Home Blog Page 4270

India Today, Hindustan Times, others water down radical Sikh extremism, refer to Khalistan Tiger Force members as ‘activists’

OpIndia Staff
-
0
India Today, Hindustan Times, others water down radical Sikh extremism, refer to Khalistan Tiger Force members as ‘activists’

On Saturday (May 22), the Punjab police apprehended two Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) terrorists involved in firing at a priest and murdering a follower of Dera Sacha Sauda. The accused, identified as one Ram Singh (Sonu) and Lovepreet Singh (Ravi), were arrested from the Moga district from behind a senior secondary school.

The duo was working at the behest of the Canada-based KTF chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The cops had recovered 0.32 bore pistols with 28 live cartridges and one 0.315 bore pistol with 10 live cartridges and two magazines. With their arrest, the Punjab police foiled their plan to murder another Dera Sacha Sauda follower allegedly involved in the sacrilege of the Sikh holy book ‘Guru Granth Sahib.’

On November 20 last year, Sonu and one Kamal had murdered Dera Sacha Sauda follower Manohar Lal in Bhagta Bhaika in Bathinda district. They had also fired at a priest named Kamaldeep Sharma in Bhar Singh Pura village in Phillaur on January 31, 2021. During the firing incident, the priest sustained three bullet injuries and was gravely injured. Sonu and Ravi, who are now arrested, also tried to murder Sharma Sweets’ owner in Moga district.

Kamal, Ravi, and one Arshdeep had also murdered their own aide Sukha Lamme through poisoning on June 27 last year in the Dala village. On Sunday, Director General of Police (DGP) Dinkar Gupta informed that 3 KTF terrorists namely Arshdeep, Ramandip, and Charanjit were hiding in Surrey in Canada. While Ravi and Sonu had been arrested, Kamal is still on the run from the law enforcement authorities.

India Today, Hindustan Times and Tribune India attempt to whitewash the terrorists

Despite the severity of their crimes and the terrorist links of Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), several news publications attempted to trivialise the criminals and their association with the separatist terrorist organisation. One of the publications was that of India Today, Instead of referring to the two accused as terrorists or even extremists, they labelled the duo as ‘activists’.

Screengrab of the article by India Today

Another news publication, which pulled off a similar stunt to water down the severity of their crimes was Hindustan Times. Following the footsteps of India Today, it too labelled the two terrorists as ‘activists.’

Screengrab of the article by Hindustan Times

Tribune India too downplayed the arrest of Ravi and Sonu by referring to them as KTF ‘activists’ and ‘members’.

Screengrab of the article by Tribune India

KTF and the terror activities of its chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar

It must be mentioned that the KTF chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar had migrated to Canada in 1995-1996 and now lives in Vancouver. He was among the names that Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh had provided to Canadian PM Justin Trudeau during his visit in 2018. Reportedly, Nijjar has been involved in several terrorist acts in India including bomb blasts. He has been actively involved in recruiting and training pro-Khalistani terrorists.

Nijjar became the head of KTF after former chief Jagtar Singh Tara was arrested in connection to the assassination of former Punjab CM Beant Singh case. Nijjar was mentored by Tara during his visit to Pakistan in April 2012. It must be mentioned that a red corner notice was issued against him in 2014 for ‘raising terrorist modules’. Nijjar has also been put on the ‘No Fly list’ by Canadian authorities. Despite Sonu and Ravi working with the terrorist outfit, mainstream media publications chose to refer to them as KTF ‘activists’.

Sun Halo: Rainbow ring spotted around the sun in the Bengaluru sky. Read what it means

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Sun Halo: Rainbow ring spotted around the sun in the Bengaluru sky. Read what it means

On Monday morning, the Bengaluru sky was lit up with a rainbow ring encircling the Sun.

Spectacular images of the sun went viral on social media.

The phenomenon is popularly known as the 22-degree halo because the ring has a radius of approximately 22 degrees around the sun or moon.

