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Journalist Seema Chishti mocks Hinduism while pretending to be being critical of the RSS

Nirwa Mehta
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Journalist Seema Chishti mocks Hinduism while pretending to be being critical of the RSS

It is said that a person who suffers from jaundice sees yellow. It is an idiom, lest Seema Chishti, a journalist and wife of CPIM leader Sitaram Yechury accuse me of wishing jaundice upon her. You see, anything can happen in today’s day and age.

Seema Chishti’s tweet

Sharing a screenshot of Jansatta headline which attributed a quote to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Chishti wondered if ‘Mukt’ in Congress-Mukt-Bharat actually stood for ‘death’.

Chishti not only distorted Bhagwat’s quote, she also used the RSS as a shield to mock Hinduism.

‘Mukt’ or ‘Mukti’ is used in Hinduism to define liberation from the mortal world, which is why the cremation grounds are often known as ‘muktidhaam’, a place where one leaves the mortal world. Mukti is liberation from the cycle of birth and death and other than Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism also believes in same philosophy.

When the BJP and its supporters used the term ‘Congress-mukt Bharat’, the ‘mukt’ in it stood for ‘free’ and not death as Chishti would want everyone to believe.

What did RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat actually say?

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, while interacting about staying positive amid the coronavirus pandemic, said that times are tough and a lot of people have lost their loved ones. “They should not have had to leave this soon. But we cannot do anything about it. Now we are currently in this situation. And those who have left us, have been liberated in a way,” he said.

In Hinduism, not just COVID but any death is referred to as ‘mukti’, as a liberation to the soul. Unlike in Islam which believes in Day of Judgement when Allah decides, based on your deeds, on how their afterlife will be.

Working ventilators sent by Modi govt were dumped as ‘faulty’ by state govts, report reveals. Details

OpIndia Staff
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Working ventilators sent by Modi govt were dumped as ‘faulty’ by state govts, report reveals. Details

Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), which which was tasked with manufacturing approximately 30,000 ventilator machines since last year, said that some ventilators in states like Punjab were dismissed as ‘faulty’ were not maintained properly. As per a report published by Times of India, Punjab hospitals had failed to cover the regular repair and maintenance work owing to which the ventilators appeared ‘faulty’.

M.V. Gowtham, CMD, BEL, told ToI, “There are flow sensors connected with the patient’s ICU and then there are oxygen sensors. When our team went to Faridkot, we saw consumables were not replaced. It is mandatory to change the flow sensor each time a new patient comes to ICU. Second, some ventilators were not calibrated along the latitude-longitude of Faridkot during installation. Whenever a ventilator changes location, oxygen pressure must be changed according to that location. Third, oxygen sensors have a shelf life. If you use it with a dozen patients with 100% oxygen, it will deteriorate, it won’t work. Oxygen sensors must be changed, which did not happen in Faridkot.”

The Central Government in a letter has highlighted how some states have been mismanaging the ventilators allocated to them. The development comes days after Punjab and Maharashtra accused the Centre of providing them with faulty ventilators. The Central Government has directed the states to ensure smooth working of these devices and to routinely have maintenance work carried out.

The Central Government has said that “in a number of hospitals the sites are not ready for ventilator installation. This includes lack of availability of piped oxygen supply system or lack of optimum oxygen pressure in the pipe system or even proper electrical fittings.”

Image Credit: Rohan Dua/ToI

The Union Government said that while the manufactures will supply the ventilators and demonstrate their proper usage, hospitals also need to take some measures that include “training of the user staff of hospitals, provide them with manuals and audio-visual/online training for guarding against any information gaps in the use of ventilators” and “ensure robust and prompt follow-up of complaints received from hospitals/States in the whatsapp groups, email, telephonic calls and through toll-free numbers already communicated to the States/UTs.”

Consequently, States and Union Territories have also been instructed to adopt certain measures that include ensuring the “availability of ventilator connectors and proper electrical fittings in the hospitals where deliveries of ventilators will take place” and “minimum required oxygen pressure in the pipeline needed for the optimum functioning of ventilators.”

States and Union Territories have also been directed to “ensure timely replacement and use of fresh consumables in line with the guidance provided by the manufacturers.”

Another letter sent on the 9th of May by joint secretary Dr Mandeep K Bhandari, ministry of health and family welfare said, “The lack of installation might be on various accounts, such as lack of trained and skilled manpower for using them, improper handling of devices…Ensure manpower given to utilise ventilators is sensitised, and undertake required training.”

