Donald Trump has been involved in a raging battle against social media giant Twitter after the latter included a ‘fact-check’ on a tweet he had made regarding mail-in ballots. Following the incident, the US president signed an executive order withdrawing liability protections that Twitter enjoyed. The next move came from Twitter and it censored Donald Trump’s tweet for ‘glorifying violence’. And now, the POTUS has hit back at the blatant political partisanship exhibited by the social media platform.
This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about glorifying violence. However, @Twitter has determined that it will allow terrorists, dictators, and foreign propagandists to abuse its platform. pic.twitter.com/5Qi0m66Vnh
The White House on Friday hit back at twitter for not taking any action against Ayatollah Khamenei for glorifying Jihad in Palestine but censored a tweet made by Donald Trump which, according to the US President, did not glorify violence. The White House said that the tweet by Khamenei “violated the Twitter Rules about glorifying violence. However, @Twitter has determined that it will allow terrorists, dictators, and foreign propagandists to abuse its platform.”
Tweet by Donald Trump that was censored by Twitter
In the ongoing feud, Mark Zuckerberg has taken a stand against Twitter as well and said that social media platforms could not pose as the ‘arbiters of truth’. The political censorship of conservative opinion on social media platforms has been a long standing issue that tech giants have had to grapple with. The censorship of US President Donald Trump himself on social media is the natural culmination of the gradual progression of events.
The conduct of Twitter itself has not been up to mark as their censorship always runs one way. During the recent spree of violence in the USA itself, while Twitter censored Donald Trump for warning rioters about the consequences of their actions, it has not taken any action against accounts with verified ticks who have encouraged people to “burn it down” on social media as rioters on the streets set shops and buildings on fire.
The official editorial opinion of Twitter is now live
Trump's tweet saying "when the looting starts the shooting starts" is glorifying violence
But calling for violence that supports the riots is not
It remains to be seen how the feud unfolds henceforth. Donald Trump is not known to take sleights lying down. However, it can be safely said we haven’t seen the end of it yet.
A controversy was kicked up yesterday when an old video of a so-called comedian Surleen Kaur mocking the faith of Hindus and using vulgar and obscene language against the ISKCON and its devotees had gone viral on the Internet. The ISKCON took cognisance of the defamatory video and lodged a complaint against the ‘comedian’ and Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd. for insulting the organisation and Hindus.
However, after initially persisting with the complaint, the ISKCON has now pulled back from pursuing the case following an unconditional apology by Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd. While ISKCON has decided to not push the case against Shemaroo anymore, the company has gone very aggressive in removing the offensive video from every corner of the internet citing copyright violation. The company has got the video, which was downloaded from their official social media accounts and subsequently uploaded to various social media platforms by users, deleted from every such platform. And unfortunately, Vice President & Spokesperson of ISKCON, Radharam Das has also become the victim in this process.
Video of the ‘comedian’ Surleen Kaur posted on Twitter by ISKCON spokesperson Radharamn Das
Das had originally posted the complaint lodged against Kaur and Shemaroo on his Twitter account. And in a subsequent tweet, he had posted the relevant portion of the video as a proof. But now the video has gone missing from the tweet, instead, a message appears saying that “the media has been disabled in response to a report by the copyright owner”. As Shemaroo is the copyright owner, it means that the organisation had the video removed which was merely published as a proof of the charges made in the complaint.
Now this from @Twitter. The video was proof of the crime committed against ISKCON & Hindus in name of comedy and was submitted to legal authorities as a proof for action. And not a copyright violation. It seems that every one has rights except the followers of Sanatan Dharma pic.twitter.com/2MIn6YrSYU
Not only that, but the Twitter account of Radharam Das was also locked for alleged copyright violation. Although it seems the lock was removed after some time, as Das himself posted the screenshot of the message that his account was locked after some time. He claimed that it was not a copyright violation, but a proof of the crime committed against ISKCON & Hindus in name of comedy and was submitted to legal authorities as a proof for action. “It seems that everyone has rights except the followers of Sanatan Dharma”, he said.
The account was restored after being briefly locked for the alleged copyright violations for posting a video as evidence of the crime committed against ISKCON and Hindus in the name of comedy.
