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Lockdown 4.0: Public transport, taxi services start in several cities, shops opened with specific social distancing orders

OpIndia Staff
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Lockdown 4.0: Public transport, taxi services start in several cities, shops opened with specific social distancing orders

A day after the Ministry of Home Affairs eased restrictions during the lockdown 4.0, services resume in a limited capacity across the country. On Thursday, most of the activities were allowed by state governments as part of the fourth phase of the lockdown.

The Lockdown 4.0, which came into effect on Wednesday, saw shops and markets open and autos, buses and cabs operating within the state guidelines. However, schools, colleges, cinema halls, malls and religious congregations will remain closed till May 31.

Auto, taxi services, and cab services like Ola and Uber have been allowed to resume gradually. Uber announced that its services will be available in 35 cities while Ola cabs will operate in Karnataka, Telangana, Delhi, Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu (except Chennai), Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Assam, as per an ET report.

Barbershops have been permitted to open in the fourth phase of lockdown till May 31. The public transport services began its operation in various states and all kinds of shops except in containment zones opened on Thursday morning. However, hotels, restaurants and clubs for catering food to the public will not be opened for service, but they could provide ‘takeaway’ foods.

In Delhi, public transport was allowed to operate with limited capacity. However, two-wheelers are allowed to ply on the roads with a single rider as no pillion riding is being allowed. Shops in markets also opened in the national capital.

Buses will be allowed to run with not more than 20 passengers, while auto-rickshaws and e-rickshaws will ply with one passenger each. 

In Karnataka, the government has allowed resumption of public bus services in the state during the fourth phase of coronavirus lockdown. Thermal screening of passengers was conducted before passengers boarded buses, social distancing norms being followed at various bus stations in the state.

In Bengaluru, a number of morning walkers were seen at Cubbon Park and Lalbagh Botanical Garden as parks open on Wednesday. The non-AC buses will be operated by government and private business to resumed its operations across the state, except in containment zones. Only 30 persons will be allowed to travel in a bus to maintain social distancing.

Shops, markets opened in Uttar Pradesh, following relaxations by the state government. All shopkeepers have been mandated to wear masks, keep sanitizers at the shop and they are issued orders not sell to those who are not wearing masks.

Reportedly, the Haryana Government has decided to start bus services on various routes for commuters to travel from one state to another. The state government has also written to various regarding easing of inter-state travel restrictions.

Meanwhile, India’s total coronavirus tally climbed to 1,01,139 on Tuesday, including 58,802 active cases, 39,173 recoveries and 3,163 deaths, according to Health Ministry. The country recorded 4,970 fresh coronavirus cases and 134 deaths in the last 24 hours.

Lockdown 4.0: E-commerce firms resume full operations across the country from Tuesday

OpIndia Staff
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Lockdown 4.0: E-commerce firms resume full operations across the country from Tuesday

As most of the restrictions have been eased during the lockdown 4.0, e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal etc have begun their full services across most parts of the country.

According to the latest Union Home Ministry’s order, most of the activities will be permitted, except those which are specifically prohibited under the fourth phase of the lockdown that ends on May 31.

Following the ease of restrictions, e-commerce companies have started taking orders for both essential and non-essential items from consumers in cities even classified as ‘red zones’ after the government relaxed norms.

In the first two phases of the lockdown (that started from March 25), e-commerce companies were allowed to sell only essential items like grocery, healthcare, and pharmaceutical products.

In the third phase (from May 4), these platforms were allowed to sell all items in orange and green zones, but only essential items were allowed to be shipped in red zones that include top e-commerce hubs like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, and Hyderabad.

However, the state governments are yet to officially come out with rules and regulations for operations in their specific areas in lockdown 4.0, even though most of the relaxations are removed. The new MHA guidelines allow states to define containment zones and buffer zones, which will have strict restrictions. The states will come out with regulations for e-commerce delivery guidelines for such zones.

Amit Agarwal, Vice President of Amazon India, thanked Modi government for easing restrictions on e-commerce service. He added that resumption of services will enable Hundreds of thousands of MSMEs and shops to jumpstart their livelihoods. The customers and MSMEs depend on us now more than ever and we are grateful to be of help, Agarwal added

Srinivas Mothey, senior vice president, Paytm Mall said that the new guidelines will help them deliver to most metro cities, which presently fall in red zones.

“We have received a sizeable number of consumer electronics wish-list orders from metro cities where people have been waiting to buy laptops, mobile phones, and other daily use items for several weeks now. The government’s decision will also help in opening up supplies of consumer electronics from warehouses in the red zones,” he added.

