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Virologist Shahid Jameel, who had predicted India will not suffer 2nd wave, quits as head of Govt panel: Here’s his other controversial comments

Jinit Jain
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Virologist Shahid Jameel, who had predicted India will not suffer 2nd wave, quits as head of Govt panel: Here’s his other controversial comments

Senior virologist Shahid Jameel tendered his resignation from the post of the chairman of the scientific advisory group of Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genome Sequencing Consortia (INSACOG) after it failed in predicting the gravity of the COVID-19 outbreak in India.

The forum, scientific advisory group of INSACOG, was set up by the central government last year for laboratory and epidemiological surveillance of circulating strains of COVID-19 in the country. Under the group, 10 national laboratories had been brought together under the aegis of the National Centre for Disease Control to study the prevalent strains of the COVID-19 in India.

The move comes as India is grappling with a devastating coronavirus surge, driven by a newer variant of the virus that has left hospital packed to capacity and sick people struggling to get care. Jameel and the group headed by him remained lackadaisical in testing and detecting the active coronavirus strains active even as they surreptitiously spread across the country, causing the latest coronavirus outbreak.

Experts claim India’s coronavirus crisis is powered by a mix of B.1.617 strain and the B.1.1.7 strain, which is popularly known as the UK strain. As a genome mapping group, the INSACOG was responsible for keeping a tab on the strains circulating in the country. However, with the coronavirus cases swelling across the country, the group which was headed by Jameel, had clearly failed in its endeavour of predicting the seriousness of the outbreak.

Jameel blames Centre for his failure to predict the severity of the coronavirus outbreak

Recently, Jameel tried to deflect the blame of his failure to identify the severity of the coronavirus outbreak on the central government. After bungling up the job given to him by the Centre, he penned a scathing piece in the New York Times, in which he had said that the scientists in India are facing a “stubborn response to evidence-based policymaking”.

“Decision-making based on data is yet another casualty, as the pandemic in India has spun out of control,” he wrote.

Source: New York Times

In his piece, Jameel, who is currently the Director of the Trivedi School of Biosciences at Ashoka University, made suggestions that he should have preferably proposed to the central government as the head of the scientific advisory group of INSACOG. He stressed the need to increase testing and isolation, ramping up hospital beds by creating more temporary facilities, roping in retired doctors and nurses, and strengthening the supply chain for critical medicines and oxygen.

The virologist also emphasised the need to increase the pace of vaccinations. He said India must scale up its vaccination drive, aiming to inoculate 7.5 million to 10 million doses every day. For achieving this feat, he had suggested the centre to augment vaccine supplies and doubling delivery points. Jameel also proposed roping in private sector for enhancing the reach of vaccination.

While all these recommendations should have ideally been made directly to the Centre and not through an opinion column published in a foreign media outlet, it is worth noting that Jameel had earlier downplayed the coronavirus threat facing the country and declared the COVID-19 outbreak over.

Jameel had earlier rejected the possibility of the second wave of the coronavirus outbreak

In an interview in January 2021, while speaking about the coronavirus situation in the country, Jameel had said that he broadly agrees that the worst may be over for the country. “The worst may be over but we are certainly not out of the woods. My advice would be for people to continue to maintain precautions,” Jameel had said in the interview.

When asked if India would have a second wave of the coronavirus outbreak, Jameel responded in negative, saying that he does not think that the country will face a second wave of the coronavirus outbreak. “India’s first wave was quite broad. The peak was not very sharp. As a result, I think India may not have, what we traditionally call, a second wave,” Jameel said. He hypothesized that about 300-400 million people might have already been infected in India, and therefore the country would be spared by the scourge of the second wave of the coronavirus.

Source: Health Analytics Asia

Just a month later, his hypothesis would go down the drain as the number of coronavirus cases in the country registered a steady and sharp uptick, signifying that the second wave was in the offing.

Not only this, the virologist had also raised questions on the emergency approval granted to Serum Institute’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin. He had cast aspersions on the trial data of the two vaccines, essentially fueling apprehensions and vaccine hesitancy among people. Regarding Covishield, Jameel said the vaccine threw up conflicting efficacy data from the trail that were conducted in Brazil and the UK. With respect to Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, the virologist said data was not available about its efficacy.

