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As Covid cases surge in China amid the failure of its vaccines, here is how ‘liberals’ had hailed China to run down India’s vaccination campaign

OpIndia Staff
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As Covid cases surge in China amid the failure of its vaccines, here is how ‘liberals’ had hailed China to run down India’s vaccination campaign

On December 20, India issued an advisory to all states and UTs amidst a sudden spike in Covid-19 cases worldwide. One of the countries that are experiencing an unprecedented spike Covid-19 infections is China. Though there are doubts if China is reporting the exact number of cases or not, World Health Organisation’s (WHO) data shows worrying signs in terms of China. As per WHO’s website, China is in the seventh position of the top ten countries facing the spike in Covid-19 cases.

Although the Chinese government had imposed strict lockdowns and restrictions as part of its ‘zero Covid’ policy which had triggered massive protests across the country, the policy has failed and there is a huge spike in new cases. In the last week, China has reported 1,48,665 new cases of Covid-19. 443 people have lost their lives due to the complications linked to the disease in just one week. Notably, the visuals that have been leaked on social media claiming to be recent from China, are not in sync with the numbers. Recently, it was reported that China was rapidly building quarantine centres. Videos of lockdowns and patients stuffed in hospitals have surfaced from time to time in recent weeks.

WHO data on Covid-19 cases. Source: WHO

Furthermore, recent reports have noted that one of the primary vaccines used in China, i.e. Sinovac, has been proven ineffective on several strains of the virus. As per The Singapore Post report, “Recent studies have indicated that Chinese vaccines such as Sinovac have only been effective up to 61% against deaths and 55% against hospitalization, while vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer fared much better at 90% protection from both.” The ineffectiveness of the Chinese vaccine is not only a red alarm for China but also for the rest of the world.

‘Liberals’ hailed China and undermined India during the peak of Covid

As the country that has been accused of being the ground zero for the spread of the pandemic is again in the grip of the disease, we should not forget how the ‘liberals’ had hailed China in an attempt to run down India’s vaccination campaign. Many obvious actors played a role in undermining the efforts made by the Indian government in scaling up the vaccination efforts and showing China in a good light.

Saba Naqvi hailed China and said, “Some good news from the Vaccine world. China is vaccinating 14 million each day. Just digest that.”

Source: Twitter

Former Associate Editor of TOI Indrani Bagchi also hailed China for vaccinating 14 million people daily.

Source: Twitter

All India Congress Committee’s in-charge for Tamil Nadu, Dinesh Gundu Rao, wrote, “China is vaccinating 15 million a day now. India is now at 1.6 million. At this, our Vishwaguru will take years to vaccinate all.”

Source: Twitter

Context Newsroom journalist Rina Chandran also reported that China vaccinated 20 million people daily.

Source: Twitter

Twitter user PKR claimed that India achieved 8.6 million shots in one day by slowing down the vaccination program. While he tried to undermine India’s efforts, PKR hailed China, a country famous for messing with the data, for vaccinating 20 million people daily.

Source: Twitter

Fake news peddler Swati Chaturvedi last year hailed China for vaccinating 20 million people a day. At that time, India was vaccinating 4 million people per day.

Source: Twitter

The covid-19 situation across the world

Other countries among the top 10 nations facing the spike in Covid-19 cases are Japan, the Republic of Korea, the United States of America, France, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Argentina, and Peru. 13 other nations have reported between 10,000 and 50,000 cases in the last one week. Globally, over 35 lakh cases have been reported in one week. Over 10,000 people have lost their lives, and the accumulative death toll has reached 66,48,457 since the pandemic started in 2020.

Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu tests covid positive after he attends Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra

OpIndia Staff
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Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu tests covid positive after he attends Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra

On Monday, 19th December 2022, Himachal Pradesh’s chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu tested positive for coronavirus. A state government official announced this as his meeting with the Prime Minister scheduled on Monday was postponed due to the infection. It is notable that Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had recently participated in the Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi.

According to the spokesperson, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu who recently took over as the chief minister of the hill state tested COVID-positive in New Delhi when he was examined as per protocol before meeting the Prime Minister. Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu was asymptomatic and he isolated himself as a part of the cautionary measures.