ISKCON had filed a complaint against vile, abusive video
ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) had earlier lodged a complaint against stand-up comic Surleen Kaur and entertainment company Shemaroo for insulting the organisation and Hindus. The organisation had sent a complaint to the Mumbai police against a stand-up performance by Kaur, which was published by Shemaroo in various online platforms.
In the complaint by ISKCON vice president and spokesperson Radharamn Das, they said that the video published by the company on different social media sites, YouTube channel, on the website www.shemaroome.com etc. was highly defamatory towards ISKCON society as well as towards the followers of Hinduism. They also added that the language used by Kaur was highly objectionable and defamatory, and it had caused great pain to the followers of Sanatan Dharma, Hindus and ISKCON worldwide devotees.
The stern reaction from ISKCON elicited a prompt apology from Shemaroo. Taking to its Twitter account, Shemaroo apologised for hurting religious sentiments and deleted the YouTube video. The official statement released by Shemaroo read, “This is with regards to the video that has been brought to our notice featuring comedian Ms. Surleen Kaur. The video was found derogatory and the same has been taken down with immediate effect. Shemaroo is committed to ensure our content is neutral and unbiased towards any religion, caste, creed or culture. We apologize to all brothers and sisters of the Iskcon community whose sentiments we might have unintentionally hurt. We extend our assurance that such matters will be dealt meticulously and with extreme sensitivity.”
*This is with regards to the video that has been brought to our notice featuring comedian Ms. Surleen Kaur. The video was found derogatory and the same has been taken down with immediate effect. Shemaroo is committed to ensure our content is neutral and unbiased towards any
After initially rejecting, ISKCON accepts the apology and withdraws its complaint
ISKCON spokesperson Radharamn Das did not seem pacified by the Shemaroo’s apology and declared that they will proceed with legal action against Shemaroo, the host of the show Balraj Syal and Kaur. In his tweet, Das said, “This has become a trend to demean Sanatan Dharma. No more. We will make an example out of this nonsense. Enough is enough.”
But in a dramatic turn of events, International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), which earlier decided to take legal recourse against Shemaroo Private Limited for a ‘standup comedy’ act of Surleen Kaur wherein she insulted the organisation and Hindus, retracted on pursuing the case, following an unconditional apology by Shemaroo. Following the official apology, ISKCON stated that it does not believe in vengeance and instead acts in accordance with moral, ethical, and legal values. As such, ISKCON had decided to not pursue the case against them.
While the onset of the coronavirus outbreak in India has spelt disaster for the economy, with many industries registering a sharp decline in their numbers, the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) industry has posted a steep gain amidst the raging pandemic, as PPEs have become indispensable in the war against Coronavirus.
The coronavirus crisis has transformed once a moribund PPE industry and catapulted it on an unprecedented growth trajectory. According to a report published on the Hindu Business Line, a staggering Rs 10,000 crore PPE industry has conjured up in just two months out of nowhere after the pandemic’s devastating hit to the country. The fact that India became a frontrunner in the production of PPE kits in such a short period was also highlighted by PM Modi who noted in his address to the nation that from being producing next to none coveralls, Indian organisations quickly scaled the productions to several lakhs within a matter of 2 months.
The article, which quotes a report by Invest India, says that the PPE industry in India grew a stunning 56 times in the last couple of months. As many as 600 companies in India are registered to manufacture the protective gears which have become a scarcity across the world as countries shore up their depleting stocks for the healthcare workers in the fight against the lethal contagion. The report says that India manufactures 4.5 lakh pieces of PPE per day and stands poised to capture a sizeable chunk of the global market which is estimated to be $60 billion by 2025. Indian textile stalwarts have realised the potential of this latent market and have taken the plunge into manufacturing of the PPE kits. These include Arvind, JCT Mills, The Trident Group, Welspun and Shahi Exports.
Industry bigwigs redeploying their resources to manufacture PPE units
The industry biggies credit swift action from the government as a reason for the turnaround of the PPE industry. According to Harish Ahuja, Chairman and Managing Director of Shahi Exports, he received a call from the textile secretary in early April, asking him if he could take up the manufacturing of coveralls- protective gowns, gloves, made of special, non-woven fabric.
