As the nation battles the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, the alleged “farmer” protestors strategize their next big move.
Bharat Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait in a TV interview declared that if the Centre does not repeal the Farm Bills, the only option he will be left with is to defeat BJP in the Uttar Pradesh state assembly elections slated for 2022.
Deflecting the anchor’s question of whether the farmers protest was a reason for BJP’s defeat in Bengal and if the farmer leader had any role to play in it, Tikait answered, “BJP winning just 600 seats out of more than 3000 seats in panchayat elections is no less than a defeat.” Urging the Centre to reinitiate talks, Tikait said that they will visit every state if the Centre does not adhere to their demands.
Disclosing their next mission, Tikait revealed, “Samyukta Morcha’s next mission is Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.”
“We are requesting the Centre to fulfill our demands before that and repeal the laws,” threatened the self-acclaimed farmer leader.
Protests amidst the Covid-19 pandemic
OpIndia had reported earlier how rural Punjab is reporting a surge in deaths due to corona hinting at the connection to the ongoing protests. Reports suggest that 58% of the deaths reported in Punjab are from Rural areas.
On being asked why the leaders are hell-bent on risking the lives of the farmers amidst the pandemic, Tikait remarked, “Death is inevitable. If we leave the protest now, we will be hit by the government (Farm Laws) also and will also have to battle corona in the village.”
Black Day on May 26
BKU leader Rakesh Tikait announce May 26 as a ‘Black Day’ to mark six months of the protest. The farmer protestors have been asked to raise black flags from their homes and burn the effigies of the government officials.
Tikait announced that the protest will not come to an end no matter what unless the Centre agrees to reinitiate a dialogue and roll back the Farm Laws.
Meanwhile, locations around the farmer protest site continue to face the brunt of the Covid-19 pandemic with cases on a rise.
It is imperative to note that the farmers have lodged themselves in makeshift tents with no proper hygiene or sanitation at the protest sites.
The Covid-19 pandemic has been a revelation in a lot of aspects. One of the most remarkable facet of it is the politicization of discourse surrounding the disease by public health experts. While politicians would suffer the blame for a lot of their actions, and rightly so, it is bizarre that most public health experts will get a free pass.
The terrible conduct of “experts” came to the fore recently when one Faheem Younus, based in the United States but of Pakistani origin, linked cases of mucormycosis that have propped in a few states recently to some people in Gujarat taking ‘Gobar Snan’ to protect themselves from Covid-19.
Reuters had reported that those in question were “going to cow shelters once a week to cover their bodies in cow dung and urine in the hope it will boost their immunity against, or help them recover from, the coronavirus”.
By all accounts, it is a very isolated practice. No one in their right minds would argue that this is a widespread practice among the Indian population. It appears ludicrous, yes, but fear makes people do ludicrous things, things they would not do otherwise normally.
What has proceeded since then is an absolute disgrace. Faheem Younus, without any evidence whatsoever by his own admission, linked that isolated practice to the increasing prevalence of mucormycosis.
He suggested in a tweet that “use of cow dung as a ‘COVID Cure’ could be causing deadly black fungus disease (mucormycosis) in India” before adding “I can’t prove it but it’s highly likely. Weigh your risks.” It is precisely the sort of garbage that makes people lose faith in institutions.
It is utterly irresponsible to attach such causal links to extremely isolated events during moments of crisis. That he chose to do so only serves to sow the seeds of doubt in everything else he says. Younus later deleted the tweet but the damage was done.
The media, known for its Hinduphobic inclinations, simply ran with the story without performing due diligence. The Print published a report with the headline, “Doctors hint at cow dung-black fungus link as people turn to gobar for Covid ‘cure’”.
Headline of The Print report
How many people turned to Gobar for Covid cure? How many of those currently suffering from mucormycosis performed the ‘Gobar Snan’? The report does not provide answers to such questions because the media is fully aware that the answers will not work in their favour.