Similarly, Snapdeal welcomed the guidelines announced by the MHA. “At Snapdeal, we are ready and equipped to start serving customers across India, in red, green and orange zones, by providing access to the millions of products,” said a spokesperson.

The move to reopen e-commerce will deliver a major boost to manufacturing industries, especially MSMEs and small traders, as these sectors have been the backbone of the e-commerce companies in the country. The e-commerce platforms have provided a market place for these small, independent MSMEs, traders to sell their merchandise, who otherwise find it tough to sell their products in the open market.

With the easing of restrictions in e-commerce sectors, it is not just the industry which will breathe fresh air, but also customers who can now avail products and services at relatively less prices than the open markets.

Promoting rape, animal abuse, hatred and violence against Hindus: The disturbing trends of TikTok in India

Dibakar Dutta
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Promoting rape, animal abuse, hatred and violence against Hindus: The disturbing trends of TikTok in India

In India, demands for a blanket ban on TikTok has been gaining momentum on social media. The said the Chinese video-sharing app has reportedly 11.9 crore active users in the country. TikTok has been the subject of public scrutiny especially since a disturbing video by one Faisal Siddiqui, wherein he promoted acid attacks on women, came to the fore.

Moreover, several other Indian creators on the social networking service have exhibited disturbing trends from advocating animal abuse to displaying a perverse mindset. TikTok has videos that glorify crime against women, pornography, bigotry, hate speech, and violence. Here is a compilation of many such disturbing videos.

Animal abuse on TikTok

In a disturbing video uploaded by a user named Gajendra Rathor, two children can be seen lifting a dog on all fours before dumping it in a pond. The poor animal has its mouth, and limbs tied in ropes, making it impossible for it to swim or escape. The duo then mercilessly pelts stone at the animal. The video creator can be heard laughing in the background while saying, “The dog has lived for 4 years. It is now time to bid it goodbye.”

In another instance of horrific animal abuse, a video creator (@thangaraj2317) can be seen tying a cat by its neck to the roof of the house. Twitter user Sunny Mehra who pointed out the disturbing content questioned TikTok over its inaction against animal abuse, vulgarity, child abuse, besides other toxic things.

Violence and hatred against Hindus

A TikTok user, Saifi Khan, had uploaded a video wherein young children can be seen parroting the lines of a song that advocates genocide against non-Muslims. The song in the background goes as, “The area was shaking with the chants of “Naara-e-Takbeer.” Within a short time, the playground was full of the dead bodies of Kaffirs (infidels)”

In another anti-Hindu video, a Muslim man, wearing a skull cap, is seen wielding a sword at a Hindu priest. In an act of bigotry and sheer hatred, the Muslim man then enacts attacking the priest with the sword, ‘cutting’ his neck and leaving him bleeding.

Advocating rape and gangrape

TikTok user Mujibur Rehman is seen promoting rape in another viral video. The boy, along with his friends, attempts to button up his shirt and zip his pants to suggest that they have raped the girl in the contentious video.

In another video, a user displays pervasive behaviour and objectifies a woman by enacting suggestively to the tune of a song that says, “Only I have a right over your body.” The video also depicts a girl crying and adjusting her dishevelled clothes, symbolising an act of rape.

Earlier, Faisal Siddiqui made a video wherein he can be heard saying, “Usna tumhe chor diya jiska liya tumna Mujhe chora tha“. The loose translation goes as “Did the man, for whom you abandoned me, leave you?” Following the dialogue, he goes on to recreate a disturbing scene of an acid attack with liquid. The face of the victim is then seen covered in scars.

Encouraging violation of lockdown norms during coronavirus pandemic

Amidst the Coronavirus outbreak, several Muslim creators on TikTok were seen encouraging people to flout social distancing guidelines under the garb of Islamic preachings. In one such video, a Muslim man who refuses to shake hands with his friend, owing to the pandemic is rebuked by saying, “You will leave Sunnat (traditional Islamic custom) today and Islam tomorrow due to your fear of death. We are Muslims and therefore we are not afraid to die.”

Laxmi Agarwal slams TikTok user Faizal Siddiqui for promoting acid attacks against women, thanks NCW For taking action against the video

OpIndia Staff
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Laxmi Agarwal slams TikTok user Faizal Siddiqui for promoting acid attacks against women, thanks NCW For taking action against the video

A day after controversial TikTok entertainer Faizal Siddiqui made a horrific video that symbolised acid attacks against women for rejecting a man’s proposal, 2005 acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal, on whom Deepika Padukone’s film Chhapaak was based, slammed him for posting such insensitive video glorifying acid attacks against women.

