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Amid Covid-19 crisis, Nipah virus haunts Kerala again as 12-year-old boy dies in hospital, centre rushes expert team

OpIndia Staff
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Amid Covid-19 crisis, Nipah virus haunts Kerala again as 12-year-old boy dies in hospital, centre rushes expert team

Kerala continues to worry the nation on the health front as the state has reported the death of a 12-year old boy due to Nipah virus infection in north Kerala’s Kozhikode on Sunday morning at 5AM. The boy belonging to Choolur in Chathamangalam panchayat was hospitalized on September 1 with fever, myocarditis and encephalitis.

The last rites of the deceased was scheduled at 10 am under strict protocol. As precautionary measures, district and health authorities have kept the persons under observation who had come in touch with the deceased and collected samples of 17 of them for testing. Authorities have identified 188 primary contacts, of which, 20 persons are in high-risk category. They are being shifted to Kozhikode Medical College.

Among the 20 identified high-risk people, two have been identified with the symptoms of Nipah virus infection, according to Health Minister Veena George.

“We have identified 188 contacts till now. The surveillance team has marked 20 of them as high-risk contacts. Two of these high-risk contacts have symptoms. Both are health workers. One works with a private hospital, while the other is a staff member of Kozhikode Medical College hospital,” the minister told reporters.

Confirming the development Kerala Health Minister Veena George in Thrissur said that the boy admitted to a private hospital at Kozhikode died on Sunday due to Nipah virus infection. She also informed that samples of Plasma, CSF (Cerebrospinal fluid) and Serum were sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune and the test result came positive for Nipah virus.

Although health minister Veena George has told the people that there is no need for panic and the health department has taken all necessary steps, but common people are reasonably worried.  She added that the government will strictly follow the Nipah protocol to control the situation.

The Union Ministry of Health also shared information on the fresh case of Nipah adding “Centre rushes team to Kerala to support State in Public health measures.”

The Central Government has rushed a team of National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to the State to provide technical support. The team is reaching Kerala by today.

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the Nipah virus has hit Kerala after a gap of three years. The last time it was reported was in May-June 2018. It had hit Kozhikode and Malappuram districts in Kerala the worst claiming 17 lives. A total of 23 cases were identified that time out of which 18 cases were confirmed by the lab testing. This was the first Nipah virus case in South Indian states. In June, 2019 a single case of Nipah was reported at Kochi in Ernakulam, luckily the person got cured.

Nipah is a zoonotic virus transmitted to humans from animals such as bats and pigs. The disease has a high fatality rate — above 80 % — with no known treatment and vaccine, and is genuinely a cause of concern.

Among the states, Kerala headed by Pinarayi Vijayan of Communist Party of India (Marxist) continues to report the highest number of Covid 19 cases even if a section of media is still peddling the famed Kerala model of Covid control.

Rohtak: 20-year old murders parents, grandmother, sister for opposing homosexual relationship

OpIndia Staff
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Rohtak: 20-year old murders parents, grandmother, sister for opposing homosexual relationship

Abhishek, son of a Rohtak based property dealer named Pradeep Malik, shot dead his sister, grandmother, mother and father over a homosexual relationship with one of his classmates. The murders were committed on August 27 and Abhishek was arrested on 31 August by the Rohtak police.

The incident took place in the Rohtak’s Vijay Nagar area and police investigation revealed that Abhishek’s homosexual relationship led to conflicts in the family and possibly the main reason behind the murders.

A senior police officer said about the case, “This was unacceptable to Abhishek’s parents who wanted him to discontinue his relationship. On the other hand, Abhishek was adamant on continuing the relationship and wanted to live with his companion. He demanded money from his parents, but they refused. Eventually, he shot his parents, sister and maternal grandmother.”

According to the sources, Abhishek had breakfast with his family and then left for his sister Neha’s room and shot her. Then he invited his grandmother to his room and continued with his shooting, killing his mother and father in the process. Abhishek allegedly stole his father’s revolver to eliminate his family.

According to reports, the accused’s companion met him before and after the murders. “After having shot his parents, Abhishek went to meet his friend at the hotel. Then he returned home and acted shocked and devastated on seeing the bodies lying in a pool of blood,” sources are reported to have said.

Rohtak SP Rahul Sharma gave a statement on the matter, “As per the investigations conducted till now, Abhishek is our main suspect. He does not have any prior criminal record. As of now, it would not be appropriate for me to say if others were involved in the incident as the probe in the case is ongoing.” A police spokesperson also said, “Abhishek was arrested after collecting information regarding his personal conduct, the tension in the family, and financial reasons.”