One senior doctor at AIIMS did admit, “While we cannot establish the relationship on use of cow dung and getting diagnosed with black fungus, it seems logical to think that use of dung definitely increases the risk of catching the mucor infection.”
Dr. Neha Gupta, a consultant at Gurugram based Medanta, said, “The relationship definitely exists. But till now, the major reasons behind the surge in (black fungus) cases are related to the climate, increased spore burden in hospitals, patients with uncontrolled diabetes, along with the use of steroids and other immunosuppressive Covid drugs.”
It is quite the leap of logic here. The current cases do not show any effect of cow dung but the relationship “definitely” exists. How absurd does that sound? One of the major reasons for mucormycosis currently is the use of steroids but somehow, cow-dung takes precedence over it. Why exactly?
Politicians are now using the misinformation to spread their own propaganda. But let us not forget, it initially came from a ‘public health expert’, then magnified by a compromised media.
Source: Twitter
As it so happens, this is not the first time that ‘public health experts’ have undermine public faith in institutions through misinformation. For instance, during the peak of the Black Lives Matter protests in the United States, ‘public health experts’ came out in support of the mass gatherings in the name of protests and said they should not be stopped in the name of Covid-19.
This was at a time when families were barred from conducting funerals for the loved ones they lost. More recently, Anthony Fauci, the chief medical adviser to the US President, painted an apocalyptic scenario after states like Texas lifted the mask mandate and opened at full capacity.
When he was asked why did his prediction not come true when cases continued to drop in both states despite the lack of restrictions, he could not provide any legitimate answer and fumbled for a response.
Dr. Fauci on Texas Covid cases dropping despite ignoring his advice on masks/social distancing: “It can be confusing, because … often you have to wait a few weeks before you see the effect … I’m not really quite sure. It could be they’re doing things outdoors” pic.twitter.com/yuFEPoE2BV
That was in March, now it is mid-May and the apocalyptic scenario simply has not come to pass. And yet, people such as Fauci have not come out to admit that they were wrong. Of course, the improving scenario in USA has a lot to do with the fact that the vaccination rates are a lot higher there than in India, which has afforded them the chance to open up largely.
Fauci’s doom-mongering was such that even mainstream media talking-heads lost their patience with him. Pollster Nate Silver accused of “gaslighting” and was quite fed up with him.
Source: Twitter
There was another occasion when The Lancet published a garbage study on Hydroxychloroquine, that was circulated greatly before it was eventually retracted by the publication. Now, we have The Lancet indulging in petty politics in India.
But the most unforgiveable of all is the manner in which ‘experts’ dubbed the lab-leak novel Coronavirus origin hypothesis a ‘conspiracy theory’ without a shred of evidence. As time has passed, more and more scientists are seriously considering the possibility that the virus indeed leaked from a lab in the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
All of this has contributed to a deep mistrust of institutions, and rightly so. ‘Follow the Science’ has been the biggest scam that has been perpetuated during the Covid-19 crisis. When “experts” refuse to hold their own accountable while indulging in petty politics, people are bound to lose trust in institutions. And the consequences can be devastating.
The Media Propaganda
The mainstream media is known to amplify narratives that paint Hindus as a community in poor light while covering up for dangerous fake news emanating from other communities. During the advent of the pandemic, when certain individuals were highlighting Namaz as a cure to the Coronavirus, the media was nowhere to be found.
The President of Tanzania, John Magufuli, was peddling a dangerous narrative about Covid-19 cure but that did not attract the attention of the media.
The Guardian reported in February 2021, “Magufuli has denied the local spread of Covid-19 in Tanzania, discouraged the mention of the disease by health workers, rejected most conventional measures in favour of prayer and said vaccines are dangerous, without offering any evidence.”
That, somehow, did not attract the kind of narrative that we currently see underway against India. Even in our country itself, we had those calling the virus “Allah’s NRC” and yet, the media constantly played to their defense.