Taking to Instagram, Laxmi Agarwal slammed Faizal Siddiqui for promoting such criminal acts through social media platforms. The acid-attack survivor even said it was hard to believe Siddiqui’s claims of him being a creative content creator and said it was shameful to see that TikTok has made people like Siddiqui a content creator.

“What sort of creative content are you creating. If you really want to be famous, post good creative content on social media and not such dangerous content,” said Laxmi Agarwal.

She added, “We are working day and night to stop the acid attacks, violence against women. This cringe activity is not called influencing but promoting crime. Such persons are a curse to our society”.

She also wrote a note thanking the National Commission of Women for taking action against TikTok user Faizal Siddiqui. She also mentioned that people are working rigorously to fight the menace of acid attack while ‘influencers’ like Faizal are indulging in such dangerous activity.

She added, “Thanks to National Commission for Women for taking cognizance of the viral video by TikTok ‘influencer’ Faizal Siddiqui promoting acid attack. Such videos/actions should be strictly debarred which are against society.

“It is important to ban such videos and accounts from the social media,” she added and asked others to come forward to stop acid violence and the sale of acid.

TikTok user Faizal Siddiqui promotes acid attacks against women

The shocking 9-second video by Faizal Siddiqui was shared on social media on Sunday. In the contentious TikTok video, Faizal can be heard saying, “Usna tumhe chor diya jiska liya tumna Mujhe chora tha“. The loose translation goes as “Did the man, for whom you abandoned me, leave you?” The next scene showed Faizal throwing a glass of water on a woman’s face, which is gory and bleeding, symbolising an acid attack.

It is notable here that, like the attack on Laxmi Agarwal, an overwhelming number of acid attacks against women are the result of men exacting revenge for the woman’s rejection of their advancements.

The social media users had soon reported the video for its dangerous content promoting acid attack on women. A cyber complaint was filed against a TikTok star named Faizal Siddiqui for promoting acid attacks on women by jilted lovers. 

BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga reached out to Rekha Sharma, the Chairperson of the National Commission for Women (NCW). In a reply to his tweet, Sharma had assured that she will take up the case with the police as well as TikTok regarding the dangerous ideas being fanned by such videos.

List of buses sent by Congress to Uttar Pradesh govt includes auto rickshaws and blacklisted numbers, online database reveals

OpIndia Staff
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List of buses sent by Congress to Uttar Pradesh govt includes auto rickshaws and blacklisted numbers, online database reveals

In a major embarrassment to Congress, the list of ‘buses’ sent by Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi claiming to be that filled with migrant workers stranded at Delhi-UP border contains blacklisted numbers, cars and even three-wheeled wonder autorickshaws. After Uttar Pradesh Government asked for list of buses which were offered by Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for ferrying migrants, Congress published a list of about 200 vehicle registration numbers with corresponding names of some individuals next to them.

However, online database of Government of India reveals that many of these ‘buses’ were actually other buses.

Blacklisted bus

One bus with Registration number RJ27 PA 5949 which as per the list sent by Priyanka Gandhi is driven by one lady Smt. Keshar Devi. However, it is blacklisted.

Blacklisted bus in the list

Similarly, another bus was also blacklisted. The blacklisted buses are off the road for various reasons.

Bus no. RJ 14 PE 1189
Another blacklisted. However, in Gujarat and Rajasthan.
RJ 14 PD 6677

Many Twitter users also pointed out that some vehicles were actually auto rickshaws and cars. One ‘bus’ with registration number RJ14TD 1446 which was to be driven by one Narendra is actually a Chevrolet Beat car.

RJ14TD 1446 is actually a car
RJ14TD 1446 is a Chevrolet Beat car

Similarly, one was actually an auto rickshaw.

No. 12 on the list UP 83 T 1006 driven by Neeraj

As per the government records, the UP 83 T 1006 is actually an auto rickshaw.

Three wheeled auto rickshaw

Meanwhile, Priyanka Gandhi, in a letter to UP Additional Chief Secretary (Home) has claimed that the UP government asking for handing over the buses she has arranged for migrant workers is ‘political move’. This despite the fact that UP government has accepted her own proposal of using the 1,000 buses she has claimed to have arranged.

However, of those 1000 buses she had claimed to have arranged, Congress released a partial list which now seems to be containing auto rickshaws and personal cars in the list as well.