Shashi Exports hit the ground running and started churning out the coveralls in 5 of its 58 factories which were shut down due to the coronavirus lockdown. A total of 750 of its total 1.2 lakh employees were pressed into service and the company now manufactures 20,000 PPEs units a day. About 9 lakh units have been supplied by the organisation to HLL Lifecare of Kerala, the Central government’s agency for medical procurement.
The story is consistent throughout the industry. An appeal from the government to help the country tide over the coronavirus pandemic and the detection of a business opportunity amidst adversity prompted many organisations to marshal their resources in the production of the PPE kits. The Executive Director of Arvind Ltd, Kulin Lalbhai said the textile industry’s cooperation with the government of India help spawned an entire industry from scratch. Arvind Ltd churns out 15,000 PPE units a day from its plants in Ahmedabad, Ranchi and Bengaluru.
Another business behemoth, Reliance Industries, redeployed the manufacturing capacities of Alok Industries, a textile manufacturer it acquired last year, to manufacture Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for medical professionals treating those infected by the coronavirus. The production of the coveralls started in mid-April in its Silvassa plant in Gujarat has been ramped up to produce 100,000 PPEs per day.
Small players too partake into the growing PPE business.
Industry behemoths are not the only ones who have turned the adversity of a pandemic into a business opportunity. Scores of small players eyeing the lucrative growth of the PPE industry have also started fresh into this business. Out of over 275 companies certified to make medical coveralls by Defence Research and Development Organization, about ninety-five manufacturers are supplying coveralls to HLL Lifecare. Many of them have started new into the business. An organisation named Grassroot Marken of Delhi is one such fledgeling organisation which said that it will soon manufacture 3,000 coveralls a day.
Organisations eyeing exports
PPE manufacturing organisations claim that once the domestic demand is satisfied, they would eye foreign markets for the sale of the coveralls. India is manufacturing about 50 lakh coveralls as of now, which will be increased to 2 crores by the end of June. Ahuja draws attention to the fact that the country is advantageously placed to dominate the export markets as all the raw materials except the sealing tapes required to manufacture the PPEs are sourced from within the country, thereby reducing the dependence on the unreliable global supply chain.
“Once our domestic needs are fulfilled,” says Lalbhai, “there will be vast opportunities to tap the global market.” Similarly, Ashok Naik of Grassroot Markmen said he foresees a huge potential in exports.
Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee President Majinder S Sirsa has sent a legal notice to Amazon Seller Services and the directors of Patal Lok web series Avinash Arun and Prosit Roy for allegedly portraying Sikhs as rapists. Taking to Twitter, DSGMC President Majinder S Sirsa posted the legal notice on behalf of DSGMC alleging that the controversial series is maligning the image of the community.
The notice alleges that the series named “Patal Lok” streaming on Amazon Prime has broadcasted a scene that is portraying the Sikhs as rapists. As per the notice, there is a scene in one of the episodes in which a Sikh man is raping an elderly woman in the presence of many other community members including her husband and father-in-law. The notice alleges that the scene of Patal Lok is clearly depicting the illegal, unlawful, and abuse of the religious culture and faith that is being broadcasted by Amazon prime. The rape scene is not only derogatory but has caused resentment in the whole Sikh community.
Majinder Sirsa mentioned in the notice that Sikh history has recorded the role of women, portraying them as equal to men in service, devotion, sacrifice, and bravery. The Sikh tradition has witnessed examples of women’s moral dignity, service, and self-sacrifice.
The notice mentions that such disrespect and contempt will not be tolerated. The DSGMC has demanded an unconditional apology and a guarantee that they will refrain from indulging in creating such maligning content that is hurting religious sentiment. The directors of the series and officials of Amazon prime are called for their presence within 3 days of the receipt of the notice.
They have been asked to remove the rape scene within 24 hours and call back all the advertisements featuring the derogatory scene, the notice said.
Patal lok accused of morphing image of Yogi Adityanath and others to show corrupt character
Earlier BJP MLA Nandkishor Gurjar had accused that his photo was showed in an episode without his permission. Gurjar demanded that a case should be filed against Anushka under National Security Act, for causing a communal stir.