More recently, the global media was cheering for the “largest farmers protest in the history of the world” and now we have concrete evidence that suggests the farmer protests are linked to the severity of the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, it is the Kumbh Mela that is blamed. And now with the connivance of “experts”, we have a practice performed by extremely few individuals linked to mucormycosis even though the evidence suggests a link to steroid use.
It happens time after time after time. And now it has gotten boring due to overuse because everyone sees right through their propaganda. The “experts” nevertheless must introspect because they are doing irreparable harm to public faith in institutions.
Many far-left wing and pro-Congress trolls took to social media to peddle misinformation regarding the stability of Indian Rupees against Bangladesh Taka in a bid to target the Modi government over its macroeconomic policies. Displaying their lack of understanding of macroeconomics, the left-wing trolls claimed that Indian Rupee had depreciated against Bangladeshi Taka.
Raju Parulekar, a far-left troll, sharing a screenshot of the comparison of the value of Indian Rupee with Bangladeshi Taka, insinuated that value of Ruppe has come down against Taka as the chart showed the Taka going up from 1.12 to 1.16 in around a month.
As per Parulekar, Indian Rupee had depreciated against Bangladesh Taka, for which he mocked the RSS and “Bhakts”.
Similarly, another troll claimed that it is the first time in history that Indian Rupee slipped down even against Bangladesh’s Taka. He also shared the same screenshot from Google, which seemingly showed Taka ‘going up’ against Rupee.
Sharing the same screenshot, another Congress-troll put out old screenshots of Prime Minister’s tweets to peddle misinformation about Indian Rupee losing out against Bangladesh Taka in the exchange rate. The Congress troll, without having any knowledge about exchange rates, went on to peddle misinformation saying that Bangladesh Taka is much stronger than Indian Rupee.
Similarly, another Twitter user claimed that Bangladeshi Taka has overtaken Indian Rupee for the first time. He went on to abuse PM Modi and rant about central vista project based on the presumption.
According to these trolls, as 1 Bangladeshi Taka = 1.15 Indian Rupees, it means Taka is stronger than Rupee. Also, as the graph shows Taka going up against Rupee, they are claiming it means Rupee has slipped against Rupee.
But that the reality is completely opposite, as they are misinterpreting the currency value comparison.
In reality, if 1 INR is equal to 1.15 BDT, it meant that the Indian currency is stronger than the Bangladeshi Taka as one has to shell out 1.15 Taka to buy 1 Indian Rupee. To put in simpler terms, if one buys any commodities worth Rs 100 Rupees, they will have to spend approximately 115 Bangladeshi Taka to buy the same item.
If we consider 1 USD=74 INR, it does not mean that the Indian currency is stronger than the USD. In fact, it means one has to spend 74 INR to acquire 1 USD, which shows that USD is a stronger currency than the Indian Rupee. Historically, the Indian currency has always been stronger than the Bangladeshi Taka. Currently, the exchange rate is hovering around 1 INR = 1.16 BDT.
Similarly, the value of Rupee has become stronger against Taka in last month as seen in the graph, it has not come down. The chart shows that 1 Rupee was equal to 1.14 BDT on 16th April, and it had reached 1.12 BDT on April 20, which is 1.16 BDT at present. This means, the Taka was actually stronger against Rupee a month ago, and its value has come down now. Because, now more Taka is needed to buy 1 Rupee.
Based on this flawed understanding of currency conversion, the ultra-left trolls put out fake news to infer that Indian Rupee was weakening against Bangladeshi Taka.
This is not the first time the data has been misread to claim Taka is stronger than Rupee. In 2019, NewsX had published a report making the same claims. Same claims had again appeared on social media in 2020.
Farmers at Hisar, Hayarana got violent and tried to disrupt a Covid-19 facility inauguration event attended by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday.
#WATCH | Farmers – Police clash at Haryana’s Hisar after farmers reportedly protested at an event attended by CM ML Khattar was present.
