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No, India is not accepting ‘foreign aid’ to fight Coronavirus pandemic: Debunking misinformation​ spread​ by Suhasini Haider and Shashi Tharoor

OpIndia Staff
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No, India is not accepting ‘foreign aid’ to fight Coronavirus pandemic: Debunking misinformation​ spread​ by Suhasini Haider and Shashi Tharoor

It is the bane of India that propagandists and their lies are not quarantined even during a pandemic. As India tries its best to contain the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic that claimed thousands of lives across the globe, propagandists who don the cloak of journalism and politicians who lie in chaste English have come out of the woodworks to spread blatant lies against the government of India. Sadly, even in the time of a pandemic, for such elements, belittling the Prime Minister is far more important than ensuring that as a public figure, the information they choose to decimate does not lead to more panic, confusion and disenchantment. It all started when Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the PM CARES Fund.

The PM CARES Fund is an emergency fund that was set up to provide relief to those affected by the Wuhan Coronavirus. The PM CARES, or the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund has been set up as a public charitable trust. The Prime Minister is the chairman of this trust and its members include Defence Minister, Home Minister And Finance Minister.

As soon as it was launched, the fund received a thumping reception with thousands of people donating to it, including industrialists, Bollywood stars and the average folk. That the call of the Prime Minister was being heeded to obviously did not sit too well with his detractors. No sooner was the fund launched, did conspiracy theories and blatant lies started filling the internet, especially, Twitter.

Yesterday, Suhasini Haider, an alleged journalist with the alleged newspaper called The Hindu spread baseless ‘source-based’ information about the PM CARES Fund.

Haider wrote that according to her ‘sources’, India has taken a decision to accept foreign donations to the PM Fund and that those contributions will be accepted due to the unexpected and far larger proportions of the pandemic compared to previous calamities. She added a disclaimer, presumably to mislead her readers that previously the Government of India had rejected foreign aid, including most recently when UAE, Qatar etc offered aid for Kerala floods.

This thread was then quoted by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor to further the lie.

He alleged that the Government of India did not accept funds for Kerala floods because it ‘hurts their ego’, but accepting foreign funds to fight a pandemic is fine by them.

In as if a relay-race, Suhasini then quoted a fellow propagandist quoting her tweet to spread lies, to spread further lies! She alleged that the government of India has “presumably” waived off registration process for the PM CARES Fund that would allow it to take foreign contributions.

The truth of the matter, however, is far from what Suhasini Haider’s sources or her presumptions are alluding to.

Firstly, there is an ocean of a difference between individuals and organisations contributing to an emergency relief fund and sovereign countries offering aid.

At the time of the Kerala floods, it was a sovereign nation that had offered official aid to India to fight the calamity. During that time, the same controversy had raised its head and it was then reported that it was actually the Congress government that had set up a rule that India will not be accepting Foreign aid to fight calamities. It is pertinent to note here that foreign aid here pertains to other sovereign nations announcing a relief package for India.

For example, after the Tsunami of 2004, Manmohan Singh had not only refused aid for India but Instead, handed over cheques for $25 million to Sri Lanka, $1 million to Indonesia and $500,000 to Thailand for relief and rehabilitation.

After the Caribbean country of Haiti was hit with a disastrous earthquake in 2010, India had also donated $5 million towards the country’s reconstruction.

In 2013 when floods ravaged Uttarakhand, the then US secretary of state John Kerry had announced a $150,000 aid to India. At that time, the Congress-led central government had turned down Kerry’s offer and also aid from other foreign countries. A Telegraph report from 2013 said, “India has made it clear to both the US and Japan, which offered $200,000 towards Uttarakhand relief, that it will not accept the aid and that any funding must be given to NGOs of the foreign governments’ choice”.

Post the Uttarakhand floods in 2013, the then external affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin had said, “As a general policy in case of rescue and relief operations, we have followed the practice that we have adequate ability to respond to emergency requirements.”