A 22-degree halo is an optical phenomenon that belongs to the family of ice-crystal halos. The halo of the sun or occasionally the Moon (also called a moon ring or winter halo), occurs when the sun’s or moon’s rays get deflected/ refracted through the hexagonal ice crystals present in cirrus clouds. These clouds contain millions of tiny ice crystals, which refract, split and even reflect the light to give an impression of a circular rainbow ring. The crystals have to be oriented and positioned just so with respect to your eye, in order for the halo to appear.

Another phenomenon that results in the formation of a ring around the Sun or Moon—and therefore sometimes confused with the 22-degree halo—is the corona. Unlike the 22-degree halo, however, it is produced by water droplets instead of ice crystals and it is much smaller and more colourful.

While it may appear as a rare cosmic occurrence, a cursory Google search will reveal that halos are common phenomenons that are spotted regularly across the world. Though their occurrence is more common in cold countries, it is rare and unpredictable in India because of being a tropical country.

Uttar Pradesh: Social media user Ashraf Ali arrested for threatening SDM over demolition of illegal mosque

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Uttar Pradesh: Social media user Ashraf Ali arrested for threatening SDM over demolition of illegal mosque

Social media user Ashraf Ali of Dariyabad was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Police on Saturday for threatening the SDM Divyanshu Patel over demolition of the 100-year-old illegal mosque earlier this month. As per reports, in his social media post, he referred to the demolition of the structure and accused him of being biased. He also threatened that the SDM will bear consequences of his actions.

On May 17, following the SDM’s instructions the illegal structure was demolished. Officials confirmed that an illegal residential structure situated inside the ‘tehsil’ premises in Ram Sanehi Ghat area in the district, which the outraging Muslim organisations and opposition is claiming to be a ‘mosque’, was demolished on the orders of a sub-divisional magistrate’s (SDM) court in Ram Sanehi Ghat. As per officials, a notice was served on the people, who had been residing there, asking them to produce documents in support of their claim but they fled after serving of the notice.

As per officials, the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court had disposed of a petition filed in this connection on April 2, which proved that the construction was illegal. A case was filed in the court of the Sub Divisional Magistrate, Ram Sanehi Ghat, and its orders were complied with on May 17. Joint magistrate Divyanshu Patel also termed the construction as illegal and the building was brought down on court orders, he said.

A case of disturbing communal peace and harmony has been registered against Ashraf Ali. He was produced before the court and sent to jail. On Friday, five people were detained under suspicion of creating communal unrest. Mohammad Matin Khan, Mohammad Saad, Suleiman, Farooq Ahmed Khan and Mohammad Kamil were arrested and produced before the court. Following that, they were also sent to the jail.

New report: Multiple Wuhan lab researchers fell ill in November 2019, weeks before China ‘reported’ the first Covid case

OpIndia Staff
-
0
New report: Multiple Wuhan lab researchers fell ill in November 2019, weeks before China ‘reported’ the first Covid case

After Beijing vehemently denied carrying out research to weaponise the coronavirus at the maximum-security Wuhan Institute of Virology, a US intelligence report has revealed that several researchers at China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology fell ill in November 2019 and had to be hospitalized.

The report with this new piece of information hinted at the severity of their symptoms that could intensify the debate about the origins of the coronavirus pandemic further. 

It is interesting to note that the Trump administration in January had said that the researchers at Wuhan lab had become sick in autumn 2019, however, did not mention hospitalization. China, opposing every bit of such information, continues to report that the first patient with Covid-like symptoms was recorded in Wuhan only on December 8, 2019.

The intelligence community, however, still does not know what the researchers were actually sick with. “The intelligence community does not know exactly where, when, or how Covid-19 virus was transmitted initially,” added the Director of National Intelligence.

According to the CNN report, the members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which has been on top of the investigations to find the origins of the pandemic, received a classified briefing on the matter last week. 

Several current and former intelligence officials concur that the idea of the virus being unleashed ‘accidentally from the Wuhan lab is reasonable, however, there is no high-confidence assessment of that possibility as yet.

