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Watch: Uttarakhand residents maintain social distancing while paying tributes to paratrooper Davender Rana on his final journey

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: Uttarakhand residents maintain social distancing while paying tributes to paratrooper Davender Rana on his final journey

On Tuesday, thousands of residents of Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand paid their tribute to the Indian Army’s Havildar Davendra Singh Rana, who was martyred in an operation in Kashmir on April 5. Havildar Davendra Singh belonged to the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand and lost his life in an anti-terrorist operation in Jammu and Kashmir’s Keran sector.

Amidst the nation-wide lockdown, residents thronged to their balconies, rooftops to pay their final respects to the fallen hero- Havildar Davendra Singh Rana. The heart-wrenching video has gone viral on social media in which it was seen that people stood outside their houses, maintaining social distancing to salute the martyr.

Earlier, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat also paid tribute to the Indian Army’s Havildar Davendra Singh Rana.

Five commandos from an elite unit of the Indian Army were martyred over the weekend along the Line of Control in Kashmir after an intense close-quarter fight with an equal number of Islamic terrorists who had infiltrated into India. The encounter took place in the Keran sector on Sunday with all five terrorists killed, the Indian Army said on Monday.

The five men have been identified as Subedar Sanjeev Kumar, Paratrooper Bal Krishan from Himachal Pradesh, Havildar Davendra Singh Rana, Paratrooper Amit Kumar from Uttarakhand, and Paratrooper Chhatrapal Singh from Rajasthan.

“The Indian Army launched a daring operation at the LoC (Line of Control) and engaged Pakistani-supported infiltrators in a close-quarter battle in heavy snow, neutralising the entire infiltrating batch of five. Four soldiers under the command of a junior commissioned officer from one of the most professional Para SF (Special Forces) units were heli-dropped near the LoC after information on the infiltrators was received,” the Indian Army statement said.

The operation “Randori Behak” to intercept the terrorists began on 1 April when patrolling troops reported footprints near the LoC fence that was covered under the snow. The army then quickly deployed search teams but extremely difficult terrain and inclement weather prevented any engagement. That is when the commandos from 4 Para (SF) were called in to take over the operation, an officer said.

An image of the group of Special Forces commandos jumping off a helicopter in the mountains of Kupwara in Kashmir was captured on April 4. One of the soldiers was seen standing waist-deep in snow as the others move forward.

This was the last photo of the soldiers from 4 Para, the same unit which participated in the surgical strikes of 2016.

The last photo of the Para Special Forces commandos who eliminated 4 Pakistan terrorists. Image Source: Twitter

According to Livefist, on April 5, around dawn, the Special Forces squad had ventured onto a cornice, an overhanging patch of hardened snow with no underlying support. The cornice broke under the weight of two soldiers.

Subedar Sanjiv along with Paratroopers Amit and Chhatrpal tried to close in with the terrorist location but slid down, said a para commando who was in the second squad a short distance away and was witness to what was taking place. The soldiers fell in the exact area where the terrorists were hiding. Soon, a gunfight broke out between special forces soldiers and terrorists.

Paratrooper Amit sustained 15 bullet injuries while Subedar Sanjiv and Paratrooper Chhatarpal also took heavy fire. They managed to kill two of the 5 terrorists before succumbing to their injuries. The other two men, Havildar Davender and Paratrooper Balkishan rushed forward to extract their three comrades, charging into the exchange, quickly eliminating two more terrorists.

Two soldiers succumbed to their injuries on Sunday evening after being airlifted to Srinagar’s Army hospital. The remains of the other 3 commandos and the terrorists were found within just two meters of each other.

Steep rise in dead bodies brought to Muslim graveyards in Indore gives rise to coronavirus scare

OpIndia Staff
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Steep rise in dead bodies brought to Muslim graveyards in Indore gives rise to coronavirus scare

There has been a steep rise in the number of dead bodies brought for burial in Muslim graveyard in Indore in past one week according to a report by Bhaskar. As on 7th April, out of the total deaths reported in India about coronavirus, 13 were reported in Indore alone. However, there has been an increase in the burials in Muslim graveyards in the city.