It is thus evident that Shashi Tharoor’s propaganda is nothing but a wilful lie to score political points instead of focusing on fighting a common enemy – the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic.

As for Suhasini Haider allegation that India has decided to accept foreign aid even though it refused to do so after the Kerala flood, it is a worse lie than the one peddled by Shashi Tharoor in response since Suhasini claims to cover the Diplomatic Affairs beat. She not only completely ignored the difference between a foreign country offering aid to India and individuals making contributions, but also chose to hide a vital fact.

In 2018, after the Kerala flood, the Ministry of External Affairs had released a press-briefing regarding the issue of accepting foreign aid.

MEA press release from 2018 post the Kerala flood

In the press release from 2018, it is clearly mentioned that while in accordance with the policy set by India, the aid from foreign governments will not be accepted, “Contributions to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund and the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund from NRIs, PIOs and international entities such as foundations would, however, be welcome”.

It is thus evident that accepting contributions from individuals and organisations based outside India is not a “new policy” that has been devised by the GOI in the face of the Coronavirus pandemic, but it was also a policy that was in place during the Kerala floods.

Another question that was raised by Suhasini Haider and several others was the need to set up a separate fund when the PMNRF already exists.

It is rather tragic that an alleged journalist of Haider’s standing misses simple explanation perhaps due to the spectacles of hate that she seems to have donned. The PMNRF is for any natural calamity and disaster which includes aid that might be needed by specific states. The PM CARES Fund focuses on the fight against COVID-19 which affects the entire nation. It, therefore, makes sense because the people making the contributions would be far more open to the fight against a national enemy. In fact, it is pertinent to note here that Suhasini Haider’s favourite country, Pakistan, has also set up a similar fund to fight the menace of the Coronavirus pandemic. Interestingly, Suhasini, who jumps at the first opportunity to hail any effort by the failing state has not commented on that yet.

In the face of the pandemic that has claimed thousands of lives across the globe, it is unthinkable that certain elements have resorted to spreading blatant misinformation without doing their due diligence about the subject. What is even more tragic is that such fake news and misinformation is coming from the very source that is meant to educate the masses and dispel rumours. However, one is hardly surprised that the media has turned itself into the propaganda arms of the Congress and is playing the role of the disruptive opposition party just as well as the Congress.

Islamists on TikTok refer to coronavirus as NRC of ‘God’, ‘welcome’ the contagion to India

OpIndia Staff
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Islamists on TikTok refer to coronavirus as NRC of ‘God’, ‘welcome’ the contagion to India

Islamists on TikTok have ‘welcomed’ the Chinese coronavirus to India. In videos posted by Islamists on the page, one can see them saying, “Welcome to India, coronavirus. To the ones who were asking for our NRC, my God (Allah)’s NRC is now being implemented. Now only He will decide who will stay and who will go.”

@ziyafaruki8

#walacam #to#india #coronavirus #lipcolourchallenge #ziyafaruki

♬ original sound – it’s?HuMa? – it’s?HuMa?

The National Register for Citizens is a register of all Indians irrespective of religion whose creation is mandated by the 2003 Amendment of the Citizenship Act, 1955. While the Citizenship Amendment Act was passed in December 2019, the NRC is not yet prescribed by the ministry even in draft from. However, the propagandists have used it to fear-monger to claim that the NRC will exclude Muslims of India and hence there have been widespread protests across India, many of which have turned violent.

@princes_ashu_shaikh

#trending #tiktokchallenge #tik_tok #youpage #foryouppage #swagchallenge #challenger #vairal #trednd #tiktoklover

♬ original sound – it’s?HuMa? – it’s?HuMa?
@sabashaba

#tik_tok_india #HandWashChallenge

♬ original sound – it’s?HuMa? – it’s?HuMa?

Many even had ‘No NRC’ in their images while they all shared the same audio.