It is being speculated that it was the Bhaat Jodo Yatra where Sukhu came in contact with a large number of people and that he might have caught the infection in the Yatra led by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya wrote a letter to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, on Tuesday 20th December 2022, asking to follow the COVID-19 guidelines strictly during the party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra. 

Sukhu, Pratibha Singh and other Congress leaders from Himachal had participated in the Bharat Jodo Yatra on Friday, 16 December.

While briefing the media about the measures being taken against the coronavirus, union health minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya said, “Himachal Pradesh’s chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu tested COVID positive after he joined the Bharat Jodo Yatra. I have therefore written a letter to the convenor of this Bharat Jodo Yatra Mr Rahul Gandhi. People are criticizing me for writing this letter, but I would like to make it clear that this is a part of my duty to ask responsible leaders in the country to abide by COVID protocols so that the spread can be curbed.”

Manipur: Several school students feared dead in a bus accident during a study tour

OpIndia Staff
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Manipur: Several school students feared dead in a bus accident during a study tour

On Wednesday, 21st December 2022, a bus carrying school students on a study tour met an accident in the Noney district of Manipur. Several students were reportedly killed in this accident while many others are injured. The mishap took place along the Bisnupur-Khoupum (Old Cachar road) in the Noney district.

Two buses were carrying students of Thambalnu Higher Secondary School, Yairipok in the Imphal East district of Manipur on a study tour. The buses were heading toward the Khoupum side when the unfortunate incident happened. According to reports, 15 to 20 students are feared to have died in this incident. East Mojo News confirmed the death of 8 students and mentioned that the actual number can be much more than this.

Manipur’s chief minister N Biren Singh tweeted, “Deeply saddened to hear about the accident of a bus carrying school children at the Old Cachar Road today. SDRF, Medical team and MLAs have rushed to the site to coordinate the rescue operation. Praying for the safety of everyone in the bus.”

The injured students were given first aid at the Bishnupur District Hospital and were referred to the Raj Medicity Hospital in Imphal for further treatment.

US allots $200 million for gender equity and equality programs in Pakistan, 20 times increase from $10 million given in 2020

OpIndia Staff
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US allots $200 million for gender equity and equality programs in Pakistan, 20 times increase from $10 million given in 2020

The US government has allotted $200 million for gender equity and equality programs in Pakistan. US Congressman Rep. Dan Bishop shared the details of the omnibus bill passed in the USA for the fiscal year 2023 as he wrote a threat criticizing its various provisions. A member of the Republican party, Dan Bishop is known for authoring House Bill 2, also known as the Bathroom bill, which prohibited transgender people from using public restrooms other than those of their biological sex as mentioned on their birth certificates.

The Gender Equity Fund allotted for Pakistan is part of a mammoth 4155-page $1.7 trillion government spending bill introduced in the Senate, marking an increase from around $1.5 trillion in the last fiscal year. The bill is meant to fund the federal agencies of the US government through September 2023, which also includes funding for various social programs across the world. The bill has been accepted for discussion by the Senate in a 70-25, and will be passed by this weekend as Democratic and Republican negotiators have agreed to pass the bill to prevent a partial shutdown of federal agencies.

Talking about the bill, Rep. Dan Bishop wrote, “My team and I are reading through the omnibus bill today – all $1.7 trillion and 4,155 pages of it. Follow along for some of the most egregious provisions in the bill.” He posted several provisions of funding included in the bill.

In one of the tweets in the long thread, he mentioned, “Gender programs in Pakistan and a $200 million for a Gender Equity Fund.” Notably, of the funds appropriated under section III of the corresponding act, a gender equity and equality action fund of $200 million may be made available for the said cause. The funds are given to promote democracy and gender equality in Pakistan.

It is pertinent to note that the fund allotted for this purpose has registered a whopping increase in the last few years. In December 2020, the US congress cleared $10 million for promoting gender equality, along with $15 million for strengthening the democracy in Pakistan. Therefore, $200 million allotted for gender equity in Pakistan is a 20-fold increase from the 2020 allotment for the same cause.

What happens to the funds approved by the US to Pakistan for gender equity is not clear though. The situation of women in the Islamic country is not so good and girls from religious minorities are frequently raped and forcibly converted despite such huge funds. The civil rights of Muslim women are also subordinate to those of Muslim men. While gender equality seems impossible in Pakistan, democracy in the factory of Islamic terrorism is also questionable as the democratically elected representatives have become a tool in the hands of the Pakistani army.