Indore has four major Muslim graveyards. Between 1st to 6th April, 127 dead bodies were buried in these four graveyards. The same figure was 130 for the whole of March. While there have been dead bodies cremated in Hindu crematoriums, the figures have been consistent with previous months with no abnormal increase.

According to the report, the maximum number of coronavirus positive cases were found in Khajrana, Chandannagar, Ranipur-Daulatganj-Hathipala, Azadnagar, Tatpatti Bakhal-Silawatpura and Bombay Bazaar areas. Bhaskar checked up the number of dead bodies buried in first week of April in the four major Muslim graveyards in these areas. While the register maintained at the graveyards mention cause of death such as blood pressure, diabetes, etc, the comparison with March figures are quite alarming.

The Mahu Naka Muslim graveyard had reported 46 burials in March while the figure was 42 between 1-6 April. In the Muslim graveyard for Tatpatti Bakhal and adjouning areas, the figure of burials was 36 in March and 44 for April 1st week. Similarly, other two Muslim graveyards also showed 20 and 28 burials in March and 20 and 21 burials for 6 days in April respectively.

Read: Muslim mob pelt-stones, attack police personnel for trying to enforce Coronavirus lockdown in Madhya Pradesh’s Khargone

Similar figures for Hindu crematoriums do not show such steep rise.

The Bhaskar report further reveals that in case of deaths, despite travel history and symptoms, the samples were not taken of the deceased. One 42-year old Naved, with travel history, died before he could be tested and treated. However, his samples were not taken. Naved’s 48-year-old cousin Irfan developed breathing issues on 26th March but was admitted to CHL Hospital. Next day he was admitted to Gokuldas Hospital but died the next day. He, however, tested negative for coronavirus.

After Bhaskar report revealed such alarming numbers, intelligence agencies have now started investigation into the same. As per another report published by Bhaskar, on Tuesday, 20 more dead bodies were buried in the above four Muslim graveyards.

Did US President Donald Trump really ‘threaten’ India with ‘retaliation’ over hydroxychloroquine export? Read details

OpIndia Staff
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Did US President Donald Trump really ‘threaten’ India with ‘retaliation’ over hydroxychloroquine export? Read details

On Tuesday, the ever over-enthusiastic media of the country had reported that US President Donald Trump had warned India that the US may ‘retaliate’ if it did not export anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine.

A barge of misinformation was peddled by the media over US President Donald Trump’s statements claiming that he had “threatened” India. As usual, the ‘liberal-secular’ media blew the issue out of proportion to stoke another controversy over Trump’s alleged statements by claiming that President’s Trump had, in fact, threatened India over its ban on the export of the drug indicating a diplomatic failure of the Modi government.

Except, that is not what happened at the White House on Monday. The remarks made by US President Donald Trump was actually a response to a specific question asked by a reporter regarding whether he would go for ‘retaliation’ against India if Modi government did not reconsider its decision of banning export of hydroxychloroquine.

Responding to a specific question asked by a reporter during a press conference, Donald Trump stated that he would be surprised if India does not lift the ban on the export of drug and added that he had even talked to Prime Minister Modi over the issue of the drug supply. Interestingly, Trump also reiterated several times in his address that how India was an important partner to the US and hoped that India would supply necessary drugs to the US.

At the end of his statements, Donald Trump in a generalising statement said that there would be some kind of retaliation if India did not lift the ban on the export of hydroxychloroquine. “Why wouldn’t there be?”, was Trump’s response, which indicated that it is more of a response to a non-serious question of a journalist rather than a threat or a ‘unilateral’ response to India.

Here is the transcript of the statements made by President Donald Trump in response to a reporter’s question over retaliation against India:

Reporter:  Thank you, sir. Are you worried about retaliation to your decision to ban the export of medical goods, like Indian Prime Minister Modi’s decision to not export hydroxychloroquine to the United States and other countries?