Trump administration’s fact sheet

Just before Trump’s administration came to an end, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had suggested the possibility of the virus leaking from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. 

Putting out a fact sheet, Pompeo had claimed that said the US had evidence of researchers at the Wuhan Lab falling sick in the fall of 2019 with Covid-like symptoms and that the lab had a history of military research.

WHO report conclusion

WHO released the much-awaited report into the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus last month concluding that it’s “extremely unlikely” the virus originated from a laboratory. The other likely option as per the report is a spillover from an animal reservoir host to human, followed by direct person-to-person transmission.

However, it is imperative to note that China had withheld raw data which was acknowledged by WHO Chief himself. “In my discussions with the team, they expressed the difficulties they encountered in accessing raw data. I expect future collaborative studies to include more timely and comprehensive data sharing,” Tedros said in the statement.

As many as 14 countries have disregarded the WHO study and have called for a continued scientific and collaborative approach to be taken to be able to trace the origins of COVID-19 successfully and conclusively.

Military research at Wuhan Lab

We had reported earlier about how at the behest of a state body a countrywide plan was launched in China 9 years ago to investigate the origins of the new viruses and uncover the “dark matter” of biology responsible for the spread of diseases.

The recent findings by The Mail jibes with the longstanding accusations leveled by the United States that the Chinese Army had used the Wuhan Institute of Virology for bequeathing the intractable coronavirus to the world.

The project headed by five leaders included Cao Wuchun, a senior army officer and government advisor on bioterrorism. Wuchun is among those listed on project reports as a researcher from the Academy of Military Medical Sciences of the People’s Liberation Army and works in close collaboration with other military scientists. He is also the director of the Military Biosafety Expert Committee.

In the last few years, under the leadership of Premier Xi Jinping, the Chinese military has scaled up its hiring of scientists, as a part of the country’s efforts to attain global supremacy.

Appearing semi-naked during class, sexual comments to girls: Students of Chennai’s PSBB school start online campaign against teacher

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Appearing semi-naked during class, sexual comments to girls: Students of Chennai’s PSBB school start online campaign against teacher

On May 23, former and current students of Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan (PSBB), a group of Schools in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, called out a teacher for his alleged paedophilic behaviour and instances of sexual harassment of students. It appears to have started with a Twitter space where some participants alleged casteism being practised in the school premises. However, soon enough, students began sharing their horrifying experiences with one particular teacher identified as Rajagopalan. Soon enough, many students, both alumnus and current, came forward to tell their ordeal with the teacher.

Singer Chinmayi Sripaaada highlighted the online campaign, adding that the said teacher is currently appointed at the KK Nagar branch of the PSBB school in Chennai.

Model Kripali Samdaria has started a campaign on her Instagram stories and urged everyone to share their experiences so that the alleged paedophilic behaviour of the teacher could be exposed. She received several messages narrating horrifying experiences with Rajagopalan during school as well as after school. Notably, in one of the interviews in 2018, Kripali had mentioned that she was body-shamed in the school for being lean.

Rajagopalan took an online class in a towel

One of the students who shared their ordeal with Kripali made a shocking revelation that Rajagopalan had attended online class in his towel. She wrote, “He came to class straight out of his bathroom with only a towel tied to his waist.” The student also shared a screenshot with Kripali as proof.

Rajgopalan attended class in a towel. Source: Kripali Samdaria’s Instagram stories

Demanded photos, night video calls and asked girls for ‘date’

Several students alleged that Rajagopalan made inappropriate comments on their bodies, made sexual advancements, touched inappropriately and asked to go out for movies. One of the students mentioned in the DMs that Rajagopalan harassed several of her batchmates and juniors. The girl, who is currently a student in the school, said that he asked one of her friends for a movie. She also alleged that the teacher shared a pornographic link in the class group.

He would send porn links in class group. Source: Kripali Samdaria’s Instagram stories

She also said that he asked for photos and demanded late-night video calls from girl students.