According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2022 of the World Economic Forum which was published in July 2022, Pakistan ranked 145 among 46 countries ranked for the index. According to the report, Pakistan is the country where women have the smallest share of senior, managerial and legislative roles.

Moreover, despite giving such huge aid to Pakistan, everything the US gets in return is a protest for disrespecting Islam. One recent example was that of supporting LGBTQ. Islamists lambasted the United States Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, over a Tweet supporting LGBT rights. The tweet was made on May 17, the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia. It sought to organize international events that raise awareness of LGBT rights abuses and generate interest in LGBT rights work throughout the world. The tweet was condemned by Islamists in Pakistan stating that the embassy needs to obey the social norms of Pakistan.

Afghanistan: Male students walk out in protest after Taliban bans women’s entry into universities

OpIndia Staff
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Afghanistan: Male students walk out in protest after Taliban bans women’s entry into universities

A day after the Taliban regime in Sharia-governed Afghanistan banned women students from universities, several male students at the Nangarhar University in Jalalabad and at Kandahar University in Afghanistan reportedly staged a protest and expressed solidarity with the women. The male students walked out of the examination hall at the University and stood by women’s rights in the country.

The video of the protests at Nangarhar University was posted by journalist Abdulhaq Omeri who said that male students at the University were walking away from their exam in a show of solidarity with the female students to protest the Taliban’s ban on girls’ education. The video which was shared with the hashtag ‘Let Her Learn’ showed female students applauding the gesture by men as the latter walked out of the exam halls.

Another similar video of the protests was shared by activist Habib Khan. “Bravo! Men of Nangarhar university protested along with women against the Taliban ban on girls’ education. Nangahar is a Pashtun-dominated province, and this is the first demonstration protesting the ban,” the tweet read.

The video also showed the male students holding posters in their hands and standing for the rights of the female students. Several female students were seen crying outside the classrooms as they were suspended access to education after the government instructed all the public and private universities to comply with the cabinet decision.

In the series of tweets further, Khan also shared a video that showed male students walking out of the classroom at Kandahar. “Following Nangarhar, male students in Kandahar also walked away from their exam in a show of solidarity with the female students and to protest the Taliban ban,” he tweeted.

“You are all informed to immediately implement the mentioned order of suspending female education until further notice,” said a letter signed by Minister of Higher Education Neda Mohammad Nadeem and addressed to all government and private universities.

As reported earlier, the US has condemned the regressive order issued by the Taliban. US State Secretary Antony Blinken called the Taliban’s announcement a setback to their objective of being accepted by the international community.

Also, Human Rights Watch, slammed the move by the Taliban and said, “A shameful move. The Taliban have banned women in Afghanistan from attending universities. This is the latest in a series of policies that have restricted the basic rights of women and girls.”

Despite pledging a more progressive government that respected the rights of women and minorities at first, the Taliban have largely applied their stringent interpretation of Islamic law since gaining control of the country last year.

They have barred females from middle and high school and have also barred women from most jobs. They require them to wear full-body coverings in public. Women are also barred from entering parks and gyms and from traveling without a male relative. The ban on higher education comes three months after thousands of girls and women across the country took university entrance exams.

China’s resurgent coronavirus crisis is a scathing indictment of its inefficacious homemade vaccines

Jinit Jain
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China’s resurgent coronavirus crisis is a scathing indictment of its inefficacious homemade vaccines

China is in the throes of a raging coronavirus outbreak as caseloads surge at an unprecedented rate, ominously overwhelming its healthcare facilities, straining its medical staff, and causing panic among the pandemic-weary population that witnessed differing levels of COVID-19 restrictions from the past three years.

The dangerous surge comes at a time when the CCP, uncharacteristic of its nature, heeded the public outcry over stifling zero-covid policy and relaxed restrictions to ward off anger and resentment brewing among the populace.

But no sooner did China relax restrictions than the country confronted itself with the daunting task of containing the surge of COVID-19 cases that climbed precipitously in the last few days. Therefore, the current spike in infection is striking, given that China was among the first nations to aggressively vaccinate its population against the pandemic that had wreaked havoc across the globe and caused upwards of 6 million deaths.