Besides, the BJP MLA from Ghaziabad also mentioned in his complaint that the show is allegedly offending all communities of the Sanatan Dharma and showing Indian investigating agencies in a bad light. Seeking a ban on the web series the MLA had accused the makers of anti-nationalism. He also argued that it shows Gurjars as dacoits and people associated with malpractices.
The BJP MLA Nandkishore Gurjar has claimed that the makers of the series have taken a real image of a news article when UP CM Yogi Adityanath had inaugurated a highway project and had used it by morphing some faces, insinuating that the project was a scam.
Gurjar claimed that his photo and that of some other leaders were used in the web series as it is. He also shared the original picture in which Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath can be seen too. He claimed it was an act to portray the party in a bad light.
All Arunachal Pradesh Gorkha Youth Association complained against Patal Lok
Prior to this, the series had managed to miff the Gorkha communities which had filed a complaint with NHRC against Anushka Sharma for ‘racial stereotyping’ in ‘Patal Lok’. On May 18, the All Arunachal Pradesh Gorkha Youth Association took to Facebook to share a screengrab of their complaint along with a caption detailing how the alleged sexist and racial slur malign their identity.
Additionally, the youth wing of the Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh- Bharatiya Yuva Gorkha Parisangh, had also started an online campaign against the web series, alleging that in the second episode, a Nepali-speaking woman had been maligned by the maker and had demanded that the slur to be muted, subtitles blurred and that the video is uploaded with an apology.
In a dramatic turn of events, International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), which earlier decided to take legal recourse against Shemaroo Private Limited for a ‘standup comedy’ act of Surleen Kaur wherein she insulted the organisation and Hindus, has now retracted on pursuing the case, following an unconditional apology by Shemaroo, according to a report by Swarajya Magazine.
The entertainment company had tendered an unconditional apology and disassociated with the controversial comedian Surleen Kaur, who made the insulting comments in a video published by the company on online platforms. The company in a press release stated that the association of the revered Hindu organisation with pornography is not only false but also harms its reputation and undermines its good work. The organisation further informed that the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Shemaroo has expressed regret on behalf of the senior management and had conceded that such a defamatory video would have never been published if they would have known about the nature of the content.
Following the official apology, ISKCON stated that it does not believe in vengeance and instead acts in accordance with moral, ethical, and legal values. As such, ISKCON had decided to not pursue the case against them, the report claims. The Hindu organisation reiterated that spreading falsehood about ISKCON is not only detrimental to its reputation but also to the good work done by it for the society at large. Swarajya journalist Swati Goel Sharma posted the statement issued by ISKCON on her Twitter account.
Although ISKCON has said that they won’t pursue the case against Shemaroo, they have not said anything about the complaint against the actress-comedian who had made the offensive comments. Surleen Kaur has not made any comments on the issue so far, has not apologized like Shemaroo has done, therefore, it can be assumed that the organisation will go ahead with the case against her.
Shemaroo gets the video posted by ISKCON as proof deleted, gets account locked
While ISKCON has decided to not pursue the case against Shemaroo anymore, the company has gone very aggressive in removing the offensive video from every corner of the internet citing copyright violation. The company has got the video, which was downloaded from their official social media accounts and subsequently uploaded to various social media platforms by users, deleted from every such platform. And unfortunately, Vice President & Spokesperson of ISKCON, Radharam Das has also become the victim in this process.
Das had originally posted the complaint lodged against Kaur and Shemaroo on his Twitter account. And in a subsequent tweet, he had posted the relevant portion of the video as a proof. But now the video has gone missing from the tweet, instead a message appears saying that “thes media has been disabled in response to a report by the copyright owner”. As Shemaroo is the copyright owner, it means that they govt the video removed which was published as mere proof of the charges made in the complaint.
Now this from @Twitter. The video was proof of the crime committed against ISKCON & Hindus in name of comedy and was submitted to legal authorities as a proof for action. And not a copyright violation. It seems that every one has rights except the followers of Sanatan Dharma pic.twitter.com/2MIn6YrSYU
Not only that, the Twitter account of Radharam Das was locked for alleged copyright violation. Although it seems the lock was removed after some time, as Das himself posted the screenshot of the message that his account was locked after some time. He claimed that it was not a copyright violation, but a proof of the crime committed against ISKCON & Hindus in name of comedy and was submitted to legal authorities as a proof for action. “It seems that every one has rights except the followers of Sanatan Dharma”, he said.
