After Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan, now Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and her daughter Aaradhya have been reported positive for Covid-19. Yesterday, Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan informed everyone on Twitter that they have been tested positive and shifted to Nanavati Hospital. Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope confirmed that Amitabh Bachchan was tested positive.
Today morning, there were reports that Jaya Bachchan and Aishwarya both tested negative. Still, it seems like there are some changes in Aishwarya’s health status after the final report came at 2:30 PM. Other family members Jaya Bachchan, Shweta Bachchan and her children Navya and Agastya have tested negative for coronavirus.
It is being reported that both Aishwarya and Aaradhya are asymptomatic. Therefore, it is speculated that they will be home quarantined instead of being admitted at a hospital, as Aaradhya is minor. Amitabh Bachchan is in high risk group due to his age, and both he and Abhishekh have mild symptoms, due to which both have been shifted to Nanavati hospital.
Following the detection of Coronavirus cases in the Bachchan residence, the house Jalsa has been sealed by the administration, and it has been declared a containment zone.
BMC today sanitized Bachchan’s residence to reduce the possibility of further spread. The father-son duo requested everyone who came in close proximity to them to get tested as soon as possible. Abhishek also said that they had informed the authorities and complying with all the guidelines.
The number of cases in Maharashtra are increasing at an alarming pace. 18 personnel at Raj Bhavan Mumbai were tested positive after which Governor went into self quarantine. As per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, there are 99,499 active cases in the state, while 1,36,985 have been cured, and 10,116 have lost their lives. The total number of cases in India is closing to one million, currently standing at 8,49,553.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday detained two key accused in Kerala gold smuggling case, Swapna Suresh and Sandeep Nair, from Bengaluru.
According to the reports, the two accused in the high-profile case linking the Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan were on the run for the last six days after the Customs Department had seized 30 kg of gold from the consignment that had arrived from the UAE, which was marked to the country’s consulate in Thiruvananthapuram.
Swapna Suresh and Sandeep Nair, the two accused in the case were missing, were nabbed by the NIA officials in Bengaluru on Sunday.
On Friday, the NIA had registered a case against four persons in the case, including Sarith Kumar, a former employee of the consular office, who is now in the custody of the customs as the first accused.
Swapna Suresh is the second accused while the elusive UAE-based smuggling-kingpin Fazil Pareed has been named as the third accused. Swapna Suresh’s friend Sandeep Nair is the fourth accused. The FIRs have been registered under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
The NIA is investigating the well-structured smuggling racket and according to the FIR, Sarith and Swapna Suresh were actively involved in arranging the diplomatic papers for the delivery of the consignment. The police suspect that a good portion of money generated through smuggling was used to fund some anti-national activities.
Gold smuggling scandal rocks Kerala, links with Kerala CMO
The high-profile gold smuggling case surfaced after the Customs Department had seized 30 kg of gold from an air cargo consignment from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Thiruvananthapuram last Sunday.
As customs officials interrogated Sarith, who was working as an Ex PRO for the UAE consulate, they found that Swapna Suresh used to forge the Consulate documents to take advantage of the diplomatic immunity to smuggle gold from Gulf. While Sarith was nabbed by customs and is being interrogated, the main accused Swapna Suresh is absconding.
Despite being terminated from the UAE Consulate office, Sarith was in contact with some officials, including Swapna. As diplomatic luggage is not examined, they were smuggling gold by taking advantage of Swapna’s allegedly forged credentials.
Swapna Suresh is currently working as the marketing liaison officer Space Park under the Kerala State IT Infrastructure Limited (KSITIL) that comes directly under the IT department.
The alleged links of accused Swapna Suresh with Pinarayi Vijayan had also surfaced after it was reported that Vijayan’s principal secretary M Sivasankar was close to Swapna Suresh. The issue took a political tone after opposition Congress, BJP accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of involving in “shady dealings”. Later, the CM had transferred his principal secretary M Sivasankar for his alleged involvement in the gold smuggling case.
BJP, Congress ask how did the duo manage to escape
Following the arrest of Swapna Suresh and Sandeep Nair, the opposition parties in the state have questioned how could the duo escaped the state when the state is under triple lockdown.