The farmers protesting the Farm Bills charged at police personnel near a toll close to the event location which resulted in a lathi-charge. As per a Dainik Bhaskar report, the farmers also attacked DSP Abhimanyu, leaving him seriously injured.
The farmers who were protesting near the Ramayan Toll traveled 18 kilometers to ransack the event. They also charged at the security barricades using tractors to pave their way to the event.
As per reports, a huge crowd gathered at the site all of a sudden charging at the security forces which resulted in a clash. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha protesting on the border had also backed the protest.
This is not the first time that the protesters attacked an event attended by Haryana Chief Minister. They have warned that unless the new farm laws are not scrapped, the protests will not cease.
Khatter had visited Hisar to inaugurate the Chaudhary Devi Lal Sanjivani Hospital which has been temporarily constructed at the OP Jindal Modern School.
Black Day on May 26
Meanwhile, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, announced on Saturday that they will observe May 26 as “Black-Day” to mark six months of their protest against the three Farm Bills proposed by the Centre. The farmer leaders have urged the protesters to raise black flags from their houses. Thousands of farmers from across the country are currently protesting at Tikri, Singhu and Ghazipur borders surrounding the national capital while the nation is going through a surge in new Covid-19 cases.
In a shocking incident, a family in Assam’s Bongaigaon has been arrested for disrespecting the Indian national flag after using the tricolour as a dining table cloth.
An image of Rejina Parvin Sultana, a resident of Assam’s Tengnamari village, serving lunch to her family on the occasion of Eid had gone viral on the internet. In the image, it was seen that the family had used the tricolour as a dining cloth at their residence. The family was seen feasting on top of the Indian flag.
Several social media reported the shocking incident and tagged Assam police to take action against the family for disrespecting the tricolor.
ASSAM
6 deshdrohi arrested for dishonouring the National Flag of India on Eid feast!
A shameful incident has been reported in Bongaigaon, Assam where a group of people feasted upon India’s National Flag on the day of #EID
The Assam Police, taking note of the complaint, swiftly acted against the culprits. The Bongaigaon police have now detained the Muslim family for dishonoring the Indian National flag.
The persons who dishonoured the Indian National flag by using on dinning table on 14/5/2021 in the house of Miss Rejina Parvin Sultana of Tengnamari village of Abhayapuri alongwith 5 others have been apprehended and a Case has been registered for necessary legal action. pic.twitter.com/6X0XXjUMw8
— Bongaigaon Police (@bongaigaonpolic) May 15, 2021
A case has been registered against Rejina Parvin Sultana and five others from the family for feasting Eid lunch on top of an Indian flag.
In a routine press briefing, Lav Aggarwal, Union Health Ministry announced that a a dip has been observed in India’s Covid-19 positivity rate, however, he also remarked that Tamil Nadu’s Covid-19 surge is a “cause of concern”.
The state of Tamil Nadu recorded over 33,000 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours with 303 succumbing to the Chinese virus, raising concerns.
Amidst the worrisome situation, Sandhya Ravishankar, a Chennai-based journalist took to Twitter to appeal for help as the new Covid-19 cases skyrocket in the state.
Ravishankar revealed that as the demand for ICU beds is on a rise in the state, there are none available. Moreover, private hospitals have begun to discharge critical patients amid an acute shortage of medical oxygen as they don’t want to record deaths.
Image Source: Twitter
She also informed that many small hospitals which were converted to Covid facilities at the government’s insistence are hapless because due to a lack of oxygen supply.
Image Source: Twitter
Long queues of ambulances can be seen outside government hospitals she reveals adding unavailability of even basic consumables such as non-rebreather masks.
Image Source: Twitter
The journalist also alleged that the government is under-reporting the actual number of new Covid-19 cases and deaths. She suggested that unless the government puts out the real numbers, people will not understand the gravity of the situation.
Image Source: Twitter
Ravishankar ended her thread by appealing for help saying, “Tamil Nadu needs help. We need oxygen. Please help.”