Source: Health Analytics Asia

At a time when the genome mapping group should have doubled down on its efforts to track the various strains active in the country and their potential virulence to spawn a second wave of the outbreak, the head of the advisory group, Shahid Jameel, was busy sending wrong messages of reassurance to the scientific community and the broader public, telling them that the worst was behind and that India would not witness another bout of the coronavirus outbreak.

The misleading utterances by Jameel that the COVID-19 outbreak in the country was on the wane, that India would not witness another wave of the pandemic, and that the efficacy of India’s approved vaccines was dubious, underscores his failure to gauge the looming threat posed by the resurgent wave of the coronavirus outbreak. They also served to engender a sense of complacency among the state governments and local administrations, leading them to let their guard down even as the coronavirus was preparing to rear its ugly head, yet again.

When Vinod Dua spewed venom against PM Modi even when he was hospitalised

OpIndia Staff
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When Vinod Dua spewed venom against PM Modi even when he was hospitalised

On May 16, MeToo accused journalist Vinod Dua’s daughter thanked Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri for arranging critical medicine for her mother. Amidst all this, a Vinod Dua started making rounds on social media platforms. He was seen spewing venom against Prime Minister Narendra Modi even when he was hospitalized.

While many believed that the video is recent when he’s currently hospitalised for COVID treatment, it is actually a video from March 2021 which he had published on his verified Facebook page.

What did Dua say?

Dua mocked PM Modi for saying that he also took part in protests in favour of Bangladesh and said, “When I heard PM Modi saying he had a role in the independence of Bangladesh, I said to myself, ‘Vinod Dua, leave Pradhan Sewak while you are in hospital. You can talk about him again when you get better.’ I am suffering from a low-grade fever for the last few days. That’s why I am not able to do the Vinod Dua show. Once I get better, I will come back and will do a show on incompetent Pradhan Sewak. Till then, wish me good luck.”

PM Modi did take part in the Bangladesh independence movement

There is ample proof that Prime Minister Narendra Modi took part in Satyagreh for Independence of Bangladesh in August 1971. Reports suggest that he was arrested while doing Satyagraha organized by the Jan Sangh in August 1971 under the leadership of Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee. However, the liberal section of the media could not digest the fact and had mocked PM Modi for “making such claims.”

Vinod Dua’s venomous history

This is not the first time veteran “journalist,” the prominent face of lutyens’ Delhi, had spewed venom against PM Modi, BJP, or followers of PM Modi. In September 2020, he called quarantine centres detention centres and justified attacks on doctors by a particular community. In June 2020, he urged the people of India to take inspiration from the US riots and replicate them in India. In April 2020, he compared police personnel to ‘Jallads.’ Even his daughter is no less. She had called for the death of PM Modi’s followers in an interview and even questioned the past of the woman who accused his father of molestation. 

How this Malaysian girl is getting rape threats and facing action by school administration for calling out teacher’s rape joke

OpIndia Staff
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How this Malaysian girl is getting rape threats and facing action by school administration for calling out teacher’s rape joke

A 17-year-old girl by the name of Ain Husniza has been facing harassment online and from the school administration after she took to social media last month to expose how a teacher made a rape joke in the classroom. The incident took place at the SMK Puncak Alam school in Selangor in Malaysia.

“So, I just came back from school. We were talking about how there were a lot of laws protecting minors from sexual abuse and sexual harassment. And then he (the teacher) said – So if you want to rape anyone, then, rape someone above 18. All the girls were quiet but the boys were laughing like it was so funny to rape someone,” the girl recounted in a viral TikTok video.

When a traumatised Ain Husniza raised the issue with another teacher, he chose to trivialise the issue. “Oh, you are a girl. You are emotional and sensitive,” she was told. Ain Husniza responded, “This thing is sensitive because it’s a rape joke. (This is) somebody’s trauma. How can I not be sensitive over it?” Her story went viral on social media and she received support from various quarters.

Inspired by Ain, others came forward to narrate their stories of harassment and inappropriate behaviour in schools. “My warden twisted my nipples,” wrote one. Another student wrote, “Few students had their penis pinched.” However, soon Ain became the epicentre of harassment. While some chose to trivialise the gravity of the incident, others suggested she ‘cover up her body.’