Shemaroo apologises to ISKCON
Following the controversy after ‘comedian’ Surleen Kaur’s abusive, derogatory remarks against ISKCON, Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd today announced that they have decided to dissociate themselves from any further involvement with comedian Surleen Kaur and Balraj Syal. They further stated that Ms. Surleen Kaur and Mr. Balraj Syal ‘failed to meet their standards of public decency.’ Furthermore, Shemaroo lauded the ISKCON organisation for its stellar social and spiritual services that have benefitted thousands across the country.
ISKCON’s earlier stance
Earlier, ISKCON spokesperson Radharamn Das did not seem pacified by the Shemaroo’s apology and declared that they would proceed with legal action against Shemaroo, the host of the show Balraj Syal and Kaur. In his tweet, Das said, “This has become a trend to demean Sanatan Dharma. No more. We will make an example out of this nonsense. Enough is enough.”
Amidst the nationwide lockdown that was imposed in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak in India, thousands of migrants have been stranded in various parts of the country. With no job, limited food, and money, several daily wage labourers began their journey homewards, mostly on foot.
The Union Government then decided to run special Shramik trains to help the migrant workers reach home, without any hassles, in co-ordination with the respective State Governments. By May 14, over 10 lac labourers were sent to their hometowns in 800 such special trains.
Besides the Government, several good Samaritans have come to the rescue of such daily wage workers. One of them is a 46-year-old actor Sonu Sood. On Friday, a Twitter user named Arvind Pandey had shared the picture of the first-class pass of Mumbai local train that was used by actor Sonu Sood in the year 1998.
In his tweet, Pandey wrote, “The one who has struggled in life can only understand the hardship faced by others. Sonu Sood would travel with a ₹420 pass at one time.” The actor humbly replied, “Life is a full circle.” Sonu Sood who rose to prominence for his role as a villain in reel life has turned out to be a Messiah for the stranded migrants. But, how did it all start?
As a part of his ‘Ghar Bhejo‘ (send home) campaign, actor Sonu Sood has facilitated the journey of around 12,000 migrant workers to their native villages, via special buses. Besides, further arrangements for food and water have been made for another 45,000 people.
Reportedly, his team has set a toll-free number, 18001213711, wherein migrants can make requests to the actor for facilitating their ride to their respective homes. Sood reached out to his friends who held him contact transport authorities, police officials, and State Governments for the necessary permissions.
First, he sent 350 migrant workers to Karnataka after obtaining clearance from the administration and putting in all safety protocols in place. There was no looking back for the ‘Dabbang’ actor. Buses arranged by Sonu Sood had since then travelled to Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka, carrying migrant workers. He is looking forward to sending migrants to States such as Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana where permissions have been difficult to obtain.
Sonu Sood facilitating the transport of migrants (Photo Credits: India Today)
Sood conceded that Shramik Express had resolved the humanitarian crisis to a large extent but emphasised on the need for more buses. The actor said that it was a satisfying experience to help people reunite with their family members. He added that there are millions of people who need help, amidst the pandemic, and he will remain undeterred in his endeavour until the last person reaches his home. Micromanagement has been tough and as such his friends had volunteered to pick up migrants from different areas to the bus stops.
According to Sood, members from Bollywood had also pitched in to help. Reportedly, film director Farah Khan has helped organise water for everyone involved in the evacuation mission, besides inquiring about additional requirements on a daily basis. Although the actor had refused to reveal the expenditure, estimates suggest that it is anywhere between ₹65,000 to ₹2,00,000 per bus ride. Inspired by his actions, people have come forward to help migrants with food and water.
Facilitating the stay of doctors
In April, actor Sonu Sood had opened the doors of his hotel in Mumbai for doctors and other healthcare workers who have been working tirelessly, amidst the Coronavirus pandemic. He revealed that he had informed both the government-run and private hospitals about the fact that the doctors and paramedics can use his hotel as a residential facility.