Abhishek’s Uncle, who is also happens to be a neighbour, said “Abhishek stayed with us till the police caught him on Thursday. We were shocked and couldn’t believe that he was capable of doing anything like this. His parents loved him a lot and gave him everything he wanted.”

Anti-farm law protesters harass Aaj Tak editor Chitra Tripathi, Newsclick ‘journalist’ celebrates the harassment

OpIndia Staff
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Anti-farm law protesters harass Aaj Tak editor Chitra Tripathi, Newsclick ‘journalist’ celebrates the harassment

AajTak journalist Chitra Tripathi, and editor, was harassed by anti-farm law protesters in Muzaffarnagar on Sunday where they gathered around her and chanted ‘Godi media haay haay’. Ultimately, the journalist, who had gone to cover the event, was chased away from the spot.

A ‘journalist’ with Newsclick, Shyam Meera Singh, instead of condemning the harassment, justified the atrocious conduct accusing Chitra Tripathi of ‘fooling’ the public. Shyam Meera Singh of Newsclick said that the same people would appreciate Ravish Kumar but were against Ravish Kumar.

Anti-farm law protesters have been regularly indulging in vile conduct throughout the protests. The protests turned violent on Republic Day where riots ensued at the national capital. Earlier, an India Today editor had revealed that the protesters had been harassing female reporters, pinching their buttocks among other things.

A woman from West Bengal was also raped at the Tikri border protest site. After the death of the victim on April 30, the protesters had taken out a procession by placing the dead body in an open jeep, even though she allegedly died of Covid-19.

The protests have organised a ‘Mahapanchayat’ at Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the assembly elections in the state.

Jharkhand: Dalit woman files complaint against Christian villagers alleging torture to forcefully convert her family, harassment of minor daughter

OpIndia Staff
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Jharkhand: Dalit woman files complaint against Christian villagers alleging torture to forcefully convert her family, harassment of minor daughter

A woman health worker of Jamdih village of Gumla district of Jharkhand has lodged an FIR at Kurkura police station alleging that some villagers are torturing her family members to accept Christianity. The complainant, who belongs to a Scheduled Caste, said that assailants even sexually abused her daughter who is now in a state of shock.

On the basis of the written complaint of the woman, Gumla police lodged an FIR on August 30 under sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 295 (Injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class), 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 448 (punishment for house-trespass), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), 509 and (insult the modesty of any woman) of IPC, section 4 (forceful conversion) of Jharkhand Freedom of Religion Act and section 8 (sexual assault of a minor) of POCSO Act. The village is situated about 70 km from Gumla district headquarters which is worse affected by left-wing extremism.

Sources in the police confirmed that an FIR has been registered in the case stating that an investigation has been assigned. The officer in charge of the Kurkura police station is investigating the case. The complainant has named Paulina Bilung, Akash Dungdung, Nisha, Sheila, Phoolmani Surin, Urmila, Santoshi, Janki, Shital Ram, Gangi Devi, Akash Dungdung and Sushila Devi in the complaint. All of them are followers of Christianity. The woman said that the accused came to her residence on August 14 asking the family to accept Christianity. The victim who belongs to the Scheduled Caste refused, stating that she was happy with her current faith.

An altercation took place among them and soon the accused became violent. They threw the religious flag from the house and also sexually abused and misbehaved with her 16-years-old daughter. The attackers pulled the clothes of the girl and said that they will marry her and then convert her to Christianity.

The woman said that accused persons also instigated the villagers against her family.

Gumla has been the centre stage of religious conversion by Christian missionaries. Notably, according to media reports, during the lockdown last year Christian missionaries had converted a large number of people.

During the regime of the Raghubar Das government, the religious conversion remained under control. The Raghubar Das government in 2017 had brought the Freedom of Religion Act making any fraudulent and forcible conversion as an offence, with a penalty of a 3-year sentence and a fine of Rs 50,000. But the church had opposed the law.

BBC shuts down senior academic when she talks about how Pakistan has harboured and nurtured terrorists

OpIndia Staff
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BBC shuts down senior academic when she talks about how Pakistan has harboured and nurtured terrorists

On Sunday (September 5), the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) news courted controversy after its presenter Philippa Thomas deliberately shut down senior academic Christine Fair for exposing the role of Pakistan in harbouring and nurturing terrorists.