Demands of video calls. Source: Kripali Samdariya’s Instagram stories

The student also shared screenshots of the messages he had sent on WhatsApp in which he was seen inappropriately appreciating the student’s dress.

Whatsapp messages sent to a minor student. Source: Kripali Samdariya’s Instagram stories

The student who was asked by Rajagopalan for the movie also came forward and shared screenshots of his messages. She said that he was ignoring her request to check her project. When she sent a message begging him to check the project, he agreed. However, the next morning he sent her a message asking her out.

Students were ignored during project submissions. Source: Kripali Samdaria’s Instagram stories

He had asked, “Ur free tonight can we go to a movie.” When the student cornered him and said it was inappropriate of him to ask a minor to go out with him for a movie, he claimed that the message was supposed to be for someone else, and he sent it by mistake.

He asked a girl student out for movie. Source: Kripali Samdaria’s Instagram stories

A former student said he had tried to hug her in front of the class. Another student shared a very inappropriate joke about a girl student’s breast that he had made in the class. Several students said that his behaviour is often normalized by fellow students and even the school’s administration.

One of the students was allegedly paired with him, giving him “more power” to harass her.

A girl student was paired with him. Source: Kripali Samdaria’s Instagram stories

“He would select some a few of us as his ‘targets’ and constantly slut-shame and make horrible sex jokes about us to the point of breaking down in the class. A few times when we were expected to stay back in small groups, he would give us disgusting looks, touch us ‘by accident’ and even so much say things like ‘you are making me horny (in Tamil),” told one student to Kripali in DMs. Sadly, Rajagopalan was head of the sexual harassment committee.

Another student shared her ordeal when she had gone with him to a school competition in Hong Kong five years ago. During the trip, he made sexual advancements towards the student and even tried to give her wine to drink. She was 16 years old at that time. When she refused repeatedly, he belittled her and shamed her for not winning an award. She said he also joined the students for shopping in Hong Kong and asked inappropriate questions about the clothes they bought.

Sexual advancement on minor in Hong Kong. Source: Kripali Samdaria’s Instagram stories

One student told about her friend who had curly hair. Boys were teasing her and accidentally pulled her hair with force. When Rajagopalan heard her scream, he allegedly said, “Why are you shouting like you are being raped.”

Rape comment on girl student. Source: Kripali Samdaria’s Instagram stories

Boys were not spared either

One of the male students came forward and shared his ordeal. He alleged that he had touched his private parts while frisking him, alleging he brought the phone to the school.

He harassed boys as well. Source: Kripali Samdaria’s Instagram stories

Other teachers were called out

Several students called out other teachers as well for their inappropriate behaviour in the class. One of the students talked about a former Sanskrit teacher who would abuse students, slap them for no apparent reason and even flirt openly with girl students. He would “accidentally” walk into the girls’ changing room and inappropriately touch both boys and girls. A female biology teacher was mentioned in the stories, who would flirt openly with the male students, used derogatory language for girls, and used cuss words in class. She also made sexual remarks and jokes with students.

Other teachers were called out. Source: Kripali Samdaria’s Instagram stories

No action from the administration

Several students mentioned that they had approached the appropriate authorities who did not respond to any complaint. Even parents’ complaints were ignored, and the students were warned to remain silent. Several complaints were ignored, and the students were allegedly made laughing stock for complaining against Rajagopalan or any other teacher in PSBB. The students were told to remain silent else their “future would be ruined if he willed to”.

OpIndia has contacted Kripali to learn more about the incidents. We will update the story once she replies. As this is an ongoing story, more updates will follow.

Azamgarh: SIT finds major irregularities in appointment of madarsa teachers, rules violated, family members given job

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Azamgarh: SIT finds major irregularities in appointment of madarsa teachers, rules violated, family members given job

Allegations of major fraud in the appointment of teachers at several madarsas in Azamgarh have surfaced in Uttar Pradesh, reported Navbharat Times (NT). The State government has constituted an SIT (Special Investigation Team) to determine the role played by Minority welfare officers and other staff members in the fraudulent appointment of teachers at Azamgarh madarsas between 1974 to 2013, as per the report.