Speaking to Times of India, Sood said, “It’s my honour to be able to do my bit for the doctors, nurses and para-medical staff of our country, who have been working day and night to save people’s lives. They hail from different parts of Mumbai and need a place to rest.”
Sonu Sood books Chartered Plane for migrants
On Friday, actor Sonu Sood reportedly facilitated the journey of 150 women labourers along with 9 other workers from a wood factory from Kerala to the State of Odisha via a chartered flight. The women who worked at a textile factory were stranded in the Communist-ruled State for a long time.
Amidst the lockdown, they were left with little money to spare. Moreover, the Shramik trains were not immediately available. In a first, the migrant workers were evacuated in a special chartered plane. As per Air Asia officials, the journey was facilitated by the actor after he came to know about their plight. The flight departed from Kochi at 8 am and reached Bhubaneshwar at 10:30 am. Reportedly, the women who worked at the textile factory were from Kendrapara in Odisha.
Sonu Sood on being a Good Samaritan
While speaking to ANI, the actor confessed, “I was deeply saddened to see them walking with their little children on foot. These are the people who built our houses, our offices, they have laid the roads and I feel that we should not leave them in such distress.”
Sonu Sood thus felt the need to come forward, amidst the humanitarian crisis, and help make necessary arrangements to facilitate the transport of migrant workers to their hometown, in coordination with local and State Governments. He added, “I always believe that expressing grief on social media isn’t enough, it is very important to take some action. I don’t say that everyone should come out for help but I feel that God has made me his source for helping them.”
The actor was touched by how migrants would sing songs and clap for him while leaving for their hometowns. In one such heart-warming instance of gratitude, a pregnant migrant worker whom he had helped, amidst the lockdown, had named her new-born soon as Sonu Sood Shrivastava. Indeed, life seems to have come toa full circle for the villain-turned hero.
A lab technician was on his way after taking samples from suspected coronavirus patients when a pack of monkeys attacked him and snatched away the specimens and the testing kit. The incident happened on the premises of Meerut Medical college when the lab technician was taking the samples to the LLRM lab.
In a shocking incident, a monkey snatched blood samples of Covid-19 patients being taken to the LLRM lab. Inquiry set up & the lab technician has been asked to give written explanation about why did he continue to make a video instead of asking for help.#Meerut#Coronaviruspic.twitter.com/N2bCeO2QA2
Fresh samplings have been taken from the patients after the incident. This incident came to light when a video went viral on social media in which it can be clearly seen that the monkeys are sitting on the branch of trees and chewing a sample collection kit. It is also clear that some fragments are also scattered on the ground. It has been reported that the threat from the monkeys has been a regular phenomenon in this area.
The District Magistrate of Meerut said that no such matter has come to his notice but will surely initiate an inquiry into the matter.
Enquiry has been set up
The Principal of Medical college Dr. SK Garg said that he came across such a video but have no clue regarding the matter. He forwarded the investigation to the Chief Superintendent Dr. Dheeraj Balyan for investigation.
Dr. Dheeraj Balyan stated that the lab technician had complained about the incident. The monkeys snatched the samples from the health workers. They had torn the kits and destroyed the samples. Later the samples were taken again. He said that the monkeys climbed the tree after snatching the samples and they’re scattered on the ground under the tree. No one has come in contact with those samples so far.
As per Ishita Bhatia from TOI, the lab technician has also been asked for an written explanation that why did he continued to make videos in such terrible situation instead of asking for help.
The former Prime Minister of Malaysia Mahathir Mohamad has been sacked by his own political party after sitting on opposition benches despite being a ruling party member during a May 18 parliamentary session. The 94-year-old Mohamad was ousted along with his son and three senior members from the United Indigenous Party of Malaysia (Bersatu party), a political party which he co-founded, on Thursday.
Mohamad was ostensibly fired from the party for not rallying behind the Malaysian government which is led by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, the Bersatu president.
According to a letter that was widely shared on social media, the party claimed that Mahathir had automatically stopped being a party member after he chose to reject Muhiyuddin’s leadership as prime minister and party president by aligning with the opposition.