Coronavirus politics: Congress tweets old video clip to claim they help the poor more than the BJP does

OpIndia Staff
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Coronavirus politics: Congress tweets old video clip to claim they help the poor more than the BJP does

As the coronavirus crisis grips the nation, the political sphere is rampant with blatant atempts to peddle fake news and create a negative image, poverty porn is often the most used tool on this regard.

In yet another attempt, the Congress party took to Twitter on May 16 to share a set of two videos captioning it in Hindi as: “फर्क- मानवता का। भाजपा ने कोरोना संकट के दौरान खाने के लिए तरसते गरीब देशवासियों से मुँह मोड़ लिया, जबकि कांग्रेस ने संकट की इस घड़ी में देशवासियों के लिए अपने कार्यालयों को “रसोई” बना दिया” which roughly means: “The difference of Humanity. BJP turned its back on poor countrymen yearning for food during Corona crisis but Congress converted its headquarters into kitchens for countrymen during these trying times”.

While the heart-rending video of a man, eating leftovers thrown on the railway track, shared on the left-hand side of the post reads in Hindi: “भाजपा: गरीबों को दाने दाने के लिए तरसाती है” roughly translated as (BJP: Makes poor people yearn for a single grain of food), another video of Congress workers providing food to the needy shared on the right-hand side read in Hindi: “कांग्रेस: गरीबों को खाना खिलाती है”, meaning (Congress: Feeds the poor).

Through this tweet, Congress once again tries to insinuate that BJP government is completely merciless and indifferent towards the marginalised section of the society who have been hit drastically during the lockdown.

It attempts to score a brownie point by drawing a parallel between BJP government who it says is turning a blind eye towards the stranded, poor and starved migrant labourers travelling home by foot as compared to the Congress which has been looking after the poor in the time of need.

The tweet’s archived version can be seen here.

The video has also been shared on Facebook with similar claims.

The Truth behind the video

However, in its haste to malign the Modi government, the Congress has once again tries to pass off an old video as a recent one. The left video of a man eating leftovers thrown on the railway track is indeed an August 2019 video.

The video had been uploaded on YouTube channel O.M.G Page 2 on August 21 last year with a caption ‘Please don’t waste your food. Really heart touching’. At 0.21 seconds into the video, one can see the same clip of the man eating leftovers from the railway track, the one Congress claims to be a recent one.

The video uploaded on YouTube channel O.M.G Page 2 on August 21, 2019

This video was once again shared on March 1 this year by one Twitter user named Ravi Nair with the caption, ‘What is his religion’?

This act of passing off old images and videos as recent ones to hit out at the government has become a usual tactic by opposition leaders and their media counterparts.

Former journalist Shahid Siddiqui uses similar tactics to malign Modi Govt

Today, in a similar attempt, former journalist Shahid Siddiqui tweeted a video of a mother and a toddler sitting on a thin rim connecting two compartments of a fast-moving train. He shared the video of the duo with the intention of criticising the government.

However, it panned out that the video was uploaded on Youtube by a channel named Kaushik on September 13, 2016. The video which has about 864 views at the time of writing this article is accompanied by a caption that reads, “Most dangerous train journey in the world (2016)/ Bangladeshi Mother and Child.”

Congress, a repeat offender

On May 12, taking to Twitter, Congress’ SC department shared an old image of a Rohingya refugee in Bangladesh to attack the central government for its alleged inefficiency of handling of the migrant worker’s issue.

Sharing the image through the official Twitter handle, Dalit Congress wrote that Modi govt should envisage the helplessness to the faces of these people and do something to help them.

Moreover, ‘journalist’ Vinod Dua, like the Congress party had also used the same image to berate BJP government.

Twitter user Ankur Singh, however, was quick to spot the lie. Sharing a screenshot of a news report from 2017, the Twitter user pointed out that this image is of some Rohingya refugees in Cox Bazaar, Bangladesh, taken in 2017.

Trump says no US funding to WHO if it doesn’t show independence from Chinese influence in next 30 days

OpIndia Staff
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Trump says no US funding to WHO if it doesn’t show independence from Chinese influence in next 30 days

United States President Donald Trump shared a letter the White House wrote to World Health Organisation (WHO) Chief Dr Tedros Adhanom stating that the organisation will not receive any funding from the US until and unless it shows independence from Chinese influence in next 30 days.