The BBC quoted epidemiologist Wu Zunyou as saying that this may be the beginning of a ‘first wave’. He has predicted that the second wave will be in late January when mass travel due to the Chinese New Year celebrations will spread infection. The Third wave is likely to hit from late February to mid-March as millions of people return after the holidays, as per Zunyou.

How studies raised concerns over the ineffectiveness of Chinese-made vaccines

The inexorable rise of COVID-19 cases in China has raised questions on the efficacy of the vaccines administered by Beijing to its population, vindicating concerns and studies that raised alarms over the effectiveness of the homemade vaccines it used to vaccinate its population of more than 1 billion.

Earlier this year, a Singapore research studied the likelihood of people jabbed with China’s Sinovac vaccine developing severe symptoms of COVID-19 vis-a-vis those administered with Pfizer/Moderna mRNA vaccines.

The study, which covered 2.7 million who received 2 doses of the vaccine, observed lower relative effectiveness of the two inactivated whole virus vaccines – Sinovac and Sinopharm – against COVID-19 infection compared to the mRNA vaccines – Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.

Those who received the Sinovac vaccine were 4.59 times more likely to develop severe COVID-19 compared to those who received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. They were also 2.37 times more likely to be infected, compared to those who took the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the study concluded, heightening fears that the Chinese-made vaccines may not be effective against Omicron, the more virulent strain of coronavirus. 

In early December this year, a report published in The Singapore Post said that Chinese-made vaccines have raised the spectre of pushing the world into the grips of coronavirus yet again. It highlighted how many in the developing world had leaned on China for their vaccine requirements and how the reports of low efficacy of China’s Sinovac and Sinopharm may push the world into another bout of coronavirus pandemic.

Another study measuring the effectiveness of China’s vaccines against Indian-made coronavirus vaccines earlier this year concluded that the former had been less than desirable efficacious levels needed to blunt the impact of the pandemic. The study found that the effectiveness of Indian vaccines was 99.30 per cent in fully vaccinated people, while the potency of Chinese vaccines could not go beyond 79 per cent.

Besides, a study published in the Lancet Infectious Disease journal showed that Chinese vaccines were unable to detect omicron-sub variants, reported Asian Lite International. 

Countries that had jabbed their populations with Chinese vaccines scrambled for booster shots of other vaccines to ward off COVID outbreak

In 2021 too, questions were raised over the efficacy of the coronavirus vaccines manufactured by China. Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia, UAE, and Bahrain scrambled to provide their populations with more effective vaccines after they witnessed a surge in the coronavirus cases despite vaccinating their people with Chinese vaccines. 

Another research conducted in 2021 discovered that Chinese vaccines had a lower efficacious rate and offered a limited period of protection. In a group administered with Coronavac, only 30% of them were found to be effective at preventing severe disease and 45% effective against death, compared with 67% and 85%, respectively, for the Oxford–AstraZeneca jab.

Will China swallow its pride and import more effective vaccines from India and the West?

Despite efficacy flags raised by research organisations, the CCP government in China refused to heed their warnings and continued jabbing its population with the Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccines. The authoritarian government in Beijing had inexplicably linked the persistence of continuing with homemade vaccines to their premier Xi Jinping’s pride, refusing to import more effective vaccines from neighbouring India and archrival US, considering it an insult to its ability to protect its population with domestic vaccines.

As Beijing stares at a mountain of coronavirus cases in days to come, it may have to swallow its pride and order vaccines from elsewhere to tame the pandemic and alleviate the misery of its population. It will be interesting to see if CCP can once prioritise saving the lives of its people over being obsessed with projecting its supremacy.

US court dismisses Hindu American Foundation’s defamation suit against Audrey Truschke, IAMC, and others despite ‘verifiably false’ statements

OpIndia Staff
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US court dismisses Hindu American Foundation’s defamation suit against Audrey Truschke, IAMC, and others despite ‘verifiably false’ statements

On Tuesday, December 20, the US District Court for the District of Columbia dismissed the defamation suit filed by the Hindu American Foundation (HAF)  against Hindus for Human Rights co-founders Sunita Vishwanath and Raju Rajagopal, Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) executive director Rasheed Ahmed, Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations of North America (FIACONA) chairman John Prabhudoss, and Rutgers University professor Audrey Truschke.