It was reported earlier that 250 ventilators were left unused during the second wave of the Coronavirus pandemic in Punjab. A Congress leader from Maharashtra had accused the Central Government of a ‘ventilator scam’, following which the MoFHW was forced to issue a clarification debunking his claims.

Did Congress leader and boxer Vijender Singh tweet derogatory, sexist comment on women? Fact Check

OpIndia Staff
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Did Congress leader and boxer Vijender Singh tweet derogatory, sexist comment on women? Fact Check

Congress leader and boxer Vijender Singh created quite the stir on Sunday with a comment on Twitter. When a fan jocularly asked for his help in getting married, he replied accordingly which has attracted a lot of criticism on social media.

Source: Twitter

Vijender Singh initially made a comment on the Covid-19 pandemic situation across the country, blaming the central government for the current crisis. To that, a fan commented, “Viju brother, help me get married.”

Singh’s response has been interpreted by many as him saying that now is the ‘era of prostitutes’. The comment has sparked an outrage on social media, with people calling him out for his apparent abusive language.

Fact Check

While the word used by the Congress leader might read like the derogatory word for prostitutes, in chaste Haryannvi, it actually means ‘bachelor’. Thus, Singh’s response to the request to arrange the fan’s marriage was not ‘this is the era of prostitutes’ but ‘this is the era of bachelorhood’.

The same was pointed out by people familiar with the Haryannvi language on Twitter.

The confusion appears to have been caused by the medium of communication where it is very easy to misinterpret someone when one tweets in a local language. On this instance at least, Vijender Singh did not use derogatory language for women.

Punjab Vigilance uncovers 5 ‘shady deals’ by Navjot Singh Sidhu, says he favoured some private firms during his tenure as a minister

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab Vigilance uncovers 5 ‘shady deals’ by Navjot Singh Sidhu, says he favoured some private firms during his tenure as a minister

As the verbal crossfire between Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh and former cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu continues, the Punjab vigilance bureau has detected ‘shady deals’ in connection to Sidhu. As per reports, sources state that the vigilance team and the anti-corruption bureau has fast-tracked its probe against Sidhu, his wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu, OSD Bunny Sandhu, PA Gaurav, and clerk Rajiv Kumar.

As the focus of the vigilance bureau was on some controversial decisions taken by Sidhu during his tenure as a minister, the investigation claims to have found links to five shady deals with certain corporate firms favoured by him. The former cricketer was Local Government, Tourism & Cultural Affairs minister from March 2017 to July 2019 in the Amarinder Singh government.

The links are not new however, the probe has been given a push with more instances being identified where financial favors were allegedly given by the Sidhus to their near and dear ones, as per officials.

Reacting to the timing of the probe, Sidhu tagging Punjab CM in his Tweet said, “Most welcome. Pls do your best.”

Details of some cases being probes

On Saturday, Amritsar SSP (VB) Parampal Singh submitted a detailed report to his seniors on some “murky deals” which involves allotment of a booth for peanuts to Navjit Kaur (wife of Navjot Kaur’s PA Gaurav Vasudeva), discrepancies in allotment of advertisement tenders to a company owned by Vasudeva and flooring tender given again to yet another firm owned by Vasudeva.

As per a Hindustan Times report, the probe has established that Navjot Kaur paid ₹1 crore to a Zirakpur-based realtor Gagandeep Singh (Prince). Two payments were made to Prince by her through cheques one in Gagandeep’s name and another in his company’s.

“Prince has told the VB that Navjot Kaur wanted to buy a house and payments were made in advance. However, no such written document about the purchase or any booking was found during the probe. It appears that the sum was collected to float a company,” informed a VB official.

Probe in another case reveals Bunny Sandhu was allegedly instrumental in getting Change of Land Use files cleared after striking deals with the contractors and builders.

Sidhu attacks Punjab CM

On the other hand, Sidhu went after the Punjab CM with guns blazing and asked Captain Amarinder Singh to stop attacking him using proxies. The two have been at loggerheads Captain denied Sidhu’s wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu a ticket for the Lok Sabha elections.

The duo later patched up over an informal lunch, but the friendship didn’t last long with Sidhu once again attacking the CM again after the Punjab & Haryana HC quashed the SIT probe into the 2015 firing cases on April 9. Sidhu has launched a fresh attack on the Badals as well over the sacrilege case.