@minhajul_09

corona virus #viral_video #nrc#newtrend #boycottnrc

♬ original sound – it’s?HuMa? – it’s?HuMa?

Many even took to the Chinese video sharing app to extend their support to Maulana Saad of Tablighi Jamaat.

@mrsakibjd

#doubleexposure

♬ original sound – कट्टर.मीया.जी
@mujibshaikh555

#maulana_saad_sahab #maulanasaad #mayabhai #nijamudin #delai

♬ original sound – Shailab Shaikh ? ? – Shailab Shaikh ? ?

Lies are also spread about Tablighi Jamaat. Some videos are going viral which claim that none of the Jamaati at Markaz in Nizamuddin were tested positive for coronavirus.

@rehanssheikh

#maulana_saad_sahab #allah_hum_sabki_hifazat_farma #tiktok_india #viral_video #foryou #foryoupage

♬ original sound – Shailab Shaikh ? ? – Shailab Shaikh ? ?

Some Islamists on TikTok even promised to continue their support for Nizamuddin Markaz, which has emerged as Coronavirus hotspot, till end of life.

@armanboletodilkikhovahis

Hazrat maulana saad #maulana_saad_sahab #markaz#seriouslyfightcorona #humsathsathhai @tiktok_india

♬ original sound – Desi CHORA? – Desi CHORA?

And their hate for PM Modi and HM Amit Shah.

@user50735046

#BackbenchersOnFlipkart #Swipe2Engage #duet

♬ original sound – कट्टर.मीया.जी

In addition to these videos, there is another video doing rounds that shows a Muslim man taking a bunch of currency notes and using them to lick his tongue and wiping his nose with them. He says that the coronavirus has no treatment because it is sent by ‘Allah’, implying that he is going to pass those currency notes around, to spread the disease.

Tablighi Jamaat in Nizamuddin’s Markaz has emerged as the latest hot spot for coronavirus spread in India. As many as 1/3rd of total positive cases could be traced to the markaz. The Jamaat chief Maulana Saad had mocked government orders of avoiding huge gatherings and insisted that people visit the mosques. He has been absconding since March 28. Over 2100 attendees including foreign Islamic preachers were found in the Markaz while hundreds others had already reached other parts of the country. Many of these have tested positive.

Kerala HC orders opening state border at the highway near Kasaragod, a coronavirus hotspot, Karnataka govt objects

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala HC orders opening state border at the highway near Kasaragod, a coronavirus hotspot, Karnataka govt objects

The stalemate at the Kerala-Karnataka border at Kasaragod continued on Thursday after Karnataka has reportedly refused to follow the orders of Kerala High Court to remove the blockade on National Highway 66.

On Wednesday, the Kerala High Court had ordered the centre to remove the blockade on National Highway 66 at the Kerala-Karnataka boarder. The High Court intervention came after a petition was filed by the Kerala High Court Advocates Association seeking the removal of the blockade erected by Karnataka.

The Kerala High Court had said that this was not an appropriate time to impose such restrictions while directing to open the borders.

However, the Karnataka has held its position to not to open the borders at Kasargod, as Muslim majority North Kerala district has been the epicentre of the Chinese coronavirus pandemic in the southern part of the country.

Karnataka had closed this border on March 21 fearing the spread of the COVID-19 virus from Kasaragod district in Kerala where infections had erupted last week. Karnataka had ignored requests from Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to open the border for people in Kasaragod who need urgent medical help at the nearest hospitals Mangaluru and Manipal. Kerala often depends on Karnataka for health resources because of the state’s abysmal health care facilities.

The Karnataka government said it could not overlook the fears of people on its side of the border about a potential spread of the virus if the border is kept open. The Dakshina Kannada district police had deployed an earthmover and dumped boulders to block the national highway that connects Kerala. 

Reportedly, the Karnataka government has also decided to move to Supreme Court against the Kerala High Court verdict to open the borders at Kasargod. Karnataka has contended that it was not bound to act on an order issued by the Kerala High Court order.