The opposition parties allege that the Pinarayi Vijayan government had some sort of role in their escape from the arrest by the authorities. However, they have been nabbed by the NIA officials in Bengaluru. The Pinarayi Vijayan government is facing a lot of heat over how the duo was allowed to escape from the state particularly amidst the triple lockdown.
Kerala BJP President K Surendran attacked the Pinarayi Vijayan government stating, “In certain areas in Thiruvananthapuram you need a pass to buy even a packet of milk. And in all inter-state check-posts, you need an entry pass. It is certain high-ranking officials had escorted them”. He also added that it was another blot on the state government.
Even the Congress party stepped up the attack in Kerala and sought a high-level probe. “Almost a week has passed since the case came up. Not a single FIR was filed against Swapna Suresh though many cheating incidents against her surfaced including fake degree certificate. Her escape adds to the mystery,” said Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala.
Meanwhile, the Kerala police have said they will investigate how Suresh and Nair escaped amid triple lockdown and travelled more than 800 kilometres.
The ‘Woke’ secular-liberal camp of current times is defined by its elitist arrogance and crass snobbery. ‘Human rights activist’ Aakar Patel is one such specimen. When news broke out that Bollywood stalwart Amitabh Bachchan had been diagnosed with Coronavirus, an ordinary person, whether one is a fan or not, would be expected to offer wishes of support and strength. But Aakar Patel is not an ordinary person. He does not think like a sane man.
His first reaction after hearing the news was to announce to the world his aversion towards celebrities such as the senior Bachchan, Akshay Kumar and the cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar. According to Aakar Patel, these three gentlemen prove that ‘money is not the same as class’. The disdain he harbours for the masses is self-evident when he labels these stalwarts ‘middle class opportunists’.
Tweet by Aakar Patel
It only serves to demonstrate that Aakar Patel perceives himself and those like him as aristocrats of yesteryear in the West who believe certain privileges and status is earned by birthright and through affiliation to certain family lineages. It is not about money or how much the three gentlemen manage to earn, he assures us, they have a ‘frog in well mentality’ apparently. The truth, of course, is entirely different.
Aakar Patel expressing his dislike for Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar and Sachin Tendulkar
Much like the manner in which degenerate western aristocrats viewed ordinary individuals who managed to work their way to the top as ‘upstarts’, Aakar Patel, too, believes Bachchan, Akshay Kumar and Tendulkar are opportunists. They don’t deserve the wealth, respect and honour they have earned entirely through their hard work, he believes. They are ‘opportunists’ in his eyes because they did not grovel before the ‘aristocratic’ class and neither begged for their approval.
Through hard work and grit
It is important to understand here what values the three individuals embody. Amitabh bachchan, arguably, had a father who was a renowned poet but the other two gentlemen who were the subject of Patel’s disdain worked upwards from the very bottom to reach the very top. Sachin Tendulkar and Akshay Kumar embody the virtues of hard work, grit, determination and the resolve to carry on even when everything appears to fall apart.
By all accounts, these two individuals did not have an easy life. They come from extremely ordinary backgrounds and achieved success through the talent the Gods have gifted them with and their indomitable will to overcome all odds in their path. When the world was going mad, ands it has always been mad, they kept their head down, honed their talents, kept pushing their limits and now, they are reaping the fruits.
Sachin Tendulkar, in particular, is an inspiration for hundreds and thousands of children worldwide. He had a humble beginning, a man of diminutive stature, an unconventional voice, average looks but he had fire in his belly and that made all the difference. When children are told about role models, it is men like Tendulkar that they are told to look up to.
Throughout his life, Sachin suffered numerous injuries which threatened his career. They might have crushed his body but never his spirit. Take everything away from him, his wealth, the awards he has been bestowed with, the honours he has been conferred, take all that away and he is still a great man who realised his potential to the maximum. He is a talented man from an ordinary family who performed extraordinary feats through his hard work.