Trump: I don’t like that decision if that’s — I don’t — I didn’t hear that that was his decision.  I know that he stopped it for other countries. I spoke to him yesterday. We had a very good talk. And we’ll see whether or not that is. I would be surprised if he would, you know because India does very well with the United States. For many years, they’ve been taking advantage of the United States on trade. So I would be surprised if that were his decision. He’d have to tell me that.

Trump: I spoke to him Sunday morning. I called him. And I said, “We’d appreciate your allowing our supply to come out.”  If he doesn’t allow it to come out, that would be okay, but, of course, there may be retaliation.  Why wouldn’t there be?

The quoted statement, is Monday’s actual exchange between a reporter and Donald Trump. You can watch the exchange here:

Secondly, the crux of the report’s question was whether President Trump was worried about retaliation to a decision that he took to ban exports of medical supplies from the US. The reporter who asked the question likened the situation to the Narendra Modi government’s move last week to ban exports of hydroxychloroquine.

To this question, the US President did not even respond initially and instead spoke about his phone conversation with PM Narendra Modi.

However, when the statements are read independently without any context, the sentence does make it seem as though Donald Trump was threatening retaliation against India if it did not export of hydroxychloroquine. When read in the context of the question asked by the reporter, it is clear that Trump was actually responding to a question posed to him regarding possible retaliation against his own decision.

Perhaps, Donald Trump should have framed his response better rather than getting conned by the media yet again.

Ever since the Chinese pandemic coronavirus began to spread across the United States, US President Donald Trump has been advocating the use of the drug and had presented hydroxychloroquine as a “game-changer” even though his health advisers had voiced uncertainty about its efficacy against novel coronavirus.

Hydroxychloroquine, an old and inexpensive drug used to treat malaria, is seen as a viable therapeutic solution by President Trump to coronavirus that has so far killed more than 10,000 Americans and infected over 3.6 lakh within weeks. India is the biggest producer and exporter of hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug that is in much demand for the potential use in helping treat patients of the novel coronavirus. 

Perhaps, Donald Trump had hoped that India, which is one of the most important partners of the United States may relax its export norms to export hydroxychloroquine to the US.

Last week, Donald Trump had even sought help from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allow the sale of Hydroxychloroquine tablets ordered by the US to treat the growing number of coronavirus patients in his country, hours after India banned the export of the anti-malarial drug.

After requests from several nations, India had finally announced that it will relax the blanket ban and will allow export of specific consignments on a case-to-case basis to certain nations.

A single patient of Coronavirus can infect 406 people in a month if social distancing and lockdown are not enforced: Union Health Ministry

OpIndia Staff
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A single patient of Coronavirus can infect 406 people in a month if social distancing and lockdown are not enforced: Union Health Ministry

While quoting the Indian Council of Medical Research, the Union Health Ministry revealed during a press briefing that if a single patient who is infected by the Wuhan coronavirus, defies isolation or does not follow safety norms such as social distancing, he/she may end up infecting near 406 persons in 30 days.

As per reports, in medical terms, the phenomenon is known as R-naught or R0, is the basic reproductive number of a virus, an epidemiologic metric used to describe the contagiousness of the infectious agents.

“If we take the ‘R0’ to be 2.5 then one positive person can infect 406 people in 30 days if the social distancing and lockdown measures are not in place, but if social exposure is reduced by 75 per cent then that one sick person will only be able to infect only 2.5 persons,” said Joint secretary Luv Agarwal.

Joint Secretary Luv Agarwal clarified that no official decision to extend the lockdown has been made as of now and that speculation should not be made about the same.

Agarwal added, “Till now 326 persons have been discharged after recovery. Till now there are 4,421 COVID-19 positive cases in the country, including 354 cases in the last 24 hours.”

He added “Indian Railways has prepared 40,000 isolation beds in 2,500 coaches. They are making 375 isolation beds daily and this is going on across 133 locations across the country. The government has been adopting a strategy for cluster containment & for outbreaks that are amenable to management. This strategy is producing positive results, especially in Agra, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Pathanamthitta, Bhilwara & East Delhi.”