In a video clip of the BBC interview shared by journalist Kyle Orton, Christine Fair was heard discussing the role of Pakistan in aggravating the geopolitical crisis in Afghanistan. “What Pakistan wants (in Afghanistan) is an instability it can manage. Also, Pakistan will use the refugee story as part of its usual rent-seeking strategy. You see, Pakistan likes to be thought of as the fire brigade when Pakistan itself is the arsonist. And Pakistan will monetise this (crisis).”

At that point, the BBC presenter Philippa Thomas interjected and claimed that Pakistan would ‘absolutely deny’ the allegations levelled at it by the senior academician. “How do you know?” inquired Christine Fair. Thomas ignored her question and went on to claim that managing an ‘unstable Afghnaistan’ will be a risky affair for Pakistan. Fair responded, “Pakistan has always been accepting of the risk… They have never been risk-averse. Whether you are looking at incredibly outrageous terror attacks in India or the support of the Taliban in the 1990s.”

The expert of Southeast Asian geopolitical affairs highlighted how Pakistan harbours terrorists in its own country with the hopes that it would attack only its ‘neighbours.’ At that point, an enraged BBC presenter stopped Christine Fair from speaking further on Pakistan under the pretext that there was no diplomatic official available to speak to the news channel for countering the allegations. “Thank God, you don’t (have a Pakistani diplomat)! Else, he would peddle his fiction,” Fair stated.

Philippa Thomas went on claim that Pakistan had denied any role in the creation of the Taliban in Afghanistan and shut down Christine Fair from further speaking on the show. “You are doing their propaganda work,” the senior academic commented before being cut off by the channel. In his tweet, Kyle Orton remarked, “Quite gross from BBCNews: our “impartiality” doctrine was used to basically shut down ChristineFair when she explained Pakistan’s jihad policy in Afghanistan that has brought us all to this catastrophe — an issue on which there is no “balance” or “other side”, factually.”

Watch: Citizens of France protest against Macron’s vaccine passport mandate, chant ‘freedom’, force police to retreat

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: Citizens of France protest against Macron’s vaccine passport mandate, chant ‘freedom’, force police to retreat

Anti-vaccine passport protesters in France invaded a mall on Saturday and raised slogans of ‘freedom’. Visuals of the protests have gone viral on the internet where law enforcement authorities can be spotted retreating before the march of the citizens.

Freelance journalist Clement Lanot shared visuals of the protests on his Twitter account which show a tense confrontation between law enforcement authorities and protesters. The protesters invaded the Chalet shopping center that reportedly requires vaccine passports for people to enter. One video shows protesters chanting ‘freedom’ in French.

Another video shows law enforcement authorities in riot gear enter the shopping center to flush out the protesters. However, they were forced to retreat under pressure from citizens exercising their democratic right to protest.

Jharkhand: BJP MLA Biranchi Narayan threatens legal action against allotment of namaz room in the assembly

OpIndia Staff
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Jharkhand: BJP MLA Biranchi Narayan threatens legal action against allotment of namaz room in the assembly

The Jharkhand assembly secretariate allocating a dedicated room in the assembly premises to offer Namaz may escalate into a legal battle.

BJP MLA from Bokaro Biranchi Narayan, who is also the chief whip of the party in the assembly, has shot a missive to the Speaker stating that he will be forced to approach the court for withdrawal of this order. He termed the decision of the assembly as unconstitutional.

“Like the Hemant Soren government, the assembly too has gone extra miles to appease Muslims. In the letter I have requested him to withdraw the decision else I will file a case at the court. India is a secular country. There is a tradition in India to honour all religions.  But by allotting a dedicated room for Namaz is an insult to other religions. This is an insult to Sanatan dharma,” said Narayan.

Narayan said that if the Speaker is so concerned he should make temples and churches.  

In the letter, Narayan has pointed out that the assembly building was constructed out of public money and there can’t be special provisions for any religion.

On the controversy, a source in the assembly that OpIndia spoke to said that never in the past any place of worship (namaz) on the assembly premises was notified officially.

On the condition of anonymity, the official in the assembly said, “The official notification looks like a gross violation. There are court judgments clearly stating that the state is not bound to make provisions for worship for employees/ public servants at their workplace. From the days of Bihar there was an unofficial arrangement to fix any room or place for employees to offer namaz on Friday during the session. But how can one officially notify a room as a place of worship.”

The newly constructed sprawling and majestic building at Kute gram situated on the outskirts of Ranchi is the new address of Jharkhand. It was constructed by the previous BJP-Ajsu Party government headed by Raghubar Das worth Rs 465 crore.