Breaking his silence on Sidhu’s attacks, Singh on April 27 has challenged him to contest from Patiala in the 2022 polls. Sure of his win, Singh has predicted that Sidhu will lose his deposit.

J&K police detains 21 for pro-Palestine demonstrations, warns of action against those who disturb peace

OpIndia Staff
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J&K police detains 21 for pro-Palestine demonstrations, warns of action against those who disturb peace

Amidst the rising tensions between Israel and Palestine, several Muslims across nations have hit the roads to register their protest against Israel. The Jammu & Kashmir police on Saturday detained a Kashmiri ‘artist’ for a “We Are Palestine” graffiti and 20 others across Kashmir for Anti-Isreal demonstrations amidst lockdown.

A neighborhood in Srinagar, allegedly requested the 32-year-old artist Mudasir Gul to create a graffiti showing a woman donning Palestine’s flag as a headscarf with “We Are Palestine” written. The protestors then stood near the graffiti holding Palestine flags and raising anti-Israel slogans.

“We Are Palestine” poster in Kashmir

Similar scenes were witnessed across several locations in the valley where the demonstrators breaking the Covid-19 protocols took to the streets in support of Palestine.

Besides the arrest of the protestors, the police also took a south Kashmir-based religious preacher, Sarjan Barkati, into preventive custody Friday.

A senior police officer from the valley on the condition of anonymity said, “One FIR was lodged earlier this week on the basis of which police made the arrests on Friday and Saturday. Mr Barkati meanwhile has been taken into preventive custody after a video of him had appeared on social media. He was heard offering support to one of the two parties at conflict (Palestine). There is nothing wrong as such but there are elements who want to use the current crisis to stoke violence.”

IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar also warned the citizens against the irresponsible use of social media and said, “Police is sensitive to public anguish.Expressing opinion is freedom but engineering, inciting violence on streets is unlawful.”

Warning by J&K Police

The Kashmir Zone police took to Twitter on Saturday to release a warning against using the ongoing tension between Israel and Palestine for creating unrest in the valley. The Tweet read, “J&K Police is keeping a very close watch on elements who are attempting to leverage the unfortunate situation in Palestine to disturb public peace and order in the Kashmir valley.”

Assuring that legal action will be taken against the ones who try to incite violence, “It, however, wouldn’t allow cynical encashment of the public anger to trigger violence, lawlessness and disorder on Kashmir streets,” the statement added.

The police also warned against breaking the Covid-19 protocols.

Mehbooba Mufti extends support to Palestine

Meanwhile, JKPDP President Mehbooba Mufti expressed her displeasure over the global community’s ‘silence’ on Israel’s attack on Palestine. 

“Deafening silence of world community on deadly strikes by Israel against Palestine killing innocent civilians is shocking. Even symbolic condemnations come with a rider justifying the violence in the name of  Israel’s right to self defence. What about Palestine’s right to life?” she said on Twitter on what seemed like a sly on US President Joe Biden.

France bans pro-Palestine protests

In a significant decision, the French government has issued orders to ban pro-Palestinian protests in Paris this weekend. 

Amidst these clashes, pro-Palestinian protestors in France had organised solidarity demonstrations on Saturday in the French capital to protest against Israel’s counter-terror operations on the Gaza Strip. However, anticipating threat and violence, the French administration has now banned pro-Palestinian protests in Paris.

We will strike inside Gaza as long as it is necessary, Hamas attacking innocent civilians: Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu

OpIndia Staff
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We will strike inside Gaza as long as it is necessary, Hamas attacking innocent civilians: Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday vowed to continue operations inside Gaza as long as it is necessary and said that Israel has no plans on relenting in its attacks against Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza.

Addressing the press conference on Saturday, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “They attacked our capital, they fired rockets at our cities. They’re paying and will continue to pay dearly for that”. Blaming Palestinian terror outfit Hamas for the crisis in the region, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would carry out strikes inside Gaza as long as it is necessary. The Israeli PM said they would avoid targetting civilian casualties.

“The party that bears the guilt for this confrontation is not us, it’s those attacking us. We are still in the midst of this operation, it is still not over and this operation will continue as long as necessary,” Netanyahu said in a televised speech.

PM Netanyahu said that Israel Defence Force, unlike Hamas that is deliberately targeting civilians in Israel, is doing everything to avoid harming civilians, and are directly striking terrorists instead.

