administered oxygen to his mother in the house itself. “Now she is Covid negative”, the Doordarshan journalist informed.
मेरी मां को कोरोना था,ऑक्सिजन लेवल 40 तक चला गया।हम हॉस्पिटल भागे, वहां हालात देखे तो लगा भर्ती कराया तो अनहोनी होनी तय है।
— Ashok Shrivastav (@AshokShrivasta6) April 23, 2021
ऑक्सिजन कंसेंट्रेटर घर पर मंगाया, हिम्मत से दिन-रात परिवार ने सेवा की।अब वो कोरोना नेगेटिव हैं।
पहले यह सब बता कर किसी को परेशान नहीं करना चाहता था।
In response to his Tweet, former Navbharat Times journalist Avinish Mishra decided to display just how petty hate can make one. Mishra responded to Ashok Shrivastav saying that he was lying about his mother being Covid positive.
He said that Shrivastav was using his mother as an excuse to shield the Modi government. Mishra insinuated that since Shrivastav is a “Modi Bhakt”, he was attempting to absolve Modi from the existing oxygen crisis in the country.
मैं ये दावे के साथ कह रहा हूँ, कि ये झूठ बोल रहे हैं.
— অবিনিশ মিশ্র (Avinish Mishra) (@AvinishIIMC) April 23, 2021
मोदी भक्ति में ये इतना डूब चुके हैं कि इन्हें परसेप्शन क्रिएट करने के लिए मां का सहारा लेना पड़ रहा है. https://t.co/CduJV2St9G
Avinish Mishra, in a terribly insensitive tweet, said that Ashok Shrivastav was using his own mother to create a ‘perception’ about the Modi government. One wonders what that perception might be.
Shrivastav in his tweet categorically mentioned that he had indeed taken his mother to the hospital, but looking at the condition of the hospital due to getting overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients, he felt that he could provide better care for his mother at home. Any human being with basic decency would be glad that anyone’s mother recovered from the deadly infection despite not being hospitalised, since it is known that COVID-19 is far more dangerous for those above the age of 45.
However, according to Mishra, Shrivastav was “using his own mother” to create a “perception”. It is pertinent to note that in his tweet, Shrivastav made no commentary on the current state of affairs in the country. He did not say that there is no shortage of beds or absolve any government of accountability. He merely shared his own journey and the fact that his mother had recovered from COVID-19.
Miffed by such aspersions, rightly so, Ashok Shrivastav hit back saying that Mishra should come to his house with a doctor and personally check his mother’s reports to verify the truth. He slammed the reporter for “spreading hatred and trolling” a person in such difficult times. He tells Mishra that he is messaging him his phone number so that he can personally get in touch with him and pay a visit to his mother.
ये पत्रकार है? ऐसे समय में भी नफरत फैला रहा है, ट्रोल कर रहा है। इसे ब्लॉक करना चाहता था, पर पहले इसे सबके सामने नंगा करना ज़रूरी है। तेरे इनबॉक्स में नंबर भेज रहा हूँ अपना। मेरे घर किसी डॉ को लेकर आजा, सारी रिपोर्ट दिखाऊंगा और जांच हो जाएगी। एक बाप की औलाद है तो भागना नहीं। https://t.co/czU84olp6Y
— Ashok Shrivastav (@AshokShrivasta6) April 23, 2021
Infuriated by Mishra’s Tweet, Shrivastav, in his subsequent Tweet sends his E-mail Id to Mishra saying that since Mishra has turned off his Twitter message he could get in touch with him via Email.
It is indeed tragic that journalists, in their hate for the Prime Minister, have now started targeting anyone just because they don’t share the blind hatred towards the central government. In trying times, one would imagine that a person could simply share a positive story about recovery, when we have seen so much death around, and not be abused for it. However, several journalists have display immense insensitivity and hatred, even in these trying times.
The armed forces too have stepped in to tackle the crisis. The defence ministry officials said an oxygen-producing technology developed for light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas was shared with the industry to scale up the production further. The technology can produce 1,000 litres of oxygen per minute.