3-day-old baby becomes youngest coronavirus patient: Father alleges mother and baby were given a bed vacated by COVID-19 patient

OpIndia Staff
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3-day-old baby becomes youngest coronavirus patient: Father alleges mother and baby were given a bed vacated by COVID-19 patient

A three-day-old baby along with his 26-year old mother has been tested positive of the novel coronavirus. It is alleged that they had contracted the virus after they were allotted a bed vacated by a COVID-19 patient. The father of the baby who is a manager at a restaurant is also quarantined at the Kasturba hospital in Mumbai.

As per an India Today report, mother-baby duo was shifted from Chembur hospital to Kurla Bhabha Hospital, and then again to Kasturba Hospital which is treating 120 COVID-19 patients as of now as the nodal centre for COVID-19.

The family of the patients has alleged that they were made aware of the lapse when the doctor called and asked them to get tested for COVID-19. They alleged that no staff attended them in Chembur hospital and later they were shifted to Kasturba hospital.

As per reports, the father of the newborn had asked for a private room for his wife’s delivery due to fear of the ongoing pandemic. The father alleged that the baby and mother were told to shift to another room within two hours of delivery by the hospital staff without giving a reason for the shift. He said that the hospital didn’t inform him that they have admitted a COVID-19 patient in the same room where his wife delivered a baby boy.

Father said, “This is clearly negligence. They told me about the corona patient later and within seconds of hearing it, we vacated that room. But, by then, my wife was infected.”

As per the Kasturba hospital administration, the mother-son duo is currently undergoing treatment and both of them are stable.

Covid-19 positive patient from Tablighi Jamaat reveals he had visited the Shaheen Bagh protest site

OpIndia Staff
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Covid-19 positive patient from Tablighi Jamaat reveals he had visited the Shaheen Bagh protest site

The Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi’s Nizamuddin area has emerged as a hotspot for COVID-19 after several positive cases across India were linked to the gathering. Now in another big revelation, the Tablighi Jamaat members’ visit to the Shaheen Bagh Anti-CAA protest site has come under scanner, after one of the Nizamuddin Markaz attendees, who was tested positive for coronavirus, visited the protest venue.

According to the sources, there is credible information that a person who was part of the Tablighi Jamaat congregation and who is tested COVID-19 positive and currently being treated in Andaman and Nicobar Island was a part of the delegation that visited Shaheen Bagh in Delhi where Muslims had been protesting against the CAA since December 15. It is being suspected that this Andaman and Nicobar resident might have infected the other protesters too.

This member of Tablighi Jamaat has told the investigating agencies that he had visited Shaheen Bagh on March 18. At present, he has been admitted to the hospital in Andaman after he developed symptoms of coronavirus. This revelation has raised the suspicion that other people from Tablighi Jamaat also may have joined the Shaheen Bagh protests, increasing the possibility of spreading the infection.

Moreover, officials privy to the development have also confirmed that the people accompanying the patient have claimed that the patient, currently undergoing treatment, had visited the protest site at Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh. However, the statement of the patient has not been recorded yet, since he is currently in isolation and cannot be visited.

This patient has now emerged as the key link between Tablighi Jamaat members and Shaheen Bagh protesters and now authorities are fearing that thousands sitting in protest at Shaheen Bagh might have come in contact with other Tablighi Jamaat members as well who have tested positive for the infection.

This revelation will bring in more trouble for the authorities, who are already striving to deal with the havoc proliferated across India because of the recent Islamic congregation, organised in Delhi’s Nizamuddin area.

The Tablighi Jamaat congregation had been attended by thousands of people across India, flouting social distancing norms laid down by the government. Dozens of cases across the nation, some from far-flung areas like Andaman and Nicobar Islands, have now been traced to the Tablighi Jamaat event, making it India’s super-spreader’. Assam had gone from 0 to 16 positive cases within one day, all of whom were Tablighi attendees.