Tamil Nadu to peak in June
It is imperative to note that as per India’s Sutra model developed by the supermodel Covid committee, the cases in Tamil Nadu have not yet peaked. The state is predicted to peak in the first week of June with more than 43,000 cases after which it will begin to decline.
Grim situation in the state
The health infrastructure in the state has begun to crumble when the state is yet to peak.
We reported earlier on how 13 people had lost their lives on Tuesday night at the Chengalpattu Government Medical College Hospital in Tamil Nadu, allegedly due to the shortage of oxygen.
According to the reports, 13 patients, aged between 40 to 85, died in quick succession due to the shortage of oxygen at the Chengalpattu Government Medical College Hospital.
The sudden death of Covid-19 patients in the DMK-ruled Tamil Nadu has triggered panic among the people in the state.
Two players of the English football team Leicester City, Hamza Choudhury and Wesley Fofana, stoked controversy on Saturday as they expressed solidarity towards Palestine amidst the ongoing ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.
According to reports, the two Leicester City players made the demonstration after winning England’s FA Cup final against Chelsea on Saturday. Following the victory, English midfielder Choudhury and French defender Fofana walked on the field carrying a Palestinian flag to express their solidarity. Choudhury even draped the Palestinian flag over his shoulders as he collected his winner’s medal after beating Chelsea 1-0.
Hamza Choudhury and Wesley Fofana, showing up with the Palestine flag after winning the FA Cup with Leicester City. ❤
— The Football Arena (@thefootyarena) May 16, 2021
Incidentally, the solidarity demonstrations of the Leicester players happened right after their victory against Chelsea, which is owned by Israeli-Russian Businessman – Roman Abramovich. There are reports that Abramovich, a Jew, had funded Israeli settler camps inside Jerusalem, angering many Muslims worldwide.
It is being speculated that the two Muslim players decided to wave Palestine flags after their victory over Chelsea to target its owner and businessman Abramovich.
The ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict
The hostilities between the Jewish nation and its nemesis Hamas are at an all-time high, especially after the intense aerial exchanges that started on Tuesday evening and continued well past midnight. On Tuesday, Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas unleashed massive airstrikes against Israel, firing hundreds of rockets into the country.
The main reason behind the current conflict is the Sheikh Jarrah property dispute, a dispute which can lead to the evictions of around 300 Palestinians from the East Jerusalem neighborhood. The court ruling of eviction of illegal Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in east Jerusalem has stoked tensions and sparked fresh violence in the region.
Prior to the latest exchange of fire, Israeli police were attacked by Palestinians inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem on Sunday. The Israel police had come under severe attack by Palestinians, who pelted stones and unleashed heavy attacks on them inside the Al-Aqsa compound.
However, with the entry of the Islamic terror group Hamas, the clashes between the two sides have now taken an ugly turn. The terror group has resorted to unleashing a massive attack against Israel. The terror outfit Hamas has escalated its attack on Israeli civilians by launching hundreds of rockets. In response to the rocket attacks, the Israeli army has struck some 140 targets in the coastal enclave after Hamas openly joined Palestinian terrorists to intensify the clashes between the two sides.
On Friday, Israel Defence Forces pulled off a stunning tactical operation by using global media outlets to lure Hamas terrorists into a deadly trap inside Gaza, only to neutralise them by carrying out airstrikes later in the day.
A few days back, it was widely reported that Israel Defence Forces (IDF) had carried out surprise airstrikes on Hamas underground network of tunnels in the Gaza Strip, which is popularly known as the “Metro”, hours after threatening a ground invasion. In a typical Israeli deception, on Friday Israel Defence Forces had put out a statement to the media, saying, “IDF air and ground troops are currently attacking in the Gaza Strip”.
IDF Tweet informing about their ground attack on Gaza
The vaguely worded tweet created a massive panic in Gaza, leading the Hamas terrorists to run away from the battleground to hide in their defensive positions in an underground network of tunnels known as “Metro”.