Why Aakar Patel hates these ‘middle class opportunists’
Privileged people such as Aakar Patel could never appreciate that. They have no idea about the hard work that it takes to achieve greatness without bending their knees to anyone and sacrifice their self respect in the process. Aakar Patel hates the fact that Sachin Tendulkar has the audacity to not cower before people such as himself. Whatever Sachin has done so far or chooses to do in the future, it would be the decision of a man who has achieved greatness on his own merit. It is not the case with Aakar Patel.
If Sachin Tendulkar, a Brahmin, had paid his obeisance to the values of the ‘Woke’ aristocratic class, people such as Patel would not have spoken a word against him. The ‘Woke’ camp want him to feel apologetic about his Brahmin caste and attribute all his success to the privileges he has received due to it. The ‘Woke’ camp hates every Brahmin who does not stand in front of the mirror for an hour everyday and whip his back to rid himself of his ‘caste privilege’. Sachin Tendulkar has never issued statements to that effect. And so, the ‘Woke’ camp loathes him. All hard work he has put in gets attributed to his ‘caste privilege’ by the ‘wokes’.
Akshay Kumar, too, paved his way in an industry where as we’ve seen in recent times, genes trump talent. And then, he has done the most outrageous thing: He has appreciated Prime Minister Modi and his initiatives openly. Hence, he becomes an ‘opportunist’ for the elite left.
Amitabh Bachchan, too, has earned his wrath because he embodies values that do not conform with those of the ‘aristocratic’ elite. He is a stickler for rules, acts like the neighbourhood grandpa on social media and is a devout Hindu in his personal life. But most importantly, he lets his work do the talking and does not virtue-signal through his statements to the media. And significantly, the senior Bachchan does not share the ‘Woke’ disdain for the masses. Oh, and he has done the worst: He actually endorsed Gujarat as a tourist destination when PM Modi was Gujarat CM. Even worse: he spoke about Hindu temples and Navratri, the nine-night long dance festival devoted to the Goddesses. Clearly, he doesn’t deserve the respect of the Left.
How does one earn Woke approval?
One could argue that even the Ambanis share much of the same values as the three gentlemen mentioned above but he is never made to suffer classist attacks. You know, Ambani was seen banging thalis appreciating healthcare workers on call of PM Modi and he has been an unapologetic Hindu. There is good reason for that. Due to the plentiful riches the Ambanis have been blessed with, they often act as patrons for men such as Aakar Patel.
This ‘hafta’, so to speak, earns the Ambanis certain privileges that includes respect from the ‘Woke’ camp. That is why the Ambanis can afford to have tradition weddings for their children, observe genuine Hindu piety in their public life and not be apologetic about their status. So while Ambani will be subjected to jokes and allegations of ‘crony capitalism’, you won’t find anyone wishing death upon him. The toxic Left gives him the benefit because at the end of it, Ambani, directly or indirectly, knowingly or unknowingly funds the poison pen through which they spew venom.
Thus, there is only one way that men like the senior Bachchan, Tendulkar and Akshay Kumar will be able to get into the good books of the ‘Woke’ secular-liberal camp. Either they can pay what Aakar Patel believes is owed to the aristocratic class by constantly being apologetic about their caste, their upbringing and sharing into denigrating the values and virtues of the middle class or they can make the payment in currency notes. But the payment has to be made.
The Woke Brigade hates the masses
The ‘Woke’ secular-liberal camp loathes individuals who made their way to the top in their respective fields by the virtue of their own hard work and talent. They hate such values because they do not have it themselves. A society dominated by hardworking men and women would mean a society where money, power, respect and honour are earned through merit and hard work. The Woke camp cannot have that for obvious reasons and therefore, they wish to create a society where such privileges are earned by their consent and approval.
It is important to understand the extent of the hate that Aakar Patel and his ilk bear towards the masses. They hate the masses so much that they hate even wealthy people who do not share their disdain for ordinary people and embody values that are identified with the middle class. Such kind of people that the Congress ecosystem has patronised over the years. And the party has done so because the Nehru-Gandhi family is one of them.
This is precisely why such men can never be permitted to occupy the positions of power again. A ruling class that hates citizens who are not as privileged as them would ruin a country, a ruling class that hates their fellow citizens can never lead a country to prosperity. They believe that the country owes them its allegiance and not the other way. A ruling class that is degenerate to this extent will inevitably lead to a civilisational collapse.