It’s official , former pm Dr Mahathir and his son Mukhriz have been axed from Bersatu for going against party constitution by insisting to sit with the opposition in the May 18 parliament session instead of supporting PN led by PM Muhyiddin, Bersatu President cum acting chairman pic.twitter.com/swRSNlmUPE
The intra-party political wrangling started in February this year when Mahathir Mohamad unexpectedly tendered his resignation, triggering a week-long frenetic power tussle. The crisis terminated when the king appointed Muhyiddin Yassin as a successor despite Mahathir’s clear objections.
Shortly after resigning, Mahathir decided to become the prime minister again and resentfully disapproved of the government and decried Yassin as a traitor.
Mahathir co-founded Bersatu party with Muhyiddin in 2016, and the party joined an alliance that registered a thumping victory in 2018 polls, resulting in the first change of government since its independence.
On May 18, an indignant Mahathir sought a confidence vote in Muhyiddin but the parliamentary proceedings were disrupted by King Abdullah’s speech, sparking a livid reaction from Mahathir who furiously proclaimed “democracy is dead” in Malaysia.
Mahathir Mohamad’s hostility towards India
It is worth noting that the former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad had been particularly ill-disposed towards India. In his speech at the UNGA last year, Mahathir had stated that Jammu and Kashmir has been invaded and occupied by India.
Following his critical remarks against India’s internal decision to abrogate Article 370, the former Malaysian Prime Minister even ventured to slam the Citizenship Amendment Act legislated by the Indian government. Mohamad stood so resolute in his criticism of the Indian government that when the threat of palm oil curbs from India loomed on his country, he defended his remarks against India on Jammu and Kashmir and the CAA by claiming to remain firm on his stand.
Besides, another bone of contention between the two countries was in connection with Malaysia sheltering radical Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, who has been accused of money laundering and hate speech in India. The Malaysian PM had said that even if the Indian government guarantees a fair trial for Naik, he faces a serious threat of “vigilante action” in India and that Malaysia would relocate the preacher only if it could find a third country where he would be safe.
In their propensity to shield Muslim perpetrators, media organisations often resort to chicanery by withholding complete details and leaving out the identities of the criminals altogether. However, of late, there have been concerted attempts made by many media outfits to not only conceal the names of Muslim perpetrators but also give them a Hindu spin to depict that the crime was committed by Hindus.
Recently, the Internet was awash with a picture of a report from 2019, where a media organisation unscrupulously endeavoured to cover up the crimes committed by a man belonging to the minority community. The case pertained to a distraught woman in Bilaspur suffering from the agony of an estranged husband and family problems. To overcome her agony, she reached out to a Muslim scholar named Aslam Faizi and sought his help. Aslam first forced her to have a sexual relationship with him and later assured her that all her problems will be solved now.
A few days later, when her husband did not return and her family problems continued to mount, the woman realised that she had been raped by the Muslim scholar who exploited her condition. The woman immediately went to the police and filed a complaint of against Aslam Faizi. The police registered a case under section 376 of the IPC against the accused.
An article published in ‘Nayi Duniya’
The police investigation later revealed that Aslam Faizi alias Suhail Raza, a resident of Manendragarh-Chirmiri, was a cleric of a mosque. He lived on rent in Pendra and claimed of curing people by witchcraft. During the investigation, it was found that Aslam was not only known well-known in his village but also scores of nearby villages. The 34-year-old victim also heard about Aslam’s supposed ability to alleviate people of their miseries and approached him in a bid to assuage her concerns. When Aslam first heard about the troubles endured by the woman, he took her in the room under the pretext of relieving her of her problems and established sexual relations with her.
While the accused was patently Muslim, several media organisations, including Nayi Duniya, gave the entire incident a Hindu spin by describing the alleged rapist as “Tantrik”– a practitioner of the “tantra vidya“, who is mainly associated with Hinduism, leading to a perception that the crime was committed by a Hindu individual. Moreover, an image of a Hindu priest was used to characterise the Muslim sorcerer who had allegedly committed rape by coercing the victim.