While Hamas was girding itself for a ground invasion from the Israeli forces by sending its operatives inside the tunnel and planning a surprise attack on them, the anticipated ground offence never took place. Instead, Israel caught Hamas off-guard when it launched an aerial attack targetting these tunnels. Israel had deployed its 160 warplanes and bombarded these tunnels for over 40 minutes.
Israel used Western media to lure Hamas terrorists
According to the latest media reports, the Israel Defence Forces tactically used Western media outlets such as Associated Press, Washington Times and New York Times to lure Hamas troops into strategic tunnels that were later bombarded by the Israeli Air Force.
In what seems to be one of the greatest tactical manoeuvres, Israel put out its vague tweet of carrying out ground attacks on Gaza hoping that the Hamas-sympathetic western media outlets would pick up this information. As expected, most of the news outlets jumped all over it, assuming that Israel was sending ground forces into the enclave in a major escalation. In fact, to convince these western media outlets, the Israeli Defence Forces called up thousands of reserve forces to position them along the border.
Expectedly, the news of the ground offensive was quickly lapped up by the western media outlets, who foreboded that the conflict is all set to devolve into a major escalation. Media across the globe started reporting that Israeli forces are preparing to invade the Gaza Strip. In reality, it was just a decoy pulled by the IDF to lure Hamas into a trap. Although the IDF had deployed forces along the border, they did not cross into Gaza. It was a cunning strategy used by the IDF to box Hamas into a corner.
Here is the Washington Post report on the decoy ground attacks by IDF:
Image Source: Washington Post
“Israeli troops have entered the Gaza Strip as conflict with Palestinians escalates, Israeli military says,” the Washington Post said in a tweet shortly after the IDF posted its tweet.
Even New York Times fell for the trap set by Israel Defence Forces.
NYT report on the so-called ground attack by IDF on Gaza
Similarly, Wall Street Journal declared “Israel Begins Ground Operations Against Hamas in Gaza” in its headline.
Even though the Israeli forces didn’t cross the border, the international media was misled to report that a ground invasion has already begun in Gaza. Although later Israel clarified that the ground forces didn’t enter Gaza, it was too late, as mote media houses had already reported that Israel has attacked Gaza with ground forces crossing the border.
Trusting the reports put out by these Western media, the terrorist groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad retreated to defensive positions. As Israel had expected this to happen, they wasted no time. Soon, the Israeli Airforce carried out precision strikes on these tunnels to eliminate most of the Hamas terrorists.
Israel denies misleading media
However, the Israeli military has denied deliberately misleading the media, saying it was a ‘misunderstanding’. On Saturday, Israel Defence Forces Spokesperson Hidai Zilberman denied intentionally misleading the media, and said that it was a an honest mistake made by the military. “I have personally conducted a comprehensive investigation into this matter and concluded that the officer involved, Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, made an honest mistake in his conveying of the reality on the ground,” he said.
“Despite conspirational reports to the contrary in both international and Israeli press, this was not some elaborate attempt to manipulate the media in order to achieve a tactical victory. By definition and our guiding belief system, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit does not engage in psychological warfare and is tasked with conveying only the truth to the public, a mission we have devotedly undertaken for more than seven decades,” he added.
Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, who had talked about the ground invasion, later held a phone briefing with foreign journalists, and he apologized for misleading them and described the incident as a mistake that happened due to the “fog of war.”
Journalists don’t believe it was a mistake
Even though the Israeli military denied it, sources in the military have confirmed that it was a part of an elaborate plan to lure the Hamas militants into a trap inside their tunnels. First, the Military clearly said that Israeli ground forces are already inside Gaza, but later retracted that. Therefore, the possibility of being a misunderstanding is slim. And, while the military was denying, Israeli media was publishing stories about how the military fooled Hamas by releasing misleading information to the international media followed by Hamas.
