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Coronavirus: The ‘scientists’ who have given clean chit to Tablighi Jamaatis for being super spreaders in India had also demanded withdrawal of CAA

OpIndia Staff
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Coronavirus: The ‘scientists’ who have given clean chit to Tablighi Jamaatis for being super spreaders in India had also demanded withdrawal of CAA

On 8th April, a group identifying itself as ‘Indian Scientists’ Response to COVID-19′ (ISRC) issued a public statement giving a clean chit to the Tablighi Jamaat attendees in their role of being super spreaders for Chinese coronavirus in India. Without giving any source for their conclusion, the ‘scientists’ have claimed that there is no data that supports the ‘speculation’ that the Tablighi Jamaatis spiked the coronavirus cases in India.

The group then tries to draw equivalence between the Tablighi Jamaatis who have contributed to over half the total positive cases (about 2/3rd of the total cases in national capital alone) with the Sikh Guru in Punjab who passed away after being tested positive. However, after he was tested positive, 40,000 people were put on quarantine to contain the spread of disease. It is also imperative to note here that those in Punjab who were quarantined did not refuse tests nor did they misbehave with the healthcare workers and authorities, unlike the Tablighi Jamaat attendees who have even refused to get tested claiming that coronavirus is a conspiracy.

Read: The Life and Crimes of the Tablighi Jamaat amidst the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic: All You Need To Know

In its statement, the ‘scientists’ put the blame on media and politicians for ‘suggesting’ that primary blame of spreading coronavirus in India rests on Tablighis. This, despite the medical tests which prove otherwise. On April 4, 2020, a few days after the Tablighi Jamaatis were discovered at the Nizamuddin Markaz, about 30% of positive cases in India could be traced to Tablighi Jamaat. These are the official numbers of the Union Health Ministry. But the ‘scientists’ have not given any data to back their claims that Tablighi Jamaatis are not responsible for the spread of virus.

An alert Twitter user, Saket, pointed out the dubious and shady members in the group of ‘scientists’ who were quick to give a clean chit to Tablighi Jamaatis despite lack of data (as per their own admission).

The ISRC, by its own admission is a group curated by one Reeteka Sud, who is associated with NIMHANS, Bengaluru and comprises of not only scientists, but also journalists, engineers and ‘social scientists’. Essentially, a group which has given itself a name which sounds like an authority on coronavirus in India comprises of people who may not really know much about it after all.

Further digging into the voluntary group of scientists which now also includes journalists for some reason revealed that many of these same scientists had demanded withdrawal of Citizenship Amendment Act, which fast-tracked Indian citizenship for the persecuted religious minorities in three neighbouring Islamic countries, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

As pointed out by Saket, the same group had claimed that ‘careful exclusion’ of Muslims from the list of persecuted minorities in Islamic countries would ‘strain the pluralistic fabric of India’. It is imperative to note here that the Muslims of these three neighbouring countries can apply for Indian citizenship under existing laws. The CAA was specifically only for the persecuted religious minorities in three neighbouring Islamic countries. It did not affect citizenship procedure for anyone else and neither did it affect citizenship status for Indian Muslims.

Coronavirus: Medical team held hostage, rescue team attacked in Kashmir

OpIndia Staff
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Coronavirus: Medical team held hostage, rescue team attacked in Kashmir

On Saturday, a medical team was kept hostage by a mob inside a house in Sheikhpora, Wathoora village of Central Kashmir’s Budgam district.

According to the reports, a medical team from Sub-District Hospital (SDH) Chadoora went to Sheikhpora village for the screening of a person but the team was kept hostage inside the house.

An official from SDH Chadoora said that after the team enquired about the person with travel history, the family members kept them as hostage in their house.

The J&K police official said that a person from the village was to be taken for screening but his family members refused and kept the medical team hostage inside their house. He added that another police party rushed to the village to rescue them as soon as they were informed about the incident, but were attacked with stones.

Read: Indore: Police constable attacked, pelted with stones for asking a group to stay home, Javed, Imran and 3 others arrested

However, he said that the medical team was rescued safely by the police. He further stated that while being attacked with stones, three of the policemen were injured. Meanwhile, a case under FIR number 53/2020 under section 188, 269, 353 IPC has been registered at Police station Chadoora and further investigation has been taken up.

As of now, a total of 207 people have tested positive in Jammu & Kashmir. Of these, 6 have recovered and 4 have passed away.