The HAF had accused them of conspiring to defame the foundation. Al Jazeera journalist Raqib Hameed Naik was named as a co-conspirator but not a party in the main lawsuit. 

US District Judge Amit Mehta although dismissed the defamation suit filed by HAF, noted that Hindus for Human Rights co-founder Sunita Vishwanath’s claim that HAF has parent organisations in India is “plausibly verifiably false.” The court also observed that some of the statements given by Rutgers University professor Audrey Truschke  about HAF Board member Rajiv Pandit are “arguably verifiably false.”

Excerpt from the court order (Image tweeted by HAF)

In its lawsuit, HAF had contended that its “reputation, and ability to raise funds has been injured due to the defamatory statements given by the defendants. The court agreed to HAF’s allegation that the foundation suffered “torturous injury” in the district due to the allegedly defamatory statements. 

Concerning the defendants named in the lawsuit’s claim that none of them live in the District of Columbia, the judge ruled that “Plaintiff must establish that defendants themselves transacted business in the District of Columbia, which it has failed to do.”

According to the court’s ruling, the Hindu American Foundation’s defamation lawsuit against Prabhudoss is futile because the group did not plausibly assert that his claims are “verifiably false.”

Prabhudoss had told Al Jazeera that US government watchdog groups and human rights organizations should take note of the misappropriation of funds raised for Covid-19 by “Hindu supremacist groups.”

On this, the court observed that Prabhudoss’s claim is a “statement of opinion.” “He was just stating his views about how certain organizations should respond to what in his opinion is misappropriation of funds. The said statement is not actionable as defamation as an expression of a subjective view is not plausibly false and cannot undergird a claim of defamation.”

HAF’s claim of civil conspiracy was also rejected as the court said that civil conspiracy is not a standalone tort and “thus fails unless the elements of the underlying tort are satisfied.”

Court order, via HAF

On the verdict, HAF’s Executive Director Suhag A Shukla in a statement said, “It is incredibly disappointing that, despite the fact that Vishwanath and Truschke, among others, were found to have made verifiably false statements attacking HAF, the judge dismissed our legal action on procedural grounds. We remain convinced that the defendants’ false and malicious statements about HAF constitute actionable defamation, and we have every reason to believe that they will continue to spread their malicious lies.”

The HAF although disappointed with the verdict, feels “vindicated” as the court noted that false statements about HAF were indeed made.

Background of the case

The lawsuit was filed in May 2021, following the publication by Al Jazeera of an article by Raqib Naik highlighting five Hindu American organizations, including the HAF, that received COVID-19 relief funding in the form of loans and grants. According to the report, which cites data from the Small Business Administration (SBA), these organizations, which allegedly have “ties to Hindu supremacist and religious groups,” have received a total of $833,000 in federal funding.

In its complaint, HAF alleged that the defendants used the ‘Coalition to Stop Genocide in India’, a US-based organization, as cover to make additional defamatory claims about HAF and demand the US government launch an investigation into HAF and other Hindu organizations for purportedly using Federal funds to “sponsor hate” in India

On April 2nd, 2022, controversial ‘historian’ Audrey Truschke shared an article published by Aljazeera, wherein it claimed that 5 organisations have received US federal relief funds to the tune of $833,000. The article alleged that the organisations have links to ‘Hindu supremacist groups’.

Citing the said article, Audrey Truschke alleged that the groups are known for engaging in violence, stifling academic inquiry, and promoting religious bigotry. She listed the names of the 5 groups mentioned in the article and alleged that they are connected to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

One of the groups mentioned in the article was the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), which is based in Washington DC. As per Aljazeera, HAF received $378,064 in PPP loans and $10,000 in EIDLA from US federal relief funds. The other organisations included Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA), Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of USA, Infinity Foundation and Sewa International.

Ministry of I&B directs YouTube to take down three channels for peddling fake news

OpIndia Staff
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Ministry of I&B directs YouTube to take down three channels for peddling fake news

On December 20, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting directed YouTube to take down three channels named Aaj Tak Live, News Headlines and Sarkari Updates for spreading fake news. News On AIR quoted sources from the ministry saying the minister took action after Press Information Bureau’s Fact Check Unit busted the channels for peddling fake news in the country.

In a statement, PIB Fact Check Unit said that the three channels were spreading false and sensational claims about the Prime Minister of India, the Election Commission of India, the Supreme Court and the Chief Justice of India, and other Government schemes. Furthermore, these channels also published many videos on other political leaders with false information.