Schoolmate gives rape threats to Ain Husniza

The 17-year-old girl was shocked when she received a rape threat from one of her male schoolmates. The incident, which broke her down into tears, took place after she had narrated the ‘rape joke’ made by a teacher in class. While taking to Twitter, Ain Husniza wrote, “Boys like him are exactly the reason I continue my fight, teachers that continuously “infect” those kind of mindset into boys need to be purged from our education system.”

In an audio clip shared by the young girl, the accused schoolmate could be heard giving rape threats to her in Malay. “You imagine tirelessly spreading awareness for better education system and this is what you read in the morning. It broke my heart. I suggest if youre sensitive, do not listen. It is very scary,” she wrote.

When Ain and her father reported the incident to the police, the Deputy IGP defended the accused and claimed that the rape threat might be a ‘joke.’ After the matter became public, the accused and his family tendered an apology to her.

School principal calls her the ‘child of Devil’

The harassment meted out to Ain Husniza reached its peak when the principal of her school made disparaging comments on her father’s profile. She wrote, “Hypocrite… Satan’s child wearing a headscarf.” The comment was followed by another remark which went as, “teach your rude daughter.” The woman, identified as one Aimanaizad Sarimah Mohammednor, is the Principal of Ain’s school. Later, the woman denied posting the comment and claimed that her account was hacked.

While speaking about her ordeal to BBC, the schoolgirl said, “I am being let down by all these adults, all these educators that obviously should know better than me. They should obviously know better than us, 17-year-olds.” She hasn’t returned to school, saying that she did not feel safe there.

Meanwhile, the Education Ministry of Malaysia has informed that the accused teacher, who made the rape joke, has been transferred until the probe into the matter is completed. Ain Husniza had received 6 warning letters between April 16 and April 30, besides threats of explusion for being absent from school.

Bill Gates had stepped down as director of Microsoft while his affair with an employee was being probed: Report

OpIndia Staff
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Bill Gates had stepped down as director of Microsoft while his affair with an employee was being probed: Report

The Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, who recently announced that he is getting a divorce from his wife Melinda Gates after 27 years of marriage, was being probed for his ‘romantic’ relationship with an employee when he stepped down as the director of the tech company, reports have revealed.

In the year 2019, the board members of Microsoft Corp. decided to pursue an investigation into the billionaire’s prior relationship with a female Microsoft employee. However, the probe remained inconclusive as the tech mogul resigned from his post in March 2020, before the probe could be concluded.

In 2019, the company learnt that Gates was attempting to re-start his two-decade-old romantic relationship with one of his employees. According to a report by Dow Jones, the board members who deemed the matter inappropriate hired a law firm to conduct an investigation into it.

The matter had come to light after a Microsoft engineer alleged in a letter that she had a sexual relationship over years with Bill Gates, the people familiar with the case said.

During the probe, some board members opined that it was no longer viable for Gates to sit as a director at the software company he started and led for decades. Since the board deemed the matter inappropriate, it reviewed the matter and held a thorough investigation with the help of an external law firm, the software giant said. Before the probe could be concluded, Gates stepped down from his post as a director of the software company.

‘There was an affair 20 years ago’

“Microsoft received a concern in the latter half of 2019 that Bill Gates sought to initiate an intimate relationship with a company employee in the year 2000,” Microsoft said in a statement. “A committee of the Board reviewed the concern, aided by an outside law firm, to conduct a thorough investigation. Throughout the investigation, Microsoft provided extensive support to the employee who raised the concern”. 

Refuting the claims, a spokeswoman for Gates said: “There was an affair almost 20 years ago which ended amicably.” “His decision to transition off the board was in no way related to this matter. In fact, he had expressed an interest in spending more time on his philanthropy starting several years earlier,” the spokesperson confirmed.

Gates had in March 2020 announced that he was stepping down from the board to devote more time to serve humanity. Gates had stopped being involved in day-to-day operations at the firm more than a decade before he resigned from his position.

Gates co-founded the software company in 1975 and served as its CEO until 2000, the same year his foundation was started, and was chairman until February 2014.