The the four-page letter, President Trump reminded that on April 14 he had suspended the funding to WHO pending investigation by his administration on WHO’s failed response to COVID-19 outbreak. President Trump said that the review carried out by his administration has confirmed that the WHO consistently ignored credible reports of the virus spreading in Wuhan as early as December 2019. He said that the WHO failed to independently investigate these reports.

He further states that the WHO office in Beijing new as early as December 30, 2019 that there is a ‘major public health concern’ in Wuhan. Between December 26 to December 30 Chinese media had highlighted evidence of new virus emerging from Wuhan. He also mentions Dr Zhang Jixian, a doctor from Hubei province who had flagged about the new virus that had by then infected over 180 people.

President Trump mentions how the next day Taiwan authorities had flagged the issue to WHO about the human-to-human transfer of the new virus. “Yet the World Health Organization chose not to share any of this critical information with the rest of the world, probably for political reasons,” he writes.

Further, President Trump lists out the inconsistencies in WHO reports on Chinese coronavirus and states that there were repeated claims and reports by the WHO that were either grossly inaccurate or misleading. He points out the 14th January 2020 assertion by WHO which, despite contrary evidences, asserted that there is no human-to-human transmission of coronavirus.

President Trump alleges that Chinese President Xi Jinping on January 21 pressurised WHO chief to not declare coronavirus outbreak as an emergency. Dr Tedros had later announced that there there is no public health emergency on the same. However, just a week later, looking at the overwhelming evidence, he had to change his stand. President Trump also accused Dr Tedros of praising the Chinese government of ‘transparency’ in respect of coronavirus despite the evidence pointing the other way. President Trump also called out Dr Tedros’ silence when two American members of the medical experts who were to China in February were not allowed access to Wuhan entirely.

“Your political gamesmanship on this issue was deadly, as other governments, relying on your comments, delayed imposing life-saving restrictions on travel to and from China,” President Trump said. The letter further mentioned how the WHO chief, citing official Chinese data, downplayed the serious risk of asymptomatic spread by telling the world that the “COVID-19 does not transmit as efficiently as influenza.” President Trump called out this now proven quite misleading assertion by the WHO chief. “It is now clear that China’s assertions, repeated to the world by the World Health Organization, were wildly accurate,” he said.

“The World Health Organisation has failed to publicly call on China to allow for an independent investigation into the origins of the virus, despite the recent endorsement for doing so by its own Emergency Committee,” he added.

In a strongly worded letter, the US President said that despite all these failings, what is worse is that the WHO could have done so much better. “The only way forward for the World Health Organization is if it can actually demonstrate independence from China,” he said. President Trump then said that if the WHO does not commit to major substantive improvements within next 30 days, he will turn the temporary freeze on funding by the US to WHO into a permanent one and reconsider the US’ membership to the WHO. “I cannot allow American taxpayer dollars to continue to finance and organization that, in its present state, is so clearly not serving America’s interest,” he said.

Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s wife Aalia sends divorce notice through WhatsApp due to coronavirus lockdown, levels ‘serious allegations’

OpIndia Staff
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Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s wife Aalia sends divorce notice through WhatsApp due to coronavirus lockdown, levels ‘serious allegations’

Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s wife Aalia Siddiqui today sent a legal notice through email and WhatsApp to him seeking divorce.

Journalist and film critic Anant Vijay today took to Twitter to break the news. As per reports, she has made serious allegations against him. A report in Hindustan Times states that Aalia’s lawyer informed Zee News that the notice was sent through electronic means due to the coronavirus lockdown.

While the notice was sent on 7th May, Nawazuddin has not yet responded. The lawyer further stated that the legal notice seeks divorce and maintenance. “I would not like to get into the details of the notice regarding what are the contents and what are the allegations, but let me tell you that the allegations are quite serious and those are very sensitive to Mr Siddiqui as well as his family members,” the lawyer reportedly told Zee News. The notice was sent through WhatsApp and email as the same could not be sent through speedpost because of coronavirus lockdown, the report said.

As per ABP News, Aalia said, “There is not one reason but several reasons behind my problems with Nawaz. And, all these reasons are very serious.”

Aalia Siddiqui was earlier Anjana Pandey

Nawazuddin and Aalia had got married ten years back and have two children. Speaking to Bombay Times, Aaliya Siddiqui has stated that the problems in their married life had started soon after their wedding.

She has mentioned that the marriage has been draining her self respect and there were also some issues concerning Nawazuddin’s brother Shamas. She has stated that she has gone back to her original name, Anjana Kishore Pandey.