The Left of today represents the western ‘aristocratic’ class. They are born into rich families or designated victim groups that are awarded special privileges by virtue of their birth, receive education in elite universities, are taught ‘Woke’ lingo that distinguishes them sufficiently from the ordinary masses and has the power to engage in moral policing and ‘cancel’ those it disagrees with.
In the eyes of the Left, reality is an exercise in eternal class conflict. What they do not realise is in their own class war, they are not the revolutionary peasants. They are the aristocrats whose yoke the masses have cast off. Their entire conduct and everything they do is designed to ensure that they do not lose their power and privilege in a world that is slowly but surely getting sick of them.
At least 18 personnel at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai have tested positive for coronavirus. It is the official residence of the Governor of Maharashtra. As per reports, the Governor is under self-isolation. BMC is going to test them again. Two personnel were tested positive last week, after which more than 100 personnel in Raj Bhavan were tested. 16 more personnel were found positive after these tests. Most of the positive cases are senior staff members.
At least 18 people tested #COVID19 positive at Raj Bhavan (Governor’s residence) in Mumbai, after they got themselves tested on their own. Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to get them tested again: BMC Sources
Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Governor Maharashtra, is fine and currently under self-isolation as a precautionary measure. He will also undergo the Covid-19 test again.
Yesterday, megastar Amitabh Bachchan and his son Abhishek Bachchan informed on their Twitter handles that they have tested positive for the virus. They are both under treatment at Nanavati Hospital. Abhishek mentioned that they both have mild symptoms and requested everyone who came in close proximity to them to get tested. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan have tested negative. Anupam Kher also informed that four of his family members, including his mother, have tested positive for the virus. BMC sealed actress Rekha’s bungalow after her guard was tested positive for the infection.
Maharashtra has been the worst in his state in India. Considered to be the epicenter of Covid-19 in India, Maharashtra reported the highest single-day spike of Covid-19 cases with 8,139 new positive cases on Saturday. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, there are 99,499 active cases in the state, while 1,36,985 have been cured, and 10,116 have lost their lives. The total number of cases in India is closing to one million, currently standing at 8,49,553. Multiple states, including Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Punjab and others, have imposed strict regulations after cases spiked in the last couple of weeks.
Vidya Krishnan, the ‘Health journalist’ associated with far-left website ‘The Caravan’ on Sunday expressed her disappointment against the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials for sanitising the residence of legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan after he along with his son Abhishek Bachchan tested positive for the coronavirus.
After Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan and his son Abhishek Bachchan tested positive for coronavirus, they were admitted to the Nanavati hospital yesterday for necessary treatment.
Following that the sanitisation workers of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) arrived at ‘Jalsa’ – the residence of Amitabh Bachchan on Sunday morning to sanitise the residence as a precautionary measure. It is standard practice across the country and also the responsibility of the local bodies in their respective city or village to sanitise the residence of the coronavirus patients.
Maharashtra: Sanitisation workers of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) arrive at ‘Jalsa’, the residence of actor Amitabh Bachchan in Mumbai.
Actor Amitabh Bachchan and son Abhishek Bachchan tested #COVID19 positive and both have been admitted to a hospital. pic.twitter.com/X3KZ3nziwI
As workers of the BMC, following the necessary protocol arrived at Amitabh Bachchan to sanitize the place, the Caravan ‘Health journalist’ Vidya Krishnan, who has been in the frontline in spreading fake news during the Coronavirus outbreak in the country, took offence to it and began to foul mouth the legendary actor and his family.
The self-proclaimed journalist resorted to using cuss words against Bachchans and asked whether the actor could not clean his own house. She even claimed that the taxpayer’s money is being wasted on cleaning a rich man’s house. “Or is BMC starting this service for every patient in Mumbai,” she asked.
Image Source: Vidya Krishnan
The ‘health journalist’, continuing to rant, went on to claim that the act of BMC workers sanitising the residence of Bachchan also captured the “medical apartheid” so commonly practised by the Indian government.
“If you’re rich, they come clean your house. If you’re poor, you die like dog on the street..& nobody will give af,” Vidya Krishnan posted an angry tweet.