Moreover, even though the military tried to play it down, the international journalists are not willing to believe that it was a mistake and not an elaborate ploy. WSJ’s Israel and Palestine correspondent Felicia Schwartz said that IDF had informed them about the ground attack, and they had published the report on that basis. She said that later IDF retracted the earlier statement saying that although ground forces were attacking Gaza, they had not crossed the border, and the report was being updated to reflect that.
Two hours ago @IDF told us on the record troops had entered Gaza. At 2a they retracted that initial statement and said ground forces are attacking Gaza (but not from inside). Story will be updated https://t.co/2VEfwNg6G8
Felicia Schwartz also said that IDF’s international spokesperson Jonathan Conricus had directly told her that “there are ground troops in Gaza”, and that was the basis of her report. The WSJ report was updated later accordingly.
An American journalist based in Israel said that the incident “will not help” Israel’s relationship with international media. The journalist said that it it looks awfully transparent that it was a deliberate ploy, adding, “the idea that they misled people only in English, that Conricus personally said it was so, without any caveats or promises to check, and the timing right before a big attack on the tunnels.”
Or Heller, a veteran military correspondent on Israel’s Channel 13 TV, said, “it was a manipulation. It was smart and it was successful.”
Hamas was waiting for ground attack, deployed offensive ground forces
Hamas had meticulously built an underground network of tunnels called the “Metro” over the years after the 2014 war in the Gaza Strip. The network is a labyrinth of dozens of kilometres of tunnels that crisscrosses Gaza and provides safety from Israeli aerial incursions.
The terror organisation had sent its anti-tank missile teams and mortar squads into the tunnel to strike at incoming Israeli ground forces. However, little did they know that they were tricked into entering the tunnel by the Israelis, who scrambled a fleet of 160 aircraft to bomb them. Once the terrorists of Hamas were inside the tunnels, they were targeted by Israeli aircraft.
The air strike lasted nearly 40 minutes, around 450 missiles were dropped from 160 planes on 150 targets in northern Gaza, particularly around the city of Beit Lahiya. Within minutes, the “Metro” was ravaged killing a large number of Hamas terrorists.
Meanwhile, the western media are now lamenting against Israel’s impressive tactical operations, claiming that Israel Defence Forces manipulated them to carry out counter-terror attacks against Hamas. The media outlets accused Israel military of misleading them by lying to them when asked to clarify about their so-called ground attacks. Some felt that the foreign media was turned into an accessory of sorts by Israel security forces.
25 people were allegedly arrested by Delhi Police for putting up posters critical of India’s vaccine policy. The posters carried the message, “Modi ji hamare bachon ki vaccine videsh kyon bhej diya (Why did you send our children’s vaccines abroad?)”
According to report, most of those arrested have been released on bail. One individual, Rahul Tyagi, said that he was given 20 banners by AAP councillor Dhirender Kumar’s office on May 11 and was asked to put them at Kalyanpuri. He was promised Rs. 600.
Tyagi said that his parents are disappointed with him. “My parents are disappointed and won’t let me work anymore. I only do this for sustenance,” he said. According to him, Dilip Tiwari and Shivam Dubey were given posters while he and Rajeev Kumar were given banners.
“I did not get the money promised. Police took the posters, and my bike is still at the police station. Police said we cannot put up posters and banners during the lockdown,” Tyagi told the Indian Express. According to his neighbours, he is the “boy who does banner and poster work”.
His aunt Neelam Tyagi said, “His father is an auto-rickshaw driver and has hardly been making any money since the lockdown. They have to pay rent and Rahul would give his earnings to his family.”
Kumar reportedly denied the allegations. AAP, on the other hand, tweeted the same line as the posters on Saturday night. Delhi Police said that one AAP leader, Arvind Gautam, is absconding.