United States may extend the H1B Visa for Indians who are stranded in the United States amid the Coronavirus pandemic

OpIndia Staff
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United States may extend the H1B Visa for Indians who are stranded in the United States amid the Coronavirus pandemic

On request of the Indian government to extend the H1B visas for the Indians stranded in the United States during the grave health crisis across the world due to Wuhan Coronavirus, the United States has been looking into the matter, according to reports.

The Indian government had requested the US to extend the validity of H1B and other visas for Indians who are stuck there amid the outbreak of deadly coronavirus. Foreign Secretary Harsha Vardhan initiated the concern on Wednesday about the Indians during the conversation with US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen E Biegun.

As per reports, India is closely monitoring the developments being made in the process. During the conversation, many key points were discussed such as innovative ways to enhance cooperation to counter and control the deadly epidemic through the development of novel therapies and prophylactics against Wuhan coronavirus. Also ensuring the availability of essential medicines, diagnostic and medical equipment, and sharing the best practice to combat the disease.

As the economy of United States is heading towards a big fall due to the pandemic, the H1B visa holders can face many issues like losing their jobs, and even more distressing will be that they won’t be entitled to any employment benefits from the US government. If an employer revokes the employment of a visa holder, the employee will have to find new employment within 60 days to retain their H1B status.

Indians constitute the maximum number of H1B visa holders in the United States. Due to lockdown in the country renewal of visas has also been delayed.

As the US has been worst hit by the Coronavirus reporting half a million positive cases that too with a sudden surge, the superpower has reported 17 million unemployment in the last four weeks.

Earlier this week India had lifted the ban on the export of Hydroxychloroquine, an old and inexpensive drug used to treat malaria and arthritis, which has emerged as a viable therapeutic solution to treat the Wuhan coronavirus as claimed by many nations.

President Donald Trump thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allowing the export of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) to the United States. Saying that the effort “Will not be forgotten!”.

‘You belong in the dustbin of journalism’: Communists outrage as India Today journalist Rahul Kanwal exposes Islamists spreading Coronavirus

OpIndia Staff
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‘You belong in the dustbin of journalism’: Communists outrage as India Today journalist Rahul Kanwal exposes Islamists spreading Coronavirus

It has been proven beyond doubts that the Tablighi Jamaat Markaz in Delhi Nizammudin has put back India’s effort to battle the coronavirus scourge. The Tablighi Jamaat event defied lockdown orders in Delhi as over 3400 people gathered in the Nizamuddin Markaz building ignoring social distancing norms. Since news of the Jamaat congregation, being a coronavirus cluster broke, police have been regularly rounding up Muslims who are still breaching the lockdown by congregating and hiding in various mosques and madrasas in different parts of the country.

India Today journalist Rahul Kanwal hosted an investigative show on how Madarsa’s in India has emerged as the Coronavirus hotspot. Sharing the advertisement of his upcoming show earlier in the day, Rahul Kanwal took to Twitter Friday to say: “India Today TV reality check finds Madrasas in the capital violating national lockdown rules. Kids crammed into small rooms. No social distancing norms followed. Teacher boasts he’s hiding kids from the police. Another claims he’s paid off local police”.

The show reported how various madarsa’s operators are hiding the headcount of children at a time when social distancing has been deemed as the only way to tackle the coronavirus outbreak in India.

This show has not been received well by the communists on Twitter. Communist leader, Kavita Krishnan was particularly irked by Rahul Kanwal for hosting the show which pointed out how:

  • Many madarsa operators are hiding the total number of children.
  • Some madarsa heads said police have no idea while others claim to have bribed them.
  • Children in these madarsas are not following any social distancing norms

Kavita Krishnan took to twitter and posted a video message, where she lashed out at the India Today journalist Saturday calling his journalism worthy of the dustbin, hours even before the show was aired. Reacting to the promo of the show, she said: “This is a message especially for Rahul Kanwal and India Today who are doing a story at 8 tonight on Madarsa Hotspots. This is during a pandemic. This is during an immense human tragedy that we are witnessing today in the world and in India and here is a man calling himself an Indian journalist. This is not journalism. Behind that nice, smooth face that you are in the same category as the Zee News’ and the Republic TVs of the world and that is where you belong. You belong in the dustbin of journalism. This is not journalism, this is hate-mongering. You are a hate monger and history will remember you, history will judge you and will judge each of your colleagues who remain silent”.