He stated that several strategies are being conducted on a large scale to combat the novel coronavirus.

The Union Home Ministry also asserted that the status of essential goods and services is by and large satisfactory. The ministry said, “Home Minister did a detailed review of the status of essential commodities & lockdown measures, he gave directions to take appropriate measures and ensure hoarding & black marketing is not done.”

The coronavirus infected cases have reached a distressing mark of 4451 in India. While 114 have succumbed to the disease and 326 have been recovered and discharged.

Son of Hindu woman killed over switching off lights on 5 April, says village head Alam and RJD MLA Fayaz Ahmed protecting accused, narrates ordeal

OpIndia Staff
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Son of Hindu woman killed over switching off lights on 5 April, says village head Alam and RJD MLA Fayaz Ahmed protecting accused, narrates ordeal

Earlier in the day, we reported how an altercation which broke out on 5th April (Sunday) in Bihar’s Madhubani district between a Hindu and Muslim families, allegedly over switching off lights following PM Modi’s call, to show complete resolve and solidarity in the fight against coronavirus with this symbolic gesture, led to the murder of an elderly Hindu woman by Sulaiman Nadaf, Khalil Nadaf, Malil Nadaf, Jalil Nadaf etc.

Now, while speaking to OpIndia, Surendra Mandal, son of the deceased woman Kaili Devi, has given out the details of what exactly transpired on the night of April 5. Surendra Mandal said that the area they live in is predominately a Hindu-dominated area. Only two Muslim families lived here and they too have migrated elsewhere. One of the accused, Sharif Nadaf has his in-laws living in that area. Meanwhile, Sharif’s own house is in a Muslim colony inside Rahika.

On April 5, after lighting diyas to support PM Narendra Modi’s call, nine children were playing outside Surendra Mandal’s house, said Kaili Devi’s son. Suddenly, Sharif Nadaf appeared from nowhere and started abusing the children. Besides using filthy language, Sharif Mandal, who was reportedly intoxicated, also shamed the children’s family by saying that no child belongs to a Hindu in this locality, all the Hindu children too are born out of Muslims.

Surendra’s family was sitting there listening to all of this, but none of them responded to those Muslims as they were drunk and Surendra’s family thought that it would not be appropriate to engage with them or argue with them.

Soon, another accused, Sulaiman Nadaf’s son Malin Nadaf came out of the house and pushed a child away from there. Surendra objected to this, saying that they should not be bullying the children as they were not playing in front of their house. “Let them play, if you cannot obey the Prime Minister of the country, then at least do not violate it. Let those who are following, do it”, recollected Surendra Mandal as saying to Sulaiman and Malin Nadaf. This enraged the duo who then left the children and headed towards Surendra’s house.

Surendra too, walked towards the duo. His mother Kaili Devi was sitting on the bench outside Surendra’s house. Malin Nadaf hit Kaili Devi two or three times on her head. Surendra saw this but he did not think that he would do something beyond that, so he moved forward. Surendra’s younger brother who was also there opposed Malin when he hit his mother and told him to go away from there as he was drunk. But before they could realise anything further, Malin Nadaf held Kaili Devi by her neck and strangulated her so hard that she fell down from the bench.

The sons recollect of immediately rushing towards their mother after she fell hard on the street. She was then rushed to the hospital, where the doctor declared her brought dead.

Infuriated by the incident, Surendra Kumar said: “There was so much anger amongst us that we feel like killing the accused and setting his house on fire. But we have never done anything like this before. We have left everything in our society. We will do, as they say, said Surendra.

After narrating the entire incident, Surendra claimed that the authorities are not taking up the case seriously. Its been more than 24 hours since the incident occurred and the accused are absconding since then, but the police are putting in no efforts to catch them, claimed Surendra.

Concerned about their safety, Surendra said if the accused are not brought to books then tomorrow something similar might happen with someone else.