She, however, did not stop there. Calling Amitabh Bachchan a ‘fascist enabler’, Vidya Krishnan, who has been caught several times now peddling fantasy theories on coronavirus, asserted the nation needed a “One Nation One Health”, where everybody got the same quality of service.
Image Source: Vidya Krishnan
It may be noted that it is standard health protocol to sanitise the houses, buildings and localities where Coronavirus positive cases are detected. And this task of sanitising is carried out by the local bodies like BMC. Moreover, the Bachchan family also pays taxes, and thus they also deserve the municipal services just like every other citizen. Just because they are rich does not mean that the standard health protocol can be ignored by the authorities.
BMC has been conducting sanitisation drives in Mumbai, including slums, public toilets etc, but it seems the the so called health journalist is not aware of that fact. For example, the BMC had launched massive sanitisation efforts in Dharavi, and new Coronavirus cases is on the decline in the Asia’s largest due to efforts of health and municipal authorities.
As Vidya Krishnan continued to express her resentment against the accomplished Bachchans, interestingly, her own left-liberal cabal schooled her for peddling such false propaganda and hatred against the senior actor. They also made her aware regarding how the local bodies in every city sanitized the buildings and localities where corona positive cases were reported.
The social media users also asked her to save her outrage for another day and taught her how there is an established Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to be followed by BMC officials after they detect every positive case.
The curious case of Vidya Krishnan and her fake stories
With the advent of the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic, Vidya Krishnan, who claims to be a ‘health journalist’ suddenly shot to fame from relative obscurity. As time passed, Vidya Krishnan took to Twitter to spread complete falsehoods and misleading reports on the current healthcare crisis in India.
At first, she conjured up anonymous members of ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) to claim that the Modi government had not consulted the experts before extending the nationwide lockdown. Then, too, ICMR had refuted her claims and clarified that in the month of April, the Task Force met 14 times and that all decisions taken involve the members of the Task Force.
In March, the online magazine tried to defame the government by maliciously claiming that India is trying to conceal the real situation the country while tackling the novel Coronavirus spread. Even in this article, it was the same writer Vidya Krishnan who had resorted to spreading falsehood.
Vidya Krishan had falsely claimed that “at two separate press briefing held on Friday, both the health ministry and the Indian Council of Medical Research—also a government body—rejected the possibility of local transmission”. But that was a completely false claim because the Indian Council of Medical Research had already stated that by March 14, 2020, India was already at stage 2 of transmission, which means local transmission.
Later in May, Vidya Krishnan was also caught spreading fake news as she had claimed that at least 40 Shramik Express trains had got lost and that the government ‘forgot’ to feed the passengers which led to death of at least 10 people. The Press Information Bureau had to fact-check her to call out her falsehood.
Political crisis in Rajasthan seems have deepened as senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal took to Twitter to express his concern for the grand old party.
Worried for our party
Will we wake up only after the horses have bolted from our stables ?
Kapil Sibal said that he is ‘worried’ for Congress. “Will we wake p only after the horses have bolted from our stables?” he tweeted hinting that senior Congress leaders may be quitting the party soon pushing the future of Congress into an even darker abyss. Sibal, however, wasn’t quite clear whether it was an introspective tweet or ‘we’ who are still sleeping in Congress are other leaders who take decisions.
Sibal’s tweet comes at a time when there are rumours that Pilot may quit the party just the way another senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia quit Congress earlier this year leading to collapse of Madhya Pradesh government. Scindia quit Congress and joined the BJP earlier this year.
In late last night development, Rajasthan Congress leader Sachin Pilot along with about 25 of his supporting Congress and independent MLAs came to Delhi. Soon, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot held late night meetings with his supporting MLAs at his residence. Meanwhile, Gehlot has accused BJP of indulging in horse-trading and trying to topple his government. Pilot has now sought time to meet Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi.
On Sunday, actor Anupam Kher took to Twitter to inform that his mother Dulari has tested positive for the Wuhan Coronavirus. He informed that his mother had been complaining about the loss of appetite for the past few days. As such, on the recommendation of the doctors, she underwent blood tests and the results were normal. Only after a CT scan was conducted, Kher’s mother Dulari and brother Raju turned out to be positive.