Tablighi Jamaat’s Maulana Saad gets into damage control mode, informs attendees that ‘listening to doctors’ is not against ‘Sharia’

OpIndia Staff
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Tablighi Jamaat’s Maulana Saad gets into damage control mode, informs attendees that ‘listening to doctors’ is not against ‘Sharia’

Three days after being ‘untraceable’, Tablighi Jamaat chief Maulana Saad has released an audio recording, presumably shot in a studio without anyone coughing in the audience, appealing to attendees to follow authorities and cooperate with the doctors.

It is imperative to note here that Maulana Saad has been absconding since March 28 and is the police is currently looking for him. This audio clip of Saad is released when he is into hiding. In the audio released, Maulana Saad can be heard saying that following the orders of the doctors and authorities is not against ‘Sharia’. He further reiterates that it is everyone’s responsibility to follow the instructions of the doctors and authorities. “Following the law and doctors is our basic rule. “Following orders of the doctor is well within Sharia,” he says.

He further asks the Muslims to take the name of Allah and pray. “Instead of worrying about the disease, say the name of Allah,” he says.

Read: Tablighi Jamaat and its links to terrorist organizations: History of association to Al Qaeda, Taliban and Kashmiri terrorists

Earlier, during the Tablighi Jamaat congregation, in a room full of coughing participants, Maulana Saad was heard instigating the Muslims present there to defy lockdown and gather at mosques as it is the time to increase mosques. Mocking the government’s call to close mosques and religious places amidst Chinese coronavirus outbreak, Maulana Saad had called the contagion a ‘conspiracy’ to instil fear amongst Muslims and keep them from mosques.

The Delhi Police on Wednesday evacuated as many as 2,100 Muslims who were living inside the Nizamuddin Markez, many of whom were foreign nationals. The Islamic preachers had gathered for the three-day event in March. Dozens of coronavirus positive cases across country could be traced to the Tablighi Jamaat. While some have been traced, many are untraceable. Maulana Saad, himself, has been absconding. As many as one-third of total coronavirus positive cases in India could be traced back to the Jamaat.

Pakistani court overturns murder conviction and death sentence of man convicted of murdering journalist Daniel Pearl, acquits 3 others

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistani court overturns murder conviction and death sentence of man convicted of murdering journalist Daniel Pearl, acquits 3 others

A court in Pakistan has overturned the death sentence and murder conviction of a British-born terrorist for the murder of Daniel Pearl, the South Asia Chief of the Wall Street Journal, in 2002. A lawyer for the militant, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, said that his sentence was reduced to seven years on the charge of kidnapping. Pearl was kidnapped and later beheaded in Karachi eighteen years ago.

Three other men who were handed over life sentences in the case have been acquitted by the Sindh High Court and released. The High Court overturned the verdict of an anti-terrorism court. Sheikh, a British terrorist of Pakistani origin, was one of the terrorists freed by India along with Masood Azhar in 1999 to secure the release of passengers of hijacked Indian Airlines flight IC-814.

The verdict was delivered by a two-judge bench headed by Justice Mohammad Karim Khan Agha on the appeals filed by the convicts eighteen years ago. Sheikh’s seven-year jail term will be counted from the time he has spent in jail. He has been in prison for the past eighteen years. The lawyers for the accused argued that the prosecution had thoroughly failed to prove their case and claimed that most of the witnesses were policemen, whose testimonies could not be relied upon. Sheikh is now expected to be released from prison.

A group of US journalists had said in 2011 that they believed Sheikh was not guilty. The Pear Project claims that the murder was carried out by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, currently lodged in the Guantanamo Bay, accused of involvement in the 9/11 terror attacks in the US.