As the weeklong monsoon session of the assembly started on September 3, the assembly secretariat issued an order that room number TW 348 in the new assembly building will be allocated for Muslims to offer the Namaz.

In the house of 81, there are four Muslim MLAs Irfan Ansari and Alamgir Alam from Congress, and Dr Sarfaraz Ahmad and Hafizul Ansari who are the JMM MLAs.

Veteran MLAs and those who have covered proceedings of Jharkhand assembly session said that as per practice any session falling on Friday was curtailed so that Muslim MLAs can offer namaz.

“That was the practice followed all these years so that Muslim MLAs and staffs offer prayer. But the assembly secretariat has touched a new low of appeasement. The assembly is not different. Recently, the Hemant Soren government removed Hindi and made Urdu a compulsory subject for any recruitment examination,” said two time BJP MLA Anant Ojha.

Pakistan: Tehreek-e-Taliban suicide attack kills 3 in Quetta, Balochistan, Minister blames India

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan: Tehreek-e-Taliban suicide attack kills 3 in Quetta, Balochistan, Minister blames India

A suicide blast in Quetta has claimed the lives of three men of the Frontier Corps of Pakistan. According to reports, apart from the three dead, 20 others have been injured in the attack. The Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The blast reportedly occurred at 7.30 a.m. on Sunday at the Mustang Road in Quetta. The Sohana Khan FC check post was targeted in the attack, the Balochistan Counter-Terrorism Department confirmed.

According to the police, the attacked drove his motor cycle into a vehicle that belonged to the law enforcement agencies. A further investigation into the matter is currently underway.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the attack in a statement. He said, “Condemn the TTP suicide attack on FC checkpost, Mastung road, Quetta. My condolences go to the families of the martyrs & prayers for the recovery of the injured. Salute our security forces & their sacrifices to keep us safe by thwarting foreign-backed terrorists’ designs.”

Shireen Mazari, Pakistan’s ‘human rights’ minister, while condemning the attack, insinuated that Indian intelligence agency RAW was behind the attack. She said, “Condemnable TTP attack today on FC checkpost in Quetta today. Condolences and prayers go to the families of the martyrs – our brave security forces continue to thwart the designs of terrorists esp the RAW-funded TTP.”

The attack comes days after Taliban took over control of Afghanistan. Taliban freed numerous terrorists from prisons after coming to power, including many believed to be affiliated to the TTP. While Afghan Taliban has assured Pakistan and others that their soil will not be permitted to be used to foment terrorism, their neighbour has been worried that the TTP could increase its activity within Pakistani territory.

It is also pertinent to note that the Taliban captured Afghanistan with help from Pakistan’s ISI, however, the renewed vigor of the TTP could prove costly for Pakistan. The ISI Chief is on a visit to Kabul and there are reports that Pakistan will help Taliban reorganise its military.

Taliban goes through porn sites to compile lists of Afghan prostitutes to kill

OpIndia Staff
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Taliban goes through porn sites to compile lists of Afghan prostitutes to kill

According to a report published in The Sun Online, Talibs have started crawling porn sites to compile a kill list of the Afghan prostitutes who were filmed during 20-years of allied rule in Afghanistan. As per the sources quoted by The Sun, several such videos where Afghan prostitutes have been featured made their way to popular porn sites. The Talibs are now all set to allegedly hunt these women down and publicly execute them or humiliate them for their own pleasure.

Reportedly, sources told the newspaper that women are often subjected to gang rape by the Jihadis before being beheaded, hanged or stoned to death. As strict laws and ‘morality codes’ are being imposed on women, they are expected to face brutal repression under the Taliban regime just like they faced before allied forces took over Afghanistan 20 years ago. Women who had sex outside of marriage were brutally tortured and executed in the 90s under the Taliban. Notably, the atrocities against women continued in the regions that were under their control in the last 20 years.

The source said, “The Taliban are displaying the height of hypocrisy with this horrific witch-hunt. They pretend to condemn pornography but are digging deep into the most obscure and deeply hidden adult sites to find videos that show Afghan brothels so they can identity and slaughter or enslave the women who worked in them. Because the videos show obvious location markers of the brothels, these women are now in serious danger of being kidnapped or murdered in the most horrific ways imaginable.”

According to reports, in June this year, Human Rights organizations have warned that there were hundreds of sex workers based in Kabul. Brothels were being operated from coffee shops, beauty salons and friends’ houses. The Sun quoted one such prostitute identified as Zainab, who said that she turned to prostitution to feed her five siblings.