She said that it is absolutely shameful to divide the victims of COVID-19 based on religion. She added that why did the Indian government not alert the people about the pandemic. “Instead of asking the government, you are busy grinding your communal acts. Shame on you,” said the communist leader.

Taking a cue from Kavita Krishnan, IndiaSpend.com editor, Samar Halarnkar also called out the India Today journalist. He also did this without watching the show, as it was yet to be broadcast.

Journalist-cum-troll Vidya Krishnan, who is on the forefront of spreading misinformation on India’s fight against coronavirus, alleged that such programs will lead to stigmatization of the community of COVID19 patients.

The Nizamuddin Markaz of the Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi has been the epicentre of the spread of Wuhan Coronavirus all across India. The role of the Tablighi Jamaat in the spreading of the Wuhan Coronavirus in India came to light when thousands of Jamaatis were found holed up in the Markaz Nizamuddin in violation of all guidelines and orders. Subsequently, numerous people across numerous states of India who had attended the Islamic event at the Markaz Nizamuddin tested positive for the virus. Dozens of incidents of people who have attended the Tablighi Jamaat hiding in mosques and madrasas have emerged, and many of them have tested positive for coronavirus.

Trichy: Coronavirus positive Tablighi Jamaat members hurl their masks towards healthcare workers inside hospital

OpIndia Staff
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Trichy: Coronavirus positive Tablighi Jamaat members hurl their masks towards healthcare workers inside hospital

There has been a remarkable consistency in the conduct exhibited by Tablighi Jamaat members across the country. After spitting on the roads of New Delhi, defecating in open in Narela quarantine centre, spitting on the nurses, doctors and healthcare workers in the quarantine facility, now the spiteful Tablighi Jamaat members in Trichy, who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, have displayed a similar kind of perverse behaviour when they threw their masks away after getting into a heated argument with the hospital staff.

According to a report published in TOI, some of the COVID-19 positive members of the total 36 Tablighi Jamaat members admitted in the Mahatma Gandhi memorial government hospital (MGMGH) demanded to meet the hospital dean Dr K Vanitha to raise their grievances.

However, when they were denied permission to meet the dean, they entered into an altercation with the hospital staff. The hospital administration alleged that some of the patients, knowing fully well that they are suffering from a highly contagious disease, tossed their masks down, dangerously close to a nurse.

The matter was brought to the notice of Assistant Police Commissioner (ACP) Srirangam Range K Ramachandran and later to the Trichy collector S Sivarasu about the malevolent tendencies of the Tablighi Jamaat patients admitted in the hospital.

In an interview, Collector Sivarasu asserted that he has arranged for the counselling of the coronavirus patients in the hospital. “I have organised a counselling programme for those patients to describe them about the nature of treatment and the necessity for them to cooperate with doctors. They will be clearly informed that they are accountable for the disruption caused to the healthcare workers tending to them,” he said.

T Abdul Raheem, the TMMK Trichy deputy secretary, who was brought in to mediate, stated that the irate Tablighi Jamaat members threw their masks down near a nurse, claiming they are very healthy and they did not need them. The decision of the hospital administration to bring in two elderly women relatives of two positive coronavirus patients to the hospital sparked off the protest from the Tablighi Jamaat members.

The Jamaat members had demanded that since both of them were senior citizens and there was no one take care of them in the hospital, they should be instead home quarantined, Raheem said. “I have pacified them and they have agreed to cooperate with the doctors following which the elderly women were brought to the hospital this afternoon,” Raheem said. 

The role of Tablighi Jamaat in spreading the coronavirus came to the fore when 10 members who had attended the congregation organised by the orthodox Islamic organisation in Markaz Nizamuddin in mid-March tested positive. Tablighi Jamaat has fast emerged as the raging hotspot of the Wuhan Coronavirus after cases of positive coronavirus who had attended the event were registered from numerous states of India. Muslim clerics of Tablighi Jamaat had organised a congregation in violation of the government’s lockdown orders, providing a conducive environment for the novel coronavirus to proliferate. As per conservative estimates, the congregation organised by Tablighi Jamaat was attended by more than 2000 people, both from several parts of the country as well as from abroad. It was a herculean task for the law enforcement agencies to trace down the event attendees, however, many are still on the run and have refused to come out.