Surendra recollected that after the incident, at 10-11 o’clock in the night, he informed the senior officer of the police station over the phone, but could not speak to him properly. He then went to the police station with 4 people and lodged a report against all the three accused. Following the complaint, the police went to his house and took full information about the incident. The police also spoke to Sulaiman over the phone and asked him to report at the police station in half an hour. But still none of the accused have been arrested yet.

On being asked about the accused’s connection with RJD MLA Fayaz Ahmed, Surendra said that due to their political connections, the police were not taking action against the accused. He expressed fear that the case might be dismissed and the accused might not be booked due to their political connections. “These Muslim families get all the help. If those people have the smallest problem, then there is an immediate solution’, claimed Surendra.

OpIndia also tried to contact MLA Fayaz Ahmed several times to get his comment on the allegations meted at him by Surendra, but he did not pick up the phone (we will update it when we talk to him). Surendra also did not speak explicitly on Fayaz Ahmad’s intervention in this matter, but he did say that “When those two Muslims face any problem they administration is always there to help but even after such a big incident has transpired with us no one is there to help us. How do we believe that they are in our support? Today, if anything happens to the Muslims, then MLA Fayaz ji would also come and Fakre Alam would also run. But no one came since it has happened to us”, claimed Surendra.

He further informed that the village Sarpanch (head), Fakre Alam is helping Sulaiman Nadaf, Malil Nadaf and Sharif Nadaf. He said that he was told yesterday, that the accused had gone to see Fakre Alam before absconding and also visited him again today for help. He claimed that Fakre Alam is trying his best not to involve the names of Muslims in this case, but we will not allow this to happen, said Surendra. He said that all the Hindu brothers of the neighbourhood have extended their support to his family and assured that they would make sure that the accused are punished.

OpIndia also got in touch with VHP District President Mahesh Prasad, District Vice President Ratish Mishra and BJP’s Legislative Council Suman Mahaseth for information about this incident. All confirmed the incident.

An altercation broke out on 5th April (Sunday) in Bihar’s Madhubani district between a Hindu and Muslim families, allegedly over switching off lights following PM Modi’s call, to show complete resolve and solidarity in the fight against coronavirus with this symbolic gesture, which led to the murder of an elderly Hindu woman.

The accused Sulaiman Nadaf, Khalil Nadaf, Malil Nadaf, Jalil Nadaf etc, who strangulated 70-year-old Kaili Devi after the argument, are now absconding. The deceased’s son Surendra Mandal has filed an FIR for murder against all the accused.

This incident has sparked anger and rage in the Hindus of the area. The locals have demanded justice and a compensation of Rs 10 lakh from the administration for the deceased’s family at an expeditious level. They have also demanded that the accused should be arrested soon and awarded the death penalty. A heavy police force has been deployed in the area to avoid communal tension after the incident.

Rajasthan: Man who claimed that his pregnant wife was turned away from Bharatpur hospital for being Muslim, now admits concocting the story

OpIndia Staff
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Rajasthan: Man who claimed that his pregnant wife was turned away from Bharatpur hospital for being Muslim, now admits concocting the story

Recently an incident of alleged religious discrimination came to light, where a Muslim pregnant woman of Bharatpur in Rajasthan who was in labour, was allegedly denied admission to a hospital by the staff over her religion. The media lapped up the incident saying that this was a direct consequence of the reportage over Tablighi Jamaat and how they had spread Coronavirus in the country. The husband had claimed that because of the doctor’s religious bias and negligence, they lost their child. The video of the Muslim man’s allegations soon went viral which eventually triggered internal politics in Congress.

Now, a video has emerged where the husband of the pregnant woman, Irfan Khan, who had then alleged religious discrimination in Rajasthan hospital due to them being Muslim, is seen admitting that he had concocted the religious angle.

In the video shared by Hindustan Times Bureau Chief Rakesh Awasthi, Irfan Khan is heard saying that no one mentioned his religion while referring his wife to another hospital in Jaipur, it was a figment of his imagination. “I thought if I weren’t a Muslim maybe they would have taken my wife in,” he says in the video.