Police deployed at Delhi hospital after Tablighi Jamaat members refuse to get tested

OpIndia Staff
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Police deployed at Delhi hospital after Tablighi Jamaat members refuse to get tested

The Tablighi Jamaat members who were evacuated from the Nizamuddin Markaz on 1 April 2020 are refusing to getting themselves tested and saying that they need not be admitted in the hospital.

Speaking to news agency ANI, LNJP Hospital Director Kishore Singh said that many of the Tablighi Jamaatis are putting the security of doctors and other staff at risk by objecting to getting tested. Hence, the police has been deployed around three blocks where they are kept.

On Wednesday, there were reports of the Tablighi Jamaat attendees spitting on doctors and other medical staff at the hospital they were kept. The Tablighi Jamaat members who were shifted to quarantine facilities in Delhi after exhibiting symptoms of Covid-19 behaved in an unruly manner with the facility staff and doctors. The occupants made unreasonable demands for food, misbehaved and abused staff members and started spitting all over and on persons working/attending them, including doctors. They also started roaming around the hostel building.

Read: Tablighi Jamaat’s Maulana Saad had mocked calls to close mosques amidst coronavirus lockdown, said mosque gathering would rather help Muslims

It is pertinent to note that these Tablighi Jamaat members were on 31 March seen spitting out on roads when they were being transported to quarantine facilities for their treatment. 

A couple of days ago, the role of Tablighi Jamaat in the spreading of the Wuhan Coronavirus across numerous states of India had come to light. Muslim clerics of Tablighi Jamaat organised a congregation in violation of the government’s lockdown orders, providing a conducive environment for the novel coronavirus to proliferate. As per reports, over one-third of all COVID-19 positive cases in India could be traced to the Tablighi Jamaat.

Coronavirus reporting: A section of the media appears to be infected with the ​virus of misinformation and propaganda

Priyanka Deo
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Coronavirus reporting: A section of the media appears to be infected with the ​virus of misinformation and propaganda

I was living in a dormitory on campus at the University of Illinois when the swine flu pandemic hit the United States back in 2009-2010. A pandemic that was pushing the world into chaos, the swine flu had an estimated 1.4 billion confirmed cases globally. As college students, we wanted updates frequently. At that time, we did use social media but were more dependent on traditional media sources for the latest information. Today, the world is affected by the coronavirus pandemic. And today, the means used to consume news are vastly different than college.

Today, Twitter and WhatsApp are used heavily by all ages. Instagram is a major medium among younger citizens. Put together, all of these platforms are global and effective. News, audio clips and videos can reach anywhere in seconds. While this technology is great, digital platforms are a double-edged sword. The other edge is fake news. India saw the true impact of fake news in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Misinformation and fake news was an organized industry on a national scale; fake videos and images were used frequently for mass deception. 

Once fake news enters a society, it cannot be eliminated. In India, media also currently has little or no regulation. In the case of coronavirus, fake news and fear-mongering infected India way before the virus did. Headlines were sensationalized. The content was as well. The problem was that this content unanimously poured out consistently and missed two things that the Indian public really needed to know. First, there was virtually no content detailing confirmed best practices. Second, articles did not focus on the importance of not panicking. 

The troubling part is that over the past couple of months, coverage on the coronavirus pandemic continues to degrade. Even the Supreme Court of India and the Press Council of India had to step in and issue advisories to the media. 

The Supreme Court stated, “The migration of large number of labourers working in cities was triggered by panic created by fake news that the lockdown would continue for more than three months. Such panic driven migration has caused untold suffering to those that believed and acted on such news. In fact some have lost their lives in the process. It is, therefore, not possible for us to overlook this menace of fake news…”

The Press Council of India urged “media to responsibl[y] ensure dissemination of verified news on coronavirus outbreak, based on the daily bulletin by the government following the Supreme Court’s directive on the issue.”  

Despite this, most major publications are more vested in anti-Modi narratives and fear-mongering versus giving people objective information. All of this to make a quick buck or to get more hits online. Influencers are doing the same. Here are a few examples. 