Haryana under Manohar Lal Khattar held its fort strongly in fight against Coronavirus: The silent but effective fight

Shivam
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Haryana under Manohar Lal Khattar held its fort strongly in fight against Coronavirus: The silent but effective fight

The Wuhan Coronavirus, which originated in the Wuhan Province of China, has disturbed global peace, order and security. As the world struggles to fight the Coronavirus, one must remember that China suppressed information about the pandemic for weeks after the first case was discovered in November. With China being in India’s immediate neighbourhood, the threat was perhaps the greatest for India, however, India has managed to tackle the pandemic rather well thus far. A section of the Indian media, however, have resorted to practice political partisanship even during a pandemic. The pettiness is such, that Haryana, which is doing a remarkable job at arresting the spread has hardly been covered or given attention, while Kerala and Maharashtra have been touted as doing a great job.

The Chief Minister of Haryana, Manohar Lal Khattar is not one who believes in PR campaigns but is an able administrator who knows the ins and outs of public policy. When he was briefed about the Wuhan Coronavirus crisis late February, he immediately reduced his public visits, asked leaders across political lines to do the same and even refrained from celebrating Holi with the public on March 15th.

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the nation-wide lockdown, two orders were extended. They were:

  1. Under Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, all Social, Cultural, Sports, Political, Religious, Academic and Family mass gatherings of 200 or more people are banned till 31st March 2020 in the state of Haryana.
  2. Under Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, all Cinema Halls, Gyms, and Night Clubs shall remain closed till 31st March 2020

Haryana then faced its first major migration challenge when the migrants’ workers started leaving from the 19th of March onwards. The state government acted decisively and asked districts, be it Faridabad, Gurugram or Palwal, to ensure that they deal with the issue. They were asked to first convince the migrant workers to stay in relief camps and ensure that they were taken carer of. Then, the government released funds to the tune of Rs. 1 crore to the districts on an immediate basis along with the existing funds.

Here are some steps that were taken by the Haryana Government to fight the Coronavirus pandemic:

Health

The Health Department of Haryana performed an audit of their preparation to fight against the Wuhan Coronavirus and ensured that each district had sufficient ventilators and medical kits. There were some motivated campaigns by the Congress party to malign the government and demoralize the health workers too. A Medical student who had nothing to do with the Coronavirus fight was made to mount fake charges, which were immediately debunked.

Further, the Health Department of Haryana issues medical bulletins twice a day to ensure that people are apprised of the state’s fight against Coronavirus. So far Haryana has a total of 8 testing facilities, almost 9000 isolations beds in over 350 hospitals (private and government booth), close to 15000 capacity of quarantine facility at over 3800 places identified. Hospitals and Medical colleges have been asked to reserve 25% for COVID-19 patients. Ventilator procurement was increased by almost 40%.

A total of 177 cases have been found positive in the state as of the time of writing and 29 of them have been treated and discharged. A sudden rise in Haryana came as briefed by Health Minister Sh Anil Viz on the 9th of April. A significant number of these cases have links with the Tablighi Jamaat.

Lockdown Enforcement

The administration had a serious job to do here. Firstly, senior IAS officers were deputed in the district along with the concerned MPs and Ministers of the districts. The Police has significant responsibilities here, from distributing food items to ensure that no one gets out. Here are a few figures:

162 Inter-state border nakas setup; As per the request of MEA, Foreign National evacuation too is being done with the help of police. There are close to 150 foreign nationals in the state.

68 FIRs have been registered against 86 persons. 41 arrests have been made for speeding fake news, rumors on social media.

In general, a total of 6376 violations took place, 1892 FIRs registered, 2613 arrested and 7044 Vehicles seized.

To allow movement for the needy Haryana government had come up with the Saral portal, here you can register and make a request for the movement pass. The website is working since 27thmarch.

Supply of essential commodities

This was yet another major challenge faced, so the government came up a website where vendors can register their shops and accordingly, the administration would grant them permission with due approval with due checks. Here is the website.

Let me summarize the numbers here: Total count-55112; Milk-9807; Bread-5408; Eggs-2214; Groceries-9442; Vegetable-5773; Potato/onion suppliers -4367; Soaps/bathroom items-7450; Packaged food item-6659; Chemists-3992.

The registered shops have been categorized as per geographical areas and have been given to the helplines so that they can help people in locating them. This is helping people panic less as of now.