During the investigation carried out by the SIT at 20 such institutes in Azamgarh, it was revealed that teachers were appointed despite having certificates from institutes that are neither run nor recognised by the State and Union government. Reportedly, the administrators of the madarsas have appointed teachers who have graduated with third division or less than 55% marks which is the cut-off eligibility. An individual who passed with third division with grace marks was also appointed as a teacher.

One of the madarsa teachers claimed to have 3 years of teaching experience as of February 28, 2004, at Sirjaul Ul Uloom madarsa in Chitrakoot, even though the madarsa was not recognised by the government till then. The SIT found that one Armaan Ahmed was appointed as an assistant teacher on November 6, 1981, but he was not even 18 years old at that time, a mandatory requirement for appointment. Similarly, a principal assistant madarsa teacher named Mohammed Mehndi was appointed on January 9, 1996, although his experience certificate was issued two months later on May 21.

Cases of laxity and conflict of interest during teacher appointments in madarsas

During its probe, the SIT found that Zaheen Ahmed, the Chairman of the Board which runs the madarsa in Mubarakpur in Azamgarh, had appointed 3 of his daughters, namely, Alisha Siddiqui, Rubana Zaheen, and Ibtesan Zaheen as Assistant teachers. His daughter Nusrat Zaheen was also appointed as principal on November 24, 2014. In a clear case of conflict of interest, the Chairman himself had issued letters of appointment for his four daughters.

The SIT revealed that Registrar Rahul Gupta and Joint Director Sheshnath Pandey are yet to be named in the FIR. The duo has disposed of 14 cases of irregular appointments in gross violation of the rules. Gupta and Pandey are posted in the Directorate of Minority Welfare. The Special Investigation Team has however recommended Departmental action against the two individuals on charges of ‘laxity’. Seshanath Pandey has however cried foul and said that he will register his objection to the probe conducted by the SIT before an appropriate forum.

BKU rejects Capt Amarinder’s request, will carry out 3-day superspreader protest despite plea from CM

OpIndia Staff
-
0
BKU rejects Capt Amarinder’s request, will carry out 3-day superspreader protest despite plea from CM

As Bharatiya Kisan Union gears up for more aggressive protests amidst the second wave of the coronavirus, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday urged the BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) not to go ahead with the three-day planned protests in Patiala. Covid cases and deaths are seeing a massive surge in Punjab and there are several reports stating that farmer protests are acting as superspreader events. 

However, the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) has outrightly rejected the plea saying not just the Centre but the state is equally responsible for the miseries of farmers and inability to contain the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Visibly upset with the unwarranted action of the protesting farmers, Amarinder suggested that after the state offered unwavering support to the farmers, the same should be reciprocated by the BKU “to support the state government in the fight against the pandemic.”

Captain Amarinder stressed on the fact that the farmers’ group should not to act irresponsibly and jeopardise the lives of their people with their reckless behaviour amid the pandemic. He also reminded that there is a complete ban in the state on all gatherings and any violation would be highly detrimental to the interests of Punjab.

On the other hand, the organization’s president Joginder Singh Ugrahan said, “We will hold the protest for sure by adopting the Covid precautions from May 28 to 30. We are more concerned about the health of our own people.”

Patiala’s village declared hotspot

Meanwhile, Patiala’s Dabhlan village with 37 new cases on Saturday has been declared as a Covid hotspot. The number of active cases in the village now stands at 75 with five deaths reported within 30 days. 

Dr Sumeet Singh, District Epidemiologist confirmed the same and informed that new positive cases were being detected through a follow-up sampling exercise after the village became a macro-containment zone.

“The village is big and has a large population, therefore, more staff will be deployed for isolation and contact tracing of fresh positive cases,” he added.