Notably, these channels had close to 33 lakh subscribers, and the videos were watched over 30 crore times. The thumbnails and logos used by these channels included images from reputed news channels. They also used images of anchors of genuine news channels to show as if those were real. The channels had monetized the videos, thus making money by spreading misinformation on YouTube.

False claims made by the channels

In one of its contentious videos, dating back to May 16 last year, the Youtube channel “News Headlines” claimed that PM Modi had tendered his resignation and ‘President Rule’ was imposed in India.

“Modi has handed over his responsibilities to the President; President rule in effect in the country,” read the misleading headline of the video. “Will PM Modi now become President?” it had also claimed.

Similarly, hundreds of videos were uploaded on these channels to spread misinformation in a sensational manner to make money.

Two of the three channels still up

By the time we published this report, two of the three channels mentioned in the list were still up and running. News Headlines uploaded six videos in the last 24 hours that have already been seen over 2.8 lakh times.

Screenshot of News Headlines YouTube channel taken at 01:47 PM on December 12, 2022. Source: YouTube

On the other hand, Sarkari Update uploaded one video in the last 24 hours that clocked 2,300 views. ‘Aaj Tak Live’ was removed from YouTube by the time we published this report. It is unclear if the channel was removed after the government’s direction or before.

Screenshot of Sarkari Update YouTube channel taken at 01:47 PM on December 12, 2022. Source: YouTube

In the last year, the Ministry of I&B has taken strict steps against YouTube channels and pages on other social media platforms for spreading fake news. As per reports, over one hundred channels have been banned or taken down on GoI’s directions.

Hostels not tourist homes, says Kerala Uni in HC, says students don’t have to go out at night and should sleep when they should

ANI
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Hostels not tourist homes, says Kerala Uni in HC, says students don’t have to go out at night and should sleep when they should

Kerala University for Health Sciences in an affidavit submitted in the High Court stated that “hostels are not tourist homes” for nightlife and students don’t have to go out at the night. 

The affidavit was submitted by the University in response to the plea filed by certain girl students of Government Medical College Kozhikode against the impugned notification issued by the Higher Education Department barring female students from going out of the Hostel after 9.30 pm. In the affidavit, the University further said, “People reach maturity at the age of 25. Anything said before that is not acceptable. According to international studies, a person reaches full maturity at the age of 25. Any decisions they make before that need to be guided. They stay in the hostel to study and not to enjoy the nightlife. They don’t have to go out at night. College libraries close at 9 pm. So there is no mistake in saying that you have to enter the hostel at 9.30. Children should sleep when they should.” 

While today’s hearing, High Court ordered strict implementation of the new order issued by the Department of Health and Education regarding time restrictions in hostels. After 9.30 pm, both boys and girls will be allowed to enter the hostel after entering the information in the movement register, according to the order of the health and education department. This is applicable to students from the second year onwards. 

The Single Bench of Justice Devan Ramachandran sought an explanation from the state government on whether the reading rooms on the campuses can function even at night. The court asked the principals to take a decision on opening the reading rooms at night if the students requested. The government should also take a stand on whether the students can leave the hostel after 9.30 pm. 

Court posted the matter to 22nd December and the State Government directed to submit the response on this. 

The petitioners also challenged several clauses of the Ordinance for Recognition of Hostels in affiliated Educational Institutions under the Kerala University of Health Sciences that set certain fixed times when the students have to study and can use the study hall.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)e

Maharashtra: Hindu man forcefully circumcised and converted to Islam for marrying a Muslim widow, 3 men including a doctor booked

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: Hindu man forcefully circumcised and converted to Islam for marrying a Muslim widow, 3 men including a doctor booked

Dreadful cases of forceful religious conversion continue to surface from the state of Maharashtra while the Eknath Shinde-led government is taking stringent steps to implement the anti-conversion law in the state. In one such case reported from Daund in Pune, the state police registered an FIR against two individuals named Kumel Kureshi and Asif Sheikh for harassing a Hindu person and his family and forcefully performing ‘khatna’ (circumcision) on him. The police have also booked an unidentified Muslim doctor who helped the primary accused in performing the khatna on the victim.