This website also has a volunteer section. The great people have come forward in huge numbers. These volunteers are being engaged in various activities by the local administration. Here are the numbers:

Total volunteers-70,623; Doctors-1017, nurses-964, paramedics-2339, Home delivery-12375, Social Distancing Communicators- 12073, Public communicator- 14812, District Management -11847, others-15182

Financial Support

Haryana government has announced a 1200 crore package apart from the central government’s package. The brainchild of CM Manohar i.e. Mukhyamantri Parivar Samriddi Yojna has come to rescue. Families registered under the scheme are being provided Rs. 4000 with contributions to different insurance and pension schemes. As of 9th April, around 12.56 Lakh families have registered under MMPSY. A total of 6.23 lakh families have received a one-time payment of Rs. 4000, a sum of rupees 211.62 Crore.

Then the question of assign construction workers came up. So CM Manohal Lal Khattar came up with Rs.1000/week to each registered construction worker. Those who have registered with the Haryana Board of Construction Workers but have not registered under MMPSY shall be provided maximum a sum of Rs. 4500 per month on a weekly basis rupees starting 30th March. So far a total of 3.50 lakh workers have registered under Haryana building and other construction workers welfare board.

A total amount of over 70 crore rupees has been released as financial assistance to workers. However, the registration of such workers has been stopped on 7th April until further notice. So far, rations for the month of April has been distributed to 27 lakh ration cardholders free of cost by the Food and Supply department. A total of 6 lakh BPL families have received Rs. 1000 weekly as financial assistance, a sum of total 60.48 crore INR in its entirety; 585 shelter homes for migrant labour have been set up with free food and health facilities in which about 17,000 labourers are residing currently and over 63 lacs+ food packets have been distributed.

Helpline

Haryana State Control Room Covid-19

GENERAL HELPLINE: 

1100, 8558893911 (Except Gurugram & Faridabad)

1075 (For Gurugram & Faridabad)

FINANCIAL HELPLINE:

18001806222 (For Gurugram & Faridabad)

1100 (For Rest of Haryana)

108 for Ambulance

The direct helplines for districts can be found on this link.

So far, Over 1 lakh calls have been answered and help is being extended. The twitter handles of the Chief Minister and his office along with various government officials/departments are actively helping people as well.

Corona Relief Fund

It was an initiative launched by CM so that people could donate and help the government in their efforts against COVID-19. Here are the details of the same:

Account number: 39234755902
Haryana Corona Relief Fund
IFSC SBIN0001509
State Bank of India
Sector 10 Panchkula
UPI- hrycoronarelieffund@sbi

Communication

CM Manohar Lal Khattar has started addressing people on a daily basis at 5 pm since the 31st of March and he talks about one issue daily and tries to engage and explain various things to people. Here, the CM is playing the role of a guardian of 2.6 Crore people of Haryana as well as others who’re stuck in the state. Apart from this, various media houses and newspapers are carrying out the message and while I kept looking for advertisements from Government, all I could find was the one strip of 4*2 inches in newspapers telling people about helplines.

CM Manohar Lal Khattar has been proactive in communicating with various sectors. For example, he spoke to doctors on the 9th of April, religious leaders on 8th April and many other groups on various occasions. He also dials the phone of people randomly and talks to them. He has started his Digital Press conferences since lockdown. He connects with the journalists over the audio bridge and speaks to them. So far 3 such PCs have been done. He has been in regular sync with opposition leaders like BS Hooda, Ajay Chautala and various other senior leaders and except a few leaders, all the opposition leaders have been supporting and sharing their experience with CM Manohar Lal and team.

I’m loving the nonpartisan and proactive support of the opposition. Such tough times are bringing the best out of a democracy. CM Manohar Lal has also announced the doubling of salaries of all those who’re in the first line against the fight in COVID-19 which is much appreciated and a morale booster. The 22nd of March’s  clapping for the warriors of COVID-19 and 7th April’s lighting of Diyas and candles have brought people together. It was a nice experiment and the whole nation supported it and made it a huge success which was later followed by various countries.

I have seen various controversies related to the efforts being done by the government and people, I tried to ignore them as this fight against COVID-19 is for the survival of the people. Let’s join our hands together and assist everyone by following the guidelines issued by the government. I’ll sum it up with “Ev ya Tau (Manohar Lal) ne Thaan li hai, Corona harega bhi or Bhagega bhi” (Since Tau (Manohar Lal) has committed to it, Now Corona would be defeated and chased away).

Let’s stay committed to keeping ourselves at home. Stay safe, stay healthy. We’ll defeat Corona COVID-19.