Singh also said that several villages in Peri-Urban areas and Passiana, Laut, Ajnauda Kalan, Chotti Rauni, Duladi, and Ghaggar Sarai villages have been severely hit. 

Farmers protest sites act as super-spreader

We had reported earlier on how the farmers who are returning from the Delhi border post registering their protest against the Farm laws may be acting as the new super-spreaders in Punjab. 

As per a ground report by Dainik Jagran most new cases of coronavirus are emerging from districts that sent the most number of protestors to the site. As many as 900 farmers had traveled from a single district of Punjab to participate in the protest. It is imperative to note that 58% of the deaths reported in Punjab are from Rural areas.

Punjab government fear rise in cases

Punjab Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa in an interview to News18 had accepted that the rise in Covid-19 cases in Punjab is in fact linked to the farmer’s protest.

When asked about the rise of new coronavirus cases in rural Punjab and the availability of testing, the Minister revealed that the farmers returning from Singhu and Tikri borders are not getting themselves tested. This is one of the reasons why there is a sudden surge of cases in rural Punjab, he stated.

Opposition parties continue to fan protests

As some states continue to record a surge in Covid-19 cases, as many as twelve opposition parties have decided to extend their support to the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) on May 26 to mark the completion of six months of protests against the farm laws. 

On Sunday, Punjab saw 5094 fresh cases of Covid, taking the state’s tally of active cases to 57,505. The state has seen over 13,000 deaths so far, with 172 deaths reported on Sunday. The total cases so far stated at 5,38,994.

All-rounder Expert Dhruv Rathee enters Guinness Book of World Records after solving Israel-Palestine crisis in under 14 minutes

K Bhattacharjee
-
0
All-rounder Expert Dhruv Rathee enters Guinness Book of World Records after solving Israel-Palestine crisis in under 14 minutes

Dhruv Rathee has entered the Guinness Book of World Records after solving the Israel-Palestine crisis in 13 minutes 35 seconds. That is the length of the YouTube video through which he achieved the feat hitherto considered impossible by the greatest luminaries of the world.

The YouTube Jack of All Trades achieved the milestone by using the ‘Politics of Love’ strategy as first suggested by former Congress president Rahul Gandhi. The one-single state, as suggested by Dhruv Rathee, will be called ‘Isratine’.

Dhruv Rathee has a revelation

Experts have opined that the three ‘heart’ emojis were crucial towards ensuring peace in the region as it helped Hamas and the Israel Defense Forces finally see the light. It was also concluded that there was divine sanction in favour of Rathee’s plan as ‘heart’ emojis began to rain in the Holy City of Jerusalem right after the plan was made public.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu collapsed on to the ground after hearing the news. Doctors have suggested that he was required to be hospitalised due to experiencing a physical drop in his IQ after watching Rathee’s video. His health is now believed to be stable.

Hamas was greatly pleased with the outbreak of peace in the region and celebrated the development by firing a few more rockets into Israel from Gaza. Joe Biden congratulated Rathee during a press conference but cursed in private. Peace in the Middle East is not considered good news by warmongers in the United States.

Dhruv Rathee, who also doubles up as foreign policy expert, medical science expert, economy expert, legal expert, human rights expert, agriculture expert, environment expert, religion expert, technology expert, history expert, geography expert amongst way many things, is expected to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his contribution but instead, he has been awarded the title of ‘Ayatollah Dhruv Rathee Yahoodi Maulana Cardinal Insan’. Numerous people are now coming forward to claim credit for his achievement.

Horlicks has released a new advertisement claiming that it was the health drink that made Rathee ‘taller, stronger and sharper’. Rathee also features in Aam Aadmi Party banners and posters, where he is referred to as a dedicated pupil of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the original expert in all things humanly possible.

It was also a proud moment for Arvind Kejriwal personally, as the pupil has finally surpassed his guru. Randeep Surjewala, however, is not a happy man. According to Surjewala, the ‘politics of love’ strategy was first suggested by Rahul Gandhi and ideally, credit should go to him.