Media organisations have often pulled such deceitful tricks to safeguard the Muslim community while Hindus are made to bear the brunt. There have been multiple cases when the identities of offenders belonging to minority communities are blocked out and descriptions of them being Hindus are rendered in the media.
Past instances of media’s treachery to give crimes committed by Muslims a Hindu spin
Last year, several media organisations attributed the death of a 10-year-old boy because of the rituals performed by a Muslim healer to a “Tantrik”. While the death of the child occurred due to a Muslim healer, PTI report gives an obvious Hindu slant to the headline and calls the Muslim healer a ‘Tantrik’. This headline was then carried by many media houses such as NDTV, India Today, The Tribune verbatim without changes.
NDTV story
India Today, in fact, went a step further and even used a rather ‘Hindu looking’ featured image for their story that appeared as if the ritual itself was Hindu.
India Today story
There are several times in the past that the media has resorted to such chicanery. As per a Hindureport, a woman had accused a “tantrik” of raping her in Ajmer, after taking her their on the “pretext of offering prayers at a Dargah“. In the same month, Times of India had carried an article titled, “Tantrik gets 10 years in jail for rape and extortion”. Like the reports mentioned above, the name of the accused was “Warsi”.
Even vernacular media has been caught using the same tricks. Dainik Jagran for some reason decided to call an accused in a harassment case as “Tantrik Sufi baba” in the headline. He, in the content, was identified as later identified as Aftab. Hindi News18 in its article carried the headline, “Tantrik arrested for committing misdemeanour with a minor, under the pretext of chasing away ghosts”. The tantrik was later identified as Hafiz Sajid.
On May 25, a 46-year-old ‘black’ man, George Floyd was murdered by a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, who knelt on the former’s neck for 7 long minutes until his body became unresponsive. A shopkeeper had called the cops on Floyd for allegedly trying to pass a ‘potential counterfeit bill’. On being taken to the Hennepin County Medical Center, he was pronounced dead.
The viral cell phone video captured by a pedestrian, who repeatedly objected to the action of Chauvin shows the cop trying to choke the black man with his knee. Despite the victim complaining about not being able to breathe, coupled with verbal protest from onlookers, the said officer was unmoved.
The incident provoked widespread protests and riots across several parts of the United States of America. The worst-hit was Minneapolis, where the death of George Floyd took place.
On Tuesday, hundreds of protestors hit the streets to protest against the killing of George Floyd. The demonstration continued outside the nearby police precinct. Soon, the protest took a violent turn. On Wednesday night, Police cars were vandalised and pelted with rocks. To pacify the situation, the cops resorted to firing tear gas and rubber bullets at the frenzied mob.
Windows of unmanned stores were broken. Shops were raided and looted, all in the garb of a peaceful protest. Home goods such as rugs and coffee makers were stolen and stores were set ablaze. Amidst the chaos, a ‘looter’ was also shot dead by the police. The mob also breached the security and reached for the police precinct in the neighbourhood where Floyd died. The building was set on fire by the unruly mob, amidst slogans demanding justice for the victim.
While the death of George Floyd was condemned even by President Donald Trump and strict action against the perpetrators was ordered to be taken, the Left media, as in India, did not stop indulging in petty politics. While the death of George Floyd was tragic, the ‘protests’ had taken a violent turn with rampant looting, arson and violence. Under no circumstances could the rioting, arson and looting should be justified especially by responsible media.
However, MSNBC, which is known to have a Left-leaning bias went ahead to justify the violent riots. An MSNBC anchor, while standing smack in front of a burning building amidst violent riots, said, “I want to be clear on how I characterize this. This is mostly a protest. It is not generally speaking unruly”. He followed this statement up by saying that though the riots were ‘generally not unruly’, ‘fires had been started’.
MSNBC reporter just now: "I want to be clear on how I characterize this. This is mostly a protest. It is not generally speaking unruly."
The guy is literally standing in front of a burning building in the middle of a riot. pic.twitter.com/IzCV6On4sF
It is entirely possible to condemn, in no uncertain terms, the brutality heaped on George Floyd and also the riots and looting that have followed his death. However, as in India, the Left media often assumes that to condemn any sort of injustice, and equally violent and unjust response at the community level has to be justified too.