Bill Gates was a womanizer and the media and Melinda knew about it: Biographer James Wallace

Recently, Gates’ biographer had accused Gates of being a ‘womanizer’ since his early years. In an interview with the Daily Mail, Wallace said that the billionaire was far more than just “a little computer nerd”. He claimed that Bill Gates held “wild” naked parties with strippers in his bachelor days.

He furthered that though Gates fixation was well known, it was not reported since the billionaire spoon fed stories to media houses like the New York Times, which did not want to miff the tech giant as it would stop the “flow of information”.

“His womanizing was well known, although not well reported” and his wife “was well aware of Gates’s womanizing,” and “consequently their relationship ran hot and cold,” Wallace said.

Unsubstantiated claims of Gates’ affair doing the rounds

Recently, after Bill Gates announced his divorce, reports started pouring in that the billionaire might have reverted to his old habits. Some reports claimed that Gates’ relationship with his ex-girlfriend, Silicon Valley venture capitalist Ann Winblad was one of the reasons behind his split with Melinda Gates.

It is to be noted that Gates and Winblad broke up in 1987 but despite that, the duo went on vacation together alone for a weekend every year throughout his marriage to Melinda.

Another unsubstantiated claim began doing the rounds that Gates was having an affair with a 36-year-old Chinese interpreter who works for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Zhe ‘Shelly’ Wang, however, refuted the claims that she was responsible for the divorce of the couple.

West Bengal: TMC leaders including minister Firhad Hakim receive bail after arrest by CBI in Narada case, CM Mamata dared CBI to arrest her

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: TMC leaders including minister Firhad Hakim receive bail after arrest by CBI in Narada case, CM Mamata dared CBI to arrest her

West Bengal Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim and three other TMC leaders against whom the West Bengal Governor had sanctioned prosecution in the Narada sting operation case have reportedly been picked up by the CBI. 

Reports suggest, arrest memos have been signed for all four Trinamool Congress leaders who will be presented before the magistrate later today by the CBI. 

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee too reached the CBI office.

As per reports, Banerjee has also dared the CBI to arrest her.

As per reports, at around 8 am, a team of CBI officers reached Hakim’s house in South Kolkata’s Chetla. After 20 minutes of questioning, he was taken to the CBI’s Nizam Palace office for further investigation. Hakim immediately claimed arrest, however, the CBI denied saying he has been picked up only for interrogation. 

The TMC leader alleged, “I was arrested by CBI in connection with the Narada sting operation case. I was arrested without any prior notice. I will challenge my arrest in court.”

Other TMC leaders Subrata Mukherjee and Madan Mitra, and former Kolkata mayor Sovan Chatterjee, too, were brought to the CBI office in connection with the Narada sting operation case. 

Heavy security comprising of central security agencies have been deployed in front of Hakim’s house, where TMC supporters have gathered shouting slogans against CBI and accusing the CBI of working under BJP’s command.

Arrest confirmed

The CBI has confirmed that Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukherjee, Madan Mitra and Sovan Chatterjee have been arrested.

The arrest was confirmed by Chief Information Officer RC Joshi.

Special CBI Court grants bail

A special CBI Court has granted bail to the four accused, as per media reports.

Narada Sting Operation

Just ahead of 2016 West Bengal state assembly elections, Narada news founder Mathew had conducted a sting operation for over two years. 

Narada news released the sting operation videos showing 13 TMC ministers and leaders accepting bribes in return of favours or misusing official positions before the elections creating ripples in the political landscape of West Bengal.

The operation put an additional dent on the reputation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, as she and her party were already under criticism for the Saradha chit fund scam.

As part of this operation, Samuel had floated a fictitious company to approach several TMC ministers, for favours in return for money.

Firhad Hakim, Mukul Roy (now with the BJP), Saugata Roy, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Sultan Ahmed, Subrata Mukherjee, Suvendu Adhikari (now with the BJP), Sovan Chatterjee (who joined the BJP and then quit), Aparupa Poddar, Madan Mitra, Iqbal Ahmed, Prasun Banerjee and HMS Mirza were the ones who were seen on the scam tape.

Fact Check: Was CM Yogi Adityanath stopped from entering a village by the residents?

OpIndia Staff
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Fact Check: Was CM Yogi Adityanath stopped from entering a village by the residents?