India could have 8.2 lakhs Coronavirus positive cases by April 15 if lockdown and containment were not implemented: Union Health Ministry

OpIndia Staff
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India could have 8.2 lakhs Coronavirus positive cases by April 15 if lockdown and containment were not implemented: Union Health Ministry

The Union Health Ministry claimed on Saturday that if the lockdown and containment measures weren’t implemented then the country could have witnessed 8.2 lacs of cases till April 15.

According to a statistical analysis made by the Health and Family Welfare Ministry, if India had not imposed both lockdown and containment, the coronavirus cases would have grown by 41% to reach 8.2 lakh by April 15. And if only containment measures were taken without total lockdown, the number would have been 1.2 lakh by April 15. But as both lockdown and containment was imposed, the number has reached 7,447 on April 11.

The same was said by the Joint Secretary Lav Aggarwal during the regular press briefing. He said that lockdown and containment measures are necessary measures to keep the virus at the bay.

The Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said, “The lockdown and containment measures are important to fight COVID-19. If we had not taken any measures then we might have had 8.2 lacs of cases till April 15.”

He mentioned that the estimation is a result of statistical analysis by the ministry and it is not an ICMR study.

He further added, “It is a statistical rate growth based analysis. It is not an ICMR study. Before the national lockdown, the rate of growth in cases was 28.9 percent and if we had not announced nation lockdown but followed the usual preventive only, then we might have had 45,000 cases at this time.”

Read- Arvind Kejriwal ‘leaks’ decision taken in PM’s meeting with CMs, thanks PM Modi for ‘decision to extend the lockdown’ to contain coronavirus

He asserted that the government is following twin measures, at one hand we are promoting social distancing and lockdown and on the other hand we are ensuring containment action plan, contact tracing and planning to deal with COVID-19.

He mentioned that India’s response to Coronavirus has been proactive. “We have followed a graded approach. There are 586 COVID-19 dedicated hospitals and more than 1 lakh isolation beds and 11,500 ICU beds reserved for COVID-19 patients across the country. PPE’s, ventilators and other critical medical supplies are being ensured by the centre to states. The containment action plan, contact tracing, and other planning are being ensured,” he said.

According to ministry data at 5 PM today, the total number of Coronavirus positive cases has reached 7,447, which went up by 1,035 in the last 24-hours. The virus has claimed the lives of 239 people while 642 people have been cured of Coronavirus.

West Bengal Doctors Forum writes to Mamata Banerjee asking that Coronavirus data should be genuine, transparent and verifiable

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal Doctors Forum writes to Mamata Banerjee asking that Coronavirus data should be genuine, transparent and verifiable

The West Bengal Doctors Forum (WBDF) has written a letter to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urging to ensure transparency in the data being collected for coronavirus.

The letter of WBDF to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has listed certain points such as “Ensuring segregation of suspects, positive patients with meticulous screening, triage, and testing. Also ensuring good quality PPE for HCWs everywhere.” The Forum raised a concern that the healthcare workers are staring at a situation of losing their livelihood in the near future that should be dealt with extreme urgency involving all the stakeholders.

The West Bengal Doctor’s Forum has concluded with a request that all the data collected and published should be genuine, transparent and verifiable. Stating that “We cannot afford to send wrong signals to the world.”

The WBDF wrote the letter calling for transparency in Coronavirus data when the numbers published by the state govt have come under the scanner. BJP has alleged that West Bengal govt is suppressing Coronavirus positive cases in the state. The govt has on record admitted that they formed an audit body to investigate whether some Coronavirus related deaths can be attributed to other co-morbidity factors. Discrepancies have also been observed in the data provided by the Mamata Banerjee government.

covid19india.org, the crowd-sourced website that provides real-time data on Coronavirus cases in India, has also reported that WB state bulletin on the disease only reports the number of active cases, which makes it difficult to know the total cases and daily new positive cases.

Earlier on Saturday, the Ministry of Home Affairs wrote a letter to Mamata Banerjee government calling out her irresponsibility and the gradual dilution of lockdown in West Bengal. The MHA letter cites a lack of control on mutton, fish markers, etc functioning unabated and people thronging in complete violation of social distancing norms set by the government. It also revealed that non-essential shops have been allowed to function in the state.

The letter cites certain areas like Metiabruz, Raja Bazaar, Narkel Danga, Topsia, Ikbalpul, etc. Incidentally, these areas have a high concentration of Muslim population.