Read: The truth behind “expert” Ramanan Laxminarayanan, who is being promoted by media to create Coronavirus panic

In a BBC interview, Dr. Ramanan Laxminarayan confidently said that India would be looking at 300 million deaths with coronavirus. Indians hearts skipped a beat upon hearing this. But the problem was, to get to this conclusion, Dr. Laxminarayan incorrectly applied a mathematical model that did not consider India-centric factors like cultural greetings and population density. 

The Quint published a fear-mongering article on March 28, 2020. The headline read that India could have already reached Stage Three of the pandemic. Not only did the headline create fear in millions of readers, but the content also did. There was no official announcement of India reaching stage three. To add to that, the article quoted one Dr. Girdhar Gyani. Dr. Gyani falsely stated that India is in the most critical stage of the coronavirus pandemic. Upon further research, it was found that Dr. Gyani, who was quoted by The Quint, is not a health expert. Nor is he a medical doctor. Upon looking at his LinkedIn, Dr. Gyani holds a doctorate in engineering. What logic did The Quint use to think Dr. Gyani is an informed, credible authority on the coronavirus pandemic?!

Read: The Quint transforms an engineer to a doctor, peddles fake news saying India is already in the middle of community transmission of Coronavirus

Unsurprisingly, NDTV continued creating anti-government and fear-mongering narratives as it did with CAA coverage and the Delhi Riots. But this time, the media platform got caught red-handed. An NDTV article sensationalizing the coronavirus used statistics from a supposed Johns Hopkins study. However, when the article was published, John Hopkins University officially responded that it did not authorize this study. Granted that this study was published and somebody illegally put the John Hopkins University logo on it. But isn’t it the most fundamental part of a journalist’s job to make sure that the research used is credible before publishing an article? The article was quickly pulled down after Johns Hopkins University called NDTV out. 

Influencers are also busy publishing anti-Modi narratives. Curiously, these are also the same influencers who unanimously published anti-CAA and anti-government content during the Delhi Riots. Swara Bhaskar and Dhruv Rathee have unsurprisingly praised the AAP party’s actions during the coronavirus pandemic. This is the same ruling party that callously brought thousands of migrant workers together during a national lockdown without social distancing. Kunal Kamra has gone so far to say that PM Modi is using the coronavirus pandemic has a ‘photo opp.’ Really dude?! Kamra has over one million followers. 

Read: Media used a ‘not a doctor’ to fear monger about Lockdown, now furthers a contradictory report by him like that by John Hopkins University

What is the point being made here? In a democracy, any citizen, that includes these influencers, do not have to publish pro-government content if they do not want to. Free speech is a fundamental right for everyone. But with millions of followers, influencers should absolutely be consistently publishing best practices at the time of a global health pandemic. 

What are the consequences of fear-mongering and anti-government narratives? Panic buying where social distancing isn’t maintained. Entire industries like poultry and seafood are suffering on a major scale unnecessarily in India. This is because people are incorrectly convinced that they can contract coronavirus from eating chicken and fish. Citizens believe that having a hot shower gets rid of the coronavirus and thus, they can continue to defy the lockdown. The biggest impact of fake news is the perception that the government of India is not doing enough and is not giving updates. Both of these perceptions are factually incorrect. 

It was on January 7, 2020 that the coronavirus was officially recognized. The government of India began both preparedness and response measures on January 8, 2020. The Government of India has been active ever since. Credible national government and health sources have maintained time and time again that best practices are to wash hands frequently with an alcohol-based substance and to maintain social distancing inside and outside of the home. The Ministry of Health and the MEA created phone numbers and email addresses for any queries related to coronavirus. Anyone can call and the response times are fast. The Press Information Bureau live streams press conferences from different ministries every day across its social media platforms. Even these facts were summarily ignored to spread canards by Rajdeep Sardesai simply because he doesn’t politically align with the Prime Minister.