The actor also informed that he and his nephew Praneet had tested negative for the Chinese virus. Besides, he stated that his sister-in-law Reema and niece Vrinda had been diagnosed with the Wuhan Coronavirus. Anupam Kher informed that his mother had been admitted to the Kokilaben Hospital while his brother’s family had quarantined themselves at their home. He also thanked the BMC for doing their job efficiently.
“The BMC officials will now go and sanitise my brother’s house. It was my responsibility to inform you (viewers and fans). If anyone in your family, especially your parents, are complaining about the loss of appetite, then, get them tested for Coronavirus once… Doctors are doing amazing work… Yesterday, I had a chance to interact with them. I am short of words to describe their efforts… Keep us in your prayers and love,” the actor was heard as saying.
This is to inform all that my mother Dulari is found Covid + (Mildly). We have admitted her into Kokilaben Hospital. My brother, bhabhi & niece inspite of being careful have also tested mildly positive.I got myself tested as well & I have tested negative. @mybmc is informed.!? pic.twitter.com/EpjDIALft2
Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan test positive for Coronavirus
Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan has also been infected with the Coronavirus. The veteran actor took to Twitter on Saturday to inform about this development about his health. He has asked everyone who came into close proximity with him in the last ten days to get themselves tested. Actor Abhishek Bachchan, son of Amitabh Bachchan has also tested positive for coronavirus. Both are currently undergoing treatment at Nanavati hospital. As per reports, Amitabh Bachchan has mild symptoms and is currently kept in an isolation ward.
On July 7-8, the students studying in LKG and UKG at Sant Nandlal Smriti Vidya Mandir were asked to memorise the National Anthem of India as well as that of Pakistan and Bangladesh, reportedDainik Bhaskar. The incident took place in Ghatshila town of Jamshedpur in Jharkhand. Owing to the Coronavirus outbreak in the country, all educational institutions have been asked to remain closed. As such, classes are now being conducted online. The homework was thus assigned to the students via their WhatsApp group.
As per the report, the children were divided into three separate groups. While one group was asked to remember the National Anthem of India, the other two groups were given the homework of memorising the national anthems of Pakistan and Bangladesh respectively. Dainik Bhaskar reported that in order to ease the learning process, the teacher Shaila Parveen even shared YouTube videos, featuring the National Anthem of the two countries, in the official WhatsApp group of the class. Moreover, the students were also asked to remember the national symbols of both Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Screenshot of the Whatsapp message sent by Shaila Parveen
Reportedly, this did not go down well with the parents of the students who raised objections against it. The teacher Shaila Parveen has now passed on the blame to the school management. When Dainik Bhaskar reached out to her, she said that daily homework was assigned to the students on the instructions of the school principal. Reportedly, the objective behind the task was to help increase the ‘general knowledge’ of the students. As per the report, the school administration failed to gauge that it would become a ‘controversial’ issue.
Homework withdrawn; netizens demand strict action
Dainik Bhaskar reported that the said homework was withdrawn, following the outrage by the parents, and netizens on social media. The contentious incident left several people miffed with the school administration. Netizens have demanded strict action against the culprits due to the sensitive nature of the case. The district education officer, Shivendra Kumar, however, informed that he did not receive any complaint regarding the matter.
Nevertheless, he emphasized that it was wrong on the part of the school administration to make children learn the national anthem of Pakistan and Bangladesh. Kumar added that such a thing could not be taught in Indian schools and that and that appropriate action would be taken against those involved in the matter.
Pakistan’s national anthem is Paak sarzameen written by Hafeez Jalandhari, while the national anthem of Bangladesh is Amar Sonar Bangla by Rabindranath Tagore.
The World Health Organization (WHO), which has found itself in a tough spot after failing to speak up about the Chinese pandemic coronavirus and often accused of ‘siding with’ the Chinese government has now hailed Maharashtra for ‘containing’ coronavirus despite the fact that the state has seen the highest number of cases in the country.
Addressing a virtual press conference on Friday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who himself is under fire from critics, claimed there were many examples from around the world that have shown that even if the outbreak is very intense, it can still be brought back under control.