Police while patrolling to enforce Lockdown announced by DDMA, created by GNCTD, noticed walls in several areas being defaced by pasting posters. Accused persons on questioning told an AAP member & President of Ward 47, Arvind Gautam was behind it in Mangolpuri. He is absconding. pic.twitter.com/ACmTHQryZc
— #DilKiPolice Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) May 16, 2021
The Hindu reported that 4 FIRs have been registered at the North West District of Delhi; North East, East, West and Outer districts registered three FIRs each, South, Rohini an Central districts registered two each, and one each was registered in North, South West, Dwarka, Shahdara, East and South East districts, respectively.
The FIRs were registered under sections of the Press and Registration of Books Act, Section 269 of the IPC (whoever unlawfully or negligently does any act which is, and which he knows or has reason to believe to be, likely to spread the infection of any disease dangerous to life) and Section 34 of the IPC (common intention), The Hindu reported.
Jewish people living in Canada are facing violent attacks by Pro-Palestine mobs. As per reports, on May 15 (local time) Pro-Palestine mob attacked a man who was trying to save another Jewish man. He was beaten up with sticks. While attacking, the Pro-Palestine mob threw glasses and pelted stones on the Jewish people while chanting Allahu Akbar.
Pro Palestine protestors beat an elderly Jewish man in Canada. They also sexually assaulted a Jewish girl (whom I just spoke with). This is not normal. pic.twitter.com/aSSdW9NAHN
At several places, Canadian Police were seen trying to send the mob away and save Jewish people from the attack.
Jewish girl molested while trying to save the man
Twitter user EliKohn3 said they talked with one of the Jewish girls who were attacked, the old man in the video was taken to hospital for treatment. The girl told EliKohn3 that she was molested while trying to save the man. “They threw rocks, water bottles, and glass bottles at us. The Police were escorting us to the parking lot where our car was. At the parking lot, I saw an elderly Jewish guy getting jumped. They pulled his hair, and as he turned around, they jumped. They beat him with sticks. Then I yelled at them, and one of them kicked me while another grabbed my breasts and made kissy noises. Then he ran off.”
They beat him with sticks. Then I yelled at them and one of them kicked me while another grabbed my breasts and made kissy noises. Then he ran off”
In comments to the video posted posted by Toronto Jewish Advocacy, one Instagram user informed that the man was rushed to the hospital for treatment and he was doing fine. Similar attacks have happened in the last few hours (local time) in Canada during protest marches by Pro-Palestine mob and Pro-Israel people living in the country.
Star of David wearing Man was attacked in New York
On May 12, there were reports that a Jewish man who was wearing the Star of David was attacked by a Pro-Palestine mob who were raged over the pendent. The man was seen bleeding profusely while Police were trying to escort him to safety. The mob running after the bloodied man was shouting “F**K You,” “Run p**sy,” “f**king p**sy run” while throwing glasses and stones at him.
The video of the incident was shared by journalist Andy Ngo. The attack took place at around 7 PM. Reports suggest that there was a verbal dispute after which a man from the Pro-Palestine mob attacked the man with a metal chair that led to a severe injury.
Israel under attack
The tension between Israel and Palestine has escalated after Hamas launched aerial attack at the Jewish nation. On Tuesday, Palestinian terrorist organisation Hamas unleashed massive airstrikes against Israel, firing hundreds of rockets inside the country. The country’s air defence system, popularly known as Iron Dome, intercepted the continuous barrage of rockets targeting Tel Aviv and central Israel.
Israel, in response, stepped up its attacks on the Palestinian terror group Hamas inside Gaza Strip. The Israel Defence Forces carried out airstrikes on targets in Gaza in response to continued attacks by Hamas against Israel. During the retaliatory strikes on Tuesday, an Israeli airstrike struck a high-rise office and residential building controlled by Hamas.
On Wednesday, Israel attacked and destroyed the underground network of the tunnel, dubbed as the “Metro” that was used by Hamas for deploying terrorists and smuggling weapons. On Thursday, they blew up the building housing media houses’ offices. IDF said that those buildings were being used by Hamas to launch attack on Israel.