“When my wife was being taken to Jaipur in the ambulance, she delivered the child but the baby died. When I saw my wife suffering and my child die, I felt that this has happened to me because of my religious identity. Had I not been a Muslim this would never happen. This was, however, not told to me by any doctor, but was indeed a figment of my imagination, Irfan Khan is heard saying.

Irfan Khan had earlier alleged: “My pregnant wife had to deliver a child. She was referred from Sikri to the Janana Hospital in the district headquarter but the doctors here mentioned that we should go to Jaipur because we are Muslim. As I was taking her in the ambulance, she delivered the child but the baby died. I hold the administration responsible for my child’s death.”

Rajasthan’s Tourism Minister and Congress leader Vishvendra Singh, Rajasthan tourism minister, lashed out at the refusal of the doctor, currently posted as the Head of Department in OBS and Gynae department at the Government hospital in Bharatpur for refusing admission to the woman because of her religion.

Read: Rajasthan Muslim woman, who was referred to another hospital, was 7th time pregnant with complicated anaemia case

This, within no time, triggered internal politics in Congress. Singh tweeted a video in which he stated that the woman was referred to the Janana Hospital in Bharatpur where she was refused admission by a doctor named Dr Moneet Walia. He added that the state health minister is also an MLA from Bharatpur.

Vishvendra Singh accused the Congress government in Rajasthan of trying to cover-up the matter. He said that he was a cabinet minister and does not speak without proof. He also added that just because the Tablighi Jamaat has been linked to a surge of coronavirus cases in the country it does not mean that citizens of the Islamic faith are going to be treated the way the pregnant lady was.

However, later, it became known that the Muslim woman was pregnant for the 7th time and was suffering from anaemia due to which she was referred to a different hospital. Journalist Soumyadipta shared the referral slip issued by the clinic which showed that the patient, the Muslim woman, was highly anaemic and on her 7th pregnancy which made it a complicated case.

As per the referral slip, the patient was suffering from Antepartum Haemorrhage (APH), i.e. bleeding prior to delivery. She was anaemic and on her 7th pregnancy. Hence, owing to the complications of the case, she was referred to the bigger hospital in Jaipur since the clinic was not equipped to handle the complicated case.

Media Coordinator of Shaheen Bagh, who had once called a panelist ‘tawaif ka baccha’, threatens media for coverage of Tablighi Jamaat

OpIndia Staff
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Media Coordinator of Shaheen Bagh, who had once called a panelist ‘tawaif ka baccha’, threatens media for coverage of Tablighi Jamaat

Shoaib Jamei, president of the Indian Muslim Foundation and the media coordinator of the Shaheen Bagh ‘movement’ today posted a menacing tweet, asserting that the Indian media will have to pay one day for casting Muslims in the bad light. Jamai’s tweet was perhaps in response to the Indian media’s coverage of Tablighi Jamaat, the Islamist organisation which has contributed 30 per cent of the total Wuhan coronavirus cases in the country and whose Muslim members are evading police and medical authorities while those held at quarantine facilities are accused of spitting on doctors, nurses and attendants and defecating in the corridor.

Tweet by Shoaib Jamai

“Indian media becomes 100 per cent anti-Muslim and communal. You have to pay one day for making lives of Muslims in danger by your fake news and propaganda. 25 crore Muslims are very angry people. I don’t know what is gonna happen next. #MajorThreatMediaVirus,” Jamei tweeted.

After threatening with dire consequences, Jamei tempered his opinions a bit saying that Muslim organisations will start filing FIR against news channels for circulating fake news and using references such as ‘corona bomb’, ‘corona jihad’ etc. He added that 25 crores Muslims shouldn’t be taken lightly and the media channels will have to face the law of the land. He also asserted that though Muslims don’t believe in violence, but they will definitely put up a legal fight against the Indian media.