On May 16, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited several cities to take stock of the Covid-19 situation. He also went to meet family members of Covid patients to ensure they are getting treatment on time. He urged people to wear masks and take precautions to save themselves from the infection.

Some miscreants and leaders of opposition parties, including one Omveer Yadav, State President, Western UP Youth Congress, Actor Nagma, and a retired Government official Kanwal Chadha posted a video where CM Yogi was seen advising people to take precautions and going back to his car. They tried to show as if the area’s residents blocked the path and did not allow CM Yogi to enter. Omveer Yadav wrote, “An old man stopped CM Yogi Adityanath from stepping in a lane in his street. Even after CM Yogi requested him several times, he did not budge, and CM had to go back.”

Actor Nagma wrote, “This incident took place on Sunday in Bijauli village of Meerut district. An anti-BJP old man stopped CM Yogi Adityanath from entering his lane. Even when CM Yogi requested him several times, he did not move, and Yogi ji had to go back.” In this video, it was audible that CM Yogi was urging everyone to take precautions and wear a mask. That part was cut from the video posted by Yadav. The slogans that villagers raised in favour of CM Yogi were also audible.

Kanwal Chadha wrote, “An old man in village Bijaouli, Merrut placed his cot (khatia) at the entrance of the road and very firmly asked UP CM Aditynath “It’s enough, we don’t need you here.” He refused Aditynath to enter his village. Eventually, CM has to go back.”

Misleading tweets rebutted by Meerut Police

Meerut Police rebutted the misleading claims made on social media. They said, “The post you have made on social media is baseless and misleading. It comes under spreading fake news. Hon’ble CM met a family in containment zone at Bijauli village of Meerut district and accessed the situation.”

They further added that the family expressed their gratitude when he asked if they are getting medicine and treatment on time. The villagers also raised slogans in favour of CM. They said, “After that, he had a conversation with the village head and RRT at Primary Health Centre and visited Bijauli oxygen plant. The cot was placed as the area was a containment zone.” The Police warned them not to post any misleading posts on social media. Otherwise, they will take appropriate action as per law. One journalist Sanjeev Goyal deleted the video after warning by Meerut Police. However, the rest still had the video, and misleading posts on their Twitter accounts by the time this report was published.

Verdict: No, villagers did not stop CM Yogi from entering their lane. He did not enter as it was a containment zone. The claims made by opposition leaders, actors and few journalists were FAKE.

Uttar Pradesh: As Covid situation improves, CM Yogi prepares govt for the third wave

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: As Covid situation improves, CM Yogi prepares govt for the third wave

Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath said on May 16 that the state is getting itself equipped and is prepared to deal with the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. UP, the most populous state of the country is one of the most affected states by the second wave of Covid-19.

The state had reported over 30,000 cases on a daily basis for several days through April, which has substantially come down to under 15,000 cases per day, and on May 16, the state reported 10,505 new cases of Covid-19. There has been a steady decline in the active number of Covid cases in the state. While the state is fighting with the second wave, it has already formulated a stringent action plan to deal with the possible third wave of the virus as predicted by experts.

CM Yogi Adityanath, while addressing a press conference at Noida Film City, said that the state has been equipping itself to fight the anticipated third wave of Covid-19 with complete preparedness. As per predictions, the third wave may affect children, women, and other vulnerable groups.

As a part of the action plan, immediate directions have been issued to improve the health infrastructures in all the community health centers. Pediatric ICUs with a minimum capacity of 100 beds are being set up in all districts for proper and special care of the children. Additional wards are being set up in the medical colleges.

Containment of the spread in rural areas

The rural region in Uttar Pradesh is under constant threat of the virus spread. To contain the spread, the UP government is working with Health Workers and surveillance committee members who are visiting each household to examine and trace persons with symptoms. They are being provided with medical kits that have medicines for Covid-19. Over four lakh members of the surveillance committee are conducting door-to-door tests that are helping in early detection, isolation, and treatment of the patients.

CM Yogi said, “The concerned authorities as directed have been providing free and proper treatment with medicine kits to the patients even developing mild symptoms. Early treatment is being provided without waiting for test results to not let the patient get critical.”