Read: Rajdeep Sardesai falsely claims Rahul Gandhi was ‘probably’ the first politician to raise alarm over Coronavirus: Here are the facts

It is just plain pitiful that in the time of a health crisis, media outlets and influencers first choose to peddle fear or anti-Modi content, and then play the victim by claiming that the government is bad at communicating. Doesn’t it occur to them that sensationalizing a health pandemic will only spark fear and paranoia? Don’t they understand that playing politics out of the situation will only increase ill sentiment at a time when the entire nation is struggling under the strict curfew? 

Sadly, these media platforms and influencers understand the consequences perfectly well. 

To them, this message needs to be delivered. 

You may be pro-BJP or pro-Opposition. Your political ideology may differ from that of your fellow citizen. You may be completely non-political. You may be Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain or Zoroastrian. You may be an atheist. Whatever your identity is, one thing is for absolute certain. 

Whether you like it or not, all 130 crore of us are completely dependent on Prime Minister Modi and the Central Government to save India from this pandemic. The coronavirus does not decipher between borders, political ideology nor religion. It is time to listen to our national leadership. It is a time to publish best practices versus sensationalism, fear-mongering and fake narratives. It is a time for influencers to take advantage of their influence and publish and educate on credible best practices. It is a time for all of us to put politics and religion aside. It is a time to come together and defeat this damn virus once and for all. If we don’t, it will certainly defeat all of us. 

Bengaluru: ASHA workers, nurse attacked by mob for collecting Coronavirus related health details, instructions to attack came from Mosque

OpIndia Staff
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Bengaluru: ASHA workers, nurse attacked by mob for collecting Coronavirus related health details, instructions to attack came from Mosque

In a shocking incident, a nurse and ASHA workers have been attacked by Muslim residents in Bengaluru’s Sadiq layout for trying to carry out tests on suspected corona symptomatic patients and also for collecting information of fever and cough from the residents of the locality.

According to the reports, the ASHA workers had visited Sadiq Layout near Tannisandra to collect information on whether there were any patients showing symptoms of fever and cough. This is part of an ongoing exercise launched by the state government to ascertain the number of Corona symptomatic patients in the state to isolate them if they found to be carrying the Chinese virus.

Shockingly, some of the Muslims residents, who were seen wearing Namaz caps attacked the ASHA workers and also tore the report prepared by ASHA workers. The Muslims also asked the fellow residents not to provide any information on their visits to any religious place and their personal information to the authorities

An ASHA worker narrated the spine-chilling ordeal as she revealed that they were heckled and harassed by Muslims residents of Bengaluru’s Sadiq layout for collecting data of people showing symptoms of coronavirus.

According to the ASHA worker, the announcement was made from a mosque after which over 100 Muslims gathered and stopped them from carrying on collecting information on suspected corona patients. She demanded immediate action against the mosque authorities for instigating mob on them.

At a time when the authorities across the country are scrambling to identify the Markaz attendees who participated in the congregation in Nizamuddin in mid-March, they have been mercilessly attacked by Muslim mobs. A series of incidents have already been reported in various parts of the country where they have been attacked by mobs for carrying out their duty.

A medical team that had gone to check on a patient with suspected coronavirus symptoms was attacked and pelted with stones in Indore’s Tatpatti Bhakhal yesterday. Reportedly, the gathered mob had viciously attacked the team of health workers and had even thrown stones from nearby rooftops.

As the visiting medical team sought help from the police, the police team was attacked too. The gathered mob even broke down the barricades and used the women among them as human shields when the police tried to take action.

Similarly, a team of health officials in Ahmednagar were beaten up by contacts of Markas attendees on the suspicion that they are collecting information for the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), NPR and NPR. 

The health officials were simply involved in- contact tracing, the process of identification of persons who may have come into contact with an infected person and subsequent collection of further information about these contacts.

As per latest reports, police force has been deployed in the area and ASHA workers have been instructed not to force people for information.

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