US President Biden speaks to Israel PM

With the Israel-Palestine conflict escalating, US President Joe Biden on Saturday spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the ongoing crisis in the region. Biden’s call to Israel PM comes after Israeli Defense Force (IDF) carried out counter-terror operations in Gaza and brought down high-rise buildings in Gaza that housed several media outlets, including The Associated Press and the Al Jazeera office. 

A statement released by the White House read, “The President reaffirmed his strong support for Israel’s right to defend itself against rocket attacks from Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza. He condemned these indiscriminate attacks against towns and cities across Israel. The President noted that this current period of conflict has tragically claimed the lives of Israeli and Palestinian civilians, including children. He raised concerns about the safety and security of journalists and reinforced the need to ensure their protection.”

Meanwhile, PM Netanyahu apprised Biden about the counter-terror operations and said that Israel had demolished the buildings only after evacuating the uninvolved from the towers. PM Netanyahu said he was doing everything to avoid harming the uninvolved. 

Earlier on May 12, Joe Biden had said that Israel has the right to defend itself when thousands of rockets are fired at its territory. He answered one of the reporters who asked him about his views on the ongoing escalation in Israel. 

IDF demolishes Al Jazeera office tower

On Saturday, in a swift operation, the IDF demolished a building that housed international media offices, including Al Jazeera’s in the Gaza Strip. The IDF has said that the building was being used by the Islamic terror group Hamas, making it a valid military target.

Reportedly, the owner of Al Jalaa tower, Jawad Mehendi, had received a call from the Israeli Defence Force warning him of an airstrike at the tower. The owner was asked to evacuate his 11-story building and was given 60 minutes to do so. 

The hostilities between the Jewish nation and its nemesis Hamas are at an all-time high, especially after the intense aerial exchanges that started last week. 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 neighbourhood. 

However, Islamic terror group Hamas has escalated the clashes by unleashing a massive attack against Israel. The terror outfit Hamas has attacked Israeli civilians by launching hundreds of rockets. In response to the rocket attacks, the Israeli army has struck terror outfit Hamas and its leadership deep inside Gaza by carrying our precision strikes.

In 15 days, UP’s active coronavirus cases down by over 1.3 lakh, active ratio comes down to 11%

Anurag
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In 15 days, UP’s active coronavirus cases down by over 1.3 lakh, active ratio comes down to 11%

During the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, Uttar Pradesh became one of the top affected states, with the state recording over 30,000 cases per day for several days. The state administration under Chief Minister Yogi Adtiyanath has managed to control the rise in Chinese coronavirus cases substantially. On May 1, the state’s active ratio was down to 11%, that is, for every 100 positive cases, 11 persons were currently infected. The active ratio in UP on 30th April, when it registered highest active cases of 3,10,783 was nearly 25%.

Graph courtesy: covid19india.org

As can be seen, the graph of active cases in the state has been consistently coming down since 1st May. On 30th April, 2021, Uttar Pradesh had 3,10,783 cases, highest active cases registered so far. Since, then, in 15 days, the active cases have come down by 1,33,140 to 1,77,643.

Effective steps by administration to curb Covid in UP

In the last few weeks, the Uttar Pradesh administration took several steps to curb the rise of Covid-19 infection in the state. The state announced that the patients in home isolation would also get oxygen support if needed. The decision was aimed to reduce the pressure on the hospitals for moderate cases that can be managed at home with oxygen support. Several oxygen plants are being set up in the state which will not only help the hospitals to get oxygen in time but will also prepare the state for any future calamity. The corporate sector has also come forward to provide as much support to the government as possible. The sugar mills are also producing medical oxygen to match the requirement in the state.

As there was a rise in cases in rural areas, the state government took immediate corrective steps to curb the spread. The main emphasis is on preventive measures and vaccination drives. The village Nigrani Samiti in all the Gram Panchayats has been formulated which focuses on promoting cleanliness. Safai Karmacharis have been hired in every village for regular cleaning, fogging, mopping. In fact, the global health body WHO has also lauded the Yogi Government’s initiative of house-to-house active case finding of Covid-19 in rural areas to contain Covid-19 by testing people with symptoms, disease management, and contact tracing.

Karnataka: Man arrested for making derogatory comments against Hindu deities

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka: Man arrested for making derogatory comments against Hindu deities

The Mangaluru police on Saturday arrested a man for making a derogatory comments on Hindu deities on social media.