Vaccination drive to continue on  war-footing

The state would continue the vaccination drive as planned in an organized and phased manner. Every person will get the vaccine free of cost. So far, the state has administered 1.5 crore doses of the vaccine. Under phase III of the vaccination action program, people aged above 18 are getting free vaccines in over 23 high-load districts. After that, the state will provide the vaccine to the rural population. CM Yogi said, “I have myself been monitoring and taking stock of arrangements at the ground level to ensure complete preparedness. I have so far visited Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Agra, Mathura, Aligarh, and other rural areas and will continue to do so.”

Encephalitis handling experience comes in handy to help children

The state is preparing extensively to compete against the possible third wave of Covid-19. The experience CM Yogi has with Encephalitis handling would come in handy. It has to be noted that Encephalitis had created havoc in the state, especially in western UP, for many decades. Since CM Yogi took charge of the state, it has been controlled by 98%.

He said, “We had made a comprehensive action plan while fighting the menace and with the result, the casualties which used to be  between 1200 and 1500 every year came down to 63 last year.” Based on the experience, special arrangements are being made for children and women.

The state health department has also issued an advisory to tackle black fungus. Training is being provided to healthcare professionals to tackle cases of black fungus.

Covid-19 in Uttar Pradesh

The state has been consistently getting better since May 1 in the fight against Covid-19. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, on May 16, the state reported 10,505 new cases of Covid-19. This is the first time since April 9 that the state has reported close to 10,000 cases. The new cases had been rising since April 9 and peaked on April 24, when the state had reported 38,055 cases in a single day.

As of now, there are 1,63,003 active cases in the state. 24,837 patients recovered on May 16, and 308 people lost the battle to Covid-19. Test positive ratio has been dropping consistently and come down to 3.9% on Sunday.

Cyclone Tauktae now an ‘extremely severe cyclonic storm’, to hit Gujarat coast later today

OpIndia Staff
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Cyclone Tauktae now an ‘extremely severe cyclonic storm’, to hit Gujarat coast later today

The Indian Meteorological Department has announced that Cyclone Tauktae has intensified into a ‘extremely severe cyclonic storm’. It is said to make landfall on the Gujarat coast by Monday evening with winds up to 185 kmph.

Currently, the cyclone is said to be about 120 west-southwest of Mumbai resulting in strong gushes of wind and rainfall. The coastal areas of Maharashtra have been put on high alert.

The cyclone has also begun to wreak havoc in parts of Kerala with high tides creating chaos and leaving hundreds displaced.

As per officials, Cyclone Tauktae could result in flash floods and landslides in the coastal areas of Goa, Kerala and Karnataka. 

Damage Done

Cyclone Tauktae leaves two dead and one injured after a tree falls on a hut in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon. 

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant too announced the death of two and damage to several houses due to the gusty winds triggered by the cyclone.

The cyclone claimed two more lives in Kerala as the storm intensified. More than 2000 people have been shifted to 71 camps as precautionary measures. 

Cyclone Preparedness 

Owing to the worrisome situation, more than 100 teams of the National Disaster Response Force have been deployed in Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

The Indian Air Force has also deployed two C-130J for transportation of more than 160 personnel and more than 16.5 tonnes of NDRF relief load from Kolkata to Ahmedabad.

The timely weather alerts by the Indian Coast Guard resulted in all of 4526 fishing boats in Maharashtra and 2258 in Gujarat returning safely to harbour from the sea.

Another 1200 people were safely evacuated from the coastal areas of Malia in Junagadh Gujarat.

Covid-19 vaccination drives across several locations in Maharashtra and Gujarat have been called off for two days.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting that included Home Minister Amit Shah to review the preparedness of States, central Ministries and agencies concerned and asked them to ensure all were safely evacuated.

Supply vessel stranded amidst Cyclone Tauktae in the Arabian Sea, 9-member crew await Navy’s rescue chopper

OpIndia Staff
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Supply vessel stranded amidst Cyclone Tauktae in the Arabian Sea, 9-member crew await Navy’s rescue chopper

On May 15, Vessel Coromondel Supporter IX, which is a Tug/Supply Vessel, lost control due to bad weather conditions caused by Cyclone Tauktae. M/s Atlantic Shipping owns the vessel, and it has been operational since 1981 and sails under the flag of India. It has a crew of nine members who are currently waiting for rescue. The vessel’s contract with Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd. (MRPL) had ended last year in December, and they were waiting at outer anchorage since May 5 for instructions from the owner.