The World Health Organisation hailed the efforts taken by Maharashtra government to contain the spread of the coronavirus in the state, especially Dharavi, one of the world’s largest slums at a time when cases are on the record rise in the city of Mumbai.
“And some of these examples are Italy, Spain and South Korea, and even in Dharavi – a densely packed area in the megacity of Mumbai,” WHO Director-General Ghebreyesus said.
It is pertinent to note that Dharavi, which is located in India’s commercial capital Mumbai, is spread in less than 2.5 square kilometres and has a population over 650,000. Dharavi was the epicentre of the coronavirus in Mumbai, which resulted in the spread of the coronavirus cases not just in the city but also in Maharashtra.
Dharavi has currently 291 active cases, while 1,815 patients have recovered and discharged from health facilities. However, Maharashtra has continued to report fresh number of coronavirus cases.
The tally of the coronavirus cases in Dharavi has reached 2,400 cases after nine new infections were detected. Mumbai has recorded over 91,500 coronavirus cases and 5,241 deaths.
Maharashtra – the epicentre of coronavirus cases in the country
While Dharavi may have managed to contain the virus, the same cannot be said about rest of the city and state as yet. Maharashtra has been pulling the overall average of India’s coronavirus cases. The Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra has been widely criticised for the mismanagement of the coronavirus cases in the state after more than 2.4 lakh people got affected for the Chinese pandemic, making almost one-third of the total cases in the country.
The appalling health infrastructure in the state of Maharashtra, especially in Mumbai, was also evident recently after shocking videos had emerged where it was seen how coronavirus patients and other emergency patients were made to share beds due to a shortage in capacity. The coronavirus patients being treated at Mumbai’s Sion hospital emergency ward were seen sharing beds, with two people being allocated to a bed. With a rising shortage in beds, the patients, many with coronavirus symptoms are also sharing a single oxygen tank.
The videos of the patients lying almost on top of each other, sleeping on shared stretchers or just lying on the floor had also gone viral some days back.
Earlier, another chilling video of the Sion hospital had gone viral on social media in which it was clearly seen that corpses were kept in the ward in which the patients of coronavirus were admitted. The dead bodies of coronavirus patients were kept next to the patients under treatment in a Hospital of Mumbai in the Sion area.
Later, shocking case of alleged negligence by authorities in Maharashtra was reported as at least 12 people died in a span of two weeks in a BMC-run hospital in Jogeshwari, Mumbai due to a shortage in oxygen supply to coronavirus patients.
Maharashtra remains the most-affected state in the country, with nearly 2,46,600 cases reported out of the country’s 8,20,916 cases. The state has also seen 9,893 deaths.
Meanwhile, Mumbai city has alone crossed the 90,000-mark to reach 91,547 cases. The city has also reported 5,241 deaths.
The Panruti Police in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu have arrested three persons, including the son of former bank employees, for cheating customers by running a fake branch of the State Bank of India in the locality.
According to the reports, the 19-year-old Kamal Babu, whose mother retired as a bank employee, ran a fake branch from a room in Panruti. 42-year-old Kumar and 52-year-old Manickam helped him in printing fake SBI pay slips and seals. The 19-year-old is accused to be the mastermind behind the move, decided to set up the fake branch after he failed to get a bank job.
The other accused ran a printing press where all documents relating to the bank were reportedly printed. The third accused was involved in making rubber stamps.
Accused was frustrated for not landing bank job
Kamal Babu, who is the son of former SBI employees had applied for his father’s post after he passed away about a decade ago. He got frustrated after his application was delayed and hence decided to open a bank by himself. The accused was visiting the bank for several years at an early age and had knowledge with its daily operations.
The SBI Panruti branch manager lodged a complaint as he found out regarding the functioning’ of a fake North Bazaar branch of SBI in teenager’s house. One of the customers had shown the receipt he had acquired from the duplicate branch, leading the manager to visit the fake branch, who found a similar set up just like bank branch with all the necessary items.
They immediately lodged a complaint with the Panruti police following which all the three accused were arrested under sections 473, 469, 484, 109 of the Indian Penal Code.