Another individual who is not happy is Jose Mourinho. He is afraid he will no longer be considered the ‘Special One’ after this. Some have objected to the name ‘Isratine’ as well. They say it reminds them of Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars.

Meanwhile, Turkey’s Erdogan does not believe Isratine will work. Critics say it is mainly because he did not come up with the idea himself. The New York Times, however, believes it is a conspiracy by Narendra Modi to deflect attention from the Covid-19 crisis in India. Speaking of COVID crisis in India, actor Sonu Sood, too, has taken it upon himself to dislodge Rathee from the coveted title, and become the next Ayotallah Sonu Sood Yahoodi Maulana Cardinal Insan alias Messiah.

‘Vaccines are evil force’: Churches, Christian groups in Northeast advice people against COVID vaccines

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘Vaccines are evil force’: Churches, Christian groups in Northeast advice people against COVID vaccines

Vaccine hesitancy in the Northeastern states in India seem to be fuelled by some Churches and Christian groups which are discouraging people from taking the Chinese coronavirus vaccines. As per reports, ‘prayer warriors’ are advocating use of herbs and faith to ‘cure’ COVID while discouraging them from taking vaccines. As per the report, in Christian dominated Nagaland, an unnamed office-bearer of Naga Baptist Church Council has distanced themselves from these ‘prayer warriors’ describing them as ‘independent preachers’.

In January this year, a prophecy issued by Eastern Zion Healing Ministry claimed that the COVID-19 mass vaccination is ‘not the will of the god’ and all believers were asked not to take them. “Through the vaccination, the mark of the ‘beast’ will come which will follow biochip/microchip containing the number of the beast,” the prophecy read. It also claimed that those ‘believers’ who take the COVID-19 vaccine ‘will not be able to enter the reign of Christ’s millennium kingdom’.

Similar prophecies were issued by the group even in 2018 which claimed that Aadhaar card and Rubella vaccines were against the will of god.

In Meghalaya, Christian groups are linking vaccines to ‘evil force’. Earlier, Aadhaar was also seen as being ‘marked by the devil’ by some Christian groups. Similarly, in Manipur, some believe that Bible and not vaccine will save them. The vaccine hesitancy is specially higher in the hill areas, dominated by Christians.

Earlier in May, 2021, soon after the 5-day Church revival camp was heldRr in April, the test positivity in Nagaland rose to 13%. In the event, which turned up to be a superspreader event, 45 out of 69 people tested positive for COVID, with a 65% positivity.

FIR filed against Kamal Nath for spreading misleading information over Covid-19

OpIndia Staff
-
0
FIR filed against Kamal Nath for spreading misleading information over Covid-19

A case has been registered against senior Congress leader Kamal Nath over his controversial remarks regarding Covid-19. The former Madhya Pradesh CM has been booked under section 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code and section 54 (punishment for spreading false information) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, for spreading misleading information over COVID-19.

Kamal Nath had sparked controversy by repeatedly using the term “Indian Corona” to refer to the pandemic during a media interaction on Friday. He said that ‘while we were saying Chinese Corona, now we are facing Indian Corona. Today UK has banned flights from India due to Indian Corona’.

Following the video of Kamal Nath’s comments had gone viral, BJP had slammed him, reminding that WHO has said that it does not associate variants of Coronavirus with any country. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had issued a statement earlier this month that using the term “Indian variant” to refer to the B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus is not correct, and had expressed concern over media reports using the term.

Earlier today, the Madhya Pradesh BJP had filed a complaint against Kamal Nath with the Bhopal Crime Branch, demanding registration of a case against him, for both his recent controversial comments, the comment over Coronavirus and asking his party workers to set the country on fire over farmer protests.

Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan had also strongly reacted to Kamal Nath’s comments, wondering whether the comments amount to sedition. “Will this not hurt the country’s respect and does this not amount to sedition?” he had asked. The CM had said that he is deeply saddened that former Kamal Nath was destroying the morale of the country and the state.

1...4,2694,2704,271...7,657Page 4,270 of 7,657