Muslim members of Tablighi Jamaat came under the attack after the Nizamuddin centre of the organisation emerged as the latest hotspot of the coronavirus in the country. As many as 1445 cases out of the country’s total coronavirus cases of 4281 have been said to be linked to the congregation organised by Tablighi Jamaat in mid-March. Several Tablighi Jamaat members in different parts of the state are still absconding and evading police officials and medical authorities. Those who have been shifted to quarantine facilities have been throwing tantrums with unreasonable food demands, spitting on the attendants, nurses and doctors treating them. Some of the Tablighi Jamaat members are also reported to have been lingering around the quarantine facilities naked and making lewd gestures to the nurses. A couple of Tablighi Jamaat members today created a ruckus and defecated in the corridor in the Narela quarantine facility.

Read: Media Coordinator of Shaheen Bagh protests calls fellow panelist ‘tawaif ka bachha’ on Arnab Goswami’s debate

However, while censuring media channels for reporting the facts about the behaviour of Muslim members of Tablighi Jamaat, Jamei has so far not denounced the unruly and vulgar behaviour exhibited by his fellow co-religionists. Instead, he has vented his spleen on the media organisations for reporting the uncomfortable realities about the Tablighi Jamaat members.

While Jamei claims that Indian media has wrongly shown Indian Muslims in the bad light, his own conduct on national television has been far from exemplary. Earlier this year, Jamei had lashed out at a fellow panelist during Arnab Goswami’s debate on Republic TV and called him ‘tawaif ke bachche’ (son of a ‘wh*re’). However, it’s unclear who exactly he was referring to as there were six other people apart from Arnab Goswami on the debate. Although the word ‘tawaif’ technically refers to a courtesan, when used in a derogatory manner, it is another word for a prostitute.

Recently, a video of a Muslim cleric and a member of the Tablighi Jamaat warning media not to report against the Islamic organisation had surfaced on social media. The video of the Tablighi Jamaat member where he threatens the media was released by Maulana Mahfooz Ur Rahman, the Tahaffuz-E-Deen India. In the video, the cleric accuses media of spreading rumours and disseminating propaganda against Tablighi Jamaat and coronavirus pandemic and targeting a particular community.

Lawyer slapped with contempt action after he curses Calcutta High Court Judge to be infected by Coronavirus

OpIndia Staff
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Lawyer slapped with contempt action after he curses Calcutta High Court Judge to be infected by Coronavirus

On March 23, Justice Dipankar Datta of the Calcutta High Court has recommended initiating contempt proceedings against a lawyer Bijoy Adhikary after the latter cursed him to “be infected with coronavirus” following an unfavourable judgment.

The Calcutta High Court has been hearing only urgent cases since March 15, owing to the outbreak of the Wuhan Coronavirus. Adhikary had moved the Court seeking an urgent stay on the auction of his client’s bus that was seized by a nationalised bank due to failure in repaying the loan on time. Justice Dipankar Datta observed that the bus was seized on January 15 and thus refused to grant an urgent hearing.

An infuriated Adhikary then thumped the table and banged the microphone on it. When Justice Dipankar asked him to behave properly, the lawyer said that the future of the judge would be doomed by him and that he would be infected by the Wuhan virus. Undeterred by his actions, Adhikary was relentlessly “shouting at the top of his voice”.

Justice Dipankar Datta wrote, “Adhikary was curtly told that neither do I fear dooming of my future nor being infected by the virus; the majesty of the Court is what is paramount in my mind and to uphold that a rule for contempt could be issued against him.”

He also reprimanded the lawyer for his “abominable” behaviour and acting in a manner “not behoving a member of the noble profession and thereby undermining the dignity and prestige of this Court.” The Calcutta High Court judge then directed the matter be heard by an appropriate division bench upon reopening of the court after the summer vacation.

Enraged Canadian leader reminds Donald Trump of help during 9/11 after the American President blocks N-95 mask exports

OpIndia Staff
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Enraged Canadian leader reminds Donald Trump of help during 9/11 after the American President blocks N-95 mask exports

Canadians are infuriated with the decision of US President Donald Trump to ban the exports of protective equipment such as N-95 masks to its northern neighbour as the raging Wuhan coronavirus sweeps the globe. One of the enraged Canadian ministers reminded Trump of how Canada helped the United States in the aftermath of the deadly twin-tower attack on September 11, 2001.