“I don’t want this marriage anymore. I haven’t thought much about the future but here are no chances of reconciliation,” she added. She mentioned that she hopes to get the sole custody of her two children.

Bhuj mosque provocation: Man who called for unscheduled azaan and asked Muslims to pick up arms lodged in Surat jail under PASA

OpIndia Staff
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Bhuj mosque provocation: Man who called for unscheduled azaan and asked Muslims to pick up arms lodged in Surat jail under PASA

A man named Majkur Mamad Abdullah Luhar who was arrested by Bhuj Police earlier this month for allegedly entering a mosque in the midnight and making inflammatory remarks over the mic for Azaan has been sent to Lajpore jail in Surat under the Prevention of Anti-Social Activities(PASA).

On 7th May 2020, the said person entered the Masjid Imam-e-Rabbani mosque at around 2:30 AM and played an unscheduled azaan at the ungodly hour on the speakers. He had made communally sensitive remarks on the mic, appealing Muslims to wake up and pick up arms. Luhar was later nabbed by the police for promoting enmity between religious groups and creating social discord.

According to Swarajya intern Harshil Mehta, an FIR was later filed against him under Sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 153A/B (promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion), 188(disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 504(wilful provocation to break the public peace), 269(negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 270(malignant act likely to spread infection of disease danger­ous to life) of the Indian Penal Act and Epidemic Disease Act.

Image shared by @mehharshil on Twitter

A statement was released by the Kutch Local Crime Branch on May 14, 2020, to inform about the latest developments in the case. The press release said, “Despite the lockdown enforced amidst the coronavirus pandemic, one Majkur Mamad Abdullah Luhar entered the mosque and made unscheduled azaan on the microphone and tried to stir communal discord. He said, “I am the king of Kutch and Muslims should wake up and pick up weapons and come out of their homes.” The press release further said that Luhar had instigated people to come out and get infected and hence he has been booked under Prevention of Anti-Social Activities (PASA) and an arrest warrant was issued against him. The Crime Branch said that the accused has been sent to Lajpore jail in Surat.

Press release by Local Crime Branch, Kutch, image shared by @MehHarshil on Twitter

Unscheduled azaan made in Bhuj asked Muslims to take up arms

A mosque in Bhuj made a midnight Azaan, the Islamic call for prayer, and announced that Muslims should come out of their homes and pick up weapons. The incident happened at Bakali colony in Kokdi Road in Bhuj where a man from Sanjognagar made an unscheduled Azaan. The police later arrested him and an investigation was ordered.

At the Masjid Imam-e-Rabbani at around 2:30 AM, one Mamad Abdullah Luhar allegedly entered the mosque and played an unscheduled Azaan on the speakers. Following the Azaan, in what seems like an intention to create communal discord, he made a provocative announcement.

Ex-BJP leader Yashwant Sinha claims being arrested, was sitting on dharna amid lockdown

OpIndia Staff
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Ex-BJP leader Yashwant Sinha claims being arrested, was sitting on dharna amid lockdown

Former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha has claimed that Delhi Police has arrested him for sitting on a dharna at Rajghat amid the coronavirus lockdown. The former Union minister took to social media to himself inform about his arrest. The former union minister was reportedly sitting on the dharna to demand justice for the migrant labourers.

However, OpIndia could not independently verify these claims.

Yashwant Sinha demands armed forces be deployed to help migrant workers

An hour before the tweet on his arrest, Sinha had tweeted demanding that the armed forces and paramilitary forces be deployed to help migrant workers reach their homes.

Yashwant Sinha, who had taken ‘sanyaas’ from BJP in April 2018, attacked the central dispensation, claiming that it “failed” migrant workers who have been compelled to walk on roads during the lockdown, with some even dying in the process.

Earlier in one of his tweets, Singh had also attempted to instigate the migrant workers against the government by saying that these workers should never forget the misery they have been subjected to during the lockdown nor forgive the GOI for causing it.

Politics over migrant workers

Scenes of migrant workers travelling to their native places on foot have gravely troubled the nation. Photographs abound on the internet that captures the extent of the distress that migrants are facing. There have been numerous accidents where migrants have lost their lives. There have also been occasions when reporters have stopped migrants on their way and asked them to pose properly so that they could capture a good photograph. And all of this despite the fact that Shramik Trains are running to facilitate the transport of migrants.

At the same time, politicians such as Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party have been busy politicising the entire matter. Under such circumstances, people in the railway Ministry are upset because states have been blocking requests for Shramik Trains which, in turn, is causing migrants a great deal of distress.

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