She said, “I was 13 years old when my father died. My mother had long been sick, and as the oldest, I had to take responsibility for my family. I started working as a housekeeper, but the money was never enough. Most of the men are young, between 25 and 30 years old, and most of them are married. They know my employer and call her to arrange an appointment. Some men request to choose from several girls. They take 10 minutes, sometimes 20. Some use condoms, but not all of them do. Every time I’m alone in a room with a man, I am scared.”

Heather Barr, co-director for women’s rights at Human Rights Watch, said that during the time she spent with such women, she found that many were forced into prostitution by someone or because of their financial condition at home.

Atrocities of Taliban against women

Taliban has made it to headlines countless times for the atrocities against women. Since the regime took over Afghanistan after US Troops were withdrawn from the region, despite claiming they are reformed, Talibs have started taking unthoughtful actions against women. Women have been asked not to come to offices, and co-education has been banned in Afghanistan’s educational institutes.

New Zealand: Knife attack terrorist identified as Samsudeen with history of violent extremism, was under watch after release from jail

OpIndia Staff
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New Zealand: Knife attack terrorist identified as Samsudeen with history of violent extremism, was under watch after release from jail

Two days after a lone terrorist carried out a deadly knife attack at a store in New Lynn in Auckland, the slain attacker has been identified as one Ahamed Aathill Mohamed Samsudeen, reported Radio New Zealand. The terrorist was shot dead on Friday (September 3) after he went on a stabbing spree and injured 7 people.

It must be mentioned that the New Zealand government had challenged a suppression order in Court, which earlier concealed the name of Samsudeen. After the order was lifted, the name and details of the terrorist were revealed to the public. Samsudeen was a 32-year-old Srilankan Muslim immigrant who came to New Zealand in 2011 on a student visa. He came under the watch of the law enforcement authorities in 2016 after he began glorifying ‘violent extremism’ on social media.

In 2017 Samsudeen was put behind bars for trying to escape to Syria via Auckland airport. He was found in possession of ‘restricted items’ and a ‘hunting knife.’ He pleaded guilty to possession but was eventually released on bail. The radical Islamist terrorist was arrested yet again in 2018 for procuring a knife while he was out on bail. A police search at his residence unearthed more ‘objectionable/extremist material’, leading to Samsudeen’s sentencing to 3 years in prison. Even while in custody, he assaulted several correction officers.

Prosecutors ran out of legal options to keep slain terrorist detained

Samsudeen was released in July this year. However, for the possession of such materials and failure in assisting the police during the search, the terrorist was put under an additional 12 months of ‘supervision with special conditions.’ New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had earlier described Samsudeen as a ‘supporter of ISIS ideology’ and conceded that the prosecutors ran out of legal options to keep the terrorist behind bars. She informed about receiving briefings about the threats posed by the Islamist in the months of July and August.

Govt tried to deport Samsudeen several times but failed

Upon his release on bail, the police claimed to have put Samsudeen under constant surveillance. As per Jacinda Ardern, about 30 cops were assigned at one time to track his movement. Despite this, the ISIS terrorist managed to buy a knife and stab seven people. Three of the victims are said to be in critical condition. It has also come to light that the immigration authorities in New Zealand were trying to revoke Samsudeen’s refugee status prior to the deadly attack. The Srilankan national was granted refugee status in 2013 but it was later discovered that he had obtained it fraudulently.

The New Zealand government then decided to issue a deportation notice and cancel his visa. However, a shrewd Samsudeen appealed against it in court. Given that he was serving time in prison, his appeal did not move further and the matter remained a stalemate until the end of his trial in May this year. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern also conceded that it was ‘frustrating’ that the authorities could not deport him back to Sri Lanka. In light of the slain terrorist’s ability to exploit the loopholes within the system, the New Zealand government has now vowed to tighten the counter-terrorism laws in the country.

Terrorist’s family cites ‘mental health issues’, claims Samsudeen fought against injustice

In a statement released by the family members of the slain terrorist, they claimed, “We hope to find out with you all, what happened in Aathil’s case and what we all could have done to prevent this.” While alleging that they were ‘heartbroken’, the family went on to claim that the Islamic terrorist was suffering from mental health issues. They also suggested that the prison sentence and court cases worsened the mental state of Samsudeen. “He wanted to share the sufferings and injustices. He saw himself as someone fighting those injustices,” the family alluded.

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