A Twitter user LikhithRaaai posted a series of tweets explaining their situation. He said that the vessel lost control due to cyclonic weather and is currently grounded between rocks at six nautical miles from Kaup coast (Karnataka) with nine crew members on board. They are stuck at sea at ‘Mulki Rocks’, off the coast at Udipi district, Karnataka. Coastguards are unable to provide support due to bad weather.

He further said that the crew was without any food supply, and their mobile batteries were draining out quickly. He also shared a video sent by one of the crew members who requested the Indian government for rescue. He said, “Please help us, sir. We are waiting for the chopper.”

He also showed how all crew members were holding their position to save themselves from the mighty ocean. The audio in the video was not clear due to the strong wind noises.

In another video shared by Drop The Anchor, the ship was visibly tilted and stuck between the rocks.

In an update provided by the Twitter user, he was informed by the concerned authorities that the rescue operation would be commenced from the Goa base, but he could not get a clear picture of when the rescue operation would start.

Jaideep Shenoy, journalist with Times of India, said in a tweet that he was informed by District Administration Dakshina Kannada that an appeal had been made to the Indian Navy to press their helicopter from Goa, and rescue was planned in fair weather. Deputy Commissioner K.V. Rajendra, Dakshina Kannada said that the crew members were safe.

While talking to The Hindu Karnataka Coast Guard Commander, DIG S.B. Venkatesh said that the efforts are being made to rescue the crew, but the process is being affected by bad weather. The rescue operation will be started by the Navy as soon as the weather settles down.

Vinod Dua’s daughter, who wanted all ‘bhakts’ dead, receives help from a ‘bhakt’ MP while her mother needed critical COVID medicines

OpIndia Staff
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Vinod Dua’s daughter, who wanted all ‘bhakts’ dead, receives help from a ‘bhakt’ MP while her mother needed critical COVID medicines

MeToo accused journalist Vinod Dua is currently hospitalised over COVID. His wife Chinna Dua, too, has been hospitalised in Gurugram’s Medanta for COVID treatment. On Sunday, Chinna Dua needed Tocilizumab, a critical medicine used as treatment for COVID patients. Her daughter, actress and ‘comedian’ Mallika Dua reached out on the Internet to seek help for the medicines.

Mallika Dua’s tweet and subsequent responses

Dua had tweeted to various celebrities and politicians for help, like actor Sonu Sood and Congress leader Deepender Hooda. Dua had not reached out to any BJP leader including the Chief Minister of Haryana, Manoharlal Khattar.

However, BJP MP and Minister of Civil Aviation Hardeep Puri offered his number and informed her that the medicine has been arranged.

To put things in perspective, Vinod Dua’s daughter, Mallika Dua, who was seeking help, has at least once wished death upon all ‘Bhakts’, a term often used to describe all Modi supporters and by extension, BJP leaders.

In a clip that has now gone viral on social media, Dua was asked about Twitter accounts she wishes would get suspended. “All ‘bhakts’ ya. All these IT cell f*cks. They should just die,” she had elaborated.

Earlier, Dua had gone off on a deranged rant against people who were showing solidarity with Pulwama martyrs. Displaying utter insensitivity towards the martyrs who laid down their lives in the dastardly attack and their grieving families, Dua went on a rant about how “people die every day”. She had said, “I want to ask them, people die every day of hunger, starvation, unemployment and many other causes, do we keep mourning over all of them, do we keep mourning all year. This is bullsh%$.”

BJP supporters, however, lodged their protest about minister chipping in to help the elites in India, when commoners are equally suffering, especially when the elites have not asked for their help.

Twitter user Ankit Jain said how the help to Dua was not being frowned upon, as everyone should get medical help. But it was more about the privilege being offered to the elites even when the minister was not tagged.

As Twitter user Ankur Singh pointed out that Mallika’s father journalist Vinod Dua himself had said that the obituaries pouring for former PM and BJP leader Atal Bihar Vajpayee on his demise was ‘hypocrisy’ as no one speaks ill of the dead.

Meanwhile, Mallika Dua has thanked Puri for the help and Puri has deleted his tweet offering medicine to Dua.

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