The FIR has been registered under IPC sections 295-A, 298, 452, 324, 323, 504, 506, and 34 and SC/SCT Act 3(2) (va).

According to the FIR copy obtained by OpIndia, the incident is said to have happened on October 14, however, the complaint was registered by the victim on December 16. The victim who hails from Madha village of Solapur district had been staying in Pune’s Daund region since November 2020. He migrated with his family to Daund for employment purposes in 2020.

FIR copy obtained by OpIndia

The victim in the complaint mentioned that he performed a love marriage with a Muslim woman in June 2018. “She was a widow and mother of two little girls. After our marriage in 2018, we four became family and stayed happily until we shifted to Daund,” the victim said in the complaint.

He added that he and his wife worked on daily wages in Daund and had rented a house in the Kumbhargalli area for themselves to stay in. “We stayed safe for around one and a half years. However, after that one Muslim person identified as Asif Sheikh who stayed in the same building began harassing my wife. He used to keep a watch on her and abused her for marrying me, a Hindu,” the victim said. He also stated that the accused left no chance to make the woman feel uncomfortable.

“On inquiring about his behavior towards us and especially my wife, Sheikh abused me and called me Hindu Kafir. He threatened me to quit my religion and convert to Islam since I had married a Muslim woman,” the victim noted. He further said that he was issued death threats by Sheikh and was asked to leave his wife if he failed to convert his religion to Islam.

Kumel Kureshi and Asif Sheikh named in the FIR

As per the report, Sheikh then contacted another accused, Kumel Kureshi also known as ‘Haji Sahab’ and informed him that a Hindu person had married a Muslim woman in his building. The duo on October 3 barged into the victim’s house and physically abused him for marrying a Muslim woman. Kureshi also thrashed the victim’s two daughters and his wife before taking her forcefully to his office which is located in the Kabristan area in Daund.

“My wife was forcefully taken by that Haji. She returned after two, three hours to reveal that she was threatened by the accused to end her marriage with me (a Hindu). He told her that I was a ‘Kafir’ and that he would get her re-married to a Muslim man who follows the Islamic rituals. He also told her that he would kill me if she failed to end her marriage with me and re-marry a Muslim man instead,” the victim said.

The Muslim woman also confirmed the incident in a video clip obtained by OpIndia. She said that she was threatened by the Haji to get the victim converted to Islam. “I asserted to them that my husband won’t change his religion. If there’s any problem, I will convert my religion to Hinduism. To this he refused and said that I was not supposed to change my religion,” the victim’s wife said.

The FIR further states that the two accused continued to threaten the couple several times since October 4. They barged into their house and slapped their daughters and also mentally tortured the Muslim woman for marrying the victim.

Complaint registered by the victim

On October 14, Asif Sheikh and Kamel Kureshi got a Muslim doctor with them and forcefully entered the victim’s house in the Kumbhargalli area of Daund. The victim’s wife and his daughters were thrown out of the house before they forcefully circumcised the victim and converted him to Islam. “They came that day. I pleaded a lot but they threatened me and said ‘Ab bohot hua tera, aaj tera faisla hoga, tu Islam kaise kabul nh karta vahi dekhte hai (enough is enough now. Today I’ll make sure that you are converted to Islam)’. They also had got a Muslim doctor with them,” the complaint by the victim read.

According to the victim, Sheikh held his hands while Kureshi removed his clothes. “I was continuously pleading. I even told them that I would leave this place and go somewhere forever but they didn’t listen to me. The doctor took out some sharp objects and performed khatna on me after being signaled by Kureshi. Kureshi meanwhile chanted some Islamic lines and converted me to Islam,” the victim who is still terrified by the incident said.

The FIR states that the accused also snatched the identity cards including the Aadhaar Card and Ration Card of the victim and his family after the ‘khatna’ was forcefully performed. The entire incident was also recorded on the mobile phone of the one of the accused. The victim who belongs to the Valmiki community said that he and his family left Daund out of fear after the incident. He added that he was scared and terrified in October when the incident took place so could not report the incident back then.

The victim, however, filed an FIR on December 16 and is seeking justice in the case. Two accused Asif Sheikh and Kumel Kureshi and an unidentified Muslim doctor has been booked by the Police under IPC sections 295-A, 298, 452, 324, 323, 504, 506, and 34 and SC/SCT Act 3(2) (va).

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