According to the reports, Ullal police arrested 25-year-old Swaliz Iqbal for abusing Hindu deities. Iqbal had uploaded the abusive video on social media. The arrested accused, Swaliz Iqbal, is a resident of the Smart City residential complex in Thokottu.

The police acted on the culprit after several Hindus registered a complaint against Iqbal over his derogatory video. Hindu organisation had approached the police after the video and audio clips went viral on the interent.

Iqbal ran a furniture shop and other business in the city. The complaint was registered in Ullal police station.

Watch: Israeli father protects his newborn as Palestinian terrorists fire rockets at them

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: Israeli father protects his newborn as Palestinian terrorists fire rockets at them

As Palestinian terrorists continue to wreak havoc by carrying terror attacks inside Israel, the innocent Israeli citizens have become victims of the ongoing clashes. The Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas has unleashed indiscriminate rocket attacks on civilians living in Israeli cities, resulting in massive casualties.

A video of a similar attack on innocent Israeli civilians has now gone viral on the internet. In the video that has gone viral, it was seen how a helpless father was protecting his newborn child as Palestinian terrorists continue to launch a barrage of rockets against them.

According to IDF (Israel Defence Forces), the Israeli father was traveling in a car with his family, including his newborn child. As Palestinian terror groups launched rockets, the helpless father had to run to the nearest safe place. The father was seen hiding inside a road divider in the middle of a highway to protect his child from Palestinian rockets.

Sharing the poignant video, the IDF said they will continue to fight against Hamas to protect Israeli civilians.

Palestinian terror attacks against Israel

The clashes between the Jewish nation Israel and Palestine are at an all-time high as Islamic terror groups continue to carry out terror attacks against Israel by launching rockets. Since last week, Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas has unleashed massive airstrikes against Israel, firing hundreds of rockets inside 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.

In response to Hamas’s terror attacks, Israel has carried out its defensive counter-terror operations to eliminate terror threats emanating from Gaza. The Israeli army has struck more Hamas targets in the coastal enclave after Hamas started targeting civilians inside Israel. On Saturday, in a swift operation, the IDF also demolished a building that housed international media offices, including Al Jazeera’s in the Gaza Strip. The IDF has said that the building was being used by the Islamic terror group Hamas, making it a valid military target.

‘If we change our religion, will we live?’ – Tearful WB Governor reveals the ordeal of people during Nandigram visit

OpIndia Staff
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‘If we change our religion, will we live?’ – Tearful WB Governor reveals the ordeal of people during Nandigram visit

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar is currently visiting post-poll violence-affected areas. He visited Nandigram on May 15, where he got emotional while telling the media personnel about the ordeal of people allegedly facing violence as they voted for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Taking to Twitter he said that the people’s lives have been devastated unimaginably and are being made to suffer only because they ‘dared to vote’.

“Enough is enough”, he said and said that the West Bengal Chief Minister must act and officials with the West Bengal police should be held accountable for dereliction of duty.

Earlier on Saturday, he shared his anguish over the pleas of people in Nandigram who are facing a fearful situation that people in Nandigram are pleading to Banerjee that they are ready to change religion to live.

After the visit to post-poll violence-affected areas in Nandigram, the Governor vowed that the constitution would be preserved, protected, and defended. He said he had never imagined the situation where people would ask him if they would ‘change their religion to live.’

He further added that the people of West Bengal should not lose confidence in democracy and law.

‘Bring an end to the suffering of the people’ – Governor asked CM

He urged Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to take corrective steps to stop the violent situation in the State. He said, “The post-poll violence must stop. You have not taken any steps yet. You have ignored the pleading of the people. You have kept your eyes closed over the violence. It is not democracy if the people have to ask if they change the religion, would they be allowed to live. It is not democracy. It is not the rule of law.”

Post poll violence in West Bengal

Since the Assembly elections were declared in the State, there were several reports of violence against BJP workers and voters. BJP has alleged that several of their party workers had to face torture at the hands of TMC workers. On the other hand, CM Banerjee claimed the violence had been reported only in the seats where BJP had won.

Union Home Ministry had sent a three-member team to evaluate the situation in the State. Governor Dhankhar also sought reports from Police departments in the State and expressed his anger over poos State of law and order. A detailed report is yet to be submitted by the Chief of Police. Governor Dhankhar has visited several post-poll violence-affected areas to console those who had faced atrocities for voting BJP.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lost Nandigram to BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari in the recently concluded polls.

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