It also mentions that “religious congregations” have been allowed in the state. Invoking the Disaster Management Act, the letter says that these actions are in violation of the guidelines released by the Ministry and are liable for penal action. The ministry then demands that strict action be taken and that a report be sent to the ministry regarding the matter.

Meerut: Police attacked as they seal area where Coronavirus patients were hiding in mosque, 4 including Imam arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Meerut: Police attacked as they seal area where Coronavirus patients were hiding in mosque, 4 including Imam arrested

A team of police personnel and district officials were attacked by locals in Meerut’s Jali Kothi when they reached there to seal a part of the area following a confirmation about presence of coronavirus patients in a mosque in the area. The agitated crowd was subsequently pacified and the entire area was cordoned off.

The Meerut police have made four arrests in this regard, including the Imam of the mosque where the coronavirus patients were sheltered. As per the police, action will be taken against the four accused under the National Security Act. A phalanx of policemen including DM Anil Dhingra and SSP Ajay Sahni were present on the spot when the mob went on a rampage against the police personnel who had come to seal the area. City magistrate Sushant Jain sustained a fracture in his hand during the sparring between the sides. He was sent to the district hospital for treatment.

While the police force and healthcare workers are going out of their way to stop the spread of highly contagious coronavirus, some of the folks are bent on sabotaging the district administration’s efforts of taming the contagion. Late last night, 4 coronavirus positive patients were found, three of whom were staying in Meerut’s Dari mosque in Jail Kothi.

Therefore, the administration had decided to seal off the area to limit the spread of the virus. On Saturday morning, the police administration and Health Department team reached Jali Kothi to cordon off the neighbourhood. However, they met with stiff resistance from the people, who attacked the police personnel who had gathered there to contain the possible spread of coronavirus to other parts of the city.

According to the reports, the brawl broke out when locals started pushing and shoving the police officers in the presence of Circle Officer. Subsequently, police officials from four police stations were summoned to control the exacerbating quagmire. However, the situation was brought under control and the entire area of Jali Kothi was completely sealed off. In view of the seriousness of the case, a large number of police personnel are deployed at the place to avoid any untoward incident. A flag march had been carried out in the area by the police. After touring the area, all the people have been warned against venturing out of their houses and the area has been completely fenced off.

‘Duggal Sahab’ of Ramayana wishes there was social media in those times, would have helped him in his career

OpIndia Staff
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‘Duggal Sahab’ of Ramayana wishes there was social media in those times, would have helped him in his career

The return of Ramayana on the television screen has seen the show attracting record viewership from citizens across the country. With the show gaining instant popularity, it was certain that the popularity will be reflected on social media and it was only natural that the actors started receiving a lot of attention. One certain actor who has been at the thick of it is Aslam Khan, an individual who has played a host of characters in Ramayana. Indeed, Aslam Khan has played the most number of characters in it.

Memes are flooding social media on Aslam Khan. Some have started calling him ‘Duggal Sahab’. People on social media are cracking jokes about the fact that he played so many roles in the hugely popular show. Among many roles, he has appeared as Samudra Dev, a Sadhu, a spy and a Sainik in the Vanara Army.

Recently, Aslam Khan gave an interview to Naarad TV through a telephonic conversation. In the interview, he said that he never really had any interest in acting as such. During his pursuit of a job in the private sector, he was taken to watch a stage show by a friend. Through the friend, he was introduced to the world of acting. He has acted for the first time in a Vikram and Vetaal show at the time.

The role of Samudra Dev which he played in the Ramayana came to him under fortunate circumstances. The person who was originally designated to play the role did not turn up for shooting on the given date. As backup, it fell on him to deliver the lines on screen. As it turns out, his role as Samudra Dev is the one that has gained a lot of traction on social media. He said in the interview that he got a lot of love for that particular role.

Aslam Khan is from Jhansi and was born in 1961 in the month of May. Apart from the Ramayana, he has also acted in numerous shows but it was due to his roles in the Ramayana that gained him the most prominence. He played some roles in Krishna as well. But unfortunately, he never got the opportunity to work in a movie. He quit the acting industry in 2002. He lives in Jhansi but is currently stuck at Mumbai due to the lockdown. He works at a marketing company now and has a son and a daughter, who are grown up.

About the recent outpouring of memes on social media about the characters he played in the Ramayana, Aslam Khan rues the fact that there was no social media in those times and says that had there been social media then, he might gained a lot of popularity and would have started receiving more prominent roles. He said that he is feeling very happy now that his work is being acknowledged.

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