While speaking to the Associated Press, the Newfoundland Premier Dwight Ball said, “It is an understatement to say that I am simply infuriated with the United States President’s recent reaction amidst the coronavirus pandemic,” adding “It is absolutely unbelievable that in a time of crisis that President Trump would even think of leaving Canada in the lurch by banning key medical supplies.”

During the 9/11 attacks, at least 7000 American passengers were provided shelter at Newfoundland in Canada when flights to and from America were grounded there. The former Gander Mayor Claude Elliott said that the modest town of Gander, which had only about 500 hotel rooms, ensured that each and every passenger who landed at Newfoundland was provided with a place to stay.

Reminding President Trump of the town’s generosity, Premier Ball said, “Newfoundland and Labrador will never give up on humanity. We will not hesitate for one second if we had to repeat what we did on 9-11. We would do it again.”

He further added that this is the time that countries should come together and work in collaboration to protect their residents and keep them safe from the threat and the challenges posed by COVID-19, regardless of their passport or the place of their domicile.

While Trump has banned the export of N-95 masks to Canada, he issued a veiled threat to India earlier yesterday if it blocks the supplies of Hydroxychloroquine to the United States.

“I spoke to him (PM Modi), Sunday morning & I said we appreciate it that you are allowing our supply (of Hydroxychloroquine) to come out, if he doesn’t allow it to come out, that would be okay, but of course, there may be retaliation, why wouldn’t there be?” US President Donald Trump said.

With multiple reports claiming that Hydroxychloroquine has proven beneficial in the treatment of COVID-19, India had placed a blanket export ban on a malaria drug that was touted by Trump as possible therapy for coronavirus. India’s decision to block the exports stemmed from its concerns about the possibility of a scarcity of the drug in the country if the ban is not imposed.

However, after American President sought supplies for the US, India had partially lifted the ban on the malaria drug, said officials with knowledge of the matter.

BJP woman panchayat candidate and her husband brutally killed in West Bengal, ‘political killings continue’, says party

OpIndia Staff
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BJP woman panchayat candidate and her husband brutally killed in West Bengal, ‘political killings continue’, says party

A BJP woman Panchayat candidate Shakuntala Haldar and her husband Chandra Halder were found dead in Kankasa village of Kultali, West Bengal, on April 6, under mysterious conditions. According to reports while Shakuntala Halder was found lying dead on the bed in her house, her husband was found hanging from a mango tree in the backyard of the house.

BJP West Bengal took to Twitter today to reveal that the couple was brutally murdered in West Bengal. “Shakuntala Haldar, a BJP candidate for panchayat polls and her husband Chandra Haldar were brutally murdered in Kultali, West Bengal. The world may be busy fighting Corona but political killings are still continuing in West Bengal”, tweeted BJP Bengal.

The West Bengal police have started probing the incident as the dead bodies have been sent for postmortem.

On Tuesday morning, the locals saw the body of Chandra Haldhar hanging on a mango tree in the backyard of the house. Then the neighbours went to the house and saw that his wife Shakuntala was lying on the bed. Villagers reported the incident to the police station.

Some people are of the view that the couple committed suicide, however, there are many who opined that there is a political reason behind this incident.

Though the coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc in the country, politically motivated attacks and murders in TMC ruled West Bengal continue unabated. Earlier this week, another BJP member was attacked in West Bengal by TMC workers over a local issue.

A doctor in West Bengal who had raised concerns on social media over the lack of PPE for medical staffers handling coronavirus cases in the state was allegedly targeted and victimised by the state administration and police.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee besides being criticised from playing politics over an issue as serious as this pandemic has also been in the middle of a controversy where she is being accused of mishandling the pandemic, hiding facts and figures in connection with the coronavirus cases.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed that as of 12 pm on the 6th of April, there were only 61 active Coronavirus cases in West Bengal, of which 55 were from 7 families. However, as per the Ministry of Family and Health Welfare, there are currently 67 active cases excluding the 10 cured and 3 deaths.

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